May 5, 2012

Republicans Remind Me of the Egypt Air Co-pilot

...Again Batouti said, "I rely on God." Then two things happened almost simultaneously, according to the flight-data recorder: the throttles in the cockpit moved back fast to minimum idle, and a second later, back at the tail, the airplane's massive elevators (the pitch-control surfaces) dropped to a three-degrees-down position. When the elevators drop, the tail goes up; and when the tail goes up, the nose points down. Apparently Batouti had chopped the power and pushed the control yoke forward.

The effect was dramatic. The airplane began to dive steeply, dropping its nose so quickly that the environment inside plunged to nearly zero gs, the weightless condition of space. Six times in quick succession Batouti repeated, "I rely on God." His tone was calm. There was a loud thump. As the nose continued to pitch downward, the airplane went into the negative-g range, nudging loose objects against the ceiling. The elevators moved even farther down. Batouti said, "I rely on God."

Somehow, in the midst of this, now sixteen seconds into the dive, Captain Habashi made his way back from the toilet. He yelled, "What's happening? What's happening?"

Batouti said, "I rely on God."

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/11/the-crash-of-egyptair-990/2332/

The Captain tries to keep the co-pilot from deliberately crashing the plane. The elevators were split. The Captain on the left control yoke pulled up, but the cracked co-pilot on the right control yoke kept pushing down and shut off the engines.

At one point, the Captain was yelling "Pull with me! Pull with me! Pull with me!"

April 21, 2012

Two thirds of people let Mr. Hyde do the voting.

One problem I see in Dem arguments is that we forget to "argue from evil." That leaves a lot of what we say falling on deaf ears among independents and Republicans. If we want to convert some of their votes, we need to make our good policies appeal to Mr. Hyde. This is essentially the opposite of what the Republicans do.

For example, take global warming. You could argue that nearly all scientists believe it is happening. You could argue that protecting the planet's climate is good for the future well being of humanity. You could argue that solving the problem will prevent human suffering and damage to nature and so forth. That argument will work on the vast majority of Dems and progressives. But it will turn off Mr. Hyde.

Hyde is paranoid, selfish, and stupid. Remember, Jekyll is the one with the advanced degree and morals. Hyde is an idiot who thinks more or less like an animal.

To get Hyde to vote for doing something, you need to make the argument appeal to selfishness, xenophobia, stupidity, etc. For example, you could use the Seven Deadly Sins and couch your argument to maximize them.

• Global warming may take the good climate from people who live on good real estate and redistribute it to people who don't deserve it
  
• The wealthy are giving jobs to foreign countries where people of non-white races live. And those people are buying up all of the world's gasoline.
  
• American kids aren't getting the educations they need to keep up the Baby Boomers' standard of living. Instead we are making more criminals and wards of the state.
  
• Rich people are over-educated. They think they're smarter than the rest of us.
  

April 7, 2012

When it comes to the so-called "job creators" aren't Republicans basically just lickspittles?

The Republican message is basically about bending knee and bowing to the so-called job creators. Listen to every Republican politician. You can't miss it. They say it over and over again. They spread their message of American helplessness every chance they get.

Republicans act and talk like America has nothing of value to offer, no standing, and no dignity. We don't have a great work force and work ethic. We don't have fantastic, taxpayer- and worker-built infrastructure. We don't have the world's greatest market. We don't have a legal system and traditions envied the world over. Not if you ask Republicans. They never talk about those things.

Republicans act like America has nothing we don't get from the "job creators." We dare not offend. Republicans counsel abject beggary.

Oh, and they want to represent us.

March 25, 2012

Thanks, American Motorists!

Dear American Motorist,

As a an oil speculator, I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know how much I appreciate the extra money. Your many contributions to my free enterprise success profits have "raised my boat." In fact, I just got a new one. It's called Sea Mitten. I named it after Mitt (heh heh, gotcha buddy!). But seriously, Mitt knows I respect him. His contributions to the world of finance are every bit as admirable as my contributions to the energy industry.

