Sunday Morning Book Thread 08-10-2014: Lenin Was Right [OregonMuse]

Translation: "Pull My Finger, Comrade!"

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's stately, high class, and prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.

All non-book discussion should go to NDH's fabulous sunrise open thread below, thanks.

The Determined Few

Karl Marx thought that communism was inevitable. He thought that working people would naturally achieve class consciousness, overthrow their capitalist overlords, and set up a dictatorship of the proletariat. This dictatorship would then eventually wither away, leaving a pure communist civilization, all quite naturally and inexorably.

Faced with the particular circumstances presented by the rulers and nobility of Tsarist Russia, Marx's disciple, Vladimir Lenin, didn't think the revolution would "just happen". He thought that it needed a catalyst, in the form of a "vanguard of the proletariat", whose function was to direct, push, prod, cajole, encourage, and otherwise lead the working classes into the revolution that would bring about the establishment of a communist state.

Lenin talks about this in his book, What Is To Be Done?

I'm starting to think ol' Vlad was right. Most people are bystanders, and thus are irrelevant. Look at homosexual marriage. It wasn't even on the map in 1993. It was barely talked about in 2001. Most people were against it as late as 2005. But now it's legal in many states, and it looks inevitable that it will soon be legal in all states.

So what happened?

Well, a few people got together and determined to make it happen, that's what happened. They devised an agenda, goals, and the various courses of action necessary. They made no secret about it, it's all out in the open. In fact, they even wrote a book about it. Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality is the account of by some of the major players, the partnership of lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies, who ironically were the opposing attorneys in the infamous Bush v. Gore case from the 2000 election.

And on the other side, the ones fighting for traditional marriage, had nothing comparable, not even close. Their opposition was ad hoc and disorganized, and thus ineffective: they were outflanked, out-argued, and out-gunned every step of the way.

And that, boys and girls, is why Christian bakery owners are forced under threat of legal sanction to bake wedding cakes for celebrations they are morally opposed to. By the actions of a determined few, what was unthinkable a decade ago is now mandatory.

However, just so you don't get too depressed, this sort of thing can work in the other direction, too: For example, one of the reasons why the "Equal Rights Amendment" did not make it into the United States constitution, despite the endorsement, or non-opposition, of most everyone in public office, was due to the efforts of one woman, Phyllis Schlafly, who campaigned tirelessly against it. And it was by mostly her efforts that it was eventually defeated and relegated to irrelevance.

And one more example: in the 70s, liberalism began to infest the Southern Baptist Convention, like it had other denominations. In those other denominations, liberalism grew like cancer and pretty much ruined them, leading to conservative spin-off denominations. But in the SBC, it didn't happen that way. In the SBC, the liberalism got rolled back. This happened because a small number of SBC conservatives got together and said, "hey, you know, the SBC is being destroyed by liberalism, so we need to do something to stop it." And so they did. The conservatives determined an agenda, set goals, devised the necessary strategies, and were successful in ousting liberals from positions of power and influence in the Convention.

One of the major players in this fight was Judge Paul Pressler, who wrote a book about his experiences, A Hill On Which To Die: One Southern Baptist's Journey.

One more thing: I have heard that in the SBC fight against liberalism, Mike Huckabee was on the liberals' side. I haven't been able to definitely confirm that, but there's always been something indefinable about the guy that I just don't trust, and like many of you morons, I would never vote for him.

Lying Liars Who Lie

What would you do if your grandfather was an upright man and a decent human being, and someone wrote a biography of that misrepresented and omitted and twisted his words and events of his life to make it look like he was a repressed, closet homosexual and maybe even a pedophile?

Well, this happened to Abigail Rockwell, granddaughter of painter Norman Rockwell, and what she did was to take to the pixelated pages of the Puffington Host to write a scathing, yet fact-based rebuttal of the offending material, which in this case was the biography Norman Rockwell, American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon.

We all had a fun time mocking Solomon's execrable biography of Rockwell in an earlier book thread, here.

Some public figures like to maintain a persona of decency and rectitude, while in private, they drink, whore, beat their wives and abuse their kids, and many take pleasure in exposing these moral frauds. Fine, I get that. This appeals to the modern spirit of deconstruction. But some people are decent in public because that's who they really are, which means that, guess what, they're that way in private, too.

To my knowledge, no one has stepped forward to corroborate any of Solomon's calumnies, and even the Puffington Host comments are running 9 to 1 against. So it looks like the progressive have overreached themselves quite a bit on this one and need to step back, retrench, and look for another target to smear.

One Is The Loneliest Number

Someone, I think it may have been Mark Twain, once said that everybody's got one book inside them. So with that in mind, here are 5 books that can be classified as 'one-hit wonders'.

And I never knew this about Wuthering Heights author Emily Brontë:

[She] was 30 years old when she caught a cold during the funeral of her brother, Branwell. Her health rapidly deteriorated, and she died three months later.

Yow. This is quite a sobering reminder that life was a lot more fragile back then. I think it's amazing how much we take antibiotics for granted.

Lastly, I will give a 'Get Out of the Barrel Free' card (good for one use) to the first moron or 'ette who has can honestly tell me they've read all 5 books on the list.

Sony We (Mostly) Hardly Knew Ye

The multinational business and consumer electronics megacorp is getting out of the e-reader business, at least in Europe and here in America:

The announcement signals Sony's final departure from the e-reading market in Europe and North America, after closing its North American and Europe e-reading store earlier this year.

I guess the suits at Sony had earlier told their e-reader customers to go away and buy Kobo books instead, so this probably doesn't come as a surprise.

Also, I suspect this is not going to have much impact on the market. Have any of you morons bought or used one of the Sony e-readers? Thought not. When I was in the market for an e-reader, I briefly considered buying a Sony, but eventually decided not to. I forget what my reasons were.

Books of Note

Best-selling author Jeff Shaara has written a number of war novels, such as The Last Full Measure and Gods and Generals. Both of these are Civil War novels, and there are others. He's got a number of WW II novels out, too, but as far as I can tell, only one novel about WW I. The good news is that the Kindle edition of the WW I novel, To The Last Man, is on sale for $1.99 until August 16th.

I can't give any details about it or a plot synopsis because the Amazon blurb is next to useless, and really doesn't tell you much of anything.

Via Bookbub.

Books By Morons

Newbie indie author T.K. Naliaka has published the first two novels in his Decatur family series. The first one, In Time of Peril is based on this quote from an 1812 play:

If to be the son of him who served his country in time of peril, be that which you call noble, then I am of the noblest extraction, but if from pampered lord and vicious prince alone descend the gift, then I am not.

