Category Archives: Religion

Basic Principles of Politics, Economics, and Zealotry

Posted on 5 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Three items today. How the Republican strategy has changed; Zero-sum thinking (by conservatives) vs. division of labor and our modern complex society; And fringe items about God-believers and how God made Trump. There’s a commonly understood explanation for the long-time … Continue reading →

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Leaving Off with 2023

Posted on 1 January 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s 2024! Let’s see where 2023 left off, based on links I collected over the past week while traveling. Twenty-two items below, including these topics: Thom Hartmann on GOP scams; Roger Rosenblatt on New Year’s Resolutions; Mike Johnson’s alliance with … Continue reading →

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Progress in 2023

Posted on 31 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

For this last post of the year, I’ll link several year-end pieces about progress in the world, where most people see only continued doom. (I’ll do a separate post, about progress against my goals in my own life, soon.) NY … Continue reading →

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Sources of Meaning

Posted on 21 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How the Catholic League finds meaning at Christmas only in its own teachings, while presuming everyone else must be miserable; How Republicans have found tribal meaning in Christian Nationalism; How Republicans search for voter fraud only among populations who would … Continue reading →

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Christmas Presents and Consumerism; Beauty in the Universe

Posted on 11 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Christmas presents, consumerism, and Adam Lee’s take on minimalism; The idea of ‘beauty’ in the universe, as another component of science fiction’s “consilience”; First take on the new Peter Gabriel album. Like many people as we get older, when Christmas … Continue reading →

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Small-town America and Democracy; Competitive Exclusion; and How that Flat Earth Debate Worked Out

Posted on 9 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

How small-town America hasn’t been good for democracy; How conflicts like Palestine/Israel might be resolved through evolutionary concept of “competitive exclusion”; Quick takes about that flat Earth debate based on scripture; how different Christians claim diametrically opposite things; and Slate’s … Continue reading →

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Dictatorship Promises; What America Actually Is; and Visions from God

Posted on 8 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A Republican critic of journalist Robert Kagan, who wrote about how a Trump dictatorship (see previous posts) would harass journalists, make Kagan’s point by threatening to harass Kagan; Maybe Trump and his followers *are* what America is; More about Mike … Continue reading →

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In Plain Sight

Posted on 6 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

More on Trump’s dictatorship plans– “only on day one” — and how his fascist plans are out there in plain sight; How “pro-life” has different meanings to different people; How Russia’s crack-down on gays as “extremists” echoes values of the … Continue reading →

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Newsom, DeSantis, Santos, and the Threat of a Trump Dictatorship

Posted on 1 December 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Political and religious/political items today. The Newsom/DeSantis debate; The expulsion of George Santos; How ‘moderates’ like Nikki Haley would also eviscerate the government (i.e. what “draining the swamp” means to Republicans); Short items about DeSantis’ Bible; how inflation is fault … Continue reading →

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Last Questions and Possible Answers, 4

Posted on 28 November 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

This is my fourth and likely last post, following this one in March and this one in June, and this one eight days ago, in which I consider the John Brockman book The Last Unknowns, in which he gathers deep … Continue reading →

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