Two Tweets
Twitter can be a fun place to visit. Yesterday, this item floated ashore: @BlakeTheSequel “@kat_blaque GIRL. I have gotten into it with soooo many people over RuPaul’s coonery w/regards to Lucien Piane. I got put in Facebook jail!.” Urban Dictionary defines coonery as “Acting in such a manner as to perpetuate black stereotypes in society such as music videos solely about cars, money and women. / Pejorative term to describe behavior that is seen as unbecoming of African-Americans.” As we will see in a minute, this is a versatile term.
Music producer and songwriter Lucian Piane sometimes works with RuPaul. Mr. Piane, aka @RevoLucian, might have emotional problems. There is a series of tweets, presented here with the naughty word StarrBootied out. @RevoLucian“If black people stopped being so ashamed of themselves we could call them n*****s and they would laugh. Backwards shit.” @RevoLucian“I love @RuPaul, and he’s the wisest n*****r I know”@RevoLucian“If Jews stopped the Holocaust victim shit we would all get along. #truth” @RevoLucian“Someone please explain why Chinese guys have such tiny dicks…” @RevoLucian No drugs. Just divine inspiration.
@RuPaul has replied. @RuPaul “If you only knew how fragile your own mental health is, you wouldn’t be so cavalier.” @RuPaul “Show some compassion. Please.” @RuPaul “You can’t expect your factory job to come back AND continue shopping at Walmart.”
@chescaleigh “I’m not offended by ppl calling me Franny, but i think it’s telling that randoms online use in an attempt to speak down to me @JayShabazz” PG has interacted with Franchesca Ramsey before. It come to an end. @Chamblee54 “@chescaleigh when you say the n-word you demean yourself it is in your best interest not to use it” You are blocked from following @chescaleigh and viewing @chescaleigh’s Tweets. #tweetthatgotmeblocked
@JayShabazz aka Rick, is a “Breitbart and Sowell fan! I love the context, facts and logic! kinda agnostic. I also love comic books.” He has 118 followers, or 20 more than @Chamblee54. He may, or may not, have sent out a tweet yesterday. (Pro tip: If you see something that interests you, copy the link. You may not be able to find it later.) The comment was something about Barack Obama having Larry Sinclair killed in a hit and run accident. Maybe it was @RevoLucian who sent the tweet.
Larry Sinclair was a minor celebrity a few years ago. He peddled a strange story about a cocaine fueled “date” with State Senator Barack Obama. Mr. Sinclair gave a bizarre press conference, which ended with Mr. Sinclair being arrested. A book was written, Barack Obama & Larry Sinclair: Cocaine, Sex, Lies & Murder? The book was published after Mr. Obama won the election.
November 14, 2011 is the date of the alleged hit and run accident. If you google “Larry Sinclair hit and run” you will see some reports from sketchy websites. Google does not seem to have much information about whether, or not, these reports are accurate. Wikipedia does not have a page for Larry Sinclair. The Larry Sinclair website will harm your computer. For some reason, Larry Sinclair seems to have vanished. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
#OPKKK
PG was minding his business when he stumbled onto a tweet. @neonflag This number on Anonymous’ KKK data dump jumped out at me: 770-499-4633. That’s the Cobb County Sheriff. #gapol. While the Cobb County Sheriff is not beyond suspicion, it seemed odd to think of a government office as being a KKK member. This is a double repost.
There had been rumors. Anonymous was going to release the names of KKK members. The people wearing Guy Fawkes masks were going to expose the people wearing bedsheet hoods. Twitter nation was abuzz with excitement…lets expose the racists. PG was concerned about collateral damage, about innocent people being dragged into the mess. And now it was happening.
They’re publishing their data there. In addition to the phone numbers, there were email addresses, many with .ru addresses. There was also a list of politicians. There were lurid articles, like Racists Panic As Anonymous Starts Releasing Details Of KKK Members.
Included on this list was Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson. A conservative Republican that many would not want to defend, Sen. Isakson had been in real estate before he ran for election. This is an image conscious business, that would not lend itself to bedsheet wearing. Nonetheless, facebook was soon crowded with people calling for the resignation of Senator Isakson.
