tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post7014858039274183822..comments2024-03-28T23:39:08.616-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Our fate is being decided in Beijing and Moscow... and a New York courtroom. And Pelosi's pacing.David Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91536641688914750062019-10-20T14:11:18.534-07:002019-10-20T14:11:18.534-07:00David,
First of all, chag sameach. Regarding you...David, <br /><br />First of all, chag sameach. Regarding your comment: <br /><br />"Israelis who think US fundamentalists 'love' them are crazy. . . ."<br /><br />Your description of fundamentalist Christian beliefs is simplistic and inaccurate. I think the Israelis (whatever you mean by that) know the Christians better than you do.GMT -5 8032https://www.blogger.com/profile/04677459423995332529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-26711445501877640222019-10-20T14:11:14.499-07:002019-10-20T14:11:14.499-07:00Largest prison and probation populations outside o...Largest prison and probation populations outside of China. It can't be that hard. <br />Impeachment is not an evidentiary process; it's a matter of the prosecuting party obtaining enough to persuade a) the Senate and b) the people that the issues at hand are grave enough to warrant removal of the president. The jury is biased in the Senate, and you not only have the persuade them of the defendant's guilt, but that it would be politically devastating to ignore that guilt and vote against impeachment anyway.<br />That's the task set before the Democrats, and thus far, they seem to be lining things up nicely.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-86169480504747684882019-10-20T13:40:52.121-07:002019-10-20T13:40:52.121-07:00I've spent time as a criminal prosecutor. You&...I've spent time as a criminal prosecutor. You'd be amazed at how hard it is to present a case. You learn the hard way that there is a difference between what you think the evidence shows and what the evidence actually shows. Sometimes it is a matter of how we interpret the information. We think that there is only one explanation. We end up being very unpleasantly surprised when the opposition presents alternative explanations...and it gets even more unpleasant when the fact finders (the jury or the judge) sides with the opposition.GMT -5 8032https://www.blogger.com/profile/04677459423995332529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9044006943717505212019-10-20T09:11:28.885-07:002019-10-20T09:11:28.885-07:00Moff: Even the Democrats are going to find it hard...Moff: Even the Democrats are going to find it hard to screw this up. Trump has not only admitted to various impeachable offences, he's BRAGGED about them. There is no reasonable doubt of his guilt.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14515383629931459932019-10-20T09:01:39.404-07:002019-10-20T09:01:39.404-07:00If the resistance handles the impeachment poorly, ...If the resistance handles the impeachment poorly, it will end up aiding in Trump's reelection.GMT -5 8032https://www.blogger.com/profile/04677459423995332529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-45363768721173649162019-10-20T07:36:08.252-07:002019-10-20T07:36:08.252-07:00I read the post and the comments and I see a near ...I read the post and the comments and I see a near complete lack of understanding of who the GOP and Trump supporters are. Having an accurate understanding of the opposition is crucial to planning a successful outcome. Both sides are creating straw men and are aggravating their supporters. The result is unpredictable and will probably be very bad.GMT -5 8032https://www.blogger.com/profile/04677459423995332529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-3298544460417158732019-10-19T14:35:41.451-07:002019-10-19T14:35:41.451-07:00The Russian embassy literally tweeted in support o...The Russian embassy literally tweeted in support of Gabbard. <br />https://twitter.com/EmbassyofRussia/status/1158368865153376257?s=19<br /><br />matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54446309803215035312019-10-19T14:21:15.307-07:002019-10-19T14:21:15.307-07:00Well, if opposing regime change through military p...Well, if opposing regime change through military pressure was the only criterion, I would be calling Bernie Sanders a Russian stooge, and I definitely am not. In fact, if you ignore details, I actually agree with her. But the devil is in the details, Her claim that she's the "only anti-war" candidate is nonsense, and her approach seems geared to maximise divisiveness amongst Democrats. She tends to very closely echo the talking points from Saint Petersburg. And her reaction to Hillary's vague statements are not those of an innocent person. <br />It may be she isn't involved with the Russians in any way. There's room for reasonable doubt. But watch her. Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87297535162894676682019-10-19T14:21:00.564-07:002019-10-19T14:21:00.564-07:00Guys, try to notice when one of them is on vitamin...Guys, try to notice when one of them is on vitamins! locum and Treebeard will always strawman and fire away at delusional chimera versions of us, waaaaay over there, and hence have little useful to say. (Alas, actually, I like sane conservatives (almost exticts) and smithian libertarians like Alfred!) locum & treebeard will also proudly display that they have no grasp of even the concept of positive sum civilization.<br /><br />Still, try to notice when they've taken vitamins. In this case, there was an underlying tone of... um... collegiality and friendliness?... in the ent's jibes. I'll take it! Welcome back, som.<br /><br />Now to REALLY piss him off! ;-)<br /><br />The book is up for pre-order!<br /><br />Onward, onward.<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-28175396853489061042019-10-19T14:14:37.106-07:002019-10-19T14:14:37.106-07:00There just seems to be a disturbing pattern emergi...There just seems to be a disturbing pattern emerging wherin the media and advocates of strong foriegn presence within the Demcratic party are ignoring the simmering frustration of many people within that party. There is a reason Gabbard poles as well as she does despite the overwhelmingly negative coverage from mainstream supposedly liberal outlets. Phaedrusnailfilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09496149647457655733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-43056410187376911932019-10-19T14:08:07.786-07:002019-10-19T14:08:07.786-07:00Well, the only crazed far leftist I know personall...Well, the only crazed far leftist I know personally is me, and I say Tulsi Gabbard can go to hell.TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-56253835392740576212019-10-19T13:13:14.258-07:002019-10-19T13:13:14.258-07:00Zepp, thanks for the response. I have no doubt th...Zepp, thanks for the response. I have no doubt that Russia meddled in 2016 nor do i have any doubt that they will continue to try in the next one. There is a strong difference though in Tulsi saying that i would like the United States to stop enganging in regime change wars based on her first hand exprience in one and her being a Russian stooge and an even stronger difference in suggesting that she is being groomed for a third party candidacy which HRC asserted without any evidence to back her claim.Phaedrusnailfilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09496149647457655733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-50340501060389622442019-10-19T12:36:54.896-07:002019-10-19T12:36:54.896-07:00@Phaedrusnailfile: The problem is that there is a...@Phaedrusnailfile: The problem is that there is absolutely no doubt that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and has shown every intention of doing so again. And while last week I was prepared to give Gabbard the benefit of the doubt, her reaction to Clinton pretty much eliminated any reservations I had that she wasn't a Putnik, or at least a stooge. Her behaviour was questionable, particularly the claim that she's the only candidate who is 'anti-war'. Russian trolls have been trying to paint the Dems as the party of war for some time now. I even had one guy tell me that Bernie Sanders was "pro war". Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-62446266957854113082019-10-19T12:17:53.513-07:002019-10-19T12:17:53.513-07:00Got this message just over a week ago from SETI@ho...Got this message just over a week ago from SETI@home project:<br />"Large swaths of Northern California, including the UC Berkeley Campus, are under a Public Safety Power Shutoff due to high winds and the associated wildfire risks."