February 27, 2023

I have a running joke in my practice

Wherein I state unequivocally to a somewhat condescending young individual (which happens all too frequently) that all of us older folk owe a debt of gratitude to this young generation for inventing alcohol, illicit drugs, popular music, and sex.

I read the same concerning the “advent” of populist racism and hate. Here is a tiny portion from Wikipedia concerning Governor George Wallace of Alabama:




Since this was decades before the Internet, I don’t think many younger people realize how incredibly popular this segregationist, avowed racist, and incredibly charismatic politician was in America. If you do nothing else today, in terms of political reading, just go to wiki and read his Entry. Most people either have no recollection or never knew that when he was not allowed to be elected for another term, his wife ran and was elected and was the titular head of the government where, as the First Gentleman, long before Doug Emhoff, he ran the state. Later, he won many presidential primaries and ran in 68 and 72 with frighteningly substantial success.

As an aside, I was sitting in my dorm room in college and a guy walked past and said “Hey, did you hear George Wallace was shot?“ My response was, “Ooh…is he dead yet ?“ Wallace was vilified by every thinking person in the country, but make no mistake, he had incredible popularity at all levels, and in the strangest places.

And as another aside, many years later, I met a man who’d been sent to do business with him for the Office of Educational Opportunity, who said that behind the scenes, Wallace was incredibly receptive as effective proponent for everyone in the state, including the black population. The guy told me that the hypocrisy was overwhelming, and that it was the greatest professional shock of his life.

Anyway, my point is that this has been percolating for decades and exploded with the election of President Obama. We are a nation in turmoil.

February 22, 2023

The jury foreperson: this is America...

When they say that you’ll be judged by jury of your peers, they are not referring to a group of highly educated individuals who have spent time perusing books on philosophy, justice, logic, and common law. This woman was successful in withholding specifics, but wore her emotionality on her sleeve, and in my opinion, although the strict by the book folk are I suppose rightfully upset about her giving the interviews, it is not only refreshing change to see somebody smiling when talking about screwing these people over, but a great answer to the Smarmy, self-righteous sons of bitches from the right wing who show up on TV defending any behavior which they might have Performed.

You could paraphrase her delivery as such: “Ha ha ha, I know something you don’t know about what’s gonna happen to you and all your buddies and -snicker- if you were thinking that you got away with something, well, you didn’t, ha ha ha.“

I for one found myself smiling through her entire interview, it was almost like a comedy routine… Night at the judicial improv.

February 21, 2023

I still say this was modeled after the Kremlin...

It looks nothing like the real Taj Mahal. It was a clever joke…

February 19, 2023

Temple University Police Officer Shot and killed in the line of duty

https://www.inquirer.com/news/temple-police-officer-shot-killed-north-philadelphia-20230218.html

It is a “first” despite the decades of being in North Philadelphia. He attempted to stop a carjacking and was shot in the head.

The gun “problem” here in Philly is enormous but I’m certain that “this is not the time to discuss it” and “it shouldn’t be politicized”.

February 18, 2023

Yes, I know things are complicated... That things take time...

That things are not always as they appear in public… that there are contingencies and exigencies which escape the media and the common man. My assumption is that all these criminal investigations against the traitors and seditionists are incredibly complex, and filled with all kinds of arcane and substantive issues, intersecting with due process, which are Legitimate and debatable on many levels. Our legal system is a vast syncytial cobweb of complexities and needs to be negotiated as one would fix an old-fashioned watch.

But just for fun, let us change course for a moment and posit just for the sake of discussion a situation which is in some sense is analogous, but of course,is subject to wholly different types of laws and regulations. Let’s assume for the sake of the storyline that the captain of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier as the central ship of a fleet, took 300 of the crew, and made an attempt to commandeer the fleet against the orders of the central command. After whatever military exercise would be required to retake the ship or ships, the captain and the mutineers would be subject to military justice, and my guess it would be reasonably swiftly served. As we all know from a combination of experience and accounts of military life, insubordination is not tolerated and revolution is swiftly dealt with. I cannot imagine that there would be a two-year delay and an academic assemblage and protracted discussion of every conceivable defense in order to stave off the arguments of the defendant traitors in order to parry the thrust of the defense counsel for each participant.

