Paul Osterman, a great accompanist and humanist, holds the distinction of being the top commenter on this web site by a huge margin. What I appreciate about Paul’s comments is that he clearly read and understood what had been written, then contributed to the conversation. That’s the kind of person I tried to be on social media, before I decided I wasn’t up to the task.
Politics
Michelle Wolf’s 19-minute set from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner…[is] a courageous, knife-edge bit of comedy, dense with great jokes and harsh as hell. It makes you squirm, and that’s the point.
The traditional argument for subsidizing churches has been that they provide a public good. I expect many citizens today can provide examples of churches working against their good, and can make a reasonable objection to being forced to contribute to those churches.
Gorsuch will be confirmed. Trump is a puppet. Bannon (alt-right) and the religious right are both pulling strings, happy for all of Trump’s blunders and Tweets because they keep us distracted, looking in the wrong direction. Financial regulations are being dismantled. Yay.
Substitute the word “opinion” wherever you find the word “faith.” Think about that – it’s a powerful thought experiment.
As a performer being honored, essentially, for her empathy, it’s entirely appropriate for Streep to highlight a performance anathema to her life’s work. In context, she was saying “performers have great power and great responsibility.”
In which I make strained political analogies using food, along with a crystal ball prediction.
Most election seasons end with a call for unity, but this isn’t the time for unity. This is when the Resistance begins. That term came to me in the shower, then appeared in my Inbox from two other friends. We need to reinvigorate and support a free press. We need to get religion out of politics, for good this time. We need to embrace diversity, and help those who need helping. We need to make sure there’s enough for everyone.
Here’s a thought experiment: How much different would the 2016 U.S. presidential election be without social media? If the campaigns happened in 1980, or better yet, 1880?
These factors will ensure Trump’s victory: his popularity, divided progressives, a defanged Voting Rights Act, and the backing of a Republican party that took control of significant parts of the political machine while nobody was paying attention.
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