Consider, Reconsider
A Reason to Think, and Think AgainThe New Old Meritocracy
I recently read a newsletter for a national organization, in which one leader wrote, "Regardless of your political views, you cannot deny that the USA is currently undergoing a revolution in trying to eliminate entitlement." This was meant to be an apolitical...
To Kill a CEO
Even months displaced from the December 9th murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, it's still hard to process. The air never quite cleared. But one thing is for certain -- Luigi Mangione became and still is a folk hero. Despite the presidential election being...
The Preservation of Censored Content: NASA
An article on Space.Com, appeared on February 11th, headlined as "Scientists alarmed as Rubin Observatory changes biography of astronomer Vera Rubin amid Trump's push to end DEI efforts". This is happening across innumerable federal government websites, mostly...
Dictator on Day One … and Two … and Three …
Donald Trump promised to be a "dictator on day one". Two weeks in and there's no end in sight, as I made note of over 40 steps in the march to illiberal madness and complete control by one faction of one party. The Constitutional challenges and lawsuits from states to...
America’s Brave New Media
At first I thought it was AI. My wife wondered if it was AI. It looked and felt like it; the content seemed so carefully structured. Zuckerberg's video on January 7th was welcomed by those who felt their rights have been infringed, while others scratched their heads...
What’s in a Name?
There is much debate as to the existence of Palestine as a state, nation, or ethnicity. Golda Meir said, "There was no such thing as Palestinians" while having Palestine on her birth certificate. It was an ancient name in reference to the Philistines (often as an...
AI and the Alum
The first article I ever wrote here was about my Alma Mater no longer naming any specific Liberal Arts as areas of study in their marketing. Including my own area -- Philosophy -- all were piled together under "other". Recently I discovered they no longer have degree...
An Analysis of “Human Shields”
Hamas attacked Israel with no regard for civilians earlier this month, on the 7th of October to be precise. This is touted as a provocation -- an initial instigatory event that demands a response. From another perspective, it's just another chapter of the same affair,...
Patriotism and Keeping Oaths
I have to come clean about something. I wanted the Capitol stormed. I knew it would happen sooner or later, and I thought not soon enough. But my eagerness wasn't in 2020 from belief in conspiracies, but many years earlier for belief in Liberty. Long before people...
There Are No Stupid Questions … Except on Quora
I've been reading and answering questions on Quora.Com for some time. Due to my interests, credentials, and activity, I receive many requests for answers on various subjects. They seem to fall into one of several categories. Thoughtful Questions Some questions are...
I Would Do It
I'm seeing too many memes railing against the idea of student debt forgiveness. Never mind the predatory nature of the system. We're supposed to tap into the supremacy of personal responsibility. But we can probably tell more about the person saying such things than...
So Tired …
I am so tired of mindless political hate and offensive hyperbole. People pretend it happened just as much (or more) under "The Former Guy" but it simply did not, the only caveat being technology allowed for much more communication that could be criticized and...
Extraterrestrials and Our Biases of Order and Randomness
Strange signals have been coming from the center of the Milky Way. Of course, we've had plenty of strange signals received by our varying apparatuses over many years -- and new ones all the time -- but this may be the first time it has not widely elicited the...
The (Real) Psychology of Sheep and Wolves
A lot of people have been called sheep lately for the alleged characteristic of unthinking compliance. It's a simple, direct way to explain away others' behavior while countering virtue signaling. This would make sense except for one thing -- that's not how sheep...
Making Hungary Great Again
{Posted by Ryan S Bonnett, with permission to republish} I haven't posted much about politics recently, and there's a reason. Under the previous administration, it was easy to address egregious points as they came up, which was seemingly on a daily basis. But now? I'm...
Why it is Wrong to Argue Over Vaccines
With my particular formal educational background and skills, I am able to "do my own research" on most subjects competently, at least on a basic level, even if I was not previously well-studied in those subjects. And I sometimes have to update and revise my...
I Was Facebook Jailed … and I Deserved It
I can tell you -- as so many others can -- that social media is not "silencing conservative voices". In other words, if you spread dangerous lies about the election or vaccinations, or called for insurrection, and coincidentally (or not) you are a Trump supporter,...