Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[iam416]

Also, for anyone interested in the esoteric, the National Review is having an ongoing internal debate on Nationalism and Nationalism vs Patriotism. Some real counting sheep stuff!

[Dr. Strangelove]

I'm just pointing out left-wing fascism. I completely understand your not wanting to discuss it.

I just think that, at some point, you are going to have to confront inconsistencies in your beliefs. For example, you think having an urban-centered Democrat party would be a winning idea. But wherever urban Democrats have actually elected governments, we see chaos, violence, and lack of basic government services. It is an objective fact that urban Democrats have failed to effectively govern. I understand your wanting power for its own sake, but what about hellholes like Detroit over the last 30-40 years.

That's only one example. You are Jewish. Certainly you can see that the tipping of headstones is directly connected to the denigration of all things Jewish during the last 8 years. Shoot, your party just came close to electing an avowed anti-semite to lead the party. The left howls about a Muslim Ban, but your President agreed to protect Iran from Israel while allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon within 9 years. Again, look at the reality, not the hypothetical. These are not small things.

Over 300 rabbis and Jewish leaders signed a letter defending Keith Ellison from charges of antisemitism. All self-loathing Jews, no doubt, as defined by Geezer Education Services, Inc.

http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/300-Jewish-leaders-sign-letter-supporting-Rep-Keith-Ellison-478580

[Dr. Strangelove]

Republican mayors run 13 of America's biggest 50 cities. The other 37 are all hellholes. Objective, unchallengable data brought to you by Geezer.

https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_current_mayors_of_the_top_100_cities_in_the_United_States

Hellholes include: NYC, Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, San Antonio, Houston, Austin, Indianapolis, Charlotte, DC, Boston, Nashville, Portland, Atlanta, and Minneapolis.

On the other hand, fantastic venues that will amaze you include: Jacksonville, Tulsa, Omaha, and Fresno.

[Dr. Strangelove]

The increase in military spending Trump has proposed is equal to 80% of Russia's ENTIRE military budget. And conservative hawks everywhere are saying it's nowhere near enough.

[froot loops]

I think your statements about"Urban hellholes" are grounded in deep ignorance of the real world.

Yep

[Hannibal]

Oddly, Hanni, it's a quote from a book about the dissolution of the USSR.

What's odd about that? It fits the pattern perfectly if you ask me.

It seems, at best, an incomplete thought.

It might be incomplete but it's very easy to fill in the blanks and predict what comes next.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yemen raid yielded no significant intelligence; father of slain SEAL wants answers

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/investigations/yemen-seal-raid-yielded-no-significant-intelligence-say-officials-n726451

[hack]

Oddly, Hanni, it's a quote from a book about the dissolution of the USSR. I haven't read that particular book, but I do like Shadows in the Sun.

Anywho, I agree about taking the quote on the merits. It seems, at best, an incomplete thought.

Well that's interesting. I would not have guessed the subject matter would interest you enough to read it. As AA would say, you get 10 forum points. Kapuscinski was never about explaining how he knew things, so I can understand ``incomplete thought'', but since I am so interested in the guy I'm all ears as to why you thought so.

[AlabamAlum]

I have been reading to pick up something by Kapuscinski. Never have, would love recommendations.

[hack]

I'd prefer to judge ideas based on their merit rather than have appointed authority figures and "elites" tell me what to think. I guess that this is where we disagree.

This is it in a nutshell -- why I was talking about labels and political science. Once you define ``elite'' to mean ``people who disagree with me'' and fascists to be ``people on the other extreme of the political spectrum'', you've got nothing to do with the merits of anything. No sense of curiosity, no sense of rationality. Or, as my man said, "Anyone stricken with one of these plagues is beyond reason." Hanni thinks more than half of Sweden is Kurdish. He thinks that the government caused the financial crisis through the community reinvestment act, even though those amounted to just 11% of total system loans at the time, because Investors Business Daily asserted it. He'll believe what he reads in propaganda that corroborates his own view, and repels aggressively anything that challenges it. Even after presented with obvious and compelling facts.

I don't think its any coincidence that those types of media are full of those common labels. Conservative and liberal and fascist and anti-capitalist and all those other things people use in lieu of actually judging things on the merits. We've got to get away from the labels.

[hack]

Shah of Shahs is what hooked me. The opening is fantastic. Imperium is great too. The Emporer is about the fall of Haile Selassi in Ethiopia. Those three are about autocrats in countries, so pick the country that interests you most, perhaps. Shadow of the Sun is a collection of Africa writing, if you like a book of shorter pieces, as is The Soccer Wars. Travels with Herodotus is neat, and sort of an explanation of Herodotus as the first travel writer and an argument for travel as a mode of learning. The Other is really short. Basically a 75-page version of the quote I posted above.

IMO Shah of Shahs is the best. The way it opens is just so good.

[AlabamAlum]

Gonna get it now. Sucker for this type of book.

[hack]

Which one? Lemmeno what you think. Even though he is a favorite of mine, sometimes the style grates on me a bit. I imagine Talent might crawl out of his own skin at some passages.

[AlabamAlum]

Shah of Shahs.

10 bucks on Amazon.

[hack]

I've been getting used hardcovers on Amazon lately for a penny plus ~$4 shipping. Which is nice because I got rid of all my books when I moved overseas, given the Kindle, and then realized how weird one's house looks without some books on the shelves. Needed a rebuild, but not a synthetic one.