Politics Archives

Monday, Sept 30th, 2024

Over the weekend, I went back through the posts on this garbage fire and made sure they were tagged appropriately. I found this post on Sunday, and while I’m not saying this makes me Nostradamus, it does beg the question: How many of us were thinking the same thing at the same time? If a lot of folks were thinking the same thing at the same time a year ago… (points to all this).

One of the nice things about my day job is the flexibility. For example. I have a doctor appt at 1:30 pm today. I don’t want to take time off, and while I have my full complement of sick time I don’t want to use it unless I have to. As long as I work an 8-hour day, my team is cool with it. So, I logged in at 4 am this AM, took an hour lunch at 8 am, and will log off for the day at 1 pm. That’s an outlier, but I was having trouble sleeping anyway. TCB, as they say.

Who’s got the bingo card for tomorrow’s VP debate? Hook a guy up.

An eventful weekend, which makes my doctor’s appointment today convenient. More on that later, possibly.

Wednesday, September 13th, 2023

Blog

This is a political post. Skip it if you need to.

After watching Senator McConnell lock up twice, my thoughts are not with him and whether he should retire. My thoughts are about what would happen if that happens to President Biden in front of the media.

If a lapse like that happens to a President, that President is done. It’s time to have that discussion before it happens.

I voted for Biden. If I have to, I would vote for him again because I’m not interested in inviting the Apocalypse. I wish I was being hyperbolic. But I don’t want to. I want a better option. Newsom says he’s not running. I’m not sure I believe him, and even if he’s right there’s always the possibility of an open convention. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time a Governor of California has walked into a convention and threw his hat in the ring.

I would love to see Gretchen Whitmer run. I think she can do it. Additionally, and in no way am I saying this is the only reason to nominate her, but I think she is capable of humiliating Trump into a fine orange paste on the debate stage and in the media.

I never said it wasn’t a good reason, just not the only one.

Saturday, July 29th, 2023

Blog

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but the issue with ancient people in elected positions doesn’t start with those ancient people.

It starts with the folks and the money that keep electing them.

It’s Time To Not Be Nice

Articles

In 1968, after Congress passed a gun control bill that was, in the words of the late ABC anchor Frank Reynolds, “emasculated”, Lyndon Baines Johnson asked—to paraphrase—how much more anguish must America endure? Now, before we start going down the gun control rabbit hole—Trust me, we’ll have time for that—I’m choosing to focus on that quote, and another one. You’ll know this one, it’s Patrick Swayze from Roadhouse. “I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.”

I find it hard to not be nice anymore. Here’s another quote for you, Keanu Reeves. “I’m at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you’re right – have fun.” I want to be kind or be silent. I want to get rid of all the drama, go live by the beach somewhere, and just…be.

But I can’t. Because it’s time to ask once again, how much anguish we must endure. It’s time to not be nice.

It’s time that we do not agree with the people that think 1+1=5, and tell them to have fun. All the fivers believe there is an objective reality where this is true. They have people in the alternative and mainstream media that pander to their fivieness, They have politicians that lock on this fivedom and run on it. They post fivist memes on social media to own the twos. Frankly, I’ve had my fill of fives.

It’s time to insist that 1+1=2. Firmly.

It is time to not be nice.

It is not time to reason with the fivers that ask “What about the threes? You don’t mind the people who think 1+1=3?” It is not time to justify a Two who said something nice, or even something atrocious about the fives years ago. It is not time to deal with the fives of bad faith who scream about why you, a two, won’t debate them.

It’s time to insist that 1+1=2. Firmly.

It is time to not be nice.

Fives did not suddenly appear out of thin air. They weren’t created in a vacuum, they weren’t grown in a vat of ooze, they’re people who, in a lot of cases, hopped on board much later. It’s kinda like going clear and then they tell you about Xenu and the Space DC 10’s flying Thetans into volcanos. You, a two, look at these folks and ask HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? THAT’S CRAZY. That’s easy. 1+1 didn’t equal 5 originally. They found time in 1968 while Mayor Daley was out preserving disorder to just bump it up a little. It equaled 1.1 back then. And little by little, they bumped up just a tad every year until they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar in 1974. Then they had to reset. 1+1=2 all the way through to 1981 when they found a guy who was good at making people believe 1+1 was whatever he wanted to be, and we went along with it, mostly, because whatever 1+1 was at the time, this guy had a way of making us feel really good about it. So much so that we didn’t notice what those incremental little bumps were doing to some of us. These little bumps continued until someone with a uHaul truck and the belief that God told him the answer was 2.5 said the quiet part out loud and blew the front of a building off, and then things quieted down for a bit. But one of those guys who got ejected during the reset of 1974 decided he needed to create a platform for all the folks who knew objectively that 1+1 was whatever we say and if you don’t agree, you’re Two Stupid. They even made up a nickname. Two Stupid. If you’re Being Two Stupid you have mental problems. You might even be what’s destroying this country! And over the years that number has been growing and growing until some guy who deals with more zeroes than anything else got elected President getting people to believe 1+1 is now 5. And now you see how things start small and snowball, and it gets crazier and crazier and the people get more and more zealous and…

It’s time to insist that 1+1=2. Firmly.

It is time to not be nice.

I don’t want to be an asshole, I don’t want to cancel anyone, and I don’t want to belittle anyone. I don’t want to own the fives. As my Dad used to say “You have the right to be wrong. You also have the responsibility of what being wrong means.”, and that’s where the proofing meets the problem, which is twofold. First, the fives believe that there’s no consequence for believing 1+1=5. Second, and this is more important, there are more twos than fives. A lot more.

