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Memory Loss
It seems to me that the free and instant access to information has cost humanity something important.
It has happened before: Up to the 1400s, humans in general had ( Read more... ) -
The Color of Politics
I’ve been annoyed for years now at the identification of American conservatives with the color red.
The connection of particular colors to the two major US political parties was inconsistent prior to the late 1990s, though the parties had existed for well over a century by that time. As far back as the 1888 national elections, the Republicans were ( Read more... ) -
The Color of Politics
I’ve been annoyed for years now at the identification of American conservatives with the color red.( Read the rest of this entry » ) -
Tolerance and Trouble Brewing
There is a difference between the US political left and right in the area of tolerance of ideas. The recent Kavanaugh confirmation circus is merely the most recent illustration of that difference.
In general, the right argues vehemently against the left’s ideas, but does not advocate blocking them. For example, while many conservatives are ( Read more... ) -
Tolerance and Trouble Brewing
There is a difference between the US political left and right in the area of tolerance of ideas. The recent Kavanaugh confirmation circus is merely the most recent illustration of that difference.
In general, the right argues vehemently against the left’s ideas, but does not advocate blocking them. For example, while many conservatives are ( Read more... ) -
Rejecting Doubtful Evidence
The presumption of evidence is being touted as uniquely American or a founding tenet of Western thought. It is important indeed to Western jurisprudence, but its provenance spans thousands of years. Wikipedia notes how the Romans expressed it: “ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat” (“the burden of proof is on the one who declares, not on ( Read more... ) -
Rejecting Doubtful Evidence
The presumption of evidence is being touted as uniquely American or a founding tenet of Western thought. It is important indeed to Western jurisprudence, but its provenance spans thousands of years. Wikipedia notes how the Romans expressed it: “ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat” (“the burden of proof is on the one who declares, not on ( Read more... ) -
Quantum Kavanaugh
Schrödinger’s cat is famously in a box in an unknown state - dead or alive. The cat’s state is not “partially dead” - it is not dead in any part until the box is opened and the fact is known.
The American presumption of innocence should be in some respect similar. When an allegation is made, the accused is not “partially guilty.” He or she is not ( Read more... ) -
Chrissy Blasey and the Party Girls
I’ve recently encountered the yearbooks of Chistine Blasey-Ford, snagged just before the school scrubbed them from the online records. An examination of these is instructive, and it is instantly obvious why the culture of her school needed to be hidden.
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Senator Feinstein's Papers/Capers/Vapors
The introduction of this sexual assault allegation at the last minute is an interesting strategy. It has several implications, but the biggest one answers this question:
Why did Senator Dianne Feinstein wait so long to bring out this allegation?
According to her Senate challenger Kevin De León (apparently a Chinese-Guatemalan pretending to be ( Read more... )