Thought

Thomas M. Disch

People now have more information, and they are smarter, overall, as a consequence — even in those ways they choose to be dumb.
Thomas M. Disch, The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the World (1998), p. 226.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Video: On the Road in South America, Part Two
SharingTaking a few moments away from the main events of the …
The Fix Wasn’t In
Something totally unexpected — by me, at least — happened earlier this month in …
Ethics First
SharingThe biggest problem facing Americans? According to a Gallup poll, for …
Somebody … to Squelch
I AM … somebody! … with an officially “restricted” Facebook account. …
The Willamantic Refuseniks
SharingThirty-five years ago, the people of Willimantic, Connecticut, confirmed my …

The Battle Ahead
November 5, 2024
Paul Jacob worries about the foreign policy challenges that face …Read More »
The Squirrel vs. The State
November 4, 2024
Paul Jacob on how New York jumped the shark over …Read More »
Taking Out The
November 1, 2024
Paul Jacob on Orwell’s worst nightmare.Read More »
Gnashing of Teeth
October 31, 2024
Paul Jacob and the issue lying just under the surface …Read More »
Forever Be Changed
October 30, 2024
Paul Jacob on Kamala Harris gloating about legally harassing parents …Read More »

A Second Life for Limits
Paul Jacob looks back and ahead on term limits.
Putin (and Householder) for Life
SharingFor the last 20 years, Vladimir V. Putin has served (himself) …
Senator DeMint for Term Limits
SharingYes, we can term-limit the Congress. I’m not saying it will …
Michigan Voters: Alert!
SharingMichigan voters: Beware of a petition by the group Voters for …
Veteran Politicians vs. Veterans
SharingBack in 2005 I testified in the Florida legislature against an …

Inconvenient Cash?
SharingEverywhere I turn these days, I am hearing something about the push …
Greener Pastures
SharingThere is climate change going on. And some of it …
Who’ll Stop the Wars?
Sharing“Why were you the lone voice out there going after …
That Time Paul Harvey Called Me on the Phone
SharingPaul reviews the week’s big stories here on Common Sense …
A Faulty Gun Report
SharingWhile statistics are generally unreliable, data about gun crimes often …

On November 5, 1781, the second session of the United States in Congress Assembled began, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This “Second Confederation Congress,” as it is popularly known, ended on November 2, 1782.

And on that Fifth of November, 1781, John Hanson of Maryland (pictured above) was elected to serve as president of the United States in Congress Assembled. He would become the first president of Congress to serve a full one-year term as specified under the Articles of Confederation, for the second session of the Confederation Congress. Of course, this presidency was nothing like the presidencies under the Constitution. Hanson merely presided over Congress.

On November 5, 1872, Susan B. Anthony defied the law to vote, and was later fined $100.

What Kind of Ice Cream Cone?
When I wrote about the Donald’s change of troop positions abroad …
Tom Paine and “The Crisis”
To download to your desktop for use as a screensaver or …
Salman Rushdie on Free Speech
“The moment you limit free speech, it’s not free speech.” —Salman …
Tiananmen Square
“The same thing will happen in China that happened in …
Two Headed Beast
More War, More Cronyism, More Corporate Give-Aways, More CrowdedPrisons, More …