I was sorry to read that many of you are feeling the pinch at the gas pump, but I want you to know I am grateful for your courageous and willing sacrifice. It takes character to bow to the rights of others. Your respect for my right to make money without regard to how I do it...well (I'm choking up a little)...well, it's just swell. And look at it this way. That Big Mac, large fries, and large mocha Frappé weren't going to do your "bottom line" any favors anyway. Heh heh, burn!!

Some people would be angry at me, but not you. In some quarters I won't mention there are people who want to coat me with chum and throw me in the ocean. I'm glad you aren't like that, all bitter.

In closing, I just want to add a shout out to my true loyalists. You know who you are. You are the solid, salt-of-the-earth folks who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with me every time you fill up. You, my friends, put the blame on Obama. You get that inexplicable something about him. Well, it saves me boo-coo dollars in Republican SuperPAC contributions, and I just wanted you to know that it "works for me." I know I speak for Iran too.

Stay in touch "y'all". Heh heh.

Your Pal,

JSU IV

March 23, 2012

"They" are taking something from you and giving it to "somebody else"

The idea that someone is taking something from you and giving it to someone else is a big play in the Republican handbook. It's one of the keystone techniques in the Republican "sales pitch." Since it is a technique and not an argument, the information payload need not bear any resemblance to reality. It has a gut-level appeal that bypasses real thinking. "Government is taking my hard earned money and giving it to welfare cheats." Simple syntax, simple idea, sonorous, easy to remember, emotionally charged with anger, miniscule grain of truth...it is a beautifully constructed little mental virus. You can even skip the grain of truth and it will work on a lot of people.

So Romney can say Obama wants high-priced gas and to destroy Social Security, and Republicans in general can deny global warming with impunity—as long as they get the chord structure of the jingle right. It is very easy to push people's minds into gut-level mode and then just basically tell them anything you want to tell them. It's a shame, because normally, if the Republicans were not willfully lying to try to retake power, gut-level thinking can be a good, healthy thing.

In a sense, Dems need to take a page from the Republican playbook and fight fire with fire. I definitely don't mean we need to start lying, because I fervently believe the Republicans are going to get severely gigged for it in November. What I mean is that we should not forget that it is primarily the Republicans and the people who are funding them who are taking something from Americans and giving it to someone else. We can and should sometimes use the gut-level technique Republicans use except with the truth as an information payload instead of lies.

For example, if we are talking about global warming, we can talk about how Republicans and their backers are denying something that is taking the "good climate" away from some people's land and giving it to others. Republicans and their backers are standing by and even blocking action. They delay while climate change happens before their eyes, creating a devastating and permanent form of wealth redistribution.

When it comes to jobs, Dems can talk about how Republicans and their backers twist the true meaning of capitalism in order to "justify" taking away American jobs to give to other countries. Republicans parrot capitalism in the same way the Devil quotes the Bible.

When it comes to energy, we can talk about how Republicans and their energy corporation backers are selling more and more of the world's oil to other countries. We are paying more for gas because other people are using the jobs that Republicans and their backers took from Americans to buy up gas.

We can even talk specifically about the truth itself. We can talk about how the level of lies Republicans are currently using in their politics deprives Americans of their traditional sense of honor and even their ability to trust their own gut. We can talk about how a climate of trust is important, and how people should not have to be vigilant against boldface lies. Lies ruin golf, basketball games and countries.

Finally, we can even talk about the government bugaboo that Republican politicians so much want us to fear and hate. Far from taking things away from Americans, that government is actually the vital check-and-balance needed to prevent Republicans and their backers from taking away jobs, oil, and Social Security and giving the proceeds to themselves and to foreign countries.

March 16, 2012

By talking about Maher, the Republicans are defending Limbaugh.

