Against Stupidity...

Here's my prediction for the future of American films: Disney, like Hollywood in general will (as always) take the wrong lesson from their failures. They're going to start making "male-centric" movies, but they'll approach them from the woke perspective: making pig movies for pigs. The writers, directors, best boys - excuse me, best "persons" - and all the rest will be just as woke and DEI as ever. The idea of hiring great writers and directors irrespective of their skin color, gender, or whatever type of furniture they sexually identify as is absolutely incomprehensible to management. So we're going to see a lot of condescending crap aimed at what they see as stupid, sexist men. They'll almost certainly try to slide in some sly jabs at the stupidity of their audience under the assumption that we're all too dumb to notice.

And they'll fail. Maybe some movies will do okay; they might even generate a few hits. But in the end, crap is crap. So they'll fail again. And once again, they'll blame the audience.

Maybe down the road Bollywood or China will start producing good films for American audiences. But one thing for sure is that Disney and Hollywood are lost causes.

A Ceasefire, Of Sorts

I'm absolutely convinced that the "ceasefire" proposed by Joe Biden is a TEMPORARY ceasefire. The plan is to get Hamas to release all hostages, followed by resumption of the genocide by Israel and the extermination of the Palestinian people.

Biden's puppet masters really believe that the public is stupid enough to fall for that. Their contempt for the working class is boundless. We are nothing but cattle, in their eyes.

Bidenomics

 

The Big, Big, BIG Lie

Now this makes all kinds of sense to me. The supposed "great economy" in the USA has been a lie all along. It always seemed strange to hear that claim; it went against everything I've been seeing and feeling. The cynicism behind the claims of the success of Bidenomics would be stunning if it weren't so predictable.

Facebook rapes privacy

Holy CRAP, does Facebook rape privacy! I was explaining my CPAP machine to my mother, and looked up "CPAP mask" images on Google to show her what they look like. Now, I DON'T have Facebook Messenger or any other Facebook app installed; I use my non-Google browser to access FB instead. And I used the native Google search box in Android to search, not the browser at all.

Nonetheless Facebook is now cramming my feed with CPAP ads. It never did before. So my only conclusion is that Facebook is leveraging their presence in my browser to steal data from unrelated apps on my phone. I'm not sure what to do about that, but I'm NOT happy. This only reinforces my determination to never buy anything I see on Facebook, ever.

Genocide Joe

Gaza isn't the only genocide that #GenocideJoe enables...

https://armenianweekly.com/2024/02/20/why-im-voting-uncommitted-in-michigans-democratic-primary/

Shortcut to a General Strike?

I just had an odd thought. The oligarchs who rule our world are clearly heading us towards extinction. Either their power must be ended, or the human race will probably be gone within a thousand years, if not considerably sooner.

A sustained general strike would be the least violent way to end the power of the oligarchs. But one possible shortcut to that general strike would be the shutdown of the internet. The idea occurred to me because of the wide-scale shutdown of AT&T's cellular network. That was only a partial shutdown, of course. But what if the whole internet went down, not for a few hours but for days - or weeks?

How would people react? What would they do? What would happen to the economy?

Well, it was just a thought.

Response to an "over-the-top" Biden supporter

The facts are in the public record, and I'm not going to go back over them just because you deny them. #GenocideJoe went around Congress twice to send billions of dollars worth of weapons purchased with our tax dollars to Israel. He did so knowing that they would be used to murder thousands of children and adults. He vetoed a ceasefire at the UN three times. He is a war criminal and sociopath. Dementia is no excuse.

But that's not all that he's done. He promised to add a public option to Obamacare, and broke that promise. He promised to veto Medicare for All if it ever came to his desk, even though he, his family, and everyone in Congress gets the best health care in the world for life, paid for with OUR tax dollars. Meanwhile millions of American children go without basic healthcare. Billions for Israel and Ukraine, but Americans don't matter to Joe Biden.

Now he's offering to reinstate the worst Trump border policies if Congress will only authorize more billions in weapons for Israel and Ukraine. That includes putting even MORE refugee children in cages at the border - cages which he and Obama built.

And that's just the crimes he's committed against CHILDREN. There are lots more atrocities he's inflicted on the rest of the people of this country. Your candidate is one of the greatest monsters in the history of the human race. What's wrong with you, that you support him so fervently?

A response to a Democratic candidate's request for money to help him protect abortion rights

Wait a second. The Democrats passed up LOTS of chances to codify Roe over the last several decades, despite endless campaign promises that they'd protect those rights. But now we're supposed to believe that if we just give a little more and vote a little harder, you'll REALLY do it this time? And meanwhile we should just ignore the murder of over 13,000 children in Gaza that you're all supporting? Why? Do you consider bombing children a form of extra-late-term abortion?

