45* delivers his usual dazzling oratory
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
Dead On, Mr Fallows
James Fallows, The Atlantic:
Five years ago, after what was the horrific mass shooting of that moment, I wrote an item called “The Certainty of More Shootings.” It was about the massacre in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and after acknowledging the victims it said:
The additional sad, horrifying, and appalling point is the shared American knowledge that, beyond any doubt, this will happen again, and that it will happen in America many, many times before it occurs anywhere else.
WaPo:
949 victims
Each gun was used to kill an average of four people, not counting shooters. The 949 people came from nearly every imaginable race, religion and socioeconomic background, and 145 were children or teenagers.
The oldest victim
Louise De Kler, 98, still took her pool cue and boombox to the rec room at Pinelake Health and Rehab and shot pool with the “young guys,” her daughter told the Associated Press. She was shot to death on March 29, 2009, along with seven other residents and a nurse, by a man who had come to the Carthage, N.C., nursing home looking for his estranged wife.
Five years ago, after what was the horrific mass shooting of that moment, I wrote an item called “The Certainty of More Shootings.” It was about the massacre in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and after acknowledging the victims it said:
The additional sad, horrifying, and appalling point is the shared American knowledge that, beyond any doubt, this will happen again, and that it will happen in America many, many times before it occurs anywhere else.
And here we are, two days after Las Vegas, and we're being distracted by Press Poodles alternately concentrating on people's grief and/or the technical details of how the fucking gun works, and worse - the bullshit about "maybe something good can come from this senseless tragedy and blah blah blah".
No.
We choose to do nothing. We choose to listen to the passive voice - "Mistakes were made" or "Isn't it just awful" or
Nothing will come of this enormous horror except the next (nearly-identical) enormous horror.
Something else that pops up now and again - and is purposefully ignored: "...the worst mass killing in modern American history..."
I'm not giving partial credit on this one. It's the worst mass killing since Wounded Knee, which was the worst mass killing since Sand Creek, which was the worst mass killing since Trail of Tears...and on it goes.
But OK - we don't need to look at anything but the last 50 years to be duly impressed with our diligence when it comes to murdering each other in large numbers.
949 victims
Each gun was used to kill an average of four people, not counting shooters. The 949 people came from nearly every imaginable race, religion and socioeconomic background, and 145 were children or teenagers.
Louise De Kler, 98, still took her pool cue and boombox to the rec room at Pinelake Health and Rehab and shot pool with the “young guys,” her daughter told the Associated Press. She was shot to death on March 29, 2009, along with seven other residents and a nurse, by a man who had come to the Carthage, N.C., nursing home looking for his estranged wife.
There's a very enlightening infographic that you need to see.
So this thing is big and ugly and complicated, and it goes in 37 different directions - sometimes all at once. But I'm not interested in hearing about how we just can't do anything about it.
We sent 14 guys to the moon - 12 of them walked on its surface - on the fucking moon. And we got 'em all back, and we did it when we were working out the math using slide rules and pencils and chalkboards - bear skins and stone knives compared with what we can do now.
We're closing in on Autism and PTSD and Alzheimer's.
Don't tell me we can't get this done.
Here's a pretty good place to start:
Monday, October 02, 2017
Let's Speculate, Shall We? (updated)
We've become a nation of the Rugged Individualist Lone Wolf Renegade. That's what we think is cool - and necessary.
We see very rich very powerful CEOs raping and pillaging across the land; buying Congress Critters outright; installing their own employees in the regulatory apparatus, and getting sweetheart legislation passed so they can do almost whatever they want in order to boost profits at the expense of anything or anyone they think might get in their way.
We're living an old western movie, and somehow we've been talked into rootin' for the bad guys.
We're told that if we're not making it, it's our own fault. And if we are making it, it's because we made it on our own, and so what if we broke some rules along the way? That's what you do. Boy Scouts help little old ladies. Straight-thinking, clear-eyed entrepreneurs help themselves (just like god said).
Only losers depend on Gubmint to do things for 'em, including enforcing the law as only you can truly understand the real meaning of that law.
If you want something done, stop bitchin' about it and go do it. If you make enough money at it (or if you can make it look like you've made a big pile of money), you're good - only poor people go to jail.
And now we have a guy pretending to be POTUS who personifies all this with:
It's something of a jump from all that to Stephen Paddock, but it's not a big jump.
"So here I am in my room on the 32nd floor. I've been suckered into thinking a casino is a place where gambling goes on - instead of a place where I pay thru the nose if necessary to have a few hours of fun, just as I've been suckered into going along with all the other shit I've swallowed over the years".
