Random Shots for Tuesday, 17 January 2017

Today in history

Comments I’ve posted

1. Posted to Facebook –

   “You sure as hell didn’t object to such bills being passed specifically to allow the Utah war, by Democrats wherel iterally thousands of people who imprisoned without trial for years, and een killed, on accusation of a rebellion that never existed to begin with, . Or when federal level regulations, brought by Democrats allowed various ethnic minorities, the handicapped, ect to be forcibly sterilzied and incarcerated without trial, simply to appease eugenics advocates. Again, brought forth by Democrats. Or when the Democrats created the various war powers acts, which again, allow imprisonment of US citizens without trial. Brought forth by Democrats.”

   Umm, Frank, were you even alive while these things were going on? I know I wasn’t. But hey, since I wasn’t alive at the time, and thus not aware of these things to object to them, I didn’t, so I must be complicit with these sorts of things, in the minds of those giving you grief here.

2. Posted to Diaspora*, Ello, Facebook [ here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here ], Google Plus, Minds, seen.life, and Tea Party Community –

   Arvin Vohra
   Monday, January 16, 2017 at 10:33 p.m.

   This Saturday, I will not be attending the protest march on Washington, although I live only a few minutes away from that location.

   This march suggests that Donald J. Trump‘s inappropriateness is somehow worse than the government abuses under Barack Obama and George W. Bush. I won’t support that kind of value reversal. I will not engage in the fantasy that idiotic locker room humor is worse than bombing civilians, or hypocritically refusing to pardon people marijuana use after admitting to marijuana use. I will not pretend that Trump’s election antics are worse than warrantless wiretapping, or the Patriot Act, or the Wall Street bailout.

   If and when Trump bombs his first wedding or hospital, I will happily march in protest. If and when he refuses to scale back or end the drug war, I will march in protest. If and when he supports a Wall Street bailout, or a program as diseased as Common Core, I’ll gladly march. If he wastes money on a wall, I will march. If he refuses to pardon Snowden or dismantle the Patriot Act, I will march. If he creates a Muslim Watch List, I will march.

   But this protest is not about that. It is about people acting as if every kind of abuse is fine, except for social rudeness. These are the same people who refused to protest war, the war on drugs, the Patriot Act, or warrantless surveillance under Obama. They tacitly approved all of those things, and now are further extending that tacit approval in this march. They are saying that Trump’s rude humor is worse than all of that. After all, they didn’t life a finger to oppose those inexcusable actions, but they came in from all over the country to oppose Trump’s rudeness.

   For a political movement to be taken seriously, it must consider more important issues as . . . more important. Bill Clinton’s continuation of the War on Drugs and signing of the Defense of Marriage act was far worse than sexual infidelity. The fact that the media and public focused on the latter just made them look silly. This march is no different.

   I will not support a political ideology that suggests a whiff of sexism or racism is worse than the blatant abuses of government power over the last years. Because when you march against the former, but excuse the latter, that’s exactly what you are saying.

   I am keenly aware of the political and personal advantages in attending the march. But logic, sanity, and conscience will not permit me to support the fantasy that impolite behavior matters more than blatant government abuse.

   Respectfully,

   Arvin Vohra
   Author
   Why Hillary Lost

3. Posted to Facebook –

   https://wired.com/2017/01/better-way-marines-prepare-future-wars-sci-fi

4. Posted to Facebook –

   http://mashable.com/2017/01/12/facebook-job-postings-building-8/

5. Posted to Facebook –

   Why don’t we just cut New Mexico in half, give the west half to Arizona, give the east half to Texas and be done with it?

Listening / Reading / Watching

1. Andromeda
2. Kim Stanley Robinson – Green Mars
3. Icon Comics – Empress
4. Image Comics – Faster Than Light
5. Tribunist – Anti-Gunner Calls Out Mike Rowe for Speaking at Pro-Gun Dinner. He Sets Her Straight.
6. Wired – What Better Way for the Marines to Prepare for Future Wars Than With Sci-Fi? by Eric Niler
7. Mashable – Job postings suggest Facebook is serious about mindreading by Emma Hinchliffe
8. The Fragile Edifice of Totalitarian Thought by Murphelina
9. Science Channel – What on Earth?
10. The Constitution – Should Business Owners Be Held Responsible for Consequences of Their Gun-Free Zones? by Dave Jolly
11. Crazy Chick Flips Out in Barnes & Noble
12. Goliath –

         10 Obscure Sci-Fi Films Worth Seeking Out by Jack Sackman

         Top 10 Underrated Science Fiction Movies by Jack Sackman

13. Cinema Blend –

         Where Star Trek 4 Currently Stands, According To Chris Hemsworth by Dirk Libbey

         Will Star Trek 4 Recast Anton Yelchin? Here’s What JJ Abrams Says by Dirk Libbey

14. GeekNation – Paramount, CBS Say Removing ‘Star Trek’ From Lawsuit Is ‘Absurd’ by Michael Hinman

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