Sunday, February 18, 2018

More Observations

Everything you need to know!

● One of the interesting talking points to come out of the shooting is the attack on people offering: "our thoughts and prayers are with you." Not sure who thought this was a good idea, but some leftist whined that "our thoughts and prayers are with you," as said by GOP types, was offensive since they wanted action rather than prayers. One of the mothers took this up immediately, and soon whole chunks of the leftist herd were attacking the Twitter accounts of any conservative who said this. Even leftist anti-Plutoist Neil Assy Tyson repeated this saying that "thoughts and prayers are useless."

So here's what interests me. First, this is deeply discourteous. This very week, the left what aghast when some celebrity told another "I don't need your love and support at this tragic time," in response to an offer of condolences. Indeed, it was generally agreed that this response (no matter how fake the condolences) was bad form. Yet, here are leftists rejecting the condolences of millions of Americans. Very bad form. It also shows the utter lack of good faith on their part if they angrily reject the good wishes from the right. This is an ideology founded on hate.

Moreover, this reeks of being anti-Religious. Religious people genuinely believe that prayer can change the world... always have, always will. To openly disavow the goodwill prayers of a group of people is almost movie-villain-level shittyness. It is petty. It is hateful. It is specifically aimed at the other person's religion. It is essentially saying, "f*ck your God and f*ck you for stupidly believing in him." Is it any wonder that religious people have fled the left and won't return?

Third, think about what Tyson (and the rest) said... well wishes, prayers, hopes, just talking don't work. Yet, at the same time, the left is all about "raising awareness" and other pointless gestures that do nothing more than support their own sense of smugness. The whole recent women's movement is nothing but talk. Funny how they "get it" sometimes.

● Speaking of anger on the left, has anyone noticed how much swearing there is suddenly from the left? Headlines, articles, the error-u-dite crowd on Twitter... everything is swearing now. I think that shows an intense level of hate for the world right now.

● Trump's infrastructure plan apparently will include a $0.25 tax hike on gas to pay for the work being done. I'm not a huge fan of the tax, but if they finally fix the roads, then I'll take it. Some people are already complaining, however. Interestingly, the loudest complaints are coming from liberal states with high gas taxes. Imagine that. Here are the four worst. Just try and guess who will be in this list... I dare you!
Pennsylvania.. $0.18 cent federal tax + $0.667 state tax = $0.847
California.... $0.18 cent federal tax + $0.6549 state tax = $0.8349
Washington.... $0.18 cent federal tax + $0.494 state tax = $0.674
Hawaii........ $0.18 cent federal tax + $0.4643 state tax = $0.6443
New York...... $0.18 cent federal tax + $0.443 state tax = $0.623
Welcome to the same old places. By comparison, Colorado's gas tax is $0.22 plus federal equals $0.40. I love how the tax burden in these liberal states is too high now that it's no longer deductible. Think about it... liberals whining about their taxes being too high! Ha!

● Some Democrat said that the indictment of a handful of Russians means that our election was invalid. That's both legal and intellectual garbage. Legally, there's nothing in our laws to invalidate an election. Intellectually, even if Trump openly plotted with the Ruskies like a supervillain, where is that actually wrong as an election tactic? Each side lies, cheats, and hires people to lie and cheat. Hillary paid for a fake dossier to spread disgusting rumors about Trump, yet no one on the left thinks that's wrong. Our elections let people say whatever they want, and it trusts the public and the Electoral College to sort it out. In fact, if they didn't, CBS News wouldn't exist anymore after the lies they've been caught spreading year after year. Besides... isn't what the Russians supposedly did exactly what Media Matter does all the time?

Thoughts?

22 comments:

tryanmax said...

Democrats are desperate to be “right” about how bad Trump is. Since Trump doesn’t seem to be going into Blofeld mode anytime soon, their hopes are pinned on throwing him out and then whipping around, saying, “See? He was so bad he had to be thrown out!”

tryanmax said...

The foul language from the left is one part unrestrained anger, one part “stooping to his level” (x1000), and ~3 parts projection. Just as throwing swastika golf balls at Trump somehow proves he’s a Nazi in their twisted little minds, somehow being crass toward Trump proves how crass he is.

tryanmax said...

Sorry for the multiple posts. Just easier on a phone.

The left rejecting “thoughts and prayers” isn’t new to the latest shooting. It’s been an emerging theme over the last several. Somehow, it’s meant to be a smart take to shame religious people to action. In reality, it just shows how out-of-touch the left now is from religious Americans. The last generation of religion-hating leftists at least knew that mocking the sacred will get you shut out. This generation doesn’t even know that much about faith.

Anthony said...

The latest shooting did nothing to change anyone's minds about anything, it just made the old arguments a bit more passionate.

