Kenn Shapiro
@freshrhetoric.com
Commentary. Opinion. Thought. Also, at times, Humor (though without all that annoying laughter).
Pinned
Kenn Shapiro
@freshrhetoric.com
· Feb 19
Sadly, the arc of the moral universe does not bend toward justice. Indeed, to call the moral universe an arc defies basic geometry. The phrase is aspirational--an aspiration I share--but the history of human morality is a zig-zag through eras of good and evil, with evil presently ascendant.
Dear MSNOW, I support you, I value you, and I wish you much success, but please—please, please, please—stop running and re-running those “The More You Know” spots. I understand selling air time may be difficult, but dead air would be preferable to the mind-numbing repetition of these PSAs.
November 26, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Dear MSNOW, I support you, I value you, and I wish you much success, but please—please, please, please—stop running and re-running those “The More You Know” spots. I understand selling air time may be difficult, but dead air would be preferable to the mind-numbing repetition of these PSAs.
Little known fact: Before Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, anyone buying a mattress in late August/early September had to pay full price.
August 28, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Little known fact: Before Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894, anyone buying a mattress in late August/early September had to pay full price.
Note to dumpling vendors everywhere: Deny Dershowitz at your peril!
Alan Dershowitz Says He’s Suing ‘Bigoted Vendor’ After Being Denied Pierogi
Alan Dershowitz said he is suing a Martha's Vineyard food vendor who refused to serve the former Harvard Law professor pierogi because of his politics.
www.mediaite.com
July 31, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Note to dumpling vendors everywhere: Deny Dershowitz at your peril!
What a scathingly beautiful and beautifully scathing piece of writing.
Opinion | The Pointless Triumph of a Hapless President
www.nytimes.com
July 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
What a scathingly beautiful and beautifully scathing piece of writing.
All those masks needed to enforce our immigration laws don't come cheap.
Congress Throws More Money at Removing Immigrants than Most Countries Spend on Their Armies talkingpointsmemo.com/news/congres...
Congress Throws More Money at Removing Immigrants than Most Countries Spend on Their Armies
It’s hard to convey just how big the new budget makes the...
talkingpointsmemo.com
July 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM
All those masks needed to enforce our immigration laws don't come cheap.
From the article: “While he opposes much of Mr. Trump’s agenda, Mr. Obama believes that offering a steady stream of criticism of the administration would dilute the power of his voice, [per sources].” But the fire is raging now—will his voice have any power when all that’s left is ash?
Obama urges law firms, universities and businesses not to remain silent and instead speak out against Trump demands, but audio and video recordings of his remarks were forbidden so they were not widely distributed. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/u...
Obama, Back in Public Eye, Offers a Careful Warning of a Democratic Slide
www.nytimes.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:41 PM
From the article: “While he opposes much of Mr. Trump’s agenda, Mr. Obama believes that offering a steady stream of criticism of the administration would dilute the power of his voice, [per sources].” But the fire is raging now—will his voice have any power when all that’s left is ash?
Spoken like a true statesman—in a world where "states" refers to a mammal's posterior, and "man" refers to the orifice on that posterior.
President Trump said that he had no plans to call Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota after a man assassinated a state lawmaker there and wounded another over the weekend.
"I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I’m not calling him," Trump told reporters.
"I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I’m not calling him," Trump told reporters.
Trump Says He Has No Plans to Call Walz After Shootings in Minnesota
“I think the governor of Minnesota is so whacked out, I’m not calling him,” the president told reporters.
trib.al
June 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Spoken like a true statesman—in a world where "states" refers to a mammal's posterior, and "man" refers to the orifice on that posterior.
One might be inclined to think this clumsy, indecipherable word-hash was the product of artificial intelligence, though I think artificial absurdity (or maybe genuine, intentional absurdity) might be more to blame.
Opinion | Our Advice to Voters in a Vexing Race for New York Mayor
www.nytimes.com
June 16, 2025 at 3:20 PM
One might be inclined to think this clumsy, indecipherable word-hash was the product of artificial intelligence, though I think artificial absurdity (or maybe genuine, intentional absurdity) might be more to blame.
Mightn’t this be ironic, if not also predictable, that the person responsible for the degradation of a societal economic crown is the one lusting after his own personal piece of bejeweled headwear?
