6 True Stories That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity
No bullshit. (Except that it's more than six.) Read. Live.
Who IS this guy?!
Political Talk Show Host and Internet Radio Personality. My show, In My Humble Opinion, aired on RainbowRadio from 2015-2017, and has returned for 2021! Feel free to contact me at niceguy9418@usa.com. You can also friend me on Facebook.
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Monday, August 27, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
THIS is what's wrong with this country...
So I get back from Lunch today, and the guy who sits across from me (good guy, Progressive, Democrat, John Stewart fan) asks me if I was one of the 1% of Americans who could name all nine Supreme Court Justices.
So I look at him like he asked what 2 + 2 was and rattled off, "Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia, Kennedy, Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsberg and Breyer." And then, just to show off a little, I added, "And if you want me to go back a little, "Souter, Stevens, O'Connor, and Rehnquist." Now, I did have to admit that I couldn't go farther back but, now with a few more co-workers egging me on (yeah: we're wierd that way) I did manage to up with "Warren, Burger, Marshal and Taft."
And which point I got a little pissed off...
1%?! Seriously?!
So he hooked me up with this link to an MSNBC article citing that statistic.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I read:
Now, OK, to be fair, being able to name the Supreme Court Justices doesn't mean you know JACK about the Constitution, Civics, Civil Liberty, Freedom in general or Public Policy. (I mean... I'd bet you a Coke that William could name all nine, so... There you go!) It's just that considering the oft used, and sadly effective, scaremongering Conservative trope about Activist Liberal Judges (despite the fact that the majority of ACTUAL judicial activism comes mostly from Republican appointees) and how effective it is at getting both the Bible-Humpers' and Libertarians' panties all in a twist, you'd think these fools would at least know WHO SOME OF THESE JUDGES SUPPOSEDLY ARE.
I truly had no idea that the voting base of this country was so detached from things. So UNinformed, in addition to being consistently MISinformed. As far as I'm concerned, the potential appointees to the SCOTUS are not only my NUMBER ONE voting issue, but actually outweigh ALL OTHERS. Now I should point out that it's highly unlikely that a Nominee could have a Supreme Court nomination that I'd LOVE and policies that I'd HATE. It's just not really a very feasible hypothetical. But if I had to weigh all of the various issues and considerations, I submit that potential SC Nominations would be weighted at 50% and all other issues would be ranked and weighted within the remaining 50%.
Remember:
1) Lifetime term.
2) Absolute ability to strike down laws that the system fails to.
3) The ability to do this without regard for any political consequences.
Hey: The RIGHT knows how important the SC is! They've made it a voting issue, even though 2/3 of American couldn't name a single justice!
I still have trouble believing that. My friend (the guy sitting next me at work) told me that I'm too optimistic, and think way to highly of people.
I told him that it must be "this guy I sit next to at work," skewing the average of my perception.
ANYWAY... Here're some fun quizzes for you guys to take. Just for fun. Please try and report your results. Mine are as follows:
Could you pass the US Citizens Test?
I did, with 90%. I missed the number of Amendments (I could narrow it down to just one of two answers, but then guessed the wrong one) and the Powers of the Federal Gov't question. (I actually KNEW the answer, I just over-thought it, and talked myself out of it.) (Don't do that!) LOL
Personally I think that every politician and citizen that has even a single anti-immigrant bone in their body ought to take that test, and if they can't pass (or beat the score that the average LIBERAL gets) they ought to STFU about it!
And here are a few appropriate ones from SPORCLE, with my scores...
Name the Presidents
(44/44, with 8:13 to spare, top 27.1%)
Name the Vice-Presidents
(28/47, with time expired, top 33.7%) (A bit of guesswork there, I'll admit).
Name the Supreme Court Justices
(39/117, with time expired, top 42.5%) (A shit-ton of guesswork on this one, but it does give me more hope than the MSNBC article!)
King and Queens of England (cause I'm such a Patriot. LOL)(41/41, with 4:35 to spare, top 32.1%) (Hint: Five first names and a knowledge of Roman Numerals will get you about 80% of them!) Anyway... if you feel like taking the challenge, try 'em out and post your scores.
So I look at him like he asked what 2 + 2 was and rattled off, "Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia, Kennedy, Kagan, Sotomayor, Ginsberg and Breyer." And then, just to show off a little, I added, "And if you want me to go back a little, "Souter, Stevens, O'Connor, and Rehnquist." Now, I did have to admit that I couldn't go farther back but, now with a few more co-workers egging me on (yeah: we're wierd that way) I did manage to up with "Warren, Burger, Marshal and Taft."
And which point I got a little pissed off...
1%?! Seriously?!
So he hooked me up with this link to an MSNBC article citing that statistic.
And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I read:
Despite all the media attention, a national survey by FindLaw.com, a legal information Web site, found that nearly two-thirds of Americans can't name any of the nine members of the Supreme Court of the United States. In fact, results show that only 34 percent of Americans can name any member of the nation's highest court, and only one percent can correctly name all nine justices.And if I wasn't in the office, I would have lost my shit over this. Because, IMHO, the Supreme Court of the United States of America is the single most powerful and important branch of the Government in terms of both protecting our rights and freedoms and in making social progress. It is the last line of defense against the Right Wing tyranny that encroaches more and more on our rights with each passing Bill, and seeks to keep freedom from those whom [the Right] decide are "less equal than others," to quote George Orwell.
Now, OK, to be fair, being able to name the Supreme Court Justices doesn't mean you know JACK about the Constitution, Civics, Civil Liberty, Freedom in general or Public Policy. (I mean... I'd bet you a Coke that William could name all nine, so... There you go!) It's just that considering the oft used, and sadly effective, scaremongering Conservative trope about Activist Liberal Judges (despite the fact that the majority of ACTUAL judicial activism comes mostly from Republican appointees) and how effective it is at getting both the Bible-Humpers' and Libertarians' panties all in a twist, you'd think these fools would at least know WHO SOME OF THESE JUDGES SUPPOSEDLY ARE.
