Around 1980 some on the far right saw how useful religion can be to those who seek power. In 2024 they will continue to push for the USA to be ruled by their rigid form of Christianity. They lie about: (1) this nation’s history and (2) their claim to speak for all Christians. 1/9

A theocracy is “Government of a state by those who are believed to be or represent that they are acting under the immediate direction of God or some other divinity.” [FN1] The USA never has been a theocracy.…

Since I began to blog, in 2011, I have noted several times [FN1], differences between trump and the Austrian former corporal who, for 12 years and three months, ruled a “thousand-year Reich.”

Hitler wrote a best seller, was financially solvent, won office, and did not dodge the draft. 1/5

Today, John Cleese apologized for stating five ways “Hitler was preferable to [t]rump”: fought for his country, never used a teleprompter, was nice to dogs, wrote his own books, never played…

Rules in debate [FN1] vary [FN2], but the “basics” are consistent & essential.

1 Each debater [FN3] speaks w/o interruption. Violation can mean disqualification. In basketball [FN4], when a team scores, its opponent gets to (try to) in-bound. 1/8



2 There are specific time limits. Everyone has the same amount of time available. [FN5]

3 Arguments are supported by evidence. We had 4" x 6" index cards for quotes, stats, definitions or whatever was relevant for a topic.…

Neanderthals met Homo Sapiens. [FN1] Dr Who met daleks. [FN2] Dave met HAL [FN3] An AI drone has not refused orders from a human. [FN4] Moore’s law [FN5] has given way, it seems at light-speed, to other “laws” that describe how rapidly machine memory & speed develop. 1/6

Marshall McLuhan described how the ways people relay information have evolved. [FN6] In the past 200 years we went from travel only by foot, horseback or sail. We are able to travel to the Moon. And now we hear of…

On 12/14/23 SCOTUS issued an order at the end of a week heavy w/SCOTUS news. After a July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, the State of Illinois and the City of Naperville enacted placed restrictions on assault weapons [FN1] & large capacity magazines. 1/7

In Bevis [FN2], a lobbying group & a gun store owner filed a lawsuit and argued the restrictions violate the 2nd Amendment. They sought to stop the laws’ enforcement pending outcome of their lawsuit. The U.S. Court…

“Mat’l from a binder w/highly classified info” of investigation of “Russian efforts to meddle in the 2016 election disappeared” in trump’s final days in office. [FN1] Copies of The Constitution provide sufficient toilet paper at Mar-a-Lago. The material still might be relevant. 1/7

A January, 2017, report, adopted in findings in a federal statute. Putin “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at” the U.S. Pres election. [FN2] American voters favored one candidate [FN3], but Putin…

WARNING: If you lack a sense of humor, please read no further.

West Fort Worth Management, formerly called Pale Horse Strategies, is in need of hiring a copywriter. The company changed its name recently after its leader met with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Below is the text of the letter I sent: 

West Fort Worth Management

c/o RedBalloon

Re: Job opening for copywriter

In research for my blog (civildiscoursenow.com) I saw that you seek a…

The Roberts Court, in 2022, took away women’s right to make health care decisions. [FN1] The Texas GOP jumped to ban abortions except when “the pregnant female” has “life threatening physical condition” or is at risk of death or impairment a major bodily function. [FN2] 1/8

Kate Cox, carrying a fetus w/a condition nearly always fatal, sought & got an order from a Texas court so she could have an abortion. [FN3] She would have had to undergo a 3rd c-section & “jeopardize her…

Sen Mike Braun (R-IN), after one term as a Senator, is running for Governor. In a 12/9/23 email, he says he would: 1) “DEPORT criminal illegals,” 2) “HOLD China accountable for killing our people,” & 3) “DESTROY the drug cartels.” [FN1] These are not State issues. 1/8

1) The Constitution invalidates state laws that conflict/contrary to federal law. [FN2] Regulation of immigration and of aliens non-citizens is intimately a responsibility of the feds. [FN3] States’ permissible…

Should we have expected moral outrage from Micah Beckwith [FN1] after last night’s GOP “debate” [FN2] & Vivek Ramaswamy’s claim that January 6 “was an inside job”? Not a peep from Beckwith? BUT: Beckwith, in a 1/07/21 selfie video shot in his car, revealed ”The Lord” said: 1/6

“Micah, I sent those riots to Washington. What you saw yesterday was my hand at work” These are words of “The Lord,” according to Beckwith. Well nuts. A quick search on the internet does not show Beckwith…

After yesterday’s mass shooting [FN1] I posted on FB: “Another mass shooting. C’mon gun guy! Brag about how much liberty was saved!” Every few months radio ads for Indy gun shows yuck it up [FN2], so bad taste already is part of the 2A experience. Here are a few points. 1/6

A person asked: “Was it a gun free zone?” Excellent point! ... er, not really. One source notes: “Researcher John Lott is one of the originators of the claim that ‘gun-free zones are a magnet for deadly attacks.’”…

Today’s email from Indiana’s Senator Mike Braun [FN1] advises “Indiana’s brightest days are ahead,” as he seeks to “make Indiana a beacon of freedom and opportunity.” He invites YOU [FN2] “to represent our America First agenda” at the 2024 Indiana GOP Convention. 1/7

“America First” was used by a pro-slavery party before the Civil War. [FN3] The KKK used it in the 1920s. [FN4] Braun extols “securing our border, supporting our law enforcement, defending our constitution, and keeping…

Amateurs play for free. Professionals get paid. Courts decide cases on their merits and treat all parties equally. Roberts, C.J., says his job “is to call balls and strikes,” but baseball is not an apt metaphor, especially after Citizens United. [FN1] SCOTUS allows donors of political cash 1/8

to be cloaked in anonymity. The Brennan Center has reported on the tons of cash that case has allowed. Say “baseball” and “corruption” and a baseball fan might reply “Blacksox.” People tried to…

Nazis & their ideology are evil. When American forces liberated a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, General Eisenhower ordered “citizens of the nearby town of Ohrdruf [] to view the camp and bury the dead, a practice that was repeated in other camp liberations.” [FN1] 1/5

The Texas GOP executive committee has voted down a ban on Republicans associating with people “who espouse or tolerate antisemitism, pro-Nazi sympathies or Holocaust denial.” [FN2] The First Amendment protects…

“Micah, I sent those riots to Washington. What you saw yesterday was my hand at work” Micah Beckwith [FN1], in a selfie video in his car on 01/07/21 [FN2], claims the “Lord” said this to him. Today Beckwith has a “Meet the Candidates” event at Life Church in Pendleton.1/6

Beckwith’s photo, w/a label of “Lieutenant Governor,” is above photos of three candidates for Madison County offices. Beckwith does not do well when he is on a ballot. He lost in the 2020 GOP primary for INCD5. The…