Right As Usual

I was reading this, and it is FASCINATING! I'm descended mostly from Borderers. My husband, from those influenced by Borderers, Puritans, and, possibly, Quakers. If you've ever wondered why the different parts of the country developed such different cultures, you might want to read this. The Atlantic is more critical of this thesis , but I do think that it does have some validity. Cultural heritage is quite durable. Share

This is one of those stories that has gone down the memory hole (for those who don't have a clue as to what 'memory hole' refers, you really need to read this ). The man who is sometimes called (by Progressives) The Lion of the Senate, was in contact with the Russians to attempt to influence the 1984 election - how appropriate - by persuading the Soviets to work with American media to get their side of the nuclear story out. Kennedy's goal? To defeat Reagan in that election. By USING Soviet resources. Against a sitting American President. More on the story at Front Page. On a similar note: Chelsea Clinton wrote a children's book - She Persisted. The phrase is based on an incident in which Sen. Elizabeth Warren was speaking from the floor of the Senate, but went over her allotted time. She continued speaking, despite warnings and admonishments. Eventually, her mic was turned off. Really? Chelsea wrote a book celebrating the fact that a female talked ...

He could start here. BTW, I'm for accuracy in government. Not this. Why do people buy the argument that government actions are so much more efficient? If FederalGovCo were to set out to bake you a nice apple pie, it would require 200 paper-pushers to oversee the job; it would take ten years for the FDA to approve the recipe; it would end up costing about 700 dollars; and it would be so disgusting as to be inedible. If your grandma—who had baked a million of the things, all of which were perfectly delicious—tried to come into the kitchen to help out, she would be jailed for not having the proper license. If you complained about the taste, your honesty would get you a serious denunciation for “hate speech” for hurting the feelings of the eighteen transgender lunatics involved in the process as mandated by law, despite the fact that not one of them had ever baked so much as a Swanson’s chicken pot pie in their entire lives. Enjoy what's left of the weekend. Share

You may have noticed fewer politically-oriented posts here over the last few months. That's because: I've been really busy with my paperwork related to my retirement - Social Security, Pension, Medicaid. I've been using the Scheduling Function of Blogger more often. Particularly when I'm busy, and my time online will not be predictable, it's been a blessing. Naturally, more time-sensitive posts - like most of those relating to politics - don't work well with that function. I'm trying to block out time for my novel revision. I'm focusing more on the novel, which is not overtly political, and the news on politics is distracting. I've lost that sense of - OMZ, what fresh Hell will that Leftist come up with now? True, Trump shoots his mouth off, and his Tweets can be off-the-cuff and over-the-top, but, it's still better than what preceded it. I have, finally, some confidence in the management of our nation's government, that it will gener...

I'm not a big fan of Revenge Porn. That's the practice of posting video of former lovers online out of a mean-spirited Gotcha! when they leave/hurt you. It's one of those things that some women - or, women-ish people - would do. Think Mean Girls in the Grown-up World. Well, sort of Grown-up. If the video was taken without consent, that should settle the issue - the one that knew about the video CANNOT post it, and, if he/she does, may not only go to jail for some extended time - HARD TIME - but stands to lose ALL his/her money/possessions. Plus, must pay that person compensation even after leaving jail. As well as being branded a sexual predator - which, I think, is an accurate description. If the video was consensual, that's different. The fact that you were a dumba$$ to agree to it wipes out the victimization. IF the victim was 16 or older, and the other person was within two years of that age, at the time of filming, AND it was consensual - again, tough luc...

Why is change in Washington, D.C., so difficult? Novices to the capital might think it's as easy as getting elected. But, despite the 2016 election, throwing out the Democrats, getting the bureaucracy on-board is quite difficult. At the DOJ, employees are resisting implementing the recent Supreme Court decision mandating accommodation for religious objections to parts of the ACA (Obamacare, to the rest of us). The DOJ lawyers are using the time period permitted for a rules change to slow-walk the procedure. The draft rule,  which was dated May 23 , said that the a lack of accommodation would likely violate the 1994 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, under which the Little Sisters and other organizations are bringing their challenges. The law requires the federal government to have a compelling government interest and use the least restrictive means possible if when infringing upon religious believers with a neutral law of general applicability. Reporting at the t...

This is an example of what he means. Programs that accept fraud without trying to weed it out, those that have exceeded the time for what was SUPPOSED to be a short-term fix, and are NOT worth funding. Share

I'm the outlier in my family. The rest have maintained their customary Liberal/Progressive/Whatever views consistently over the years. What has changed? I have. I used to express my views without fear of criticism (other than an occasional - 'wouldja knock it off, I'm trying to watch the game'). Once I deviated from the Accepted Wisdom of my group, I learned to keep my thoughts on the Down Low. It generally wasn't worth the argument. Hence, blogging. If you don't want to hear about what I think, don't read my blogs. I write what I think, and don't bother to censor it for those who think differently. But, too often, the Political Becomes Personal, to up-end that tired old Feminist phrase. When I read the first part of this, I'll admit - I was expecting a completely different answer to the young man's question. I was astounded to find that the answer was reasoned, patient, and decent. Especially since it was in the Village Voice. Go rea...

