tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post7240782491525317490..comments2024-03-28T10:56:52.861-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Final words for straw-clutchers... just hang in thereDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger166125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58911208796719257032016-12-21T21:28:00.458-08:002016-12-21T21:28:00.458-08:00Also - was this the first time a woman got an Elec...Also - was this the first time a woman got an Electoral College vote for President? The question resists easy Googling. The first time two woman got Electoral College votes for President in the same election? (Highly likely IMO) The first time a Native got the same?Adahttp://www.phoenixfarm.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60728946898652368722016-12-21T21:22:38.642-08:002016-12-21T21:22:38.642-08:00Powells.com has announced that they plan to send 1...Powells.com has announced that they plan to send 10 books each to Presidents Obama and Trump, and are collecting suggestions. After considering and rejecting some rude ideas that would never change Mr. Trump's mind, I have suggested Brin's The Transparent Society.<br /><br />My father suggested the novel Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for President Obama.Adahttp://www.phoenixfarm.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18652159141346400382016-12-20T14:15:43.926-08:002016-12-20T14:15:43.926-08:00"But mostly this is my saying to Dr. Brin, ge..."But mostly this is my saying to Dr. Brin, get off your goddamn high horse already. You claim to have called it. But Dr. Brin? You blinded yourself because you bought the Koolaid saying It's Her Turn. You let yourself be blinded by claiming "well, the others don't stand a chance against the Republicans." And you were wrong."<br /><br />Strawmanning-bitter drive, top to bottom.<br /><br /><br />onward<br /><br />onwardDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-83079113919950843612016-12-20T13:33:45.459-08:002016-12-20T13:33:45.459-08:00I always mentally rewrote the stupid one about the...I always mentally rewrote the stupid one about the spaceship transporting supplies and having to eject a young female stowaway. Rather than eject her, they stripped out of their spacesuits, took most of the tools and such and put those in the airlock, and basically stripped down the ship so they could have the weight down to what was needed to save her life.<br /><br />But as a logical person I also saw the story as suffering a massive flaw. If there was barely enough fuel to get a vital ship to the planet, then what happens if there was an accident? Running off of bare margins is idiocy, especially in a life-or-death situation like needing to deliver medical supplies.<br /><br />From what I understand, the author himself wasn't happy with the story.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88408886350679438792016-12-20T13:14:37.074-08:002016-12-20T13:14:37.074-08:00raito:
One where a boy isn't looking forward ...raito:<br /><i><br />One where a boy isn't looking forward to a future as a C student, so he changes his grades. It turns out that they're looking for people who think outside the box, and he ends up at the top levels.<br /></i><br /><br />Sounds like Captain Kirk in "Wrath of Khan". "I changed the condition of the test. I don't be<b>lieve</b> in the no-win scenario."<br /><br /><i><br />And the one sad one where a boy is going off for examinations. His father tries to obliquely tell him to do less than his best. The boy ignores him (apparently). The parents are told that the boy passed with flying colors, and where would they like the body sent. A little Harrison-Bergeron-eque, that one.<br /></i><br /><br />Or Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65153823095871911792016-12-20T12:32:45.012-08:002016-12-20T12:32:45.012-08:00So what you are saying is that a candidate advocat...So what you are saying is that a candidate advocating for the working class, who is stating ooutsourcing jobs and the like shouldn't be rewarded, was the opposite of secretive, and advocated for a living wage for all people would in fact fail against a Billionaire candidate who refused to release his taxes and is advocating for the rich?