I've been watching what's happening in the U.S. government with growing dismay. Trump and Musk seem determined to destroy the government's ability to perform certain functions, some of which are very important to the United States, and some of which are very important to the world. And it turns out that many of the safeguards against this destruction are controlled by the … [Read more...] about Late night thoughts on the current crisis
Political Science
Trump’s dumb attempt to define sex
(When I started to write this post, I thought it would be a neat little think piece about science, policy, and meaning. But given how much more is going on, it now fells a bit academic. Nevertheless, I took the time to write it, so I might as well hit the Publish button...)Trump's anti-transgender executive order((The one from last week, not the new ones from this week. … [Read more...] about Trump’s dumb attempt to define sex
A Heartfelt Message to Donald Trump
Congratulations, Mr. Trump, on your victory in the Presidential election. Your campaign was everything I expected it to be -- and so much more -- and you got the outcome you so very much wanted. I found it truly stunning, in every sense of the word. My fellow Americans have spoken clearly with their votes, and I intend to give their decision all the respect it is due.When … [Read more...] about A Heartfelt Message to Donald Trump
Biden’s Path to Victory – 2024-07-20
As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm looking at some of the election forecast data to try to figure out how things are going for Biden (and by extension Trump) in the battleground states.The ABC News 538 site has only slightly reduced its probability of a Biden victory from 49% to 48% (with Trump holding at 51%), which is essentially no change.((The missing 1% is the … [Read more...] about Biden’s Path to Victory – 2024-07-20
Thoughts on the Trump Assassination Attempt
Like everybody else, I have been having thoughts about the attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. It took me a while to gather those thoughts into something like publishable form.The ShotWhen I first heard he'd been hustled off the stage by Secret Service agents, I didn't think much of it. I assumed they were just being cautious after receiving a warning or … [Read more...] about Thoughts on the Trump Assassination Attempt