Governing through Reason
Open Mic July 27
This week Sally Ride reached for the heavens, and Sherman Hemsley moved on up. We learned that Pennsylvania State University opted to remove the statue of Joe Paterno, rather than merely turning it so he would look the other way. Meanwhile, the university agreed to retroactively retire from NCAA in order to be able to return in a few years. Chick-fil-A got plenty of beef from officials in Chicago. And Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney discovered that he is just as good at insulting the English as he is at insulting Americans.
It’s Friday, which means the floor belongs do you. Get out your brooms and start sweeping up the mess! Do you think you live in a barn???
Don’t see an article on a particular topic, but want to talk about it somewhere? This is Open Mic. Talk about whatever you want, but stay respectful.
We create a new Open Mic every week to give a clean slate, but feel free to add to this topic at any time.
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The comments section of the Guardian article is fabulous.
Max, it’s a sales job, like any product. If the product is no good, then it takes a crack team to make it seem like something you’d want to “buy”.I was faculty marshal for our medical school graduation ceremonies back in the early 2000s. (My sole qualification is that I’m 6’5″.) In that capacity, I got to meet then Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who was our commencement speaker. As we spent significant time standing around doing nothing in particular, I was amazed at how this former Governor of a pretty large state, current cabinet secretary, and future Presidential candidate was (not to put too fine a point on it) dumb as a post. What was worse, he surrounded himself with Bright Young Things who didn’t do a damn thing to enhance his status. They were too busy being self-absorbed Bright Young Things to do what staff are supposed to do: make the boss look good. (For example, he butchered the name of Tougaloo College, a major historically black institution that graduated about 1⁄4 of his audience.)I strongly suspect Mitt Romney is surrounded by such people.
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To dip or not to dip? That’s the question. It is customary during the Olympic opening ceremonies for each nation to briefly dip its flag as it passes the box containing the leaders of the host nation. The US has not done so for more than a century, since American Olympian and flag bearer Ralph Rose proclaimed in 1908 that “This flag dips for no earthly king.”
Dipping the flag today is apparently being discussed by the USOC. |The Freepers, of course, are having a totally predictable freakout. Just read the comments. Jeez.
GOP, this is your base.
This makes me think of the recent discussion here about Romney’s lies. There are many, big and small, but the one I find most egregious and outrageous is the one that has apparently taken hold among this group all too well… the lie that Obama goes around the world apologizing for America. Romney even named his book “No Apologies” as an obvious dig at Obama. The fact is, OBAMA HAS NEVER ONCE APOLOGIZED FOR AMERICA IN ANY COUNTRY.
He has mentioned a couple of times when he thinks an American action was ill-advised… quickly pointing out that it was in situation where another country was behaving even more badly. And like virtually every other president, he has apologized for the actions of individual Americans committing atrocities in wartime. But he has never, ever, “apologized for America.”
Blaring 6– inch high headline in the London papers this morning… MITT THE TWIT. Indeed.
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filistro,
When listing Romneylies yesterday, I considered including the “apologies” thing. It’s certainly part of the false (read: “lying”) narrative that Romney is trying to establish about Obama.
Republicans traditionally have claimed to be better at foreign policy, better at supporting the military, than Democrats are. Republicans are strong; Democrats are wimpy. But Romney is going up against the guy who took out bin Laden, the guy who has our Seal teams shoot Somali pirates in the head — who followed the Republican who was perhaps the biggest foreign policy screwup in American history (and who gutted benefits for American veterans and allowed US soldiers to be electrocuted in the showers while serving in combat zones).
So Romney is pushing the lie about Obama “apologizing” in an attempt to make him look weak.
Well, we’re seeing Romney’s foreign policy credentials this week. Even among our closest ally, he’s “Mitt the Twit”. It’s like he’s Bush Lite. No one else on the planet takes this guy seriously. Why the hell are half of Americans taking him seriously?
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@filistro
You’re right, the comments section of the Guardian article is a hoot. Worth read, if nothing else than for the knowledge that British politicians (as contrasted with royalty and nobility) should not be referred to by prefixing their office to their name (it must be either “the Prime Minister” or “Mr. Cameron,” never “Prime Minister Cameron”).
It’s fascinating to see how Romney’s gaffes are taken in a place where protocol is respected.
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DC… actually is is the echidna who is up early and reading the foreign press in his terrarium with his morning bowl of worms.
