Tag Archives: Fact-Checking

Pro-trump propaganda: A rebuttal (Long)

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Warning! Wall of Text!

This post crossed my screen a couple of weeks ago, and after a bit of research I discovered it’s being shared across multiple channels on Facebook and elsewhere. It’s so outrageous in its content that I couldn’t sleep much last night, so I was compelled in the name of decency to offer a fact-based rebuttal. I won’t name and shame the author, because that’s not my privilege, but it’s out there if you want to search for it. Original text in italics, my responses follow.

𝐼’π‘š π‘›π‘œπ‘‘π‘–π‘π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘“π‘œπ‘™π‘˜π‘  π‘‘π‘œπ‘–π‘›π‘” π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘ π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘œπ‘’π‘  π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘Žπ‘π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‡π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘ π‘Žπ‘‘π‘šπ‘–π‘›π‘–π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›. π‘†π‘œ 𝐼 π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ 𝐼’𝑑 π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘‘ π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Žπ‘‘π‘ .

“Whining” about the Trump administration is, more properly stated, resisting autocracy, oligarchy, and a rising tide of fascism that needs to be fought at every turn. Consider these points:

  1. 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑑 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘“π‘Žπ‘π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘  𝑖𝑠 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ β„Žπ‘–π‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑀𝑒 (π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘—π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘‘π‘¦ π‘œπ‘“) π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜π‘–π‘›π‘”, π‘šπ‘–π‘‘π‘‘π‘™π‘’ π‘π‘™π‘Žπ‘ π‘  π΄π‘šπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘  π‘€π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘‘. π‘Šπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ 𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘œπ‘šπ‘–π‘ π‘€π‘’π‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝑀𝑒 π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘‘π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ 𝑝𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘’π‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘ π‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘π‘’π‘‘π‘’.

Donald Trump has absolutely no mandate, given that 75,019,230 Americans voted for reason, sanity, and compassion instead of madness and oligarchy. Trump’s 77,303,568 votes constitute a razor-thin margin of 1.48%, or 2,284,338 people – less than the population of Houston, Texas.ΒΉ

In our nation, Republican-leaning states take more in federal dollars than they contribute, where Democratic-leaning states provide more tax revenue to the nation than they get back, so please don’t tell us that Republicans are “pulling the economic weight in this country.”Β²

  1. 𝐼𝑓 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’π‘›’𝑑 π‘Žπ‘™π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘¦, 𝑔𝑒𝑑 π‘Ž π‘—π‘œπ‘. πΈπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦ 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘¦ 𝑖𝑠 β„Žπ‘–π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘›π‘”. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑔𝑒𝑑 π‘π‘Žπ‘–π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘›, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘“π‘Žπ‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘Žπ‘‘π‘£π‘Žπ‘›π‘π‘’, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑙 π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘›. 𝐼𝑑’𝑠 π‘Žπ‘› π‘Žπ‘šπ‘Žπ‘§π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘π‘’π‘π‘‘.

More than 1/3 of Americans have a second job or side-hustle just to survive.Β³ In 2020, 4.1% of our nation was classified as “working poor,” people who have jobs but still fall below the poverty line.⁴ The old GOP line about “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel philosophy that leads to things like opposing the cancellation of student debt. “I had to pay off mine, why should other [implied: undeserving] people sponge off my taxes?” In Romanian, they say “sΔƒ moarΔƒ Θ™i capra vecinului” (may the neighbor’s goat die too), expressing a desire for others to suffer if you cannot thrive yourself, a feeling that is inherently worse than Schadenfreude.⁡ “Wage theft is a costly and pervasive problem that affects millions of workers across the country. For example, Cooper and Kroeger (2017) investigated just one type of wage theft (minimum wage violations) and found that in the 10 most populous states in the country, 17% of eligible low-wage workers reported being paid less than the minimum wage, amounting to 2.4 million workers losing $8 billion annually. Extrapolating from these 10 states, Cooper and Kroeger estimated that workers throughout the country lose $15 billion annually from minimum wage violations alone.”⁢ “According to the Economic Policy Institute, wage theft costs U.S. workers as much as $50 billion per year — a number far higher than all robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts combined.”⁷

