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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Budget Priorities Reminder: You Get What You Voted For

With the Republican-controlled Congress working (?) to write a budget that slashes services to people who need them and gives tax breaks to people who don't need them, I offer today's post. It is a Facebook conversation I had with my friend, Craig yesterday.

It started when I commented and shared the chart below, which another friend had posted to his page:
* * *
Open your eyes! Open your minds! Recognize that America is - and YOU are - being screwed by "fiscal conservatives" who believe that every penny spent to help people costs them profits they could reap from peddling war.
I'm not against security or making money, but the greed that drives Republican economic policy is unconscionable and indefensible.
John Richards's photo.


    • Craig: The assumption is that military spending is discretionary. According to the preamble to the US Constitution ... "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." A mandatory part of the governments duties are to provide for the common defense. I agree there are things we should do to reduce the overall size of the budget not just snipe at the outliers.
      2 hrs · Edited · Like
    • George A. Denino That comment, my friend, is semantic chicanery. You, who likes to use raw data to support an argument, should recognize that "provide for the common defence" does not mandate that "We the People" spend every last penny of our wealth on the military at the expense of policies to "promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Sunday Funnies 150322

It's been a slow week in the funny-business department.

The comics and cartoons that appear in my inbox usually suggest a theme for my weekly, Sunday Funnies compilation. No such theme showed up this week; so instead of giving you a word or theme of the week to consider, let's play a game.

The cartoons below all have something in common. Your task is to figure out what it is.


1. This Week At The White House...


2. In Political Discussions...


3. Out On The Street...


4. and...Right On Your Doorstep!


Did you figure out the answer? You'll find it in the video below of an insanely-funny quartet named...


5. Lunch Break

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Baroque Obama vs. Simplistic Conservatism

I love this image. I had not seen it until a friend shared it on his Facebook page today. When I saw it, I had to share it on my Facebook page, but I did so only after adding the following disclaimer:
I share this image at the risk of having my conservative friends completely miss an excellent pun and instead see it as an anti-Obama statement.
Because complexity, nuance, and detail are the hallmarks of baroque architecture and music, the image is quite pro-Obama.
However, I suspect many conservatives will miss the point because they tend to avoid complexity, nuance, and detail and instead rely on simplistic solutions to complex issues.
I hope they can Handel the truth.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Sunday Funnies 150315 Ignorance & Apathy

News Reporter: According to a recent study, ignorance and apathy are the major causes of America's problems.
Viewer 1: What's "ignorance and apathy"?
Viewer 2: I don't know, and I don't care.

* * *

Ignorance: Now that the Supreme Court has told us that corporations are people, it's important for Americans to recognize and embrace the new reality:

  • Consumerism is patriotism.
  • There is nothing else we need to know.
  • The sooner our children learn this, the sooner the conservative dream for America will become reality, and everything else will fall into place.

Link to Source
As we work with Congress in the coming year to chart a new course in Iraq and strengthen our military to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must also work together to achieve important goals for the American people here at home. This work begins with keeping our economy growing. … And I encourage you all to go shopping more.

–George W. Bush, Dec. 2006  
Apathy:  Many Americans aren't even remotely interested in hearing about the problems facing our nation, but they are willing to lift a finger to address them...their middle finger.

Link to Source

With ignorance and apathy leading the way, America is preparing to enter The Golden Age of Conservatism where:


1. The police will be able to do their jobs without outside interference.


2. Elections will run much more smoothly.


3. Troublemakers will not be able to find a forum to spread dissent.


4. People will not have to think about complex issues, or even simple ones.

Big Brother will tell you everything you need to know to live a full, risk-free life. But it will be up to you to remember that the coffee is hot, so don't put it between your legs as you drive away from the McDonalds pick-up window.

5. Second Amendment rights will continue to justify paranoia.


6. For-profit Truth Institutions will replace our public schools, tax-supported, of course.


7. Common Core will be replaced by No Common Sense. Texas will lead the way.


8. Because consumerism is now patriotism, some things will stay the same.

Disclaimer: I am a Mac geek. 
Although the cartoon refers to the approaching April 24 release date for the Apple Watch, a simple modification to the text, and it can be used whenever Microsoft releases its next version of Windows or another lame imitation of an Apple product.

9. Prejudice, injustice, and inequality will once again be swept safely under the carpet.


10. Politicians will get away with denying they said things that are on the record.

Oh, wait! They already do.
Link to Source

11. Right-wing apologists will continue to sidetrack efforts to effect change.

Of course police lives matter. All lives matter. This cartoon expresses the obvious. It also suggests, however subtly, that perhaps more than the Ferguson shooter thought otherwise. To anyone who would project the motives of one misguided individual onto an entire group, I call bullshit.
The person who used a peaceful protest as a cover for shooting police officers is a coward. It is important to understand that. It is equally important to recognize that one cowardly act does not negate the legitimacy of protests against systematic racial injustice or the need for their continuance until justice becomes color-blind everywhere in America.

