tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49061829917975084262024-03-05T00:45:52.476-05:00the view from vicworldthe view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.comBlogger904125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-53979317735958926882021-03-17T23:55:00.000-04:002021-03-17T23:55:25.723-04:00I had to come back for this one...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagtnZS9iG0u-Eo9MLBpNCzdzC19XOVVyq5TIMM-PsuqQAVzjsW-J_i5cBsY6D_GFGWTtpk2PlnZaW3AGJwv2X425aulhTeVP5uBGWqg7Rbp4GLs2M0C_-AKzAdmfubPbzyYQexIwFfSoj/s247/incel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="190" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagtnZS9iG0u-Eo9MLBpNCzdzC19XOVVyq5TIMM-PsuqQAVzjsW-J_i5cBsY6D_GFGWTtpk2PlnZaW3AGJwv2X425aulhTeVP5uBGWqg7Rbp4GLs2M0C_-AKzAdmfubPbzyYQexIwFfSoj/w185-h243/incel.png" width="185" /></a></div>The Georgia spa killer isn't a racist, and he isn't a sex addict. He's just another pathetic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incel" target="_blank"><i>incel</i></a>, getting revenge on the women who rejected him.<p></p><p>There certainly is racism involved, though. At this moment, most of America is assuming that those dead Asian women who worked at those spas were prostitutes. They weren't. According to the local police chief, there never had been <i>any</i> complaints against the massage parlors where they worked. They were killed because they <b><i>wouldn</i></b>'t provide any sexual services.</p><p>It's still a hate crime, though — not racist, but misogynist.</p><p>Maybe I'm wrong -- but I'm not.<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-7130099018203514782021-03-13T18:26:00.004-05:002021-03-13T18:26:00.363-05:00Hiatus?<p>After twelve years of shouting into the wind, I'm hitting the pause button. Maybe I'll start again, maybe not. The wind is pretty noisy these days.</p><p>The commentariat has discovered Leon Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, almost certainly with no help from me. Festinger remains relevant, to be sure, but I think Anthony F. C. Wallace's classic 1956 monograph, <i>Revitalization Movements</i>, seems more to the point. You can find the complete text <a href="https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1525/aa.1956.58.2.02a00040" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Thanks to those who have followed this blog. I sincerely you have been amused from time to time. Haven't had enough of me? I have some fiction in print now, which you can find <a href="https://www.amazon.com/CONTROL-Post-Utopian-Novel-V-Gallis-ebook/dp/B08VHP8L85/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=v.+a.+gallis&qid=1615665301&s=books&sr=1-3" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dreamers-Awake-other-unorthodox-tales-ebook/dp/B08TKKP79H/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=v.+a.+gallis&qid=1615665301&s=books&sr=1-4">here</a>.<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-14191908765412087662021-01-09T17:14:00.000-05:002021-01-09T17:14:08.786-05:00The Fat Lady Sings<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdz4ijMv4imT2TYeM-tRTZn-RkKJOM34dHZkcFf0tp4puKMF9rstvtfwdCRiTAbM0Uy_8Pwyc_QosYxOP4rw1GDVKk0yAEZZTP_LxpP1UIcDj1xuK1uej3GhRmKJRSlf8rsjHV6zUmwEZ/s312/horny.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="245" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvdz4ijMv4imT2TYeM-tRTZn-RkKJOM34dHZkcFf0tp4puKMF9rstvtfwdCRiTAbM0Uy_8Pwyc_QosYxOP4rw1GDVKk0yAEZZTP_LxpP1UIcDj1xuK1uej3GhRmKJRSlf8rsjHV6zUmwEZ/w117-h149/horny.gif" width="117" /></a></div>Tr*mp the Opera approaches the finale faster than I anticipated, with a climax somewhat more surprising than it should have been. I wonder what they were saying from the pulpits of the megachurches this morning.<br /><p></p><p>While impeachment at this point seems like a long shot, it would be worth the effort if it can deprive Tr*mp of his post-presidential retirement benefits, including a million bucks a year in travel expenses (and half-a-million more for Melania), lifetime Secret Service protection, and a pension equal to the salary of a Cabinet official. Fittingly, he won't get lifetime health insurance, which only kicks in after five years of Federal employment. I can't object if he's signed up for Medicare.</p><p>Meanwhile, it looks like the Republican Party is fracturing, which is not necessarily good news for progressives. If there is "bipartisan cooperation" between Republican and Democratic "moderates," the Senate may as well elect Joe Manchin the new Majority Leader. Granted, even that would be better than having McConnell in charge.</p><p>As for Tr*mp's "base," it will survive, albeit somewhat diminished. Just <i>how</i> diminished remains to be seen: those who get their "news" from One America Network, Parler, and 4chan, or who live in communities where Romney is seen as a liberal, can cling to their alternative realities for a <i>long</i> time. (FOX will follow the eyeballs and the ad revenue.)</p><p>Needless to say, Biden's FBI will have to pay a lot more attention to domestic terrorism.<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-49981284669342356082021-01-04T23:01:00.000-05:002021-01-04T23:01:32.493-05:00Catch-up<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV1NrbGE8Fhmojz7-mdPn94f6k9CaxYrODwgyHo_47RDDrtBUML3Ya-K6LPZoN70vXQxuKtPPi9mXEIBEM7bg3CPMJNMqqf8POsn4iAtoF555S97vQrPoaYIM4dJ5O_Ar-DHShoxlTb8z/s200/catchup.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="181" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFV1NrbGE8Fhmojz7-mdPn94f6k9CaxYrODwgyHo_47RDDrtBUML3Ya-K6LPZoN70vXQxuKtPPi9mXEIBEM7bg3CPMJNMqqf8POsn4iAtoF555S97vQrPoaYIM4dJ5O_Ar-DHShoxlTb8z/w109-h121/catchup.gif" width="109" /></a></div>I've been trying to tune out the Opera for a while, but it's impossible. Yes, I suppose I'll be watching the election returns from Georgia tomorrow night. Just as significant will be the Tr*mpists' decision to force every Republican member of Congress to go on record as pro- or anti-Tr*mp when they vote to accept or reject the Biden victory on Wednesday — a move that might lead to a schism within the party that has lasting repercussions. McConnell is <i>very</i> unhappy about that.