{"id":27701,"date":"2026-04-25T17:30:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T00:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=27701"},"modified":"2026-04-27T16:16:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T23:16:43","slug":"an-assortment-of-current-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/04\/25\/an-assortment-of-current-events\/","title":{"rendered":"An Assortment of Current Events"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Trying to catch up on numerous items from recent days, briefly.<\/p>\n<p>MAGA and confederates \u2022 Firing the National Science Board \u2022 A Texas court defies the Supremes about posting the ten commandments \u2022 America&#8217;s moral code \u2022 The new Navy Secretary believes in witches, but he&#8217;s loyal to Trump! \u2022 Both Trump and the Pope are compromised \u2022 RFK and Trump triple-down on their phony percentage calculations \u2022 Democrats should bring back USAID \u2022 Michio Kaku thinks some mysterious deaths of scientists is a big deal, while a writer for the Atlantic thinks it&#8217;s a statistical illusion \u2022 The Indiana Lt Gov. thinks Democrats are led by demons \u2022 Ben Shapiro thinks posting the ten commandments in schools isn&#8217;t theocracy \u2022 Trump wants to rename Mt Kilimanjaro, for himself \u2022 DeSantis bans climate change efforts \u2022 A revealing photo of women&#8217;s tennis champions \u2022 More examples of deep superstition in the guise of religious belief \u2022 And how some of Trump&#8217;s base thinks his 2024 assassination attempt was staged.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TateReevesBible.webp\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/mississippi-gov-proclaims-confederate-heritage-month\/\">Mississippi Gov Proclaims Confederate Heritage Month<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Some, like David Brin, have explicitly aligned MAGA with the Confederacy, and blue states with the Union.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/U32E64WPVA3SB6MUNCR3N7FJVA_size-normalized.jpg&amp;w=1440&amp;impolicy=high_res\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Washington Post, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/science\/2026\/04\/25\/national-science-board-members-dismissed\/\">Trump ousts National Science Board members<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Subtitle: Members of the independent board that guides the National Science Foundation said they received a notice from the White House that their positions were being terminated.<\/li>\n<li>No reason given. More tearing down, now of what has been a useful, nonpartisan agency since 1950. Who is Trump actually working for?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/a53eb4cc-f058-407e-ac35-3097a21ab8a5.jpeg?crop=1560%2C1040%2Cx0%2Cy0&amp;width=840\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slate, Alexis Romero and Mark Joseph Stern, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2026\/04\/supreme-court-fifth-circuit-ten-commandments-religion-schools.html\">A Far-Right Court Allowed the Ten Commandments in Every Texas Classroom\u2014in Direct Defiance of SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Christian defiance of the Supreme Court. Entitlement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.theatlantic.com\/thumbor\/bGMdUl31NF8pR0kQstzll9x5JK0=\/1x0:4700x2643\/976x549\/media\/img\/mt\/2026\/04\/2026_04_23_Stealing_is_Bad\/original.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Atlantic, Graeme Wood, yesterday<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/ideas\/2026\/04\/hasan-piker-stealing-podcast\/686917\/\">Something Is Happening to America\u2019s Moral Code<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Subtitle: &#8220;A <em>New York Times<\/em> podcast hosted Hasan Piker and a <em>New Yorker<\/em> staff writer for a discussion of lawbreaking, which they both endorsed as resistance to tyranny.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Essay. Civil disobedience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!BZx1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58c8ac0e-7868-4130-8abc-95f469102e09_1200x664.png\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta, yesterday<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.friendlyatheist.com\/p\/trump-replaces-navy-secretary-with\">Trump replaces Navy Secretary with man who claimed witches took over a California city<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Subtitle, which is the point aside from the witches: &#8220;Hung Cao\u2019s history of ridiculous claims highlights the administration\u2019s obsession with loyalty over competence&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>According to <em>NYT<\/em> today, the previous secretary was fired for his insufficiently enthusiastic efforts to build Trump a new fleet of battleships. (Trump not having noticed that wars are no longer fought with battleships, but with missiles and drones and planes.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/26\/2026\/04\/20124948\/Trump-and-Pope-Leo.