Monthly Archives: March 2025

Americans do not have a commander in chief 2

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged language usage vocabulary on by

We’re regularly subjected to the obscene notion that the president of the United States is the “commander in chief” of the American people. It’s part of the cult of the presidency, the notion that we live or should live under a powerful ruler. It’s an idea that goes against everything the country was founded on.

The Constitution says: “The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States.” If you’re in those categories, then he’s your commander. Otherwise, no. If you’re a civilian employee of the executive branch, he’s your boss, not your commander.
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Silent Film: It’s a Gift

This entry was posted in Movies and tagged silent movies on by

Snub Pollard is mostly remembered for his supporting roles in Harold Lloyd comedies, but he starred in some films. In It’s a Gift, he plays a Rube Goldberg-inspired inventor who creates assorted devices and demonstrates an automobile fuel which is vastly more efficient than gasoline. Maybe a little too efficient. There’s even a flying car.
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Should Worldcons be held in the USA? 1

This entry was posted in Writing on by

In the past, I’ve written about some Worldcon bids that would host the convention in countries with a bad human rights record. Now some fans are raising the question of whether they should be held in the USA. Certainly Trump is acting like a dictator, issuing decrees without legal authority and going after enemies with the power of his office. Author Jo Walton has suggested that the Los Angeles Worldcon, to be held in 2026, should move to another location. This would be impossibly expensive, given the convention’s contractual commitments, but we can look at the question in the abstract. I don’t know of any serious bids from the US for 2027 and 2028, and after that a less horrible president may be in office, so the question doesn’t directly affect any active bids.
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