Yesterday, I proposed the concept of the “Asshole window” as a way of thinking about how society can collapse just from having too many assholes around. I was in a mood. But that idea is inspired by an actual concept…
The Asshole Window: A New Theory Of Societal Collapse
I tell my kids that the most amazing thing about the world we live in is that this ramshackle system works at all. Much less that it works well enough to support 8 billion people. It really shouldn’t. It probably…
Bad Dates: First-Draft Of A Timeline For The Coup
If you disagree with the conclusion that the United States government has already fallen to a coup, then you might want to skip today’s post. It probably wouldn’t be good for your blood pressure. Now that they’re gone let’s just…
[Insert Metaphor]: This Regime Is An Anthill Of Crazy
Trying to keep track of all the details of exactly how the current regime is violating the Constitution and various laws is frankly exhausting. And that is exactly the goal. It’s not like they’ve been coy about it. The Trump,…
But Just This Once It’s OK: Government Shutdowns Are Usually A Bad Idea
The “Government shutdowns in the United States” page on Wikipedia is 20 years old; it’s old enough to able to vote. In 9 months, it’ll be old enough to legally buy alcohol. In 5 years, it’ll be old enough to…
Cheating At Democracy: Deciding How To Vote On Prop. 50
Proposition 50 is Gavin Newsom’s idea for how California can contribute to dealing with Texas’ egregious gerrymandering of its Congressional districts to try to grab a few more House seats for the Republicans. And it’s not actually a horrible idea.…
Names Matter: DHS Was Always Going To End Up Like This
The Department of Homeland Security was always going to end up as a paramilitary force of jackbooted thugs. How could it not? For one thing, federal law enforcement has always thought of itself as being above other cops, better and…
Archive: SoyMail, v0.0.1
I don’t even know if I still have a copy of that first SoyMail implementation, but I still like the name: its aim was to be a secure email transport by hiding legitimate email in a stream of fake meat…
Damnatio Memoriae: On Remembering Trump, Damn His Name
The Trumpists seem fond of the Roman Empire, or at least its aesthetics and symbology. Well. The Romans had a way to deal with public figures who wrecked society in pursuit of personal glorification. Today, we use the modern latin…
Yellow Stripes And Dead Armadillos: Democrats In The Middle Of The Road
I was going to write about pardons again today. What with all the recent abuses of that particular Presidential power. But the Lawyers, Guns & Money blog has a post today in which they highlight something one of their commenters…