Just checking in.
Al Fin: "Cowboy Commentary", aka "Eat your veggies" The Flag banner is posted in order to defy those who would make patriotic symbols illegal or disreputable.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Friday, November 16, 2018
Karma is a bitch
It has been said that payback is a bitch. Perhaps you have heard the phrase. For what I am about to write, I may get a little payback too.
But truth is truth.
Is this concept of karma like a existential form of payback? That is to say, if you are facing some adversity that seems unfair, could it be possible that at sometime, somewhere you did somebody wrong, and now it is time for your justice?
I think about this, and I think about Collyfornia.
'Nuff said.
But truth is truth.
Is this concept of karma like a existential form of payback? That is to say, if you are facing some adversity that seems unfair, could it be possible that at sometime, somewhere you did somebody wrong, and now it is time for your justice?
I think about this, and I think about Collyfornia.
'Nuff said.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Republican Kevin McCarthy Voted to Lead Minority
Sundance says the GOP establishment knows how to control the party.
Indeed. They are a small number who seem to be able to control events despite the fact that they really don't have the votes from back home.
So this is how you get the situation that we have today. Those who represent us do not really represent us. The Establishment is out of step with its rank and file.
How to change this? They can do this because they are organized and well-funded. The rank and file is unorganized and not well-to-do. However, the rank and file have numbers, the well-to-do has money. Trump showed that money isn't necessary in order to win. He has rallied the rank and file.
The Establishment has a mutiny on its hand, and the same story is playing out on the Democratic side.
Indeed. They are a small number who seem to be able to control events despite the fact that they really don't have the votes from back home.
So this is how you get the situation that we have today. Those who represent us do not really represent us. The Establishment is out of step with its rank and file.
How to change this? They can do this because they are organized and well-funded. The rank and file is unorganized and not well-to-do. However, the rank and file have numbers, the well-to-do has money. Trump showed that money isn't necessary in order to win. He has rallied the rank and file.
The Establishment has a mutiny on its hand, and the same story is playing out on the Democratic side.
Republican Kevin McCarthy Voted to Lead Minority... https://t.co/Ytuvh70Xuo via @thelastrefuge2— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) November 15, 2018
Hypocrisy
Is it not hypocrisy to criticize others of what you do yourself?
For anybody to complain about incivility then, they should first look to themselves. They should also look to their associates and correct them for their misbehavior.
Only if they do these things do they have any credibility in complaining about the opposition's lack of civility.
To be specific, whenever Democrats do this with respect to Trump, they should look FIRST at their own behavior and of those within their own group. If they are such exemplars of good behavior, I haven't seen enough of it to take any of their complaints seriously.
When you are a GOP moderate, you need to walk a very straight line, because it begins to appear that you may be taking sides against your own side. Frankly, that is often how it appears to be, and why they lose a lot of credibility among the rest of the GOP.
As always, if you want to criticize, first look at yourself, and what you may be contributing to the situation that you are tempted to criticize. If this procedure were to be followed, it would be helpful.
For anybody to complain about incivility then, they should first look to themselves. They should also look to their associates and correct them for their misbehavior.
Only if they do these things do they have any credibility in complaining about the opposition's lack of civility.
To be specific, whenever Democrats do this with respect to Trump, they should look FIRST at their own behavior and of those within their own group. If they are such exemplars of good behavior, I haven't seen enough of it to take any of their complaints seriously.
When you are a GOP moderate, you need to walk a very straight line, because it begins to appear that you may be taking sides against your own side. Frankly, that is often how it appears to be, and why they lose a lot of credibility among the rest of the GOP.
As always, if you want to criticize, first look at yourself, and what you may be contributing to the situation that you are tempted to criticize. If this procedure were to be followed, it would be helpful.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Traffic
Good morning.
Each morning, I fire up the computer, and start checking things out. I tend to check out the blog first, and then I begin scanning the news.
So, this morning is a little different. Audience numbers have a strong tendency to be small here, but this morning there was a big spike.
Frankly, I seen these spikes before. This one looks like a bot kind of deal--- not real people.
I like the increase in the numbers, but these kind of spikes do not endure, so I don't think this one will either.
