— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) July 10, 2021
Don Winslow – Don Winslow Films – #LaurenBoebertIsAMonster
CNN – [John Dean] says he’d pay to handle Trump’s deposition. I have a very sift spot forpeople who have made mistakes, including extremely stupid ones, and LEARNED from than and turned around. John is one. Another is Monica Lewinsky.
Liberal Redneck – I’m from TN and LAWD I CAN’T STAND MARSHA BLACKBURN. (Taylor Swift is acually a liberal.)
Beau – Boebert is no Einstein, but I have administered GED testing and read the tests and getting it is NOT easy. And, yes, apparently it took her several tries to get it. However, it still is not that easy (and it certainly is not the same questions every time one tries) and Istill assert that GEDs are respectable and arw to be respected by Democrats, among others. And certaily by the military. I don’t know whether the military is accepting GED students now, but at the time I was working with it they weren’t. I have advised GED grads nterested in the military to go to the nearest and cheapest community college and take and pass one course – any course. Then, their educational level becomes “some college” and bypasses the GED question altogether. And I still consider that good advice. (But I hope Boebert doesn’t take it.)
I was very lacking in energy yesterday, and didn’t get much done. But now that I don’t have any impending doom (in the form of communication outage or inability to get to my vccinaton) hanging over my head, that’s OK. I can go slowly. There are a lot of “things” (you know, “stuff”) accumulated in my work space, many of which got migrated to extremely inconvenient places while I was attempting to deal with my internet outage, and all of those will have to either be returned to where they live or relocated somewhere else. But I don’t need to hurry, or to stress. I don’t think the lack of energy is a reaction to the shot (it might be a reaction to the stress lifting, but I kind of doubt even that.) In any case, I’m here, with news and later with videos.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Hill – Missouri becomes ground zero for COVID-19 battle
Quote – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) this week slammed the White House over its door-to-door vaccination campaign in underserved communities, which is part of the administration’s efforts to deal with outbreaks in hot spot areas…. Parson pushed back on the Biden administration’s door-to-door coronavirus vaccination strategy, arguing that it was not a “welcome strategy.” Click through for the story. I’m not trying to throw shade. But I want Nameless to be well and stay well.
Law & Crime – Capitol Siege Defendant Who Allegedly Wanted to Hang Nancy Pelosi Claimed to Be in Court ‘By Special Divine Appearance’
Quote – “Bring them out,” Bauer allegedly said when recorded by body cam footage from the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. “We want them out here…You bring them out or we’re coming in. Bring them out now. They’re criminals. They need to hang. Bring her out. Bring Nancy Pelosi out here now. We want to hang that fucking bitch. Bring her out. We’re coming in if you don’t bring her out. What are you trying to protect a fucking Nazi. Is that what you’re protecting?” Click through for bizarre details. Aother example of why self-representing is a bad idea.
Reuters – Billionaire Branson soars to space aboard Virgin Galactic flight
Quote – Reaching its high-altitude launch point at about 46,000 feet, the VSS Unity passenger rocket plane was released from the mothership and fell away as the crew ignited its rocket, sending it streaking straight upward at supersonic speed to the blackness of space some 53 miles (86 km) high. The spaceplane’s contrail was clearly visible from the ground as it soared through the upper atmosphere, to the cheers of the crowd below. At the apex of the climb with the rocket shut down, the crew then experienced a few minutes of microgravity, before the spaceplane shifted into re-entry mode, and began a gliding descent to a runway back at the spaceport. The entire flight lasted about an hour. Click through for story. Science has more or less arbitrarily decided that the 50-mile mark is where being up in the sky officially becomes “space.” One could argue, but I’m pretty sure that 50 miles is substantially farther than any measurable atmosphere extends. In any cas, that was Sir Richard’s mark, and he slightly exceeded it, and was the first to do so. Hey, better him than Jeff Bezos (though I grant Bezos was gracious about it.)
Glenn Kirschner – Trump Org Terminates CFO Weisselberg From Some Duties. Is Trump Org Setting Him Up to Take the Fall? (when I first heard this I figured Scotland forced him to do it. The Scots don’t mess around. But Glenn is probably closer.)
