Who Was That Masked Man?

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot
But follow the calendar twenty-score years
And if you hold shy lady irony dear
Then you'll laugh as the free wear the mask of a man
Who would murder so king and the Pope should hold hands
Liberty is but a sweet breath of air
Tyranny's rule has been man's lot to share
Back when Rome fell, famine savaged the land
A thousand dark years strangled woman and man
As radicals cry, Equal Outcome, We need it
Know the past well, or you're doomed to repeat it

Of Fish, Fire, Flakes, Foibles, Fatuity, and Failure

The fact that this is so shocking speaks to how well America works: Most local governments do a good job of delivering essential governmental services, and we stare, slack-jawed and angry, when a component of the system fails so obviously.

This is a pair of smoked herrings (source).


This is what the flesh of a smoked herring looks like (source).



I'm not a much of a fish person (other than fish tacos, which are delicious), but even I can admire the texture and flavor of this slab. The red, smoky meat looks a bit like salmon.

This is what a different sort of red herring looks like.


Finally, this is the sort of person who loves (or, at the very least, makes a living by his willingness) to latch onto red herrings and other fallacies and talk. And talk. And talk. Directly. At the. Camera. With Gravitas. And interject things like, "How dare you, sir?" Angrily. Directly. At the. Camera. With Gravitas. And a straight face. Unironically.


This week, Keith Olbermann and many other pundits stumbled as they exploited a tragic fire in Tennessee to score political points. A foible common among ideologues is to see their ideology in every story, whether it actually fits or not. Here is what happened, how a number of people reacted, and why they've gotten it wrong: