Category Archives: Human Nature

Again, Living in History

Posted on Tuesday 24 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

This isn’t about Trump or MAGA per se. I suspect most people don’t realize how we’re all witnessing historic shifts in American and world politics in the past few years. What many of us are not noticing will be written … Continue reading →

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Morality Wars

Posted on Monday 23 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Widely reported today. Mediaite, 22 Mar 2026: Trump Declares ‘The Death of Iran’ — Then Brands Democratic Party America’s ‘Greatest Enemy’ in Stunning Post “Now with the death of Iran, the greatest enemy America has is the Radical Left, Highly … Continue reading →

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Carl Sagan & Ann Druyan: SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS

Posted on Monday 16 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: A Search for Who We Are (Random House, Oct 1992, xvi + 505pp, including 85pp of notes, permissions acknowledgements, and index.) This is perhaps Carl Sagan’s most substantial book, on the grounds that it’s through-written as a single composition; … Continue reading →

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Movie relevance, conservative intuition, unbothered people, Paul and Heather

Posted on Friday 13 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How A House of Dynamite, not nominated for any Oscars, is more important and relevant than any of the pictures nominated, and a great movie; Trump needs to “feel it in my bones” to make a decision, which is precisely … Continue reading →

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Stupid vs. Evil

Posted on Thursday 12 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Robert Reich’s take on what the two US political parties think of each other, and my interpretation of conservative thinking; About Pete Hegseth and how he sees moral purpose in war as a weakness; Another item about parental rights, concerning … Continue reading →

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Gullicism and Literacy

Posted on Monday 9 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Adam Serwer on our “gullible, cynical” America, a condition he dubs “gullicism”; And how this is an absence of “literacy” about how the world actually works; Why everyone thinking “God is on our side” is a problem; John Pavlovitz answers … Continue reading →

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Johan Norberg, PROGRESS

Posted on Tuesday 3 March 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future (UK: Oneworld, Oct 2016, 246pp, including 28pp notes, acknowledgements, and index) Rather as I did with Rutger Bregman a few days, here’s an author who has a new book out recently, … 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 →

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Rutger Bregman: HUMANKIND

Posted on Wednesday 25 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled “A Hopeful History” (2019 Dutch; 2020 Little, Brown, xviii+461pp, including 64pp acknowledgements, notes, and index) Still catching up posting about big books I’ve read in recent years. This book came out in 2020 (in the US) and I blogged … Continue reading →

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Does ICE need to come and track you down?

Posted on Tuesday 24 February 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Why Trump fears “woke,” why he loves the poorly-educated, and how advances in American history were due to “woke”; How he cares about discrimination only if it’s against Jews or whites; How his creepy emails work on the MAGA faithful; … Continue reading →

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