Tagged: politics
I Propose A Guessing Game
Read the following paragraph from a news article and guess the year.
I offer that the first and major clue is the last line, “…got into the papers.”
This puts us back before the internet. So pre-90s.
I’m not from New York. I have only visited once. There may be names that a New Yorker would know are old and therefore help date the event. But I don’t know them.
The idea that people are fighting about the elevation of a flag is immemorial, so that doesn’t help. But add “American” to the kind of flag and obviously we’re post-1776.
A quick review of steel’s development indicates post-1856 and Bessemer Process.
“Medical students” as a phrase immediately calls to mind post-WW2, so post-1945.
This means, if you guessed anywhere between 1945-1990, I’d say you “won” my game. Congratulations!
Of course, the true winners of the true game are those who can withstand the “hype” to which the news cycle demands undying attention.
The real date is 1970. That means for 65 years we have recorded evidence that some Americans want to lower the flag and others want to raise it back up. Or, 65 years of “Same $&@%, different day.” Or, 65 years of “Nothing to see here; move along.”
Rapid Fire Movie Reviews, The Order, 65, 28 Weeks Later
The Order with Jude Law, on Hulu, is pretty fantastic. But turn it off before you start seeing the black screen “wrap up facts”. Trust me.
65, with the new Star Wars bad guy, is not about only him on a violent planet. I hate when they mess up the previews. I’m talking from the opening scene you‘re struck by the fact that the movie is not what the previews made it out to be. On the whole, the very idea of people marooned on killer, dinosaur infested planet Earth while the dinosaur-killing asteroid is visibly on its way is kinda a cool story. Add in some language barrier stuff and other family interest moments and it really isn’t a bad sci-fi flick. Just very poorly marketed.
28 Weeks Later is old, but it is still fantastic. The best part—and now I am really looking forward to the newest one—is the speed which the virus infects the new zombie. It is nearly instantaneous. This got me thinking though.
Is the novel speed concept an analogy for the times we live in? I’m not saying the writers intentionally meant to make an analogy. I mean more like in the sense that it was inescapable. Like how 80s movies had muscular military men instead of breathy and broken women saving the day.
I am talking about politics and education.
We seem to be living in a time when everyone makes up their mind instantly, and then attacks incessantly. And no one ever changes their mind.
TDS strikes and BOOM! You won’t talk to your parents.
MAGA hits and BAM! No more chatting with your brother.
Follow me?
Compare this rage virus zombie tale to, say, any movie which portrays leprosy, or other old and slow moving diseases and what is the difference? The time period. No rapid rage virus zombie conversions in the dark ages or period pieces. And no slow leper death scenes in air conditioned rooms with laptops and Twinkies.
Just something for your consideration as the winter and family meals approach.
In the end, there are three lessons to be learned from these movies.
Number 1. Do not read The Turner Diaries.
Number 2. Do not become a pilot if the reason you are doing so is to save your daughter’s life.
Number 3. Do not make out with your long lost wife whom you thought you saw die from a zombie attack—at least not until the military doctors clear her.
My Money on What Bongino “Saw”
I’m so tired of conspiracy theorists. Lunatics one and all. I can’t even listen for amusement anymore. Thanks for nothing, guys.
Want to know where my money is bet on Dan Bongino’s claim?
Bongino’s talent, if you ever listened to his podcast, is keeping an audience in suspense. It’s an impressive skill, but ultimately no different than selling nothing burgers.
Want to know what he “saw”?
He will soon report that what he saw was bureaucracy.
That’s it.
Bomb Shelters In North Vietnam
So I’m reading Reporting Vietnam, published by the Library of America. It consists entirely of articles from throughout the war.
The last article I read mentioned how President Johnson, in March of 1968 declared that due to the fact that during war the President need to focus his attention entirely on the war, he wouldn’t be running for re-election (can’t mix campaigning). This article also mentioned that by this time many advisors of his wanted to stop bombing the North.
I repeat, many advisors wanted to stop bombing the North.
To be sure, fact: America and South Vietnam were bombing North Vietnam.
Today’s article includes, “Outside Hanoi, the driver’s first job, I discovered, was to look for a shelter for the passengers whenever the alert or the pre-alert sounded. Every hamlet, sometimes every house, is equipped with a loud-speaker, and the alarm is rung out by the hamlet bell…When there is no hamlet nearby, a band of soldiers, tramping along with a transistor radio, may warn you that planes are coming.”
Fact: the NV commies had decided they wanted to live and so built and used bomb shelters.
****
Like fish which breathe in the water, or Everest climbers who pack oxygen for their summit, it seems that there are “tells”, if you will, that can be used to make sense of life on Earth. Can’t breathe underwater? Probably don’t live there.
One such “tell” that you live in a country that is being “bombed” is the presence of “bomb shelters.”
Final question in today’s lesson: What, then, does it mean if you claim to be “bombed” but have no bomb shelters?
Bonus question: What does it mean if you repeat the claim that some country is consistently being bombed, without ever thinking to ask, “Do they have bomb shelters?”
(Answers: 1. The claim is a lie. And 2. You’re a demonstrable fool.)
