tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post967644590919236049..comments2024-03-28T14:52:13.218-05:00Comments on Stonekettle Station: The Myth of Common SenseJim Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-62554850632647793982010-02-17T19:25:31.617-06:002010-02-17T19:25:31.617-06:00"considering that his own party has spent the..."considering that his own party has spent the last five years demonstrating over and over again that they are their own worst enemy and that they seem to delight in pissing away their once every other decade opportunity like a bunch of squabbling halfwit siblings fighting over an inheritance."<br /><br />Ain't that the truth!<br /><br />Bunch of weenies. <br /><br />Need new, aggressive, blood for leadership.beemodernhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180046342466780318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-13817953456230688682010-02-10T16:55:06.056-06:002010-02-10T16:55:06.056-06:00Mr Wright-or should I say 'right'... I jus...Mr Wright-or should I say 'right'... I just stumbled across your page in search of 'common sense' and there it was... exactly what I was looking for 'the myth of common sense'. Common sense won't provide good answers to our problems of government all on its own. Our problems are complex and many, and without a good dose of knowledge, solutions based just on the naive notion that 'all you need is common sense', will fail.<br /><br />Sarah is lacking not only in the knowledge category, but certainly her current little exploit of crib notes in the palm of her hand, show a obvious lack of common sense. Heck, a 4th grader knows better than to do that, and it doesn't have to be a particularly bright 4th grader. <br /><br />I have to agree with Steve... perhaps you should be deemed Grand Emperor of the Universe.<br /><br />Well off to read your other entries - I am fascinated...Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17562358832386110787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-30392315506842085602010-01-27T00:41:11.595-06:002010-01-27T00:41:11.595-06:00The one thing about Obama that always seems to get...The one thing about Obama that always seems to get glossed over is the simplest thing. At the heart of it all he is a politician. And I don't mean that in a nasty way: it's just that he has worked within the system for alomg time and is aware of the compromises and deals that have to be made to get anything through a partisan and self-centred Congress. He's not going to suddenly change into the Messiah and shower goodness down on everyone. What he does seem to represent is a slghtly less venal form of government; one which revives the possibility that we might one day be governed in a manner that benefits the people, as opposed to the current style that benefits the money. Any ray of hope is a good thing but I really don't expect more then that.<br /><br />libilant - a democrat who can read.MikeBhttp://zedefrag.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-40041952407293958732010-01-25T21:06:09.564-06:002010-01-25T21:06:09.564-06:00And that would be a DC-10.
Interesting that Unite...And that would be a DC-10.<br /><br />Interesting that United still tests pilots with differential thrust steering/flying, and no one has go it to work. Not even the pilots who pulled it off into the cornfield.<br /><br />Common sense can be trumped by experience fueled by adrenaline.<br /><br />Dr. Phil<br /><br />databl -- a table of dataDr. Phil (Physics)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11943336276878704753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-43983966090358610742010-01-23T15:08:46.250-06:002010-01-23T15:08:46.250-06:00Jim
That is the incident. Note that the landing, ...Jim<br /><br />That is the incident. Note that the landing, which almost made it, was in Iowa.<br /><br />174 people walked away.<br /><br />reared - shortened for of to rear end. I reared her.Warner (aka ntsc)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12924176333302007261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-12007166959718839572010-01-23T13:23:31.321-06:002010-01-23T13:23:31.321-06:00Ive no idea if the exercise is still standard, but...<i>Ive no idea if the exercise is still standard, but I suspect it is. Just as steering with throttles only became one, when some poor pilot had to do it in I think Iowa in a 1011 (again IFRC).</i><br /><br />I don't remember Iowa, but I do remember <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_232" rel="nofollow">this incident</a> at O'hare.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-91395839637537151272010-01-23T13:03:58.995-06:002010-01-23T13:03:58.995-06:00Dead stick landings in water used to be such a sta...Dead stick landings in water used to be such a standard exercise that the attendants were trained in the evacuation procedures with a mock up and rafts on a lake, with full 'planes'.<br /><br />Ive no idea if the exercise is still standard, but I suspect it is. Just as steering with throttles only became one, when some poor pilot had to do it in I think Iowa in a 1011 (again IFRC).<br /><br />auris - what, in her opinion, surrounds Palin's head.Warner (aka ntsc)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12924176333302007261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-9400391521932634212010-01-22T11:18:22.381-06:002010-01-22T11:18:22.381-06:00Or at least they will be when you're made Gran...Or at least they will be when you're made Grand Emperor of the Universe.<br /><br />wogeshu - what wogs where on their toesies.Steve Buchheithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999709767641212586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-60066890648667394842010-01-22T09:39:37.094-06:002010-01-22T09:39:37.094-06:00This is one of your posts that I think should be r...<i>This is one of your posts that I think should be required reading for the masses.</i><br /><br />All of my posts should be required reading for the masses. ;)Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-34026792284436462232010-01-22T08:09:31.950-06:002010-01-22T08:09:31.950-06:00common sense says you're going to need a clean...<em>common sense says you're going to need a clean set of shorts either way</em><br /><br />Which once again demonstrates the usefulness of common sense.