Month: April 2018

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Cui Bono?

15 April 2018

Criminal investigations start with questions. Who could do this? Who would do this? Who profits most from this? Who profits least from this?

If I were Bashir Assad I would NOT want to unnecessarily annoy the US Government immediately after their President just pledged to withdraw his occupation from my country.

If I were selling missiles to FedGov I would want them to blow them up frequently and replace them from my stock. If I were an amoral politician receiving hefty campaign contributions from MissileCorp I would be eager to talk up reasons to blow things up in foreign lands. If I were an idealistic black operative I should be willing to sacrifice a few dozens for the “greater good.”

Do I believe that Bashir Assad would “gas his own people?” Yes. In Assad’s efforts to Preserve His Union, the body count is approaching Lincolnian Levels. He’s not apt to blanch at another few score corpses. Do I believe Assad did “gas his own people?” No. He has the most to lose from using poison gas in so public an arena.

Do I believe, as Mr Putin has suggested, that British Black Ops engineered the latest event at the behest of the US? No, but that doesn’t stop me from suspecting it. I don’t have access to sufficient evidence to conclude anything, but I believe least the occupation’s official line.

When a Secretary of State blithely opines that a half a million dead children is “worth it” in pursuit of foreign entanglements, when a President topples an oasis of secular stability in pursuit of phantom terrors, and when another Secretary of State cackles over a former client’s agonizing death, a hypothetical “Operation Northwoods Middle East” is not inconceivable.

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“So what is it with you, anyway? Is it like Asperger’s or something?”

11 April 2018

Probably not, though it has been suggested. Both former arch nemeses, and the senior sidekick, seem(ed) to think so. The other sidekicks decline to weigh in. I don’t know whether I appreciate their kindness or respect their indifference.

During the death throes of my second marriage, Drama Queen discovered the on-line Asperger’s community. As a consequence, I received a great deal of required reading. As I understand it, a syndrome describes a collection of related symptoms, all pointing to one pathology or another. Recognized symptomology seems to use the super-majoritarian approach. Match seven or eight of these ten behavioral distinctions, and the psych community will declare you a sufferer of thus and so.

Drama Queen and Busy Body and Star Gazer may have a point. Like the Aspies, I am both monomaniacal and hyper-literal. I can easily immerse myself in my fancies for hours on end, and fresh metaphors often take me by surprise. Old and tired metaphors don’t, but I’ll often treat them as literal if I’m in a cantankerous mood. The main difference is (I hope) my wit. Aspies seem to have no sense of irony, whereas I revel in it.

My best friends don’t think it’s Asperger’s at all.
They think I’m a jerk.

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From NEW! YORK! CITY! The most self-congratulatory city in the WORLD!

7 December 2017

There are worse symptoms of insecure tribalism than school spirit or localist conceit. Genocide, slavery, and genital mutilation all come readily to mind, but localist conceit is one that has annoyed me for most of my life.

Growing up a navy brat I moved from the best little community in America to the finest little town there is to the greatest spot on Earth. Somehow they all were, and I knew that had to be ridiculous. Sure, most folks are comfy where they lived, that’s probably why they put up with it. But it didn’t necessarily make them any better than the folks in the next town.

Boston Strong? Boston Scared is more like it. The citizenry allowed themselves to be cowed by the local authorities, while they accomplished NOTHING (the suspect was found OUTSIDE their cordon) except stealing illegal guns and drugs from perfectly decent Beantowners. The strength? Sure, there was plenty of HUMAN strength rallied in the face of these pinheads’ depravity. It’s what humans do. They did it in Boston, they did it in Charleston, they did it in Las Vegas.

The Cincinnati Way? Quoting from a local video promo: “When the lunches are packed and the kids are off to school, we get down to the business of our day. It’s the Cincinnati Way.” Sure. And in Seattle and Savannah? Those slugs just go back to bed, I guess. Apparently, those cities were built accidentally.

The Aloha Spirit? Hawaii is indeed a beautiful place, and it holds many amazing attractions, including the Aloha Spirit, but there is nothing uniquely Hawaiian about the Aloha Spirit except its name. Again, as a navy brat, I encountered the Aloha Spirit in Maine and Connecticut and Oregon, too. Of course, there they didn’t make such a big fuss over the name. In fact, if they thought it was worth mentioning at all, they called it kindness, generosity, or just plain decency.

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Sexist or Racist?

7 April 2008

I think that Hillary (“Bubba in a Pants Suit”) Clinton and Barack (“John Edwards with a Tan”) Obama are both amoral statists, and I won’t be voting for either of them. Nevertheless, it was a comfort this spring to realize that, at long last, most of the rest of America had finally caught up with me. Neither Hillary’s vagina nor Barack’s complexion are considered to be automatic disqualifications for the Presidency.

