H2O Man
H2O Man's JournalMedia 2.5
If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing. -- Malcolm X
The Washington Post: Part 9
Yesterday, after coordinating with my cousin to work in the county seat and two villages to get out the vote, I was tired. This old bag of bones can't put in as many hours a day as I could, say, a mere 40 years ago. So I was wishing I was young and strong enough to do more.
Suddenly, and without warning, the dog started barking with wild abdomen, as she always does the very few times a vehicle pulls up my long driveway. She is convinced that anyone and everyone who stops is here to play with her. But it was a young lady, I would guess college-aged, with some campaign stuff in her left hand.
She was going around encouraging Democrats to get out the vote. She said that this was the third county in rural, upstate New York that she has been working in today. We agreed that it is essential that we win in November.
I thanked her for her work, and said that we will win because of her effort.
My Hometown
"Every Bombed Village is my Hometown."
by James Baldwin
"And every dead child is my child.
Every grieving mother is my mother.
Every crying father is my father.
Every home turned to rubble
is the home I grew up in.
Every brother carrying the remains
of his brother across borders
is my brother.
Every sister waiting for a sister
who will never come home
is my sister.
Every one of these people are ours,
just like we are theirs.
We belong to them
and they belong to us."
In the past 24 hours, I have listened to an extended family member who is furious with his siblings' greed as they settle their parents' estate; wonderful friends despairing the thought of the felon "winning" the election; a psychologist that used to be a co-worker nauseated by maga christian nationalists who have managed to mange the teachings of Jesus; and read comments by some people I once knew, on facebook, resulting in the first verse of Zimmerman's "Slow Train" to play in my mind; and I just got off the phone after taking a Public Policy poll.
While I am 100% confident that VP Harris will win the upcoming election -- despite organized efforts by republicans to steal it in several states -- I do have concerns about the post-election environment. For winning the election alone will not, and simply can not, resolve the diseases of anxiety, fear, hatred, and violence that will still saturate our society in 2025.
In the past 24 hours, I have been thinking a lot about this. Those ideas were in large part expressed in the above work of the late James Baldwin, which appeared like magic on facebook this morning. I was introduced to Baldwin's writings long ago, while I was in junior high school, by my English teacher. Half a century later, I encountered her at a neighbor's picnic. She approached me and said that while she couldn't remember my name, I had impressed her as the only 8th grader who "got" Baldwin. So when my Good Friend Lisa posted this on facebook, I said I needed to borrow it.
Until the day that many more Good People grasp exactly what Baldwin was saying, our society cannot reach Higher Ground.
H2O Man
The McColi
https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/outbreaks/e-coli-O157.htmlI do not believe in "coincidence."
Positive Vibrations
"When one gazes upon the psychopath, there is less there than meets the eye."
J. Reid Meloy; 2001
Dr. Reid Meloy was the top student of Dr. Robert Hare, who created the Psychopathy Checklist in the 1970s. Meloy served as the prosecution's expert withness in numerous high-profile cases such as Richard Allen Davis's for murdering Polly Klass. I was thinking of some of his writings the other day, when I wrote my last OP.
(That OP was only read by three people, two where begging didn't work, so I had to promise to pay them. The checks are bouncing through the mail now. However, likely only college students are studying Meloy's study on the number of sociopaths drawn to become ministers. I'd think it is about the same with politics. When a sociopath is worshipped like the felon, by a large number of his suporters, it poses a severe threat to society.)
Now let us gaze upon the sociopathic felon currently running for president. There is less to him than meets the mind's eye. Of course, there is the nonsense, intended only to distract. Things like his serving the Arnold Whopper w/tiny mushroom at McDonalds. Other than that, to attract voters, he is limited to lies to induce fears and hatreds.
While he does that dance, his campaign -- both foreign and domestic -- will step up in their attempts to create doubt among those who support the Harris/ Walz ticket. Doubt. That's all they've got. Don't fall for that shit. Because without a doubt, we will win. So if you either see or feel a shadow of a doubt creeping about, listen to this song as needed:
Projection & Cults
" I mean, what is racism? Racism is a projection of our own fears onto another person. What is sexism? It's our own vulnerability about our potency and masculinity projected as our need to subjugate another person, right? Fascism, the same thing: People are trying to untidy our state, so I legislate as a way of controlling my environment." -- Gary Ross
I think the above quote serves as a good description of why so many previously sane people have joined the maga cult. The key word, in my opinion, is "projection." Let's do a quick review of the ways in which "projection" is understood in the field of psychology, shall we?
It was Freud who first used the term in 1895, to describe a defensive method for avoiding having to confront one's own shame. Jung would then apply it as a way to deal with fear. In many cases, people are prone to projecting archetypal concepts upon the unknown. This is an effort to create a more organized, predictable world -- at least in their minds.
In more recent years, projection is understood to have benefits, not limited to being a purely defensive mechanism. Students of Joseph Campbell on mythology and religion have learned this. Campbell told a story that I will attempt to tie in later here ..... he was approached by a smiling, long-haired young fellow, who told him that he was Jesus. The story had to do with a talk on schizophrenia. From this, I will say that it is important to recognize that an individual's personality characteristics how they are prone to project. (Also, from the era of the setting, I've long wondered if the youth might have been a college student who was taking LSD.)
