Category Archives: Politics

Politics, Tribalism, and the Retelling of History

Posted on Sunday 1 December 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Book burning and the erasure or retelling of history; Trump’s latest outrageous choice for his cabinet; And how Trump voters are now unconcerned about voter fraud, since their side won. Given that ideology, tradition, and storytelling are more common on … Continue reading →

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Perspectives on the World

Posted on Saturday 30 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

How Republicans are suddenly optimistic about the economy; David Brooks on how Trumpism reflects shifts in America’s basic morality; How Americans believe things about the rival party, especially Democrats, that simply aren’t true; Robert Reich’s personal sources of truth; And … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, Religion | Comments Off on Perspectives on the World

Wrecking Crews and Historical Cycles

Posted on Wednesday 27 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Once again, considering current politics as the ways human nature plays out. Today’s topics: Efforts in several states to replace general education with Christian education; The reality of the “deep state,” and how they plan to survive Trump and MAGA; … Continue reading →

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False Realities

Posted on Monday 25 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts, as we’ve long heard; Historian Heather Cox Richardson dismantles claims of Trump’s “mandate”; Short items about MTG and NPR; Fox News personalities becoming America’s scientists and doctors; … Continue reading →

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Political Extremes and Instability

Posted on Sunday 24 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Perhaps the problem is that claims of “mandates” create political instability, and that’s what makes voters cynical about government; Especially when mandate claimers promise things they can’t possibly deliver, like Musk promising to slash the budget by $2 trillion; How … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Psychology, The Gays | Comments Off on Political Extremes and Instability

Dispatches from the Real World

Posted on Thursday 21 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

My latest take on the true vs the real; A piece about RFK Jr identifies the three big reasons you’re alive today: clean water, antibiotics, and vaccines; How we know RFK Jr is wrong about vaccines; How red states lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Science | Comments Off on Dispatches from the Real World

The Overton Window of Deviance

Posted on Wednesday 20 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Amanda Marcotte on how Christians seem not bothered by the immorality of Trump or his Cabinet picks; Bret Stephens on defining deviancy down; Timothy Snyder on how Trump is actually a fascist — and how fascists use narratives; David French … Continue reading →

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Shocked, Just Shocked

Posted on Tuesday 19 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

The broad trend, perhaps, is the discomfort of tribal human beings living in multicultural liberal democracies. How some people (who weren’t paying attention) are shocked that Trump is actually setting out to do what he promised to do; How Trump … Continue reading →

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Continuing Our Studies of Human Nature…

Posted on Monday 18 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Today’s evidence. How MAGA is a gang mentality for white men who feel powerless; Adam Gopnik considers the difference between a mob and a righteous protest; (And I wonder about the American revolutionaries); Short items about Robert Reich and overereaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, conservatives, Human Nature, Politics | Comments Off on Continuing Our Studies of Human Nature…

A Little Knowledge… Is a Dangerous Thing

Posted on Saturday 16 November 2024 by Mark R. Kelly

Imagine that you work for a company that does any kind of specialty work, anything at all — urban planning, furniture making, aerospace design — and for some reason the company’s owner dies and his aunt inherits the entire company … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservative Resistance, Politics, Science | Comments Off on A Little Knowledge… Is a Dangerous Thing