Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
This one is making the rounds…
Although you can probably ignore the Facebook-page credit on the bottom, the sentiment is much, much broader than that particular website. They never got spanked and got trophies for participating…and they’re in charge. What kind of experience awaits us as a result?
Well the trophy is an unearned reward, and the not-spanking is the suspension of a consequence. I might expect to see the things I’ve become conditioned to do, because I won’t get what I want if I don’t do them — not being reflected in what the leadership does.
It has been my experience that I often encounter these “shift-from-foot-to-foot realities,” these pronunciations of what’s going on and how it all works that are based on objectives. Therefore, the objective is consistently serviced even though fidelity to principles, and reality, is not; the objective is far more important. And so reality yields like warm putty in a firm hand, because it must. Case in point to illustrate what I’m talking about there, the Voter ID law thing…”Should things be proven? Is it good and necessary to prove things…” And the foot-shifty no-spanky automatic-trophy people say Hell Yes! And, No. Yes to the Republicans proving things before they can pass their Voter ID laws (even though the voters want those laws), and no, by nature of the very argument itself, to the idea of people presenting credentials proving their ID when they show up to vote. Yes and no! We know what we know, and we don’t want it. Therefore, you have to prove everything. And these other people don’t have to prove anything.
This is more than lack of discipline; it is also lack of basic set-arithmetic concepts. It’s a surreal experience arguing with these people. They seem to think the super-trustworthy set of person called “voter” doesn’t include any of these scurrilous sneaky set of person called “Republican,” the two classes are unrelated and non-intersecting. Well they don’t say that, but they must think that in order to advance the yes-no prove-and-not-prove assertion…and with such certainty!
ObamaCare is another example. There’s this quote running around lately from Ben Stein, that I haven’t been able to track down or verify: “Many of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens.” Now I’m sure some of the people who defend ObamaCare, out of passion or as part of a profession, who would take issue with that “forced to buy” thing even though (assuming the quote is correct) it’s completely true. But the law is constitutional only because it isn’t “force” — remember that? No no no, it’s a tax that Congress has imposed on a defined class of citizen who is uncovered and hasn’t bought any insurance…a regulation would be unconstitutional, a conditional tax is constitutional. But it’s not a tax, it’s a rule. Which would be unconstitutional, therefore it must be a tax. Shift from foot to foot.
Jon Stewart has been doing The Daily Show for sixteen years now. If he says something outlandish that would get a serious commentator in trouble, it isn’t supposed to count because, joke. Ha ha, get it? Why are you taking the show so seriously, whatsamatter with you? Don’t you know it’s comedy (obligatory sneer)? Oh, but the Daily Show viewers are most knowledgeable while the Fox News viewers “know” the least — read that as, Fox News viewers suck the most at repeating back the talking points to which the survey takers are accustomed. Okay, so the show isn’t supposed to be taken seriously even though, if you watch it, you’ll be among the best informed. Millions and millions of opinionated Americans can’t, or won’t, recognize the contradiction let alone take any steps to work it out. Of course they won’t. Working it out might involve conceding something. It’s quite out of the question.
Based on these observations, I opine that we do not need to be “afraid” of the world run by people who weren’t spanked, and got trophies just for participating.
We’re there.
“There is only one helpful suggestion that I can give you: By the essence and nature of existence, contradictions cannot exist. If you find it inconceivable that an invention of genius should be abandoned among ruins, and that a philosopher should wish to work as a cook in a diner — check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” — Prof. Hugh Akston speaking, Atlas Shrugged, Part I, Ch. 10, p. 308.
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