republican

Upcoming Immigration Ban: What We Know

(NOTE:  This article is being written in advance of the new Executive Order designed to function in place of that order of 27 January which has been partially blocked by the 9th Circuit.  It is designed to be predictive in nature.  When the new order finally is released, expect to see this updated with comparisons, but I’ll try to leave my predictions intact so you can see how smart I am — or how foolish, just as the case may be.  The new order has now been released; comparisons are in a separate section at the end of the article.)

One week after taking office, President Trump released an executive order banning travel to this country on certain passports.  I’ve written extensively on the pros and cons of accepting refugees, on the ways the ban went horribly wrong and why, and on the justifications for that ban.  Combining that with the decision of the 9th Circuit to block some of its implementation, we should be easily able to predict what’s about to get ordered. (more…)

DeVos In – No Surprise

Yes, the mainstream media got it right:  Betsy DeVos, widely detested and universally understood to be a completely unqualified Cabinet appointee, has been confirmed as Secretary of Education by the Senate.

And while a lot of people are disappointed, nobody’s really surprised by this. (more…)

Thoughts On The Second Debate

I wasn’t going to watch it.

After all:  Why bother?  The nation just watched Donald Trump’s campaign implode over something horribly distasteful; we mostly agree now that he has no chance to win.  And I really dislike Senator Clinton*.  So why put myself through that torment? (more…)

How To Lose All Your Facebook Friends In A Single Post

The longer I spend talking to people about the upcoming presidential elections, the more I’m convinced that Mencken was right:  The American people know what they want, and deserve to get it — good and hard. (more…)

Don’t Waste Your Vote

Is Donald Trump a dangerous madman?  Is Hillary Clinton assassinating her political foes?  Is someone rigging the ballots and cheating us out of our elections?

I’m pretty sure Trump is far more clever and personable than he lets on, and I’m also quite certain that nobody who’s as much in the spotlight as Senator Clinton could sneak away from her Secret Service entourage long enough to commit murder.  But the answer to that third question is an emphatic “YES!” (more…)

Is Voting Third Party Wrong?

NOTE:  This is intended as a response to an article by T. N. Reider published at “The Conversation” entitled “Is the ‘lesser of two evils’ an ethical choice for voters?”  That article is well-written, and I recommend reading it.  All quotes come from there.

As I’ve discussed in other articles, despair is endemic in this country.  The presidential politics of this year underline this in a fashion seldom seen before, with the fiercest supporters of each candidate shouting loudly that their pick for president isn’t quite as bad as the only other choice.  People have stopped questioning the system, which seems to guarantee that the worst possible candidate always gains their party’s nomination.  Instead they like to shout at one another about how the other option is worse.

One thing that cannot be denied:  Americans hate both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and they do so in record numbers.  We haven’t seen this level (more…)

Which Way Is The Klan Voting?

“I’m surprised more people don’t ask, “Which way is the Klan voting?” and then say, “Thanks, I’ll obviously vote the opposite way.” “
Quote from “The Bollard”, ‘Racisms’, April 5th 2016, by Samuel James.

Personally, I refuse to let the KKK tell me how to vote.

Look, on the face of it, the quote seems like plain common sense.  Do I agree with the KKK?  No?  Well, let’s see who they like most and vote against them.

Every complex problem out there has at least one simple, easy-to-understand, common-sense, wrong answer.  This is a perfect example.  Read on and I’ll explain. (more…)

You’re All Wrong!

NOTE:  This article was written as a response to another, originally published in “The Bollard” on April 5th.  It can be read here.

A guy wrote once that, although debate and compromise are valuable things in the right place, there are some positions that are completely, flatly wrong. These, because they’re just so obviously invalid, are no longer worth discussing, and compromise with them is plain dumb. (more…)

Conspiracy Theories and 9/11: You Can’t Handle The Truth

Yes, this is about the 9/11 attacks.  Yes, I firmly believe nineteen hijackers drove four planes into three buildings and a field in Pennsylvania.  No, I don’t think that’s the whole truth.

Half the people reading left after the first sentence; most of the rest left after the second.  Even my saintly mother left after reading the third.  If you’re still here, you’re either very intelligent or very bored.

I can work with that. (more…)

…But Back To Gun Control

My last article was, at least nominally, about gun control.

It started optimistically enough; I began by stating that our country is more heavily armed than some war zones and pointing out the most recent mass shooting event.  Somehow, though, in examining the statistics on gun violence, I concluded that the guns are not the real problem.

If you’re curious about that, feel free to go read that article; it’s a trip.  If, on the other hand, you’re concerned directly with controlling the ownership and possession of firearms, read on here. (more…)