From the Amazon blurb:

'In Time of Peril' and its exciting international sequel, A Difficult Damsel to Rescue, are fast-paced tales of loyalty, faith and courage, fathers, sons and daughters, following a great cast of terrific characters in the continent-hopping exotic adventures of the tenacious and unconventional Decatur family. Written for all ages, these adventures were inspired by the likes of Louis L'Amour's fictional Sacketts, Alistair McLean, and the heroism of Stephen Decatur.

Sounds like good, wholesome entertainment.

The third book in the series, 'Between Dunes and Hard Places', is coming soon, later in 2014, release date TBA.

A Difficult Damsel to Rescue iis available on Kindle.

___________

Infrequent moron commenter 'longrunningfool' is, as his nom de blog implies, a long distance runner. He's also an author who has apparently taken very much to heart the classic advice for writers, "write what you know". Accordingly, he has just released his new novel Trail of Second Chances. Amazon describes it as "a high-octane adventure on a wild Montana mountain as one girl finds herself racing for her life against a malignant fire".

'Longrunningfool' is also the author of the novel Finishing Kick, a humorous look at a (fictional) year in girls' high school cross country.

___________

Moron Gnardo Polo is continuing his "Bard Without a Star" Celtic fantasy series I mentioned a few weeks back with the fourth installment, The Curses of Arianrhod. He tells me:

The Bard Without a Star series is based on the Welsh myth of Gwydion, found in the ancient tales of the Mabinogion...In this telling, Gwydion is a rogue, caring for little besides using his skill at the harp to help him seduce beautiful young women. His uncle Math, however, sees his potential to be much more, and begins training the boy to become his successor.

You can pick up The Curses of Arianrhod for $0 through the weekend. Also check out the other books in the Bard series on the Amazon author page.

___________

So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.

What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as I keep saying, life is too short to be reading lousy books.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:43 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 First? AND Huck sucks.

Posted by: Nip Sip at August 10, 2014 09:44 AM (0FSuD)

2 I started reading The Martian last night, based on moron recommendations. So far, so good. And I finally finished re-reading Camp of the Saints. More and more, my reading list focuses on disaster scenarios. Wonder why...

Posted by: PabloD at August 10, 2014 09:45 AM (kLSRE)

3 Nobody did the "Lean Forward" thing as good as Lenin did.

Posted by: gp at August 10, 2014 09:45 AM (+Jpqc)

4 OSP's second novel about Amy Lynn has been turned over to an editor.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 10, 2014 09:46 AM (3Hui+)

5 I could have been first if I hadn't stopped to read the post. Good one, OM.

Posted by: rickl at August 10, 2014 09:49 AM (sdi6R)

6 Thanks to the 'rons and 'ronettes who volunteered as alpha readers for my upcoming YA western adventure, in response to my bleg of last week on the book thread!
The book will be called Lone Star Sons - and will be out in mid-October. It's aimed at the teen-tween male, from whom there is nothing much out there since Harry Potter, and is my own attempt to reboot a certain western adventure serial classic!

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at August 10, 2014 09:50 AM (Asjr7)

7 I'm one of the few, the peculiar, who own a Sony ereader. I've had it for 4 years, and I've been waiting for it to die so I can justify a kindle, but it's a sturdy little beast.

Posted by: kali at August 10, 2014 09:52 AM (zC6PR)

8 I'm starting to think ol' Vlad was right. Most people are bystanders, and thus are irrelevant.

Marx, Lenin, and Stalin turned Russia into a third world shit hole. And the Democrats are working as hard as they can to do the same thing here.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 09:52 AM (T2V/1)

9
When I hear Celtic Fantasy I think pedophilia, baby diddling, incest...by the authors.

Posted by: Pug the Boneless at August 10, 2014 09:53 AM (8fS0t)

10 Well, a few people got together and determined to make it happen, that's what happened.

If you consider the MFM and the networks to be a "few" I guess so. But remember who runs the networks and writes the script for all the shows. Hint: It ain't the heteros

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 09:54 AM (T2V/1)

11 I'm still waiting for people to lose their jobs for not referring to some 300 lb guy as some other guy's wife. It's coming...

Posted by: Pug the Boneless at August 10, 2014 09:54 AM (8fS0t)

12 Where can I download the list of goals, strategies and metrics for success that conservatives have put together to out liberals from positions of power in the United States?

Posted by: someguy at August 10, 2014 09:56 AM (8XRrT)

13 I asked this a few months back late in the book thread and didn't get an answer. Have any morons read Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman? I glanced at it a while back, but the blurbs seemed to imply that it might be something of a hatchet job, and I was wondering if it was worth picking up a copy.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 09:57 AM (N/cFh)

14 I can proudly state that I have NOT ready any of the five "one-hot wonders," despite all sorts of societal pressure to do so.

Saw the movies made from two of them. That was enough.

In fact, I am one of those curmudgeons who would gladly support a move to take a lot of "Iconic Literature" off the required-reading lists of high-school English teachers and Important Book Reviewers everywhere.

Crap is crap. Doesn't matter if it was written by Melvin Furd or Ernie Hemingway.

Posted by: MrScribbler at August 10, 2014 09:57 AM (dDzOj)

15
Daniel Nisman
In Israel these days, if you want to promote something, you just call it "the Iron Dome" of what ever it is you are trying to promote. For example, my wife came home with extra-expensive Huggies, claiming the were "the Iron Dome" of all diapers..

Sounds like a good investment.

Posted by: Pug the Boneless at August 10, 2014 09:57 AM (8fS0t)

16 Sony is a fine example of why you always go with the most popular. I messed up and bought their Beta machines back in the day. Still have one sitting on the top shelf in my closet. Collecting dust. I also have a who box full of Beta tapes. All pretty much worthless now.

Anyway what I am reading today:

Currently redoing the Recluce series by Modesette

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 09:59 AM (T2V/1)

17 Shame on you OM for linking to Huffy Poo. The article was interesting, but I dislike giving them hits.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:02 AM (N/cFh)

18 Jeff Shaara actually started out writing science fiction.I read one of hos short stories,it was quite good.

Posted by: steevy at August 10, 2014 10:03 AM (zqvg6)

19 A sci-fi series by Raymond Weil called The Slaver Wars is not superb, but it still manages to get bought and read, by me at least.

It's filled with villainous villains, curvy space-babes, and zap- boom-bang starship battles between hundreds of ships each hundreds of meters in size.

Also, Carebears.

This series begins as another series, Moon Wreck, if I recall correctly.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:03 AM (PdP7S)

20 18 Actually,I think that was his father.

