Trump, Republicans and mass stupidity

Republicans. Yes, Donald Trump still leads the Republican race. And yes, the Republican establishment is gathering around a nut case who speaks at a slightly higher level. And some Republicans are already in mourning.

Yes, Cruz and Trump are already attacking each other’s WIVES..check out what Trump retweeted.

Yes, the REAL Trump retweeted this.

OMG.

Of course, some of the reaction to Trump’s candidacy is downright embarrassing. Some students at Emory University felt “traumatized” that someone wrote pro-Trump slogans in chalk on their campus:

Well, all hell broke loose. As the Emory Wheel (the student newspaper reports):

Roughly 40 students gathered shortly after 4:30 p.m. in the outdoors space between the Administration Building and Goodrich C. White Hall; many students carried signs featuring slogans such as “Stop Trump” or “Stop Hate” and an antiphonal chant addressed to University administration, led by College sophomore Jonathan Peraza, resounded “You are not listening! Come speak to us, we are in pain!” throughout the Quad. Peraza opened the door to the Administration Building and students moved forward towards the door, shouting “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

They’re in pain! In pain! OMG, somebody soothe them!

Oh goodness. This is almost as bad as others feeling that they had the right to block streets that lead to a Trump rally.

Mass stupidity. The Onion came out with a photo shop of Air Force One with people standing on its wings; it claimed that the people were Cuban refugees.

Snopes ended up publishing a story reminding people that The Onion story was satire! What does it say that
Snopes felt compelled to publish this story?

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No, this is not ok…

Workout notes:

weights: pull ups (5 sets of 10: strong)
rotator cuff
incline press: 10 x 135, 7 x 150, 10 x 140
military press (dumbbells): 2 sets of 12 x 50 seated, supported, 10 x 40 standing
rows: 3 sets of 10 x 50 each arm
abs: 2 sets of 12 twist crunch, 2 sets of 10 yoga leg lifts, moving bridge recoveries, headstand.

Swimming: 500 easy, 5 x (25 fly, 25 free, 25 back, 25 free), 5 x (25 drill, 75 free) fins, 100 pull, 100 free, 100 pull.

Politics: Marco Randazza, a prominent First Amendment attorney, wrote about the violence we are seeing at political rallies:

When free speech is a casualty, we should not be dividing into tribes and pointing the finger. Trump may be cultivating this intolerance, but no matter whose team you are on, you should be outraged that a political rally was canceled — and you should be outraged at those who celebrate that fact.

And, before you blame Trump and the extreme right, you should make sure that your “team” is clean, too.

After all, a few weeks ago, when six lonely, sad, and pathetic Ku Klux Klan members tried to march in Anaheim, they were descended upon by violent counterprotesters. They acted with as much beastly violence as the awful Trump supporter who allegedly sucker punched a protester. Meanwhile, anti-KKK protesters in Anaheim might have killed their victims, had a Jewish expert on hate crimes not ironically and heroically intervened.

When right-wing activist Ben Shapiro tried to give a lecture at Cal State, those who wanted him silenced resorted to violence as well.

I think that one problem is that people don’t “get” abstract thinking. They don’t see that if one can block traffic to a Trump rally, then Bible Thumpers can block traffic to a conference on evolution or feminism.

Silencing speech that you don’t like is not civil disobedience.

Kicking off the taper

5 mile walk outside (light drizzle) then 2 on the track: 23:52 (lane 2); there was a swarm of students from some sort of fitness program. Whatever they were doing, it wasn’t that hard. But it was better than zilch.

Gun control: there is little that is less pleasant (in terms of social interaction) than to start talking to someone about this issue and have a gun advocate jump in. Even worse: the case when the said advocate thinks that he is smart and logical and accuses me of making a logical error.

Frankly, the time and energy isn’t worth it; it is to the point where I’d like to have some filter that makes someone pass a quiz on basic statistics in order to talk to me.

But certain things keep coming up over and over again.

So, here is a balanced report about Chicago, its gun deaths, murder rates, and “people being shot” rates. Summary: Chicago has problems, but they aren’t as severe as the gun advocates say that they are.

And here is the stupid “Honduras vs. Switzerland” meme.

And no, putting out stupid memes isn’t just a gun advocate problem, nor is it only a conservative problem. I frequently complain about stupid liberal memes.