I truly had no idea that the voting base of this country was so detached from things. So UNinformed, in addition to being consistently MISinformed. As far as I'm concerned, the potential appointees to the SCOTUS are not only my NUMBER ONE voting issue, but actually outweigh ALL OTHERS. Now I should point out that it's highly unlikely that a Nominee could have a Supreme Court nomination that I'd LOVE and policies that I'd HATE. It's just not really a very feasible hypothetical. But if I had to weigh all of the various issues and considerations, I submit that potential SC Nominations would be weighted at 50% and all other issues would be ranked and weighted within the remaining 50%.
Remember:
1) Lifetime term.
2) Absolute ability to strike down laws that the system fails to.
3) The ability to do this without regard for any political consequences.
Hey: The RIGHT knows how important the SC is! They've made it a voting issue, even though 2/3 of American couldn't name a single justice!
I still have trouble believing that. My friend (the guy sitting next me at work) told me that I'm too optimistic, and think way to highly of people.
I told him that it must be "this guy I sit next to at work," skewing the average of my perception.
ANYWAY... Here're some fun quizzes for you guys to take. Just for fun. Please try and report your results. Mine are as follows:
Could you pass the US Citizens Test?
I did, with 90%. I missed the number of Amendments (I could narrow it down to just one of two answers, but then guessed the wrong one) and the Powers of the Federal Gov't question. (I actually KNEW the answer, I just over-thought it, and talked myself out of it.) (Don't do that!) LOL
Personally I think that every politician and citizen that has even a single anti-immigrant bone in their body ought to take that test, and if they can't pass (or beat the score that the average LIBERAL gets) they ought to STFU about it!
And here are a few appropriate ones from SPORCLE, with my scores...
Name the Presidents
(44/44, with 8:13 to spare, top 27.1%)
Name the Vice-Presidents
(28/47, with time expired, top 33.7%) (A bit of guesswork there, I'll admit).
Name the Supreme Court Justices
(39/117, with time expired, top 42.5%) (A shit-ton of guesswork on this one, but it does give me more hope than the MSNBC article!)
King and Queens of England (cause I'm such a Patriot. LOL)(41/41, with 4:35 to spare, top 32.1%) (Hint: Five first names and a knowledge of Roman Numerals will get you about 80% of them!) Anyway... if you feel like taking the challenge, try 'em out and post your scores.
How much ignorance?
OK. The other day, I completely lost my shit over some ball-bashingly ignorant comments made by the soon-to-be former Congressman, Todd Akin (R-MO.) (Or should that be: MO-R-on?) Now, in the course of my (well deserved) rant, I made a few general statements about Conservatives and Republicans regarding OTHER comments that have been made over the years (equating pedophilia and homosexuality, claiming that Autism isn't a real condition, belittling the poor, etc...) Well, far be it for this Liberal to not be evidence-based, even in his rants. So here are just a quick smattering of the Right-Wing's greatest hits, to show the kind of thing that I'm talking about. And before anyone tries to look intelligent by pointing out (as I often do) that anectdoltal evidence isn't evidence, please allow me to retort: These comments cover a wide smattering of issues, come from a diverse source of speakers, over many years, are very much aligned with the official Republican platform and policies, and, most importatntly, only took me about five minutes (on Google, Wiki and MMFA) to find. This last point is important, becuase had I been up all might assembling the list, one might be able to infer that this type of ignorance is rare and therefore anomalous. Rest assured: This only scratches the surface. HAD I been up all night? I would have been able to write book.
So here they are, and feel free to add more in the comments section if you have some good ones, the Right Wing's Greatest Hits:
What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex, what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right?
~Rush Limbaugh, February 29, 2012
“Sandusky does not represent all of homosexuality, just like the priests in the Catholic Church don't represent all of homosexuality, just like the aberrant criminals in heterosexual society don't represent all heterosexuals. But because the gay lobby is very powerful, people don't go there. People don't address it, they don't talk about it, and as such, an element of the problem never gets dealt with.”
~Rush Limbaugh, November 18, 2011
A small item but the point is Nixon came in, shut it down, there was the shooting at Kent State, and gosh, I know liberals don't like it and when you look on Nexis and oh, the whole country was embarrassed. Well, I'm not embarrassed. That's what you do with a mob. They were monstrous at Kent State. It was being led by Bill Ayers.
~Ann Coulter, June 6, 2011
The Ryan White Care Act provides money for community-based counseling centers. While that may sound noble and compassionate, we know from experience that "AIDS education" becomes a platform for the homosexual community to recruit adolescents and lure teens into a self-destructive sexual lifestyle.
~Christine O’Donnell, October 20, 2010
“Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.”
Brian Kilmeade, October 15, 2010
They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the prince.' True story. And so the devil said, 'Ok it’s a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another."
~Pat Robertson, January 13, 2010 (discussing the earthquake in Haiti)
“This president, I think, has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture, I don't know what it is.
~Glenn Beck, July 28, 2009
You know, people are poor in America, Steve, not because they lack money; they're poor because they lack values, morals, and ethics.
~Bill Cunningham, October 89, 2008
Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, "Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
~Mike Savage, July 16, 2008
“These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them. The whole nation was wounded, all our lives reduced. But they believed the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently denouncing Bush was an important part of their closure process. These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
Ann Coulter, June 8, 2006 (regarding widows of 9/11 victims.)
“If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nailbiters.”
Anita Bryant, February 2, 2006
“Cindy Sheehan is a tragedy slut.”