Posted by: steevy at August 10, 2014 10:04 AM (zqvg6)

21 The pushback against gun grabbers is another successful movement. When I was a young woman you couldn't carry guns or even keep one in your car unless you were traveling or going straight, nonstop, to the range, and this is Texas I'm talking about.

Posted by: stace at August 10, 2014 10:05 AM (8jBHJ)

22 Finished 'Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede.'

Would have been a lot more enjoyable without the irresistible political jibes and the Konveniently Kwazy Kartoon Kwistians. Then again, it was written in those hellish days of post-Reagan 1989 when society was still reeling from the American Taliban.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:05 AM (MMC8r)

23 Scratch most Baptist preachers and you will find a fellow that knows what's good for you because God talks with him.

They rarely oppose government laws that enforce their beliefs, aka, prohibition.

Huck knows what's best for you.. Just axe him.

Posted by: Nip Sip at August 10, 2014 10:06 AM (0FSuD)

24 As to what I am reading right? Instead of writing?

Saki's Beasts and Super-Beasts.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/269/269-h/269-h.htm

First story, my little writer's mind is churning over ways to make it even more silly. And probably by the end of my version, everyone will need a flea dip.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 10, 2014 10:06 AM (3Hui+)

25 Sony has the "curse of the Betamax" which is the development of a brilliant idea, moderately well executed, optimized for Japan, and wound up in so many exclusions and proprietary flourishes that it is impossible to set up any sort of broad market demand for it.

I love my Sony E-reader. But I bought the cheapest one without a touch-screen.
The original touch screen you could swipe to go to the next page. But you had to swipe left-to-right, the way you turn pages in Japanese. I can't imagine the sales were that good.

Posted by: kindltot at August 10, 2014 10:06 AM (t//F+)

26
Israeli Flash Mob

http://goo.gl/mt7DKi

Some of the singers are pretty good especially the chick.

Posted by: Pug the Boneless at August 10, 2014 10:06 AM (8fS0t)

27 Fiction rec: Anne Perry's WWI series. I devoured four of the five books inside of 24 hours; the only reason I didn't go on to the fifth was that the library had it only as an audiobook. (Then my mom alerted me to some thematic stuff I might have a problem with, so I didn't try to listen.) The series covers the entire course of the war; the first book starts shortly before the war breaks out in 1914, and Books 2-4 are roughly a year apart, with Book 5 set near the end of the war in 1918. Each book has its own stand-alone murder mystery plot, but the series also has an overarching thriller plot in addition to the historical backdrop of the war. Very good stories.

Posted by: Elisabeth G. Wolfe at August 10, 2014 10:07 AM (dpszv)

28 I haven't read "Wuthering Heights" or "Raintree County" (which I believe was made into a film) but have read the others.

Jeff Shaara's father also wrote about the Civil War. I can highly recommend the book "The Killer Angels," about the battle of Gettysburg.

And I'd like to let Mr. Gleeson know that I downloaded "Screams from my Father," read it and liked it a lot.

Posted by: Dr Alice at August 10, 2014 10:08 AM (tRcjU)

29 I've got two beta machines, Vic. I collect old electronics. Still work great.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:08 AM (MMC8r)

30 Sony has the "curse of the Betamax" which is the development of a
brilliant idea, moderately well executed, optimized for Japan, and wound
up in so many exclusions and proprietary flourishes that it is
impossible to set up any sort of broad market demand for it.

What killed Beta was the fact that movies were released on VHS first. Sony did not think it would take off and they bet wrong. Beta was actually technically superior to VHS but it lost.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:09 AM (T2V/1)

31 Huck is more a politician than a preacher. Like Sharpton and Jackson, it's a lot more earthly agenda than heavenly.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:10 AM (MMC8r)

32 29 I still have at least one beta tape somewhere.My sisters copy of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

Posted by: steevy at August 10, 2014 10:10 AM (zqvg6)

33 29
I've got two beta machines, Vic. I collect old electronics. Still work great.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:08 AM (MMC8r)

I've got one beta machine that still works, or at least it did when I put it up. I also have one of those old RCA movie disk machines. And I have a Panasonic big movie disk machine. All obsolete technology.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:10 AM (T2V/1)

34 Sorry, Oregon Muse, but your argument on gay marriage is way off the mark. It has absolutely nothing to with a Marxist-model committed few (to tyranny over the many). Those who argued against partnering of gays and lesbians were among the most anti-democracy, anti-republic individuals in this country. They were intent on taking away (or keeping away) all civil rights with regards to love and family away from homosexuals. It was always "moral hatred", mostly out of a supposedly Christian conscience.

All Americans of good conscience had to do was to acknowledge not only the rights but the basic human values of homosexuals and give them partnering rights of the same citizenship quality and the same dignity as heterosexuals had and give it a different "title" -- and go for it. Instead the arguments against valued and valuable Americans were execrable. That is not American. "Marriage" could have remained defined as "between a man and a woman" and "partnership" (or some classy title) could have been defined as between man-man or woman-woman -- with the same rights AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES. Let people live in love, peace, and security with their loved ones in their own homes.

This is where the label "Conservative" breaks down utterly. Conservatives were in the leadership of the haters. Conserve what? Conserve dictatorial principles? Hatred of a group of Americans? America historically is a nation of classical liberal persuasion, and of inclusiveness, and of providing the opportunity to make one's destiny. The major voices against homosexual legal lifetime partnering lost the whole ball of wax because they left themselves no moral or constitutional ground to stand on.

Posted by: pyromancer76 at August 10, 2014 10:11 AM (i0aYq)

35 They made some really cool laserdisc movie sets,some of the material has never been re released on DVD or Blu Ray.They come up for sale on Ebay.

Posted by: steevy at August 10, 2014 10:12 AM (zqvg6)

36 I also have one of those old RCA movie disk machines. And I have a Panasonic big movie disk machine.

My videodisk machine is a bit buggy but works.

My laserdisc player is a Mitsubishi, and works great. Weighs about 20 pounds, though. They really built the old stuff to last.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:12 AM (MMC8r)

37 What killed Betamax was the 30 minute cassettes. VHS tapes could hold an entire movie.

Posted by: Tunafish at August 10, 2014 10:12 AM (qhJMZ)

38 If you consider the MFM and the networks to be a "few" I guess so. But remember who runs the networks and writes the script for all the shows. Hint: It ain't the heteros

That's precisely my point. Homosexuals comprise maybe 2-3% of the population, were a despised minority a few decades ago, and now they're practically running the joint. A determined few, indeed.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 10:13 AM (yRdR4)

39 Actually Vic, what really killed Betamax what that the porn industry got behind VHS in a big way. It's scary how much in life is driven by porn, but then again it's a basic human drive that many people find difficult to satisfy. I doubt porn would be as ubiquitous if we lived in a society where acquiring food took up a large portion of the day.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:14 AM (N/cFh)

40 Finished "RoboGenesis" this week, the sequel to "Robopocalypse", written by a Carnegie Mellon robotics PhD. Definitely weaker than the first book in the series, and unintelligible if you don't remember the plot and characters from the first book.

