GMcGath @gmcgath@liberdon.com

While the Bland Books Week crowd expresses outrage when school libraries won't carry Captain Underpants, it ignores actual cases of book banning under gag orders. https://garymcgath.com/wp/a-banned-book-you-may-never-see/

Every Easter I think about how disgusting its underlying idea, worship Jesus or burn in Hell, is. But few people around where I live take that idea seriously, so I choose other battles.

If lovers of socialism want to cite a socialist state which is an economic success, the most plausible example is China. It's technically more fascist than socialist, but it has far more state control over the means of production than Sweden and the other socialist poster children. Yet the socialists never cite China as their model state.

Supposedly 7,000 people have pledged that if they die from being shot, they want the picture of the act publicized. This campaign is probably a criminal conspiracy under Australia's new censorship law. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-columbine-students/in-campaign-against-gun-violence-columbine-students-aim-to-shock-with-final-photos-idUSKCN1RU124

Facebook demanded third-party passwords of new users. A message, "Importing contacts," appeared on the screen. It's now verified that Facebook used those passwords to pilfer 1.5 million people's address books.

Now they're claiming that was a "glitch." Zuckerberg must think people are idiots. (Considering how many users Facebook has, he could be right.) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy/facebook-says-it-uploaded-email-contacts-of-up-to-1-5-million-users-idUSKCN1RU06R

The Notre Dame fire has brought out the fact that for centuries it has been running a tourist scam with the alleged crown of thorns that was put on Jesus when he was executed. One look at it should make it clear to anyone that it's an overdecorated fake. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/spip.jpeg

A few minutes ago I saw in connection with the Notre Dame fire: "Rebuilding will provide a lot of jobs."

Bastiat is rolling over in his grave.

A case of an authoritarian school principal in #NewHampshire has a happy ending, as he has to apologize. He had previously told a student she couldn't wear a Trump T-shirt, although there was no rule against garb with political messages. He still doesn't seem to get it though, claiming his "actions were misinterpreted."
https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/epping-principal-issues-apology-after-student-was-told-to-cover/article_af9fee3b-37e8-507c-aecb-63502126bd79.html

The utopian fallacy paralyzes libertarians. Find something you can make better, even if it's just one thing. Recommend a book. Protect yourself or someone else from an act of oppression. Publicize an injustice.

Don't just complain and wait for John Galt. At least complain effectively.

Another case of tyrannical school officials, this time in #NewHampshire : Principal at Epping High School makes student cover up pro-Trump T-shirt in spite of lack of any prohibition on clothing supporting political candidates. https://www.unionleader.com/news/education/epping-high-student-told-to-cover-maga-t-shirt-on/article_70df42a8-cc29-5ae8-9c13-f7b27e7555bb.html

Somebody in the ACLU probably had to fight really hard to get it to take on the Lacey Township case. The ACLU has largely turned into a leftist organ, but it still has good people. https://reason.com/2019/04/11/high-school-gun-snapchat-suspension-aclu/

I don't believe in karma in a literal sense, but when people say "karma is a bitch," they're making a very revealing statement about their self-evaluation.

A memory from the first grade: The principal marching down the hall as students were lining up to go home, chanting "No talking no talking no talking." Today I understand that the absurdity was intentional, to condition the students to obey any senseless order.

Following a 7-year siege of the Ecuadorian embassy, the UK government has arrested Julian Assange. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47891737

I'm thinking of reviving my general-purpose blog, which I haven't posted to since 2017, for more extended commentary than I can put into a Mastodon thread. I'd link to the posts from here.
https://mcgath.wordpress.com/

Simply being Constitutional isn't enough. Article 4, Section 2, paragraph 3 of the US Constitution is one of the vilest things in our history. https://usconstitution.net/xconst_A4Sec2.html

New censorship proposals in the UK, supported by Facebook, would levy confiscatory fines, up to 4% of a company's turnover. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-47826946

Kirstjen Nielsen deserves zero sympathy, but her resignation is a sign of worse to come. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47848619