1. I've actually seen some commentators trying to spin Iran as a big win for Trump, which makes me write them off pretty much immediately. I think the best case scenario here is a 'War of 1812' situation: America launches an incredibly stupid war based on unrealistic expectations, realizes that their expectations were unrealistic when … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: More Iran Thoughts, History, and the Dynamics of Service
Current Events
Monday Mixer: Mostly Current Events
1. Extra late this time. I was meditating on what to post, as well as coming out of spring break and trying to prep for the end of the year. 2. For the record (and I'm a couple weeks late in saying this), I am completely done with the Trumpster. I favored him all through … Continue reading Monday Mixer: Mostly Current Events
Friday Flotsam: Miscellaneous Thoughts, Equality, and ‘One Piece’
1. Everyone knows that the best way to encourage dissent and rebellion in a country is for a foreign power to launch an unprovoked sneak attack against it. 2. If a statement is true, it cannot be racist. If it is false, the falsity is more important than racism. Therefore, the first question should never … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Miscellaneous Thoughts, Equality, and ‘One Piece’
Saturday Sundry: US Foreign Policy, ‘Rear Window’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
1. US Foreign policy since about 1898 has followed a pretty consistent pattern: Step 1: "The US has gone into X:" "Yay! USA! This is a righteous and noble crusade!"Step 2: "The US has left X:" "Yeah, that whole thing was a stupid idea; why did we do that?" Step 3: Repeat 2. To put … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: US Foreign Policy, ‘Rear Window’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
Friday Flotsam: Miscellaneous Thoughts and RIP Scott Adams
1. I fell ill this week and stayed home Wednesday and Thursday. 2. Appealing to man's baser instinct may be morally dubious, but it is nevertheless more wholesome than attempting to re-write his baser instincts. 3. I've heard it said that we shouldn't make judgments about other people's looks. The trouble is, whether we should … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Miscellaneous Thoughts and RIP Scott Adams
Sunday Sundry: Mostly ‘Cells at Work’
1. My newest anime discovery is Cells at Work, a lighthearted edutainment series that personifies the cells of the body. The main characters are a rookie Red Blood cell, who delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, and a stoical White Blood Cell, who defends against germs. We also meet other cells, like the Platelets … Continue reading Sunday Sundry: Mostly ‘Cells at Work’
Saturday Sundry: US History, Politics, Strategy
1. There are two possible readings for the American Revolution: either it was a matter of sincere, but politically incompetent idealists blundering their way into civil war or it was a matter of men who had settled on rebellion from the start taking every opportunity to deliberately escalate the situation (or, most likely, a combination … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: US History, Politics, Strategy
Sunday Sundry: Politics and Some ‘Pride and Prejudice’
1. It has been that kind of week: the ones where you wonder if you will be telling young people some day "I remember when that happened." Things seem to be escalating, and though I pray I'm wrong, I suspect they'll get worse before they get better. 2. All states have factions. States tend to … Continue reading Sunday Sundry: Politics and Some ‘Pride and Prejudice’
Talking Gun Rights on the Everyman
In response to the Annunciation school shooting, I wrote an essay for The Everyman looking into the issue of gun rights in a society where such things happen: First, these sorts of events always see politicians talking about the need for stricter ‘gun safety.’ Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was parroting this line even before bodies … Continue reading Talking Gun Rights on the Everyman
Saturday Sundry: Kill a Mockingbird and Stop Killing Games
1. I somehow escaped reading To Kill a Mockingbird during my school career. But since the 'sequel' (which, as I understand it, is actually a rough draft that Harper Lee's estate found in her papers and published with minimal involvement from her, but that's another story) is on my reading list this year, so I … Continue reading Saturday Sundry: Kill a Mockingbird and Stop Killing Games
Serpent's Den 