Ahhh. Pete Davidson. Completely amateurish as a sketch comedian but his Weekend update appearances were, to me, hilarious and great “ stand up”. His commentary on Staten Island made me laugh out loud. (“if Staten Islands so great why is it free to get there?”) or on why he was commenting on Kayes bizarre appearance ( “A lot of people think Che should be commenting because he’s Black, but I’m crazy and we all know which side of Kanye is at the wheel right now”) or his bit on mental health comparing the depression he experienced after his father died on 9/11 to Kevin Loves athletic anxieties (“ Sorry about your free throw percentage
, Kev”). Those bits were well constructed if not always tasteful (His bit with John Mullaney…great comic tmi g from them both). As for the obsession with the women he dates you know that it comes from “ how does a guy like that get a girlfriend like that. Not just once but over and over”)
We accidentally had a no mow May when our lawn service didn’t show up until last week. On top of being really really ugly, the lawn produced an alarming number of ticks. We even had them in the house.
"Virtuous people should advertise, promote and celebrate their conception of virtue. To reflexively criticize them is a vice."
I like the approach of not announcing one's virtues, whether from the right or left. Do the right thing, yes. Put up a sign about it? My favorite philosophical take on that is "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret." The whole chapter is an ethical masterpiece.
If armed guards are not the answer, neither is arming teachers. It's interesting that in the last few years our training has turned from barricading classrooms against armed individuals to assaulting them instead, with books, furniture, backpacks, etc. Supposedly this will distract the gunman allowing a chance to disarm and escape. I guess it's better to die fighting.
I would like to know if there is any way to identify the attributes of a homicidal lunatic. And if not, is there a useful research path. Then maybe there would be a way to treat and/or confine these people before they kill anyone. I also saw a stat that said the US has over 3200 confirmed serial killers, 20 times more than the next highest country, and the FBI says that there are 25-50 active serial killers in any year.
No to armed guards (one was at Uvalde too), no to arming teachers (ridiculous and dangerous), yes to locked doors (duh) and yes to, you guessed it, vestibules! I've seen two high schools recently redesign their main entry way so that guests need to be buzzed in from an outside intercom and then get buzzed in through a second set of doors to gain access to the school. It's an unobtrusive, relatively inexpensive way to enhance security. It remains a mystery to me why this guy -- who obviously had no business there and was ostentatiously armed -- was able to get at kids.
I share your despair about meaningful gun control. My honest view is that we should pretty much ban guns entirely, especially the ruthlessly fast, powerful, accurate, and easy-to-use semi-automatic murder machines favored by killers, confining them perhaps to sporting scenarios and such, and that we tolerate an absurd amount of horrific death and injury and trauma merely to support the ghoulish hobby of a relative handful of nutjobs and the callous industry that profits off daily mayhem.
I understand that our Constitution contains a bit of ancient text best understood as prohibiting the then-new federal government from disarming universal state militias, things that don't exist anymore, and should be understood as dead letter for that reason or at least as allowing those very states to regulate as they please. But, okay, the Supreme Court has spoken.
We could at least have universal and tough training, licensing, background checks (including for private transfers, no to unrecorded gifts, get over it), and registration, like, ya know, cars. We could at least ban sales to those under 21 as Florida does. We could at least have tough anti-trafficking and anti-wrong-hands laws that require gun owners to secure their guns and know where they are and criminally penalize carelessness and "loss." We could at least strengthen the ATF's ability to enforce such laws by not doing what the right loves to do when it comes to crimes committed by their voters -- gun violations and tax evasion -- which is to defund the police. We could at least ban bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, and the deadliest ammunition. Pick up any gun magazine and marvel at what any jackass can just buy. Abbott says that any mass murderer is, by definition, mentally ill. So is any larper arming themselves to the teeth with all this sicko crap, as far as I'm concerned.
Vast majorities of Americans support a slew of gun control measures; majorities even of gun owners support them. We're held hostage by maniacs.
Regarding the "Illinois exodus," I recall Daily Southtown reporter, and later, Tribune editorial board member Kristen McQueary babbling on about the "allure" of Indiana to Illinois residents. What a load of nonsense. Thank goodness she took a buyout from the Tribune. She no longer qualifies for the rapidly declining "Chicago Week in Review,"
One of our resident groundhogs apparently didn’t get the No Mow message and was observed today munching on gone-to-seed dandelions in our yard. Should I get out the shotgun?
