I do not want to upset the sensitive soul who thinks that vaguely left centrist and our host Mr Zorn is too radical and that "President Trump" is still president, but I have news for all the MAGA anti-abortion types. You have been conned--the twice impeached, multi-indicted fraudster and sexual assailant Trump doesn't give a damn about abortion. He latched on to it as a tactic to get the rubes to vote for him, but now his lizard brain tells him what everyone knows--most Americans are not in favor of dictating to women about their bodies and are moved by the tragic consequences of overthrowing Dobbs in the red states--and has just chucked you overboard. Though he does thank you for the donations to pay his legal fees.
In addition to bloated salaries and consulting fees, WBEZ now repeats the same stories at least once an hour, has “pledge drives” or “membership drives” at what seem like monthly intervals, and runs a lot of ads for what once were ad-free broadcasts, but it still airs “Hidden Brain,” so there’s that.
I had no idea until this blog today that Katharine Lee Bates was a lesbian.
I don't care, because America the Beautiful is about the entire country, which is far more important than a rotten poem by a racist slave owner & lawyer who was actually against the 1st Amendment!
Considering how many people no longer care about who marries who now, I doubt there would be an attack on her over that. The attacks would come from the wing nuts claiming we shouldn't change the anthem due to tradition, except it wasn't made the National Anthem until 1931!
"Informed news consumers tend to enjoy different points of view, even those that differ from their own." - That right there. I read conservative-leaning op-eds all the time, such as Brett Stephens and Ross Douthat and almost always disagree and roll my eyes and some of the bullshit they'll spew. But I'm happy to hear the perspective of those I disagree with. Obviously this doesn't apply to disingenuous propagandists and conspiracy theorists who spread vile racism and misogyny. Like, Alex Jones isn't a legit point of view, neither is Tucker Carlson.
I think the girlfriend tweet was only moderately funny but the other four were hilarious. Hard to pick just one, but I did.
And anyone who defends the orange idiot in any way needs to take a hard look at themselves to determine just what kind of person they are. To quote a line from Joseph Welch during the McCarthy hearings in 1954: "have you no sense of decency?"
Regarding Steven K and South Park, the critic Bramesco takes offense because McFarland made fun of some of the same things many of us do. Yes, Seth McFarland that alt right superstar!
I think this more than underlines Steven K's thoughts. Though I consider myself right leaning, I make fun of the outrageousness spewed by both "sides." Then Bramesco goes on to demean point earning while taking a shot at the makers of South Park. Isn't that a point earning attempt itself? Here's that specific line: "saying much more about the people who created it than anything else."
To those dismayed about Francis Scott Key’s view of Black people, you should read the Lincoln Douglas debates for Abe’s views. And remember that only white men voted back then, so they didn’t have the ability to be ‘Liberal’ and get elected.
Wow, I am afraid you and Nancy Meyer revealed your ignorance concerning the American Flag.
There is a code of flag etiquette that is pretty well known by folks who fly the flag or people with a military background.
Deviating from this etiquette is either a sign of ignorance or a form of protest. If you fly the flag upside down, you are either indicating great peril (especially on a ship) or you are protesting something. And if you are flying the flag upside down as a protest, you normally include the reason why. I saw some examples of flag burning, flags trampled on the ground and flags upside down in protest of the Vietnam War.
So any act that deviates from flag etiquette is by definition a form of ignorance or protest.
Since Nancy Meyer indicates no further protest message by “washing” the flag other than breaking flag etiquette, she falls into the ignorant class.
Do you remember or have you seen President John F. Kennedy’s funeral? The American Flag that was on his coffin was folded and presented as a sign of sympathy and respect to his widow.
This is repeated many times in many military funerals where the flag is presented to widows, widowers or parents. Ever have a comrade, relative or friend die in a military setting and have their coffin covered by the flag? My hunch is no concerning you and Nancy Meyer.
I do not support any criminal charges to people who use the flag in different ways as a form of protest. But I do retain my opinion on the issue.
For people who disrespect the flag with no protest in mind other than to troll their fellow Americans, I only have contempt.
By the way, if you really want to get a response on your flag washing…wash it in animal blood or maybe urine. You might get a greater response than just burning the flag.
Finally, are we suppose to find Norman Thomas some sort of respected authority on protest or the flag? I am still shaking my head on this post and response.
