| Author | Message | ||
     Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/liber als_fear_for_polands_democracy_if_poles_dont_vote_ gay_enough_sunday.html Pt. 2 ( shorter, I promise.  ) Years ago I decided that hypocritical drug & gun laws and arbitrary speed limits were very bad influences on society, fostering resentment and distrust of Law & Order. For perspective on the speed limit problem, Richard Nixon tried to get Congress to pass a temporary national speed limit ( there was no such thing then ) of 45mph to reduce consumption during an Arab Israeli war, when the oil supply was reduced to pressure us. Congress at the time hated Tricky Dick, and didn't give him anything without urinating on it, so we got a 55mph "emergency" speed limit, that somehow never went away. Then in the Carter regime, the safety Czar made a regulation that speedometers would top out at 85 & 55 would be straight up. My '83 Suzuki 1100E had that wonderful speedometer that pegged as I hit 2nd gear. So I had an issue with dangerously hypocritical speed regulations. And drugs? Since it's apparently the direct cause of most murders and prison sentences in the country, the Drug War shouldn't need a lengthy exposition. Guns? There's a thread. 'nuff said. Thus, I reasoned in my 2Os ( generations ago? DAng. ) that stupid laws and irregular enforcement, bred bad blood between a people and their government. A simplistic, incomplete reasoning, but still, I think, valid. How much better off would we be if our servants had taken a more rational approach to drugs & speed limits?I Ok, the speed thing is a subtle reason for disaffection, and we can mostly ignore it now that times have changed, but don't forget it's had a long term & deep effect on respect for law enforcement. And anything that is the Primary reason to build new prisons really needs to be thought about, hard. Prohibition kills more people with it's incentive for organized crime & battle over turf than the drugs could ever do. We've got over a century of experience in doing it wrong. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/a_sec ond_american_civil_war_is_nothing_to_look_forward_ to.html I agree. These things get out of control. I long ago read Heinlein's future history stories about American second revolution. The U.S. becomes a theocracy, and hilarity does not ensue. No one expected the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand to lead to World War, and it sure didn't result in Serbian independence. We don't know yet if the assassination attempt on the Republican softball team will lead to Bernie becoming Premier of Soviet America, as the would be assassin no doubt desired. With my limited knowledge of history, real & imagined, I really still hope I'll be long dead before our government nukes Lexington Nebraska to terrorize the patriots who believe in Constitutional government. I got kin there. In any case, I'll certainly be dead shortly afterwards. And I was really hoping to go peacefully, in my sleep, like my Uncle. ( not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car ) | ||
| Aesquire |
Blake, this is up your alley. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/is_em the_jokerem_a_conservative_movie_.html I hadn't planned on seeing Joker, not a horror movie fan. And I don't use this kind of political filtered review/commentary to chose my entertainment. I often see movies that conservative or regressive reviewer/interpreters dislike on ( often bull $%&# ) philosophy/political grounds. Captain Marvel for example. While there was a lost opportunity for drama in the writing of editing, it had good acting & humor. I thought the betrayal and rage aspects were flat & under explored, but that's not the actor's fault. IF I was inclined to GUESS the reasons for that artistic choice, there MIGHT have been PC thinking that they didn't want to portray a woman as an emotional creature. Even though it was a major plot point that Carol's power was great BECAUSE she was an emotional HUMAN. Could be fear, or lazy writing. But I don't usually care to analyze these choices in a film. I watch fiction like Iron Man to enjoy the metaphor and character development, or lack thereof. Dr. Steven Strange starts the movie as an egotistical jerk. He learns to take responsibility for his abilities, but he's still an egotistical jerk at the end of the story. "Call me Dr. Strange!" ( typical surgeon , according to my nurse friends.  ) But that's HIS STORY! People don't usually become saints when they overcome adversity. Hopefully they grow up, some. ( Tony Stark, over 9+ movies, does so ) A character in the Wearing The Cape book series comments that super powers, like fame or wealth, enable you to make bigger changes in life than you could otherwise. That's a take on why/how heroic fiction uses super powers as metaphor. Tony Stark and George Soros have impact on their worlds much bigger than the clerk at Costco does. So with all the buzz, I may see Joker, but I probably won't bother to in the theater. And certainly not because this spin guy thinks it fits his narrative. Interesting take on the societal issues, in this editorial though. | ||
| Gregtonn |
I think that's a record number of consecutive posts for Aesquire. No wonder I skip most of his posts. G | ||
| Ourdee |
LOL | ||
| Aesquire |
Gee, and I thought a serial would get better ratings than a novel. | ||
| Blake |
Patrick: If it ever hits Amazon Prime or NetFlix, I'll probably watch it. For my money, the recent Trump parody video is likely better. Even Michele was smiling at that. We shouldnt need a Hollywood movie to teach us "...how moral relativism and ambiguity now infect nearly everything — politics, culture, etc. — and the result is (or will be) the devolution of society into the disorder of nihilism as embodied by the Joker's excessively violent behavior. While trying to create heaven on earth, instead, we're creating hell on earth. Conservatives intuitively recognize this, whereas liberals don't care and continue with their suicidal mission that will bring down everyone with them." It's too oft repeated throughout history to deny. Does anyone read the Torah anymore? | ||
| Gregtonn |
Gee, and I thought a serial would get better ratings than a novel I have always preferred a good book rather than an Autobiographical Narrative. G | ||
| Aesquire |