"I've blown thru somewhere between 30 and 70 thousand dollars that maybe I have and maybe I don't (check with my absentee Filipino girlfriend on that $100k transferred to an account in Manila), I'm in a shitty mood, and now those assholes are down in the plaza whoopin' it up having a good time and making noise that makes me feel even worse - so I'm gonna do something bold to get 'em all to shut the fuck up. Cuz that's how we roll - I get what I want and fuck all 'y'all."
"etc etc etc"
He shoots 500-n-some people, but instead of standing up for himself - justifying what he's done - he kills himself. I don't know what all it means, but it's gotta include something that indicates Mr Paddock had some inkling that he knew he was doing an enormous wrong - not just the final acts of murder and suicide, but everything he was told to believe, and everything he did because of what he was told to believe - everything that led up to those last few minutes.
Maybe deep down, he knew he'd been played for a sucker, and admitting to it out loud was just too much for him - the pain was so bad that he had to pull others into it so he wouldn't have to bear it all on his own.
What the fuck are doing?
We see very rich very powerful CEOs raping and pillaging across the land; buying Congress Critters outright; installing their own employees in the regulatory apparatus, and getting sweetheart legislation passed so they can do almost whatever they want in order to boost profits at the expense of anything or anyone they think might get in their way.
We're living an old western movie, and somehow we've been talked into rootin' for the bad guys.
We're told that if we're not making it, it's our own fault. And if we are making it, it's because we made it on our own, and so what if we broke some rules along the way? That's what you do. Boy Scouts help little old ladies. Straight-thinking, clear-eyed entrepreneurs help themselves (just like god said).
Only losers depend on Gubmint to do things for 'em, including enforcing the law as only you can truly understand the real meaning of that law.
If you want something done, stop bitchin' about it and go do it. If you make enough money at it (or if you can make it look like you've made a big pile of money), you're good - only poor people go to jail.
And now we have a guy pretending to be POTUS who personifies all this with:
- it didn't happen
- it's not a big deal
- it's not illegal
- OK so it's illegal. But I've got the power now - what're you gonna do about it?
It's something of a jump from all that to Stephen Paddock, but it's not a big jump.
"So here I am in my room on the 32nd floor. I've been suckered into thinking a casino is a place where gambling goes on - instead of a place where I pay thru the nose if necessary to have a few hours of fun, just as I've been suckered into going along with all the other shit I've swallowed over the years".
"I've blown thru somewhere between 30 and 70 thousand dollars that maybe I have and maybe I don't (check with my absentee Filipino girlfriend on that $100k transferred to an account in Manila), I'm in a shitty mood, and now those assholes are down in the plaza whoopin' it up having a good time and making noise that makes me feel even worse - so I'm gonna do something bold to get 'em all to shut the fuck up. Cuz that's how we roll - I get what I want and fuck all 'y'all."
"etc etc etc"
He shoots 500-n-some people, but instead of standing up for himself - justifying what he's done - he kills himself. I don't know what all it means, but it's gotta include something that indicates Mr Paddock had some inkling that he knew he was doing an enormous wrong - not just the final acts of murder and suicide, but everything he was told to believe, and everything he did because of what he was told to believe - everything that led up to those last few minutes.
Maybe deep down, he knew he'd been played for a sucker, and admitting to it out loud was just too much for him - the pain was so bad that he had to pull others into it so he wouldn't have to bear it all on his own.
What the fuck are doing?
Today's Eternal Sadness
“Humans will always murder, no gun law can change that!” screams a country that outlawed too much toothpaste on a plane.— SarcasticRover (@SarcasticRover) October 2, 2017
At least
This happened: 13-year old cannot buy a scratch off ticket, but was able purchase a gun at a gun show: https://t.co/4YtqdiHj1S #GunControl— So-called Dave (@DavidWetherell) October 2, 2017
Sunday, October 01, 2017
Another Look
A pretty good think piece from Kenneth Arthur at Rolling Stone:
As Eric Reid, a safety for the 49ers, recently wrote to explain why he decided to join Kaepernick: "We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy."
- snip -
...the debates have often been heated, but for the most part the people involved have remained more interested in football than politics. The conversation around Kaepernick continues, but the talk was focused recently on his employment status, not the status of whether he's standing, sitting or kneeling. We know now that getting rid of Kaepernick does not mean getting rid of the message.