Digital Chains

For some reason I can ONLY post on Blogger with the Chrome browser. Or on my phone, with the Blogger app. FireFox and Brave are both unable to log in and post here.

I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that Google owns both Blogger and Chrome?

In Old Blood

Say Joe Biden had personally strangled a Palestinian toddler. Put his hands around that helpless little neck and squeezed until it broke, giggling softly all the while. Would Democrats and their supporters still be talking about it not being "too late" for him to earn a second term? Is that a sin that can be wiped away with a quick political pivot, in your book?

If not, why is his complicity in the murder of over 13,000 children somehow BETTER than that single murder? Not to mention another 17,000 or more adults?

I'll wait for a reply.

? = ?

 

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno

Lately I've been thinking about heat. Particularly heat waves, because I think we're going to be seeing lots more of them - and much hotter ones - in the years to come. At the same time it's widely predicted that the power grid will be failing far more frequently, so air conditioning will not be an option for those who aren't rich enough to own and fuel their own generators. That will be the vast majority of the human race.

In the short term, I personally have water stored in the basement. We can spray ourselves with water and lie on the concrete. That should be enough to get us through a few days of intolerable heat, I hope. But longer term, I believe that our species is going to have to become at least partially subterranean. Just as in the Midwest every home has a tornado cellar, every home in the future will need a heat cellar. The rich will probably have their whole homes underground, or duplicated both above and below ground.

The one concern is food production. I'm really not sure what could be done about that. Maybe large-scale subterranean farming of edible mushrooms and fungi? I don't know enough about underground animals to know what species might be adopted into successful sources of protein. 

In any case, I expect to see tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of deaths from extreme heat within the next ten to fifteen years. And I should note for the record that predictions such as those almost always turn out to be extreme underestimates.

Either/Or

The Democratic Party leadership don't give a shit about democracy. If they did, they wouldn't have put a visibly demented, doddering old  octogenarian up against Donald Trump. 

OR, this is all just a game between the two major political parties and who wins is meaningless - the oligarchs win either way. In which case we don't have democracy and probably haven't had it for decades. If ever. 

The Unforgiveable

For the record: even if #GenocideJoe drops out and is replaced by someone else, I'm still supporting Jill Stein. Gavin Newsom is a sleazy scumbag; take a look at his record in California, and you'll see that pretty much everything he does is a betrayal of poor and working Americans.

Hell, even if Bernie Sanders was the nominee I wouldn't support him. He sold us out too many times, and proved himself a shill for the oligarchy. The entire Democratic and Republican parties are complicit in the genocide of Gaza, and for that there can be no forgiveness - ever. 

#FreePalestine

I Forget

The special counsel tasked with investigating Joe Biden's keeping of classified documents in his home during his time out of office has declined to prosecute, saying that Biden's memory is shot. Apparently he doesn't remember when he was vice president or even the year that his son died. I can't say that I'm surprised.

I keep an eye out on the Daily Kos occasionally to see what dyed-in-the-wool Democratic supporters are thinking. In this case, they were virtually unanimous: it's no big deal.

"I'm 63 and I forgot my wedding anniversary. This is totally normal."

"I'm 81 and I forgot my debit card PIN. Joe Biden is the greatest President in history."

"I'm 47 and I just forgot my own last name. Four more years!"

Sticking your head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge reality is such a classic Democratic coping mechanism! But I fear we're going to see some truly epic Democratic tantrums after election day.

I just wish I could see them all without having to suffer through another term of Trump. People really need to wake up and realize that both parties are killing off our species. 

Can I post pics?

Post-war Gaza

I see a lot of talk about "post-war Gaza". Assuming that's it's not just a bunch of luxury beachfront condos for wealthy Israelis (the most likely outcome, and already being offered), most pundits seem to feel that Gaza should be ruled by a "reformed" Palestinian Authority - under Israel's thumb, of course, and thoroughly disarmed and surveilled.

For some reason no one ever seems to consider that the people of Gaza might want to CHOOSE their own government. I wonder why that might be? Do Palestinians not deserve democracy, perhaps? 

Joe wants money?

Sure, Joe. I'll donate just as soon as you resurrect the 30,000-plus Gazans you've murdered, including the over 11,000 children. While you're at it, you can also restore the limbs of the thousands of children who've had amputations WITHOUT ANESTHESIA because of your bombs. Oh, and rebuild Gaza.

Then just institute Medicare for All, cancel student debt, and hold REAL primaries. My contribution will be right on it's way! You have my word as a Biden on it. 🤮

#AbandonBiden
#GenocideJoe
#FreeGaza

Self-rule = Self-rule

Gazans have the right to elect their own leaders. Neither Israel, the USA, nor any other entity has the right to impose their own decisions or limitations on Gaza. 