And Treme is exactly right.… a politician is no more (and often less) than his crew of handlers. I’ve had the (mis?)fortune over the years of meeting my small share of the Rich and Famous. It’s really astounding how vacuous and awkward many of them can seem when removed from their area of expertise. If they’re not carefully handled, briefed and presented in the most comfortable and auspicious light, a lot of Famous People really are less impressive (and much less interesting
) than the average commenter here at Logarchism. Here’s a question.… what well-known politician would you choose to be sitting next to on a long flight? Offhand, I think I might pick Joe Biden.
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actually is is the echidna who is up early and reading the foreign press in his terrarium with his morning bowl of worms.
Damn. Yeah. I need more caffeine. You were the one who pointed out the fun times in Freeperville.
Anyway, I’m beginning to see that Romney is a lot like Dubya, but without the charm, brains, or ethics. Or foreign policy cred. He’s got the same knack for economics, though.
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From the Friday trivia link at The Corner:
1.) scientists take a rat apart and rebuild it as jellyfish
2.) noisy sex is deadly for flies (bats hear their ecstatic wingbeats and swoop in for the kill)
3.) everything you ever wanted to know about pooping in space (and probably more)
Until now, I somehow didn’t realize that sound can’t travel in vacuum. So while pooping might pose a problem, bathroom noises do not…
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#11 written by Max 10 months ago
Well, on my earlier question. I believe it’s Romney himself.
That same arrogant attitude that we account for his refusing to release his tax returns, also exemplifies itself in his approach to the campaign. He let’s his BFF, Eric Fehrnstrom, make epic mistakes without consequence. He most likely ignores substantial amounts of the advice for which he pays the professional experts. I would be willing to bet that his debate prep is a Palinesque nightmare for those guys, and then he goes out and STILL does ridiculous stunts as the $10k bet!
That CEO attitude, and I’ll also bet the people he surrounded himself at Bain were talented sycophants, where HE and HE ALONE makes the final decision, in spite of the best advice of his paid experts, in debate, in speeches and in keeping people like Fehrnstrom around, are just too many “tells” to believe otherwise.
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#12 written by Max 10 months ago
“
2.) noisy sex is deadly for flies“And for errant spouses as well!
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#14 written by Max 10 months ago
The RCP “No toss ups” map is giving FL to Obama now, the only difference between them and my call. (Except I give NE-2). FL is currently @ O +1.1 in the RCP average.
If you take the three states that are at O +2.0 or less, IA, VA and FL, and give them to Romney, the EV would STILL be Obama 285–253. Then Romney would STILL have to add PA (currently O +5.8) or OH (O +5.0) or MI (O +4.2) to win. Or WI (O +6.0) AND MN (O +10.5)!
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Max,
And if we’re talking about either candidate poaching one or two of the other’s states, then if Obama takes away either or both of the additional states he won last time, IN and NC (15 EVs for NC, and Romney is only at a +0.4 in RCP average!) then that pretty much wraps it up. Even with only NC as a pickup, Obama could lose PA, OH, and FL, and even IA, and Romney would still need WI or MI.
(Take MN out of the equation. We’re not going for Romney, even if T’Paw gets on the ticket. Trust me on that.)
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After trying to make a stink about the Fast & Furious non-scandal, gun rights people are up in arms about a new UN treaty to curb international sales of small weapons. I will forgo commentary. It speaks for itself.
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While Romney backpedals from his gaffe slamming Britain on their handling of the Olympic games, his own management of the games in Utah is coming under scrutiny. Romney wants to use his time there as indication of the kind of manager he is, and the kind of president he would be.
“One of the things he talks about most is how he heroically showed up on
the scene and bailed out and resolved the problems of the Salt Lake
City Olympic Games,” Rick Santorum, now a Romney supporter, said in
February when he opposed Romney for the GOP nomination. “He heroically
bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to
Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the
Salt Lake Games — in an earmark.”This rather undercuts Romney’s anti-government rhetoric, doesn’t it? Even Romney couldn’t go it alone in the one Romney success story he’s willing to use as an example of his qualifications. Romney didn’t build that.
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Dc.. I’ve been musing lately abut mass shootings and terrorism. In particular I think about foreign entities who want to do harm to America and who have sleeper cells of disaffected citizens established and waiting here in-country.
Wouldn’t you think it will begin to dawn on these terrorists that with America’s lax gun laws and furious protection of gun rights, they’ve been misplacing their efforts on explosives and mass transit?
Wouldn’t they start to think that smuggling an automatic weapon into a mall or a theater is a much more efficient means of spreading terror, since the NRA has worked so long and hard to make the people at those places into soft targets?
