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THE ABSURD TIMES
Illustration: The image of Pegasus, the winged horse from Greek Mythology. Most of those legends make perfect sense to me, but how Zeus works with this one leaves me puzzled. In fact, Zeus himself is puzzling. Every other Greek god at least stands for something understandable, but Zeus is simply a mess. He just can not behave. So, there is no logical reason for Israel to call its latest spyware or malware by that name. Still, it makes a profit and that's about all it cares about.
Back to the Insane
by
Czar Donic
Some items I find strange but true:
A short time ago, I reposted a newsletter by a fine journalist who wants to comment on current affairs "one punchline at a time". I do like that motto. Still, the post mentioned Taylor Swift and had nothing to do with her singing, but with a political stand she took. Fine. I find nothing to dislike in her singing and sometimes it is good or even worth listening to. I would hardly go out of my way to hear it, however. The point I am making is that THIS particular newsletter has nothing to do with music or even popular political positions. In fact, we would find it embarrassing to be in a popular position. We would have to find something else to do instead. The point is this: THAT POST WAS VISITED ONE THOUSAND TIMES MORE THAN THE USUAL POSTS. There must have been several hundred irritated teens as a result. Well, much better indeed than you know who.
A Flashback?
On the screen appeared Ron DeSantis being interviewed. He was saying that he would have been a good disciple of Jesus [honest, I'm not making this up – I'm not that inventive]. He said he would help spread the message and be loyal. Also, he liked to fish [seriously, I can't make this stuff up]. Now, he was elected overwhelmingly by an electorate of the people, by the people, and for the people – in short, the mediocre and the idiotic.
At this point, the host comes onscreen and gives his own remarks: "Yeah, Jesus says to give your bread to the hungry and DeSantus says 'You're getting a bit too woke, Jesus'.
The Real Campaign
I rather think that Godot came and we missed him. Well, you missed him – I can do without him. I actually have, in fact.
It is enlightening, no, that's not the right word, to watch the Republicans run in their primary. One wonders why it is that they try, and thinks perhaps they get some money out of it. Most of them, however, try to gain support by being more retrograde and fascistic than Trump. What they miss, in fact, what everybody seems to miss, is that Trump is not running on any policy. Indeed, policy is irrelevant to him.
We could think of Trump as the Mr. Pillow of Politics, but these two are the same thing. They exploit morons, which is another way of saying they are "populists". Trump really has no convictions other than "What's in it for me?" He wants to pitch himself to what in carny talk are called "the Rubes," and that is one area in which he is better at things than all the others. It is worth remembering that Hitler and Mussolini were populists as well. "I'm doing this for you," he reminds his flock.
We underestimate the power of this populism. It is what made Mr. Pillow able to sell pillows for an enormous profit. It is not the pilows – it is the sales pitch. I don't remember the number, so I'll just pick something, say $50. "You can get a real pillow for this low price and FINALLY get a good night's sleep. Supplies are limited. Do you say that's too high? Money back guarantee, and also for that low price I'll send you two! Finally, get that rest!" He is able to sell pillows for an outrageous price and how many people will ship a pillow back through the mail? He and Trump fit well together.
They appeal to the same level of reason as those many who sighed up with Trump University. Can you imagine what It takes to get people to sign up with something called "Trump University"? It is amazing salesmanship. It may not be the same crowd, but it is the same level of intellectual awareness or unawareness. And yet, the others have no idea, it seems, that this is what it is all about. They run around banning books, abortion, any sort of freedom, all in the name of serving Jesus and you, but it more or less falls flat. Rotund Ron looks like a fool most of the time and keeps talking about "woke" when most people have found it rather boring. Yes, even these morons find it stupid, more or less.
He is also turning himself into a "savior" as he mentions that the evil state forces are trying to get the people and he is standing in their way. He uses "retribution" rather than "redemption" as his cult members are masculine and pure, not like those "left-wing" people. I find it strange that whenever anyone mentions the "Left-wing" they are talking about people who are hardly left-wing. In fact, I haven't seen or heard of a left winger in a long time.
STANDING
I thought I understood what this meant. Someone could bring suit in law if they were adversely affected by the actions of another. Or at least, both sides had to be involved. Maybe that was naive – I'm not a lawyer (although I did have a very high LSAT score years ago, higher than Cohen's at any rate) so maybe I don't understand this at all. I can read Latin, but politicians and the like can't write it worth a damn, so that doesn't help.