<br /><br />Hardening our infrastructure against increasing climate hardships will be as important as building new stuff. I hope this DC clown show ends soon. Things are getting a bit dilapidated. Once again, my BNW over 1984 preference. We are indeed "amusing ourselves to death" - Neil Postmanscidatahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07152319593457629592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31117458439405617482019-10-19T12:17:48.285-07:002019-10-19T12:17:48.285-07:00Well bummer, I must have taken a strange turn a co...Well bummer, I must have taken a strange turn a couple of roads back and find myself in the same holler as treebeard and Locum. The vitriol directed at Tulsi is suprising coming from a few of the usual posters that I usually find my politics aligning with. If Hillary's comments were an isolated occurence one could reach the same conclusion as Matthew and Zepp, but since they are part of a recurring theme by NYT and MSNBC journalists who bring up Assad and Russia in almost every article they write about Gabbard to smear the most outspoken of the anti war candidates, i tend to sypathize with her point of view.Phaedrusnailfilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09496149647457655733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-80606475123399128702019-10-19T11:41:28.891-07:002019-10-19T11:41:28.891-07:00LOL, like I said, people down here are as crazy as...LOL, like I said, people down here are as crazy as ever. Sounds like someone else could use some time away from the Matrix of Crazy; I seriously think it's becoming a public health crisis at this point. As I've said before, it's not hard to understand Puritan witch-hunts and Cultural Revolutions when you listen to people like our friend matthew here (who is straight-up lying, by the way). Maybe try to find some Zen somewhere, because you sound like you're a little mental, and just the sort of person trolls like to target.Treebeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13769796990019460695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40853766773617653562019-10-19T11:39:55.477-07:002019-10-19T11:39:55.477-07:00@Zepp Jamieson,
Another way of saying that, with ...@Zepp Jamieson,<br /><br />Another way of saying that, with apologies to George Orwell, is: <br /><br />"The word you're thinking of is socialism. But this isn't socialism. Democratic socialism, perhaps, but that's a different thing, in fact the opposite thing."<br /><br />Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-84044290163523605412019-10-19T11:31:24.588-07:002019-10-19T11:31:24.588-07:00Hmmm. I've heard Sanders being called a commu...Hmmm. I've heard Sanders being called a communist many times (usually by people who have no idea what communism is, or the variations in socialism), but never a Putin dupe. Putin isn't a communist: he's a fascist. Authoritarian, controlling and corrupt. Sanders, a democratic socialist, is, if anything, the anti-Putin.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-8536091354237346612019-10-19T11:20:44.647-07:002019-10-19T11:20:44.647-07:00Hey treebeard, don't think that it has been fo...Hey treebeard, don't think that it has been forgotten that you have called yourself a white nationalist, praised Putin, and said that you attack LGBTQ people. You've threatened violence here. Your words about the mountains are all crap to try to rehabilitate your online presence or somesuch idiocy. <br /><br />So, fuck off Nazi punk. matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52274613823632127672019-10-19T10:47:35.941-07:002019-10-19T10:47:35.941-07:00Hello again. Now that the weather’s getting bad I’...Hello again. Now that the weather’s getting bad I’m inside more, reading blogs again. Looks like people down here are as crazy as ever, bloviating about global conspiracies, spinning grand tales about saving the world, calling other people Russian agents and the like. One thing that occurred to me is how much it all sounds like the delusions of aging baby boomers who don’t want to go gentle into the night without one last go at saving the world and beating the Russkies at the same time. Being from the punk rock generation I always found that mentality annoying.<br /><br />The best thing about spending time in the wilderness is how humbling it is. You soon realize how deluded human beings are who think the world revolves around their pet ideas, theories and systems, and how certain it is that the mountains and the sky will still be here tomorrow, no matter who you vote for, what stories you tell or ideas you sell, or how frantically you do so. Which I guess means I don’t have much to say on the usual topics of this blog, but maybe I’ll think of something next time.Treebeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13769796990019460695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-78050472771974772812019-10-19T10:36:05.067-07:002019-10-19T10:36:05.067-07:00@matthew: The best part of it is that Clinton mere...