Slavery And Global Warming
This content was originally posted March 11, 2012. … Have you ever wondered why your ancestors owned other human beings? How can you justify something this cruel? In an NPR interview to promote 1861: The Civil War Awakening, author Adam Goodheart has an answer.
“But I think we think of it differently when we realize that the value of slave property, some $4 billion, enormous amount of money in 1861, represented actually more money than the value of all of the industry and all of the railroads in the entire United States combined. So for Southern planters to simply one day liberate all of that property would have been like asking people today to simply overnight give up their stock portfolios, give up their IRAs.”
Mr. Goodheart compares it to the situation today with fossil fuels. “Many of us recognize that in burning fossil fuels we’re doing something terrible for the planet, we’re doing something terrible for future generations. And yet in order to give this up would mean sort of unraveling so much of the fabric of our daily lives, sacrificing so much, becoming these sort of radical eccentrics riding bicycles everywhere, that we continue somewhat guiltily to participate in the system. And that’s something that I use as a comparison to slavery, that many Americans in the North, and even I believe sort of secretly in the South, felt a sense of guilt, felt a sense of shame, that knew that the slave system was wrong but were simply addicted to slavery and couldn’t give it up. “
When the economic pressure is there, people will find a way to justify their actions. Slavery was justified in a number of ways. Today, there are people who deny the ill effects of using fossil fuels, and they have an eager audience. The payback for the environmental horror is in the future. This is similar to the way people today are paying … with racial turmoil … for slavery. Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken August 24, 1951. ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Shock And Awe 2008 Edition
This content was published March 18, 2008. … This is turning into a dandy holiday week. Yesterday was Saint Patrick’s Day. Tomorrow is Shock and Awe Day (SAD) … the anniversary of the invasion of Babylon. Today, we had a presidential candidate, standing in front of four U.S. flags, saying that his preacher is a racist nutcase, which is why he wants to be president of our racist nutcase country, which he loves. And this weekend we have a grand slam…Good Friday, Dead Saturday, Easter Sunday and the Spring Equinox. This time, let’s put two boulders in front of the cave.
The best place to focus now is Shock and Awe Day. SAD is the initials. The war is over. We achieved regime change, at least in Babylon. The occupation is what is going on now, and it just might be the death of this country. Yes, there is less sectarian violence now. Al Queda is not as prevalent as it once was. Of course, it is still more active than when Saddam was in power. Turkey has invaded Kurdistan, but just a little bit. Iran has not invaded Babylon, yet. The Saudi regime has not fallen, and they have a lot more money to finance terrorism.
The US economy is in trouble. Maybe we would be in this mess without a few trillion more in debt, and the healthcare bills for thousands of wounded soldiers coming due. Maybe we could build more levees if we weren’t paying the concerned local citizens of Iraq to help us fight Al Queda. We will never know. It should be noted the presidential candidate mentioned above has long stated his opposition to “Operation Iraqi Freedom”. Just what he will do about it, should he get elected, is another good question. … 2026 POV The candidate got elected, and sort-of ended the war in Babylon. Meanwhile, Syria devolved into chaos, and is currently ruled by a “former member” of Al Queda.
This content was published March 19, 2008. … So I was coming in on I-75, and listening to Glenn Beck. He was talking about the economy, and it was not pretty. I don’t believe everything he said, but to hear him tell it, the dollar is about to become a worthless piece of green paper. The world economy is tied to this dollar, and this would make the world economy go into convulsions.
This is shock and awe day (SAD)…the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Babylon. The war ended quickly, but putting humpty dumpty together has proved to be a challenge. One of the effects of this war is vast amounts of capital leaving the country into the desert sands. Much has been lost to corruption, and more is being paid to “concerned local citizens” to fight Al Queda. The latter effort is paying some benefits, and Al Queda is almost down to the level of pre-war Iraq. Getting back to the dollar, and the connection to our economy. One of the more bizarre features of this enterprise is having a tax cut before an expensive government program is going to start. This has created vast budget deficits, and huge interest payments that will continue for a long time.
Now, with the money to armor troops and buy smart bombs, there is a lot less money available for day to day life here. And when there is an emergency here, like a cajun hurricane or a New York broker banker gone bust, the government has to crank up the printing press and make more green paper. And the more this happens, the less the green paper is worth. … Maybe green is not such a great color anymore. Those environmental wackos have totally spoiled it.
