tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post3007150560174035528..comments2024-03-18T21:52:45.757-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: The Worst American shares his pain with us. David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89400897808488163592019-08-04T23:15:27.795-07:002019-08-04T23:15:27.795-07:00Brilliant. Brilliant. Ellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10507270422561306615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-17754533543386782732017-06-17T13:21:36.396-07:002017-06-17T13:21:36.396-07:00I think the majority of the points made are very w...I think the majority of the points made are very well taken, but there are some aspects that can easily be falsified. Not all "the right" is antiscience, if that word even presently means anything beyond someone expressing doubts about someonelse's pet chicken-little issues. It is label being tossed around fairly indiscriminantly by the more extreme wings of the current opposing parties to label dissenting views. Being "right" (or "left") and being correct are distinct states, so it is well to keep in mind the "stopped clock" syndrome. Simply because most of the "issues" that concern some particular clique are either self-evidently mistaken or outright fantasy doesn't mean that another "concern" might not be well taken. Science can defend itself, but rarely on political timescales, a fact that lead Thomas Kuhn to delineate his "paradigm" argument, asserting that scientific advances often take place on generational scales.<br /><br />I think that if we want to see science advance as rapidly as political people would like to think it does, then we need to evenly support ALL views, and allow selection to actually operate on the science itself rather than resort to nonsensical assertions about "scientific consensus." Kuhnian paradigms ARE concensus, simply because many scientists are too lazy to question authorities and others are far too eager to be seen as authorities. Political maneuver and the scramble for funding supersede good scientific practices.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03194064717163420038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79001222103097903772017-01-28T20:46:31.174-08:002017-01-28T20:46:31.174-08:00Anonymous#1 wrote "...Russia, a giant country...Anonymous#1 wrote "...Russia, a giant country..."<br />Yes, physically Russia is a giant country, but it's GDP is only slightly larger than Canada's, yet Russia's population is three times that of Canada.<br />Russia's massive increase in military spending on the military is sending it towards another collapse, which is why Putin is so desperate to keep influence and territory. Putin is trying to expand his way out of economic troubles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79831562941591337322017-01-28T02:19:44.847-08:002017-01-28T02:19:44.847-08:00Good News, Everyone! (?) Fox News is dropping Geor...Good News, Everyone! (?) Fox News is dropping George Will as a contributor: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/315480-fox-declines-to-renew-contracts-for-several-contributors brian thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11816630081635941429noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-17650374986509702962017-01-21T21:07:22.191-08:002017-01-21T21:07:22.191-08:00No you are right, you are playing 11-dimensional c...No you are right, you are playing 11-dimensional chess I see. Putin blaming Obama and Clinton is a good thing for US interests. Antagonizing Russia, a giant country you no longer have any real ideological reason to oppose, makes a ton of sense - normalizing relations with Russia would only make them less likely to work with American foes like China and Iran. You clearly understand the brilliant tactic of pushing all of your potential rivals into alliances with one another through short-sided antagonism. It also makes sense to risk confrontation with a nuclear state over a piece of earth that has almost no strategic value. <br /><br />Since you like writing posts about how much you hate Nazis, why don't you ask the Ukrainians you "know" what they think of groups like the neo-Nazi Azov battalion?Anonymous#1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60612420100504521472017-01-21T18:04:12.821-08:002017-01-21T18:04:12.821-08:00I predict war soon.I predict war soon.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-22576113425040877452017-01-21T17:42:20.042-08:002017-01-21T17:42:20.042-08:00onward
onwardonward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90421520827445162902017-01-21T17:42:08.136-08:002017-01-21T17:42:08.136-08:00Anonymous#1 ignores the point — that Putin blamed ...Anonymous#1 ignores the point — that Putin blamed Obama and Clinton for losing his Ukrainian satrapy. Sure one issue is whether that event was good or bad. An anonymous coward has little credibility and I believe the Ukrainians I know, who swear that they will never be controlled by Moscow, ever again. But that is irrelevant to the main point — a point that terrifies Fox and American right media… that Obama and Clinton were, in Putin’s eyes — the competent ones he feared.<br /><br />Paul SB — you wanted Mike Tyson to be president?<br /><br />Dan K. Thanks for the encouragement. I give some good keynotes!<br /><br />Matthew there are bulwarks DT would have to overcome, before openly oppressing. (1) The Civil Service, (2) Roberts and Alito, (3) Blue states simply doing their own thing and laughing at him, (4) alienating the law, intel and military officer corps (bad move), (5) whistleblowers, (6) us.<br /><br />I am not casual about this! Expect attempts to change whistleblower laws. (And I blame Obama for not fighting to expand them.) <br /><br />Yes, A Reichstag fire, a terror attack or a foreign war could tip things horribly. That’s when we’ll need #4 most.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-25800651261885121062017-01-21T17:18:49.054-08:002017-01-21T17:18:49.054-08:00@matthew,