~Glenn Beck, August 15, 2005
“It probably would be a lot cheaper to just exterminate male homosexuals.”
Paul Cameron, November, 1985
So here they are, and feel free to add more in the comments section if you have some good ones, the Right Wing's Greatest Hits:
What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic], who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex, what does that make her? It makes her a slut, right?
~Rush Limbaugh, February 29, 2012
“Sandusky does not represent all of homosexuality, just like the priests in the Catholic Church don't represent all of homosexuality, just like the aberrant criminals in heterosexual society don't represent all heterosexuals. But because the gay lobby is very powerful, people don't go there. People don't address it, they don't talk about it, and as such, an element of the problem never gets dealt with.”
~Rush Limbaugh, November 18, 2011
A small item but the point is Nixon came in, shut it down, there was the shooting at Kent State, and gosh, I know liberals don't like it and when you look on Nexis and oh, the whole country was embarrassed. Well, I'm not embarrassed. That's what you do with a mob. They were monstrous at Kent State. It was being led by Bill Ayers.
~Ann Coulter, June 6, 2011
The Ryan White Care Act provides money for community-based counseling centers. While that may sound noble and compassionate, we know from experience that "AIDS education" becomes a platform for the homosexual community to recruit adolescents and lure teens into a self-destructive sexual lifestyle.
~Christine O’Donnell, October 20, 2010
“Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims.”
Brian Kilmeade, October 15, 2010
They were under the heel of the French, you know Napoleon the third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the prince.' True story. And so the devil said, 'Ok it’s a deal.' And they kicked the French out. The Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since they have been cursed by one thing after another."
~Pat Robertson, January 13, 2010 (discussing the earthquake in Haiti)
“This president, I think, has exposed himself as a guy, over and over and over again, who has a deep-seated hatred for white people, or the white culture, I don't know what it is.
~Glenn Beck, July 28, 2009
You know, people are poor in America, Steve, not because they lack money; they're poor because they lack values, morals, and ethics.
~Bill Cunningham, October 89, 2008
Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, "Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot."
~Mike Savage, July 16, 2008
“These self-obsessed women seemed genuinely unaware that 9/11 was an attack on our nation and acted as if the terrorist attacks happened only to them. The whole nation was wounded, all our lives reduced. But they believed the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently denouncing Bush was an important part of their closure process. These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I’ve never seen people enjoying their husbands’ deaths so much.”
Ann Coulter, June 8, 2006 (regarding widows of 9/11 victims.)
“If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St. Bernards and to nailbiters.”
Anita Bryant, February 2, 2006
“Cindy Sheehan is a tragedy slut.”
~Glenn Beck, August 15, 2005
“It probably would be a lot cheaper to just exterminate male homosexuals.”
Paul Cameron, November, 1985
Monday, August 20, 2012
What a vile pool of subhuman scum!
First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work, or something. You know, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.
Todd Akin, -R (MO)
Republicans are scum.
Oh, not surprisingly every Right-Wing Politician in the country right now is scrambling to distance themselves from these remarks? But WHY?! OK, I know WHY, but doing so is a dishonest attempt to try and hide the fact that this kind of ignorance is fundamental to their Anti-Choice political platform!
What's more, this is just the latest in a long line of vile, venomous lies told about women, gays, transfolk, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, atheists, liberals, the poor, unions, teachers, scientists, etc... They are lying, ignorant scum and these comments are far from out of the norm.
And besides... Why back off of these comments, but not ones suggesting that...:
1) Gays are pedophiles?
2) Transgendrism is merely a sexual fetish?
3) Poor people without health care deserve their poverty
4) That there mustn't be any real poverty in this country, since we have poor people who are fat?
5) Autistic children are just faking it?
6) In a disaster Black "loot" while Whites "scavenge?"
7) Earthquake and Flood victims are being punished by God?
8) AIDS is punishment for being Gay?
9) Islam is not a Religion, and that it shouldn't be protected under the First Ammendment?
Obviously, I could on and on. And it's statements like these, and the fact that they are NOT anomalous, but in fact FUNDAMENTAL to Conservative thynking, that are the reason I'm Liberal! And any media stroy that suggests these comments come from merely the frings of the Right-Wing reveal only their own systematic Right-Wing bias and an allergy to acknowledging simple reality.
And what's the Liberal Equivalent of this? Boycotting Chik-Fil-E because they donate money to hate groups? Refusing to allow their Corporate Sponsorhip to use OUR MONEY to pay the salaries of teh likes of Mike Savage and Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh?! Give me a break! The Right whines about Christians being "persecuted" when the extent of their "persecution" is that THINKING PEOPLE are no longer willing to give them cart-blanche to LEGALLY PERSECUTE EVERYONE ELSE! And it's about damned time as well! Akin's comment should be hung around the necks of EVERY REPUBLICAN, seeing as how they all want to outlaw all abortions.
This comment SHOULD be the END of the pro-life movement as a political force. It WON'T be, because there is not shortage of COMPLETE FUCKING MORONS in this country who keep voting for these Right-Wing Shitstains.
But it still SHOULD be. Because it reveals the ignorance that permeates the entirety of the Right Wing in this country, on each and every issue.
The only thing "unusual" about these comments is the rarity in which we get a Republican to actually tell the truth about what their Party, Platform and Philosophy believe and stand for.
Scum like Todd Akin are unfit for Public Service. And it is not enough to redeem yourself [Republicans] by distancing yourselves from these COMMENTS. You must distance yourself from the PLATFORM these comments come from and support.
IOW: You have to stop being Republicans.
Every single one of these scumbags should be removed from office. Each and every last one of them. They have nothing to offer anyone on any issue.
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...And to THINK that I almost felt bad for killing this asshole off!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Please read, try and comment!