So, Mr. Beck was crying about the dollar, while ignoring the effect of the enterprise in Babylon. After all, he is a conservative, who wants both a smaller government and 160k troops stationed eight time zones away. And, if we didn’t go into Babylon, then Al Queda wouldn’t be there for us to fight, and we have to fight them there rather than here. … Meanwhile, I looked up at the traffic. An 18 wheeler decided that the car in front was not driving fast enough. The big truck swerved into the next lane, and missed the little car by a couple of feet. Happy SAD y’all!!
This content was published March 24, 2008. … Please, no betray us jokes this time. That gave the warmongers a good distraction last fall. General David Petraeus spoke to the press recently. He said victory in Babylon would occur when there is: “an Iraq that is at peace with itself, at peace with its neighbors, that has a government that is representative of — and responsive to — its citizenry and is a contributing member of the global community.”
There are a lot of differences between the United States and Iraq. The USA has 160k troops in Iraq. Iraq recently won a major soccer tournament. One has to wonder, though, how the USA does at meeting the standards it sets for Iraq. · “an Iraq that is at peace with itself” Last week, the major news story was an important minority bashing America from the pulpits of it’s churches. It’s just the way it is in the black church, you don’t understand. · “at peace with its neighbors” Despite all the political noise the rightwing can produce, the border with Mexico is wide open. The effects of a poor country on the border of a “wealthy” country do not stop. · “a government that is representative of — and responsive to — its citizenry” This depends on who you talk to. It seems like everyone has a gripe, from the right wing ( social issues, immigration) to the left wing ( the war, the environment, the rich-poor gap, health care). There are plenty in the middle who are tired of the whining, but essentially agree with both sides of the spectrum. · “is a contributing member of the global community” In all fairness, we are contributing to the global community. We contribute carbon emissions to the atmosphere. We contribute interest to the Asians who are financing our debt. We contribute cluster bombs and depleted uranium to Babylon.
One of our presidential hopefuls was quoted recently as saying we might be in Iraq for 100 more years. Somehow, I don’t think the problems in our own country will be solved by then. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Arthur Rothstein took the social media picture in October 1939. “Winner of masquerade at Halloween party. Hillview cooperative, Osage Farms, Missouri.”
©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Why Did The Cow Cross The Road?
Why did the cow cross the road? The chicken was on vacation.
Knock knock. who’s there? boo. boo who?. Don’t cry it’s only a joke…
It’s six of one, half a dozen of the other.
A man walks up to a horse and says, “Why the long face?”
Two pretzels were walking down the street. one was a salted.
“He who laughs last thinks slowest.”
“Raise your hand if you’re here.”
Two nuns walk into a bar; the third one ducks.
Q: What did the radio say when it was dropped? A: “Ow. That hertz.”
What did the ranch say to the refrigerator door? “Close the door, I’m dressing”
Why don’t blind people skydive? It scares the heck out of their dogs…
What did the fish say when it ran into a wall? dam.
“I see.” said the blind man as he peed into the wind… “It’s all coming back to me now.”
What’s the last thing to go through a bug’s mind when it hits the windshield? Its butt.
You can tuna guitar, but you can’t tuna fish.
What do a duck and a bicycle have in common? They both have wheels… except the duck.
What’s brown and sounds like a bell? DUNGGGGG.
What’s brown and sticky? A stick
When people ask the mortician what he does for a living, he says he is a “boxer”.
What did the shy pebble say?… I wish I was a little boulder! .
What do you call an arrogant criminal falling out of a tower? Condescending.
Two guys walk into a bar… you would think the second guy woulda ducked.
A woman walks into a bar holding a duck. Bartender says, “What’s with the pig?”
Woman says, “It’s a duck.” Bartender says, “I was talking to the duck.”
Why do flamingos always lift one leg when they’re standing?
Cause if they lifted both, they’d fall over!
Q: How many Surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb? A: To get to the other side.
Did you get a haircut? Actually, I got them all cut.
One mushroom said to another mushroom, “Hey – you’re one Fungi!”
What do you call an arrogant criminal falling out of a tower? Condescending.
A dyslexic man walked into a bra …
Q: What do you call a midget, psychic, prison escapee? A: A small medium at-large.
A mule walks into a bar. The bartender says, “Hey, buddy, why the long face?”
“Because my dad is a jackass.”
I have one about the roof but its over your head.
Shall I tell you the one about the skunk? Never mind, it stinks!
There’s nothing like a good joke… and that was nothing like a good joke.
A rabbi, nun, lawyer, mime, and horse all walk into a bar.
The bartender says, “What is this, some kind of joke?”
When’s the best time to eat reindeer meat? …. When you’re hungry.
These stories are borrowed from 22 WORDS. Visit @22Words at your own risk. Pictures are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The featured photograph was taken August 3, 1954. “Fred Hand family” This is a repost.