Posted by: motionview at August 10, 2014 10:15 AM (1t1VD)

41 39
Actually Vic, what really killed Betamax what that the porn industry got
behind VHS in a big way. It's scary how much in life is driven by porn,
but then again it's a basic human drive that many people find difficult
to satisfy. I doubt porn would be as ubiquitous if we lived in a
society where acquiring food took up a large portion of the day.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:14 AM (N/cFh)

Actually porn was widely available on Beta as well as VHS. But if you wanted it here in SC you had to order.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:16 AM (T2V/1)

42 Just finished Michael Lewis "Flash Boys" about how High-Frequency Traders (HFTs)take advantage of stock markets. I'm a finance professor, and I learned a bunch of new stuff.

I have to describe the HFTs as "Magnificent Bastrds". On the one hand, they've made a mettic crap-ton of money by exploiting small weaknesses in the system. On the other, it's relatively helpless people's money that they're getting. Only a bit from each one, but it adds up to Billions and Billions.

Maybe after academia I'll go work on Wall Street.

Posted by: RightWingProf at August 10, 2014 10:18 AM (LOnHK)

43 So far, I've read only one of the five. And if it's a choice between the Barrel and Bronte, let me see the roster so I can pick my time slot.

Posted by: RightWingProf at August 10, 2014 10:19 AM (LOnHK)

44 Vic, I understood that one of the reasons movies were released on VHS first was because Sony had concerns about movies on tape and wouldn't get off the pot.

Still, The Sony reader is my favorite reader, it is an excellent device. I will be very unhappy when it goes TU and I have to get something else.

Posted by: kindltot at August 10, 2014 10:20 AM (t//F+)

45 Beta did have a greater running speed (hence the higher quality) but the movie-length barrier was a point. The blanks I bought last week are 90 min @SP speed, 4.5hrs @ EP. This was back in the day when a blank tape could cost you $10 (80s dollars), so an extra 30% of recording time added up.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:21 AM (MMC8r)

46 Catch-22 is Heller's only good book. Same for Ken Kesey with OFOTCCN.

Posted by: Mr. Dave at August 10, 2014 10:21 AM (YDVhE)

47 Before I got my Kindle I wanted the Sony reader because it would accept multiple ebook formats. But they stopped making the model I wanted with the 6" screen so I went with the Kindle. Now that I have Calibre I can get any format available and still read it on the Kindle.

Posted by: Tunafish at August 10, 2014 10:23 AM (qhJMZ)

48 I've read three of the one-hit wonders - haven't read Black Beauty or Raintree County.

Finished The Astronaut Wives Club this week. Interesting subject, but the was not up to the task. Still, worth reading if you want to revisit the space-age '60's. It's hard to believe how the country hero-worshiped the early astronauts.

This week I'm reading Time to Depart by Lindsey Davis, which is one of a hard-boiled PI series set in Ancient Rome. Think Mickey Spillane wearing a toga - it's a fun series.

I'm also reading 1916 by Morgan Llywelyn, a fictional story about the Irish uprising, something I know nothing about. I like it so far.

And I'll also be reading Sgt Mom's book this week.

I got down to 425 books, but then I stopped at the book warehouse, so now I'm back up to 430 books. So many books, so little time.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (6Turu)

49 Vic, I understood that one of the reasons movies
were released on VHS first was because Sony had concerns about movies on
tape and wouldn't get off the pot.

Still, The Sony reader is my
favorite reader, it is an excellent device. I will be very unhappy when
it goes TU and I have to get something else.

Posted by: kindltot at August 10, 2014 10:20 AM (t//F+)

That is also what I understand. The were slow getting in the movie market and by the time they did VHS was already king of the hill.

As far as e-readers go I am using a Samsung Galaxy Tab II with a Kindle imulator on it. I works great for all kinds of stuff and only cost $200 locally. I started with a Kindle because I learned my lesson. Always go with what is popular.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (T2V/1)

50 Finally read "Longitude" by Dava Sobel a couple of days ago - it's a fast and entertaining read. Makes me want to know more about John Harrison, as he sounds like a fascinating character.

Just started reading "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester, about a unique relationship between two of the people involved in the development of the Oxford English Dictionary. It is also a fascinating, easy read.

Funny thing - the search for "the Longitude" and the development of a definitive catalog of the English language developed virtually side by side.

We take dictionaries so much for granted these days that it's hard to imagine there was a time when words didn't have written definitions.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX (@Teresa_Koch) at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (PZ6/M)

51 Another example of a small group of individuals getting their way is the fight for 2nd Amendment rights.

In the '70's it was almost universally accepted that the 2nd Amendment was only a collective right exercised by states over the National Guard. Only a handful of "fringe" politicians would have disagreed with that, and it was expected that handguns were on the verge of being made illegal. Even the NRA at the time was a pro-gun control group.

What happened was a small group of pro-2nd Amendment supporters organized and took over the NRA, and then turned the NRA from a "non-political" "sporting" group that was being swept up with the "inevitable" current of history, into a vehicle for change.

Posted by: The Gunnin' Hat at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (lN8KC)

52 Oops - re The Astronaut Wives Club - should be 'the author was not up to the task.'

Posted by: biancaneve at August 10, 2014 10:25 AM (6Turu)

53 Blah, blah Pyro, such revisionist history. Civil Unions were exactly what you described, and guess what? Every time they come up for a vote, anywhere, they pass. Never once was a civil union bill or ballot voted down. Gay "marriage" was regularly voted down, and still is today most of the time, but the courts are imposing it on the country. Speaking for myself and every other conservative I know, our opposition to gay "marriage" stems not from a desire to stigmatize, punish or hurt gay folks (and spare me any talk of Democrat hate groups like Westboro), but from the recognition that marriage is a thing, it has a specific definition and same sex isn't it. Civil unions, partnerships, gayrrage, whatever you want to call it I'm fine with it (I'd actually support civil unions for everybody, government has no business in marriage at all, that's a church function. It does have a proper role in defining the parameters of legal relationships), but having judges define up as down and black as white doesn't make it so. You might as well argue for male pregnancy.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:25 AM (N/cFh)

54 Beta means second place.

Who wants to buy that?

