The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Learning Not to Argue

Posted on | October 9, 2016 | 3 Comments

One of the important lessons in life — and it took me a long time to learn it — is to avoid arguments. That is to say, when you find yourself in a situation where someone is determined to dispute about facts, as opposed to mere opinion, just leave it alone and walk away. You have stated what you believe to be true, and the person trying to have an argument with you is, in effect, accusing you of ignorance and/or poor judgment. You are being disrespected, and there is no possibility that someone who has no respect for you will be persuaded by anything more you have to say. Change the subject, or politely excuse yourself from the conversation, because continuing such an argument will only give further offense to your antagonist, and likely cause harm to your reputation.

Yesterday, I stated as a fact that the presidential election is now effectively over, that the release of Donald Trump’s “hot mic” tape is a “non-recoverable error.” I am 57 years old, and have studied politics quite assiduously during my life, and if I don’t know what I’m talking about by now when it comes to elections, then I must be a hopeless fool.

Well, the comments on yesterday’s post were flooded with angry people calling me a fool and worse. What seems to be the problem is that these people do not comprehend the “is”/“ought” distinction. It is of no consequence whether I believe Donald Trump should lose the election. Rather what I am stating, as a matter of fact, is that Trump will lose.

Election Day is now a month away, and we shall see what happens. However, I wish to call to the attention of readers the folly involved in believing that what I write on this blog (which got about 6,000 page views yesterday) could somehow decisively influence the outcome of the election. This is the real source, I suspect, of the wrath directed toward me by angry commenters. There seems to be an idea that blogs exercise a tremendous influence in electoral politics. Although I do not wish to say that my blog (or any other blog) has no influence, what I want to point out is that this influence is greater when it comes to primary campaigns than when we are talking about the final month of the general election for President of the United States. This election is now The Big Show — being covered by every TV network and other major news organization — and is quite unlikely to be influenced at this point by anything I say here.

At the top of my blog is a quote by Arthur Koestler: “One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up.” Regular readers expect me to keep that promise, and it would be a disservice to those readers if, having seen the handwriting on the wall (“Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin”) I didn’t share this fact with them.

Amid the firestorm of hatred unleashed against me for speaking truth, I am confident in my judgment, and unswayed by any criticism. When I state something as a fact, declaring the outcome of future events, all that is required of me is patience in awaiting my vindication. Selah.

 

Category: Donald Trump, Election

FMJRA 2.0: Function Creep

Posted on | October 8, 2016 | 2 Comments

— compiled by Wombat-socho

How Bill Schmalfeldt (@Leonidas_BU) Implicated Himself in Online Fraud
Thinking Man’s Zombie
The Lonely Conservative
Billy Sez
The Artisan Craft Blog
Regular Right Guy
Proof Positive
Batshit Crazy News

Late Night With Rule 5 Sunday: Tax Loopholes Edition
Animal Magnetism
Regular Right Guy
Ninety Miles from Tyranny
Proof Positive
A View from the Beach
Batshit Crazy News

The Death of a ‘Dianic High Priestess’
Rotten Chestnuts

FMJRA 2.0: Bach’s Toccata & Fugue In D Minor
The Pirate’s Cove
A View from the Beach
Batshit Crazy News

No, @Clementine_Ford, Men Don’t Hate Women, But They Definitely Hate You
Regular Right Guy

It’s Come to This: Male Students Trained to ‘Be Accountable to Feminism’
Regular Right Guy
Batshit Crazy News

In The Mailbox: 10.03.16
Regular Right Guy
Proof Positive
A View from the Beach

Deranged Cyberstalker Bill Schmalfeldt Is Still Deranged and, Yes, Cyberstalking
The Artisan Craft Blog
Thinking Man’s Zombie
Regular Right Guy
Batshit Crazy News

In The Mailbox: 10.04.16
Regular Right Guy
Proof Positive
A View from the Beach
Batshit Crazy News

In The Mailbox: 10.05.16
Proof Positive
A View from the Beach
Batshit Crazy News

In The Mailbox: 10.07.16
Proof Positive

Top linkers this week:

  1.  (tied) Batshit Crazy News and Regular Right Guy (7)
  2.  Proof Positive (6)
  3.  A View from the Beach (5)

Thanks to everyone for their linkagery!

Category: FMJRA Award

Now That the Election Is Over …

Posted on | October 8, 2016 | 8 Comments

Trump recorded having extremely lewd
conversation about women in 2005
— Washington Post

Ryan ‘sickened’ by Trump,
joint appearance scrapped
— Politico

Trump on Hot Mic: ‘When You’re a Star …
You Can Do Anything’ to Women
— NBC News

Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia urges Trump to drop out of race
— Washington Post

Mike Pence’s Team Boots Reporters
After Audio Emerges Of Trump Saying
He Can Grab Women ‘By The P***y’
— Huffington Post

Congressman Jason Chaffetz withdraws
his endorsement of Donald Trump
— KSTU-TV

Donald Trump Tried to Fire Nancy O’Dell
After She Rejected His Sexual Advances
— Daily Beast

Coffman: ‘Trump Should Step Aside’
— KCNC-TV

This is what pilots call a “non-recoverable error.”

