STUPID propaganda:
So Pew Research Asked. . .
“Do you know more about the news than the average American?”
To which I answered, “Yes. *duh* I pay as little attention to the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind as possible. I watch no television ‘news’ programs, never read national newspapers except to do casual research into where the Hivemind’s narrative is headed, etc. So naturally I am better informed than the average American!”
Then I took their silly lil quiz.
I Blame the Hivemind
For at least a couple of decades now, anyone who has watched the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind so-called “news” shows has been programmed to eliminate the ability to discern clear distinctions as to many things, but the most egregious–and most consistent–destruction of reason has been the twisting of time. How many times have you heard *cough* “news” *cough* readers refer to events that occurred some time in the past as happening contemporaneously with the reader’s babbling?
Past tense for past events, idiots. But no, in *cough* “news” *cough* readerland present tense is fairly consistently used to refer to past events. And so an essential anchor of reason is eroded daily and common folk attempting to be writers begin to write such drivel as,
The sun rose rose over San Antonia [sic] de Bexar as a Blood [sic] red omen of what the day will [sic] bring to the men of the Alamo.
Good Sharkey, Colonel god! Past tense, properly used, mixed with future tense speaking of a (long) past event! Oh, why not. *sigh* If the past is present, then surely the past is future as well. Time means nothing.
OTOH, any literate person who’s not been lobotomized by watching *cough* “news” *cough* shows would have written,
“The sun rose rose over San Antonio de Bexar as a blood red omen of what the day would bring to the men of the Alamo.”
It’s still a bit overwrought for me, but at least the conditional is dealt with properly. It’s not just aspiring web “journalists” committing such gagamaggot faux pas with English, no. Such superbly dumbass writing abounds in traditionally published works, from newspapers to books from traditional publishing houses (which at one time employed literate proof readers and editors) and in the speech of *cough* “news” *cough* readers inhabiting the Hivemind, the political and entertainment classes and even Academia Nut Fruitcake Bakeries.
Is it any wonder these dumbasses who consider themselves an elite that’s fit to rule the hoi polloi are making a mess of everything they touch? They cannot consistently deal with speaking clearly and rationally on simple subjects.
And the sheeple eat it all up with a spork (because they cannot be trusted with a real fork).
And a World Filled with Stupid People is Shocked! Shocked I Say! *yawn*
The headline from the subliterate British idiot (well,he’s either subliterate or deliberately deceptive, although I wouldn’t rule out both at once, yet), Nick Squires, tries to sensationalize a yawner:
Seriously, is there any literate person anywhere in the world who didn’t already know this? No, really. The error in a sixth century monk’s calculations has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the NT record of Jesus’ birth. None. Zilch. A big zero with the rim kicked off. It’s nothing more or less than a moderately interesting piece of trivia about one small aspect of one of the relatively early stages in the development of the most common Western calendar.
The article makes clear that the “years earlier” in the headline (leading people astray right there) is around two to maybe as many as seven years’ difference between Dennis the Small’s erroneous calculation and Jesus’ probable birth (most scholarship settles around four years). Oh, but do notice the idiocy in the lede:
The ‘mistake’ was made by a sixth century monk known as Dionysius Exiguus or in English Dennis the Small, the 85-year-old pontiff claims in the book ‘Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives’, published on Wednesday.
WTF? Why is “mistake” in sneer quotes? And why “claims”? And why–citing the sub-title of the article, “The entire Christian calendar is based on a miscalculation… “–try to cast doubts about the “entire Christian calendar”?
It’s all about the Hivemind’s anti-Christian narrative, folks. File the information somewhere for a trivia game and move along. Nothing to see here (unless you are a history buff).
BTW, again: “Little Monk Dennis'” placement of the birth year of Jesus is an anomaly. Very, very few authorities, from the early church Fathers on, before and after Lil Denny, agreed with his placement, and by far the majority have come down on a placement anywhere from 4-6 B.C., by Lil Denny reckoning. So, for darned near a couple of millenia, any literate person knew what is being trumpeted in the article as “news”. Only incurious subliterates will find this to be news.
Where to Go From Here
Romney’s message was fine. It was not as conservative or hard-hitting as I might have liked, but it was good, strong and put forth ideas that would have been seriously beneficial as first steps to restoring some sort of sensibility in the federal machine.
It was widely and loudly misrepresented by Barry Soetoro’s unofficial campaign (the Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind), which is where most people–especially those who don’t really do their own homework but rely on the media to do their thinking for them–got their view of his message.
Romney was “out-messaged” almost 10-to-1 by the steady drumbeat from “Bylines for Barry”–the so-called “legacy media” which served Barry by unrelentingly lying, obfuscating and distracting from anything of substance, anything true and just and worthy and praiseworthy in those opposed to Barry’s policies and actions and by incessant lies and obfuscations about Barry’s policies and actions.