<br /><br />Actually, (not that I'm belittling the feat, but), landing in the Hudson River is a <em>lot</em> less daunting than landing in the East River. Let's accept that landing on <em>any</em> water is pretty damned impressive. The Hudson is at least 1/3rd wider than the widest part of the East River. The Hudson runs straight as an arrow for about 3 miles in the area the plane landed; The East River winds around the East side of Manhattan. The Hudson has the GW Bridge and then a couple of tunnels (which are not surface obstructions; The East river has a few Islands, 8 bridges (including one pedestrian bridge to Randall's Island and one to Roosevelt Island). Last but not least, since the East River isn't actually a river at all (it's a tidal straight), you can never tell which way the current will be going (I don't think tide charts are on most pilots' checklists) and at full flood and ebb, the current is absolutely hellacious (I think it reaches 10 knots at times).<br /><br />P.S. I <em>know</em> I'm a complete asshole.<br /><br />P.P.S. I was planning to comment on the post, itself, but I really have nothing worth adding. This is one of your posts that I think should be required reading for the masses. Bravo!Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-48676647914895885412010-01-21T20:34:02.841-06:002010-01-21T20:34:02.841-06:00Nathan: More later, but, ::ahem::, Uh, not East Ri...Nathan: <i>More later, but, ::ahem::, Uh, not East River...Hudson.</i><br /><br />Dude, you're 10,000 feet up plummeting towards the earth in a flaming metal can at about 500 miles an hour. What the fuck difference does it make? It could be the Hudson, it could be Lake Michigan, common sense says you're going to need a clean set of shorts either way. <br /><br />Ya big baby. I fixed it.Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-17644126732531763102010-01-21T15:31:31.652-06:002010-01-21T15:31:31.652-06:00On the day Captain Sullenberger glided his plane i...On the day Captain Sullenberger glided his plane into the river, I was asked if I would have wanted to be on that flight. <br /><br />My response was something about if I had to be in a plane in trouble, heading for a watery landing, yes, I would want to be on <i>that</i> plane. Why? Because the elite & experienced team Sully led saved every life on board. Talk about fighting inertia! But the man knew the limits and capabilities of both his aircraft AND himself and acted appropriately. I think my answer startled the questioner. <br /><br />Unlike pilots, or most other vocations, there is no training school to be president, no certification or testing or continuous learning educational (CLE) programs. We have to hope that individuals seeking the office have the right combination of education, experience, strength of character, and personality to do the job and do it right. Sometimes the electorate gets it right, often as not we don't. <br /><br />President Obama inherited a big pile of shit from the previous administration. The fact that he’s gotten as far as he has this first year speaks volumes for the man. He doesn’t shoot first and ask questions later, bury the truth or avoid the unpleasantness of what he has to deal with. He researches, considers opinions from all sources, researches some more, asks his advisors to dig deeper. A very sensible, dare I say common sense, approach to governing, just look how far we’ve come in a year. OK, so there are a few thorns along the way, not everyone agrees with what he’s done or how he’s done it and personally I’m a little disappointed that health care reform got stalled once again…my health care plan is don’t get sick…I would have liked a little more support on that issue. <br /><br />But, yes, by electing a man that knows the true meaning of <i>common sense</i> - this time we got it right.WendyB_09https://www.blogger.com/profile/03788918629240949526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-60423509677689847942010-01-21T14:55:06.741-06:002010-01-21T14:55:06.741-06:00@Jim and Shad,
I hadn't realized that there h...@Jim and Shad,<br /><br />I hadn't realized that there has been an intentional attempt to conflate the two terms 'elite' and 'elitist' by neo-conservatives. My misunderstanding due to my own lack of context then. <br /><br />-tf<br />(probably happier without knowing how pundits try to pervert the language, in all honesty)tfernandonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-73871417692937915112010-01-21T11:31:25.102-06:002010-01-21T11:31:25.102-06:00Thought I would add some additional common sense q...Thought I would add some additional common sense quotes.<br /><br />All professional philosophers tend to assume that common sense means the mental habit of the common man. Nothing could be further from the mark. The common man is chiefly to be distinguished by his plentiful <i>lack</i> of common sense: he believes things on evidence that is too scanty, or that distorts the plain facts, or that is full of non sequiturs. Common sense really involves making full use of all the demonstrable evidence—and of nothing but the demonstrable evidence. H.L. Mencken<br /><br />Common sense is merely the deposit of prejudice laid down it the human mind before the age of eighteen. Albert Einstein<br /><br />Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense; no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has. Renee Descartes<br /><br />He’s a man of great common sense and good taste, meaning thereby a man without originality or moral courage. G.B. Shaw<br /><br />iding == verb used in Freudian psychotherapy to denote the act of puffing up one's idNick from the O.C.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-82989041168590642482010-01-21T10:24:42.505-06:002010-01-21T10:24:42.505-06:00Common sense is not so common -Voltaire
When I wa...Common sense is not so common -Voltaire<br /><br />When I was 10 my dad told me that part of common sense was getting out of the rain if you didn't want to get wet - or adapting to it (preparing yourself) if you had to be out in it. His language was much more colorful. I didn't see the metaphor until later - and then it hit me...<br /><br />The common notion that everyone has it is a load of crap. The image you present that the belief is that it can be waved around and fix everything - right on.<br /><br />Thanks, Jim - most excellent.<br /><br /><br />ststsaw - the saw that only needs two strokes to cut through anything.Karlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11854671368992589012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-59712637058839571662010-01-21T09:57:33.708-06:002010-01-21T09:57:33.708-06:00excellent post!
