hat tip = #1 Son
Jan 24, 2014
Jan 23, 2014
Closing The Circle
The continuing bad news in West Virginia is that Freedom Industries "Oops-ed" again by neglecting to mention there'd been a second chemical spilled at the same time as the MCHM (it appears they occurred at the same time - tho' nobody's saying for sure). So there was also a spill of PPH (polyglycol ethers). But since this other shit is a bit less toxic, we can just kinda overlook all that.
Let's leave aside for just a moment that a 30-year campaign toweaken shitcan our Regulatory Infrastructure continues to produce this ongoing nightmare scenario - from Enron to Wall Street to Deepwater Horizon to Mayflower AR to Charleston WV to everywhere else there's still one GOP/Glibertarian moron bitchin' about how da gubmint just needs to leave us all alone.
OK OK - try a little harder to leave all that shit aside, cuz here's the thing: The circle is closing.
In West Virginia, the governor has come out and said he doesn't know what's up because he's not a scientist. The scientists are a little baffled because they've all been working on something other than Air and Water Quality cuz a guy really can't make much of a living doing that anymore (or they're all working for the chemical companies, so they're not likely to bite the hand that feeds 'em). Da Gubmint is pretty useless because the people who used to work on things like Environmental Health have been forced out by budget cuts etc (see "working for the chemical companies" above), plus the "regulators" who're still on the job were put there by Coin-Operated Politicians who needed to pay off their contributors by demonstrating how Business Friendly they really are. Of course the private-sector Water Utility can't be expected to do anything because they're held hostage to Big Coal just like everybody else.
And now, Freedom Industries has filed for bankruptcy protection - with a twist:
Everybody's guity; nobody's responsible; nobody can be held accountable.
So they close the loop, which basically indemnifies everybody who by right should be crucified - which is exactly how it's supposed to work - and guess who gets left holding the bag.
One last thing - while everybody's running around yelling about how they don't know anything and they can't do anything, and and and - there is this little thing called The West Virginia Poison Center, and there's a "branch office" right there at The Charleston Area Med Ctr, 3110 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304 (800) 222-1222
Let's leave aside for just a moment that a 30-year campaign to
OK OK - try a little harder to leave all that shit aside, cuz here's the thing: The circle is closing.
In West Virginia, the governor has come out and said he doesn't know what's up because he's not a scientist. The scientists are a little baffled because they've all been working on something other than Air and Water Quality cuz a guy really can't make much of a living doing that anymore (or they're all working for the chemical companies, so they're not likely to bite the hand that feeds 'em). Da Gubmint is pretty useless because the people who used to work on things like Environmental Health have been forced out by budget cuts etc (see "working for the chemical companies" above), plus the "regulators" who're still on the job were put there by Coin-Operated Politicians who needed to pay off their contributors by demonstrating how Business Friendly they really are. Of course the private-sector Water Utility can't be expected to do anything because they're held hostage to Big Coal just like everybody else.
And now, Freedom Industries has filed for bankruptcy protection - with a twist:
Everybody's guity; nobody's responsible; nobody can be held accountable.
So they close the loop, which basically indemnifies everybody who by right should be crucified - which is exactly how it's supposed to work - and guess who gets left holding the bag.
One last thing - while everybody's running around yelling about how they don't know anything and they can't do anything, and and and - there is this little thing called The West Virginia Poison Center, and there's a "branch office" right there at The Charleston Area Med Ctr, 3110 Maccorkle Ave SE, Charleston, WV 25304 (800) 222-1222
Election With A Consequence
Blue Virginia links to a story in WaPo, saying our new AG, Mark Herring, will not just blow off defending Virginia's ban on gay marriage, but actually join the suit brought by 2 gay couples to overturn it.
It also points up the importance of getting everybody out to vote. Herring won his election by less than a thousand.
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring will announce Thursday that he believes the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional and that Virginia will join two same-sex couples in asking a federal court to strike it down, according to an official close to the attorney general with knowledge about the decision.
