Moving off Google

Please join me at my new blog.

(Why give any more to Google - home of "Do(n't) be evil".)

More transparent manipulative BS from "conservatives"

As usual, Evslin and others get it so wrong, that it's hard to believe it could "just" be a mistake - rather than a cynical attempt at manipulation. Which there's ample evidence of.

In a VTDigger "commentary", he trots out the same tired grade-school bully songbook of "I know you are, but what am I?" that we see most "conservatives" singing from lately; here's the playbook:

• Pick something that liberals say
• twist it into a falsehood; sometimes beyond recognition
• and abuse that to attack liberals.

The tone of delivery varies between "aren't I oh so reasonable" (in a mainstream setting), to full-bore "death to the infidels!" (when stirring up "the base").

Then:

• It gets uncritically picked up by other "conservatives"
• thoughtlessly amplified
• and _that_ is used as justification for more and more

At absolute best, it's BS. But we've moved well beyond that.

And it's increasing the discord and chaos which many of these "conservatives" then exploit - to grab more power / money.

BTW: Notice how _much_ of it there is lately? Yep; that's another tactic which "conservatives" have gleefully adopted from - wait for it - the likes of Putin ("Firehose of falsehood"). Or as Bannon said, "flood the zone with shit".

Politics

Next time someone attempts to dismiss something as "just politics", reacquaint yourself what that word actually means:

"activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of resources..."

- Politics (Wikipedia)

So it's human relations, when we come into contact with each other.

Now consider how likely it is, that this attempt to dismiss, is cynical - at best.

Terrorism; some food for thought

That is some serious insight:

Tom Lowenthal @flamsmark Terrorism is an auto-immune disease. Attacks themselves are of little overall consequence, but our response is devastatingly destructive. 9 August Conversation sent from Twitterrific

Cassandra Gekas

Interesting article over at VTDigger:

Persuaded to run, then left out in the cold? Gekas takes it all in stride.

About the Democratic candidate for VT Lt. Governor.

She got 40% to the incumbent (Republican) Phill Scott's 57% (unofficial numbers) - which is pretty amazing, given that no one expected her to go anywhere, and she had very little support from her party, and certainly not from the Governor (Peter Shumlin, D).

I hope we'll be seeing more of her in the future.

We have work to do

OK; most elections called and the campaigns (mostly) over.

NOW: We - ALL OF US - have work to do.

Everyone who's bitter and mean-spirited: We'll be ignoring you; we don't have time for that nonsense - and we do NOT negotiate with terrorists.

Everyone who's willing to come together to discuss and come up with solutions to our many challenges - and I do mean EVERYONE - let's get to work!

Rall accidentally skewers self

Ted Rall

(Finally)