Author Archena Posted on February 3, 2023February 3, 2023Categories Current, FridayTags , , , , ,

The World Can’t be America

Which works out just fine – they don’t want to be nor should they. We have this goofy idea that nationalism is inherently a bad thing. Like all isms, it can be taken way too far. Any ideology can be made into a bad thing by taking it to extremes. But BOTH extremes are bad. Do you fix a broken cup? Most of the time the answer is no but what if it belonged to your grandmother and was special … Continue reading “The World Can’t be America”

Author Archena Posted on February 1, 2023January 31, 2023Categories Current, WednesdayTags , , , , ,

Why Arizona Elections Matter

Simple, letting cheaters get away with it is the same as destroying the system they are cheating within. See you next… Again? Okay, so let’s break it down. If you can guess which cup the pea is under I will give you two dollars. But if you guess wrong you will give me one dollar. Gambling is a lousy way to invest, just so you know. Odds favor the house or the house wouldn’t be in business. But hey, if … Continue reading “Why Arizona Elections Matter”

Author Archena Posted on January 30, 2023January 30, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , ,

Between Globalism and Isolationism

Okay, so globalism bad, we should just keep to ourselves and not bother the rest of the planet, right? Yeah, that so isn’t going to work. America was born in humble beginnings – we were a podunk backwater that only attracted riff raff and no respectable person went. But we grew up into a podunk backwater with a lot of perfectly respectable folks and some really big ideas about liberty and freedom. We were by nature cocky and self assured … Continue reading “Between Globalism and Isolationism”

Author Archena Posted on January 28, 2023January 28, 2023Categories Current, FridayTags , , , , , , ,

Ism Spectrum

We political scientists like to classify things. Put nice labels on it and shove it on the shelf where those things go – very scientific. Makes ’em easier to categorize so we can do statistics! Yeah, it annoys the heck out of the statisticians but what do they know? They were the ones that came up with the whole ‘stick everything in a category’ thing. Add science to politics and sausage making – things no one really wants to know … Continue reading “Ism Spectrum”

Author Archena Posted on January 25, 2023January 18, 2023Categories Current, WednesdayTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

Protecting American Freedoms is the Best Thing America Can do for the Rest of the World

Obviously. What? That’s not obvious to you? What they heck did they teach you kids in school? Can’t do math, can’t half read, can’t pay attention – How’d you end up worse than MY generation? Seriously, we grew up on Westerns and Tarzan, roaming the neighborhoods until dark, with permanently skinned knees, hyped on boatloads of sugar and watching way too much TV – we were supposed to be the space cases, not you kids! Do yourselves a favor, try … Continue reading “Protecting American Freedoms is the Best Thing America Can do for the Rest of the World”

Author Archena Posted on January 23, 2023January 18, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , ,

Is There Anything in the World Besides Russia and China?

Sure. Australia. See y’all la… What? You weren’t kidding? Sigh… Okay, let’s lay this out straight. Nations-states can rub their tummies and pat their heads at the same time because nation-states are made up of LOTS of people and have a bunch of those people working in their governments. No one person has to do it all. Individual humans have limitations. We can’t know everything we need to know at any given moment about the whole world. A supercomputer couldn’t … Continue reading “Is There Anything in the World Besides Russia and China?”

Author Archena Posted on January 20, 2023January 18, 2023Categories Current, FridayTags , , ,

Healthy Skepticism and Government

I’m a cranky old lady. I think we’ve covered that before but let’s just get it out in the open. As a cranky old lady, I come with a large dose of cynicism and a cat. The cat doesn’t care about politics but she also doesn’t care about her litterbox so maybe she’s not a great role model, especially not for other cats. I’m not a role model; I’m way too cranky for that. Crankiness tends to breed both cynicism … Continue reading “Healthy Skepticism and Government”

Author Archena Posted on January 18, 2023January 17, 2023Categories WednesdayTags , , , ,

Joe Liedn

This comes as a surprise to who, exactly? Biden has been in politics for over forty years and the butt of jokes for most of that time. Being a Southerner, I suspect he only survived this long because he came from Delaware – they all knew him and couldn’t find anyone better who’d run in such a tiny state. Okay, that’s probably not what happened. States get a really bad case of ‘familiaritis’ where they continue to elect the same … Continue reading “Joe Liedn”

Author Archena Posted on January 16, 2023January 12, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , ,

No, China Isn’t Fine Now

Seriously, isn’t it hard to live with an attention span shorter than the lifespan of a mayfly? You didn’t make it all the way through that sentence, did you? Sigh. Okay, so for those who can watch all the way through a sitcom, let’s get on with this. Nation-states, including overhyped authoritarian ones, are resilient as all get out. Nation-states can do all sorts of weird and often unwise things that normal people can’t and shouldn’t. Being able to print … Continue reading “No, China Isn’t Fine Now”

Author Archena Posted on January 13, 2023January 7, 2023Categories Current, FridayTags , , , , , ,

Politics are About People

Politics is just groups of people making decisions. We stink at it which makes the political world hilarious and tragic. It’d be a great sitcom. The problem is that the political world affects real people all the time. Every day. Every hour. Every minute. So the answer to the question of why you should care about those idiots in Washington or on Goat Hill or down at the county courthouse or in city hall or on the school board is … Continue reading “Politics are About People”