Biden's spokesperson: "Nothing we can do." Grow up

This is silly claim by KJP.

KJP: 'There Is No Executive Action' Biden Could Take to Secure the Border https://t.co/SzCu4WXeSS Comment: If the Russian Army was invading the border, he could do SOMETHING. Of course, he chooses to do nothing because he doesn't want to. But the law, and his oath says he must.

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) March 2, 2024

This is a dumb claim

I used gas stoves for years. I've got a carbon monoxide detector, and it didn't go off because of toxic fumes. It may well produce soot, as is claimed, but an auto MUST produce far more. This is absurd.

The Biden Administration wants to force everybody into the silly green schemes. Just say no to the loony left.

https://t.co/Tm4zIM7Sc6 Comment: More toxic than carbon monoxide from auto exhaust? They're talking about "soot", which is a questionable claim too. Auto exhaust undoubtedly is worse.

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) March 2, 2024

When convenience stopped being convenient

This is a personal rant of sorts. Convenience is what being online is about, I would think. If you have to go through a lot of inconvenience in order to keep using it, then what's the advantage?

So is the case today. In order to make changes in accounts, you have to jump through so many hoops that it becomes a real pain in the neck ( or even lower). I've spent the better part of this morning dealing with this issue, not to mention, it is costing me money as well as time.

As of this writing, the issues are continuing, and may be piling up. It has occurred to me that the Big Tech creations are becoming what monopolies become. They know you have no other place to go, so they take advantage. In a free market, that would mean a market opportunity. But do we have a free market anymore?

In some areas, it would appear to be not so.

Anyway, it is all connected with my recent move. I was told that it will take upwards of 3 weeks to process an address change. Plus all the websites need to be updated, yada, yada, yada. No wonder I don't like moving. I didn't even like it when I was younger and more spry. I really hate it now.

So the convenience angle isn't always convenient.

To handle something that you used to handle may mean driving into town. What if you are out in the country like me? Then you may be SOL. Or out a lot of time and gas. All of that on a small budget. What a pain in the neck. Reminds me of C3PO and another character on the 60's TV show "Lost in Space"--- I quote: "oh, the pain."

Is this true, or is it fake?

One might conclude from this that there's a neo-isolationist component to MAGA. Is that a fair interpretation, or is it a highly charged political information attack?

There's a problem here, but proper identification of what it is, is needed.

Dick Morris: The Rise of Globo-Skepticism via @WestJournalism https://t.co/56A0ExBrO0

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) March 2, 2024

Credit binge is not evidence of prosperity, but the reverse

Serious delinquencies of credit cards, or those 90 days or more past due, have reached the highest level since 2009, per TransUnion.

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) February 28, 2024

As Ronald Reagan once said: "The government is not the solution. Government is the problem."

The Pentagon: We’re unable to track $2.3 trillion dollars of military spending.

The U.S. Treasury: We’re unable to track $5 trillion dollars of pandemic spending.

The IRS: You owe us $3.37 pay it or you’re going to jail.

— Not Jerome Powell (@alifarhat79) March 1, 2024

What was that about saving "our democracy"?

China is an authoritarian government now, or is it not? Even totalitarian governments hold elections. The question is whether or not they are free and fair elections. There's a question about that here. I suppose China holds free and fair elections, right? /sarc Schumer is shown waving the Chinese flag. Would he be waving the Russian Federation flag?

The Chinese have their admirers in the halls of government these days. We have the best government that the world can buy, or so it seems.

New: Senator Chuck Schumer waved the People's Republic of China flag onstage at a Lunar New Year event on Sunday.

He and other top New York politicians appeared onstage at a rally, preceding an annual parade in Manhattan’s Chinatown, alongside Huang Ping, a hard-line Chinese… pic.twitter.com/seqf0RhOl0

— Jimmy Quinn (@james_t_quinn) February 26, 2024

Gary Sinise's son dies of a chordoma

This isn't exactly new news. What I've read says it was back in early January that Gary Sinise's son died of a rare bone cancer ( that I was diagonosed with in 2017.) How did I miss this one? I guess it is easy when you are busy. Obviously, I'm not dead. At least not yet. That may be bad news for somebody. But if I die soon from this, I'll be sure to haunt you guys. Bwah, hah, hah!