Before long, common sense began to creep in. If You Really Think Four Republican Senators Are in the KKK, You’re a Fool. Relax: #OpKKK Did Not Release Info Linking Elected Officials To The KKK. One division of the hydra headed anonymous tried to back away from another. @Operation_KKK
This account has NOT YET released any information. We believe in due diligence and will NOT recklessly involve innocent individuals #OpKKK .
Several questions remain. How will we know who to believe? Was the preliminary *data dump* a false flag operation, designed to damage anonymous credibility? Why are they worried about the KKK? Is genuine evil flourishing while America chases bedsheets?
Despite it’s fierce reputation as a “racist terrorist” organization, the KKK is in bad shape. It has less credibility than the Westboro Baptist Church. The custom of wearing bedsheets makes them the easy target for jokes. The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center say the membership of the KKK is dwindling.
A good argument could be made that anonymous publicity is helping the KKK. It makes bedsheets look dangerous. While the three digital stooges of anonymous/facebook/twitter are focused on bedsheets, more dangerous white (and other color) hate groups are operating in darkness. With people fascinated with who is under the bedsheets, people that can do damage are buying ammunition, and buying elections. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.
The “official” data dump on the KKK has hit the ether. Anonymous promised the material at 10 am CST Thursday. It was five and one half hours late, which led to speculation that @Operation_KKK’s #OpKKK Exposed: ‘Anonymous’ was Geraldo the Whole Time!.
In any event, it is here, and less sensational than the widely discredited politician breakdown earlier this week. There are some who still believe that the earlier data dump was real. Some people are very gullible when it comes to fighting racism. Anonymous does not help by including a famous grand dragon, Calvin Craig, who died in 1998. Louisiana celebrity David Duke is also on the list.
The information on the list seems to have been collected through common sense browsing. Many of the facebook peeps shown seem to be proud of being idiots. Others outed themselves in chat rooms and forums. As the report says, “You never know who you are talking to on the internet”.
PG has been clicking on some of the facebook pages. Some of them are amusing. Here are a few highlights. This digest will continue until it gets too long, which probably won’t take too long. (One hour later) This is not that much fun. The names are in alphabetical first name order. After going through the J names, these are the only text items. There are dozens of memes, many of which feature stars and bars, Jesus, Obama, expressions of white pride, and paranoia. It can be discouraging. If you want to look for yourself, there is a link above to the report.
woman Baby I love this picture of you you’re so sexy… man Lmwao woman Not funny!! And before you ask… No baby I have not smoked crack today! Lmmfao *wink emoticon* man Crack head. woman I am not!! man Lmwao
Arianna Wolfe I try to give some ppl the benefit of a doubt when I accept friend requests….. but when I look at what your about I see a lot of men are not true aryan but just womanizing druggies or drunks that act so much like our enemy’s that all that separates you from them is skin color
Chase N Graceland (from report) Buford Forest AKA Don Hall AKA Chase N Graceland East Coast Knights Elvis Impersonator (lulz) Says he does not have enough money to pay his klan dues so he is not a member (In the klan, you pay up or youre not a member) However, he may be a member of Confederate White Knights (out of Maryland) Interesting Fact: 3 or 4 different Elvis impersonators have tried to join the klan. Creepy.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Episode 34455
Episode 44455 of Bloggingheads TV was Glenn Loury and John McWhorter. PG knows that he will never get anything done while listening to these men. Every few minutes, something worth recording will be said. Video clips, or dingle links, will be used in this story.
The discussion centered on why America chose a hairpiece challenged man to be POTUS. John scored the first zinger. It is unfair to consider the Pennsylvania voter a moral troglodyte if he does not prioritize racism above all other considerations. This contrasts with a popular facebook meme: Trump voters may not be racist, but they do not consider racism to be a deal breaker.
This concept of equating anti racism with moral probity comes up throughout the show. John says that one problem with Mr. Trump is not that he is racist, but that he doesn’t have the decency to hide it. Is this decency, or a socially presentable fig leaf? And isn’t the appeal of Mr. Trump that he does not play these games, but says what he really thinks/what his supporters want to hear? The line between show biz, and governance, gets blurrier all the time.
