tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post8458099739012632162..comments2024-03-17T08:27:53.658-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: Ship of FoolsJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11956460582006105022017-10-18T06:29:17.418-05:002017-10-18T06:29:17.418-05:00Nicely composed. I've said for a while that I...Nicely composed. I've said for a while that I've no right to my own opinion. Maybe another way to say that is, I don't value myself higher in principle than I value others.Paul Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06113001657882414961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61043301645515936292017-10-17T11:29:07.429-05:002017-10-17T11:29:07.429-05:00I just found you and am signing up to have you eve...I just found you and am signing up to have you everyday (in my email ;D). thoughtful, concise, informing all the things we are seriously lacking today.K.L. Richardsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03903463743182093082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-63261804959707662962017-10-10T14:38:28.309-05:002017-10-10T14:38:28.309-05:00Jim, thank you for presenting your incredibly well...Jim, thank you for presenting your incredibly well written, intelligent perspective on the challenges we face. Your post is such a refreshing break from the daily torturous tweets, ramblings and demented blathering of that conman in our WH.<br /><br />I'm tired..no, EXHAUSTED...with the crazy and irrational interloper in the WH. His presence has exposed the reality of just how fragile our democracy is. <br /><br />I've been struggling for answers since November and they're just not there. Oh sure, I've heard and read all the "experts" offer simple and sometimes complex reasons for the trump win. I still end up where I began- angry and unsure of what to do or which direction I'm going and still wondering how this is even possible.<br /><br />At least your post helped me to refocus and begin again. This is the best piece I've read on the current situation - ever! And I've read a massive amount on all things trump. Nothing comes close to what you presented here. You're direct, genuine, scathing and brilliant. Thank you.<br /><br /><br /><br /> Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14785930820677017125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61395337970120254012017-10-01T19:31:53.912-05:002017-10-01T19:31:53.912-05:00As someone who has traveled to Mexico on several o...As someone who has traveled to Mexico on several occasions, I couldn't help but fall in love with "México lindo y querido."Michael Espositohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02139264211912268418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-18134890891919698282017-10-01T19:30:32.909-05:002017-10-01T19:30:32.909-05:00I enjoyed reading your essay, but rather than comm...I enjoyed reading your essay, but rather than commenting on each point, I will just make one observation. We, the American people, have an enormous amount of fight in us. It's clear to me that every affront to our Constitution and values since 45 took office has been challenged, and vigorously. Some battles we've won, others we've lost, and other battles have been like medieval knights jousting and then waiting for the next battle. Some of us may get tired for a time and retreat, but others are taking their place. The situation is messy, as you mentioned, but it's what we're living and we'll continue to live it. If some won't be convinced that the current situation is unacceptable, or if some are actually embracing it because they want to sign up for the goon squad, the only alternative is to oppose them.Michael Espositohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02139264211912268418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-89269455767975804422017-09-27T01:00:22.069-05:002017-09-27T01:00:22.069-05:00Says the guy using a computer over the internet. ...Says the guy using a computer over the internet. Something no hunter-gatherer society ever built.Michael Daveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06941763368626515469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-71554273339298811932017-09-26T18:47:32.086-05:002017-09-26T18:47:32.086-05:00Thank you for expressing what 95% of the populatio...Thank you for expressing what 95% of the population of this continent feels. Glorious speech. Thank you for promoting a fairer world for all.<br />Sincerely yours: Julieta Díaz Bowers. México.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47901790729038425862017-09-25T16:37:37.856-05:002017-09-25T16:37:37.856-05:00To be fair, you had Rob Ford ;)To be fair, you had Rob Ford ;)Sanittihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08638535419117644803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-80510851786379428332017-09-25T16:16:08.023-05:002017-09-25T16:16:08.023-05:00Great stuff Jim! I've touted this one online...Great stuff Jim! I've touted this one online. Some of you have seen how I recently used prose like Jim's to take down that horrid, rationalizing weasel George F. Will.<br /><br />See my most recent blog about a possible fix for gerrymandering that you'll read nowhere else. At Contrary Brin:<br />http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2017/09/the-minimal-overlap-solution-to_24.html<br /><br />Finally, Halloween is coming! Here's your costume<br />https://www.walmart.com/ip/Federal-Union-Army-Soldier-Cotton-Hat-Navy-Kepi-Cap-Civil-War-Costume-Accessory/188951633?