  1. π‘ˆπ‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑖𝑓 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Ž π‘ˆ.𝑆. 𝐢𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑛, π‘œπ‘Ÿ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘Žπ‘™π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘‘π‘¦ π‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘™π‘’π‘”π‘Žπ‘™ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘π‘’π‘ π‘  π‘‘π‘œ π‘π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘Ž π‘ˆ.𝑆. 𝐢𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ π‘”π‘œπ‘–π‘›π‘” π‘‘π‘œ 𝑔𝑒𝑑 π‘‘π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘’π‘‘! 𝐼 π‘‘π‘œπ‘›’𝑑 π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘€β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘“π‘Žπ‘£π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘‘π‘’ π‘™π‘–π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘™ π‘šπ‘’π‘‘π‘–π‘Ž π‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘›π‘›π‘’π‘™ π‘ π‘Žπ‘¦π‘ .

The fact that you don’t care what “liberal media channels” say doesn’t change reality. American citizens are being caught up in Donald Trump’s sweep for undocumented immigrants. It’s happening, it will continue to happen as long as ICE is given carte blanche by the current administration and MAGA-dominated Congress.⁸

  1. π‘‡π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘“π‘“π‘  π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Ž π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘”π‘Žπ‘–π‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘β„Žπ‘–π‘. π‘Šβ„Žπ‘’π‘› π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘˜π‘’ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘™π‘ , π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘ π‘œπ‘šπ‘’π‘‘π‘–π‘šπ‘’π‘  π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘‘π‘œ π‘π‘™π‘Žπ‘¦ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘π‘Žπ‘™π‘™. π‘‡β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘’𝑠 β„Žπ‘œπ‘€ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ 𝑔𝑒𝑑 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘™π‘  π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘‘π‘’π‘ π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘’.

International trade is not a zero-sum game. You don’t have to have a winner and a loser – the best deals are made when everyone wins. Sadly, Donald Trump – and hence MAGA – believe something entirely different: “You hear lots of people say that a great deal is when both sides win,” he writes in Think Big and Kick Ass, co-authored with Bill Zanker of the Learning Annex. “That is a bunch of crap. In a great deal you win β€” not the other side. You crush the opponent and come away with something better for yourself.” To “crush the other side and take the benefits,” he declares, is “better than sex β€” and I love sex.”⁹ In other words, it’s not enough for Donald Trump to win – π‘’π‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘¦π‘œπ‘›π‘’ 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 β„Žπ‘Žπ‘  π‘‘π‘œ π‘™π‘œπ‘ π‘’. Treat business collaborations or international relations in this cruel and narcissistic manner and you will only generate one thing – massive resentment and a decreased desire to do any business in the future. That’s not winning – it’s self-sabotage in the long run.

  1. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ 𝐢𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑙 π‘…π‘–π‘”β„Žπ‘‘π‘  𝐴𝑐𝑑 π‘œπ‘“ 1964 π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘‘π‘’π‘π‘‘π‘  π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘š π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘šπ‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘› 𝑏𝑦 π‘Žπ‘”π‘’, 𝑠𝑒π‘₯, π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘π‘’, 𝑒𝑑𝑐. 𝐷𝐸𝐼 π‘œπ‘π‘’π‘›π‘™π‘¦ π‘£π‘–π‘œπ‘™π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘ . π·π‘’π‘šπ‘œπ‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘  π‘€π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œ 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘œπ‘π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’ 𝑖𝑠 π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘’ π‘π‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘’π‘ π‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘¦ π‘£π‘Žπ‘™π‘’π‘’ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘£π‘œπ‘‘π‘’ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘› π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘žπ‘’π‘Žπ‘™π‘–π‘‘π‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒.

If you think the Civil Rights Act has eliminated racism in America, you are living on your veranda, sipping mint juleps while the “darkies” work happily in the fields. The Brookings Institute, writing about systemic racism in America, said “The reality of this history has been on stark display in recent weeks. From the terrible killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, to the countless, untold acts of racism that take place every day across America, these are the issues that are defining the momentβ€”just as our response will define who we are and will be in the 21st century and beyond. Truly, the very nature of our β€œnational soul” is at stake, and we all have a deep responsibility to be a part of the solution.”¹⁰

“At this point, it’s evident that DEI has become interchangeable with a less socially acceptable racial slur” – specifically, the “N-word.”ΒΉΒΉ And sadly, discrimination across the board which remains endemic in our society and which Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity, and DEI attempt to combat includes not just people of color but women and all sorts of minorities as well.

