The Morning Plow

The news of Donald Trump getting banned by Twitter has reverberated all across the various media outlets and internet ether.  It has created interesting discussions and arguments regarding the freedom of speech along with growing concerns of the ability of so few to control so much (I won't get into that here...maybe later). The decision to ban Trump for his role in inciting an insurrection was followed by Apple's and Amazon's suspension of Parler on similar grounds.  To many on the Left, these are largely applauded and welcome actions.  Conversely, many on the right see this as an existential threat to democracy.  To be fair, there are also many who cast a weary eye towards such actions, but think this particular case was warranted.   Regardless of where you stand on the banning of Trump and the suspension Parler, those incidents reveal a deeper, much more complicated issue regarding the role social media plays in our democracy and culture.  In the ea...

For some time now, there is a growing chorus of people singing the praises of science.  Well, sort of singing its praises.  It is more like using the term as a forcefield to shield against any unwelcome thoughts, ideas, or criticisms.  During the current pandemic crisis this has been the sentiment shared by politicians, media types, and scientist themselves.  Claims like "we are just following the science" are made not to engage in deeper debate and discussion regarding the science.  No, the purpose is quite opposite. It is to end the debate.  It reminds me of an exchange most parents have with their curious three year-old.  The child will ask  "why" or "how" questions, to which the parent gives an explanation, only to be asked a new "why" or "how" that is related to the response.  This goes on and on, until the parent finally says because I said so.  When politicians and others say "because of science," they are essentially s...