"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Something to consider as July 4 approaches:
Siedbar: Note the applause between movements by “nekulturni” (those who are uncultured, boorish, exhibiting behavior inappropriate for the context) in the audience. Those who know better save their applause for the end instead of interrupting the performance. *sigh*
I am always looking for the good in folks. (I only seem to find that easily in most Third World County™ folks and a few friends and some family recently, but I still look.) In my diligent search, I found something good CwaZy (pervy, racist) UnKa JoE, ZOMBIE POOPY-PANTS President in Name Only could do to Make a Difference — in a positive way for a change! Yeh, I know. It seems impossible, but I’m good at searching out the impossible.
Ya see, his example may be a way of encouraging renewable energy. If the Oval Orifice could get behind *heh* harvesting the biomatter from his Depends® and shove it though a White House biogas digester it could serve as an example for others.
See? Positive. It’s a Good Thing.
First, not this well: I personally dislike Donald Trump and would avoid him if I happened across him in public (granted, EXTREMELY unlikely). I have my reasons and they are, perhaps, idiosyncratic.
But, let me be clear. Since I dislike and even disapprove of almost ALL politicians’ character and behavior, I only vote based on their policies and track record supporting those policies in and out of office. Voting based on liking or disliking a politician for personality reasons is an execrably stupid way to vote. It’s a classic ad hominem fallacy – no, not the “internet expert’s” definition, the real thing. So, on the record:
Biden’s record is one of CAUSING rampant inflation from the get go by DELIBERATELY hiking fuel prices, INCITING an immigration crisis, ENABLING a drug crisis (bumbling moron that he is), TURNING A BLIND EYE to a human trafficking crisis, a (INTENTIONALLY?) botched withdrawal from the Middle East, and an EXECRABLY lousy foreign policy regarding the Ukraine war and the problems in Gaza. And those are his ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
The above is quite apart from the fact that I utterly despise everything about Biden. My personal feelings about the scumbag have nothing to do with an honest assessment that he is an utter disaster as a president, even a dirty sock puppet president (which he is).
Trump’s record is that unemployment was at an all-time low, job creation was high, no new war started, energy independence, peace through strength, a fast track to getting a vaccine* for covid, extensive prison reform, education reform, stopping North Korea lobbing missiles over our heads via peaceful means, and strict attention to immigration law which strengthened national sovereignty.
Naturally, Dhimmicraps were adamantly opposed to every solid, beneficial accomplishment of DJT’s administration, and continue to be wittingly and adamantly opposed to ANYTHING that is for the good of the US and its citizens.
*vaccine? Such as it was; admittedly, out of the three choices available in the US as vaccines, one was a real one
BTW, I am thankful that the SCOTUS has gotten its collective head out of its ass recently and killed the absolutely WORST action DJT made while in office, the bumpstock ban, AND that DJT has recognized his error re: the Second Amendment (at least in public comments; we’ll have to see how that pans out in policy)
Eschew obscurantism, redundancy, and prolixity. That is, avoid arcane, esoteric, recondite, or obscure expressions; avoid undue repetition, reiteration, and duplication-reduplication of statements, and, above all, refrain from extreme, inordinate, unbridled, unchecked, and exorbitant wordiness.
YW.
Addendum: dictionaries are your friend. Thesauruses? not so much.
The really disgusting thing about politicians advancing ANY kind of gun control measures is that they know, they KNOW the laws already on the books are unconstitutional, despite US v. Miller (1939) et al, and yet, despite KNOWING the current laws are unconstitutional, they thumb their noses at the Constitution because. . . they can. And that is the even more disgusting thing about “gun control”: WE allow them to flout the fundamental law of the land. WE allow them to continue to violate their oaths of office.
Even worse, WE allow them to treat any constitutional restrictions on federal power as just paper restrictions to violate at will.
And that gives us state and local governments that play follow the leader into illegitimate exercises of power.
I have quite literally had more civil and well-reasoned conversations with atheists and (genuine, practicing) pagans about the Bible than I have had rational discussions about the passing scene with any Dhimmicrap. Of course, Repugnican’ts can be (almost) as bad, but at least I have never had a rabid Trumpist scream at me when I stated that I don’t like the guy, personally.
I enjoy watching clips of Britain’s Got Talent more than I do clips of similar “talent” on America’s Got Talent for many reasons, not the least of which is the actual talent. ¯\_(?)_/¯
Recently, though, Simon Cowell got me thinking about talent. (I know – surprising, right? 😉 ) He had a comment to a guy that was an unconscious dig wrapped in a compliment, something to the effect that Michael Bublé pretty much had the guy’s genre wrapped up.
That spurred me to think a bit about Bublé’s performances and his genre. Compare his singing to the guys who defined the genre. Yeh, nopers. Bublé’s performances lack life, a certain attitude that goes beyond mere emulation of a crooner’s delivery. Compare Bublé and Sinatra singing the same piece. I’ll grant you that Bublé’s instrument – his voice – is technically a better instrument than Sinatra’s, but there’s a world of qualitative difference in their performances.
That spurred me to recall a “new classic” – a 2003 live performance of “Mary’s Boy Child” by Cliff Richards and Helmut Lotti (sorta Europe’s answer to Michael Bublé). As they performed portions separately and then together, the differences between the kid and the Olde Pharte became starkly clear. While I am not fond of everything Richards did in his performance, it had real life, while Lotti’s technically accurate performance, complete with better vocal instrument, was just kinda lifeless, no matter how much he attempted to insert Copycat Richards elements.
And that brought me to memories of what may be the ultimate “talent ain’t all there is” evidence. Early in his career, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, arguably THE best solo voice of the 20th Century, and if not the best, then in the top two, performed (and recorded) Schubert’s Wintereisse song cycle several times in his early career, and was justly famous for giving definitive performances, however. . . later in life, toward the end of his singing career (in his late 60s), he performed and recorded the same song cycle. While his vocal instrument was fading at that time, the performances are at least an order of magnitude more artful and moving.
Why? I would like to suggest that, even though Fischer-Dieskau’s voice was a lesser instrument toward the close of his singing career, his understanding of the music and text had advanced greatly, and. . . yes, even as his voice was fading, he never stopped developing his complete grasp of his art, his “chops” as it were.
Just a few synapse firings. No real conclusion or tie back to the BGT/AGT lead in.
Dug out a holster I have rarely used and customized it a bit. I’ll use it, now.
This powerfully polarizing: after 46 years of marriage to my Wonder Woman wherein I have been the “politically aware/concerned” partner, she has now become radicalized. Well, not in the sense that insane Dhimmicraps and other leftards use the term, but radicalized nonetheless. She spends much of her time searching the web for FACTS about what political leaders actually say and do (RADICAL!), listens to and watches videos of both talking heads and of actual statements/behaviors of political leaders, rather than trusting quotes of their statements by Hivemind Podpeople (and, as often as not, finding the Podpeople have constructed lies from partial quotes. Of course).
She used to spend her discretionary time watching TV or shows on the web, in reading professional development books, taking classes, attending seminars, etc., but CwaZy (pervy, racist) UnKa JoE, ZOMBIE POOPY-PANTS President in Name Only and his Fellowship of Evil Clowns have radicalized her.
I have yet to decide whether that is for the better or not. . . but then, it remains her choice and her decision about whether it’s a good thing or not.
It’s kinda crazy nowadays when what someone believes is actually firmly based in reality. I’m sure the DSM-(x) has a listing for a “disorder” like that. . . ? (After all, p-sychs nowadays are labeling all kinds of delusions as “normal” and normal behavior as “disorders,” anyway.)