The Sooner the Better!

     The following was plagiarized from a thread comment on a recent Ian Welsh Blog.  It expresses, better than I, my kernel sense of our "nation tribe" current outlook.

         It is so reassuring that my fellow citizens have absolutely no interest in anything beyond their own    driveways, much less anything beyond our national borders. If our misleaders stop being able to prop up this Potemkin economy because we lose the ability to freeload and bully other nations, people in this place will tear each other to bits. All those awful things that have heretofore happened to everyone except us will finally happen to us. I guess the handful of us who may survive the carnage might finally wake up and become fit to share the planet with everyone else. Or not.  Our neighbors should probably close their border to us,  For their sake, the sooner the better.

Oh well @75

McCain's Priority

     Yesterday's funeral for John McCain, an American Hero, was delivered with layer after layer of what he liked best...American Exceptional ism.  I, unlike Trump, certainly respect and admire his strong and unwavering dedication to this idea.  But, for me,  this passion for Nationalism has never felt right. I was not a soldier, a prisoner, a civil servant, nor indeed, even a political party member. For most years from Middle School through College, I had a paper route.  For thousands of pre dawn mornings I awoke noting the victories and defeats of humanity caste across the pages of the Beacon, the Eagle, and the Star.  It did not then seem sensible to cheer for the Americans and to disparage the Russians, or the Viet Cong, or the people from Granada.  It still doesn't. I thought that the United Nations was a good idea and have been disappointed that it came of age to be just a pedantry assemblage of bureaucrats trolling double-speak bullshit, but I have not lost hope that Captain Kirk's Federation is in the future.

     I don't know if I am a globalist.  I think that where I live, to be that, would be treason, but in today's ideologically polarized culture, no one really knows what any word means.  I do know that I don't care who stands and who kneels at the Cowboys Game, and that I wish all of the country songs were not about "old glory", and that it's stupid that you can buy a red, white, and blue pizza.

         Imagine there’s no countries; it isn’t hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too 
Imagine all the people living life in peace.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
I hope some day you’ll join us, and the world will be as on

     It seems to me that exposure to difference, talking about difference, and applauding difference, were the hallmarks of the enlightenment, that inspired era that, so we were told, evolved into liberal democracy. Unfortunately, this most valuable of all human memes, it would seem, became integral for only about 23% of our number. The remainder continue to arise and wither according to mammalian instinct, intuitively following a "kin altruism" mandate. They adhere only to the primal directives to "eat, sleep, mate, and defend". 

     As I now read "digital news" it is obvious that, at least, here in our little corner of the world, the freedom arising from a season of liberal democracy has so emboldened "the intuitives" that their innate intolerance for "others" has gone viral.  Thankfully the strongest of "the intuitives", the millions of John McCains around the world are close at hand. They are always ready, willing, and able, to do what we humans were made to do.  Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's back To War We Go!   

There Is No "Fake News", because....There Is "No" News

     The polarized media, chasing a polarized society, has reached a level of sophistication in constructing and disseminating "news" such that audiences can gain truth insight only by judging the sincerity of competing  propaganda narratives. While much of this "news noise" is focused on current political events, no aspect of human experience is exempt.  From Apple to Xenophobe, divergence drives our days. Our humble responses are to either opt in to a "narrative tribe", or try to be vigil and live with "discernment headaches"

Bannon's "Not So Secret" Secret!

     After Bannon's scripted faux- banishment from the White House and his extended holiday inflaming European nationalistic bigotry, well, he's back.  Surprise, surprise....just in time to tweak the '18 election.  Regrettably that should not be all that difficult.  It was reported today that Bannon and his minions have, using publicly available data, identified 40 target Congressional Districts preparatory to managing Republican victories. Victories in just these districts will guarantee continued Republican Congressional Control, for the "Good of the Planet".  The Democrats will, of course, overlook the voter dynamics in these 40 contests, preferring to "feel united' by focusing  on "MSNBC Outrage", often outrage that Bannon does not play by their rules.