<br /><br />And I think you are very very wrong about Sanders. If he knew he would face levels of derision and hate as Clinton did, he would roll up his sleeves, smile, and answer those slanders with facts and cold determination without descending to that level. I do not agree with Sanders' economic views. I feel he's mistaken on a number of things. But I respect him far more than I respect any of the candidates who ran. And I include Johnson/Weld in that mix. <br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-47362486042862571492016-12-20T12:29:16.488-08:002016-12-20T12:29:16.488-08:00Polling supports the idea that Sanders would have ...Polling supports the idea that Sanders would have won in a landslide. with big long coattails. <br />http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_election_trump_vs_sanders-5565.html<br /><br />The public was in a mood for an outsider candidate, not business as usual. <br /><br />Jonathan, you are spinning a narrative designed to keep the Democratic party from being competitive, and keep party apparatchiks in power. <br /><br />And yes, Brin did not get the election correct with his predictions. And yes, those of us that said so before hand were sniped at here. And, no, I see no bit of humility from those that did the sniping, including our host. All I see is Progressive voters being blamed for a lack of enthusiasm, when there was a ton of enthusiasm for an outsider. Parties ignore such things at their own risk. Jonathan is one of many such. matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17757867868731829206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-52679982911621173452016-12-20T12:16:09.483-08:002016-12-20T12:16:09.483-08:00By all means, run the candidate of your choice. Ho...By all means, run the candidate of your choice. However, <i>during this "post-truth election cycle,</i> there's simply no way Sanders could have won. Had he been able to foresee the level to which things would descend, he might well have decided to sit this one out and throw his full support behind another candidate (not necessarily Clinton - there were others early on) rather than risk it.<br /><br />I won't say this was the worst, most vindictive mudslinging general election ever - I have too much historical perspective for that. (Lincoln's first Presidential campaign, anyone? Jefferson and Adams?) It was, however, in my opinion at least, the worst in living memory, eclipsing even the Kennedy-Nixon election. (The McGovern race in '72 was a close second - I still say Eagleton should have responded to questions about his mental history by noting that he was the only man in the running who had papers to <i>prove</i> he was sane.) And hope, while a fine and commendable thing, and often enough to hang one's future on, simply stood no chance this time around.<br /><br />I understand the desire to do endless post-mortems, trying to find what went wrong - or, more accurately, who we can blame for it - but in a sense, Donnie truly was the Mule, an unpredictable factor that the existing system had no defenses against. The only way to have stopped him would have been either a more educated electorate, or direct popular vote rather than the EC. And it wasn't really anyone's "fault", so, frustratingly, there's no one to pillory.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903687674146271189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-2046096003819872782016-12-20T11:41:44.637-08:002016-12-20T11:41:44.637-08:00LarryHart: "What can we do about that, though...LarryHart: "What can we do about that, though, even going forward?"<br /><br />Well, with GOP of the WH, Congress, and the courts, not much. Worst case scenario we'll never have a meaningful election again--just Soviet-style parodies. Best case scenario--grass roots movement that overwhelms the plutocratic class.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261339498383415026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-10230060349795424092016-12-20T11:33:27.886-08:002016-12-20T11:33:27.886-08:00So we shouldn't run a candidate of our choice ...So we shouldn't run a candidate of our choice because the Republicans might use attack and smear tactics? Well, they ran Hillary instead. Did that prevent the Republicans from using attack and smear tactics?<br />As long as you run from them, they win.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261339498383415026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-50660273645568677912016-12-20T11:13:08.647-08:002016-12-20T11:13:08.647-08:00Zepp Jamieson:
Did Wisconsin Democrats commit sui...Zepp Jamieson:<br /><i><br />Did Wisconsin Democrats commit suicide, or where they murdered? Wisconsin had some of the most far-reaching voter suppression measures available.<br /></i><br /><br />That's the point I was trying to make myself. Wisconsin <b>and</b> North Carolina were the most blatant at taking the Supreme Court sanction to suppress the vote and running with it. So before I blame fellow Democrats for "staying home", I have to remind myself that they might well have been on house arrest.<br /><br />What can we do about that, though, even going forward? How to combat voter suppression when it's the official policy of the benefactors of that policy? I'm afraid the only option is becoming the complete withholding of legitimacy from this government. They can force us to obey, but they can't have willing cooperation or have us reach that moment of "He loved Big Brother." Sorry if this sounds like taking the low road, but there's no percentage in having Democrats compromise while they're in power, and Republicans refuse to do so when they are. That just moves us more and more to the right.