I know that is in poor taste, but what can I say? I like Grand Funk Railroad, so what do you expect???

Gary Sinise Has Remained 'So Strong' After Death of Son Mac, 33, from Cancer, Says Friend https://t.co/YzysobpzWI via @people

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) February 29, 2024

"Don't worry about no time, we can always jump back to right now"

You can't sue? Says who?

Caveat emptor sucka.

No time to watch the entire video. Got stuff to do.

I bot a fridge on my recent move. It wasn't this brand, but I wonder if they pulled the same stunt as this manufacturer did. It's screw you time for some these high rollers. For them, it's always how you can screw that other guy. As the Godfather said, "it's not poysonal, it's business."

Is this woman crazy?

Why is she still running? There are only a few ways she wins: 1) is with Democrat votes that won't be there in November, or 2) if Donald Trump gets booted off the ballot somehow, and she is the only alternative left. Either way, she loses. Even is she wins, there's nothing for the base GOP voter to look forward from her if she is ever in the White House. Odds are, she'll never get that far.

It's almost masochistic to keep running because her situation is hopeless. Nobody wants her, not even many of those who are voting for her now. The expectation must be that she and her supporters expect the GOP faithful to fall in line and vote for her if she gets the nomination. Or she is running to deliberately damage Donald Trump's chances. The latter is the only way she could be making a rational choice, in my opinion. I don't think that I'd vote for her in any case.

Nikki Haley's Latest Spin on Trump's Michigan Win Is Beyond Delusional https://t.co/cY0nTVsD0q Comment: She loses even if she wins. What's her angle? Or is she just crazy?

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) February 29, 2024

Krugman scopes out "rural rage"

2/28/24, 12:45 pm

A couple thoughts further on this: 1) Compared to the left, the Loyal Opposition is rather placid and mild. They even clean up their own messes when they DO demonstrate. Consequently, the riot on J6th is suspicious in its own right. The lefties like Krugman are all too often looking for hobgoblins in the the Loyal Opposition, but they should actually look into the mirror. What rage, then?, and

2) Is this an example of projection?

It's pretty hard for me to see how a few country folk can be a threat to the popular culture and government. Those two institutions have a powerful sway over the course of events. It's like a elephant being scared silly over a mouse.

end update, the original post is directly below:

Like Mighty Casey, he has struck out.

Or was that George Will?

Economist Paul Krugman: Here’s what’s driving 'white rural rage' and 'the MAGA narrative' https://t.co/dW5pQ2gw8O comment: He should stick to economics. Supposedly he has some expertise in that field.

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) February 28, 2024

Random walk can teach you plenty

Veritasium channel

Of particular interest is just before the 11 minute mark. The random motion of molecules describes the temperature of molecules. The temperature is the random motion of molecules, which averages out to what we call temperature. The motion is KINETIC in nature. That means it moves. But it wasn't about physics. It was about making money.

And I thought I could predict the prices of stocks. The random walk theory says how wrong I was. Or was I? I lost plenty of money on such a silly thought. Or was it silly, according to this video? Mind bending, but if I had solved it, maybe I would be rich right now.

Rule of law returns? Maybe.

Those who preach "rule of law" have been shown to be in violation of the Constitution. Imagine that. /sarc

In win for Paxton, court declares $1.7 trillion federal omnibus was passed unconstitutionally https://t.co/XruFgMNjZ0 via @JustTheNews

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) February 28, 2024

Way to go, Little Jebbie! Jeb Bush finds his voice. Imagine that. /sarc

Better late than never. Maybe this is good news. Sanity could return?

