House of Eratosthenes

…they never mean it, and don’t you forget it. That’s the truth, boys & girls. When they say they want a discussion, what they want is an echo chamber, nothing more and nothing less. I’ve not yet seen it fail.

The blogosphere is chock full of weary but optimistic comments from those who share my views, but have more class. The leitmotif is to roll up our sleeves, swallow hard, and find ways to work together.

Sorry. When the party in power has the idea to tax the businesses and people who are responsible for providing jobs to everybody else…and it’s already well established what happens when we do that…I don’t think being a good American has too much to do with bucking-up, sucking-up, and falling in line. I don’t think it has to do with protests or strikes or revolutions or riots, either.

Sure, respect High Holiness as the legitimately elected President of the United States and Commander in Chief. A deeply flawed Commander in Chief. Corrupt, mistaken…one or the other, perhaps both. Talk reasonably about the issue to whoever will listen.

But the policy doesn’t work, and that’s just a fact. It’s provable. It’s been tried. Many times. We know it’s counterproductive…what we don’t know, is the extent of the consequences of giving it one more go.

Obama himself is smart enough to know spreading the wealth does not work. If he isn’t that smart, certainly, more than a few of the people working for him are. Somehow they’ve got loopholes built in so this doesn’t hurt them.

We are not in this together.

And Obamatons do not want a free and open exchange of ideas.

We are not laboring toward the same goals with different methods in mind for getting it done.

No, this is a cold civil war. A war in which the enemy has won the latest battle, and that means if we play by the rules we give them the respect the deserve as the victors of the latest battle. Nothing more, nothing less.

And never ever forget — that is far greater civility than they ever showed when they were out of power. It is far greater respect than anything demonstrated at the Wellstone Memorial.

Some tax policies don’t work. It’s just a fact.

Some strategies of “diplomacy” are tantamount to surrender. It’s just a fact.

Some dialogues are nothing more than a monologue. It’s just a fact.

And calling out a small girl in your class because her daddy’s in Iraq and you want to ridicule what he’s trying to do, is being a classless turd. That’s just a fact too.

H/T: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler who, true to form, has lots of well-chosen dirty words about the occasion. And a snail-mail address by which you can reach the superintendent’s office of this schoolteacher’s district, to let ’em know what a swell job you think she’s doing.

but the people have spoken.

More than half of the voters have declared they want what he is offering.

Bread and Circuses are now what’s on the menu. How do you fight that?
- pdwalker | 11/07/2008 @ 03:19
The voters want what they think he is offering. Pretty easy to fight now that he can’t ride the Unicorn. The only question is whether the Republicans can get their act together and sell the Republican virtues of strong trade, strong defense, welcoming borders and a calm view on politics. The tantrums over Miers, the ports deal and “illegal immigrants” may have cost us the Republic. Do you think we got our monies worth?
- Robert Mitchell Jr. | 11/07/2008 @ 16:38
We are not in this together.

Oh, but we ARE in this together. Forgive me, Morgan, but you’re only gonna succeed in driving yourself batshit crazy with this sort of thinking. It ain’t a matter of class, this, that, or the other. Reality is simple: The One won. It’s up to us, as The Loyal Opposition, to support him when we can and fight like Hell when we can’t… the key point being able to recognize the difference between the two. Please don’t turn into a sort of right-wing moonbat. The last eight years of watching that sort of behavior on the Left SHOULD tell ya it ain’t becoming, in the least. Not to mention counter-productive.

Mr. Mitchell: you are an astute man, and I like the way you think.
- Buck | 11/07/2008 @ 20:06
Robert,

~~The tantrums over~~ Miers, the ports deal and “illegal immigrants” may have cost us the Republic.

FTFY.

Buck,

It ain’t a matter of class, this, that, or the other. Reality is simple: The One won. It’s up to us, as The Loyal Opposition, to support him when we can and fight like Hell when we can’t… the key point being able to recognize the difference between the two.

I do so recognize, at least I think I do. You bring an exterminator to your house, some exterminators work for you, other exterminators work for the pests. The exterminator who exterminates the way you’d want to do it if you were doing it yourself, the stuff that kills the bugs dead all season long, won’t be afraid to go into the technical details. The exterminator who uses the cheap stuff so you’ll have to call him out again in a month, whose goals are different from yours, will just babble away silly about hope and change.

I do concede to you the point that this is a little like dolphin logic…”if his goals are like mine, he won’t be afraid to discuss details, this guy doesn’t want to discuss details therefore his goals must be different from mine.” Not exactly an airtight argument — but in this case, it is at the very least a decent one. His Holiness had ample opportunity for a year and a half to talk about what he’s going to do, and all I heard out of him and his toadies was a bunch of anti-American asshattery. But this isn’t a post about Him, it’s about his fans, and I consider it a major tragedy that they think, right down to their brain stems, that they’re motivated by inclusiveness, tolerance, the best interests of “everyone” and an end to prejudice and bigotry.

They’ve not only been showing me the exact opposite of all these things. The ones I’ve been seeing have been immersed neck-deep in a perverse contest, it seems, to see who can show me the greatest quantity of them, and the most acrid bouquet of each. Maybe you’ve been making the acquaintance of a classier breed. I think the litmus-test question is, when they say they love America, are they in love with the country that exists right here and now, in the moment in which I type these words? Or do they only have fond thoughts of the utopia they want to build? In other words, do they love the country the way a kind, loving, affectionate husband loves his wife? If that is the case, then I will seek common ground with them, and with you.

Otherwise…I shall have to disappoint, I’m afraid.
- mkfreeberg | 11/07/2008 @ 22:08
Took me a second. Well, I asked a question and you answered. Thank you.
- Robert Mitchell Jr. | 11/07/2008 @ 23:40
OK… I’m dense. I had to google FTFY… and I get (from the Urban Dictionary):

1. FTFY

FTFY
Fixed That For You
“i can’t see the image?”
-“its ok, i FTFY”
by princess_fitz Apr 15, 2005 share this add comment

2. FTFY

Originally means “fixed that for you.” It also works as a double meaning for “fuck this fuck you.” It’s only used in that derivative in closed circles to confuse those that aren’t in “the know” and is usually used in cases when two parties argue over something innately idiotic that has no logical outcome.

You meant #1… right? 😉
- Buck | 11/08/2008 @ 21:36
But this isn’t a post about Him, it’s about his fans, and I consider it a major tragedy that they think, right down to their brain stems, that they’re motivated by inclusiveness, tolerance, the best interests of “everyone” and an end to prejudice and bigotry.

I’m in total agreement on this point.
- Buck | 11/08/2008 @ 21:38
Heh. Well, I s’pose I’m getting old too…the “fuck this fuck you” is completely news to me.

Language, like love, is wasted on the young. This simple concept that communication exists to communicate new ideas, after two mindsets have somehow synchronized previously on old ones, seems to be lost on those in the newer generation who’ve taken command of forming these new acronyms. And so when these things are constantly in motion it seems they don’t see anything wrong with that. I hope the day doesn’t come that they don’t start electing our leaders with this kind of ignorance about communicating essential ide…

…aw, crap.

I’m gonna open another bottle of wine and have some bbq ribs with my family, m’friend. Looking forward to a similar repast with another sane soul such as yourself.
- mkfreeberg | 11/08/2008 @ 22:09

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When an Obamaton Says Everyone’s Entitled To Their Opinion…Friday, November 7th, 2008

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Friday, November 7th, 2008