So I bought MY lottery ticket (64 in total, actually, including the pools I'm in), and before anyone talks about the "tax on people who are bad a math" (a sentiment I'd typically share) let me just say that I've calculated MY odds of winning at least a share of the jackpot at 1 in 2.75M (much better than the official, single-ticket odds of 1 in 176M) and the expected value of a ticket right now, given the lump-sum, after-tax jackpot payout is around $2.63. So this is one of those rare times that the $1 ticket price is actually a good deal. (Hey: If Vegas had a game that paid out $2.63 on average and only charged a buck to play, it would be dead broke in no time!)
But I couldn't care less if I win or not, because earlier today I ALREADY won: The Michigan State House passed the Autism Insurance Reform Bill and starting October first, my two sons will have their speech and language therapy covered under my BCBS plan.
I would like to thank our REPUBLICAN Governor, Rick Snyder, for making this a legislative priority (even though it was the REPUBLICAN-controlled State Senate who stalled the bills, back in 2010, after it was passed by DEMOCRATICLY-controlled State House!) and also to everyone who sent emails, made phones calls, wrote letters, walked for autism, signed petitions, donated money or in any other way supported this incredibly important legislation and cause.
But there remains much more work to do: Twenty States remain that still allow Insurance Companies to discriminate against Autistics, seven of which have legislation pending votes later this year. For more information about Autism Insurance Reform in YOUR State, go to www.autismvotes.org. Working together, we CAN make a difference, and my State is now part of that example!
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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Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Song Dedications (Political)
The following song is dedicated to either George Zimmerman or the family of Trayvon Martin, whichever makes more sense to you. (And to the one commenter who I already know is going to tell me that it doesn't make sense either way... Hell with you, you don't get a vote.)
"Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace, and criticize all fears... Take the rag away from your face, for now ain't the time for your fears."
That was 1964, BTW. Shame how relevant it is half a century later. If there is any justice in the world, I will not one day be re-posting this, with the caption clanged to the final chorus.
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The following is dedicated to Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Paul Ryan - particularly the last two verses, to the last two Republicans respectively:
My hero: Harry Chapin, 1975. Apologies for the poor quality of the audio, but this is a hard one to find. This and She Is Always Seventeen were an additional tracks on the Live Album that were only on the 8-Track and Vinyl and were never released on the CD of that Album, or any other that I am aware of.
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Here's Seventeen:
(Admittedly it's a bit funky, but it's still damned GOOD.)
This might resonate more with my... *a-hem* older readers, so I guess this one's for them. (I have no memory even of the events that didn't happen before I was born, so... yeah.)
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Finally... One more from Harry... This is called The Shortest Story. And though Harry meant it to be about WOLRD hunger, I'm dedicating this to Stuart Varney of Fox "News", who recently asked of the Food Stamps program: "Can we afford this? We've got a trillion dollar deficit every year as far as the eye can see. But we want to reach out and give people food."
No, Stuart, fuck 'em: Let 'em starve, I guess. Even as hunger and poverty levels are elevated and continue to rise in this country - my country - this guy is more concerned about the deficit, and maintaining unsustainable tax breaks for the wealthy than helping poor people. But then that's always been the Rigth Wing trope, hasn't it? If you can't profit from a problem, just deny it exsists. Sad that it's no different from the kind of denial, ingoranc eand apathy that Harry fought against for most of his career, when he's been dead since 1981!
BTW... Putting aside any feelings you may have about our domestic issues of hunger and poverty, if you don't find this song and video heart-wrenching, then you simply aren't human.
"Oh, but you who philosophize disgrace, and criticize all fears... Take the rag away from your face, for now ain't the time for your fears."
That was 1964, BTW. Shame how relevant it is half a century later. If there is any justice in the world, I will not one day be re-posting this, with the caption clanged to the final chorus.
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The following is dedicated to Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Paul Ryan - particularly the last two verses, to the last two Republicans respectively:
My hero: Harry Chapin, 1975. Apologies for the poor quality of the audio, but this is a hard one to find. This and She Is Always Seventeen were an additional tracks on the Live Album that were only on the 8-Track and Vinyl and were never released on the CD of that Album, or any other that I am aware of.
------------------
Here's Seventeen:
(Admittedly it's a bit funky, but it's still damned GOOD.)
This might resonate more with my... *a-hem* older readers, so I guess this one's for them. (I have no memory even of the events that didn't happen before I was born, so... yeah.)
---------------------------
Finally... One more from Harry... This is called The Shortest Story. And though Harry meant it to be about WOLRD hunger, I'm dedicating this to Stuart Varney of Fox "News", who recently asked of the Food Stamps program: "Can we afford this? We've got a trillion dollar deficit every year as far as the eye can see. But we want to reach out and give people food."
No, Stuart, fuck 'em: Let 'em starve, I guess. Even as hunger and poverty levels are elevated and continue to rise in this country - my country - this guy is more concerned about the deficit, and maintaining unsustainable tax breaks for the wealthy than helping poor people. But then that's always been the Rigth Wing trope, hasn't it? If you can't profit from a problem, just deny it exsists. Sad that it's no different from the kind of denial, ingoranc eand apathy that Harry fought against for most of his career, when he's been dead since 1981!
BTW... Putting aside any feelings you may have about our domestic issues of hunger and poverty, if you don't find this song and video heart-wrenching, then you simply aren't human.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Who doesn't care about facts...
So MEDIAMATTERS... LOL... Sorry... You can't make this stuff up. Check out this Epic Graph-FAIL on the part of Fox News:
Problems? Well...
But, hey, why use accurate numbers when discussing an issue as important as tax subsidies going to our single largest (in terms of PROFIT) industry? This is particularly sad, because there are many perfectly legitimate ways to manipulate a graph (playing with the scale on the Y-AXIS, for example) in order to emphasise a point. You really shouldn't have to out-and-out LIE and CHEAT with bullshit data.
Speaking of PROFITS, apparently, ExxonMobil would have you believe that they pay more in taxes than they make in profit. Which... anyone who's not a complete idiot should realize is a just about a mathematic impossibility... Unless of course you count the taxes paid by the CONSUMER at the pump! Which I really wouldn't have that much of a problem with, seriously, if the Right wasn't also trying to make the case that lowering Federal Gas TAXES would lower the PRICE of Gas. If ExxonMobil is counting those taxes - paid by us - as a lost revenue opportunity for them, I think it's pretty clear what would happen to the price Gas if those taxes were lowered or repealed:
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
And that's according to ExxonMobil's own talking point!
The only thing that would happen? The ExxonMobil's of the world would report more profit, still receive billions in tax subsidies, and the rest of us would not only pay exactly the same price at the pump, but we'd also see our property and state income taxes go up substantially in order to make up for the lost revenue our states were once using to maintain our roads. Well, I don't know about YOU, but I think the ExxonMobil's of the world are taking a big enough chuck out of my paycheck as it is. So I say: screw 'em. I pay MY taxes, they should sure as hell pay theirs.
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(And before anyone brings up subsidies for Electric Cars or Alternative Energy, let me say that I don't have any problem with eliminating those as well. Let's just make sure that EVERYONE pays their fair share of taxes, and that BIG OIL covers the FULL COST of our continued consumption of their product, which they currently... what's the industry term? Oh yeah: EXTERNALIZE. Which is a fancy way of saying "fucks everybody else with it.")
They included the average state tax of about 23 cents per gallon both in the category "state" taxes and in the category "state & local" taxes. The total of both state and local taxes is 30.4 cents on average. Fox also placed $3.83 at the bottom, as if taxes are in addition to the price for gasoline. But the $3.83 figure already includes the taxes. (MMFA)An ACCURATE graph, using correct numbers and scale however, ins't nearly as compelling:
But, hey, why use accurate numbers when discussing an issue as important as tax subsidies going to our single largest (in terms of PROFIT) industry? This is particularly sad, because there are many perfectly legitimate ways to manipulate a graph (playing with the scale on the Y-AXIS, for example) in order to emphasise a point. You really shouldn't have to out-and-out LIE and CHEAT with bullshit data.
Speaking of PROFITS, apparently, ExxonMobil would have you believe that they pay more in taxes than they make in profit. Which... anyone who's not a complete idiot should realize is a just about a mathematic impossibility... Unless of course you count the taxes paid by the CONSUMER at the pump! Which I really wouldn't have that much of a problem with, seriously, if the Right wasn't also trying to make the case that lowering Federal Gas TAXES would lower the PRICE of Gas. If ExxonMobil is counting those taxes - paid by us - as a lost revenue opportunity for them, I think it's pretty clear what would happen to the price Gas if those taxes were lowered or repealed:
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
And that's according to ExxonMobil's own talking point!
The only thing that would happen? The ExxonMobil's of the world would report more profit, still receive billions in tax subsidies, and the rest of us would not only pay exactly the same price at the pump, but we'd also see our property and state income taxes go up substantially in order to make up for the lost revenue our states were once using to maintain our roads. Well, I don't know about YOU, but I think the ExxonMobil's of the world are taking a big enough chuck out of my paycheck as it is. So I say: screw 'em. I pay MY taxes, they should sure as hell pay theirs.
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(And before anyone brings up subsidies for Electric Cars or Alternative Energy, let me say that I don't have any problem with eliminating those as well. Let's just make sure that EVERYONE pays their fair share of taxes, and that BIG OIL covers the FULL COST of our continued consumption of their product, which they currently... what's the industry term? Oh yeah: EXTERNALIZE. Which is a fancy way of saying "fucks everybody else with it.")
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Verdict in Web-Cam Case
I meant to say something about this on Friday, when I first heard the story on NPR, coming home from work. But it was DW's 40th Birthday, so... yeah, going out to dinner took precedence. Then I had to work Saturday, and for most of the day today... Well, I got my grass-seed planted. Which is weird, considering it's mid-March, and I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt. We'll see how that goes. And the rest of the day... what can I say? It was 'bonus x.p. weekend', I had to play at least a little. ;)
So... If you're interested, I'm sure some of you have heard by now about the conviction of Dharun Ravi for, among other things, invasion of privacy and commission of a hate crime. This is the student who, in late 2010, used a web cam to spy on, and broadcast the romantic activities of, his gay roommate. In September of that year, his roommate killed himself, by jumping of the George Washington Bridge. It should come as little surprise to many of my readers that I was happy to hear about the verdict.
The reason I wanted to write something about this is that, in my opinion, it shows the true value of having hate crime laws in the first place. There is no question that privacy was invaded. And regardless of the victim, or the motivation for doing this, most of us would be angry enough about that. Put aside for the moment that the victim was gay. Imagine it was yourself, or your son or daughter, being filmed without their knowledge. Having sex, maybe, or masturbating, or maybe just having a good long cry at the end of a stressful day. I'm sure we can all sympathize with the anger that this would evoke, our private moments, stolen from us and broadcast for someone else's amusement.
But there was MORE to this. A young man DIED. And while it would be absurdly presumptuous of me to say that the spying caused the suicide - and indeed, I don't believe it truly did - likewise I cannot accept that it didn't play somea role in it. I mean, sure the young man was very likely already suicidal. He was likely struggling to come to grips with his sexuality, he was in college with, apparently, few friends. That's a tough situation in and of itself. He may very well have been clinically depressed. (OK, yeah, duh, he KILLED HIMSELF, so OBVIOUSLY...) But that's just it: It's hardly the act of a law abiding citizen to mock and harass and victimize a person on the brink of suicide. Perhaps we're not required to help people by law. But this was more than a mere invasion of privacy. There is a death to account for here, and this man played some role in it that cannot be denied.
So what to do?
Well... the hate crime allows the judge to add up to five more years to the sentence, by adding on another conviction. Without this, we're left with either nothing - just the invasion of privacy, which to me seems woefully inadequate - or upping the charge to something like manslaughter or felony murder (both of which carry a potential life sentence) which, it might surprise some of you to hear me say, I think would be absurdly overkill. Ravi did NOT intend to KILL this young man. Of that I have no doubt. This was little more than a stupid college prank, or so he thought. And the role he played in Clementi's death? In the big picture was likely a small and indirect one. But the fact remains that his prank led, in whatever way, to the death of a fellow human being, and one who had done him no harm. He can get up to ten years for this, just for the two primary convictions, and he faces deportation, having been born in India.
And I have almost no opinion about the potential sentence at this point. I don't believe he'll get the full ten years, and part of me wants to say that is still just. Admittedly, part of me wants to see the book thrown at him, but this wasn't a cross-burning or violent type of hate crime. And as for deportation... Meh, we'll see how it goes. Nothing can be done now to bring this young man back. It's just such a shame that someone chooses to act this way, rather than to reach out and try to help someone. If more people did, things like this, and other tragedies that hit closer to home, for me anyway, might never have happened. (It would be so easy for me to hate Seung-Hui Cho, but I can only shake my head, and think that Cho was not so different from Clementi - just another young man who needed help, and did not get it.)