  1. 𝐼𝑑’𝑠 π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘”π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘›π‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘’𝑠 π‘šπ‘œπ‘›π‘’π‘¦, 𝑖𝑑’𝑠 π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘šπ‘œπ‘›π‘’π‘¦. π‘Œπ‘œπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘π‘ π‘œπ‘™π‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘™π‘¦ π‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘™π‘‘ 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 π‘Ž π‘‘π‘Žπ‘šπ‘› π‘Žπ‘π‘œπ‘’π‘‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘€ 𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑.

This is 100% true – and it’s why Trump and Company want to eliminate all financial oversight, such as the elimination of organizations like Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.ΒΉΒ²

  1. π‘Šπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘›π‘œπ‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘‘ π΅π‘Žπ‘›π‘˜. 𝐼𝑓 π‘œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘’π‘  𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 β„Žπ‘’π‘™π‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘¦ π‘ β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘™π‘‘ π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘–π‘ π‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘–π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘€π‘› π‘“π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘›π‘π‘’π‘ . 𝐼 π‘‘π‘œπ‘›’𝑑 π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘™π‘™ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘’π‘–π‘£π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘™π‘–π‘’π‘“ π‘šπ‘œπ‘›π‘’π‘¦ π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘š πΌπ‘›π‘‘π‘–π‘Ž π‘œπ‘Ÿ πΆβ„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘Ž.

Despite the fact that Colin Turnbull’s analysis of the Ik in his book π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘Žπ‘–π‘› π‘ƒπ‘’π‘œπ‘π‘™π‘’ has widely been discredited, Lewis Thomas in his seminal work π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ 𝐿𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑠 π‘œπ‘“ π‘Ž 𝐢𝑒𝑙𝑙 wrote: “For total greed, rapacity, heartlessness, and irresponsibility there is nothing to match a nation. Nations, by law, are solitary, self-centred, withdrawn into themselves…. They bawl insults from their doorsteps, defecate into whole oceans, snatch all the food, survive by detestation, take joy in the bad luck of others, celebrate the death of others, live for the death of others.”¹³

America is not an island, and as the world’s wealthiest nation we have done more than our fair share to assist the global community in many ways, which is only right and proper. The Brookings institute soundly refutes many myths about foreign aid, including “America spends too much on foreign aid,”(foreign assistance is less than 1 percent of the federal budget), “Others don’t do their fair share,” (There is a broad international commitment that wealthy countries should provide annually 0.7 percent of GNP to assist poor countries. Five countries (Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, and the U.K.) exceed that benchmark. The average for all wealthy nations is around 0.4 percent. The U.S. ranks near the bottom at below 0.2 percent), and “U.S. foreign aid is mainly backed by Democrats” (Foreign aid historically has been viewed more as a Democratic than Republican program. The Marshall Plan was initiated by the Truman administration, and in the 1990s, when votes in the Congress on foreign aid spending were close, the appropriations bill garnered more Democratic than Republican votes. But every president, Democratic and Republican, until the current occupant of the White House, has been a strong proponent of foreign assistance. In fact, some of the most rapid increases in foreign aid have come during Republican presidencies)¹⁴

The shuttering of USAID will literally kill people, and it’s unbelievably cruel and xenophobic. “The Roman Catholic Church’s worldwide charity arm sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid on Monday, saying his plans to end funding for relief agency USAID will have a “catastrophic” impact in the developing world. ‘The ruthless and chaotic way this callous decision is being implemented threatens the lives and dignity of millions,” Caritas Internationalis, a Vatican-based confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social services organisations working in more than 200 countries, said in a statement.'”¹⁡

