Episode 86 of the Seinfeld show was very unique. At some point in the middle....George Costanza says that everything he does....is a total failure, so Jerry says....then do the opposite of what you'd typically do. Then George discovers that the opposite method works...in virtually every single situation.
This got brought up to a minor degree by Jessie Watters (Fox News) in the last day or two, in describing Trump's success.
I've sat for a long while thinking over episode 86, and Trump.
When you go back to the end of 2015, with the primary heating up....there was Trump with commentary and words that would never come out of a typical GOP Presidential contenders mouth.
When you look at the last couple weeks of the primary period, there was Trump with commentary that would typically get five-star negativity via the news media, and it didn't matter.
When you look at the two months prior to the election.....constant and massive news media focus on Trump in a negative fashion, and it didn't matter.
When you look at the first year of the Trump Presidency....day in and day out activity by the Democrats and the news media.....all negative and bitter, and it didn't matter.
Yeah, the Constanza method is working. Why? There is no logic. It shouldn't work.
So I look back at George Constanza and it occurs to me.....we all wanted George to succeed in life. The little guy....always screwed-over.....never getting some big break, and we (deep in our hearts) wanted George to to aspire and get ahead. I think it's the same logic with Trump.
Friday, 11 May 2018
Thursday, 10 May 2018
Grasping the ID Discussion
Last week, I watched a video piece on YouTube which went back to the summer of 2017, and the moderator had gone to some university setting with a bunch of white students. The question thrown at the students (all between 18 and 22)....why is voter ID such a bad idea for blacks?
The chief comeback was that blacks just don't have IDs, and even if they had potential for an ID....they don't know where to get it (yeah, there were actually two students who suggested this lack of address problem). Then you had a student or two who suggested that blacks didn't have access to the internet.
So the moderator left the university setting and went to downtown NY City. The conversations then revolved around only blacks.
Of the dozen blacks interviewed on the street....from age eighteen to sixty....every single one of them grinned when asked if they had an ID, and then produced it. Then the moderator asked if they knew where the license office was in NY City.....well, absolutely was the response.....some even giving you street number. Access to the internet? One lady pulled out her smart-phone and said she was 'hooked-up' twenty-four hours a day.
So then the moderator told the blacks what the white college students had said, and the blacks just started laughing. So the moderator asked them.....do you know of any black person....who does NOT have an ID? No.....was the response of every single person.
Speaking over the state of Alabama....my home-state....with a population of 4.875-million (2017 numbers), and subtracting roughly 300,000 who are under the sixteen, you come to a general population of 4.500.000 million. How many have a valid license or ID? I would take a guess that it's fairly near 99-percent. In fact, I would take a fairly decent guess that it's probably fewer than 10,000 US citizens in the entire state who might not have a license.
Most of those? Mostly women who never learned how to drive, folks in mental institutions, and guys sitting in jail. Toss in another 3,000 homeless guys who live under bridges throughout the state.
The problem here in explaining this to some intellectual folks is that you can't put tags on a new car without going to the county office and presenting your license. You can't open a bank account, with an ID. You can't buy booze without a valid ID.
I've come to this conclusion.....what we need to do with all these college students and intellectuals....is give them a simple 90-day test. Convince the group to hand over all their ID's and then see how well they can function in a non-ID world. My guess is that by the 10th day....most will admit that you can't function in 2018, without an ID. Then they will admit their perception of blacks lacking IDs is mostly all fake or bogus.
The chief comeback was that blacks just don't have IDs, and even if they had potential for an ID....they don't know where to get it (yeah, there were actually two students who suggested this lack of address problem). Then you had a student or two who suggested that blacks didn't have access to the internet.
So the moderator left the university setting and went to downtown NY City. The conversations then revolved around only blacks.
Of the dozen blacks interviewed on the street....from age eighteen to sixty....every single one of them grinned when asked if they had an ID, and then produced it. Then the moderator asked if they knew where the license office was in NY City.....well, absolutely was the response.....some even giving you street number. Access to the internet? One lady pulled out her smart-phone and said she was 'hooked-up' twenty-four hours a day.
