"Dream On" cover -- Postmodern Jukebox

A Little Electric Blues

You know what I don't understand? Rio is south of the equator...

... it's the middle of the winter there. So how are they hosting the "Summer" Olympics?

-- Mal

Alexis Kennedy is writing for Paradox

He's been tagged to create content for Stellaris. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/15/stellaris-sunless-sea-failbetter/#more-390213

-- Mal

Well, that's interesting...

... it appears I am now being stalked through DU mail by someone who objects to my existence. I must be doing something right.

-- Mal

I'm officially astonished.

I was idly browsing for info about the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow (no, I'm not planning on buying one, but it is one of the iconic cars of my youth), and I see they are being auctioned at eBay for 7000 USD. Good grief, I know they're 50 years old, but that is some price for a Roller.

One was selling for even less, but it had "been left outside for about a year" and was in bad condition. What kind of foul miscreant would leave a Rolls-Royce sit outside for a year?

-- Mal

What we're up against

I'm going to violate protocol and re-post a pro-Trump screed that one of my RW cousins sent me. The reason is to hear, from the virtual lips of a Trump supporter, exactly why they are behind him.

"Ok people, soap box moment.........
Millions of trump supporters feel this way about Donald J. Trump....."We don't care if the guy swears... or how many times he's been married...or who he voted for, or what his income tax return shows. We want the problems fixed. Yes he's an egomaniac, but we don't care. We know he's not a racist, or bad to women, or all the other things the liberal media is trying to label him with. We know he's raised a good family, and that says a lot about him.
The country is a mess because politicians suck, the Republican Party is two faced & gutless, and illegals are everywhere and Muslims are openly trying to hurt this country and make the civilized world adjust to them. We want it all fixed!
We don't care that Trump is crude, we don't care that he has changed positions, we don't care that he fights with Megan Kelly, Rosie O'Donnell, and so many of the elected establishment. We don't care that Rubio, Cruz, Ryan, the Bush's, and so many other top old and new Republicans refuse to endorse him for their own selfish reasons, and we know what they are. We don't care that he doesn't know the name of some Muslim terrorists, we don't care that he tried some businesses that didn't work out.
This country is weak, bankrupt, our enemies are making fun of us, we are being invaded by illegals, we are becoming a nation of victims, where every Tom, Ricardo and Hasid is a special group with special rights to a point where we don't even recognize the country we were born and raised in, AND WE JUST WANT IT FIXED. And TRUMP is the only guy who seems to understand what the people want.
We're sick of politicians, sick of the Democratic and Republican Party. We're angry about the Iran deal, the budget, treatment of Israel, military weakness, lobbyists, special interests, overpaid politicians with their self serving bills and back room deals, trade deals, loss of jobs, manipulated economic numbers, businesses fleeing, and even the phoney pay for play Clinton Foundation.
Americans are no longer going to be fooled, and the movement is out to change the direction we're taking. Trump may not be a saint, but he doesn't have lobbyist money holding him, he doesn't have political correctness restraining him, and all you know is that he has been very successful, a good negotiator, he has built a lot of things, he's flexible, and he's also not a politician. And he says he'll fix it. And we believe him because he is too much of an egotist to be proven wrong or looked at and called a liar.
Public service has become elected greed. This may be our only chance to have a non-politician, despite his flaws, try and correct the mess, at least for 4 years. We must take the shot, because the consequences of putting Hillary Clinton in office are frightening. There is a tidal wave happening, and its going to overcome much of what's happened to this country."


I don't blame you if you can't make it through the whole thing, so here are the high points (I use the term loosely): yes, we know Donald Trump is a cretin, and we don't care, because he is the only cretin who listens to us and he promises to make things better.

That, in a nutshell, is why people are supporting Mr Trump, as a few savvy analysts have been telling us for some time.

I find it interesting that the author says Mr Trump will succeed in his promises because he is too much of an egomaniac to fail. I believe that is the first time I've seen that particular "argument."

This rant suggests that tactics based on demonstrating that Mr Trump is a cretin will not sway his supporters, who know it already. It also illustrates the frustration with "political correctness" which "make the civilized world adjust to them." I think this is a key to understanding the attitude of many of the privileged, or even of Christians or straight folk: they are being "forced to adjust." Mr Trump, then, appears to give them hope that they need not adjust.

-- Mal