The action will mark a stunning reversal in the state’s legal position on same-sex marriage and is a result of November elections in which Democrats swept the state’s top offices. Herring’s predecessor, Republican Ken Cuccinelli II, adamantly opposes gay marriage and had vowed to defend Virginia’s constitutional amendment banning such unions, which was passed in 2006 with the support of 57 percent of voters.Prob'ly shouldn't get too het up about it, but this has to be a pretty good sign that the Christianists are losing a big one.
It also points up the importance of getting everybody out to vote. Herring won his election by less than a thousand.
Jan 21, 2014
Semi-Wow
Bob McDonnell's term as Virignia's Governor ended a week and a half ago, and today a federal grand jury handed down a big stack of indictments for Vaginal Bob and Lady McBarbie.
I'd like to say yay, but two things keep popping into my head. First, I'm not convinced anybody will really care now. I believe the thinking will be "gee, isn't he's gone now?" and "lookee there - the system worked - he got voted outa office" and "the Dems won the election - all they wanna do is punish the guy for being a Republican".
And second - that kind of thinking is why these things need to happen while a prick like McDonnell is still in office. The whole thing almost got negotiated away - "in the interest of what's good for The Commonwealth". Amazing just how chummy these assholes think they are with "us folks" once it becomes clear they've been fuckin' us with our pants on.
The announcement of the indictments was postponed, and the reasoning we got was so it wouldn't disrupt the elections last fall. Fuck that shit. Maybe disruption is what we need. Maybe voters need to get shook up. Maybe politicians and pollsters and image consultants and spinmeisters and party operatives - the whole political industry in general needs a collective kick in the nuts.
Hey, guys - ya wanna know why so many of us get stuck in the Centrist Trap? Would it interest you at all to learn why we fall for "Both sides do it"?
One side pulls some shit and the other side suddenly goes deaf dumb and blind.
I'd like to say yay, but two things keep popping into my head. First, I'm not convinced anybody will really care now. I believe the thinking will be "gee, isn't he's gone now?" and "lookee there - the system worked - he got voted outa office" and "the Dems won the election - all they wanna do is punish the guy for being a Republican".
And second - that kind of thinking is why these things need to happen while a prick like McDonnell is still in office. The whole thing almost got negotiated away - "in the interest of what's good for The Commonwealth". Amazing just how chummy these assholes think they are with "us folks" once it becomes clear they've been fuckin' us with our pants on.
The announcement of the indictments was postponed, and the reasoning we got was so it wouldn't disrupt the elections last fall. Fuck that shit. Maybe disruption is what we need. Maybe voters need to get shook up. Maybe politicians and pollsters and image consultants and spinmeisters and party operatives - the whole political industry in general needs a collective kick in the nuts.
Taken together, the charges, if they resulted in convictions and maximum sentences, could produce fines in excess of $1 million and put the McDonnells behind bars for decades.I'll bet dollars to dingleberries there were people in positions of power who knew about all this crap a good 2 years ago, when they started vetting McDonnell for 2012 Veep. None of this came as any kind of surprise to anybody anywhere near shoutin' distance of either party. But they all kept it cool. They all started calculating what they might be able to get out of it for themselves and for their own organizations.
The indictment caps a stunning fall from political grace for the former governor, whose term ended Jan. 11. His tenure produced budget surpluses, restoration of voting rights to a record number of former felons and a landmark transportation funding package, before it was consumed by scandal in his final nine months in office.
Hey, guys - ya wanna know why so many of us get stuck in the Centrist Trap? Would it interest you at all to learn why we fall for "Both sides do it"?
One side pulls some shit and the other side suddenly goes deaf dumb and blind.
Jan 20, 2014
Today's PodCast
From You Are Not So Smart: What's up with all that conspiracy theory shit?
It goes along with the Type 1 Error I posted about earlier. We take a certain bit of information, it makes us skittish, and at some point (feeling the need for reasons and explanations), we ascribe Agency or Intent to it.
Nobody's saying there can't possibly be anything to any of what you think is a conspiracy regarding certain events or conditions. But while there are (and have been) in fact many conspiracies to commit various acts both heinous and heroic, The Grand Conspiracy has so far been thoroughly delusional.