So then the moderator told the blacks what the white college students had said, and the blacks just started laughing. So the moderator asked them.....do you know of any black person....who does NOT have an ID? No.....was the response of every single person.
Speaking over the state of Alabama....my home-state....with a population of 4.875-million (2017 numbers), and subtracting roughly 300,000 who are under the sixteen, you come to a general population of 4.500.000 million. How many have a valid license or ID? I would take a guess that it's fairly near 99-percent. In fact, I would take a fairly decent guess that it's probably fewer than 10,000 US citizens in the entire state who might not have a license.
Most of those? Mostly women who never learned how to drive, folks in mental institutions, and guys sitting in jail. Toss in another 3,000 homeless guys who live under bridges throughout the state.
The problem here in explaining this to some intellectual folks is that you can't put tags on a new car without going to the county office and presenting your license. You can't open a bank account, with an ID. You can't buy booze without a valid ID.
I've come to this conclusion.....what we need to do with all these college students and intellectuals....is give them a simple 90-day test. Convince the group to hand over all their ID's and then see how well they can function in a non-ID world. My guess is that by the 10th day....most will admit that you can't function in 2018, without an ID. Then they will admit their perception of blacks lacking IDs is mostly all fake or bogus.
Wednesday, 9 May 2018
Persia
After viewing President Trump's piece on the Iran Treaty and his kind words over the old history.....I went back to the general history....when they were Persia.
For roughly 1,100 years....from 550 BC to 651 AD....they were among the three most dominant and advanced civilizations on Earth (the Romans and the Chinese were their only equals). The dynasty groups responsible? The Sasanian Empire, and Achaemenid Empire.
In fact, you can go back and look over the efforts of the Achaemenid Empire (550 BC to 330 BC) and marvel at what they did (long before the Romans). They were guys who built a professional standing army. They were also the ones who developed the postal system. They were the folks who staked out roads and trails, and giving way to commerce (traders) to use them. A governmental process of rules and expectations? That goes back to the Achaemenid Empire. They were the ones that the Greeks and Romans copied.
At some point, there's a Greek historian/traveler by the name of Herodotus who comes up to write a short piece on observations of the Achaemenid Empire. In his mind (remember, he was a Greek), they had this odd standard of leadership. He noted that Persians were the type of folks who tended to drink a fair bit of wine.....in significant amounts. So when moments of discussion came with the King and the various counselors.....they'd go and sip wine to a great extent....reaching a level of.....well....being drunk, and then they'd talk about some crazy idea or some vision they had. Then they'd lay down and sleep this off. The next day....kinda like Otis from the Andy Griffith Show....they'd awaken and realize (A) man, that was a stupid idea, or (B) man, that was a brilliant idea. And then they'd toss or accept the idea.
Trying to suggest stiff drinks to most folks today....won't sell. But you an admire these Achaemenid folks.
Things that the Persians gave us? Algebra. The guitar. Chess. You can go down a list of more than 500 items that came out of Persia originally.
Just about every advancement in medicine in this 1,100 year period seen across the globe? Well...most of them start off with an idea seen in Persia.
Now, you note that I kinda limited this 1,100 year period, and that it ends around 651 AD. What happens in the next hundred years after that? The arrival of Islam. It's a funny thing....up until 651 AD....Persia is mostly an open religious state (like Rome was prior to Christianity arriving and dominating the Rome Empire).
Had Islam never come to Persia? They would likely be one of the three major countries existing in the world today. They would have stretched from Iran, through Turkey, and on down to most of Egypt,....then encompassing all of Syria, Iraq, and Israel.
For roughly 1,100 years....from 550 BC to 651 AD....they were among the three most dominant and advanced civilizations on Earth (the Romans and the Chinese were their only equals). The dynasty groups responsible? The Sasanian Empire, and Achaemenid Empire.
In fact, you can go back and look over the efforts of the Achaemenid Empire (550 BC to 330 BC) and marvel at what they did (long before the Romans). They were guys who built a professional standing army. They were also the ones who developed the postal system. They were the folks who staked out roads and trails, and giving way to commerce (traders) to use them. A governmental process of rules and expectations? That goes back to the Achaemenid Empire. They were the ones that the Greeks and Romans copied.