Do I Make It Rain?
Obama breaks silence.
Did you see how soon it was after I expressed sincere desire to hear his thoughts? To be clear, I am declaring that I manifested it.
If you missed it, here is what he said.
“Thirteen years ago, my administration acted to protect young people who were American in every single way but one: on paper.
DACA was an example of how we can be a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. And it’s an example worth remembering today, when families with similar backgrounds who just want to live, work, and support their communities, are being demonized and treated as enemies.
We can fix our broken immigration system while still recognizing our common humanity and treating each other with dignity and respect. In fact, it’s the only way we ever will.”
Decent, if weak, opening.
Second para is trash entirely. “Who just want to live” is as disrespectful as it gets.
Third para brings to mind the question: just how much dignity is required to fulfill the definition of dignity?
People are told, “You can self-identify and leave.” That seems dignified.
Then they are not physically abused during their arrest. Seems pretty dignified to me.
They are fed for free. That seems dignified.
I just don‘t know what more is necessary. Many Americans would be fine with much more aggressive tactics and techniques to resolve the “paperwork.”
In the end, Obama played his role perfectly—while demonstrating again that he has no power besides attracting our attention.
I Want to Know Obama’s Thoughts
Like many of you, I have now seen (again?) the video of President Obama explaining to us why he had to deport illegal immigrants.
I don’t think showing that video to the rioters and the Democrats will do anything.
What I want to know is Obama’s actual, honest-to-goodness thoughts about his political children and grandchildren. Does he own them? Does he disown them? Does he believe that the CA Mayors and Governor (and elsewhere’s Dem leaderships) are proper democrats?
I want to know Obama’s thoughts.
Do Not, Please Do Not Listen to Tim Pool Over A Pilot
I have only just begun listening to a podcast where Tim Pool is making the case that Civil War is right around the corner.
For the record, the sequence of videos was, “Tim Pool destroying some woke comedian” (that was my first introduction to the man and never harmful to watch woke people learn they are not the only people) and then the current one, “Tim Pool with Konstantin…”
If I search, I probably will find that I have shared the following war story before on here. But it is still relevant and I like telling stories that make me look good.
So there we were. (If I was a plane pilot, Top Gun-style, I would hold my hand out flat, palm down, to represent me in my plane. But I was flying a helicopter so we chopper pilots twirl our index finger like the “whoop-dee-doo” signal.)
So there we were.
In formation—combat spread.
Two (could have been more) Pave-Lows flying across the Iraqi desert in the middle of the night.
The cockpits are illuminated, low-lightedly, by the various aircraft instruments and, given this occurred in 2008, full-color multi-function displays which currently show a map and the helicopter symbol. (Pretty standard for any navigation today—but it was high-speed for military aircraft back then.)
The general way missions are flown is the aircraft commander manages, and the co-pilot flies. So I was on the controls.
According to the MFD (moving map, remember), there was a decently large body of water in front of the helicopter symbol. According to the earth in front of us, there was a trickle of a stream.
The aircraft commander, apparently focused on the MFD, questioned aloud my decision to incautiously continue approaching this cousin of the Pacific—especially since we did not even have our HEEDS bottles on us (little scuba gear things that we would fly with when flying over water in case we went down).
I was astounded and unable to check my astonishment and said, “Uh, there’s no lake.”
He proceeded to look outside which of course became a source of great shame.
The 53 has two pilots and a flight engineer up front. The FE sitting between the heroes.
Besides the MFD, there were FLIR screens and one of the FE’s (“seat”) duties was to call out “feet wet” and “feet dry” as appropriate so that we could all arm our HEEDs bottles etc.
On this night, Seat came through for me big time as he saw the trickle approaching and said, “Feet wet…feet dry” even faster than you just read them. Lol. So funny.
Do you understand me? Tim Pool, to get going, even used some other podcaster’s “one screen, two channels” witticism/analogy to describe what is happening in the country of late.
Hahahahaha.
Wrong.
There is only screen on and screen off.
Turn. Off. The. Screen. (At least if you desire, at least some of the time, to live under the banner of truth.)
My Fellow Americans, Do You Know Who You Are?
Here’s a passage from James Fenimore Cooper’s Afloat and Ashore, circa 1840s. (We would call it a YA adventure novel.)
“So I will concede that money is the great end of American life—that there is little else to live for in the great model republic. Politics have fallen into such hands, that office will not even give social station… (Italics mine).”
This is from a speech made by the main character, a 17 yr old.
My point is this: Do you honestly think MAGA or AOC is capable of increasing your opinion of politicians? There is at least 180yrs of evidence to support the idea that you’re a fool if you do.
The disdain you feel for politicians is in your blood no different than your blood is in your body.
Education Cannot Result In Less Education
I have two HS Freshman and two more kids that will soon be entering kindergarten in sequence (this fall and fall 2027). Faithful readers already knew as much. Likewise, you know that I read, for pleasure, as much as any human. The substance of what I read, with only limited deviations—mostly enacted to prove I am not AI—includes great books, great essays, and great articles.
