I’m on-record as thinking we should be doing far more to defend Ukraine from the Russian invasion. See, for example, the previous post: Ukraine: Standing With Or Just Standing Behind. But not under the banner of “defending freedom”. Because by…
Ukraine: Standing With Or Just Standing Behind
“I Stand With Ukraine” is quite a popular phrase at the moment. But, for the most part, it’s a pretty hollow expression. It’s basically a show of approval, and certainly there’s a lot to approve of in how the people…
My Way: Calls For “Unity” Are Inherently Autocratic
This focus on “unity” and “divisiveness” is flat-out unhealthy for a democracy and really needs to stop. “Unity” just means “you all should do what I want”. What else could it mean? The person calling for unity is never offering…
Endemic Failure: Rapid COVID Tests Don’t Work Very Well
The cornerstone of any “endemic COVID” concept, including California’s newly-announced not-yet-a-plan, will have to be testing. Lots and lots of testing. And more effective testing than we’ve managed to do so far. For example, the local school district runs weekly…
Political Party Time: Ezra Klein Is Wrong About A Thing
It’s not really surprising that I’d think that, mind; I see Klein as kind of a squishy centrist’s idea of what a liberal firebrand looks like so I often think he’s wrong about things. This time he’s wrong about something…
No One Thinks You’re Objective: Just Answer The Damn Questions
No one is a completely objective conduit of a judicial philosophy and the law. Not least because judicial philosophies are subjective positions. Declaring a judicial philosophy, “originalism” for example, is declaring a subjective position. And there’s no value to espousing…
Weird Times: The Rise Of Ad-Hoc Federalism
Well, that was not what I expected to happen yesterday. It seems that there are some new Interstate Compacts forming. With the dystopian-fiction names of “The West Coast Pact” and the “6-States Council”, though that second one keeps getting updated;…
More Stupid Secrets: Why Were These Briefings Classified?
There’s something missing from this Washington Post story titled “US intelligence officials early warnings to Trump about coronavirus went unheeded“. Go ahead; give it a read. I’ll wait. Did you catch it? They do a decent job describing a series…
They Never Learn: The Democrats Are Missing The Point Again
I will vote for Democrats, but I won’t support them. And I’ll never “unite behind” whoever wins their primary. But this is a lesson the Democrats steadfastly refuse to learn: just because I’ll vote for you, that doesn’t mean I…
Sides: Always There Are Two (At Least)
I like Wonkette; they’re scrupulously accurate political news, with a lefty rhetorical bias but without scrimping on the dick jokes. What’s not to like? Well. Something that creeps into their reporting occasionally (and is much more common in less scrupulous…