There is going to be a change in my habits, I hope. These political stories amount to a concerted effort at distraction. I have decided not to participate in the circuses. Hopefully, I won't get into it too far if I "fall off the wagon". The circus does have its attractions.
Each morning, I fire up the computer, and start checking things out. I tend to check out the blog first, and then I begin scanning the news.
So, this morning is a little different. Audience numbers have a strong tendency to be small here, but this morning there was a big spike.
Frankly, I seen these spikes before. This one looks like a bot kind of deal--- not real people.
I like the increase in the numbers, but these kind of spikes do not endure, so I don't think this one will either.
There is going to be a change in my habits, I hope. These political stories amount to a concerted effort at distraction. I have decided not to participate in the circuses. Hopefully, I won't get into it too far if I "fall off the wagon". The circus does have its attractions.
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
What is really at stake
Yesterday was another one of "those' kind of days. The irritation I felt was a lot like what I felt when Mueller was hired.
At that point last year, I decided to chill out, but here we are again.
Funny thing how you can get irritated with the people you should be agreeing with. Trouble is, I don't have confidence in their methods. Perhaps this is the source of my irritation.
Take this Betsy Newmark person. She writes about how the GOP needs to expand its appeal. Guess what? I have no problem with that statement. The problem is with how people like her propose to do it. It seems to me that their proposition is Democrat Lite.
Democrat Lite isn't going to work. Democrats want real Democrats. Copying the other side is a sure fire recipe for defeat. There needs to be an alternative that is truly an alternative.
The real issue here dividing the GOP is immigration. You can pretty much forget about all of the "civility" stuff. That is trivial in importance in comparison with the larger issues. Russia is another one of those fake issues. Our problem is fakery. We don't seem to want to square up to the problem, so there are those of us who focus on these phony issues.
An example of that could be obtained from history. There were those who disapproved of General Grant. They may have preferred a McClellan type general, who comported himself according to their standards. However, Lincoln overlooked Grant's problems, because he knew that Grant could win, and that McClellan wouldn't. McClellan eventually ran as an opponent to Lincoln in his conduct of the war. If McClellan got his way, the Union would have been dissolved.
The question is this: what is your TRUE objective? You don't really care about those trivial items, but you don't want to actually say it. What you really prefer is that immigration be unlimited and unregulated. Per the example above, Lincoln wanted results with respect to winning the war. I think Trump can get results on the conservative agenda, but he can't if the party is divided against itself. The never Trump wing will never agree with his immigration proposals. Nor will they agree with his trade proposals.
Let's be honest here. Trump could become a star pupil of a charm school, but it wouldn't make any difference in the real issues. This civility stuff is baloney.
What they want more than anything is to remove Trump because of substantive disagreements, not over the phoney baloney civility stuff.
At that point last year, I decided to chill out, but here we are again.
Funny thing how you can get irritated with the people you should be agreeing with. Trouble is, I don't have confidence in their methods. Perhaps this is the source of my irritation.
Take this Betsy Newmark person. She writes about how the GOP needs to expand its appeal. Guess what? I have no problem with that statement. The problem is with how people like her propose to do it. It seems to me that their proposition is Democrat Lite.
Democrat Lite isn't going to work. Democrats want real Democrats. Copying the other side is a sure fire recipe for defeat. There needs to be an alternative that is truly an alternative.
The real issue here dividing the GOP is immigration. You can pretty much forget about all of the "civility" stuff. That is trivial in importance in comparison with the larger issues. Russia is another one of those fake issues. Our problem is fakery. We don't seem to want to square up to the problem, so there are those of us who focus on these phony issues.
An example of that could be obtained from history. There were those who disapproved of General Grant. They may have preferred a McClellan type general, who comported himself according to their standards. However, Lincoln overlooked Grant's problems, because he knew that Grant could win, and that McClellan wouldn't. McClellan eventually ran as an opponent to Lincoln in his conduct of the war. If McClellan got his way, the Union would have been dissolved.