I don't remember whether or not you...@matthew,<br /><br />I don't remember whether or not you are in the U.S.<br /><br />If you are, I have a serious question for you? Are you planning to emigrate ahead of all this bad s### that you expect to go down soon? I guess that's my equivalent of Dr Brin asking for bets, because if you honestly expect Trump and the Republicans to drastically curtail democracy and criminalize thoughtcrime as you seem to, I would expect you'd be plotting your escape right now.<br /><br />It may sound like I'm snarking on you, but I'm really not. I'm wondering if you're just laying out a worst case scenario or if you honestly believe all of that bad stuff is imminent. It doesn't seem like it to me, but then I'm sitting in a huge metropolitan area in a blue state.<br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79937994184039093592017-01-21T15:33:39.510-08:002017-01-21T15:33:39.510-08:00I think if the Repubs in Congress wanted to remove...I think if the Repubs in Congress wanted to remove Trump via Impeachment it will be timed at least 2 years so that Pence (or Ryan or whoever) gets to run in the next 2 elections per the 22nd amendment. Since we tend to always reelect a sitting president they should be able to win the next 2 elections giving them 10 years total and republican control of the excuitive for 3 total terms. If they maintain their state majorities in 2020 they can redistrict via gerymander at will and keep their control of congress well into the 2020s. Dems have to have a wave year in 2020 and take both congress and the state legislatures to ever have a hope of winning in the next decade or two.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37071306964844474972017-01-21T15:12:15.323-08:002017-01-21T15:12:15.323-08:00Interesting: looks like my post on Ukraine got eat...Interesting: looks like my post on Ukraine got eaten. That's a first for me...<br /><br />Paul451: I really wish I didn't agree with your numbers, but we are where we are. Rather than impeachment itself, Republicans will enjoy Democrats excoriating the executive as they castrate the offices. <br /><br />They'll do both a 'symbolic' castration (e.g., appointing people who oppose the offices they serve in, like Scott Pruitt in the EPA), and then a more meaningful one (after their people are in place, the data sets so painstakingly built up by Obama's crew will be eviscerated - deemed unreliable data noise and hence rendered useless for enforcement). Essentially, the groundwork Obama's people laid will be gutted so that nobody could use that data for governance for several years to come.<br /><br />Which is why work like this - <a href="https://www.wired.com/2017/01/rogue-scientists-race-save-climate-data-trump/" rel="nofollow">"Rogue Scientist Race to Save Climate Data from Trump"</a> (Wired Magazine) - strikes me as potentially important. Symbolic? Valiant? Yes to both. Hopeless? Oh no, not by a long shot. <br /><br />As for Republicans taking more seats in the Senate in '18 - looking at a map, I find that quite probable.donzelionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991849781932619746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84533712260087863322017-01-21T14:26:59.164-08:002017-01-21T14:26:59.164-08:00@matthew,
As in the novel Dune, the forms must be...@matthew,<br /><br />As in the novel Dune, <i>the forms must be obeyed</i>. Trump has a 30% approval rating and he hasn't even had time to screw anything up or break promises yet. Everybody by now knows that he "won" the election only because of fake news and voter suppression, and even so only by a few thousand votes in a few key states. The only reason he gets to reign is because the process is entirely run by the calendar. There is no constitutional mechanism for a do-over or a vote of no-confidence. He gets to be president because--and only because--the forms must be obeyed.<br /><br />There is also no constitutional mechanism for postponing or cancelling a vote. For any reason. If somehow, it is able to happen anyway, then the moment it does, we are no longer functioning under the Constitution. What makes you think the local authorities in California, New York, or any large metropolitan area will go along with diktats from what will then be a de-jure as well as de-facto illegitimate regime occupying the nation's capital? Chicago's Mayor Emmanuel isn't going to order the police to act as Orange Hitler's gestapo, and I doubt even (Republican) Governor Rauner would do so.<br /><br />And do you think the Disney Corporation would really just roll over and play dead?