Racisism – affirmative action. Sexism – same, even though women are 51% of the population. Ageism: commercial pilots are required to retire at age 60. Wealthism – progressive income taxation.

That these laws were brought about in the hopes of righting past wrong, spreading equality, spreading inequity, or just playing to the least common denominator makes no difference – in the end they serve to classify us not as the individuals we are but as members of a convenient group to be categorized, quantified, and coddled in proportion to extract the female vote, the black vote, the hispanic vote, or the evangelical vote. If it looks like a divide and conquer tactic, it’s because it is.

The last thing I suspect anybody wants is an unruly group of individuals not easily divided into groups. That would lead to things like Constitutional Republics where every vote must be earned. I do not think the use of the word “democracy” to describe the USA and this trend towards categorization are unrelated.

And hence the news cycle peddles their cause du-jour, content that if they write it properly they can seek favor with the group they identify with. Never mind facts, folks — here’s how it affects *you*.

– Max

Have you noticed on network TV how the “talking heads” all rapidfire talk at once, like the 3 Stooges trying to get through a narrow doorway at the same time? How they all talk at the camera, and not to each other? How its way beyond even the rudeness of not letting each other finish before speaking. It isn’t even interruption of a conversation anymore. Because there is no conversation, just a simultaneous bias and emotion dump that has to be completed before the station break.
Team Tourrette’s Syndrome.

Melville said that “God’s one and only voice is silence.” May the grieving families find their sanctuary away from media ghouls.

I feel sorry for the parents, of these kids, I’ve been calling them kids from the start, they must certainly have a hole in their heart that will never be filled again, as you said earlier.

RIP.