tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post2082163006111295172..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Everything I need to know about politics, I learned in sixth gradeJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-15622088245336645382012-08-24T09:05:22.728-05:002012-08-24T09:05:22.728-05:00No. No. Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-42146337975482584582012-08-24T08:41:55.430-05:002012-08-24T08:41:55.430-05:00Mr Wright I am wondering if you have ever come acr...Mr Wright I am wondering if you have ever come across Matt Bissonnette in your Alaskan travels?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-13339920850035200872012-08-24T04:15:17.098-05:002012-08-24T04:15:17.098-05:00Sundaysue, I'd be really interested in hearing...Sundaysue, I'd be really interested in hearing about your life, and Stupid Girl's, too.<br /><br />For the rest…there are things one can know about candidates. You can't find out about promises, but you can find out about character, by which I do not mean how fine and upstanding the candidate is. It wasn't too difficult, before the election, to find out that Obama was going to be a "centrist" (conservative, really--the real center is somewhere near Nancy Pelosi.) It also isn't difficult to find out that Romney/Ryan will start a war in Iran, blow up the national debt (have you noticed the way these guys do everything they tell you the other guy is going to do?), cut Medicare and Social Security, and do awful things to women, blacks, Hispanics, and everyone who isn't insanely wealthy.<br /><br />What's discouraging is that the election may be close. Why?Raven Onthillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634556869209594389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-18886591362193380412012-08-23T11:30:33.805-05:002012-08-23T11:30:33.805-05:00There could be more Thorvaldrs out there leaving c...There <i>could</i> be more Thorvaldrs out there leaving comments on Jim's blog. Since you don't have a Blogger profile, it's hard to tell. <br /><br />So yeah, Jim, he'll be meeting your friends. And drinking. And going out to eat. So why are you ditching us again?Phialahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05604909119508288912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-84850227339410971772012-08-22T06:07:21.725-05:002012-08-22T06:07:21.725-05:00"If he's got good hair, then you're n..."If he's got good hair, then you're not getting the soda machine" made me laugh out loud when I first read it....until I realized that it is spot-on true. <br /><br />As someone who did not know either this space in general or this post in particular existed in 2008 I am glad that you reposted it in time for the 2012 election. Great stuff. Adam Kennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00876476233214402228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-16367997055982491772012-08-20T06:44:12.443-05:002012-08-20T06:44:12.443-05:00 I recall my intro to international politics was a... I recall my intro to international politics was a mock E.U. meeting , back then the E.U. was pure fantasy. Our class (the grade not one classroom) was divided into the various countries, and we argued, how to pay for it, who would do what, what laws had to be made/eliminated, etc....<br /> It all ended with Germany (my team), England, and France walking out because everyone expected us to fund them. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-40441779076131283512012-08-17T10:07:41.222-05:002012-08-17T10:07:41.222-05:00I think I'm the girl in the election although ...I think I'm the girl in the election although an earlier time and place. I'm stll tilting at windmills. <br />sundaysuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01320570627763923498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-16186681742362234542012-08-17T10:06:40.921-05:002012-08-17T10:06:40.921-05:00I'm starting to think you must suffer from the...I'm starting to think you must suffer from the world's most chapped ass!<br /><br />I recommend some kind of moisturiser and a willing assistant/fangirl.<br />Heck, I'll even prescribe one if that'll help get the job done!Jim M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15890429361695414161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-18459605002307409642012-08-16T18:37:27.230-05:002012-08-16T18:37:27.230-05:00I'm PRETTY sure I'm your Thorvaldr.
:)
N...I'm PRETTY sure I'm your Thorvaldr.<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Nick Thorvaldrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15879079073835564071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-56257363670892830312012-08-16T16:03:18.982-05:002012-08-16T16:03:18.982-05:00Assuming that's my Thorvaldr and not some othe...Assuming that's my Thorvaldr and not some other random Thorvaldr, he'll certainly be meeting your friends at Worldcon. Phialahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05604909119508288912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-46309537472629149232012-08-16T11:16:02.044-05:002012-08-16T11:16:02.044-05:00As Pynchon said, you've been around long enoug...As Pynchon said, you've been around long enough to know that anyone in office doesn't owe the people anything.JKGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13569861165454532541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-27702826333769659202012-08-16T10:08:34.033-05:002012-08-16T10:08:34.033-05:00If you believe campaign promises will be fulfilled...<i>If you believe campaign promises will be fulfilled, you’re going to be disappointed. You’re also childishly naive. </i><br /><br />Then why do we bother?<br /><br />I understand, I think, what you're meaning to say. But I think the way you put it was far too broad and glib, Jim. We have a right to expect--and encourage--the people who run for office to make promises they <i>can, possibly</i> deliver on, and to evaluate their performance in light of what efforts they made to deliver on a realistic promise and if they failed, why did they fail. In retrospect, getting mad at George Bush for breaking his promise not to raise taxes and getting mad at Barack Obama for failing to close Guantanamo aren't fair things to have done: although it's possible neither President should have made those promises in the first place, they were theoretically within the powers of the office and it's not entirely either man's fault they couldn't deliver. On the other hand, Richard Nixon should be judged harshly for promising he had a "secret plan" to get the country out of Vietnam, when it's abundantly clear that while this was within the scope of his office, he didn't actually have a plan at all (he was lying); that he managed to "keep" the promise, after a fashion (largely by taking steps that expanded the war to the rest of Southeast Asia) doesn't really do much to absolve him of the original lie.