VHS had more machines on the shelves, the sales folks did not try very hard to push beta, the beta tapes seemed toy-like compared to the heftier VHS tapes, and recording capacity was greater with VHS.

Plus, beta sounded wimpy.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:27 AM (PdP7S)

55 If you need reasons to not vote for Huckabee...

http://tinyurl.com/ltl4b9l

http://tinyurl.com/2u3e5v

http://tinyurl.com/labjh7l

http://tinyurl.com/y9r7qqs

Posted by: richard mcenroe at August 10, 2014 10:27 AM (XO6WW)

56 44 Still, The Sony reader is my favorite reader, it is
an excellent device. I will be very unhappy when it goes TU and I have
to get something else.

Posted by: kindltot at August 10, 2014 10:20 AM (t//F+)

Get a free copy of Calibre and you can convert those Sony books to Kindle.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:28 AM (T2V/1)

57 Speaking for myself and every other conservative I know, our opposition to gay "marriage" stems not from a desire to stigmatize, punish or hurt gay folks (and spare me any talk of Democrat hate groups like Westboro), but from the recognition that marriage is a thing, it has a specific definition and same sex isn't it.

That, and no dissent will be allowed, ie bakers, etc. Twenty years ago even the gays were against it, now they won't let anyone be. They're already setting up the lawsuits against churches.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:28 AM (MMC8r)

58 Beta means second place.
Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:27 AM (PdP7S)

Sony's Betacam format was THE Broadcast format for about 15 years, only recently pushed out by the HD formats.

Posted by: Tunafish at August 10, 2014 10:31 AM (qhJMZ)

59
Actually porn was widely available on Beta as well as VHS. But if you wanted it here in SC you had to order.

Oh, I remember the seedy back rooms in video stores, and there were Beta tapes there, but it was always a tiny little Beta section lost in a sea of VHS. I read an article some years back that pretty convincingly argues for porn being a driving factor, tracking the availability of porn on different formats with the popularity of each. It was quite interesting.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:31 AM (N/cFh)

60 OT: Stewart will not race today.

Posted by: Tami at August 10, 2014 10:31 AM (v0/PR)

61 The original impetus for "gay marriage" was the idea of same-sex "civil unions" and what drove that idea was AIDS. When that scourge started wreaking it's havoc on the gay community, the reality that victims weren't covered on their same-sex partner's insurance or health benefits--and survivors weren't recognized as spouses when it came time to divvy up the estate after their deaths. It was rooted in money, not love (at least not always) and that's why no one even mentioned gay marriage before the mid-eighties, and was still a head-scrathcher for most right up til a few years ago. Gay marriage became a reality because Democrats wanted to tap into the financial largesse of the very affluent, very well-connected, and extremely-influential (through their dominance of the arts, fashion, and media0 gay community for political contributions. Again, it's about money, not love. And opposition to it is not based on hate--gay marriage makes no sense and it turns the very idea and concept of marriage on it's head. People can live and screw each others brains out however they like and as much as they like and it's nobody's damn business. But let's not call it "marriage."

Posted by: Joeybagels at August 10, 2014 10:32 AM (8QvwW)

62 OT - once gay marriage is the law of the land, can I marry my sister and piggyback onto her federal employee health benefits? If not, why not? And that is my objection to gay marriage. If the state wants to say, "We recognize it's beneficial for people to have their emotional and social needs met through relationships and to encourage that, you may designate one individual who will share your employer benefits, legal rights, etc" I'd be fine with that. But when the government starts saying "Gay marriage is the exact same thing as man-woman marriage, which has long been the basic unit of society and the nucleus of the family, which is essential for the continuation of society," well I have a big problem with that.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 10, 2014 10:32 AM (6Turu)

63 59 Oh, I remember the seedy back rooms in video stores,
and there were Beta tapes there, but it was always a tiny little Beta
section lost in a sea of VHS. I read an article some years back that
pretty convincingly argues for porn being a driving factor, tracking the
availability of porn on different formats with the popularity of each.
It was quite interesting.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 10:31 AM (N/cFh)

Here in SC you could not get either version, at least in this small town. From what I understand the local cops went around to every video store and told them if they put any up they would be arrested.

I think it is widely available now, but I haven't been in a video store since the local Blockbuster closed. Nobody in town does Blueray anymore and I have been spoiled.

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:34 AM (T2V/1)

64 Its also worth noting that back in the 80s a VCR could set you back $500 (my dad spent $535 on our first one in 1982), not the $85 of the '00s. You'd be pretty careful about brand availability with a capital outlay like that.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:34 AM (MMC8r)

65 LOL, I paid $1,000 for my first Beta machine from Sears (but it was a Sony with a Sears label).

Posted by: Vic at August 10, 2014 10:37 AM (T2V/1)

66 Good Morning rons. It's a damp and dreary day in the upstate of SC. Hopefully the brisket I just put in the smoker will help assuage those feelings.

If anyone is looking for an excellent teen young adult Novel, Kia Heavey has written a book called Underlake. My 14 year old is digging it.

I am currently reading a book called Trickster Noir be Cedar Sanderson. It is the follow-up to Pixie Noir. I'm not much into this fantasy genre, But the pixies, Fairies, trolls, kings and other inhabitants of the underworld Drew me in.

On a biography note, I read the Biography of Don Felder of the Eagles. What a tumultuous band that was/is. It made me a little sad to read it but at the same time I'm sure we all understand that many great works of art were made under duress.

I hope everyone is doing well today.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 10:38 AM (M8AJc)

67 62, I already know of two cases where friends share benefits with same-sex friends. One "couple" is men, the other women, and they are all hetero- sexuals. Now, I don't get out much and I know of two. Do the math....

Posted by: Joeybagels at August 10, 2014 10:38 AM (8QvwW)

68 Sorry, Oregon Muse, but your argument on gay marriage is way off the mark. It has absolutely nothing to with a Marxist-model committed few (to tyranny over the many). Those who argued against partnering of gays and lesbians were among the most anti-democracy, anti-republic individuals in this country. They were intent on taking away (or keeping away) all civil rights with regards to love and family away from homosexuals. It was always "moral hatred", mostly out of a supposedly Christian conscience.

All Americans of good conscience had to do was to acknowledge not only the rights but the basic human values of homosexuals and give them partnering rights of the same citizenship quality and the same dignity as heterosexuals had and give it a different "title" -- and go for it. Instead the arguments against valued and valuable Americans were execrable. That is not American. "Marriage" could have remained defined as "between a man and a woman" and "partnership" (or some classy title) could have been defined as between man-man or woman-woman -- with the same rights AND LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES. Let people live in love, peace, and security with their loved ones in their own homes.

