The Golden Calf
When PG was a kid in sunday school, he heard about the the golden calf. It turns out that, splendid allegory aside, he didn’t really know much about the story. With the help of google and Bible Gateway, the text of Exodus 32 showed up. G-d bless public domain, and copy paste. The Bible is the main source for this tale. It doesn’t really matter if it is the inerrant word of G-d, it is a pretty good story. And much of the message rings true today.
1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
This is a modern story. The church is begging the people for gold. The sons are wearing golden earrings. The church takes these ill gotten gains, and forge a make believe G-d. This time, it looks like a cow. Billy Graham will come much later.
7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 9 And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Moving down a few verses, the story gets good. 19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf. 25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord G-d of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. 28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: there fell that day about three thousand men.
Lets get this story right. Moses comes back from somewhere, and sees a naked party by the golden calf. He has a hissy fit, threw the golden calf into the fire, and tells people to start killing each other. Over three thousand men are killed. This is a repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Six People Killed By Police
There is a tweet being shared. @ShaunKing “6 people were killed by American police…yesterday. That’s the most of any day this month and more than many nations in an entire year.” 8:51 AM – 21 Sep 2016 When you consult Mr. Google, the details are not easily available. None of the recent articles by Mr. King, who writes for the New York Daily News, have any more information.
The headline story is Keith Scott. The initial reports said he was a “Disabled Black Man Shot Dead by NC Police While Reading in Car.” This narrative is contradicted by the police … “Police said in a statement Tuesday that officers saw Scott holding a handgun as he exited his car and returned to his vehicle. He then exited again as officers approached him and posed an “imminent deadly threat,” The incident will be investigated.
A google search was made for “people were killed by police september 20 2016.” The first result regards Keith Scott. The second result is about Ahmad Khan Rahami, accused of setting off a bomb September 17. The third result is a story, Oklahoma has a killer cop problem, especially if you’re black. This story was prompted by the death of Terence Crutcher. That shooting took place September 16.
The fourth result is the Canadian Calgary Sun: Redstone shooting that killed two people possibly gang-related. The fifth result is in Los Angeles, Driver in High-Speed Pursuit Dies After Crash in Long Beach, Authorities Say. The uncle of the deceased, Anthony Hill, said: “We know a lot is going on with these police officers out here, and doing things the way they’re doing it, so … it’s hurtful, it’s sad. Especially when you can’t get answers.”
Results six and eight are for general news programs on pbs and cnn. Neither page shows reports of new police killing. Result nine is about Cam Newton. Result ten is Several people detained after man shot in forearm in Phoenix … a non police shooting.
On result seven, we begin to learn something. It is from Huffington Post, Here’s How Many Black People Have Been Killed By Police Since Colin Kaepernick Began Protesting. HuffPo talks about Colin Kaepernick, but links to an article in the Guardian, The Counted People killed by police in the US. The article has six incidents on September 20. The age, race, and gender of the first victim is not shown. Of the other five, it was four white men, and one black man.
Mashantucket, CT Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Police Department A tribal police officer fatally shot an armed patron outside Foxwoods resort casino after the patron allegedly displayed a weapon, according to state police.
Thomas Tucker White Male,49, Westminster, CO Police said the man and several others were burglarizing a home, and when the homeowner returned the man punched the homeowner in the face and pointed a gun at him. The man then fled on his motorcycle before crashing while officers pursued him, according to authorities. He was shot after he allegedly brandished a weapon as he ran away on foot. Update with name, age, and race from Washington Post.
Sandy Duke, White Male, 43, Nashville, TN Duke allegedly broke into someone’s home and tied someone up before stealing a pistol and a car, among other items. Authorities tracked Duke after he fled and fatally shot him when he turned toward officers with a pistol in his hand, according to police.
Keith Scott, Black Male, 43, Charlotte, NC Officers were looking to arrest a man on outstanding warrants near an apartment complex when they saw Scott get out of his car with a gun, according to authorities. Scott, who was not the man police were looking for, returned to his car and then got out again before an officer shot him, a police spokesman said. Scott’s family disputes the police account, and said that Scott was unarmed and reading a book in his car when he was killed.
Joshua Scott, White Male, 22, Port St Lucie, FL Deputies were attempting to involuntarily commit Scott for mental health treatment under a court order, authorities said. Scott reportedly armed himself with a gun and barricaded himself inside his home when deputies arrived. During a six-hour standoff, police said they tried to negotiate with Scott, who fired out of his home multiple times. He was shot and killed when he allegedly pointed the gun at Swat officers.
Charles Dove, White Male, 35, Decaturville, TN, Dove was shot ‘during an altercation’ with police after he allegedly robbed a gas station and fled from responding officers, officials said.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress. Part Two is now available.
How To Start A Fight
One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift… The next year, I didn’t buy her a gift. When she asked me why, I replied, “Well, you still haven’t used the gift I bought you last year!”
