Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[The Oracle]

Geez is still stuck in those times.

[AlabamAlum]

So, Trump not going to the Correspondents' dinner is probably a good thing. He is embarrassing. And you know he would fly into a rage when roasted.

The only thing I really agree with him on, so far, is not accepting the refugees.

[entropy]

Growing up, I always thought of fascism more about control and limits than left or right. That said, Cuba was always the current example used.

[entropy]

Nice thing about reading the economists... You realize how f'd up the whole world is right now.

[entropy]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/26/sen-bernie-sanders-democratic-party-in-need-of-tot/

Sen. Bernie Sanders: Democratic Party in need of ‘total transformation’

[entropy]

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/321134-george-w-bush-daughter-to-headline-planned-parenthood

GWB's daughter to headline planned parenthood event

[Da Geezer]

Regarding fascism. Back in the 60s there was a component to fascism related to the government being run by/for industrialists as happened in Germany. There was also the implication that statism "made the trains run on time..."

The industrialists have now been replaced by bureaucrats as the dominant "benefitted party" of modern statism (communism or fascism). There is no real difference between fascism and the communism we see in N Korea or Cuba.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Regarding fascism. Back in the 60s there was a component to fascism related to the government being run by/for industrialists as happened in Germany. There was also the implication that statism "made the trains run on time..."

The industrialists have now been replaced by bureaucrats as the dominant "benefitted party" of modern statism (communism or fascism). There is no real difference between fascism and the communism we see in N Korea or Cuba.

There's been an effort by a number of conservatives in recent decades (Jonah Goldberg among them) to turn fascism into a purely 'left-wing" phenomenon. Essentially only libertarianism and various degrees of that would be 'true conservatism'. Which completely ignores social conservatism, which nearly every fascist movement in history has embraced.

[Dr. Strangelove]

It took only a month for the Trump administration to descend to Nixonian levels or paranoia, fearing plots everywhere..also LOL at this story leaking almost right away

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/sean-spicer-targets-own-staff-in-leak-crackdown-235413

[Dr. Strangelove]

Trump escalates attacks on the media almost always in response to stories involving his people and Russia

[ame]https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/835895102895714304[/ame]

[AlabamAlum]

We detain -and almost deport- Henry Rousso for 10 hours as he was en route to speak at Texas A&M.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/26/u-s-detains-and-nearly-deports-french-jewish-historian/?utm_term=.55073a415d72

[Dr. Strangelove]

Lot of people in CBP who unfortunately have an unhealthy contempt for foreigners of all stripes. And a lot of them feel the handcuffs have now been taken off...

(See my story a couple days ago about Muhammed Ali's son be detained and harassed because Muslim = suspicious).

[AlabamAlum]

Yeah, I saw it.

I guess the Rousso hit me harder because I'm fond of his stuff. His series on Vichy France is really good.

[Wild Hoss]

There's been an effort by a number of conservatives in recent decades (Jonah Goldberg among them) to turn fascism into a purely 'left-wing" phenomenon. Essentially only libertarianism and various degrees of that would be 'true conservatism'. Which completely ignores social conservatism, which nearly every fascist movement in history has embraced.

Yeah, it tends to be the social aspects that define orientation. Otherwise there isn't a whole of difference, practically speaking.

[Wild Hoss]

DJT is making everybody paranoid apparently.

It was nice to see an anti-Semitic slur scratched into the fitting room door of a local clothing store this weekend too. MAGA.