“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’…this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats." - Aldous Huxley
Huxley uses words like "luxury" and "righteous" to "explain" psychological/psychopathic, anti-social and criminal behavior. This is a time to rally with real righteous indignation, (no luxury implied, just civic responsibility) which is real resistance to the anti-social, anti-human rights actions of sociopaths, however exaggerated their egos are.
This country is in deep trouble and I fear we haven’t seen the worst of it yet. The parallels between Germany in 1939 and the United Stars in 2025 are mind boggling. We the people have the power to prevent the devastation but will we? Hopefully the country will wake up before it’s too late.
Hmmmm…wonder how expensive those bathrooms in the other building will be?
And wonder how much $$$$ went to bogus consultants who nixed the need for heat/bathrooms inside this beached “whale?”
I doubt Ed Bartholomew would have approved the final “plans of omission” after all his efforts to make this building community-friendly.
Can only hope the Aviation mall manager continues to allow Farmers Market venders to use the food court space from late fall——> early spring… with public bathrooms just steps away…and HEAT! And fairly ice and snow-free ample parking for venders large trucks… and grateful multi-county Saturday morning shoppers eager to support our hard - working farmers and other food and craft artisans.
Not positive but I think the plan is for the farmers market to be in the market center for its whole season. Also, yes, money has been invested -- most of it not the city's, I believe -- but growth requires investment, doesn't it?
...yes, neither shooter was afraid- just, for whatever "reason," eager to shoot someone / but, no- that they felt "they have the right to kill anyone who approaches them" because, in both cases: the [innocent] victims of the misplaced rage of the gunslingers were in vehicles-- not even close to homeowners' houses: and just. trying. to. leave. / Yes, to flags at half-staff [and at half-mast] until the soulless misanthrope is gone...
Spot on Will. I just finished "Demagogue" a book by Larry Tye about the life of Joe McCarthy. The similarities between McCarthy and Trump are striking. McCarthy targeted communists, but also Jews, gays and other minorities, and made baseless accusations repeatedly to whip up disgruntled Americans looking for scapegoats. Sound familiar? Attorney Roy Cohn was the connecting link between McCarthy and Trump, whose rage at victims knew no bounds. While Trump's anger and vitriol is not the direct cause of the deaths caused by Reilly and Monahan, he is fanning the flames of resentment against immigrants, judges, educational institutions, political foes and just about anyone whose view differs from his. It's reckless,dangerous and unfitting for a president or anyone with any sense of morality for that matter.
And for tRump’s goon squad of Miller, Bannon and countless other twisted minds determined to deconstruct our democracy, McCarthy‘s paradigm has been the template for their evil execution of Project 25…
What is mine is mine and no one can take it, regardless how I got what I got.
And MY free speech trumps all other free speech, so if I don't like what you are saying, then you have to shut up.
Sayings are so often salient because they provide with a phrase that will explain something in a general way to make sense of a situation.
In this case, with guns (or the lies of pos_tfnKKK and hmpy trmpedo) if you have a hammer, then everything is a nail that you want to hit.
If you own a gun, then that is your hammer. If you have a gun, your solution to everything is to shoot.
Now your language is bullets not words...
I just saw a picture of a truck with a picture of the American flag on one side and on the other a corpse in the morgue, in the middle: "you step on my flag, you will get a toe tag"
The bottom line for the selfish fools (aka maga).... they believe the own the rights of others... They own the right to decided what their children read and what other children should read.
they own god and only their god can be worshiped.
And if you look close, they didn't earn that right, or their money, it was given to them through a series of events known as white privileged.
These fools look for those who will validate their selfishness... and currently that person sits in the oval office, giving people the excuse to be racist, misogynist, lying fools
OMG…think of how many children are viewing that obscene truck mural….even if they can’t read the words, the threat is real to people of all ages. It’s worse than any of the other rabid writings I’ve witnessed locally on trucks…and even sedans driven by Moms with kids inside.
Once upon a time there used to be laws re: overt/covert behavior. It’s ironic and frightening how freedom of speech/writing can be manipulated to serve the angry, revengeful maniacs, but not to protect those who are innocent protesters.
The "patriotic" iconography these days is appalling. Have you seen the tire cover (on tires attached to the backs of cars, like Jeeps) that makes an American flag out of bullets?
Right on, Will. To your litany of “angry, resentful, miserable, and looking for someone to blame” I would add, beneath it all is a deep destructive feeling of insecurity.
That is a lot of puns
“The surest way to work up a crusade in favor of some good cause is to promise people they will have a chance of maltreating someone. To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior ‘righteous indignation’…this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats." - Aldous Huxley
Ugh, so awful! Yet distressingly right on the mark.
Huxley uses words like "luxury" and "righteous" to "explain" psychological/psychopathic, anti-social and criminal behavior. This is a time to rally with real righteous indignation, (no luxury implied, just civic responsibility) which is real resistance to the anti-social, anti-human rights actions of sociopaths, however exaggerated their egos are.
Huxley sure was smart
John Reilly, Kevin Monahan, and Donald Trump are, as you said angry and miserable, in addition to always being a "victim".
The biggest difference between all three is that Trump has millions of other Kevins and Johns that would act similarly if Donald demand that they do.
In a single column this morning, Will, you cover both the beautiful and the profane. Much like our country as a whole.