So reach out to your fellow man. Let them know that they are not alone. Such small acts of kindness and consideration and empathy can make such a huge difference in the world. Of course, you'll never SEE that difference, as you'll never know what these small acts may have prevented. But it is so painful to see what happens in their absence.
So... If you're interested, I'm sure some of you have heard by now about the conviction of Dharun Ravi for, among other things, invasion of privacy and commission of a hate crime. This is the student who, in late 2010, used a web cam to spy on, and broadcast the romantic activities of, his gay roommate. In September of that year, his roommate killed himself, by jumping of the George Washington Bridge. It should come as little surprise to many of my readers that I was happy to hear about the verdict.
The reason I wanted to write something about this is that, in my opinion, it shows the true value of having hate crime laws in the first place. There is no question that privacy was invaded. And regardless of the victim, or the motivation for doing this, most of us would be angry enough about that. Put aside for the moment that the victim was gay. Imagine it was yourself, or your son or daughter, being filmed without their knowledge. Having sex, maybe, or masturbating, or maybe just having a good long cry at the end of a stressful day. I'm sure we can all sympathize with the anger that this would evoke, our private moments, stolen from us and broadcast for someone else's amusement.
But there was MORE to this. A young man DIED. And while it would be absurdly presumptuous of me to say that the spying caused the suicide - and indeed, I don't believe it truly did - likewise I cannot accept that it didn't play somea role in it. I mean, sure the young man was very likely already suicidal. He was likely struggling to come to grips with his sexuality, he was in college with, apparently, few friends. That's a tough situation in and of itself. He may very well have been clinically depressed. (OK, yeah, duh, he KILLED HIMSELF, so OBVIOUSLY...) But that's just it: It's hardly the act of a law abiding citizen to mock and harass and victimize a person on the brink of suicide. Perhaps we're not required to help people by law. But this was more than a mere invasion of privacy. There is a death to account for here, and this man played some role in it that cannot be denied.
So what to do?
Well... the hate crime allows the judge to add up to five more years to the sentence, by adding on another conviction. Without this, we're left with either nothing - just the invasion of privacy, which to me seems woefully inadequate - or upping the charge to something like manslaughter or felony murder (both of which carry a potential life sentence) which, it might surprise some of you to hear me say, I think would be absurdly overkill. Ravi did NOT intend to KILL this young man. Of that I have no doubt. This was little more than a stupid college prank, or so he thought. And the role he played in Clementi's death? In the big picture was likely a small and indirect one. But the fact remains that his prank led, in whatever way, to the death of a fellow human being, and one who had done him no harm. He can get up to ten years for this, just for the two primary convictions, and he faces deportation, having been born in India.
And I have almost no opinion about the potential sentence at this point. I don't believe he'll get the full ten years, and part of me wants to say that is still just. Admittedly, part of me wants to see the book thrown at him, but this wasn't a cross-burning or violent type of hate crime. And as for deportation... Meh, we'll see how it goes. Nothing can be done now to bring this young man back. It's just such a shame that someone chooses to act this way, rather than to reach out and try to help someone. If more people did, things like this, and other tragedies that hit closer to home, for me anyway, might never have happened. (It would be so easy for me to hate Seung-Hui Cho, but I can only shake my head, and think that Cho was not so different from Clementi - just another young man who needed help, and did not get it.)
So reach out to your fellow man. Let them know that they are not alone. Such small acts of kindness and consideration and empathy can make such a huge difference in the world. Of course, you'll never SEE that difference, as you'll never know what these small acts may have prevented. But it is so painful to see what happens in their absence.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
THE TOP TEN (for Craig D)
OK - Many thanks to Craig D for the (so far) lone response in Davy Jones obit. And in light of that, I want to take another step away from Politics for a minute and have a little fun with - and conduct a little poll about - music.
So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to list, in no partcular order, what I BELIEVE the top ten albums of all time are.
RULE #1: If you READ IT? You MUST comment.
RULE #2: Your comments must and may only consist of your own top-ten Albums list. No extensive or disrespectful opining about my choices or anyone elses, and no pissing contests! (And only TEN, limit one per band, and no TIES allowed!)
FAIR WARINING: ANY OTHER COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED! (just this once!)
But I DO want, very much, everyone to participate. I'm interested to see what will come out of it.
So here's mine:
The Beatles - Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? (1967)
Led Zepplin - IV (runes, zofo, etc...) (1971)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1971)
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)
The Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)
Ozzy Ozbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (1981)
Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
(OK, so it ended up in chronoligical order. Yours doesn't have to be! LOL)
So here's what we're going to do. I'm going to list, in no partcular order, what I BELIEVE the top ten albums of all time are.
RULE #1: If you READ IT? You MUST comment.
RULE #2: Your comments must and may only consist of your own top-ten Albums list. No extensive or disrespectful opining about my choices or anyone elses, and no pissing contests! (And only TEN, limit one per band, and no TIES allowed!)
FAIR WARINING: ANY OTHER COMMENTS WILL BE DELETED! (just this once!)
But I DO want, very much, everyone to participate. I'm interested to see what will come out of it.
So here's mine:
The Beatles - Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? (1967)
Led Zepplin - IV (runes, zofo, etc...) (1971)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid (1971)
Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)
The Eagles - Hotel California (1976)
Pink Floyd - The Wall (1979)
Ozzy Ozbourne - Blizzard of Ozz (1981)
Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction (1987)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991)
(OK, so it ended up in chronoligical order. Yours doesn't have to be! LOL)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A Good Point...
A few posts back, I mentioned that I wanted to touch on a good point that William had made in one of his comments. Because I think it's important when someone is wrong 99% of the time, to celebrate those times when they aren't talking completely out of their ass. (And I do sincerely hope that he takes my abuse of him here with a certain level of pride. After all, every time I've been attacked by a Conservative I've usually taken it with similar pride: I mean... anybody THAT stupid, I wouldn't WANT to agree with! So I do hope he's sees all of this in the same light.)
And BTW... It's not the first time we've agreed on something! He was dead-on-balls right about the electric car, AND... this may be the first time I've gone against Conchobhar, but y'all might want to re-think his advice to invest in Tesla Motors. They just had one of their road testers turn into an $80,000 BRICK during a recent trial run. And UNLIKE the fires in the Volt, which are a matter of complete irrelevance, this failure speaks directly to fundamental flaws in the design of their batteries. I'm sure they'll come around, but please consider any investment in the to be risky in the short term. I'm telling you: WE WORK WITH THEM. And they don't know the first fucking thing about building a car. And GM DOES. (I do still like much of their design, and hope that they work out the kinks, but believe me: The Volt is far closer to being market-ready and defect-free than anything Tesla is offering.)
Anyway enough of that. I want to talk for a minute about JOE PATERNO.
In my *ahem* obituary forthat Right Wing Cocksucker Andrew Breitbart, I made a statement to the effect that DEATH does not magically turn Joe Paterno back from a PEDOPHILE ENABLER into a FOOTBALL LEGEND. (And nor should it redeem a worthless bottom-feeder like Brietbart.) And while William was wrong in saying that Paterno didn't enable anyone (because HE CLEARLY DID) I want to give a concession here and admit that in a broader sense, I did (also) have a lot of problems with the way the Penn State story was handled by the media, in particular with their myopic focus on Paterno.
See... I was travelling on Business the the week that story broke, with two of my engineering colleagues, our boss and his boss. And EVERYONE - and I do mean EVERYONE was calling for Paterno's blood.... Except me. Now... I wasn't defending him. There is no doubt in my mind that he did not do enough, and by his inaction much harm was subsequently done. But my point then, as William correctly stated in his comment, was that Paterno did EXACTLY what he was required to do under the law at the time and under exsisting University Policy. He REPORTED it. And there was then no shortage of people who passed the buck and/or dropped the ball. The Dean of Athletics, the University President, the Campus Police, and at least a dozen others. Who? Well, I haven't the slightest fucking idea, because the STORY ended up being all about Paterno! And to me, that does a great disservice to the victims, by letting an awful lot of people who were equally responsible off the hook!
I mean... FINE. So this story grew legs because of Paterno's celebrity and his celebrated Football Program. And if you doubt this would have been a story WITHOUT Paterno's involvement, you might recall that SYRACUSE also had reports of Pedophilic activity going on within it's athletic programs. On th eother hand, you might NOT. Because lacking a celebrated figurehead that anyone had actually HEARD OF, the story had no legs, and thus got a fraction of the coverage that the Penn State story got. And how much have you heard about it in the weeks since Paterno's death? I haven't heard a PEEP. Anyone arrested? Anyone charged? What's going on with Sandusky? I haven't the slightest clue. Lose the celebrity angle, and the public loses interest in the story. Without the Paterno angle? No one wants to cover it anymore! And that sucks enough in it's own right, but I've never shaken the feeling that Paterno and, to a lesser extent McQuerrie (sp?), were being made to take the fall for a awful lot of faceless paper-pushers who, at a minimum, should all lose their jobs and face media and public scrutiny as well. After all... how does anyone else who was around at the time, and was part of that great cavalcade of failure, justify firing Paterno, and not resigning themselves as well?!
Now... Once they all got their emotions out, and we actually debated it, there were some good points brought up. Our director, himself a mentor to all of us and a soccer coach to young people as well, described, in his mind, what it REALLY MEANS to be a "coach." And he expressed a lot of idealism about mentoring and watching out for people, and keeping them out of trouble... all great stuff, and all stuff that I think we all agree coaches SHOULD do. But let's get real for a moment: Joe Paterno was NOT hired to do ANY of that. Beyond keeping HIS PLAYERS eligible, all he was hired to do was WIN FOOTBALL GAMES. That's it. Let's not dress up the role of a COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH in any more idealistic verbal diarrhea than that. Because that's just a failure recognize the difference between what IS what ought to be.
Bottom line: The failure here was one of the SYSTEM, and hardly Paterno's and/or McQueerie's alone. They played a role, yes, UNDENIABLY, but no more than so many others - including the CAMPUS POLICE, who if I'm not much mistaken, ARE in fact tasked with investigating crimes and expected to turn over to the ACTUAL POLICE any cases they can't handle. But where was their mass headcount reduction?
Now... Later on, I was discussing this with another co-worker, and he brought up a point that I really couldn't argue. There IS a reason that Joe Paterno's failure here is more substantial than anyone else's, and that is because, far more than anyone else involved, including even the University President, whatever Joe said? His will would be done. That's it. Period. Paterno OWNED that School. He was royalty. If he goes in, slams his hand down on the President's desk and says "GOD DAMN IT, I WANT THIS SHIT DEALT WITH!" Well, shit... you better believe it would have been fucking dealth with! If Paterno had used his monumental celebrity, and the pull that comes with it, to the benefit of anything off of the football field... like, say... oh I don't know... shutting down a volunteer program for troubled youths that was being run by a fucking peodphile?! There is no reason to believe that EVERYONE would have gotten on board with that, 100%. At Penn State, when Joe spoke? People ACTED. From that POV, I have to admit that Paterno had the greatest ability of any single person to see that is was handled properly, and he failed to do that. No quetsion about it.
All the same? There is not a single person in that entire chain of command that couldn't have done more than they did - which is to say, more than passing the buck and/or ignoring it - and who thus shares equally in the responsibiliy of what they collectively enabled. Yes: ENABLED, every bit as much as every pedophilic Catholic Priest was enabled by an archdiocese that did nothing more than relocate them. Which is all that was done to Sandusky in the wake of these allogations: He was asked to leave the Campus. OMFG, how could the be so cruel?
So while I don't take back my condemnation of Paterno (or Breitbart) I will happily agree with William that there were MANY OTHER people who dropped the ball there, and reitereate the dismay that I feel at the fact that we need a celebrity angle for a story like this to become front page news. It does truly speak to a misplacement of our cultural priorites. (Last time I checked thought, it wasn't Liberals who elevated College Football to this status of nigh sanctity.)
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I do want to add a little bit about McQueerie though. See... He didn't have any authority to act, at the time, but he did say - at one point before his story changed multiple times - that he witness Sandsuky anal-raping a ten year old boy in the showers, and reported it. Um... wait a sec... REPORTED IT? How about... STOPPED IT?! How about INTERVENED?! How about KICKED THE SHIT OUT OF SANDUSKY?! He initailly said at the time, that he was scared and that it was a youthful misjudgement not to have done more. But see... I don't really buy that. I can't. The poor judgment of youth? In this case? Would have been an excuse for OVER reacting. Like say... KICKING THE SHIT OUT OF SANDUSKY! It doens't exaplin WALKING THE FUCK AWAY. McQuerrie, if his first story is to be believed, is a coward. And if it isn't? Then he's a liar.