This is where the label "Conservative" breaks down utterly. Conservatives were in the leadership of the haters. Conserve what? Conserve dictatorial principles? Hatred of a group of Americans? America historically is a nation of classical liberal persuasion, and of inclusiveness, and of providing the opportunity to make one's destiny. The major voices against homosexual legal lifetime partnering lost the whole ball of wax because they left themselves no moral or constitutional ground to stand on.

Posted by: pyromancer76 at August 10, 2014 10:11 AM (i0aYq)

Oh, a lefty troll!

"Gay marriage" is a false equality. That is was between a man and a woman was fundamental to what it is, far more then it being between to human beings (saying that it is between two human being is duo-normative oppression).

The thing is, "gay marriage" is marriage in name only, with only government benefits and the legal power to reconstruct social norms.

It isn't about equality, it is about pretending to be something else and forcing a fantasy on others whether they like it or not.

To whit:

Same-Sex Marriage Isn't
http://tinyurl.com/k9zrmuu

What Will Be What Marriage Once Was?
http://tinyurl.com/l9b6jqw

The Sundering of Marriage
http://tinyurl.com/ky4azrc

Meaninglessness of Modern Marriage
http://tinyurl.com/omrqzyk

Posted by: The Traditional Marriage Hat at August 10, 2014 10:38 AM (lN8KC)

69 WA state passed a law that gave gays all the legal rights of married couples (and unmarried 65 and overs that didn't want to lose pensions benefits)

It took about two years after that to pass the law legalizing gay "marriage". So it's not about status or legal rights. It's about taking the concept of marriage, which has always been about the legal relationship between a man and a woman and perverting the meaning of the word (in the same manner that they have perverted the meaning of "gay"). You would think that gays would be creative enough to come up with their own words but apparently not.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 10, 2014 10:39 AM (Lqy/e)

70 "A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".

That's what the poster says, it's mocking what's pictured.

Posted by: Trotsky w/an ice-pick in his head at August 10, 2014 10:39 AM (fPTO4)

71 Can we bash Huckabee? I do not trust that man, going back to 2008. I didn't like the way he tried to make an issue out of Romney being a Mormon, while acting like he wasn't making an issue of it. And Romney has plenty of his own issues, but questioning his religion in a sneaky way is slimey.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 10, 2014 10:40 AM (6Turu)

72 34
Sorry, Oregon Muse, but your argument on gay marriage is way off the
mark. It has absolutely nothing to with a Marxist-model committed few
(to tyranny over the many).

Sure it is. Ask those Christian bakery owners I mentioned who were forced by the courts to participate in a celebration they were morally opposed to. I'm sure they know exactly what "tyranny" is.

And that's the real face behind the mask of "equal rights" and "marriage equality" you claim to be arguing for. It's the forced acceptance of groupthink where not even private dissent is allowed.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 10:40 AM (yRdR4)

73 Gay marriage has the effect of weakening marriage as a spiritual institution. In the long run Sparta fell. Don't ask don't tell was a better stopping point. Short story. No you can't have my biological children to sodomize. Long story. As long as it takes a woman to create a child gay marriage is a long term loser. Artificial wombs are required. See SyFy treatments.

Posted by: Huggy at August 10, 2014 10:40 AM (PGh+Q)

74 OT: Stewart will not race today.
Posted by: Tami at August 10, 2014 10:31 AM (v0/PR)

That was tragic. I read about it this morning. As a man who has spent a fair amount of time hustling a race car around a dirt track, I can't see how it was Tony's fault. It is clear that the young mans temper got the best of him. You don't leave your car after a crash, you wait till they come get you. If you want to fight, fight in the pits. I feel bad for the kids family and Tony Stewart.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 10:42 AM (M8AJc)

75 I hated the way Huckabee and others ran a stealth campaign against the Mormon Romney. He was running for president not religious leader...

Posted by: Joeybagels at August 10, 2014 10:42 AM (8QvwW)

76 Bianca, if you haven't got anything nice to say about Huckabee...

...come sit by me.

Posted by: Jenny Hates Her Phone at August 10, 2014 10:42 AM (evt7e)

77 Read the most recent in the "Carnation" series Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla. Regency mystery, romance and a stoat (which is, after all, a type of weasel).

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 10, 2014 10:43 AM (GDulk)

78 We take dictionaries so much for granted these days that it's hard to imagine there was a time when words didn't have written definitions.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX (@Teresa_Koch) at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (PZ6/M)

And now, as in so many other ways, we are regressing to where words with written definitions don't really mean what you think they should!

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:44 AM (o3MSL)

79 And book reviews, I did a run to the library and one if the books I picked up was "Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening". I didn't expect that a gardening book would make me tear up but this one did. It's basically about how a Kenyan immigrant helped the author deal with her battle with breast cancer. He seems to have made a real impact in her community. Might be of interest to other gardening Morons.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 10, 2014 10:44 AM (Lqy/e)

80 To quote James FitzJames Stephens, the way to force change on society is by "persuading an efficient minority to coerce an indifferent and self-indulgent majority."

Posted by: The Traditional Marriage Hat at August 10, 2014 10:44 AM (lN8KC)

81 Bianca, if you haven't got anything nice to say about Huckabee...

...come sit by me.
Posted by: Jenny Hates Her Phone at August 10, 2014 10:42 AM (evt7e)

Can I sit on the other side? I have never liked him. I keep waiting for him to break out a $10 bottle of Elixir and claim it to cure everything.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 10:45 AM (M8AJc)

82 Read "America's Hidden History, Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation" earlier this summer.

It's full of a rich history of the little stories that don't make it into the history books. And it reminds you that, just like the untimely demise of Emily Bronte, life back then was quite often short (and violent).

It's by Kenneth C. Davis, who also wrote "Don't Know Much About History", which I need to read because I enjoyed the first book so much.

Posted by: WhyMe at August 10, 2014 10:45 AM (l9mF2)

83 It's the forced acceptance of groupthink where not even private dissent is allowed.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 10:40 AM (yRdR4)

It's the forced acceptance of groupthink using the power of the central government with its essentially unlimited resources to ensure that not even private dissent is allowed.

