Money in politics is a topic that’s been discussed ever since I was old enough to read newspapers, 50+ years…

Search says open carry is illegal in Washington DC.

Remember how vaccines work relative to herd immunity.

When I grew up in the 1970s, after Woodstock, Christian private schools were very clear that nobody ever had sex. Look at Mary. Immaculate conception.

I suspect it was a reaction to the Hippies of the 1960s and their free love flower children generation. My my how the pendulum swings.

Does Wilhoit’s law apply to Islamic Theocracy?

Frank Wilhoit said, "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

I do a lot of recipe-ingredient research on AI, and it’ll steer me wrong more often than I’d like. Fortunately, I know enough to be persistent and questioning. I would not take medical advice from it, though I’d use it for supplemental research.

Morrin concluded that the AI chatbot could “miss clear indicators of risk or deterioration” and respond inappropriately to people in mental health crises, though he added that it could “improve access to general support, resources, and psycho-education”.

But as the Trump administration began its boat bombing campaign, the order Hegseth gave “was to kill everybody,” one of the intelligence analysts told the Post.

Some of Hegseth’s tattoos have been analyzed as being symbols of Christian Crusaders. The orders to kill all survivors doesn’t seem much like the Christianity that folks teach their kids in Sunday schools. It’s much darker, much more like the Old Testament than the New. It’s sort of fascinating that Trump is openly attacking the First Amendment and the press, while putting a Christian Crusader in charge of the U.S. military, which reminds us of the lack of regulation surrounding religion, also part of the First Amendment. Thou shalt not kill is one of the 10 commandments, which various states are trying to post in public school classrooms, but here we have an open Christian giving orders to kill.

Trump seems to want complete press fealty, like a king.

When Thanksgiving became Insultgiving!

Biden issued a number of pardons via EO.

I had to read a bit more than this article to understand why. Search reminded me of Trumps often repeated phrase, “Crooked Joe Biden”. It’s Trump’s way to keep the opposing-party scapegoat alive.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we only owed taxes when the party in power is the same as ours? We could call it “partisan taxpaying”.

Abbott’s arguments then and actions now are an example of what Jessica Bulman-Pozen, a constitutional law professor at Columbia University, calls partisan federalism, a term describing how state leaders’ fervor for defending their sovereignty increasingly depends on whether their party is in power in Washington. She said Abbott’s support of the guard deployments is particularly alarming because it diminishes the traditional power of governors to manage law enforcement in their states.

What I never see in any of these recent articles about Trump-voter regret is any rationale for why they voted for a convicted felon. Journalists seem to be skipping that topic for some reason.

Was this a targeted theft, or merely a crime of opportunity?

You might consider allergy including those from food. You can change food brands/flavors, analyse ingredient differences, and note responses. I understand vets can also prescribe anti-histamines. Good luck.

Amping up the cold civil war.

Has writing the novel changed in the last several decades? It used to be very rare that any given writer would hit the best seller list, everyone else was steered towards taking writing classes or purchasing somewhat pricey seminars. What is the motive to defend AI writing bots? AI isn’t going to be purchasing seminars or taking classes.

“Generative AI empowers not the artist, not the writer, but the tech industry,” Star Wars: Aftermath author Chuck Wendig said in response to NaNoWriMo’s stance. “It steals content to remake content, graverobbing existing material to staple together its Frankensteinian idea of art and story.”

Good. As I read the following sentence,

…Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau, who developed a library material review committee for his county because he was disturbed by the children’s books included in a Pride Month display at a local library

I found myself wondering if Brandau objected to parents indoctrinating their children into an Abrahamic religion? Those religions are the historical roots of long-term anti-LGBT sentiments, thus mandating the need for strong protection of minority rights.

All you young people need to know you’re gorgeous just as you are. You don’t need products to make yourself beautiful, don’t believe the advertising.

A well reasoned reply. With the exception of dementia and presuming they’re of sound mind, aren’t they free to choose to have end-of-life care? Or is such care too expensive, like in the U.S.?