Monday Open Thread

7 thoughts on “Monday Open Thread”

1. Timely analysis of three myths (public dreams) about heat waves from the CDC can be found here.

    

   And there are scholars suggesting a narrative that Trump's actions are much like Nixon's — even using the term "Shakespearean":  Donald Trump Finally Has His Richard Nixon Moment

   Log in to Reply

2. Well, then there was leprosy!

   Central Florida seems to have the highest numbers in the U.S. I had a suspicion but checked, and the higher numbers did not come from the county of Mar-A-Lago. (disclaimer, leprosy didn't just show up in the U.S. recently, but I thought it would be a good topic for y'all to start your week).

   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/leprosy-endemic-central-florida-cdc-what-to-know-disease/#textA20recently20published20research20letterin20the20US20in202020

   Log in to Reply

3. "By Every Imaginable Measure, Trump Crushing GOP Primary Race" Josh Marshall at TPM.

   Nothing more to say…

   Log in to Reply

4. Maybe we need to rethink this …

   So, we call out the racists, xenophobes, misogynists, homophobes, transphobes, and the garden-variety assholes for being assholes.

   It makes us feel good – and include myself – but at the same time we are making these people rich.

   Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Tops Hot 100, As Country Hits Rank at Nos. 1, 2 & 3 for First Time (msn.com)

   How many more people have gone to Jack Phillips' homophobic cake factory since he got slapped down by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission?

   I'd rather see these people go broke than get rich.

   What is that old saying: Any publicity is good publicity as long as they spell my name right.

   Log in to Reply

   1. There is indeed a double-edged sword to be found in more actions than most of us think. Just wanted to say that for all I've read about the small town song, I've still never heard it!

      Log in to Reply

      1. I've read the lyrics:

         Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk
         Carjack an old lady at a red light
         Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store
         Ya think it's cool, well, act a fool if ya like

         Cuss out a cop, spit in his face
         Stomp on the flag and light it up
         Yeah, ya think you're tough

         Well, try that in a small town
         See how far ya make it down the road
         Around here, we take care of our own
         You cross that line, it won't take long
         For you to find out, I recommend you don't
         Try that in a small town

         I'm not certain about this appeal to vigilantism in response assault, vehicle theft, and robbery; and I sure don't know about assuming there will be a reaction to the exercise of First Amendment rights.

         What I do wonder:  Why Are Folks Shocked When Crime Happens in Small Towns?

         Alaska — not exactly known for gritty urbanicity — has more serial killings and killers per capita than any state in the nation and the highest overall violent crime rate in the U.S….

         Violent crime has been rising just as fast in rural communities as in urban ones. By 2018, the rural violent crime rate had climbed above the national average, doubling in rural West Virginia and tripling in rural New Hampshire in the last couple of decades….

         Most people in rural areas have guns, yet victimization is still common and increasingly so. They aren’t warding off kidnappers, murderers, or brutal husbands with their A.R.s, shotguns, or entire arsenals of weaponry.

         Instead, sadly, those weapons are too often being turned against family members, neighbors, or even oneself, as rural suicide rates are also high and rising — far more so than in urban spaces.

         Log in to Reply

         1. It was helpful for me to learn it was written by a songwriting team. I can only imagine something like corporate focus-testing determining that the song would make proud country fans raise their fists at concerts, and would boost aspirations and pride among small town residents who buy music.

            The story you shared was a good read – the numbers and even anecdotes don't support any possible claim that small towns don't have problems – but statistics were not the point of this song.

            Log in to Reply