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:47 AM (o3MSL)

84 Nood tongue-in-cheek thread about golf

Posted by: Y-not at August 10, 2014 10:48 AM (zDsvJ)

85 78 We take dictionaries so much for granted these days that it's hard to imagine there was a time when words didn't have written definitions.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX (@Teresa_Koch) at August 10, 2014 10:24 AM (PZ6/M)

And now, as in so many other ways, we are regressing to where words with written definitions don't really mean what you think they should!
Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:44 AM (o3MSL)

Zero is the new one.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:48 AM (PdP7S)

86 70 "A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".
That's what the poster says, it's mocking what's pictured.

Ssshh! Don't spoil my joke.

Thanks for the translation, though. I thought it was a run-of-the-mill commie 'all hail the revolution' agitprop poster. I had no idea it was actually mocking Lenin.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 10:49 AM (yRdR4)

87 It's the forced acceptance of groupthink using the power of the central government with its essentially unlimited resources to ensure that not even private dissent is allowed.
Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:47 AM (o3MSL)

I'm amazed how slowly and steadily it was poured on us. So many never felt the water get hot.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 10:49 AM (M8AJc)

88 3 Nobody did the "Lean Forward" thing as good as Lenin did.

Posted by: gp at August 10, 2014 09:45 AM (+Jpqc)

*swoon* *bats eyes and fans self in rapturous, erotic spasms*

Posted by: MSLSD at August 10, 2014 10:49 AM (fYkmN)

89 Zero is the new one.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:48 AM (PdP7S)

It's a tax!

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:50 AM (o3MSL)

90 It's breathtaking how swiftly The Ghey has moved from Toleration through Acceptance to the current Mandatory Celebration. The only frontier remaining is Universal Participation, although the really kewl kidz have become bored with their victory and moved on to the new transgressive frontier of the trannys. Always needing to display their Couragous Moral Plumage and signal their superior standing in the muck and ruck of the left they seek out ever more marginal and smaller groups of Teh Oppresed to champion. As long as one person disapproves of the behavior of another their crabbed little lives have meaning. The future is bright. Necrophilia, bestiality, pedophilia await the attention of the self annointed. Forward!

Posted by: theTruth, the whole Truth, and nothing etc. at August 10, 2014 10:51 AM (6jKOp)

91 69 above. Some people want to have the legal right to pleasure themselves with you. They pervert words because they are perverts. Typically such people are wonderful liars and are stars in the political and entertainment fields. They have great success until the food runs out for the masses. Then the SS or the ISIS kills them to appease the gods.

Posted by: Huggy at August 10, 2014 10:52 AM (PGh+Q)

92 It's the forced acceptance of groupthink using the power of the central government with its essentially unlimited resources to ensure that not even private dissent is allowed.
Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 10:47 AM (o3MSL)

Ha! You kooks, I told ya so, I told ya so....

nyah.....

Posted by: Nikita Kruschev looking for his other shoe at August 10, 2014 10:53 AM (fYkmN)

93 Instapundit linked this.

Inspiring for writers.

http://janefriedman.com/2014/08/05/leap-to-indie/

from insty:

EILEEN GOUDGE: Self-Publish or Perish: Why I Made the Leap from Traditional Publishing to Indie.

(excerpt)

And something wonderful happened along the way.

It often does, when you take charge of your fate.

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at August 10, 2014 10:55 AM (IXrOn)

94 To quote James FitzJames Stephens, the way to force change on society is by "persuading an efficient minority to coerce an indifferent and self-indulgent majority."
Posted by: The Traditional Marriage Hat

In many ways, this is also the story of Barack Obama. And really, I'm not kidding about that.

Posted by: Bossy Conservative riding the comfy chair at August 10, 2014 10:55 AM (+1T7c)

95 Look, we aren't heartless fascists, we just want to make it effectively illegal for you to disagree with us and for you to be afraid of even expressing opposition to our agenda in the privacy of your own home for fear that we might hear you and organize a campaign to have you fired and destroyed.

Posted by: Gay Mafia at August 10, 2014 10:56 AM (ZPrif)

96 It's going to be awfully crowded around Jenny

Posted by: lindafell at August 10, 2014 10:57 AM (uZwoq)

97
What killed Beta was the fact that movies were released on VHS
first. Sony did not think it would take off and they bet wrong. Beta was
actually technically superior to VHS but it lost.

In a fight pick ugly and strong over elegant and beautiful:

computer architecture: 8086 ugly, 68000 elegant - 8086 won
video tape: VHS ugly, Beta elegant and beautiful - VHS
boxing: Mike Tyson ugly and strong, Cindy Crawford elegant and beautiful - ouch.

Posted by: An Observation at August 10, 2014 10:57 AM (ylhEn)

98 When you join the Marriage Club you become a gate-keeper.

When new groups want to join, what will you say and why?

I asked this of Gabe and heard no answer.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:58 AM (PdP7S)

99 You still have the right to oppose gay marriage, just not the right to hold a job, earn a living, or retain parental visitation rights and oppose gay marriage.

You guys act like we are ruthless fascist who try to destroy the lives of anyone who dares to disagree with us. That's crazy talk. We only want to render you unemployable and purge you from all levels of society.

Posted by: Gay Mafia at August 10, 2014 10:59 AM (ZPrif)

100 Finishing up "6 Days of War" by Michael Oren, the book about the 6-Day war between Israel, Egypt, Syria and Jordan.

The key to winning the war was the planned airstrikes against the Egyptian airfields. IADF had been training for 3 years to carry this out. When they got the word to attack on Monday morning at 7:30 am, it was basically all over by noon.

Lyndon Johnson comes off as a bit of equivocating weasel in this. The Democrats had curried favor for the Jewish vote for years, but Johnson was PO'd that so many Jews demonstrated against the War in Viet Nam. His war.

Posted by: Bossy Conservative riding the comfy chair at August 10, 2014 10:59 AM (+1T7c)

101 It's breathtaking how swiftly The Ghey has moved from Toleration through Acceptance to the current Mandatory Celebration.

From the fictionalized Matthew Shepard to Brandon Eich.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 10:59 AM (MMC8r)

102 87 The central government doesn't have unlimited resources. The current monolith will fall apart when the current Lois Lerner's start thinking they might lose their pensions. Obama is trying to form an army from the least effective people in the US. Thank God that is impossible.

Posted by: Huggy at August 10, 2014 11:00 AM (PGh+Q)

103 Sony tried to block distribution of porn on Beta for quite some time before it became evident it was a market driver. By that time it was too late, the trend was leading toward VHS. It was no one thing but many things in combination, adding up to Sony being the pioneer with arrows sticking out of it. While so much seems obvious in hindsight, they had to make it up as they went along.

