Small prediction

Late yesterday (6/18), I submitted a post to Facebook on the shooting in Charleston, SC, where I said:

"Perhaps I am just old and tired, but my first thought was to wonder how Fox News and other reactionaries will find the root cause of this to be
a) The Black community,
b) White liberals,
c) Muslims."

Adding later: "Oh, I left out d) LGBT people "

I mention this because I was too small minded in my prediction.

There is whole panoply of spn that can be used, some of which I hadn't thought of, for example that it the attack was part of hostility to Christianity (primarily) and this is an example of why we have got to be armed (see Fox's Steve Doocy: It's Extraordinary That Charleston Church Shooting Is Being Called A Hate Crime).

You have to admire the speed, creativity, and choice of messengers there

But still, I will make a prediction, the big reactionary attack will be on Obama's comment (See Obama Reacts To Shooting):

At some point, we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence doesn’t happen in other countries." 

That's going to be red meat to them.

Teacher resigns after reading students book about gay couple

My daughter, and future Goddess/Empress of the World, has a finely developed sense of reality.

The other day, she channeled her grandmother*, and noted, with disgust that there was a fair chance that that once gay marriage is legal everywhere that people can just say, 'Well that's all fixed,' which will be an excuse for doing nothing.

Well, read on about what the future will still contain
Teacher resigns after reading students book about gay couple



* My mother, back in the 1970's, used to remark that she wasn't sure that an MLK birthday holiday would be a good thing.  She thought it would just let white folk think they were off the hook. 

Small victory for liberty?

To the right, you see not an Society for Creative Anachronism, but a the image that Turkish president Recep Erdogan chooses to project.


There is small hope at the moment, as his party lost its majority in parliament: Turkey’s election is a blow to Erdogan and a victory for Kurds.

Erdogan was hoping for a super majority, so as to amend the Turkish constitution for an executive presidency. 

Erdogan, started out making some real meaningful changes in the Turkish state, including breaking the power of the military, and providing social services.

He has more recently, moved in a predictably dictatorial way -- suppressing press (last I looked Turkey was the had the most journalists in jail), blaming outside forces for internal protests, preventing independent judiciary actions, you know the drill. 

I find it gratifying that this appears to have backfired -- a bit.  I hope this is Turkey's democratic process asserting itself, and that Erdogan's party, Justice and Development Party (AKP), may reign him in.

On the other hand, the AKP may argue that they still got the most votes (they did) and screw their constitution. They have initially addressed this as a minor set back.

It makes me think of the black knight in the Monty Python's Holy Grail. I am just trying to figure out who has the flesh wound.

Murder through misuse of legal process

I have heard of this story before.  Rarely have I felt as angry and ashamed, see: Kalief Browder, 1993–2015 - The New Yorker



There is a reason a right to a speedy trial is required by the constitution. 

Have fun, add to the list....

H/T to my borther, and his blog 40 Years in the Desert

The Lord works in marvelous ways, his wonders to behold

 

And God has also sent earthquakes to fracking Oklahoma

I seemed to have missed something

According to one Bettany Hughes (Mary Renault's hardcore classicism - Telegraph), I missed all the good parts of Mary Renault's novels, "hardcore, drug-saturated sensuality of the ancient world."



Pity, perhaps I was blinded by the over indulgence in her writing in human
drama, interesting ideas and valid emotional content.



Silly me.