I haven't blogged much because this summer has been filled with house construction, nursing a rescue dog back to health and just dealing with what life throws at you. In other words, I've been living my life.
Recently, online no less, I have gotten into a pissing contest on two different fronts. One is with an author I adore about ERA raising its ugly head again. It had ten years to make it and it didn't because Americans recognize that we are all equal and don't need a special amendment to spell out that equality. We just are. Evidently many women who read her novels, including the author herself don't agree with me. It's funny, the discussion never got ugly, not once no matter how much we disagreed. In my opinion, Eileen Wilks has the best readers and online fans. Her urban fantasy books are some of the best fun I've had between the pages. Just because I do not agree with her on this (and I imagine we may disagree on many points of interest) she has always been gracious and explained her stances politely and rationally. Besides, I could never, ever, get angry with someone who could conceive the character of Cynna.
Secondly I have gotten into the troll-fest that is argument about global warming. I have to stop after I've posted every online link I have for reports on the debunking and lack of any evidence the screeching global warming alarmists try to put forth. It is not within the powers I have on this planet to make them see what clearly is when they so very badly want a crisis. I've never understood people who are silly enough to want to work constantly in crisis mode. They went into Rabid Frothy Mode when I pointed out that it's been proven that all of the data they use to "prove" global warming has been disproven and that no one, ever, has been able to replicate their claims with the proper data. Peer review was such a wonderful process, don't you think? I weep for its loss.
I have refrained from any further participation in either discussion despite many messages to my Facebook account informing that I'm stupid, inbred, a communist, a capitalist corporatist pig, hater, racist, nazi, fascist, and that probably kill puppies for fun. How they got all of that from posting a few salient facts in any argument is beyond my powers of divination, but to each his own. One global warming screecher even threatened to come and burn my house down while I was sleeping in it until I pointed out she was merely adding to her carbon footprint and her time would be better spent teaching polar bears to feed penguins. I haven't heard back from her, so I'm guessing she's booking a flight to Alaska to get in before the worst of the snows begin.
It makes me think back to learning debate in school. I was the kid who was always bored in school because I was so sure I already knew everything (I'm still that way, but now I know I don't know a whole lot but I know I can learn about it). So when the teacher was demonstrating false arguments, I researched Aristotle and his views on language and debate. Deep stuff for a high school student but one way to get through boring English and history classes. Since I already had a love for reading, love for language naturally followed. It's why reading authors like Jane Austen and David Mamet and Shakespeare enthuse so many readers, their use of language is exquisite. Read a sonnet by Bill the Bard and tell me that's not beauty.
I never got so into language as to be caught in the poetry net. I still have no use for most poetry and have bothered only to remember a few bits and pieces here and there and most of that was inspired by Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek Next Gen, and not anything shoved down my throat in school. My love of language took the "useful" tool route. I have used language to bludgeon idiots ever since. I've walked away from many a verbal tussle with my opponent having no idea whatsoever that they have been eviscerated until much later or unless their Thinking Service Person is with them and explains it to them. It's useful for PTA and School Board meetings. I highly recommend it. There are ways to insinuate that someone's parents are, in fact, brother and sister, without being rude or using course language. It's a challenge that fire cannot melt out of me. (Hat tip to Bill the Bard for that bit of wordsmithery).
Way back in the 90s and the dinosaur day of online stupidity to be had at AOL's Unlimited Access, I saw a very wonderful thing said. "Never argue with an idiot on the internet. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience." I try to remember that every time I engage. When the morons make their presence known I disengage and leave them to their frothing and screeching like a flock of Harpies ruining everything around them.
Why? Why don't I try to lead them to reason and knowledge? Because like the Ring in the Lord of the Rings, they want to remain ignorant. Again, why? Because they wish for death and will try everything they can to A) make someone else responsible for all of their stupidity and; B) hasten their end.
I make this point constantly, no one on this planet can control the weather, despite comic book heroes. When one of the cretins screeches about climate being global and weather being local, they are being specious. No amount of government control of our lives is going to make us capable of controlling the weather. No amount of screeching, protesting and littering cities with tent cities and trash is going to change that fact. No amount of money stolen from producers to give to useless pieces of crap who live to cry and rant about anything at all will change that fact.
You cannot point this fact out to them because they really do not get it. Because in their infantile minds someone is responsible and someone should pay and then it will be fixed, because throwing money solves all problems, right California?
It's a theory. I have a million of them.
