It’s that time again….goblins, spooks and witches (oh my)….the streets will be filled with sugar addicted children looking for that next fix.
I will take a break from my normal posting for today….I would like to do something unusual….I will drop a little history on my readers.
Since it is Halloween let’s look at something creepy….a conduit to the spirit realm….the Ouija board.
As a method of supposed communication with the spirit world, the Ouija board has terrified countless slumber partying children and served as a plot vehicle in a number of Hollywood films.
Ouija boards have their roots in spiritualism, which began in the United States in the late 1840s. (Claims that ancient Ouija boards existed are unfounded.) The new movement was led by mediums, who claimed to be intermediaries between the living and the dead.
There were a number of ways mediums made followers believe that they were communicating messages from those who had passed. One, table turning, involved the table moving or knocking on the floor in response to letters called out from the alphabet. Another method used planchettes—heart-shaped devices with two wheels at one end and a pencil at the point. Users would place their fingers on the device, which would then be guided by spirits who would “write” messages.
Both methods were problematic. Table turning took too long, and planchette writing was hard to decipher. According to the Museum of Talking Boards, some mediums got rid of these methods altogether, preferring to channel while in a trance, while others built complicated tables, dials, and tables painted with letters that required people to use a planchette as a pointer. This method became the most popular—and paved the way for the Ouija board.
Unfortunately I do not subscribe to this fad of communicating with the spirit world….but this has been used to scare the be-jesus out of numerous gullible people.
Today is the day that some get all fuzzy about….Halloween. But why do we get thusly?
First let’s start with the ‘why’……
Halloween season is in full swing, with people subjecting themselves to haunted houses, scary movies, and ghoulish costumes. And why? Not to take all the fun out of the festivities, but two researchers in Scientific American have two words to explain this fascination with—and even embrace of—horror: predator inspection. The principle is familiar to researchers in the animal kingdom, and it serves an evolutionary purpose, write Athena Aktipis and Coltan Scrivner. “Morbid curiosity is a powerful way for animals to gain information about the most dangerous things in their environment,” they write. “It also gives them an opportunity to practice dealing with scary experiences.”
Take a gazelle that encounters a cheetah in the savannah, for instance. If the gazelle had to run each time this happened, it would be “physiologically expensive.” The gazelle is better off if it runs only when the cheetah is hunting, and to figure that out, it must fight the instinct to flee and observe its would-be predator to learn things. The broad principle extends to humans: When we expose ourselves to scary situations of the fictional variety, we are on some level preparing to handle real danger. “Today people inspect predators through stories and movies,” write Aktipis and Scrivner. Games, too. New ones used by researchers measure “biofeedback” and reward players who stay calm under stressful scenarios. The upshot of all this: “Embrace the Halloween season with abandon—and then bring that same energy to the challenges of the times we’re living in now,” write the researchers.
Now that you have a grip on the why we will move on to some historic Halloween…..
Every year during the evening of 31st October, children dress in scary costumes and visit their neighbours declaring ‘trick-or-treat’, all in the hope of filling their little buckets with sugary goodies.
For many, Halloween is a fun-filled tradition that entertains the little ones, gives us an excuse to decorate our homes with spooky attire and provides an opportunity to enjoy some good old-fashioned pumpkin carving.
Like many of our annual celebrations, modern Halloween is the product of centuries of evolution with roots dating back to Pagan times. Over the years, traditions surrounding Allhallowtide (31st October – 2nd November) have come and gone or evolved into new ones.
One such tradition was ‘Souling’, the medieval precursor to trick-or-treating, which revolved around the giving of a small round cake in exchange for prayers. The practice remained popular in Britain until the mid-20th century but has now been largely forgotten.
To understand how Souling came to be, we have to go back 2,000 years to the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced ‘Sow-in’), which was traditionally celebrated on 1st November. Meaning ‘summer’s end’, Samhain represented the changing of the seasons.
There has been so much written about AI lately….both pro and con….so with an election coming on strong Biden decides to wade into that particular cesspool…..
President Biden on Monday will sign a sweeping executive order to guide the development of artificial intelligence, requiring the industry to develop safety and security standards, introducing new consumer protections, and giving federal agencies an extensive to-do list to oversee the rapidly progressing technology. The order reflects the government’s effort to shape how AI evolves in a way that can maximize its possibilities and contain its perils, per the AP. AI has been a source of deep personal interest for Biden, with its potential to affect the economy and national security. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients recalled Biden giving his staff a directive to move with urgency on the issue, having considered the technology a top priority.
