Bye, bye, Scott

David Atkins examines the case of Minnesota Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. He thought, and I agreed, that Walker was the most dangerous candidate among all the Republicans, because he combined a good chance of winning the presidency (as a result of big money and establishment and rabid base support) with having a record that promised he would be truly vicious in his policies.
[Read more…]

Happiness lost

We have only one life. There is no afterlife to make up for the slings and arrows of misfortune that we experience in this life and so we should try and give people every opportunity to be happy and not deprive them of the chance to seize happiness wherever they may find it simply because they violate some socially constructed norm.
[Read more…]

The British media are as obsessed with trivia as their US counterparts

The rugby World Cup is currently underway in England and, fresh from the ‘scandal’ where Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was criticized for only standing but not also singing the words of the national anthem, he was castigated for missing England’s opening game against Fiji, citing unspecified “pre-existing commitments”. The media sneered as to what could possibly be more important than cheering your team in a World Cup rugby match.
[Read more…]

You’ve got a (black) friend

Even if you’re a Republican tea partier who thinks that people of color are moochers and looters living off the fat of the land produced by the real, hard-working Merkins, it may be advantageous for you professionally and personally to have at least one black friend. Well, this is America and where there is a need, there is a business that caters to it.
[Read more…]

Ben Carson’s ignorance, bigotry, and arrogance

In an interview on a TV talk show, Ben Carson said the following:

The Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has said no Muslim should be president of the United States of America.

In an interview with NBC for broadcast on Sunday morning, the retired neurosurgeon said: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.”

In his NBC interview, Carson was asked: “So do you believe that Islam is consistent with the constitution?”

“No,” he said, “I don’t, I do not.”

[Read more…]

What’s wrong with this essay?

Read this short essay and see if you notice anything.

My fellow countrymen, I speak to you as coequals, knowing you are deserving of the honest truth. And let me warn you in advance, my subject matter concerns a serious crisis caused by an event in my past history: the execution-style killing of a security guard on a delivery truck. At that particular point in time, I found myself in a deep depression, making mental errors which seemed as though they might threaten my future plans. I am not over-exaggerating.
[Read more…]