Jeb Bush Warns of Legal Threats to Business: Trump and Musk Cases Raise Concerns for Rule of Law in America https://t.co/GpWACoODfj

— BootsandOil (@BootsandO6892) February 28, 2024

FAA finishes mishap investigation for Starship IFT2

What's the difference between conspiracy and truth?

About six months, it says.

We need to speed that up. Six months is too long to wait for the truth, and it is too much time for more mischief.

What’s the difference between a conspiracy and the truth?

About 6 months. pic.twitter.com/z7FB01tAu5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2024

The silly season is upon us

Each election cycle seems to get crazier than the last. It is evidence of something, and it may not be good. There is already some troubling rumblings out there. If true, this may be the last election held in this country as we know have known it.

It has been called the silly season in past cycles, because it seemed rather harmless. However, these latest developments are like what Thomas Jefferson described as a "firebell in the night". Jefferson was referring to the sectional controversy that existed prior to the Civil War. This situation isn't exactly like that one, but the differences are stark, and the stakes are high.

A presidential election preceded the last Civil War. This Civil War, if it comes, may well come down to the results of a presidential election. If so, who will be most responsible for the breakup of the Union? What will be the issues that are being fought over?

Some might say personalities. But it isn't about Trump's personality at all. The personality aspect is part of the rampant dishonesty that is part of the silly season. It isn't about Biden's mental faculties either, despite the fact that he really has some issues there. So what is the real issue here?

We'll be lucky if that question gets asked. The silly season is rampant with phony issues. It's like what the late Herb Cohen once said: "Once you get past the phony tinsel, you get to the real tinsel." We'll have trouble getting past the phony tinsel part the way we're going. More Russian collusion. Please spare me the nonsense.

There is no honesty and integrity out there. On that count, I'd say Trump has it all over Biden. The Democrats are hell bent on gaining and keeping power. There is no such thing as a loyal opposition for these people. If there was respect for a loyal opposition, would the Democrats be trying to destroy Trump? None of their accusations are made in good faith based upon something real. The Democrats are conjuring up a monster, while ignoring their own monstrous behavior. The persecution of this man is unreal. All he did was to beat them at an election. For this, he has committed the greatest "crime" ever committed. What kind of mentality could think that way? Not one that has been the long time tradition of this country, which included the freedom to disagree.

But if they really respected the institutions, such as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, would they treat the opposition so shabbily? The founding documents allow for a loyal opposition. There's something terribly wrong when it becomes a crime to disagree with the powers-that-be. It is downright un-American. That is, it would have been said to be so at one time in the past, but not so much now. The country has lost its sense of self.

Make America great again? I'd settle for making America its true self again. The greatness came from that. The spirit that made this country great is on trial now. The outcome of that trial is in doubt. There's nothing silly about that one. If you are inclined to pray, then this country needs one right now. Perhaps it is too late for that. Better to do it anyway with all the humility and sincerity that you can muster. That is, if you care enough to be concerned about it.

Gemini AI

Artificial intelligence in the news

This seems to be getting a lot of mention. Actually, I don't see the point of it. Artificial intelligence isn't intelligence. People may be making the mistake of thinking that computers can actually think. But what can computers really do? In short, what does the computer bring to the game, and how does that stack up with natural intelligence?

What actually defines intelligence? There is a test called the Turing Test, which claims to determine if a machine can "think". The wikipedia linked above didn't interest me much beyond the first few paragraphs. Perhaps I shouldn't have linked it. But it will give something of a rundown of what the Turing test is. An FYI of sorts. I prefer to know what I'm talking about even when I don't.

Perhaps you can give humans a Turing Test. Maybe the humans really aren't human. ha ha

Seriously, computers can only do what's put into them. A bunch of chess masters can program a computer that can beat the finest chess grandmasters. But does that mean that the machine can think? Here's something to consider. What about novel situations? What would a computer do in a novel situation if its programming wasn't designed to handle a certain kind of input?