Now I said all of that, becuase I'd like to answer one question William asked me that I haven't answered. (Despite his protestations to the contrary, I HAVE in fact answered all of his others as far as I am aware.) He asked me if I consdiered myself a GOOD PERSON.
Now... I think this is a question that most people, if asked, would immediately answer, "Yes," to. Becuase in all honesty I don't think anyone truly believes themselvs to be a bad person. But in all fairness, I'd like to point to a few things that I think might actually JUSTIFY this opinion.
1) I hate to see people being victimized. I cant abide the weak getting bullied by the strong.
2) I believe that people should live together in peace, and that peaceful coexsistance is worth striving for.
3) I ALSO believe that evil truly does flourish when good people do nothing.
There's more to my ideology, of course, but I'd say that anyone who can claim these things, and has the common sense to reconcile when (3) is more important than (2), has the right to consider themselves a good person. Strive to do GOOD, and in your actions or inaction do no harm. I think that's a reasonablly "good" ideal to have. And, among other less relevant principles, I do hold that ideal. I don't always live up to it. But then... any man who never fails to live up to at least some of his ideals from time to time, has set the bar WAY TOO LOW for himself. I expect a lot of myself. And I AM willing to take risks and make sacrifices in accordance with that.
So... What does this have to do with McQueerie? Well... During that business trip, I was more agressive in my judgement of McQueerie than Paterno, and to my suprise, my co-workers were more forgiving of him. And they asked me: How can I really know what I would have done in that situation?
Well... One time I was almost run over by a car. And after narrowly missing me and a co-worker, that car went off the road, over the sidewalk, accross the field in front of our office, into some nearby woods, down a ravine and into a creek. Turns out the the driver was pregnant, with gestational diabetes and blacked out behind the wheel. I learned this becuase I was running after that car, at top speed, cell-phone in hand, calling 9-1-1. I was the first on the scene, and I helped carry one of the passengers - a child - up the sliperry embankment to safety and waited with him for the paramedics (the REAL heores) to arrive. (We didn't dare try to move the driver - that would have been incredibly reckless. The kid was FINE. Just shaken up a little.)
On several other occasions (at least three, that I can recall right now) I've stopped what I was doing - usually driving somewhere - to pick up a stray dog, check for a collar, and see them returned to their owners.
One night, after working out, I saw a scene in the parking lot that gave me a bad feeling - between a woman outside her parked car and a homeless guy that used to hang around that area. I just didn't like the body language - he was too close, her hands were raised... it just felt all wrong. So I got out of my car, and walked over to a spot under a lampost about ten, fifteen yards away. Easily close enough for me to cross the disatnce in just a few seconds if anything happened. She could see me, and I made sure that HE knew I was there. I didn't know for sure if any more intervention was needed, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but someting didn't feel right and I stood by until she had safely driven way. There was NO FUCKING WAY I was leaving that parking lot before she did.
I've saved my own mother's life - now a sixty-five year old diabetic herself - more times than I can even count, and I've saved my own son from drowning.
And the only time I've ever been hit in the face? (Outside of sparring practice?) I hit back, and knocked the other dude's ass to the floor.
Why am I saying all of this? Just to point out that, unlike McQuerrie, when I've been called on to act at various times in my life, I'VE ACTED. Decisively. No excuses. No thoughts of myself. No fear. No complaining. No griping. No whining. And no CONSIDERATION, even for a second, of NOT acting.
I am a man of action and I do not fuck around.
And, of course, there are countless, less dramatic, examples of me simply going out of my way to HELP SOMEONE WHO NEEDED IT. And no: I'm sorry to say that I have not served in our military, nor have I ever volunteered at a soup kitchen. I will add the latter to my bucket list. But I've halued dirt for the old guy accross the street, I've walked for autism, I've donated toys to homeless shelters, I've pitched in around the neigborhood and at work when people have needed help, and I'm never too busy to listen to someone when they need someone to talk to.
Now... I don't know if all that makes me a good person? But when I've had to go out of my way to do what I think is right? I can HONESTLY say that I have never failed to do exactly that. What ideals I possess? I've ACTED upon, when called to do so.
And it is with that sentiment in mind that I say that McQuerrie is nothing but a gutless coward.
And BTW... It's not the first time we've agreed on something! He was dead-on-balls right about the electric car, AND... this may be the first time I've gone against Conchobhar, but y'all might want to re-think his advice to invest in Tesla Motors. They just had one of their road testers turn into an $80,000 BRICK during a recent trial run. And UNLIKE the fires in the Volt, which are a matter of complete irrelevance, this failure speaks directly to fundamental flaws in the design of their batteries. I'm sure they'll come around, but please consider any investment in the to be risky in the short term. I'm telling you: WE WORK WITH THEM. And they don't know the first fucking thing about building a car. And GM DOES. (I do still like much of their design, and hope that they work out the kinks, but believe me: The Volt is far closer to being market-ready and defect-free than anything Tesla is offering.)
Anyway enough of that. I want to talk for a minute about JOE PATERNO.
In my *ahem* obituary for
See... I was travelling on Business the the week that story broke, with two of my engineering colleagues, our boss and his boss. And EVERYONE - and I do mean EVERYONE was calling for Paterno's blood.... Except me. Now... I wasn't defending him. There is no doubt in my mind that he did not do enough, and by his inaction much harm was subsequently done. But my point then, as William correctly stated in his comment, was that Paterno did EXACTLY what he was required to do under the law at the time and under exsisting University Policy. He REPORTED it. And there was then no shortage of people who passed the buck and/or dropped the ball. The Dean of Athletics, the University President, the Campus Police, and at least a dozen others. Who? Well, I haven't the slightest fucking idea, because the STORY ended up being all about Paterno! And to me, that does a great disservice to the victims, by letting an awful lot of people who were equally responsible off the hook!
I mean... FINE. So this story grew legs because of Paterno's celebrity and his celebrated Football Program. And if you doubt this would have been a story WITHOUT Paterno's involvement, you might recall that SYRACUSE also had reports of Pedophilic activity going on within it's athletic programs. On th eother hand, you might NOT. Because lacking a celebrated figurehead that anyone had actually HEARD OF, the story had no legs, and thus got a fraction of the coverage that the Penn State story got. And how much have you heard about it in the weeks since Paterno's death? I haven't heard a PEEP. Anyone arrested? Anyone charged? What's going on with Sandusky? I haven't the slightest clue. Lose the celebrity angle, and the public loses interest in the story. Without the Paterno angle? No one wants to cover it anymore! And that sucks enough in it's own right, but I've never shaken the feeling that Paterno and, to a lesser extent McQuerrie (sp?), were being made to take the fall for a awful lot of faceless paper-pushers who, at a minimum, should all lose their jobs and face media and public scrutiny as well. After all... how does anyone else who was around at the time, and was part of that great cavalcade of failure, justify firing Paterno, and not resigning themselves as well?!
Now... Once they all got their emotions out, and we actually debated it, there were some good points brought up. Our director, himself a mentor to all of us and a soccer coach to young people as well, described, in his mind, what it REALLY MEANS to be a "coach." And he expressed a lot of idealism about mentoring and watching out for people, and keeping them out of trouble... all great stuff, and all stuff that I think we all agree coaches SHOULD do. But let's get real for a moment: Joe Paterno was NOT hired to do ANY of that. Beyond keeping HIS PLAYERS eligible, all he was hired to do was WIN FOOTBALL GAMES. That's it. Let's not dress up the role of a COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH in any more idealistic verbal diarrhea than that. Because that's just a failure recognize the difference between what IS what ought to be.
Bottom line: The failure here was one of the SYSTEM, and hardly Paterno's and/or McQueerie's alone. They played a role, yes, UNDENIABLY, but no more than so many others - including the CAMPUS POLICE, who if I'm not much mistaken, ARE in fact tasked with investigating crimes and expected to turn over to the ACTUAL POLICE any cases they can't handle. But where was their mass headcount reduction?
Now... Later on, I was discussing this with another co-worker, and he brought up a point that I really couldn't argue. There IS a reason that Joe Paterno's failure here is more substantial than anyone else's, and that is because, far more than anyone else involved, including even the University President, whatever Joe said? His will would be done. That's it. Period. Paterno OWNED that School. He was royalty. If he goes in, slams his hand down on the President's desk and says "GOD DAMN IT, I WANT THIS SHIT DEALT WITH!" Well, shit... you better believe it would have been fucking dealth with! If Paterno had used his monumental celebrity, and the pull that comes with it, to the benefit of anything off of the football field... like, say... oh I don't know... shutting down a volunteer program for troubled youths that was being run by a fucking peodphile?! There is no reason to believe that EVERYONE would have gotten on board with that, 100%. At Penn State, when Joe spoke? People ACTED. From that POV, I have to admit that Paterno had the greatest ability of any single person to see that is was handled properly, and he failed to do that. No quetsion about it.
All the same? There is not a single person in that entire chain of command that couldn't have done more than they did - which is to say, more than passing the buck and/or ignoring it - and who thus shares equally in the responsibiliy of what they collectively enabled. Yes: ENABLED, every bit as much as every pedophilic Catholic Priest was enabled by an archdiocese that did nothing more than relocate them. Which is all that was done to Sandusky in the wake of these allogations: He was asked to leave the Campus. OMFG, how could the be so cruel?
So while I don't take back my condemnation of Paterno (or Breitbart) I will happily agree with William that there were MANY OTHER people who dropped the ball there, and reitereate the dismay that I feel at the fact that we need a celebrity angle for a story like this to become front page news. It does truly speak to a misplacement of our cultural priorites. (Last time I checked thought, it wasn't Liberals who elevated College Football to this status of nigh sanctity.)
-----------------------------------------------
I do want to add a little bit about McQueerie though. See... He didn't have any authority to act, at the time, but he did say - at one point before his story changed multiple times - that he witness Sandsuky anal-raping a ten year old boy in the showers, and reported it. Um... wait a sec... REPORTED IT? How about... STOPPED IT?! How about INTERVENED?! How about KICKED THE SHIT OUT OF SANDUSKY?! He initailly said at the time, that he was scared and that it was a youthful misjudgement not to have done more. But see... I don't really buy that. I can't. The poor judgment of youth? In this case? Would have been an excuse for OVER reacting. Like say... KICKING THE SHIT OUT OF SANDUSKY! It doens't exaplin WALKING THE FUCK AWAY. McQuerrie, if his first story is to be believed, is a coward. And if it isn't? Then he's a liar.
Now I said all of that, becuase I'd like to answer one question William asked me that I haven't answered. (Despite his protestations to the contrary, I HAVE in fact answered all of his others as far as I am aware.) He asked me if I consdiered myself a GOOD PERSON.
Now... I think this is a question that most people, if asked, would immediately answer, "Yes," to. Becuase in all honesty I don't think anyone truly believes themselvs to be a bad person. But in all fairness, I'd like to point to a few things that I think might actually JUSTIFY this opinion.
1) I hate to see people being victimized. I cant abide the weak getting bullied by the strong.
2) I believe that people should live together in peace, and that peaceful coexsistance is worth striving for.
3) I ALSO believe that evil truly does flourish when good people do nothing.
There's more to my ideology, of course, but I'd say that anyone who can claim these things, and has the common sense to reconcile when (3) is more important than (2), has the right to consider themselves a good person. Strive to do GOOD, and in your actions or inaction do no harm. I think that's a reasonablly "good" ideal to have. And, among other less relevant principles, I do hold that ideal. I don't always live up to it. But then... any man who never fails to live up to at least some of his ideals from time to time, has set the bar WAY TOO LOW for himself. I expect a lot of myself. And I AM willing to take risks and make sacrifices in accordance with that.
So... What does this have to do with McQueerie? Well... During that business trip, I was more agressive in my judgement of McQueerie than Paterno, and to my suprise, my co-workers were more forgiving of him. And they asked me: How can I really know what I would have done in that situation?
Well... One time I was almost run over by a car. And after narrowly missing me and a co-worker, that car went off the road, over the sidewalk, accross the field in front of our office, into some nearby woods, down a ravine and into a creek. Turns out the the driver was pregnant, with gestational diabetes and blacked out behind the wheel. I learned this becuase I was running after that car, at top speed, cell-phone in hand, calling 9-1-1. I was the first on the scene, and I helped carry one of the passengers - a child - up the sliperry embankment to safety and waited with him for the paramedics (the REAL heores) to arrive. (We didn't dare try to move the driver - that would have been incredibly reckless. The kid was FINE. Just shaken up a little.)
On several other occasions (at least three, that I can recall right now) I've stopped what I was doing - usually driving somewhere - to pick up a stray dog, check for a collar, and see them returned to their owners.