Epstein Regime
So I get in from my walk. I started out by walking up to the Cemetery on 8th Street, and picking up trash. I was listening to an amazing story from Jesse and Katie. A Finnish beauty queen got caught. Someone posted a picture of her, and she was making these slitty eyes on her face, and someone wrote a tasteless caption. FBQ later explained that she had a migraine. Stretching her eyes out made the migraine feel better. … I got home and I washed my hands. I had about 10 minutes left on my timer, and the player automatically went to the next show. It turned out to be Gilbert Gottfried and David Steinberg … two old Jews in the home telling each other the same stories over and over.
Since there is a war going on, and oil is involved, it’s important to keep an eye on the price of oil and of the Dow Jones. The price of oil has gone down $10.20 a barrel since I last looked at it, and the Dow Jones is up 186 points. This is not a long-term trend. We’re just getting started on this killing party, and it might last for a while. Iran has the Straits of Hormuz shut down, and there’s no telling what our idiot leaders are going to be able to do about it. Meanwhile, there is always Twitter.
“@kelevitch November 2025: Netanyahu sets the goal of assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader. – December 2025: Lockheed Martin begins ramping up weapons production “months” before the war. – December 22: Senator Boozman (Chairman of Military Appropriations) buys RTX stock. Senator Williams buys defense stocks. – December 29: Senator Mullin (Armed Services Committee) buys $15,000-$50,000 of RTX stock. – January 2026: Lockheed signs “landmark” deal to TRIPLE PAC-3 and QUADRUPLE THAAD production. – January 9: Rep. Cisneros buys RTX stock. – January 12: US activates new joint missile defense center at Al Udeid, Qatar. – February 27: Oman’s FM announces “breakthrough” Iran agrees to dilute uranium and accept IAEA verification. Peace is “within reach.” – February 28: Bombs fall. – March 1: Defense stocks hit ALL-TIME HIGHS. $25-30 billion in shareholder wealth created in ONE DAY. – March 6: Trump hosts CEOs of 7 defense contractors at the White House. Lockheed: “We agreed to quadruple production.” – March 9: Oil hits $119. Markets crash globally. 1,850+ dead across 16 countries. And the War Powers Resolution? Voted down 47-53. By the same Congress that bought the stocks. That got the briefings. That took the AIPAC money.
Read that timeline again: — Netanyahu planned it in November — Lockheed prepared in December — Congress bought stocks in December-January — The peace deal was announced on February 27 — The bombs fell on February 28. Peace was “within reach” at 6 PM. The bombs fell at midnight. They didn’t fail at peace. They CHOSE war. While their stocks were already positioned. While the weapons were already built. While the kill target was already selected. And you? You get $3.50 gas. A crashing stock market. Dead soldiers. And a president who calls you a “FOOL” for worrying about it. They chose war. They profited from war. And they’re billing YOU for war. The only question left: what are you going to do about it?”
“@ComicDaveSmith You know Mehdi, I used to mourn the death of the American antiwar left during the Obama years. They were largely silent on the US created catastrophes in Libya, Syria, Somalia and Yemen. When the antiwar left returned on Gaza, I never thought to start lecturing them about voting for Biden in order to pat myself on the back and foolishly pretend that this proves their idiocy or guilt or whatever. I was just happy that they were good on such an important issue. Here you have the most influential guy in the country calling out this disastrous war and this is your response? Especially when YOU voted for genocide Joe and Kamala who supported the whole thing. Obviously I’m biased here. Joe is my guy and I also foolishly supported Trump but I think I’m right here.”
“@RealMassguy Someone just told me about this woman on Instagram who genuinely thought “JFC” stood for “just for clarification.” She’d been dropping it casually in professional emails for years. It instantly reminded me of my own mom, who for the longest time was convinced “LOL” meant “lots of love.” I swear to God, she once commented on a Facebook post where someone had shared tragic news: “So sorry for your loss. LOL.””
“@InsideLucysHead How would the Church of England deal with the statement that “The cat sat on the mat” if it appeared in the Bible? The liberal theologians would point out that such a passage did not, of course, mean that the cat literally sat on the mat. Also, cat and mat had different meanings in those days from today, and anyway, the text should be interpreted according to the customs and practices of the period. · This would lead to an immediate backlash from the Evangelicals. They would make it an essential condition of faith that a real physical, living cat, being a domestic pet of the species Domesticus, and having a whiskered head, a furry body, four legs and a tail, did physically place its whole body on a floor covering, designed for that purpose, and which is on the floor but not of the floor. The expression “on the floor but not of the floor” would be explained in a leaflet.