The question is this: what is your TRUE objective? You don't really care about those trivial items, but you don't want to actually say it. What you really prefer is that immigration be unlimited and unregulated. Per the example above, Lincoln wanted results with respect to winning the war. I think Trump can get results on the conservative agenda, but he can't if the party is divided against itself. The never Trump wing will never agree with his immigration proposals. Nor will they agree with his trade proposals.
Let's be honest here. Trump could become a star pupil of a charm school, but it wouldn't make any difference in the real issues. This civility stuff is baloney.
What they want more than anything is to remove Trump because of substantive disagreements, not over the phoney baloney civility stuff.
Monday, November 12, 2018
I don't believe that the GOP is helpless
So when they say they cannot do anything, I say they are full of it.
And with that, I will say no more.
Of course, I should have said "no more" a long time ago. Perhaps I should stick with it this time.
And with that, I will say no more.
Of course, I should have said "no more" a long time ago. Perhaps I should stick with it this time.
Betsy ain't no conservative
After reading Betsy's Page for a few weeks, I think I got her pegged pretty good by now.
She's out there saying the Cruz nearly lost Texas because of Trump.
I have to laugh. It could be true that Texas is in trouble. But it isn't because of Trump. It is because of the phoney baloney's who manage to get people to believe that they are conservative when they aren't. People like Betsy Newmark.
I was against Sen. Cornyn in 2014 for this very reason. I called him "cornball" Cornyn, because he wasn't to be found when he was needed most. He was a "boutique" conservative. What I mean by that is that he votes conservative in meaningless ways in order to make his scores look good. But when he is needed on something crucial, he is nowhere to be found.
I was suspicious of Cruz too. But I voted for him this time. If he turns on Trump, then I am going to regret ever voting for him. I will also not vote for any GOP candidate again unless they get rid of the bullshit artists.
In other words, people like this are full of crap, and people are not stupid. They see it and they eventually lose confidence in them.
If Cruz is putting out info that Trump hurt him, then I smell a betrayal brewing. You people who told us "divided government is good"- are bullshitting us, because what you want is to get rid of Trump. That is so you can enable the Democrats like you always do.
They will betray, just watch.
She's out there saying the Cruz nearly lost Texas because of Trump.
I have to laugh. It could be true that Texas is in trouble. But it isn't because of Trump. It is because of the phoney baloney's who manage to get people to believe that they are conservative when they aren't. People like Betsy Newmark.
I was against Sen. Cornyn in 2014 for this very reason. I called him "cornball" Cornyn, because he wasn't to be found when he was needed most. He was a "boutique" conservative. What I mean by that is that he votes conservative in meaningless ways in order to make his scores look good. But when he is needed on something crucial, he is nowhere to be found.
I was suspicious of Cruz too. But I voted for him this time. If he turns on Trump, then I am going to regret ever voting for him. I will also not vote for any GOP candidate again unless they get rid of the bullshit artists.
In other words, people like this are full of crap, and people are not stupid. They see it and they eventually lose confidence in them.
If Cruz is putting out info that Trump hurt him, then I smell a betrayal brewing. You people who told us "divided government is good"- are bullshitting us, because what you want is to get rid of Trump. That is so you can enable the Democrats like you always do.
They will betray, just watch.
I hate bullshit
Update:
11.12.18:
It is ironic that I like to use this movie to illustrate that we live in a Matrix, and that isn't bullshit.
The bullshit is the Matrix. If you want to clean up the corruption in Washington DC, you will have to overcome the bullshit. The bullshit is coming at us 24/7. It comes from all directions, continually.
How do you cut through the bullshit, and get people to understand that our safety and security comes down to a simple question: do you want the truth or not? If you do not, then you are lost. You are like the Cypher character in that movie, who betrayed his fellows in order to gain a little advantage for himself.
With respect to the Mueller investigation, I do not believe that is grounded in truth. The whole thing was started with the allegation of Russian hacking of the DNC. If the DNC really cared about security, they wouldn't have been hacked, if that is what happened. I don't think it happened. Besides, the DNC didn't prove it anyway. They got the FBI to okay something that wouldn't stand up in any courtroom because it was hearsay. Hearsay isn't truth, or isn't regarded as proof in a court of law.