But the saying from the 90s rings just as true today. It really is pointless to argue with people who cannot argue rationally and logically. When everything you have comes from emotion you have nothing but a huge ball of frustration and no other argument other than, "Well, it feels like it should be this way." When that is the best you've got, you have nothing.
Think about my argument against all of the "Awareness" things out there. How is my being aware of Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Diabetes or Crohn's Disease going to help anyone with those diseases? How is wearing a bracelet or a pin or a ribbon going to help anyone? The only answers I get when I ask this question is, "It's awareness." I am aware of a great many things I don't like and are tragic and yet it hasn't stopped any of them from happening. I am aware of tornadoes and yet they happen despite my notice of them. My observation of them has not changed their behavior despite all the laws of physics. So awareness has not helped. My awareness of White Slavery has not slowed that industry down or stopped it. I am aware of drug abuse, child abuse, drunk driving, POWs and KIAs, teenaged stupidity and a whole host of other things and my awareness has yet to stop any of it. Why? Because awareness does fuck all in stopping anything more than teen-aged necking in cars. Action stops things, so instead of buying a pin or a bracelet, research a good organization who is actually researching or doing things and give that money to them. You don't have to be personally involved to be helping. I've handed out bottles of water to firemen putting out brush fires near my house. That doesn't mean I put out the damned fire. I just made the firefighter's lot in life a tad easier by being there with water when they were hot and tired. Just because you bought a bracelet from some do-gooder idiot does not mean you're curing cancer. You're not even making cancer research easier. You're just feeding your own ego.
Politics is just too confusing for me right now. There is so much going on and all I can think about is just nuking DC from orbit, because it's the only way to be sure. Clean sweep the city and start all over from scratch. I'm so sick of everything going on there and everyone being so damned stupid about it. Back in the 90s I used to joke that I would run for president and clean up DC. That will never happen until you get term limits. Keep a very tight leash on anyone who has aspirations of this idiotic concept of dynasty building or just club them to death, either works for me. People like John McCain, Dingy Harry and Nancy Legosi should be clubbed like baby Harp Seals on live TV as a warning to others who think to live their life in the pursuit of power. Power corrupts and nowhere more so than in Washington DC.
I guess I can expect another visits from men in suits.
Like I said, it's a theory. I've got a million of them.
Recently, online no less, I have gotten into a pissing contest on two different fronts. One is with an author I adore about ERA raising its ugly head again. It had ten years to make it and it didn't because Americans recognize that we are all equal and don't need a special amendment to spell out that equality. We just are. Evidently many women who read her novels, including the author herself don't agree with me. It's funny, the discussion never got ugly, not once no matter how much we disagreed. In my opinion, Eileen Wilks has the best readers and online fans. Her urban fantasy books are some of the best fun I've had between the pages. Just because I do not agree with her on this (and I imagine we may disagree on many points of interest) she has always been gracious and explained her stances politely and rationally. Besides, I could never, ever, get angry with someone who could conceive the character of Cynna.
Secondly I have gotten into the troll-fest that is argument about global warming. I have to stop after I've posted every online link I have for reports on the debunking and lack of any evidence the screeching global warming alarmists try to put forth. It is not within the powers I have on this planet to make them see what clearly is when they so very badly want a crisis. I've never understood people who are silly enough to want to work constantly in crisis mode. They went into Rabid Frothy Mode when I pointed out that it's been proven that all of the data they use to "prove" global warming has been disproven and that no one, ever, has been able to replicate their claims with the proper data. Peer review was such a wonderful process, don't you think? I weep for its loss.
I have refrained from any further participation in either discussion despite many messages to my Facebook account informing that I'm stupid, inbred, a communist, a capitalist corporatist pig, hater, racist, nazi, fascist, and that probably kill puppies for fun. How they got all of that from posting a few salient facts in any argument is beyond my powers of divination, but to each his own. One global warming screecher even threatened to come and burn my house down while I was sleeping in it until I pointed out she was merely adding to her carbon footprint and her time would be better spent teaching polar bears to feed penguins. I haven't heard back from her, so I'm guessing she's booking a flight to Alaska to get in before the worst of the snows begin.
