The photos of the "crowds" at the tank parade remind me of when Bill Hicks would come on stage in an almost-empty club, scan the room slowly, and announce "I've had more people in bed than this" ...
When the president sends a cabinet member on TV to announce "We are using the military to liberate an American city from its elected leaders," where do you go from there. What is left to say. The idea of that being anything short of a near-universal "Wait, what the fuck is going on" moment proves how far we've backslid.
This is from 2022 but it was absolutely right. The practiced buffoonery of Trump 1, all the "just kiddings" and "seriously but not literallys" absolutely succeeded in desensitizing people who are hardly paying any attention to the harder stuff they always intended to do next. ...
The basic fallacy in chasing votes by being "tough on immigration" is that the modal American's position on the issue is "Deport the Bad ones and keep the Good ones," and they alone know who is which, and that simply does not translate into workable policy. So this kind of gestapo stuff horrifies some of the same people who cheered when Trump promised to do it. There are true sociopaths who love this, but "No, I meant only the BAD immigrants! Not my coworker/friend/neighbor!" is as likely a reaction as enthusiasm. You cannot do immigration policy that satisfies these people because what they want is nonsensical.
So by the time center-left parties fully commit to chasing the far right by "getting tough" on immigration, the backlash has already begun to build and they walk right into it. "I thought you people wanted this!" No, they want something impossible and convinced themselves they'd could have it - the "eat whatever you want AND lose weight!" of immigration policies.
It is hard to grasp but large masses of Americans are both racist/xenophobic AND not racist/xenophobic enough to applaud what Trump is doing. It's goldilocks shit, they want a level of racism/xenophobia calibrated exactly to their personal preferences, and you just can't make that policy. Don't try. ...
AP: Trump extends olive branch, invites Musk to White House cellar to taste some brand new amontillado ...
comhradh says:
REMEMBER THE RAISIN!
AL says:
In the meantime, readers might want to check out this video if they haven't already done so: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/7469383/
anotherbozo says:
Did everyone hear that our Arkansas bigot, Clint McCance, resigned on Anderson Cooper last night?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/29/clint-mccance-resigns-anderson-cooper_n_775828.html
Jude says:
You mean you haven't already been sued by any of these groups for using NPF?
Ed says:
I told the National Psoriasis Foundation to eat a bowl of dicks.
Rick says:
Probably un-necessary (advice), but: re-work the paper a bit and submit it somewhere else. Easier said than done, I know, but if you think what you're saying is reasonable and/or interesting, do it. (Never been published myself, BTW; I see the axe…)
Patti says:
Remember the Raisin! How often do we ignore dried fruits in our daily lives?
HoosierPoli says:
Bah, the journal chase is my least favorite part of academia. Some departments base their performance solely on their collective impact factor. Drives me nuts.
Nan says:
Just what Michigan needed — a cannonball park. Can the re-enactors be far behind?
Do you have any clue which of the not-so-objective-after-all peer reviewers you failed to cite?
Elder Futhark says:
Well then, here's my version of Science Friday.
The ISS, the International Space Station is in its second decade in orbit, and has travelled 1.5 billion miles, which, if it had been in a straight line, would put it nearly in reach of Uranus. Yes, I said Uranus. Fucking grow up.
The Tevatron, Fermilab's 2 trillion electron volt proton/anti-proton particle accelerator gets a three year program extension, until 2014. Fermilab will continue its work to look for the Higgs particle, the particle which physicists theorize gives matter its mass. It is not know what the elusive Higgs will look like, but some suggest a strong resemblance to Mr. Peanut – albeit, like, really, really small, dude.
A researcher at the California National Primate Research Center may have contracted a virus which jumped species just like in the Hollywood horror movie scenario. Not much else to say, except, if true, serves you right you monkeyfucker.
On the tech front, the Japanese have moved a step closer to their dream of not just fucking humanoid robots, but becoming humanoid robots. Further revisions to the Actroid-F model 7. Reports coming in vary but the consensus is it is getting to be less and less like fucking Yoko Ono.
And finally, giant dragonflies have been successfully raised in high oxygen chamber in a simulation of late Carboniferous conditions. Biologists report dragonflies with wingspans of 300 feet/ Plans are to contract out giant Japanese humanoid battle bots should the dragonflies threaten the warehouse district.
That is All!
Jude says:
A whole bowl? You're the man, Ed!
ts46064 says:
I'm so tired of the government socializing our historical landmarks!
chautauqua says:
I've been to that park, which existed previously under local auspices. I'm betting Michigan sold it to the NPS. In any event, it's eminently forgettable.
svnski says:
But how does one eat a bowl of dicks? Or suck a bag, for that matter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzbURUrgQao
Scott Stiefel says:
Howard Zinn would be pleased – http://thepaincomics.com/weekly061129a.htm
smelter rat says:
Wasn't that the war where the socialist horde from up here in Canada kicked American ass and burned down the White House? Practically my favourite war.
True Fact says:
"War of 1812?" What, are you just making up wars to fuck with people now?
eau says:
The Battle of 1812? I have it on good authority that The Battle of 1812 lives in our hearts…