Consequently, education is always on my mind—whether my own education, my kids’ education, or your education.
Education.
What is education?
One of the great articles I recently read was from, “Reporting Vietnam: Part One”. It was written by Susan Sheehan, and entitled, “A Viet Cong: A Defector Tells His Story 1965”.
This defector, this poor soul, this (Victor) Charlie was recruited and had to sit through, and later lead other Charlies in, “political studies”.
I doubt any of us would consider what the VC were doing was “education”.
If you read any current news on the subject of education, you’ll come upon articles and propaganda about school choice. How long has it been? Since GW Bush, right? Maybe earlier.
The anti-school-choice folks run an argument that insists that because available money will be directed to White Christian Nationalist Schools (my understanding of their latent fear), the already poor blacks will receive a worse education.
But this simply is not true. I know, because I am educated. And education cannot lead to less education anymore than there is only one everlasting total of wealth to be divided among Earth’s occupants. Less education is possible. But it is never the result of education.
People who are educated, to a man, know that the poor blacks find themselves in one of the most fortunate positions fate has ever given humans. It is theirs to either exploit or abuse.
The available money that these anti-school-choice folks seem to believe will be siphoned to the White Christian Nationalist Schools in some manner of a deviously rich-get-richer, power helps power, or even plain ol’, unpunished theft, believe it either A. will be spent on indoctrination or “political studies” (NOT education) or B. will be spent on education in its true sense. (The truth, of course, is even in the best educational institution, it will be some mix, as purity is hard won.)
If A., then the fight isn’t about money, but about the definition of education. If B., then the folks arguing against school choice aren’t making an argument. Instead, they are manifesting envy in their wish to sabotage the education of others—an immature, “I can’t have a good life, so you don’t get one either” attitude.
I know this to be true because I believe education cannot result in less education.
So, to my anti-school-choice readers: if what you fear is White Christian Nationalist Schools are not conducting education, then say so. But be ready to be asked to explain just what exactly you wish to do with the poor blacks if you had enough political clout to direct the available money to them.
As for me, I say that the most natural thing in the world is to deregulate education. It should be completely pay-to-play, every parent for themselves. Public schools must be abolished. The educated rich will more than happily subsidize earnest poor black families who agree to attending institutions which conduct education. (Yes, I am suggesting written plans/agreements, which could be broken/dissolved, that include formal declaration of what the education will include and how the student and their family will perform.)
How do I know? Because education cannot result in less education. There are many ways to be confident that education is occurring. For today, I’ll simply say that one certain, though incomplete, way to discern that the so-called “educational” experience is not education is that accountability is never agreed upon or assessed.
Public schools must be abolished. Always supporting “school choice” seems the most natural first step. On the other hand, supporting “public schools”, or what is the same, supporting “the perfectly even or fair expenditure of money per student”, seems the most natural expression of “doing the same thing and expecting different results”.
No matter how you frame it, education cannot result in less education.
I Can’t Shake My Joe Rogan Fantasy
Douglas Murray lost the “debate”. Or he came away looking weaker than Rogan and Smith. It all boiled down to Murray’s ill-advised, “Have you bean there?”
As a reminder, faithful readers, classical rhetoric delineates three areas of persuasion, Logos (logic), Ethos (expertise), and Pathos (emotion). The generally accepted breakdown of how to employ these during debate is 60-80% Logos, and the remaining 20-40% evenly divided between Ethos and Pathos. Murray obviously employed Ethos in more than its rule-of-thumb 20% maximum when he uttered his “bean” line.
But even without that type of thinking, I *feel* like we all knew (consequently Murray should’ve known too) both that Kamala was destroyed by her “been there” interview moment and that, with Harris’ failure in mind, JD triumphed with Zelensky, in his own “been there” moment in the Oval Office. The Vance answer was all the more compelling because he brought Logos right into the moment by clearly pausing—which seemed to betray that he was aware of the rhetorical trap—before answering the question.
Oh well. Nobody is perfect.
ICYMI Murray was recently chatting with Gad Saad and in the discussion plainly decried the problem that I’ve instinctively had with the JRE podcast along—despite my inability to put a name on it. Murray pointed out that the JRE podcast is irresponsible.
Douglas Murray, who I find myself nearly entirely aligned without actually giving me unrealistic hope that anyone else is listening, is part of ARC (Alliance for Responsible Citizenship). So it is only logical that his criticism of the men who beat him is that they are irresponsible. But the fact is Murray is correct. That studio in Austin with its 30 million Trump interview views and 0 (zero) Harris interview views is irresponsible.
My fantasy, then, is for Joe Rogan to prove Murray wrong.
Then again, I am not sure that would accomplish much. Imagine it. Rogan converts to responsibility; severe and instant backlash occur. Then Rogan joins the myriads of smaller podcasts. Fizzle. Whoopdeedoo.
I certainly don’t wish Joe Rogan any ill will. So maybe my fantasy is some horrible and embarrassing revelation of my envy of Rogan (which always manifests in sabotage) since it would surely result in negatives for him on every front.
But I can’t shake the fantasy.
Captain’s Log 