If a computer could devise a way to handle novel situations, and do it as well as a person could, I think I would be impressed. But not yet.

In the Terminator movies that made the Governator a blockbuster actor, the computers were said to have gotten "smart". Yet, in a class I took towards the end of my college days, an instructor opined that a computer cannot become self-aware. If a computer cannot become self-aware, then how can it become truly intelligent? The thought seems to have crossed the minds of certain film-makers. At the moment, I tend to agree with the intructor.

To explain a little further, a self-awareness means that the computer knows it's "alive". An insect knows that much. Can any computer even match insect levels of intelligence? In the movie, the computer became self-aware, and then sought to fight back any attempts to shut it down. That could be a sign of self-awareness if a computer recognized a novel situation such as that, and conjured up a plan to respond to it. It would entail some emotion in order to have motives. For example, If you try to pull the plug on it, it will perceive its existence as being threatened, and it may well retaliate. In the movie, the computers launched a nuclear attack that brought about "Judgment Day". Such a move could very well be considered "intelligent". Would a human do that? Maybe. A couple nukes got dropped on Japan.

Should we all be concerned about that?

I'd be more than a bit concerned about an over-reliance upon computers to do your thinking for you. After all, a computer does not think. Not yet, that is.

There is another possibility. Cybernetic activities could be initiated. A cybernetic organism combines human qualities with a machine qualities. The advantage of machines is its computational speed. Attach that to humans, and you may have enhanced human existence. The best of both worlds, so to speak. Or the worst. Name your poison.

Such could be happening now. Seems that I've read about enhanced human existence via machines.

As for Gemini news, I tend to discount that. More than likely, the artificial intelligence features now in existence may well be used to control human populations. The motives for that are in the political sphere. But in order to avoid accountability, the politicans as string-pullers and the controllers will blame the computers. However, computers are not that smart, nor are they likely to ever be. There's somebody pulling the strings behind the curtain. But are people smart enough to perceive that they are being taken for a ride?

Humans don't have Turing tests, but there are other tests. Those tests do not have to be formal. The real test is when or if the Skynet scenario plays out. Then we get to see if the computers win, or we do.

What is it with these people

2/25/24: Update to 10/22 post:

In order to show that the left is ideologically Marxist, take a note from history ( if it is still taught ), and see the parallels. The left-center-right paradigm is from Marxist theory. Read up on it, and be informed. I did.

Krugman wants to compare the opposition to fascists. Fascists are Nazis, and so are the Republicans! So, what's the latest thing going around? Christian Nationalists, that's what. Let's take that one apart, and see what's under the hood.

Adolf Hitler was born a Catholic. Consequently, any Catholic has to be a Nazi, right? However, if Hitler was anything in terms of religion, he was pagan. The Nazis subscribed to the philosophy of Nietsche, who thought of Christianity as a sort of slave mentality. There is nothing in Hitler's philosophy that was Christian. So, this pagan sets up the Nazi party in Germany, starts a world war, and tries to wipe out the Jews. such a person is EEEEEVIL, right? Of course he is. But some of the thinking that was behind Nazism is right there inside the Marxist paradigm. Read up on it and find out. Listen to progaganda, on the other hand, and allow yourselves to be deceived.

Hitler is as far away as one can get from communism, right? After all, they are polar opposites. That is, if you believe that ideology. But Hitler described the Nazi Party as Socialist. That's what Nazi means, after all. It means, "National Socialism". If Hitler, being born a Catholic, can think up Nazism, then all rightists must be Nazis, right? And all Christians that are nationalist must also be like Hitler, and are fundamentally dangerous. Ooo! Such nasty people!

If you cannot see through the fallacies and the irrationality of their arguments, then you will be deceived by them. One is tempted to condemn Krugman and his leftist friends as liars, but some of these people really believe that stuff. If you believe it, then you aren't a liar. But you may be crazier than a bed bug.