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=11498&adid=22222222227056708908&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=161416633888&wl4=pla-270738797428&wl5=9028743&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117079856&wl11=online&wl12=188951633&wl13=&veh=sem<br /><br />http://www.militaryclothing.com/Civil-War-Blue-U-S-Kepi-Cap.aspx?id=16267-200032-CC-7.50&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI16fa66DB1gIVFLbACh2FWAtoEAQYAiABEgLzo_D_BwE&ad=76800671909<br /><br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-75404664466841416832017-09-24T11:10:11.080-05:002017-09-24T11:10:11.080-05:00Just six more years until the nearest port... with...Just six more years until the nearest port... with Mike Pence at the helm?Peter Panhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09473311771939167712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-77068448125331219912017-09-22T15:10:21.649-05:002017-09-22T15:10:21.649-05:00George Lakoff in "Don't Think of an Eleph...George Lakoff in "Don't Think of an Elephant" used Strict Father v Nurturing Parent to describe the difference between cons and libs. Great book about the "war" between the Left and Right.Sisyphushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12997190543226527492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-23236336612521100122017-09-22T14:38:02.462-05:002017-09-22T14:38:02.462-05:00Jim, thanks for raging against the dying of the li...Jim, thanks for raging against the dying of the light. As a soon-to-be retired Army punk, I truly appreciate your voice and support your efforts. Keep up the good fight. You are dead on in your analysis.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12313349253833628380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-1775473101906597732017-09-19T17:59:14.454-05:002017-09-19T17:59:14.454-05:00Ok. That's enough. I see you're going to p...Ok. That's enough. I see you're going to persist with this same nonsense. It's fairly obvious to me now that you're attempting to sealion me. I should have recognized it when you showed up six months ago. <br /><br />You're done. Don't bother to reply, no further comments from you will post on this blog again. Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-15768469282945728892017-09-19T17:55:26.009-05:002017-09-19T17:55:26.009-05:00I'm sorry I'm pissing you off, and it wasn...I'm sorry I'm pissing you off, and it wasn't my intent at all. I know you don't mean to compromise with those people, and I'm sorry that I implied it in any way. <br /><br />My point, simply, is that if you take away those people, I'm not sure what you're left with to compromise with. It's an incredibly bitter pill to swallow that 27% of the US are people that are haters, bigots, dimwitted goons and gun waving fanatics, but the evidence suggests that's about correct. When 1 in 3 people believe that the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville was the right thing to do, what other conclusion is there to get to? When the polling numbers for Trump in Wisconsin haven't dropped a bit since inauguration despite all the things Trump has done, what else is there to conclude?<br /><br />I don't think you ever advocated to compromise with the bigots. I never have, and I'm sorry that I made it sound like I did. That's my fault. I just don't have the optimism that if you take those out, there is particularly a whole lot left to compromise with. Kalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05193899462301079034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-32924151378174616702017-09-19T17:50:09.393-05:002017-09-19T17:50:09.393-05:00Kalon,
You're pissing me the fuck off.
You...Kalon, <br /><br />You're pissing me the fuck off. <br /><br />You are bound and determined to get what I said wrong EVEN THOUGH WHAT I MEANT IS CLEARLY STATED IN THE TEXT of the original article, to wit:<br /><br /><b><i>Nowhere did I suggest that any of us should compromise with neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, with haters and bigots, and gun waving fanatics or dimwitted goons. <br /><br />Nowhere did I suggest you should give up your civil rights, your freedom, or your integrity.</i></b> <br /><br />But you keep insisting that I did say that. I DIDN'T. So knock the fuck off. <br /><br />Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-86875826357686997942017-09-19T17:43:53.628-05:002017-09-19T17:43:53.628-05:00Then quit. Give up. Knuckle under. Put your pistol...Then quit. Give up. Knuckle under. Put your pistol in your mouth. <br /><br />Or, I suppose you could choose the Conservative option and aim the pistol at the opposition you can't find common ground with. Go out in a blaze of righteous glory, your sacred principles unbent. <br /><br />Because that's the only two options you've left yourself. <br /><br />You can't, or won't, compromise. You won't even consider finding a way to find common ground. You've written off everybody who doesn't see things your way as a single homogeneous enemy, not even worth exploring. <br /><br />Fair enough. But that means that even if you somehow win back power, you'll still have to fight these people. You can't, or won't, represent their ideals or even meet them halfway. That means if you're in power they'll be trying to tear you down, so you'll have to be the oppressor they fear. You'll have to rule by force and fiat, since you can't compromise with them. And either you'll have to wipe them out, herd them into camps, contain them, or risk them burning you down and doing the same to you. <br /><br />And if you <i>don't</i> regain power, and if you can't, or won't, live with the direction America is going, then what's left? What's that leave you? Since you can't, or won't, see any other option? <br /><br />You're entitled to your depression, but I'm not your psychiatrist. So either buck the fuck up and start helping us fix this mess -- or don't. Either way, I won't publish any more of your suicide notes. Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-55064673744002206452017-09-19T17:41:52.337-05:002017-09-19T17:41:52.337-05:00That's fair, but that isn't where I'm ...That's fair, but that isn't where I'm going with it. I'm happy to compromise at least in principle; I still don't know what compromise would work. <br /><br />First off, I recognize that while I can't see good options in compromise to get them on board, that doesn't mean they don't exist. Again, I asked you - what do you think would work? And if you don't have an answer, fine - I'm happy to keep asking.