My wife and I were watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire while we were in bed. I turned to her and said, ‘Do you want to have Sex?’ ‘No,’ she answered. I then said, ‘Is that your final answer?’ She didn’t even look at me this time, simply saying, ‘Yes..’ So I said, “Then I’d like to phone a friend.”
I took my wife to a restaurant.The waiter took my order first. “I’ll have the rump steak, rare, please.” “Aren’t you worried about the mad cow?” “Nah, she can order for herself.”
My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels. She asked, “What’s on TV?” I said, “Dust.”
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, “I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds .” I bought her a bathroom scale.
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table. I asked her, “Do you know him?” “Yes”, she sighed, “He’s my old boyfriend…. I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago and I hear he hasn’t been sober since.” “My God!” I said, “Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?”
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn’t run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the boat, making beer. It was always something more important to me. Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house… When I came out again I handed her a toothbrush. I said, “When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.” The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
Saturday morning I got up early, quietly dressed, made my lunch and slipped quietly into the garage. I hooked up the boat up to the van and proceeded to back out into a torrential downpour. The wind was blowing 50 mph, so I pulled back into the garage, turned on the radio and then I discovered that the weather would be bad all day. I went back into the house, quietly undressed and slipped back into bed.. I cuddled up to my wife’s back, now with a different anticipation and whispered, “The weather out there is terrible.” My loving wife of 5 years replied, “And, can you believe my stupid husband is out fishing in that?”
After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter asked me for my driver’s License to verify my age. I looked in my pockets and realized I had left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. The woman said, ‘Unbutton your shirt’. So I opened my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. She said, ‘That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me’ and she processed my Social Security application. When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my experience at the Social Security office… She said, ‘You should have dropped your pants. You might have gotten disability, too.’
These human interest stories are borrowed from Expressing Myself. This is a repost, with pictures from The Library of Congress. “Halloween party at Shafter Camp for migrant agricultural workers. Shafter, California.” November 1938. Photographer: Dorothea Lange.
Rhyme With Extreme Caution
A Glorified Sidewalk, and the Path to Transform Atlanta ~ slam ~ Being white, and a minority, in Georgia ~ Complete Medical Transportation ~ Poetry Writing: 10 Tips on How to Write a Poem ~ Playboy interview ~ get your white sheets ~ trick or treat ~ tweet ~ Bomani Jones Takes us Behind the Scenes of his Ta-Nehisi Coates Playboy Interview ~ Refining “Microaggression”: a linguistic perspective ~ How To Help Someone With Depression. ~ Telling The Truth About the Stanford Rape Case ~ Colorblind Ideology Is a Form of Racism ~ bho speech ~ bho speech ~ 6 Unhelpful Comments That Gaslight People in Conversations About Social Justice ~ Stranger Than Fiction – Author: The JT LeRoy Story ~ you must remember this ~ you must remember this ~ Lee Kendra Childs ~ I am the strongman or straw man? ~ You are one misunderstood facebook post away from being in the #BasketOfDeplorabels ~ @chamblee54 @lauraalbert from an ad for Fellini Satyricon “If you see with innocent eyes, everything is divine.” ~ Technically plateaus are the highest form of flattery. – terrible one-liners I learned today, #235 ~ These materials are educational in nature. The implications and risks of a transaction may be different from client to client based upon each client’s unique financial circumstances and risk tolerances. ~ I’m feeling just a little bit smug because I just found out what cis gender means Moby ~ I suspect a person of Mexican origin might not appreciate being called Mex Garcia. ~ Scared, as in frightened, has one r. Scarred, as in having scars, has a double r. ~ @RedNationBlogga If Colin Kaepernick took a knee for Gay Rights and the LGBT Community, what would be the reaction? @chamblee54 what if he went down on both knees for the LGBT community? ~ googled national hotep day… Did You Mean: national hoop day, national hope day, national hump day ~ @aedwardslevy she died as she lived, doing crossword puzzles on her phone while attempting to cross a major street ~ Every link on the first page of google is to a right wing wacko website. ~ Every link on the first page of google is to a right wing wacko website. ~ The cost of a secret private hospital would be astronomical, even for Hillary. And then to have it be conveniently located in Lower Manhattan when she gets the vapors. It seems highly fishy. ~ playing in san francisco has rubbed off on number seven ~ Know Your Goal, Avoid Clichés, Avoid Sentimentality, Use Images, Use Metaphor and Simile, Use Concrete Words Instead of Abstract Words, Communicate Theme, Subvert the Ordinary, Rhyme with Extreme Caution, (Daydream Auction,) Revise, Revise, Revise ~ @GrnEyedMandy Donald Trump Jr made a holocaust joke proving the bag doesn’t fall far from the douche. ~ 1-@TheKevinAllison I think the emphasis on racism is a mistake There are many many other problems with DJT people are tired of racism talk 2- @TheKevinAllison I will not let it deter me but others may be driven into the DJT camp because they are tired of being called racist ~ trashing people with resting bitch face/negative attitude/depression is another form of bigotry that is encouraged ~ two wrongs make a right pseudo logic is not funny ~ There aren’t any definitions for ladysplain yet. ~ @goldengateblond Hillary Clinton on the NYC explosion: “I’ll have more to say about it when we actually know the facts.” ~ If a white politician told white people that he would take voting for a certain person as an insult, he would, with some justification, be called a racist. Now we have a mixed race President, making a speech at the Congressional Black Congress, telling black people that it is a personal insult if they don’t vote democratic. ~ if a poc votes for trump its a personal insult if a pwoc votes for trump its racism this election stinks ~ if a poc votes for trump its a personal insult if a pwoc votes for trump its racism this election stinks ~ pictures today are from The Library of Congress. “Listening to the speaker at the conference to Aid Agricultural Organization during the cotton strike (Steinbeck Committee). Bakersfield, Kern County, California” Photographer: Dorothea Lange November 1938. ~ 666 words in this post ~ selah
Mansplain
There was a link on facebook to a rather wonky article, Mansplaining 101: How to Discuss Politics and Feminism Without Acting Like a Jackass. The concept is that men sometimes do not show women adequate respect when talking to them. The Urban Dictionary has entries for both mansplain and womansplain. Neither entry is complimentary. This is a repost. Some of the quotes used in this post may have changed, since this feature was originally published.