<br /><br />I mentioned the Star Trek episode with Edith Keeler a while back. That makes me realize that President Obama, like Edith Keeler, was "right, but at the wrong time." His efforts at peace and compromise allowed Trump to complete his heavy water expermiments. Which means someone has to go back in time and stop Dr McCoy.<br /><br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-85123430640562758492016-12-20T11:05:57.157-08:002016-12-20T11:05:57.157-08:00First, I'm not a Bernie Bro. I'm Libertari...First, I'm not a Bernie Bro. I'm Libertarian. <br /><br />Second. My parents, who voted Trump, said they would have voted Bernie Sanders over Trump in a heartbeat. I have a feeling they are not alone in that.<br /><br />Third, Republicans already were painting Sanders as a commie socialist without a clue. And people didn't care. People were enthusiastic over Sanders.<br /><br />Fourth. Sanders would not have had the secrecy issue that Clinton had, he would not have had the aura of "I deserve this because it is my turn" Clinton had, and he would not have had decades of constant hate piled upon him that Clinton did.<br /><br />It is quite easy to say "well Republicans would have painted Sanders as far worse than Clinton" but you know what? They spent decades on Clinton. They built layer after layer after layer of lies and deceit. And Clinton added to this with bullshit like the private servers, actions during fundraising, and "deplorables" and other dismissive language.<br /><br />Clinton turned to fearmongering to try and keep Trump out. Sanders would not. Sanders would have stuck to his message. And all that the Republicans could do is smear and smear and smear... but on the other side you would have a constant message.<br /><br />What do you listen to? A message of hope and a way forward? Or constant shit being flung by political monkeys?<br /><br />Sanders did pretty damn good considering the Establishment in the DNC were determined to knock him out of the running and make sure Clinton got in. Imagine if they had remained impartial. Sanders very well may have won.<br /><br />But mostly this is my saying to Dr. Brin, get off your goddamn high horse already. You claim to have called it. But Dr. Brin? You blinded yourself because you bought the Koolaid saying It's Her Turn. You let yourself be blinded by claiming "well, the others don't stand a chance against the Republicans." And you were wrong.<br /><br />This one biggest forecast? You were bloody wrong. So don't go crying and claiming "this is the fault of voters who refused to accept the truth" because you are the one blinding yourself to the truth about the poison pill that was the Hillary Clinton candidacy. And twice now it has been proven to be incapable of breaking through to the Presidency - first against Barack Obama, and the second against Donald Trump.<br /><br />The only difference is this time it's going to cost us. A lot of people are going to be put to work in private prisons for trumped up charges so Trump's people can put out dirt cheap products and keep him in power. And those of us who refuse to work in these slave labor camps? Won't ever be heard from or seen again.<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57083349881067906002016-12-20T10:15:36.816-08:002016-12-20T10:15:36.816-08:00See, there's one thing the Bernie Bros we stil...See, there's one thing the Bernie Bros we still have don't seem to get. You see Sanders as a caring, intelligent man, willing to go to the mat for the common citizen.<br /><br />In the general election, though, the Republicans would have sold him as an old, out-of-touch socialist with a history of "fighting against Our Great Nation!" (accompanied by pictures of Bernie getting arrested during protests in the '60s, with <i>absolutely no context attached</i>). They would have whipped up their base against him in ways they couldn't (quite) manage against Clinton. (Oh, and given the rise of the alt-Reich during the campaign, don't forget the dog-whistles about the Jew...)<br /><br />Basically, all other factors being equal and just swapping out Sanders for Clinton, they would have eaten his lunch in the general. I like to fantasize about what we could have gotten with President Sanders too, and I did push for him in the caucus here (in WA, the Republicans are the only ones who hold a primary), but in retrospect the defeat would have been worse. And you're only fooling yourself if you think otherwise.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11903687674146271189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57856510728403820152016-12-20T09:41:20.305-08:002016-12-20T09:41:20.305-08:00And the reference to Asimov's 'Profession&...And the reference to Asimov's 'Profession' brings other stories to mind. Unfortunately, I read a lot, and only tend to keep the idea in my head, rather than names and authors...<br /><br />One where a boy isn't looking forward to a future as a C student, so he changes his grades. It turns out that they're looking for people who think outside the box, and he ends up at the top levels.<br /><br />One where a guy blows his chance and ends up working in the sewers, only to find that the administrators just do what the data tells them. And the data pipes are in the sewers...<br /><br />And the one sad one where a boy is going off for examinations. His father tries to obliquely tell him to do less than his best. The boy ignores him (apparently). The parents are told that the boy passed with flying colors, and where would they like the body sent. A little Harrison-Bergeron-eque, that one.raitonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-43759030715243321762016-12-20T09:28:03.700-08:002016-12-20T09:28:03.700-08:00Slim Moldie,