And then there’s the “Stupid Factor”. Face it: America is NOT Lake Wobegone. The electorate is NOT “all above average”. In fact, if multi-year, well-designed surveys run by ISI have any validity at all (and the actual data in the NALS from the fedgov Dept of Ed are useful for anything) and multiple other metrics, surveys and even just common observation by well-informed and literate individuals, Americans, on average, are virtually illiterate as to civics, economics and current events–let alone simply NOT understanding the printed word.
Add to that the massive, pervasive voter fraud and blatantly illegal activity almost entirely engaged in by Dhimmicraps alone, and it’s almost miraculous that Romney/Ryan came within a hair of winning, let alone that Republicans held the House.
The only way to win against such massive odds against is to seriously improve the ground game, turn out a vote that is so large it doesn’t matter that they cheat and (metaphorically) BURN DOWN THE HIVEMIND’S HOUSE.
All that said, I am going to be much, much more gracious in defeat than the Dhimmicraps were in 2000 and 2004. In other words, I will unceasingly hammer every single damn*d lie issuing from leftists’ organs, NEVER shut up about Benghazi, Fast & Furious, et al, encourage everyone I know to hammer at these through their congresscritters, etc. And… encourage LOCAL involvement to begin NOW to get the ground game going for 2014 and exert as much influence on local, state and national nomination procedures for ALL elective offices.
The People CAN take back their government, but with the deck stacked against them, it’ll take a lot more work than it might have 60 years ago when Robert Heinlein wrote the book on how to do it (“Take Back Your Government!” bundled here in ebook formats with the Sharon Cooper and Chuck Asay book, “Taxpayers’ Tea Party: A Manual for Reclaiming Our Government”. Highly recommended.)
N.B. Edited out some typos. You’re welcome.
NOTICE re: “Bylines for Barry”
Stolen from Woody:
On Being Ticked Off with Ann Coulter
*sigh* Why does she just HAVE to say it better than I can? Why? *mutter, mutter-gripe-complain*
At a private gathering, Romney told donors that Obama had a lock on the 47 percent of voters “who pay no income tax” and “believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.” This was deeply offensive to people who pay no income tax and believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.
Romney’s 47% “Gaffe”? Notsomuch.
“It’s hard to serve as president for all Americans when you’ve disdainfully written off half the nation,” [Jim Messina, Mr. Obama’s campaign manager] wrote.
How about all those “flyover” bitter clingers, Mr. President? Could it be that they don’t belong so much to the 47% receiving government largesse? Hmmm?
Contra Dhimmicraps’ glee in thinking that Romney’s recent “47%” comment is a gaffe, consider:
The Democrats think Romney just self-destructed by pointing out, um, THEIR ENTIRE STRATEGY
“Please, please, PLEASE, Br’er Dhimmicrap, do throw Br’er Romney into that briar patch!”
I am So Behind the Times
Thank God!
Flipboard is apparently THE “killer app” in some demographics for iPad, iPhone and Android phones. Here’s what the app has to say for itself (OK, via developers’ plug):
Flipboard brings together world news and social news in a beautiful magazine.
Flipboard’s award-winning experience lets people see everything in one place. By bringing together the world’s stories and life’s great moments, you can stay up to date with the things that matter most. Flip through the news from your Twitter timeline as well as from outlets like the BBC, USA Today and The Verge. See everything from posts and photos shared by friends on Facebook and Instagram to videos from Stephen Colbert and pop culture nuggets from Rolling Stone. Find inspiration for your travel, style and life from places like National Geographic, Oprah and Cool Hunting.
It’s the one thing to simplify your daily life. Bring Flipboard on the train during your morning commute, catch up over coffee or on vacation, use it as a tool at work or simply to wind down your night.
Talk about damning itself in the eyes of anyone with more than two active brain cells. Absolutely nothing listed above is worth aggregating into an electronic magazine experience, unless one’s goal in life is to make oneself stupid(er). If auto-lobotomy is one’s goal, then the “benefits” of Flipboard are manifold. If one instead wants to preserve a few brain cells for actual thought, then it would seem that avoiding the things touted above would be a Very Good Thing. (OK, with highly filtered and limited use, Facebook and National Geographic could be less brain damaging than the other things listed, but FB is filled with crap and NG has been degraded to barely better than just another Mass MEdia Podpeople Hivemind propaganda organ. *sigh*)
Thanks, Flipboard, but I’ll pass. Aging brains need to be stimulated with information that’s not toxic cotton candy in order to preserve mental capacities as much as possible.
And Why Would That Be, Exactly?
According to ABC “News” *cough-gag*
Both the Washington Post and CNN report that if the House cites Holder for contempt, it will be the first time in history that a U.S. attorney general is held in contempt of Congress.
Could that be because this is the first time in history that a U.S. attorney general has acted so contemptuously toward Congress? Hmmm? Could be… (Is)
The Hivemind needs to learn to call a spade a spade.