<p></p><p>That bizarre Tr*mp-Raffensperger telephone tape has a lot of people wondering if Tr*mp actually <i>believes</i> the fantasies he's been promulgating, given how bizarre his behavior has been lately. My guess is that his cognitive dissonance is raging, but he still can't accept the idea of being a <i>loser</i>. Fred Tr*mp has a lot to answer for in hell.</p><p>As if the Senate and the Electoral College weren't enough, the vaccine rollout truly points out the weakness of our federal system of government. I'd say it were time for a Constitutional Convention if I had any confidence in the people who would wind up writing the new one. Anyway, it looks like Tr*mp the Opera is headed for a finale. For Wagner, though, just one opera was never enough. Let's hope the next one doesn't have too many Aryan warriors in the cast.<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-90089077850792550902020-12-20T13:53:00.000-05:002020-12-20T13:53:03.294-05:00Darkest December<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9camXJ6BiM-gvXVWPjNDfSgWjgJVklW5xoydVIuotSYSJzKNH2iKmdcewIgJENePzUKN_F6p5au4ppKgPWvvDjh66JLFWnjcFvva1-bHQckstaF0bb3QWzuMar2EejE3uDwE-nJyaZYQ/s400/heil.gif" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="180" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih9camXJ6BiM-gvXVWPjNDfSgWjgJVklW5xoydVIuotSYSJzKNH2iKmdcewIgJENePzUKN_F6p5au4ppKgPWvvDjh66JLFWnjcFvva1-bHQckstaF0bb3QWzuMar2EejE3uDwE-nJyaZYQ/w91-h202/heil.gif" width="91" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>What will become of the Republican Party? Will the Tr*mpists stay in power, solidifying its drift towards fascism? Will the more "moderate" neoliberal corporatists regain power? (Unlikely.) Will Republican corporatists abandon the GOP and find common cause with Democratic neoliberal corporatists? If that happens, what becomes of the progressives, who make up (according to Bernie) about 40% of the Democratic Party, and so about 20% of voters?</p><p>Historically, corporate interests (think Krupp and I.G.Farben) have been far more accommodative of fascism than of anything smacking of socialism. Mind you, <i>this is not a prediction:</i> just one of a number of things I've found to <i>worry</i> about lately. Another worry is Tr*mp choking on a Whopper (pun intended) and dropping dead. "Murdered" by the "deep state," he becomes Christlike to his conspiracy-addled followers. Tr*umpism becomes a religion, zealously protected by Tr*mp's Supreme Court, and we're in big trouble.</p><p>That kind of thinking has no place in a reality-based blog; but reality is more than a little screwy these days. It's also possible that the Democrats could win both seats in Georgia, and Biden could appoint Stacey Abrams Attorney General; and she could order a review of the redactions of the Mueller report, possibly satisfying a lot of curiosity. The biggest problem of dealing with <b><i>now</i></b> is that the possibilities are endless, and the chance of making any kind of accurate prediction is negligible.</p><p>Add in an underwhelming "relief package" from Congress, and Biden could still find a superspreading homeless encampment on the front lawn of the White House when he moves in. Or not. That's the problem with reality-based blogging these days: too much reality. Any internally consistent explanation of what's going on is most likely a conspiracy theory, whether or not you're inclined to believe it.<br /></p><p>A very merry Winter Solstice to all, the time of the year when the days start getting brighter. Fingers crossed.<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-5015843680311846372020-11-30T15:54:00.000-05:002020-11-30T15:54:19.992-05:00Waiting for Brunhilde<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKoZDgXSUqtqLEwbi4S7_G1cqDszgnO35qzK0nH3gyWZlXyxSYjyI2a3Z6GRikPqWWoOZNHUd_nA-kzgfCTkBc9t1ZaoJxMVxLaE-wBnRI8ts5MQm3ZnaUYCHsRAcaOKcb22udliaU1As/s504/wag.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="360" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKoZDgXSUqtqLEwbi4S7_G1cqDszgnO35qzK0nH3gyWZlXyxSYjyI2a3Z6GRikPqWWoOZNHUd_nA-kzgfCTkBc9t1ZaoJxMVxLaE-wBnRI8ts5MQm3ZnaUYCHsRAcaOKcb22udliaU1As/w106-h148/wag.gif" width="106" /></a></div>The opera has grown increasingly Wagnerian, and I never had much tolerance for Wagner — too long and just too noisy to sleep through. Although all the major news outlets have accepted the idea that Biden won the election, a distressingly large number of Americans still firmly believe that Tr*mp was “robbed” of victory. The cognitive dissonance suffered by Our President is shared by his loyal base; and <i>their</i> news sources are working hard to preserve their illusions.<br /><br />Trump still seems to be counting on “his” Supreme Court to back up his play to remain in power, and the first test of loyalty will be his attempt to discount illegal immigrants when allocating representation in the House. Frankly, I can’t see how self-proclaimed “Originalists” and “Literalists” can twist the plain language of the Constitution to exclude them, but logical consistency, of late, hasn’t been held in especially high regard.<br /><br />For all the optimism around the Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca vaccines, it’s hard to imagine a two-dose protocol having enough impact to make much of a difference. It’s hard enough to get people inoculated even once, much less have them return for a second dose a month later. In the Third World especially, dispensing on-time second doses will be next to impossible.<br /><br />Wagner’s painfully long Ring Cycle “ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings” — and it looks like the fat lady, this time around, isn’t even waiting in the wings.<br /><p></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-10663132868758642462020-11-22T12:42:00.000-05:002020-11-22T12:42:00.079-05:00Tr*mp, the Opera<p> </p><p>Reality being what it is at the moment, I’ve found it easier to cope by viewing current events as a kind of dramatic performance which, sooner or later, will have to be over. Too tragic for farce and too farcical for tragedy, it has to be opera. The music is in my head.