Let’s get the problem of perception out of the way, When a situation has reached peak hysteria, opinion pieces that say “calm down”, and present solid arguments for why such is a wise decision, are met with the critique that such essays are a defense mechanism against how bad the situation is and could still get. The idea that this nuclear brinksmanship between North Korea and the United States could be a years long “I’m definitely going to leave Facebook” conundrum is an, on its face, asinine and stupid thought. When someone implies that North Korea and the United States are led by, on their face, bombastic lunatics with fingers just inches above their respective nuclear buttons, one risks being called a leftist or “libtard” in today’s advanced vernacular. These same people are, let’s just say “unlikely” to make an argument for Trump’s calm, rational demeanor and Churchillian command of the English language. It is cliché to note that nuclear war would be the end of North Korea and potentially cripple the US critical infrastructure, and has been repeated to the point where such is now the baseline hypothetical, feeding into the idea that nuclear war is inevitable and perhaps very much imminent. So let us reiterate the points that have been made as to why war is unlikely Continue reading Hysterics
Reflection
There are two videos that accompany this essay. The first is a 90 second bit from FS1 host Colin Cowherd with Larry King on giving hatred a platform. The second is the great Christopher Hitchens giving a full embrace of free speech in spite of objectionable views. The second half of his speech, on religion being the primary source of hatred in the world, is demonstrably false. Politics is the greatest source of hatred in the world. I need only point to the discourse over Charlottesville and at the latest (just to be polite) this past election cycle. Religion, hasn’t been a force, especially in this country’s political conversation, for a -very- long time. Let us begin. Continue reading Reflection
Redemption
This comes from a question I asked this morning, and a number of conversations I had summed up thusly
Here’s a question if you are angry over comments or actions made by:
Milo, Keith Olberman, Lena Dunham, Bill O, Wendy Bell, the Memories Pizza people, the bakers in Colorado or Oregon, Mike Vick, Jeff Sessions, Robert Byrd, the DNC (Latinos being referred to as “Taco Bowls”, in case you forgot), Donald Trump, and ever other one-off “Controversy” that subjectively got everyone in a moral outrage. Continue reading Redemption
One shot
The interesting thing about returning to a routine after Jubilee is this Milo story and the cases like it.
Think of all the videos and comments that come up from years past (sometimes 30 years) with the goal of destroying entire careers in one shot. Wendy Bell, Milo (although he’s not remotely going away) Jeff Sessions, the Chick-Fil-A CFO, the Mozilla Firefox exec, all of them and think about what their intent really was.
The people “angry” didn’t actually care about the issue. They wanted to destroy the person. They wanted to feel accomplished, like they’d scored some major victory against the worst kind of intolerance. So where are they after the outrage dies? Nowhere. Continue reading One shot
Your own worst enemy
So, can we all just agree that we’re done with the protests? They’re either violent, loud, inorganic, one-sided, hateful, or any combination of those, and the people involved think they have political clout because they exist and they’re angry. If nothing else you know they’re happening, and either you support them (which says a lot about you, frankly) or you don’t. But what I’ve seen lately has confirmed a long-held belief: That every movement is its own worst enemy, and it’s either because the lunatics and virtue signalers dominate the narrative, or because the rationalists don’t have a clue how to play a decent PR game.
Fracture
“Explanations exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well-known solution to every human problem — neat, plausible, and wrong.” H.L. Mencken.
“then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:10-12 Continue reading Fracture
Reorient
So…as a reminder, there is caffeine in chocolate. So if you’re going to make ice cream at home, consider this. I didn’t and here I am.
So guess what I’m thinking about. That’s right, space battles between Vikings and dragons. Nope, not nearly that creative.] Actually something less exciting: A lack of cynicism and a different perspective on the protests and indeed the new NeverTrumpers.
Protest
I thought I was waiting for some cataclysmic event that would legitimately shake the country and make people realize “This is what we’ve come to”. It’d be massive national tragedy committed by a non-white, non-muslim lunatic driven by politics and nothing else; I wanted a big sign saying “This is where extremism gets you”
Stretch
Finally tonight, I just want to point out the stretches in logic from the left lately, but to make a broader point that encompasses both sides.
Booing Obama at NFL stadiums across the country is apparently unpatriotic and indeed (like all things) racist.
Booing and indeed lecturing Pence, is free speech.
Police fighting back against protestors disturbing the peace, unlawfully entering a private place after multiple requests to leave and despite all that, none of them got shot=police state.
Finally tonight 