Consequently, the entire Russian conspiracy angle was built upon this, which wasn't proven, and therefore cannot be considered as TRUTH. It is plainly and simply BULLSHIT.
Mueller's investigation is BULLSHIT, because it is based upon BULLSHIT like this.
But there are GOP types who approve of Mueller's investigation because they want to enable the BULLSHIT to succeed. Now it has succeeded, and the Dems control the House. The GOP didn't want to govern, because that is also BULLSHIT that they serve us in order to convince us that they really mean what they say. Which they don't.
The latest BULLSHIT is that divided government is a good thing. This particular brand of BULLSHIT is to immobilize us, and thus prevent us from cleaning up the corruption that is killing this country.
9.5.12:
That's my attitude about truth. I hate bullshit. I think this makes me different, because I get the impression that more people than not are the other way around. They hate truth, I hate bullshit.
What gave me my latest inspiration was while I watching videos yesterday. I was watching some videos of the matrix when I came across something that gave me the reaction above and I thought "bullshit!" My suspension of disbelief was stretched to the breaking point.
I got about halfway through this video when I thought "BULLSHIT". But why? The Matrix is all about virtual reality. It is the very definition of bullshit. You have to accept that in order to accept the movie. But the very premise of the movie is bullshit itself. The rest follows immutably from this premise. If you respect the truth, you cannot respect this movie. It is total bullshit. If you love bullshit, you will love the movie.
The truth cannot be virtual. The truth must be immutable. It is the perception of truth that is malleable. That's what people who love bullshit know. They know they can distort the truth to their advantage, which is why they love it so. It's what gives them their power. Their power comes from ability to lie and get people to believe their lies. It is their lies that threaten to destroy our freedom and put us in chains. For you see, this is what they want.
A little more self-disclosure here with a story that I don't like to tell. It is about me and my oldest brother. I am told that he thinks I'm so very funny because I am so serious. There's a running joke in this family about an event that happened when I was about 10 years old with my oldest brother. The mere hint of this incident is enough to bring a hearty round of laughter. Yes, I can laugh about it. I have a sense of humor. Maybe not a very good one, but I do have one. I consider it a saving grace. If it weren't for this, I would have been in a madhouse years ago.
The story is about a fruit pie that I had bought for my lunch the next day. My brother found this fruit pie and he ate it. When I discovered that he ate it, I protested it and this is what he found was so funny. He made a big joke of it and said "You wouldn't have liked it anyway". That phrase is enough to make us all laugh today. But at the time, it wasn't so funny. I said "yes I would have!" And he kept insisting that I wouldn't have and I argued. He thought it was so hilarious that I would seriously argue the point, I gather.
You know, people like my brother. But I am not so likable. I wonder what is so likable about what he did? But people like it anyway. It just goes to show you something. Something dark about human nature.
I think what it shows is the way liberals react to conservatives when they earnestly try to peel away all the untruth about liberalism. The liberals will sneer and make fun of conservatives for their earnestness. It is like my big brother who made fun of me. The liberals think they are so smart and the conservatives are so dumb. It may be true too, if the respect for truth is dead in the people.
Let us hope that this is not true. I think there's reason to believe that it isn't true. Why? It is in the movie The Departed. I saw that this movie is fairly popular to rent. Why? The way that it ends. The bad guy gets whacked in the end. People like that. The morality that is confirmed is why they like it, I think. They wouldn't have liked it if the good guy got whacked in the end. That's why I'm encouraged. Morality isn't dead yet, but it may be on life support. That is why we in the Western Civilization are so deeply in trouble. The liberals have gotten us ensnared so deeply in their lies, that we are confused about our morality. Let us hope that the confusion can be clarified and reaffirmed. If we can do this, we may find salvation.
11.12.18:
It is ironic that I like to use this movie to illustrate that we live in a Matrix, and that isn't bullshit.
The bullshit is the Matrix. If you want to clean up the corruption in Washington DC, you will have to overcome the bullshit. The bullshit is coming at us 24/7. It comes from all directions, continually.
