Gassing Migrants

The Trump administration and its apologists are quick to point out that Barack Obama was as willing as Donald Trump himself to tear-gas desperate people trying to protect themselves by crossing America’s southern border. So he was, though many will refuse to believe it. But that raises an interesting question: if every horrible thing Trump has done so far was also done by Obama, why do Trump and his fans hate the former White House occupant so much?

Doing Justice to Trump’s “Invasion” Claim

It’s perverse to characterize a migrant “caravan” — a group of civilian non-combatants, many of them women and children, moving from one place to another in search of safety, freedom and livelihood — as an “invasion.” Is the morning commute of millions of workers into every major American city an “invasion?” More than 1 in 10 Americans move each year —  often across city, county, even state “borders.” Are they “invaders?”

Cassowary

On the way to work this morning, I saw a cassowary.  Right or wrong, I saw a cassowary (two of them, in fact).  Let me be quick to point out that casuarius casuarius does not occur by Darwinian nature in the Bluegrass of Kentucky.  But it does occur by the workings of the law of unforeseen consequences, and this too is a part of nature.

Wilson, the Stubborn

I had a friend– I’ll call him “Wilson”– who was… interesting. He was a bit of a conspiracy nut, more than a little paranoid, hated government, was good at outdoor survival skills, had questionable taste in women, and was very stubborn. Yes, he had his flaws (as do we all) but all-in-all he was a decent guy. I always enjoyed hanging out with him. Here’s one tale about him.

Blindly Trusting the Experts

Years ago, my mother went to amazing lengths to provide formula for my baby brother. She boiled glass bottles; she boiled nipples; she boiled water to make formula, she boiled the spoon to mix it. My wife nursed our children, and my daughter nurses hers; this was “radical” 35 years ago, but is pretty “mainstream” today.

The Fearful Millions

A group of several thousand Central Americans continues to make its way slowly toward the USA. The people who compose this unarmed group consist in large part of women and children. As their difficult journey continues, many are giving up in exhaustion or losing hope and dropping out, long before they reach the U.S. border, where they hope to apply for admission as refugees.