One night, after working out, I saw a scene in the parking lot that gave me a bad feeling - between a woman outside her parked car and a homeless guy that used to hang around that area. I just didn't like the body language - he was too close, her hands were raised... it just felt all wrong. So I got out of my car, and walked over to a spot under a lampost about ten, fifteen yards away. Easily close enough for me to cross the disatnce in just a few seconds if anything happened. She could see me, and I made sure that HE knew I was there. I didn't know for sure if any more intervention was needed, I couldn't hear what they were saying, but someting didn't feel right and I stood by until she had safely driven way. There was NO FUCKING WAY I was leaving that parking lot before she did.
I've saved my own mother's life - now a sixty-five year old diabetic herself - more times than I can even count, and I've saved my own son from drowning.
And the only time I've ever been hit in the face? (Outside of sparring practice?) I hit back, and knocked the other dude's ass to the floor.
Why am I saying all of this? Just to point out that, unlike McQuerrie, when I've been called on to act at various times in my life, I'VE ACTED. Decisively. No excuses. No thoughts of myself. No fear. No complaining. No griping. No whining. And no CONSIDERATION, even for a second, of NOT acting.
I am a man of action and I do not fuck around.
And, of course, there are countless, less dramatic, examples of me simply going out of my way to HELP SOMEONE WHO NEEDED IT. And no: I'm sorry to say that I have not served in our military, nor have I ever volunteered at a soup kitchen. I will add the latter to my bucket list. But I've halued dirt for the old guy accross the street, I've walked for autism, I've donated toys to homeless shelters, I've pitched in around the neigborhood and at work when people have needed help, and I'm never too busy to listen to someone when they need someone to talk to.
Now... I don't know if all that makes me a good person? But when I've had to go out of my way to do what I think is right? I can HONESTLY say that I have never failed to do exactly that. What ideals I possess? I've ACTED upon, when called to do so.
And it is with that sentiment in mind that I say that McQuerrie is nothing but a gutless coward.
So much stupidity, so little time...
...Or at least I've spent very little time lately pointing it out and having some fun at the Right's expense.
I read an interesting piece the other day on "Accuracy In Media" - arguably the most Orwellian named web-site in existence, BTW - about Media Matters. (Or does it?) It was full of enough Right Wing talking points and Conspiracy Theories to fill a Bingo Card: George Soros, Democratic Run, Obama Campaign Coordinated... You name it. Of course... there was one thing that was conspicuously absent form this hatchet job: Even a single example of ANYTHING that Media matters has ever gotten wrong. Not one! Not a single example! And of course, I defy ANYONE (William?) to find even a single piece on MediaMatters in which they call out something as inaccurate and have nothing more to say about it than "these people are Conservative" or "this is all coordinated by Ruppert Murdoch." And even when, in that case, the accusation would have the benefit of actually being TRUE. Because Liberals are smart enough to realize that this kind of ad hominen attack? IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. Why would I even give a fuck if George Soros IS funding them, if what they are saying IS TRUE?!
It just goes back to what I always say:
A Liberal will prove that you're wrong and a Conservative will prove that you're Liberal.
(BTW... ANOTHER THING you will never find in MediaMatters is this kind of EXAMPLE FREE hack-level hatchet-job. Just sayin'.)
--------------------------------------------------
In related news, I heard earlier today that Rush Limbaugh now does not have so much as a single corporate advertiser left on his program. I haven't been able to substantiate that claim as stated, but o March Eighth they were forced to broadcast over five minutes of DEAD AIR due to the corporate boycott that he's brought upon himself. And that's great. I say: Five down, One Hundred Seventy Five to go! And while the dream of his broadcasting demise remains elusive, the fact of the matter is that TODAY, not a single ad was aired from a corporate sponsor. NOT ONE! And he's had the nerve to say that he "won't forgive them" and "doesn't want them back." And that's funny... because the guy's been in radio for over 25 years now, so you'd think he have some fucking idea how that media actually FUNCTIONS.
That's fine though. In the meantime, I'm sure that the United Negro College Fund is enjoying all of the free advertising it's getting on his program. Because apparently IRONY is a terrible thing to waste.
Oh.. and did you hear? Today he claimed that Sandra Fluke's appearance before the Senate and the subsequent action but his sponsors to bankrupt his program are all part of a coordinated conspiracy by the Obama Administration to get rid of him. I'm not sure where calling a woman's advocate a "slut" figured in to all that... the Batman Gambit , I guess. But at what point will these morons stop trying to conjure up fantasy conspiracy theories and just face the fact that they might... JUST MIGHT... have actually been WRONG?!
Isn't that the simpler explanation?
Note to Rush: This isn't what an Obama orchestrated conspiracy looks like. Obama couldn't organize a barbecue, and neither can the Democrats. This is what it looks like when you get your ass kicked by the FREE MARKET and the people's FREEDOM OF SPEECH after you piss of LITERALLY EVERYONE.
But by all means, keep digging. You've got all the money you need, so there's no point in turning back now. Keep showing everyone what the Republican Party, the Right Wing and the Conservative movement REALLY stand for. Keep exposing the Faustian Bargain they made with you back in 1992 (despite the fact that they LOST that year!) and see if you can't take down Hannity, Fox News, and the Republican Party with you while you're at it.
Do some GOOD for a change with your short-ass, miserable existence.
I read an interesting piece the other day on "Accuracy In Media" - arguably the most Orwellian named web-site in existence, BTW - about Media Matters. (Or does it?) It was full of enough Right Wing talking points and Conspiracy Theories to fill a Bingo Card: George Soros, Democratic Run, Obama Campaign Coordinated... You name it. Of course... there was one thing that was conspicuously absent form this hatchet job: Even a single example of ANYTHING that Media matters has ever gotten wrong. Not one! Not a single example! And of course, I defy ANYONE (William?) to find even a single piece on MediaMatters in which they call out something as inaccurate and have nothing more to say about it than "these people are Conservative" or "this is all coordinated by Ruppert Murdoch." And even when, in that case, the accusation would have the benefit of actually being TRUE. Because Liberals are smart enough to realize that this kind of ad hominen attack? IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. Why would I even give a fuck if George Soros IS funding them, if what they are saying IS TRUE?!
It just goes back to what I always say:
A Liberal will prove that you're wrong and a Conservative will prove that you're Liberal.
(BTW... ANOTHER THING you will never find in MediaMatters is this kind of EXAMPLE FREE hack-level hatchet-job. Just sayin'.)
--------------------------------------------------
In related news, I heard earlier today that Rush Limbaugh now does not have so much as a single corporate advertiser left on his program. I haven't been able to substantiate that claim as stated, but o March Eighth they were forced to broadcast over five minutes of DEAD AIR due to the corporate boycott that he's brought upon himself. And that's great. I say: Five down, One Hundred Seventy Five to go! And while the dream of his broadcasting demise remains elusive, the fact of the matter is that TODAY, not a single ad was aired from a corporate sponsor. NOT ONE! And he's had the nerve to say that he "won't forgive them" and "doesn't want them back." And that's funny... because the guy's been in radio for over 25 years now, so you'd think he have some fucking idea how that media actually FUNCTIONS.
That's fine though. In the meantime, I'm sure that the United Negro College Fund is enjoying all of the free advertising it's getting on his program. Because apparently IRONY is a terrible thing to waste.
Oh.. and did you hear? Today he claimed that Sandra Fluke's appearance before the Senate and the subsequent action but his sponsors to bankrupt his program are all part of a coordinated conspiracy by the Obama Administration to get rid of him. I'm not sure where calling a woman's advocate a "slut" figured in to all that... the Batman Gambit , I guess. But at what point will these morons stop trying to conjure up fantasy conspiracy theories and just face the fact that they might... JUST MIGHT... have actually been WRONG?!
Isn't that the simpler explanation?
Note to Rush: This isn't what an Obama orchestrated conspiracy looks like. Obama couldn't organize a barbecue, and neither can the Democrats. This is what it looks like when you get your ass kicked by the FREE MARKET and the people's FREEDOM OF SPEECH after you piss of LITERALLY EVERYONE.
But by all means, keep digging. You've got all the money you need, so there's no point in turning back now. Keep showing everyone what the Republican Party, the Right Wing and the Conservative movement REALLY stand for. Keep exposing the Faustian Bargain they made with you back in 1992 (despite the fact that they LOST that year!) and see if you can't take down Hannity, Fox News, and the Republican Party with you while you're at it.
Do some GOOD for a change with your short-ass, miserable existence.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Another excellent Cracked article...
Someone needs to send this to the Romney campain.
(Or the Obama campaign.)
6 Things Rich People need to Stop Staying
(Or the Obama campaign.)
6 Things Rich People need to Stop Staying
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
R.I.P., Davy Jones
OK, so I'm a week late (and a dollar short) and I've got OTHER THINGS that I need to post and respond to (including a VERY GOOD POINT that William made - yes, you read that right!) But at the moment, I just really want to post THIS, since I was unaware of his passing until just now...
God, I love this song.
Rest in peace, Davy.
God, I love this song.
Rest in peace, Davy.
Gold Star Awards, March, 2012
So as not to be late again, I'm doing March's and February's back-to-back. These be fairly brief, only because I'm short on time. I'll also get to the comments as soon as I can, as I mentioned before, I know I'm behind on those as well.
It's 1973: Two BWAA Inductees, and two from the Veteran's Committee.
The Roberto Clemente Gold Star #47: Truth-Out
I was turned onto these guys by a referral from Conchobhar. A must-have for any regular of MMFA, FAIR, Foxhounds, Newscorpse, etc…
The Warren Spahn Gold Star #48: Politics Plus
"Overcoming right wing insanity, one day at a time." One of the better written, more well-informed Progressive Blogs out there. Great content, updated constantly.
The Mickey Welch Silver Star #45: Living with Insanity
A webcomic about a webcomic writer. Having done a webcomic myself for a couple years, not to mention having lived with insantiy, I can relate to so much of what goes on in this. (Except that part about selling out, making tons of money and having millions of fans. I had a few fans, but the opportunity to sell out never quite came my way. LOL) The plot isn't super-involved, but I still recommend reading from the beginning. (That link skips over a bunch of earlier, non-LWI stuff, BTW!)
The George “Highpockets” Kelly Polyester Star: Fixed Earth
Do you think the Global Warming deniers are un-Scientific? How about Young Earth Creationists? What about FLAT-EARTHERS? Well: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Check THESE GUYS out. If someone can convince me that this is a parody, I will promote them to a Silver, and possibly a Gold Star, because if it IS parody, it’s fucking brilliant. But there combination of the earnestness of their posts and the fairly crappy appearance of the website makes me want to believe it’s legit. Which makes for a frightening read. (Becuase some of these people probably VOTE!)
It's 1973: Two BWAA Inductees, and two from the Veteran's Committee.
The Roberto Clemente Gold Star #47: Truth-Out
I was turned onto these guys by a referral from Conchobhar. A must-have for any regular of MMFA, FAIR, Foxhounds, Newscorpse, etc…
The Warren Spahn Gold Star #48: Politics Plus
"Overcoming right wing insanity, one day at a time." One of the better written, more well-informed Progressive Blogs out there. Great content, updated constantly.
The Mickey Welch Silver Star #45: Living with Insanity
A webcomic about a webcomic writer. Having done a webcomic myself for a couple years, not to mention having lived with insantiy, I can relate to so much of what goes on in this. (Except that part about selling out, making tons of money and having millions of fans. I had a few fans, but the opportunity to sell out never quite came my way. LOL) The plot isn't super-involved, but I still recommend reading from the beginning. (That link skips over a bunch of earlier, non-LWI stuff, BTW!)
The George “Highpockets” Kelly Polyester Star: Fixed Earth
Do you think the Global Warming deniers are un-Scientific? How about Young Earth Creationists? What about FLAT-EARTHERS? Well: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Check THESE GUYS out. If someone can convince me that this is a parody, I will promote them to a Silver, and possibly a Gold Star, because if it IS parody, it’s fucking brilliant. But there combination of the earnestness of their posts and the fairly crappy appearance of the website makes me want to believe it’s legit. Which makes for a frightening read. (Becuase some of these people probably VOTE!)
Gold Star Awards, February, 2012
Late again. So I'm going to do March's and February's back-to-back to get caught up. These will also be fairly brief, only because I'm short on time. I'll also get to the comments as soon as I can, I know I'm behind on those as well. Work's been crazy lately. I don't even have time for Video Games! LOL
It's 1972: Three BWAA Inductees, one for the Veteran's Committee.
The Yogi Berra God Star #44: Feministing
Much like Phil Rizuto is only in the Hall of Fame because his crosstown ‘rival’ Pee Wee Reese was put in, I can hardly honor Jezebel without giving a shout-out to their spiritual sisters over at Feministing. And if I need any more burnishing of my feminist cred…
The Sandy Koufax God Star #45: Boycott Rush
Some truly fine and noble work being done here. Of course, I guess this makes that “slut,” Sandra Fluke happy. I mean, WTF, people? He offered to buy them all the aspirin’s they needed to hold between their knees! What more do you people WANT?!