<br /><br />In this election, Romney and Obama will certainly promise a lot of things. Some of their promises will be sincere. <i>Some</i> of the sincere promises will also be things that are within the scope of what a President Of The United States can actually legally do. And <i>some</i> of the sincere, legal promises will be within the realm of what is <i>politically</i> achievable. And so you separate the wheat from chaff, and you say, "This guy has made a bunch of promises, and all of these we set aside as bullshit, and all of these we set aside as impossible, and all of these we set aside as impracticable, and here's what we're left with."<br /><br />And I think you also consider the ratio. Maybe two percent of one candidate's promises are practical possibilities but only <i>one</i> percent of the other guy's promises are in that slice of the pie chart, and you weigh that out.<br /><br />But you also consider the quality of the promises when you weigh the slice of pie (mmm, pie...): that is, maybe the other guy can only achieve one percent of what he promises, at best, but the other guy's two percent is utterly terrifying and you really hope he can't keep <i>any</i> of his promises, because what he's promising is just godawful if you take him at his word.<br /><br />It's naive to believe all of a candidate's promises, yes. But it's nihilistic to believe <i>none</i> of them. And nihilism is a cancer on our system, one of the reasons it's dying or maybe even pretty far along <i>dead</i>: if the people who vote think it doesn't matter because they're being lied to and the people who run think it doesn't matter because everybody knows they're liars, we'd just be better off going back to a monarchy and hoping that some percentage of our feudal lieges are relatively benign dictators and not utter asshats. No, seriously: because it seems to me that there's some odds of heredity producing a nice kid who cares about his subjects every few generations, but slim-to-none odds of a system based on cynicism and indifference ever producing anything but parasites.<br /><br />But maybe I'm naive.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-73508411656728603242012-08-16T08:54:15.669-05:002012-08-16T08:54:15.669-05:00The good hair/hot air observation was in the origi...The good hair/hot air observation was in the original. It's long been my contention that the two are related.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-35793492202431536362012-08-16T08:51:12.500-05:002012-08-16T08:51:12.500-05:00I have friends at Worldcon. Go look up the fabulou...I have friends at Worldcon. Go look up the fabulous writer Doc Phil Kaldon. He's got a number of panels this year. Tell him I said helloJim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34958833891182228102012-08-16T08:47:13.291-05:002012-08-16T08:47:13.291-05:00Before TV really got going, we had plenty of fat o...Before TV really got going, we had plenty of fat old bald guys for presidents. After TV... not so much. Seems that somewhere along the line some statistically significant portion of the population started confusing who they want to to screw with, with who they wanted to get screwed by. Or maybe it's most of the population. I'm not pointing fingers at any particular sex, been around far too long for that. <br /><br />Not that fat old bald guys were any less likely to promise soda and deliver squat. Just pointing out how easily human beings seem to be lead around by their not so smart parts. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-69206741621324752382012-08-16T07:46:56.847-05:002012-08-16T07:46:56.847-05:00Yeah, we don't need no stinking Olympic commit...Yeah, we don't need no stinking Olympic committee. Lucky me, I am a knitter and spinner. Join the fiber side, Jim, we have cookies. And coffee. And beer...lots of beer. Beats soda any day.Christinahttp://www.deepwaterdyeworks.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-7572699540901042912012-08-16T06:59:53.703-05:002012-08-16T06:59:53.703-05:00While hair and hot air are proportional, the hair ...While hair and hot air are proportional, the hair isn't always necessary for the warm breeze. Submitted for your approval Louis Buller Gohmert Jr.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01634596899696462354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-57299975091723273292012-08-16T05:23:19.403-05:002012-08-16T05:23:19.403-05:00PS Another great post, and so relevant. One questi...PS Another great post, and so relevant. One question, though: did the update include "Haircuts and hot air are directly proportional", or were you just prescient?greywintershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07561711631042901102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-26432341736256620182012-08-16T05:21:17.398-05:002012-08-16T05:21:17.398-05:00Vote Odin!
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos...Vote Odin!<br /><br />https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531223_504992156192883_493843643_n.jpggreywintershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07561711631042901102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-6259734023930447142012-08-16T01:11:03.035-05:002012-08-16T01:11:03.035-05:00Reminds me of a Bloom County cartoon where Opus is...Reminds me of a Bloom County cartoon where Opus is giving a stump speech to the wrong group; promising bombs while addressing an old lady's knitting club.<br /><br />I say we nominate Opus and Bill the Cat, can't be any worse that what we have running now!Seanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04740298780785384929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-56549717787447152182012-08-16T01:04:38.407-05:002012-08-16T01:04:38.407-05:00Now come to Chicon/Worldcon, damnit, so I can buy ...Now come to Chicon/Worldcon, damnit, so I can buy you a beer. <br />Thorvaldrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15879079073835564071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-62034582646149086342012-08-16T00:56:14.666-05:002012-08-16T00:56:14.666-05:00Yep, that's what it should be alright. SighYep, that's what it should be alright. SighJim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-13843615986013242602012-08-16T00:55:14.261-05:002012-08-16T00:55:14.261-05:00Ravelry? I've heard of you people, you tried t...Ravelry? I've heard of you people, you tried to steal the Olympics.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14692138138422085142012-08-16T00:54:56.607-05:002012-08-16T00:54:56.607-05:00>girl who's name
I *think* that should be ...>girl who's name<br /><br />I *think* that should be whose. <br /><br />Great piece, Jim. Thorvaldrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15879079073835564071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-8092922746720007682012-08-16T00:53:36.076-05:002012-08-16T00:53:36.076-05:00SA comment that would be considered violent remove...SA comment that would be considered violent removed.<br />Want to learn to knit & come join Ravelry? we even like the hookers & spinnersCathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03098998958079042913noreply@blogger.com