Okay, not ALL of America. There are still a few bigots who cannot bring themselves to vote for a “person of color” or a “person of gender.” They are a declining demographic. On the other hand, there are probably more (lots more!) who will be voting FOR them BECAUSE of their sex or race.

Do I deny that I am a sexist or a racist? Certainly not. I (like most everybody else) am a practicing sexist. My personal canoodling criteria automatically disqualify half the population. So do yours, I bet! But I don’t apply my sexism to the job scene. Architects, surgeons, and janitors should be evaluated strictly on the basis of job performance. Any demographic considerations overriding competence are wicked and cruel.

As for racism? Well, I have no stake in racial distinctions, so I generally don’t care. Sometimes such superficialities ARE significant, and I am certainly able to discern them. If Kimo asks me, “Who dat Haole?” I know he’s not talking about the Tongan or the Filipino in the crowd.

Now, if I were a casting director or a photo editor, I might have professional responsibilities to make racist decisions. Assembling a cast for A Raisin in the Sun, I’m apt to give short shrift to a lot of talented (but too pale) actors. If the “United Colors of Benetton” wants a picture of beautiful children, then I’m going to make sure that they’re chromatically balanced. If I were a hematologist I would take care to note those of my patients whom might have a greater proclivity for sickle-cell anemia. And if I were an obstetrician or a gynecologist, then I had BETTER be a sexist (female chauvinist variety) or I’m out of a job!

But I’m still not voting for Mrs Clinton or Mr Obama.
Nor Dennis (“The Red Menace”) Kucinich, but I wouldn’t mind his being President Paul’s Ambassador to the United Nations
(as long as we retain membership.)

These comments are sponsored by The Confederate Mint (purveyors of metallic securities in gold, silver, copper, and lead).  For sample sheets of Metallic Certificates (total face value One Tenth Silver Dollar) send One Silver Dime plus a self-addressed stamped envelope; or Three United States Legal Tender Federal Reserve “Dollars” in scrip, check, or money order, to Greigh Area Associates, c/o Gene Greigh //  843 Carson Drive;  Lebanon, Ohio;  45036

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in re “Our Democracy”

<meta name=“description” content=“On missing the point in political discourse.”/>

As disturbing, and amusing, as that recent display of synchronized Sinclairian sycophancy was, even more disturbing, and less amusing, was the actual content of their robotic recitation (“…dangerous for our democracy.”)

It is not unreasonable to expect well paid and well groomed spokes-bots to mouth their corporate masters’ message, and it was certainly gratifying that someone took the effort to synch up these prattling parrots to show just how much independent thought goes into reading the news. Approximately zero.

Again, the saddest part of all was the actual message. Anyone who refers to the united States as “Our Democracy” betrays a deep misunderstanding of constitutional order and individual liberty.

On paper, at least ([“deity condemned”], according to BHWB43), the united States are a confederation of “Free and Independent” sovereigns, and NOT a unitary democracy. Ostensibly, the Constitution protects both the prerogatives of the States and the rights of the People.
In a democracy, 51% are entitled to kill and eat 49%.

On the other hand, the use of “Our Democracy” IS a convenient flag.
It says, “Stuffed shirt here! No need to waste any more time trying to learn from this ill-informed source.”

(And speaking of ill-informed, Bubback Hussein Walker Bush 43 = “Dubya“.)

180407

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Wasted Votes

22 October 2004

I’m not super excited about Michael Badnarik, but I’ll be voting for him. Sure, he’s no Harry Browne or (former New Mexico governor) Gary Johnson, but he’s still a fur sight better than Dubya or Kerry.

“But Gene,” you bleat, “he can’t win. You’re just wasting your vote!”

Am I? How can you be qualified to tell me how much I value an action?

In order to make sense of the assertion, I need to understand what “waste” is. I will stipulate that “waste” constitutes expenditure without purpose. If I’m running the faucet into the sink am I wasting water or am I flushing the drain? If I leave my computer on am I wasting electricity or am I saving boot-up time? An evaluation of waste demands a metric. When it comes to voting, there are many. Most of us get at least an emotional rush out of it. Whether it’s that warm fuzzy from civic engagement, or the sober satisfaction of prudent strategory. As in: “I know Burry is awful, but Kesh is worse!” or “Vote YES 4 Kidz!” I get it. Emotionalism matters. Whether you’re voting for Dubya in order to keep the blood of President Kerry’s crimes off your hands, or just taking pride in NOT robbing your neighbors (Vote NO 4 Kids!), your vote is never wasted if it pleases you.