Dismissing thoughts and prayers is dismissing the goodwill of the other side, which is pretty much the way our politics have been going for years ('If X sincerely bothered you you would want to do the same exact things I do!'). Ugly and sad but just the way our country is going.

Like I said in the prior article the fact the system had dozens of contacts with the suspect and someone had called the FBI last month and fingered him as a likely school shooter is crazy.

I don't share Trump's belief that the Russian investigation is the reason the system failed but clearly the system failed, innocents died and heads need to roll. It's unfortunate Trump is conflating the two things (that complicates urgently needed reform) but Trump is always the center of his universe.

Anthony said...

I can't stop laughing about the fact Trump et al is enraged at the FBI and his National Security Advisor for Russia's interference in our ekection. Truly we live in interesting times.

Still like I've said since the election given that Trump and Putin are open about their feelings for each other investigations are not going to damage them.

That being said we should investigate in order to better inoculate ourselves from future foreign meddling.

Stacy said...

As a person of faith, it saddens me to see the ever increasing escalation of hate towards Christianity specifically and a rejection of God in general, but it isn't surprising to those who believe and know their bible. Paul pegged this sad state of affairs 2000 years ago in 2 Timothy 3.

"People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone."

The really sad part to me is that the left's thinking has infiltrated the church and many mainstream denominations are allowing it to dictate their doctrine (i.e. homosexual clergy, same sex marriage). The church is quickly coming to a point of not even being able to stand for truth because it has no idea what truth is. Pastors are preaching the left's ideology from the pulpit every week. We are not keeping watch for "the wolves in sheep's clothing."

Anyway, I don't believe it will ever get better, but I will keep praying for them whether they like it or not.

As for the gas tax, I live in Pennsylvania, a bit to the southeast of Pittsburgh and I really hate how high our gas prices are now, but that being said, if the $0.25 federal tax meant they'd actually fix the potholes and I could stop worrying about bridges collapsing, it would be more than worth it. PA has some of the worst roads you will ever find, in spite of the fact that it takes about 10 PennDot workers to patch a pothole....1 to drive the truck, 1 to actually fill the hole, and 8 to admire his work.

AndrewPrice said...

Stacy,

History tends to run in cycles and I actually believe that things will swing back the other way at some point. That's not a lot of comfort at the moment, but I think things always swing back to a kind of center of human believe that's both solidly conservative at its core and liberal around the edges.

In terms of the churches themselves, I suspect it's always been that way, but it definitely seems that churches are out of control at the moment in terms of letting outsiders decide their doctrine.

In terms of the current attacks, this sadly is how the left functions. The left is all about an angry herd mentality and once the herd decides you are out, they turn on you with a vengeance. Think about how they treat smokers, hunters, white men, religious people, etc. It's positively hateful.

I feel the same about the tax hike -- if it actually makes the roads better, then I'm happy to pay it. The problem in Colorado is that Denver tends to suck up all the money and the rest of us don't see it.

I've seen the 10-1 ratio! :(

tryanmax said...

Anthony, the FBI and the press have been conflating “interference” and “collusion” for 15 mos. in their offensive against Trump. Political gotcha has always been about conflating things your opponent says/does with things they didn’t do/say to make them look bad. It’s been “interesting” for a long time.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, On your first two points, I am seeing that a lot where leftists first goad Trump and then use their own goading as proof that Trump has done something wrong -- why else would people (i.e. me) attack him? Said differently: my prejudices prove the facts that support my prejudices.

On the Florida thing, one great example: Activist Parents whine that Trump hasn't responded to the tragedy because he didn't fly right down there. Trump announces a trip to Florida. Same parents scream, "He's making this about himself!"

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, The thoughts and prayers thing isn't new, but like so much these days, it has only been a fringe thing up to now. This time, it's the main talking point on the left and it's openly seething with hate. And I think you are right that this is a generational thing. The last generation knew how to pretend to be tolerant, but the current generation has abandoned that idea.

I think this will have an interesting effect:

1. It will confirm to the drones that they should hate and mock religion, which will make them even less likable.

2. It will further alienate the middle class and religious people who will see them as an even great, growing threat.

3. It will create a visceral opposition to their demands for gun control and will make it easier for fence sitters to ignore them. Nobody wants to support hateful people.

AndrewPrice said...

Anthony, This is something new. It's not just dismissing the good faith of the other side. There is a quantifiable difference in the human response to "You're never going to offer something I can agree with" and "F*ck your good wishes." One allows for continued friendship and coexistence, the other does not.

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew do you know why the "screw your thoughts and prayers" seems new"? Because we no longer have the buffer of distance and privacy that we once had. People have always openly offered thoughts and prayer with candlelight vigils and such. While those who would dismiss that as pointless said it private and stayed home. But in that space/buffer we could still work together to find reasoned solutions because...no hard feelings expressed harshly And private emotions had time for reflection.