At some point, there's a Greek historian/traveler by the name of Herodotus who comes up to write a short piece on observations of the Achaemenid Empire. In his mind (remember, he was a Greek), they had this odd standard of leadership. He noted that Persians were the type of folks who tended to drink a fair bit of wine.....in significant amounts. So when moments of discussion came with the King and the various counselors.....they'd go and sip wine to a great extent....reaching a level of.....well....being drunk, and then they'd talk about some crazy idea or some vision they had. Then they'd lay down and sleep this off. The next day....kinda like Otis from the Andy Griffith Show....they'd awaken and realize (A) man, that was a stupid idea, or (B) man, that was a brilliant idea. And then they'd toss or accept the idea.
Trying to suggest stiff drinks to most folks today....won't sell. But you an admire these Achaemenid folks.
Things that the Persians gave us? Algebra. The guitar. Chess. You can go down a list of more than 500 items that came out of Persia originally.
Just about every advancement in medicine in this 1,100 year period seen across the globe? Well...most of them start off with an idea seen in Persia.
Now, you note that I kinda limited this 1,100 year period, and that it ends around 651 AD. What happens in the next hundred years after that? The arrival of Islam. It's a funny thing....up until 651 AD....Persia is mostly an open religious state (like Rome was prior to Christianity arriving and dominating the Rome Empire).
Had Islam never come to Persia? They would likely be one of the three major countries existing in the world today. They would have stretched from Iran, through Turkey, and on down to most of Egypt,....then encompassing all of Syria, Iraq, and Israel.
Monday, 7 May 2018
Explaining this Iran Thing
There are five observations that you can make about this 'amusing' crisis existing now with Iran, and this nuclear treaty that President Obama fixed up during his administration.
1. Back when all this treaty business first started to get discussed....2014....oil pricing was near $90 a barrel. Iran....desperate to recover in the economic world....had been isolated and suffering. So various talks came up and opportunities were realized. If they could just open this peace door (especially felt in 2014), then this vast oil income situation would come.
Sadly, by the last quarter of 2015, when the treaty framework was falling into place....oil had fallen to around $52 (more or less). You go and look at 2011 to 2014....a $100 or more per barrel.
What happened? US fracking. Everyone across the oil sector has suffered. Presently? In the $45 to $50 range.
Iran desperately needs to see economic change....to make the public happy (something that has lingered for two decades now).
2. Everyone in Europe is poised to make money, once the treaty falls into place. No one in Europe wants to deny the opportunity, period.
3. Israel has done a fair amount of investigation and believes it's all a fraud. Evidence? It falls into the category of suggesting that Iran 'could' (not would) quickly revert the energy program into a weapon program.....beyond that nothing else.
4. If the Iran government were a civilian-led situation....there might be more belief or trust. The fact that it's entirely dominated by religious 'players'....leads one to wonder about stability.
5. Finally, you come to this wild-card that one one seems to want to discuss....Saudi Arabia. Basically, they are about one step away from starting their own nuclear program and this treaty probably would be enough to trigger that. Who would help them? One can sit and ponder over that. For Iran? Well...it's an enormous problem. If Saudi Arabia goes this direction....in a very short period of time....Iran would have to trip over the mess leading to weapons development.
What happens here? I suspect Trump will allow the treaty to go forward, with the warning to France, Germany and the EU....their respect will be lost once Iran crosses over some imaginary line. Saudi Arabia will proceed with it's own nuclear program, and everyone will be sitting there and wondering how big a mess was created....in avoiding the the cancellation of the treaty. The cherry on this cake.....it all leads back to the Obama Administration's efforts, and history would be very unkind on the problems it manufactured.
Course, the other wild-card is the possibility of a coup in Iran, and some new leadership coming out of thin air.
