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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A house in our community has a sign in front of it: “If you can read this, you’re in range.”

Trust me, no one around here has any intention of approaching that house, or having any interaction whatsoever with the family of sociopaths that lives there.

The meme here speaks to the issue more generally.  No one is treading on you, regardless of how repulsive you are.  We respect you and your property; we only wish you could see your way through to becoming a kinder, less aggressive human being.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

There are several aspects to the Republican platform that are simply astounding.

A notable example is the ban on abortion. A woman’s right to choose is a strongly held belief of almost all women, and the vast majority of men.  Going into an election, what’s the value in promoting a law that is so wildly unpopular?

But it gets worse (as shown at left): the slashing of Social Security and Medicare.

I know there are certain Christian sects that find abortion morally objectionable in all circumstances.  But are there senior citizens who don’t want Social Security and Medicare? This seems like a terrible item to have on a party’s platform.

I’m reminded of dealing with climate deniers who object to phasing out fossil fuels, to whom I would respond, “I know there are people who don’t believe in things like geology, atmospheric chemistry and physics, and climate science.  But are there people who don’t believe in lung disease?”

Make no mistake, I hope the GOP goes down hard.  But I’d really like to see a party that is a little less insane.

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

When responsible people come across something that is both preposterous and attributed to someone they suppose to be credible, the first thing they do is head to Snopes, or some other place online where they can verify or discard it.  Yes, Elon Musk really did say this.

The only conclusion to be drawn here is that we live in a post-truth world, where facts have ceased to matter and reality is up for grabs.  The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are fake news, and Donald Trump is an honest man.  Darkness and light, tall and short, good and evil mean the same thing.

The world’s richest man is a complete asshole.  Just what humankind needed at this critical moment in time.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

These words came out of JFK’s mouth long before we had a political party vigorously trying to nullify American democracy.

Here we are, 60 years later, a nation wading through a cesspool of ignorance, hate, and rampant conspiracy theories that enable Donald Trump to retain vast political power.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

OK, let me begin by saying that I don’t believe that a random 5th grade kid understands what marginal taxation means, and that, therefore, this meme is probably fraudulent.

At the same time, its author makes an important point: most of the people to whom this attack on AOC is addressed have no clue what they’re talking about.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Yes, former Trump strategist Steve Bannon said that a Republican victory in the midterms would mean that Dr. Fauci would “suffer” and be “hunted.”

But arrest him for making that statement? Seriously? Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of the U.S. Congress, but somehow remains a free man pending appeal, a process that could extend for years. If he were anyone but a rich and well-connected white guy, he’d be behind bars.

Let’s just admit that we live in a country where justice doesn’t matter.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

The libertarian CATO Institute asks: Are Shootings More Likely to Occur in Public Schools? and concludes that only 6% of shootings occur in private schools.  Their point, one would assume, is that things are always better in the private than public sector.

But what if anything does this finding actually mean?  First of all, only 9% of all American school students are enrolled in private schools.

More importantly, private schools have better faculty:student ratios, less dense campuses making them poorer targets for mass killings, more participation in sports, less tolerance of bullying, and more attention to students’ individual needs.  The home lives of private school children include fewer guns, more highly employed, more intelligent, better educated and progressive parents, and more parental influence in the children’s lives.

Every single factor militates towards fewer shootings in private schools.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Most of us understand that electing Trump in 2016 was a terrible idea, but not because he was an “outsider” with no political experience.

Rather, it’s that he’s a terrible human being, devoid of conscience, compassion, and honesty.

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s a conversation between me and the climate denier I mentioned yesterday in my post: Fringe Belief on Climate Change.

Reader: “Climate change is a totalitarian position.” (He concluded this from someone who said that the science of climate change “cannot be challenged.”)

Craig: Fortunately for us all, this is a fringe belief. Just beyond the outer edge of the outer rim of the fringe. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

From this piece in Reuters:

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has said that Russian soldiers who die in the war against Ukraine will be cleansed of all their sins, days after President Vladimir Putin ordered the country’s first mobilisation since World War Two. (more…)

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