 

Any attempt to dismiss this as “locker-room banter” runs up against the problem that Trump was not just talking about women’s looks or sharing tales of his sexual adventures, but was boasting about how his status as a wealthy businessman and reality-TV star enabled him to get away with what was arguably sexual assault. Now, what Trump said may actually be true, that “when you’re a star” it’s possible to do this. Which is to say, some women may actually be so flattered by the attentions of a high-status man that they do not object to such behavior. Anyone who has spent much time around sports or show business knows that some women will just throw themselves at a “star.” However, a candidate for President of the United States is judged by an entirely different standard than would apply to a rock musician, an actor or an NBA player.

This election is over. Write “–30–” at the bottom and file it.
 

Category: Donald Trump, Election

In The Mailbox: 10.07.16

Posted on | October 7, 2016 | Comments Off on In The Mailbox: 10.07.16

— compiled by Wombat-socho


No linkagery yesterday since Feedly was down.
This is the day on which we celebrate victory against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.


OVER THE TRANSOM
EBL: #FreeDilbert – Scott Adams Shadowbanned On Twitter For Supporting Trump; $TWTR Nosedives – Coincidence?
Twitchy: October Surprise? WikiLeaks Drops The First Batch Of “Well Over 50,000” E-Mails Allegedly From John Podesta
Louder With Crowder: MEDIA COLLUSION – White House Orders CBS To Keep E-Mail Scandal Quiet
Captain Capitalism: Why Donald Trump Is Doomed To Fail (h/t Adam Piggott)


RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
Adam Piggott: Podcast #21 – The Muff-Diver Episode
American Power: As Obamacare Collapses, Democrats Eye Nationalized Healthcare
American Thinker: Why Environmentalism Became Both A Religion And A Con Game
Animal Magnetism: Rule Five Nuclear-Powered Friday
Da Tech Guy: Is This The President We Want For Our Daughters? Hillary Edition
Don Surber: Why We Need Voter ID
Dustbury: Thank You For Being A Doll
Fred On Everything: Compaction, Pack Instinct, And Territoriality – Some Aspects Of Irrationality
Jammie Wearing Fools: President Gun Control Once Again Grants Clemency To Violent Criminals Convicted Of Firearm Offenses
Joe For America: Phoenix VA Hospital Still Killing Veterans – Obama And McCain Still Silent
JustOneMinute: Happy October
Pamela Geller: Muslim Student Cuts Throat Of Female Classmate, Gets Choked Out By Heroic Canadian Boy, also, Sharia Halloween – Muslims Bully Amazon Into Removing Costumes
Power Line: Thoughts From The Ammo Line
Shark Tank: Trump Cites “Weak” Job Report
Shot In The Dark: The Standing Army
STUMP: Chicago Public Schools – Who Is Profiting?
The Jawa Report: Where Can Oppressed Muslimas Find Freedom And Independence?
The Political Hat: The Family That Shoots Together…
This Ain’t Hell: Tell Me Again How Vote Fraud Is “Insignificant”, also, MGEN Ron Lewis, Another SHARP Casaualty
Weasel Zippers: Sarah Jessica Parker “Terrified” Trump Fans Might Shoot Her, also, Indiana Voter Registration Fraud Investigation Spreads To 57 Counties
Megan McArdle: How To End The Death Penalty For Good


Today’s Digital Deals
Snuggle-Pedic Bamboo/Memory Foam Body Pillow – 70% Off!
Amazon Warehouse Deals

Category: Linkagery

Which Is Worse: AIDS or ‘Stigma’?

Posted on | October 7, 2016 | Comments Off on Which Is Worse: AIDS or ‘Stigma’?

 

Remember the herpes-infected feminists who used the #ShoutYourStatus hashtag to encourage pride in having sexually transmitted diseases? That came to mind when I encountered a chart of AIDS-related terms — promoted by the University of California-San Francisco — comparing “stigmatizing” language (left) versus “empowering” language (right):

 

You see we must avoid “blame-centric language” when discussing how the AIDS virus is transmitted, because that would involve “stigma,” as if becoming infected with a deadly virus is a bad thing. Consulting the full list of terms, we find that these experts advise that you should avoid “prostitute” and say “sex worker” instead. Never use the word “promiscuous” to describe HIV-infected people, the experts say: “This is a value judgment and should be avoided. Use ‘having multiple partners’.”

