Random Thoughts on a Wednesday

Without reading:  Book review of Hillary Clinton’s What Happened, “It was everyone's fault, I am a victim.”  Specifically, Bernie, Donald, and every sexist man and anti-feminist woman who didn’t vote for me. (from multiple sources)

A match made in heaven:  Hillary Clinton’s pastor writes a book, CNN discovers he plagiarized from others, and his publisher stops publication and recalls it.  Seems only appropriate.

Alice through the looking glass:  Obama by-passes the Congress and issues a decree allowing illegal immigrant children to remain in the United States, while Congress does nothing.  Trump rescinds the decree, gives Congress 6-months to do something before he will start deportation hearings, and the political opposition is outraged.  Seems about right.

Two Major Hurricanes hit U.S. in one month… It’s Trump’s fault for questioning climate change causation data (credit Gino) (I don’t want to be accused of plagiarism)

I am a pawn in the game of life (Mongo in Blazing Saddles):  Science, when it becomes political, looks a lot like a badminton shuttlecock.  He says this, she said that, data proves this, data proves that, we have peer reviewed studies, peer reviewed studies don’t mean diddly, we have famous people who agree, we have famous people who don’t.   As I watch this tournament play out, I am reminded of the line from All the Presidents Men, (1976) – “Follow the money!”  The people who speak loudest, and most often, have something to gain from their position.  Know what that is and you will know why they are speaking.  Altruism is an illusion. 

We have nothing to fear, but fear itself (paraphrase FDR 1^st Inaugural Address):  TV seems to center on the fear and anger invoking story lines.  Reasonable reporting and analysis shall not be tolerated at the national level.