1. Back when all this treaty business first started to get discussed....2014....oil pricing was near $90 a barrel. Iran....desperate to recover in the economic world....had been isolated and suffering. So various talks came up and opportunities were realized. If they could just open this peace door (especially felt in 2014), then this vast oil income situation would come.
Sadly, by the last quarter of 2015, when the treaty framework was falling into place....oil had fallen to around $52 (more or less). You go and look at 2011 to 2014....a $100 or more per barrel.
What happened? US fracking. Everyone across the oil sector has suffered. Presently? In the $45 to $50 range.
Iran desperately needs to see economic change....to make the public happy (something that has lingered for two decades now).
2. Everyone in Europe is poised to make money, once the treaty falls into place. No one in Europe wants to deny the opportunity, period.
3. Israel has done a fair amount of investigation and believes it's all a fraud. Evidence? It falls into the category of suggesting that Iran 'could' (not would) quickly revert the energy program into a weapon program.....beyond that nothing else.
4. If the Iran government were a civilian-led situation....there might be more belief or trust. The fact that it's entirely dominated by religious 'players'....leads one to wonder about stability.
5. Finally, you come to this wild-card that one one seems to want to discuss....Saudi Arabia. Basically, they are about one step away from starting their own nuclear program and this treaty probably would be enough to trigger that. Who would help them? One can sit and ponder over that. For Iran? Well...it's an enormous problem. If Saudi Arabia goes this direction....in a very short period of time....Iran would have to trip over the mess leading to weapons development.
What happens here? I suspect Trump will allow the treaty to go forward, with the warning to France, Germany and the EU....their respect will be lost once Iran crosses over some imaginary line. Saudi Arabia will proceed with it's own nuclear program, and everyone will be sitting there and wondering how big a mess was created....in avoiding the the cancellation of the treaty. The cherry on this cake.....it all leads back to the Obama Administration's efforts, and history would be very unkind on the problems it manufactured.
Course, the other wild-card is the possibility of a coup in Iran, and some new leadership coming out of thin air.
Regretted Votes
There are three occasions in life that I tend to regretted in terms of voting.
I regret voting for Ross Perot in 1992. I realized about a year later that he never really wanted to win....this was more about punishing Bush, than anything else. All of us wanted a third-party guy option....sadly....it was a fake option that we got.
I regret voting for Senator John McCain in 2008. It was a stacked situation, with your choice for the GOP of being McCain, Romney, or "Huck"....while on the Democratic side.....it was a choice of Hillary in her youth, or a unknown Senator from Illinois who simply gave good speeches but had no real experience. It was for me....the most worthless election in my life.
I regret voting for Romney in 2012. Again.....a stacked election with no options from either party.
I regret voting for Ross Perot in 1992. I realized about a year later that he never really wanted to win....this was more about punishing Bush, than anything else. All of us wanted a third-party guy option....sadly....it was a fake option that we got.
I regret voting for Senator John McCain in 2008. It was a stacked situation, with your choice for the GOP of being McCain, Romney, or "Huck"....while on the Democratic side.....it was a choice of Hillary in her youth, or a unknown Senator from Illinois who simply gave good speeches but had no real experience. It was for me....the most worthless election in my life.
I regret voting for Romney in 2012. Again.....a stacked election with no options from either party.
Sunday, 6 May 2018
On the Topic of Cults
About a week ago, I got onto the subject of anti-capitalists (the Hillary essay). In numerous ways, I tend to see the anti-capitalists, the hyped-up political factions, and some self-help groups functioning like a cult.
I had a chance around seven years ago to be in DC when two groups of anti-capitalists were in some camping situation and long-term protest. I went over one Saturday to survey them, and their efforts. To be honest....they are the only anti-capitalists I've met in my life. I have seen a fair number of interviews and YouTube videos on the culture group, but this was my one and only day with them.
So group one.....about two blocks north of the White House....were mostly young folks....eighteen to twenty-five. Their slant to me....in a short ten-minute period....was more of a lecture. They had memorized phrases and had limited ability to argue beyond what they'd memorized. Camp-wise....their place was a mess, and infested with fleas and mice. They were mostly all college students, and this was a purpose in life.
