If nothing else, you’ve got to admire the consistency of people who never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. So against a vigorous 73 year old, what do the Dems do? They put up a doddering 77 year old. Against a repulsive but highly skilled demagogue they offer a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal. American … Continue reading MY PICK FOR VP
Author: paulosophicalvimplications
THE DEVIL’S LAMENT
They say the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he doesn’t exist. Not so. In fact his greatest frustration is that he can’t convince the world he does. I have a recently retired colleague for whom there isn’t a conspiracy theory - 9/11, Covid 19, you name it - that isn’t … Continue reading THE DEVIL’S LAMENT
WHY I’M AN ANTI-ANTI-RACIST
Look, people, it’s not rocket science. Just as we humans know that dogs come in different shapes and sizes and colours, dogs know that humans come in different shapes and sizes and colours. But they don’t think to sort us in terms of the latter. To do that they’d have to know something about our … Continue reading WHY I’M AN ANTI-ANTI-RACIST
SOME PUZZLES ABOUT RACISM
I’m not sure what racism is, but I am sure no one else does either. I know it’s a term of opprobrium, like ’sexism’ or ‘fascism’ or ‘colonialism’. But what exactly is the accuser accusing the accused of? A racist can’t be just a realist about race, in the sense of thinking there’s a mind-independent fact … Continue reading SOME PUZZLES ABOUT RACISM
INDIGENOUS EXCEPTIONALISM
In early May of 1463, a full twenty-nine years before Columbus ‘discovered’ what was to the Europeans the ‘new world’, a boatload of Mi’kmaq from what is now Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, set sail – actually they rowed - eastward into the open Atlantic. Some say it was a storm that took them … Continue reading INDIGENOUS EXCEPTIONALISM
DEFUNDING THE POLICE
There’s a movement afoot in America, one that predates the current fuss over the George Floyd killing, to defund the police, if not entirely then certainly by some amount in excess of just a little. If we want to reduce crime against persons or property, goes the argument, transfer the money to social programs designed … Continue reading DEFUNDING THE POLICE
AMERICA’S BEST
The German people can be forgiven for electing Hitler in 1933. They didn’t know. Perhaps even he didn’t know. After all, events have a way of overtaking themselves. But we’re told they’d have ratified that choice as late as April, 1945. And for that they cannot be forgiven. Likewise, then, given the polyester pant-suit alternative, Trump seemed … Continue reading AMERICA’S BEST
TRUDEAU’S 21 SECONDS OF SILENCE
I thought nothing could outdo Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, until ... The other day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked by a reporter what he thought of Donald Trump’s words and actions in response to the protests over the murder of George Floyd. For 21 seconds of excruciating silence, Trudeau stared … Continue reading TRUDEAU’S 21 SECONDS OF SILENCE
AMERICA’S POLICING DILEMMA
The question, I suppose, is this. At what point should the penny have dropped for the Jews of Europe? When should they have started shooting the authorities at the door rather than come along peacefully? It’s easy to say in retrospect, but retrospection wasn’t widely available until about the time of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. There’s … Continue reading AMERICA’S POLICING DILEMMA
LET HOTTER HEADS PREVAIL
Some of you may remember the cult classic Billy Jack from 1971, and if so, the title character’s remark that, “When policemen break the law, there is no law!” That might be a bit too strong. Policemen are people. People break laws. Sometimes people break the law when they’re on the job. So that Derek Chauvin … Continue reading LET HOTTER HEADS PREVAIL
