A Daily Collection of My Own Rants & ‘Quote of the Day’ Discoveries
2016-08-09: When I first posted this on August 7th, I clearly hadn’t thought through this particular Blogger format & its limtations. I’d like these posts to be in reverse-chronological order -- and
not in a single, very long article. I can accomplish the latter by posting each new rant or quote as a separate comment. But without extensive re-coding (HTML, etc.) and tweaking, which I choose not to tackle, it looks like the oldest will be first, the most recent will be last. Alas!
QotD: [Trump’s attack] reveals a shocking absence of elementary decency and of natural empathy for the most profound of human sorrows — parental grief. … Why did Trump do it? It wasn’t a mistake. It was a revelation. (Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-06)
ReplyDeleteQotD: [Chicago-area custody rights attorney Shauna] Prewitt told the television program Inside Edition, “There’s always potential for people to abuse laws, but our country has never been afraid of passing a law because there’s the potential to abuse it.” (Crime reporter & columnist Diane Dimond, via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-06)
ReplyDeleteQotD: Trump should leave the presidential race in time for his party to regroup behind a candidate who values truth and sacrifice. (Albuquerque Journal editorial, “Trump should step aside and let a statesman run,” 2016-08-05)
ReplyDeleteQotD: Earlier this month, [Arizona Senator (Rep.) Jeff] Flake met Trump at a Senate Republican caucus lunch. “You’ve been very critical of me,” Trump said. “Yes, I have,” Flake replied. … Flake refused to attend the GOP convention, saying, “I’ve got to mow my lawn.” (Syndicated columnist Dana Milbank, via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-05)
ReplyDeleteQotD: In such cases, he noted, “arguing the facts doesn’t help — in fact, it makes the situation worse.” The reason is that people tend to accept arguments that confirm their views and discount facts that challenge what they believe. ... This “confirmation bias” was outlined in a 1979 article by psychologist Charles Lord, cited by [Christopher] Graves. (Syndicated columnist David Ignatius, "Challenging false perceptions only reinforces them," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-09)
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ReplyDeleteQotD: “I had this whole idea of a laser-guided, tissue-engineered stingray made out of rat,” Parker said. “He looked at me like a hog staring at a wristwatch. He was like, ‘Have I trusted my career to this yahoo’? I think he thought I was unglued.” (Mechanical engineer Kevin Kit Parker recalls his discussion with post-doctoral researcher Sung-Jin Park, "Cyborg stingray breaks new ground," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-09)
ReplyDeleteQotD: [U]nderstanding what still attracts many voters to Trump is important, not only to those who want to prevent Trump from staging a comeback, but also to anyone who wants to make our democracy thrive in the long run. Those of us who are horrified by Trump’s hideous lack of empathy need empathy ourselves. (Syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr., "Rise of Trump can be traced to anger, resentment," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-08)
ReplyDeleteQotD: As a practical matter, we will not ease the divisions in our country [Trump's] candidacy has underscored if we do not deal with the legitimate grievances of his supporters. As a moral matter, writing off Trump voters as unenlightened and backward-looking is to engage in the very same kind of bigoted behavior that we condemn in other spheres. (Syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr., "Rise of Trump can be traced to anger, resentment," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-08)
ReplyDeleteQotD: Job insecurity is a central theme of the 2016 campaign, fueling popular anger about trade deals and immigration. But economists warn that much bigger job losses are ahead in America — driven not by foreign competition, but by advancing technology. ... Economic security won’t come from renegotiating trade deals, as Donald Trump claimed in a speech in Detroit Monday... The political debate needs to engage the taboo topic of guaranteeing economic security to families — through a universal basic income, or a greatly expanded earned-income tax credit, or a 1930s-style plan for public works employment. Ranting about bad trade deals won’t begin to address the problem. (Syndicated columnist David Ignatius, "‘Automation bomb’ coming for U.S.," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-13)
ReplyDeleteQotD: I would say in distinction of Putin [compared to Trump], Putin has a plan and has self-control and a strategy. I don't think Trump has those things. ... [Trump is] the wrong answer to the right question. (Columnist David Brooks, interviewed by Charlie Rose, 2016-08-09)
ReplyDeleteQotD: [The] antipolitics tendency has had a wretched effect on our democracy. ... The antipolitics people elect legislators who have no political skills or experience. That incompetence leads to dysfunctional government, which leads to more disgust with government, which leads to a demand for even more outsiders. ... And in walks Donald Trump. People say that Trump is an unconventional candidate and that he represents a break from politics as usual. That’s not true. Trump is the culmination of the trends we have been seeing for the last 30 years: the desire for outsiders; the bashing style of rhetoric that makes conversation impossible; the decline of coherent political parties; the declining importance of policy; the tendency to fight cultural battles and identity wars through political means. (Columnist David Brooks, "The Governing Cancer of Our Time," New York Times, 2016-02-26)
ReplyDeleteQotD: As P.J. O’Rourke, the brilliant libertarian satirist, (quite un-satirically) put it on NPR: “I am endorsing Hillary, and all her lies and all her empty promises. It’s the second-worst thing that can happen to this country, but she’s way behind in second place. She’s wrong about absolutely everything, but she’s wrong within normal parameters.” He added in an essay for The Daily Beast, “Better the devil you know than the Lord of the Flies on his own 757.” (Syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg, "Hillary’s advantage: that she’s boring, but not shocking," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-14)
ReplyDeleteQotD: Ignorance is not a virtue. Knowledge is not a vice. Pointy-heads who spend years gaining expertise in a given field may make mistakes, but the remedy is to replace them with pointy-heads who have different views — not with know-nothings who would try to navigate treacherous terrain on instinct alone. (Syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson, "‘Elites’ blamed, but who are they? ," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-17))
ReplyDeleteQotD: As for the much-disparaged media, I get emails every day from people who demand to know why we in the “[mainstream media]” or “corporate media” are covering up some scandal. The emails then go on to describe said scandal at great length and in microscopic detail, often quoting stories from The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC News or other leading media outlets. ... I often write back that if we’re trying to cover up the outrage in question, we’re obviously doing a lousy job. (Syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson, "‘Elites’ blamed, but who are they?," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-17))
ReplyDeleteQotD: Many who attack the media for being feckless or out of touch really have a different complaint: You should spend more column inches and air time reinforcing my view of the world. ... Sorry, but that’s not what we’re here for. (Syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson, "‘Elites’ blamed, but who are they?," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-17)
ReplyDeleteQotD: The [American-built, Canadian-owned] sloop Washington was built on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania in 1798 and was used to transport people and goods between western New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario. ... The 53-foot-long ship was carrying at least five people and a cargo of merchandise, including goods from India, when it set sail from Kingston, Ontario, for its homeport of Niagara, Ontario, on Nov. 6, 1803. The vessel was caught in a fierce storm and sank. (Associated Press, "Ship find 2nd oldest in Great Lakes," via Albuquerque Journal, 2016-08-18)
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