Personal Musings category archive

The energies expended over two centuries to change a gospel of love into a canon of hate are most impressive.

On the second night of winter, it is not right to be opening windows at midnight because the house is too warm.

Also, climate change is obviously a hoax.

I’ve been walking around outside in short sleeves.

I’m not trying to prove anything. I’ve been around too long to care about proving anything.

It’s because it’s short-sleeve weather.

This is not a right thing to be able to do in mid-December in these parts.

. . . and a small newt is an eft.

Therefore, if there is a newt about, you have already been efted.

H/T Susan for the thought.

(Misplet word corrected.)

I pay attention to current events, more or less.

I inherited the habit from my news junkie father.

So where was I when the punditry decided that Newt the Gingrinch has a rep for being an intellectual?

As I read this press release (pdf), which someone forwarded to me, it occurred to me that it is notable that so many of wingnut outfits explicitly describe themselves as “Patriot” in their names.

Perhaps it is because, if one considers what they advocate, one would never know . . .

It’s checks and balances when you get what you want, bureaucracy when you don’t.

The sincerity with which someone believes something stupid does not make the stupid any less stupid.

Everyone needs vegetables.

Perhaps the best way to honor the troops would be to stop sending them to die for lies.

Wingnuts’ tolerance of and willingness to justify Herman Cain’s amorous–er–tactics is completely consistent with their view of women’s place in the back seat society.

I used to think that Joe Paterno was one of the few class acts left in big-time college sports.

Not any more.

The office pool has been replaced by a cesspool.

Via Atrios, who has a supplementary comment here.

I date the decline of American business to the time when products (and persons) stopped being “products” (and persons) and became “brands.”

A dream with a YouTube video in it. Weird.

In the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daniel Daegler reviews the history of All Hallows’ Eve; it’s quite interesting:

It was believed that the veil between the living and the dead was at its most transparent at Samhain; spirits of the departed and inhabitants of the “fairy realm” walked abroad in the world and interacted with the living. At Samhain, one was never sure whether a stranger encountered on the road was a person or something else. It was thus in one’s self-interest to show hospitality to anyone knocking on the door after nightfall.

. . . while another little story presages the future of Thanksgiving. Interesting it’s not. Indeed, it’s rather vile, in a filthy mammon kind of way:

Macy’s Inc. says it will open all of its namesake stores at midnight following Thanksgiving for the first time as the department store operator becomes the latest retailer to expand hours on the traditional kickoff to the holiday season.

Aside:

And pfui on the whole zombie thing.

Fox News is eating enough brains already.

My ancestors wore the gray.

I can honor their memory without honoring (or repeating) their errors.

Via Contradict Me.

A Penn student commenting on protests contemplated for an appearance by Eric Cantor:

“I think it’s a little too much to bring the protest to a college campus,” she said.

I mourn for the lost generation.

(Cantor canceled the appearance when it became apparent that the university was not going to allow him to handpick the audience. Competing press releases at the link.)

Don’t say and do racist things.

Link via Mr. Feastingonroadkill.

Based on recent visits to the Super Duper Market, I have concluded that a pound of bacon is now 12 ounces.

I’m going out on a limb and suggesting that they are using Windows, not Linux or Unix.

A mysterious computer virus has infected the Predator and Reaper drones of the U.S. Military.

According to a report published by Wired, the Virus was first found about two weeks ago and was several times removed from the systems. However, the virus keeps coming back and there appears to be no solution how to effectively get rid of it.

The virus did not prevent pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying the drones, but sources told Wired that the virus is logging every keystroke.

Aside:

The story about this in the local rag referred to the persons who operate the drones as “pilots.”

“Gamers” would be a more accurate term. They are no more pilots than my 13-year-old playing Star Wars was a space man.

For the robotic overlords at the joysticks and their commanders, it’s no more real than WoW.

I am more and more coming to believe that engineering the remote-controlled death of unidentified or poorly-identified persons is as morally indefensible as My Lai.