The various incidents of anti minority violence, reputedly spawned by the Trump election, were discussed. Glenn talked about a Chicago incident, where a white man was attacked by a black group. The attackers were chanting “Don’t Vote Trump.” Glenn called the attack racist. Evidently, Dr. Loury has not gotten the memo that “black people cannot be racist.”
Glenn soon got into a full blown rant, shouting “GROW UP That’s why you lost the election because you thought name calling was a substitute for making political arguments.” This may be overestimating the intelligence of the voting population. You don’t win a reality show glamor contest with intellectual arguments about government policy. Hillary did make some sound arguments in the debates, only to be overshadowed by jokes about pussy grabbing. In the end, Mr. Trump got his majority of electoral votes.
Were the voters in the three MI-PA-WI states impressed by the moralizing hypocrites who denounced Mr. Trump as a pussy grabbing racist? The issues vs personality quagmire was repeatedly worked over, with Dr. Loury taking the uncomfortable position of defending Mr. Trump. It got so bad that Dr. McWhorter asked Dr. Loury Did you vote for that jackass?
BHTV is unique among podcasts. It has video cameras, so you see the squawking heads. It is not always a smooth process. At one point, the image froze. This was sixteen seconds after John said the n word, which may affect video transmission after all. If only it had ended in a, instead of er.
Dr. McWhorter is a professor at an Ivy League college. Unfortunately, when he is listening to Dr. Loury talk, Dr. McWhorter looks dumb. This does not have anything to do with the intellectual capacity of Dr. McWhorter, but rather the face he presents when listening. Instead of resting bitch face, Dr. McWhorter has resting stupid face.
John said the election was a referendum on pc. This is political correctness, not personal computers vs macs. This was a minute and a half after Glenn was ranting about the idiocy of #alllivesmatter vs #blacklivesmatter. Did this election really come down to what adjective goes in front of #___livesmatter? Glenn denounced the eagerness of the democrats to be heard saying #blacklivesmatter. To him, the democrats were “under the sway of a misguided, self absorbed, morally superficial movement.”
James Baldwin has been on Dr. McWhorter’s reading list. From this, he has opinions about “the lesson that white people need to learn about their whiteness.” Imagine, for a minute, a white man saying that black people need to learn a lesson about their blackness. That may have been what Glenn was thinking when he said that John was the “victim of your own racial narcissism.”
There was more disagreement today than usual today. In the end, they agreed to disagree, and moved on. A more confrontational person might not have done so. Maybe that is what is needed in america today. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Did The KKK Endorse Donald Trump?
In the last days of the 2016 election, people began to say that Donald Trump was endorsed by the KKK. @DefiantLionUK Don’t forget President-elect Donald #Trump is a hate-filled, #KKK endorsed, #racist & that simply can’t be tolerated #TrumpProtest. @Eti_Verde Vote! American democracy in action! Stop Trump & his white nationalist KKKlan!
The consensus was that DJT was endorsed by the KKK, and that DJT is a racist. Therefore, if you support DJT, you support the KKK, and you are a racist. There is a name for this type of logical fallacy. The net result is the election of DJT.
It is tough to say how much impact this KKK talk had on the election. By November 8, America had been hit over the head with political talk for two years. The various factions tend to live in echo chambers, where they only hear information that reinforces what they already think. People say what sounds good to them. If someone does not agree, then they are a racist. People seem to assume that their neighbor will agree with them, if only you insult them enough.
Google “kkk endorses donald trump.” The top result is in the Washington Post, KKK’s official newspaper supports Donald Trump for president. “It is called the Crusader — and it is one of the most prominent newspapers of the Ku Klux Klan. Under the banner “Make America Great Again,” the entire front page of the paper’s current issue is devoted to a lengthy defense of Trump’s message — an embrace some have labeled a de facto endorsement.”
There is no link to the endorsement. If you google the Crusader, you find this. The Crusader is a tacky little newspaper, headquartered in Harrison, Arkansas. It is “The official Newspaper of The Knights Party.” You get “4 Big Quarterly Issues” for $20. “The Charge on your Credit Card Statement will show up as Christian Books and Things”
The truth is that the Ku Klux Klan is an obsolete movement. There are a few dozen chapters, who often do not get along. The hand wringing by “liberals” empowers the Klan. If people would ignore the Klan, they would go away.