“We can’t move at a normal government pace,” Zients said the Democratic president told him. “We have to move as fast, if not faster than the technology itself.” In Biden’s view, the government was late to address the risks of social media, and now US youth are grappling with related mental-health issues. AI has the positive ability to accelerate cancer research, model the impacts of climate change, boost economic output, and improve government services, among other benefits. But it could also warp basic notions of truth with false images, deepen racial and social inequalities, and provide a tool to scammers and criminals. The order builds on voluntary commitments already made by technology companies.
It’s part of a broader strategy that administration officials say also includes congressional legislation and international diplomacy, a sign of the disruptions already caused by the introduction of new AI tools such as ChatGPT that can generate new text, images, and sounds. Using the Defense Production Act, the order will require leading AI developers to share safety test results and other information with the government. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is to create standards to ensure AI tools are safe and secure before public release. The Department of Commerce is to issue guidance to label and watermark AI-generated content to help differentiate between authentic interactions and those generated by software. The order also touches on matters of privacy, civil rights, consumer protections, scientific research, and worker rights.
Will this do the trick?
I think not. To me this smells of a campaign ploy….I agree something needs doing but this is not the answer at least from where I am sitting.
This can of worms have been open for too long to find a way to contain them.
Has everyone forgotten Ukraine? Is the dew off that lily?
There are so many unanswered questions (at least for me)…..
Has any body bothered to look at how this conflict could end (or is that just not important enough)
Before I get started here is an article that looks into the possibility…..
The answer to the question Can the Ukrainian War be Won? “No — unless both sides settle for exercising less sway over the future of their country. The Ukraine and Russia war, at its core, is about nationalism. Each is defending their motherland against outside control.
Put simply, the nationalist view of the conflict is clear. Ukrainians are fighting on their home turf and defending the land against Russians invading it. However, as articulated by their leader, V. Putin, the Russians are defending their historic dominance over Ukraine that the Western countries wish to break away.
Nationalism is more than just adjusting boundaries; it’s about sustaining a culture and often recognizing that it should be the dominant culture of a land. Culture defines a “people” by language, customs, history, and myths.
That is the question that we need to consider in this Ukraine Russia thing.
Before we go any further there are a few things that need to be said….the area of Eastern Ukraine that is now under dispute is not what one would call ‘traditional’ Ukraine territory….as this map will attest…..
That said let us say that somewhere down the line a peaceful ceasefire is finally found….what will that mean for Eastern Ukraine….
How have some of our recent ‘wars’ to save a country ended?
The Afghan Wars led to a civil wars. The Iraq War led to a Civil War. The Syrian intervention led to a civil war. The disposition of Qaddafi led to a civil war. The civil wars following the interventions have almost always been bloodier than the interventions themselves..
Personally I do not see Ukraine ending any differently.
So if anyone thinks there will be a happy ending to this conflict then another think should be forthcoming.
It appears to me as if the whole ball of wax boils down to ‘save Eastern Ukraine by destroying it’….
Whoever “wins” in eastern Ukraine will win a land depopulated and bastioned by destroyed infrastructure. This land will be polluted for generations by the military toxins of war and ridden with land mines and unexploded ordnance. Very likely, Ukrainian mothers will suffer the same as Iraqi, Afghan, and SE Asian mothers by giving birth for generations to dead, deformed, and sick children due to the undying toxic legacies of modern war. Children and their families, decades from now, will be punished for this madness in Ukraine, just as children and their families continue to be punished throughout “post-conflict” countries. Years from now, as they still die and suffer, will you tell them there was no other option?
Let say hostilities end and Eastern Ukraine returns to the fold in Kyiv….will it end there?
Probably not.
There is lots of Russian sympathy in the region so violence will remain and continue to be dangerous….after all the region only became part of Ukraine in 1922.
Peace in Eastern Ukraine will be elusive.
Now how about Crimea?
The “Z” Man has said there will be no end until Crimea returns to Ukraine.
Another interesting turn….
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reaffirmed his position that the war in Ukraine will not end until Ukrainian forces take Crimea, which Russia has controlled since 2014.
When asked if there was any scenario where there could be peace in Ukraine without Kyiv controlling Crimea, Zelensky said, “It will not be victory then.”
