Category Archives: conservatives

What Western Civilization is Actually About

Posted on Saturday 14 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Francis Fukuyama, responding to Marco Rubio, on how Western Civilization is more about the Enlightenment than religious faith; And Boston Globe via Steven Pinker on that Tennessee congressman’s anti-Muslim screed; Briefly noted items about Trump’s shoe tests and their Soviet … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Culture, History, Religion | Leave a comment

Clown Shoes, and Republican Obsequiousness

Posted on Wednesday 11 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Marco Rubio in clown shoes; Republicans think oppressing trans kids is more important than parental rights; Trump’s delusional faith in himself; That photo of the prayer group in the Oval Office is being mocked in China; Motivated thinking sees that … Continue reading →

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Morality, War, Science, Persecution

Posted on Saturday 7 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich on the moral basis of civilization, and how Trump is destroying it; And Reich on how Trump is paying for the war, and giving the rich a huge tax cut; More about the undermining of America’s scientific expertise; … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Morality, Religion, Science | Leave a comment

Everything Will Be Better in Two Weeks

Posted on Friday 6 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Ten rationales for Trump’s war on Iran; While some insist it’s not a “war”; Promoting the war with movie clips and video games; Cuba is next, they’re now saying, as predicted; Who is Hegseth to declare the US as a … Continue reading →

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Fractured Reality

Posted on Tuesday 3 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How an air campaign alone has never resulted in regime change; Robert Reich: Trump doesn’t have a clue; John Pavlovitz: He’s not worth this; Heather Cox Richardson: Trump is workshopping reasons for his war with journalists; JD Vance says the … Continue reading →

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Our New War, and Perceptions of Change

Posted on Monday 2 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

BBC on how Trump has no plan; Mark Joseph Stern on how Trump’s war is an impeachable offense; Evangelicals see the return of Jesus everywhere, and now in the attack on Iran; Cory Doctorow on how norms change, all keyed … Continue reading →

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Fearmongering and Gratuitous Cruelty

Posted on Friday 27 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

E.J. Dionne Jr. on Trump’s fearmongering; Gratuitous cruelty in Kansas: canceling the driver’s licenses of transgender people, immediately and without notice; Florida cuts off HIV meds access; White House edits video of US hockey star; Thoughtful piece by Ryan Burge … Continue reading →

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The MAHA Veil, Cruelty, and What Trump Supporters are Teaching their Children

Posted on Thursday 26 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

MAHA isn’t about health, it’s about making money off quack cures; Matthew Rozsa thinks Trump will lose in November because of one word: cruelty; John Pavlovitz spells out what Trump supporters are teaching their children, about diversity, compassion, women, and … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, History, Human Nature | Comments Off on The MAHA Veil, Cruelty, and What Trump Supporters are Teaching their Children

Competence vs. Competition

Posted on Monday 23 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Olympics thoughts: zero-sum games; competence vs competition; Amanda Marcotte on the violence and propaganda from the DHS; Zack Beauchamp on how to stop a dictator: make the threat obvious; Tom Nichols on the Republican Party’s Nazi problem; Short items about … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Nature, Politics | Comments Off on Competence vs. Competition

Another Take on the Left/Right Divide

Posted on Sunday 22 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Kalen Dion on the right/left divide: homogeneity/diversity, and all that implies; What do historians mean that tomorrow won’t be better than today? Because human nature; The modern economy and the limits of human cognition; Conservative values: the Biblical right to … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Nature, Human Progress | Comments Off on Another Take on the Left/Right Divide