We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
LOURY: It started a movement, didn’t it? The events that happened in Ferguson, Missouri had deep political resonance for the country as a whole. If it wasn’t Selma, what was it then? What exactly is the difference in your minds between the classic—the iconic—narrative of African-American struggle against oppression on the one hand, and what unfolded in the wake of Ferguson on the other?
S. STEELE: It’s not like Selma. You and I grew up in segregation. I know about segregation. I lived the civil rights movement, saw those noble fights against an enemy that was everywhere in the world I grew up in. So no one had any doubt about the moral integrity of Selma’s protests. But in Ferguson, Missouri, what was the argument? That because one cop killed a black that somehow racism is systemic? It seems to me that the elephant in the room is that racism is so minimal now, that it couldn’t really, in and of itself, get any movement off the ground. There’s not enough of it around. There’s not enough injustice. And what we had instead was a generation looking for power and looking to see how guilty white America would respond. And, in that sense, the movement was cynical. It mimicked the real movement—Selma and the civil rights movement in the ’50s and the ’60s and so forth. It was mimicry. It was theater. It wasn’t real.
Seriously: “Accountability” for what? A booming economy? Peace in the Middle East? Record-fast Covid vaccines? Well, the real sin is being a Republican, and worse yet, not one of the Gentry Class. As Obama showed, any sin is forgivable so long as you’re a Democrat and have sharply creased pants and an Ivy League pedigree.
Not brown enough? Why do people want me to think these ways? What's the point? Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I was raised to view people as individuals, while being aware of cultural and subcultural differences. Isn't that normal? Rightly or wrongly, I have a bias towards liking people unless or until they give me reason not to. Often enough, they do. I try to use discernment, but nothing to do with appearance.
Maybe wiser people use the opposite approach, but that's not me.
Don't Buy the Debunked Dominion Voting Machine Conspiracy Theory. Trump's campaign officials and attorneys are peddling this nonsense with help from credulous Fox News hosts, but their theories don't stand up to scrutiny
None of my 5 sibs want to travel this year, and none of my kids either for complicated reasons (well, dau in law has a kid due around TG). So instead of our usual 30 people (including the jolly nieces and nephews), we are down to three - Mrs BD and me, and father-in-law.
So last night out at a nice French dinner with father in law and one of his pals from the old folk's home, I suggested we do our local diner which is advertising their TG dinner.
Who would bother with all of the chores and cooking for three or four people? That is too sad. Eat the food, then what? That is not fun. No welcome speeches? No lengthy prayers? No brats causing chaos? No fires blazing in our fireplaces? Nobody hacking on the piano? No silly indoor and outdoor games? And no classic family 1-hr after-dinner walk at dusk and in the rainy dark?
The old guy thought the diner idea was a great idea. I said I'd sneak in some excellent Scotch, and I'm sure it would be a festive if well-separated crowd there.
In fact, it might be memorable. Next year, God willing, back to normal. I have not seen my sisters or brother since Christmas.
“The Only Good Thing About Donald Trump Is All His Policies.” So proclaimed an opinion column headline in 2018. The converse might be said of apparent President-elect Joe Biden. He may be likable but he offered little vision and said nothing about policy in his victory speech a week ago— nor much during his entire campaign.
Biden, so far, is defined by who he is not: Donald Trump.
- All forms of agriculture other than hunting and gathering. No - include hunting and gathering too.
- All forms of transportation including horses and oxen.
- All forms of heating, cooling, and cooking, including wood fuel, solar farms, wind farms, or hydroelectric
All of those things kill nature. Let's face it - since humanity began, ecocide has been its implicit mission. Mass suicide is the only solution for nature. Nature is not for parks - it's for everywhere.
Regardless of election winners, all allegations of voting fraud should be looked at. It is a crime.
I still suspect that Biden won, but I do wonder about fraud anyway. I do not tend to be conspiracy-minded, but urban vote fraud is known to be historically common.
MI Resident Who Bragged On Facebook: “I work for Wayne Co, MI and I threw out every Trump ballot I saw. Tens of thousands of them and so did all of my co-workers” Says “It was a joke”
As Joe Biden predicted, his presumed election would solve the virus problem. It has. Trump/COVID is no longer news. It's time for everybody to step out and have a good time. (clip from Althouse): (warning: there is violence and excess talent in this clip)
K–12: Why John Saxon 
None of my 5 sibs want to travel this year, and none of my kids either for complicated reasons (well, dau in law has a kid due around TG). So instead of our usual 30 people (including the jolly nieces and nephews), we are down to three - Mrs BD and me, and father-in-law. 