“The KKK is split into many smaller subdivisions, explained Ancona, and often times, banished members of a larger branch will attempt to start their own. Ancona believes this is the case with Murray, who is not even known to the Traditionalist American Knights. “He basically made up his own name,” Ancona said, explaining that Murray may not even be on his birth certificate…. Half of them don’t have the rituals for our ceremonies.”
Despite it’s fierce reputation as a “racist terrorist” organization, the KKK is in bad shape. It has less credibility than the Westboro Baptist Church. The custom of wearing bedsheets makes them the easy target for jokes. The Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center say the membership of the KKK is dwindling.
A good argument could be made that anonymous publicity is helping the KKK. It makes bedsheets look dangerous. While the three digital stooges of anonymous/facebook/twitter are focused on bedsheets, more dangerous white (and other color) hate groups are operating in darkness. With people fascinated with who is under the bedsheets, people that can do damage are buying ammunition, and buying elections.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. These men were Union soldiers, in the War Between the States. They did not post on facebook.
Election Day
This election day started like many others. The four year elections, with the olympics, and a presidential race, are different from the two year governor election. This one is going to be boring. Georgia is going to vote for Mr. Trump. Any vote you make is a protest vote. It would be fun if he got below fifty percent, and we had a runoff.
Down ballot voting is uninspiring today. The US senate, and sixth district house, are runaways. This does not stop the incumbents from collecting bribes, or campaign contributions, for those who want to influence them. It is a racket.
If you look at the electoral votes, there is almost no way Mrs. Clinton can lose. Most of the states are glowing red, or bitch blue. The only states in play are Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio. Even if Mr. Trump gets all three of those, Mrs. Clinton will still win. There is no need to worry about it. Blonde rinse will win over orange disaster.
It is now time to walk to the school, and vote. For about ten steps, I consider a protest opportunity. If I vote for the orange idiot, people will say I am a racist. Again. While this is tempting, there will be many other opportunities to offend the social justice militia.
Walking into the school, I notice the smell. The building smells the same, fifty six years after first grade. There are signs, encouraging parents to let children walk to class by themselves. The cafetorium has new tables, with the seats built in.
There is nobody in line. While filling out the form, my cell phone rings. It is a cheerful lady, selling home security services. When I returned to the check in table, the man asked me to put the phone on vibrate. There was a sign. The use of cell phones is forbidden. The text message from central control, telling me how to vote, will be ignored.
The process of voting was simple. Many of the races were unopposed incumbents, or Republicans with token opposition. The congressional Democrat is named Rodney Stooksbury. This is not satire.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. The men are union soldiers, during the War Between the States. There were four original images, broken into smaller groups. These images: Drum Corps, 93rd N.Y. Infantry, Bealeton, Va., 22d New York State Militia near Harper’s Ferry, Va., 1862, Company G, 22d New York State Militia near Harpers Ferry, Va., 1862, and Company D, 22d New York State Militia near Harpers Ferry, Va. 1862.
A Stupid Video About Racism
A facebook friend introduced a video by saying “If you’re not actively working to dismantle systemic racism, you’re not doing enough.” “Actively working” can take different forms. Sometimes, what you do to fight systemic racism is call out a bird brain video.
The full title of this digital dramaturgy is Racism is alive and well in the gay community. “Need proof? Look no further than the hot f@#$ing mess of an election year we’re having. Donald J. Trump’s horrifying scourge has made outright racism ok in the gay community, and it’s up to us to stop it.”
“Gay men have pride parades … because trans women of color fought for our rights in the sixties…. they didn’t risk their lives so some … could fuck it up in 2016” Whenever you discuss gay rights, you are obligated to remember the drag queens who fought at Stonewall. We get it. That does not excuse the countless fashion tragedies that have followed. At least *talking head* Gabe Gonzalez got this out of the way before 13 seconds had *passed*.
In the next sentence, Mr. Gonzalez used the word “clearly.” It seems to be a rule that all discussions of racism must include a mention of the year, and the word “clearly.” The full sentence is “Nothing illustrates that racism is alive and well in the gay community than this election season.” That takes the heat off the Midtown Bar that posted a dress code stating “No hoodies,” “No sagging pants,” “No bandanas/dew rags,” “No oversized chains or medallions.”