I say this for the reason that this nightmare which we have witnessed is a transcendental crime against our nation. The gestalt of this whole behavior pattern fomented by a former President and his criminal crew is so egregious, so grotesque, so anti-American, so antithetical to the principles upon which this nation was founded that, in the “olden days”, there would’ve been a two day trial and a mass execution . Now make no mistake: at my age, I most certainly understand process and defendant rights and the principles of justice, but this was the difference between a crime of passion, such as a mentally, physically, and sexually abused wife setting fire to her husband‘s bed and killing him, versus the unimaginable horrors of serial killers such as Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy. What we witnessed here in broad daylight over six years has been an attempt to destroy America as she is constituted. Period.

The British admiralty levied the death penalty for mutineers without question. This group, including the President, called for the Regicide of the Vice President and the overthrow of the constitutionally protected representative government which was in the process of performing one of its most politically sacred and essential duties. . And as a parting thought: we can only imagine, (or not), what was discussed and planned which has not yet, or will never, come to light. This has been an especially horrifying era in world history, and make no mistake, we are not safe yet.

February 16, 2023

Ok....I've said this here for YEARS beginning in 2001...

The word is: BOYCOTT

BOYCOTT Florida, Texas, and any other state which exhibits the Nazified tactics and censorship.

I stated this here at DU after the 2000 Florida debacle which was a coup staged by the Republicans.

No… you don’t HAVE to go to Disneyworld or Miami Beach or Key West. No you DON’T. You can do your best to avoid products made or fabricated in certain states. You can go to college in another warm state.

So your retort of course, is that there are good people living in the state who will suffer. That’s right…and they will suffer MORE when the concentration camps are opened or the books are burned or the kids are shot in the street protesting. When I lived in Philadelphia during Republican administrations, my city was boycotted by the federal government and huge grants were sent elsewhere as punishment for the city voting Democratic. It wasn’t until Clinton was elected that federal projects resumed in Philly to any great extent.

This morning, Keith Olbermann literally screamed for boycotts of these states which are promoting repression and frankly, racism. He’s right, he’s just not that original, as I am not so original.

February 14, 2023

Laura Ingraham: in a "bad accident" shouted the notification on my iPhone

“Long road ahead for her”

So I quickly jumped to the site, and apparently rather than a serious auto accident which would have left her crippled or disfigured or worse, it turns out that she had a skiing accident involving racing her sons, and she tore some ligaments. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill…

Turns out it is of course a RW site so no linky provided by me.

February 12, 2023

Ok...I know this is borderline Creative Speculation but...

Is it remotely possible that the powers that be are waiting for the Super Bowl to be over and done with to discuss the nature of the “object” shot down over the Yukon?

Today is a de facto national holiday, you know.

February 12, 2023

Well, it's almost time for "the big game"...

For the uninitiated, you are not allowed to use the term “Super Bowl“ in a commercial environment, unless you have paid money to the National Football League. That’s why your local pizza joint may say if they’re running a special on wings for “the big game“. In fact, the entire sport revolves around gigantic sums of money, not the least of which is the betting on the games which is extraordinary and that is just in a crazy way the tip of the iceberg. Each team has official whatever’s whether it’s the official sandwich or the official auto repair or the official doctor or dentist or the official insurance broker, etc. Enormous sums of money are paid to individual teams by each of these retail establishments for the right to make the statement, but what many people don’t realize is there a severe limitation as to what you are allowed to use unless you are paying even more money. For example: you cannot use the insignia of the team unless there is additional money passed. There are extremely strict guidelines as to what context you are permitted to mention the team in your advertising.

