7-9-16 Hodgepodge

Black Criminal Lives Matter

After the recent cop shootings in Dallas and and elsewhere, Rush Limbaugh interviewed Heather MacDonald, whose research into allegations of systemic police brutality I have mentioned in the past. The whole thing is worth a read, but I found a couple of quotes particularly revealing, as far as the movement that calls itself "Black Lives Matter" goes, and there are other sad statistics there to bear it out:

The fact is that over 6,000 blacks die of homicide each year. That is more than white and Hispanic homicide victims combined, even though blacks are 13 percent of the nation's population. And the reason they are dying of homicide at a rate six times higher than whites and Hispanics combined is because they commit homicide at eight times the rate higher than whites and Hispanics combined. And that type of crime disparity means that when the police are trying to save lives, they are in minority neighborhoods confronting people engaged in drive-by shootings, killing children.

And:

In Cleveland in September of 2015, three children under the age of five were murdered by drive-by shootings, leading the police chief there, who happens to be black, to break down in tears and say everybody protests when a cop is shot. Why aren't we out here protesting when we shoot each other? That is the big mystery of our time. And again President Obama last night only fanned these fires of hatred by putting out his usual lies that the criminal justice system is racist. It is not. It responds to crime in order to try to protect lives, not to take them.

The President is not only losing any impetus he might have had for real, needed reform of policing and municipal government, he is also demonstrating that he is not sincerely interested in the subject.

Weekend Reading

"[T]he first rule for changing yourself is that you must do it for yourself." -- Michael Hurd, in "Self-Interest: The ONLY Way to Conquer Addiction" at The Delaware Wave

"Too many people define self-confidence as a feeling, and a feeling alone." -- Michael Hurd, in "The Ups and Downs of Self-Confidence" at The Delaware Coast Press

"The question isn't why Hillary Clinton gets away with things that would have sent Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, or even George W. Bush to prison." -- Michael Hurd, in "Hillary's House of Cards" at Newsmax

"[W]hen someone has to provide something against his will for someone else, there is only one word to describe it -- slavery. " -- Charlotte Cushman, in "Founding Principle of the United States of America: Individual Rights" at The American Thinker

"[T]ouring VanDamme Academy in practically every class -- grammar, math, history, supposedly 'boring' and 'hard to teach' classes -- you'll see at least half the kids lunging forward, practically jumping out of their seats as they thrust their hands up in the air to ask or answer questions." -- Alex Epstein, in "The School the World Needs to Know About" at Medium

In More Detail: An Opportunity to Work for Better Education

The Epstein article linked above describes an effort to make better-known the kind of education available at the VanDamme Academy:

[R]ecently I learned of a new project that was so obviously the way to do it that I am embarrassed that I never thought of it: create a documentary of the school. A talented filmmaking duo with extensive knowledge of the school have offered to film and produce a documentary during the 2016-2017 school year. Here is a preview.

Later in the article is information on how to donate towards this effort. The premise is that, if more parents knew of this option, they would demand it. 

Craft Beer: Fad or Passion?

As a craft beer aficionado who schlepped onto that slippery slope before it became common, I saw myself cheering even as I found great humor in "An Open Letter to Beer Nerds" at McSweeney's. It closes:

So you know what I did? I reached out and I grabbed some Sam Adams Summer Ale. That's right, Sam Adams Summer Ale. Like a fucking novice. I did it for three reasons: 1) it was summer; 2) I like it; and 3) I was mentally exhausted.

When I got home to my husband I raised the six-pack above my head in victory. "Ha!" I said. "Look what I got! Sam's Summer. Just like old times! It's going to be delicious!"

And, lemme tell you something. It was.

For whatever reason, Sam Adams is a brewery that just doesn't do it for me, but, yes. If you're not buying something because you like it (or hope you might), why bother?

-- CAV