It is time to clean out some of the old stuff that is cluttering up my computer for another installment of Odds and Ends. This is mostly images. And it was coming upon that last image that got me to post all this now. I somehow didn’t want it sitting on my hard drive; it’s such an amazing political statement.
Otherwise, this is just a grab-bag — as usual.
Bullying
Someone posted this following cartoon about bullying on Google+. I find the style quite compelling — and familiar. But I haven’t been able to find out who the artist is. It’s very sweet. On the other hand, if that were the extent of bullying, we would have a far kinder society.
Radical Republicans
I’ve already written about the extremism of the Republican Party, A Conservative’s Disingenuous Desperation. But I found the following graph in an article by Christopher Ingraham, This Astonishing Chart Shows How Moderate Republicans Are an Endangered Species. It is taken from the standard Vote View data that everyone is aware of. But this graph shows what has happened to the parties. It takes the range of views in the parties at any given time and then ranks individuals where they are relative to their own parties. And the results are jaw-dropping:
I also really like the title of the graph, which is a reference to the play No Sex Please, We’re British — which was apparently also made into a movie.
Rat in the Box
In 1983, Firesign Theater made the mistake of making a film, Nick Danger in the Case of the Missing Yolk. It has its moments, but actually seeing the ridiculousness that I had always imagined while listening to their records made it all seem too obvious — too forced. If you want, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. But the only thing I was really taken with was what I think is a very cute rat image in the commercial for “Rat in the Box”:
Edward Snowden
Charlie Pierce was nice enough to remind us, There Would Be No USA Freedom Act Without Edward Snowden. It’s amazing that we know so much because of Snowden and Chelsea Manning, yet the mainstream media have been really reluctant to acknowledge that. It reminds me of a segment on Piers Morgan Live with James Risen, Glenn Greenwald, and Jeffrey Toobin. Toobin takes the really annoying line that Snowden should be thrown in prison for decades, while admitting that such discussions are good. Risen responds, “We wouldn’t be having this discussion if it wasn’t for him.” The same thing is true of the USA Freedom Act. But instead, Snowden isn’t mentioned and Rand Paul gets all the credit.
Rick Perry
On Thursday night’s The Daily Show, Jon Stewart offered up the best campaign slogan ever for Rick Perry:
Still Not Asking for It
I found this over at the Amanda Taub page on The Over-Think Tank. I was struck by just how powerful it is: a single picture that destroys the idea that rape or other forms of physical and verbal assault are somehow earned. I do, however, wish this young woman weren’t smoking!
I had wanted to finish off this edition with the most recent image of Pluto, but we continue to get very little to look at. But I will continue to provide updates about the planet as they come in — probably as their own articles. Otherwise, we are finished with this installment of Odds and Ends. I will see you next time.
“Your honor, my client is not an arsonist. The building was asking to be firebombed by all its wood walls and flammable carpeting. Who in this courtroom could resist such temptation?”
Yeah, I was really struck by that photo. Part of it may be that I’ve just gotten so old that seeing her brings out paternal feelings in me. I want to wrap a coat around her and give her a lecture about the evils of cigarette smoking. But I do think it works regardless.
Relevant to nothing, I think you will like tomorrow’s Anniversary Post, which I just finished.