Now, staying home has a public outlet with social media. We now speak publicly about issues by lashing out emotionally which polarizes everything and shuts down reasoned discussion before it has a chance.

AndrewPrice said...

It looks like the little liberal brigade will be holding a "lie-in" to protest somethingsomething guns! A "lie-in" is a great word for it as that really represents liberalism. Indeed, liberalism is supported by two type of people: those who lie around and live off the government and those who lie like crazy about every issue. Perfect.

Anyways, I can't wait to add these fools to the list of "movements" that we're assured are changing the world but really just end up being giant liberal circle jerks that vanishes into nothing the minute they drop their garbage in the parks.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I agree with you. I will add though that I think the left has becoming increasing hostile and intolerant as they've fallen apart from an ideological perspective and turned to tribalism to maintain their cohesion.

BevfromNYC said...

There is another issue here that I just fleshing out in my head right now. There is a difference in crisis management and issue/problem solving management. Because of social media we always seem to be trying to debate long term issues solutions in the middle of a crisis (some real and some manufactured bc EVERYTHING seems to be an earth-shattering crisis these days).

Still working on this...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I think it's this...

The internet has given the uninformed/stupid a place to speak their mind. Unfortunately, the dumber someone is (1) the more likely they are to propose huge "meta" solutions that won't work and involve crushing those in opposition and (2) the more likely they are to be absolutely sure that they are right and everyone else is wrong and needs to be stomped out.

So internet discussions quickly devolve into GOOD!! versus EVIL!! That's useless and freezes everything up. And the political class is happy to have this because it keeps them from needing to provide results.

To give an example, I'm on the neighborhood ap. Kind of snazzy, but largely deals with lost dogs. Anyways, this woman posted yesterday that there is a class taught by ex-cops which teaches people how to handle crisis situations. She thought it would benefit the local school district if they sent teachers through this.

Very reasonable.

Within two minutes, the first whiny liberal showed up to SCREAM that she's a teacher and it's not her job to protect herself or students, and this is entirely an issue of GUN CONTROL!! Any suggestion that there could be any other solution was deemed an evasion from the ONE TRUE SOLUTION (scream it with reverence).

And thus, debate ended.

A couple minutes later came a REEL 'MERIKAN to let us know that sissy gun control is "communism" and needs to be stopped. These people need to be stopped through the muscular use of violence.

And thus, a fools' debate began.

This is how civil discourse goes in America now.

BevfromNYC said...

Yes, that is exactly it. Solutions happen in the middle when reasonable people can reasonably flesh out ideas, debate civilly etc. and the wingnuts on either side of the political spectrum were kept at the fringe of the debate as a cautionary tale. And it was easier "Yes, Gladys Kravitz, we know there are witches, thank you. Anyone else?" Let's call this BSM (before social media)

Mass communication started to change all that and once the internet/electronic age became a utility and not a luxury, we could no longer hold back the wingnutterly to the fringe in the PMS (present media stuff).

Sorry, I couldn't resist...it really is kind of like PMS...irrational outburst of anger and crying jags over details. I SAID THE SKY BLUE ONES, NOT THE SEAFOAM ONES!!!! What is wrong with you? YOU RUIN EVERYTHING!!!!! WAAAAAAAH!

tryanmax said...

Andrew, I was just talking with a coworker about the "lie in." My first reaction was, "what happened to 'die in'? Was the term too triggering?" My coworker immediately saw what you did, that the double-meaning does not help the protesters.

Anthony said...

Gun control is a non-starter. School shootings have never moved the needle on the issue and there's no reason to expect this one to. 'You could have averted this shooting with your current powers but you didn't so here's more '.

Anthony said...

Trump is proposing a ban on bumper stocks. I stand corrected.

AndrewPrice said...

Anthony, That's where Trump is being a genius. He's being reasonable on issues where both sides have stopped being reasonable. I think you will see a handful of gun control measures. I think you will see a path to citizenship. I think you will see some "common sense" medical reforms. Etc.

The left with SEETHE with hate over these things, but the public will see him as trying to solve problems

The end result, some percentage of Hispanics, some percentage of moderate whites, and some percentage of women will drift back toward the GOP. At the very least, they will drift away from the Democrats. That will shift the map significantly.

Anonymous said...

CNN townhall on guns going on. Very reasoned debate. Someone just shouted at Dana Loesch "You're a murderer!"
I dislike Dana Loesch, I think she's the epitome of the id of the REEL MERIKAN crowd. And then someone on twitter will say horrible things to her and I'm forced to defend her.

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