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula following the 2014 US-backed coup in Kyiv that ousted former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. A referendum at the time saw 97% of voters in Crimea favored joining the Russian Federation. The US and Ukraine dispute the results, but polling since then has shown that the people of Crimea are happy they joined Russia.
While Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials have maintained taking Crimea as one of their war goals, the Pentagon has said the prospect is unlikely. To put the peninsula under threat of invasion, Ukrainian forces would need to regain a significant amount of territory to the north, and the counteroffensive is off to a slow start.
(antiwar.com)
Crimea is important but keep in mind that it has been part of Ukraine only since 1954.
So we ask will this war have a happy ending?
NO really….it may be a bit quieter but happy I do not think so…..but stranger things have happened…..but usually only in movies.
But what would a settlement actually look like?
It’s time. If the goal is for Ukraine to emerge from this horrible situation in as strong a position as possible, then the time has come to stop the war and negotiate a settlement.
The Biden administration has long insisted that the goal is to put Ukraine in the best position “on the battlefield [to] be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.” Over a month in, the Ukrainian counteroffensive that was supposed to put them in that position has failed. And barring a surprise that will surprise even the US planners – because they did not plan this – Ukraine’s position on the battlefield will not improve. The US and its NATO allies can continue to deposit artillery and advanced weapons in Ukraine, but the return on their investment will just be more massive loss of equipment and Ukrainian lives.
The war seems to have reached a moment where the longer it goes on, the worse the situation gets for Ukraine in terms of loss of military equipment, loss of life and loss of land. It is time for a negotiated peace.
What could that peace look like? A diplomatic settlement must accomplish three goals. Ukraine must be guaranteed their sovereignty, their security and their potential to thrive. Russia must receive guarantees that their legitimate security concerns will be respected. And the ethnic Russians of the Donbas must be guaranteed protection.
I include this peace proposal written by a Russian as a source of knowledge and to be fair to all parties.
Among the international communist and left movements, including their Russian branch, there has been, throughout the entire period of the war in Ukraine, three conflicting assessments of the situation: unconditional support for Ukraine, a cowardly position of “critical” support with “reservations,” and unequivocal condemnation. However, even the generally correct anti-imperialist position of rejection of militarism suffers greatly from “pacifism” in the worst sense of the word. That is, this point of view, by and large, comes down to only one thesis – the immediate cessation of hostilities, without a specific plan, explaining by what methods this will be achieved, by what means, under what conditions, at what borders, etc.
And the social-chauvinists do not miss the opportunity to use this circumstance as an advantageous argument for themselves as justification for their conciliatory position: “And what do you propose? The war is already going on, this is a given, it is not possible to stop it, we must simply win and everything will end.”
Another Sunday and I would like to change things up a bit….no the blog will not change just the post on this day.
I got this idea after the news that our local schools would be testing the kids next week
Awhile back I saw this article and took the test (I enjoy tests….always have)…..for those interested the test is below….are you a ‘stable genius’?
If you’ve ever wanted to test your intelligence, but can’t be bothered to sit through a lengthy IQ test, we may have the perfect solution for you. The world’s shortest IQ test is made up of just three maths questions and shouldn’t take too long to complete. But be warned – it’s pretty tough!
Called the Cognitive Reflection Test, the quiz isn’t new, but was originally part of a research paper published in 2005 by MIT professor Shane Frederick. This paper has recently resurfaced online, leaving many keen to give it a go. As part of his research, Professor Frederick had more than 3,000 participants from a range of educational backgrounds complete the test – and even those attending top American universities such as Yale and Harvard struggled to work out all the answers. Of all those who took part only 17 percent managed to score three out of three on the test, meaning 83 percent of people failed – how will you fare?
1. A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
2. If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
3. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake?
If you take the test leave your answers in the comments and I will give the answers later in the week.
Good luck.
Have a safe and enjoyable Sunday and we will return to our normal posting come Monday.
As this month close to an end we can look back on it and shake our heads in disbelief….silliness in Congress….more war stuff…..Biden thumps his chest…..and yet another mass shooting this time in Maine.
And now for some real news….
Do you enjoy a trip to a local eatery?
If so there could be a change coming….