@matthew: The best part of it is that Clinton merely made a vague statement, naming nobody in particular beyond "a female Democratic candidate" and Gabbard essentially outed herself. You can be against US 'boots on the ground' involvement in the Middle East (I am) without being a Putin stooge. But Gabbard's approach reminds me more of the Russian bots (which are out in force this morning on her behalf) or the crazed far leftists Brin sees under every bed. Her statements on Syria are...strange...to say the least. Her claim to be "the only candidate for peace" is ridiculous on the face of it. Does anyone seriously believe Sanders is pro war? Or Biden? Yes, they vote for the bloated military budget, but this is a country that fetishises its military, and to not blindly throw money at it is politically fatal. I'm hoping that the nation will out grow that once we're on the other side of the Trump era, along with saccharine adoration and belief in the wit and wisdom of the rich. <br />Aside from causing Gabbard to self destruct (she really is a specimen) Hillary also brought out the Petrograd manipulators, and made them easier to spot. Might help. <br />Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-79812249766952209522019-10-19T10:29:32.657-07:002019-10-19T10:29:32.657-07:00The list of potential 'Russian Dupes' aide...<br />The list of potential 'Russian Dupes' aided by Kremlin disinformation now includes Tulsi Gabbard, Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump & it grows longer every day.<br /><br />This is by design as there literally is no intelligent way to resolve disinformation by either crediting it or responding to it.<br /><br />We would be wise to ignore it, but we aren't, so we won't.<br /><br />Instead, we will introduce this non-information into our thinking machinery in much the same way that workers once threw wooden shoes into industrial machinery. <br /><br />We've condemned ourselves.<br /><br /><br />Bestlocumranchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06812045410916208141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16001320905293873412019-10-19T10:14:41.019-07:002019-10-19T10:14:41.019-07:00Not surprised. Abdul-Jabbar has shown himself to ...Not surprised. Abdul-Jabbar has shown himself to be something of a Renaissance Man, gifted in many different fields. Why not mystery writing? I'll have to look for some of his work. I'm reading "Wanderers" by Chuck Wendig right now, which started out as a variant 'zombie apocalypse' theme with Shalmaneser as the Oracle of Delphi, with some rather ham-fisted politics, but as I get into the final third, it's evolved into something quite fascinating, and more like "Dodge, in hell" than "The Stand". Good stuff.<br /><br />Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03024670772812706971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53115402976928047232019-10-19T10:11:55.714-07:002019-10-19T10:11:55.714-07:00HRC bringing Gabbard's foreign allegiance to l...HRC bringing Gabbard's foreign allegiance to light is a brilliant judo move, imo. None of the current candidates could mention it without splintering the party. Any attack by a current candidate would just give Garbage Gabbard the *reason* she wants to launch her 3rd party bid.<br />But now, when Gabbard tries to launch her 3rd party bid, the counter-narrative to Gabby's supporters is, "Oh, so HRC was *right* that Gabby was going to run a 3rd party spoiler race?" The Russian bots and trolls will spin in their grave before admitting that HRC was correct on *anything*. <br />HRC inoculates the field for the DNC. She, by virtue of the hatred for her on the right, can say what no one else in the Dem establishment can say because so many people will resist her being right. <br />HRC may have just saved us from a Gabbard spoiler candidacy, and if not, she inoculated the room somewhat. Even if Gabbard still runs, the warning was given first and her candidacy is wounded.<br />I bet there were back room discussions on who to handle this for at least the last 3 months. Due to HRC's "unique" status as a Dem elder who is the most hated in the party, she can bring wrinkles to the denunciation that no one else can. <br /> matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-76841926400666472432019-10-19T08:52:15.231-07:002019-10-19T08:52:15.231-07:00scidata:
Perhaps I've been reading too much B...scidata:<br /><i><br />Perhaps I've been reading too much Brin this year (but greatly enjoying it).<br /></i><br /><br />I re-read <i>Existence</i> over the summer, and I still intend to get back to <i>Kiln People</i> as soon as I stop coming across new books I <b>haven't</b> read that I have to shoehorn into my schedule.<br /><br />Latest distraction--did you know that Kareem Abdul Jabbar (yes, <b>that</b> Kareem Abdul Jabbar) has co-written a series of novels starring a young Mycroft Holmes and his little brother?Larry Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058877428309776731noreply@blogger.com