Program Note
There will be no new column today, sorry. I had to spend time on minor site maintenance today, which didn't leave time for much else. Advance warning: there will be at least one more future day of site maintenance upcoming, as the site migrates from one server to another at my local ISP, but this should (hopefully) be completely transparent to site users. This will not happen until after the midterm elections, though, so it'll be a few weeks at least until it happens, and I'll try to warn everyone in advance. I will also try to answer some comments tonight, to make up for the lack of column today.
As always, I would comment on the recent domestic terrorism news this week with a blanket condemnation of violence for political ends in just about any circumstance short of a civil war or revolution. Mail bombers are cowards, plain and simple, and deserve no respect or support from anyone sane. The targets' political views do not matter -- this, to me, is universal, period. But then that's long been my position here in these pages and elsewhere. That's likely what I would have written about today, had I time to put together a full column.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
a blanket condemnation of violence for political ends in just about any circumstance short of a civil war or revolution.
I second that. Antifa could learn a thing or two from M.L. King.
The targets' political views do not matter -- this, to me, is universal, period.
No, but how would you like to have to decide which to name as lead investigator: Clarice Starling or Jack Ryan?
how would you like to have to decide which to name as lead investigator: Clarice Starling or Jack Ryan?
My point being that public interest in the case is high, simply because it's a high-stakes mystery, and everyone loves a mystery.
But what if the real villain is another Country, say one that's trying to raise the volume on the mid-terms, distract from a recent controversy, or just limit the movements of high-profile democrats?
On deeper reflection, my choice for fictional lead agent would probably be Doug Carlin (ATF agent from Deja Vu). He's got a good eye, and works well under deadline. Jack Ryan's focus is too broad, Starling's is too narrow. Jack Bauer's name might come up - he works quickly, but all of your evidence would end up compromised by his tactics, particularly his habit of torturing and killing witnesses.
Ironically, the real-life hero of this real-life drama might be a Postal Inspector, seriously. They never make movies about those guys.
Balthasar [1] -
Jack (NMN) Reacher.
But not, of course, the version played by Shrimpy McCruise. Jack Reacher is, by definition, six-foot-five. So those movies are nonsense.
:-)
[2] -
Yeah, and Trump just announced we're pulling out of the UPU international agreement. Sigh.
-CW
amateurs all. this is clearly a case for hercule poirot.
JL
Arrested: White male, mid 50s.
https://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Florida/Broward-County-FL/Cesar-Sayoc.74096359.html?fbclid=IwAR0_ywgl_v6hN9_slmyw324FyR2j6b-oNUncdPdBzi40IRRbSLNS_uKwq6Q
A Trump supporter and ardent Trump rally attendee, no less. Oops.
Wondering if Trump will repeat the 'innocent until proven guilty' mantra that he used to defend Kavanaugh and MBS or blame the media for influencing this man who apparently doesn't own a television.
Tom Steyer also targeted with a bomb - #14.
On a related note, Faux news commentator Tucker Carlson in an interview reported on in Huffpo gave his opinion of who he thinks the "most oppressed" Americans are, describing a group of 'loners' who
"lives in the Middle West and have kind of antiquated social attitudes, and they have very little economic power and they’re overweight and everyone hates them".
Inadvertently, Carlson managed to describe to a tee both the guy that gunned down black patrons of a Kroger in Louisville earlier this week, and the just-arrested suspect bomber.
Kinda redefines the term 'target audience' now, doesn't it?
So to Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones, and any other right-wing nuts claiming this is a "false flag": Wrong again. The guy's twitter feed sounds exactly like the typical Drudge/Breitbart/Limbaugh/Alex Jones right wing-nut conspiracy theory "news" including tweets about Andrew Gillum, George Soros, etc.
He appears to be a gullible rightie conspiracy theory nut living deep in the bubble. Video selfie:
https://twitter.com/hardrock2016/status/1004592444321779713
[12] Yep.
This is an example of: "Stochastic Terrorism: The use of mass, public communication, usually against a particular individual or group, which incites or inspires acts of terrorism which are statistically probable but happen seemingly at random."
Police have a suspect in custody in the pipe bomb incidents. That was fast!
Stochastic terrorism. If you rearrange the syllables you a good description of Trump's village idiot baiting.
Terrorism stoked by an ass.
An ass with a president's megaphone and zero impulse control. Now acting like he personally brought the thug in. Just when you think he can't go any lower.
[14] TS: Terrorism stoked by an ass.
Good one!
@Don
Across the whole of the Internet are there no responsible, reality-based bloggers reaching your millions of disaffected registered voters? Are you getting good coverage out there?
@myvoice,
Don's demands are old news, the order of the day is pie. To join, all you have to do is eat pie, then pledge to vote only for those candidates who support pie. If no pro pie candidate is on the ballot, cast a write-in for pie. It's easy as pie.
JL
nypoet22
Are pot pies part of the movement? Chicken, beef, pork or vegetable? The latter is intended to make PIE more acceptable to CA and other weedy states. Get high on PIE!
@ts,
It's an inclusive movement. Pies of all shapes, sizes and fillings are welcome.
JL
@don,
glad we agree. 'old news' is an idiom though. it is neither ancient nor press-worthy, any more than a red herring is a crimson fish, or bob's your uncle means you have a parental sibling named robert.
JL
@nypoet22
Truth be told, I'm a single issue pie voter. There, it's out in the open and I can finally acknowledge it.
Don Harris
19
Nypoet has declared One Demand old news.
He's 100% correct.
I am inclined to agree.
At last, we agree on something, and that's not nothing.
Since you didn't respond when One Demand was new news, how aboot responding now? Better late than never.
Wait, what? Your characterization that CW "didn't respond" regarding One Demand is just an outright lie… repeat lie. While you may not have agreed with the response you received from CW (and a myriad of others), you sure as hell got a response from CW... on multiple occasions.
We are men of action, lies do not become us. ~ Westley, The Princess Bride
JL
21
Burn! So true. :)
TS
14
Stochastic terrorism. If you rearrange the syllables you a good description of Trump's village idiot baiting.
Terrorism stoked by an ass.
Hey, that is a good one.... excellent point too.
It seems the orange guy stoking the fire has become the fire; it's about time to neutralize that thing and then put it out. :)
@kick,
don's reasoning goes that CW's responses to him have been about something other than what he wants CW to respond to, and therefore are not responses at all. logicians refer to this informal fallacy as appeal to purity, or colloquially, "no true scotsman."
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/no-true-scotsman
JL
well, enough about the poor unfortunate mr. don, let's talk about pie!
Well, enough about the poor unfortunate Mr. Floyd. Let's talk about the rich and prosperous Mr. Butch.
~bruce willis, pulp fiction
JL
26
don's reasoning goes that CW's responses to him have been about something other than what he wants CW to respond to, and therefore are not responses at all. logicians refer to this informal fallacy as appeal to purity, or colloquially, "no true scotsman."
So CW responds multiple times referring to Don's repetitive BS as a "purity test," and Don believes CW hasn't responded at all because his responses aren't "pure enough" to be real answers? Oh, irony!
But what does any of that have to do with pie?! ;)
JL
27
well, enough about the poor unfortunate mr. don, let's talk about pie!
Now that's what I'm talking about! ;)