When we consider a person's personality characteristics, an important feature is their "locus of control." This has to do with one's confidence that they can exert control over many or most life circumstances. Obviously, no one can control everything, as evidenced by hurricanes to other people's illness or death, or to a relationship with a partner/spouse. But one can control to how they respond to life's events.
Those with an external locus are convinced they have little ability to influence or control events in their lives. They are sure they are victims of circumstance in most every area of their daily life. Thus, rather than responding to life, they are limited to reacting in an Eeyore fashion. We need not concentrate on them here today.
The other extreme is known as narcissistic personality disorder. This is a feature found in, for example, the sociopathic felon on the republican ticket. We know he thinks he can will things into being. Thus, he thought he could steal the 2020 election. Fortunately, Jack Smith is working to convince him otherwise.
Most people have a locus of control somewhere in the center. Mature adults tend to know both what they are capable of, as well as their limitations. However, when their life circumstances change in ways beyond their control, over a period of years or decades, their locus often shifts. And often that is a negative.
Let's consider a sub-group in American society. Any one will do. Let's go with white men, who have had racist and sexist beliefs. Believe it or not, they do exist. A number of things cause anxiety for them, including the price of groceries and gasoline. Suddenly, not only are they angry that they see a gay couple on television, or an increase in non-white people living in their once white-as-a-klansman's-sheet community ..... but the Democratic Party is running a black woman for president.
The best example of negative projection is that they identify the sociopathic felon as their super hero. He represents all they want to do and be. In their minds, he is their "perfected self." Thus, this summer, when a reporter questioned some white christian nationalist, they said they liked the felon more than Jesus, who they called "weak."
When we look at followers of various religious faiths, we find the same type of projection. Thus, we find as many versions of Jesus -- not the historical figure, a rabbi who taught guidelines for individual spiritual growth (or, for college freshmen, not the one who didn't exist) -- but the one found in the gospels and stained-glass windows. The one who laid down strict rules, but forgives your every sin. He, too, is a person's projection of their "perfected self."
I hope this provides some insight on why so many people join cults. And on why it is so important that we crush the largest and most dangerous cult in America today.
Poll/ Survey
Hello:
Today I would like to take what some might call a poll, and others a survey. As always when I attempt to do so, there is no "right" or "wrong" answer.
1: do you trust the polling being reported on the Harris vs felon contest?
2: Have you been called to answer questions about who you plan to vote for in the upcoming elections (including Senate, House, and/or local elections?
3: If so, were you called on a land line or cell phone?
4: Approximately how many people do you know that have been called to take a poll?
5: Have you voted yet?
Thank you to any/all that respond.
H2O Man
On the Federal Courts
" Mr. Sessions' conduct as a U.S. Attorney, from his politically-motivated voting fraud prosecutions to his indifference towards criminal violations of civil rights laws , indicated that he lacks the temperament, fairness, and judgment to be a federal judge."
-- Coretta Scott King
Many forum members will recall Sessions from his serving as the felon's Attorney General until he resigned in November of 2018. My favorite memory of this period is found on the below film clip, where Al Franken was questioning Jeff:
It came as no surprise that Sessons was a liar, for his history was filled with dishonesty. In 1986, his willingness to serve as a racist scumbag led Ronald Reagan to nominate him for the federal bench. Mrs. King wrote a detailed letter to the Judiciary Committee, in which she noted, along with the above quote, that, "Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters."
Four DOJ lawyers who had served with Sessions testified that he frequently used racially offensive comments. He called one of them "boy," and said he thought the KKK was okay until he learned they smoked pot. The Committe then voted 10 to 8 against sending his nomination to the full Senate.
Note: In what was clearly a case of retaliation, one of the US attornies who testified against Sessions was charged in 1992 for "attempting to bribe a witness." Sessions was the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama at the time of the prosecution. The black attorney, was acquitted. He said he knew Sessions was behind the false charge.
I say this in part to remind people that Sessions was considered one of the "guardrails" in the felon's administration. Also, to focus on the type of weasels that the felon put on the federal bench in his first term. The felon owed his election victory in large part to the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society, two pits of christian nationalist conservative groups. Their agenda was to place as many of their ilk onto the federal benches as possible. They had two individuals who would assist the felon in promoting these groups' choices.
The first was Sessions, and the second was Mitch McConnell. They began to put their agenda in motion shortly after McConnell had blocked President Obama's USSC nominee Merrick Garland. Both Sessions -- for less time, of course -- and McConnell worked with the felon even after coming to despise him. We know the felon was able to pack the USSC with ultra conservative christian zealots. It is essential to recognize he also appoint the same types at other levels, including Aileen Cannon at the trial level. But there was much more of a focus on stacking the mid-level of federal appeals courts.
