Bloggers You'll Really Want to Read
Some Links and Advice
I’ve been doing some blog housekeeping. One thing I’ve targeted is the plethora of drafts I’ve accumulated. Often, I will start a post, then temporarily shelve it, anticipating that I will return shortly to complete it.
Sadly, many have wasted away unseen.
So, a couple of times a week, I’m pulling up old drafts, checking them to see if they are worth resuscitating, and, if I deem them viable, updating, adding to them, and hitting the Publish Button. What follows is one such post-in-progress.
First is House of Eratosthenes - Some of his posts are short, others are long (and, this on about his father is QUITE long, but very much worth it), but he is generally worth the effort.
I was catching up today - had not read his blog in some time (mostly due to family health issues over the last few months). Reading his work got me thinking about the slowly diminishing blog world, and how we really need to start spreading the word about the good ones.
ESPECIALLY you’ll want to read this one. You might want to share in on social media and by email to your contact list. Hard copies are useful, too, as they might reach another audience who isn’t living in the e-world.
On criticism of Republicans/Non-Leftists:
“We do have complaining. But even when the complaining is entirely valid, there arises immediately a wave of counter-complaining, typically involving name calling against the criticism as racist, sexist or transphobe. See, this is why there are no performance floors. For performance to fall beneath a floor, the performance effort itself has to exist. And we’ve taken on an unseemly habit of crystallizing these narratives about how wonderful and glorious some effort is, before anybody has put together the effort. Any valid observations about how the effort fell short, therefore, will run afoul of these crystallized narratives and so once they’re made, a shouting match immediately begins and we find ourselves awash and eyeballs deep in the latest round of “You’re a sexist” and “No I’m not.” We don’t have time to evaluate the critique itself. Might as well not even bother making it.”
Don’t waste my time complaining about ‘Mean Tweets’, or Make-Believe ‘Crimes’.
What did that person DO, in the performance of their JOB? What, exactly was it that the ACTION constituted that was furthering the VOTER’S DESIRES tha tmet, or fell short, of the GOALS?
Example:
Trump was elected to reverse the flow of illegal immigration - that travel that does not satisfy visa requirements, whether because it was not visa-controlled, or through overstaying a travel visa, or contrary to the visa requirements (working a job).
His Executive Orders to the Border Control employees DID reverse that growth of illegal immigration.
Where the Orders failed was because of DELIBERATE insubordination by government employees to evade enforcement of the rules.
When ordered by the Supreme Court to stop one or more of the Ex. Orders, Trump did so. He then found a way to achieve his aim of the goal, without defying the Supreme Court.
Today’s add-on:
It’s 8/27/2024. The Voting will start in PA on 9/16, only 21 days from today. The next 3 weeks are CRITICAL, so:
Make sure that you are correctly registered. Print out that registration confirmation, lest you “accidentally” be struck from the voters’ registry before Election Day/Weeks.
If you plan to vote early, get a sample ballot (your county board of elections likely has a downloadable pdf), and, for ALL positions, make your choices. Don’t neglect the Judges, County positions, Clerk of Courts, various local commissions - Water Board, Zoning, heck, Dogcatcher/Animal Control, if that is an elected position. Check their voting records, not just their ‘positions’. The League of Women Voters used to put out a fairly unbiased guide, but no longer. It will take time, so be diligent. If you can, share your findings on these lesser positions with family and friends. Stay off the state/national candidates/issues, and you might persuade them to elect some good candidates.
If you receive a mail-in ballot, save it, if you plan to vote in person. Given the many shenanigans the Post Office employees and local activists have played with mail-in ballots, I can no longer recommend that you vote in person on the actual day. Too many people have found that their vote has already been recorded. You CAN put in a provisional ballot, but, in practice, the other vote will not be tossed out - so your vote will likely be cancelled out by the phony vote.
Pray. It couldn’t hurt.