Geez, when was the last time I was here? A year and a half ago or more?

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I’m an uncle now, which is pretty cool. I can’t maintain long-term relationships, as usual, but that’s okay. The place I worked at forever was sold off to a national chain, but it worked out pretty well. My former boss gave me a nice parting bonus and my new job pays a lot more, is easier, and lets me work from home a lot.

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I’ve been more and more reclusive lately. I eschewed social media a while ago, but I’m getting to that age where my friends, even my little sister, are getting married, having kids, but not me. And going out? I remember staying out until two or three in the morning and then partying some more back in the day. Friday I met some friends and when 10:30 rolled around, I was like, “It’s time for me to go home.” Christ, I really am getting old.

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I’ve been getting more into outdoors stuff lately. I’m about to drive up to Rabun County for a hike up Blood Mountain. I love it. It’s one of my favorite views in all of Georgia.

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Over the past few days, I randomly starting thinking about the GS gang. I didn’t login because I figured no one would be left. But, here some of y’all are.

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Very little to almost nothing on coding, and the standard American history course treatment on the Constitution. In other words, not a lot.

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The “far-reaching” benefits of things like music and chess haven’t stood up to empirical scrutiny. While violin and chess are each culturally and intellectually significant things to learn, expertise means you’re good at chess and playing the violin. And not necessarily calculus, or writing, or reading, or even having common sense.

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I don’t know anything about coding, but I have read the Constitution and Federalist Papers. If you’re interested in politics at all, they tend to be like a religious texts. You project your values onto the text rather than having the text inform your values.

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A few examples. What is the first word of the First Amendment? Congress. Not state. A later, more enlightened Supreme Court saw the SNAFU here did rhetorical gymnastics to invent a new doctrine called “incorporation” to help solve the problem. How about the disaster of a sentence that is the Second Amendment? Do you have favor gun control? You’ll hone in on that first dependent clause. Against it? Skip to the third and interpret “people” individually and not collectively.

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That said, I’m of the firm belief that history is something that must be learned and relearned every generation. The British historian David said that history is an, “antidote to temporal parochialism, which makes us think the only time is now, and geographical parochialism, which makes us think the only place is here.”

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Having said all that though, does the American educational system require vast improvement insofar as basic history and probably the single most important professional skill in the 21st century? Oh yes.

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I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that my opinion very much WOULD change. The stakes are too high. If you have had asked me that question when we all first ventured on this forum, I would have told you that sure, just because disagree on a few things doesn’t mean we can’t hang out, be friends, have a few drinks with each other. Right now, we’re not talking about technical disagreements over things like tax and foreign policy. We’re talking about fundamental and irreconcilable differences about what this country should look like.

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I work with people with whom I disagree, and we’re cordial, but we certainly aren’t laughing over our differences at happy hour. None of what I’m about to say is an exaggeration or mischaracterization: in this county, one side is perfectly fine with treating migrants like livestock and locking them in cages indefinitely. One side is okay with the separation of child from parent, not out of necessity, but precisely it is so cruel. One side is hell bent on forcing women who don’t want, can’t afford, and aren’t emotionally prepared for a child to carry to term, even if they were raped. One side actively attempts to restrict the right of the citizenry from participating in elections. One side gleefully guts regulations meant to product our air, food, and water.

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So yeah. We’re not gonna be friends.

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Oh, hey Apple!

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