Know if you violate any of these rules to any degree at all whatsoever, you get a very, very angry letter from the team with all the ramifications spelled out in excruciating detail. What is not apparent to the fan, but is apparent to any business person who deals with them is that if they thought that the oil companies car companies were ruthless, they ain’t seen nothing yet. I was privileged to be invited to a party given at the stadium here in Philadelphia, and some idiots brought in their own liquor to consume rather than use the bar which was provided. The organization which hosted the party received a letter a few days later because the stadium crew found cans or bottles in the trash, and informed them that they will no longer be welcome to host a party and it is a permanent ban on the use of the facility. This is a group that pays hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for the rights to say they are the Eagles official whatever. The players are, during the season, essentially the equivalent of military privates. If there is something going on involving the team, they are absolutely required to be present, no excuses at all whatsoever. And I mean none. The player literally better be in the hospital , and with the exception of a death, no family issues are acceptable excuses.

The cost of attending a game is beyond outrageous, but the definition of capitalism is that if something is perceived as being worth a certain amount then by definition it is. So while you and I may think that $300 for a seat to a regular season game and $20 for a warm beer is ridiculous, there are literally millions of people who are willing to pay it, so, it doesn’t really matter what you or I think the money is well spent or not, and gigantic profits are attainable. Of course, the joke is that the metropolitan area contributes tax money to build the stadiums for these billionaire owners, and there are many debates as to whether the community actually gets money in return or , could the owners threaten to move the franchise to another area for a “free stadium” which has happened in the past.

And it’s billions and billions and billions of dollars in each of the sectors. All this being said, I recognize that many people here have voiced opinion that they have no interest at all whatsoever in the outcome of the “big game” today. Well, I’ll tell you: I don’t particularly like watching golf, it is absolutely a waste of time for me, but in 100 years I would never make the statement that it shouldn’t be on TV because in fact, there are lots and lots of people who enjoy watching it immensely and should have the opportunity given that there are sponsors who feel it is worth paying the money to access this audience. The beauty of America is that we have this varied taste in everything, and we should be able to accommodate those who do not share our particular preferences and understand that for many individuals to be a fan of a sport is a terrific way of channeling all kinds of emotions which would be best not manifest at work or at home. The only time I yell in my household is at the TV during a football game and it is a terrific release for me to be able to participate in this fashion . This year I am particular proud of my home team, the Philadelphia Eagles, and whatever happens today in “the big game“ I will remember the experience for the rest of my days. And the good news for the rest of you who don’t care is that there are approximately 375 other channels or… You could read a book. Enjoy the Sunday, and Go Eagles!

February 11, 2023

I have a New York Times insider story for you...

In a previous life, I was related by marriage to one of the significant hot shots of the Times. I am not overstating this, this guy was known for decades at the time by name by much of the public who read the paper. I don’t want to name names, because that would Violate a certain level of trust, which has been placed in me by my former family, which I respect.

At one family dinner, it was a time when the paper had been a source of some controversy concerning stories which they had been printing about political individuals and these stories were clearly biased against the Democratic side of the equation. So I took it upon myself to casually, and in a rather friendly manner, mention the coverage, and what did he think of it, considering this, that, and the other thing.

It was as though I had purchased a Ford Taurus, which was having problems and was having dinner with the president of Ford Motor Company. it was pure corporate spit-back of journalistic tropes, hogwash, and thinly veiled excuses which you would read on a corporate website. I smiled and said something like “come on you’re not in the building now, you can give me a real answer to the question”. He got so angry and offended that I thought he was going to leave the table. I never brought it up again and only saw him one or two more times before he stopped coming to family affairs for a variety of personal reasons I gather.

I was not shocked by this, but I have to say it might surprise that he would not even give me the “time of day“ to have a discussion. He imperiously shut me down, I would say, successfully in this instance, and I was all done with him and his bullshit. Some issues arose following him and his partner, and when they were being described to me later on, I just said that I didn’t care what happened to him one way or another and exited the conversation somewhat gracefully.

I did, however get my end in the last time I saw him when he mentioned something about journalistic integrity, and I replied that , I wasn’t sure if that extended to Tom Wicker when he wrote a review of the film JFK before it was even released and excoriated its premise. He just gave me “the look”. I never saw him again, and as things turned out I never will, and that’s just fine with me.