December 30, 2011

If you're using just that quote to interpret support for Paul your argument is not convincing.

"Ron Paul is far and away the most anti-war, anti-Surveillance-State, anti-crony-capitalism, and anti-drug-war presidential candidate in either party."

I agree with those assertions and I sure as shit don't support Ron Paul. This is another example of selective reading on your part, MineralMan. Taken on its face, those four points speak for themselves...but what they don't do is expound further. That's what you're doing: Filling a void with conjecture.

For instance, take the hypothetical sentence "The dictator was very effective." Selectively read, one could jump to the conclusion that it implies support even more than that rather dry quote you provided. But it doesn't. It's merely asserting that an observation, just like the quote you posted.

Another example, a real-example from 9/11 news coverage- though the quote I use is slightly paraphrased. An article proclaimed "Hijackers ram airplanes into World Trade Centers in spectacular attack!". Again, selectively reading and jumping to conclusions based on the use of the word "spectacular" one could wrongly infer that the attack was positively viewed by whomever wrote the story- which clearly wasn't the case.

Greenwald is merely stating what he believes to be fact. Again, I completely agree with the sentence's assertion as would a large percentage of Americans across the political spectrum.

What the quote doesn't do- and what you fabricate is the nonexistent "And that's why you should vote Ron Paul."

That's your inferrence, not Greenwald's statement. If you view information with that kind of filter, you're going to be doing a hell of a lot of shadowboxing both here and in real life.

PB

December 28, 2011

I was really hoping the bolts would give way and his coffin would slide off the car, torpedo...

...across the icy road until it knocked over the a group of generals like ten pins at Firs Bowl.

If I was the only one, the rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves.

PB

December 19, 2011

NOTE: Be sure NOT to miss this video of weeping crowds on Kim Jong-il's passing!

It's a great reminder of why totalitarian regimes suck.

Everyone you see in this video is either acting out of fear for their lives or because they have been brainwashed as have generations of North Koreans before them.

I was thinking about it this morning and from everything I've seen or read a German under Hitler's Nazi rule could probably still express acres of dissent more than a North Korean living under Kim Jong-il. The national hysteria over Jong-il or his father is much more reminiscent of the psychology of Jonestown, IMO.

Or, put Orwell's way, this is a taste of what that boot looks like, stamping on a face forever:

PB

December 15, 2011

An unsettling realization about Ron Paul:

It seems to me, the reason why Ron Paul gets play in both conservative and liberal circles is because he is one of the few politicians who will absolutely tell the unadulterated, unvarnished truth about such issues as the failure of the Iraq War, our military adventurism in general and the real reason why Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11- which, by the way, is the reason bin Laden/Al Quaeda said they attacked us. Not the "We must destroy them because of their bluejeans and freedom!" bullshit.

The majority of his ideas are odious to say the least but the fact that he will plainly speak about some matters which few politicians in Washington have the political guts to causes him to receive otherwise undue interest from voters.

Here's the kicker: In a politically healthy America, an asshole like Ron Paul would be lucky to get his ass voted into a position as a state senator but because there is so much wool-pulling going on in Washington, anyone who is actually calling a spade a spade about such major issues as I stated in the first paragraph gets the attention of voters as someone who allegedly "has a clue" and has the strength to be bold.

What they mostly don't get is he has some absolutely uncontroversially correct ideas and a whole boatload of less-explored, extremely sickening ones.

Ron Paul only floats to the top like this because the people who should be making the same bold statements about the state of things are too fucking afraid to. Voters know they're being lied to on a wide range of issues and they naturally turn to voices they think are telling the truth.

Ron Paul is a cancer which grows in political environments like ours. If we had a politically healthier country, his kind (I guarantee you) would never get the kind of attention he has. Ever. Popularity of him or his ideas is a symptom of an overwhelming dysfunctional political system in America and an America desperate for someone they view as a truth-teller, proponent.

And more like him are enthusiastically marching from Mordor every day.

I'm not so worried about him and his kind this year or next year. I'm worried about how many desperate American eyes and hungry American bellies will start to see such ideas and philosophies as "reasonable" in the next decade as this country continues to tumble down the mountain.

The way to stop that fungus from growing is to hold our politicians, our government, accountable now, today.

PB

December 15, 2011

NYT: Nearly 1 in 5 Women in U.S. Survey Say They Have Been Sexually Assaulted

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/health/nearly-1-in-5-women-in-us-survey-report-sexual-assault.html



I am almost 40 and I'm a white male and I'm not surprised by these statistics at all. I also won't be surprised when a week, two weeks, a month goes by and these horrifying statistics quietly slip beneath the waves of social consciousness.

One in five, raped.

One in four, beaten.

One in six, stalked.

That's everywhere around you, dear reader. That's everywhere around you nomatter what corner of America you inhabit. An informal conspiracy of societal complacency.

PB