Online harassment is often ignored or belittled. It's dismissed as 'harmless fantasy'. The fact of its persistence is often ignored; that persistence, rather than being seen as a disturbing indicator of a twisted psyche, is seen as annoying, rather than threatening. I've not, generally, been harassed, either in person, or online. But, this woman's experience is beyond creepy. That a supposedly grown man would stoop to such a level should cause concern. Understand, I'm not in favor of clamping down on EVERY rude, obscene, or vaguely hostile comment. But, when that person crosses the line - threatens real-life attacks, continues that hostility for years, is not a kid - yeah, get the legal system involved, and issue a restraining order. When that order expires, if the person continues the practice, make it permanent. Share

I started thinking about that misunderstanding while reading this post. Now, if you only watch ONE online video, make it THIS ONE. I promise, you won't be disappointed. The David Brooks article about the cultural divide between working class and upper class people really struck a chord with many, particularly those that, like I did, shifted between classes during my life. Read Rod Dreher's take on the controversy, and take the time to read the comments. Share

Ya' gotta read this. Share

...the more they stay the same, as the saying goes. The real problem with many Democrats/Progressives/Liberals/Leftists (I'm giving the full range of thought on the Left), is that so many are quite badly educated. Am I calling them Dumb? No. I am, however, saying that their education is more properly described as learning in a VERY narrow range - i.e., what unbiased people would call 'propaganda'. They seldom explore thought outside of that small subset of 'what everyone knows'. They get their information about their opponents from those sources who have the most motivation to mis-characterize the philosophy, aims, and words. In short, how do they know what Conservatives believe? Someone with an ax to grind told them what THEY believed that Conservatives believe. That makes it hard to have a civil discussion with them. They KNOW, you see, that ANY argument you put up to them is TOTALLY wrong, racist, and designed to hide your deep-seated hatred of mank...

No, it's not 'The Donald'. It's CNN. CNN’s Cuba reporter Patrick Oppmann—who constantly rails against Trump’s Cuba policy of restricting tourism to Cuba—has an American wife who owns a  shop in Havana that caters primarily to tourists? But, I'm SURE that won't influence his reporting at ALL. This hands-off treatment of the kleptocrats in the Cuban government didn't start yesterday. so no mention by CNN of the following fascinating facts closely related to this theme: “The case we have against Raul Castro right now (for drug-trafficking) is much stronger than the one we had against Manuel Noriega in 1988.”   (U.S. prosecutors in Florida to the Miami Herald, July 1996.) “Federal prosecutors in Miami were prepared to indict Raul Castro as the head of a major cocaine smuggling conspiracy in 1993,   but the Clinton Administration Justice Department overruled them, current and former Justice Department officials tell ABC News…”It was a major investiga...

Senator Ryan is completely off the reservation with his pressuring DHS Secretary to approve more H-2B workers - non-agricultural, blue-collar jobs. The program already allowed 60K visas a year. Now, they've added 15K more to that limit. HELL, No! We already have enough blue-collar workers that are unemployed. We don't need to import more to put Americans out of work. Alert to: Your Congressperson (you can do a search on the link by your address) Your Senator The White House and, what the heck, DHS Give 'em ALL hell. Share

The fraudsters that the Office of Inspector General - HHS - is looking for have a remarkable similarity. They are MOSTLY foreigners. Corrected for inaccuracy. Note, however, how many fled to other countries to avoid prosecution. See here, and read their stories. Share

I was wandering around the Web working VERY hard on important stuff, when I found this speech. I was struck by the thought that it could very well have been given at the last national conventions, without much change. The hysteria about "Draining the Swamp" is overblown. MOST of the federal government's staff jobs could easily be eliminated, in EVERY department - yes, even Defense. To learn more about staff jobs, and why they are less essential, read here. Share

I was directed to a video of someone allegedly being thrown down a flight of stairs. The alleged perp? White. The alleged vic? Black. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm not DEFINITELY seeing this guy pushing her down the stairs. It looks like it COULD have been him trying to steady her, and - even trying to stop her fall. His hand on her arm does not look like it would leave bruises. As I watched it, it did look as though his hand was not in contact when she started falling. It looked more like he was trying to stop her fall at that point. Watch it here.  Post in the comments what you see (not what you THINK is happening, but what you can actually SEE). She admits she was resisting:  this guy was extremely emotional... I asked him why he was being so emotional, we are leaving.' Ms Nkumbi said the man then became 'verbally abusive' and said 'you need to leave now, this is not Africa'.  The filmmaker said when she tried to leave, her attacker 'could...