The policymic feature is a few months old, and apparently was the scene of a lively comment debate. Unfortunately, Some people flagged a bunch of the comments. Little is left. This is the top comment: “Feminism doesn’t need to make room for men, men need to make room for feminist ideas in their spaces.” In one sentence you managed to discredit your entire argument. Who wants to argue with someone who thinks any opinion from the opposite sex isn’t worthwhile? “
When you google mansplain you are referred to a tumblr, Academic Men Explain Things to Me. This is supposed to be an authority on mansplaining. As this post is written, the top three posts are a boss who mispronounces a name, a grandfather who tells girls how to shave their legs, and an eavesdropping customer who tells a woman how to get to sleep better. This is not especially helpful.
Blank splaining seems to be a versatile label. It seems to be a way of attacking the messenger, instead of dealing with the content of the comment. It is true that the tone of comments can be troublesome. People often come across as condescending, especially when they are. It just seems to this observer that little is gained by putting a label, like mansplaining, on this phenomenon.
PG has been in many discussions where he was spoken down to. Jesus worshipers are notorious for not respecting people who don’t agree with their ideas about religion. There is also the possibility that people use this attitude of superiority as a weapon to cover up uncertainties about their position. Human beings are funny animals. We are not always the fair, logical creatures we think we are.
Another label to be put in front of splaining is white. The urban dictionary says this about whitesplain: “The act of a caucasian person explaining to audiences of color the true nature of racism; a caucasian person explaining sociopolitical events and/or history to audiences of color as though they are ignorant children.” Contrast this to the word on blacksplain: “Explaining things pertaining to African American history and culture, to someone who is racist or racially ignorant.” The white person is always wrong in this scenario. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
How To Choose A Guru
PG has reread How to choose a guru, by Rick Chapman. The book is a look at spirituality of all sorts, with a special emphasis on Meher Baba.
HTCAG can be a frustrating book. The main focus is on finding a “perfect master”, and the path to enlightenment under his guidance. If one is not inclined to this level of dedication, you can be left feeling inferior. This is similar to the despair people feel when they think they are going to go to hell, because they don’t have the correct ideas about Jesus.
Thie book takes a look at spirit from the perspective of all religions. A central concept is the avatar, the idea of G-d become man. (This was long before the movie with a similar title.) The avatars of recorded history include Zoroaster, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, and Mohammed. Some say that Meher Baba is the modern avatar.
Mr. Chapman has a knack for phrasing. There are expressions that PG remembers from reading HTCAG in 1978. They are still there 34 years later.
Creation First, there was G-d. Then, there’s you. Then, there is G-d.
Speculation The average persons speculation about consciousness…has “the stink but not the weight of his turd”
Evangelism An authentic Master will encourage you to let your life itself be his message.
Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds Don’t be sidetracked by elaborate creeds and doctrines- the truth is as simple as it is profound. From the ancient teachings of Zoraster to today, these three principles have been the heart of the message of every G-d realized Master.
Books “Excellent guides until you find the Way.”–Abu Sa’id
Books Part Two …the scriptures of the past compare to the writings of a present-day Perfect Master just about the way that dust compares to honey.
Satan Worship If you have been toying with the thought that any form of Satan worship can lead you to higher consciousness, sober up by reading the story of Dr. Faustus. There are many paths to enlightenment, but this back alley isn’t one of them.
Sex A real guru never has any form of sexual relations with his followers. If a person posing as a guru tries to seduce you in the physical sense, then you can have no clearer indication that he is a phony, a pathetic and hypocritical collection of unresolved desires.