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Free Inquiry, Ronald A. Lindsay, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/secularhumanism.org\/exclusive\/trump-vs-the-pope-not-much-to-choose-from\/\">Trump vs. the Pope: Not Much to Choose From<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Some recent commentators have found themselves surprised to agree with the Pope, a religious figure, over the President, a political figure.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;However, many of the Church\u2019s polices, although they have different focus, are as objectionable and lacking in rational justification as those of the Trump administration.&#8221; Well, of course.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.politifact.com\/CACHE\/images\/politifact\/photos\/AP26112617223360\/d64071dc6f69f45cc03ff29484e24dc1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>PolitiFact, Louis Jacobson, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/factchecks\/2026\/apr\/23\/robert-f-kennedy-jr\/percentage-decreases-drug-prices-trump-math\/\">&#8220;There&#8217;s two ways of calculating percentage&#8221; decreases. \u201cIf you have a $600 drug and you reduce it to $10, that&#8217;s a 600% reduction.&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Subtitle: &#8220;RFK Jr. said there&#8217;s more than one way to calculate a percentage decrease. That doesn&#8217;t add up&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Rating: Pants on Fire!<\/li>\n<li>And <strong>NYT, 22 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/22\/us\/politics\/rfk-jr-trump-impossible-drug-discounts.html\">RFK Jr. Defends Trump\u2019s Mathematically Impossible Drug Discount Claims<\/a>, subtitled: President Trump has claimed that he has secured discounts of 400 to 1,500 percent on prescription drugs. A price discount cannot be more than 100 percent because that would lower the price to zero.<\/li>\n<li>No one computes percentages the way Trump and RFK Jr. claim to. It doesn&#8217;t make mathematical sense. They&#8217;re just wrong. But you can understand why they do this: so they can cite larger numbers &#8212; 600%! &#8212; as a way of exaggerating their claims. And some people will believe them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/5d4d38f8-35a2-47cf-9366-79057c26659e.jpeg?crop=1560%2C1040%2Cx0%2Cy0&amp;width=840\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Slate, Nicholas Enrich, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2026\/04\/usaid-democrats-2028-trump-elon-musk.html\">Want to Be Democrats\u2019 Nominee for President? Pledge to Bring Back USAID.<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Subtitle: Any responsible candidate for office should have a plan to rebuild an agency that saved millions and millions of lives.<\/li>\n<li>The framing is that this has been the worst example of Trump&#8217;s dismantling of the government. Heartless, damaging, un-Christian, and so on. And as always, the cost of this program was a pittance compared to what the administration wants to spend bombing Iran.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/boingboing.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kaku.jpg?fit=1&amp;quality=60&amp;ssl=1&amp;resize=620%2C4000\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>So which is it?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Boing Boing, Ellsworth Toohey, 21 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/boingboing.net\/2026\/04\/21\/michio-kaku-calls-clustering-of-dead-scientists-a-national-security-issue.html\">Michio Kaku calls clustering of dead scientists a national security issue<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Atlantic, Daniel Engber, 21 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/2026\/04\/missing-scientists\/686885\/\">The \u2018Missing Scientist\u2019 Story Is Unbelievably Dumb<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;It is, in a way, a remarkable achievement.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>While some on Fb have noted this situation as similar to the opening of Cixin Liu&#8217;s novel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu\/dp\/0765382032\/\"><b>The Three-Body Problem<\/b><\/a>, a much lauded novel that I had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2015\/07\/29\/cixin-liu-the-three-body-problem\/\">issues with<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Still, this seems to be a matter of detecting patterns in random data. Humans, even scientists like Kaku, are notoriously prone to seeing patterns where none exist. The <i>Atlantic<\/i> undermines the apparent similarities between these events.<\/li>\n<li>At the same time, suggested someone, opposite sides in a cold or technological war have motivations to kill off each others&#8217; scientists, who are the bases for technology. I think this case is open, but likely a mirage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/MicahBeckwith2025-660x330.