I took one of those "political quizzes" today, that purported to tell me who I should vote for. It was pretty comprehensive for something that was still relatively quick and simple, and it allowed for a weight of the issues in terms of their importance to you. Some of the questions did use the Conservative framing, but overall I felt it did a pretty good job.
I'd really like you all take take a few minutes and take the quiz and then report back with your results. Here are mine:
I side with...
Jill Stein, 98%
Barack Obama, 94%
Stewart Alexander, 84%
Gary Johnson, 66%
Jimmy McMillan, 39%
Ron Paul, 36%
Virgil Goode, 17%
Mitt Romney, 3%
In addition, I agree with 60% of Michigan Voters (my home state) and 61% of American Voters.
Also, I side with the Democrats 99%, Greens 95%, Libertarians 53% and Republicans 3% of the time.
A couple of observations...
1) I was surprised that I was so aligned with President Obama. I knew it would be strong, but I was shocked it was that strong. Of course, my disagreements with the President have far more to do with strategy and "leadership" style (IOW: that he's the physical embodiment of compromise) than with actual policies or positions, so I guess I really shouldn't have been too surprised.
2) I was shocked that Romney was only 3%. Really. Again, I KNEW it would be low, by 3%?! Really?! This guy has historically been (along with McCain) one of the few Republicasn I didn't venomously despise on a deeply emotional, spiritual and philosophical level. So... 3%? What would Rick Santorum have been? -5%?! Is that even possisble?!
3) The fact that I agree with Libertarians 53% of the time, and with Republicans just 3% of the time, pretty much sums up everything that's wrong with the Republicans.
4) Who the hell is Jill Stein?! Well, I looked her up and let me tell you: She is one incredible woman! Reading her story, about some of her activism, the fact that she's a physician from Massachusetts, all on top of the fact that she appears to be my hand-picked candidate? Well, I can certainly understand why that the case. She's amazing. A force of nature. That being said? If we end up with a President Mitt Romney who wins the decisive State with a margin of victory less than the number of votes she gets? I will personally track her down and beat her to death. (And I still say, "Fuck you, Nader!")
5) The fact that I agree with the Democrats 99% of the time and AMERICA 61% of the time, can someone please explain to me how the Democrats don't have a 60% to 40% Majority in the House?! Kind of ass-rapes the idea that theirs a Liberal bias in the media, no? (Or that out "representative democracy" does anything but a piss-shit poor job of it!) (And that, as Fox and the Right claim, Obama is "defying gravity" with his polling numbers. Nope. You assholes are just THAT out of touch.)
So while Jill Stein (98%) might be my candidate, I think 94% is good enough considering that we're talking about someone with more than a snowball's chance in hell of carrying even a single state.
My vote is settled!
So please: TAKE THE QUIZ
And PLEASE post here with your results. I'm really curious to see how everyone shakes out!
Oh, and don't miss it: Some of the sections have a "click here for more questions" link. MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT, and that the ENTIRE QUIZ. (Seriously, it's only like 5 minutes long.)
PLEASE? THANKS!
I'd really like you all take take a few minutes and take the quiz and then report back with your results. Here are mine:
I side with...
Jill Stein, 98%
Barack Obama, 94%
Stewart Alexander, 84%
Gary Johnson, 66%
Jimmy McMillan, 39%
Ron Paul, 36%
Virgil Goode, 17%
Mitt Romney, 3%
In addition, I agree with 60% of Michigan Voters (my home state) and 61% of American Voters.
Also, I side with the Democrats 99%, Greens 95%, Libertarians 53% and Republicans 3% of the time.
A couple of observations...
1) I was surprised that I was so aligned with President Obama. I knew it would be strong, but I was shocked it was that strong. Of course, my disagreements with the President have far more to do with strategy and "leadership" style (IOW: that he's the physical embodiment of compromise) than with actual policies or positions, so I guess I really shouldn't have been too surprised.
2) I was shocked that Romney was only 3%. Really. Again, I KNEW it would be low, by 3%?! Really?! This guy has historically been (along with McCain) one of the few Republicasn I didn't venomously despise on a deeply emotional, spiritual and philosophical level. So... 3%? What would Rick Santorum have been? -5%?! Is that even possisble?!
3) The fact that I agree with Libertarians 53% of the time, and with Republicans just 3% of the time, pretty much sums up everything that's wrong with the Republicans.
4) Who the hell is Jill Stein?! Well, I looked her up and let me tell you: She is one incredible woman! Reading her story, about some of her activism, the fact that she's a physician from Massachusetts, all on top of the fact that she appears to be my hand-picked candidate? Well, I can certainly understand why that the case. She's amazing. A force of nature. That being said? If we end up with a President Mitt Romney who wins the decisive State with a margin of victory less than the number of votes she gets? I will personally track her down and beat her to death. (And I still say, "Fuck you, Nader!")
5) The fact that I agree with the Democrats 99% of the time and AMERICA 61% of the time, can someone please explain to me how the Democrats don't have a 60% to 40% Majority in the House?! Kind of ass-rapes the idea that theirs a Liberal bias in the media, no? (Or that out "representative democracy" does anything but a piss-shit poor job of it!) (And that, as Fox and the Right claim, Obama is "defying gravity" with his polling numbers. Nope. You assholes are just THAT out of touch.)
So while Jill Stein (98%) might be my candidate, I think 94% is good enough considering that we're talking about someone with more than a snowball's chance in hell of carrying even a single state.
My vote is settled!
So please: TAKE THE QUIZ
And PLEASE post here with your results. I'm really curious to see how everyone shakes out!
Oh, and don't miss it: Some of the sections have a "click here for more questions" link. MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT, and that the ENTIRE QUIZ. (Seriously, it's only like 5 minutes long.)
PLEASE? THANKS!
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Three Bizarre Emails...