  1. π·π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘™π‘™ π‘π‘Žπ‘π‘¦, π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘™π‘™. π‘Šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘œ π‘˜π‘›π‘œπ‘€ π‘€β„Žπ‘¦? π΅π‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘’π‘ π‘’ 𝑀𝑒 β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ 𝑖𝑑. π΄π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘“π‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’? π‘π‘œπ‘‘ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘–π‘Ÿ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘š. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ 𝑖𝑠 π‘€π‘Žπ‘¦ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘œπ‘–π‘™ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘”π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘› π‘™π‘–π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘’π‘š, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ 𝑔𝑒𝑒𝑠𝑠 π‘€β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘šπ‘œπ‘ π‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ 𝑖𝑠? πΆβ„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘Ž. π‘Šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘œπ‘‘ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘π‘’π‘  π‘‘π‘œ π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œπ‘€π‘›? π‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘› π‘’π‘›π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘”π‘¦ π‘π‘œπ‘ π‘‘π‘  β„Žπ‘Žπ‘£π‘’ π‘‘π‘œ π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘’ π‘‘π‘œπ‘€π‘›. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘šπ‘’π‘Žπ‘›π‘  π‘œπ‘–π‘™, π‘”π‘Žπ‘ , π‘π‘œπ‘Žπ‘™, π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘›π‘’π‘π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ. π‘ˆπ‘›π‘–π‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘› π‘“π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘™π‘–π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘™ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘  π‘€π‘œπ‘›’𝑑 π‘π‘œπ‘€π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿ!

First of all, your data is incorrect. The world’s leader in lithium production is Australia, followed by Chile. China is only third.¹⁢ Your quote about unicorn farts and liberal tears sounds like something you’d hear on Breitbart or OAN or Fox News, and is petty and childish. Europe is the world’s leader in replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources, and is on track to reach a target of a 42.5% share of renewables by 2030.¹⁷ It can be done if the social and political will is there, but in the USA the fossil-fuel lobby is immensely wealthy and powerful, and our legislators receive massive amounts of money to ensure that renewable energy is consistently sidelined in favor of more drilling and coal digging.¹⁸

For what it’s worth, it’s worth mentioning in the service of full disclosure:

    O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O
     THIS POST MOVED STICKY BLACK FILTH FROM THE BOWELS
        OF THE EARTH, AND SET IT ON FIRE IN YOUR AIR
    O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O O=c=O

On the other hand, 15% of my energy consumption comes from a solar farm in Maine, and similarly did for many years in Utah thanks to their Blue Sky program. It can be done, and people who care about our environment will continue to fight the fossil fuel industries’ dominance.

One point on which we agree: Nuclear power has been given a bad rap, and we need more of it – along with increased research and development on how to reduce or treat nuclear ash.

  1. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ π‘’π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘œπ‘šπ‘¦ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ π‘’π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘‘π‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘¦ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘“π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘šπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘–π‘šπ‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘› π‘¦π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠, 𝑔𝑒𝑑 π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ 𝑖𝑑.

R. Buckminster Fuller, one of the world’s greatest forward thinkers and the inventor of the geodesic dome, had a philosophy that came to be known as the “World Game” – “Make the world work, for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.”¹⁹ Historically, progressives have aligned themselves with this concept in various ways, while regressives – those in favor of preserving a world where only the wealthy and influential have rights – have sought to accumulate power and build walls to keep the “unworthy” out.

A big subset of MAGA today are evangelical Christians who wear their religion on their sleeves, who in the words of Paul the Apostle are “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (New Testament, 2 Timothy 3:5)

Russell Moore, long one of the top officials in the Southern Baptist Convention, said “Well, it was the result of having multiple pastors tell me essentially the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount parenthetically in their preaching – turn the other cheek – to have someone come up after and to say, where did you get those liberal talking points? And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ, the response would not be, I apologize. The response would be, yes, but that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak. And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we’re in a crisis.”²⁰

It is only the feelings of people – whether from doing their best to follow the teachings of Jesus, or from a humanistic sense of wanting the best for the greatest number of people – that will help humanity crawl out of the mud and reach for the stars, by building a world that works for everyone, with no one left out. And we will never “get over” that.

  1. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘šπ‘’π‘› π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘šπ‘’π‘›. π‘†π‘–π‘šπ‘π‘™π‘’ π‘Žπ‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘.

