JAMES LILEKS ON MINNEAPOLIS IN THE WAKE OF “DEFUND THE POLICE:”

At 8 AM a few days ago a housekeeper was sitting in her car outside the house where she worked. No, let’s say 7:58. She started at 8. That was probably the arrangement. She was probably looking at her phone, whiling away the time as we do when we have these empty moments in between. What did we do before? Twiddle the radio knobs, woolgather, try to sort our marginal thoughts into little packages we can put on the shelf before the day begins.

A car came up and stopped, angled, boxing her in.

* * * * * * * * *

No, I am not getting out. No, I am not sitting back and posting twitter snark because lol they have a Biden sign. The people in other threads on other sites are dunking on the people who put up the sign, but they don’t know that the victim in this case was a housekeeper who doesn’t live in this neighborhood. Is she entitled to our sympathy? Of course. As are my neighbors. But if you want to go the whole lol Biden route, then we’re indifferent about the fate of millions of our fellow citizens. Do I stop caring about a neighborhood and its inhabitants who may have, in the aggregate, voted a certain way, if they’re 12 blocks to the north? Fifteen? Seven? It would be good to know the rules so I can lol at the right people.

Then again . . .

This isn’t to say there’s no connection between how one votes and what happens down the road. Of course there is. I’m pretty sure they would have voted for Crime Bill Joe if he’d been the nominee years ago, because the alternative is unthinkable. (The other side would also want to put crooks in jail, but for the wrong reasons.)

Plus a look at the Hollywood adaptation of Inherit the Wind — co-starring Gene Kelly(?!) as H.L. Mencken.

Read the whole thing.