I've recently received some emails recently that I'd like to share with you.
The first one, from a few days back, had the subject line:
http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/07/emails-geithner-treasury-drove-cutoff-of-non-union-delphi-workers-pensions/
(How has litefart.com NOT gotten a brown-star award yet?!)
Now, check out the article. It very long on insinuation. Do you know what it's lacking in? That would be excerpts from E-MAILS showing how GEITNER DROVE THE CUTOFF OF NON UNION WORKERS AT DELPHI!
Now don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting it didn't happen. I have no idea. Thing is? Even after reviewing all these emails? Apparently neither does Matthew Boyle. This is Right-Wing Yellow Journalism at its finest. Make a lot of insinuations, supported by your assertions that this is not how things are supposed to be, and then throw it all under a "smoking gun" headline, before you even have a body.
And this isn't just me being a liberal. Because this was the kind of thing that used to piss me off when an amateurish (and ostensibly liberal) writer would try to do the same thing during the Bush administration. I'd see some post that said "BUSH'S SMOKING GUN" or some such sensationalist thing, and as a loud and proud Bush-hater, I'd click and look forward to seeing what would finally bring that red-neck DOWN.
And I'd inevitably be disappointed, finding no more than insinuation and the same old complaints that we've ALL had for YEARS. The Brietbart piece does the same thing. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals don't tend to engage in that sort of thing as often, probably because we're not so easily impressed (and led) by someone re-hashing the same old insinuation we've been making for YEARS. It's nice to have your political and philosophical ego stroke, but we want PROOF, damnit! The Right is happy enough with the stroking, apparently
BTW... Republican have been trying to eliminate public sector and union pensions for YEARS. Why is it suddenly "ADOLF" territory when it happens to some non-union folks? I mean... I don't want to see ANYONE loose their pension. But if anyone is on record going after PENSIONS, it's far and away the Republicans! (But then... their basic understanding of hypocrisy is, "IOKIYAR.")
The Second e-mail I'd like to share, form earlier today, had the subject line:
A few interesting statements... First [Whittle] described the US economy as "5% of the World's Population producing 20% of it's GDP, largely through the efforts of small business men and women..."
You know, like Microsoft. Or Exxon Mobil. Of that famous mom-and-pop operation Google. Or that "small business" social networking site, Facebook. There no doubt that small firms (less than 500 people) employ just under half of the workers in this country. So I'm not dissing them. But he used the benchmakr of "20% f the World's GDP." On that basis, if this guy thinks we're number one in the world because of the Corner Coney Shops and NOT because of General Motors or General Electrics or Disney or Delta Airlines of the world? He's a damned fool.
He then shows Obama making his famous "You didn't get [successful] on your own" quote, which they LOVE to distort, but rarely provide context to. He provides... very little. And the goes on to ask "What do you say to that?"
Well, I SAY, "Damned strait!" The president, at the time, went on to explain (in the part that Whittle cuts out, BTW) that most of tease people were educated in the PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. (You know: That thing the Right keeps trying to get rid of?) That they depend on POLICE and FIRE FIGHTERS to protect the home, assets and personal safety. And that they depend on the ROADS and INFRASTRUCTURE that the Government built and maintains. Now, at no point did the President say that "being smart" or "working hard" wasn't necessary or to your credit. Oh, it's implied that he did. But he never said it. Those things are still necessary. The thing is? SO IS THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE!
And what's more, let put politics aside for the moment. Is anyone really so naive as to think you can build a business on good ideas an hard work and nothing else? Obama was even more right than he knew. Because every successful business person had OTHER PEOPLE that they needed to help and support them. Creditors and Investors, up front. Most had Partners and Angels along the way. Suppliers and a Labor Force to create the product. And CUSTOMERS to consume it! You know, CUSTOMERS? Who themselves have to have a source of income, be it from the Government, or a Union Contract, or even *gasp* a Salary that some OTHER "successful person" had to pay them, not to mention that they probably had to DRIVE ON A FUCKING ROAD to get to your business!
There is no ONE PERSON that makes a business successful. None. Ever. That's a myth. It's dangerous hero worship.
It actually a myth that these successful people want the rest of us to believe so that we won't unionize. We won't demand better pay and benefits. We won't elect a government that will regulate them, or prevent malfiesence, or tax them fairly. And they don't care in the least that this benefit for them comes at the cost of economic opportunity and security for everyone else. (Even though they should, becuase LOSING that security jeopardizes THEIR OWN business interests! But then, no one ever accused the Right of having long-term vision.)
He then goes on to accuse the PRESS of :"criminal negligence" in not fact-checking the story. (Obama's speech that is, not this clown's diatribe.) And follows with the same tired trope of trying to paint this frustratingly right-of-center President as a Socialist, buy tying to tie other people who they accuse of being socialist and Marxists. (Some admitedly are, to some extent, and many are not.) There more, but it's a lot of crap. Just the same bullshit that gets dressed up because the idiot spouting it happens to be wearing a suit.
Finally, I want to share what I think was by far the most truthful and genuine email I received this week:
It was form "Consuelo Fodor" and the subject line read (SIC):
It continued (SIC):
LOL. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. At least there's no Republican propaganda in it!
All I can say about it is: YES, it's a legit email, copied and pasted exactly as I received it. NO, I have no idea where it came from, particularly because it was not receive in niceguy9418@usa.com, which I use on MANY websites (Other Blogs, MMFA, HuffPo, Porn sites...) to set up accounts as "Niceguy Eddie." THIS ONE was received in my personal email's in-box - the one I only use for E-MAIL.
Also, I'm not sure what the "first size" of breast is, but if you put the sizes in order, I can only conclude that they would either non-existent or grotesquely HUGE. I feel like writing back and saying,
What's the truth? Do the reaserch folks. Don't take my word for it, but for fuck's sake don't take theirs!