Truth, Old and New One time the Buddha was approached by a young man who was skeptical about Gautama’s renowned divine status. “Does the Blessed One teach a path that is new and original?” he asked. One of the Buddha’s close disciples, Sariputta, turned his gaze from the Master to the skeptic and replied, “If the Blessed One taught a path that was new and original, He would not be the Blessed One!” “Well said, Sariputta,” smiled the Buddha, “well said.”
Several of these quotes are available in copy/paste form at Meher Baba Information, for which this reporter says thank you. This site says that Rick Chapman is a follower of Meher Baba, and met him in 1966. This relationship is never made explicit in HTCAG. A glowing chapter is devoted to Meher Baba, and this relationship is not surprising. Still, HTCAG might be a bit more upfront if this relationship was clearly spelled out.
Meher Baba was born February 25, 1894 with the name Merwan Sheriar Irani. The name Meher Baba means “compassionate father”. From July 10, 1925 until his death January 31, 1969, he maintained silence, and communicated by gestures that were interpreted by his followers. Meher Baba believed that he was the avatar of our age.
With all of it’s human imperfections, HTCAG is a valuable book. It is easy to read, will expose you to ideas about spirit, and get you to think. When you grow up in a Jesus Worship tradition, one can be aware of a spirit within. At the same time, you get tired of the obsession with life after death. You sense that there is more to G-d than scheming to live after you die. HTCAG shows one path.
This is a repost. It was written like Vladimir Nabokov. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
William McKinley
One hundred fifteen years ago, President William McKinley was near death. He had been shot September 6, 1901. Medicine at this time was primitive compared to today. During surgery after the shooting, the bullet was not removed. The University of Buffalo makes this comment: “Dr. Mann and the others were neither trained trauma surgeons nor did they bother with disinfection, not even wearing gloves. The first bullet had done little harm; the second entered McKinley’s abdomen. The physicians used improperly sanitized probes and when Mann could not find the bullet, he closed the incision without draining the wound. It was a fateful decision.”
After surgery, the President was taken to the home of John Milburn. He seemed to be recovering, but took a turn for the worse and died September 14, 2001.
President McKinley had been shaking hands at a reception. The meet and greet was at the Academy of Music, as part of the Pan American Expostion in Buffalo, New York. A letter to “The Nation” has this viewpoint. ” Whatever other results may flow from the assassination of President McKinley, let us hope that that object-lesson may be sufficient to put an end to our national habit of promiscuous handshaking in public. It is hard to conceive of a spectacle more fatuous and less edifying than that of a horde of country bumpkins, criminals, cranks, idlers, and curiosity-mongers standing in line waiting for a chance to grab and squeeze the hand of the unhappy Chief Executive of this country.”
There were anarchists in 1901, who had murdered several European leaders. Several of McKinley’s advisors did not think the reception was a good idea, and forced him to have extra security. A writer in the Buffalo Courier observed on September 5 “The surrounding of President McKinley by a body-guard of detectives when he appears in public, is probably as distasteful to himself as it is to abstract American sentiment, but as long as the earth is infested by malevolent cranks and unreasoning Anarchists, the precaution is entirely proper.”
A young man named Leon Czolgosz (pronounced CHOL gosh) managed to wait in line with a concealed weapon. He was seen to shoot President McKinley. He was immediately captured, and executed October 29, 1901.
Lew Rockwell speaks of a rivalry between John Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan. Rockefeller man McKinley was replaced by Morgan supporter Roosevelt, who promptly began to break up the trusts. Another historian, connected to Lyndon LaRouche , speaks of British interests, and the rise of Confederate power. McKinley was a target of media superstar William Randolph Hearst. An editorial printed in the April 10, 1901 Journal asserted that “If bad institutions and bad men can be got rid of only by killing, then the killing must be done.”
Some say that a murder one hundred fifteen years ago does not affect us today. However, an argument could be made that the death of McKinley set in motion events that led to the establishment of the Federal Reserve System, and American participation in World War I. Both of those events have had effects lasting until today.