The new workers at restaurant chains like Sweetgreen require an entirely different type of employee training, and definitely won’t fit in the typical uniforms. The company is going fully in on automating their salad prep, the Wall Street Journal reports, and while depending on machines to handle soft and squishy ingredients might not seem like the most natural pairing, other restaurants are following suit. Sweetgreen CEO Jonathan Neman says they are “100% in on automation,” with plans to mass produce the salad-making robot they launched this year at an Illinois location. “A lot of other companies are trying to figure out how to add automation to their experience and are not willing to start over,” he says. “I’m willing to blow the whole thing up.”
The journal notes that while some chains like McDonald’s abandoned an experimental robot fryer, other chains are testing the waters. White Castle has rolled out “Flippy,” a robot that fries food like potatoes and onions, to more locations, while Chipotle Mexican Grill is trying out an automated system that piles ingredients into their bowls and salads. Kura Sushi is trying to cut down on hiring and training sushi chefs by using a robot to spread rice on their rolls. “We know that it’s unrealistic for us to get 5-, 10-, 20-year trained sushi masters, so that’s why we use these robots to get the best possible results,” says Kura’s Benjamin Porten.
But Sweetgreen stands out. In 2021, they purchased Spyce Kitchen, a startup out of Boston created by MIT engineers who developed robotic makelines in the kitchen, according to the Spoon. They spent two years crafting a salad-making robot, which can whip up a meal in five minutes by shooting ingredients through various tubes (while their human counterparts typically take 15 minutes to fill an order). Along with efficiency, the company believes replacing workers will save money, though human supervision is still needed. Sweetgreen’s first robotic kitchen, dubbed Infinite Kitchen, opened in May, with plans to retrofit it into existing locations.
Are we losing the personal touch?
What about all this ‘plant based’ crap?
Eating less meat has long been recommended as a way to be kinder to the planet. But a new study has revealed just how important it could be for the climate and biodiversity.
Published in the Nature Communications journal, research has demonstrated how replacing half of meat products with plant-based alternatives could reduce pollution caused by global agriculture by as much as a third by 2050 (compared to 2020 levels), Phys.org reported.
Furthermore, with associated reductions in land use, it could help to stop deforestation.
“Plant-based meats are not just a novel food product but a critical opportunity for achieving food security and climate goals while also achieving health and biodiversity objectives worldwide,” study co-author Eva Wollenberg told Phys.org.
Among the agricultural areas most damaging to the environment is cow farming. Trees and forests are often torn down to make way for grazing sites, removing vital ecosystems that provide homes for many creatures crucial to biodiversity.
Green spaces provide benefits in terms of carbon capture, absorbing harmful pollutants from the atmosphere that contribute to global heating. Meanwhile, cows produce methane through defecation and belching, and methane gas is around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of its planet-warming effects, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
My thought on this…..let’s say meat is taken off the menu…would that not require my farmland? And that would require the cutting of trees….and then there is the extra amount of fertilizer and pesticide that would to put into the water table…just a few of my thoughts….add yours if you like.
Let’s stick with the environmental thing…..the coming of electric cars……there are so many questions this article could help answer those for you….
There’s no doubt about it: sustainability and climate change are two of today’s most pressing issues. From beauty industry waste to seemingly every company going “carbon neutral,” the buzz is real. So, it’s no surprise that car manufacturers have been hopping on board. (For example, every Volvo car made since 2019 has an electric motor.) Though electric vehicles have been around for a while (the first electric car was made in 1890 by chemist William Morrison), it was the launch of the hybrid Toyota Prius that brought the technology to the masses. With the splashy debut of the then-elusive and exclusive Tesla in 2006, electric vehicles had another surge in popularity, and they’ve been on the rise ever since. Today, there’s a plethora of options and ever-evolving technology that begs the question: How much does an electric vehicle actually cost, both financially and environmentally? From the car itself to electricity and IRS tax credits, there are plenty of factors to weigh. So, we spoke with several environmental experts to get the scoop on everything you need to know before you head to the dealership.
After many years of no Beatles there is a New Hope on the horizon and it comes out today.
Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release next week of what is promised to be the last “new” Beatles song. The track, called “Now And Then,” will be available Thursday as part of a single paired with “Love Me Do,” the very first Beatles single that came out in 1962 in England, it was announced Thursday, per the AP. “Now And Then” comes from the same batch of unreleased demos written by the late John Lennon, which were taken by his former bandmates to construct the songs “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” released in the mid-1990s. Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison worked on “Now And Then” in the same sessions, but technological limitations stood in the way.
