Scott Boehmer

Author: Scott Boehmer

  • Praying Mantis

    On my walk this morning, I saw a praying mantis on the trail. At first, it was fighting with another bug, but I think my approach distracted them and the other combatant was able to fly away.

    A praying mantis

  • Slavery Was Very Bad

    It is important to pause a moment and state this directly: Donald Trump, the current president of the United States, believes that the Smithsonian is failing to do its job, because it spends too much time portraying slavery as “bad.”

    Clint Smith

    Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad (The Atlantic)

  • Let’s Face It

    It’s Friday, so time for another song that I like: Let’s Face It by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I’ve been listening to this one since I was in high school.

    Let’s Face It (The Mighty Mighty BossToneS – YouTube)

  • How Does Trump’s Federal Takeover End?

    What’s happening doesn’t look like a carefully regimented and organized attempt at standing up a military dictatorship. Trump seldom acts with that sort of discipline. Instead, it looks like an improvisational and opportunistic grab of power—Trump seeing what he can get away with and what he can normalize. With no stated goal, and with an acquiescent Congress and Supreme Court, the country could end up with the U.S. military occupying its major cities before most Americans realize what’s happening.

    David A. Graham

    How Does Trump’s Federal Takeover End? (The Atlantic)

  • AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event

    It is a Monday afternoon in August, and I am on the internet watching a former cable-news anchor interview a dead teenager on Substack. This dead teenager—Joaquin Oliver, killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida—has been reanimated by generative AI, his voice and dialogue modeled on snippets of his writing and home-video footage. The animations are stiff, the model’s speaking cadence is too fast, and in two instances, when it is trying to convey excitement, its pitch rises rapidly, producing a digital shriek. How many people, I wonder, had to agree that this was a good idea to get us to this moment? I feel like I’m losing my mind watching it.

    Charlie Warzel

    AI Is a Mass-Delusion Event (The Atlantic)

  • Trump & Putin

    President Donald Trump emerged today from his summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin without a deal and without much to say. Trump rarely misses a chance to take advantage of a global stage. But when he stood next to Putin at the conclusion of their three-hour meeting, Trump offered few details about what the men had discussed. Stunningly, for a president who loves a press conference, he took no questions from the reporters assembled at a military base in Alaska.

    Jonathan Lemire

    Well, What Did You Think Would Happen? (The Atlantic)

  • State Capitalism

    If “state capitalism” were proposed by Democrats or progressives, it would be considered socialism or communism. Done by a neofascist president — as chronicled by the The Wall Street Journal — it’s simply considered inefficient (as the Journal concludes).

    Robert Reich

    Trump’s “State Capitalism” (Robert Reich)

  • Beach Trip

    Last week, we took a trip out to the Atlantic coast to visit Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

    Bald Eagle
    Rays
    Sea Turtle
    Otters
    Waves
    Waves
    Fireworks
    Beach from Above
    Bird on the Pier
    Waves
    Looking Inland
    Waves

  • The President’s Police State

    “This is liberation day in D.C.,” Trump said. Nothing says liberation like deploying hundreds of uniformed soldiers against the wishes of the local elected government. District residents have made clear that they would prefer greater autonomy, including congressional representation, and they have three times voted overwhelmingly against Trump. His response is not just to flex power but to treat the District of Columbia as the president’s personal fiefdom.

    David A. Graham

    The President’s Police State (The Atlantic)

  • Pete Hegseth & Christian Nationalism

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reposted and praised a video interview of a self-described Christian nationalist pastor whose church doesn’t believe women should be allowed to vote.

    Julia Simon

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposts video of pastors saying women shouldn’t vote (NPR)

    He thinks America should adopt a Christian theocracy. And he’s finding a new audience under Trump (CNN – YouTube)