Gary McGath

About Gary McGath

I am a freelance technical writer in Plaistow, NH.

Americans do not have a commander in chief

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   Recently updated !

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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Why America is dying   Recently updated !

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged education liberty on by

In just over a month since Trump took office, America has begun a clear descent into strongman rule, with few signs it will be stopped. He’s gotten rid of qualified people in high positions, replacing them with loyal followers. He has enacted heavy taxes without Congressional action. He has tried to amend the Constitution’s birthright citizenship clause by decree. He’s loosed the ICE on cities; “border czar” Tom Homan has threatened, “I’m coming to Boston and I’m bringing hell with me.” Trump’s and Musk’s DOGE is a phantom entity, not an administrative unit authorized by any law, and it has scooped up sensitive information from government agencies with no accountability.

There’s outrage, to be sure, and more meaningless talk of “resistance” like what we heard during Trump’s first term, but not nearly enough solid opposition to Trump’s moves toward autocracy. The Republican Party has totally abandoned any limited-government positions it once held. The Democrats offer only a timid voice. The far left is worse than the Trumpist right. The Libertarian Party has ceased to be libertarian. I can only expect things to keep getting worse.
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The misuse of fallacies   Recently updated !

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged language philosophy reason on by

Recognizing logical fallacies is important when evaluating claims and arguments. At the same time, it’s important to recognize when someone misidentifies or misapplies a fallacy. People can claim to knock down valid claims by saying they commit a fallacy, when actually there’s no fallacy.

Take the “slippery slope” fallacy. Some slopes really are slippery. You have to evaluate a claim that X will lead to Y by the specifics, not just the formal structure. A trivia quiz I recently saw offered something like this as a supposed example of the fallacy: “If I give you an extra day to complete the assignment, I’d have to give it to anyone else who asks.” The quiz’s author was probably thinking something like, “The teacher can give special favors to some students and not others, so it’s fallacious to make that claim.” That assumes that consistent and fair treatment count for nothing.
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The most pernicious religious doctrine

This entry was posted in Commentary and tagged religion SanityProject on by

A religion’s success depends upon its having followers. A reliable technique for getting and keeping followers is the threat of divine punishment for infidels. Believe and get a great reward; don’t believe and get a horrible punishment. God can read your mind, so there’s no use faking belief.

The Gospel of John says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18, NIV) Only a handful of people had heard of Jesus in his time, much less believed he was God’s son, so this was a declaration of damnation for virtually the entire human race in the early first century. Whether Jesus actually said it is a separate question. Evangelical Christians place great stock in this assertion, whatever its source.
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The Flying Ace, recorded live at Plaistow Library

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

On February 21, 2025, I accompanied the 1926 film The Flying Ace at the Plaistow, NH Library. This YouTube video combines an MP4 file of the film with the audio recording of my live accompaniment on a Roland keyboard, with about four minutes of introductory remarks by librarian Jennifer O’Connor, who does a great job making these movies happen, and by me.

The next movie I’ll accompany there will be Peter Pan on April 11.
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Amazon backstabs e-book “buyers”

This entry was posted in Publishing and tagged Amazon ebooks publishing on by

If you pay for an e-book that has DRM (digital rights management) on it, you aren’t really buying it, no matter what the vendor says. At best, it’s a long-term lease which can be revoked at any time. Amazon has made this plain by removing the ability to download permanent copies of any and all e-books you may have “bought.” As of February 25, 2025, you will no longer be able to download your “purchases” to a device that isn’t directly under Amazon’s control.

If you care about keeping what you “own,” you need to download all your “purchases” before then. You have to do it one book at a time, which can get tedious if you’ve “bought” a lot of books.
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The Old Issue

This entry was posted in History and tagged history liberty on by

Guest post by Rudyard Kipling: “The Old Issue,” 1899.

Note: Kipling wrote this poem, strangely enough, as a justification for Britain’s entry into the Boer War, not as a protest against any aspect of British rule. While we need to understand the historical context of any written work, this one is more satisfying if we take it on its own and apply it to our times, apart from its origin.

“Here is nothing new nor aught unproven,” say the Trumpets,
“Many feet have worn it and the road is old indeed.
“It is the King — the King we schooled aforetime!”
(Trumpets in the marshes — in the eyot at Runnymede!)

“Here is neither haste, nor hate, nor anger,” peal the Trumpets,
“Pardon for his penitence or pity for his fall.
“It is the King!” — inexorable Trumpets —
(Trumpets round the scaffold at the dawning by Whitehall!)

“He hath veiled the Crown and hid the Sceptre,” warn the Trumpets,
“He hath changed the fashion of the lies that cloak his will.
“Hard die the Kings — ah hard — dooms hard!” declare the Trumpets,
Trumpets at the gang-plank where the brawling troop-decks fill!

Ancient and Unteachable, abide—abide the Trumpets!
Once again the Trumpets, for the shuddering ground-swell brings
Clamour over ocean of the harsh, pursuing Trumpets—
Trumpets of the Vanguard that have sworn no truce with Kings!

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Silent Film: The Flying Ace

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

On Friday, February 21, at 1:00 PM, I’ll accompany the silent film The Flying Ace at the Plaistow, NH Library. Admission is free. My plan is to record the accompaniment and combine it with the movie in a YouTube video, if no technical problems arise.

I chose this movie for Black History Month. In the silent era and for some time afterward, black actors couldn’t hope for leading roles in mainstream movies. Some studios produced “race films” — movies with black casts for black audiences. One of them was Norman Studios in Florida. As far as I know, the only film from it which is still available is The Flying Ace, released in 1926.
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