Ok, I am thoroughly in sympathy with the bashing of the former President, and I hope his upcoming encounters with the legal system result in massive enforced fines and some time in jail, but … I see very little analysis of why half the electorate ranges from grudgingly to rabidly supportive of him. Is it just that half the country is racist / fascist / nuts; or something more complicated? Will Trump’s going away, through the legal system or by just not living forever, change this? Given the existence of folks like De Santis, Abbott, Cruz, etc. I fear not. Never mind Trump—How does this get repaired?
Shelley Riskin—-I think that the layoffs at WBEZ portend a very dark future for local journalism, when you combine those actions with the decimation of the still-trying-to-be-outstanding WTTW Chicago Tonight. Last year the PBS/WTTW powers-that-be kicked CT off its long-time 7 pm nightly time slot, reducing its hour format to 30 minutes and broadcasting instead at 10 pm. Just a short time after that they went back to 5:30 pm, still at 30 minutes, and reduced its nightly presence to just Mondays and Tuesdays. Black Voices and Hispanic Voices were moved to Wednesdays and Thursdays, but were not general Chicago news (besides, why not do Jewish Voices? Asian-American Voices? etc;) Thank goodness Fridays continued with Chicago Week in Review, hosted by the outstanding Paris Schutz. The writing was on the wall. Their rich coverage of our city was sharply curtailed, from the arts to the neighborhoods to political, environmental and other news.
A valiant effort was made (by the excellent team of co-hosts Paris Schutz and Brandis Freeman, and such stellar team members as Amanda Vinicki, Nick Blumberg , Heather Cherone, Angel Idowu, etc;) to continue their outstanding reporting. But sure enough, the consequences are beginning: Paris Schutz has now resigned after 20 years with the station. This is a devastating and totally unnecessary loss of one of the best interviewers and on-camera people that Chicago has ever had! (Who knows if Schutz will even stay in Chicago?) What does WTTW think they’re doing? In my opinion, it’s the beginning of the end for CT, and along with WBEZ, accelerates the slow slide to minimal broadcasting of local news. SO sad.
This is insane, but it turns out, if you want to sue DJT's failing company & its website, the company requires you to sue it in the Argentinian courts of Buenos Aires!
Went to your “Every person in this room is paying more for health care because of Joe Fucking Lieberman.” link. Hadn't heard of Crooked Media (staying strong on not joining X), but chuckled when I googled the two founders (both Obama speechwriters). Wiki: "Jon Favreau, not to be confused with filmmaker Jon Favreau" and "John Lovett, not to be confused with comedienne Jon Lovitz". :) Was looking for the "Every person in this room is paying more for EVERYTHING because of..." link.
The problem is that Eric and his objector are talking apples and oranges. I hate stereotyping. I have a hard time coming up with groups where all the members are the same and believe exactly the same things. It's why I don't identify with any particular political party. Both have too many items with which I disagree. Both will tell you that you can't be a good member if you disagree with just one item. I'm quite sure there are Republicans that enjoy sex. Based on the life experiences of Trump, it's not just sex for procreation. As far as Trump is concerned, he is ONE person. He is not ALL Republicans or all conservatives, no matter how many agree with him. So Eric is correct where Trump is concerned. The object-oriented is wrong for two reasons. The blog does not show a leftward tilt just because Eric objects to Trump. And this is Eri's blog. He has a right to his own opinion. Agree or disagree- that's up to you. Open minded people listen to both sides and make up their minds. And people can leave if they so choose.
If you are still on the app formerly known as Twitter, owner Elon Musk now demands folks stop using “Formerly Twitter.” Does he also demand the death of the “Tweet?” So, let’s all use “Exit” instead of “Tweet”...and then do that with “X.”
Okay. The essay by Charles Bramesco about the South Park episode has the most creative and best simile I have read in a very long time: “The back half of the episode keeps layering bad-faith assumptions on top of one another like a delicious lasagna of bullshit.” A lasagna of bullshit! That’s a keeper!
On the long time listener, first time defector of The Mincing Rascals, I’ve run into this phenomenon before: Republicans supporters of Donald Trump who are shocked that other people judge them harshly for their views. It’s as if they should be able openly to hate or look down on entire groups of people, transgender people, immigrants, people of color, and independent women, and not be judged by others. They openly support Trump who refers to black and brown immigrants as “animals” “poisoning the blood of our nation,” and then they are shocked that other folks judge them harshly. And then the Republican supporters of Donald Trump begin to see themselves as victimized; they invent this concept of cancel culture to portray themselves as the victims. It’s as if it’s okay to judge people by things they have no control over, like the color of their skin, their sex, or their gender identity, but it’s not okay to judge people by a thing that they do have control over like their opinions and views.