Meanwhile, the Catholics would have developed the Feast of the Sedentation of the Blessed Cat. This would teach that the cat was white, and majestically reclined on a mat of gold thread before its assumption to the Great Cat Basket of Heaven. This is commemorated by singing the “Magnificat” and “Felix namque”, lighting three candles, and ringing a bell five times. · This would cause a schism with the Orthodox Church, which believes tradition requires Holy Cats Days (as it is colloquially known) to be marked by lighting SIX candles and ringing the bell FOUR times. This would partly be resolved by the Cuckoo Land Declaration, recognising the traditional validity of each. · Eventually, the House of Bishops would issue a statement on the Doctrine of the Feline Sedentation. It would explain that traditionally, the text describes a domestic feline quadruped superjacent to an unattached covering on a fundamental surface. For determining its salvific and eschatological significations, we follow the heuristic analytical principles adopted in dealing with the Canine Fenestration Question (How much is that doggie in the window?) and the Affirmative Musaceous Paradox (Yes, we have no bananas). · The General Synod would then commend this report as helpful resource material for clergy to explain to the man in the pew the difficult doctrine of ‘The cat sat on the mat.’”
“Human Rights Watch Accuses Israel of White Phosphorus Use Over Lebanese Homes · Human Rights Watch verified images from March 3, 2026, showing Israeli artillery firing white phosphorus munitions over the southern Lebanese village of Yohmor, dispersing incendiary particles up to 250 meters amid clashes with Hezbollah. The group called the use unlawful in populated areas, warning of severe civilian risks despite no confirmed injuries, as Israel had ordered evacuations that morning. This incident follows Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel since March 2.”
“@MaxBlumenthal WaPo reports the Anti-Defamation League and Trump admin are freaking out about the viral popularity of Operation Epstein Fury. I launched the name for Israeli-US terrorist war on Iran at 4:54 AM on February 28 and demand some credit, @JGreenblattADL … “The conflict has also sparked a sharp rise in antisemitic content, according to researchers from the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization — some of it seeking to link Epstein, who was Jewish, to the conflict. · “Pretty quickly after the conflict began, this conspiratorial rebranding of Operation Epic Fury” — the U.S. military’s official name — into ‘Operation Epstein Fury’ started circulating on social media platforms,” said Oren Segal, the ADL’s senior vice president of counter-extremism and intelligence. An ADL report found that the phrase “Epstein Fury” was mentioned more than 90,000 times by some 60,000 different accounts on X within the conflict’s first three days. … Other disinformation researchers have also taken note of the campaign to link U.S. and Israeli leaders to Epstein. Posts on X that used the phrase “Epstein regime” — a derogatory reference to the U.S.-Israel alliance — increased one hundred-fold on the first day of the missile strikes, said Emerson Brooking, director of strategy at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab. Several of the most popular posts to use the phrase came from Owens.”
“@LealIris_ It’s scary to admit this, but the war got complicated as expected, and I’m not at all sure the Iranians will stop when Trump decides it’s over. We’re stuck in a nightmare because a cynical man indifferent to our existence whispered in the ear of an clueless infant and convinced him to embark on a failed military adventure. I assume the euphoria is over, cuties.” (Translated from Hebrew)
“@YoelH5 First time identifying signs of slackening and disappointment in the Netanyahu government on the Iranian front. In the immediate term, this is bad for a million children in Gaza. The Americans put a sweeping veto on bombing oil fields. Disagreements are emerging between the armies over some of the failures in Tehran. This is a nightmare for Gaza. Whitkopf will arrive in Jerusalem next week to mark an expiration date for the war in Iran. The frustration in the IDF will be dumped, as always, on the concentration camp in Gaza.” (Translated from Hebrew) … Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Arthur Rothstein took the social media picture in June 1942. “Queens, New York. Nursery school at the Queensbridge housing project. Nursery worker helping children eat lunch” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Mr. Eno And Mr. Isherwood
I was listening to a conversation between Brian Eno and Rick Rubin. Mr. Eno made a comment that sent me down a google rabbit hole, looking for a digital holy grail. When I did not find what I was looking for, I returned to the conversation. Before long, Mr. Eno said something very similar.
“I’d heard something on NPR. It was a poet, a black poet from somewhere in America, reading this poem called Cadillac. I spent years trying to find this thing. I never found it. I wrote to NPR, and I phoned them up, and everything. It was called Pink Cadillac … this amazing, very rhythmic poem, about how he wanted a Pink Cadillac.” This quote got me thinking about another detail.