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/indiana-lt-gov-pastor-democrats-are-led-by-demons\/\">Indiana Lt Gov\/Pastor: Democrats Are Led By Demons<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Nope. Religion rots the mind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/BenShapiro2025barbells1-660x330-2.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/ben-shapiro-attacks-pseudo-christian-james-talarico-posting-ten-commandments-in-schools-isnt-theocracy\/\">Ben Shapiro Attacks \u201cPseudo Christian\u201d James Talarico: Posting Ten Commandments In Schools Isn\u2019t Theocracy<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Arrogant dimwit. Would he say the same if some other religion posted their guidelines in public schools? Like, say Sharia Law? I&#8217;d bet he&#8217;d say that&#8217;s an attempt to impose a theocracy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PaoloZampolli-660x330-1-1.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/wh-pushes-to-rename-mount-kilimanjaro-for-trump\/\">WH Pushes To Rename Mount Kilimanjaro For Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Endless arrogance. Don&#8217;t Trump and his minions realize that as soon as he&#8217;s out of office, or dies, sensible people will reverse all of this grandiose proclamations?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/RonDeSantis2025redistricting1-660x330.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/desantis-signs-ban-on-local-climate-change-efforts\/\">DeSantis Signs Ban On Local Climate Change Efforts<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Conservatives seem to have no understanding of long-term consequences. Let the world burn, lest big business be inconvenienced.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/wteneis-660x330.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The photo says it all. It&#8217;s all about men, in their suits and red ties.<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/wh-blasted-for-photo-of-womens-tennis-champions\/\">WH Blasted For Photo Of Women\u2019s Tennis Champions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/PhillipJaregui-660x330.jpg\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Two examples of deep superstition, in the guise of religious belief.<\/li>\n<li><strong>JMG:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/04\/american-family-association-warns-that-god-will-destroy-america-if-trump-picks-wrong-scotus-justice\/\">American Family Association Warns That God Will Destroy America If Trump Picks Wrong SCOTUS Justice<\/a><\/li>\n<li>No, God won&#8217;t, because&#8230;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Right Wing Watch, Kyle Mantyla, 22 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peoplefor.org\/rightwingwatch\/micah-beckwith-says-democrats-are-being-led-minions-and-voices-darkness\">Micah Beckwith Says Democrats &#8216;Are Being Led By The Minions And The Voices Of Darkness&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li>These people live in a demon-haunted world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ca-times.brightspotcdn.com\/dims4\/default\/0da6c94\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/2296x1530+0+11\/resize\/2000x1333!\/format\/webp\/quality\/75\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2F66%2F8574f01e409fa36f3e114783b3d0%2Fhttps-delivery-gettyimages.com%2Fdownloads%2F2161369668\" width=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>LA Times, opinion by Jackie Calmes, 23 Apr 2026<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/opinion\/story\/2026-04-23\/trump-credibility-conspiracy-theories-butler-assassination-attempt\">Even Trump\u2019s base doesn\u2019t believe him anymore<\/a><\/li>\n<li>There&#8217;s increasing speculation, even on the right, that the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, back in 2024, was staged. Largely because the apparent lack of damage to his ear, and due to the ease with which Trump immediately rallied and held his fist in the air. (And the lack of coverage about the supposed shooter.)<\/li>\n<li>I haven&#8217;t come down on one side or the other, mainly because I don&#8217;t think Trump has the wherewithal to have cooperated in any kind of conspiracy, e.g. to hold up a packet of fake-blood to his ear to pretend he&#8217;d been shot. I&#8217;m sitting this controversy out, for now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trying to catch up on numerous items from recent days, briefly. MAGA and confederates \u2022 Firing the National Science Board \u2022 A Texas court defies the Supremes about posting the ten commandments \u2022 America&#8217;s moral code \u2022 The new Navy &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/04\/25\/an-assortment-of-current-events\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,41,54,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservative-resistance","category-morality","category-politics","category-religion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27701"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27714,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27701\/revisions\/27714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}