<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52960962837870066462017-01-21T12:24:41.596-08:002017-01-21T12:24:41.596-08:00OTOH, I am a member of a civilisation which does t...OTOH, I am a member of a civilisation which does this:<br /><br /><a href="https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/system/resources/detail_files/7589_PIA21056.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/system/resources/detail_files/7589_PIA21056.jpg</a>.<br /><br />Saturn's rings warped by tiny moon, Daphnis.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-48323304393864899382017-01-21T11:50:38.213-08:002017-01-21T11:50:38.213-08:00Canadians apparently turned away from Women's ...Canadians apparently turned away from Women's march, and also asked if they support Trump at border crossing.<br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/20/womens-march-canada-protesters-denied-entry-us?CMP=share_btn_twJJJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28246406402296350252017-01-21T11:06:50.069-08:002017-01-21T11:06:50.069-08:00"Of course, collecting in a scenario where th...<i>"Of course, collecting in a scenario where the U.S. government has ceased to exist would be interesting."</i><br /><br />Okay, if there are no elections in four years, I owe you 50 cans of Spam (a veritable fortune in the Wastelands!) and 100 bottle caps (useless now, but wait until a hundred years after the Great War!).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903687674146271189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53352645672604408612017-01-21T10:54:03.335-08:002017-01-21T10:54:03.335-08:00Trump's speech showed the clear imprint of Ste...Trump's speech showed the clear imprint of Steve Bannon - white nationalism. Plus, the return to the rallying cry of "America First," a clear not-dog-whistle that Trump is going to rule as a fascist. Here is Breitbart crowing that their man is controlling the narrative. <br /><br />http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/20/newsweek-donald-trump-channels-steve-bannon-inaugural-address/<br /><br />Here is a history of "America First," the group that wanted America to join the Axis in WWII, or at best, stay out of the war. <br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_First_Committe<br /><br />How do I think that Trump will cancel elections (perhaps) in 2018 and (very likely) in 2020? I think the resistance to Trump will be criminalized via making protest unlawful (laws introduced in 5 states since Trump's win and counting) and the equation "liberal=terrorist" will be a major media push for the next four years. Trump's advisors have now seen that by simply repeating a lie over and over they can control the narrative. We have already seen that Republicans will stop at nothing to win elections. If they think they will gain seats in the Senate in 2018, they will allow the vote, if not they will not. There will be some national "emergency" that they will say makes it too unsafe to vote due to the crowds gathered.<br /><br />Signs to watch for that indicate we are heading this direction:<br />1. The criminalization of protest. Already happening<br />2. A private security force controlled by Trump. Already happening.<br />3. Use of uniforms by Trumpanistias (Brownshirts) <br />4. Watch for signs of hidden money being spent to support the Black Block anarchists (responsible for 95% of the property damage during protests). Watch for an increase of social media postings encouraging violence at protests. <br />5. The use of "national emergency" to restrict public gathering. There will be a dry run where this is used not in the context of voting in order to normalize the idea. <br />6. Dedicated opposition to vote by mail and early voting. Anything that could be used to replace people standing in line at polls on election day. <br />7. A manufactured foreign conflict, preferably with a non-white nationality that allows demonization of a class of American minority. <br />8. An influx of overt nationalistic art and the destruction of non-Right approved art. <br />9. Anti-Disney boycotts, divestment, etc. Of all corporate America, Disney has the most invested in multiculturalism. We will see corporate HR policy as one of the bulwarks against racism, sexism, etc. Disney is the most visible symbol of this. Watch ABC programming for changes, too, as they are owned by Disney. Laugh when all the protests against Disney don't touch ESPN, which will conveniently be missed in all the calls to boycott. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2952432311699255592017-01-21T10:19:58.702-08:002017-01-21T10:19:58.702-08:00Dr. Brin,
I just listened to your Writing Excuses...Dr. Brin,<br /><br />I just listened to your Writing Excuses podcast interview and you blew me away. You are an incredible extemporaneous motivational speaker. I am interested in becoming a writer and found your talk very moving. Keep up the great work.<br /><br />Dan KoifmanDan Koifmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03611570036597657606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85865758079770734952017-01-21T09:05:46.578-08:002017-01-21T09:05:46.578-08:00And another "encouraging" piece of news ...And another "encouraging" piece of news (from P.Z. Myers' Pharyngula): the Interior Department was ordered to shut down their Twitter accounts indefinitely because someone retweeted a news article that was unsympathetic to Trump.<br /><br />https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/01/20/interior-department-banned-from-twitter-after-retweet-of-smaller-than-usual-trump-inauguration-crowd/?utm_term=.7b56218f1210<br /><br />The article makes it sound like it was some bureaucrat in the department got nervous about insulting his new boss, but considering Trump's "forgiving nature," I wouldn't be surprised that the Donald himself sent a quiet directive.A.F. Reynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90587159592575834442017-01-21T07:47:47.910-08:002017-01-21T07:47:47.910-08:00Raito,
