Friday, July 29, 2016

Posted on Facebook First

Should have put it here first:
Just watched the HRC acceptance speech. She hit all the right notes.
But, she doesn't sing.
Her delivery is flat - she is too monotone (yes, that DOES count). She has several gestures that grate - that nodding her head like a bobblehead, her pinched hand pointing, that - Oh, yeah, smile! - thing. She has been coached, so it's all smooth enough, but she does not sound authentic. She sounds as though she is remembering to tick off specific points - mention grandkids, thank other Democrats, put in some reference to Trump - and contrast it with my position.
Sorry, she just didn't soar.
The positives: she didn't stumble her words, she paced herself appropriately - not too fast, left time for audience responses, pleasant facial features (no pulled down mouth - ages a woman HUGELY), no big surprises (the leadership hates when you go off-topic), she didn't dig a hole that she'll have to fill later.
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Thursday, July 28, 2016

Once Again, Explaining it to the Elite

I'm so tired of dealing with the Elites who want to impose their political hegemony on the rest of us:

  • The Communists used to call us the Proletariat (Proles, for short)
  • To the Fabian Socialists, we were the Masses
  • To the SJW, we are the Dumb Hicks Who Hate Everyone, and Only Act to Preserve our Undeserved Place in Society
  • To the Democratic Party, we are the Barely Tolerated Potential Voters, Who Had BETTER Vote the Way WE Tell You, Then Disappear - Well, Except for all that Taxpaying Stuff
  • To the Republican Party, we are the Uneducated, Fundamentalist Christian who votes on the basis of Social Conservatism (our concerns are not Free Trade, but Abortion, SSM, Drug Abuse, etc.).
In every case, we are assumed to be less intelligent, voting on an emotional basis, led around by equally dumb pastors, and just not smart enough to understand that these changes we oppose are Good for us.

The sheer arrogance of this always get to me.  Those who pursued undemanding majors (Poly Sci, Literature, Psychology) have no understanding of the brainpower needed for STEM majors, the skilled trades, or running a small business.  That such people might want some say in selecting their representatives in government, determining an appropriate educational plan for their children, or living according to their philosophical/religious thinking escapes these Elitist Tyrants completely.

Peter Thiel is a nice man, a smart man, and a well-intentioned man.  But, in telling us to forget about the "Bathroom Wars", he is wrong.  Rod Dreher says it better than I.





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Friday, July 22, 2016

Been Out of Touch

I didn't watch the RNC this week, because:

  • There was really no "news" there - no surprises
  • My husband is opposed to everything he hears/watches about Conservatives/Libertarians/Republicans - it just wasn't worth hearing him spew about it all
  • I decided to detach from politics for a time - not sure how long I'll be uncaring of events
The only thing I was concerned about was the possibility of violence in Cleveland - it is my hometown, and I have many friends and relatives still living there.  Fortunately, it ended without chaos or violence.

I've also been focused on my physics conference/workshop, organizing the house, and trying - vainly - to lose some weight.  My husband will be home this morning, so I'll be spending time with him.


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Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Words Fail Me

Consider President Obama's response to the Black Cop Shooter, who referenced the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.



Just a random crazy.  He is baffled about the motivation of the shooter.

However, he is SURE that the cure for all this is to ban gun sales.

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Monday, July 11, 2016

The List of Why HRC SHOULDN'T Be Elected President, Part I

This list, of supposed "reasons" to make Hillary President.

Let's just address a few of those "reasons".

  1. As a former secretary of state, U.S. senator, first lady, and a lifelong advocate for women and families, no one is more qualified to be president than Hillary.  Uh, the bolded terms, however interesting they are, do NOT rise to the level of being a reason to be President.