And to wonder further… if we started to see a real spate of terrorist-related mass shootings in American public places… what would happen to the “gun rights” lobby? Would they continue to fight for concealed carry, automatic weapons and 100-round clips?
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@filistro,
Excellent questions. My bet would be that the gun lobby would push for more lax gun laws, and would encourage people to carry more concealed weapons to protect themselves from terrorists. The result would be escalating violence as we saw in northern Ireland, and the response would be to encourage even more people to carry.
The cycle would continue until the 70% or so of Americans who in the past have wanted stricter gun control laws actually start voting. Or until they join the NRA, subvert it from within, and vote someone sane into management there.
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When Romney visits Israel in the next week, he’ll try to present President Obama as not being a friend to Israel. With Obama’s signature on a joint U.S.-Israel Security Bill today, that message is rather undercut.
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#21 written by Max 10 months ago
Strange the focus is on concealed carry. Many more states allow some form of open carry, 12 “permissive”, meaning as long as you aren’t a “prohibited” person because of convictions or mental reasons you may carry in plain sight (Including fili’s adopted state of NV). 14 states require a permit. (Including, dc, MN) 16 more allow open carry “anomalously”, meaning localities may preëmpt the law, or other restriction may apply. (Including mono, shiloh and GROG, OR and OH). Finally, only my birth state of SC, former home state of CA (MW) and current home of TX, and 5 others forbid open carry in any form for civilians. That number will reduce to 7 and permitted states will go to 15, this fall when the OK law takes effect.
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#22 written by Max 10 months ago
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Max, I agree that a focus on concealed carry is strange. If the intent of carrying weapons is to deter violence, I’d think people would want to carry their weapons openly, as a way of warning off a would-be assailant. Maybe the real need isn’t actually for security, but for a feeling of security. Guns (concealed or not) are very seldom actually used for protection. The most they usually do is offer a psychological security blanket.
(I won’t go into the psychosexual aspects of it. That should already be obvious.)
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#24 written by Max 10 months ago
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Okay, Max …
For a man to carry a concealed gun it’s the equivalent of having a penile implant, a secret boost to testosterone-laced confidence levels. It’s all about the ability to give others the shaft. And that bulge in my pocket means I am very happy to see you.
For a woman, it’s a secret vibrator, a way of claiming sexual power for herself, and not having to rely on anyone else. It has a similar psychological effect as it does for a man, but with the additional benefit of increasing a feeling of independence and strength. Plus, it like feels wickedly stepping out of stereotypical sex roles, the equivalent of wearing a man’s business suit (or underwear, if it’s concealed).
Or so my Freudian friends tell me. (If you disagree, take it up with them, I’m just a stenographer here.)
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By the way, I could do an “Old Time Religion” article on weaponry. Writing was invented in the Middle East, about 5000 to 6000 years ago. One of the most popular Middle Eastern goddesses was Inanna, who was the goddess of both love and war. She eventually evolved (through a very long and complex history) into the Greek Artemis and the Roman Diana. There has been a connection between war and sex for as long as there have been people engaging in war and sex.
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#27 written by Max 10 months ago
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#28 written by Max 10 months ago
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#29 written by Max 10 months ago
Oh them Freudians! What a hoot! Then again, Freudian psychology has this disconcerting tendency to attribute a sexual basis for damned near EVERYTHING! (He even related his smoking, which eventually killed him by cancer (And a morphine OD) with masturbation.) So how valid IS that?
Because a gun, for a male, can simply be a gun and an instrument for self protection. And a gun, for a woman, can simply be a gun and an instrument for self protection.
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Everything you see
Is concave or convex.
So everything you think
Will have to do with sex.In the case of guns, Max, I think the Freudians have a point. Certainly the connection between sex and weaponry is well-attested in human thought and literature and both social and religious imagery for, like, forever. Agression and conquest even share much of the same language as sex. Freud was hardly the first to come up with the idea. I can quote extensively from Medieval verse or Sumerian writings or Greek philosophers. It’s not a new concept.
I’m not going to press the point, however, that people who feel driven to carry guns might sometimes be compensating for sexual insecurities. (The same was said about knights and their, ahem, swords, in Medieval Europe.) I’ll just throw the idea out there and let it land where it may.
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#33 written by Max 10 months ago
MW,
#31, I still have a healthy amount of skepticism on FL as well, which is why my tally still has the state in the Romney column.
#32, WHAT??? A mistake?? Are you KIDDING me? Well, all I can say is that if they don’t live in the state I mentioned, they OUGHT to MOVE THERE as soon as possible!!!