to me "common sense" i...excellent post! <br /><br />to me "common sense" is one of those buzzwords that everyone knows the meaning of intuitively but not actually, like "the coldest tasting beer" - its a great way to connect to the masses and to help create a us versus them mentality.<br /><br />I remember watching "V" in the 80's (I think it was) and how all the scientists were killed or went into hiding. I remember thinking how dumb a concept that was but now I see it as a logical extension of the way people try to polarizeMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12341711121542863377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-7671253316392825952010-01-21T09:51:09.256-06:002010-01-21T09:51:09.256-06:00More later, but, ::ahem::, Uh, not East River...Hu...More later, but, ::ahem::, Uh, not East River...Hudson.<br /><br />Just sayin'Nathanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00648438549121320566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-68599196276591218222010-01-21T09:14:02.875-06:002010-01-21T09:14:02.875-06:00I personally think that health care reform in the ...I personally think that health care reform in the US is dead now for at least 20 more years.<br /><br />Obama choose to concentrate on this, rather than doing something about the unemployed, save possibly unemployed bankers. Because I retired from the company that unemployed me, and it would obviously be unfair to make them cover both pension and unemployment, I don't get unemployment. There are a lot of us in this boat. We also don't count as unemployed, because we are no longer active with the unemployment office.<br /><br />He lost his bet. I could have accepted either, and it now looks as if neither will happen. His still talking about bi-partisan support for health care, so says NYTimes, makes me question his political intelligence.<br /><br />I won't rule out a vote for him in 12, but he won't get a primary vote for me, at least not at this time. He needs to stop kissing the banks, and letting the little guy get it.<br /><br />minni - my ex's idea of a long skirt.Warner (aka ntsc)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12924176333302007261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-28512575840383710542010-01-21T09:13:28.980-06:002010-01-21T09:13:28.980-06:00tfernando, thanks for the correction on Sullenberg...tfernando, thanks for the correction on Sullenberger's name. <br /><br />You make a very good point regarding the term "elite" vs "elitist" - however I deliberately used the terms interchangeably in this post because that is exactly what the pundits, teabaggers, and people like Palin have been doing. To them, these words <i>are</i> interchangeable - witness Palin's constant pillorying of "the elites."Jim Wrighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11259550121437562338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-21379109145476411922010-01-21T09:12:36.970-06:002010-01-21T09:12:36.970-06:00Part of the mythos they're calling on is the m...Part of the mythos they're calling on is the myth that ANYONE can be president. That a common man (or woman) can walk into the White House and govern effectively even though he (or she) has no training, education, or experience. It's common sense and determination that will get them through one of the toughest jobs in the world. <br /><br />I worked with a man that said that what he really liked about George W. Bush was he felt could have a beer with him. I'm sure there are a lot of people who feel they could have a beer with Sarah Palin. People feel they know her and can connect with her. It gives a certain sense of comfort. <br /><br />These people forget that being President of the United States is not an easy or comfortable job. No one can truly ever be prepared for such a difficult job; but education, training, and experience do make a huge difference. I'm not sure I'd ever have a beer with President Obama, but I know that I'm comfortable with him running the country. His education, training, experience, intelligence, and temperment make him an excellent choice for the job, and I think he's proved that. There are a lot of people I can have beer with (if I drank beer), but there are very few people I would feel comfortable letting run the country. I don't confuse the two. <br /><br />caterow: Where the caterer gets confused and brings the large barbeque spread to the vegan wedding of two PETA members.Amyzon the Oraclenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-70914971027181120572010-01-21T08:57:57.912-06:002010-01-21T08:57:57.912-06:00"common sense", the "family values&..."common sense", the "family values" of the twenty teens. <br /><br />permitch - a permit to bitchSteve Buchheithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12999709767641212586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-19221014792434901852010-01-21T08:40:00.729-06:002010-01-21T08:40:00.729-06:00Jim, I'd like to thank you not for the critiqu...Jim, I'd like to thank you not for the critique of Palin, but the affirmation of Obama.