But enough of “rank sentimentalism” (Merci, M Renault!) Other than palliating the proletariat, what does voting actually DO? Practically? Really? Well, arguably it elects a president or a dog catcher. And it can qualify a political party for future ballots. Or does it? One of the best ways of revealing the value of something is to remove it from the equation and see what changes. If you hadn’t voted for Dubya in 2000, he still would have lost Hawaii and won the Union. That vote then, was wasted. It made no difference. By THAT metric, anyway. Of course, there is a chance, a very small chance, that your next vote is gonna put Geohn Burry over the top and defeat Jorge Kesh. There is a less small chance that my next vote for the Libertarian candidate will be the one that puts our party over the top and qualifies us for automatic ballot status next time.

So I’ll make you a bet! The same wager I’ve been offering around the last couple of months. I’ll put up an ounce of gold and you put up an ounce of silver. If the Presidential election comes down to your State, and your State comes down to your vote, you win! Otherwise you owe me an ounce of silver (or about eight bucks federal paper.)

I’ve been offering about fifty to one odds, and so far I have no takers, not even from the big noises who still scold us for “wasting” our votes.

update 180421: Bad Example #1 —
Kerry and Bush are both war criminals,
and therefore equally bad. I had preferred, and predicted, a Kerry win. I’d hoped that a Democrat in the White House might remind Republicans to feign free market allegiance again. Faced with a monolithic Demoblican OR Repucrat government, I’ll take division over union.
Give me Liberty, or Give me Gridlock!

Bad Example #2: Voting YES 4 Kidz never works,
as the beneficiaries of such regular larcenies continue to be
pampered educrats and union thugs.

I’m less excited about Gary Johnson now, having voted for him twice, than I was in ‘04, and continue to despair of seeing a candidate of the calibre of Harry Browne or Ron Paul any time soon (despite their respective “flaws.”) Nevertheless, I salute him, and his back to back record breaking runs.  update 210228:  I still salute him, even though Jo Jorgensen has just eclipsed his first record in her 2020 run.  The Iron Man now occupies the first and third places in the LP’s Presidential Derby, with Dr JoJo now shoehorned in at second.  It’s a pity that neither Mr Browne nor Dr Paul (in their own respective runs) enjoyed the general level of notoriety that libertarians do today.
America might have saved itself a lot of trouble! (frowny face emotji)

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Our Neighbors

1 April 2018

The more I deal with Americans, the more I like Mexicans and the more I respect Canadians.

Admittedly, that is not a comprehensive comparison, and in fact is much skewed, as I’ve mostly and most recently dealt with them within the confines of the  QuikkStopp™ deep in the heart of the u S of A. As a consequence I would be dealing with very few of the craven dullards who can’t be bothered to stir themselves from their native villages and brave the big world outside, but, to a certain extent, that also applies to most of my domestic clientele.

And, bearing in mind the evergreen caveat that usually only bookies profit from generalizations, I will still state that, based on courtesy, literacy, coherence of speech, demeanor, and over-all comportment, Americans as a class seem to be neither as nice as Mexicans nor as smart as Canadians.

Americans will walk straight across a freshly mopped floor and pretend to apologize for it. Mexicans will stop, pause, then pick out the least destructive path, retrace their steps, and NOT apologize for doing what they saw as necessary. Nor should they. I don’t get to lock the door and they don’t know my cleaning schedule. I do put up signs, and they seem to be attentive to them.

Americans have a hard time dividing by ten. Mexicans and Canadians breathe the metric system. Furthermore, when Canada’s cent became too expensive to produce, they ditched it. (Kind of a shame, as the Maple Sprig was and is one of North America’s most beautiful coins.) Rounding to the nearest five cents? Easier than algebra! Canadians don’t even blink while Americans would be soiling themselves. The Loonie and the Toonie circulate about the Great White North without the slightest fuss. Show an American a Brass Buck or Sweet Susie B and he says, “What’s that?” or “Looks like a quarter.” (Even though the nickel is closer in both diameter and weight to the quarter than is the little buck.)

Americans begin transactions with “Give me,” or “I want,” or “I need.” Mexicans and Canadians ASK for things, and they usually use the P word, too. Americans seem to be allergic to the P word; its very utterance can spread horror and revulsion across their faces.

For all I know, Mexicans are just as smart as Canadians. I probably suffer from a little Anglophone bias. Now if Americans could only speak English as well as most Mexican immigrants, they just might have a shot at second place!

Standard English Obfuscation:
<meta name=“description” content=“On the behavioral differences between ‘Mericans, Messkins, and Canucks.”/>