The first one, from a few days back, had the subject line:
FW: THESE PEOPLE ARE FLAT OUT EVILObnoxious ALL-CAPS and everything. The body had only one line:
Emails:And it looks like another line was added along the way, saying "There a lot of truth here." Because apparently Hitler wanted to get rid of Jewish pensions. Who knew? The rest was cut and pasted (and ridiculously highlighted, by "a conservative friend") from a Brietbart.com article:Treasury drove cutoff of non-union Delphi workers’ pensions---can anyone say “Adolph”?
http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/07/emails-geithner-treasury-drove-cutoff-of-non-union-delphi-workers-pensions/
(How has litefart.com NOT gotten a brown-star award yet?!)
Now, check out the article. It very long on insinuation. Do you know what it's lacking in? That would be excerpts from E-MAILS showing how GEITNER DROVE THE CUTOFF OF NON UNION WORKERS AT DELPHI!
Now don't get me wrong: I'm not suggesting it didn't happen. I have no idea. Thing is? Even after reviewing all these emails? Apparently neither does Matthew Boyle. This is Right-Wing Yellow Journalism at its finest. Make a lot of insinuations, supported by your assertions that this is not how things are supposed to be, and then throw it all under a "smoking gun" headline, before you even have a body.
And this isn't just me being a liberal. Because this was the kind of thing that used to piss me off when an amateurish (and ostensibly liberal) writer would try to do the same thing during the Bush administration. I'd see some post that said "BUSH'S SMOKING GUN" or some such sensationalist thing, and as a loud and proud Bush-hater, I'd click and look forward to seeing what would finally bring that red-neck DOWN.
And I'd inevitably be disappointed, finding no more than insinuation and the same old complaints that we've ALL had for YEARS. The Brietbart piece does the same thing. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals don't tend to engage in that sort of thing as often, probably because we're not so easily impressed (and led) by someone re-hashing the same old insinuation we've been making for YEARS. It's nice to have your political and philosophical ego stroke, but we want PROOF, damnit! The Right is happy enough with the stroking, apparently
BTW... Republican have been trying to eliminate public sector and union pensions for YEARS. Why is it suddenly "ADOLF" territory when it happens to some non-union folks? I mean... I don't want to see ANYONE loose their pension. But if anyone is on record going after PENSIONS, it's far and away the Republicans! (But then... their basic understanding of hypocrisy is, "IOKIYAR.")
The Second e-mail I'd like to share, form earlier today, had the subject line:
It's a Miracle! MUST SEE... ONE AMAZING MAN...BARACK OBAMA!Well, then: Let's see it! The body just said:
Do NOT miss this one! It IS all a "MIRACLE"!! 6 minutes!!And followed with a link to a YouTube video. And apparently the LENGTH of the video is every bit as exciting as it's contents. LOL. I PROMISE you that I will never email you about something I've written and end it by saying:
654 words!!It's from "Afterburner" with Bill Whittle. And it's yet another patently obtuse misrepresentation of Obama pointing out that successful businesses are not built by a single person acting on their own, in a vacuum.
A few interesting statements... First [Whittle] described the US economy as "5% of the World's Population producing 20% of it's GDP, largely through the efforts of small business men and women..."
You know, like Microsoft. Or Exxon Mobil. Of that famous mom-and-pop operation Google. Or that "small business" social networking site, Facebook. There no doubt that small firms (less than 500 people) employ just under half of the workers in this country. So I'm not dissing them. But he used the benchmakr of "20% f the World's GDP." On that basis, if this guy thinks we're number one in the world because of the Corner Coney Shops and NOT because of General Motors or General Electrics or Disney or Delta Airlines of the world? He's a damned fool.
He then shows Obama making his famous "You didn't get [successful] on your own" quote, which they LOVE to distort, but rarely provide context to. He provides... very little. And the goes on to ask "What do you say to that?"
Well, I SAY, "Damned strait!" The president, at the time, went on to explain (in the part that Whittle cuts out, BTW) that most of tease people were educated in the PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. (You know: That thing the Right keeps trying to get rid of?) That they depend on POLICE and FIRE FIGHTERS to protect the home, assets and personal safety. And that they depend on the ROADS and INFRASTRUCTURE that the Government built and maintains. Now, at no point did the President say that "being smart" or "working hard" wasn't necessary or to your credit. Oh, it's implied that he did. But he never said it. Those things are still necessary. The thing is? SO IS THE GOVERNMENT AND THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE!
And what's more, let put politics aside for the moment. Is anyone really so naive as to think you can build a business on good ideas an hard work and nothing else? Obama was even more right than he knew. Because every successful business person had OTHER PEOPLE that they needed to help and support them. Creditors and Investors, up front. Most had Partners and Angels along the way. Suppliers and a Labor Force to create the product. And CUSTOMERS to consume it! You know, CUSTOMERS? Who themselves have to have a source of income, be it from the Government, or a Union Contract, or even *gasp* a Salary that some OTHER "successful person" had to pay them, not to mention that they probably had to DRIVE ON A FUCKING ROAD to get to your business!
There is no ONE PERSON that makes a business successful. None. Ever. That's a myth. It's dangerous hero worship.
It actually a myth that these successful people want the rest of us to believe so that we won't unionize. We won't demand better pay and benefits. We won't elect a government that will regulate them, or prevent malfiesence, or tax them fairly. And they don't care in the least that this benefit for them comes at the cost of economic opportunity and security for everyone else. (Even though they should, becuase LOSING that security jeopardizes THEIR OWN business interests! But then, no one ever accused the Right of having long-term vision.)