Meidas Touch – Ben Meiselas: The GQP is a F**king Death Cult
Rebel HQ – Racist Gets KNOCKED OUT, Then THIS Happens
CNN – Acosta to Trump: Take your fake WH seal and play president elsewhere
Now This News – Dalai Lama Portrait Made With Rubik’s Cubes Sells For $555k+ OK, a flulff video, but good for the Dalai Lama (who is now 86)
135-Pound Mastiff Becomes Obsessed With A Tiny Kitten
Beau – Let’s talk about being happy and Biden’s door-to-door salespeople….
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
This article presents material of importance – and it is presented in such a way that I don’t have to think too much about being confident it is good information and sharing it accordingly. That’s a very good thing when I have just lost essentially three days of preparation time. See what you think about it.
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Science denial: Why it happens and 5 things you can do about it
Science denial is not new, of course. But it is more important than ever to understand why some people deny, doubt or resist scientific explanations – and what can be done to overcome these barriers to accepting science.
Here’s our advice on how to confront five psychological challenges that can lead to science denial.
Challenge #1: Social identity
People are social beings and tend to align with those who hold similar beliefs and values. Social media amplify alliances. You’re likely to see more of what you already agree with and fewer alternative points of view. People live in information filter bubbles created by powerful algorithms. When those in your social circle share misinformation, you are more likely to believe it and share it. Misinformation multiplies and science denial grows.
Action #1: Each person has multiple social identities. One of us talked with a climate change denier and discovered he was also a grandparent. He opened up when thinking about his grandchildren’s future, and the conversation turned to economic concerns, the root of his denial. Or maybe someone is vaccine-hesitant because so are mothers in her child’s play group, but she is also a caring person, concerned about immunocompromised children.
We have found it effective to listen to others’ concerns and try to find common ground. Someone you connect with is more persuasive than those with whom you share less in common. When one identity is blocking acceptance of the science, leverage a second identity to make a connection.
Challenge #2: Mental shortcuts
Everyone’s busy, and it would be exhausting to be vigilant deep thinkers all the time. You see an article online with a clickbait headline such as “Eat Chocolate and Live Longer” and you share it, because you assume it is true, want it to be or think it is ridiculous.
Action #2: Instead of sharing that article on how GMOs are unhealthy, learn to slow down and monitor the quick, intuitive responses that psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls System 1 thinking. Instead turn on the rational, analytical mind of System 2 and ask yourself, how do I know this is true? Is it plausible? Why do I think it is true? Then do some fact-checking. Learn to not immediately accept information you already believe, which is called confirmation bias.
Challenge #3: Beliefs on how and what you know
Everyone has ideas about what they think knowledge is, where it comes from and whom to trust. Some people think dualistically: There’s always a clear right and wrong. But scientists view tentativeness as a hallmark of their discipline. Some people may not understand that scientific claims will change as more evidence is gathered, so they may be distrustful of how public health policy shifted around COVID-19.
Action #3: Recognize that other people (or possibly even you) may be operating with misguided beliefs about science. You can help them adopt what philosopher of science Lee McIntyre calls a scientific attitude, an openness to seeking new evidence and a willingness to change one’s mind.
Recognize that very few individuals rely on a single authority for knowledge and expertise. Vaccine hesitancy, for example, has been successfully countered by doctors who persuasively contradict erroneous beliefs, as well as by friends who explain why they changed their own minds. Clergy can step forward, for example, and some have offered places of worship as vaccination hubs.
Challenge #4: Motivated reasoning
You might not think that how you interpret a simple graph could depend on your political views. But when people were asked to look at the same charts depicting either housing costs or the rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over time, interpretations differed by political affiliation. Conservatives were more likely than progressives to misinterpret the graph when it depicted a rise in CO2 than when it displayed housing costs. When people reason not just by examining facts, but with an unconscious bias to come to a preferred conclusion, their reasoning will be flawed.
Action #4: Maybe you think that eating food from genetically modified organisms is harmful to your health, but have you really examined the evidence? Look at articles with both pro and con information, evaluate the source of that information, and be open to the evidence leaning one way or the other. If you give yourself the time to think and reason, you can short-circuit your own motivated reasoning and open your mind to new information.
Challenge #5: Emotions and attitudes
When Pluto got demoted to a dwarf planet, many children and some adults responded with anger and opposition. Emotions and attitudes are linked. Reactions to hearing that humans influence the climate can range from anger (if you do not believe it) to frustration (if you are concerned you may need to change your lifestyle) to anxiety and hopelessness (if you accept it is happening but think it’s too late to fix things). How you feel about climate mitigation or GMO labeling aligns with whether you are for or against these policies.