  1. Hillary knows child care, equal pay, and paid leave are fundamental economic issues—not just “women’s issues.” Well, yeah, they ARE issues.  This says nothing about how she will address them - or pay for any changes.
  2.  Our democracy should work for everyone—not just the wealthy and well-connected.  You do realize, don't you, that HILLARY and her family ARE wealthy and well-connected.  As the most recent FBI announcement proved.
  3. Our next president could make multiple appointments to the Supreme Court.  And, with justices like RB Ginsberg holding on - despite being well past her sell-date - that's yet another reason to have term limits for the Supreme Court.  What we have now is partisan justices spitefully refusing to leave until someone whose politics they agree with is elected.
  4. We need comprehensive background checks on gun purchases.  Well, that's already the law.  Unfortunately, the federal officials responsible for that seem to prefer spending their time going after Republicans, Christians, and other malefactors.
  5. She’ll fight to overturn Citizens United to curb the outsized influence of big money in politics.  Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha- Oh, stop, I may hurt myself laughing.  BTW, for the less informed - also known as Leftist stooges - the thing Leftists hate about Citizen United is that it leveled the playing field, and allowed counter-balancing opinions to be heard.
  6. Because the wealthiest should pay their fair share in taxes.  Except, of course, for Clintons, Gores, Pelosis, Reids, etc.
  7. We need comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to full and equal citizenship.  No, we don't need comprehensive anything.  If you want to fix something, do it one step at a time.  Otherwise, you're like the guy who has a leaky pipe, and tears out ALL of the pipes, sewers, and electrical in his house.  And digs up the lawn.  And takes a mortgage out for 20 times the home's value - which he only makes interest payments on.  Because, of course, he wants a comprehensive solution to the problem of a leaky pipe.
I'll fisk more later - my delicate tummy can't take too much of this at one sitting.Share

Saturday, July 09, 2016

Guess the Launch Date for the October Surprise!

I woke up early today (penalty of age), and was thinking about the predictability of the Leftist Running Dogs (trademark pending).

Every presidential year, there is a massive "surprise" that often flips the election to the Democratic contender.  It's been going on for years, with the only two variables being When and What.

I've decided to gamify the process - if you go to my ExpectNet site, you can enter to WIN (What, I haven't decided as yet).

Under the city and state information, put in your guess as to what the surprise will be - it will be used to break any ties.

If you want to Share this with anyone else, I'd appreciate it if you would use this link to do so.

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Friday, July 08, 2016

Why Brezel's Citing HRC Will NOT Hold Up

Major Jason Brezel self-reported that he had sent a message containing sensitive information from his own laptop.  So far, not unlike HRC, right?  And, if it were a single incident, he might have some wiggle room.

That message, alone, would not necessarily have gotten him into major trouble.  But, when the investigators checked out his laptop, they found more:
Brezler was not charged criminally in his case. A board of inquiry recommended his removal from the service in December 2013 after it found that Brezler knowingly kept more than 100 classified documents on his personal hard drive and thumb drive so he could write a book about his experiences in Afghanistan.
That bolded part is what got him in serious trouble.  Guys, no matter how important you think you are, and how scrupulous you think you are, sooner or later, information kept on movable platforms (laptops and removable drives) WILL disappear.

Yes, I know that Clinton did at least as much as he did.  However, any hope he had of leniency vanished when they found those other documents, which took it from a one-time careless lapse to an on-going problem.

Furthermore, professional soldiers - which is what officers are considered - ARE held to a higher standard than civilians.  Major Brezler is a shining example of the whiny, entitled, excuse-making WhyMe? Generation that will not accept the consequences of their actions, and try to escape punishment by pointing and saying, "But, she got to do it!  That's not FAIR!"

He has since joined the NYFD, where his skills will likely be appreciated.  However, he is NOT up to the standards of the military, at least as far as professionalism and attention to orders.

Portrait of a WhyMe? Whiner.


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Thursday, July 07, 2016

A HUGE Step Backward for Women

The original idea of the Women's Movement was that women were not being allowed full participation in various aspects of life.  That laws needed to be changed, that society needed to accept, as a norm, that women would not be limited by their sex (yes, SEX! NOT gender - that was a later, and widely disputed, change that was thrust upon the founders of the movement).

Women would no longer get special treatment, either, because of their gender.  No more would women be able to go into court, bat their eyes, and get acquittal or a reduced sentence because of their sex.