There are bits of knowledge that want to remain hidden. One is from Christopher Isherwood. It was in a magazine, sometime before 1994. The author died in 1986. The comment was about when you choose a religion. It is not the doctrine that attracts you to a religion, it is the people who introduce you to this observance. If the right person had told Mr. Isherwood about Catholicism, he would have become a Catholic. Instead, in 1938, Aldous Huxley and Gerald Heard introduced Mr. Isherwood to Swami Prabhavananda, and the Vedanta Society of Southern California.
“He (Isherwood) published an account of his spiritual journey at the end of his life, called My Guru and His Disciple. … It’s interesting because it’s so frank and unromantic about the spiritual life. Where Alan Watts basically bullshitted his way to guru status while secretly being an alcoholic and treating his wives like crap, Isherwood is totally upfront about his boredom, his frustration, his vanity, his sexual escapades … he gave us a wonderfully unvarnished account of spiritual mediocrity. As Pema Chodron says, we spend most of our spiritual lives in the middle – not completely lost, yet not completely saved. Just muddling through.”
I did not find the quote I was looking for, but I did find another piece to the puzzle. I went back to Mr. Eno and Mr. Rubin. Then, out of nowhere, came this: “I think that’s the power of religion as well. The power of religion is not the connection with God, but the connection with the rest of the congregation. The connection with all of the people who also believe in that particular story. I’m not really religious myself but i really respond to that idea.”
“I don’t want to be a believer. I want to be somebody who, as far as possible, understands and knows things. Believing things leaves me a little bit unsatisfied. If I find myself believing something, I want to test the belief. I want to say how do I find out how valid this is.”
“I always used to say that artists are either cowboys or farmers really and they’re both both ways of being an artist are fine you know the farmer wants to find a piece of territory and fully explore it and exploit it … the other kind of artist is the one who just wants to find somewhere new he just wants to find the neck the next frontier the next piece of territory and that’s what he gets turned on by so i i think i’m more in the second category though people listening to my work would say but it all sounds exactly the same brian.”
If you want more, you can listen to the complete interview, or other episodes of Broken Record. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Sheldon Dick took the social media picture in 1938. “Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Beer party in Joe Gladski’s cellar. Mr. Gladski is in the right foreground” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Fixing To Die Rag
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How Will the Iran War End? The seven hurdles to an allied victory
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Quentin Tarantino Is Alive & Well Contrary To Misinformation On X
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Flannery O’Connor’s Writing: A Guide for the Perplexed
Country Joe Mcdonald – Feel Like i’m Fixing to Die Rag – Woodstock ’69
tai chi · sputnik · mason mill · save act · flannery o’connor
stop · claude conversion · 1229d · iran insurance · 0317dd
0326d · iran · · de-zionism · abahc-bot · ram dass · Mechanical Riverfront Kingdom
touchpad · asimov · trace · here · iran · Mechanical Riverfront Kingdom
This is the first monday morning reader of the FAFO war. @TheWapplehouse Quentin Tarantino has been killed by an Iranian missile in Tel Aviv @ComChia430 Was there a sign at his house that said “Dead Quentin Storage”? · i helped someone put clumbs of insulation in his attic one time … there was a note on the bag, wear gloves when putting your hand in cavities … these guys were into fistfucking, so that was appreciated · I thought you might enjoy seeing what has become of restaurant criticism. One of the 1SR restaurants is Landmark Diner, located in the space formerly housing Leb’s Restaurant · One of the advantages of zoom is being able to journal on a keyboard. I have gotten to the point where I actively dislike writing with a pen and paper. People who try to read my handwriting agree. Ashley has appeared, as if by magic. The pink stuffed animal … is it an elephant … is supervising the room, and doing a good job of maintaining order. One concept of meditation is to empty the mind, and it is curious to see what comes in after the door is opened. I heard a show recently about a person trying to tell the difference between the brain and the mind, which I didn’t know existed. Semantics plays a role in so many things. I wonder if maybe it is connected to having our society dominated by the christian church, which is based on a book considered to be the word of God. When you base so much of your thought process on this concept, you can see where words and beliefs have more importance than they ought to have. · I stumbled onto a 1964 quiz about whether or not you are a liberal. Things looked different in 1964. Liberal was not an insult in those days. · I had a disagreement with another blogger in 2007 over Iran. He made this comment: “I agree it’s unwise to beat the war drums now, but Iran is not benign. Wouldn’t you be at least a little concerned if they acquired nuclear weapons?” · There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” “A Cult of Ignorance”, Newsweek (21 January 1980). · One popular brand of underwear is the