It is curious how President McKinley is mostly forgotten today. Some say he was most popular President since Lincoln . McKinley had been a wartime President, who won. His successor, Teddy Roosevelt, is on Mount Rushmore, and is a superstar President. Mr. Roosevelt also ran as a third party candidate in 1912, and helped to elect Woodrow Wilson. (Mr. Wilson was alleged to be a member of the “Omega Group,”rumored to be behind a McKinley conspiracy.) Mr. Roosevelt’s popularity is very different from the other three Vice Presidents who were promoted by the murder of the President. He was good at dealing with the press.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Deplorables Of Basketball
Listing a link in this forum does not indicate approval of content ~ Black Family in San Antonio Stands Up to Racist White Couple at Chester’s Restaurant ~ Racist Trash Texas Couple Who Verbally Attacked Black Family I.D’d ~ Reverend forced to ban his own dog from pet service because she is ‘unchristian’ ~ poet therapy ~ Jiz Makes a CUMback ~ Is the National Anthem Racist? Beyond the Debate Over Colin Kaepernick ~ The History of Literature ~ RM5 Gar Discovers a Lost Recording of Walt Whitman! ~ You Know Those Common Objections to ‘They’ Pronouns? Here Are 9 Simple Facts to Shut Them Down ~ Report: 2016 Chicago murders climb over 500 after violent Labor Day weekend Among those killed was a retired pastor who was fatally shot outside a senior housing complex early Monday, the paper reports. Police took another resident of the home into custody, though no charges have been filed. Witnesses told CBS Chicago the shooter was another retired minister who conducted services at the complex and said the two often argued over religion. ~ Phyllis Schafly ps over my dead body ~ 10 Great Podcast Episodes from Summer 2016: Subliminal Cassette Tapes, Kansas Sweet Crude and More ~ Math is racist: How data is driving inequality ~ stop talking about racism ~ Who killed Ferguson activist Darren Seals? ~ The Drug of Choice for the Age of Kale ~ Mandarin Monday: A Lesson in Chinese Internet Slang ~ What I Told My White Friend When He Asked For My Black Opinion On White Privilege ~ We think your favorite band is: The Band dances to the beat of its own fiddle, just like you. You love the old sound, the old music, and the old timey feel to some of the songs. The Band is unique and special and you are proud of the important part it played in music history. ~ Richmond, all I wanted was for you to say sorry. But instead you called me a liar. So, here are the receipts. ~ BLM activist: White people should be excluded from discussions on race ~ Racist Extremism Is Wrong, No Matter Its Color ~ The 7 stages of white people getting woke ~ White Nonsense Roundup ~ This Black Man is Fed Up with Respectability Memes Bashing Black Women ~ January 25, 1971 Martin TN New Jersey Reds 100 Harlem Globetrotters 99 ~ rape culture screed ~ political quiz ~ Clinton: Half of Trump’s supporters fit in ‘basket of deplorables’ ~ Why I am Skeptical of White Liberals in the Black Lives Matter Movement ~ Should I harass this woman on the Internet: A complete guide ~ Hillary Clinton’s ‘Basket Of Deplorables,’ In Full Context Of This Ugly Campaign ~ Three protesters arrested after violent incident at Starbucks ~ Yes, All White People Raised in America are Racist. ~ Hillary Clinton’s health just became a real issue in the presidential campaign ~ 30-year-old man shot, killed outside business ~ Lester “Roy” Jones ~ Antonio Perkins ~ Drive by Shooting In Chicago ~ 2 men recovering after gas station shooting ~ Pie aren’t square. Cornbread is square. ~ If “Emily Doe” had been smoking pot exclusively, and had not been using legal alcohol, it is unlikely she would have passed out behind a dumpster. ~ Technically, only isn’t the adjective before the noun an adjective? The other modifiers are adverbs. ~ Yahweh come back now ~ Join The Movement, the newsletter that tackles the justice issues that matter to you most. ~ We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. More info ~ @WernerTwertzog Radicals, of all kinds, can be recognized by their difficulties with punctuation. #Twertzog ~ From an Amazon review of “A Choice Not An Echo” “Phyllis Schafly is sort of an Ann Coulter without the wit, humor, accuracy, intelligence, and engaging personality. This book might be of value if you have a table with a short leg that needs shoring up.” ~ The spell check suggestion for Schafly is Scholarly. ~ Chamblee54 curates a compendium of the best of #Twertzog. the international opportunity to tweet like @WernerTwertzog It is illustrated with disfigured dogs from the beach, the park, and the river. ~ Maybe, instead of making up your mind, you should mind your make up. ~ I heard she was a demon in the sheets… just ask the klan! ~ @KingDSeals #BlackLivesMatter people did to Ferguson what white people did to mother Africa, come in steal all our resources then leave us for dead..smh ~ lets call DJT racist for criticizing citizens of multi racial/mixed race country, or religion with every race known to man ~ The article had 1869 words. 33 of them were “they”. ~ just once, i would like to see follow up on a celebrities promise of charitable donations i don’t have wherewithal to do this ~ Maybe you understand G-d, and believe in science ~ *We* can quit screaming racism at every opportunity. There are many other things you can say about DJT. ~ One thing the public could do is quit taking the bait whenever *the media* has a scandal to distract us. So what if a second string quarterback does not stand for the national anthem? The second thing Facebook Nation can do is stop publishing memes full of logical fallacies. (To the many aggressively vocal non football fans commenting on this matter….Colin Big Hair is not a good enough player to start the game at quarterback. The fact that he kept the Falcons out of the Super Bowl four years ago is irrelevant.) ~ I have long had a problem with the expression “radical faerie.” Isn’t being a faerie a radical act. ~ Maybe this is why we want Iran to be an outlaw