How do you cut through the bullshit, and get people to understand that our safety and security comes down to a simple question: do you want the truth or not? If you do not, then you are lost. You are like the Cypher character in that movie, who betrayed his fellows in order to gain a little advantage for himself.
With respect to the Mueller investigation, I do not believe that is grounded in truth. The whole thing was started with the allegation of Russian hacking of the DNC. If the DNC really cared about security, they wouldn't have been hacked, if that is what happened. I don't think it happened. Besides, the DNC didn't prove it anyway. They got the FBI to okay something that wouldn't stand up in any courtroom because it was hearsay. Hearsay isn't truth, or isn't regarded as proof in a court of law.
Consequently, the entire Russian conspiracy angle was built upon this, which wasn't proven, and therefore cannot be considered as TRUTH. It is plainly and simply BULLSHIT.
Mueller's investigation is BULLSHIT, because it is based upon BULLSHIT like this.
But there are GOP types who approve of Mueller's investigation because they want to enable the BULLSHIT to succeed. Now it has succeeded, and the Dems control the House. The GOP didn't want to govern, because that is also BULLSHIT that they serve us in order to convince us that they really mean what they say. Which they don't.
The latest BULLSHIT is that divided government is a good thing. This particular brand of BULLSHIT is to immobilize us, and thus prevent us from cleaning up the corruption that is killing this country.
9.5.12:
That's my attitude about truth. I hate bullshit. I think this makes me different, because I get the impression that more people than not are the other way around. They hate truth, I hate bullshit.
What gave me my latest inspiration was while I watching videos yesterday. I was watching some videos of the matrix when I came across something that gave me the reaction above and I thought "bullshit!" My suspension of disbelief was stretched to the breaking point.
I got about halfway through this video when I thought "BULLSHIT". But why? The Matrix is all about virtual reality. It is the very definition of bullshit. You have to accept that in order to accept the movie. But the very premise of the movie is bullshit itself. The rest follows immutably from this premise. If you respect the truth, you cannot respect this movie. It is total bullshit. If you love bullshit, you will love the movie.
The truth cannot be virtual. The truth must be immutable. It is the perception of truth that is malleable. That's what people who love bullshit know. They know they can distort the truth to their advantage, which is why they love it so. It's what gives them their power. Their power comes from ability to lie and get people to believe their lies. It is their lies that threaten to destroy our freedom and put us in chains. For you see, this is what they want.
A little more self-disclosure here with a story that I don't like to tell. It is about me and my oldest brother. I am told that he thinks I'm so very funny because I am so serious. There's a running joke in this family about an event that happened when I was about 10 years old with my oldest brother. The mere hint of this incident is enough to bring a hearty round of laughter. Yes, I can laugh about it. I have a sense of humor. Maybe not a very good one, but I do have one. I consider it a saving grace. If it weren't for this, I would have been in a madhouse years ago.
The story is about a fruit pie that I had bought for my lunch the next day. My brother found this fruit pie and he ate it. When I discovered that he ate it, I protested it and this is what he found was so funny. He made a big joke of it and said "You wouldn't have liked it anyway". That phrase is enough to make us all laugh today. But at the time, it wasn't so funny. I said "yes I would have!" And he kept insisting that I wouldn't have and I argued. He thought it was so hilarious that I would seriously argue the point, I gather.
You know, people like my brother. But I am not so likable. I wonder what is so likable about what he did? But people like it anyway. It just goes to show you something. Something dark about human nature.
I think what it shows is the way liberals react to conservatives when they earnestly try to peel away all the untruth about liberalism. The liberals will sneer and make fun of conservatives for their earnestness. It is like my big brother who made fun of me. The liberals think they are so smart and the conservatives are so dumb. It may be true too, if the respect for truth is dead in the people.
Let us hope that this is not true. I think there's reason to believe that it isn't true. Why? It is in the movie The Departed. I saw that this movie is fairly popular to rent. Why? The way that it ends. The bad guy gets whacked in the end. People like that. The morality that is confirmed is why they like it, I think. They wouldn't have liked it if the good guy got whacked in the end. That's why I'm encouraged. Morality isn't dead yet, but it may be on life support. That is why we in the Western Civilization are so deeply in trouble. The liberals have gotten us ensnared so deeply in their lies, that we are confused about our morality. Let us hope that the confusion can be clarified and reaffirmed. If we can do this, we may find salvation.