I do not want to upset the sensitive soul who thinks that vaguely left centrist and our host Mr Zorn is too radical and that "President Trump" is still president, but I have news for all the MAGA anti-abortion types. You have been conned--the twice impeached, multi-indicted fraudster and sexual assailant Trump doesn't give a damn about abortion. He latched on to it as a tactic to get the rubes to vote for him, but now his lizard brain tells him what everyone knows--most Americans are not in favor of dictating to women about their bodies and are moved by the tragic consequences of overthrowing Dobbs in the red states--and has just chucked you overboard. Though he does thank you for the donations to pay his legal fees.
In addition to bloated salaries and consulting fees, WBEZ now repeats the same stories at least once an hour, has “pledge drives” or “membership drives” at what seem like monthly intervals, and runs a lot of ads for what once were ad-free broadcasts, but it still airs “Hidden Brain,” so there’s that.
I had no idea until this blog today that Katharine Lee Bates was a lesbian.
I don't care, because America the Beautiful is about the entire country, which is far more important than a rotten poem by a racist slave owner & lawyer who was actually against the 1st Amendment!
Considering how many people no longer care about who marries who now, I doubt there would be an attack on her over that. The attacks would come from the wing nuts claiming we shouldn't change the anthem due to tradition, except it wasn't made the National Anthem until 1931!
"Informed news consumers tend to enjoy different points of view, even those that differ from their own." - That right there. I read conservative-leaning op-eds all the time, such as Brett Stephens and Ross Douthat and almost always disagree and roll my eyes and some of the bullshit they'll spew. But I'm happy to hear the perspective of those I disagree with. Obviously this doesn't apply to disingenuous propagandists and conspiracy theorists who spread vile racism and misogyny. Like, Alex Jones isn't a legit point of view, neither is Tucker Carlson.
I think the girlfriend tweet was only moderately funny but the other four were hilarious. Hard to pick just one, but I did.
And anyone who defends the orange idiot in any way needs to take a hard look at themselves to determine just what kind of person they are. To quote a line from Joseph Welch during the McCarthy hearings in 1954: "have you no sense of decency?"
Regarding Steven K and South Park, the critic Bramesco takes offense because McFarland made fun of some of the same things many of us do. Yes, Seth McFarland that alt right superstar!
I think this more than underlines Steven K's thoughts. Though I consider myself right leaning, I make fun of the outrageousness spewed by both "sides." Then Bramesco goes on to demean point earning while taking a shot at the makers of South Park. Isn't that a point earning attempt itself? Here's that specific line: "saying much more about the people who created it than anything else."
To those dismayed about Francis Scott Key’s view of Black people, you should read the Lincoln Douglas debates for Abe’s views. And remember that only white men voted back then, so they didn’t have the ability to be ‘Liberal’ and get elected.
Wow, I am afraid you and Nancy Meyer revealed your ignorance concerning the American Flag.
There is a code of flag etiquette that is pretty well known by folks who fly the flag or people with a military background.
Deviating from this etiquette is either a sign of ignorance or a form of protest. If you fly the flag upside down, you are either indicating great peril (especially on a ship) or you are protesting something. And if you are flying the flag upside down as a protest, you normally include the reason why. I saw some examples of flag burning, flags trampled on the ground and flags upside down in protest of the Vietnam War.
So any act that deviates from flag etiquette is by definition a form of ignorance or protest.
Since Nancy Meyer indicates no further protest message by “washing” the flag other than breaking flag etiquette, she falls into the ignorant class.
Do you remember or have you seen President John F. Kennedy’s funeral? The American Flag that was on his coffin was folded and presented as a sign of sympathy and respect to his widow.
This is repeated many times in many military funerals where the flag is presented to widows, widowers or parents. Ever have a comrade, relative or friend die in a military setting and have their coffin covered by the flag? My hunch is no concerning you and Nancy Meyer.
I do not support any criminal charges to people who use the flag in different ways as a form of protest. But I do retain my opinion on the issue.
For people who disrespect the flag with no protest in mind other than to troll their fellow Americans, I only have contempt.
By the way, if you really want to get a response on your flag washing…wash it in animal blood or maybe urine. You might get a greater response than just burning the flag.
Finally, are we suppose to find Norman Thomas some sort of respected authority on protest or the flag? I am still shaking my head on this post and response.