Action #5: Recognize the role of emotions in decision-making about science. If you react strongly to a story about stem cells used to develop Parkinson’s treatments, ask yourself if you are overly hopeful because you have a relative in early stages of the disease. Or are you rejecting a possibly lifesaving treatment because of your emotions?
Feelings shouldn’t (and can’t) be put in a box separate from how you think about science. Rather, it’s important to understand and recognize that emotions are fully integrated ways of thinking and learning about science. Ask yourself if your attitude toward a science topic is based on your emotions and, if so, give yourself some time to think and reason as well as feel about the issue.
Everyone can be susceptible to these five psychological challenges that can lead to science denial, doubt and resistance. Being aware of these challenges is the first step toward taking action to meet them.
================================================================ Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, the synod of the Lutheran Church in which I was raised (the Missouri Synod) was, heaven knows, narrow minded enough in many ways (unlike, for instance, the ELCA, which is quite progressivee), but somehow I managed to learn growing up that God no longer speaks directly as he did in and through the Bible, and a big part of why not is that, having discovered science and the scientific method, we are now able to make our own discoveries about his wonderful creation, and no longer need to be spoon-fed, like children, with visions such as St. Peter’s vision in Acts 10 (a vision which, if correctly interpreted, OUGHT to inform all Christians that LGBTQIA people are just fine, thanks, and are not any kind of junk.) Sadly, that’s not the message that science deniers are getting today from their churches, parents, even teachers. Of course that’s not the whole problem, but it definitely contributes. If you ladies, or anyone reading this, have any suggestions on how to deal with that, I’m listening.
So, yesterday I woke up and had both phone and internet. (I woke up on the late side, but technically still morning.) That meant I could reassure everyone I am OK, but left too little time before y vaccination appointment to do much else, and I was stuck in “email jail” too. I did get the vaccination, I feel fine (if I do react, I won’t know till some time today, I am that delayed a reactor.) I did manage to get a late video thread up – if you missed it because it was so late, it’s still there, and contains two Glenn Kirschners and a Keith Olbermann.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The New Yorker – Biden’s Invisible Ideology
Quote – Biden, by contrast [with Trump**], insisted that the way to win was not to play. In the face of the new politics of spectacle, he kept true to old-school coalition politics. He understood that the Black Church mattered more in Democratic primaries than any amount of Twitter snark, and, by keeping a low profile on social media, showed that social-media politics was a mirage. Throughout the dark, dystopian post-election months of Trump’s tantrum—which led to the insurrection on January 6th—many Democrats deplored Biden’s seeming passivity, his reluctance to call a coup a coup and a would-be dictator a would-be dictator. Instead, he and his team were remarkably (to many, it seemed, exasperatingly) focussed on counting the votes, trusting the process, and staffing the government. Click through for full analysis. I think Gopnik is absolutely right. It’s not easy to do, and not everyone could do it, but I think that, aalongside the Justice System, it’s the most likely way to lasting success.
This is quite late … but, trying to get it up before I gat any more behind.
Glenn Kirschner catchup – DC Court Makes it Easier to Jail Insurrectionists Pending Trial; Prosecutors Hint at New Conspiracy (535 defendants. Where have I heard that number before? Gotta be a coincidence.)
Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Frivolous Lawsuit Against Twitter/Google/Facebook Will Be Dismissed. But 1st, a Deposition?
Meidas Touch – Former SDNY Asst. US Attorney Explains Why Trump Just Incriminated Himself
The Lincoln Project – Toyota
Thom Hartmann – What Happens When the GOP Flips an Election?
Keith Olbermann – Olbermann VS. Trump: It’s not that he praised Hitler in 2018, it’s why was John Kelly “stunned”?
Beau – Let’s talk about sympathy for Republicans…. (Good advice. Too bad it will fall on deaf ears – if it even gets that far.)
The recent conviction of Derek Chauvin could be a turning point in how this country handles law enforcement. Ever since Floyd’s tragic, needless death last year, people of all colors have been marching in the street, shouting “Black lives matter!” and putting the slogan on display. The Floyd case was like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Anger over white cops unjustly killing people of color finally reached the boiling point.