By a similar token, you should avoid calling these people “crazy.” Instead, you could call them “reality averse” or maybe just “Democrat voters.”




 

Category: Gays

The Error of Comparing Group Averages

Posted on | October 7, 2016 | Comments Off on The Error of Comparing Group Averages

One of the basic tricks of Lying With Statistics is to use certain characteristics — age, race, sex, etc. — to define a group, and then report some data about the group as an average. CNN does this:

Working class white men saw their income drop 9% between 1996 and 2014, according to a new report from Sentier Research. This group, who Sentier defines as having only a high school diploma, earned only $36,787, on average, in 2014, down from $40,362 in 1996.
Meanwhile, college educated white men saw their income soar nearly 23% over the same period, from $77,209 to $94,601.
Published by two former Census Bureau officials, the Sentier report shines yet another light on the fortunes of the white working class. This group has become a force in the 2016 presidential election, serving as the backbone of Donald Trump’s support. And the Republican candidate’s campaign has tailored much of his campaign to the working class, with promises that he will bring back the manufacturing jobs that once allowed them to support their families.
The study first looked at the 1996 incomes earned by 10 groups of men in two-year cohorts ranging in age from 25 to 26 to 43 to 44. Sentier then looked at what men earned 18 years later, when the youngest cohort were 43 to 44 and the oldest were 61 to 62.
The results varied greatly by age. The youngest group of working class white men, who were 25 to 26 in 1996, saw their incomes rise by 19%, from $32,677 to $38,803, over the 18-year period. However, their college educated peers enjoyed a 133% explosion in their incomes, from $40,487 to $94,252. . . .
In addition to showing the tough times the working class has faced, the report also shows the big income boost that comes with a college degree, [study co-author Gordon] Green said.
“People say it may not be worth it to go to college. These numbers show that isn’t true,” he said.

You can read the rest. Whatever these statisticians have discovered, it does not explain much about any individual person’s life, because the groups — men with or without a college diploma — are so large that their “average” incomes are essentially meaningless.

If you are college-educated and your income has not “exploded” since 1996, why not? That’s because this group is so large and diverse, including both computer engineers and English majors, that to make generalizations based on their “average” income tells us very little.

This is something you would understand if you have read, for example, Thomas Sowell’s The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy, or Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein’s The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life.

To generalize as broadly as does the CNN story — to describe college-educated white males as if they constituted a uniform class — implies that they necessarily share the same fate on the basis of those particular characteristics. But is it really true that having a college degree (any degree) automatically confers a “big income boost”? And what about that category “white”? This includes 247 million Americans — 77% of the U.S. population — and attempting to make economic generalizations about “white males” (i.e., more than 120 million people) doesn’t tell us much of anything about “the backbone of Donald Trump’s support.”

(Via Memeorandum.)

 

Category: Economics, Education

If You Want Books, You Got ‘Em

Posted on | October 6, 2016 | Comments Off on If You Want Books, You Got ‘Em

— by Wombat-socho


I was more than a little appalled to realize I hadn’t done any book posts since July, when I wrote about Don Surber’s Trump The Press, Jean Larteguy’s The Praetorians, and even some SF. So in this post I’m going to play catch-up and briefly talk about the new stuff I managed to get read in between sleeping, eating, and Ubering.

Probably the best thing I’ve read was John Ringo & Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter: Grunge, a prequel to Larry’s Monster Hunter International series starring a Marine turned Monster Hunter during the 1980s. It’s an interesting book, with just as much action (but not as much sex and politics) as Ringo’s Paladin of Shadows books, and fits in very well with the later Monster Hunter novels.

Also very good is Kia Tsakos Heavey’s Domino, an excellent little tale of the eponymous barn cat who has to confront a new cat in the neighborhood with some strange ideas…ideas that ultimately threaten not only Domino and his new family, but their entire neighborhood. Good for young adults, too.

There’s been a lot of excitement over Kurt Schlichter’s People’s Republic, which could in some ways be a sequel to Tom Kratman’s A State Of Disobedience in that it tells the tale of an America split between Red and Blue states, with a low-level state of war going on between the two. Kelly Turnbull is an infiltrator, a veteran who specializes in penetrating the People’s Republic and getting people out, and after one such exfiltration almost goes bad, he’s recruited by one of the richest men in Texas to get someone out – someone who may not want to come out. Plus, he has to take a blooded but inexperienced young officer with him. It’s a fun story, a grim look at how the blue states would most likely decay without the red states propping them up, and as with other such books, its main problem is that it’s too short. Hoping a sequel comes out soon.

