Category Archives: Morality

Art, Heroes, Money

Posted on Tuesday 15 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Conservatives and abstract art; Trump threatens to close the Kennedy Center if he can’t get his name on it; EPA easing pollution limits; Robert Reich on why Trump loves AI; Heather Cox Richardson on Russia’s financial support for Donald Jr.’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, conservatives, Morality | Comments Off on Art, Heroes, Money

Tribalists, Bribes, 9/11 and Tyranny, Fear, and Cheating

Posted on Friday 11 September 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Reading David Pakman, and considering Republican history since Reagan; Trumps is now trying to bribe voters; How the Patriot Act, passed after 9/11 and never repealed, have given Trump the tools to become a tyrant; How Republicans use fear to … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Human Nature, Morality, Politics | Comments Off on Tribalists, Bribes, 9/11 and Tyranny, Fear, and Cheating

Zeus’ Law

Posted on Sunday 2 August 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

The Odyssey and Zeus’ Law; Trump doubles down on reflecting pool vandals; Christian sky evangelist kicked off plane; Headlines from JMG about AI slop, Burgum also doubles down, bullying, executing women who get abortions, criminally charging librarians, permitting ex-gay torture, … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Human Nature, Morality, Movies | Comments Off on Zeus’ Law

The Dystopian Portrait of America Is Not True

Posted on Sunday 12 July 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

An essay on American loneliness denies the dystopian view of the nation; Gay marriage opponents revive a discredited 14-year-old junk science study; Brief items: a “Christian values” candidate with dicey behavior; restricting the public expressions of Muslims; Pete Hegseth’s pastor … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Morality, Religion, Tribalism | Comments Off on The Dystopian Portrait of America Is Not True

Broad Categories

Posted on Wednesday 3 June 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Scott Pelley fired: the destruction of 60 Minutes; David Brin on the dismantling of the ocean monitoring system; Several posts about how Trump and his administration are simply in it for the money; And several posts about conservative morality: demons, … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Decline, Morality | Comments Off on Broad Categories

Deep Thinkers

Posted on Saturday 23 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Hakeem Oluseyi Lucas Bean, provisionally – – – I dwell too much on MAGA (because they are an imminent threat); the very opposite of them are the deep thinkers of our time. The ones making progress in the world. Big … Continue reading →

Posted in Cosmology, Morality, Politics | Comments Off on Deep Thinkers

Primitive Morality, Stories, Politics

Posted on Friday 22 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Oklahoma and child marriage: an example of how modern morality is not (and should not be) beholden to the Bible; A Yuval Noah Harari video on how cooperation throughout human history requires common stories, e.g. religions; An economic experiment that … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Morality, Narrative, Politics | Comments Off on Primitive Morality, Stories, Politics

Morality, and the Bible, Again

Posted on Wednesday 20 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

How the world is becoming more moral, not less; Trump’s egotistical take on religion; Trump’s laughable phone; Noting Trump’s IRS deal that somehow exempts his family from tax audits forever; And how a Christian nationalist pastor thinks America needs “less … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Human Nature, Morality, Religion | Comments Off on Morality, and the Bible, Again

Rutger Bregman: MORAL AMBITION

Posted on Thursday 7 May 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Subtitled: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference (2024 in Dutch; Little, Brown, 2025, 285pp, including 53pp of Thanks, Notes, and Index) Here’s the third book by Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian and thinker. First was UTOPIA FOR … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Notes, Human Progress, longtermism, Morality | Comments Off on Rutger Bregman: MORAL AMBITION

An Assortment of Current Events

Posted on Saturday 25 April 2026 by Mark R. Kelly

Trying to catch up on numerous items from recent days, briefly. MAGA and confederates • Firing the National Science Board • A Texas court defies the Supremes about posting the ten commandments • America’s moral code • The new Navy … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Morality, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on An Assortment of Current Events