Sunday, November 11, 2018
Life expectancy
If you are curious about such things, here is a interactive chart that shows changes in life expectancy over time.
I was born in the mid fifties, and this thing shows life expectancy in the USA at between 65 and 70 years. It has been slowly increasing here, but increasing much more rapidly in other places.
The USA is not ahead of the rest of the world in this department. What that says about this country is a subject that could be debated, but I suspect it isn't necessarily a shining example of American "exceptionalism".
Life expectancy was an appallingly low number even in relatively recent times. There wasn't even any data in the USA until the 1870's. People must have been dropping like flies. Less than 40 years was common back then?
It seems a bit low. It depends on how you figure the numbers. Different results may obtain depending upon methods used. If a median is used, then half of people would live longer, and half would live shorter lifespans than the median. An arithmetic average such as this may give a different result. The quality of availability of health care may be a big factor in average life expectancy.
Is that good policy though? It may be good for the individual. That may be the only thing that matters politically. Nobody wants to die young.
I was born in the mid fifties, and this thing shows life expectancy in the USA at between 65 and 70 years. It has been slowly increasing here, but increasing much more rapidly in other places.
The USA is not ahead of the rest of the world in this department. What that says about this country is a subject that could be debated, but I suspect it isn't necessarily a shining example of American "exceptionalism".
Life expectancy was an appallingly low number even in relatively recent times. There wasn't even any data in the USA until the 1870's. People must have been dropping like flies. Less than 40 years was common back then?
It seems a bit low. It depends on how you figure the numbers. Different results may obtain depending upon methods used. If a median is used, then half of people would live longer, and half would live shorter lifespans than the median. An arithmetic average such as this may give a different result. The quality of availability of health care may be a big factor in average life expectancy.
Is that good policy though? It may be good for the individual. That may be the only thing that matters politically. Nobody wants to die young.
Health Care Explained [OregonMuse]
Updated,
11.11.18:
I was looking for posts associated with the movie Idiocracy, and found this one. If you watch the video, you can see logic and reason in an argument, which ultimately failed, as we still have Obamacare.
This is why I re-posted it. Logic and reason is failing in this country, and that is the danger for us all.
You cannot make arguments based upon logic and reason for people who have abandoned it. This is why the country is becoming more like the people in the movie Idiocracy.
In that movie, nothing worked. People put gatorade on crops, and didn't know why the crops failed. The movie attributed this appalling lack of intelligence to a type of reverse Darwinism, in which the fittest to survive where the idiots who had bunches of children, and the smart ones didn't have many children--or none at all. The idiots came to dominate the society, and the society became dysfunctional.
The moral to this story is the Idiocracy can be achieved in more ways than one. It seems to this observer that we are most of the way there already.
7.12.12:
Ace of Spades HQ
Actually, this is just common sense. Will people pay attention to common sense? Or will the idiocracy prevail?
The answer to that question may be in the numbers. Sigh.
11.11.18:
I was looking for posts associated with the movie Idiocracy, and found this one. If you watch the video, you can see logic and reason in an argument, which ultimately failed, as we still have Obamacare.
This is why I re-posted it. Logic and reason is failing in this country, and that is the danger for us all.
You cannot make arguments based upon logic and reason for people who have abandoned it. This is why the country is becoming more like the people in the movie Idiocracy.
In that movie, nothing worked. People put gatorade on crops, and didn't know why the crops failed. The movie attributed this appalling lack of intelligence to a type of reverse Darwinism, in which the fittest to survive where the idiots who had bunches of children, and the smart ones didn't have many children--or none at all. The idiots came to dominate the society, and the society became dysfunctional.
The moral to this story is the Idiocracy can be achieved in more ways than one. It seems to this observer that we are most of the way there already.
7.12.12:
Ace of Spades HQ
Actually, this is just common sense. Will people pay attention to common sense? Or will the idiocracy prevail?
The answer to that question may be in the numbers. Sigh.
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