Yeah, that makes more sense historically, I think.

Excellent point about how the slave-holding Confederacy would need something like oil in order for the rest of the world to overlook the fact that they’re a slave state. Just one more reason why Confederate is a bad idea. I mean, I guess they could go with the idea that the CSA is the North Korea of the Americas. I…

I think that imagining “What would have happened if the emancipated slaves had actually been given their reparations?” is an excellent alternative history and could make an excellent story (and a peek at an America that would be substantially different than the one we have now). I wish there was more explanation about…

Oh yeah. It’s one of those situations where I know enough to know that things were (and still are, actually) bad for First Nations, but I’m not well-informed enough to know specifics. It was annoying to see someone claim that alternative history America would just look like Canada, because though I sometimes…

Remember, I’m talking about “all men are created equal” so that includes Native Americans. Canada wasn’t particularly respectful of First Nations, so I’m standing by my assertion that things would be considerably different. Hell, just giving the emancipated slaves their 40 acres and a mule would have made America an…

You’re probably right. I’m sure that there were plenty of other people who knew it was wrong, but were too greedy to do anything about it. It really should tarnish his reputation A LOT more than it has.

You’re right, I haven’t seen this before! It’s so good, and so true. Generational poverty is no joke. America deliberately perpetuated a system that would keep black people poor while whites were able to build wealth, and today white people bitch about welfare. (And I say that as a descendant of immigrants who got…

Yeah, definitely. That America would probably be significantly smaller. Would we have some kind of EU-type organization comprised of America as the eastern seaboard, and the rest of the territory being a bunch of separate nations ruled by the different tribes? Or would some other European power have colonized the…

You know, there’s an alternate American history that I think about sometimes. Thomas Jefferson said that slavery was like holding a wolf by the ears—you don’t dare hold on, but you don’t dare let go. I think about, what if the founding fathers had “let go”? What if they actually had believed that all men are created…

I know! I have some friends and family on the right wing, and one of them actually posted on Facebook that “It’s nice to have class back in the White House” when the Trumps moved in. Excuse me? There is no other reason for thinking that the Trumps are classier than the Obamas unless “classy” is a secret code word…

I was starting to wonder if I’m the only American woman who hasn’t been to a Night of Total Debauchery Bachelorette Party!!!!!!! All the ones I’ve been to were pretty tame, but were fun (except for the one I didn’t really want to go to because I don’t actually feel very close to the bride, but we have mutual friends…

Looks like it’s the second time today for me to ask if there’s a German word for a situation that isn’t at all surprising, yet should be completely shocking.

Is there a long German word that describes a situation that is not at all surprising, yet should be shocking?

I’m not generally a fan of policing what other women wear, but, yeah . . . that picture gave me some SERIOUS second-hand embarrassment.

I once worked at a middle school. Even wearing my professional clothing, I was mistaken for a student. That isn’t flattering, it’s just depressing.

Wow. I guess I’m glad that at least they weren’t racially motivated? It isn’t much, but I guess Trump’s America, you take your wins where you can.

Question: is your sister black? Because I’m getting a strong whiff of racist bullshit from the way she was treated.

I buy most of my clothes at Kohl’s, Target, and Meijer, so . . . yeah.

Agree. I had my fingers crossed after reading the headline that the two people he killed were fellow white supremacists who had a falling-out, but no. Nope, it was people who were standing up for some decency in the world.

My very favorite baronet! (And my favorite Austin novel)