From Pine View Farm

“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0

Listening to Donald Trump’s attempt bring back the Red Scares of America past, Michael Hiltzik hears a rhyme. Here’s a tiny bit from his article, in which he references Democrat Al Smith’s campaign for New York Governor in 1928:

On that occasion, Smith said: “The cry of socialism has been patented by the powerful interests that desire to put a damper on progressive legislation. Is that cry of socialism anything new? Not to a man of my experience. I have heard it raised by reactionary elements and the Republican party … for over a quarter-century.”

Follow the link for more rhymes.

___________________–

*Mark Twain.

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This New Gilded Age 0

Two Tech Bros talking.  One says,

Click for the original image.

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Red Scare Redux 0

Thom argues that what Donald Trump calls “communism” could more appropriately be labeled the “radical middle.”

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Mower politeness.

Musical NotesGuns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.

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American Stasi 0

ICE detains another law-abiding legal resident for being.

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Stray Thought 0

I just realized that Donald Trump’s motto must be

If at first you don’t succeed, then lie, lie again.

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QOTD 0

Constant Lambert:

Nothing is so common as to see a political upheaval pass practically unnoticed merely because the names of the leaders and their parties remain the same.

Aside:

For some fool reasion. today’s Republican Party comes to mind.

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And Now for a Musical Interlude 0

Aside:

As far as I am concerned, Casablanca is the finest American movie ever made.

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Domestic Tranquility 0

I gather there’s a movement called “tradwives,” women yearning for the good old days when men were men and women were possessions. (I also gather that some these self-styled “tradwives” are busily monetizing themselves on various “social” media platforms, but that’s a topic for another day.)

At the Psychology Today website, Melissa Rampelli explains why Victorian women were–er–content to remain housebound. A snippet:

Victorian doctors increasingly prescribed sedatives and opiates for middle-class women.

Follow the link for the rest.

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The Climates They Are a-Changing 0

Last night, we got a tornado warning on our phones.

I grew up in these parts. Tornados are things that (at least used to) happen in Kansas and Oklahoma, not here. Hurricanes were more our thing.

Anyone who denies that the climates are a-changing is a liar, an ignoramus, a charlaton, or a combination thereof. (Mostly I’m betting on lying charlaton, but ignoramus is a strong second.)

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Still Rising Again after All These Years 0

Thom explains how Doanld Trump’s campaign against Haitian immigrants is rooted in racism and how the Republican-controlled Supreme Supremacist Court chose not to see the truth when it was right there in front of their faces.

America’s original sin of chattel slavery and the myth of racial superiority manufactured to legitimize it continue to exact their toll.

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Signs of the Times 0

Title:  The Halls.  Image:  A man and a woman carrying brief cases walk past a sign reading

Click for the original image.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Yet another “responsible gun owner’ exposes a portable phallus to a child.

A 2-year-old boy is dead after accidentally shooting himself inside a Northside home late last night, according to the Jacksonville (Florida–ed.) Sheriff’s Office.

Aside:

We went out for breakfast yesterday. As we were leaving the restaurant parking lot, we saw a vehicle bearing a bumper sticker reading, “Guns save lives.”

Yeah.

Right.

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American Stasi, Republican Thought Police Dept. 0

Deport them if they dare to disagree.

In these Trumpled times, it seems that’s the new American way.

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QOTD 0

Walter Gropius:

The mind is like an umbrella – it functions best when open.

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A Tune for the Times 0

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Lessons of History . . . 0

. . . are meaningless if you don’t pay attention during history’s classes.

PoliticalProf sees a pattern:

Johnson had Vietnam. Bush/Obama had Afghanistan and Iraq. Now Trump has Iran.

Follow the link for context.

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Red Scare Redux 0

Little boy in bed with MAGA-hatted men peeking out from under it.  Father says, to boy,

Click for the original image.

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Misfire 0

Apparently, Donald Trump’s war of choice with Iran is not going well.

This is what happens when a government is run by wannabe schoolyard bullies.

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“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0

Celebrate marital ceremonies with random acts of politeness.

We are a broken society.

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