<br /><br />In my libretto, Tr*mp sincerely believes the craziness he’s been spouting (and Giuliani sings the role of Tr*mp’s id.). All his life, Tr*mp has been a devotee of Norman Vincent Peale’s <i>Power of Positive Thinking</i>. He genuinely <i>believed</i> he would win a second term: after all, positive thinking always had worked for him before! (It often works pretty well for those who are born to rich fathers who bail them out of all their failures.)<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS2il5AR2uvRA4c7yZ3PaOqIdTeh8qSN8TptArN4SZOKlooB7ZkdsvgLqmM1ixRQ35HdkSTWsbH0rX8QzTRiBLmrfJbnQK2Du1gis_U2_y4v7OYdABt9_UoAQJQZV-fCJpm4p5n-unl-t/s652/rudy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="273" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKS2il5AR2uvRA4c7yZ3PaOqIdTeh8qSN8TptArN4SZOKlooB7ZkdsvgLqmM1ixRQ35HdkSTWsbH0rX8QzTRiBLmrfJbnQK2Du1gis_U2_y4v7OYdABt9_UoAQJQZV-fCJpm4p5n-unl-t/w107-h255/rudy.gif" width="107" /></a></div>Friedenberg’s cognitive dissonance theory gives us a useful description of how people behave when their deeply held beliefs are disconfirmed. Their first response is to double-down, finding rationalizations for why the disconfirmed belief remains valid. With a decent number of fellow believers (or sychophantic enablers) around them, they can cling to their delusions for a long time. <br /><br />Chorus: <i>Indeed, Sir, ’tis a dark conspiracy! <br /> If you believe it, we, of course, agree!</i><br />Rudy: <i>And I, your knight, shall rout the enemy<br /> Including Soros, Gates, and AOC!</i><br /><br />(In a subplot, Christian Soldier Mike Pompeo is off in the Middle East, pursuing policies aimed at hastening the Apocalypse and the Second Coming. He has his own delusions, and his own agenda.)<br /><br />I don’t know when the curtain finally will come down on Tr*mp, and I expect that Tr*mpism will outlast him. Meanwhile, the virus thuds along the bass clef like a tympani, impossible to ignore for long, however hard we try. This opera, I’m afraid, is Wagnerian — too dark, too noisy, and too damned long.<br /> <p></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-48965794063229266752020-11-12T15:53:00.000-05:002020-11-12T15:53:04.220-05:00About that election...<p> </p><p> You may feel like it's okay to take a breath now, but the stink of authoritarian populism still hangs heavy in the air. Biden may aspire to lead a united country, but it won't be happening any time soon — if ever. <i>Some</i> of the oversized American flags may come off the pickup trucks, but the American reservoir of racism and misogyny remains full to the brim, continues to spill over into the streets, and will allow Republicans to continue exploiting the divisions that make minority rule possible.</p><p>Tr*mp's supporters. whether they know it or not, are okay with fascism — and there are a hell of a lot of them. Add in the 20% who didn't trouble themselves to vote – which probably means they figure they can live with anything – and that's a significant majority of America. That ratio is probably neither better nor worse than what you'd find in other developed countries, human nature being what it is, but the past four years offered ample evidence that the threat of fascism in the USofA is real. </p><p><span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiJSTjtoz0AbWKKGLF34sBj_b4ZrQgiJ5oG_Oc107qLgrhMm7udRxRuxLO8au5Q5fbNOc7-cNH2xWvB2L5mdgJaN6ccuXG_W5V8FiAYYOk8ca8N0A5ItzWOkYtncLwbxh3g9rAf81fi7O/s950/truck.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="950" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiJSTjtoz0AbWKKGLF34sBj_b4ZrQgiJ5oG_Oc107qLgrhMm7udRxRuxLO8au5Q5fbNOc7-cNH2xWvB2L5mdgJaN6ccuXG_W5V8FiAYYOk8ca8N0A5ItzWOkYtncLwbxh3g9rAf81fi7O/s320/truck.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a name='more'></a>Note: Many Democratic strategists were shocked to discover that <i>there is no such thing as the Latino vote</i>. They failed to understand that Latinos of European ancestry identify as white, and come from societies where white exploitation of of Black and Indigenous populations has been standard since 1492. Many who fled socialism in Cuba or Venezuela were part of that privileged, lighter complected elite, and naturally are drawn to a Republican perspective. Lumping all "Latinos" together is racist.<p></p><p><br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-33661039803477023282020-10-30T15:40:00.002-04:002020-10-30T15:43:25.751-04:00October<p> </p><p></p><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gBd5JHf4_Itg7zv9DpCsa4DTDW-QR1y7Rl8aRHTv3Hgda2TVDILSfYD7X2VB-3cHj_GQRDAk_YCtl_kRNDLhRTnu6dn39c6NNjDwOf5MsjumpSdc2ssmseQSWdErW3yyZBuaI8KQVosg/s1013/voteline.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="1013" height="52" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gBd5JHf4_Itg7zv9DpCsa4DTDW-QR1y7Rl8aRHTv3Hgda2TVDILSfYD7X2VB-3cHj_GQRDAk_YCtl_kRNDLhRTnu6dn39c6NNjDwOf5MsjumpSdc2ssmseQSWdErW3yyZBuaI8KQVosg/w403-h52/voteline.jpeg" width="403" /></a></div> <p></p><p>The avalanche of news this month kicked up a tsunami of commentary. I saw no reason to kick in my own half-pint, having nothing especially original to offer. Maybe I'll have something new after the election — maybe not.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><span><!--more--></span><span></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Standing in line for two hours for early voting got me thinking about <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Leon-Festinger/Cognitive-dissonance" target="_blank">cognitive dissonance theory</a> again: it really <i>is</i> the most relevant framework for understanding behavior in these crazy times. The people standing in those lines are making a personal, public commitment to the the party they support, which makes it harder for them to change their allegiance afterwards. In the long run, voter suppression efforts may even have the effect of hardening the loyalties of Democrats those efforts are meant to discourage.