BVD. This was originally made by Bradley, Voorhees & Day, hence the name. BVDs are not named for Bovine Viral Diarrhea · There was a much praised video about a Plastic Bag, that winds up in the Pacific Trash Vortex. The bag has a voice, supplied by uberkraut Werner Herzog. (sottotitoli in italiano – voce di Werner Herzog) · twitter contributes text that can, help you satisfy the need to create, vegans chess players presbyterians, oppress clean well groomed people, with shameless displays of bad hair · ” He will teach literature, not social studies or little lessons in democracy or the customs of many lands.” Flannery O’Connor, writing in her essay “Total Effect and the Eighth Grade,” which appeared in the posthumous collection Mystery and Manners (1969) · gone in a flash – When I got in from my afternoon running around, I saw that Country Joe McDonald had died. Fifty seven years after Woodstock might not seem like a flash, but in the four billion year drama that is planet earth, fifty seven years is just barely an f, much less a full fledged flash. Like Country Joe famously said, Gimme an F – This man sang about Vietnam, and trying to stop that horror. Today, we are eight days into operation epstein fury, and the fun is just getting started. In Country Joes honor, I am going to adapt one of his songs for the current turmoil · and its one two three, what are we fighting for, don’t ask me about that smell, it’s just your Israel, and its five six seven, what are we trying to do, It’s not because of Iran’s nuke, whoopee we’re all gonna puke · @MediocreJoker85 A man walked into a dentist’s office late one evening. The dentist looked up and asked, “Can I help you?” The man said, “I think I’m a moth.” The dentist frowned. “You don’t need a dentist. You need a psychiatrist.” “I know,” the man said. The dentist paused. “Then why did you come in here?” The man looked back toward the door. “The light was on.” · @GenXGirl1994 After getting fired or stepping down (unclear which), Eylon Levy was hired to post Israel’s pro-genocide propaganda but they stiffed him on payment · The secretary of defense is now known as the secretary of war, or sow. With Pete Hegseth, aka crystal meth Rumsfeld, you reap what you sow. · The spell check suggestion for Hegseth is Seethe · Pictures today are from The Library of Congress Jack Delano took the social media picture in March 1942. “Chicago, Illinois. Good Shepherd Community Center. Steelworkers at a union meeting. ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Plastic
This content was originally published March 22, 2010. … There was a much praised video about a Plastic Bag, that winds up in the Pacific Trash Vortex. The bag has a voice (supplied by uberkraut Werner Herzog), and goes looking for it’s “maker” (an unknown actress.) Today’s version: Plastic Bag (sottotitoli in italiano – voce di Werner Herzog)
The bag has a remarkable existence. First, it is used to carry tennis balls, then dog food, then to pick up the by product of dog food. This is remarkable in itself… the typical kroger bag, if it doesn’t get thrown away on arrival at home, will not be used for more than one chore. But this is a special bag.
After the secondary canine duty, the bag is thrashed. Somehow, it escapes from the municipal destination, and begins a wind propelled odyssey in search of “my maker.” After a while, it is on the beach, and the wind takes it into the ocean. It floats in the sea, has pieces bitten off my non nutrition conscious fish, and heads off for a legendary garbage nirvana.
Before long, the bag is in the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch. ” The GPGP is a bit north of Hawaii, and west of California. The bag movie was filmed in Wilmington, N.C. You should not think about this too long. At any rate, the bag is not happy in the GPGP, and moves on to greener pastures.
The next day, I go to a site called LISTVERSE. The letterman of the day is “top ten places you don’t want to visit”. Number ten on the list is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. GPGP is either the size of Texas or twice the size of the lower 48. It is a collection of debris, largely plastic, from the world. It is held in place by something called a gyre, which is a place where swirling ocean currents bump up against each other. Greenpeace has a neat little visual that illustrates this. … LISTVERSE is still publishing content in 2026.
Plastic is a petroleum by product, and has many benefits to our world. It’s durability is one of them, and also one of it’s negatives. (The fact that plastic is so cheap to make is another.) A plastic bag cast off into the environment simply does not disappear. Fish eat them, thinking it is good food, and die of starvation. (Does this affect the food chain?) While the film about the plastic bag is an exaggeration, the fact is that plastic is forever, and ever.
Pictures are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library The featured photograph was taken April 21, 1969. “Mendel College for Fabric Knowledge” The poster is from Treehugger.com. ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
BVD
This content was originally posted March 22, 2013. … Spencer Tracy’s second rule for acting is to not trip over the props. This might be a problem for Jon Hamm. In a bit of slow news day genius, his show leaked the information that the actor has been requested to wear underwear on the set. A rep for Mr. Hamm said: “It is ridiculous and not really funny at all. I’d appreciate you taking the high road and not resorting to something childish like this that’s been blogged about 1,000 times.”