Red Tsunami?

For some reason it just occurred to me that the 2024 election might just be an overwhelming Republican victory, not only making Trump President but possibly giving the Republicans supermajorities in both the House and Senate. I'd like to think that that would lead to the emergence of a replacement party for the Democrats, but my guess is that the oligarchs would support the Democrats to maintain the illusion of democracy.

Just a theory. I hope I'm wrong.

Question

Question: if there was an election, and Hitler was the lesser of two evils between the two main candidates, would you vote for him?

The Biden Bump?

In the last day or so I've seen several stories in the mainstream press claiming that new polls show that Joe Biden is receiving a flood of support, so much so as to give him a clear edge over Donald Trump.

I'm not buying it. This is triggering my troll-sense. I suspect that someone high up in the political establishment has decided that it's time to fake it 'til they make it - or try to, anyway. Maybe (they think) if we tell everyone that Biden is in the lead, they'll believe it and surrender to the inevitable! After all, the DNC has been convinced all along that enough progressives and other weak-minded recidivists (as they see it) will break as the election draws nearer and flock to the Biden banner.

From how they've behaved lately I think they've been getting pissed off by the strength and durability of the anti-Biden crowd. Nancy Pelosi thinks that protesters are Russian agents one day, Chinese agents the next. In either case she wants to sic the FBI onto them. Hillary Clinton is no doubt seething with rage. Perhaps just a bit of falsehood will be enough to speed up the process and get those childish and recalcitrant young voters/Moslems/African Americans to cease their caterwauling and fall obediently back in line.

I'm pretty sure that they're in for a disappointment, though. I've followed politics closely for about fifty years now, and I've never seen this level of rage directed at a candidate from their own prior supporters. The #GenocideJoe hashtag has caught fire, and many of the pro-Biden comments I see online seem like poorly-done shills.

It's an interesting situation. If I had to place odds on it, I'd say that Donald Trump is extremely likely to win. The wild card, of course, are third party candidates. Personally I don't see any of them other than Jill Stein as having much chance, since most of them simply don't have the necessary ballot access. I'm also quite sure that the Democrats will stop at virtually nothing to keep all third party candidates off the ballot. Even so, I'd bet good money (if I had any) that Biden will be soundly thrashed on Election Day.

Response to a Democrat (Vote Blue No Matter Who)

So you're saying we should support the man who:

A) is responsible for the deaths and maimings of tens of thousands of civilians

B) is bringing us closer to World War III than anyone else in history

C) promised to veto Medicare for All if it ever reached his desk, while he and his family receive the best medical care in the world for life, paid for by our tax dollars whether we like it or not,

D) has a credible accusation of rape against him, just like Trump,

E) is visibly in a state of advanced dementia

F) was the primary mover behind the 1994 Crime Bill that put millions of black Americans in prison, depriving their children of parents

G) rigged the 2020 Democratic primaries, depriving voters of a fair vote,

H) cancelled the 2024 Democratic primaries, depriving voters of a chance to vote again,

I) was the primary mover behind the 2005 Bankruptcy Bill, which deprived millions of young Americans of the option to escape crushing lifetime debt,

J) armed and is STILL arming actual Nazis in Ukraine

K) broke up refugee families and put them in cages at the border, including thousands of children - many of whom were subsequently raped by staff,

L) is offering Republicans the reinstatement of Trump's most savage treatment of refugees at the border just to get more weapons for Ukraine and for Israel's genocide?

There's lots more I could come up with, but if that's not enough nothing is. As for your suggestion that Trump would be worse on Gaza: perhaps you're right. But it's well known that Trump and Netanyahu hate each other, quite probably because they're both thugs. And for all his evil, Trump is politically pretty canny - and he's cheap. Those are all reasons to suspect that Trump wouldn't be willing to write Netanyahu unlimited checks, unlike Biden.

All that said, genocide - particularly of children - is very personal to me. It's a red line that I will never, ever cross. A vote for Biden is a vote for the continued extermination of the children of Gaza, among many other terrible policies which are bringing the end of the human race closer every day. I'm a father. I WON'T support that.

Tax "Fairness"?

There is no such thing as tax fairness. Not all the money in the universe would make up for even a FRACTION of what the billionaires have stolen from the people of the world - not to mention the human potential they've destroyed. There can never be justice, but the closest we could get to it would be for every billionaire and millionaire to spend the rest of their lives as the poorest people on the face of the Earth. Complete redistribution of all wealth is the MINIMUM we can do!

The Fierce Urgency of Meow

Too many black leaders have leached onto the gospel cadence of speech that MLKJr used, without emulating his fierce dedication to practical action and scaring the shit out of the Establishment. They just use those ringing tones to play meaningless political games, like a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. Where are the Black Panthers when we need them?