When Obama was elected, there was a kerfuffle about a politician who forwarded a cartoon showing watermelons growing up around the White House. The politician claimed he didn't know the stereotype about African Americans and watermelon. But then why did he think the cartoon was funny? That was never explained.
I chuckled reading Bev Sharp's "Hi, Mr. Can!" and thought it best of the top 4. However, Jesse Frankovich's twist on Tootsie Pops gets my vote. I think any dog owner can relate, as I do.
Whoa, we seem to be missing the link to the entry form for the contest. We're updating the Invite now, but if you're just reading your email and not refreshing: it's at tinyURL.com/inv-form-68.
Re “pulling up by bootstraps”: John Oliver last week took on Medicaid and noted that in one state the “anti-fraud” unit spent $6.8 million to collect $900,000 in Medicaid fraud. The reality is that people need healthcare and do not fraudulently look for more. Most Medicaid recipients are not the GOP fever dream of fat, lazy people unwilling to work but gleefully taking all that free medical care. Most hold jobs that just pay so little they cannot afford to get sick.
That makes sense, as it's the same way I access posts in blogs I subscribe to. Thanks for the heads-up! (Oops, meant to reply to Wendy, not you, Gene.)
Re Sununu’s interview. Keith Olbermann noted that even his math is wrong. Trump has never had “51%” support. Neither election did he crack even 50% of those who voted. He merely “won” the Electoral College in 2016 by a fluke (or design) of the way presidents are elected in the USA.
In response to the study that showed people can’t or don’t change their minds: there was a later one that tested liberals vs conservatives. Both groups were shown the data that proved there belief about something was wrong ( think things like no global warming or something like that. Turned out that liberals were more likely to accept the truth about something when showed the facts.
The one distinct throughline between the seeming unconditional support of an estimated 40% of the country for Trump and the support Hitler enjoyed from even ordinary Germans who were not dyed-in-the-wool Nazis, is deflected or projected blame. Without getting too much further into the sociopolitical weeds, while Germany technically did not start WW1 itself, it definitely lost it, and paid a heavy price. From the reparations (financially the equivalent of $5B) and territorial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles to hyperinflation that cratered the economy, the Germans were ripe to need someone(s) on which to blame their suffering. The mass of the population was hardly likely to blame this on themselves or the leaders they supported who sent them disastrously into the "war to end all wars" --- so it had to be "others" who were to blame. I suggest, the very same phenomenon is taking place here, but with an imagined war and to a large extent --- although not discounting the possibility of some legitimate grievances --- with the same need for scapegoats for what are viewed essentially as reparations and other losses caused by a liberal enemy for the way things were --- at least in the mind's eye. The clear and present danger however, as was tragically shown in Nazi Germany, is that this evil construct of revenge with its inflammatory rhetoric becomes normalized and ignored for selfish or egocentric reasons. "The Banality of Evil," Hannah Arendt called it. In other words, if it doesn't affect me directly, it doesn't exist. But it will. The only question is when. The rising tide of fascism sinks all ships, not just the blue ones.
I was at the same performance of Macbeth as you were (I know, because I saw you and introduced myself). The portapotties were part of the set design--a war zone--which extended to the entire building. I did not avail myself of them, but I'm glad to know they were nice. Also, I am not well-heeled--my friend is a subscriber (I go with her and pay for my share) and our tickets were priced like every other Shakespeare Theatre performance. We did wonder how TPTB figured that $500 was the price to charge individual ticket buyers. All performances are sold out.
Since the staging shtick for the STC "Macbeth" (oops, I mean "The Scottish Play," if Rachel reads this stuff) is a war zone/battlefield, you probably should be happy you did have porta-johns, and didn't have to dig your own cat-hole latrine to continue the verisimilitude.
"One of the questions we Jews asked after the horrors of the Holocaust was how otherwise normal people in Germany could have supported Hitler."
A number of years ago, I played in an 18-piece Big Band that played at the (local may remember this) the Frederick Confederate Airshow Hanger Dance. I don't know how "Confederate" ever got in there, but in was a WWII themed airshow. So we played swing music from the 40s and MANY people came in period dress. One year, during a break, I was sitting at a table and all of sudden a group dressed as the Luftwaffe got up in unison to go to the bar. EVERYONE of them had to be at least 6 foot tall and in the all black uniforms and cleats on the boots (which made a racket while walking), I had an instant thought.
I thought, IF I was in Germany and saw those guys coming down the street like that, I probably would have done or said anything they wanted me to, it was THAT intimidating.
Re: how "Confederate" ever got in there: In the late 50's a group of former military pilots in Texas pooled their money to purchase and restore a P-51 Mustang. They expanded their collection and in 1961 were chartered as a non-profit named "Confederate Air Force", with a mission to preserve WW-II aviation history. The name has been changed to "Commemorative Air Force" in recent years.
That said there is something eerie about including black-uniformed Luftwaffe "reenactors" in an event.
Thanks for the update! I know the airshow moved from Frederick a couple of years after the one I mentioned. It WAS weird, but if I remember correctly, they had a plane there.
When Obama was elected, there was a kerfuffle about a politician who forwarded a cartoon showing watermelons growing up around the White House. The politician claimed he didn't know the stereotype about African Americans and watermelon. But then why did he think the cartoon was funny? That was never explained.
I chuckled reading Bev Sharp's "Hi, Mr. Can!" and thought it best of the top 4. However, Jesse Frankovich's twist on Tootsie Pops gets my vote. I think any dog owner can relate, as I do.