<p></p><p>Hard as it is these days, I keep trying to think happy thoughts.</p><p><br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-30353787492156759122020-09-30T15:14:00.000-04:002020-09-30T15:14:10.929-04:00Briefs<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8C7V0mzOUSMNq4Tp8S8MocUxCZDL1ODF_K264Lhzz6_VliEJ2MgjoU9BAzJLuvmED0D6xiFVy_zBU72-DIMkBrRzz9O6aEomIkRw3uspubeiuofpWalDEF98sLXI09K4pBSY2KggpSbd/s714/briefs2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="144" data-original-width="714" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8C7V0mzOUSMNq4Tp8S8MocUxCZDL1ODF_K264Lhzz6_VliEJ2MgjoU9BAzJLuvmED0D6xiFVy_zBU72-DIMkBrRzz9O6aEomIkRw3uspubeiuofpWalDEF98sLXI09K4pBSY2KggpSbd/w567-h115/briefs2.jpg" width="567" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>• I've watched every presidential debate since Nixon-Kennedy, and last night's performance was easily the most <i>entertaining</i>. I also found it more <i>useful</i> than most, in that it provided a clear delineation of the characters of the participants — Tr*mp as a bully, and Biden as far more impervious to bullying than many may have expected. Those looking signs of senile dementia should have seen far more in Tr*mp's behavior than in Biden's — and for those just looking for signs of basic decency, Biden was the clear winner.</p><p>• Anticipating a loss of the presidency – and, perhaps, their Senate majority as well – Republicans are certain to confirm the Religiulous ACB to the Supreme Court in coming weeks. If Democrats follow through on a threat to "pack" the Court with two new Justices, Chief Justice Roberts once again will become the swing vote – but well may be less inclined to support positions of the Democrats who "sullied" the institution he holds dear.</p><p>• If a District Attorney can "get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich," it's pretty clear that Kentucky's Attorney General could have won indictments of the cops who killed Breonna Taylor if he'd had any desire to do so. Granted, a Kentucky jury most likely would have swiftly acquitted them — but the process would have looked at least a <i>little</i> more like "justice."<br /></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-87774693746921527132020-09-20T13:09:00.001-04:002020-09-20T13:10:21.849-04:00Reality Check<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Alternative facts” are facts indeed — in alternative realities. As you’ve probably noticed, the USofA is suffering a bad case of multiple reality disorder at the moment. Even a Democratic sweep in the upcoming election won’t change that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not much of what a human being “knows” is based on personal experience. The bulk of our “knowledge” comes from trusted authority figures — parents, teachers, scientists, priests, talking heads on TV, celebrities, social media influencers, etc. etc. The only thing we ask of them is reasonable consistency with our other authority figures. Human beings have always lived in bubbles where received knowledge included large dollops of misconception — but in the past, the bubbles didn’t bump up against each other nearly so often.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The QAnon cult is pretty firmly entrenched in Evangelical Christianity
these days. The Boogaloo crazies will remain well-armed, and the racists
will be even more paranoid. Fox News won’t lose any viewership. I’d
like to know how a Biden Administration will handle that. “Bringing the
nation together” sounds good, but it won’t happen in Joe Biden’s
lifetime.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">__________ </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The death of RBG was a gut punch to progressives. If a Democratic President and Senate decide to go ahead and "pack the Court," they won't hear any complaints from me.<br /></span></p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-20970987708604417582020-09-03T02:22:00.001-04:002020-09-03T02:23:56.689-04:00The Real Story<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="data:image/gif;base64,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" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="71" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>With all the chatter going on about Tr*mp's "mini-strokes," I figure I ought to tell you what really was happening that day at Walter Reade. I have absolutely no evidence, but hey, it's 2020 — and it <i>sounds</i> good! What more could you want?</p><p> Frankly, I was sure about what was going on the day the news broke about Tr*mp's surprise hospital visit. News that Pence was put on-call "in case" Our President needed anesthesia has only confirmed what I thought then. Anesthesia was planned: Tr*mp was scheduled for a colonoscopy. Unless he chickened out, Pence actually got to be president for fifteen or twenty minutes.</p><p>Of course, a colonoscopy is pretty standard for a man in his seventies – so one might wonder why it was such a big secret. The answer, of course, is Tr*mp's fragile ego and macho pretensions. He just couldn't stand that anybody might <i>envision</i> him bare-ass with some guy probing between those enormous buttocks. (I don't much like envisioning it myself.)<br /></p><p>If you really need confirmation, you might want to check how much tweeting he did the night before. He'd have spent quite a bit of time on the toilet.</p><p> </p>the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-20737663422905792102020-08-29T09:12:00.001-04:002020-08-29T09:12:39.664-04:00Catch-up for August<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAdardJ9VzdMnBK41deFqUJWEp6s0uMiISxRYyklc1-dD4hGA6ud7pYugDxnil9Mmmjb4IdtNVbpuz_-pQt-Re5XoGIQ2p7AK7KgwynYImzKtSmtm0J9rzAZ8wvsn5czlnpiZATFLpqAk/s200/catchup+copy.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="181" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAdardJ9VzdMnBK41deFqUJWEp6s0uMiISxRYyklc1-dD4hGA6ud7pYugDxnil9Mmmjb4IdtNVbpuz_-pQt-Re5XoGIQ2p7AK7KgwynYImzKtSmtm0J9rzAZ8wvsn5czlnpiZATFLpqAk/s0/catchup+copy.gif" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