My guys never win. I'm for the Tyson/N...Raito,<br /><br />My guys never win. I'm for the Tyson/Nye ticket, personally. Get some scientists in there. Nearly all our politicians are either lawyers or businessmen (like Donald Grope was anything new! Seriously?), once in awhile you get a military person or a doctor. <br /><br />Dr. Brin,<br />Maybe this would be a good place to weigh in on the new cabinet picks. There's a whole lot to talk about, like the pick for Education who knows nothing abut education but wants it all privatized so only the rich get education, EPA who sues the EPA so we can forget about enforcement, Energy who is an old magnate (we can kiss the National Parks goodbye - time to drill and kill).Paul SBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-59006224336570444472017-01-21T06:41:26.626-08:002017-01-21T06:41:26.626-08:00LarryHart,
Stay was originally Maurice Williams. ...LarryHart,<br /><br />Stay was originally Maurice Williams. Not having heard the parody, I couldn't say which version was being emulated, though. It's been recorded many times.<br /><br />Amusingly, a search for 'Stephanie Miller Stay' puts this comment page about 5 down from the top in results.<br /><br />Nor are the people in the campaign biz likely to stand for a lack of elections for them to suck on.<br /><br />Joanna Drzewieniecki,<br /><br />I also agree with you about Ukraine. Every Ukrainian I've ever spoke to at least disliked Russia. And I don't really find that Ukraine was under Russia's thumb from the fall of the Soviet Union until Yanukovych's appointments. But given that those were the last decade or so, the point is probably moot. While Obama undoubtedly supported then events of 2014, the sentiment was always there.<br /><br />My own ancestors in eastern Europe have had a rough go of it, too, politically. They kept getting lumped in with other regions, consolidated, broken apart, etc. Finally, they're back to somewhat where they were a few hundred years ago, albeit lumped in with a couple other areas. At least the mostly speak the same language.<br /><br /><br />My predictions:<br />No wall will be built.<br />Trump serves out his term.<br /><br />But remember, in my voting life, the guy I want to win wins less than half the time.<br />raitonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-49305762474556813472017-01-21T06:38:36.215-08:002017-01-21T06:38:36.215-08:00LarryHart, I had not realized that some folks had ... LarryHart, I had not realized that some folks had forgotten Nelson's dramatic exit from this world. And there are times I "Have my way with words", though I may be at a loss for them as we learn more about "Herr Drumph!"Tim H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8604225113191395502017-01-21T05:21:29.986-08:002017-01-21T05:21:29.986-08:00Paul SB:
I think Tim may be referring (in creativ...Paul SB:<br /><i><br />I think Tim may be referring (in creative terminology) to the fact that Nelson Rockefeller died at the age of 70 in a private office with a 25 year old lady. <br /></i><br /><br />Ah, ok. I didn't think of that use of the word "pass", which made the rest of the sentence just look as if autocorrect had done a job on it.<br /><br />Or maybe it was one of those funny excerpts from real history papers that get posted on line every so often. "Sir Francis Drake circumcised the earth with a 50 foot clipper."<br /><br /><i><br />The speculation was that he had his heart attack while engaged in an affair.<br /></i><br /><br />I always remember the line from "Hill Street Blues" where a drunken Renko called Captain Furillo at home to ask if the rumor was true that their sergeant had "deceased himself whilst in the act."<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-42353089018193378612017-01-21T00:28:06.181-08:002017-01-21T00:28:06.181-08:00Of course, collecting in a scenario where the U.S....Of course, collecting in a scenario where the U.S. government has ceased to exist would be interesting. No big upside to that bet, you're a loser either way.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31797232812002293252017-01-20T22:38:38.623-08:002017-01-20T22:38:38.623-08:00The year Ukraine became "European" was t...The year Ukraine became "European" was the year an uprising with overtly fascist elements toppled a democratically elected leader (Yanukovich) to make room for a billionaire oligarch (Poroshenko) who is just as corrupt and is happy to work with people like the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72004251807691138462017-01-20T21:52:04.680-08:002017-01-20T21:52:04.680-08:00Larry,
I think Tim may be referring (in creative ...Larry,<br /><br />I think Tim may be referring (in creative terminology) to the fact that Nelson Rockefeller died at the age of 70 in a private office with a 25 year old lady. The speculation was that he had his heart attack while engaged in an affair.Paul SBnoreply@blogger.com