Questions 4

 

Questions 4

With all its glitz, insincerity, and behind-the-scene corruption, should American elections be held at the Olympics?

Barack Antoinette?

I hear a lot of opinions that FOX is responsible for the nation's division. But when O'Reilly was in his heyday, he drew 3-5 million people, at most. That is very small in a nation of 300 million. Years ago Ms. Smeal of the National Organization of Women could cause a stir representing less than 60,000 members because the media liked them. Nothing on Fox gets that kind of media attention. With an estimated 11 million listeners per episode, Joe Rogan reaches nearly four times as many people as prime-time cable hosts such as Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel and Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. So, how is this small FOX group pivotal?

We gave the Afghans 20 years of men, money, training, and weapons. With all that, could I have turned Girls Scout Troop 8 into SEAL Team Six?

A recent report from McKinsey & Co., which analyzed data for 1.6 million elementary-school kids in the U.S., found that on average they were five months behind in math and four months behind in reading. The hardest hit were kids from low-income districts, as well as predominantly Black and Hispanic ones. The authors warn that this “unfinished learning” could impede future academic progress and depress wages “far into adulthood.” They also found rising rates of anxiety and depression. Unfinished Learning? And does this mean anything for homeschooling?

From his executive orders on the Keystone Pipeline to halting and/or pausing production on federal lands with fracking in New Mexico and also oil production in Louisiana, Biden has attacked American industry, productivity, wealth, and energy independence. He asked this week for OPEC to increase production. Whose side is he on?

David Mikkelson is the co-founder of Snopes. After inquiries from BuzzFeed News, Snopes conducted an internal review and confirmed that under a pseudonym, the Snopes byline, and his own name, Mikkelson wrote and published 54 articles with plagiarized material. The articles include such topics as same-sex marriage licenses and the death of musician David Bowie.
Snopes VP of Editorial and Managing Editor Doreen Marchionni suspended Mikkelson from editorial duties pending “a comprehensive internal investigation.” He remains an officer and a 50% shareholder of the company. Will this influence the organization's reputation as truth arbitrator?

A few years ago a friend of mine who was running a radiological diagnostic unit applied for his license to use diagnostic isotopes. He got back a license that authorized him to use weapons-grade uranium. Weapons-grade uranium! Do these people deserve to be in charge? Or is everything so complex now that nothing can be done right?

"Animal spirits" are the evil emotions of the marketplace, according to academics. They are influenced by genetics and poor education, drawing the fire that I think, in straw man fashion, should be reserved for two other points. First, if ignorance and irrationality are big contributors to economic misfortune, why not focus on education as the cure? Is the problem too specific than the "government should do it" solution allows? Or has education failed for more basic, ugly reasons than only force can override? Secondly, how come the leaders are immune to the same animal spirits?

Policewoman Ella French was murdered at a traffic stop in Chicago. She is Black. Will there be protest marches and demonstrations?

FOX is doing a rehash of the Kennedy Assassination as if the nation were not distressed enough. It's done by someone named Jarrett, who was helped by none other than Oliver Stone. The guy who did "JFK." Could another choice be worse?

Politicians don't have jobs, they have territories just like the Mafia. (Ca., 1st district. Ma., 3rd). We aren't voters, we are prey. If we don't come across, will they break our windows? Or is that happening?

The core of our problem, this propaganda of hypocrisy, is our tolerance, our willingness to listen to nonsense, and our unwillingness to judge and hold opinions we may be held responsible for. But first, is our terrible tolerance for the truth, a disinterest in the face of serious and obvious problems. We step over the homeless, fight wars over nothing, and listen to nonsense as if it were scripture. This indifference comes from conformity in a world where all the sharp edges have been rubbed off. Does indifference to terrible truth make the indifference to lies almost a relief?