So, this really isn’t a rant about gun advocates or conservatives (and yes, I have the pleasure of knowing several smart, successful conservatives and I enjoy talking to them) ; it is more about people who think that they know a lot more than they do and, at the same time, lack the intellectual tools to fact check themselves.

But alas, there is no graceful way to say “STFU; you don’t know what you are talking about. Go bother someone else. “

Short videos that I never get tired of watching

Basketball: Larry Bird Scores 60

Football

Social issues

Bus Fights

Animals

Movies

Humor:
Monty Python:

Larry David

Honest Best Man Speech

Easter Egg Hunt

Career Builder ads

Cartoons
Foghorn Leghorn gets his wave function collapsed

Other (possibly NSFW; some sexual humor)

Friends try on tights (gluteal nudity).

Fracking, economics, Obamacare and religious freedom…

Fracking I’ve never been aboard the “fracking is terrible and should be banned” bandwagon. I’ve always been aboard the “energy companies should do it right” bandwagon, and when the companies get sloppy and take short cuts, accidents happen, often with terrible consequences.

So, this study which showed that water contamination near gas wells in Pennsylvania and Texas was NOT due to fracking but instead due to leaky gas wells did not surprise me at all. Yes, there is a problem and it should be fixed. But the technique of fracking isn’t the culprit in these instances.

Of course, this headline is wildly wrong: it should read “no water pollution due to fracking”: (from here)

Economics Textbook economics is working fine, but too many economists have let ideology trump economic theory:

The big problem with economic policy is not, however, that conventional economics doesn’t tell us what to do. In fact, the world would be in much better shape than it is if real-world policy had reflected the lessons of Econ 101. If we’ve made a hash of things — and we have — the fault lies not in our textbooks, but in ourselves.

Obamacare
Yes, Obamacare is working for many, but those who are benefiting from it will vote for those who want to repeal it anyway:

The Affordable Care Act allowed Robin Evans, an eBay warehouse packer earning $9 an hour, to sign up for Medicaid this year. She is being treated for high blood pressure and Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder, after years of going uninsured and rarely seeing doctors.

“I’m tickled to death with it,” Ms. Evans, 49, said of her new coverage as she walked around the Kentucky State Fair recently with her daughter, who also qualified for Medicaid under the law. “It’s helped me out a bunch.”

But Ms. Evans scowled at the mention of President Obama — “Nobody don’t care for nobody no more, and I think he’s got a lot to do with that,” she explained — and said she would vote this fall for Senator Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader, who is fond of saying the health care law should be “pulled out root and branch.”

Ms. Evans said she did not want the law repealed but had too many overall reservations about Democrats to switch her vote. “Born and raised Republican,” she said of herself. “I ain’t planning on changing now.”

So now you know why my sympathy for people is limited. I am for Obamacare as I think that it helps the economy. But as for the individuals helped by it: read the above.

I remember reacting with disgust when many who are on the public dole complain about President Obama and the liberals.

I suppose their cluelessness is a bit like this:

Separation of Church and state

Now, of course, what is said here is perfectly legal as a campaign rally is not a government sponsored event. And yes, Senator McCain had not yet arrived when this invocation was given (he was to arrive later via his “Straight Talk Express” bus:

But I’ll speak to my reaction (I was there): I bit my tongue and tried hard to not break out in laughter; to me this is “Zeus vs. Thor” stuff.

My point: while I believe in separation of church and State and believe that the government should not take sides on religion, I am NOT religiously offended at public prayers and the like. I see it as, well the way you might see an exotic (to you) culture going through some sort of ritual.

But the religious might be VERY offended; a prayer in one religion might be “blasphemy” to someone else.
Hence, religious people ought to be MORE in favor of “separation of church and State” than I am. Because if these aren’t separated:

The Satanic Temple is widely known for fighting to place a statue of Baphomet next to the Ten Commandments on the Oklahoma statehouse grounds. And now they’re bringing Satanic materials to kids in Florida, and it’s all thanks to “Christian” extremists.

Had Christian extremists let the school remain a secular place that honored the separation of church and state, the Satanic Temple would not have been able to introduce kids to The Satanic Children’s Big Book of Activities, which will be widely available in Orange County schools.