August was, to put it royally, a <i>mensis horribilus</i>. So many upsetting things were happening, and so much was being said about them, that I didn't feel any particular need to toss my two cents in. Just the same, there are a few points I haven't heard from the usual talking heads.<br />
<br />
• Mohammed bin Zayed knew just as well as Bibi that the annexation plan was dead in the water – so what did MbZ get in return for formal UAE recognition of Israel? My guess would be an assumption of military support if the Shi'a majority in the Emirates made any significant effort to overthrow the Sunni monarchy, threatening its monopoly aver all the power and wealth. Israel would cite Iranian involvement – which is pretty much inevitable anyway.<br />
<br />
• You've probably heard a lot of confusing explanations for why the market is soaring, but the real explanation is simple. The Fed created a few trillion dollars of new money. It was distributed quite broadly across the population – but, the American economy being what it is, all that money was slurped up to the top with the usual giant sucking sound. That money had to go <i>someplace</i>, and bonds are paying <i>bupkis</i>.<br />
<br />
• Both parties are running fear-based campaigns this election season, and it remains to be seen whether Americans are more afraid of racial minorities or fascism.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-56862455912936694142020-07-30T00:27:00.000-04:002020-07-30T00:33:03.166-04:00Basic Economics<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PUMbpqNXwordYCQ8T0HtcnnK0Z1LCj5H4mP5WoIz9MjbBUiw3-VCCcUUTK4fp6mNNYu46yTdhTjbJuu21dOb9LW79JlBhFFUIzGzwfib5tWkV7fRK2UpYXkiLw4Hh1UMP-S0fAJQTDkB/s1600/chalkboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="453" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PUMbpqNXwordYCQ8T0HtcnnK0Z1LCj5H4mP5WoIz9MjbBUiw3-VCCcUUTK4fp6mNNYu46yTdhTjbJuu21dOb9LW79JlBhFFUIzGzwfib5tWkV7fRK2UpYXkiLw4Hh1UMP-S0fAJQTDkB/s200/chalkboard.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
If you take $400 per week away from the 20 million people most likely to spend it, businesses lose well over $30 billion in sales every month. If you're trying to revive a cratering economy, that's really a pretty dumb idea — but that's the Republican proposal for "helping" the unemployed.<br />
<br />
Granted, many of the unemployed currently are collecting more in unemployment benefits than they earned while they were working, which might make them hesitant to return to their crappy jobs – mostly "heroic" ones like cashier, busboy, and pedicurist. Sorry – no extra pay for your added risk. Many more will stay unemployed because their jobs have disappeared, and aren't coming back any time soon.<br />
<br />
While some Republicans in Congress must see their $200 proposal as a starting point in a negotiation, the hard right would like to end the benefit entirely. They play on the politics of <i>resentment</i>, which may be the defining feature of the Tr*mpian base: "Why should somebody <i>else</i> get something if <i>I'm </i>not getting it — especially <i>those</i> people?" Needless to say, opponents of enhanced unemployment benefits will masquerade as "fiscal hawks," but one can't help but notice how their hawkishness waxes and wanes depending on who gets the money being spent.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-56448642379957409942020-07-18T01:22:00.000-04:002020-07-18T01:22:38.820-04:00Brief Briefs<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMUqy9H4RDFexdG42X7sUglDxvr1-_3gq_hiT1ESW9C8-YLFy8_lDPTJMSHwcGZB3DXOmgGxTb27q7aH41Ey0xGGK9LQI7JC92i_BGEeixuIKgHXLGDyEg75sGWuv_rdJHUxotCLrGncJ/s1600/vbriefs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="670" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMUqy9H4RDFexdG42X7sUglDxvr1-_3gq_hiT1ESW9C8-YLFy8_lDPTJMSHwcGZB3DXOmgGxTb27q7aH41Ey0xGGK9LQI7JC92i_BGEeixuIKgHXLGDyEg75sGWuv_rdJHUxotCLrGncJ/s400/vbriefs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<b>Indecent Exposure </b><br />
It is true that laws requiring us to wear face masks impinge on our personal liberty, The same is true of laws requiring us to wear pants, and demonstrations against that restriction might be more entertaining than the anti-mask protests.<br />
<br />
<b>The Twitter Hack</b><br />
Smart enough to hack the accounts of lot of famous people, including some leading Democrats, the hackers were not smart enough to run a profitable con, pulling in less that $120,000 from some very gullible people. They may have done better had they hacked leading Republicans; Our President's account could have brought in millions.<br />
<br />
<b>Positive Thinking</b><br />
The Tr*mp family attended Marble Collegiate Church when it was led by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale" target="_blank">Norman Vincent Peale</a>, author of <i>The Power of Positive Thinking</i> and a forerunner of today's Christian conservatives. I suspect his influence on young Donald may have been profound, but, sadly, positive thinking hasn't worked on the coronavirus.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-64889813328344507272020-07-15T09:55:00.000-04:002020-07-15T09:55:36.203-04:00Talking about senility...<br />
Just in case you missed yesterday's presidential "press conference," here's a sample of what Our President had to say:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmaGpHTAvc9_WkmZvCkM0Ls57qYV58IV8Cpqd2Smnl1tmMNakWjk7PgM6kWH3jHopvHpQj9KqRpXNcg88GusB9tT3RgduB0WKc-nEDittDl1fcwi-yLlIxo8h4W662mdDaew0kcMKjO7L/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-07-15+at+9.40.51+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="392" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqmaGpHTAvc9_WkmZvCkM0Ls57qYV58IV8Cpqd2Smnl1tmMNakWjk7PgM6kWH3jHopvHpQj9KqRpXNcg88GusB9tT3RgduB0WKc-nEDittDl1fcwi-yLlIxo8h4W662mdDaew0kcMKjO7L/s200/Screen+Shot+2020-07-15+at+9.40.51+AM.png" width="161" /></a></div>
<i>“We have
great agreements where when Biden and Obama used to bring killers out,
they would say don’t bring them back to our country, we don’t want them.
