tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post4705944948969648244..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: …And They Are UsJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger127125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-26429047070774467192013-05-11T13:50:16.262-05:002013-05-11T13:50:16.262-05:00I have a quote from the Late, Great Hunter Thompso...I have a quote from the Late, Great Hunter Thompson on my fridge. This post makes me feel like sharing it here. It is this:<br /><br />"Never turn your back on fear. It should be kept in front of you at all times. Like an animal that might have to be killed."<br /><br />It's a big, beautiful and terrible forest we live in. Full of all manner of creatures.<br />Thanks for posting the notes on your watch. <br /><br />DeeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-29332532074839999222013-05-03T09:23:11.953-05:002013-05-03T09:23:11.953-05:00Jim: You're "Just saying" and I'...Jim: You're "Just saying" and I'm just agreeing wholeheartedly, about all of it. Our American culture is very violent, and a whole lot of Americans are darned proud of that. I have noticed since 9/11 and maybe even before) that the most common American solution to negative action by others is violent revenge - not working to relieve the cause of the problem, not the "WWJD" of forgiveness or turning the other cheek. Americans want revenge. Very much like fundamentalists all over the world. And the more fundamental our religions get, the worse it gets. This so-called "Christian nation" has accepted the Old Testament and daily, hourly, speaks for but actively rejects the New. I don't know - it just really gets me down sometime. With all the beautiful young kids in the world - we so badly need some peace and forgiveness - but instead cling to the revenge.<br />jstewart69https://www.blogger.com/profile/16067013377363882626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-5498249075961171612013-04-26T22:10:28.204-05:002013-04-26T22:10:28.204-05:00u so easy, winky cull + t
http://www.dailykos.com/...u so easy, winky cull + t<br />http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/04/26/1205091/-The-continuing-deep-thoughts-of-Sarah-Palin<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-68644390625956863472013-04-24T20:52:45.282-05:002013-04-24T20:52:45.282-05:00I started my workday on the day the bombers were i...I started my workday on the day the bombers were identified by trying to explain to a colleague the difference between Russians, Chechens, and Czechs. I didn't succeed; my colleague insisted that they were interchangeable, or all the same.<br /><br />No, they're not. I'm ethnically half-Russian; I should know (the other half is Polish).<br /><br />Over lunch, I saw the interview with their uncle Ruslan. It was hard for me to watch, because he reminded me so much of members of my own family. When he spoke about the nephews having brought shame to his family and his ethnicity, I understood exactly what he meant; I was raised that way, too, and that man could have been my uncle. If it wouldn't have been a not-great thing to do at work, I might have wept.<br /><br />Then I read some comments from people who thought his anger "didn't look good on TV." The man was expressing genuine, honest, conflicted emotion, and yes, it's messy. And real. Is this what we have become, a people who gauges everything by what looks good on TV? By how phony we can be?<br /><br />I am of two minds on the surviving bomber. I have a dark side, too; a dark side that wants the guy dead and isn't ashamed of it - only, I'm female, so my dark side is viewed as even more unseemly by some in this culture. There's a part of me that could pull the trigger or flip the switch or give the needle myself. <br /><br />But there's also a part of me that is civilized, or tries to be - who says, "Try him, and let him live out the rest of his days alone, surrounded only by concrete and pictures of the people he harmed. The dead, the wounded, and their families." Above all, I do believe in the rule of law (having been a practitioner at one time).<br /><br />Thank you for the honesty of your writing. There's no way to make a fluffy kitten out of a murderous Chechen, or out of my own dark side. Being a fallible human being, the best I can do is the best any of us can do - to try to walk in the light, but to understand that the dark is there in all of us, and that sometimes, it will demand to be heard. How we respond to it is what makes us a human or a monster.<br /><br />Peace.<br /><br />slavicdivanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-67223868781314228632013-04-24T13:33:33.304-05:002013-04-24T13:33:33.304-05:00And the few we keep intact for breeding will be to...And the few we keep intact for breeding will be too busy (and too happy) to cause much trouble.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-43249608327349454332013-04-24T13:27:44.744-05:002013-04-24T13:27:44.744-05:00Neat idea. Kill two birds with one stone. Castrate...Neat idea. Kill two birds with one stone. Castrate every young guy with any "abnormal" tendencies, (that's most of them) and Voila! we have solved the overpopulation problem, too. Genius.<br /><br />Jeanne in WVAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-11617275070033128422013-04-24T12:25:10.633-05:002013-04-24T12:25:10.633-05:00Maybe older bro was a bit thick and younger bro ha...Maybe older bro was a bit thick and younger bro had him twisted around his fingers.... <br /><br />Point is WE DON'T KNOW. But if we are patient, and wait, and keep shtum, then maybe, just maybe, we will find out....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81946324169404240632013-04-24T09:25:25.170-05:002013-04-24T09:25:25.170-05:00I've been thinking the last day or two. (No, c...I've been thinking the last day or two. (No, come out from behind the couch, there)<br />Maybe we should dust off Brunner's word "mucker" and get everyone to start using it in situations like this.