Oh yeah - in case you're wondering about the Ant Death Spiral mentioned in the podcast:
The ant gets a bit of info and, since he can't apply any reasoning to the problem, he can only follow along dutifully ("thinking" this is how he gets to a safe dry place that his little ant-sized brain calls home). Eventually, they all die of starvation and/or dehydration, never even knowing they were acting on insufficient evidence.
The real difference of course is that the ants can't reason their way thru it, while we actually choose not to.
One last bit, for all you Randites out there, I'll paraphrase from The Fountainhead: The evil at work in the world is when a man recognizes Truth and Beauty as they are, and denies them.
It goes along with the Type 1 Error I posted about earlier. We take a certain bit of information, it makes us skittish, and at some point (feeling the need for reasons and explanations), we ascribe Agency or Intent to it.
Nobody's saying there can't possibly be anything to any of what you think is a conspiracy regarding certain events or conditions. But while there are (and have been) in fact many conspiracies to commit various acts both heinous and heroic, The Grand Conspiracy has so far been thoroughly delusional.
Oh yeah - in case you're wondering about the Ant Death Spiral mentioned in the podcast:
The ant gets a bit of info and, since he can't apply any reasoning to the problem, he can only follow along dutifully ("thinking" this is how he gets to a safe dry place that his little ant-sized brain calls home). Eventually, they all die of starvation and/or dehydration, never even knowing they were acting on insufficient evidence.
The real difference of course is that the ants can't reason their way thru it, while we actually choose not to.
One last bit, for all you Randites out there, I'll paraphrase from The Fountainhead: The evil at work in the world is when a man recognizes Truth and Beauty as they are, and denies them.
Jan 19, 2014
Jan 18, 2014
The Message For 2014
...and beyond - as long as it takes.
Here's the poster for every Democrat running for any office at any level at any time - or until they manage to get outa their own fuckin' way:
Here's the poster for every Democrat running for any office at any level at any time - or until they manage to get outa their own fuckin' way:
It's the Tea Party economy, stupid.
BTW, Dems - ya gotta figure out how to give up the industrial strength corporate funding. And I get it; it's gonna be harder than quittin' smokin'. But ya gotta do it, guys.
more than a lousy tip o' the hat = The Professional Left Podcast
Type vs Type
Type 1 Error = False Positive
Type 2 Error = False Negative
(paraphrasing Michael Shermer)
You're a hominid out for a stroll on the African plains 2 million years ago, and you hear a rustle in the grass. Do you assume it's a dangerous predator, or do you assume it's harmless?
If you identify the sound as a predator, and it turns out to be the wind, then you've made a mistake (a Type 1 Error). You lose some time, but you've survived - you continue to hunt and to live and to breed.
If you identify the sound as the wind, but it turns out to be a leopard, then you've removed yourself and all your potential descendants from the gene pool.
We are descended from a very long line of creatures who consistently made Type 1 Errors.
And that (partly) explains why we insist on believing in ghosts; and that Elvis is alive; and that there is a god.
Dr Shermer, if you please:
Type 2 Error = False Negative
(paraphrasing Michael Shermer)
You're a hominid out for a stroll on the African plains 2 million years ago, and you hear a rustle in the grass. Do you assume it's a dangerous predator, or do you assume it's harmless?
If you identify the sound as a predator, and it turns out to be the wind, then you've made a mistake (a Type 1 Error). You lose some time, but you've survived - you continue to hunt and to live and to breed.
If you identify the sound as the wind, but it turns out to be a leopard, then you've removed yourself and all your potential descendants from the gene pool.
We are descended from a very long line of creatures who consistently made Type 1 Errors.
And that (partly) explains why we insist on believing in ghosts; and that Elvis is alive; and that there is a god.
Dr Shermer, if you please:
Shit Doesn't Just Happen
Mr Tim Wise on Privilege
I've posted this before in one iteration or another, but it's generally a good idea to repeat the important lessons. So just think of it as being part of our Continuing Education requirements.
I tend to check on certain things. And when somebody sounds like he knows what he's talking about, it's even more important to see if he really knows what he says he knows.
I've posted this before in one iteration or another, but it's generally a good idea to repeat the important lessons. So just think of it as being part of our Continuing Education requirements.
I tend to check on certain things. And when somebody sounds like he knows what he's talking about, it's even more important to see if he really knows what he says he knows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)