Having perused the day’s news, nothing inspires me to write a long post. Here are a handful of recent stories that I find interesting but not quite interesting enough.
NBC News, “Supreme Court takes up Christian postal worker’s religious claim.”
The upshot: Gerald Groff, an auxiliary postman whose “job was to fill in when other workers were not available, including on weekends and holidays,” claims “the U.S. Postal Service could have granted his request that he be spared Sunday shifts based on his religious belief that it is a day of worship and rest.”
My take: I must say, I’m getting tired of this whole category of cases. People have a right to practice their religious beliefs freely. They don’t have a right to impose them on the rest of us or on their employers.
Axios, “The GOP’s 2024 freeze“
The upshot: “Questions about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political resilience — and fears of going toe-to-toe with former President Trump — have all but frozen the 2024 Republican field, delaying most of the leading prospects’ timelines for entering the race.”
My take: How the hell are you going to be the leader of the free world and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of a global superpower if you’re afraid of a little competition?
WaPo, “Single-use coffee pods have surprising environmental benefits over other brewing methods“
The upshot: “In some cases, emissions from brewing a cup of joe in an old-school filter coffee maker can be roughly 1½ times as much as using a pod machine, according to an analysis by researchers at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi in Canada.”
My take: This is some lazy-ass analysis. Surely, greenhouse gas emissions aren’t the most significant environmental impact of pods? Beyond that, pod coffee tastes terrible.
Axios Des Moines, “No more sliced cheese, white rice under proposed Iowa SNAP bill“
The upshot: “Iowa House Republicans are proposing restrictions on the state’s SNAP benefits that could dramatically limit what foods recipients can get at the store.”
My take: I almost always avoid clickbait stories about bills some yahoo proposed in a state legislature other than my own. That said, I can remember when it was Democrats who wanted a nanny state that told people what they’re allowed to eat. Granted, to the extent that SNAP/WIC is “meant to be a supplemental nutritional aid for women, infants and children,” it makes sense to subsidize nutritious foods, specifying what type of rice, bread, and beans they’re allowed to buy is demeaning.
