Liberalty

I heard a proposal to settle middle eastern refugees in cities where it seems like a little "revitalization" might be needed. The basic plan is people fleeing from war zones will be dispersed among places like Detroit, Baltimore, etc. That's literally the plan. These people will go here and just by them being here we will see revitalization! If you're smart enough to see the flaws in this plan congratulations, you qualify for a Ph.D. These places aren't abandoned because people just didn't feel like living there anymore. They didn't watch "How I met your mother" and say "fuck this place I'm going to New York!" No, people left because they no longer had any means of sustaining themselves in those locations. They're just going to supplant people in places where they have no familiarity with the culture, no job prospects, and among what will probably be a hostile population. I can't imagine how this might fail.

You and I March to the Beat of a Different Drum

The entire foundation of the Trump/Hitler comparison seems to be both figures made calculated statements designed to win over a potential voting demographic. Wow! I can't imagine anyone being so evil! When I hear people, it says to me most of what they know about world War 2, Hitler, and the Nazis they've learned from Saving Private Ryan and Inglorious Bastards. It also leads me to infer you believe some people are innately "evil" just a bad guy thwarted by the combined efforts of benevolent leader. Well, it has been said "evil" is found in the results of actions not the motivations behind those actions. This is an important distinction. 

The belief in supervillains is one that reinforces ambivalence to historical context. It's no more likely Hitler was the product of a communion between a headless goat and a serpent on the day of a lunar eclipse anymore as it is our current leaders are actually reptilian aliens wearing human masks. They are just the latest procession in what has been described as the "march of folly."  Humans make mistakes; they have loyalties, biases, cognitive dissonance, the whole nine yards so they are constantly making rash decisions that at best have relatively benign consequences at worse results in the incineration of a 100,000 people.

 Well, the current postwar order has dug itself into quite a hole, and all it can do is continue to dig deeper.  The realization the whole thing is already in the grave probably won't become apparent until the dirt starts being shoveled back in. 

Priorities

Thing 1: Some Muslims might be terrorists so we should play it safe and keep all of them out.

Thing 2: Racist! Very few Muslims are actually terrorists so we are going to kill a whole bunch of them and hopefully we will blow up the ones that are terrorists in the process! We're humanitarians!

Communitiyism

The idea the internet is a basis for a more harmonious global community is ludicrous. People are predisposed to hating each other which is actually one of the reasons communities exist in the first place. Common friends have common enemies which is one of the reasons why they seek the safety of groups or "communities." in the first place.
Daily I find reasons to hate others that are far more arbitrary than factors like race or sexual orientation. I hate people I pass on the street for reasons I completely made up. It has been well-established people are not open minded and will not actively try and dispell any preconceived notions they may have, in fact, they will cling to these ideas even in the face of overwhelming and indisputable evidence to the contrary. No matter how well cataloged and chronicled facts will never settle as many arguments as violence will.

Hey Rio You're So Fine!

Often the Olympics serve as a showcase for more than just the top athletes in the world. Often the games are used for the government of the house city/country as a massive public relations event where they can exploit the spectacle to cast themselves in a glowing light. Well, this time around what's being broadcasted is not the image of a prosperous Brazil or a thriving Rio. What the world is seeing is the results of decades of neoliberal horrors. 
Rio is bankrupt. The city is a disease and crime infested slum where the water is poisoned, the environment is devastated, and the people are largely destitute. What a fantastic microcosm of globalization! The thing is it's not like this wouldn't be the case anywhere else in the world. When the Olympic committee asked who would like the dubious privilege of hosting this year's games Rio raised its hand and the debutant was marched out on the world stage. Unfortunately for her handlers, there wasn't enough makeup to hide the scars on her face left from decades of abuse by the same inhumane global economic system your leaders are trying as hard as they can to perpetuate. Unfortunately, this will have to become the new international standard of beauty. 
No matter what part of this worldwide hollow edifice we look at we will find the same examples of mutilation repeated over and over again. This and all future Olympics will just be beauty pageants for the bloated corpses of defunct nation states.

