A Weird and Changing Presidential Race

July 23, 2024July 23, 2024

A Weird and Changing Presidential Race

Biden and Harris at 2020 primary campaign debates

Biden dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday. The first snarky question I heard was “How did they get Jill to agree to that?” Right now, some people are getting up in arms at the suggestion that the woman in the equation is against that simply because she wants to live in the White House for another four years and that she truly dislikes Harris. I’d argue that the question assumes Jill is in charge. Aren’t strong, feminists supposed to be in charge? Of course a question like that also assumes that given Biden’s obvious problems, which many of us have seen for four freaking years, Jill has no regard for the health and well-being of her husband. Anyway, I digress. This announcement significantly changes the tenor and character of the 2024 race. And I don’t just mean because there’s going to be a new Democratic candidate.

July 15, 2024July 17, 2024

Assassination Attempts and “Disastrous” Candidates

This is going to be a sort of combo post covering two issues that have come up. The first is obviously the assassination attempt on former President (and current candidate) Trump. The second is the thought/idea that both candidates are “disastrous” choices and either will harm the country irreparably. The TL/DR for this post: 1) Had the assassination attempt succeeded we all would be in a world of hurt right now. More than you can possibly imagine. 2) No, the candidate choices are not both disastrous for the country. Only the choice of Biden or any other Dem candidate will be disastrous at this point. You have an obligation to pay attention whether you like it or not.

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024

1968 All Over Again?

Person dressed as Statue of Liberty holding American flag

The 2024 Democratic Convention will be held in Chicago in August. And it’s shaping up to be a doozy of a show. Everyone on the left – media, DNC, governors, House reps, Senators – have been sounding the “please don’t run” horn to Biden. The only people not joining in the newly arising chorus are the White House staff and Biden aides. Oh, and Everybody-Must-Call-Me-DOCTOR Jill, of course. (I have a Ph.D., and yes, I told my students that they would be calling me Dr. Jones or Prof. Jones. I most emphatically did not tell the rest of the world to call me that. That’s a level of insecurity even I don’t possess.)

July 2, 2024July 3, 2024

From the River to the Sea?

“From the river to the sea…” is a phrase chanted and screamed by the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic fools running around college campuses and elsewhere protesting everything in the name of their “humanitarian” cause. In case you can’t tell, I think the people screaming this phrase are at best useful idiots and at worst truly evil Nazis. Let’s unpack this phrase and some of the history and current context behind it.

June 28, 2024June 28, 2024

Back Into Politics

As some of you may have read, I’ve separated my fiction writing from my political writing. I know that not everyone likes both and that some despise one or the other. Therefore, I will make sure that nobody is subjected to writing they don’t like and separate the topics. If you like my fiction writing, you can find that over on my substack page, Professor Ornery Dragon’s Substack. If you like my political writing, then you can just sit back, relax, and keep reading. If you like both, well then, thank you! And you’ll have to flip back and forth between the sites… sorry!

October 5, 2023October 5, 2023

Cult of Personality

These days we all know what a cult of personality is, and we all believe that we can identify them, and we all believe we’d never become part of one. Khrushchev first used the term when speaking about Stalin and admonishing the Communist Party that they must not allow such a thing to happen again. In the West we scramble backwards at the mention of the word “cult.” After all, a cult is a group that brainwashes its members into believing absolutely fantastical claims and performing strange rituals deifying the leaders. And nobody with an ounce of sense would fall for a cult of personality, right? Right?

September 12, 2023September 12, 2023

You Just Might Be A Totalitarian

Do you require that all your friends agree with you on every topic?

Do you unfriend and quit seeing those who dare to disagree with you?

Do you require that all your coworkers agree with you on every topic?

Do you ask that coworkers who disagree with you be disciplined or fired?

August 25, 2023August 25, 2023

Friday Thoughts: What Rights Are You Missing?

The other day I ran across an FB post with the hashtag “LGBTQ rights are human rights” and it got me thinking. What rights, exactly, do people who use that hashtag believe are not recognized for LGBTQ folks or what rights are LGBTQ people unable to exercise due to government or social restrictions? Seriously, what are they missing? Marriage? Got it. Speech? Got it. Access to healthcare? Got it. Religion? Got it. Housing? Got it. Jobs? Got ‘em. What are they missing?

August 11, 2023August 11, 2023

Friday Thoughts: Propaganda

Before we get to the propaganda bits, let me just say: it’s been a good week, Tater! I’m writing… lots. This outlining process I’ve borrowed is working very well for me and I’m feeling good about finishing theAcademic Magic series. I’ve got Books 4, 5, and 6 planned out and am moving at good speed through Book #4 – it’s above 10k words right now. And, once I finish this post and get moving on it today, I’m hoping to get beyond 20k.

August 1, 2023August 1, 2023

“Banning” Books… Again

Twice in 2022 I wrote about banning books (here and here), but the recent hysteria over books that are being pushed by the LGBTQ community, and others, along with an FB post by a friend of mine brought the matter back to mind. As with so many issues these days, the left has taken a word and twisted it until they find a definition and use that suits their needs. Just as the government and its cronies created Newspeak in Orwell’s 1984, so the progressive left is creating their own version of newspeak. My friend walked into a Barnes and Noble to be faced with the display shown below. Now, yes, the signs under the books say “Challenged” which is indeed accurate. But notice the display sign – that says “Banned Books.” Whether this is a marketing ploy (likely), or not, someone at B&N is engaged in some serious misdirection and propagandizing.