Oh, if you were a Youth For Nixon & had a sea change when Watergate was grounds for impeachment, I'd be casually interested. I'm really interested in your informed opinion on keeping troops in harm's way in a failed coup attempt aided by a former U.S. President's personal preference for???? Maybe you have an insight into why Barry had a favorite side in another country's revolt? | ||
| Aesquire |
Thanks for the feedback. If my personal concerns for potentially sitting in the path of a feared avalanche of armored vehicles seems irrelevant to my broader concerns of our neighbor's sons and daughters in the same situation 40+ years later, then I'll stick to the historical context of things like "why the Turks hate the Kurds" or asking if millionaire professional athletes who think free speech is bad thing if it reduces their merchandising income from nice yacht to really nice yacht with two helicopters, should be our role models? | ||
| Bandm |
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/da n-wolken/2019/10/14/lebron-james-daryl-morey-china -hong-kong-tweet/3982436002/ | ||
| Aesquire |
Free speech. It has a price. In America, if you hold a press conference ( because you were in a tv show a decade ago, or can shoot a basket ball into a hoop ) and call the President a Nazi Faggot Jew Hater, a few folk might not pay to see you perform your entertainment job, ( you shouldn't have said faggot! ) and the President might tweet that you are mean to him. In China, if you wear a Winnie the Pooh hat, the odds aren't bad that a truck load of police thugs will beat you half to death, then haul you away, never to be seen again, and if your family asks, they get threatened with life in a death camp if they say anything else. Ever. And we know which country the NBA and too many of the players prefer to get rich from. We should honor their choice. | ||
| Gregtonn |
Free speech. It has a price. As a veteran, who was not drafted but volunteered, I am well aware of that price. G | ||
| Hootowl |
What’s with all the negative waves?  | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/kurdish-syr ian-turkish-ironies/ Good read. | ||
| Aesquire |
Thanks for your service. Any opinions on keeping troops in harm's way between our ally but no longer friend, & our friends but not formal allies? | ||
| Gregtonn |
No need to read it. The withdrawal was absolutely the right thing to do. G | ||
| Sifo |
I saw on the news this evening that Congress was passing a resolution against pulling out of Syria. Funny thing... I don't remember them ever passing a resolution allowing us to go into Syria. Shouldn't that have been the first step? As a whole, out Congresscritters suck! Both sides of the isle! | ||
| Hootowl |
If Trump had put them there, they’d impeach him for it. O got a pass. | ||
| Aesquire |
Thanks for your opinion. Hanson is a good writer and historian, he's worth the time to read even if I'm not. I recommend https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/74935/car nage-and-culture-by-victor-davis-hanson/ | ||
| Aesquire |
I found this one fascinating, but it might be a bit esoteric for most, and the thesis is debatable. I enjoyed it because of my participation in historical martial arts. The ancient Greeks defined organized mayhem into a brutal, in your face method that dominated the battlefield until fire arms. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/74938/the -western-way-of-war-by-victor-hanson/9780307831552 / | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/trump s_syria_plan_reveals_a_master_strategist_in_the_wh ite_house.html I automatically distrust any editorial that assumes Donald is a 4D chess master while everyone else is a moron. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/the_k urds_conundrum.html Boy, these guys Luv Trump. But it's still a decent analysis. | ||
| Aesquire |
...after the Vietnam War a policy for deciding when it is proper to go to war. It consisted of several acid tests. They included a clearly defined national interest and objective, reasonable prospects of victory, strong public support, a well thought out war-fighting plan, and a calculated exit strategy. Those tests were not passed during our entry into the recent wars in the Middle East. Those wars seem to have had strong public support after the atrocities of September 11, 2001, but after the initial successes in driving al-Qaeda from its hidden strongholds in Afghanistan, the effort suffered from several violations of the tests, including mission creep, the expansion of objectives to include nation-building. In retrospect, the correct thing to have done was to withdraw our troops right after the terrorists had been put to rout toward Pakistan. Why we stayed on after that should be a textbook lesson in how to avoid wars of sincerely good intentions. Read more: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/10/time_ for_an_end_to_wars_of_sincerely_good_intentions.ht ml#ixzz62W90qYp2 Greg, your take on this? I appreciate the brevity and clarity of your opinion. ( unlike my long winded rambling ) | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/10/cea se-fire-in-syria.php Shortest lived excuse to hate Trump? | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/10/is-america- becoming-sinicized/ | ||
| Aesquire |
https://amgreatness.com/2019/10/16/national-securi ty-doesnt-care-about-your-feelings/ | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/10/17/hous e-passes-jody-hice-joni-ernsts-presidential-perks- bill/ Previous greedy bastard Obama vetoed the previous "why give a retired President our money when they are rich, or still get millions in bribes like the Clintons?" Bill. It will be fun to see if current "of course I'm a greedy guy" The Bad Orange Man signs it. | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/schlichter-bad -gaslighting-epidemic-sweeps-elite Believe it or not, this is actually a book advertisement. I'm not arguing with his rant, but you have to really take this stuff with a salt lick handy. This web site sells apocalypse to sell stocks, bonds, and precious metals. It's like Glenn Beck, who sells gold and emergency food supplies. Btw, how useless is a gold coin in apocalyptic America? Bic lighters & condoms & toilet paper & feminine hygiene products! That's trade material! | ||
| Sifo |
Don't forget booze. Booze always has value. |
