Category: *heh*

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War on Poverty? #gagamaggot

This has no particular scriptural inspiration in back of it, but for some reason it occurred to me sometime w/in the last hour or so. So, FWIW,

The so-called “War on Poverty” has, it seems–if the record of the last 50 years is simply invoked with an eye to looking at the data honestly–resulted in more of the same and even more violence mostly isolated in pockets of “War on Poverty”-created micro-societies. So, why not make it a REAL war on poverty by devoting at least some of the wasted “welfare” funds on REAL welfare, and arming all the folks being oppressed by both “gummint bureaucraps” and gangs/thugs in their ghettos? Maybe if we as a society simply ceded the problem to Darwin. . .

😉

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The Essence of Good Manners and Polite Behavior

“Your rights end where the other fella’s nose begins.” Conversely, the other fella’s rights end where your nose begins. That is to say, mind your own business, do not infringe on others’ rights and vigorously defend your own.

That does not, BTW, mean one can be excused for standing by while an aggressor assaults the rights of a person just acting innocently within their rights. Rights come with responsibilities (many) and one of them is to NOT merely stand by and watch someone being assaulted or having their rights infringed upon. That does NOT mean that one should automatically escalate to physical violence. Prudence is also one of those responsibilities of exercising one’s rights and duties.

Example, back 40-*mumble* years ago, my college roomie and I lived in a downstairs apartment off campus. It was one of eight apartments in two separate buildings. At one time, we had an upstairs “neighbor” who thought it a good idea to place his stereo speakers directly above our bedroom and crank ’em up to “pound the floor” levels late at night.

That was definitely impinging on our “noses.” We asked politely. We asked more firmly. We appealed to the buildings’ owner.

No joy.

So, one late night, I was awakened by his floor-pounding speakers yet again. I banged back on the ceiling. He took offense, and pounded down the stairs and then on our door. My roommate, who was still awake pulling a late cram session, answered the door to physical and verbal abuse from a guy nearly twice his size. I wandered in wearing my typical sleep wear (nothing), walked up between them and decked the guy. Most authoritatively. While he was trying to regain his breath, I told him to turn his stereo OFF and leave it off at night or he could expect to see me again, and I would NOT be so gentle next time.

He moved out.

Now, I am not a big guy, certainly not as big as the jock (he was on one of the university’s sports teams) asshat, but I do NOT long suffer fools, as it were.

And that is how we all should be, but no. We must meekly accept the Norms of a society that would have us all simply bend over and beg, “Please. May I have another?”

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This Is Rich

[With a tip o’ the tam to Ori Pomerantz, via John Lambshead]

Soldier Decapitates ISIS Thug with Spade in Afganistan

This is rich on so many levels. The primary story, sure: prevailing against odds with whatever weapon is to hand: great. But. . .

Calling a spade an “espada,” so to speak, and making it so: really rich.

spade?espada I like the etymology, too: [Gr] spatha? [L] spathan? [Sp] espada, especially since “spade” itself also shares some of those roots (pre-grecian). Using a spade as a [Middle Dutch] “spade” (sword) seems particularly fitting for a British subject, since the House of Hanover has roots in nationalities where “spade” also once meant “sword.”

Then again, root words for “spade” also meant “spoon” or “paddle” at times, in different languages, so “paddling” the ISIS thug to death with a “spoon” also makes me smile.

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FWIW (a brief note on worship)

Many, many people worship Satan without ever considering their actions as such worship. As an Authority on the subject once said to some such,

“You are of your father, the devil (diabolos = slanderer, false accuser), and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of lies.”

Just sayin’. . .

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“Net Neutrality” Advocates Are Either Morons or Liars

Is it wrong to experience a sort of “zloradstvo”1 when evil experiences a setback, no matter how small? Let me introduce the “poster children” for so-called “Net Neutrality.”

