Observations

Hopefully Trump's comments about Rob Reiner will rile even more Republicans than it already has. Besides blaming 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' for his death he makes his usual move of falsely labeling an opponent as once successful but now 'failing'.   The extreme repulsion described by the supposed syndrome is accurate, but rather than being irrational it is of course a reasonable reaction to how beyond the pale Trump's behavior is.  Similar in a way to Trump taking 'fake news' -- first coined in response to some of his early fabricated facts -- and using it against those who report on him honestly, as he's done by co-opting  the language of other criticisms  (e.g., weaponization).  An interesting interview  in NY Times with 3 departing senators -- Jeff Flake, Tina Smith and Joe Manchin. The failure of many senators to defy Trump on issues it's known they actually disagree with him about is explained as simply fear of his organizing a primary opp...

Trump, Putin, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong Un. How did the world get into a situation where these people have enough power and weapons to do so much harm or even destroy civilization? Historians no doubt have explanations, but the core problem seems to be aspects of human nature that can produce immense harm by people in positions of great power when aided or abetted by rewarded loyalists with common desires (or who are kept in check by fear). Banal thoughts, but still remarkable that the rest of the world has not been able to forestall this Part of the problem rests with that ‘rest of the world’,  or enough of it that fails to see what’s going on and act accordingly if only in their long-term self-interest. It gives further lie to Steven Pinker's contention that overall things are steadily better in the world thanks to the 'better angels of our nature'. Pinker makes a strong statistical case for overall historical world improvement. But the statistics are undone by the immense har...

The worst things about Trump seem to be: 1. Dishonesty Truth has no meaning for Trump. What he says is simply a tool for some goal -- usually self-gratification. It's relationship to the truth is unimportant, though he sometimes tries to connect his statements to some kernel of something real to minimize blowback. The connection is usually distorted or exaggerated, or entirely fabricated. It's often claimed that there's a liberal bias in universities, and most faculty overall and many others in universities probably lean that way. As regards Trump, this is not hard to explain. Universities and those involved with them seek the truth.  That's the business of education, research and science. People may be limited in attaining it by their own biases but, as a rule, they strive for it. They care about it, and it's the very basis of scientific progress. (The psychologist Marvin Frankel has suggested we've progressed in science but not so much in human affairs because...