Category Archives: Politics

Dictatorship and the Rejection of Democracy

Posted on Tuesday 18 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Reactions to yesterday’s NYT piece about Republican plans to make Trump a dictator, abandoning the Founding Father’s idea of a democracy with a balance of powers; Climate change as precisely a subject that *should* be politicized, if politics is anything … Continue reading →

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The Current State of the World

Posted on Sunday 16 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about the current state of the world: the economy is good; climate change is getting worse, and how conservatives won’t believe either; How Big Oil is more concerned with profits than with long-term consequences; How the Mission: Impossible … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics, Science, TV Sci Fi | Comments Off on The Current State of the World

Truth or Consequences

Posted on Friday 14 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Why Republicans would want to defund the IRS, the DOJ, and the FBI; Cory Doctorow’s quick take on this theme in his latest novel; A new book about fearmongering; How conspiracy theories are driven by profit, not truth or honesty … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Conservative Resistance, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Truth or Consequences

Tenth Anniversary

Posted on Wednesday 12 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Today is the tenth anniversary of this blog. It was originally called “Views from Medina Road,” from where we lived in Woodland Hills (a suburb of Los Angeles) at the time, with the view of the San Fernando Valley, and … Continue reading →

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Follow-up Links on Current Themes

Posted on Monday 10 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Let’s catch up on links from the past couple weeks that I haven’t already used, beginning with some follow-ons to topics already covered. Climate Change: Scientists have reached the “I told you so” moment; The DeSantis video: Republicans are now … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Follow-up Links on Current Themes

Three Items by Paul Krugman

Posted on Friday 7 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

About why people don’t believe, or understand, that the economy has gotten better; Conspiracy theorists who think the government is simply faking the data about an improving economy; How ‘tech bros’ like Elon Musk are given to reflexive contrarianism and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Three Items by Paul Krugman

Three Profiles of the Modern Republican Party

Posted on Wednesday 5 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

It used to be a respectable party. But even some inside it are questioning its extremists. Three groups of items today. Moms of Liberty, Republican appeals to famous dictators, and their take that apologizing, for anything, is a weakness; DeSantis … Continue reading →

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A Predictable Trend; Ideas about Patriotism

Posted on Tuesday 4 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Two items about the decades-long trend of the decline (even) in the US of allegiance to organized religion, and how this fits into the theme of primitive v. mature moralities; Heather Cox Richardson reflects on the stages of American independence; … Continue reading →

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Ideology vs. Reality, Endlessly

Posted on Monday 3 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Is this the core issue to rule them all? Since the survival of humanity seems to be in the balance? Item’s today: How the Supreme Court’s anti-LGBTQ case should never have been brought; How the rise of the religious far … Continue reading →

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Conservative “Intellectualism,” and Fear

Posted on Saturday 1 July 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Today: A long article about “conservative intellectuals”; How my attention to politics, especially to conservative antics, is actually all about science fiction, and its aspirations; A couple items about the Supreme Court case that did not involve an actual gay … Continue reading →

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