Monthly Archives: August 2020

Links and Comments: Tell Them What They Want to Hear

Posted on Friday 28 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

One more set, just a few, then we’ll try to think of other things and hope that Trump and his minions will just magically disappear, as Trumps said, months ago, the virus would do over the summer. (It didn’t; he … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Republican Gaslighting

Posted on Thursday 27 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

All of these links just today. Slate: Republicans Are Gaslighting America. Will It Work?. Subtitle: Night three of the RNC was more revisionist history. \\ Salon: Mike Pence’s contemptible convention speech: A fable of failure, culture war and corruption. Subtitle: … Continue reading →

Posted in Lunacy, Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Republican Gaslighting

Links and Comments: In the Political Air Tonight

Posted on Wednesday 26 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Salon, Heather Digby Parton: The 2020 RNC isn’t a political convention — it’s a celebration of the Trump cult. Subtitle: Fear-mongering and corruption are nothing new in Republican politics. But Donald Trump has gone far beyond that. \\ Washington Post: … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Republicans are Now the Cult of Trump

Posted on Tuesday 25 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

It’s official. Washington Post: The Republican Party announces that it stands for nothing. There is no Republican Party platform announced for its convention this year. No platform; no principles, no standards, no ideals. It’s all about supporting Trump. Virtually the … Continue reading →

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Notes for the Book: The Future of Enlightenment

Posted on Monday 24 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

More thoughts coming together. A famous quote is this from SF author William Gibson: “The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.” (There are variants of this phrase around the web also.) Then there was a video … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Thinking, or Not

Posted on Wednesday 19 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Scientific American: Nine COVID-19 Myths That Just Won’t Go Away. Subtitle: From a human-made virus to vaccine conspiracy theories, we rounded up the most persistent false claims about the pandemic. I’m beginning to think that many, perhaps most, people, do … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology, Thinking | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Thinking, or Not

Links and Comments: Benedictine Option; Pandemic Spread; Economic Stabilizers; Ed Yong; Evangelicals and Trump

Posted on Tuesday 18 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

The Atlantic: The Christian Withdrawal Experiment. Subtitle: Feeling out of step with the mores of contemporary life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving community in rural Kansas. Could their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Lunacy, Religion | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Benedictine Option; Pandemic Spread; Economic Stabilizers; Ed Yong; Evangelicals and Trump

Links and Comments: Living in History

Posted on Monday 17 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

People have a tendency to feel pleased they are living in history, experiencing the thrill of witnessing grand, momentous events. This partly explains I think the ever-recurring belief by some that they are living in the “end times.” How special … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Lunacy | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Living in History

Links and Comments: Republicans Embracing QAnon

Posted on Saturday 15 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

Salon, Amanda Marcotte: Is QAnon the new Christian right? With evangelicals fading, a new insanity rises. Subtitle: “Right-wingers desperately need a myth that turns them into the good guys. With QAnon, they’ve outdone themselves” Amanda Marcotte pulls no punches. White … Continue reading →

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Links and Comments: Kamala Harris

Posted on Saturday 15 August 2020 by Mark R. Kelly

So Biden chose a non-white, non-male Vice Presidential candidate. Cue the Republican misogyny and racism. It’s everywhere. NY Times: I Hope This Is Not Another Lie About the Republican Party. Subtitle: But it might be lost forever. I saw the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Links and Comments: Kamala Harris