Well, we have to, we don’t want them. They wouldn’t take them. Now with
us, they take them. Someday, I’ll tell you why. Someday, I’ll tell you
why. But they take them and they take them very gladly. They used to
bring them out and they wouldn’t even let the airplanes land if they
brought them back by airplanes. They wouldn’t let the buses into their
country. They said we don’t want them. Said no, but they entered our
country illegally and they’re murderers, they’re killers in some cases.”</i><br />
<br />
the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-16809858014066225302020-07-10T02:46:00.002-04:002020-07-10T02:46:54.787-04:00Monuments<br />
Now that the USofA finally has achieved some degree of consensus regarding just who won our Civil War, it certainly is time to remove all those monuments to the losers. A big question, though, is just what to <b><i>do</i></b> with all that statuary that may be of some historical and/or artistic value. Some want them relocated to private property, but all that would accomplish would be to create a network of private shrines to racism. I have a better idea.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXWaa_Z6VDJrVN_In22huUqhUl3THs9ovFfm99sTRMXdDCusyTEhu52_MjemMuzM1X09Bzh812er8IRDuH6WMcWmniZPrqNb-cBNTeTrKIOgaaaKXAP09qpma7zIFSXBCtJyHaPAGaP0K/s1600/-removed.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="459" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXWaa_Z6VDJrVN_In22huUqhUl3THs9ovFfm99sTRMXdDCusyTEhu52_MjemMuzM1X09Bzh812er8IRDuH6WMcWmniZPrqNb-cBNTeTrKIOgaaaKXAP09qpma7zIFSXBCtJyHaPAGaP0K/s200/-removed.gif" width="90" /></a>Let's create a new <b>Losers National Monument</b> on some suitably desolate expanse of desert land out West, where it will be possible to display them all together. They would be removed from their pedestals and placed with each abutting the next, bearded cheek by mutton-chopped jowl and horse's ass by horse's ass – with just enough room for intrepid visitors to squeeze between them for access to the statues that particularly pique their interests. Better yet, the relocated statues could be arranged into a maze for added tourist appeal – a classic American roadside attraction.<br />
<br />
Then, perhaps, we could turn our attention to that other monument to slavery, the United States Constitution — where concessions to slave states resulted in our profoundly non-representative Senate and Electoral College. As that unrepentant racist Winston Churchhill once said, "democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’<br />
<br />
I'm not sure he got that right, but I don't have a better idea right now. <br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-31759433597746264022020-06-30T23:34:00.000-04:002020-07-01T14:39:42.549-04:00Bounties<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsU2IPHbz2oF0nIXqarqyYJY4x4S6zvOQXcwF5pq8YzkjSXYLo_LrErcpJFtEBr2JDiBVVlm0W4AlYx_ASOpToaTWQHhGu7nU6rOxOZZz8HWeGQQDllJDpPlyb1PSI2KcpIq6SgFDkE_V/s1600/red-phone.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="75" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhsU2IPHbz2oF0nIXqarqyYJY4x4S6zvOQXcwF5pq8YzkjSXYLo_LrErcpJFtEBr2JDiBVVlm0W4AlYx_ASOpToaTWQHhGu7nU6rOxOZZz8HWeGQQDllJDpPlyb1PSI2KcpIq6SgFDkE_V/s200/red-phone.gif" width="60" /></a></div>
Nobody is surprised that Our President doesn't read his intelligence briefings, placing more confidence in Fox News than in the CIA. (Personally, I suspect his aversion to reading may be because he's dyslexic.) Republicans say nobody told him because the evidence for Russia paying bounties on the deaths of US service members wasn't strong enough. Democrats say nobody wanted to tell him because he doesn't like to hear bad things about his buddy, Putin.<br />
<br />
Another possibility is that he <b>was</b> told, and got on the phone to Putin to "find out if it was true." Putin, of course, denied it — and Tr*mp, of course, believed him, just as he believed Putin's denial of Russian interference in the 2016 election: "President Putin says it's not Russia," Tr*mp proclaimed in Helsinki. "I don't see any reason why it <i>would</i> be!"<br />
<br />
Tr*mp has spoken to Putin by phone five or six times since he "didn't find out." What were they talking about? Oh, yeah — we're not allowed to know.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-77666357118361169622020-06-17T15:00:00.000-04:002020-06-17T15:00:16.810-04:00Gorsuch on Gay/Trans Rights<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRj3zqz_cxsk1HxNroJCwhLpF2oIPnBIorpxgYLZcE6j7bLaw8w0GQzz6eQX6lzOiiBBhQuTUFrwx-8ecgCq6ieN-r9PyacPuZnmUcxSwOdDYdW5QERnFYHLwWjWwU-uHdgkm_jvDrHvl/s1600/k%2526g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="252" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPRj3zqz_cxsk1HxNroJCwhLpF2oIPnBIorpxgYLZcE6j7bLaw8w0GQzz6eQX6lzOiiBBhQuTUFrwx-8ecgCq6ieN-r9PyacPuZnmUcxSwOdDYdW5QERnFYHLwWjWwU-uHdgkm_jvDrHvl/s200/k%2526g.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Everybody was surprised when Justice Neil Gorsuch voted to extend employment protection to gay and transgender individuals under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. My first thought was, "Aw, that's really sweet!" It was a choice that, to me, demonstrated his respect and affection for his mentor, retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.<br />
<br />
News commentators have made much of Gorsuch's commitment to "textualism" – the idea that judges should interpret law according to its specific <i>language</i> rather than trying to descry the lawmakers' specific <i>intent</i>. Textualists, though, are the Jesuits of jurisprudence: individuals expert in spinning eminently logical arguments in defense of foregone conclusions. In <i>Bostock v. Clayton County</i>, Gorsuch demonstrated his mastery of the art.<br />
<br />
The four decisions in support of LGBT rights written by Justice Kennedy are likely to be viewed by history as his most significant actions in his time on the Supreme Court. While I'm certain Kennedy made no attempt to influence his former clerk's decision, I'm equally certain that preserving Kennedy's historic legacy was a powerful factor in shaping the younger man's thinking.<br />
<br />
Yeah, that's really sweet.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-61328900851143313572020-06-11T21:53:00.000-04:002020-06-11T21:53:01.009-04:00Cops<br />
I had this funny feeling for a couple of days, and it took me that long to figure out what it was. It had been quite a while since I'd experienced twinges of optimism.<br />
<br />