That ideal was stabbed through the heart when Comey tortured the law to keep from having to recommend prosecution against HRC.

Criminal laws do not have gender.  A homicide is murder, whether the perpetrator is male or female.  All humans must be held to the same standard.

That went out the window with this decision.  It's now "the law applies to all, except if you're a woman who REALLY, REALLY wants to be president, and who is just a woman, who can't be expected to understand all of those complicated technical regulations".  In that case, why, don't you worry, Little Lady, we are gonna protect you from the consequences of your own actions.

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Wednesday, July 06, 2016

Voting with the Emotional Part of the Brain

Warning:  this will partly involve the science of the brain, and its relationship to our decision-making, such as it is.

The limbic system is located deep within the brain.  It is found beneath the cortex, which controls higher-level, logical thinking, and the brainstem, which controls motor functions, breathing, and communication with the rest of the brain.


One of the functions of the limbic lobe is to relay and process information about odors.

Odors?  Yes, and those who have read Proust (or read about his memories) understand just how strongly odor is associated with memory.  This is logical; if we encounter a particular scent that is associated with danger, it would ensure our survival if another encounter with that scent triggered an immediate response.

Similarly, scents associated with pleasant sensations/memories can be brought up again, and re-lived.  For this reason, women use scent during the courtship phase.  Afterward, they can re-kindle that loving memory by dabbing on a little scent.

Other scents that bring up good memories:  Mom's cooking (apparently, the smell is at least as important as the taste), barbeques, the smell of chlorine (I like to smell my hands after swimming - it brings back memories of my childhood - I virtually LIVED in the municipal pool), flowers - the list is endless.

The emotional reactions of the limbic system are not limited to scents.  A sub-region of the limbic system that involves emotional responses is the amygdala, which seems to have significantly different processing in men and women.  One of the differences is that women have stronger, and longer memories for emotional events.

Kinda brings what whole "why does she bring up old issues again and again?" thing into perspective, doesn't it?

Why am I focused on the emotional side of the brain today?  This is NOT something I would normally care about, as I tend to consider most people to be wildly over-emotional (and I don't mean that as a compliment).

I was watching people interviewed about the FBI report on HRC, and I was struck by how seldom they referred to the FACTS, but to their feelings.

This is something that Trump has to overcome, if he is to have a shot at winning.  Emotional voting is common among both men and women today.

You will want to read this - yes, I know that it's psychology, but it references several different studies that conclude voting is at least partially irrational and emotion-driven.

Who people watch for their news is important, too.  I suspect that much of the "disgust/fear of FoxNews" is simply that people refuse to watch because they fear that their voting inclinations will change (which might simply indicate that, at some level, they are aware that their voting is emotion-driven).

The effect is so strong that even relatively low-level emotional nudges can trip the voting in an election.

So, what does this mean for this election?

I think a LOT of the resistance to Trump is that he has encroached - and invaded - the opposition's favorite territory - the emotion-driven voter.  The opposition by individuals is, I think, that they fear their shaky hold on their traditional preferences.  In short, they fear that they will be "seduced" into voting for Trump by their controlling emotions.

Another fascinating piece about voting behavior.

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The Case Against Clinton - HRC

It's hard to think of ANYONE being a bigger liar than Billy Clinton, but his wife has managed that rare feat.  At the link, Mona Charon re-caps some of the LOWlights.

Just a SHORT list:



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Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Naturally, Because...

...Consequences are for the Little People.

Of course, those Democratic Lemmings will fall into line, ASAP.

"It's not CRIMINAL, just careless.  Could happen to anyone."

"This is just more of that Right-Wing Conspiracy thingy."  Of course, when we mention a concerted effort to cover up the truth, we're conspiracy nuts.  When they ignore obvious evidence, it's just - nothing at all, nothing at all.

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3 Simple Rules

I'd forgotten these (from Roadhouse):

Dalton: All you have to do is follow three simple rules.

One, never underestimate your opponent. Expect the unexpected.

Two, take it outside. Never start anything inside the bar unless it's absolutely necessary.

And three, be nice.

Not bad rules.

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Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...