The activity book asks kids to find ways to be inclusive in order to solve problem. For instance, one set of instructions in the book says, “These bullies are mad and afraid of things they don’t understand. Help Damian use inclusive language to defuse the situation.” In addition to the activity book other materials will include “pamphlets related to the Temple’s tenets, philosophy and practice of Satanism, as well as information about the legal right to practice Satanism in school.”

A Louisiana state lawmaker learned this the hard way:

In Louisiana, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal pushed for a voucher program that would allow state funds to be used to pay for religious schools. It’s unconstitutional, it’s a way to use taxpayer money to fund someone’s faith, and it was a bad idea to begin with.
But it passed.
Now, one of the state legislators, Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Watson), just made a shocking discovery, though: Christianity isn’t the only religion!

Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Watson, says she had no idea that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s overhaul of the state’s educational system might mean taxpayer support of Muslim schools.
“I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of America’s Founding Fathers’ religion, which is Christianity, in public schools or private schools,” the District 64 Representative said Monday.
…
“Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders’ religion,” Hodges said. “We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.”

(of course, she appears to believe that our Founding Founders were Christians; some were but others were not).

Best unfriending I ever had (Facebook)

Someone (male) posted this meme:

I remember seeing this (or something similar to it) on the wall of some very vocal feminist; she had friended me for goodness-knows-what reason. She also taught grade school math and had asked me math questions from time to time, but she also posted “I don’t like men” stuff too.

Well, she posted the above and my response was “Oh, so you are smarter than I am? LOL!” THAT lead to getting blocked….and I never enjoyed being blocked more than that time. 🙂

Now, someone else (female) posted this:

Posted this…on a computer ….and had the image go through the internet.

Indeed, the idea that “we are a country of smart phones and stupid people” contains quite a bit of truth. 🙂

curse you gay marriage!

My goodness, I hate this crap. And I live in backwards crumbling rust-belt town (Peoria, IL) where the sidewalks are seen as a place to put the snow from the roads.

I remember being in Rochester, MN and going outside when it was snowy and walking 6 miles…bike path and sidewalks were clear. That is impossible to do here.

Oh, as far as the title …..I live in a country where millions believe that deities send weather for one purpose or another:

But as we sit here on Saturday, just before the storm blows through tomorrow, I want to encourage you not to waste the winter weather. I want to invite you to be mesmerized by the miracle of a snowstorm, to be transfixed by snowflakes, to be led to worship as winter is put on full display. You see, there is a grand purpose for these storms. God sends blizzards, snowbanks, and icy weather for a reason: to show off his greatness

And yes, that includes “punishment for gay marriage” and other things. 🙂

Oh well…I need to feel better so…time to pay some bills and get moving (shoveling, running at the gym)

Why I oppose the GMO labeling laws (at least the one’s I’ve heard of)

Ok, here is a labeling law that I approve of:

food sellers who use plant ingredients should be required to label their foods by the phase of the moon at which the said plants were harvested.

*I want to know!*

Oh sure, there has been no convincing evidence that the time of harvest has any bearing on the safety of the ingredients, but no one has proven that it is safe to harvest during a new moon!

Oh as far as the scientists who say that concern is baseless: they are all in the pockets of big agriculture. Besides, those scientists aren’t god; they don’t know everything!!!!

What are they afraid of????? Hmmmmm?

People love democracy until they lose an election

Enjoy the butthurt:

If President Obama really were a tyrant, these idiots would be in jail or dead.

But…to be fair, many called President Bush a tyrant. I didn’t; I was upset at the country for electing him (the second time) but I acknowledged that the country did indeed elect him.

United States: two ends of the intellectual spectrum.

A physics note: Englert and Higgs won the Nobel Prize for physics for their work on how particles acquire mass (by passing through a field).

Ying/Yang of living in the United States of America

On one hand: we have MIT. Here, scientists have developed a new type of self-assembling robot.

At Livermore Lab: scientists have gotten nuclear fusion past the break even point (more energy released than used to start the reaction to begin with.

So, on the coasts, some interesting science research.

But in the halls of Congress: we have a US Representative (Michele Bachmann) babbling about “end times”. Yes, there are millions of Americans who don’t find such talk “crazy”. Sigh.