Put It In

"Psssttt- We don't want to frighten you. We're not fear mongers like those people, but we thought you should know their guy is actually a Russian secrete agent!"

The Democratic party has had some interesting ideas to explain away the success of the Trump campaign. First, it was his voting block are all racist, uneducated, unemployed, privileged (?) people who are afraid of change. Now they are putting out the line Trump is, in fact, a creation of the Kremlin! Isn't that rich coming from the party that told the "birthers" they're crazy?
 Well, I'm glad to see even without the communists there are still opportunities for red-baiting. I've heard a few other theories that explain why this reality tv star turned fringe candidate is enjoying so much success in this election but those ideas have a lot to do with the current political establishment destroying large swaths of the country and population and god knows I wouldn't want to blame anyone unfairly

Hall and Votes

Just because an ugly horrifying truth came to light and a painful lesson was learned, are not grounds to assume there will be a better future molded by people who understand what the consequences of this really are.
This election cycle we have learned that the entire election process is rigged. There had been suspicions, but the whole scam has been exposed to such an extent the mechanisms by which this process works are now practically common knowledge.
So the central premise a voter is working off of is "some very influential people picked another person to anoint someone to a position commonly described to as the most "powerful in the world." These people were picked because they will do what's right for you regardless of the interests of the people who made them. In the US voting is regarded as people just making a suggestion.

No superdelegate, chairperson, superfriend cast their vote for Obama because they thought he seems like the sensible yet free spirit this country needs right now!

How stubbornly will people cling to this insane notion? Quite awhile apparently. Have you ever met the politically ambitious? At best they are so narcissistic they believe they are some kind of remedy for what ales societies at worse they are sociopaths who understand what they're doing and don't particularly give a shit who goes down as a result.

Her Name Is Rio

I’ve really loved the ongoing coverage constantly exposing just how fucked up and largely at this point inhospitable to human life Rio seems to be. It’s too perfect some big bloated international corporate monstrosity looking for a city to destroy has found it’s next meal to already be spoiled meat. Now the whole world is scratching its head saying “huh I guess this place is fucked up pretty bad now.” I think they’re going to realize soon this apocalyptic epiphany came too little too late. 

It's Not A Race

If you hate people from different countries where the general population tends to fall in a different racial category are you automatically racist? If you're a white guy, and you hate Mexicans, for instance, you are a racist, but what you hated the Irish or Bulgarians with equal vigour? Can I hate Columbians the same way I hate Romanians but I'm not racists because I love Hondurans? 

Bard's Gold

                                          (Imagine from:https://www.thunderclap.it/en/projects/31452-bard-s-gold-90-s-platformer)

I gotta say "Bard's Gold" was not a bad way to spend 4.99. If you grew up during the 8 and 16 bit days, you'd appreciate this simple platformer just because of how maddeningly frustrating it is. When I had first Nintendo, I ended up with well over a dozen games. I maybe beat 2 of the. So I would just play the same levels over and over again, and it never bothered me.
I've haven't gotten farther than level 1-7 but I know in my heart of hearts one day I'll make it to level 1-7 of Bard's Gold not just because I've gotten slightly better but because over time, very extended periods of time I can trade in gems I collected during each term. After many, many, many tries you will eventually pay off a full new heart on your health meter. It's amazing how simple of a hook a game can have
Each level is timed and only through trial and error can you hope to survive the level while accumulating much needed. Treasure. The rewards you handsomely for investigating the simple 2-d levels whether it's with treasure or as is the case in the first level (but not through at east the next five that I'm aware) an extra life. I bought this game on a whim, and it wasn't even quite what I assumed it would be given the description, but I would spend that 4.99 again. I may never come close to beating this game, but I know there will be rare days where I hit a hot streak and get further than I ever have before. Mostly though I'll probably mostly keep playing levels 1-1 through 1-6.