Once again, the ZMan has dissected some facet of modern life that has been puzzling me, and, I'll bet, you, as well (how's that for correct, and complicated, use of commas?). My bolding below: "One of the themes here is that the American Left is a different thing from the European Left in that it was not born out of the French Revolution. It was born out of the English Civil War and the religious radicalism of the prior century. American Progressives are the spiritual children of the Puritans and Public Protestantism. Their primary motivation is communal salvation. To that end, their focus is on rooting out sin and naming the sinner, rather than the material egalitarianism we associate with the European Left." Go here for the post. Share

Part I  - Lays the groundwork for everything that follows. Part II " The great innovation Americans brought to war fighting is the prioritization of training over discipline. Put another way, the prioritization of  what  gets done over  how  it gets done. Soldiers and officers are encouraged to be creative in their problem solving and be mission focused."   That innovation permeates most areas of American life, giving America the reputation of being a country of creative individuals. Which some are, but, for many, it's an artifact of a country whose systems are constructed to maximize individual's improvisational gifts. Part III " The American domestic conflicts of the current age are unique in human history in that they are entirely  caused  by social reformers. In prior ages, reformers sprung up when there was a need for actual reform. Social conditions demanded changes so that the people could attain a higher degree of peace and prosper...

Oh, yeah. Another 'expert' who, in condescending terms, 'explains' the REAL reason that Trump is popular with the hoi polloi. Wanna make a guess? Did you guess that it's because ALL Trump supporters are not that bright, and very easily led by a charismatic ignoramous? Is it because these numbskulls really NEED someone to tell them what to think? Bingo! You guessed it. That's what that 'expert' concludes. No research, of course. Just his beliefs. News Flash, not-so expert pundits - there are many myths about them, and most of the myths are wrong. In six of the statewide GOP exit polls so far, Trump was the most popular candidate among college-educated voters.   Share

Foreign service officers based in foreign countries are necessary - which is why these cuts aren't affecting their hiring/posting. Staff positions are the key area any re-organization targets (Oooh, that's a trigger word!). Modern business practices aim to reduce - to the bone - staff positions. What, for those who didn't have any business experience/coursework, as staff positions? Those positions whose function is to support the actual working individuals - in this case, those serving overseas in embassies. Everybody else has to justify their position based on the demands of the CORE functions. Creating/influencing policy is NOT one of those core functions. Share

This one is just for fun - for the LoTR Fans. I have to agree with most of this.  Folks, you really have to read - or, re-read - 1984. The consequences of putting up with blatant falsehoods is spiritual death. We must re-take our American Right to speak the truth, and to hell with the consequences. Victor Davis Hanson hits it out of the park again.  I don't always agree with him - or, anyone, for that matter - but this piece, about pontificating out of you knowledge zone, is priceless. I'm distinctly NOT a person of philosophical inclinations. In college, my constant refrain was, "Yeah, but how does that work in the real world?" I have always preferred the practical to the theoretical. However, with the extra time afforded me by my recent retirement, I've started to learn more about philosophy, particularly that of economists. Go here for a cogent explanation of the early Marxist years, and how they have affected today's world. This situation , with ...

Many of the Boomer Generation consider the protestors of the 1960's and 1970's to have been operating from the loftiest principles - Freedom, Justice, and Love. I'd suggest you read this synopsis of the times. I remember some of this (amazingly, a lot of this, I had forgotten - blame the need to make a living). I did check out a few of the less familiar incidents/persons - the general consensus is that the FACTS are correct. Some may disagree with the point of view. It was Culture War I. Full Disclosure: I'd either forgotten, or never knew, about the activities of the FALN - the Puerto Rican terrorists, that were funded by the Episcopal Church. Yes, the Episcopal Church. Kind of puts that release of the Puerto Rican terrorist freed by Barack Obama , into context, doesn't it? The whole thing is long, but important. Make sure you get to the end, where he writes about likely tactics and strategies in the future. If you notice who Lefties really tend to g...

Status 451 has a thought-provoking post.  His point of view is one that is often missed, as he writes from the POV of a Project Engineer. Is it OK to 'out' someone with whom you disagree, given that their lifestyle is repellant to you? This is a tremendous story, about someone who was clearly out to 'get' this person, apparently because they disagreed with him in a private organization (one of the tech conferences). There was NO evidence that he was anti-woman, but that wasn't sufficient for this person to use duplicity to make his life as close to hellish as possible. Here's another analysis of the above situation , and how/why it occurs. Fascinating insight into the minds of people who are operating under different principles that you. Why do so many organizations operate like medieval communities confronting dissident behavior? By that, I mean - shaming, shunning, forcing public confession, penances, etc. Wonder no more. Here's another take on t...