“Don’t believe me? Ask the gays. For Trump. Like a rich zaddy on Fire Island, the Alt-Right has penetrated the hearts of some impressionable young men. Overgrown twinks with a penchant for harassing successful black comedians, or purchasing followers on Twitter, have become the fresh new face of the same reliable racism of yesteryear.” The “successful black comedian”… is she successful at comedy, or being black?… is probably Leslie Jones. A lot of people think last summers twitter spat was a publicity stunt for Ghostbusters. The spell check suggestion for Ghostbusters is Ghostwriters.
At 41 seconds, we see Milo Yiannopoulos saying “Black Lives Matter doesn’t really care about black people…” Mr. Yiannopoulos (the overgrown twink above) is an idiot attention whore, who calls Donald Trump “Daddy.” The person paying attention to Milo Hairdo is Gabe Overgrown Moustache, who devotes 24 seconds of this video to debunking the claim about BLM. (FWIW, Mr. Yiannopoulos makes a lot of noise about his fondness for black men. Is this fetishization, anti racism, or a tasteless publicity gimmick? Those who care can think about it, and decide.) (The spell check suggestions for fetishization are fertilization, and anesthetization)
The next subject is fuckmedaddy profiles. Some specify the color of the sought after buddy. We see a facsimile grindr discussion, where someone says that not wanting to fuck someone, of a certain category, is RACISM. This is news to noted racism shouter Francesca Ramsey, who says “RACISM RACIAL PREJUDICE PLUS STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION AND POWER THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACTS A GROUP.” The use of all caps is optional.
FWIW, there are many whites who want only blacks, and blacks who want only whites, and many other combinations and pervertations. Online hookups are just one aspect of modern social life. Maybe it is easier to point fingers at grindr, than to worry having an equal chance to live in a decent neighborhood. Most genuine manifestations of “systemic racism” are overlooked in this video. And just how did Donald J. Trump cause this?
“We can’t claim to be for equality if we show up for marriage, and not black lives. We can’t march with pride if we can’t remember Marsha or Sylvia. It won’t “get better” for queer youth of color until we identify and dismantle the ways we’ve normalized racism. (GG starts to shout.) So step it up gay boys! 2016’s been a hot f*ckin’ mess. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be.”
“Donald J. Trump’s horrifying scourge has made outright racism ok in the gay community” The video was about Milo Yiannopoulos. and picky grindr users. Did Mr. Trump cause people to say “no fats no femmes no asians”? These issues have been with us for a while. They will continue when Mr. Trump starts another reality TV show. What is he going to grab with those short little fingers anyway?
The sad part is that America does have racial problems. Economic and educational opportunity is a problem for many people. Police brutality, and the school to prison pipeline, is cause for concern. Murder is out of control. In 2015, white people saw 23.6 murders per million. For black people, there were 164.6 murders per million.
Many thought the election of a mixed race President would help America’s chronic race problem. It didn’t, and might have made it worse. This slack blogger has no clue as to how to fix America’s race problem. He does not claim to. The problem is attention craving morons like Gabe Gonzalez,. He thinks a garbage video like this one will help eliminate racism. It won’t.
Nor will pointing fingers, and screaming racist, help solve America’s race problem. Maybe the answer is to worry about yourself. The “white savior complex” frequently does more harm than good. Physician heal thyself. Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Privilege
PG had heard the phrase “white privilege” a few times, and decided to ask Mr.Google about it. The top choice was White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack “This article is now considered a ‘classic’ by anti-racist educators.” It is four pages long, which might not break the attention span.
A document like this is almost impossible to read with an open mind. You are a member of a group, such as a white male like PG. There are a lot of things here which PG agrees with, a few his disagrees with, and a few that are dependent on the reader’s point of view. The sentence that PG felt obliged to copy was ” I was taught to think that racism could end if white individuals changed their attitudes”. It is as if the attitudes of black people did not matter.
There are more headshakers in this article. In a list of privileges white folks take for granted, number 18 was ” I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to “the person in charge,” I will be facing a person of my race.”. That might have true once, but is not today.
Getting back to White Privilege (and ignoring the White Privilege Conference results), there are lots of people thinking about this subject. The University of Dayton contributes Defining “White Privilege”. In the text, the author mentions starting a site, Whiteprivilege.com. This site is currently under construction. It does give you the opportunity to buy “Privilege Car Insurance”.