Yes, what happens outside of school ...Slim Moldie,<br /><br />Yes, what happens outside of school makes a big difference. My children love books because I love books, and we have them in the house. They probably have never thought about where their next meal is coming from, because it's always been there. Since no one I know probably reads here, I'll ask forgiveness for blowing my horn just a little bit. My local elementary school has a small food pantry. No muss, no fuss. Have the child whisper to the teacher that they need a little help, and a little help goes into their backpack at the end of the day. Or come in and get some if you need it. They were coming up a little short this year, so I arrange dto fill their list. I've been there, and being hungry is no way to learn. I'll also say that how school lunch is dealt with today keeps the stigma away. Doing it all online, and with computers at the checkout means no one knows you're getting your lunch free.<br /><br />I do like what Beloit(?) WI did. They figured out the cost of administering free lunch for the poor, and decided that it was easier to just make breakfast and lunch free for all students.<br /><br />TCB,<br /><br />I don't think any candidate has ever come out poorer at the end.<br /><br />And finally, for Dr. Brin,<br /><br />Lasers shot at anitmatter. Cool stuff.<br />http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/19/506134622/scientists-blast-antimatter-atoms-with-a-laser-for-the-first-time<br /><br />And like it says, predicting is one thing. Experimental results are better. And best when the 2 agree.raitonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-39280879328280081872016-12-20T09:27:43.642-08:002016-12-20T09:27:43.642-08:00Paul SB,
Yes, every group has it's bell curve...Paul SB,<br /><br />Yes, every group has it's bell curve. And the characteristics of that curve are important. Where the center is, what the standard deviation is, etc. I just seem to have had different experiences with the Ivy Leaguers than you have.<br /><br />And here, the problems in the school district have more to do with having the fastest-growing district in the state combined with regressive state aid. They figure it using a 3 year average. So growing districts get screwed, and shrinking ones do well. At least they passed the first referenda: one to build 2 more elementary schools, 1 to fund maintenance beyond the state caps. Next year, we'll probably have one for an additional high school.<br /><br />And I do believe very much that the best way to educate nearly every student is for them to have a personal attachment to the teacher. Nothing else works as well. Computers are useful, but they don't replace human interaction.<br /><br />And on the subject of language in school, my daughter has a classmate who spoke only French. So I taught her some nice things to say in French. He appreciated it.<br /><br />I will disagree quite vehemently, though, on the school as vocational training idea, at least though high school. After that, the student can choose. I've seen too many railroaded with that kind of thinking (and it appears to be happing in Milwaukee as we speak). On the other hand, I was one who was content to read books day in and day out.<br /><br />Also, it seems to me that msot the the 'Silicon Vally millionaires' make their money from both other businesses and the middle class. And it seems to me that the older money makes their from other businesses and the lower class. I'm not sure what that says, or even if it's accurate.<br /><br />Duncan Cairncross,<br /><br />I'm less certain that the measures of colleges are language specific. Everywhere I've lived, there's people from all ove rthe world piling in to attend the local university. In the 80's (when the economy was much more bleak [especially personally]), I figured that the only things the US would still be good at in the future were education and agriculture. At least as exports.<br /><br />donzelion,<br /><br />You have a great point about the 'economy of scale' in education. When I went to high school, I went with a middle school full of the first generation of children whose parents had escaped the innards of Chicago and Detroit. They knew the stories. Some had lived part of them. And they knew that they were going to the school that the local university's school went to. The vast majority studied hard, graduated, and went on to college. It's hard to beat that as an outcome.raitonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5464810905173859072016-12-20T09:23:44.199-08:002016-12-20T09:23:44.199-08:00Jumper,
