Category: Uncategorized (Page 5 of 52)

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Each day, the well-funded shadow of authoritarian anti-democratic disinformation spreads further across the planet. The simple, the gullible, and the hateful are easily impressed into the ranks of its followers. If we have not reached the tipping point, we soon will. Every nickel of “tax relief” to the already very wealthy went not, as the Chicago School propaganda had always claimed, to reinvestment. Rather, it all went directly to extremely high cost-to-benefit ration bribes in the form of “campaign contributions.” There is nothing we can do about it.

The Federalist Society, which has long served as the recruiting ground for potential anti-democracy saboteurs for placement within the judiciary, has crossed its threshold. It no longer need hide its daggers. Its poisons also need no mask. It has already pulled the trigger on its plan to dismantle democracy (along with all the protections that democracy affords its citizens). No member of the Federalist Society is loyal to the United States Constitution.

The current United States Attorney General is a member of the Federalist Society. That is why he appears to be serving to prevent the application of justice to overtly guilty participants in a coup to overthrow the government of the United States of America. He is almost certainly a collaborator in ensuring the continuation of the coup whose ultimate goal is the elimination of representative democracy in America.

It has been eleven days since I deleted my Twitter account. I had a number of relationships on that platform that I really enjoyed. Included among them were authors of books and blogs (from the Golden Age of blogging) whose work I had consumed going back over 20 years. But after coming to terms with the fact that Facebook had become exclusively an anti-democracy propaganda outlet, I understood what the intention of another undeservedly absurdly wealthy anti-democratic sociopath would be. After Musk’s first statement – which I regarded (probably correctly) as an attempt to manipulate the market – that he would buy Twitter, I stated that I would quit the platform if it were acquired by that mediocre intellect, and on that very day. An assortment of trolls and legitimate users stated something to the effect of “Every person who claims he or she will quit Twitter if Musk buys it is a liar and also [some variant of ‘stupid’].”

The deal was announced.

That day I quit.

Somewhere over a week now, the fog I’d been living in is finally starting to clear. I’m absolutely appalled at the amount of time I must have wasted on that platform over the past several years. I feel like I am free of an infection, and I don’t think I’ll ever miss it.

I do a lot of things that are not in my line of work such as carpentry, plumbing, minor auto repairs, construction, and other such pursuits. As well, I read a lot of book – mostly nonfiction – with the lion’s share being history books.

I maintain a healthy level of humility in my professional pursuits, but I make a point of ensuring that I maintain a higher level of humility about my skills in my non-professional pursuits. I accept that an expert carpenter can do what I do in a fraction of the time and, in most cases, deliver a better product. I consider myself an amateur in this and other hobbies.

I consider myself an amateur historian of the Civil War. I have read hundreds of books on the this war, and various aspects surrounding it. I have not done original research, and I do not possess an encyclopedic knowledge of any particular point of interest. I generally defer to experts in discussions (except where the point of contention is opinion rather than fact).

I find it strange that such a large fraction of society refuses to defer to experts in such items of importance as health or science. I understand that many individuals have been deluded by an organized campaign to undermine public understanding and acceptance of science (see Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway). But it is still hard to fathom how a person who would never go to his plumber cousin to treat a broken bone will seek advice from that plumber cousin on epidemiology.

We have reached the point where the followers of the deposed of the demented simpleton are becoming more deranged than he is. I don’t know how we can deal with 25-30% of the population suffering a collective delusion.