I believe in open borders. I believe our country has been made great by the concept of open borders. I know I'm right. The evidence is all around us from sea to shining sea.
I'm an American. I don't admit of fear, nor apprehension or hesitation. The majority of us are that way.
Our founding documents do not say, "All Americans." They do say "All men." Some sort of citizenship is not a precondition to all of our inalienable rights. But if you will insist, I have a question for you.
Exactly what the fuck have any of you ever done to earn your "citizenship" except to be dumb shit lucky enough to be born here? What deserts have you crossed, what rivers have you forded holding your children? What uniformed authorities have you confronted? Don't bother telling me about your military service. Lately, we've been deporting not just veterans but disabled veterans. I can't imagine what genius came up with that but there it is. If that doesn't tell you the entire idea of exclusion is bullshit there's just no point in talking to you. You can stop reading now. This is too advanced for your brand of citizenship.
Lately, I've been reading about what people go thru to appear at our southern border with their children or just by themselves. I highly recommend that reading. These people are not murderers or drug dealers or gang members. Nor are they any member of some class infesting us in some racist wet dream. To say that from the greatest pulpit in the country is shameful on an order that can't be adequately described. It certainly can't be adequately condemned.
The truth is, just one of these individuals, families, mothers or children is worth 10 of those who would pervert our national promise and values.
So, exactly, what have you ever done?
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Obscurity and Absurdity
This is an incredibly busy society and culture and a lot goes on that just isn't noticed much or it just wouldn't go on. Sometimes, if you have your profitable little niche, keeping a low profile might be a good idea. If you're in the entertainment industry that might seem counter-intuitive. You wouldn't think there could be such a thing as 'too much attention' but there is. The idea of 'say whatever you want about me, just spell my name right' only goes so far.
I think the "Duck Dynasty" guys are a good example. Here they were, laboring on in relative obscurity. The average person was pretty much indifferent to them. In terms of the overall market, their record cable numbers were paltry but they did manage to generate hundreds of millions in ad revenues. Then one of these guys emerged in the mainstream media and said some outrageous shit. They spelled his name right. The content of his remarks didn't matter. The attention did. People associated his name and the name of the show with the network and started just skipping past the network, in total, in the endless surfing, in general because of that negative connotation. Absurdity.
It's thought the show was dropped like a hot potato for some bullshit, PC reason. Nah, they saw the numbers and realized the objectionable bullshit was a poison pill that had generated too much of the wrong attention. So much of what we are tempted to see as politics is just the simple operation of capital. Ahem. Back to capitalism.
Laura Ingraham is kind of having the same problem. Until recently, it's safe to assume not many had the slightest idea who she is. She's kind of a poor man's Ann Coulter. If you have a rudimentary education her brand of fallacious, circular reasoning is, patently absurd. The problem she's having is people are beginning to associate and identify those who advertise on her show with her less than attractive message.
I'm beginning to think this is the dynamic at work in bi-annual elections. Rather than motivating dissatisfaction the people in power are probably just attracting too much attention. It's pretty easy to make the case that the average political message, no matter the source, doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. It's the republican's bad luck their message is being increasingly identified with crying children and bankers lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills. That could be a little hard to overcome.
I think the "Duck Dynasty" guys are a good example. Here they were, laboring on in relative obscurity. The average person was pretty much indifferent to them. In terms of the overall market, their record cable numbers were paltry but they did manage to generate hundreds of millions in ad revenues. Then one of these guys emerged in the mainstream media and said some outrageous shit. They spelled his name right. The content of his remarks didn't matter. The attention did. People associated his name and the name of the show with the network and started just skipping past the network, in total, in the endless surfing, in general because of that negative connotation. Absurdity.
It's thought the show was dropped like a hot potato for some bullshit, PC reason. Nah, they saw the numbers and realized the objectionable bullshit was a poison pill that had generated too much of the wrong attention. So much of what we are tempted to see as politics is just the simple operation of capital. Ahem. Back to capitalism.
Laura Ingraham is kind of having the same problem. Until recently, it's safe to assume not many had the slightest idea who she is. She's kind of a poor man's Ann Coulter. If you have a rudimentary education her brand of fallacious, circular reasoning is, patently absurd. The problem she's having is people are beginning to associate and identify those who advertise on her show with her less than attractive message.
I'm beginning to think this is the dynamic at work in bi-annual elections. Rather than motivating dissatisfaction the people in power are probably just attracting too much attention. It's pretty easy to make the case that the average political message, no matter the source, doesn't stand up to much scrutiny. It's the republican's bad luck their message is being increasingly identified with crying children and bankers lighting cigars with hundred dollar bills. That could be a little hard to overcome.
