So, I’m not a sports watcher, but when did they start singing America the Beautiful at the start of games? Did they always do this? Has it been since 9/11 when you started hearing the song so much more often?

*is* a holdover.

Yeah, that isn’t a holdover from just after the election that I honk they probably regret. It isn’t a bad take on a figure who is so powerful yet so mysterious, but it is pretty limiting.

In our topsy turvy world, I can’t believe I am on the side of rooting for nepotism at the highest level of government. I guess now I know in the race between fascism and monarchy, I go for monarchy?

I think Ivamka is culpable for Trump’s victory and has shown herself to be a shameless opportunist when it comes to promoting her clothing brand in ways that violate the spirit and (I think) the letter of the law, but why isnt it in appropriate for her to go along to Dover? We have had presidents before who had…

I listen to Texas Talking, a podcast about TX state politics that is, unsurprisingly, depressing as fuck. Last episode I heard, they were speculating on what democrats have enough of a following to be competitive in a statewide race. Popovich came up as a suggestion, that his celebrity could overcome the extremely…

I agree, he is way too disciplined to say something like this near a hot mic. It would make me like him a little more to know he thought this blatantly illegal EO is bullshit.

So, I think Pence will be bad, really bad, but I mean willing to take it if it means returning to an administration that pays attention to the rule of law.

I dunno, I’ve followed his career since ~1999 (my family is from in Janesville) and I don’t thinking he really cares about the populist/nationalist goals Trump is promoting. I think Ryan is dying to get all his bullshit, stupid tax and spending reforms cut. I think he wants those so bad that he is going along with…

Yeah, I think this is counterproductive. I don’t really care if there were some irregularities in how Trump’s work visa was obtained. Her situation sounds pretty familiar to me, lots of people work within the US while being employed by an overseas employer. We are talking about an administration that will deny the sky…

I’m pro-choice and a scientist and I read the report of a human-pig chimera with unease. This type of technology is very powerful and raises challenging ethical questions like: how human a creature you can grow? what suffering does the animal endure? Where will we go once this technique is perfected? I’m mostly…

I’m in Texas and the state legislature is calling Travis County (Austin and surrounds), El Paso, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio sanctuary cities. Their definition is pretty broad, Houston and El Paso have basically said that they are not INS, and have no intention of using city resources to enforce stupid federal…

I decided a few weeks ago to start volunteering with a local refugee resettlement agency. It doesn’t change policy, but helping new arrivals land with jobs, getting them self sufficient, and incorporated into the community will certainly help at least a few individuals.

I grew up in a lefty leaning Catholic diocese that took a hard shift towards baby saving, hard line doctrine during Pope Benedict’s term. I wonder if we will see a shift as the Church hierarchy adjusts to the priorities of Pope Francis?

Great video, I especially like the line: “Christianity is helping the stranger, even if it carries some personal risk, that is the parable of the Good Samaritan”.

I think this is a really good point (and a totally bullshit way to run to country). Trump’s chaotic campaign kept everyone in constant turmoil that actually deadened responses to his outrageous policies and lack of qualifications. It is hard for me to see a good path for the economy under this kind of uncertainty, a…

The way Trump, Obama, and Bush have used executive orders is not normal-they have each pushed orders farther than their predecessor. Even though I usually agreed with Obama’s objectives and understood he kind of had to with a congress that would fight him if he said the sky is blue, it was, to me, the biggest…

I’m wondering how much experience they have working with scientists? A misunderstood aspect of science is that it is a very social process. EPA scientists are in collaboration with people at hundreds of other institutions, are they going to demand publishing control over all of them as well? Scientists also talk to…

Yeah, this type of child support case just sucks, especially in a few years when the poor kid can read and find all these stories. It totally sucks to imagine a kid reading about a parent trying to disclaim him or her.

Yep, it is amazing to me how shows that were groundbreaking for featuring LG (but no B or T) characters in the late nineties/early aughts are almost hard to watch and crazy stereotypes by today’s cultural standard. Will and Grace, Queer as Folk, the Ellen show, all of them seem like time capsules from way longer than…