That horrifying snuff film starring Derek Chauvin and George Floyd had set off what was beginning to look like a genuine mass movement. Our President's psychopathy was becoming so evident that even a few Republicans were looking uncomfortable, and voices from the military offered some reassurance that our armed forces might not support a Tr*mpian <i>coup d'etat</i>. I suppose that's cause for "hope," but the "change" part will be harder to come by.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmCYLFoj5_YRa29UKYGKecoQNVwnYG5vcV3Z5Qx-C6qc2B-CmBDv7aAoddA0cOWuVKYfE7WaXcDXWCM6pe2eigyAjxsecJNRKJ8Mf6flcsTBD8Vqk6k6B7nsU88pZwGrRj6AASyFHjFxc/s1600/nypd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="292" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGmCYLFoj5_YRa29UKYGKecoQNVwnYG5vcV3Z5Qx-C6qc2B-CmBDv7aAoddA0cOWuVKYfE7WaXcDXWCM6pe2eigyAjxsecJNRKJ8Mf6flcsTBD8Vqk6k6B7nsU88pZwGrRj6AASyFHjFxc/s200/nypd.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
Structural racism is just one component of a larger structure: a social system that allows a small number of individuals to amass great wealth and power at the expense of everybody else. For a sizable chunk of the white working class, white privilege is the only privilege available, and they are loathe to give it up. Also, consigning people of color to an underclass makes it <b><i>so</i></b> much easier for the agents of our overlords – the police – to recognize just whom they're supposed to repress. Restrictions that keep minorities geographically separate make the task of repression even simpler, and the show of force is far more important than the "control of crime."<br />
<br />
Cop culture is macho, authoritarian, and insular. I suspect it is held together primarily by <i>shared privilege:</i> everything from never getting traffic tickets to "qualified immunity" for murder. Maintaining that privilege demands intense loyalty to each other: hence, the "blue wall of silence." Compounding that opacity, municipalities save money by conceding "free" items in negotiations with police unions, like periodic deletion of public complaint records, or contract language that keeps them secret.<br />
<br />
I'm not encouraged by any of the "reform" or "defund" ideas making the rounds now. None of them addresses the real problem: <i>somebody</i> has to be repressing the underclass to keep the elite in its very comfortable place. <i>Somebody</i> has to ensure that the working class remains divided and at odds with itself.<br />
<br />
Just the same, I keep getting this funny feeling . . .<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-92094101517501102752020-05-27T22:14:00.000-04:002020-05-27T22:14:28.085-04:00Existential Anxiety<br />
Reading fiction as a distraction from our current depressing Situation was working pretty well for me until, at 2AM, I encountered this passage from Keiichiro Hirano's novel, <i><a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-54-200688-0" target="_blank">A Man</a></i>:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyPnofTOGgCDwyPHc03zoYUAYARfuScb_V-gpEkdk1pEKiPas4kqgFxhXH4r7ELow1-nKkJQOuekGXQa8ge0DN8Yy12aprWq_kbWr0JAAJrW4MAKCeTbVu0VTQe3DswMb5Wq0TD48qCP4/s1600/1x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="204" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyPnofTOGgCDwyPHc03zoYUAYARfuScb_V-gpEkdk1pEKiPas4kqgFxhXH4r7ELow1-nKkJQOuekGXQa8ge0DN8Yy12aprWq_kbWr0JAAJrW4MAKCeTbVu0VTQe3DswMb5Wq0TD48qCP4/s400/1x.jpg" width="141" /></a><i>...Kido saw his life as composed of several stages linked together by a shared name, with himself as their culmination. A significant portion of the life given continuity by the label "Akiro Kido" that had once lain ahead had already been relegated to the past, and so his identity was in large part already determined. Of course there might have been other paths he could have taken and therefore other people he might have been. Perhaps an infinite number. It was in the light of such considerations that he confronted his former question anew. The problem was not who he was in the present but who he's been in the past, and the solution he sought was no longer supposed to help him live but to help him figure out what sort of person to die as.</i><br />
<br />
Hirano wrote in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed Fukushima — an event just as arbitrary and unforeseen as a pandemic, and just as likely to provoke a little existential anxiety. It's a common human condition, albeit most humans can't put a name to it when they feel it. We respond by immersing ourselves in the present, focusing on some current, less transcendental outrage.<br />
<br />
That's why I'm having a problem this time around: I seem to be suffering from outrage fatigue. I've been outraged so often recently that it's become hard to work up a good surge of anger anymore. My head has been bombarded by the corruption and the inequalities and the classism and the blatant lies and the manipulations of reality. <b>Where the hell is that revolution I wanted fifty years ago, and that I never stopped wanting?</b><br />
<br />
There. That feels much better. I'm back! :)<br />
<br />
<i></i>
the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-77824607918068936162020-05-15T17:04:00.001-04:002020-05-15T17:04:59.144-04:00Extra brief briefs<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_h0cLZc-gmaAwkPDGEVt9XkmZAsTcNRfVIPqh7EGxzWdlyF9oI7O_humhK0LEm7uCLp0yTR_F5P3nr42Cx6j9IajWkD5r9SOu5Tm20HRbvJjic5hxPZGVwic7VLVnfvmBaiFlrEzOYUe1/s1600/vbriefs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="670" height="71" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_h0cLZc-gmaAwkPDGEVt9XkmZAsTcNRfVIPqh7EGxzWdlyF9oI7O_humhK0LEm7uCLp0yTR_F5P3nr42Cx6j9IajWkD5r9SOu5Tm20HRbvJjic5hxPZGVwic7VLVnfvmBaiFlrEzOYUe1/s400/vbriefs.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>The last economic depression led to the creation of social safety net programs. It also weakened the rule of law and led to the rise of fascism. These are dangerous times. Meanwhile. . .</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
◆ Richard Burr (R-NC) led the Senate Intelligence Committee, which affirmed the extent of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Now he's under <i>criminal</i> investigation for insider trading, unlike other members of Congress who dumped a lot of stock before the virus induced market crash. One wonders . . .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
◆ The normally taciturn Clarence Thomas has been surprisingly talkative in the context of hearings by telephone, which might make <i>some</i> of us suspect that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Thomas" target="_blank">Ginni Thomas</a> could be feeding him his questions.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
