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Before we break for another reckless Thanksgiving in Anno CoViDi 3, we decided to take the scenic route this week. We go deep into the capacious mind of Ross Douthat, who’s just released his latest book, The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery. Along with Lyme disease, fringe medicine and faith, the hosts survey Ross on everything from potential hope for American education to the nuclear family and the case for reality.
We’ve also got Rob galavanting abroad and utter surprise that the CBO suggests Build Back Better will cost more than $0! The gang reflect on the Rittenhouse verdict which was announced during recording and people who still get goose bumps at the thought of gathering for the holidays.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! See you in two weeks.
Music from this week’s podcast: Man In the Mirror by James Morrison
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If I may note two things: I did not mean to suggest that Trump did say “drink bleach” – I was describing the coverage of the comments. Also, the activist I noted was not from Minneapolis; she is apparently from the South, and had been present at some mostly-peaceful Mpls events.
Also, Pseudo, what the what?
I find myself wondering if Mrs Robinson doesn’t know how to shut off a toilet valve.
Oh, and thank you for not playing the Michael Jackson version at the end. If Michael Jackson had never existed, it would not have been necessary to invent him.
About 25 years ago, when I lived in Maryland, I was afflicted with Lyme’s disease. It was just like his experience! I was told over and over that I was not really sick. The symptoms that I had were all caused by something else. Why didn’t I just quit being sick because it was not Lyme’s disease! Finally, I found a doctor who listened to me, asked me about various symptoms, and after actually letting me explain what I was going through, said that I had 18 of 21 clinical symptoms of Lyme’s and agreed that I did, indeed, have it. It was such a relief! I felt like I was losing my mind when doctor after doctor just dismissed my symptoms. I was treated successfully–it took a little over a year of taking the medicine, but I was cured.
If you get sassy I’ll unveil the infamous Adrienne Barbeau cleavage scenes. Captain Chaos sends his best.
Worst. Threat. Ever. Consider this up-sassing, then!
Did she show more or less than in Escape From New York? Or Maude, for that matter.
Here in Japan I listen to the Ricochet Podcast on Saturday evenings. With Catholic masses being rationed, so that I can only attend every few weeks, I found myself thinking that the RP has become for me a ritual of sorts in itself. It was particularly delightful to hear the discussion with Ross Douthat. Please have him back!
On the never-ending topic of la France, where I lived in the de Gaulle era: To me, the best part of the country is much that is not Paris…
When I lived in Italy, I would get knowing chuckles from Italian friends when I said: “I francesi sono tedeschi che si credono italiani.” (‘The French are Germans who think that they are Italians.’) I speak as a German-speaker.
Rob Long is right about French cynicism—and it is what saves les français from ideological lunacy.
Oh and Peter Robinson’s eloquent and eminently reasonable summation of the Rittenhouse trial outcome says it all. It gives me renewed hope for America.
New Zealand fixed their schools overnight by abolishing the administration and turning each school over to teachers and parents, giving the money to parents to spend in what ever school they wanted. Sort of privatization. New Zealand schools were the worst in the west, but not because of minority problems, or political friction but because of creeping bureaucracy in isolation from the rest of the world, so they could fix it overnight. We could do the same, but some schools wouldn’t reform or improve rapidly. Still parents could take their kids elsewhere and we must do it. Charter schools are slow, imperfect, and can’t fix the problem. If educational bureaucracies insist on continuing to exist, they could run a few inner city schools that can’t be fixed. Give them a challenge if they insist on survival. The key is to give the money to parents and let them go where they can get their kids in.
I really like the suits.
Ha. @jameslileks Reagan joke made me laugh. Nice.
I found Ross Douthat’s answer to @peterrobinson on how to justify his large family rather lovely, thanks for that – wow. Will share this with my wife.
As for the, “Rittenhouse shouldn’t have been there,” arguments – I am not so sure of that.
If one means that he shouldn’t have been there IF the Governor/Mayor/Police used their monopoly on the use of force to put an end to the unlawful, destructive, and (by that night) unceasing rioting – then yes, he shouldn’t have been there. Why would anyone? There would be no riot. That didn’t happen and there was a breakdown in law and order that had been going on for two days at that point.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong coming to Kenosha to help (like clean graffiti), it is his home in many ways.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong agreeing to join a group of others to protect private businesses.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong accepting a rifle (he was obviously well-trained) as part of that team.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong in discouraging destruction and rioters from destroying those businesses.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong in putting out fires that were being set.
I don’t think K.R. did anything wrong when he attempted to return to his party but was stopped by a police line.
I DO think it was a mistake to go on his own forward into the riots – even with the arson, etc. happening in front of him – he owed it to his team to return to them (was able to by going around the police line a different way), and a wise individual would want to return to the team to regroup and decide what to do next, AS A TEAM. Going solo was the big mistake this young man made.
I want capable, trained, dedicated, alert, etc. people to join together and secure their neighborhoods, towns, etc. when their government fails them. I want that deterrent to be there against lawlessness. I want people like K.R. there.
His only mistake – turns out it was the big one – was failing to return to his group, and that should be recognized. Don’t go solo!
Who showed bad decision making 90+% of the time? Governor, Mayor, Police Chief (possibly), all rioters
Who showed good decision making 90+% of the time? Those who did what the groups Kyle Rittenhouse was a part of did, those who protested and went home at dusk, and those city/state authorities that lobbied for action to quell the rioting.
His status as young adult should not matter either – some of those Rooftop Koreans looked under 18 back in ’92, and I don’t remember people saying they shouldn’t have been there. Community. Men. Action.
Thanks! See you all next week!
@ejhill
James in a striped shirt with an accordion please.
It would probably upset the ruling class too much, but I would really love it if @peterrobinson would interview Michael Malice. lol
I don’t really have a head for the vector he comes in on, but I think he has a lot of good points about the headwinds conservatives deal with.
Let me say I take no offense at this remark. I want to comment that as a woman in Mrs. Robinson’s type of situation more than a few times in my life, I have a different take. I wonder if she knew exactly what to do and which tool to use but couldn’t get it to work due to her size and strength. It is frustrating but just something to deal with. You adopt coping skills, or you enlist a helpful hubby as backup:)
California is working on this right now. Petitions to change our state constitution to fund the student, not the school, because we know we’d never get it through our elected representatives, sadly.
How I WISH COVID were over. I’ve lost my job as a scientist and may never work in my industry again, if they keep their COVID vaccine policies in place. I’ve already been rejected for two new jobs I am qualified to take, but since I am unvaccinated I cannot be hired. (Note that I had a remote job at my old company and was still let go for being unvaccinated.)
My daughter wears a mask to school for 7 hours a day, which I hate with a passion because masks do absolutely nothing to stop the spread of aerosolized viruses, but want her in school. And this is at a private school that just wants to be a “good citizen” and follow the rules!
SARS-CoV2 is no longer a significant threat, if it ever was (debateable). As long as we continue to be governed by people who are either raging hypochondriacs or who cannot make a rational trade-off decision, COVID will never end. I pray that we can throw these people out of office, or stop listening to them (as we never listened to the CDC when they told us to cook our steaks well done), but I think it could go either way for quite some time.
I liked the interview with Ross and perhaps learned that above all, we must be persistent and persevere. I’m trying to laugh at the nuttiness and pray to my savior, but some days it is hard.