It's a lame defense of course. Take your average woman and have her watch a few cases of Bill Maher calling bomb-throwing "Mama Grizzly" Sarah Palin a naughty name for laughs. Then have that same average woman watch several minutes of Rush Limbaugh over three or four days—piggish, snarling, mean, and far from funny—going for the jugular of an average woman.

I guess some Republicans are trying to bet their political careers on women not noticing the difference. In short, some Republicans are idiots. There is absolutely no way they are going to make that sale.

But why are they trying to make that sale at all? We need to stop and ask at this point why so many Republicans are grasping at straws and dissembling to defend Rush Limbaugh after what he did. Kind of shows you how they think. Kind of a true colors moment.

March 10, 2012

Stop saying Republicans are acting against their own interests.

The argument that Republicans act against their own best interests is a loser. It actually makes them feel better. Acting against their own interests is what Republicans like to think they are doing. It's what they wish they were doing. It's what they want other people to think they are doing.

They are so not.

The real tragicomedy of middle and working class Republicans is that, through the magic of psychology, their bone deep frustration, vanity, and selfishness transmutes into an inner drama of selflessness and dignity. Dostoevsky would love them. Republicans feel like heroes and martyrs. Their suffering only sanctifies their inner anger, and tickles their vanity no end.

The only way to get middle and working class Republicans to stop creating George W. Bushes, unnecessary wars, job-exporting corporations, and Great Recessions is to stop playing into their broken inner drama. Republicans aren't hurting themselves in some long-suffering act of selflessness. They are gorging on heaping doses of self-worship and self-pity. They are acting selfishly and vainly, and in a way that can no longer be hidden from themselves and others.

March 4, 2012

Why don't Republicans object to Tricare (military health insurance) covering birth control?

Tricare covers contraception. That can only mean one thing. Our nation's military has been infiltrated by sluts and prostitutes who expect Republican people of faith to pay for their recreational sex. It is a good thing that Rush Limbaugh is carried on the armed forces network. That way he can harass these sluts and help to promote a climate of hostility toward them. Then maybe they will go back to their red light districts.

http://www.tricare.mil/mybenefit/jsp/Medical/IsItCovered.do?kw=Birth+Control

February 4, 2012

Immigration is a great alternative to outsourcing, imo.

I'm in IT, and it seems to me like outsourcing changes everything. I'd much, much rather have foreign workers working and living in the U.S. than in their home countries. When they are here, they pay income and Social Security taxes. They buy houses. They buy goods and services. They build our GDP.

With a secure immigration path in this country, highly skilled tech workers will be able to demand higher pay, unlike those with L-1s and H-1Bs. We could eliminate those visas altogether. It might be more difficult to undermine the wages of citizens without those.

Business people are probably not wild about the effect of outsourcing either, by the way. Business processes outsource too. They go where the talent is, so maybe we should move the talent here.

America has this great thing going for it: It's America. We can take advantage of that.

January 26, 2012

Republicans constantly put down the business-worthiness of the country and their states.

Today I heard a Republican "leader" in Missouri (my home state) say the following on NPR:

“The courts have made Missouri the worst place in the nation to be sued if you’re an employer," Lager saidl "No employer is gonna move to a state or substantially grow in a state where their risk of being sued is greater than anywhere else in the nation.”

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/workplace-discrimination-bill-being-blocked-mo-senate

Why are we not sick of that? Why are Republicans being given a free pass to level insult after insult on the business-worthiness of our country and our home states? Has anyone stopped to think that it might be, oh, just a little bit counterproductive when the country and the states are desperate for jobs?

Picture a team of foreign business people visiting Missouri. They want to know whether they should locate a plant here. Then they turn on NPR and hear some dumb-ass Republican "leader" shooting off his mouth about how bad the state is.

Of course they do the same thing to America as a whole too. I don't know when the last time was that I heard a Republican say "You know, the United States is a great place to do business."

Assholes.