(See, Rush? THAT’S what satire looks like! Asshole.)
The Early Wynn Gold Star #46: Disinformation
I have to admit that it’s been awhile since I’ve been a regular here. I’ve been meaning to endorse them for rather a long time now, and one site after another kept making me put this one off. But I do enjoy their insightful writing about a wide variety of topics.
The Lefty Gomez Silver Star #44: XKCD
Funny as hell. Similar to SMBC and The Bad Chemicals, only black and white, more poorly drawn and yet possibly even more sublime. Check them out!
It's 1972: Three BWAA Inductees, one for the Veteran's Committee.
The Yogi Berra God Star #44: Feministing
Much like Phil Rizuto is only in the Hall of Fame because his crosstown ‘rival’ Pee Wee Reese was put in, I can hardly honor Jezebel without giving a shout-out to their spiritual sisters over at Feministing. And if I need any more burnishing of my feminist cred…
The Sandy Koufax God Star #45: Boycott Rush
Some truly fine and noble work being done here. Of course, I guess this makes that “slut,” Sandra Fluke happy. I mean, WTF, people? He offered to buy them all the aspirin’s they needed to hold between their knees! What more do you people WANT?!
(See, Rush? THAT’S what satire looks like! Asshole.)
The Early Wynn Gold Star #46: Disinformation
I have to admit that it’s been awhile since I’ve been a regular here. I’ve been meaning to endorse them for rather a long time now, and one site after another kept making me put this one off. But I do enjoy their insightful writing about a wide variety of topics.
The Lefty Gomez Silver Star #44: XKCD
Funny as hell. Similar to SMBC and The Bad Chemicals, only black and white, more poorly drawn and yet possibly even more sublime. Check them out!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
On Hypocrisy...
A while back, in one of his comments, William accused me of two things.
He said I didn't honestly answer his [goofy, IMHO] question about aborting homosexuals, and that he really wanted to know how I felt. Well... that's odd, seeing as how I've written extensively on both topics over the past three years, and have permanent tabs at the top of the page on both Abortion and LGBT Issues, giving a quick rundown of my feelings on both of these matters, if anyone is interested. So I don't know if this accusation comes from either laziness or illiteracy, but there is little more I can say about Abortion or Gay Rights at this point that I haven't said a dozen times already. So... RTFB, if you honestly can't understand the answer I gave you.
He also accused me of HYPOCRISY. See... I guess I say a lot of BAD THINGS about people that I think are bad people. No.. .I take that back. State it more honestly, I should say that I take GREAT PRIDE in the things I say about VILE, BIGOTED, GREEDY, DISHONEST People. And by some wild universal coincidence, it seems that 90-some percent of these people are Conservative, or Right-Wing, Public Figures.
OMFG! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
Now I get the hypocrisy accusation a lot. I do. And I invite it.I really do. Because in truth, I'm fairly outspoken about the fact that there is scarcely a vice I can't tolerate, save for hypocrisy. I loathe hypocrisy above all else. I could even forgive a murder, and yet happily kill the accused myself, should he walk out off death row on a technicality and then go on to become an agressive death penalty proponent and fourth ammendment opponent. And so: Should anyone ever manage to catch me in a bit of hypocrisy... WELL, HEY... They've WON, haven't they? And typically lacking any actual evidence to support their arguments, that remains the ONE WAY, the one SUREFIRE way, that a Conservative could actually BEAT ME in an argument.
So I'm not shy about the fact that I get that. A LOT. The problem is?
Conservatives don't understand the first fucking thing about hypocrisy. They couldn't properly identify hypocrisy if it turned itself into a snake and bit them in the ass. Which is probably why their more prominent spokespeople are all such raving, intellectually dishonest HYPOCRITES.
But what about me?
Well... IF I UNDERSTAND his accusation correctly - and I'm sure he'll need no encouragement to clarify things if I'm missing something - it appears that it is hypocritical of me to say bad things about people who I believe are bad because they say bad things about people.
And, yeah, I suppose that can look like hypocrisy... if you're an idiot.
Because to follow that logic? You can never judge ANYONE! Suddenly, magically, ANYTHING GOES! Someone could go around calling every Black person he saw a Nigger right to their face, and no one could say that this guy was being an ignorant racist, jackass, because THAT... would be hypocritical.
But... of course that's completely idiotic.
The fact is? That there is no hypocrisy in calling a vile person, a vile person. When they say vile things about otehr people, you do not become a vile person in pointing out that they are a vile person! DUH! One does not need to be tolerant of intolerance in order to avoid hypocrisy. Now... I'll give you a BE-YOU-TIFUL example of what I'm talking about...
Starting yesterday, and continue on to today, Rush Limbaugh actually had the audacity to refer to a Law Student, who was advocating up for women's health care a "SLUT" and a "PROSTITUTE." His misogynistic vitriol continued today.
Limbaugh: "I Will Buy All Of The Women At Georgetown University As Much Aspirin To Put Between Their Knees As They Want"
Limbaugh Lectures Georgetown Student: "Ms. Fluke, Have You Ever Heard Of Not Having Sex?"
Limbaugh Demands Women With Contraceptive Coverage Post Sex Videos Online "So We Can All Watch"
Limbaugh To Sandra Fluke: "Who Bought Your Condoms In The Sixth Grade?" (holy fucking crap!)
Limbaugh's Misogynistic Attack On Georgetown Law Student Continues With Increased Vitriol
Limbaugh: Sandra Fluke Is "Having So Much Sex, It's Amazing She Can Still Walk" (OMFG!)
Limbaugh: Five Dollars For A Month Of Birth Control? "That Makes PMS Almost Worth It" (Really, Rush? Really?)
So... here's my answer: Rush Limbaugh is a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic SCUMBAG.
Now... let recap: Limbaugh said some mean things about Sandra Fluke. And I said some mean things about Rush Limbaugh for doing that. Shame on me? Shame on my hypocrisy?
Did you have a fucking brain tumor for breakfast?!
READ THOSE. LISTEN TO THOSE. EVERY ONE. And you know what? If you do that and DON'T come to the conclusion that Rush Limbaugh is a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic scumbag? Then, sir or madame, YOU are a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic scumbag!
I and I will only be revealed as a hypocrite the day I post such vile, misogynistic trash on this blog. (Or chastise people over either foul language or typos.) Well, sir, you will be waiting alongside Adlai Stevenson until hell freezes over, because I am not a misogynist, and I am no hypocrite.
All I can say is that I hope Rush's fourth wife was listening. This is who you married sweetheart. I hope it will be worth it to you. (That's NOT mysoginy, BTW. I don't think she's a bad person. I'm merely pointing out her abysmal taste in men.)
He said I didn't honestly answer his [goofy, IMHO] question about aborting homosexuals, and that he really wanted to know how I felt. Well... that's odd, seeing as how I've written extensively on both topics over the past three years, and have permanent tabs at the top of the page on both Abortion and LGBT Issues, giving a quick rundown of my feelings on both of these matters, if anyone is interested. So I don't know if this accusation comes from either laziness or illiteracy, but there is little more I can say about Abortion or Gay Rights at this point that I haven't said a dozen times already. So... RTFB, if you honestly can't understand the answer I gave you.
He also accused me of HYPOCRISY. See... I guess I say a lot of BAD THINGS about people that I think are bad people. No.. .I take that back. State it more honestly, I should say that I take GREAT PRIDE in the things I say about VILE, BIGOTED, GREEDY, DISHONEST People. And by some wild universal coincidence, it seems that 90-some percent of these people are Conservative, or Right-Wing, Public Figures.
OMFG! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
Now I get the hypocrisy accusation a lot. I do. And I invite it.I really do. Because in truth, I'm fairly outspoken about the fact that there is scarcely a vice I can't tolerate, save for hypocrisy. I loathe hypocrisy above all else. I could even forgive a murder, and yet happily kill the accused myself, should he walk out off death row on a technicality and then go on to become an agressive death penalty proponent and fourth ammendment opponent. And so: Should anyone ever manage to catch me in a bit of hypocrisy... WELL, HEY... They've WON, haven't they? And typically lacking any actual evidence to support their arguments, that remains the ONE WAY, the one SUREFIRE way, that a Conservative could actually BEAT ME in an argument.
So I'm not shy about the fact that I get that. A LOT. The problem is?
Conservatives don't understand the first fucking thing about hypocrisy. They couldn't properly identify hypocrisy if it turned itself into a snake and bit them in the ass. Which is probably why their more prominent spokespeople are all such raving, intellectually dishonest HYPOCRITES.
But what about me?
Well... IF I UNDERSTAND his accusation correctly - and I'm sure he'll need no encouragement to clarify things if I'm missing something - it appears that it is hypocritical of me to say bad things about people who I believe are bad because they say bad things about people.
And, yeah, I suppose that can look like hypocrisy... if you're an idiot.
Because to follow that logic? You can never judge ANYONE! Suddenly, magically, ANYTHING GOES! Someone could go around calling every Black person he saw a Nigger right to their face, and no one could say that this guy was being an ignorant racist, jackass, because THAT... would be hypocritical.
But... of course that's completely idiotic.
The fact is? That there is no hypocrisy in calling a vile person, a vile person. When they say vile things about otehr people, you do not become a vile person in pointing out that they are a vile person! DUH! One does not need to be tolerant of intolerance in order to avoid hypocrisy. Now... I'll give you a BE-YOU-TIFUL example of what I'm talking about...
Starting yesterday, and continue on to today, Rush Limbaugh actually had the audacity to refer to a Law Student, who was advocating up for women's health care a "SLUT" and a "PROSTITUTE." His misogynistic vitriol continued today.
Limbaugh: "I Will Buy All Of The Women At Georgetown University As Much Aspirin To Put Between Their Knees As They Want"
Limbaugh Lectures Georgetown Student: "Ms. Fluke, Have You Ever Heard Of Not Having Sex?"
Limbaugh Demands Women With Contraceptive Coverage Post Sex Videos Online "So We Can All Watch"
Limbaugh To Sandra Fluke: "Who Bought Your Condoms In The Sixth Grade?" (holy fucking crap!)
Limbaugh's Misogynistic Attack On Georgetown Law Student Continues With Increased Vitriol
Limbaugh: Sandra Fluke Is "Having So Much Sex, It's Amazing She Can Still Walk" (OMFG!)
Limbaugh: Five Dollars For A Month Of Birth Control? "That Makes PMS Almost Worth It" (Really, Rush? Really?)
So... here's my answer: Rush Limbaugh is a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic SCUMBAG.
Now... let recap: Limbaugh said some mean things about Sandra Fluke. And I said some mean things about Rush Limbaugh for doing that. Shame on me? Shame on my hypocrisy?
Did you have a fucking brain tumor for breakfast?!
READ THOSE. LISTEN TO THOSE. EVERY ONE. And you know what? If you do that and DON'T come to the conclusion that Rush Limbaugh is a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic scumbag? Then, sir or madame, YOU are a vile, despicable, chauvinistic, misogynistic scumbag!
I and I will only be revealed as a hypocrite the day I post such vile, misogynistic trash on this blog. (Or chastise people over either foul language or typos.) Well, sir, you will be waiting alongside Adlai Stevenson until hell freezes over, because I am not a misogynist, and I am no hypocrite.
All I can say is that I hope Rush's fourth wife was listening. This is who you married sweetheart. I hope it will be worth it to you. (That's NOT mysoginy, BTW. I don't think she's a bad person. I'm merely pointing out her abysmal taste in men.)
Good Riddance
(Warning: The following post is a petty, immature rant that contains coarse and insensitive language. If you do not wish to have tarnished your undoubtedly pristine image of me, you are free to... well, shoot... you are ADVISED to skip this posting.)
I couldn't post on Media Matters today. Comments were down. And I mean DOWN. I couldn't even see past comments. It may have been a glitch. They may have finally decided to ban a certain foul-mouthed Detroit Liberal with a penchant for getting creative obscenities past their filters. (Though I doubt it, seeing as how I've been polluting their board with my person brand of coarse invective for MANY YEARS now, with nary a warning given my way.) Or, in credit to their better judgement, (yes, you read that right), they may have simply felt it was the decent thing to do, given the passing yesterday evening of Right-Wing Propagandist Andrew "My mother sucked cocks in hell" Breitbart.