     So what is Bannon's "secret potion" that, when released in the 40 districts, will carry the day?  My distilled insight is that Bannon knows that:   American Minorities Have No WMD's.  From this fact, not a premise, its a short algorithm to the finish line.  It goes something like this.

     1.  About one-third of Americans, indeed likely one-third of all humans, in maturity do not move beyond their feeling laden cultural directive to always act on the Darwinian "primary group altruism" foundation, i.e., racism  In today's culture, these people bias Republican

     2.  About one-third of Americans, indeed likely one-third of all humans, in maturity come to identify with the reasoned sensibility that "racial equality" is a better strategy for achieving their personal happiness.  In today's culture these people bias Democrat. (Most voting minorities having experientially realized that "equality" is a move up, so they identify here)  

     3.  About one-third of Americans, indeed likely one-third of all humans, in maturity remain uncertain and ambivalent about this "group-size"  identity tradeoff.  These people Bannon targets as needing an "emotional push" to choose their side in a dualistic face off.

     4.  To manipulate this uncommitted estate,  the Democrats choose reason and compassion, and Bannon chooses fear.  The closing arguments are:

          *  Democrats offer: that logic, morality, and Steve Pinkers facts lead to choosing "all-inclusive"

          *  Bannon offer; that the existential fear of Nuclear War is paramount and that these ambivalent ones had better vote for "war readiness", because no matter how much they might long for "all-inclusiveness", they need a "strong man", least they might get "lit-up". Said another way.... Don't worry about "freedom  for all", at least not right now....The Minorities have no Nukes)*

             * For 75 years our culture has been scaring us about WMD.  The fear has been inextricably linked to Russian Communism, and Russian Communism has been strong linked to Socialism and Socialism has ben strong linked to "all-inclusive" Liberalism.  Perhaps at some point in the future, assuming there is a future,  Pinker's trend line will tip the scales.  My sense is that in 2018, it is not very likely. {{Not likely even though the Liberals have sought to confuse the "undeclared one-third" by calling into question how a true conservative agenda could be  "war-ready" when they are snuggling with the enemy}} In my opinion, this counter claim will not fly!

Where Is "The Onion" When We Really Need Them?

     If The Onion can do funny stuff about the "Harvard Divinity School" publishing evidence that the "3 Wise Men molesting Baby Jesus", why can't they turn up the heat on Trump, as in......

     Following Trump's recent Executive Order expanding "The Espionage Act" by empowering the Secret Service to detain domestic persons deemed to have "publicly expressed unusual and offensive opinions regarding the administration's state of incumbency", both MSNBC and CNN are this morning  reporting that Don Lemon, John Brennan, and Bob Corker have been detained and are being held at The White House. While recent Trump demands requiring White House Staff "non-disclosure agreements" has constrained the particulars of this bizarre occurrence, it is believed that these persons are sequestered in a small West Wing Office, denied cell phone contact with their respective offices and families.  Neither of the News Outlets following this story know of any special relationships among the detainees, other than, of course, their common celebrity. 

     Twitter posts at #SS Detainees is at near frenzy level, with Congressional Leaders from both Parties weighing in on the situation.  Rand Paul (R-Ky) has offered "it serves them right, a couple of nights sleeping on the floor might help them learn to keep their mouth shut".  Adam Schiff (D-Cal) posted  that "this action violated the principle of due process and I plan to file complaint with the Attorney General", the Attorney General tweeted that, "although the detainment  suggested "banana republic" behavior, the action was indeed legal".  The President uncharacteristically tweet only that, "It was something that had to be done". Only Maxine Waters (D-Cal) took a forward focused approach, telling Wolfe Blitzer that "if that lying scoundrel don't turn my "baby Donnie" loose, I will be coming for his ass with the Crips, The Bloods, MS13 and every pissed off black man in America". 

     At today's scheduled White House Press Briefing Sara Sanders Huckabee told the overflow audience that, "you should just calm down, by Monday, I promise this will be old news".