He then goes on to accuse the PRESS of :"criminal negligence" in not fact-checking the story. (Obama's speech that is, not this clown's diatribe.) And follows with the same tired trope of trying to paint this frustratingly right-of-center President as a Socialist, buy tying to tie other people who they accuse of being socialist and Marxists. (Some admitedly are, to some extent, and many are not.) There more, but it's a lot of crap. Just the same bullshit that gets dressed up because the idiot spouting it happens to be wearing a suit.
Finally, I want to share what I think was by far the most truthful and genuine email I received this week:
It was form "Consuelo Fodor" and the subject line read (SIC):
Can I come over to your life?))
It continued (SIC):
You have not got any imagination what cool girl is all about if you have not relaxed in my company!
Name of mine is Consuelo and I'm so cool!
Ur personal page became my mouth water and so I decided to write you a letter and talk to u.
I wanna know more about you and maybe we could become friends, lovers or maybe even create some serious relations.
Information about me: I am 24 years old and I work as a seller in insurance company. I'm a brown haired and got first size of breasts.
What can you tell me about u?
LOL. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. At least there's no Republican propaganda in it!
All I can say about it is: YES, it's a legit email, copied and pasted exactly as I received it. NO, I have no idea where it came from, particularly because it was not receive in niceguy9418@usa.com, which I use on MANY websites (Other Blogs, MMFA, HuffPo, Porn sites...) to set up accounts as "Niceguy Eddie." THIS ONE was received in my personal email's in-box - the one I only use for E-MAIL.
Also, I'm not sure what the "first size" of breast is, but if you put the sizes in order, I can only conclude that they would either non-existent or grotesquely HUGE. I feel like writing back and saying,
Your seeming like nice girl, but sadly I am man that preferring third or even fourth size of breast. Also English is understanding: So I need it translating more!
What's the truth? Do the reaserch folks. Don't take my word for it, but for fuck's sake don't take theirs!
Well, he's lost my vote!
Not that I was ever going to vote for Mitt Romney anyway, but with the announcement of Paul Ryan as his running mate, I almost think that Romney has thrown in the towel. Ryan, of course is most famous for pushing an austerity budget that would send in this country into economic ruin, while giving more tax cuts to the rich than Bush & Cheney ever dared to dream, all while, duh-da-daaaaa... ADDING to the deficit, according to the CBO.
Well done, Mitt. Way to continue the Republican tradition of picking goofball VP's: Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, and now Paul Ryan.
BTW...
If you ever hear a politician - of any party - tell you they that they're going to boost the economy AND lower the deficit, DO NOT VOTE FOR THEM. Seriously. They are lying to you. And I don't mean in the way that MOST politicians lie, while is more akin to exaggeration. This is more like making a New Year's Resolution to both LOSE Weight AND GAIN Weight at the same time.
Quick refresher on fiscal policy:
While they can do each of these in a variety of fancifully named ways, the Government can only take two actions to shrink a deficit:
1) RAISE TAXES
2) CUT SPENDING
That's IT. And BOTH, will harm the economy.
The Government can only take two actions to boost the economy:
1) CUT TAXES
2) INCREASE SPENDING
That's IT. And BOTH, will add to the deficit.
Now the difference between the Left and Right boils down to a "debate" over which has the greater effect. Which the Right has about as much of a leg to stand on as they do in the "debate" about Evolution, or the "debate" about Global Warming. But that's not even important! Because the difference between a person of average intelligence and a complete fucking moron?
Is realizing that you can't go in two directions at the same time!
AT BEST, if Keynes was WRONG, cutting both or increasing both, would just cancel each other out, right? Deficit neutral, no effect on the economy one way or the other. So here's a test: Go find the most Conservative (in case you think this is just a Liberal thing) Economics professor you can find and ask them about the "balanced budget multiplier."
S/He'll tell you it's "positive 1."
Ask them to explain that.
They'll explain that if you raise taxes and raise spending (in unison) by "X" you will raise the collective income of the Country by "X", while if you lower taxes and lower spending (in unison) by "X" you will lower the collective income of the Country by "X. Now that's from the Keynes MODEL, but it as undeniable as gravity. The fact is that austerity has precisely NO historical precedent IN ANY COUNTRY, EVER, of bringing about economic prosperity.
None. Zilch. Nada. Dick.
And either Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney KNOW this, and their telling the mother-whopper of all lies, insulting YOU in the process by assuming you have have NO FUCKING IDEA how a market economy functions. (Which in America, is a sadly SAFE bet, but it's every bit as insulting, even if you don't know it.) Or WORSE?
The don't know either.
And that, to me? Is the far more terrifying prospect. That these great buffoons are so out of touch with the needs of the country they are meant to govern, and so ignorant of the mechanisms governing the economy that they will be responsiable for, that they actually think that their bullshit ideas are going to work! And in all seriousness folks, a person who doesn't understand these basic, simple concepts? SHOULD NOT be placed in charge of the biggest economy in the history of the world.
I've always said that Conservatives only come in two flavors, EVIL and STUPID. One's LYIN' and the other's BUYIN'. By I had always assumed that it would at least be the LIARS leading the way, which is merely frustrating. Having the BUYERS lead? It downright terrifying.
So I'm going to refer back to a pearl of wisdom that Governor Romney gave us, back on the 2008 campaign trail. The issue of the day was [health care] but you could put almost anything of importance (like the economy or the budget?) into that variable, and I think both HIS point, and MINE will still stand:
~Mitt Romney, 2008
~Niceguy Eddie, 2008, 2012.
For the love of God, please vote for the guy who had the slightest, even the very slightest idea what's he's doing!
Well done, Mitt. Way to continue the Republican tradition of picking goofball VP's: Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, Sarah Palin, and now Paul Ryan.
BTW...
