Pun Salad

Jeff Maurer gets all sciencey to take down a bad scheme: Now That Everyone Hates Elon Musk, Can We Talk About How His Mars Colony is a Dumb Idea?.

Also, you (and Elon) might want to check out my report on a book I read back in April: A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith. I like space stuff a lot, but at some point Elon should seriously consider the objections to his scheme.

Also of note:

• He's probably also behind my unreliable newspaper delivery. Kat Rosenfield asks the important questions, including: The Montauk Monster, the Great Clown Panic. . . What Else Is RFK Jr. Responsible For?

  For ten years, New Yorkers have been wondering what kind of weirdo would leave a mutilated bear corpse in Central Park; now, we know the answer is. . . well, pretty much exactly the kind of weirdo you’d think. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., third-party presidential candidate and black sheep of the Kennedy clan, released a video on X on Sunday revealing that he was responsible for the 2014 incident, dumping the bear and staging the scene (badly) to look like a bike accident. The account must be seen to be believed—although I should note, having grown up in the part of rural New York where much of the action allegedly took place, that I do believe it, and furthermore guarantee you that is not the first time a wealthy person LARPing as a redneck has gotten into trouble with a bear carcass.

  I was no fan of the original RFK, but even I observe the apple fell pretty far from the tree in this case.

• Of course he was. Robby Soave is quick on the opposition research: Tim Walz Was a COVID-19 Tyrant.

  Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Walz was a moderate Democrat when he served in the House of Representatives but veered left during his two terms as governor. He referred to socialism as synonymous with neighborliness, pursued an extremely progressive governing agenda, and earned an F from the Cato Institute on fiscal policy.

  Another notable thing about Walz is that he served as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thus possible to parse his approach to the virus—and that record is extremely disturbing. Indeed, Walz's coronavirus policies were extremely heavy-handed and restrictive; under his leadership, the state endured the pandemic in a fundamentally anti-libertarian fashion.

  When the coronavirus was first spreading, Walz was an enthusiastic promoter of social distancing rules. He described the crowds in public, outdoor spaces as "a little too big." He even defended Minnesota's ridiculous hotline for COVID-19 snitches. That's right: Walz's government maintained a method for people to report their neighbors for failing to abide by social distancing rules. Walz insisted in a recent interview that "one person's socialism is another person's neighborliness"; denouncing one's neighbors as insufficiently loyal to government policies is a fundamental aspect of socialism, however.

  When asked by Republicans to take down the hotline, Walz responded: "We're not going to take down a phone number that people can call to keep their families safe."

  Soave is unimpressed, but the bettors surveyed by the Lott/Stossel Election Betting Odds site seem to think the Walz pick improved Kamala's odds to a near-tie with Trump.

• Blast from the past. Twelve years ago, Katherine Mangu-Ward pointed out an obvious truth: Your Vote Doesn't Count.

  Wearing an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day announces that you are a proud participant in the grand tradition of representative democracy, the worst system except all the others. It says "I care," "I'm informed," and perhaps also "this shirt is machine washable."

  On that day (November 6! Mark your calendars! [but see below]), when Americans are resting from their quadrennial labors of locating a polling place, standing in line, and pushing buttons, pulling levers, filling bubbles, or poking a touch screen, there is a surefire way to start a fight in any bar, church, or bus in the country. Three little words: I don't vote.

  Voting is widely thought to be one of the most important things a person can do. But the reasons people give for why they vote (and why everyone else should too) are flawed, unconvincing, and sometimes even dangerous. The case for voting relies on factual errors, misunderstandings about the duties of citizenship, and overinflated perceptions of self-worth. There are some good reasons for some people to vote some of the time. But there are a lot more bad reasons to vote, and the bad ones are more popular.

  So check that out. And if you still care afterward, Election Day is November 5 this year.