<br /><br />But my suspicion is that what victory looks like here is not playing the same game. 27% of the US population voted for Trump; my suspicion is that convincing the other 73% that didn't vote for Trump to go a different path is going to be a lot easier of a lift than convincing people that they made a bad choice the last time. That might involve a more conservative bloc than I'd prefer, but it is far better than authoritarian religious zealot. This is made significantly harder by the two-party system the US has, but it's possible. It's more likely to be the case that making the Democratic party a bit more right-leaning and encouraging voter turnout as best we can will work. <br /><br />So how do I do that? I'm not quite sure. I'm not sure how to convince 40% of the people who don't regularly vote that this is the more important time to do so, but that's what I'm working on now. That doesn't involve meeting those others halfway or compromising with them in any way, mind you. <br /><br />The other option that my family has been thinking of doing is leaving the country. This became a lot more important and real to consider since my son got cancer last year. It's hard to do, but it is a real option to consider. <br /><br />The final thought I have is the example of compromise set forth by Obama. Obama worked hard to get someone, anyone on the GOP side to work with him on healthcare. He adopted a healthcare plan that was proposed by a conservative thinktank and implemented by Romney. He begged GOP people to get involved, included them in every meeting and every markup, and they all refused to vote or budge one bit. While I think there's some room possibly to entice people who aren't normal voters to vote, I'm not sure how there is any room to entice people like Ryan and McConnell. Kalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05193899462301079034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-87142722367771101652017-09-19T16:54:19.269-05:002017-09-19T16:54:19.269-05:00Jim Wright: What an educated, curious, ethical Ame...Jim Wright: What an educated, curious, ethical American sounds like. Thank you from the bottom of my cranky-ass old heart.Dicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00143959038759146834noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-10303784850184662102017-09-19T14:19:10.855-05:002017-09-19T14:19:10.855-05:00Perhaps I did, or perhaps I'm more pessimistic...Perhaps I did, or perhaps I'm more pessimistic about those supporters that you think you can woo back. While Trump's polling numbers have dropped quite a bit, his polling numbers in places like Michigan and Ohio and Florida and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania? They've stayed basically the same for the last 8 months.<br /><br />In a couple of places they've actually gone up. <br /><br />So the basic idea on that piece is that there are people to negotiate with, to reach compromise with, while the data on the ground suggests that even after all this bullshit they are still not changing their minds. <br /><br />And negotiating with the relatively sane conservatives in New York or California doesn't help, because those states are already voting the other way. <br /><br />I've wracked my brain trying to figure out what one could give the Trump voters in Wisconsin to change their mind and vote for people who are wanting civilization, but my suspicion is at this point that they do not want civilization, at least as we know it.<br /><br />They support autocrats who back their view.<br />They support religious laws determining the law of the land.<br />They support extralegal violence.<br />They support extrajudicial policing.<br /><br />Maybe I'm wrong about that, but the data doesn't indicate that. Kalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05193899462301079034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61380376506388870782017-09-18T20:45:40.760-05:002017-09-18T20:45:40.760-05:00You misunderstood what I wrote back in March.
Yo...You misunderstood what I wrote back in March. <br /><br />You've have 6 months to figure it out. You haven't done it. <br />Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-22685044683185390702017-09-18T20:30:55.879-05:002017-09-18T20:30:55.879-05:00I'd really like this Jim to have it out with t...I'd really like this Jim to have it out with the Jim who wrote No Man's land and urged everyone to figure out how to make deals with these supporters. <br /><br />How would you like to compromise with those who think that Trump is doing a good job? Or that all his problems are with McConnell and Ryan and Clinton and those people who are leaking and the Chinese and North Korea, and never him?<br /><br />How do you compromise with that? I asked you that before. Maybe you have an answer now. <br /><br />http://www.stonekettle.com/2017/03/no-mans-land.htmlKalonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05193899462301079034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-30250783709074700632017-09-18T13:44:29.810-05:002017-09-18T13:44:29.810-05:00"The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine, i..."The Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine, in the immediate aftermath of WWII "only kept us out of war for 5 years at the most. Although 5 years is 5 years. Great blog Jim!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61178051943923990342017-09-18T12:26:01.395-05:002017-09-18T12:26:01.395-05:00Problem is that his supporters are so unhappy with...Problem is that his supporters are so unhappy with Washington that they just want someone who will promise to blow it up. This is a long-established American brand of politician and this type has always attracted some support. StevePhillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18342412688965181684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-25622681622566196702017-09-18T10:32:23.412-05:002017-09-18T10:32:23.412-05:00I agree wholeheartedly. I agree wholeheartedly. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10552999670311397644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-14822695853837876072017-09-18T10:28:56.177-05:002017-09-18T10:28:56.177-05:00Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10552999670311397644noreply@blogger.com