So, group two....three blocks east of the White House....mostly all people over the age of forty. They were more relaxed, and could engage on the various topics. They did have some perception of the bankers and their connection to DC. Camp-wise, their place was clean, tidy and organized. They were folks who mostly came out of the 1960s and 1970s. This group was anti-capitalist in nature, but not quiet the same anger or hostility as the first group.
After a while, I came to this conclusion over the two groups....they both functioned in some way like a cult. Yes, it was one of those reality moments when you realize that cults aren't owned by religions only. Political groups and even some self-help groups....are working along lines of a cult.
Over the years, I've kinda sat and thought over this a good bit, and recognized around ten cult features which go across various lines....meaning it's all the same in political, religious or self-help cults.
1. Shunning. If you don't think like the insiders....then you have to be an outsider, and you tend to be shunned (even if you were a family member). It works that way now with politics, some self-help organizations, and various religions.
2. Denial of commitment is not allowed. Once 'Joe' says X....then the group more or less has to follow what Joe says....even if it is pretty stupid. It's like standing up in a black-run barber-shop and saying you lost faith in the Democratic Party.....they would not allow you to suggest a denial, and you'd likely get shunned.
3. Everyone in the group (doesn't matter if it religious, self-help or political)....is 'elite'. The 'you-are-special' routine is reinforced over and over....and you tend to feel hyped-up (at least for the first year).
4. It's always a us-versus-them scenario. Conflict....24-hours a day....seven days a week.....fifty-two weeks a year? Yep. Thanks to television....you get this theme all the time. The internet helps to reinforce this value.
5. There has to be an end....which justifies the means of getting there. Maybe it's a fraud or fake goal.....but it'll tie in nicely with the means.
6. Amusing as it sounds....everyone on the insider crew is hyped up to bring in new members and fresh cash. In a way, it's designed as a pyramid scheme.
7. Independent thought....thinking outside of the box? It cannot be allowed. The cult would falter quickly if a quarter of the insiders were paused and thinking over what was said or threatened.
8. Reality is shaken. First you get facts, then you get supposed-facts. Then you get suggested-facts. Then you get somewhat-true-facts. Then you get fake-facts. As long as you don't sit and ponder upon this....all the facts (even the fake ones) lead you to one single conclusion.
9. Generally, everyone with the insider crew is hyped up that they are saving themselves, the nation, or humanity. Saving is a common theme.....you tend to feel good about saving folks. Saving gives you warm feeling of accomplishment.
10. Once engaged in some argument, and losing....the cult guy will resort to fifth-grade behavior and just start yelling, or repeating phrases to reinforce their view. Debate-wise, they tend to lack skills or knowledge to win arguments.
As much as you'd like to think cults are just religious things....no, they exist in political spheres and self-help groups.
I had a chance around seven years ago to be in DC when two groups of anti-capitalists were in some camping situation and long-term protest. I went over one Saturday to survey them, and their efforts. To be honest....they are the only anti-capitalists I've met in my life. I have seen a fair number of interviews and YouTube videos on the culture group, but this was my one and only day with them.
So group one.....about two blocks north of the White House....were mostly young folks....eighteen to twenty-five. Their slant to me....in a short ten-minute period....was more of a lecture. They had memorized phrases and had limited ability to argue beyond what they'd memorized. Camp-wise....their place was a mess, and infested with fleas and mice. They were mostly all college students, and this was a purpose in life.
So, group two....three blocks east of the White House....mostly all people over the age of forty. They were more relaxed, and could engage on the various topics. They did have some perception of the bankers and their connection to DC. Camp-wise, their place was clean, tidy and organized. They were folks who mostly came out of the 1960s and 1970s. This group was anti-capitalist in nature, but not quiet the same anger or hostility as the first group.
After a while, I came to this conclusion over the two groups....they both functioned in some way like a cult. Yes, it was one of those reality moments when you realize that cults aren't owned by religions only. Political groups and even some self-help groups....are working along lines of a cult.
Over the years, I've kinda sat and thought over this a good bit, and recognized around ten cult features which go across various lines....meaning it's all the same in political, religious or self-help cults.