<br /> <br />For those who haven't read the book (and why not, I ask?) the term derives from "amok" and describes people who snap under the overcrowding & social pressure of the future world Brunner described (which is about now) and start laying about with death & destruction.<br />Here's why I think this should happen:<br />1) The word alludes to an unhinged mental state. I believe anyone who would commit mass murder & mayhem qualifies on that score.<br />2) The word will never carry the gravitas, if you will, of the word "terrorist". I am all for NOT magnifying the status of these crapbaskets - whether it's Osama or a pimpled teen with a gun and self-esteem issues. This is also in line with current online sentiment to remember the victims & responders, rather than the perpetrators.<br />3) It contains the word "muck" - reminding us of the bilgewater ethical level these people have descended to.<br />4) It is devoid of political connotations. I don't care what your political grudge is, if you kill innocent people to prove a point, you are back to the level of pimpled teen with self-esteem issues & a weapon.<br /><br />I'm not saying that use of this word will deter anyone from committing mayhem, but just maybe we can have the satisfaction of denying them the satisfaction of being called "terrorists", "enemy combatants" or any other term that might feed their egos. They are muckers. (never capitalised, by the way. Not even that much deference to them.) Can you imagine if all the media started to refer to them as such?<br /><br />I know this is a late post, and probably won't be seen by many, so it's unlikely to catch on. But wouldn't it be awesome?<br /><br />BruceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-71247327723172660912013-04-24T08:49:01.687-05:002013-04-24T08:49:01.687-05:00He didn't just run away and leave his brother ...He didn't just run away and leave his brother in the street, he drove the car over his brother in an effort to get away. That is cruel!!!<br /><br />While the older brother may have been making a political statement, they were also into the thrill of creating a panic and overwhelming media coverage.<br /><br />When will people learn that blowing up planes, subways or marathons does not change public opinion or support - unless you consider being hunted down and possibly put out of your misery - is affecting public opinions.<br /><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18117837896972479819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9990328125578028242013-04-24T07:17:09.944-05:002013-04-24T07:17:09.944-05:00I'm not sure why suddenly some people seem det...I'm not sure why suddenly some people seem determined to defend the younger brother by saying he was only following the lead of his dominant/adored/loyal to/etc older brother. This would be the brother he ran away and left injured in the street? If his survival instinct overrode this family connection that made him murder people, how come his decency or ethics didn't override his acquiescence to his brothers' plotting? Anyhow, I think it's more awful to think that he participated just because he was told to instead of because he actually believed. " I was only following orders" is not a defense for atrocities. It didn't fly in Nuremberg and it doesn't fly now. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-32038393249869066342013-04-24T00:55:58.632-05:002013-04-24T00:55:58.632-05:00The issue with fertilizer manufacturing and storag...The issue with fertilizer manufacturing and storage is that they make and use many of the same ingredients that straight-up high explosives manufacturers use. Except the explosives manufacturers are watched carefully, and they treat their products as the high-danger materials they are. The fertilizer plants treat the exact same things as if they were no more dangerous than manure.Perpetual Beginnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09625596315528064536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-74106659312352122652013-04-23T21:10:33.488-05:002013-04-23T21:10:33.488-05:00It sure is a big ol' crazy word, isn't it?...It sure is a big ol' crazy word, isn't it?Captain Blightnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-33073171208459324602013-04-23T13:25:25.371-05:002013-04-23T13:25:25.371-05:00Obama showed some real backbone, some real grace u...Obama showed some real backbone, some real grace under pressure, not jumping into the hysteria and (utterly needlessly and pointlessly) declaring the kid an enemy combatant. Score one for sanity and grown-ups there. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-19345424882584108752013-04-23T12:50:25.457-05:002013-04-23T12:50:25.457-05:00I wouldn't say I had a preference, but it seem...I wouldn't say I had a preference, but it seemed obvious it wasn't AQ, since they don't seem to care much for anniversaries important to anyone but themselves. It seemed more likely, being Tax Day, Patriot Day, and the anniversary week of OK City, that it was a McVeigh fellow traveler. <br />Well, looks like I got played. If they get Dzhokhar talking, I'd bet money, had I any, that they were trying to throw suspicion toward the American political far Right. Not a very "Islamoterrorist" thing to do. hell, they're proud of what they do. I think that's backed up a bit by the fact that they ran and hid, instead of blowing their own asses to Glory (with 72 virgins!). Also very un-terrorist. Dzhokhar wanted to get away badly enough, as Charles Pierce noted, to run over his own damn brother. <br />So, crazy, yeah, probably, but also a bit of "...as a fox" in there, too.<br />Am I disappointed it wasn't a wingnut? Kind of a wash there. Yeah, I'd love to see 'em get another well-deserved black eye, but at the same time, I'm happier--if that's the word--with an "unaffiliated" whackjob terrorist wannabe than I am with an organization, domestic or imported.