12. With ignorance and apathy leading the way, America life will revert to how it was in the good old days.


Sunday, March 8, 2015

Sunday Funnies 150308

The Sunday Funnies word of the week is interpretation:

in-ter-pre-ta-tion |inˌtərpriˈtā sh ən|
noun
the action of explaining the meaning of something : the interpretation of data.
an explanation or way of explaining : this action is open to a number of interpretations.
a stylistic representation of a creative work or dramatic role : two differing interpretations, both bearing the distinctive hallmarks of each writer's perspective.

DERIVATIVES
interpretational |- sh ənl| adjective


ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French interpretation or Latin interpretatio(n-), from the verb interpretari (see interpret ).

* * *
Each of today's offerings contains an interpretation of sorts. You are entitled to your opinion about the selections and comments no matter how inaccurate, biased, and stupid it may be. Oh, and I apologize if I offended you.
Enjoy! 

1. Her poetic license may be revoked.




2. Cursors! Foiled again!




3. The Sum Of All Human Knowledge

If Google represents the sum of all human knowledge, I'm afraid human existence may be a zero sum game.

4. How Interpretation Frames An Issue




5. Recognizing and Rejecting an Asinine Interpretation of Facts




6. One Way To Look At Success




7. So you won't get duped the next time an elected official apologizes...

For those unfortunates who do not follow the 9 Chickweed Lane comic strip, this week's story line has involved supplying apologies for Americans who need them. 

8. Literal Interpretation And Visualization




9. Interpreting Holy Writ




10. News Medium Rare?

If you don't know who Ed Murrow was and what he did in the 1950s, you should apologize for being ignorant of a significant event in American history. Ignorance of that event may also explain why many Americans think that Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly are legitimate news reporters instead of what they really are - foot soldiers in the right-wing propaganda army.
Link to Source

11. Interpreting What's On The Menu - Food For Thought

Let's see if I understand this one. There's no ham in a hamburger, but there is cheese in a cheeseburger. Therefore, eating a cheeseburger instead of a hamburger means one is not eating ham, which would violate the pledge to give up meat for lent.
Makes perfect scents. I wonder if vegans would buy that line of reasoning. Pass the catshit and mouse turd.
Link to Source

12. An Honest Interpretation

I think Rat's comments in this Pearls Before Swine strip perfectly capture how I feel about much of what friends share on Facebook, and I'm quite certain those feelings are reciprocated.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Sunday Funnies 150301

The Sunday Funnies word of the week is construct:

con-struct
verb |kənˈstrəkt| [ trans. ]
build or erect (something, typically a building, road, or machine) : a company that constructs oil rigs.
form (an idea or theory) by bringing together various conceptual elements, typically over a period of time : Ptolemy combined his interests to construct a theory in support of Aristotle.
Grammar form (a sentence) according to grammatical rules.
Geometry draw or delineate (a geometric figure) accurately to given conditions.

noun |ˈkänˌstrəkt|
an idea or theory containing various conceptual elements, typically one considered to be subjective and not based on empirical evidence : history is largely an ideological construct.
Linguistics a group of words forming a phrase.
a physical thing that is deliberately built or formed.

DERIVATIVES
constructible adjective
constructor |-tər| noun

ORIGIN late Middle English : from Latin construct- ‘heaped together, built,’ from the verb construere, from con- ‘together’ + struere ‘pile, build.’


* * *

Let's play a word game. Look at each cartoon and decide whether the verb or the noun definition more accurately applies to the content. Be careful. In some cases both definitions work equally well.

You may use the comments to help you. A list of the correct answers can be found at the end.

1. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

Can you say, "Monstrousity?" I knew you could.

2. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

I believe this cartoon can be accurately labeled as graphic circumlocution.

3. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

Fool me once... Fool me twice... Let's see if you can get fooled again.

4. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

Was there an ego before Freud? Are all humans id-iots? Enquiring minds want to know.

5. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

Nest on FOX: How to Make a Freudian Slip out of Whole Cloth by Rudolph Giuliani.

6. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

False equivalence is a logical fallacy which describes a situation where there is a logical and apparent equivalence, but when in fact there is none. 
A common way for this fallacy to be perpetuated is one shared trait between two subjects is assumed to show equivalence, especially in order of magnitude, when equivalence is not necessarily the logical result.
Fact: “Democrats have consistently stood on the side of comprehensive immigration reform, Democrats have provided strong majorities across the board for comprehensive immigration reform, and you do a disservice when you suggest that nobody was focused on this, because then you don’t know who’s fighting for you and who’s fighting against you.” –President Obama

7. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

In other words, this is a spicy premonition about monkey business.

8. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

The pen is mightier than the NOzzle of a corporation-controlled, puppet legislature.

9. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

Wisconsin Swiss Cheese Logic

10. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

I can dig it!

11. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

You simply can't make this stuff up.
Link to Source

12. The ___ verb ___ noun definition is more appropriate. ___ Both work equally well.

And finally, the self-made man whose father was just a made man.

Answers: I lied. There is no list of correct answers. The most appropriate choice for each item can be either the verb, the noun, or both, depending on what part of the picture or the text you choose to zero in on.

Thanks for playing.