(mutter, mutter, mutter, harumph, harumph, harumph!)
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Romney has a new lying ad out.
President Obama gave a speech in Oakland in which he compared President Clinton’s economy to Bush’s economy. Romney wants to follow Bush’s prescription. Obama is following Clinton’s. Obama said we’ve tried “their” ideas (the Bush/Romney policy) and it didn’t work. He also said we’ve followed “our” ideas (Clinton/Obama) and it did work (booming economy, over twenty million jobs created, everyone did well), and that’s what the election is about.
Romney’s ad took only the final sentance out of that, and tried to make it look like “our” ideas means that Obama thinks the economy has entirely recovered — We tried our ideas, and it worked. So then we see lots of clips of people talking about how bad things still are for them. Once more, Romney takes a half-quote out of context and makes it into an outright lie.
Romney continues to lie. The basis of his campaign is to lie about President Obama. That’s all he has — a series of lies. Romney’s argument for electing him is that he lies.
Why would any sane person with an ounce of integrity vote for such an odious candidate?
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Here’s my prediction on the Romney European Tour.
Remember when Candidate Obama went to Europe during the 2008 campaign? Remember the huge crowds, the excitement, the sense of welcoming and of the rising of a superstar? Remember how the Republicans made fun of that? They claimed people only liked Obama because he is a “celebrity.” They insulted him for being too “European.” The fact that people in Europe actually liked him, they tried to make into a sign that he would be dangerous as President.
Now Romney is in Europe. They hate him. Everything he says insults Europeans and makes them hate him more.
Republican strategists will try to spin this into a plus. Look, the Europeans loathe him. That makes him perfect to be an American president. He’s nothing like them.
That’s how much Republicans hate the rest of the world.
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Historically, my hopes for some reasonable controls over guns were based on the recognition that they required manufacturers to produce them. That means a small number of suppliers, though we have terrible control over the distribution network. And we can put in requirements that manufacturers uniquely mark their rifling for each gun in order to better be able to track instances of criminal activity using the weapons.
But the era of manufacturer control is coming to an end, with the rise of 3-D printing. We are rapidly reaching the point where anyone, anywhere can make whatever sort of gun they wish, in private and in the home.
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#38 written by Rose 10 months ago
To see how Mittens saved the corruption-riddled SLC Olympics, see below. Even then, he was looking out for the 1% at the expense of the rest of us.
My favorite part begins at the bottom of page 7, where the enrichment of Earl Holding (oil, Sun Valley, Snowbasin resort) at federal taxpayer expense is described. The road we ALL built for Holding truly is an engineering marvel and it provides easy access to his private resort.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1024516/1/index.htm -
One interesting side note to Sally Ride’s death is that she and her partner wrote her obituary together, and in her obituary, she came out as a lesbian.
She remains a hero to me, and her death does not diminish her heroism. But her partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, has lost a longtime companion. We mourn Sally Ride’s passing, and wish her Godspeed to her new destination. -
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#47 written by Max 9 months ago
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#49 written by Max 9 months ago
Kim Rhode GOLDS in Olympic skeet shooting today with Olympic and World records. She hit 74–75 in the prelims, then ALL 25 in the final (World rec match) for a total of 99–100 birds! She the 2nd American to win gold at London.
She makes history by becoming the FIRST American to medal in FIVE consecutive Olympics. She won gold in Atlanta and Athens, bracketed by bronze in Sydney and silver in Beijing.
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#51 written by Armchair Warlord 9 months ago
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#52 written by Max 9 months ago
Well, I’ve thought that, generally, one should be able to defend oneself with like kind. You know, “don’t take a knife to a gunfight.“
I moved to San Diego in February 1995 and on 18 May Shawn Nelson took his much publicized joyride. Now, If one of those Clairemont residents had had a RPG …
Remember the old Fats Waller line: “One never know, do one?”
LOL!!!
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Climate science critic Richard Muller has done a total 180. Using money from the Koch brothers to research the question of climate change, Muller has concluded not only that the change is happening, but that it is on the high end of what the climate scientists have been saying, and that it is almost entirely caused by human activity.
Climate scientists, of course, merely yawn, because they knew this already. Deniers are searching for ways to discredit the man they used to worship. I don’t think he’ll change many minds, because the deniers are deeply entrenched in the politics of it. But I truly hope Muller’s amazing change helps a few people to reexamine their assumptions.
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I just want to know how one of the most well assembled and well financed campaigns in presidential history can so consistently put out such gaffes?
I have my own theory, but before I spill my guts, I’d love to hear what others believe the problem to be.