And it is time to insist that 1+1=2, it has always equaled two, and it will always equal two.

Not maliciously, not condescendingly, but kindly and firmly.

Because, at long last, it is time to not be nice.

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

Blog

I’ve lived here in Virginia Beach for decades. It’s as much my home as anywhere else I’ve lived. I love this place, but there are some uncomfortable truths about living here that some of you in other places may not know, or you might be aware of one or two things. First, this town is Red. Very Red. You can’t be AOC and run for office here. Elaine Luria voted for Scott Taylor in the election before she ran against him. Also, they tend to get their way a lot. We had a referendum about whether or not to extend a light rail system from Norfolk into Virginia Beach. That referendum passed. Until the City Treasurer decided he wanted a do over because he didn’t get his way. The second referendum failed, and now there’s no light rail in Virginia Beach. Second, If you’re not a fan of the military, this is not the place you want to live. I would argue that we have the highest concentration of military personnel here than anywhere in the world. Politics is going to cater to the military here in one form or another. Third, because of the number of military folks here, folks from the Government like to come here to use our fair city as a backdrop. I’m pretty sure that every President since Bill Clinton has come here for something, and I’d bet that Reagan and Daddy Bush has been here as well when they were in office. Every one of them would have traveled by motorcade from the plane to wherever they were going, and each time they have had to close down at least one of the major arteries here. But you would think from reading Virginia Beach as a trending topic on Twitter yesterday that this has never happened before, and I’m here to tell you that memories are conveniently short. At the very least, they’re color coded.
- One Twitter troll who identified as MAGA on his bio responded to my take on this by saying “He’s not a president”. I’d like to be clear on this: I did not like Donald Trump. Didn’t care for Hillary either, but I held my nose and voted for her because I did not feel like opening the Seventh Seal of the Apocalypse. As much as I hate the fact that Trump won, here’s the deal: He won. As did Obama, W, Clinton, HW, Reagan, and so on. Trump was elected President. Anyone with a shred of fairness and logic about them has to acknowledge that. See, there’s an objective reality and then there’s the cultish delusion that the MAGA folk have fever-dreamed their way into, and you can wish really hard that it isn’t so, but Biden won the election, just like every other President that’s been elected. Just because you don’t like the guy doesn’t mean shit. Flip it around and tell me what the MAGA folk would say if I said “Trump isn’t MY President!” They’d say something along the lines of “Facts don’t care about your feelings, soy boy.” I promise you, the sentiment is mutual. I just happen to acknowledge reality, snowflake. There are two years left on the clock, minimum. If you want to get rid of Biden, the answer is simple: Run someone better. I don’t think that will be Trump, though. I suspect he will be otherwise engaged or barred from running.
- Finally, all the clearly Republican folks on Twitter bitching about the traffic today…if only there was alternate transportation, like, say, light rail…
Someone on my team made a bot to perform a function, and decided to name it Hubert. Amazingly, I found a GIF in Teams of Hubert Humphrey. I was shocked. I mentioned that I’ve had Humphrey on the brain lately because I’ve been watching the CBS coverage of the 1968 DNC from Chicago. My boss implored me to get a life or two. I hadn’t thought of an interest like that as being all that indicative of needing to get a life, but I suppose it isn’t a common interest? I like watching news coverage of historical events. I’m trying to curate a few playlists on my YouTube Page of those things, so jump over there and check it out as I grow it.
Another thing to file under Memories are short: MTG got the vapors when someone decided to get all up in her grill at a restaraunt: “I was attacked in a restaurant tonight by an insane women and screamed at by her adult son. They had no respect for the restaurant or the staff or the other people dining or people like me who simply have different political views. They are self righteous, insane, and completely out of control. I was sitting at my table, working with my staff, and never even noticed these people until they turned into demons. People used to respect others even if they had different views. But not anymore. Our country is gone.” This woman has harassed David Hogg, AOC, and at the very least hung up a transphobic sign on her door directly across from a Rep with a Transgender child. You’ve shown who you are, and you’d think when someone gives you a little of that same medicine, a person capable of self-reflection might pause and reconsider some things. I’m guessing you’re not that person, Marjorie. It’s ok. I used to be the same way, and it’s easy to let that all-ego no heart or brains trick you into thinking that you did nothing wrong and that you’re being picked on. You’re not being picked on. You’re getting exactly what you deserve. One thing I learned the hard way is that if you don’t take the time to reflect and change your heart and mind, is that when karma comes along and does that for you it’s not a pleasant experience. Not at all.
Semi-serious question for the White House Press Office: What is stopping you from yanking FOX News’ credentials? After yesterday’s revelations, they clearly don’t deserve them. Seriously, square up and yank those passes, be ready with the receipts, and don’t cave in. Not the same level, but when Gizmodo ‘found’ the iPhone 4 at a bar and leaked it, Steve Jobs barred them from Apple Events for years. I always used to tell people on Beach Mac that you could go to all the other tech sites to get the news, or you could go to Gizmodo to get what someone else told them about the news. Let Fox be the new Gizmodo. Let ’em be in exile for the rest of the time Biden’s in office, or Harris for that matter if she comes after. Sure enough a Republican will restore their access. But let them cry about how long that will be. I think that would be perfect.
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