I’ve also been reading There Will Be War Volume VI, which is every bit as good as the other anthologies in the series; John Ringo’s The Last Centurion (which I bought for the Kindle because my dead tree copy is still packed up) which goes a little too well with the Schlicter and Kratman books mentioned supra with its tale of epidemic flu and feckless politicians in Washington bungling the response and recovery. I’m also in the middle of reading John C. Wright’s Iron Chamber of Memory, Henry Vogel’s The Fugitive Heir (which is reminding me a lot of Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy), and Adam Piggott’s Pushing Rubber Downhill, to say nothing of G.K. Chesteron’s Orthodoxy. Plus, I have Karl Gallagher’s Torchship Pilot waiting for me. Will I be able to wrap all these up, get my continuing education for next tax season done, and cheer my Nationals into the World Series? Tune in again next month to find out!

Category: Books

Why Is Sex Making Young People So Sad?

Posted on | October 6, 2016 | 1 Comment

 

“The vested interests of our age . . . have constructed a wonderful machine, which we shall call the Great Stereopticon. It is the function of this machine to project selected pictures of life in the hope that what is seen will be imitated. All of us of the West who are within the long reach of technology are sitting in the audience. We are told the time to laugh and the time to cry, and signs are not wanting that the audience grows ever more responsive to its cues.”
— Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences, 1948

Failure must have an explanation, and the disappointments of the entitled narcissistic Special Snowflake™ require a scapegoat. It will not do for overprivileged brats to accept that life is not fair, nor can we expect Special Snowflakes™ to take responsibility for their own failures.

How many times do we have to hear variations on the same sad story? College girl goes to a party, gets drunk, then wakes up with a hangover, an impaired memory, no panties, and a profound sense of shame.

“This cannot be my fault!” she tells herself. “I’m a victim!”

Go read the lawsuits filed by more than 100 male students who say they were falsely accused of rape and deprived of their due-process rights in university administrative disciplinary procedures, and you will see this basic narrative repeated over and over and over again: Two kids get drunk and have sex, she subsequently regrets having sex and — invoking the central point of one notorious case — “regret equals rape.”

No one wants to be accused of being pro-rape (or a “rape truther,” to employ feminist Amanda Marcotte’s vivid phrase), and so there is a reluctance to criticize irresponsible college girls too harshly. Because it is easier to remain silent than to express unpopular truths, we find that liars are increasingly influential in academia — hello, Professor Lisa Wade — and common sense is now quite uncommon on campus.

We are expected to believe that college girls in the 21st century are afflicted with an extraordinary naïveté about how sex happens.

“Why are these boys furnishing me with free alcohol?” we must imagine the college girl asking herself, as she downs her ninth drink. “And why does this boy want me to go back to his dorm room at midnight?”

Gosh, honey, this is all a huge mystery to you, isn’t it? You graduated high school at the top of your class, and your parents are paying $60,000 a year to send you to this elite private liberal arts college, so maybe you could do a little arithmetic, add 2 + 2 and tell us what this is about.

Maybe these clever girls could consult the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Yale and ask Professor Kaneesha Parsard to explain why college boys provide free alcohol to college girls. Professor Parsard is teaching a class this fall called “Bodies and Pleasures, Sex and Genders” (WGSS 205), so it’s possible she could give you a clue on this subject, about which college girls seem so clueless.

By the way — and I must point this out — college boys are no less idiotic than the girls. How many times do I have to repeat the same advice? Never talk to a college girl. Before parents send their sons off to college, they should take them to the local tattoo parlor and have that phrase emblazoned in reverse-script on their chest, so that every time the boy gets out of the shower and looks in the bathroom mirror, he is reminded once again: “Never talk to a college girl.”

 

Feminists have fomented such a climate of anti-male hatred on campuses, that only right male students have now is the right to remain silent. When I shared this advice with a Yale student a few months ago, he said, “But if you don’t talk to girls, they might think you’re gay.”

To which I replied: “And . . . ?”

Who cares what a girl at Yale thinks about anything? It must be presumed that every girl at Yale (or Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, etc.) is wicked, deceitful and selfish — untrustworthy and cruel, apt to make a false rape accusation as an act of spiteful revenge — because the unsuspecting young man who presumes otherwise might be lured into her sexual trap. Shun them all, and don’t even bother explaining why you don’t talk to them. These hideous Ivy League she-monsters deserve no such explanation.

Feminism is the reason college boys can’t trust any girl on campus and, even beyond ideology, I blame it all on The Great Stereopticon:

What has happened, I would argue, is that The Great Stereopticon’s message machine keeps selling such wildly contradictory stories about love and sex to young people that the proliferation of scripts has become schizophrenic. Anyone attempting to live according to the stories sold to them by the Hollywood fantasy factory and the Madison Avenue advertising cartel will discover that these narratives cannot be replicated in the real world, and certainly not without substantial risk of negative consequences. . . .

Read the whole thing at The Patriarch Tree, and remember: Never talk to a college girl. Let them all go to Hell by the path of their own choosing.




 

Category: Education, Sex Trouble
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