Well... Media Matters may choose to take the high road here, with a simple and respectful obituary. But I wouldn't have it be said that I've ever claimed to always be above the fray. So even if I'm the only Blogger out there with the both the both the requisite courage and the colossal lack of tact to continue to speak the truth from their point of view, I care not. Just as death does not magically transform Joe Paterno from a Pedophile Enabler back into a Football Legend, neither shall death transform Andrew Breitbart from a petty, vile, lying, Right-Wing Propagandist into something resembling a decent human being. In his public life, the man lied with every breath he drew, and every word he wrote, and built his career with the intellectual integrity of a weasel. He misinformed and propagandized for a living, and what little he accomplished was, in the end, only to the net harm and detriment of this country.
The Irish have a saying, and I hope I get it pretty close:
May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead.
Well, I think I'll modify that just a smidge and say...
Andrew Brietbart stokes fires in Hell with his dick.
And if his Mother should happen to read this, let me just that while I'm sorry for your loss, MY MOTHER didn't raise her son to be a liar. (Lacking in manners... OK, touche.) And if you ARE going to sell your soul to the Devil, you should probably accomplish more from the bargain than what Andrew Breitbart did in his miserable, short-ass life.
So I say: Good riddance to Right-Wing garbage. The world is a marginally better place today than it was yesterday for your passing.
And I couldn't care less anyway: In my universe he's already been dead for over over a year now.)
(Closing Note: I will read, but not respond to, any and all comments placed under this thread. I'm sure this won't win me many friends from either side of the aisle, but what little religion I still carry with me come from the Catholics and it is that one must confess and repent before one is forgiven. Andrew Breitbart died an unapologetic liar. And thus he deserves to be remember as no better. Fuck him. And should some Conservative find his way back here the day after I die to remind everybody what a sonofabitch I was? Hey: I'll raise my glass to his honesty, wherever it is that I am.)
I couldn't post on Media Matters today. Comments were down. And I mean DOWN. I couldn't even see past comments. It may have been a glitch. They may have finally decided to ban a certain foul-mouthed Detroit Liberal with a penchant for getting creative obscenities past their filters. (Though I doubt it, seeing as how I've been polluting their board with my person brand of coarse invective for MANY YEARS now, with nary a warning given my way.) Or, in credit to their better judgement, (yes, you read that right), they may have simply felt it was the decent thing to do, given the passing yesterday evening of Right-Wing Propagandist Andrew "My mother sucked cocks in hell" Breitbart.
Well... Media Matters may choose to take the high road here, with a simple and respectful obituary. But I wouldn't have it be said that I've ever claimed to always be above the fray. So even if I'm the only Blogger out there with the both the both the requisite courage and the colossal lack of tact to continue to speak the truth from their point of view, I care not. Just as death does not magically transform Joe Paterno from a Pedophile Enabler back into a Football Legend, neither shall death transform Andrew Breitbart from a petty, vile, lying, Right-Wing Propagandist into something resembling a decent human being. In his public life, the man lied with every breath he drew, and every word he wrote, and built his career with the intellectual integrity of a weasel. He misinformed and propagandized for a living, and what little he accomplished was, in the end, only to the net harm and detriment of this country.
The Irish have a saying, and I hope I get it pretty close:
May you be in Heaven half an hour before the Devil knows you're dead.
Well, I think I'll modify that just a smidge and say...
Andrew Brietbart stokes fires in Hell with his dick.
And if his Mother should happen to read this, let me just that while I'm sorry for your loss, MY MOTHER didn't raise her son to be a liar. (Lacking in manners... OK, touche.) And if you ARE going to sell your soul to the Devil, you should probably accomplish more from the bargain than what Andrew Breitbart did in his miserable, short-ass life.
So I say: Good riddance to Right-Wing garbage. The world is a marginally better place today than it was yesterday for your passing.
And I couldn't care less anyway: In my universe he's already been dead for over over a year now.)
(Closing Note: I will read, but not respond to, any and all comments placed under this thread. I'm sure this won't win me many friends from either side of the aisle, but what little religion I still carry with me come from the Catholics and it is that one must confess and repent before one is forgiven. Andrew Breitbart died an unapologetic liar. And thus he deserves to be remember as no better. Fuck him. And should some Conservative find his way back here the day after I die to remind everybody what a sonofabitch I was? Hey: I'll raise my glass to his honesty, wherever it is that I am.)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Why I haven't written much lately...
Sadly mine would say "Runescape," but this has so been me lately. *shakes head*
A Sad State of Affairs
I haven't written much lately. I don't know why. In the past it's been for a lack of interest (on my part) or inspiration, but that definitely hasn't been the case lately. With Republican's running head-long off a cliff in ways that continue to amaze and astound me, even after all these years, there has been no shortage of material to write about. And I've been fairly active on Media Matters, intending to do some follow-up here, but lately it seems that sometime between my lunch-hour rants on MMFA and my after-dinner fray into the man-cave, it seems other things just keep crowd out those thoughts.
But one of DW's facebook-friends recently sent her a link to a Guardian article that I absolutely MUST share with you all. There have been many of these articles written before - you may recall the piece a from 2008 that likened Conservatism to Mental Illness (here's another form 2004) - and they are usually met with the kind of response that proves one of my favorite personal adages:
Argue with a Liberal and they'll prove you're wrong.
Argue with a Conservative and they'll prove you're Liberal.
I'm curious, though not optimistic, to see if any *ahem* Conservative commenters here might do better than that. We'll see. My favorite part might have been the quotes from Republican Strategist David Frum that "conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics." In the column, that quote links to another great column by Paul Krugman where it is shown in its entirety:
There two kinds of Conservatives: Evil and Stupid.
One lies and the other buys.
It really all comes down to two groups - Liberals and Conservative - that are both convinced they're right. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals increasingly have the prevailing Scientific and Economic viewpoint, not to mention the evidence supporting those, on their side whilst Conservatives have increasingly chosen to propagandize for the demonstrably false knowing (as the article points out) that half the population won't knwo any better anyway. And whether it's Global Warming, Evolution, the Keynesian Economic Model or the Constituton, the Right has grown increasingly separated from reality, and more defiant every day as they say and defend that which is not only self-evident but, of infinitely more importance, is supported by empirical evidence as well.
Between Sean Hannity claiming that "you can't make the case that the economy is improving," (unless of course you look at, oh I don't know... the rising GDP, the falling unemployment rate, the rising DOW, S&P and Nasdaq, the number of new job's being created each month... you know, literaly EVERY SINGLE ECONOMIC INDICIATOR) or Fox arguing that Government Spending hurts the economy (WTF?!) and Sarah Palin insisting that the unemployment numbers must not be acurate (Because, you know, the Right couldn't possibly be WRONG about... well, EVERYTHING, could they?!) the Conservative noise machine has grown increasing desperate with each passing day in their attemtps to get more and more people to ignore what it right in front of them, and to ignore the inevitable social progress that society makes, putting them in th perpetual state of losing the argument, generation after generation. Adage number three:
Scientists aren't right because they agree with Liberals.
Liberals are right because they agree with Scientists.
Of course, the Right has never been shy about slandering pretty much ANY outfit that (1) Does good and (2) Leans Democratic or Liberal, but I wanted to re-post my repsonse here to CNN's (CNN'S!) Dana Loesch's claim that "It's a 'lie' to claim that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms," because I think it would be an apropriate way to close out this post:
It's a lie to claim there's a "liberal media."
It's a lie to deny that global warming is happening or that it is man-made.
It's a lie to say that one chooses to be homosexual or transgendered.
It's a lie to claim that "both sides do it" when it comes to broadcasting false infomration and distorted, out of context quotes.
It's a lie to claim that the economy has gotten worse under Obama.
It's a lie to put the responsibility for the mortgage crisis anywhere except with the deregulation (and greed) of the banks.
It's a lie to claim that keeping condoms out of schools will stop teenagers from having sex.
It's a lie to claim that "Bush kept us safe from terrorists."
It's a lie to claim that Obama is a Muslim, or a non-American Citizen by birth.
It's a lie to claim that anyone who supports wars and the death penalty is "pro-life."
It's a lie to claim that the war on terror is a war of Christianity vs. Islam, instead of a war of Secular Freedom vs. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism.
It's a lie to claim that "Happy Holidays" represents a Liberal War on Christmas.
It's a lie to claim that Republicans care about the deficit.
It's a lie to claim that Government spending does harm to the economy.
It's a lit to claim that taxes are "too high."
It's a lie to cliam that Obama raised taxes.
And it's a lie to claim that Planned Parenthood is nothing more than an abortion mill.
Here's the thing... It may not have always been the case, but right now, and increasingly over the last 3+ years (and the last 12, and the last 20...) Conservatives have chosen to be wrong on literally EVERYTHING. (Hey: Even the two issues that I'm most strongly Conservative on, I'll happily admit that my position is indefensible and based entirely on emotion rather than reason!) And that being the case... knowing that... I'm forced to ask the question: WHY WOULD ANYONE CHOOSE TO BE CONSERVATIVE?!
But then... that's already been answered, hasn't it?
But one of DW's facebook-friends recently sent her a link to a Guardian article that I absolutely MUST share with you all. There have been many of these articles written before - you may recall the piece a from 2008 that likened Conservatism to Mental Illness (here's another form 2004) - and they are usually met with the kind of response that proves one of my favorite personal adages:
Argue with a Liberal and they'll prove you're wrong.
Argue with a Conservative and they'll prove you're Liberal.
I'm curious, though not optimistic, to see if any *ahem* Conservative commenters here might do better than that. We'll see. My favorite part might have been the quotes from Republican Strategist David Frum that "conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics." In the column, that quote links to another great column by Paul Krugman where it is shown in its entirety:
Backed by their own wing of the book-publishing industry and supported by think tanks that increasingly function as public-relations agencies, conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics. Outside this alternative reality, the United States is a country dominated by a strong Christian religiosity. Within it, Christians are a persecuted minority. Outside the system, President Obama—whatever his policy errors—is a figure of imposing intellect and dignity. Within the system, he’s a pitiful nothing, unable to speak without a teleprompter, an affirmative-action phony doomed to inevitable defeat. Outside the system, social scientists worry that the U.S. is hardening into one of the most rigid class societies in the Western world, in which the children of the poor have less chance of escape than in France, Germany, or even England. Inside the system, the U.S. remains (to borrow the words of Senator Marco Rubio) “the only place in the world where it doesn’t matter who your parents were or where you came from.”So... not only is Black White and White Black, but... Black is Black and White is White as well. Which leads to another favorite adage of mine that sums up the Republican Party, the Right Wing, and the Conservative Movement:
There two kinds of Conservatives: Evil and Stupid.
One lies and the other buys.
It really all comes down to two groups - Liberals and Conservative - that are both convinced they're right. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals increasingly have the prevailing Scientific and Economic viewpoint, not to mention the evidence supporting those, on their side whilst Conservatives have increasingly chosen to propagandize for the demonstrably false knowing (as the article points out) that half the population won't knwo any better anyway. And whether it's Global Warming, Evolution, the Keynesian Economic Model or the Constituton, the Right has grown increasingly separated from reality, and more defiant every day as they say and defend that which is not only self-evident but, of infinitely more importance, is supported by empirical evidence as well.
Between Sean Hannity claiming that "you can't make the case that the economy is improving," (unless of course you look at, oh I don't know... the rising GDP, the falling unemployment rate, the rising DOW, S&P and Nasdaq, the number of new job's being created each month... you know, literaly EVERY SINGLE ECONOMIC INDICIATOR) or Fox arguing that Government Spending hurts the economy (WTF?!) and Sarah Palin insisting that the unemployment numbers must not be acurate (Because, you know, the Right couldn't possibly be WRONG about... well, EVERYTHING, could they?!) the Conservative noise machine has grown increasing desperate with each passing day in their attemtps to get more and more people to ignore what it right in front of them, and to ignore the inevitable social progress that society makes, putting them in th perpetual state of losing the argument, generation after generation. Adage number three:
Scientists aren't right because they agree with Liberals.
Liberals are right because they agree with Scientists.
Of course, the Right has never been shy about slandering pretty much ANY outfit that (1) Does good and (2) Leans Democratic or Liberal, but I wanted to re-post my repsonse here to CNN's (CNN'S!) Dana Loesch's claim that "It's a 'lie' to claim that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms," because I think it would be an apropriate way to close out this post:
It's a lie to claim there's a "liberal media."
It's a lie to deny that global warming is happening or that it is man-made.
It's a lie to say that one chooses to be homosexual or transgendered.
It's a lie to claim that "both sides do it" when it comes to broadcasting false infomration and distorted, out of context quotes.
It's a lie to claim that the economy has gotten worse under Obama.
It's a lie to put the responsibility for the mortgage crisis anywhere except with the deregulation (and greed) of the banks.
It's a lie to claim that keeping condoms out of schools will stop teenagers from having sex.
It's a lie to claim that "Bush kept us safe from terrorists."