The dollar's crown is slipping, and fast
The dollar has sunk to its lowest in three years as rapidly changing U.S. trade policy unsettles markets and expectations build for Federal Reserve rate cuts, fuelling outflows from the world's biggest economy.
reut.rs
June 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Mightn’t this be ironic, if not also predictable, that the person responsible for the degradation of a societal economic crown is the one lusting after his own personal piece of bejeweled headwear?
We may well be on the verge of a Kent State moment. Scary times, but perhaps a blind miscalculation by the MAGAs.
We are witnessing the first stages of Trump’s police state | Robert Reich
The national guard’s deployment in Los Angeles sets the US on a familiar authoritarian pathway. History shows the results
www.theguardian.com
June 9, 2025 at 2:41 PM
We may well be on the verge of a Kent State moment. Scary times, but perhaps a blind miscalculation by the MAGAs.
To all within DC and its environs for whom The Kennedy Center has become too Trumpified, you have an alternative. The Strathmore, just up the road in North Bethesda, is a wonderful venue with a top-quality calendar. Check it out.
Washington Performing Arts ditches Kennedy Center, expands Strathmore offerings
The Strathmore in North Bethesda is among alternate venues for upcoming performances by Washington Performing Arts.
bethesdamagazine.com
May 29, 2025 at 12:18 PM
To all within DC and its environs for whom The Kennedy Center has become too Trumpified, you have an alternative. The Strathmore, just up the road in North Bethesda, is a wonderful venue with a top-quality calendar. Check it out.
👇👇👇
"It's never been wrong to say starving and bombing kids is wrong,” the beloved children's YouTuber wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
www.jezebel.com/ms-rachel-sa...
www.jezebel.com/ms-rachel-sa...
Ms. Rachel Says World Leaders Should 'Be Ashamed' of Silence on Genocide, 'Anti-Palestinian Racism'
"It's never been wrong to say starving and bombing kids is wrong,” the beloved children's YouTuber wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
www.jezebel.com
May 28, 2025 at 7:01 PM
👇👇👇
With all the new plumbers and electricians, one could expect the cost of hiring one to go down, no? Not necessarily a good thing for existing plumbers and electricians, but if that's the cost of spanking Harvard, surely the plumbers and electricians will be happy to absorb it.
Leavitt: "Electricians, plumbers -- we need more of those in our country, and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University. And that's what this administration's position is."
May 28, 2025 at 12:23 PM
With all the new plumbers and electricians, one could expect the cost of hiring one to go down, no? Not necessarily a good thing for existing plumbers and electricians, but if that's the cost of spanking Harvard, surely the plumbers and electricians will be happy to absorb it.
Trump's dementia may indeed be exacerbated by his age, but perhaps the reason why the press doesn’t treat it as breaking news is that throughout his time on the public stage Trump's behavior has always been demented. Biden's dementia was a drastic change in his persona. Trump's is nothing new.
I do think the Democratic Party has a gerontocracy problem, but the media focus on Biden's age because of Jake Tapper's book tour always feels off given that the *current* president is also clearly sundowning to little media coverage. www.usatoday.com/story/opinio...
Is Trump in mental decline? He sounds far worse than Biden ever did. | Opinion
For those who spent weeks, months and even years howling about then-President Joe Biden's 'mental decline,' what say you about Trump's rambling?
www.usatoday.com
May 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Trump's dementia may indeed be exacerbated by his age, but perhaps the reason why the press doesn’t treat it as breaking news is that throughout his time on the public stage Trump's behavior has always been demented. Biden's dementia was a drastic change in his persona. Trump's is nothing new.
Also, though not as publicized, Moody’s likewise downgraded Trump’s hairstyle from “comb-over” to “mulch,” downgraded RFK, Jr’s health expertise from “Huh?” to “WTF?,” and downgraded my Bluesky posts from “boring” to “coma-inducing.”
The US credit rating has been downgraded. But there’s an easy fix for our debt | Robert Reich
Instead of cutting taxes on the richest Americans – who hold much of the country’s debt – simply raise them
www.theguardian.com
May 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Also, though not as publicized, Moody’s likewise downgraded Trump’s hairstyle from “comb-over” to “mulch,” downgraded RFK, Jr’s health expertise from “Huh?” to “WTF?,” and downgraded my Bluesky posts from “boring” to “coma-inducing.”
Think of something, anything, that could make the vast majority of us poorer, sicker, and less safe, and you’ve pretty much found the Rosetta Stone for deciphering Trump Administration policy goals.
