Source: Infogalactic.

Mass shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas, look to me like the American version of running amok. We always find that the shooter had severe psychological problems at the time of the event, and for that reason we should ask about the role our culture and society play in precipitating these tragedies.

My guess: In many ways America has become a society of persecutors. Our taste for witch hunting has always been apparent, only, of late, it has become an indulgence. Under so much pressure, the weak and the frustrated are bound to crack.

“On Wednesday, after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, prices for major gun stocks gained momentum in early trading, following a subdued start. In afternoon trading, Smith & Wesson was up more than 7 percent, Sturm Ruger rose about 5 percent and Vista Outdoor gained nearly 9 percent.”

Yes, we all know why. Fear of possible tightening of gun controls after a suitable slaughter is a great marketing device for more gun sales. Turning tragedy into gold and more guns for more shootings. And here is the best part: President Biden is excoriated for not waiting a “respectable time” for mourning. Of course the problem is that if we wait, there is another shooting. I am not sure all the murdered folks in Buffalo are even buried yet. Texas is going to get the award, much coveted I am sure, for the most mass shootings if they work at it. Abbott was so proud to have a million gun sales in 2015 and zero restrictions on carry today.

*There is a bit of sarcasm in my post, but it is evident that a minority of our nation is not serious about solving our national disgrace, so I won’t waste sorrow on this. Hence, the sarcasm. Thoughts and prayers won’t replace children’s laughter or their lives.

Babylon Bee satire that turned out to be prophesy

You just can’t stay ahead of the lunacy

Source: Mises Institute.

Not a bad laundry list.

Some items I would delete:

Continue reading “A Renewed, Libertarian America: What Must Be Done” →

https://www.businessinsider.com/gop-senator-la-outlier-maternal-death-rate-skewed-black-women-2022-5

“So, if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear.” Correct it by not counting Blacks because…they don’t count?

Really. Damn Black women screw up everything. Maybe we can exclude them from being Americans…again…and get better stats among the states instead of near the bottom.

Honestly, that is a tone deaf, racist remark. Are Black women not citizens of Louisiana? Is Cassidy proud of the White maternal death rate and minorities are just truly inconvenient?

Oh, the truly sad part of this is that Cassidy is not one of the complete right wing loonies.

Source: Moon of Alabama.

This story is of interest for a couple of reasons. The first is the incongruity of Russia being blamed for conditions that Ukraine has created. This is comparable to Ukrainian propaganda that blamed Russia for bombing civilians in Mariupol, when in fact Ukrainian fighters were using civilians as human shields. A second point of interest involves predicting how this narrative setup may be used in the future.

Continue reading “No, The Ukraine War Has Not Stoked A Global Food Crisis.” →

We all know that Donald Trump cheats when he plays golf. Any golfer will tell you that such cheating is an undeniable sign of poor character. Cheat at golf, cheat at life.

https://golf.com/lifestyle/celebrities/how-why-president-trump-cheats-golf-playing-tiger-woods/

But Donnie, Jr. takes the Trump family cheating ethic to a new and despicable low level.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2022/05/21/utah-hunting-guide-faces/

To my mind, at least, this is even more despicable and telling than the use of the foot wedge on the golf course. What sort of people get their jollies gunning down a magnificent animal lured into sure kill range by a paid criminal?

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

You could build a conspiracy theory around the pattern of errors in the census, but I won’t. I’ll just say, Everything is broken.

https://tinyurl.com/3untj3bk

Here is Trump darling MTG with the lowdown on “poop” water and the Bill Gates conspiracy to cash in on Monkey Pox. No wonder she has emerged as a leading figure in the modern GOP!

Source: The Wall Street Journal.

Separate from WSJ’s reporting, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev today blamed the looming global food crisis on the “cosmic cretinism” of the West.

His point: Why should Russia allow Ukrainian wheat exports to adversaries that have imposed economic sanctions on Russia as well as pursuing other provocations?

I hope Russia will not hoard wheat when famines begin to occur, but I get the logic of their recalcitrance.

The U.S./NATO should swallow its pride and seek a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Ukraine.