It's a lie to claim that Obama is a Muslim, or a non-American Citizen by birth.
It's a lie to claim that anyone who supports wars and the death penalty is "pro-life."
It's a lie to claim that the war on terror is a war of Christianity vs. Islam, instead of a war of Secular Freedom vs. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism.
It's a lie to claim that "Happy Holidays" represents a Liberal War on Christmas.
It's a lie to claim that Republicans care about the deficit.
It's a lie to claim that Government spending does harm to the economy.
It's a lit to claim that taxes are "too high."
It's a lie to cliam that Obama raised taxes.
And it's a lie to claim that Planned Parenthood is nothing more than an abortion mill.
Here's the thing... It may not have always been the case, but right now, and increasingly over the last 3+ years (and the last 12, and the last 20...) Conservatives have chosen to be wrong on literally EVERYTHING. (Hey: Even the two issues that I'm most strongly Conservative on, I'll happily admit that my position is indefensible and based entirely on emotion rather than reason!) And that being the case... knowing that... I'm forced to ask the question: WHY WOULD ANYONE CHOOSE TO BE CONSERVATIVE?!
But then... that's already been answered, hasn't it?
Monday, February 6, 2012
One I missed...
I meant to post this earlier, but another one of my Hall of Famers, Sports-Reference.com, the parent site of Baseball-Reference.com, has taken a stand against SOPA/ PIPA.
Remember folks: Small Governmant. That's what they stand for. That and internet censorship on a level that would make the Red Chinese blush, apparently. (And, yes, every Democrat supporting that monstrosity are equally included in that criticism. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!)
Remember folks: Small Governmant. That's what they stand for. That and internet censorship on a level that would make the Red Chinese blush, apparently. (And, yes, every Democrat supporting that monstrosity are equally included in that criticism. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!)
Gold Star Awards, January (!), 2012
I debated just skipping a month and making these FEBRUARY'S Award winners, but at the onset I said I would do these every month, and I know from past experience that it's not a good idea to get into the habit of laziness. And hopefully, this will keep me blogging this month, since I'd hate for the NEXT post to be FEBRUARY'S winners! (Especially if that were in MARCH!)
So here are LAST MONTH'S Si;ver Star Winners. The year is 1971, and the Veterans Committee was VERY BUSY inducting SIX new members:
The Jake Beckley SILVER STAR #41: TV Tropes
Have you ever tried to write fiction? It's harder than it sounds. (I know: I'm trying!) And it is both amusing and informative to learn more about the tropes used by fiction writers accross so many mediums. According to their own home page: "TROPES are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not cliches. The word cliched means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them." And do they EVER! Every movie, every TV Show, Every Comic Book, Every Amine... So many forms of media. If you want to see a tongue in cheek look at the tropes used in ANY work of fiction that has more than TWO FANS in the entire world, check this out.
The Harry Hooper SILVER STAR #42: Flipside
I've been reading this web comic for AGES and I'm still only about halfway though it! It 's been running for YEARS and IMHO is one of the best drawn and best written web-comics out there. Very professional.Amazing work. It a fantasy, Swords-and-sorcerers story, with subtle Manga influences. The two leads, Maytag and Bernadette are two of the most interesting, compelling characters I've come across in a very long time. The authors also manage to work modern issues (such as gender discrimination and homosexuality) into the plot seamlessly, which elevates the work well above the level of a typical hack-and-slash fantasy comic strip. So check it out, you won't be sorry. And be sure to read it from the beginning.
The Joe Kelly SILVER STAR #43: Pandora
I'm sure I don't need to tell you what Pandora is. What I find so amazing is the idea behind the Music Genome Project, how they will break music down to it's basic elements and recommend songs based on fundamental similarities rather that the "Amazon"/"Netflix" model of "people who liked this also liked...:" There is a deeper understand of music at play here, and one that deserves some recognition. Just one observation: Be careful what you give a "thumbs-up" to! "Thumbs-up" just a single funky bit of 1970-'s soul, and you'll be thumbs-downing so much bad 1970's disco, you'll think you're in a pornographic film! Despite these shortcomings (which have more to do with ME that with the system, I'm sure!) I really appreciate this site, and the FREE service they provide. So many of the songs I put on my Music Page were discovered through Pandora. (Steven Lynch, Dave Van Ronk, Carbon Leaf, Great Big Sea, and MANY others.)
The Dave Bancroft SULFUR STAR: World Net Daily
Have you ever smelled Sulfur? Have you even read the World Net Daily? Can you see what they have in common? It was inevitable that I would eventually bestow one of the dubious honors upon this heap of steaming, Right Wing Trash. Some of us like our information to be ACCURATE. For those who prefer it to be CONSERVATIVE, this is the site for you.
The Chick Hafey IPECAC STAR: The Media Research Center
Brent Bozell is to objective journalism what Syrup of Ipecac is to fine dining. This guy is sofa king brain damaged that upon first viewing I would almost be inclined to view the puddle of bile that he calls his life's work as some form brilliant Liberal-created irony. Sadly, no: He's serious. And pathetic. And about as easily debunked as the myth that the Sun revolves around the Earth. How are Conservatives not embarrassed to be associated with these brain-damaged jack-holes?
The Rube Marquard COPPER STAR: Coston's Complaint
Honestly, this Right-Wing Blog is no more or less brainless, nor more or less biased, or more or less factually inaccurate that pretty much any other Right-Wing Blog, he and I just had the mutual misfortune of crossing paths at one point. I'd love to debate him, but he never replied to my comments. (And I can't even find them now.) Anyway, if you're Conservative, I'm sure you'll love it. If you think people opinions should be at least partially based in reality, you'll probably get a headache.
So here are LAST MONTH'S Si;ver Star Winners. The year is 1971, and the Veterans Committee was VERY BUSY inducting SIX new members:
The Jake Beckley SILVER STAR #41: TV Tropes
Have you ever tried to write fiction? It's harder than it sounds. (I know: I'm trying!) And it is both amusing and informative to learn more about the tropes used by fiction writers accross so many mediums. According to their own home page: "TROPES are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not cliches. The word cliched means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them." And do they EVER! Every movie, every TV Show, Every Comic Book, Every Amine... So many forms of media. If you want to see a tongue in cheek look at the tropes used in ANY work of fiction that has more than TWO FANS in the entire world, check this out.
The Harry Hooper SILVER STAR #42: Flipside
I've been reading this web comic for AGES and I'm still only about halfway though it! It 's been running for YEARS and IMHO is one of the best drawn and best written web-comics out there. Very professional.Amazing work. It a fantasy, Swords-and-sorcerers story, with subtle Manga influences. The two leads, Maytag and Bernadette are two of the most interesting, compelling characters I've come across in a very long time. The authors also manage to work modern issues (such as gender discrimination and homosexuality) into the plot seamlessly, which elevates the work well above the level of a typical hack-and-slash fantasy comic strip. So check it out, you won't be sorry. And be sure to read it from the beginning.
The Joe Kelly SILVER STAR #43: Pandora
I'm sure I don't need to tell you what Pandora is. What I find so amazing is the idea behind the Music Genome Project, how they will break music down to it's basic elements and recommend songs based on fundamental similarities rather that the "Amazon"/"Netflix" model of "people who liked this also liked...:" There is a deeper understand of music at play here, and one that deserves some recognition. Just one observation: Be careful what you give a "thumbs-up" to! "Thumbs-up" just a single funky bit of 1970-'s soul, and you'll be thumbs-downing so much bad 1970's disco, you'll think you're in a pornographic film! Despite these shortcomings (which have more to do with ME that with the system, I'm sure!) I really appreciate this site, and the FREE service they provide. So many of the songs I put on my Music Page were discovered through Pandora. (Steven Lynch, Dave Van Ronk, Carbon Leaf, Great Big Sea, and MANY others.)
The Dave Bancroft SULFUR STAR: World Net Daily
Have you ever smelled Sulfur? Have you even read the World Net Daily? Can you see what they have in common? It was inevitable that I would eventually bestow one of the dubious honors upon this heap of steaming, Right Wing Trash. Some of us like our information to be ACCURATE. For those who prefer it to be CONSERVATIVE, this is the site for you.
The Chick Hafey IPECAC STAR: The Media Research Center
Brent Bozell is to objective journalism what Syrup of Ipecac is to fine dining. This guy is sofa king brain damaged that upon first viewing I would almost be inclined to view the puddle of bile that he calls his life's work as some form brilliant Liberal-created irony. Sadly, no: He's serious. And pathetic. And about as easily debunked as the myth that the Sun revolves around the Earth. How are Conservatives not embarrassed to be associated with these brain-damaged jack-holes?
The Rube Marquard COPPER STAR: Coston's Complaint
Honestly, this Right-Wing Blog is no more or less brainless, nor more or less biased, or more or less factually inaccurate that pretty much any other Right-Wing Blog, he and I just had the mutual misfortune of crossing paths at one point. I'd love to debate him, but he never replied to my comments. (And I can't even find them now.) Anyway, if you're Conservative, I'm sure you'll love it. If you think people opinions should be at least partially based in reality, you'll probably get a headache.
The Gingrich Campain
Were you aware that Newt Gingrish has been married three times? Or that he addmited to having n affari with one of these women while married to his first wife and pursuing the impeachment of President Clinton because he lied about an affiar? How about the many times he was investigated by the House Ethicas Committee? Or that he eventually resigned in disgree from the Speaker's position due to these?
WELL, if you're looking for these facts on Gingrich's Wikipedia Page, there's a good chance you are NOT going to find them there. That's because,a ccordign to CNN, Gingrich's Camapign people are buysy scrubbing the Page of any and all FACTUAL REFERENCES to his three marriages, or to his being investiagted by the House Ethics Committee.
Censorship. An AMERICAN Value. Who knew?
What. A. Scumag.
And do you know the most amazing part? To me anyway? This comes from the same school of Political "thought" (and I use that term VERY loosely!) that routinely aregues that MMFA is somehow a "smear site," citing no other evidence than their progrssive agenda. The same peopl who labeled the White House's "figt the smears" website and web-campaign as "Nazi" in Nature.
Wow. So... Battling Right-Wing Propaganda and demonstrably false statements being made by the media is NAZIST. But DICEMINIATING THAT PROPAGANDA and CENSORING FACTUAL STATEMENTS that one finds inceovenient? That's AMERICAN.
IMHO, Gingrich should new have to produce HIS birth cirtificate, in long form. I have a hard time bvelieveing that anyone born in this country could have so little understanding of what it stands for. The Gingrich campaign should be ashamed, as should anyone who has voted form him. If he can even stand by the life the he himself has led, why shoudl ANYONE of ANY POLITICAL PURSUATION be willing to stand by HIM?!
Just another example of what has become part of my core philosophy, and one of the reaosn that I'm willing to accept the "Liberal" or "Progreissve" label with pride, even though I do not follow any prescribed ideology:
A Liberal will tell you how you're wrong.
A Conservative will tell you how you're Liberal.
And you know what?
They'll both be right!
WELL, if you're looking for these facts on Gingrich's Wikipedia Page, there's a good chance you are NOT going to find them there. That's because,a ccordign to CNN, Gingrich's Camapign people are buysy scrubbing the Page of any and all FACTUAL REFERENCES to his three marriages, or to his being investiagted by the House Ethics Committee.
Censorship. An AMERICAN Value. Who knew?
What. A. Scumag.
And do you know the most amazing part? To me anyway? This comes from the same school of Political "thought" (and I use that term VERY loosely!) that routinely aregues that MMFA is somehow a "smear site," citing no other evidence than their progrssive agenda. The same peopl who labeled the White House's "figt the smears" website and web-campaign as "Nazi" in Nature.
Wow. So... Battling Right-Wing Propaganda and demonstrably false statements being made by the media is NAZIST. But DICEMINIATING THAT PROPAGANDA and CENSORING FACTUAL STATEMENTS that one finds inceovenient? That's AMERICAN.
IMHO, Gingrich should new have to produce HIS birth cirtificate, in long form. I have a hard time bvelieveing that anyone born in this country could have so little understanding of what it stands for. The Gingrich campaign should be ashamed, as should anyone who has voted form him. If he can even stand by the life the he himself has led, why shoudl ANYONE of ANY POLITICAL PURSUATION be willing to stand by HIM?!
Just another example of what has become part of my core philosophy, and one of the reaosn that I'm willing to accept the "Liberal" or "Progreissve" label with pride, even though I do not follow any prescribed ideology:
A Liberal will tell you how you're wrong.
A Conservative will tell you how you're Liberal.
And you know what?
They'll both be right!
Monday, January 30, 2012
News About the Chevy Volt
So I'm grabbing lunch today and I happen to pick up a copy of this week's "Tech Center News"- basically an industry rag that you can get for free, usually at Donut Shops or Gas Stations. And I'm reading an article that I would like to share with you all regarding the Cheverolet Volt. Called "Volt Is Not a Political Punching Bag."
