I was going to do an entire short essay on sports allegiance and I just don’t have the energy. Please proceed to the links section. Go Pats. Roll Tide.
These things are actually happening
Trump tried to fire Mueller last June. It took the Times seven months to figure it out because they believed every lie coming out of the mouths of manifest liars:
Asked why it took seven months for this to come out, @maggieNYT, who broke the story, says, “I’m a little surprised at how effective people in the White House were at lying to us…” — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) January 26, 2018
Susan Collins had to haul out an actual “talking stick” to make conversation possible.
The Trump/Kobach “voter fraud” sideshow requested data on every Texan with a Latin-sounding last name.
Trump reiterated his designation of CNN staff and journalists as “fake news” while ignoring an earthquake and tsunami alert. And also a guy threatening to murder CNN staff for promoting fake news.
Republicans basically don’t like government or governance, so a shutdown for them isn’t a disaster. For Democrats, who believe that the government actually does important work when it governs, brinksmanship is much harder.
NY Police livid at restrictions on the number of “get out of jail free” courtesy cards they’re allowed to issue to friends and family. This is a real thing that is actually happening in America. (See also: The insular social world of police officers is bad for America).
ICE is targeting activists.
Man spends almost 7 years in jail awaiting trial on marijuana charges.
The United Nations issued statements of concern about the deliberate cruelty of US policy on homelessness.
Cognitive dissonance
Today a woman told me she didn’t approve of building affordable housing in Millbrae because it was “too much change, too fast.” She was wearing a shirt that said ALL IMMIGRANTS WELCOME HERE.
Let’s welcome them by building affordable homes. — Leora Tanjuatco (@leoraorlee) January 21, 2018
Lies my teacher taught me
Remember the WWII push for Victory Gardens? We needed them for food shortages. We had food shortages because of Japanese internment. Japanese farmers were the backbone of California’s agricultural skill and knowledge, but we locked them up because we thought they were unpatriotic. One of the key forces behind the drive for internment was… white farmers groups!
In 1905, Swiss patent office clerk (3rd Class) Albert Einstein published 5 papers in academic journals, 3 of which combined, without hyperbole, to change the course of human history. In 1906 he applied for an entry level university lecturer position and was rejected. Non-academics would say this is baffling. But in the university’s defense, what else did he have in the pipeline? Who were his letter writers?
— Ed Burmila (@gin_and_tacos) January 23, 2018
Reassurance
Rumors that fentanyl and carfentanil are so dangerous that mere skin exposure can kill you are urban legends. Avoid hysteria. The opioid crisis is bad enough without it.
Cultivating joy
When only some letters burn out in an illuminated sign, it can be incredibly funny.
Someone has set the horrors of H. P. Lovecraft’s poetry to the tune of Piano Man. I leave the judgement of quality of both artists to the reader.
PUPPY.
Secretly Ironic 