It makes me think back to learning debate in school. I was the kid who was always bored in school because I was so sure I already knew everything (I'm still that way, but now I know I don't know a whole lot but I know I can learn about it). So when the teacher was demonstrating false arguments, I researched Aristotle and his views on language and debate. Deep stuff for a high school student but one way to get through boring English and history classes. Since I already had a love for reading, love for language naturally followed. It's why reading authors like Jane Austen and David Mamet and Shakespeare enthuse so many readers, their use of language is exquisite. Read a sonnet by Bill the Bard and tell me that's not beauty.
I never got so into language as to be caught in the poetry net. I still have no use for most poetry and have bothered only to remember a few bits and pieces here and there and most of that was inspired by Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek Next Gen, and not anything shoved down my throat in school. My love of language took the "useful" tool route. I have used language to bludgeon idiots ever since. I've walked away from many a verbal tussle with my opponent having no idea whatsoever that they have been eviscerated until much later or unless their Thinking Service Person is with them and explains it to them. It's useful for PTA and School Board meetings. I highly recommend it. There are ways to insinuate that someone's parents are, in fact, brother and sister, without being rude or using course language. It's a challenge that fire cannot melt out of me. (Hat tip to Bill the Bard for that bit of wordsmithery).
Way back in the 90s and the dinosaur day of online stupidity to be had at AOL's Unlimited Access, I saw a very wonderful thing said. "Never argue with an idiot on the internet. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience." I try to remember that every time I engage. When the morons make their presence known I disengage and leave them to their frothing and screeching like a flock of Harpies ruining everything around them.
Why? Why don't I try to lead them to reason and knowledge? Because like the Ring in the Lord of the Rings, they want to remain ignorant. Again, why? Because they wish for death and will try everything they can to A) make someone else responsible for all of their stupidity and; B) hasten their end.
I make this point constantly, no one on this planet can control the weather, despite comic book heroes. When one of the cretins screeches about climate being global and weather being local, they are being specious. No amount of government control of our lives is going to make us capable of controlling the weather. No amount of screeching, protesting and littering cities with tent cities and trash is going to change that fact. No amount of money stolen from producers to give to useless pieces of crap who live to cry and rant about anything at all will change that fact.
You cannot point this fact out to them because they really do not get it. Because in their infantile minds someone is responsible and someone should pay and then it will be fixed, because throwing money solves all problems, right California?
It's a theory. I have a million of them.
But the saying from the 90s rings just as true today. It really is pointless to argue with people who cannot argue rationally and logically. When everything you have comes from emotion you have nothing but a huge ball of frustration and no other argument other than, "Well, it feels like it should be this way." When that is the best you've got, you have nothing.
Think about my argument against all of the "Awareness" things out there. How is my being aware of Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Diabetes or Crohn's Disease going to help anyone with those diseases? How is wearing a bracelet or a pin or a ribbon going to help anyone? The only answers I get when I ask this question is, "It's awareness." I am aware of a great many things I don't like and are tragic and yet it hasn't stopped any of them from happening. I am aware of tornadoes and yet they happen despite my notice of them. My observation of them has not changed their behavior despite all the laws of physics. So awareness has not helped. My awareness of White Slavery has not slowed that industry down or stopped it. I am aware of drug abuse, child abuse, drunk driving, POWs and KIAs, teenaged stupidity and a whole host of other things and my awareness has yet to stop any of it. Why? Because awareness does fuck all in stopping anything more than teen-aged necking in cars. Action stops things, so instead of buying a pin or a bracelet, research a good organization who is actually researching or doing things and give that money to them. You don't have to be personally involved to be helping. I've handed out bottles of water to firemen putting out brush fires near my house. That doesn't mean I put out the damned fire. I just made the firefighter's lot in life a tad easier by being there with water when they were hot and tired. Just because you bought a bracelet from some do-gooder idiot does not mean you're curing cancer. You're not even making cancer research easier. You're just feeding your own ego.
Politics is just too confusing for me right now. There is so much going on and all I can think about is just nuking DC from orbit, because it's the only way to be sure. Clean sweep the city and start all over from scratch. I'm so sick of everything going on there and everyone being so damned stupid about it. Back in the 90s I used to joke that I would run for president and clean up DC. That will never happen until you get term limits. Keep a very tight leash on anyone who has aspirations of this idiotic concept of dynasty building or just club them to death, either works for me. People like John McCain, Dingy Harry and Nancy Legosi should be clubbed like baby Harp Seals on live TV as a warning to others who think to live their life in the pursuit of power. Power corrupts and nowhere more so than in Washington DC.
I guess I can expect another visits from men in suits.
Like I said, it's a theory. I've got a million of them.
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