One crusade currently underway is “defund the police.” The intent is to reduce spending on police departments – as well as end militarization of police – and divert those monies to community services that will ease the burden currently on blue shoulders. The problem with “defund the police” is it sounds as though people are calling for the abolition of police departments. That would be a mistake – a BIG mistake – because, like it or not, we need law enforcement. Conservative pundits are using the phrase as a weapon against BLM and other progressive/liberal movements, claiming that left-wingers all hate police.
The real problem isn’t rotten cops. The real problem is the foundation on which police departments in this country have been built. Our police departments grew out of vigilante organizations that hunted down runaway slaves before the Civil War and intimidated people of color afterwards. Long after the Civil Rights movement, that undercurrent of “keeping the n****rs in their place” still runs through U.S. constabularies today.
Police officers have a tough and often under-appreciated job. They feel a great deal of pressure to perform well – not so much from civilians as from their fellow officers. All too often, people who try to be good cops, to truly protect and serve, find themselves ostracized by their fellow officers. Qualified immunity and the police code of silence allow corruption, as well as racism and other forms of bigotry, to flourish behind the badge. Increase militarization of police forces makes them less guardians of public safety and maintainers of order, and more brutal oppressors.
Police and their defenders talk about the “thin blue line” between an orderly society and anarchic chaos. These people mean well, and like it or not they do have a point – but they are out of touch with reality. Knee-jerk defenders of the police are largely white and well-off so they don’t have to worry about police brutality. They don’t have to worry about being pulled over or shot because they have the “wrong” skin color.
Training of police officers is one thing that definitely needs to be overhauled. Barbers must go through more hours of training than cops. Seriously? Cutting hair is more involved than protecting the public? Also, police training does not include enough de-escalation or non-lethal techniques, which would prevent a lot of tragedies.
“Defund the police” does not mean getting rid of police departments – it actually means less money for police departments and more for public programs that will take many burdens off the shoulders of cops. More funding of mental health care, and training and providing people who can handle mental health intervention, means that civilians can call these specialists instead of the police; not only is there far less chance of a tragic outcome, but the cops can focus on doing what cops are supposed to do.
Many ways to improve our society will have an indirect positive impact on police. More affordable housing means fewer homeless people. Paying everybody a living wage makes crime less tempting. Access to affordable health care, including mental health, means that cops don’t have to intervene when the neighborhood wacko runs amok for the umpteenth time. Legalizing, or at least decriminalizing, street drugs reduces officers’ workload.
Newark, NJ completely revamped its police department after an investigation in July of 2014 revealed a “pattern and practice of unconstitutional policing.” The city tore down its police department completely and built a new one from the ground up. The result? There was not one police-involved shooting in the city in 2020. Not one. NOT ONE. Granted, a lot of people were staying inside due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, remember that there were plenty of shootings by police that year, as well as numerous acts of police brutality, including the death of George Floyd.
If Newark can do it, so can your city. So can Chicago. So can New York City. So can Los Angeles. So can Houston. So can Atlanta. So can Detroit. So can Kansas City. So can Seattle. So can Wichita. So can your home city. Reforming the police is the best way, and probably the only way, to restore public confidence in law enforcement.
Yesterday I rematked that no tech had showed on Thursday. Shortly after that happened, my internet also died, so I had no phone, no internet. I had just managed to pre-post and schedule Friday’s Open Thread, and that was it. I could neither research or post. I had had my inbox open, so it did refresh a few stray times, and I was able to see an email confirming my new appointment, but couldn’t get into it. So after spending a long day Thursday, I had to spend another one Friday with no communication. I spent some of it checking the modem and the cables to no avail, and more trying to set up WiFi on either of them, also with no luck. By the time the end of their appoitment window rolled around, I was exhausetd. I went to bed early and slept 12 hours. When I got up and went to my desktop to try to find a phone number, and turned on the computer – the internet light on the modem lighted up – and I tried for internet – and behold, it’s back. So is the phone!
I wasn’t able to research any more than I could posr while it was down, so I have nothing, and I get my second shot today, and have things to do before that happens. So I’ll be posting late if at all today. But I’m back, and even sort of rested (the quality of sleep when one is under stress isn’t the best, but at least I got it.) Expect me when you see me.