A feature, What is white privilege?, compares every person with pale skin to the Palin family. “White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.” This runs counter to line 21 of the Invisible Knapsack list, ” I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group. “
PG went looking for answers, and got more questions. He does not deny that being caucasian has advantages in our society. These advantages do not mean that one should lay down quietly and let black people get their revenge. We are all G-d’s children. You should be proud of who you are, without taking advantage of your neighbor.
After publishing a feature about white privilege , PG thought it would be fair to look into black privilege. When you visit Mr. Google, some of his suggestions are black privilege checklist, black privilege furniture, and black privilege fact or fiction. The top result is a feature in American Thinker. “Personally, I have never had a moment of white guilt in my life. Now this is a significant statement given that I am Jewish and from New York. I feel guilty about pretty much everything!”.
NPR has an audio file called Black Male Privilege? . It is downright fascinating.
Prof. LEWIS: I think youve unfortunately identified one of the central issues of black male privilege. So often, black men are used to being under attacked that when it comes to being accountable for the actions we may have, we quickly say, well, I couldnt possibly be doing anything wrong. Look at all the ways in which Im oppressed. Look at all the ways in which Im at the bottom of the barrel. What that does is rob us of an opportunity to actually build stronger community and it robs black men of a chance to actually take hold of the actions that they have so that we can empower the community.
MARTIN: What reaction do you get when you talk to people about this?
Prof. LEWIS: Among black women, in particular, I get a lot of amens and saying, thank for actually exposing this. Among black men, one of the most common ones I get is, well, this seems ridiculous. Its an oxymoron. How could black men be privileged? Its like jumbo shrimp. It doesnt add up. … And they say, you know, what did my black male privilege get me? Im unemployed. … : Initially, my first exposure was actually around the Million Man March. I felt that I was transformed by the Million Man March, and I thought it was one of the most powerful events ever. And I was having a conversation in class with a professor, Dr. Beverly Guy Sheftall, and she said that she couldnt support the Million Man March because it was very patriarchal and it put black men at the center. And I said, well, it doesnt always have to patriarchal. You dont always have to put black men at the center. And if she said, isnt it an amazing privilege to tell someone else what they dont have to take seriously? And that paused me for a moment. And I said, wow. What is it in my past that makes me say I can define what someone else would think of as important? (Here are more thoughts on this subject by Dr. L’Heureux Dumi Lewis )
Times are tough in the US of A. To an unemployed white person it is easy to say, what good has this privilege done me? And isn’t it a form of privilege to label anything you don’t like about someone as being due to privilege? Has privilege become a catch22 for anything you don’t like about a person?
This feature is not a complete recap of the google results for black privilege. There were a couple of white racist sites that are best ignored. Two wrongs do not make a right. This is a double repost. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is written like H. P. Lovecraft.
National Liberal Teachers Union
PG was minding his business when the phone rang. It was Nima, from VR Research, with a telephone survey. PG gave consent, and the procedure began.
How likely are you to vote in the upcoming election? Will you vote in person on election day, in person through early voting, or an absentee ballot? Do you have a favorable, or unfavorable, opinion of Governor Nathan Deal, and his wife, Sandra Deal? This was a curious question, since Georgia is not voting on a Governor this year. Nathan Deal will not be running in 2018. Sandra Deal has not announced her candidacy.
Do you have a favorable, or unfavorable, opinion of an “opportunity school district”? Are you a democrat, or a republican? For whom will you vote for President of the United States? Next, the interviewer said, again, for whom will you vote for President? He then read the names of the Georgia candidates for US Senate. Apparently, Nima was not aware of this mistake.
The next section of questions was about the constitutional amendments. The only one discussed was Amendment One. This gives the state the right to take over schools, if they are not performing. It soon became obvious that Nima was paid by supporters of Amendment One.
Why are you voting against Amendment One, or, as Nima sometimes put it, question one? Do you agree, or disagree, with this statement: Students in failing schools are at greater risk of going to prison? (This is a paraphrase.)
One of the agree/disagree statements was a doozy. It began with the phrase “National liberal teachers union.” This may have been a misreading of the script. A google search reveals no organization called “National liberal teachers union.”
