A Day, and a Drug, Like Any Other

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Day 46 - West Midlands Police - Cannabis Drugs...

Day 46 – West Midlands Police – Cannabis Drugs Raid (Photo credit: West Midlands Police)

Today is 4/20, or 420, or whatever you want to call it. I never did research the significance of the number, and frankly it is irrelevant. To many pot enthusiasts around America, and even around the world, the number 420, and therefore today’s date, is important. It is a day when legalization gets more attention, a day when people are more open about celebrating their drug of choice, at least that particular drug of choice. It is too bad we live in a society that does not allow it most of the rest of the year. Continue reading →

The Primal Urge(s)

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Peace Party (UK)

Peace Party (UK) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is hard to come up with words when horror rears its ugly head. I find myself envious of those who manage to do so both prolifically and with grace in the face of terrible days like today. So many people hurt and killed here and abroad, it becomes hard to believe we can ever get past our baser instincts. When does it become OK to target innocents for violence, for your religious or political beliefs, or for your “security?” What cold, cruel logic do you have to follow in order to approve of two groups of people being terrorized at any time much less during what should be a happy occasion? Continue reading →

Revolutionary Chic

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Les Miserable Performance

Les Miserable Performance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Our society has many flaws. The idea of justice has been turned into a joke by people who enjoy the protection of those they laugh at. There is so very much work to do that sometimes it seems an impossible task. The Augean Stables are filled to overflowing and there is no river with which to clean them to divert. It is beginning to stink to high heaven and it is made so much worse when those who say they want to shovel it out are shoveling it in. Continue reading →

Adding Insult to Inquiry

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Not A and Not B

Not A and Not B (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Many folks who know me have accused me of being a smug know it all. The accusation is not entirely without merit however it is drastically overstated. They decide they do not like what I have to say, and rather than try to go after my argument and find what it is lacking, attack me and call me arrogant. I am not the only person who receives this treatment of course. Conservatives in our culture like to bemoan the liberal, educated elites. This bit of chicanery trickles down over their fan-base (given the nature of American politics I have decided to stop calling it their demographic) who eat it up, actually believing these snake oil salesmen have their best interests at heart. Continue reading →

The Deflation In Gender

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English: This is a Susan B. Anthony US Dollar ...

English: This is a Susan B. Anthony US Dollar Proof Coin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The modern women’s movement is over forty years old. We’ve had twenty plus years of “no means no.” We’ve had a few years now of affirmative consent and “yes means yes.” We are coming up on the second anniversary of the first Slut Walk and still some attitudes don’t scrub out of our collective psyche. They are stains that refuse to be washed away and I am not sure they ever can be, though I will always fight to do so. Sometimes though, I get mighty tired trying. Continue reading →

The Ump’s A Hoser

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English: Hunter Wendelstedt umpires a game bet...

English: Hunter Wendelstedt umpires a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It pains me to say this, because I still believe that honestly examined, thorough data gathering is an important tool in discovery, but reading your average Twitter of Facebook feed reminds me of the words of Benjamin Disraeli: “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” People sharing their political views on social networking sites are the kings and queens of cherry picking. Sure they get a lot of their information from their favorite echo chambers (Fox News, I am looking your way,) but ultimately they choose to ignore obvious facts when sharing gems like this: Continue reading →