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Colin Kaepernick
It's more complicated than you might think. First off, the elevation of Kaepernick to starter status following Alex Smith's injury was a monumental coaching mistake. Kaepernick was never more than a competent back-up. Alex Smith has proven to be a winner ever since. It was just part of a series of coaching errors that have plagued the 49ers in their free-fall to the cellar-dwelling status they now hold. It happens all the time in professional sports. The NFL is probably the least forgiving and most prone to mistake. The seasons are brief and brutal. There is very little margin for error.
Here's the truth. Kaepernick signed a new contract that paid him just less than 14 million up front. Ever after, his performance wasn't just suspect. He stank up the joint. NFL player/personnel people notice that and avoid those types of players. There was never a chance he would be signed by an elite team based on his performance alone. If you add in his "social" baggage he rendered himself unemployable. Now, his time away from the league probably means the reasonable and understandable end to his NFL career quite apart from any "social" consideration. You would think he would know that. Perhaps he does know that.
As a degenerate gambler and an avid sports fan that ends the sports aspect of this discussion. It would be nice if the discussion stopped there but it hasn't and it's not going to. It would be a good joke if I could say, "Houston, we have a problem." but Houston isn't going to sign him either.
Now, it gets serious. This guy managed to step into some powerful, complex and perhaps, dangerous currents in our society. First, let's deal with misconceptions about NFL players. Maybe the graduation rate isn't as good as it could be but the truth is, these are highly accomplished individuals with great wealth who have had more than a little exposure to a detailed, higher education. If they speak up, people should and do listen. That can be troubling.
There is something going on with the police in this country. Not all police but there is a kind of misled minority that's becoming more and more vocal. I happen to think the widespread abuse of PEDs by law enforcement is a major problem. I think it's a bigger problem in law enforcement than it is in sports and we're seeing that play out. If you add in the constant undercurrent of racism you begin to see the extent of the problem and you can begin to understand what we're seeing.
Then we add in the current appeal to the worst impulses of the least among us. That's not new. We've always had these recurring waves of nativism and 'know nothing-ism' and we've always had those willing to motivate and exploit those waves. The thing that I think is worrisome and perhaps dangerous is the convergence of these things and the unrealistic responses.
Look, it's impossible to look at the cases of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and others and not understand why reasonable people could conclude they were murdered. You can certainly understand why black folks might want to point out Black Lives Matter. They do. How did the backlash become so vociferous? How did these understandable conclusions become conflated with some sort of disloyalty? How the hell did respect for the military get involved in this? There are actually people who want to start a civil war over this. Hell, there are people who think we should have a civil war over the Fed or Windows 10 but this looks a little more serious but it's going nowhere.
It's 50 years since the era of 1968, 69, 70. Major national figures just flat murdered. A guy like Wallace polled 13% of the vote nationwide. We had a record number of policemen murdered for no reason other than they were policemen. The Chicago police literally rioted on national television. We had millions in the streets in direct opposition to and a total disrespect for the military and the government in general. People didn't kneel they stood up and burned the damned colored bits of cloth by the thousands. As Dylan pointed out, it wasn't civil war. Revolution was in the air.
What happened? Well, it was the largest economic enterprise in the world bound together by common goals, common education, common aspirations, common entertainments and occupations. By dint of education and simple decency, we reformed, progressed and excelled. Our international relations were repaired. The malefactors trooped off to jail and for the most part, died in shame. Not much happened nor will it.
So what is wrong? Hell, it's all wrong. Kaepernick will be a hero and a villain for at least a decade but one thing he'll probably never be again is an NFL quarterback.
I hope that clears it up for ya. Enjoy the show.
Here's the truth. Kaepernick signed a new contract that paid him just less than 14 million up front. Ever after, his performance wasn't just suspect. He stank up the joint. NFL player/personnel people notice that and avoid those types of players. There was never a chance he would be signed by an elite team based on his performance alone. If you add in his "social" baggage he rendered himself unemployable. Now, his time away from the league probably means the reasonable and understandable end to his NFL career quite apart from any "social" consideration. You would think he would know that. Perhaps he does know that.
As a degenerate gambler and an avid sports fan that ends the sports aspect of this discussion. It would be nice if the discussion stopped there but it hasn't and it's not going to. It would be a good joke if I could say, "Houston, we have a problem." but Houston isn't going to sign him either.
Now, it gets serious. This guy managed to step into some powerful, complex and perhaps, dangerous currents in our society. First, let's deal with misconceptions about NFL players. Maybe the graduation rate isn't as good as it could be but the truth is, these are highly accomplished individuals with great wealth who have had more than a little exposure to a detailed, higher education. If they speak up, people should and do listen. That can be troubling.
There is something going on with the police in this country. Not all police but there is a kind of misled minority that's becoming more and more vocal. I happen to think the widespread abuse of PEDs by law enforcement is a major problem. I think it's a bigger problem in law enforcement than it is in sports and we're seeing that play out. If you add in the constant undercurrent of racism you begin to see the extent of the problem and you can begin to understand what we're seeing.
