Bourbon and Sense

Thoughts

Nature vs Nurture

A friend and I were discussing educational systems – he is from a different culture. He said that his attitude is to remain reticent at work meetings unless the topic is something he considers himself an expert; then, he will contribute to the discussion. He observed that generally, younger Americans- Millennials to Gen Z, will discuss any topic even if they have no clue about the subject. His thesis on the discussion we were having was that his culture’s educational system treated every student as average: few student’s were at the top of their class and teachers told the success and failures of students like when handing back an exam. He thought that the American system rewarded everybody and made everyone believe that they were a winner, special. That resulted in the young employees speaking out no matter the topic. It might explain the rush to believe conspiracy theories.

At another event, a couple somehow got on the topic of young people feeling entitled: success and the treasures that go with it, are their due. I have to say that I have observed that attitude in young employees, they are impatient and desire immediate gratification. I wonder what complaints parents have of our generation. I’m afraid to ask.

First Amendment Rights

Crying out "Fire" in a crowded theater

I just finished listening to an NPR interview with a professor of law specializing in cyber security. He just published a book of the same name as the headline. The interview was fascinating because the author seemed to know the topic about, in short, misinformation; careful to give all sides of the law, all the Supreme Court judgements relating to it as well as the laws that congress passed in the early 1900’s before the first world war when attitudes about free speech were more restrictive than they are now. Calling our fire in a crowded theater can have different results depending on the intent of the person crying out. Although never specifically mentioned in the discussion, I can imagine that a lot of the same arguments are going to be brought forward in the January 6 Insurrection trial against Donald Trump. Unfortunately, good lawyers can work both sides of the free speech issue so it is not clear where the trial will land.

Recent News

Secretary of State and AI

The New York Times published this past Friday an eight-page obituary of the passing of Henry Kissinger. For the man who coined the term détente and helped reduce the nuclear arms’ race between Russia and the US, it was eye-opening to learn that Kissinger was more worried about Artificial Intelligence than ballistic missiles. It seems to me that if we can build AI through clever coding, why can’t we control it in the same manner? I think it is time to ask ChatGPT how to disarm it – the software.

Congress at Work

There is Still Hope!

The house voted to expel George Santos last week. They somewhat restored my faith that politicians can yet still do the right thing. Mike Johnson, newly elected Speaker of the House, did not vote for expulsion saying he was concerned that it was setting the wrong precedence. How can that be when two other civil war representatives were expelled for wrongdoing. It wasn’t clear in Mr. Johnson’s statement, but perhaps the precedent is his being expelled before having his day in court, sort of like guilty until proven innocent. I might buy that reasoning. Nevertheless, sufficient Republicans voted to expel, and the Congressman was removed. He still faces criminal trials for some of his malfeasance. There is hope for mankind yet (but see the Kissinger news.)

Latest News

More on the Mideast War

It’s interesting reading the opinion pages of the Newspapers about the war in Israel. The tide seems to be turning from solidarity with Israel to sympathy for Palestine. The one constant is that Hamas was wrong to attack, and they must be eliminated. But does the IDF have to bomb Gaza to smithereens, kill thousands of Palestinians, and destroy the Gaza infrastructure in order to accomplish their goal?

Moreover, the press is making hints that Netanyahu is to blame for all of this: he was warned by Egypt of an attack months before October 7 but ignored it; the Prime Minister thought an attack would divert attention away from his legal troubles and his efforts to diminish the Israel Supreme Court. I could be spreading misinformation but there may be a kernel of truth in it. If someone knows better, please leave a comment.

Learn As We Go

Covid Reconsidered

Information is now coming out that our reaction to Covid may have been overblown, at least the safety protocols may have been ineffective such as social distancing and masks. Studies show that the droplets from coughing spread further than the six feet distance recommended. I don’t remember what the issue was with masks. At the time these recommendations were made, our medical experts had not dealt with a pandemic such as Covid and so gave their best advice at the time. Who knows the death toll that would have resulted if the population continued as normal; at the time hospitals were filling up, mortuaries were filling up, and deaths were everywhere.

Latest News

Careful What I Say....

The Hamas attack of the Israeli rave party and then radiating out from there is heinous. It’s hard to believe all the atrocious acts that the terrorists are accused of doing – mostly because the internet seemed to blow up with fake posts immediately thereafter. The Palestinian people have legitimate complaints about their treatment starting about 75 years ago but attacking and killing civilians is probably not the best solution. Now the Israelis want to obliterate the Gaza Strip where I believe Hamas is hiding and most Palestinians live in semblance of their own country. I don’t recall Hamas stating any goals or demands from the attack on Israel so why start a war and invite death on themselves? Is there a conspiracy lurking as the cause to all of this?

Conspiracy Theory

Would You Believe?

Hamas attacked Israel to hide the fact that they, Hamas, and not Venezuelans had doctored the voting machines in Arizona to change the count and give the election to Biden. The CIA was close to revealing this information when the DOJ snuck money and supplies to Gaza requesting some kind of quick diversionary event to turn everyone’s attention away from the impending news reveal. Unfortunately, the DOJ lost control with Hamas killing and kidnapping hundreds of Israelis instead of something more mundane like a firework stand blowing up. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.