If you ever hear a politician - of any party - tell you they that they're going to boost the economy AND lower the deficit, DO NOT VOTE FOR THEM. Seriously. They are lying to you. And I don't mean in the way that MOST politicians lie, while is more akin to exaggeration. This is more like making a New Year's Resolution to both LOSE Weight AND GAIN Weight at the same time.
Quick refresher on fiscal policy:
While they can do each of these in a variety of fancifully named ways, the Government can only take two actions to shrink a deficit:
1) RAISE TAXES
2) CUT SPENDING
That's IT. And BOTH, will harm the economy.
The Government can only take two actions to boost the economy:
1) CUT TAXES
2) INCREASE SPENDING
That's IT. And BOTH, will add to the deficit.
Now the difference between the Left and Right boils down to a "debate" over which has the greater effect. Which the Right has about as much of a leg to stand on as they do in the "debate" about Evolution, or the "debate" about Global Warming. But that's not even important! Because the difference between a person of average intelligence and a complete fucking moron?
Is realizing that you can't go in two directions at the same time!
AT BEST, if Keynes was WRONG, cutting both or increasing both, would just cancel each other out, right? Deficit neutral, no effect on the economy one way or the other. So here's a test: Go find the most Conservative (in case you think this is just a Liberal thing) Economics professor you can find and ask them about the "balanced budget multiplier."
S/He'll tell you it's "positive 1."
Ask them to explain that.
They'll explain that if you raise taxes and raise spending (in unison) by "X" you will raise the collective income of the Country by "X", while if you lower taxes and lower spending (in unison) by "X" you will lower the collective income of the Country by "X. Now that's from the Keynes MODEL, but it as undeniable as gravity. The fact is that austerity has precisely NO historical precedent IN ANY COUNTRY, EVER, of bringing about economic prosperity.
None. Zilch. Nada. Dick.
And either Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney KNOW this, and their telling the mother-whopper of all lies, insulting YOU in the process by assuming you have have NO FUCKING IDEA how a market economy functions. (Which in America, is a sadly SAFE bet, but it's every bit as insulting, even if you don't know it.) Or WORSE?
The don't know either.
And that, to me? Is the far more terrifying prospect. That these great buffoons are so out of touch with the needs of the country they are meant to govern, and so ignorant of the mechanisms governing the economy that they will be responsiable for, that they actually think that their bullshit ideas are going to work! And in all seriousness folks, a person who doesn't understand these basic, simple concepts? SHOULD NOT be placed in charge of the biggest economy in the history of the world.
I've always said that Conservatives only come in two flavors, EVIL and STUPID. One's LYIN' and the other's BUYIN'. By I had always assumed that it would at least be the LIARS leading the way, which is merely frustrating. Having the BUYERS lead? It downright terrifying.
So I'm going to refer back to a pearl of wisdom that Governor Romney gave us, back on the 2008 campaign trail. The issue of the day was [health care] but you could put almost anything of importance (like the economy or the budget?) into that variable, and I think both HIS point, and MINE will still stand:
"I don't want the people who managed the response to Hurricane Katrina managing [my health care]!"
~Mitt Romney, 2008
"Good point, Mitt! I don't want the Republicans managing [my health care] either!"
~Niceguy Eddie, 2008, 2012.
For the love of God, please vote for the guy who had the slightest, even the very slightest idea what's he's doing!
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Gold Star Awards, August, 2012
Wow. Gold Star's in the fist week of the correct month? When was the last time that happened?
1978: Just two. One from the BWAA and one from the Vet's.
The EDDIE MATHEWS Gold Star #54: Crash Course!
Time to go to school! OK... so it's remedial history and science mostly, but sadly there is such a high percentage of the population (around 45.7% of us, IIRC, the last time it was officially measured, back in November of 2008.) Anyway, each of these videos is a Crash Course (duh!) in various topics, presenting some information you should already know, and quite a bit more that you should. I was first drawn to this channel by his video on Islam, but he covers a wide variety of topics that most people will find interesting, in a way that most will also find entertaining. (Granted, he's no Potholer54, but he gets by!) Check it out!
The ADDIE JOSS Silver Star #53: The Poetry of Darkling Plain
Admittedly I am not a huge reader or connoisseur of poetry. (Or prose, if you've read Utopia.) And to be fair, if I did not lend a hand in creating this particular blog, I probably would never have discovered it on my own. (My contribution was purely technical, BTW, not one bit on the creative side!) Anyway, while doing this for her, I took the opportunity to READ the works (in most cases for the first time) and was truly struck by the power of her art. So I wanted to share her work with the most intelligent readers I know.
(You guys, for having the good taste to come here, of course!)
1978: Just two. One from the BWAA and one from the Vet's.
The EDDIE MATHEWS Gold Star #54: Crash Course!
Time to go to school! OK... so it's remedial history and science mostly, but sadly there is such a high percentage of the population (around 45.7% of us, IIRC, the last time it was officially measured, back in November of 2008.) Anyway, each of these videos is a Crash Course (duh!) in various topics, presenting some information you should already know, and quite a bit more that you should. I was first drawn to this channel by his video on Islam, but he covers a wide variety of topics that most people will find interesting, in a way that most will also find entertaining. (Granted, he's no Potholer54, but he gets by!) Check it out!
The ADDIE JOSS Silver Star #53: The Poetry of Darkling Plain
Admittedly I am not a huge reader or connoisseur of poetry. (Or prose, if you've read Utopia.) And to be fair, if I did not lend a hand in creating this particular blog, I probably would never have discovered it on my own. (My contribution was purely technical, BTW, not one bit on the creative side!) Anyway, while doing this for her, I took the opportunity to READ the works (in most cases for the first time) and was truly struck by the power of her art. So I wanted to share her work with the most intelligent readers I know.
(You guys, for having the good taste to come here, of course!)
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