With the help of artificial intelligence, director Peter Jackson cleared those problems up by “separating” Lennon’s original vocals from a piano used in the late 1970s. The much clearer vocals allowed McCartney and Starr to complete the track last year. The survivors packed plenty into it. The new single contains guitar that Harrison had recorded nearly three decades ago, a new drum part by Starr, with McCartney’s bass, piano, and a slide guitar solo he added as a tribute to Harrison, who died in 2001. McCartney and Starr sang backup. McCartney also added a string arrangement written with the help of Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin. As if that wasn’t enough, they weaved in backing vocals from the original Beatles recordings of “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Because.”
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear,” McCartney said. “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s quite an exciting thing.” Harrison’s widow, Olivia, said he felt in the 1990s that the technical problems made it impossible to release a song that met the band’s standards. With the improvements, “he would have wholeheartedly” joined McCartney and Starr in completing the song now if he were still alive, she said. On Wednesday, a 12-minute film that tells the story of the new recording will be made public. Later in the month, expanded versions of the Beatles’ compilations “1962-1966” and “1967-1970” will be released. “Now And Then,” despite coming much later than 1970, will be added to the latter collection.
Will this be the hit that all seem to think?
Have a great weekend and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….
For a few months we have been beaten with the predictions of China and its attempts to go global that is why we have to spend millions upon millions to make Taiwan feel safe and all of our South China Sea allies to the tune of millions upon millions.
But my question is….Is China truly trying to expand globally?
We are told by all the defense department experts that they are moving in that direction….but are they truly?
(Keep in mind this is not my opinion but that of someone who disagrees with the hype)
New York Times published a guest essay by Craig Singleton, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, entitled “China’s Military is Going Global.” Singleton argues that Beijing is well on its way to building a globe-spanning network of “strategic strong points along China’s major trade, energy, and resource routes” that pose a dire military threat to the United States.
Allegedly using the structure of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative of commercial infrastructure projects, Beijing’s supposedly new “under the radar” strategy is seen as directly challenging Washington’s ability to carry out critical overseas military missions, including the defense of Taiwan.
In response to this expanding threat, Singleton calls for Washington to devise a strategy designed to “pre-emptively” neutralize China’s moves, including “incentives or punishments” directed at host governments.
It is surprising that the New York Times saw fit to publish such an essay, since it is replete with distortions, exaggerations, and speculations. There is no question that China’s overseas military-related activities merits close examination, especially when they take place in sensitive areas. But such an examination requires a careful parsing of actual facts, with clear distinctions made between proposed plans, actual undertakings, commercial versus military (and non-military security) purposes, and the likely military benefits for China that might ensue from a particular location or operation.
Instead of observing such requirements, Singleton plays fast and loose with the evidence, subtly caveating his statements with weasel words like “might,” “may,“ “could,” “suggests,” “suspected,” etc. Nonetheless, almost every conceivable possible, current, or emerging overseas Chinese commercial, scientific, or security “presence” is labeled as part of a deliberate, coordinated, military-centered strategy to “reshape the global military landscape” in Beijing’s favor and hence to threaten the U.S.
In reality, China has thus far established only one actual, operating overseas military base, on the horn of Africa, in Djibouti, and is probably establishing a naval facility in Cambodia. But there are real limits to how far China can go in duplicating such places. As Isaac Kardon of the Carnegie Endowment has pointed out, China has no formal military alliances (beyond the dubious case of North Korea) and is unlikely to acquire any in the foreseeable future, a fact that imposes major constraints on its ability to establish serious military bases. Few if any countries wish to commit to housing full-fledged, sizeable military facilities that could project Chinese military power across their region and, in the process, invite an American response.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine there has been lots of talk about holding Putin responsible for the crimes being committed against the Ukrainian people…..and likewise there is more talk about holding HAMAS responsible for the ‘crimes’ they have been accused of committing.
All this is an excellent idea….but all parties committing these crimes should be held accountable….ALL parties……
Before we go any further what is a war crime…..
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to accusations of war crimes on both sides, after Israeli civilians were targeted in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and Israel responded with airstrikes on the densely populated Gaza Strip.
Under these conditions, protecting civilians can prove difficult or impossible. But combatants are bound by international humanitarian law to minimize the impact on populations.
Here’s what to know.