1. Shunning. If you don't think like the insiders....then you have to be an outsider, and you tend to be shunned (even if you were a family member). It works that way now with politics, some self-help organizations, and various religions.
2. Denial of commitment is not allowed. Once 'Joe' says X....then the group more or less has to follow what Joe says....even if it is pretty stupid. It's like standing up in a black-run barber-shop and saying you lost faith in the Democratic Party.....they would not allow you to suggest a denial, and you'd likely get shunned.
3. Everyone in the group (doesn't matter if it religious, self-help or political)....is 'elite'. The 'you-are-special' routine is reinforced over and over....and you tend to feel hyped-up (at least for the first year).
4. It's always a us-versus-them scenario. Conflict....24-hours a day....seven days a week.....fifty-two weeks a year? Yep. Thanks to television....you get this theme all the time. The internet helps to reinforce this value.
5. There has to be an end....which justifies the means of getting there. Maybe it's a fraud or fake goal.....but it'll tie in nicely with the means.
6. Amusing as it sounds....everyone on the insider crew is hyped up to bring in new members and fresh cash. In a way, it's designed as a pyramid scheme.
7. Independent thought....thinking outside of the box? It cannot be allowed. The cult would falter quickly if a quarter of the insiders were paused and thinking over what was said or threatened.
8. Reality is shaken. First you get facts, then you get supposed-facts. Then you get suggested-facts. Then you get somewhat-true-facts. Then you get fake-facts. As long as you don't sit and ponder upon this....all the facts (even the fake ones) lead you to one single conclusion.
9. Generally, everyone with the insider crew is hyped up that they are saving themselves, the nation, or humanity. Saving is a common theme.....you tend to feel good about saving folks. Saving gives you warm feeling of accomplishment.
10. Once engaged in some argument, and losing....the cult guy will resort to fifth-grade behavior and just start yelling, or repeating phrases to reinforce their view. Debate-wise, they tend to lack skills or knowledge to win arguments.
As much as you'd like to think cults are just religious things....no, they exist in political spheres and self-help groups.
McCain
I sat looking at today's two top political headlines.
The first.....AZ Senator John McCain is said to have written up in his new book (The RestLess Wave) that he regrets picking Sarah Palin to be his VP in the 2008 presidential campaign. His preferred choice? Former Senator Joe Lieberman, who flipped from Democrat to Independent for Connecticut.
The odds of the John and Joe ticket doing much? Well....I think one of three GOP working-class Republicans would have declined to vote, and stayed home. It would have been one of the worst 'beatings' in GOP history. Maybe he should have just picked himself as the VP choice as well.
The second headline is that he's drafting up the funeral plans and says that Trump is on the list NOT invited, while VP Pence is invited.
Petty behavior....something for a 5th-grade kid.
I would hope that Pence would avoid this funeral.
Few ever go and read over the Keating Five episode (1989). I would recommend some review. All five senators involved....should have done a minimum of three years of time in a federal prison, and lost their jobs. McCain was one of the five. He, more or less, proved that you can get away with just about anything if you are a Senator.
The first.....AZ Senator John McCain is said to have written up in his new book (The RestLess Wave) that he regrets picking Sarah Palin to be his VP in the 2008 presidential campaign. His preferred choice? Former Senator Joe Lieberman, who flipped from Democrat to Independent for Connecticut.
The odds of the John and Joe ticket doing much? Well....I think one of three GOP working-class Republicans would have declined to vote, and stayed home. It would have been one of the worst 'beatings' in GOP history. Maybe he should have just picked himself as the VP choice as well.
The second headline is that he's drafting up the funeral plans and says that Trump is on the list NOT invited, while VP Pence is invited.
Petty behavior....something for a 5th-grade kid.
I would hope that Pence would avoid this funeral.
Few ever go and read over the Keating Five episode (1989). I would recommend some review. All five senators involved....should have done a minimum of three years of time in a federal prison, and lost their jobs. McCain was one of the five. He, more or less, proved that you can get away with just about anything if you are a Senator.
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