Daring Fireball
One of my favorite blogs, John Gruber’s Daring Fireball is smart, entertaining, and always a treat (especially if you like things Apple). Check it out.
Provocateur in Chief
Re. the insult from a President who, incredibly enough, thinks he has “done more for the black community than any President since Abraham Lincoln,” Texas congressman and Congressional Black Caucus member Al Green tweeted: “Trump rally with rebel flags (a symbol of slavery and racism) in Tulsa, OK (the place of #TulsaMassacre) on Juneteenth (a day of emancipation recognition) is more than a slap in the face to African Americans; it is overt racism from the highest office in the land. #RejectRacism.”
Words from “Donald Trump is Our National Catastrophe”
Though I often disagree with Brett Stephens, I certainly am in accord with the main thrust of his most recent opinion piece in the NYT – Donald Trump IS indeed our national catastrophe, a man who generally acts with malice toward all and charity for none: Donald Trump is Our National Catastrophe. These words from the column also resonated with me: “What does one learn when reading great political speeches and writings? That well-chosen words are the way by which past deeds acquire meaning and future deeds acquire purpose.” Among his many other failings, Trump can’t ever seem to find well-chosen words.
Anti-intellectualism and the New American Idiocracy
• Richard North Patterson takes a good look at how Trump has fueled the increasing American tendency (at least in some circles) to disrespect expertise: Trump and the American Idiocracy
Some concrete steps…
This is worth reading if you feel a need to take some practical action to help remedy racial inequality, but don’t really know what you can do: 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
Difficult Times
Though these are discouraging times in the US, I believe it is important to persevere in the struggle for justice. I offer 3 quotes from James Baldwin:
“I can’t believe what you say, because I see what you do.// Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.// It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”
Let’s keep working to make America a better place for everyone.
Excellent Legal Advice for Protesters
• Some brief, clear legal advice on your rights as a protestor from the ACLU, delivered by ES: ACLU Advice
Bummer SpaceX Weather Postponement
I felt badly for the astronauts whose liftoff was scrubbed today due to weather. Here’s hoping for a successful launch on Saturday!
The leaders of the governing party can’t seem to stop doing and proposing unpopular things.
• A good opinion piece by Hacker and Pierson in the Times re. the truly confounding notion that Republicans still have a chance in national elections despite the relative unpopularity of their policy choices: Republicans Think They Can Get Away With It. They Might Be Right.
Lancet Editorial Calls for Trump to be Replaced
• The Lancet has concluded that President Trump’s administration has had an “inconsistent and incoherent national response” to the pandemic, and accused the administration of relegating the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to a “nominal” role.Their editorial concluded that Trump should be replaced in November. “Americans must put a president in the White House come January, 2021, who will understand that public health should not be guided by partisan politics,” said the journal, which was founded in Britain in 1823.