Ok, I am thoroughly in sympathy with the bashing of the former President, and I hope his upcoming encounters with the legal system result in massive enforced fines and some time in jail, but … I see very little analysis of why half the electorate ranges from grudgingly to rabidly supportive of him. Is it just that half the country is racist / fascist / nuts; or something more complicated? Will Trump’s going away, through the legal system or by just not living forever, change this? Given the existence of folks like De Santis, Abbott, Cruz, etc. I fear not. Never mind Trump—How does this get repaired?
Shelley Riskin—-I think that the layoffs at WBEZ portend a very dark future for local journalism, when you combine those actions with the decimation of the still-trying-to-be-outstanding WTTW Chicago Tonight. Last year the PBS/WTTW powers-that-be kicked CT off its long-time 7 pm nightly time slot, reducing its hour format to 30 minutes and broadcasting instead at 10 pm. Just a short time after that they went back to 5:30 pm, still at 30 minutes, and reduced its nightly presence to just Mondays and Tuesdays. Black Voices and Hispanic Voices were moved to Wednesdays and Thursdays, but were not general Chicago news (besides, why not do Jewish Voices? Asian-American Voices? etc;) Thank goodness Fridays continued with Chicago Week in Review, hosted by the outstanding Paris Schutz. The writing was on the wall. Their rich coverage of our city was sharply curtailed, from the arts to the neighborhoods to political, environmental and other news.
A valiant effort was made (by the excellent team of co-hosts Paris Schutz and Brandis Freeman, and such stellar team members as Amanda Vinicki, Nick Blumberg , Heather Cherone, Angel Idowu, etc;) to continue their outstanding reporting. But sure enough, the consequences are beginning: Paris Schutz has now resigned after 20 years with the station. This is a devastating and totally unnecessary loss of one of the best interviewers and on-camera people that Chicago has ever had! (Who knows if Schutz will even stay in Chicago?) What does WTTW think they’re doing? In my opinion, it’s the beginning of the end for CT, and along with WBEZ, accelerates the slow slide to minimal broadcasting of local news. SO sad.
This is insane, but it turns out, if you want to sue DJT's failing company & its website, the company requires you to sue it in the Argentinian courts of Buenos Aires!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS97UnDNVQw
Went to your “Every person in this room is paying more for health care because of Joe Fucking Lieberman.” link. Hadn't heard of Crooked Media (staying strong on not joining X), but chuckled when I googled the two founders (both Obama speechwriters). Wiki: "Jon Favreau, not to be confused with filmmaker Jon Favreau" and "John Lovett, not to be confused with comedienne Jon Lovitz". :) Was looking for the "Every person in this room is paying more for EVERYTHING because of..." link.
The problem is that Eric and his objector are talking apples and oranges. I hate stereotyping. I have a hard time coming up with groups where all the members are the same and believe exactly the same things. It's why I don't identify with any particular political party. Both have too many items with which I disagree. Both will tell you that you can't be a good member if you disagree with just one item. I'm quite sure there are Republicans that enjoy sex. Based on the life experiences of Trump, it's not just sex for procreation. As far as Trump is concerned, he is ONE person. He is not ALL Republicans or all conservatives, no matter how many agree with him. So Eric is correct where Trump is concerned. The object-oriented is wrong for two reasons. The blog does not show a leftward tilt just because Eric objects to Trump. And this is Eri's blog. He has a right to his own opinion. Agree or disagree- that's up to you. Open minded people listen to both sides and make up their minds. And people can leave if they so choose.
If you are still on the app formerly known as Twitter, owner Elon Musk now demands folks stop using “Formerly Twitter.” Does he also demand the death of the “Tweet?” So, let’s all use “Exit” instead of “Tweet”...and then do that with “X.”
Okay. The essay by Charles Bramesco about the South Park episode has the most creative and best simile I have read in a very long time: “The back half of the episode keeps layering bad-faith assumptions on top of one another like a delicious lasagna of bullshit.” A lasagna of bullshit! That’s a keeper!
On the long time listener, first time defector of The Mincing Rascals, I’ve run into this phenomenon before: Republicans supporters of Donald Trump who are shocked that other people judge them harshly for their views. It’s as if they should be able openly to hate or look down on entire groups of people, transgender people, immigrants, people of color, and independent women, and not be judged by others. They openly support Trump who refers to black and brown immigrants as “animals” “poisoning the blood of our nation,” and then they are shocked that other folks judge them harshly. And then the Republican supporters of Donald Trump begin to see themselves as victimized; they invent this concept of cancel culture to portray themselves as the victims. It’s as if it’s okay to judge people by things they have no control over, like the color of their skin, their sex, or their gender identity, but it’s not okay to judge people by a thing that they do have control over like their opinions and views.