That article on neural networks ins prett...Jumper,<br /><br />That article on neural networks ins pretty good, though I'd disagree with one point (having worked in that field). I wouldn't say that they were out of favor for a time, as the article says. I'd say that it was more that the idea was (usually) that they were good for certain classes of problems, or (by the enlightened few) that the machines and more importantly the data weren't available to take the technique further. I'd also say that saying that artificial neural networks bear the same resemblance to wetware neural networks like made for TV movies 'inspired by actual events' bear to those events. What happened with ANNs is very much like what happened to the Z-buffer algorithm. It was discovered (in the 60's), then shelved because the machines weren't up to using it. Now, it's used everywhere because the machines have progressed to the point where using the algorithm is feasible.<br /><br />In the case of ANNs, a small part of the limit were the machines themselves. Millions of artificial neurons don't take all that much capacity, really. The major stumbling block is that an ANN requires training data, the more the better. The next block is the training function (that's the feedback that let's the neurons adjust their 'weight'). With the rise of the internet, the amount of available training data just exploded, as did the possibilities for the training function.<br /><br />Also, I regularly go to City Council meetings and School Board meetings. Sure, it's generally when I want to say something, but otherwise I can get to the minutes. Cable access channels do me no good, and I don't have cable. The last time I went was to take the CC to task on municipal fiber. It's happening, but 2 years ago it was a 5 year plan. Now it's a 10 year plan. And this in a city that claims to try to attract people with jobs (the poor have been moving here in greater numbers than non-poor. Not that I want anyone to not move, but I'd like a little balance). One school board meeting I went to was the annual budget vote (required in WI). I successfully kept the mill rate from going down. One guy who was pretty steamed about that later said I was right when it turned out we need to build at least 3 new schools in the district. So I go.raitonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53267866055221372182016-12-20T09:17:46.089-08:002016-12-20T09:17:46.089-08:00The closest parallels are the most disturbing: the...The closest parallels are the most disturbing: the Pol Pot regime, or even the genocide against the Tutsis. Pol Pot's followers, of course, killed anyone with an education, especially anyone who wore glasses. And the Hutu, well, who do they remind you of?Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-42578853442105762592016-12-20T09:00:29.029-08:002016-12-20T09:00:29.029-08:00Did Wisconsin Democrats commit suicide, or where t...Did Wisconsin Democrats commit suicide, or where they murdered? Wisconsin had some of the most far-reaching voter suppression measures available. For instance, requiring DMV-issued voter ID, and then closing DMV offices in heavily Democratic areas and curtailing the hours in areas that were largely working class.Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261339498383415026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-9182238713486056932016-12-20T08:57:33.233-08:002016-12-20T08:57:33.233-08:00Larry Hart:
Hope sells. Clinton left a hope vacuu...Larry Hart:<br />Hope sells. Clinton left a hope vacuum, and Trump, a corrupt plutocrat, dared to fill that vacuum with promises to work for The Common Man. The promises were ridiculous on the face of them, but he was the only one making such promises. Zepp Jamiesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16261339498383415026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65979155980519371072016-12-20T08:47:49.951-08:002016-12-20T08:47:49.951-08:00Robert:
You insisted Sanders was not electable. Y...Robert:<br /><i><br />You insisted Sanders was not electable. You blocked your ears and refused to hear. You closed your eyes and refused to see.<br /><br />And Hillary was cast down. Trump got elected. Because you refused to believe that hatred of Hillary Clinton was so great that people would spit into the wind in an effort to spit at her face.<br /><br />Well done.<br /></i><br /><br />Jeez, I know you're bitter and righfully so, but neither Dr Brin nor myself nor anyone who thought Hillary would beat Trump did anything to tip the scales <b>toward</b> Hillary. I voted for Bernie in my state's primary. I don't remember if Dr Brin did or not. So once Hillary <b>was</b> the Democratic candidate, what would you have had us do? Already be depressed instead of thinking our candidate would win? At what point would Dr Brin or myself or anyone have changed anything by knowing that Hillary would lose in November?