San Francisco plans to rename many schools, including the ones named after George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

I think that would be a mistake.

We designate people as heroes because we admire their actions. However, as our moral standards change, over time we come to perceive some of their actions as wrongs, flaws. When we talk about them, we should criticize their flaws.

In some cases, the flaws we discover may be so large that we conclude they were not heroes at all, merely evildoers. I think Columbus is a candidate for that.

However, it is a mistake to demand that past heroes be flawless. If we designate them as evildoers at the sight of the first serious flaw-by-our-standards, by and by we will have no heroes left. Therefore I think we should continue to admire a hero if per great deeds greatly outweigh per flaws.

The FBI, to investigate the attack on the Capitol, has seized call records and "actual communications" from portable phones of everyone there.

I think that is legitimate in response to a crime, especially a heinous crime like that one. The majority of the people there were engaged in insurrection.

What we must fight against is the establishment of systems that collect data about people in general when there is no reason to think they are engaged in a serious crime. That is fuel for tyranny.

Some Tories want to end UK's Covid-19 precautions by the end of April. Scientific modeling predicts this would lead to another wave of Covid-19, and tens of thousands more deaths.

Part of the problem is that children are not being vaccinated. They could spread the disease to those adults who remain vulnerable (including the fraction for whom the vaccine is not effective). Eradicating the disease without strong social precautions requires vaccination of children.

*Cronyism in Britain is rampant and goes unpunished.* This is because Bogus Johnson is its biggest sponsor.

Nevada is considering a bill to allow companies to set up their own local governments.

They will surely find ways to harass whistleblowers in those companies.