Monday, April 23, 2018

Earth Day - by George Carlin

STILL a great comedy rant. Carlin NAILS the self-important Leftists/Liberals/Progressives that stress over the things they can't directly control.

And, who find ways to PUNISH those whose activities - just everyday, normal activities - threaten to impact, even a little, their Lordly, Elitist desire to Live Like Kings.

With a special road - a bike path - on which NONE of the peasants will be permitted to travel.

Oh, sure, they won't ACTIVELY discriminate - but, this is NOT a place meant for the average person. The people who use these amenities dress in special (quite expensive) clothes, ride very pricey equipment, and have the ability to clean up before heading into work.

Unlike the proles.



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Friday, April 20, 2018

Waco Revisited

Where was I during the Clinton Years?

Asleep? Too busy?

Or, just Deeply Into the Matrix?

I either didn't follow this story closely, or bought into the Clinton Spin. Looking back, I'm amazed that I didn't see what, now, appears obvious.

The Clinton Justice Dept. Committed multiple violations of Constitutional Privilege, caused the deaths of 76 people, then blamed the dead for it.

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Sunday, April 15, 2018

Stop ALL Special Prosecutors

If the Justice Dept. will not go after people for political reasons, maybe they SHOULDN'T be doing it.

Link to Scooter Libby's Pardon - read WHY it was a bogus prosecution, andonly occurred due to prosecutorial misconduct.

BTW, the person appointing the Special Prosecutor was:

Picture from the Washington Times


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Monday, April 09, 2018

Big Daddy Facebook - and Little Brothers, Google/Alphabet/Youtube

I've been decreasing my use of Facebook's sign-ins. In some cases, it's made it impossible to post comments (think of it - if you won't agree to share all of your data, connections, and commentary from Facebook, you can't participate in the conversation on many sites). It's a powerful argument for switching to reading the independent bloggers.

Bigger is NOT better.

Zuckerberg has been negotiating to get his paws - "get your stinking paws off me" - on our medical data. Despite HPPA restrictions. Without our express consent.


Yeah, count me among the many who identify with the human fighting against the overload apes. We object to being treating like animals.



Guys, we really have to start preparing for the likelihood that our only recourse will be to disconnect from social media entirely. There are alternative sites (Gab, Google+), but - they have the same problem.

The businesses that are 'letting' us use them for 'free' are getting their pound of flesh by harvesting our data and selling it.

Most of those reading this blog will be profoundly uncomfortable with that thought. I know that I am.

The only sensible response is to take some control back. Either set up your own restricted social media - privately controlled blog of some sort - or, use other means to share pictures and videos with family and friends.

The site at the link above - Family Belle - is easy to use. IF limited to sharing pictures and general information, it might work for the non-tech types. Or those with little time to spare to handle admin duties.

Other than that, setting up your own, personally controlled blog, with a hosting company that you trust, and paying for that service, might be your only recourse.

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Tuesday, April 03, 2018

The Crucifixion and Resurrection

Last night, I watched the rebooted Jesus Christ, Superstar!

Here's what one of the critics (Variety) said:
This musical threw together glitter, sequins, leather, writhing hotties, a few big performances pitched to the last row, and camerawork that often felt as though it was hopped up on too many lattes. Actually, the ragged edges of a unifying concept did emerge over the course of the NBC musical’s two-hour-and-20-minute running time: If that philosophy could be summed up in one word, “excess” would just about cover it.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. But this live show was a lot.
I have to agree. It was too much emphasis on production, glitz, show-stopping performances (not that they were technically that great, for the most part - the voices were often drowned by the music), and a frenzied amping up the pace with gyrating dancers whenever possible.

The singer playing Mary Magdalene was fine - not quite up to the original, but fine. It was the staging that disturbed me. Her hands were all over the Christ - caressing, wandering into spaces that hands should not, overly seductive and inappropriate. At one point, Jesus lays down for some sleep, and Mary caresses the length of him, seemingly fondling him to a sated state.

Not only weird, but - wrong, just wrong.

Jesus, as played by John Legend, had an acceptable voice. He was miked, as were all the cast (I remember those Broadway days when singers could PROJECT!). Too many of the casts' songs were drowned out by a too-loud orchestra, even with the technical assist.

It was his interpretation of Jesus that I questioned. He seemed to display puzzlement at all the events of Passion Week - hadn't he been the Master Planner, and not just a passive Follower of Whatever Happened? You couldn't' tell from his expression.

He did not seem to be in control of his followers, either. Instead, he ineffectually pleaded with them to get along. Come on, man! Show some spine! Jesus, despite his 70's image, was not some Ghandi-like believer in passivity. He acted. He defied. He lead.

Did I like it? I wouldn't have paid for it. If I had, I'd be in the manager's office, demanding my money back.

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Monday, April 02, 2018

Greatness Forsaken?

I don't enjoy watching most movies or TV shows with kids in them - I mean true children, not teens of at least 16.