<br /><br />I have to admit: I suffered a double-blow this week. First, there were the Horton allegations at <i>Harper's</i> that the Obama Administration may be covering up three Bush-era homicides at Gitmo. Then there were the Administration's indications after the Massachusetts special elections that maybe the Senate should essentially start over on healthcare--despite the fact that (thanks to Lieberman and Senate Blue Dogs) the Democrats had no more of a "filibuster-proof majority" on Monday than they had on Tuesday. And between those matters I've found myself wondering whether I'd be abstainin from the 2012 elections at all.<br /><br />Things like the economy and Afghanistan I expected to be complicated and to maybe even take more than a single President's term, mind you. It's the moral cowardice that I perceived this week that had me reeling, not the time complicated things take.<br /><br />Maybe, however, I need to try to figure out how to leaven things with the positive things Obama <i>is</i> getting done this term. I'm not sure any of them could balance complicity in murder; then again, I have to consider that maybe Horton and his sources are wrong, or that there may be things going on inside the Administration that I don't know about yet, that will ripen in time.<br /><br />So, thank you. You've given me cause to reconsider before I jump off a wharf.<br /><br />(Oh, and everything you say about "common sense" and those who flaunt it like a magical talisman--spot on.)Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18275812152895151542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-46423174486533153202010-01-21T07:14:31.833-06:002010-01-21T07:14:31.833-06:00The problem -- or rather, this /particular/ proble...The problem -- or rather, this /particular/ problem Jim is touching on to in this blog post, as Sarah's problems are legion in number -- is that the neocons have over the past decade gone out of their way to make people take 'elite' and 'elitist' as synonyms. <br /><br />Anyone who talks like he's smarter than you must think he's better than you and thus automatically undeserving of your respect. Scientists who say things you don't want to hear? Academic smartass jerks who are just using big words to confuse down-to-earth people and push their liberal agenda. Experts pointing out that your cockamie conspiracy theory is so much bunk? In on the conspiracy if they're not stupid dupes fooled by the smoke screen that COMMON SENSE sees through. Etc, etc. <br /><br />--Shad, who feels like punching the next person who dismisses expert opinion based on their 'gut feeling' in the stomach.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-61084035833727366912010-01-21T06:27:41.059-06:002010-01-21T06:27:41.059-06:00sorry to double post. e'sprit de escalair and ...sorry to double post. e'sprit de escalair and all..<br /><br />Where I wanted to go with the previous comment was to say that I think that's the definition of elitist which Palin, et al are trying to plug into. Rather than her trying to say that highly skilled == bad.<br /><br />OK, now I really have to go to work<br />:)<br /><br /><br />-TFtfernandonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8243351006478134285.post-69783201761641583082010-01-21T06:08:29.317-06:002010-01-21T06:08:29.317-06:00Sullenberger, not Sullivan. I think it's fair ...Sullenberger, not Sullivan. I think it's fair to call him elite, but I think he might take exception to being called elitist. That man has been an advocate for all professional pilots since his event, not just the top 1%.<br /><br />More generally, I don't want an elitist professional working on my behalf if he has to interact with other people (Surgeon in OR, lawyer in multilawyer team, pilots). I want elite professionals. To me, the latter implies great skill and training. The former implies an attitude which discounts the potential contribution of persons not having the same background. In situations where skilled coordination is critical, that leads to a lower performance overall. <br /><br />(Err.. an elitist pilot will assume he knows best and act accordingly-- ie the KLM captain in the Tennerife incident* running the powerlevers forward despite his FO saying they weren't cleared to take off. An elite pilot will appropriately use every resource at his disposal all the way into the ground. ie. Sully directing Jeff Skiles to attempt to troubleshoot and restart the engines while he flew. Skiles had more experience on type and was the better choice for that.)<br /><br />I may be misunderstanding how you've used terms. Sorry if this is disorganized- i rewrote this comment three times and it's still not quite right but I have to go to work. <br /><br />-TF<br /><br />*- Largest pre-9/11 loss of life in an aviation incident. Two 747s collided on a runway on Tennerife island in the 1970s.tfernandonoreply@blogger.com