Then we add in the current appeal to the worst impulses of the least among us. That's not new. We've always had these recurring waves of nativism and 'know nothing-ism' and we've always had those willing to motivate and exploit those waves. The thing that I think is worrisome and perhaps dangerous is the convergence of these things and the unrealistic responses.
Look, it's impossible to look at the cases of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown and others and not understand why reasonable people could conclude they were murdered. You can certainly understand why black folks might want to point out Black Lives Matter. They do. How did the backlash become so vociferous? How did these understandable conclusions become conflated with some sort of disloyalty? How the hell did respect for the military get involved in this? There are actually people who want to start a civil war over this. Hell, there are people who think we should have a civil war over the Fed or Windows 10 but this looks a little more serious but it's going nowhere.
It's 50 years since the era of 1968, 69, 70. Major national figures just flat murdered. A guy like Wallace polled 13% of the vote nationwide. We had a record number of policemen murdered for no reason other than they were policemen. The Chicago police literally rioted on national television. We had millions in the streets in direct opposition to and a total disrespect for the military and the government in general. People didn't kneel they stood up and burned the damned colored bits of cloth by the thousands. As Dylan pointed out, it wasn't civil war. Revolution was in the air.
What happened? Well, it was the largest economic enterprise in the world bound together by common goals, common education, common aspirations, common entertainments and occupations. By dint of education and simple decency, we reformed, progressed and excelled. Our international relations were repaired. The malefactors trooped off to jail and for the most part, died in shame. Not much happened nor will it.
So what is wrong? Hell, it's all wrong. Kaepernick will be a hero and a villain for at least a decade but one thing he'll probably never be again is an NFL quarterback.
I hope that clears it up for ya. Enjoy the show.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
The Search for Divinity
I can tell you what I think. I can not tell you what I believe. That would be against my religion. Faith is an intensely personal thing only to be experienced and not shared except thru sincere good works. We all fall short as examples to even ourselves.
The question has been posed: How did we get here? Is there some purpose, rhyme or reason? Are we alone in the universe as the Bible says?
We seem to think not. Most instruments to find other intelligent life are pointed away from Earth and haven't yielded much. Of course, the few instruments pointed toward earth in search of intelligent life haven't yielded much either. When you consider the universe is expanding and is 13.77 billion years old it should be alive with radio signals if there were developing sentient, civilizations. The argument that time limits our ability to receive signals presupposes the entire universe reached the ability to create radio waves at about the same time. That doesn't seem reasonable to me. However, it does support the idea of a "first cause". It also brings up the idea that our notions on the age and size of the universe are limited by our powers of observation.
It certainly could be a case of the old Chinese proverb that a fool can ask enough questions to confound a thousand wise men but the logic does seem to follow. Why would we be the first in the vast universe to be able to create and receive radio waves? I dunno.
There is the idea mankind is a kind of pilot project by God to see if it's worthwhile or even possible to populate His creation. That seems like a lot of responsibility to me. A responsibility placed on rather frail shoulders. Why would an omnipotent being need a pilot project? These are unanswerable questions that dissolve on the concept that faith is the belief in things unseen.
OK, there's the faith-based arguments or at least some of them. There are totally secular arguments. They can be sort of summed up by the statement that life is one of the more amusing properties of carbon. Sentient life is the operation of random chance in an infinite universe. To suppose we are alone is a conceit. Maybe so. Maybe Lorenzo Snow had it right. "As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be." Maybe man doesn't just create the Godhead, maybe he is evolving into it.
There is a theory that sentient life is no more than an unintended infestation of the operation of simple physics. In the end, we are no more than pond scum or mold or rust. That leaves us on our own to develop concepts of morality, right and wrong and so forth that only apply in our unintended universe. A universe small and meaningless dwarfed by a "creation" we have no hope of understanding.
I don't think that belittles our hopes, aspirations or values in the slightest. Those things are ours to perfect and employ within limits we have no hope of understanding. They are ours to keep. I don't think it reduces divinity or simple decency one iota. They just become more our own to craft. It only increases their importance that we must perfect them in relation to each other.
Man IS the measure!
There is a theory that sentient life is no more than an unintended infestation of the operation of simple physics. In the end, we are no more than pond scum or mold or rust. That leaves us on our own to develop concepts of morality, right and wrong and so forth that only apply in our unintended universe. A universe small and meaningless dwarfed by a "creation" we have no hope of understanding.
I don't think that belittles our hopes, aspirations or values in the slightest. Those things are ours to perfect and employ within limits we have no hope of understanding. They are ours to keep. I don't think it reduces divinity or simple decency one iota. They just become more our own to craft. It only increases their importance that we must perfect them in relation to each other.
Man IS the measure!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)