PG was ready to get on with his life. Nima said there were a just a few more questions. Do you describe yourself as evangelical, or born again christian? The convcersation ended with Nima saying “thank you sir, and G-d bless.” “Leave her out of this.” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. The photographer was Dorothea Lange.
Ben And Jerry Social Justice Warfare
Uncle Hotep recently made a video, Ben & Jerry’s support for #BlackLivesMatter – Uncle Hotep chimes in. It seems like the fudge ice cream packers have a new flavor, Empower Mint™.
PG heard that, and remembered something he heard in church. The youth minister was preaching. America was in rebellion. Did you know that there is a car now, and one of the colors is anti establish mint? PG quit going to church soon after this.
As people familiar with AAVE (African American Vernacular English) know, white people, and black people, have different ways of pronouncing words. Take harassment. A white person might say huh RAS ment. A black person might say ha ras MINT. Arguably, naming a ice cream flavor Empower Mint™ is making fun of the way black people talk.
Ben and Jerry recently went on the social justice warpath. There was a tweet, and a website post, 7 Ways We Know Systemic Racism Is Real. Quotes were cited, statistics were regurgitated, and B&J boldly stated that america is not post racial. The frozen dessert consumer is encouraged to watch a video, take an implicit bias test, and talk to your kooky uncle.
The makers of Empower Mint™ are famously located in Vermont. According to the census bureau, the estimated population of Vermont is 626,042. This population is White 94.8%, Black 1.3%, Native American 0.4%, Asian 1.6%, mixed 1.9%.
Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Pictures were taken in Daytona Beach, FL, many at Bethune-Cookman College. These pictures were taken in February, 1943, by Gordon Parks.
Frank Zappa Says
Recently, the world of flaky internet quotes has discovered Frank Zappa. The “sexually incontinent rock innovator” died December 4, 1993. (His wife Gail passed away October 7, 2025.) Recently, some alleged quotes have hit the ether. Some people need to get out more. This is a repost.
This item was recently featured in chamblee54. @SlavojTweezek “”Communism doesn’t work,” Frank Zappa said, “because people like to own stuff.” Idiot. What do people’s likes have to do with communism?” This quote is plausible. Frank Zappa was a capitalist. He liked owning stuff, especially his own music. It should be easy to find a source. However, the best google can come up with is a compilation, “Quotes of Zappa,” in W. C. Privy’s Original Bathroom Companion.”
This morning, facebook had a meme. It had a picture of FZ, with the quote “Politics is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex.” In the time that it takes to say Camarillo Brillo, Mr. Google turned up a reddit commentary.
“While the quote is frequently listed as, ““Government is the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex,” I could find no primary source. It appears to contradict the actual quote from a 1987 interview with Keyboard magazine where he is decidedly pro-government but anti-bullshit politics.” (FZ did say “art in the service of politics usually makes for boring art.” Why do people make up quotes for memes, when the real thing is better?)
Speculating what a dead man would say is a tricky business. FZ was known for strong opinions, and a finely tuned BS detector. (That is bovine excrement, not Bernie Sanders.) FZ died while the internet was just getting started, and years before some of today’s permutations and perversions. It is easy to imagine FZ making rude comments about people misquoting dead guitar heroes.
Speaking of politics and cynical guitar cadavers, the current poster boi for trendy privilege is Bernie Sanders. If you “feel the Bern,” you might want to skip over the rest of this post, and look at the pictures. (These pictures are from The Library of Congress.) While BS is arguably less evil than Hitlery, he still leaves a great deal to be desired. BS is making extravagant promises that he will be totally unable to keep. BS is taking the concept of telling people what they want to hear to new depths. Yes, this is part of what FZ meant when saying rude things about politicians.
Today, PG saw a fundraising appeal for BS. Against his better judgment, PG made the comment “Bernie $anders.” The fun started almost immediately.