state. ~ The quart is the Liter Ally. ~ If you don’t have anything good to say about anyone, come sit with me. ~ I always get something I would not mind having leftovers of. ~ pull the string, or pull a finger? ~ the lady said to Adlai Stevenson “you have the support of all thinking people” “yes, but I need a majority to win” ~ “I’m a fucking human being” That is not an appropriate use of the F word. The author should use another adjective to show that they really, really mean it. ~ And called it macaroni ~ Share is not a good word for that building. ~ The above questions were selected because they give a broad sample of the most divisive issues being discussed this year in politics. We continue to add new issues on a weekly basis. ~ #BasketOfDeplorables name calling fellow citizens every one a child of g-d to promote election of bottle brunet crook over carrot top ~ This aversion to stating facts about assholes supporting Hillary is an ongoing problem ~ You might consider voting in the local and state races, and forgetting bottle brunet vs carrot top. I don’ t know where you are registered, and how much action there will be. The US senate race, and the various congressional races, are looking pretty one sided. The state legislature, and any county elections, might be the only chance to express yourself. ~ The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic ~ @nihilist_arbys Today, fly your hunger into Arbys for meal deals so hot they could melt steel beams. Enjoy Arbys. ~ are you an eggistentialist? ~ #basketofdeplorables first they came for the racists / and I did nothing because it’s all good / then they came for the sexists / and I did nothing because I support a woman’s right to choose / then they came for the homophobes / and I did nothing because i am secure in my sexuality / then they came for the xenophobes / and I did nothing because I love Xena the warrior princess / then they came for the islamophobes / and I did nothing because jesus loves me / then they came for me / there was no one left to help me ~ pictures are from The Library of Congress. ~ selah
Nine Eleven Story
This is my 911 story. I repeat it every year at this time. If you saw it last year, it has not changed. Feel free to skip the text and look at the pictures, from The Library of Congress.
I was at work, and someone called out that someone had run a plane into the World Trade Center. I didn’t think much of it, until I heard that the second tower had been hit, then the Pentagon, then the towers collapsed, then a plane crashed in Pennsylvania.
I focused on my job most of the day. There was always drama at that facility, and concentrating on my production duties helped to keep me saner. This was roughly the halfway point of my seven year tenure at this place.
One of the other workers was a bully for Jesus. He was a hateful loudmouth. After the extent of the damage became known, he shouted “They are doing this for Allah,” and prayed at his desk. The spectacle of the BFJ praying made me want to puke.
I became alienated from Jesus during these years. Once, I had once been tolerant of Christians and Jesus, as one would be with an eccentric relative. I began to loath the entire affair. I hear of others who found comfort in religion during this difficult time. That option simply was not available for me.
Radio Free Europe
While researching a post about Molly Ivins, PG stumbled onto a lovely site called Booknotes. This site enables authors promoting their latest books. It seems to have gone out of business in December 2004, but the interviews are still available. PG likes to listen to “stuff” while he edits pictures, and Booknotes appears to be a treasure chest.
The multi tasking soundtrack last night was a chat with Hendrik Hertzberg, who is familiar to readers of The New Yorker. BTW, the majority of TNY readers live west of the Hudson River. Supposedly, the biggest number of readers is in California.
In 1965, Mr. Hertzberg was about to get drafted. At the time, this meant a one way ticket to Vietnam. Young men looked for alternatives to this, some of which were legal and moral. Mr. Hertzberg heard about an organization called the National Student Association. “And so I went to work after college for the National Student Association for a year. And it wasn`t just because the National Student Association was a wonderful cause that advanced liberal ideas and fought communism abroad and all of that sort of thing. Later, we learned that it was a CIA front, but I didn`t know that. What I did know was that if you worked for the National Student Association, you didn`t get drafted, that — it wasn`t exactly that you were deferred, but anyway, nobody got drafted while working for the National Student Association, so it was a way to have a year without worrying about getting drafted.”
The National Student Association has a facebook page, which one person likes. “The 1967 revelation of NSA’s ties to the Central Intelligence Agency sparked a national scandal, but did not measurably damage NSA.”
The CIA was involved in all sorts of things in those days. ( It still is today.) One of the fronts was Radio Free Europe. When PG was a kid, the cartoon shows had a commercial for Radio Free Europe. (It was different from the one embedded here.) These fund raising commercials were part of the scam. These commercials netted around $50k a year, towards a multi-million dollar budget. (source)
Soon after the war stories, the conversation turns to religion/tribal allegiance. LAMB: Explain this. “The Nuremberg laws would say I`m Jewish. The Law of Return would say I`m not.” HERTZBERG: Well, according to the Nuremberg laws, if you have a — if you had a Jewish father, the Nazi classification, you were a Jew. But the Law of Return, where — what entitles you to citizenship, automatic citizenship in Israel, you`ve got to have to have a Jewish mother. So I`m Jewish one way, I`m not Jewish the other way. I guess I feel sort of 51 percent Jewish because my name, Hertzberg, sounds Jewish, and therefore, people respond to me, often assume that I`m … 100 percent Jewish.”