Shooting My Mouth Off

I'm not all that worried about guns, to be honest. My likelihood of getting shot is pretty negligible. I'm far more likely to develop cancer then go bankrupt trying to treat it. This actually happens to a lot of people. According to the WHO something like 1 in 2 people will have cancer in their lifetime, and medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy. So where's the filibuster for that?
Every time there's outrage over some kind of wanton massacre we have to suffer through the same pointless debate about gun control. The Democrats say they are adamant about changing the laws! Somehow despite all their opportunities never manage to accomplish much. I think I've figured out why this is.
We already know there's a direct correlation between gun sales and Obama talking about getting tough about gun control. Every time this happens guns fly off the shelves. We also know Congress is mostly made up of millionaires. Do you think these millionaire investors might have a stake in some of America's BIGGEST COMPANIES??
We already know both parties channel billions of dollars to arms manufacturers through defense spending. Maybe they have a reason for keeping these ventures profitable.

In some ways yeah I can see the way people with one hundred thousand dollar journalism degrees and PhDs in post-racial pansexuality have exposed some glaring and disturbing inequality in our society.

Deep Shit

Since we can't seem to figure out who gets to shit where maybe we can put that topic on the back burner and ask our "leaders" about a few other things that are coming down the road. Such as how are you going to alleviate the massive unemployment that is accelerating through automation? Huh that's a head scratcher isn't it?? 
Naturally companies will pursue automation because it's cheaper and as profit driven entities it just makes sense. So how many jobs will be lost? By some estimates, half the fucking labor force will evaporate over the next few decades! Well, ok maybe we can expand welfare? Sounds good but whose going to pay for it? Seeing as how most people will be out of work there will be no tax base. Ok, maybe that one is little hard lets try something easier.
What will be the course of action when extreme droughts create grain shortages causing the price of food to surge? Windmills you say? Yeah well, that sounds real nice, but the problem is it's already too late for that. The massive dislocation and famine are already guaranteed, and they're not too far off either! So what's the plan?
Ok that was is kind of a doozy too. Let's just work out who gets to shit where and then we'll go from there.

Standardized Dating Proposal Message

 I am initiating contact to propose we start talking and if we should converse for two hours, or roughly the time it takes people to become acquainted with each other at a variety of social functions we decide if a face to face would be a good idea. 

If we agree to meet, I request to be able to use alcohol to unwind it what will surely be a somewhat tense and awkward situation. You should feel free to do the same. Would this proposal be acceptable?

If you answer no, I will politely say goodbye and will not pursue any further unsolicited contact. I am hoping to eliminate the wasted energy and time that goes into dating by standardizing whatever elements of the process I can. 

Thanks!

This will work every time.

Insanity and Faith

Hallucinating can be fun. On a number of occasions, I have even paid for the experience. It's when the mind accepts hallucinations for reality that they become dangerous and boy does it seem like Americans went on a trip and are never coming back. Right now millions of them believe they can appeal to the system to change itself by voting either for the pathologically criminal Hillary or the bellicose and often intelligible trump. 
Things will continue as they have but fortunately, Americans won't have to stay disappointed for too long because they can do this all again in just four years! As strange a premise as this is its far from the most deranged illusion Americans have decided to cling to while they watch the paint peel.
 They are convinced battery powered cars, solar panels, and whole foods will save them from the manifesting effects of climate change. You know that thing that will flood coastal cities, force hundreds of millions from their homes, and cause widespread famine? Not only are they convinced this is a phenomenon that as the wars their government has ignited all across the planet will be localized to places full of poor brown people.
 For awhile some of them even believed a billionaire with narcissistic personality disorder would take them to live on Mars where they would all laugh and share stories by the light of the burning earth. This proved to be just a bit much. Even for a people shuffling around with drug glazed eyes repeating insane mantras about being the greatest nation there ever was. You've got to hand it to them though they do keep the faith. After 15 years they still believe they're fighting terrorist and that the military can actually win and after 200 some odd years they still even vote. I suppose there is a fine line between insanity and faith

Jessie's Girl

I see this previews for "Race." I'm willing to bet Jessie Owens was far more concerned with the structural racism of the United States (you know the country he lived in) than he was with the policies of the Nazis at the time. After all the US government has killed many more black people than Germany. That trend has actually continued to this day.