I've said all of that, to say this: It's three weeks until the election. There is a heck of a lot at stake. The White House, Senate, and House, of course. But also the federal courts. So keep your eyes on the prize, and do your best to elect Democrats.
Thank you!
H2O Man
For the Win
"Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win." -- Bernadette Devlin
Four years ago, I was invited to participate in an internet group of people who were -- and still are -- opposed to the felon. At that time, I was the first male in the group, though now it is about 20% male. Yesterday, a number of that forum's members expressed anxiety over VP Harris's chances of winning the election. This included both female and male members, as did the responses that expressed confidence in victory.
I think that it is normal to be nervous. As Cus D'Amato pointed out, both the hero and the coward feel the same nervous feelings before going into a fight. That nervousness is like a fire. The hero uses the fire to heat their house, while the coward is consumed by the flames. I suppose that it is fair to say that I am neither a hero or a coward, as I do not feel "nervous" about many things in life, including this election.
Friends on that forum were focused on polls. In 2016, of course, Democrats were confident that Clinton would soundly defeat the felon, based upon polls. Four years ago, many of the same friends on that forum were nervous about Biden's chances of victory -- due to polls. There, like here on DU, I said Joe would win by 7 million votes.
I think of polls as generally being about as accurate as television commercials for what McDonald's suggests is food. Perhaps this is due to my father's teaching me to keep track of numbers from elections back wen I was a young teenager. Use that plus the political climate -- is it much the same, or has there been a change in the direction the winds are blowing -- to determine which candidate will likely win. This formula has value in every election contest, from local to presidential.
There were three factors in our 2016 loss that do not get the attention that they deserve. This is because emotions tend to countermand reasoning. However, in 2016, a surprising number of white women, for a variety of reasons, voted for the felon. Second, black women, who I consider the most important sub-group in our party, sat out the election in significant large numbers. The third factor was that young voters, as happens from time to time, tended to not feel connected to voting in large numbers for the candidate who actually represented their best interests.
I am not suggesting that Hillary Clinton was responsible for these things. I do think that her campaign failed her, largely due to over-confidence. I think they were convinced that traditional republicans would not vote for a maniac ...... proving that they were unfamiliar with my father's teaching that republican voters are human sheep that vote for who they are told to. I'll remind people that Liz Cheney voted for the felon in both 2016 and, more importantly, 2020.
I think that the Harris campaign is doing a much better job than was done in 2016. Again, I am not comparing our party's candidates in the contests, just the campaign. I do not see overconfidence on the Harris campaign's part, for example. More, the winds took a strong change in direction when the christian-right majority on the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Add to this the felon's madness has become more concentrated, and thus less appealing to independents. And to top it off, young female voters -- including those too young to have voted in 2020 -- will be voting in significantly high numbers this time.
The electoral college is obviously a factor. And so is the organized republican to help the felon "win" in several states. But when we look at numbers, starting in 2018, through 2020 and even 2022, the republicans have not done as well as they anticipated. Because the felon is a ball & chain on their party.
In 2020, I said that Joe Biden would win by 7 million vote. In 2024, I anticipate that VP Harris will win by 9 million.
Life with the Liars
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Like yourself, I find some of the outright lies being spread in the final weeks of the campaign season being repeated by people who really should know better to be curious. It does not surprise me, of course, to see some of those I went to high school with parroting mis- and disinformation, because I never mistook them for capable of grasping even junior high level science or social studies. But seeing two masters degree level former co-workers spreading nonsense is stunning.
In evaluating and comparing the less intelligent and intelligent people's comments, one glaring similarity stood out. In every case, they were reacting to the republican campaign to inject outrage in order to prevent rational thought. They know that negative emotions come from parts of the brain that block the conscious mind's ability to use logic.
I had considered writing a long and boring essay on brain functions -- indeed, even longer and more tedious than my usual posts. But I was thinking that the sum total of ignorant and stupid people supporting the felon is not enough to make the polls close in most regions of the country. So I decided to simply post a link of where emotions come from, which is a fascinating article, and the focus on the other supporters of the felon.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8228195/
Besides the usual strain of felong supporters, there are at least three other sub-groups. Let's take a brief look at them. First would be christian nationalists, an almost exclusively white population. They are motivated to support the felon, not so much out of outrage, but because they want him to continue to stack the federal courts with Heritage Foundation approved zealots. These people are not stupid in the classic sense of the word. They are, however, upset by the very idea of women enjoying sex and having the ability to make health care choices. (Note: No republican woman alive today has had an orgasm.)
The next group are those in control of corporations. They support the felon, not because they like him as a person, but because they anticipate his ending environmental regulations. They are not concerned about the severe damage they do to the land, air, and water.
The third group is comprised of those of the ilk of Steve Bannon. They want to destroy constitutional government, and impose a now version of the feudalism found in Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries.
There is, obviously, overlap between the three groups. But they are largely distinct from the herd of outraged human bovines that we tend to hear squawking oh so loudly at present. It is important that we are aware that they are manipulating and leading the maga types.
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Member since: Mon Dec 29, 2003, 08:49 PMNumber of posts: 75,202