"I'm not racist, but…" has now been transformed into: "I don't have a problem with their message, but…"
That's a huge part of the problem: That you'd be so disconnected from racial inequality and the state of it in America in the form of police brutality that you'd not even understand where a black person was coming from. Each player may have their own specific reasons for the protest, but Kaepernick did not mince words last August when asked why he sat during the anthem. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
As Eric Reid, a safety for the 49ers, recently wrote to explain why he decided to join Kaepernick: "We chose to kneel because it’s a respectful gesture. I remember thinking our posture was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy."
- snip -
...the debates have often been heated, but for the most part the people involved have remained more interested in football than politics. The conversation around Kaepernick continues, but the talk was focused recently on his employment status, not the status of whether he's standing, sitting or kneeling. We know now that getting rid of Kaepernick does not mean getting rid of the message.
- snip -
"I'm not racist, but…" has now been transformed into: "I don't have a problem with their message, but…"
That's a huge part of the problem: That you'd be so disconnected from racial inequality and the state of it in America in the form of police brutality that you'd not even understand where a black person was coming from. Each player may have their own specific reasons for the protest, but Kaepernick did not mince words last August when asked why he sat during the anthem. "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color," Kaepernick told NFL Media in an exclusive interview after the game. "To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
This one is sticky and weird and strewn with landmines.
I have to stay on the side of "The First Amendment guarantees protection against retribution from your government, not your employer", but any employer understanding anything knows not to fuck with people's rights too blatantly without being sure he can do it more or less out of sight of the public. Which is definitely not what we're talking about with the NFL.
I think what we tend to neglect - what we need to focus on - is making the distinction between Expression and Action. So here's the wrinkle - if I'm honestly trying to point up a true injustice, I think you owe me the benefit of the doubt. If I start inciting violence (eg), then my "speech" has become an "action", and a whole different set of rules have to apply.
So, a team (or the league) can impose sanctions on an employee, but when POTUS calls for action against that employee, then we've got a real case for protection under the First Amendment.
FEMA Prime
SNL writers get it.
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Press 1 to hear today's special offers
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And have a beautifully blessed, non-mooching, glorious free market day - sucker.
45* Fading Away
It's a tough gig. And I promise I'm not just sitting around taking shots, but General, don't you guys have - you know - helicopters and stuff?
The people who know something about disaster planning know there's no such thing as normal.
And they know that a good Hurricane Response and Recovery Plan can survive anything except an actual hurricane.
One of the reasons they know that one really important concept comes partly from the truly shitty lessons they had to learn on the fly after Mt St Helens blew up in 1980.
They had a good long run-up; they spent weeks working out all the little details; they had National Guard troopers ready to roll with all the gear and goodies they could imagine.
Then the mountain covered the area with a cubic kilometer of dirt and rocks and vegetation and critter parts, plus the first installments of almost a million tons of ash. Suddenly all the maps are wrong, and nobody knows where anything is or how to get there even if they did.
So I'm not counseling patience in the face of people suffering and dying. This thing has been a clusterfuck of the highest order; there's no excuse for it; and if the guy in charge is worth a shit, he stands up and he takes the heat.
But we don't have that guy in charge.
Now, I hope I'm just being a little paranoid here, but I've been wondering for a while - is 45* really the president?
I have a bad sick feeling that he heads for the golf resort every weekend because he's being told to stay out of the way.
Judge Roy Moore
Charlie Pierce, Esquire:
On Tuesday night, the voters in the great state of Alabama pushed a lawless theocratic lunatic named Roy Moore one tiny step away from a seat in the United States Senate. Moore lost his job as chief justice of that state’s supreme court twice; on both occasions, he lost it by flouting the authority of the federal court system as though he were Orval Faubus in 1957.
Feel free to judge him harshly (ar ar)
How is it he doesn't know this makes him look like his mommy just dropped a quarter in the horsey ride out in front of the grocery store?
Oh yeah - it's the New GOP. These guys are not big on self awareness. I should write that down.
On Tuesday night, the voters in the great state of Alabama pushed a lawless theocratic lunatic named Roy Moore one tiny step away from a seat in the United States Senate. Moore lost his job as chief justice of that state’s supreme court twice; on both occasions, he lost it by flouting the authority of the federal court system as though he were Orval Faubus in 1957.
Feel free to judge him harshly (ar ar)
How is it he doesn't know this makes him look like his mommy just dropped a quarter in the horsey ride out in front of the grocery store?
Oh yeah - it's the New GOP. These guys are not big on self awareness. I should write that down.
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