Although the history of international law regulating warfare goes back to the first Geneva Convention of 1864, World War II — in which twice as many civilians as fighters were among the tens of millions killed and the Nuremberg Trials that held Nazi leaders to account for atrocities — spawned interest in expanding the scope of the agreement.
The 1949 Geneva Convention established Article 3, delineated combatants from noncombatants and set down the obligations of governments and militaries on how to minimize casualties and the suffering of civilians in wartime.
International humanitarian law “basically grounds the parties to a conflict,” says Fernando Travesí, executive director of the New York-based International Center for Transitional Justice, which works with victims of massive human rights violations. Armies, he says, have the right to go to war, “but that exercise of violence has limits.”
The Geneva Convention has been agreed to by 196 states and serves as the international standard on the treatment of civilians, as well as prisoners of war and sick and wounded soldiers.
In a practical sense, every government in the world subscribes to these rules, says Kenneth Roth, a visiting professor at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs and former executive director of Human Rights Watch. “I think it’s important to stress that these [rules] are not the concoctions of human rights groups. These are not idealistic, pacifist rules. These are the rules that the militaries themselves adopted for themselves,” he says.
Finally after weeks of agonizing BS the GOP has found a candidate of House speaker….and one that his majesty will support.
The GOP has finally found their man, Mike Johnson, to lead them forward (but that means return to the days of Tailgunner Joe)….
The fourth time was a charm for House Republicans, who on Wednesday managed to come together and get one of their own over the 217 mark. In the House’s fourth round of voting to elect a speaker following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana—the fourth Republican nominee—managed to secure 220 votes, above the 217 needed. Democrat Hakeem Jeffries received 209. CNN reports the last GOP nominee to win the speaker’s gavel in the first vote was Paul Ryan in 2017.
Johnson, a Trump supporter, has served in the House since 2016 and has been a low-ranking member. Time reports his rise to the top is nearly unprecedented: He will be “the least experienced Speaker in 140 years, with just four terms in the House and no senior leadership roles or full committee chairmanships under his belt.” A political historian from Princeton notes there’s traditionally a preference for a lawmaker who has established plenty of connections within the House and has robust institutional knowledge, as well as a strong fundraising ability. For comparison, McCarthy’s campaign raised $28 million in the 2022 election cycle, to Johnson’s $1.3 million.
Now that the country has a brand new speaker let’s meet this ‘person’…..
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s rise from relative obscurity to being the most powerful Republican in the House was a swift one. After more than three weeks without a speaker, House Republicans elected Johnson Tuesday around 16 hours after making him their latest nominee. In a post on X, the conservative lawmaker from Louisiana promised to “restore sanity to a government desperately in need of it.” More on the least experienced House speaker in more than a century:
Low profile was a plus. As vice chair of the Republican conference, Johnson was considered the No. 5 Republican, but he was little known outside Capitol Hill, the Advocate reports. The 51-year-old was elected to Congress in 2016 and had less “baggage” and fewer enemies than the three previous nominees.
He’s relatively new to politics. Johnson, the son of a firefighter, represents a Louisiana district that includes Shreveport, where he grew up, Fox News reports. He didn’t enter politics until 2015, when he was elected to the state House. Before that, he was an attorney for groups including the Christian advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom. He has said he spent his legal career defending “religious freedom” and “Biblical values,” per the Advocate.
Republicans rallied behind him. The AP, describing Johnson as “affable and well liked,” reports that colleagues quickly rallied behind him after he was nominated Tuesday night. With Republicans keen to move on from the weekslong effort to elect a new speaker, he needed 217 votes and received 220.
He hosts a podcast with his wife. The New York Times reports that Johnson and wife Kelly have been hosting a podcast for around 18 months, featuring what they describe as “analysis of hot topics and current events from a Christian perspective.” Johnson has used the podcast to set out his anti-abortion agenda and attack the Trump prosecutions, among other things.
A pointed remark from a Democratic lawmaker. The Washington Post reports that when she voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, in an apparent reference to Johnson’s opposition to same-sex marriage declared, “Happy anniversary to my wife!”
All that flowery stuff can be summed up simply….Mike Johnson….Nerd, Bigot, Religious Extremist, Seditionist….
This is what the House needs a leader that has zero experience at being a leader….and a spineless sycophant whose loyalty lies to a person and not the Constitution.
This ain’t over…..more to come….this is not the final chapter.
In Saner Thought 