This campaign is for monthly recurring contributions. And Luther, campaigning requires money. The alternative to grassroots support is a country run by wealthy interests. Which would you prefer? ~ I realize that campaigning for political office requires money. My comment was a bit of recreational $nark. B$ can take a joke. … “The alternative to grassroots support is a country run by wealthy interests.” I am not sure about that comparison. Hitlery can make more in one corporate blowjob than BS can in a month of grass roots support. BHO did not get a billion dollars for his reelection from five dollar contributions. While the concept of grassroots support is uplifting, the sordid reality is that we live in a bribe-ocracy. ~ Your cynicism is less than accurate and certainly less than appealing. ~ Luther, just don’t vote and stay out of discussions about voting. OK?
The Debate Part Two
When DJT and HRC agree on something, it is time to look out. While HRC did not explicitly say HELL YEA, you know that she agreed with this: TRUMP: And they’re going to end up getting nuclear. I met with Bibi Netanyahu the other day. Believe me, he’s not a happy camper.
HRC is in a bind on the Iran/Iraq/Israel conundrum. She is obviously on the Israeli payroll, and is all too eager to provide the services paid for. On the other hand, she has to do something. A nuclear war over Iran is just too tacky to contemplate. So she helps to negotiate a treaty, which may, or may not, prevent Iran from getting the bomb. Israel enjoys having a nuclear monopoly in her region.
CLINTON: “With respect to Iran, when I became secretary of state, Iran was weeks away from having enough nuclear material to form a bomb. They had mastered the nuclear fuel cycle under the Bush administration. They had built covert facilities. They had stocked them with centrifuges that were whirling away…”
DJT gets a lot of bad press, deservedly, for fibbing. To nobodies surprise, HRC tells a few whoppers. The bit about “Iran was weeks away” from having the bomb is simply not true. The whole Israeli pearl clutching about Iran thing is a distraction for the treatment of Palestinians. While Israel is blustering about Iran, she can ignore the horror that is Gaza.
Then there is the Brooklyn Debate. HRC recites the Israel line verbatim. She knows her lines. BLITZER: “Thank you. Secretary Clinton, do you agree with Senator Sanders that Israel overreacts to Palestinians attacks, and that in order for there to be peace between Israel and the Palestinians, Israel must, quote, end its disproportionate responses?” CLINTON: “I negotiated the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in November of 2012. I did it in concert with… President Abbas of the Palestinian authority based in Ramallah, I did it with the then Muslim Brotherhood President, Morsi, based in Cairo, working closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli cabinet. I can tell you right now I have been there with Israeli officials going back more than 25 years that they do not seek this kind of attacks. They do not invite the rockets raining down on their towns and villages. They do not believe that there should be a constant incitement by Hamas aided and abetted by Iran against Israel…”
The paragraph before the “weeks away” comment was noteworthy. CLINTON: “Let’s talk about two important issues that were briefly mentioned by Donald, first, NATO. You know, NATO as a military alliance has something called Article 5, and basically it says this: An attack on one is an attack on all. And you know the only time it’s ever been invoked? After 9/11, when the 28 nations of NATO said that they would go to Afghanistan with us to fight terrorism, something that they still are doing …”
This was the only time during the debate that Afghanistan was mentioned. This is the longest war in American history. It is fifteen years after 9/11. The United States, and NATO, still have not gotten enough revenge. The only people to benefit from this war are the heroin merchants.
It should be noted that one country with a heroin problem is Russia. It is a wealthy energy producing country, it is near Afghanistan, and has a population that is well known for wanting to get fucked up. Could Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin be making money off the heroin trade?
Getting back to Mr. Dump Mr. Trump, he is in the position where he can endlessly complain. He can claim to be opposed to the war in Iraq, and then whine about the way it was fought. DJT can say anything he wants, because he never had to express an opinion on the record. By contrast, HRC was a US Senator in 2002, and had to vote, on the record, on the AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF MILITARY FORCE AGAINST IRAQ RESOLUTION OF 2002. All of her campaign contributors called her before that vote, to remind her of their investment. (It should be noted that Barack Obama was an Illinois state senator at the time. He did not have to take a stand either.)
This was still a chance for the HRC moving lips to call out the DJT moving lips. CLINTON: “Well, I hope the fact-checkers are turning up the volume and really working hard. Donald supported the invasion of Iraq.” TRUMP: “Wrong.” CLINTON: “That is absolutely proved over and over again.” TRUMP: “Wrong. Wrong.” Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. They were taken in Douglas, Georgia. The date was July, 1938. The photographer was Dorothea Lange.
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