<br />And I'm really happy Obama resisted the urge to make this nutcase an enemy combatant, even if he only did it to mess with the wingnuts' heads. And hey, who knows? Maybe he did...Meanie-meanie, tickle a personhttp://www.fakeassurl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-90970657462619631012013-04-23T12:31:18.723-05:002013-04-23T12:31:18.723-05:00Jim, any way this thing can be jiggered to accept ...Jim, any way this thing can be jiggered to accept Disqus profiles? Not that I love Disqus or anything. (I normally spell it subst Q for S. gotta be careful on a fambly blog...;) ). But that way you get my neato avatar du jour...Meanie-meanie, tickle a personhttp://www.fakeassurl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-55612870999207480802013-04-23T12:23:42.159-05:002013-04-23T12:23:42.159-05:00I think a better way would be to shoot his legs up...<i>I think a better way would be to shoot his legs up to pieces ...</i><br /><br />Heh. "For those with the blood lust" indeed. Those without would have a hard time writing that.<br /><br />I get the feeling you've read RAH's <i>The Number of the Beast</i>. Was it "Earth-without-a-'J'" where "the punishment fit the crime", or one of the others...Meanie-meanie, tickle a personhttp://www.fakeassurl.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-62848499990869666372013-04-23T11:19:27.624-05:002013-04-23T11:19:27.624-05:00i am getting a bit tired of the "19 years old...i am getting a bit tired of the "19 years old" excuse. My son at 19 was the cook on a missile base - he was responsible. My husband at 19 was employed in the very same job that he would eventually retire from - after being drafted (before he turned 20) a few months later to serve in the military. My dad, at 19, was in Korea, fighting in World War II. i am a bit tired of the 19 year old excuse. Some parents raise respectable reliable 19 year olds. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-16076172552161461102013-04-23T09:51:56.724-05:002013-04-23T09:51:56.724-05:00Or else mass castration. Every try to keep a tomc...Or else mass castration. Every try to keep a tomcat in the house? Dogs settle down pretty much, too. Also horses. Also bulls.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-83292926167784649812013-04-23T09:21:32.791-05:002013-04-23T09:21:32.791-05:00How is Justice (She's always capitalized to me...How is Justice (She's always capitalized to me) achieved? By sticking to your values, your morals and your laws. Not by throwing them away at the first sign of anger, or difficulty.Jeff Lammnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-77098177106648210732013-04-23T08:17:37.893-05:002013-04-23T08:17:37.893-05:00NaluGirl, I know what you mean. What makes it even...NaluGirl, I know what you mean. What makes it even eerier (and I have to note that I haven't located my copy of the book to double-check this) is that the story is set approximately in this time. 2011 I think.<br />I think I detect a re-read coming on.<br /><br />BruceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81294178316902134862013-04-23T03:17:42.590-05:002013-04-23T03:17:42.590-05:00Was there? When?Was there? When?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47731527516592118992013-04-23T01:16:02.582-05:002013-04-23T01:16:02.582-05:00As a footnote to this, Taranto has personally atta...As a footnote to this, Taranto has personally attacked Gabby Giffords, saying, "So we are supposed to believe that somehow in less than five hours a woman who has severe impairments of her motor and speech functions was able to produce 900 publishable words and put in an appearance in the White House in the course of it. So I think that's a little bit odd."<br /><br />This man is toxic.Raven Onthillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06634556869209594389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-47338869883765764242013-04-22T17:07:18.769-05:002013-04-22T17:07:18.769-05:00Oh please. The owner of the West Fertilizer Plant ...Oh please. The owner of the West Fertilizer Plant was a farmer who'd lived in West his whole life (82 years) and bought it when the previous owner was having financial troubles. He might possibly have been careless, ignorant of regulations, etc., or even "old-school-we've always-done-it-this-way" set in his ways, but....accusing him of being in cahoots with cronies to prevent regulation is a reach. At best. Someone sells fertilizer in farming towns, and in West it was Mr. Adair. Your local gas station stores tens of thousands of gallons of combustable liquid underground just around the corner from you. Its pretty safe....except...when its near a fire. <br /><br />In a perfect world, ammonium nitrate storage rules will be modified. But then again, in a perfect world a tragedy involving mass murder of 1st graders would result in new regulations regarding gun ownership. <br /><br />Oh, by the way, there was a railcar full of ammonium nitrate on a side rail adjacent to the explosion that fortunately did not blow up. Its not always explosive. Don in Waconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-81960417867077830002013-04-22T15:14:46.271-05:002013-04-22T15:14:46.271-05:00Bruce, I've been feeling like I've been li...Bruce, I've been feeling like I've been living in "Stand on Zanzibar" for years. The prevelance of people going "mucker," especially in the last ten years is mind-boggling. <br /><br />NaluGirlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-4391569367079057202013-04-22T12:16:32.564-05:002013-04-22T12:16:32.564-05:00OK City - male - age 26
Columbine - males - ages ...OK City - male - age 26<br />Columbine - males - ages 17, 18<br />9/11 - males - ages 16@20-26; 28, 29, 33<br />Aurora - male - age 24<br />Tucson - male - age 22<br />Newtown - male - age 20<br />Boston - males - ages 19, 26<br /><br />What we can cull from this data? <br />Maybe we should take better care of our youth; their brains aren’t fully developed.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com