It is very difficult if not impossible to exaggerate how catastrophic this bill is for poor and struggling Americans and for our economy
The next hurdle is the Senate, “Whatever the outcome, investors remain worried about the costs. Bond yields ticked higher moments after Speaker Mike Johnson banged his gavel in triumph.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/business/dealbook/house-spending-bill-trump-bond-markets.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/business/dealbook/house-spending-bill-trump-bond-markets.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
May 22, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Think of something, anything, that could make the vast majority of us poorer, sicker, and less safe, and you’ve pretty much found the Rosetta Stone for deciphering Trump Administration policy goals.
Seriously, Cory--you owe not merely your constituents, but the American public at large, an explanation. Mistake? Mini-stroke? Were those 25 hours just a stunt?
Cory Booker faces backlash after voting for Jared Kushner's father
Charles Kushner, who is set to serve as ambassador to France, said, "I think that my past mistakes … make me more qualified."
www.newsweek.com
May 20, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Seriously, Cory--you owe not merely your constituents, but the American public at large, an explanation. Mistake? Mini-stroke? Were those 25 hours just a stunt?
Wait…what? Wouldn’t this mean that your China “tariffs” would just be a tax on Walmart? How would that cause China to make any changes in its trade policies? Mr. President, have you really thought this thr…? Yeah, OK, never mind—for a second, I forgot whom I was asking.
NEWS: Trump threatens Walmart over increasing prices due to his tariffs, tells them to "‘EAT THE TARIFFS."
Trump Threatens Walmart Over Prices, Tells Them to "Eat the Tariffs"
Trump says he will “be watching” the retail giant
meidasnews.com
May 17, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Wait…what? Wouldn’t this mean that your China “tariffs” would just be a tax on Walmart? How would that cause China to make any changes in its trade policies? Mr. President, have you really thought this thr…? Yeah, OK, never mind—for a second, I forgot whom I was asking.
What he said 👇👇👇
Land of Hope and Dreams
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
www.youtube.com
May 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
What he said 👇👇👇
Other everyday words and concepts our president never needed to know nor bothered to learn: Copay. Deductible. Shopping cart. Coupon. Gardening. Housekeeping. Studying. Apology. Kindness. Democracy. Constitution…
Trump to UAE president: "We have a term 'groceries.' It's an old term but it means basically what you're buying, food, it's a pretty accurate term but it's an old fashioned sound but groceries are down."
May 16, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Other everyday words and concepts our president never needed to know nor bothered to learn: Copay. Deductible. Shopping cart. Coupon. Gardening. Housekeeping. Studying. Apology. Kindness. Democracy. Constitution…
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
DHS Is Considering A Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete For Citizenship
The news comes after Rep. Bennie Thompson called out DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for her apparent costumes and staged photos during ICE raids and DHS assignments.
www.huffpost.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:54 PM
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players."
Only “stupid” people don’t know that “equalize” has been a word for about half a millennium.
Trump, Pressed on Qatari Jet, Says Only ‘Stupid’ People Reject Gifts
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Only “stupid” people don’t know that “equalize” has been a word for about half a millennium.
In the past, an armed person wearing a mask was usually up to no good. That’s still true today.
Opinion | Is that guy with a gun an ICE officer — or just a guy with a gun?
Masked federal agents aren’t exactly Trump’s secret police. But they are hiding from accountability.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
In the past, an armed person wearing a mask was usually up to no good. That’s still true today.
The reason investors think China is winning Trump's trade war is because China is winning Trump's trade war.
Investors think China is winning Trump’s trade war as stocks rally globally
The China deal, like the U.K. deal, still leaves the U.S. with much higher barriers to trade than it had before.
fortune.com
May 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
The reason investors think China is winning Trump's trade war is because China is winning Trump's trade war.
A very important piece. Wake up, NYC.
Andrew Cuomo, who leads in the mayoral polls, has a Trumpian belief in his own spurious talents and triumphs. His election would likewise be a disaster for everyone subject to his rule.
New York City Is About to Make a Huge Mistake
Andrew Cuomo, who leads in the mayoral polls, has a Trumpian belief in his own spurious talents and triumphs. His election would likewise be a disaster for everyone subject to his rule.
newrepublic.com
May 11, 2025 at 12:24 PM
A very important piece. Wake up, NYC.