Sure, if you want to base your opinions solely on the Bible or what you’re hearing over the pulpit instead of science. In reality, it’s not simple at all.

“Sex can be much more complicated than it at first seems. According to the simple scenario, the presence or absence of a Y chromosome is what counts: with it, you are male, and without it, you are female. But doctors have long known that some people straddle the boundaryβ€”their sex chromosomes say one thing, but their gonads (ovaries or testes) or sexual anatomy say another. Parents of children with these kinds of conditionsβ€”known as intersex conditions, or differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs)β€”often face difficult decisions about whether to bring up their child as a boy or a girl. Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD. When genetics is taken into consideration, the boundary between the sexes becomes even blurrier. Scientists have identified many of the genes involved in the main forms of DSD, and have uncovered variations in these genes that have subtle effects on a person’s anatomical or physiological sex.”Β²ΒΉ

Even if you want to discount the science, which is a terrible thing to doΒ²Β², people need to understand that LGBTQIA+ people have always existed, they will always exist, and no amount of oppression or erasure will stop them from existing. Gay rights are human rights. Trans rights are human rights. There’s no question that inclusion and respect for non-binary people brings social challenges and demands difficult adjustments, but to do anything else – especially to work to strip rights from your fellow sojourners in mortality – is in direct opposition to the teachings that most MAGA adherents claim to honor: “That which is distasteful unto yourself, do not unto others – this is the whole Torah, the rest is commentary.” (Rabbi Hillel).

  1. πΈπ‘‘π‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘› 𝑖𝑠 π‘‘π‘œ π‘’π‘ π‘‘π‘Žπ‘π‘™π‘–π‘ β„Ž π‘Ž π‘™π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘›π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘Žπ‘‘ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘  π‘Ž π‘β„Žπ‘–π‘™π‘‘ π‘“π‘œπ‘Ÿ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘Žπ‘™, π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘˜π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘€π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘™π‘‘. π΄π‘›π‘¦π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘” 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 π‘€π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘›π‘”.

“The modern education system was designed to teach future factory workers to be β€œpunctual, docile, and sober.”Β²Β³ 𝐓𝐑𝐒𝐬 is what’s wrong, and utterly so. In 1928, Margaret Mead, an American Cultural Anthropologist, was famously reported saying, “Children should be taught how to think, and not what to think.” It turns out she was way ahead of her time and was already tapping into a theory that educational psychologists would later term ‘Metacognition’.²⁴ For societal progression to occur, children need to be taught more than reading, writing, and arithmetic – they need to learn critical thinking, social consciousness, and life skills as well, and they need music, literature, world history, and the arts.²⁡ And they definitely don’t need religious indoctrination, as specified in the Establishment Clause of our nation’s Constitution. Public funds must be used for public education, not private religious institutions. If people want their children to attend such schools, they should pay for them out of their own pockets, not via tax-supported vouchers.

  1. π·π‘œπ‘›π‘Žπ‘™π‘‘ 𝐽. π‘‡π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘ 𝑖𝑠 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ƒπ‘Ÿπ‘’π‘ π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘ˆπ‘›π‘–π‘‘π‘’π‘‘ π‘†π‘‘π‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ β„Žπ‘’ π‘€π‘œπ‘› 𝑏𝑦 π‘Ž π‘™π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘π‘ π‘™π‘–π‘‘π‘’ β€” π‘π‘œπ‘‘β„Ž π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘œπ‘π‘’π‘™π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘£π‘œπ‘‘π‘’ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘’π‘™π‘’π‘π‘‘π‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘Žπ‘™ π‘£π‘œπ‘‘π‘’. 𝐺𝑒𝑑 π‘œπ‘£π‘’π‘Ÿ 𝑖𝑑.

