WTF-Beta

Yes, a bit. Lol.

Scott Ritter disagrees.

I'll choose Scott Ritter's analysis of the this war or about any war over Tucker Carlson's analyses regarding the same.

More on this today.

100 million people could die and the entire Gulf region could become Chernobyl.

Yes, I do disagree.

The ad couldn't have been "too much" when his campaign had played basically the same ad throughout his campaign. That's a cover story.

Again, this particular charge of "anti-Senitism"? She should get a life.

You can't legitimately violate your "principles" when you have none.

Daniel said:

@wtg said:

She gave it one more try to explain why she did what she did.

https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/haley-stevens-explains-decision-to-endorse-mike-rogers-in-election-day-statement-el-sayed-michigan-senate-race-upnorthlive-election-x-twitter

First law of holes...

"and it was not made for me" is the tell. It was made for her.

She's an asset of Israel. Is it not clear?

Nothing's perfect.

Wow! Travel again in 2028.

all here that this a fact now and I have said it already many times.

The replies I have received:

It's not a fact.

It's not happening.

Well, within three years, I predict that everyone will know that it is a fact, that nobody will doubt it, and that it will have passed into conventional wisdom.

And I predict that there will be no equivocation on anyone's part, nor changing stories from the authorities, nor from corporations, nor from the media about it.

NNTTM.

I having a passing familiarity (but little) with Kant, Russell, and Wittgenstein.

I've studied Wittgenstein. I remember nothing.

While I'm on the subject, I'm into Foucault (and have read many of his works), but have no use for Derrida.

https://magic-8ball.com/

This might be useful tool. Or not.

Personally, I'll be be relieved AF when it's 2027.

As far as politics, I can't process 2028.

The mid-terns aren't all in the books yet

DeSantis has a rare moment of candor.

Late to thread but he will accept them? How quaint.

Technology has become much too complicated as well as intrusive.

All of this is much more of an energy sink than a convience.

It also (electronics in appliances and devices, and cars, unfortunately) has a clear (and severe) tie in with planned obsolescence.

I started using Android for the simplicity of it, the easy to understand and use software interface.

Motorola has added so much bloatware to my phone since I bought it that it's not the same phone now. It also changes the user interface in numerous and random ways every matter of days (not weeks).

Its battery is starting to drain progressively faster for the maker's purpose that a phone with a sealed battery (or every phone) is on a downward glide path to becoming inoperable (when otherwise it would last for many years).

This is one time I won't mind it. I hate this phone with a passion.

@wtg said:

@AndyD said:

Does this bring accountability?
For example, can Donald's dodgy diesel deal be stopped?

I'm not sure it does. He will rule by executive order, do what he wants, and will wait for the courts to sort it out and then defy the judiciary. That takes forever and time is on his side. He's been doing that all along.

Congress and the courts can tell him "you can't do that" but he routinely ignores the rule of law. The executive controls the military. Neither the legislature nor the judiciary has any kind of enforcement mechanism.

The only way to stop him is a successful impeachment effort. I don't know that there are enough Republicans in the Senate who have the cojones to vote to impeach. There were some in 2020, but they and the others who resisted him in this second term are gone.

It's gonna be interesting.

+1

To add- I think it's an important point about the legislative branch. The Supreme Court, for example, has had more seats stolen by Republicans from 2000 until now than I care to spend my evening counting. The Republicans even managed to steal a seat that was Obama's remit to fill.

To clarify my post to Andy- this election was an historically massive rejection of the sitting president.

But I don't think anyone should think for a minute that Democrats, as a party, do not still have the problem of being against Trump but not standing for any good public policy, foreign or domestic, with any vision, consensus, cohesiveness, and willpower.

They were shameful when they had the presidency and both house under Biden. They accomplished nothing on a range of issues that should have been front and center. They were shameful as an opposition party in the last two years. They basically rolled over, drew no line in the sand, and made half-hearted attempts to brake a runaway train.

Still, the number of wins was not any regular mid-term correction, and a lot of the new people are exceptional

I'm hopeful because "hope springs eternal" but not for any reason I can put my finger on at the moment

@andyd American presidents haven't been held to account since Ford pardoned Nixon. It's a way of life here.

@jon-nyc said:

@steve-miller - Rural areas throughout NE tend to be republican, or at least lean that way. They are still counting votes, but one Maine district might be the only blue to red flip in the whole country.

Re::rural areas in NE being Republican, e.g. NYS, Pennsylvania- isn't that the truth.

Texas turned blue.

People forget it was blue during the time of LBJ, or more accurately, they don't think about it.

I don't think most people are aware of the fact Florida used to be blue. Or, again, they don't think about it.

As a native Floridian, I remember.

Republicans have done so much damage to Florida.

Maybe, just maybe, it can be mitigated in the future.

I don't see it being reversed in any serious way.

@kluurs said:

As it should be.

Thanks.

I don't recall a CJQ.

I'm not going to be able to devote myself to reading Schopenhauer, unfortunately, but I am going to read Machiavelli.

I'm kind of surprised at myself for not already having done it.

My favorite philosopher is Socrates (and Plato) and my second favorite is Aristotle.

Reading Plato changed my life. It was invaluable to me.

There's no way I could read much more Jung, not that I've read a lot of him. It's a matter of needing to prioritize.

Who are your favorite philosophers?