This was an issue when Tallulah Bankhead was making “Lifeboat”. Other performers complained about the thespian not wearing panties. Director Alfred Hitchcock wondered if this was a matter for wardrobe, or a matter for hairdressing.
This concern about foundation garments, conveniently arising during the pre-easter shopping season, made me wonder when men started to wear drawers. Could this be the result of manufacturers inventing demand for a product? Wikipedia says the loincloth is thousands of years old. A footnote, about the invention of the jockstrap, led to an English article, A brief history of pants: Why men’s smalls have always been a subject of concern.
“In 1935, the first Jockey briefs went on sale in Chicago. Designed by an “apparel engineer” called Arthur Kneibler (working at the time for Coopers Inc), the arrival of the first underpants denuded of any legs and featuring a Y-shaped opening has been compared with the 1913 invention of the bra, or the 1959 debut of tights. … Coopers, now known as Jockey International, sent its “Mascul-line” plane to make special deliveries of “masculine support” briefs to retailers across the United States. When the Jockeys arrived in Britain in 1938, they sold at the rate of 3,000 per week.”
One popular brand of underwear is the BVD. This was originally made by Bradley, Voorhees & Day, hence the name. BVDs are not named for Bovine Viral Diarrhea. Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library. The social media picture was taken April 30, 1951. “War Bond luncheon” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
War And Taxes
This post was published March 28, 2008. … One of the radio whiners was talking about taxes today. (That sentence could get a lot of use). There was some kind of economist guest, and the consensus was that lower taxes stimulated the economy. The thought occurred to this reporter … why have taxes at all? If lower taxes would stimulate the economy, then what about no taxes at all? I am no economist, but I suspect this would not work. To begin with, we have to pay the interest of the debt we already have. If we don’t pay this interest, then no one will loan us any more money.
Second, we have the War in Babylon to consider. Our Government tried to pay for this war with a tax cut before the invasion. The budget deficit went to $410b in 2004. The economy was stimulated, though, and there was regime change in Baghdad. Unfortunately, our army was not greeted as liberators. However, the tax cut was greeted as a liberator in certain circles here. (The budget deficit was $1.78t in 2025. The national debt was $7.37t in 2004, and $36.21t in 2025)
It would seem to this slack Georgia Blogger that the issue is not whether or not to have taxes, but how to assess them, and and at what rates. I have written a few times about the “Fair tax”. one two three The FT has the potential to work, but there are wrinkles to iron out. God/Satan is in the details.
Lets get back to the matter of how to set the tax rates. It is a mess. Tax deductions and tax write offs have produced many jobs, and done much good work. The powerhouse economy of the last seventy years has been a product of many factors. Deficit spending, a print happy federal reserve, and baffling tax laws have all played a part. Should we throw the baby out with the bathwater? Maybe we can go back to an emphasis on tariffs to raise money. This would have the dual effect of bringing in money, and protecting the industries that have not gone south of the border. Nevermind that tariffs were a minor cause of the war between the states.
A tax on the rich would bring in revenue, and is a crowd pleaser at election time. However, some of these people are entrepreneurs who create jobs. Besides, they give political contributions, and are protected. Maybe we could tax political contributions, and other forms of prostitution. Legalizing certain controlled substances would add to the tax digest. In short, I don’t have a clue. I am just a slack georgia blogger who doesn’t get campaign contributions.
This post was published March 25, 2008. … The blog battles are on hold. After being banned by a slew of Jesus Worship blogs, I have been mostly out of combat. Except for a skirmish with AtlMalcontent about Amnesty International, the western front has been quiet. … Renegade Evolution recently alerted me to the seven deadly sins test. I left a comment, and her initial reply started “chamblee54 who the f*** are you”. I mentioned I was a recovering Baptist, and Ren said “Baptist…egads”.
The Baptist experience is very different from the Jew experience. I decided a long time ago I didn’t agree with what went on in church, and was no longer a Baptist. My mother converted as a teenager, and recruited my dad a few years later. There is no long family history, no Seders with relatives, almost no ritual … just a noisy fascination with life after death. Jews, on the other hand, have a long history, and many families have been on the program a long, long time. I don’t know if you are really ever an ex Jew, whether or not you are observant. I also am not familiar with Ren’s story…what people mean when they say they are Jewish changes from person to person.