Now, the "SUPREME COURT, SCOTUS) decided that case was brought by someone who didn't want to design a website for a gay couple, and the guy mentioned as the gay force v. her. OK, they decided she had a right not to design the website for them. What the hell? Who cares? Do you really want someone to design your website who doesn't want to? Buggers.
Well, it turned out that the guy mentioned was in another state, straight, happily married, and is himself a website designer. He didn't even pay attention to this issue and certainly didn't see why he would apply out of state to have someone design a website for him for anything. The court knew about this before they issued their ruling. This entire thing is patently ABSURD. Becket would be puzzled by it.
Here is another one. Biden proposes a paltry student loan forgiveness. Scotus rules against it, even though Mohelia is listed as the plaintiff, even though it has nothing to do with that suit. It is worth noting that the whole mess started with Reagen. He actually said that "we" (say who?) should control who is allowed to go to college. That is why he cut Education funds by 25%.
Affirmative Action
Has anyone wondered why this seemed to focus so much on Harvard? Isn't Yale a more right-wing attraction as an institution? I do not suppose it matters.
The decision against affirmative action was pretty much expected as was the decision against women in the abortion area. Still, some issues remain.
The decision mentions eliminating or reducing the influence of the previous graduates and mentions briefly (I gather) entrance exams. But what about those who did graduate specifically because they thought they would secure an advantage for their offspring by being graduates? That does not sound fair, but then who cares.
The issue of standardized tests, however, is another matter, at least I think so. While my own grades were seldom gleaming with apparent accomplishment, I always did amazingly well on the standardized tests – never below the upper 2% and usually higher. Now why was this? Well, I used to ask questions in class to which the teacher could not answer and this was interpreted as an attack. I also was not fond of homework when I already understood the material it was supposed to explain. Hence, the tests were helpful for me, at least.
I remember another incident that also explains a similar problem as well as the value of a change of perspective. For my first Doctorate I could either take one language with "high proficiency" or two languages. I chose German as high proficiency and THEN was told they changed the interpretation of the rule so that I would have to take another exam in the same language to achieve this high and exhaled status. When I asked when I could take that one, I was told "Six months". I needed to pass this nonsense sooner than that. I told a friend that I did not want to learn French and he said "You don't HAVE to learn French. All you have to do is pass a test."
That was a fresh way of looking at it. The exam was in three weeks and I signed up for it. Enrolling as an auditor is a class so designed and then passed the test and never looked back. One further note: I found out, much later, that I had the highest score at that institution even recorded. Yes, a Baptist on the committee had convinced the others of a change in the interpretation. Well, Jesus loves him, I suppose, and I'm in another state with another degree. In short, I've found the "objective" tests extremely helpful. I resent the anti-sanity or anti-cognition so rampant in our society today.
Guns
We certainly set a few records so far. Along with several days of all-time record-setting world heat, we are on a record pace for mass shootings (four or more at a time). We now have more than the days in a year and we are about halfway there, halfway only to the end of the year. What motivates these assess? I'm told that Canada has the same per capita gun rate as the United States, so what gives?
Well, we have too many strange people here, that's all.
Trans Rights etc.
You'd rather be a girl? OK, go ahead. Why should I get nervous about it? As someone I once knew in Chicago used to say "It's no skin off my back." I really didn't fully appreciate that expression for some time.
I had always been told "ignorance of the law is no excuse," but that seems to be the main defense of many MAGA morons: "Er, your honor, I'm an idiot. I really thought Trump was calling me to overthrow the government." Preposterous? No, Republican.
No, we should not be using cluster bombs or sending them off, "but, hey, we have a bunch lying around here – this is a good way to get rid of them." Free enterprise, don't you know?
Criticism of Biden's foreign should not be considered an endorsement of the Rustoluem color haired one of that other party.
The Indictments
We should look back at the first President after the new rules about documents were passed – Jimmie Carter. Carter was a conservative back then but seems like a flaming liberal today. He wrote his WHITE HOUSE DIARY, taking care to write it entirely in the EAST wing so that there would be no question as to who owned it. This is quite different from the actions we see today.
Next, he did install solar panels at the White House and this was back in the 70s. When Reagen came into office by bribing the Ayatollah, he tore down the solar panels. We seem to have been going downhill ever since.
Well, there is more, but I've had enough for this week. I hope nobody has blown up any of their body parts over the celebration of independence from King George III
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