Ahhh. Pete Davidson. Completely amateurish as a sketch comedian but his Weekend update appearances were, to me, hilarious and great “ stand up”. His commentary on Staten Island made me laugh out loud. (“if Staten Islands so great why is it free to get there?”) or on why he was commenting on Kayes bizarre appearance ( “A lot of people think Che should be commenting because he’s Black, but I’m crazy and we all know which side of Kanye is at the wheel right now”) or his bit on mental health comparing the depression he experienced after his father died on 9/11 to Kevin Loves athletic anxieties (“ Sorry about your free throw percentage
, Kev”). Those bits were well constructed if not always tasteful (His bit with John Mullaney…great comic tmi g from them both). As for the obsession with the women he dates you know that it comes from “ how does a guy like that get a girlfriend like that. Not just once but over and over”)
You put a lot of work into this Substack. Wide range of topics, all sourced. Very worthwhile subscription. 👍🏻
We accidentally had a no mow May when our lawn service didn’t show up until last week. On top of being really really ugly, the lawn produced an alarming number of ticks. We even had them in the house.
No mow May is a great idea. Many insects are emerging including bees and they need a ready supply of food, such as what the spring flowers provide them: https://news.yahoo.com/no-mow-may-movement-stems-003700027.html
The idiots who consider providing for wildlife should be eliminated, but they won't be, they will simply cause more harm than they're worth.
Lyin' Ted wants armed guards in school? Sorta like a school district police force?
Uvalde school district has one. It didn't help.
That school already was a hardened target.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/uvalde-texas-school-shooting-security-plan-rcna30568
Money. Because no matter what the question, the answer is always: money.
No friends for the "This Is Us" (or "This Was Us") because that would mean paying someone something for those appearances.
"Virtuous people should advertise, promote and celebrate their conception of virtue. To reflexively criticize them is a vice."
I like the approach of not announcing one's virtues, whether from the right or left. Do the right thing, yes. Put up a sign about it? My favorite philosophical take on that is "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret." The whole chapter is an ethical masterpiece.
If armed guards are not the answer, neither is arming teachers. It's interesting that in the last few years our training has turned from barricading classrooms against armed individuals to assaulting them instead, with books, furniture, backpacks, etc. Supposedly this will distract the gunman allowing a chance to disarm and escape. I guess it's better to die fighting.
I would like to know if there is any way to identify the attributes of a homicidal lunatic. And if not, is there a useful research path. Then maybe there would be a way to treat and/or confine these people before they kill anyone. I also saw a stat that said the US has over 3200 confirmed serial killers, 20 times more than the next highest country, and the FBI says that there are 25-50 active serial killers in any year.
No to armed guards (one was at Uvalde too), no to arming teachers (ridiculous and dangerous), yes to locked doors (duh) and yes to, you guessed it, vestibules! I've seen two high schools recently redesign their main entry way so that guests need to be buzzed in from an outside intercom and then get buzzed in through a second set of doors to gain access to the school. It's an unobtrusive, relatively inexpensive way to enhance security. It remains a mystery to me why this guy -- who obviously had no business there and was ostentatiously armed -- was able to get at kids.
I share your despair about meaningful gun control. My honest view is that we should pretty much ban guns entirely, especially the ruthlessly fast, powerful, accurate, and easy-to-use semi-automatic murder machines favored by killers, confining them perhaps to sporting scenarios and such, and that we tolerate an absurd amount of horrific death and injury and trauma merely to support the ghoulish hobby of a relative handful of nutjobs and the callous industry that profits off daily mayhem.
I understand that our Constitution contains a bit of ancient text best understood as prohibiting the then-new federal government from disarming universal state militias, things that don't exist anymore, and should be understood as dead letter for that reason or at least as allowing those very states to regulate as they please. But, okay, the Supreme Court has spoken.
We could at least have universal and tough training, licensing, background checks (including for private transfers, no to unrecorded gifts, get over it), and registration, like, ya know, cars. We could at least ban sales to those under 21 as Florida does. We could at least have tough anti-trafficking and anti-wrong-hands laws that require gun owners to secure their guns and know where they are and criminally penalize carelessness and "loss." We could at least strengthen the ATF's ability to enforce such laws by not doing what the right loves to do when it comes to crimes committed by their voters -- gun violations and tax evasion -- which is to defund the police. We could at least ban bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, and the deadliest ammunition. Pick up any gun magazine and marvel at what any jackass can just buy. Abbott says that any mass murderer is, by definition, mentally ill. So is any larper arming themselves to the teeth with all this sicko crap, as far as I'm concerned.
Vast majorities of Americans support a slew of gun control measures; majorities even of gun owners support them. We're held hostage by maniacs.
Regarding the "Illinois exodus," I recall Daily Southtown reporter, and later, Tribune editorial board member Kristen McQueary babbling on about the "allure" of Indiana to Illinois residents. What a load of nonsense. Thank goodness she took a buyout from the Tribune. She no longer qualifies for the rapidly declining "Chicago Week in Review,"
One of our resident groundhogs apparently didn’t get the No Mow message and was observed today munching on gone-to-seed dandelions in our yard. Should I get out the shotgun?