As for Renegade Evolution’s blog … it is well written, and has some great stories. I read a description of a porn movie shoot that was highly entertaining. She is focused on the sex worker point of view, which is her right as a blogger. It is also my right as a reader to get tired of reading about it. I have always found the feminist anti pornography attitude to be a bit mysterious. I imagine this is a function of being a gay man, from a culture which celebrates smut. Yes, that is the sound of one hand clapping…the other hand is busy.
Most gay porn is cooperative, that is, both men are equals and everyone has a squirting good time. I think a certain percentage of str8 movies are not. I have a str8 tape in my collection where this gnarly baldheaded guy says mean things to the woman. I find it tough to believe that guys are turned on by this, but apparently some are. I can see why some women object to this “entertainment”. I am glad that Ren is standing up for the rights of people like her (and that we live in a country that permits this). I also question how much I really want to read about it.
Back to the Seven Deadly Sins. This is a very old fashioned list, perhaps even obsolete. Listening to the well defended Jeremiah Wright, it is clear that Wrath and Pride are on their way to being cardinal virtues. With today’s prosperity gospel, Envy and Greed are no longer in disrepute. From the look of many waistlines in the modern church, Gluttony is a favored pastime. That leaves Sloth and Lust. Good old Lust … it always did have a special place in the hearts of pulpit pounders.
The discussion with Renegade Evolution is lost in the digital dustbin. Ren made her last searchable post January 13, 2013. As for AtlMalcontent, he made an amusing comment in his 2007 rant. “You argue, in essence, that we should say nothing about human rights abuses in Iran because it might create “ill will against the government there.” Good. Ahmadinejad is a religious fanatic with visions of grandeur. I agree it’s unwise to beat the war drums now, but Iran is not benign. Wouldn’t you be at least a little concerned if they acquired nuclear weapons?” Pictures today are from Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library
The social media picture was taken March 16, 1967. “ Chevron Island event ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
Are You a Liberal?
@jessesingal “I scored 92% on the Burnham Liberal Test (1964) — “Full-Blown Liberal.” 39 questions from Suicide of the West. Take it yourself” This item floated across my timeline when I was thinking of today’s entertainment. Taking a 1964 test about being “a liberal” should provide enough text to put between the pictures. Liberal was not an insult in 1964.
Jesse is a curious character. He is the co-host of Blocked and Reported, my monday morning podcast. Jesse has a lot of opinions, with a great deal of ideological diversity. If you listen/read long enough, you will be offended by something.
Today’s content hit a roadblock when I tried to find out Jesse’s middle name and birthday. Google/Wikipedia does not want to say. After a bit of digging, I found a dodgy website, Transgender Map. “Jesse Richard Singal was born November 24, 1983 … Singal and anti-transgender troll Katie Herzog started the “drama” podcast Blocked and Reported in 2020, which has significant coverage overlap with other anti-trans drama outlets like Libs of TikTok and The Matt Walsh Show.”
The first question: “All forms of racial segregation and discrimination are wrong. Agree/Disagree” This is basically what liberal/conservative meant in 1964, when I was ten years old. The rest of the questions used the Agree/Disagree format, which makes grading easier. Semantics and gray areas are not considered. Some of the other questions are interesting. Click here for a complete list.
09 – “If reasonable compensation is made, the government of a nation has the legal and moral right to expropriate private property within its borders, whether owned by citizens or foreigners.”
12 – “Any interference with free speech and free assembly, except for cases of immediate public danger or juvenile corruption, is wrong.”
15 – “Hotels, motels, stores and restaurants in southern United States ought to be obliged by law to allow Negroes to use all of their facilities on the same basis as whites.”
19 – “Corporal punishment, except possibly for small children, is wrong.”
24 – “Congressional investigating committees are dangerous institutions, and need to be watched and curbed if they are not to become a serious threat to freedom.”
27 – “In determining who is to be admitted to schools and universities, quota systems based on color, religion, family or similar factors are wrong.”
28 – “The national government should guarantee that all adult citizens, except for criminals and the insane, should have the right to vote.”
29 – “Joseph McCarthy was probably the most dangerous man in American public life during the fifteen years following the Second World War.”
33 – “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and expression.”
39 – “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
Many of these statements look very different 62 years later. #27 would be the conservative view today. In many of these issues, they sound good until you consider the implications. “Freedom of expression” includes going on a shooting spree.
“72% Mostly Liberal You share most of the liberal assumptions Burnham identified, though not without reservation.” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Jack Delano took the social media picture in March 1942. “Chicago, Illinois. Provident Hospital. Miss Irene Hill, nurse technician, taking baby to be x-rayed” ©Luther Mckinnon 2026 · selah
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