This conversation was in 2004, when BHO was a little known Senator. Today, BHO, who had a white mother, is routinely considered black. If you go by the laws of the Nazis, BHO is black. If you go by the laws of Israel, BHO is white.
Mr. Hertzberg took a break from journalism to write speeches for President Jimmy Carter. Mr. Hertzberg is a member of the Judson Wellover Society. HERTZBERG: Judson Wellover was the very first White House speech writer. Not the first person to write speeches, ghost write speeches for a president — that would probably be Alexander Hamilton for George Washington — but the first person who was ever hired just to write speeches in the White House was Judson Wellover. He was hired by Warren G. Harding, and he — it was such a matter — it was such a shameful thing to have somebody writing — hired to write speeches that they hid his salary in the budget of the White House garage. And when we started, when Bill Safire and I started the Judson — the society of sort of a marching and chatter society or dinner — we have a dinner every couple of years of White House speech writers from all administrations, we named it after Judson Wellover.
Warren Harding is credited/blamed for coining the phrase “founding fathers”. Was Mr. Wellover involved? This is a repost, with pictures from The Library of Congress.
Clickbaitery
Today’s adventure in clickbaitery began with a headline, Math is racist: How data is driving inequality. It seems to be a rule that you get the r-word into every title, whether it is justified or not. The story promotes a book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. “A former Wall Street quant sounds an alarm on the mathematical models that pervade modern life — and threaten to rip apart our social fabric.”
The thesis of the book is that big data is running amok. “Denied a job because of a personality test? Too bad — the algorithm said you wouldn’t be a good fit. Charged a higher rate for a loan? Well, people in your zip code tend to be riskier borrowers. Received a harsher prison sentence? Here’s the thing: Your friends and family have criminal records too, so you’re likely to be a repeat offender.”
Is this racist? Maybe, and maybe not. Are records secretly coded with with an indication of the persons race? (With the Health Insurance Marketplace, this information is explicitly on the application.) Or, is race just a divide and conquer tactic? While America has a hissy fit about a second string quarterback sitting down, big data is making life tougher for the ninety nine percent.
“O’Neil calls on modelers to take more responsibility for their algorithms and on policy makers to regulate their use. But in the end, it’s up to us to become more savvy about the models that govern our lives. This important book empowers us to ask the tough questions, uncover the truth, and demand change.” This sounds good on talk shows, but ultimately big data is going to continue doing what they do. With the Donald and Hillary show going full bore, there will be plenty of distraction.
The one star reviews at Amazon make their points. Aaron C. Brown skewers the book. His review is well written, but too long to quote here. “This book tackles an important subject on which the author had a lot of knowledge and expertise, and interesting incisive opinions. Unfortunately it is marred by appalling journalistic lapses, bad enough to taint not just author, but publisher as well. Crown Publishing Group should have done a little fact and reference checking.”
The other one star folks have the zesty quotes. “She claims to be a mathematician; she’s certainly not a logician.” ~ “Author clearly wasn’t payng attention is math class. The logic used in the book is contradictory at best, nonsensical at worst and racist all throughout.” ~ “Expected a nice educational read, got a book written by a SJW with an ax to grind.”
PG saw another race based article yesterday, It’s time to stop talking about racism with white people. It was written by Atlanta resident Zack Linly. Out of 1869 words, they appears 28 times, or 33 if you include they’re. (There is used 4 times, and their is used 12 times.)
The fifth sentence of this paragraph has two, of the three, homophones. “I understand that white people are mad. They’ve gone their whole lives being the default for social and cultural normalcy and never really had to think critically about race at all. Now a black first lady addresses the nation, and she talks about slavery. Now social media identifies and challenges their micro-aggressions. They’re getting the tint snatched off of their rose-colored glasses; that “Shining City on the Hill” they know as America is starting to lose some of its gloss. And they ain’t here for that — but we are.
The full article is available at the link. Here are a few more quotes.
“When Rachel Dolezal got her counterfeit black card snatched, we struck comedy gold for black meme-makers all over the web. The “Ask Rachel” hashtag was born, and scrolling through your Black Twitter feed became something like running a marathon, only the people on the sidelines were handing out little paper cups filled with white tears instead of regular drinking water.”
“When Beyoncé released the video for “Formation,” featuring a black kid in a hoodie, a “hands up, don’t shoot” banner and a sinking police car — then performed the song while paying homage to the Black Panther Party smack in the face of white America during the Super Bowl halftime show — she provided us with a bottomless open bar of white tears.”
“The fact is, we can fight systemic racism without white validation. We can continue shutting down bridges and highways every time there’s a new Alton Sterling, Philando Castile or Korryn Gaines in the news and let white folks complain about the intrusion on their lives.” (The names of citizens killed by other citizens are not said.)