First though, a little disclosure: I am an engineer in the Auto Industry. Secondly: I love the Volt, as a Liberal, yes, but as an ENGINEER first and foremost. I am still blown away by what GM has finally managed to do: Design and market a TRULY electric car. And while the price is too high, and the gas-free range not nearly long enough, with time and further development? I predict that THIS is the fundamental power-plant model that will eventually ween us off of gasoline entirely and forever.
A little math, and I'll get back to the article. The current Volt costs around $45,000. And not only GM sell them at a loss, but even their #1 fan (ME!) will admit that in no one's wildest fantasies in this a $45,000 car. So to anyone who wants to argue the BUSINESS CASE of the Volt? Let me save you the time: I concede on all points! For a purely business perspective, and by itself, in a vacuum? The Volt is a loser. But what GM has designed here remains a TECHNICAL marvel. Lemme 'splain:
Fully charged, the current Volt can go ~35 miles without consuming a drop of gas. And personally? If I were going to even CONSIDER spending that kind of money? I need AT LEAST a 50 mile range to get me to and from work every day. But, as you may or may not know, the range of an electric car, at any assumed speed, is a purely linear function of it MASS. Put simply? Cut the weight in half and you DOUBLE the range! So, let's see... How do we get from 35 to 50 miles, gas free...? Well, TAKE OUT THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE for a start! See the Volt, unlike the Prius, just doesn't need it! So take it out! Save that weight! And the weight of the Alternator. And Radiator. And 10+ Gallons of fuel. And any extra Body Sheet Metal that you no longer need. And the engine mounts... You get the idea. Because of how the Volt works, you don't actually NEED any gas at all. The BATTERY drives the wheels, and the engine only acts to keep the battery going once it's depleted. But once the range is adequate for your daily needs? You can pull the engine out and never miss it!
Can't do that with a Prius. Because the Prius' wheels are still driven primarily but the Internal Combustion Engine, which is only ASSISTED by an electric motor. So while more efficient that standard vehicles, you still NEED gas. It's like Doctor Emmet Brown said:
"[While] Mr. Fusion [...] powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, [...] the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline; it always has."
And in the Prius? It still does. Not so in the Volt. And that? Is fucking AMAZING.
SO, with my personal biases disclosed and out of the way, I would like to refer you back to a story that NPR (and others) ran awhile back about FIRES in the Chevy Volt. See... I'd like to file this under"Behold:Your Liberal Media!" And at first blush, some may miss the sarcasm in that. After all" General Motors? FIRES? Sounds familiar no? And what could be more Liberal than showing how a HUGE CORPORATION is putting out UNSAFE PRODUCTS and MISINFORMING THE PUBLIC, right?
Yeeeeeah...
Except that this in the VOLT. And apparently the media's oil-industry sponsors are as afraid of it's implication as I am impressed by them. How do I mean?
Well... While NPR was fair - fairer than most - there were some small details that they failed to give proper prominence to in their story. Like the fact that the fires happened anywhere from three days to three WEEKS after the NHTSA Crash Test: 35 mph into a solid, unmoving barrier.
So what? What does that matter? The cars still caught fire, right? What if it were parked in my garage? It could burn my house down, no?!
*sigh*
Well... That's the impression I felt the NPR stories would leave people with. But it's utter hogwash.
The fires occurred due to a COOLANT leak that corroded the terminals and after three days to three weeks caught fire. Where was the car at the time? In the equivalent of A FUCKING GOVERNMENT JUNKYARD! Which is exactly where YOUR CAR would be after a 35+ mph crash! And, OK, suppose your car's not totalled. I can still guarantee you it's IN THE DAMNED SHOP!
I've been on both the receiving and giving end of SEVERAL crashes in my ~22 years of driving. NONE of them were over 35 mph. I know this for a fact because my airbags never deployed, and airbag typically deploy between 15 and 20 mph. So these were LOW SPEED crashes. But anything over ~10? And my car (and usually the other guy's) was definitely IN THE SHOP. It NEEDED repairs. And if your mechanic notices a LEAK? Of literally fucking ANYTHING? That's pretty much the FIRST thing s/he's going to address!
(BTW... "she or he" (s/he) is used here as MY mechanic happens to be female. Odd but true, and she's AWESOME at it!)
See... These kinds of things: fires after a crash? Are a HUGE problem if it's something like GAS that's leaking. Mainly because that can catch fire while you're still in the car! But as GM chairman Dan Ackerson was quoted as saying:
Here are some FACTS about the Volt:
For you flag waving types? It's made in the USA, exclusively in GM's Hammtramack plant...
For you anti-supply-siders? ...by UAW, Union labor.
For you flag waving types? It will break your / our dependence on foreign oil.
For you eco-warriors? It can potentially eliminate your personal transportation carbon footprint.
And for you car enthusiasts? This thing looks COOL:
OK, so it's not the Corvette, or the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Skye. THOSE? Were some damned fine lookin' cars. (The 'Vette still is, though I'm a Mustang-man through and through myself!) But other than those? GM's not exactly known for it's bold styling. They've been making ugly Cadillacs for decades now, and I'm sure y'all remember the Aztek and wish you didn't, am I right? But hey: I'll put this up against any comparably priced Toyota or Honda in terms of style and performance - not to mention SAFETY. Yes, SAFETY, as it was award a FIVE-STAR CRASH TEST RATING in both Driver and Passenger Frontal Impacts, Side Impacts and Rollover Rating.
Now... At $45,000...?
Nah, still too much. But lose the engine - which this power-plant makes possible - extend the range and reduce the cost? (Starting with the cost of the engine you've got to pull out ayway?) And this thing will one day be regarded as the Car that changed the world...
...or at least the point at which it all started!
...And the oil industry KNOWS IT!
First though, a little disclosure: I am an engineer in the Auto Industry. Secondly: I love the Volt, as a Liberal, yes, but as an ENGINEER first and foremost. I am still blown away by what GM has finally managed to do: Design and market a TRULY electric car. And while the price is too high, and the gas-free range not nearly long enough, with time and further development? I predict that THIS is the fundamental power-plant model that will eventually ween us off of gasoline entirely and forever.
A little math, and I'll get back to the article. The current Volt costs around $45,000. And not only GM sell them at a loss, but even their #1 fan (ME!) will admit that in no one's wildest fantasies in this a $45,000 car. So to anyone who wants to argue the BUSINESS CASE of the Volt? Let me save you the time: I concede on all points! For a purely business perspective, and by itself, in a vacuum? The Volt is a loser. But what GM has designed here remains a TECHNICAL marvel. Lemme 'splain:
Fully charged, the current Volt can go ~35 miles without consuming a drop of gas. And personally? If I were going to even CONSIDER spending that kind of money? I need AT LEAST a 50 mile range to get me to and from work every day. But, as you may or may not know, the range of an electric car, at any assumed speed, is a purely linear function of it MASS. Put simply? Cut the weight in half and you DOUBLE the range! So, let's see... How do we get from 35 to 50 miles, gas free...? Well, TAKE OUT THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE for a start! See the Volt, unlike the Prius, just doesn't need it! So take it out! Save that weight! And the weight of the Alternator. And Radiator. And 10+ Gallons of fuel. And any extra Body Sheet Metal that you no longer need. And the engine mounts... You get the idea. Because of how the Volt works, you don't actually NEED any gas at all. The BATTERY drives the wheels, and the engine only acts to keep the battery going once it's depleted. But once the range is adequate for your daily needs? You can pull the engine out and never miss it!
Can't do that with a Prius. Because the Prius' wheels are still driven primarily but the Internal Combustion Engine, which is only ASSISTED by an electric motor. So while more efficient that standard vehicles, you still NEED gas. It's like Doctor Emmet Brown said:
"[While] Mr. Fusion [...] powers the time circuits and the flux capacitor, [...] the internal combustion engine runs on ordinary gasoline; it always has."
And in the Prius? It still does. Not so in the Volt. And that? Is fucking AMAZING.
SO, with my personal biases disclosed and out of the way, I would like to refer you back to a story that NPR (and others) ran awhile back about FIRES in the Chevy Volt. See... I'd like to file this under"Behold:Your Liberal Media!" And at first blush, some may miss the sarcasm in that. After all" General Motors? FIRES? Sounds familiar no? And what could be more Liberal than showing how a HUGE CORPORATION is putting out UNSAFE PRODUCTS and MISINFORMING THE PUBLIC, right?
Yeeeeeah...
Except that this in the VOLT. And apparently the media's oil-industry sponsors are as afraid of it's implication as I am impressed by them. How do I mean?
Well... While NPR was fair - fairer than most - there were some small details that they failed to give proper prominence to in their story. Like the fact that the fires happened anywhere from three days to three WEEKS after the NHTSA Crash Test: 35 mph into a solid, unmoving barrier.
So what? What does that matter? The cars still caught fire, right? What if it were parked in my garage? It could burn my house down, no?!
*sigh*
Well... That's the impression I felt the NPR stories would leave people with. But it's utter hogwash.
The fires occurred due to a COOLANT leak that corroded the terminals and after three days to three weeks caught fire. Where was the car at the time? In the equivalent of A FUCKING GOVERNMENT JUNKYARD! Which is exactly where YOUR CAR would be after a 35+ mph crash! And, OK, suppose your car's not totalled. I can still guarantee you it's IN THE DAMNED SHOP!
I've been on both the receiving and giving end of SEVERAL crashes in my ~22 years of driving. NONE of them were over 35 mph. I know this for a fact because my airbags never deployed, and airbag typically deploy between 15 and 20 mph. So these were LOW SPEED crashes. But anything over ~10? And my car (and usually the other guy's) was definitely IN THE SHOP. It NEEDED repairs. And if your mechanic notices a LEAK? Of literally fucking ANYTHING? That's pretty much the FIRST thing s/he's going to address!
(BTW... "she or he" (s/he) is used here as MY mechanic happens to be female. Odd but true, and she's AWESOME at it!)
See... These kinds of things: fires after a crash? Are a HUGE problem if it's something like GAS that's leaking. Mainly because that can catch fire while you're still in the car! But as GM chairman Dan Ackerson was quoted as saying:
And that's it. This? Is NOT A PROBLEM. "Fire" might make for a good story, but it a non-issue here, folks! Do you what GM has to do about this? Precisely NOTHING. (Although they still are reinforcing the battery.) But in all seriousness? As a bit of an industry insider? Alert the mechanics that the coolant could be flammable if allowed to sit on the battery terminal for several days and that's pretty much IT."[...] as one of our customers put it: If they couldn't cut him out of the vehicle in two or three weeks, he had a bigger problem to worry about."
Here are some FACTS about the Volt:
For you flag waving types? It's made in the USA, exclusively in GM's Hammtramack plant...
For you anti-supply-siders? ...by UAW, Union labor.
For you flag waving types? It will break your / our dependence on foreign oil.
For you eco-warriors? It can potentially eliminate your personal transportation carbon footprint.
And for you car enthusiasts? This thing looks COOL:
OK, so it's not the Corvette, or the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Skye. THOSE? Were some damned fine lookin' cars. (The 'Vette still is, though I'm a Mustang-man through and through myself!) But other than those? GM's not exactly known for it's bold styling. They've been making ugly Cadillacs for decades now, and I'm sure y'all remember the Aztek and wish you didn't, am I right? But hey: I'll put this up against any comparably priced Toyota or Honda in terms of style and performance - not to mention SAFETY. Yes, SAFETY, as it was award a FIVE-STAR CRASH TEST RATING in both Driver and Passenger Frontal Impacts, Side Impacts and Rollover Rating.
Now... At $45,000...?
Nah, still too much. But lose the engine - which this power-plant makes possible - extend the range and reduce the cost? (Starting with the cost of the engine you've got to pull out ayway?) And this thing will one day be regarded as the Car that changed the world...
...or at least the point at which it all started!
...And the oil industry KNOWS IT!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
This is so cool...
No politics this time.
This is just so cool, I had to show it to you.( I'm such a gamer nerd.) I've beaten the original NES Legend of Zelda, The Adventures of Link, Occarina of Time, Majora's Mask and I was 98% done with Twilight Princess when my kid accidentally erased my game. But for someone who has spent no small part of his formative years, and adulthodd playing various chapeters in the Zelda series, this just sofa king rocks
This is just so cool, I had to show it to you.( I'm such a gamer nerd.) I've beaten the original NES Legend of Zelda, The Adventures of Link, Occarina of Time, Majora's Mask and I was 98% done with Twilight Princess when my kid accidentally erased my game. But for someone who has spent no small part of his formative years, and adulthodd playing various chapeters in the Zelda series, this just sofa king rocks
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