Category Archives: Politics

Their Make-Believe World

Trump’s tantrum; His own version of reality; Assaulting reporting, statistics, and the historical record; Ordering an independent office to become as big a liar as he is; Every accusation is a confession; The “Russia Hoax” is whatever he says it … Continue reading

Posted in authoritarianism, Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Culture, Decline, Human Nature, Lunacy, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Their Make-Believe World

Economics and Flipping the Board

How Trump is economically illiterate; Personal aside about buying my first car in 1982; Wondering again if humanity has hit a conceptual limit; For example: Trump claims prices have been cut by 1500%; An essay by George A. Akerlof asks, … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Lunacy, Politics | Comments Off on Economics and Flipping the Board

We’re Living in a World of Mad Hatters

David Brin on the red state/blue state divide; The authors of a report about the 2016 election set the record straight, to correct Tulsi Gabbard, and all the Fox News coverage of her; Tom Nichols on the latest Trump distraction … Continue reading

Posted in Book Notes, Culture, Politics | Comments Off on We’re Living in a World of Mad Hatters

Undermining and Discrediting

More about Trump’s firing of the head of Bureau of Labor Statistics, with responses at Slate, from David Brin, The Atlantic, PolitiFact, Heather Cox Richardson, and Robert Reich; How Trump is now extorting UCLA; How Trump had references to his … Continue reading

Posted in authoritarianism, Morality, Politics | Comments Off on Undermining and Discrediting

Creeping Totalitarianism

Trump fires the messenger of bad news about his economy, while Paul Krugman anticipates cooked books; The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down; And Amanda Marcotte on the idea of religious proselytizing in the workplace. – – –   … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Creeping Totalitarianism

All Things Pass, America Too, It Seems

The Atlantic’s Ross Andersen on how every scientific empire comes to end, with historical precedents; E.J. Dionne Jr. about the drop in murder rate, speculating why; Quick bits about religion as a mental disorder, how praying for the intervention of … Continue reading

Posted in History, Politics, Religion, Science | Comments Off on All Things Pass, America Too, It Seems

The Outright Denial of the Scientific Consensus About Climate Change

Trump’s EPA now denies the worldwide scientific consensus about climate change; The history of Trump’s fake history; How Trump wins by suing institutions for absurd amounts and settling for relatively trivial amounts; How Europe took Trump for a ride; Robert … Continue reading

Posted in authoritarianism, Politics, Science | Comments Off on The Outright Denial of the Scientific Consensus About Climate Change

TV, Juan Crow, Facts and Nonexistent Things, Alfred Schnittke

Trump trusts only TV; Heather Cox Richardson on how Republicans are digging into positions that are contradicted by facts; How the Trump administration’s “Juan Crow” echoes “John Crow”; More nonexistent things that can be banned; Short items about disabling hurricane … Continue reading

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Music, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on TV, Juan Crow, Facts and Nonexistent Things, Alfred Schnittke

More Items from the Authoritarian Playbook

About the conservative agenda concerning colleges, and education; Charlie Kirk thinks you don’t need college; just watch YouTube videos, especially his own online courses; Education Secretary Linda McMahon admits her political motivations for dismantling her department; Brief items about a … Continue reading

Posted in authoritarianism, Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Education, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on More Items from the Authoritarian Playbook

Conservative Thinking Means Whitewashing the Past

A take-down of David Brooks, as an example of a conservative white-washing and distorting American history; How National Park gift shops are removing books about that same history for the same reasons; A religious rant bout Obama and Russia, and … Continue reading

Posted in conservatives, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Conservative Thinking Means Whitewashing the Past