Category Archives: America

We’ve Given the Word “Mob” a Bad Name…

Posted on January 20, 2019 by bsixsmith

One of my favourite quotes from The Simpsons, and I have many, comes from when the dastardly Mr Burns whips up a mob to reclaim his teddy bear from young Maggie Simpson. Maggie weeps when the bear is seized from … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Scepticism | Leave a comment

The Corrosion of Conservatism by Max Boot…

Posted on October 27, 2018 by bsixsmith

Max Boot, like Jennifer Rubin, once claimed to be a conservative critic of President Donald Trump but has become critical of conservatism itself. His new book The Corrosion of Conservatism explores his dissatisfaction with the Conservative movement and explains, as … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Books, Conservatism | 8 Comments

No One Likes Us, And We Love It…

Posted on January 29, 2017 by bsixsmith

Some people mistakenly think that politics is about making people happy. Sometimes it is, of course, but some people can’t be made happy. Others shouldn’t be made happy. On the other hand, politics is not about making people angry. Some … Continue reading →

Posted in America | 5 Comments

Seven Signs of Bad Conspiracy Theories…

Posted on December 12, 2016 by bsixsmith

I’m very open to a bit of conspiracy theorising. Yes, I know my MKUltra from my COINTELPRO. I still doubt that Megrahi did the Lockerbie bombings. World Trade Center 7 did look weird as it came down. I even suspect … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Scepticism | 2 Comments

The McMahons and the American Dream…

Posted on December 8, 2016 by bsixsmith

I cackled at this Republican’s analysis of the reaction to Linda McMahon, wife of WWE chairman Vince McMahon, being made Donald Trump’s head of Small Business Administration. In a way he’s right. The McMahons are geniuses. They built a multi-billion … Continue reading →

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After the Insurrection…

Posted on November 13, 2016 by bsixsmith

Progressives, in my opinion, tend not to be charlatans. Yes, they earn social favour and self-esteem from expressing fashionable sentiments but by and large they truly, passionately think that black is white, water is dry and one add one equals … Continue reading →

Posted in America | 1 Comment

Hot Takes for People Who Take Their Takes Hot…

Posted on November 9, 2016 by bsixsmith

Much as I felt I would prefer Trump to Clinton, I also called him a boor, a cheat, a liar, an overgrown teenager and a man whose principles were as deeply rooted as tumbleweed, so I am not a cheerful … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Europe, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

That Blasted Election…

Posted on November 6, 2016 by bsixsmith

Donald Trump is a boor, a cheat and an apparently pathological liar. He claims to represent ordinary Americans yet has bullied and conned them throughout his career. Vera Coking, for example, refused to sell her house to him when he … Continue reading →

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The Alt-Right and the Triumph of Trolling…

Posted on September 16, 2016 by bsixsmith

Trolling has always existed on the Internet, but it was on 4Chan that it became a fine art. Young, bright and often disaffected teenagers sought out the sensitive, the unstable and the sacred in order to inflame emotions and enjoy … Continue reading →

Posted in America, Media | 9 Comments

Boot in Mouth…

Posted on August 2, 2016 by bsixsmith

The neoconservative ideologue Max Boot laments the Republican anti-intellectualism that has, he says, “culminated in the nomination of Donald J. Trump”. In recent years, he claims, “the Republicans’ relationship to the realm of ideas has become more and more attenuated … Continue reading →

Posted in America | 1 Comment