A Veteran Newsman Makes Some Good Points About the “News”

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Ken LaCorte sends e-mails about his articles to my inbox.  He is a former Fox News big shot and he has a lot of insightful stuff.  But in the article linked below he considers whether there is more harm than good in all the outrage that he (and I) traffic in:

https://kenlacorte.substack.com/p/too-many-trees-not-enough-forest

“We’re inundated with stories and social media posts algorithmically chosen because they provoke reactions from people. Computers are quite literally targeting us not with the most intelligent news of the day, but those designed to evoke an emotional response to encourage likes and sharing.

Every morning I do my best to think up something of value for you. While I’m confident that I’m providing you with solid and, hopefully, insightful thoughts, I sometimes wonder: am I part of the problem? Does focusing on the daily political drama and unsettling politics-related behavior help us stay diligent? Or depressed?”

He’s right that at a certain point we’re not making our lives better when we spend all our time reading about this crap.  I guess we each have to decide what that balance is.

But stop by here once in a while anyway, for the witty banter and gnomic wisdom.

Greatest Hits from Biden’s Q&A in Vietnam

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I guess if you multiply mush-brain by jet lag the result is breath-takingly disjointed.  It’s almost as if he’s performing an impression of what he remembers he used to sound like.  He even threw in the dog-faced pony soldier shtick. .All that was missing from his greatest hits collection was Corn Pop and the leg hair.

Of course, maybe this is a performance to allow the long awaited announcement that Biden will step aside and someone else will run in 2024.  Well, I’ll bite.  Anyone who is willing to sound like this on purpose has earned the right to walk away.

But the rest of the world must be starting to worry whether we’ve gone nuts.  And it is a valid question.  Our politics has forced the establishment to foist a doddering embarrassment on them as the legitimate leader of the “free world.”  Well, the charade hasn’t gone well.  The laundry list of things that are imploding has gotten so long that even the true believers like the Mayor of New York are freaking out over the various policies that are destroying his city.

Even the Democrats running this thing may be getting scared now.  There’s probably a wing of the party that’s starting to wish the neo-cons could be dragged off to an insane asylum before they trigger a nuclear exchange.  But the show must go on.  It’s a year or so before they pull out “Voter Fraud 2024 – The Re-Boot.”  That should be entertaining and educational.  We’ll get to see just how cooked we are.

 

10SEP2023 – OCF Update

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Up through Tuesday I’ll be scrambling around from chore to chore.  It will all culminate with the arrival of the very important canine that will replace me as monarch of this realm.  But I will do my darnedest to post my photos and quotes and even attempt to express myself in lucid hexameter (or something).  My feelings about the future have shifted into a decidedly more  pragmatic approach.  Fixing the republic is a pipe dream.  Surviving in the belly of the beast is the order of the day.  And who knows, maybe in the long run we’ll make some progress against the monsters.

Today is a family gathering and it should be fun.  Tomorrow is a catch up day at work and Tuesday is a travel day.  I will try to forget the 9/11 memorial.  They’ve poisoned it by using it as a weapon against our own people.  If tomorrow planes were flown into steel towers in Manhattan I’d ask the victims why they were still there?  What’s the difference between jumping out of a hundred story window and being beaten to death by a gang of feral teenagers out for a laugh?  I think I’d prefer the leap.  Less pain.

Well, I hope your Sunday goes well and I’ll speak to you soon.