Author Archives: Mark R. Kelly

Community, Conservatives, and Cynics

Posted on Wednesday 6 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A round of assorted links from the past couple weeks. The yearning for community, and how the churches are failing that yearning; Adam Lee on the Supreme Court and how conservatism is focused on privileging wealthy, white, male Christians; Thom … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Religion | Comments Off on Community, Conservatives, and Cynics

More About Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories

Posted on Tuesday 5 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

These subjects aren’t going away, because so many people are as gullible as ever — understood as inevitable human nature. This may imply a cap on the potential of the human race, in terms of its ability to engage with … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology | Comments Off on More About Misinformation, Disinformation, and Conspiracy Theories

Change, and Conservative Retribution

Posted on Monday 4 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

A NY Times essay about why to stop resisting change; How the Republicans intend to impeach President Biden purely as a matter of retribution, without any evidence of any crimes committed. Here’s a curious piece from Sunday’s NY Times, though … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Philosophy, Politics | Comments Off on Change, and Conservative Retribution

A Crisis in Cosmology?

Posted on Saturday 2 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

NY Times, Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser, 2 Sep 2023: The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel This is a piece about some of the fall-out of the photos from the James Webb Space Telescope, and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Astronomy, Culture, Physics, Science | Comments Off on A Crisis in Cosmology?

Morality and Projection

Posted on Friday 1 September 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Where does morality come from? And who’s moral, and why? David Barton thinks Democrats cheat because they’re not “God-fearing” (despite the evidence of its being the Republicans who cheat); In contrast to Phil Zuckerman’s evidence about how people without religious … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Morality and Projection

Three More About Vivek

Posted on Thursday 31 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

I’m preoccupied with setting up my new laptop — which has no CD/DVD drive for installing old software ! — but will post two or three more pieces about Vivek. Promise to move on to something else tomorrow. Robert Reich … Continue reading →

Posted in conservatives, Politics, reality | Comments Off on Three More About Vivek

Vivek Ramaswamy as Prototypical Republican Candidate

Posted on Wednesday 30 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Vox’s Andrew Prokop on how Vivek would “simply just solve American’s tough problems”; NYT’s Michelle Goldeberg on why that some people find Vivek insufferable is exactly why his fans are drawn to him; WaPo’s Paul Waldman on how Republicans are … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Culture, Politics, The Gays | Comments Off on Vivek Ramaswamy as Prototypical Republican Candidate

Computer, Glasses, Theories

Posted on Tuesday 29 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

My new laptop; My new glasses; The populist vs. scientific ideas of “theory”. I ordered a new laptop from Costco, and it arrived today about 4pm, and I’ve spent an hour getting it up and running. My old laptop has … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal history, Science | Comments Off on Computer, Glasses, Theories

A New Book About Humanity’s Future, and Meaning

Posted on Monday 28 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Cautiously considering the new book by Marcelo Gleiser, which seeks meaning where I think none exists; Items about Mike Pence’s Biblical cherry-picking, how Tennessee is the “worst state for voting rights,” and two takes on Vivek Ramaswamy: “spouting nonsense” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Lunacy, Meaning, Politics, Science | Comments Off on A New Book About Humanity’s Future, and Meaning

Items about the 20% and the 1%

Posted on Sunday 27 August 2023 by Mark R. Kelly

Vivek Ramaswamy’s simplistic 10 “truths” includes one about the primacy of the nuclear family (compare my post two days ago); E.J. Dionne Jr. about how Republicans are focused on three different “yesterdays,” all since the 1980s, and not the future; … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Religion | Comments Off on Items about the 20% and the 1%