Credibility Gap
With certain rare exceptions, its now almost completely possible to read the comments of conservative commentators, even ones I generally respect, with any respect at all. I'm sorry, it's just not.
The exceptions would be people like Russ Douthat and George F. Will, who were clear thinking from the start, didn't get on the Trump train, and moreover, didn't become apologist for everything he was doing the entire time. They also came out against Trump, seeing what he was truly like, prior to the last election.
I can nearly read Cal Thomas as his articles were nuanced in the first place. Nearly.
I can still nearly read Rod Dreher, because he's occasionally worth reading and had a nasty streak before. He isn't tainted by the being an alt right apologist and, as far as can be seen, he doesn't really like anyone other than 1) the Orthodox Church; and 2) the Catholic Church, the latter of which he's actually an intellectual member of while pretending that he's not.
But Victor David Hanson? Forget it. Becoming an absolute sycophant doesn't lend credibility. Now, I had some trouble with Hanson before, even though I like his works of history, but he's simply unreadable right now.
And Michael Reagan? Forget it.
Michael Reagan was already strained as "my daddy was a conservative President" isn't really that much in the way of a basis to pay much attention to you. Having said that, it might slightly count for something. Theodore Roosevelt was the son of a great man and amongst his children that made it past their early youths, at least Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (who was really Theodore Roosevelt III), and Alice Longworthy, were great intellects.
But kissing up to Trump the last six months and now coming out with how the left is evil? No pass. Nobody is going to be listening to that.
Why?
One of the things about being a lawyer is that you are usually in an intellectual group that decides matters based on logic. Science has demonstrated that most people base their decisions based on emotion.
For this reason, I don't really grasp why people chose to get their news from news sources they know they'll agree with. You get news from places that are reliable. If you don't like what you're hearing or reading, you have to ask yourself if the report is accurate, and then if its biased. You don't decide its biased and inaccurate because you don't like what you are reading or hearing.
I note this as it turns out some people I know are now getting their news from News Max. Why? If you don't like what you are hearing or reading elsewhere that much, just turn the tv off. Listening to stuff filtered to match your opinions that's disguised as news is just fooling yourself.
Alternatively, subscribe to some opinion journals. They have. . . opinions. They don't disguise the opinions as the truth, they present them as arguments on what ought to occur.
Out of tune with the culture.
I didn't know The Mandalorian was a series until somebody was fired from the cast. I thought it was a movie. Obviously, a movie I didn't intend to see.
Vices of all types and COVID 19
I'm pretty convinced, at this point, that the isolation brought about by the pandemic is amplifying the vices of all types.
I've already noted that drinking is apparently way up. So is illegal drug use. So are visits to Pornhub, according to people who track these things.
But I think political extremism is getting a trip through the Marshall Stacks as well.
Some people I've known most of my adult life, and who have been the soul of reason for most of that time, people I'd be willing to go to with a problem, if I needed advice (which, I'm afraid, is actually my role in the world), are now doubting getting vaccines and have taken a dive off the deep end of alt right political extremism.
How on earth could this occur?
Well, I think watching hours of News Max and like organs has contributed to that. As well as hanging out only with the few people in their circle who are doing the exact same thing.
Turns out that social contact is a must.
GM and the Electric Car.
General Motors is only going to make electric vehicles starting in 2035.
I know that naysayers will continue to say that "they can't. . .", but they're really going to.
Heavy trucks are omitted from their announcement, but what qualifies as a heavy truck I'm not sure of. What is certain is that almost all routine vehicles are going to be electric starting in the mid 2030s. It's coming.
The common response around here is that such vehicles won't be capable of going way back, into the out back, and back. By then they will be perfectly capable of doing that. Beyond that, however, the major automobile manufacturers aren't really that concerned about the out in the sticks market anyway. That's not where most vehicles are used.
Biden boost gun control and the Wyoming legislature will try to hold back the sea
The Biden Administration announced yesterday that it intends to go for universal background checks and ban "assault weapons".
The latter will end up in court, but chances are that if he gets though Congress, it might hold up. That last one is hard to know for certain. Getting this through a Congress this closely divided will be quite difficult, however, as Republicans, which are nearly 50% of the body, and some Democrats, will oppose it. I'd give it slightly less than a 50% chance of getting through.
I'd make it nearly a 100% chance that a series of bills in the legislature, one of which is unconstitutional, will pass. The one in question basically would propose that Federal firearms provisions not be enforced in Wyoming. The legislature can't do that. It'll assert it can, however, which will mean that those voting for it will actually have to violate their oaths of office to uphold the constitution in order to take that position, something that very few seem to pay any attention to anyway. It'll feed into the alt right drift of the legislature, which is an ongoing problem, but perhaps it gives the GOP a place to vent some steam.
It's also gong to show the folly of failing to acknowledge prior Democratic Administrations that shied away from gun control and received no credit for it. Over the weekend the Trib ran an article on the "diminished" influence of the Wyoming Congressional delegation. Try "no influence". After recent events, the Administration has next to no reason to cooperate with the more conservative members of Congress unless it absolutely has to.
Catalan separatist parties increase control.
In regional elections in Spain, the Spanish socialist party won, but the number of members of the separatist coalition increased.
Scots separatist are getting ready to try another run at things as well.
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