One doesn't get to totalitarian governments via free speech. One gets there through incessant propaganda. When it comes to totalitarianism, the Democrats have got a lock on that one, because of their fondness for censorship. If they are so afraid of dissident ideas, then it must challenge what their most closely held beliefs. But beliefs can be challenged and upheld as true. Or they can be challenged and found wanting. What are the Democrats so afraid of?

end update, the original post from 10/1/22 is directly below:

It has been mentioned here that Democrats really don't want an opposition, and the proof is in reading Krugman's book--"The Conscience of a Liberal".

This needs to be discussed further, as some folks may not believe it. Or they'll deny it. But it is there, perhaps not stated directly, but it can be deduced easily from what he writes. It is in his major thesis, so it can hardly be missed. To put it succinctly as possible, Krugman blames the "polarization" on effective political opposition of "movement conservativism". Conservatism is naughty, basically.

He claims that "movement conservatism" is fascist. Again, not in so many words, but it can be deduced. Hence, it is a rather naughty thing to have any dissent. What is "polarization" if it is not dissent?

Krugman says that there was the "good old days" when Eisenhower Republicans stopped opposing Democrats. Everybody got along splendidly and the country prospered. True enough, the "good old days" really were better than now, but is dissent the cause of our troubles? He compares the eighties to the so-called Gilded Age. Krugman concedes that there was rapid progress during what he disparaging calls the Gilded Age. It should also be remembered that the progress in the Reagan years happened for a reason, as the prosperity that ended in the sixties and early seventies led to the one-term presidency of Jimmy Carter. Carter is remembered for the stagflation, a phony energy crisis, and weak foreign policy. Reagan turned that around and won 49 states in 1984.

Krugman would have everyone believe that Cold War would have been won anyway without Reagan. Prosperity would have returned without Reaganomics. But would it have? It didn't seem that way at the time. If it was Krugman wanted, and Reagan was suppressed, everyone would be more equal, and there would have been a utopia. There may well have been more equality, but it would have been the kind that the Soviets enforced. Everything that went with communism would have been the condition here. We've seen empty store shelves, long gasoline lines, poor quality of consumer goods, and what have you. Those were the usual thngs in the former Soviet Union. Reagan exposed these weaknesses and the Soviet Union collapsed. It was no accident. Reagan declared he would put the Soviet Union on the ash heap of history, and he did it. It would seem that Krugman is calling the seventies and asking for his old Soviet Union back.

It is well known that communism does not brook any dissent. There are no civil liberties. There is no economic freedom. It would seem that "polarization" is not necessarily such a bad thing. If everything was perfect, there would be no need for a change. But what if there were no opportunities for improving things? Then you get the stultifying society that the Soviet Union was, and what the USA is becoming more and more like--ala Krugman and his ilk.

In the Communist Manifesto, it was acknowledged that people would not accept communism freely. Therefore, there had to be a dictatorship. Also, communists believed that it had to be world-wide to succeed. Hence the constant agitation for overthowing the old order. If the communists did succeed, and it became world-wide, then how would there ever be any way to improve conditions? If all dissent is bad, then how can problems ever be identified and corrected? They could not, and that is why conditions in communist held regions are so poor. But if everybody was miserable, maybe they wouldn't feel it as much. Everybody would be equally miserable. Is that what the left wants?

Communism offers no incentives. Even the Russians said the same after the Soviet Union ended. The mania for equality cannot coexist with advancement of civilization. Some "polarization" is necessary because perfect agreement is not possible except in a dicatorship, and not even there. It can only be suppressed, and everyone pretends that things are fine, even if they are not. It's why Communists need dictatorships. The communists believe that they could create a new man, who would no longer respond to incentives. They tried it and it failed. Even if it succeeded, such a "new man" could not be expected to understand the minds of others if they are not allowed to speak freely.

At the heart of it all is that leftists believe that dissent is bad. Experience has shown otherwise. The communists believe that you can create a society of angels, but such is impossible. Dissent is necessary, regardless of whether or not you think it is good or bad.