“Corporation, n.: an ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.” -Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, 1911 The only thing shocking about the recent incident involving Volkswagen lying about the emissions of their so-called “clean diesel” vehicles is that…
Democracy at the Crossroads
“Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.” -Winston Churchill It is the fundamental human assumption that one lives at the time of terminal understanding of the world, the universe, and human affairs. This, I think,…
Several Counter-Intuitive Things I’m Thinking Today
It’s gonna be roundup-style today, kids. The loose thread tying it together is that I’m thinking things I think most people I know might disagree with. The snarky among you are saying “Why should today be unlike any other day?”…
Europe’s Migrant Crisis is America’s Fault
Even in the typically self-absorbed and America-centric American press, the magnitude of the migrant crisis sweeping Europe has been the top story lately. There is something about a throng of humanity camping out in a train station because of being…
Free (Market) Fallin’
Who doesn’t love Tom Petty? I realize that what I’m about to discuss is not a glib and lighthearted topic for most of you out there. Largely because of the reasons I discussed here six months ago, involving retirement accounts…
Hillary Clinton and the Problem of Liberalism
“This was an incredibly new and important idea that people on the front lines of the gay rights movement began to talk about and slowly, but surely, convinced others of the rightness of that position. And when I was ready…
Getting Closer Every Day
Ten days ago, I wrote this post about how close most games have been for the Seattle Mariners during the 2015 season. I focused on closeness through the traditional metrics for such games – extra inning games, one-run games, walk-offs.…
Trumpemployment
I promise this isn’t just becoming a Donald Trump blog. Though it would be a way to get more traffic. Trump is one of two candidates in the race, along with the person I actually support, Bernie Sanders, who is…
Why We Love Trump
People like dynamic excitement in elections. This is why I believe Bernie Sanders is more electable than Hillary Clinton. And I could write a whole piece on how that phenomenon is behind Donald Trump’s unexpected and meteoric rise to the…
The Quest for Understanding
For most of my life, the prevailing presumption underlying my existence is that I was on a mission to be understood. More even than to be loved (though I of course see them as related), certainly more than to be…