In 2020, Joseph Biden won the popular vote by a margin of 4.45%, and for 4 years MAGA screamed “Not my President!” in 2024, Trump won the popular vote by a margin of 1.48%. In 1972, Richard Nixon’s margin over George McGovern was 23.15%; 𝐭𝐑𝐚𝐭 was a landslide, despite Nixon’s later disgrace and resignation. Trump has no mandate for anything despite what you might hear on Fox News. It’s worth mentioning that the “electorial” (sic) college has long been recognized as an outdated construct designed to preserve the power of white landowners²⁢ and deserves to be replaced by a one-person, one vote Presidential election. Yes, even if this had been the case in 2024, Donald Trump would have won the election, but the results would have been entirely different in 2000 (Bush/Gore) and 2016 (Trump/Clinton) and Trump would never have ascended to the presidency at all.²⁷

ΒΉ https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/elections/2024
Β² https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2023/07/red-states-feed-at-the-federal-trough-blue-states-supply-the-feed.html
Β³ https://www.newsweek.com/americans-side-hustles-survey-1930416
https://www.newsweek.com/vault/banking/savings/gen-z-money-habits-bank-of-america-survey/
⁴ https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/working-poor/2020/
⁡ https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2023/06/we-must-banish-bootstraps-mythology-from-american-life
⁢ https://www.epi.org/publication/wage-theft-2021/
⁷ https://inthesetimes.com/article/wage-theft-union-labor-biden-iupat
⁸ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-immigration-raids-citizens-profiling-accusations-native-american-rcna189203
⁹ https://www.vox.com/a/donald-trump-books
¹⁰ https://www.brookings.edu/articles/systemic-racism-and-america-today/
ΒΉΒΉ https://archive.ph/5TPDb (archived from http://readcultured.com/how-white-people-quickly-turned-dei-into-a-racist-slur-1866e4e3dedd)
ΒΉΒ² https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-senator-vows-to-fight-back-against-trumps-plan-to-dismantle-financial-watchdog/3478108
ΒΉΒ³ https://www.goodnews.ie/betweenourselvesjune2005.shtml
¹⁴ https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-every-american-should-know-about-u-s-foreign-aid/
¹⁡ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-foreign-aid-cuts-catastrophic-says-global-catholic-charity-arm-2025-02-10/
¹⁢ https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/lithium-electric-vehicles
¹⁷ https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/share-of-energy-consumption-from
¹⁸ https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary?cycle=all&ind=E01&mem=Y&recipdetail=S
¹⁹ https://www.bfi.org/about-fuller/big-ideas/world-game/
²⁰ https://www.npr.org/2023/08/05/1192374014/russell-moore-on-altar-call-for-evangelical-america
Β²ΒΉ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-redefined-the-idea-of-2-sexes-is-overly-simplistic1/
Β²Β² https://aphelis.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ASIMOV_1980_Cult_of_Ignorance.pdf The salient quote here from Isaac Asimov is this: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
Β²Β³ https://qz.com/1314814/universal-education-was-first-promoted-by-industrialists-who-wanted-docile-factory-workers
²⁴ https://coachbit.com/the-parent-bit/metacognition-reflective-learning-can-help-kids-perform-better/
²⁡ https://artomicparticles.tumblr.com/post/95126208009/no-child-left-behind-cartoon-by-david-horsey
²⁢ https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/electoral-colleges-racist-origins
²⁷ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_popular_vote_margin

Really Not Important

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Sandwiched between articles on “A New Reason for Dehorning” and “Brown Coal” in the Kansas City Sun of May 6, 1921, one finds this little bit of whimsy – perhaps the editor was desperate for something to fill two column inches on a really slow news day.

Whatever the case, the text reads:

Really Not Important

An investigator claims to have discovered in some dusty archives that back in the days when the pilgrims landed each person coming to America from England was required to bring with them eight bushels of corn meal, two bushels of oatmeal, two gallons of vinegar and a gallon each of oil and brandy.
In view of the fact that nothing of importance hinges on the truth or falsity of this statement, not much time need be consumed to ascertain whether this is truth or fiction.


I was pointed to this gem by the inimitable XKCD, which cites a grudging respect for the fact-checker of the Kansas City Sun that day.

The rest of the page is viewable as a free clip here; some of the articles are stolid and mundane, others exude a hint of humor – such as this ad for the Peerless Bowling and Billiard Parlors:

Of course, like the green-coffee extract hawkers of today, the copywriter may have been deadly serious in claiming that bowlers never get appendicitis.

Perusing old newspapers can be just as entertaining as Netflix.

The Old Wolf has spoken.