◆ Quite a few Tr*mp supporters could be okay with reopening the country because the virus "mostly" kills blacks and Latinos.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>There is no available "evidence" to support any of this, but those with the proper mindset will have no trouble believing it. After all, "evidence" is <b>so</b> 2015! Isn't it?</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-64139626720444239392020-05-03T19:06:00.000-04:002020-05-03T19:06:42.204-04:00Biden as Sex Offender<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoA3gBoNnPVdkHy3iR6PWZRC00Br9oIFa-cmd6yhXIow11gZGgmo4GqIgjKfm36pneXpCA6E6K4EXrsuUKB_1DjgJ1WbuN4OjUdonkKwmOxFev3qU-_WkK7jTZhJ1VUJhKTXH1rXgJP4oo/s1600/proxy-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="132" data-original-width="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoA3gBoNnPVdkHy3iR6PWZRC00Br9oIFa-cmd6yhXIow11gZGgmo4GqIgjKfm36pneXpCA6E6K4EXrsuUKB_1DjgJ1WbuN4OjUdonkKwmOxFev3qU-_WkK7jTZhJ1VUJhKTXH1rXgJP4oo/s1600/proxy-image.jpg" /></a></div>
I suspect a great many people, including many Republicans, will dismiss Tara Reade's accusation against Joe Biden; not because they trust his moral character, but because they see him as kind of a dweeb. Okay, he gets his jollies squeezing shoulders and stroking necks, but that's just more evidence of his dweebishness. They don't think he's aggressive <i>(aka "manly"}</i> enough to take it any further. Unless there are more accusations, he'll probably skate.<br />
<br />
Maybe that was just my own first impression, but I'm confident I'm not alone. Of course, everything is as clear as mud at the moment; and as they said on the radio when old Joe was a pup, "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" Government being government, though, there has to be a personnel file for Tara Reade in some archive or another, and some bureaucrat should be able to find it. It wouldn't hurt at all if Biden let a couple of archivists at the University of Delaware go through his papers for the relevant time period, and see if they can find any reference to Tara Reade whatsoever. If he doesn't want to antagonize a lot of progressive Democrats, he'd better do it soon.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-45363243073438736392020-04-25T22:37:00.000-04:002020-04-26T06:37:28.771-04:00Sarcasm<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAUmmMacRwxu-QtRNEmUVF8pV22-lBXHhz-whhSXZoJMUqNFi9TWme-mDuXONzvKGEq7XaReHx3o7aX8EA0dN5_oQKA3wSVa_vP1XxfIhOFG6v39KahjuJZQYYDsVMtktZLoLAOv63-Ot/s1600/CLOROX.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="151" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOAUmmMacRwxu-QtRNEmUVF8pV22-lBXHhz-whhSXZoJMUqNFi9TWme-mDuXONzvKGEq7XaReHx3o7aX8EA0dN5_oQKA3wSVa_vP1XxfIhOFG6v39KahjuJZQYYDsVMtktZLoLAOv63-Ot/s320/CLOROX.gif" width="96" /></a></div>
I flipped on the TV while folding some laundry, just in time to receive Our President's latest medical advice. His thought process could not have been so clear had it been displayed in a crawl at the bottom of the screen.<br />
<br />
"Antiseptics kill germs, right? And I heard somewhere some kind of light kills them too. I wonder if they thought of that?<br />
<br />
Simultaneously, his lips started moving – and a moment later, he was bouncing his great idea off Birx and the scientists. It is not easy to be Fauci (not invited this time) or Birx, but I guess they hang in there for fear of whom their replacements might be. Tr*mp, meanwhile, was imagining how neat it would be when he won the Nobel Prize for Medicine.<br />
<br />
While I don't anticipate any Lysol shortages, I won't be surprised if there's a rush on UV lighting fixtures, possibly advertised on Fox News. Soon, I predict, there will be plant lights shining down on the <i>MyPillow</i>® accoutred beds of many who comprise Our President's base. Somehow, it seems appropriate.<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4906182991797508426.post-19843271643426213322020-04-20T13:18:00.000-04:002020-04-20T13:20:26.567-04:00What comes next?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzk_BE4Zn4kVtJEt6gmYDLmBtWuBuOSDhdMUz0LOOYpOFjdNI9pHsQclF-j77ukfrt9hAo7VyxeOc83oWpveu9MmNfmUycRsBJcj083QO7DM3z6UdDMsnM0qtS4FWzWWulI1YcxqwYQru/s1600/tunnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="253" data-original-width="1200" height="83" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzk_BE4Zn4kVtJEt6gmYDLmBtWuBuOSDhdMUz0LOOYpOFjdNI9pHsQclF-j77ukfrt9hAo7VyxeOc83oWpveu9MmNfmUycRsBJcj083QO7DM3z6UdDMsnM0qtS4FWzWWulI1YcxqwYQru/s400/tunnel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
Maybe there's a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, but nobody has any solid ideas about what else we'll find down there. Pretty clearly, though, things will be different. Both socially and economically, our current situation is a lot more novel than the novel coronavirus; and major societal disruptions provoke culture change.<br />
<br />
Nobody is surprised by leaders like Orban, Duterte, and Modi becoming more authoritarian. Tr*mp might dream of emulating them, but Tr*mp's general ineptitude and lackluster popular approval <i>should</i> make that impossible. Meanwhile, economic collapse has prompted Congress to adopt a series of "socialist" initiatives that may be the forerunners of broader socioeconomic reform.<br />
<br />
Granted, the plutocratic class will do its best to stymie any significant change; but workers who lose their health insurance along with their jobs are a lot more likely to abandon their "preference" for employer provided plans; Americans with little or no savings, including a sizable slice of the Red Hat Brigade, will come to recognize the need to expand safety net programs; and America's massive wealth disparities will become increasingly intolerable as the pandemic and its aftermath make them increasingly impossible to ignore.<br />
<br />
Even if Tr*mp's "miracle" happens, and the virus subsides substantially in coming months, economists agree that recovery from its economic damage is
likely to take years. With weak consumer demand, many of the "safe"
jobs currently being performed at home also will disappear. Nobody is
truly immune, and all of America will come to understand that.<br />
<br />
Those who follow this blog know that optimism is not one of its defining characteristics, but this time there is some reason to hope that we eventually will emerge from this crisis with a more just society. To be sure, November's elections will make a big difference. One only can hope that the Democratic establishment can move beyond Clinton-era ideas of what is "practical" and start listening to the party's more progressive wing.<br />
<br />
<br />the view from vicworldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16705739120621389297noreply@blogger.com0