Top 10 Internet-censored countries

And if you think that’s an extreme argument, then let me remind you of Lord Acton’s pithy adage, Parkinson’s Law, Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy, and the Eight Most Dreaded Words in the English Language:

“I’m from the government. I’m here to help.”

I don’t really want to crack a smile at the puling whines of “net neutrality” advocates, but I just can’t help myself. . . (OK, I could suppress it, but I don’t. 😉 )

[“Net Neutrality” is nothing more than a “bureaucrappic” scheme to place a 5,000-pound government thumb on the scale to determine market winners/losers, thus improving the market for. . . graft, and worse. h.t. to Perri Nelson for the clarification that genuine net neutrality is different to the bureaucrappic scheme Title II enabled.]

1Russian. An order of magnitude beyond the German “schadenfreude,” as only Russians can do. . .

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DSM-XX: Increasingly Harmful Criteria Proposed by Well-Meaning High-Functioning “Norms” or Just a Scam?

Maybe a lot of both.

Let’s take the ever-increasing “diagnostic criteria” for ADD/ADHD/autism “spectrum” and other such squishy “disorders”

It’s a complex issue, and the desire among p-sychs and drug companies to have insurance billables make sales compounds the problem, especially for those for whom ADHD (and those with real autism) who actually do suffer from real world consequences of real conditions are just as much harmed by excessive diagnosis and treatment of others as are those others who should NOT be tagged with “disability” labels and drugged out of their minds–especially children.

Some real people with real problems do exist, but I am in no way convinced that it is the dire mental health issue it is presented as.

If viewed in the most positive light possible, most of the DSM “diagnostic criteria” that has spawned these expanded classes of “disorders” has simply been efforts by (often high-functioning) “Norms” to explain away behavior by “Odds” who simply do not fit their view of societal norms. . . because Odds frequently do not adhere to societal norms. when those oddities do not cause direct harm to the Odds in question, or to those around them, save perhaps in the secondary effect of bigoted Norms who refuse to allow Odds to be themselves, these (often high-functioning) Norms feel behooved to label the Odds as. . . odd, but in pejorative, and actually harmful terms.

Where’s the love for diversity of viewpoint, eh? *heh*

(BTW, had current standards and practices existed at the time, I too very likely would have been diagnosed as “having” a “disorder” that would then be treated by quacks. My current–and lifetime–signs say I fulfill diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV for a certain so-called “autism spectrum disorder,” but since I long ago learned how to feign normalcy when I want to, it isn’t so much a disorder–causing physical or social harm to me or others as a REAL disorder does–as an occasional inconvenience, primarily when I attempt to explain some complex subject to a “Norm” who can’t–or simply won’t–grasp my frame of reference easily.)

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My Wonder Woman’s Got Staying Power

She tells me she loves me, and I remind her that it’s not my fault. *heh*

Well, yesterday was. . . different. Our only anniversary celebration was a full-on turkey meal, made here, since we had our Lovely Daughter’s wonderfully-prepared bird yesterday.

When she tells me she loves me (at least daily), I always remind her that it’s not my fault. 🙂

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It’s the Little Things

On being thankful for little things. . .

I am thankful. . . that I spent $0.00 for a book that starts with a sentence that is first person, present tense, and moves on to a second sentence that is present tense, passive voice. Why am I thankful I spent $0.00? Because I can send it to the bit recycler with no remorse whatsoever, and because I feel no desire, need, or obligation to subject myself to the lousy writing.

Moving on. MUCH better things to spend “eye time” on.

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Brief Note re: Neo-Victorian Bowdlerizers

Sidebar: when in soi-disant “adult” company, I do sometimes become a wee tad irritated by neo-Victorian Bowdlerizers who define anything that offends their po’ widdle feewings as “cussing.” *meh* It’s my curse just barely more than literate. . . unlike the neo-Victorian Bowdlerizers who are almost universally very nearly illiterate.

N.B. Sometimes a vulgar term is the best term to describe something/someone. Just sayin’.