In part, that's due to the many child actors that have flamed out - publicly, catastrophically, and, in many cases, irredeemably. Just about every one is filled with anguish for the life they lived - or, rather, the life they DIDN'T live. Again and again, we learn of abuse - physical, emotional, and - too often - sexual.

Even those child professionals that didn't experience those levels of abuse seem to be, in many ways, broken. Just not able to continue in their professional life. Derailed, with chemical abuse and odd behaviors. The ones that were able to function in their adult life are few.

That's one great reason that I resisted putting my daughter into the compacter that is juvenile acting. Even though she begged. Even though my husband, and everyone else, thought that was a great idea.

I just had a strong sense that it would not have ended well for her.

This article tells the story of one of those children in an adult performing world - a gifted violinist, a performer on the professional stage before entering puberty.

Who, upon reaching adulthood, walked away, and went on to live a life without violin.

But, with a family, work that was interesting, and some fascinating hobbies.

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An Open Letter to David Hogg

First, I want to caution people. Don't:
  • Photoshop him into Nazi regalia, or imply that his raised-fist gesture is intended to be evocative of the Nazi salute.
  • Respond with ridicule or shaming - he is, after all, just a kid, and one who likely is still suffering the aftereffects of having been in near-proximity to a horrific atrocity.
  • Engage on his level - yes, his rhetoric is overblown, his speech is both impassioned and - often - over-the-top. Keep in mind - YOU are the adult. It is up to you to model adult behavior.
Having said that, I would also say - do NOT apologize to the whiny little brat for any "pain" you might have "caused".

He hurts?

So what?


If you're LIVING, you're gonna experience some pain in life. NO ONE is exempt. And, NO ONE'S experience gives them a pass on behaving decently - which, actively working to TAKE AWAY SOMEBODY'S LIVING is NOT.

Now - what would I like him to hear?
  1. Those that disagree with you, David, are NOT "Child murderers" anxious to see people die. That's wrong to say, and you should fairly be reprimanded for stating such a thing. You really need to start ratcheting back the emotional, overstated speech. May I suggest, instead:
    1. Find 3 main points you want to make (Three works. More than that at a time, and none of your points get across).
    2. Make those points as unemotionally as you can. I know, it's tough to keep it down. You keep tearing up and getting a lump in your throat (contrary to what people say, real men DO cry). It helps if you practice the speech until you can deliver it without getting choked up.
    3. Watch the language - you will alienate many people who might otherwise support you, if you say things like "When your old-ass parent is like, ‘I don’t know how to send an iMessage,’ and you’re just like, ‘Give me the fucking phone and let me handle it.’ Sadly, that’s what we have to do with our government; our parents don’t know how to use a fucking democracy, so we have to". It's demeaning. It's beneath you. It ignores the face that parents may not have command of every feature of their cells, but they have expertise in other things. What mastering the cell means is that you have a LOT of time to do so - something many adults cannot do, because they use those hours to put a roof over their kids' heads.
    4. Detach from the activist group as much as you can. Give yourself some downtime. Shoot a few basketballs, play a video game. The cause will be there when you return. However, if you keep at it without a break, you WILL burn out. That means that your plan to drop school and focus on activism is NOT A GOOD IDEA.
    5. Don't become known just for this one event. You want to have a career in broadcasting; you clearly have some talent. Work on projects NOT associated with the shooting. You don't want to be a one-trick pony.
  2. Spend some time learning about the other side. Meet some NRA members, individually, or in small groups. Talk to them about why they feel it important to own guns. Talk to those who oppose gun control on Constitutional grounds, and find out what their arguments are.
  3. Don't go on camera again until you can repeat the opposition arguments, and back them up with some evidence. Only then can you begin the process of rebuttal. Otherwise, you're slinging words against an imaginary enemy. Not effective, nor fair. They are the political opposition, not the Evil Child-Hating Enemy.
  4. Find out more about the people who are supporting you. Where do they get their money? What is their background? Who pays for their mortgage? Can they verify what they say with some evidence?
I hope you take some of this advice. I may oppose some of your positions, but I truly want you to do well in life. Unfortunately, those who blindly follow the activist Left seldom do.

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Sunday, April 01, 2018

When You Think of Demagogues - Is THIS Your Conception?

I've seen preachers and ministers all my life, from the staidly bland who gently sent their congregations to the Land of Nod, to the 'groovy' priests of the 70's, and, even, Ernest Angley, who my husband would sometimes watch in a kind of dumbfounded fascination of his appeal.

Of course, it helped that my husband was usually drinking during those rather strange session. Trust me, alcohol helps.

We're seeing another evangelizer arise. He is young, telegenic, and fervently eager for his audience to achieve transcendence. They just have to re-Tweet his thoughts, jump onto a torch-and-pitchfork march on dissenters and supporters of his chosen 'Devil', and donate their bodies to various marches and their money to his shadowy financial backers.

Here is our current manifestation of Elmer Gantry, passionately denouncing sin (wrong-think), evil (supporting Constitutional Rights), and child-murder (not ACTUAL child-murder, such as abortion, but opposition to citizen's disarmament - which might have PREVENTED murder).


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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...