My 2024 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 2]
[ Posted Friday, December 20th, 2024 – 19:06 UTC ]
Welcome back to the second of our year-end awards columns! And if you missed it last Friday, go check out [Part 1] as well.
Archive of Articles in the "American Society" Category
Droning On And On
[ Posted Wednesday, December 18th, 2024 – 17:28 UTC ]
It must be a slow news month. That's the obvious explanation. But then "obvious explanations" aren't exactly newsworthy, or maybe just not entertaining enough, perhaps. It's much more fun to present all kinds of wild theories, isn't it? Which, again, is the obvious explanation for why the mainstream media keeps (pun definitely intended) droning on and on.
Nominations Open For Second Round Of Year-End Awards
[ Posted Tuesday, December 17th, 2024 – 16:24 UTC ]
Once again, I need your ideas. Last Friday we ran the first of our two-part year-end awards columns, so we're halfway to closing the year out here.
So put on your thinking caps and try to remember the year that was, and share your nominations for the second round with everyone. There are (as [...]
It's Worth A Try...
[ Posted Monday, December 16th, 2024 – 17:15 UTC ]
Since the election, the United States Constitution has been in the news, as many seem to be dusting off obscure provisions within it and contemplating their actual use. First there was Donald Trump threatening to make "recess appointments" for any of his nominees the Senate fails to confirm, and now this week a blue state is considering withdrawing its call for a constitutional convention, while Democrats in Congress are calling on President Joe Biden to move to declare the Equal Rights Amendment ratified and part of the Constitution.
My 2024 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 1]
[ Posted Friday, December 13th, 2024 – 18:34 UTC ]
Everybody ready? Here is the first installment of our year-end awards, with our obligatory nod to The McLaughlin Group television show for coming up with these categories.
As always, it's a marathon. It's really, really long. Don't say you weren't warned! And since it is so long, that's all the introduction we're going to bother with.
Ready?... everyone buckle up... here we go....
Helplessness And Rage
[ Posted Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 – 17:28 UTC ]
It has been astonishing to watch the reactions to the cold-blooded killing of a health insurance executive. Not so much the rude reactions people have been posting online, but the reactions to those reactions, in both the media and in the political world. This inability to recognize the rage that exists towards health insurers in general is nothing more than elitism. People who simply can't understand this free-floating anger are out of touch with the struggles ordinary people face and the powerless feeling it leaves them with. Murdering someone on the street is obviously an unacceptable answer, but it has provided a catharsis of feeling that someone out there took the power into his own hands for once. It's not exactly Robin Hood, but cheering for an outlaw isn't exactly a new thing when the outlaw is seen to be fighting back against entrenched power.
To Pardon Or Not To Pardon
[ Posted Tuesday, December 10th, 2024 – 16:21 UTC ]
That is indeed the question right now, for President Joe Biden. Some are urging the president to issue "blanket pardons" to any and all persons who might become targets of legal harassment by the incoming Trump administration. This is an extensive list, as it includes basically everyone who has ever seriously annoyed Donald Trump at any time, for any reason. And the threat is real, as Trump proved yet again a few days ago by expressing his desire that everyone on the House January 6th Committee should go to jail. And the members of that committee aren't the only ones who could be targeted.
Trump Floods The Zone
[ Posted Monday, December 9th, 2024 – 17:02 UTC ]
Donald Trump has one favorite tactic he continually uses, mostly because it works so well. Trump regularly "floods the zone" with so many things at once that other people can't manage to keep up with it all. What is becoming evident is that this tactic is likely to continue working for him in his second term as well, if the past few weeks are any indication. Two areas in particular are worth noting: Trump's nomination picks and his interview on Meet The Press which aired yesterday.
Friday Talking Points -- Team Of Ribalds?
[ Posted Friday, December 6th, 2024 – 18:36 UTC ]
The Oxford English Dictionary has announced that their Word Of The Year for this year was "brain rot." Their definition: "Supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. (Also: Something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration)." Hey, we can relate to that concept....
Speaking of rotting brains (a wonderful segue if there ever was one), Donald Trump continues to fill out his administration, nominating more and more sexual predators, total incompetents, billionaires, and complete clowns (those categories are not mutually exclusive, we should point out). A "team of ribalds" for the ages, it seems.
Biden Pardons Son
[ Posted Monday, December 2nd, 2024 – 16:59 UTC ]
President Joe Biden, at the end of the Thanksgiving break, decided to pardon his son Hunter. This has led to some very mixed feelings among Democrats and a whole lot of gleeful "I told you so!" responses from Republicans. Both the decision and the ramifications of it are complex, obviously.