Remember this was pre-holocaust that notable period of industrialized slaughter was still a while off but genocide wasn't a new concept even if the word hadn't been thought of yet. in fact, at the Hitler was quite an adored figure across the world.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess this movie is going to come with the message "Yeah the US has a history but hey, at least, Hitler's never been in charge! Am I right black people??" That's quite the message for a country that likes to hold itself up as such a moral authority. "Hey, at least, we didn't have the Nazis right??!!"

Well whether or not the US has ever technically been run by Nazis is debatable, but all that aside when it comes to Hitler and that 12 or so years of Nazi rule in Germany, who is more evil? Who really has more blood on their hands? Is it the US with its genocide of the natives all the way up to its current global war on terror or is it the Nazis?

American Voter! Get away from me!

There is something slightly different about this coming election. Well, "different" from at least the last two. Say what you will about the repellent Trump and his supporters they are getting quite specific promises from him.
He did not say he would implement any kind of "comprehensive immigration reform." No, he pledged to deport lots of people because he doesn't like most of them and he doesn't really care who knows it.
He didn't say a few things went wrong in Iraq. He declared the whole failure and bad idea based on some misconceived notions. Not many ways to misinterpret his stance on the war.
Sanders as well. Sanders decided he was going to pitch an economically beleaguered American public on the benefits of a socialist program. Whether or not he would actually deliver is beside the point. What matters is he laid out his program and even how to fund it.
Why is this important? Think back Mr. Obama's wildly successful 2008 campaign. The only specific promise I can recall him making is the closure of Guantanamo Bay. How did that workout by the way?
He didn't make a lot of promises because his campaign platform and strategy didn't even rely on whole sentences just two words were employed; "hope" and "change" Two things that sounded pretty good after more than seven years of war and a catastrophic economic crash.
The problem was he never really specific what change you should hope for. He just gave you the worlds and let you associate your preexisting positive notions about these two abstract concepts. Saying that the ploy worked would be an understatement.
The point is Trump supporters. You know those "zombified demagogue worshipers?" They, at least, had the foresight to demand their candidate state clearly what his political designs were. Barak's supporters didn't bother with that. American liberals believe they are too smart to fall for a demagogue. I would ask them; if it could happen to the Germans what chance do you have?

Feels like the first Time

It’s not simply for the sake of the accomplishment in it of itself. The first sexual engagement you have with someone tends to be the culmination of a rising tension accompanied by all the thrill of anticipation.
It’s like the firing of a pistol at the beginning of the raceThe start in some ways is nearly as pleasurable as the climax.  So yeah I guess that is something we like to relive again and again. Why wouldn’t you?
For me, I’ve found while a great amount pleasure is derived from relieving the uncertainty and finally knowing it’s going to go down it’s better to just not have all that annoyance in your life in the first place.

Super Bowlshit!

Whatever your opinion may be of the politics of the Black Panthers it's important to remember pop stars are sort of known for making empty political gestures. It's been popular since the days of the Beatles. It's sort of a shock value thing. 
The internet is a 24-hour controversy machine that generates a constant stream of press. Remember there is no such thing as bad publicity. at the end of the day though none of it is real. No one will "boycott" anything. How do you boycott a singer anyway? No one pays for music anymore. I'm not even sure if people know what a boycott is.
 Is Beyonce a radical? Well before you answer that question stop and think is there anything more establishment-oriented than the super bowl? Well, maybe a super bowl that featured a commercial for a high tech laser shooting military jet.

Rolling with the Changes

In the next few years, we will be living in a word where a considerable number of kids who had a mom or sister(s) who did porn at least once just to pay the rent or something will start becoming adults. Those are people you're really gonna have to watch out for. That's why the word hasn't gotten any better. All we are ever doing is making mistakes that will fuck up the next in new and different ways.