This country is in deep trouble and I fear we haven’t seen the worst of it yet. The parallels between Germany in 1939 and the United Stars in 2025 are mind boggling. We the people have the power to prevent the devastation but will we? Hopefully the country will wake up before it’s too late.
The Ed?
The Leaf?
What’s in a name ?
I think it deserves to be called “The Ark”!
To my mind it looks like nothing else on South Street...
It doesn’t “compliment “ the architecture of nearby buildings .
It looks like it’s just something dead that drifted up on the beach ....
Maybe we should call it “ The Whale”!
Six million dollars spent to provide a year round venue for community activities !
But no bathrooms.
But no heat.
It’s difficult to get excited about a project that seems to be such a half ass plan.
There are going to be public bathrooms next door in the incubator building on Elm as part of the project.
Hmmmm…wonder how expensive those bathrooms in the other building will be?
And wonder how much $$$$ went to bogus consultants who nixed the need for heat/bathrooms inside this beached “whale?”
I doubt Ed Bartholomew would have approved the final “plans of omission” after all his efforts to make this building community-friendly.
Can only hope the Aviation mall manager continues to allow Farmers Market venders to use the food court space from late fall——> early spring… with public bathrooms just steps away…and HEAT! And fairly ice and snow-free ample parking for venders large trucks… and grateful multi-county Saturday morning shoppers eager to support our hard - working farmers and other food and craft artisans.
Not positive but I think the plan is for the farmers market to be in the market center for its whole season. Also, yes, money has been invested -- most of it not the city's, I believe -- but growth requires investment, doesn't it?
You've nailed it!
The flag should fly upside down until Trump is gone.
the hate and cruelty are to satisfy trump's base. trump's ultimate goal is to be the richest person in history at any cost.
For me, Will, this is one of your best columns. You hit the nail on the head in every way.
Totally agree.
Regarding LARAC and the current exhibit of art work by Eden Compton and Susan Beadle….. These are two extremely talented regional artists.
Don’t miss the chance to see the work that they have produced and that is exhibited at LARAC.
...yes, neither shooter was afraid- just, for whatever "reason," eager to shoot someone / but, no- that they felt "they have the right to kill anyone who approaches them" because, in both cases: the [innocent] victims of the misplaced rage of the gunslingers were in vehicles-- not even close to homeowners' houses: and just. trying. to. leave. / Yes, to flags at half-staff [and at half-mast] until the soulless misanthrope is gone...
Spot on Will. I just finished "Demagogue" a book by Larry Tye about the life of Joe McCarthy. The similarities between McCarthy and Trump are striking. McCarthy targeted communists, but also Jews, gays and other minorities, and made baseless accusations repeatedly to whip up disgruntled Americans looking for scapegoats. Sound familiar? Attorney Roy Cohn was the connecting link between McCarthy and Trump, whose rage at victims knew no bounds. While Trump's anger and vitriol is not the direct cause of the deaths caused by Reilly and Monahan, he is fanning the flames of resentment against immigrants, judges, educational institutions, political foes and just about anyone whose view differs from his. It's reckless,dangerous and unfitting for a president or anyone with any sense of morality for that matter.
And for tRump’s goon squad of Miller, Bannon and countless other twisted minds determined to deconstruct our democracy, McCarthy‘s paradigm has been the template for their evil execution of Project 25…
The country has become a place of selfish fools:
What is mine is mine and no one can take it, regardless how I got what I got.
And MY free speech trumps all other free speech, so if I don't like what you are saying, then you have to shut up.
Sayings are so often salient because they provide with a phrase that will explain something in a general way to make sense of a situation.
In this case, with guns (or the lies of pos_tfnKKK and hmpy trmpedo) if you have a hammer, then everything is a nail that you want to hit.
If you own a gun, then that is your hammer. If you have a gun, your solution to everything is to shoot.
Now your language is bullets not words...
I just saw a picture of a truck with a picture of the American flag on one side and on the other a corpse in the morgue, in the middle: "you step on my flag, you will get a toe tag"
The bottom line for the selfish fools (aka maga).... they believe the own the rights of others... They own the right to decided what their children read and what other children should read.
they own god and only their god can be worshiped.
And if you look close, they didn't earn that right, or their money, it was given to them through a series of events known as white privileged.
These fools look for those who will validate their selfishness... and currently that person sits in the oval office, giving people the excuse to be racist, misogynist, lying fools
OMG…think of how many children are viewing that obscene truck mural….even if they can’t read the words, the threat is real to people of all ages. It’s worse than any of the other rabid writings I’ve witnessed locally on trucks…and even sedans driven by Moms with kids inside.
Once upon a time there used to be laws re: overt/covert behavior. It’s ironic and frightening how freedom of speech/writing can be manipulated to serve the angry, revengeful maniacs, but not to protect those who are innocent protesters.
And Trump uses the legal system to protect himself, his family, and friends, and to bind his critics.
Thank you!
The "patriotic" iconography these days is appalling. Have you seen the tire cover (on tires attached to the backs of cars, like Jeeps) that makes an American flag out of bullets?
I have not seen that, but can imagine it.
Somehow when maga tries to use the American flag to insinuate they are more patriotic than others... is to make a simple lie of our country
Right on, Will. To your litany of “angry, resentful, miserable, and looking for someone to blame” I would add, beneath it all is a deep destructive feeling of insecurity.
Trump is the emotionally neediest person in history
Your summary of these angry and violent men is spot on!
Thank you for speaking and writing the truth.