<br /><br />If our side is to blame for anything (and I include myself here), it is for the glee we greeted the fact that Trump would be the Republican nominee--that he'd have so much less of a chance at winning than other Republicans. Radio host Norman Goldman, who I agree with on almost everything, was actively pulling for Trump, on the grounds that he'd destroy the Republican party from the inside out. I accept more blame for thinking Trump was a good candidate (from our point of view) than I do for thinking Hillary would beat him. That is, to the extent that my emotional assessment mattered at all.<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-66815195209231973892016-12-20T08:39:12.643-08:002016-12-20T08:39:12.643-08:00From today's www.electoral-vote.com
The conc...From today's www.electoral-vote.com<br /><br /><i><br />The conclusion is that in these states, Democratic turnout was way down compared to 2012, much more than Republican turnout was up. The poster child here is Wisconsin, which Trump won by 23,000 votes. Democratic turnout was 238,000 votes less than it was in 2012 while Republican turnout was down by 3,000 votes. In other words, Republicans didn't beat the Democrats in Wisconsin, Democrats committed suicide. In six of the seven states, Democratic turnout was down. Only in Florida was it up, but up by less than Republican turnout.<br /><br />The data don't show why Democratic turnout was down. Was it millennials sulking that they couldn't have their beloved Bernie? Was it FBI Director James Comey's letter than made Democrats who didn't really like Clinton much stay home? People will be analyzing the data for years to come, but one conclusion that is inescapable now is that Democrats lost because for whatever reason, they didn't bother to vote, at least not in the numbers they did in 2012.<br /></i><br /><br />I'm emotionally inclined to join our host in blaming my fellow Democrats for not voting. And yet, I also remember that in many of these swing states, voter suppression was a big effing deal, and that the difference between 2012 and 2016 was the Supreme Court gutting of the Voting Rights Act. So did these Democrats really "not bother to vote", or were they successfully kept from voting? If the latter, then this election really was a successful coup.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-53351241082615900462016-12-20T08:35:41.257-08:002016-12-20T08:35:41.257-08:00Zepp Jamieson:
I had been saying all along that i...Zepp Jamieson:<br /><i><br />I had been saying all along that if Clinton did not embrace Sanders outreach to workers and make a full-throated defence of workers' rights, she would lose to Trump, <br /></i><br /><br />That does seem to be exactly what happened. The working class has lost faith in the Democratic Party, which is somewhat understandable. However, the fact that they've enabled a Trump-led Republican government is nothing less than bitterly ironic in that context. <br /><br />A funny version of (almost) the same dynamic is that scene in "Blazing Saddles" where the negro sheriff points a gun at his own head and says, "One false move and the n***** gets it!" Only, if that scene were to play out like 2016, he'd pull the trigger, and his dying words would be, "That'll show them!"<br />LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-38221829051962514512016-12-20T08:34:53.861-08:002016-12-20T08:34:53.861-08:00I have very, very few good things to say about the...I have very, very few good things to say about the conservative/GOP/confederate/neofascist bunch... but they are good at keeping their muskets all pointed the same way.<br /><br />There's a song the granola folks will sing sometimes, "Ain't gonna study war no more..."<br /><br />I applaud the sentiment, but it would be better if more of them would study it. At least they'd have a better understanding of what they're trying to end.TCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08153506222271955110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21735401171268346982016-12-20T08:33:10.979-08:002016-12-20T08:33:10.979-08:00Actually, Dr. Brin, I called it.
You refused to b...Actually, Dr. Brin, I called it.<br /><br />You refused to believe. You drank the Koolaid that said Hillary's job experience would trump Sanders being an old white man who said what so many wanted to hear and thus acceptable to Trump voters who were lashing out against what they saw as the Democratic and Republican Parties' abandonment of them. You insisted Sanders was not electable. You blocked your ears and refused to hear. You closed your eyes and refused to see. <br /><br />And Hillary was cast down. Trump got elected. Because you refused to believe that hatred of Hillary Clinton was so great that people would spit into the wind in an effort to spit at her face. <br /><br />Well done.<br /><br />Rob H. Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.com