Whoa, we seem to be missing the link to the entry form for the contest. We're updating the Invite now, but if you're just reading your email and not refreshing: it's at tinyURL.com/inv-form-68.
Re “pulling up by bootstraps”: John Oliver last week took on Medicaid and noted that in one state the “anti-fraud” unit spent $6.8 million to collect $900,000 in Medicaid fraud. The reality is that people need healthcare and do not fraudulently look for more. Most Medicaid recipients are not the GOP fever dream of fat, lazy people unwilling to work but gleefully taking all that free medical care. Most hold jobs that just pay so little they cannot afford to get sick.
Chris Doyle’s Shell Oil one is my favorite contest entry.
About the 'open in browser' link - it's gone for me too, but I found that if I just click on the title, it opens in the browser in a new tab.
HOLY CRAP. Even substack didn't seem to know about this!
That makes sense, as it's the same way I access posts in blogs I subscribe to. Thanks for the heads-up! (Oops, meant to reply to Wendy, not you, Gene.)
THANK YOU! I had not figured that out yet.
Hope it works for you too!
That Frankovich!
At least he could have written "Challenge accepted" on Facebook.
:-)
"Butt Fingerer"?
LOL, well done, Jesse.
Re Sununu’s interview. Keith Olbermann noted that even his math is wrong. Trump has never had “51%” support. Neither election did he crack even 50% of those who voted. He merely “won” the Electoral College in 2016 by a fluke (or design) of the way presidents are elected in the USA.
In response to the study that showed people can’t or don’t change their minds: there was a later one that tested liberals vs conservatives. Both groups were shown the data that proved there belief about something was wrong ( think things like no global warming or something like that. Turned out that liberals were more likely to accept the truth about something when showed the facts.
Maybe would should have a "Peons' Choice Award" (The Peony?) for the entry that should have won according to the, ugh, commoners.
Those guys? They are, by the very definition, Losers.
HM for Week 913 (Bring up the Rear) which is still running currently as Week 1585/67):
Scatalog: Improvised toilet paper.
The one distinct throughline between the seeming unconditional support of an estimated 40% of the country for Trump and the support Hitler enjoyed from even ordinary Germans who were not dyed-in-the-wool Nazis, is deflected or projected blame. Without getting too much further into the sociopolitical weeds, while Germany technically did not start WW1 itself, it definitely lost it, and paid a heavy price. From the reparations (financially the equivalent of $5B) and territorial losses imposed by the Treaty of Versailles to hyperinflation that cratered the economy, the Germans were ripe to need someone(s) on which to blame their suffering. The mass of the population was hardly likely to blame this on themselves or the leaders they supported who sent them disastrously into the "war to end all wars" --- so it had to be "others" who were to blame. I suggest, the very same phenomenon is taking place here, but with an imagined war and to a large extent --- although not discounting the possibility of some legitimate grievances --- with the same need for scapegoats for what are viewed essentially as reparations and other losses caused by a liberal enemy for the way things were --- at least in the mind's eye. The clear and present danger however, as was tragically shown in Nazi Germany, is that this evil construct of revenge with its inflammatory rhetoric becomes normalized and ignored for selfish or egocentric reasons. "The Banality of Evil," Hannah Arendt called it. In other words, if it doesn't affect me directly, it doesn't exist. But it will. The only question is when. The rising tide of fascism sinks all ships, not just the blue ones.
I was at the same performance of Macbeth as you were (I know, because I saw you and introduced myself). The portapotties were part of the set design--a war zone--which extended to the entire building. I did not avail myself of them, but I'm glad to know they were nice. Also, I am not well-heeled--my friend is a subscriber (I go with her and pay for my share) and our tickets were priced like every other Shakespeare Theatre performance. We did wonder how TPTB figured that $500 was the price to charge individual ticket buyers. All performances are sold out.
I'm looking very forward to seeing it in a couple of weeks--as broadcast to a local movie theater.
Since the staging shtick for the STC "Macbeth" (oops, I mean "The Scottish Play," if Rachel reads this stuff) is a war zone/battlefield, you probably should be happy you did have porta-johns, and didn't have to dig your own cat-hole latrine to continue the verisimilitude.
What’s a “cat-eye latrine”?
Should be cat-hole.
Ah, that makes (more) sense.
"One of the questions we Jews asked after the horrors of the Holocaust was how otherwise normal people in Germany could have supported Hitler."
A number of years ago, I played in an 18-piece Big Band that played at the (local may remember this) the Frederick Confederate Airshow Hanger Dance. I don't know how "Confederate" ever got in there, but in was a WWII themed airshow. So we played swing music from the 40s and MANY people came in period dress. One year, during a break, I was sitting at a table and all of sudden a group dressed as the Luftwaffe got up in unison to go to the bar. EVERYONE of them had to be at least 6 foot tall and in the all black uniforms and cleats on the boots (which made a racket while walking), I had an instant thought.
I thought, IF I was in Germany and saw those guys coming down the street like that, I probably would have done or said anything they wanted me to, it was THAT intimidating.
Re: how "Confederate" ever got in there: In the late 50's a group of former military pilots in Texas pooled their money to purchase and restore a P-51 Mustang. They expanded their collection and in 1961 were chartered as a non-profit named "Confederate Air Force", with a mission to preserve WW-II aviation history. The name has been changed to "Commemorative Air Force" in recent years.
That said there is something eerie about including black-uniformed Luftwaffe "reenactors" in an event.
Thanks for the update! I know the airshow moved from Frederick a couple of years after the one I mentioned. It WAS weird, but if I remember correctly, they had a plane there.
And I should add, I'm not a Jew.