Life Goes On

Agreeing to Disagree...

...has been a dying convention in this country for some time, now (since the '60s, really), but we might finally have reached the point where the very notion itself is considered politically unacceptable. There has been a movement afoot in the public sphere for many years to declare certain points of view as simply outside the bounds of acceptable discourse. What points of view, you may ask? Why, points of view that differ from the advocate's own views, of course.

It is fair to say that this tactic has become ubiquitous all across the political spectrum. From advocates of same-sex marriage claiming all opposition to their position is "hate speech," to opponents of gun control claiming simple background check laws are tantamount to a gun confiscation program, this tactic knows no ideological or political boundaries. Regardless of where they fall on the ideological spectrum, advocates in the public square these days seem unwilling, for the most part, to concede that their opponents in a given political controversy can disagree in good faith on such issues. Opposition is viewed as not merely mistaken or even wrongheaded, but positively wicked.

"I totally called this 20 years ago."

In his book A Conflict of Visions, Thomas Sowell argues that the reason for this absolutist rhetoric, and the related attempts to anathematize all who dissent from the advocate's point of view are due to a fundamental disagreement about human nature. He makes a compelling argument that it is this disagreement, not the specifics of a given political or social controversy, which explains the virulent rejection of competing points of view...

"I second that emotion."

In his book The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker agrees with Sowell, and takes the argument one step further. He suggests that attempts to deny the reality of human nature (what Sowell referred to as "The Unconstrained Vision") is not only anti-intellectual, but corrosive to our social and political lives.

Pinker argues that organizing society around "feel-good" slogans and magical thinking will only increase social discord. No one observing modern political debates could deny that this is, in fact, the new normal in public discourse...

Do I exaggerate? In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, the preferred expression of support for the ruling was:  #LoveWins. The converse of that, of course, is the suggestion that those who opposed the ruling (on rule-of-law grounds, in my case) were espousing "hate." Never mind that I am on record as being in support of same-sex marriage; if I disagree with the issue being summarily decided by a Supreme Court ukase, if I find Justice Kennedy's rhetoric entirely devoid of sound legal reasoning, if I prefer to see us governed by laws enacted by our elected representatives, then I am a hateful person.

As I have said previously, seeing respect for logic and reasoning, and even for the language itself, being drained from our public discourse is profoundly dispiriting...

"For what it's worth, I don't think you wasted your life."

Easy for you to say, old friend...

Things That Make Me Happy: Cleaning Tools Edition

No, I'm not talking about the stuff I use to clean my apartment. I'm talking about what my beloved Kansas City Royals busted out on the Oakland A's yesterday in Oakland...

A three-game sweep is always satisfying, especially playing on the road. This one, though, was especially sweet given the way the two teams brawled during the A's visit to Kansas City back in April...

It was a tense game, with the A's nursing a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning. The Royals scored three runs in the top of the 6th to take a one-run lead. Sal Perez gave the team some breathing room with a two-run home run in the top of the 8th, which turned out to be huge when the A's nicked Kelvin Herrera for a run in the bottom of the inning.

"Boom! Yo prefiero que golpeó esta manera, de Oakland."

Wade Davis came on in the 9th and struck out two en route to his 9th save. Jeremy Guthrie's record moved to 6-5 after he pitched six solid innings, striking out 7 and holding the A's to just a pair of runs.

The Royals are now 5-1 on this road trip, and carry a four-game winning streak into their three-game series with the Houston Astros that begins tonight in Houston...

For Future Reference

I have never been emotionally invested in that whole "glass half-empty / glass half-full" debate, but if you're going to give me a glass like that, please make sure the liquid in it is this...

After I've had a dram or two, I won't give a damn about the glass, other than to desire that it be replenished.

"Excellent choice."

 Thanks, Harvey, I knew you'd approve...

In My Roundhouse

One of the more recent additions to my HO scale locomotive collection is this model from the Walthers Mainline series.

ALCO DL-109

It is wearing the livery of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, popularly known as The Milwaukee Road.

"Show them the coffee mug...you know you want to, just do it."

Well, since you asked...I actually do have one...

Until Next Time...

As I have mentioned a few times already, I'm still not quite okay with the fact that the TV series Justified has ended. Completely aside from the quality of the writing and the skills of the outstanding cast, I'm also missing the music featured in the show. In addition to the marvelous incidental music from Steve Porcaro, the show featured an endearing mix of country, roadhouse blues, and bluegrass music that was as much a part of the show's atmosphere as Harlan County was.

The first album of music from the show is currently only available on CD, while the second album is available only in digital form. What can I say, Amazon is weird that way sometimes. In any case, today's send-off is a track from the first album, featuring the Homemade Jamz Blues Band doing "Hobo Man." Enjoy...