As this feature is written, there are 3280 comments. scotpowell 6:29 AM EST “I bet this guy is fun at parties…..” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
Tubby Boots
PG found Classic Television Showbiz while reserarching a recent feature about the late Sherwood Schwartz. The site is a treasure, with youtubes of classic tv shows, and interviews with “entertainers”. Somewhere in the sidebar was a link to a story about Tubby Boots.
Charles “Tubby” Boots was born around 1926 in Baltimore MD. He was a nightclub comedian. Mr. Boots weighed 375 pounds, had bleach blond hair, and often performed without a shirt. He wore pasties on his boobs, and would twirl them simultaneously in opposite directions.
The parts in blue are borrowed from Classic television showbiz. Tubby’s parents were a vaudevillian dance team called Boots and Barton. At the age of seven this youngster was clocking in at an astounding two hundred pounds, a constant target of ridicule in his Baltimore schoolyard….During his childhood, Tubby managed to witness a performance by comedy’s greatest cult icon, Lord Buckley … Tubby Boots recalled shortly before his death, “[Lord Buckley] was like a father figure to me. I met Buckley when I was seven years old when I was working at the Hippodrome in Baltimore, Maryland, and I was in awe of him. I saw his act every time he would come back to play the theater … I would sit in the theater all day and watch the shows. I’d stay out of school for the whole week – my mother would pack me a lunch – she knew what I was doing because I wanted to learn about show business. Buckley would do his hat-switching act. Every other show he would get me to do it with him. I’d hang out with him backstage, we’d go out for lunch or dinner, he’d sneak me back into the theater and I’d watch the whole stage show again. I started working nightclubs when I was eleven. I weighed 250 pounds and passed myself off as twenty-one. I got arrested in a strip joint and the police said: ‘We’re not going to throw you in jail but you’re not going to work in this town again – you’re too notorious.’ So they actually put me on a train and said ‘Where you wanna ticket to?’ I said, ‘New York.’ I didn’t run away – I was forced to leave. So when I got to New York I called Buckley and, pretending to sob, said, ‘My mama died in a car crash…my father was with her…’ Unbeknownst to me, he called my mother and told her, ‘He’s with me.’ So he got me a job at The Three Deuces, passing me off as twenty-one.” The Three Deuces was one of Manhattan’s major jazz holes in the thirties and forties, regularly featuring Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Lord Buckley was connected to the jazz world for most of his career, performing in their clubs and utilizing a great deal of the Black hipster vernacular in his act.”
Mr. Boots got a job as the emcee for burlesque shows, frequently in traveling carnival shows. He was doing well, when Lord Buckley called him from Hollywood. Supposedly, there was a movie job waiting for Mr. Boots. When he got to California, he found out otherwise. “Tubby became affectionately known as Princess Lily. “He used to call me Princess Lily but Prince Charles of Booth was my title. Buckley used to say: ‘Lil! You had the misfortune to be born with the beautiful body of a woman in the ridiculous body of a man!””
In 1959, Mr. Boots was in a bizarre accident. He was taking a bath, and the controls for the hot and cold water were in another room. Lord Buckley was handling these controls, and poured scalding hot water into the tub. Mr. Boots was stuck in the tub, and was badly burned. He spent a week in the hospital, and was not friends with Lord Buckley later.
After he recovered, Mr. Boots moved to Miami Beach. He performed in motel lounges for many years, and developed a following. Comedy albums were becoming popular, and Mr. Boots contributed “Thin my be in but fats where its at”. The albums were sold at his shows. The legend is that no copies exist that were not autographed.
The various search engines are sketchy about Tubby Boots. The Lady Bunny tells about going to see Mr. Boots in a supper club on Long Island in the eighties. Reportedly Mr. Boots did well during the comedy club explosion of the eighties.
PG saw a show by Tubby Boots. It was December 1974, at a dingy Atlanta bar called The Cove. PG was hanging out with someone we will call McClain, who liked the drag shows at The Cove. The bar was a former electronics warehouse, with a sign for Ballantines Beer by the front entrance. Ballantines had not been sold in Georgia for a long time, but the sign stayed. This was on Monroe Drive, behind Piedmont Park. Tubby Boots was a friend of somebody, and did a show at The Cove one night.
If you can stand to look at the embedded video, you get an idea about his show. Forty years later, PG can remember a few of the jokes. There was a one liner about an *African American* who took a shit, and thought he was melting. There was a routine based on the role Katherine Hepburn played in “Suddenly Last Summer”. My boy is not queeyer, he’s carnivorous. After a while, the shirt came off, and he twirled pasties from his boobs in different directions.
After the show, PG talked to a black friend, who did not want to meet the comedian. Meanwhile, Tubby Boots and McClain were making out. Before long, McClain came over to PG, and said he wanted to go somewhere else. McClain died in July, 1992. Tubby Boots died in August, 1993. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
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