Beta tapes were designed with the recording of one hour TV shows in mind. Distribution of features films just wasn't on the radar. It took an outsider to license movies from the big studios for a trivial sum, take out ads in magazines like Playboy, and begin the first successful distribution of feature films to the consumer market. It then took yet another individual to buy everything in the then library and start a video rental store.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_Video

It could be worse. You could have sunk considerable cash into a Cartrivision:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartrivision

If I was pioneering a new product category, I'd acknowledge history and have a small group within the company whose job it was to brainstorm an upstart competitor. Be your own competition or somebody else will do it to you instead of for you.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 10, 2014 11:00 AM (NLEgK)

104 95 Look, we aren't heartless fascists, we just want to make it effectively illegal for you to disagree with us and for you to be afraid of even expressing opposition to our agenda in the privacy of your own home for fear that we might hear you and organize a campaign to have you fired and destroyed

^THIS^

The most ungracious winners in history.
But then Fascists never know when to stop.
It is concievable that there exist some who are concerned with "rights" ( but only their personal rights ), but by now it's overwhelmingly all about the coercion.

Posted by: theTruth, the whole Truth, and nothing etc. at August 10, 2014 11:02 AM (6jKOp)

105 Kafkatrap!!!!!

Conservatives were in the leadership of the haters[...and so] lost the
whole ball of wax because they left themselves no moral or
constitutional ground to stand on.

The argument that haters hate and that they hate means they have no moral standing in the argument is a wonderful place to start. (because anyone who argues against this shows they are hateful/bigoted/homophobic/corrupt and the argument can therefore be dismissed as either corrupt or
incompetent)

However the argument All [good people must do is to] give them
partnering rights of the same citizenship quality [...] and give it a different "title" -- and go for it. is particularly inspired.
Does anyone want to make a wager that once such a policy has been put in place that outraged screams of "APARTHEID" and "ghettos!!" and howls and MSM lynch mobs and lawsuits about the moral and legal precedents against any "separate but equal" legislation? When should we expect lawsuits to start claiming monetary reparations?

You talk about losing the whole ball of wax, of losing moral standing. I say you cannot negotiate or make accommodations with any person or group that will not negotiate in good faith, stand honestly by any decision agreed upon. And this is a subject that has shown that no honest negotiation can be achieved and no decision will be honored.

Posted by: Kindltot at August 10, 2014 11:03 AM (t//F+)

106 David Burge @iowahawkblog 48m
I'll agree the US should stop acting as the world's policeman, if you'll agree the US should stop being the world's refugee camp.

David Burge @iowahawkblog 30m
"We have an obligation to take refugees fleeing violence in Country X."
"What should we do about violence in Country X?"
"Not our business."

Posted by: Twice Elected Obama at August 10, 2014 11:03 AM (ZPrif)

107 101 It's breathtaking how swiftly The Ghey has moved from Toleration through Acceptance to the current Mandatory Celebration.

From the fictionalized Matthew Shepard to Brandon Eich.
-----------------------------------------

And now witness the hardcore, committed feminists being marginalized/excluded/harassed because they are trying to keep the Women's Movement all about Born-Women, and not letting in the various trannies who are insisting they be allowed in the tent.

It is fun to watch hardcore leftists (feminists) getting the treatment usually meted out to the rest of us. Heh.....

Posted by: WhyMe at August 10, 2014 11:03 AM (l9mF2)

108
Hello from Way Down Here and thanks again for this wonderful book thread Oregon Muse.. much appreciated!

I think someone here ages ago mentioned Anne of Green Gables - never read it when I was younger but it was a freebie on Kindle so I had to get it

And I must say it was lovely reading! I was most impressed by the author's lovely descriptions of the setting of her novel - Prince Edward Island - wonderful descriptions of gardens, trees and flowers - I could almost smell the fragrance of the blooms and hear the wind in the trees

At the moment I'm reading "Battle Cry of Freedom" by James M McPherson - a history of the American Civil War

I just wish I had known a bit more when we were in the US a few years ago and drove past the signs indicating Gettysburg, Antietam and Manassas....I would have gone to these sites for sure

At the time though I was sadly ignorant of your US Civil War history...

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:04 AM (EGwwB)

109 I have to say that one of the GREATEST thrift store finds I ever had was a box of 35 Original Star Trek episodes on Beta for 10 cents each about six months ago. So, even if no one else wants the format, I'm thrilled with it.

Posted by: --- at August 10, 2014 11:07 AM (MMC8r)

110 there's a golf thread up, btw

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at August 10, 2014 11:08 AM (IXrOn)

111 Posted by: Trotsky w/an ice-pick in his head at August 10, 2014 10:39 AM (fPTO4)

It was an Ice-axe, an alpenstock, Leon. For some reason I couldn't find an ice-pick in the house.
(One would think a warm place like Mexico City would be awash in ice-picks)

Posted by: Ramon Mercader, Hero of the Soviet Union at August 10, 2014 11:09 AM (t//F+)

112 Greetings, aussie, I've missed you the last couple of weeks or so.

I just wish I had known a bit more when we were in the US a few years ago and drove past the signs indicating Gettysburg, Antietam and Manassas....I would have gone to these sites for sure

Oh, you truly missed out, my friend. But hopefully, you can come back sometime and correct your grievous errors.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 11:10 AM (yRdR4)

113 I finished The Shadow of the Giant which is one of the last Orson Scott Card "Enderverse" books. A great balance between Heinlein-like dialogue and action in building the characters (I'm all about character development) and nice twists and turns in the greater plot of the scifi world created by the series. Nice to have a character that starts out many books ago turn into a major player too. There is only one more left to read--Earth Awakens but I may be too burned out on the child genius theme to finish. Seriously, they are the only smart people on the entire planet?
I'm halfway into The First Family Detail by Kessler and it is interesting. It seems to be mostly a way for agents to complain about management and unprofessional behavior. The rest is a series of long disjointed anecdotes that confirms my wish that ground zero for SMOD be DC--the politicians are privately just as sick, twisted and corrupt as they were in Rome as it came apart with the few that act honorably going down in contemporary history as fools and crazies by an "activist" media. It is very depressing in that regard. Very.
I tried listening to an audiobook of Thucydides and The Peloponnesian War but it turned out to be a lecture series by a professor on "what it all means" rather than a reading of the series so I stopped listening. He kept saying he was about to go into the book he was discussing but first he has to mention that what was really being said here was, blah blah, blah blah and gee whiz, he never reads the book aloud at all. I listened for an hour or so driving and gave up. Bummer.
Next I'll pick up a style book on 21st century use of italics and quotation marks.

Posted by: Daybrother at August 10, 2014 11:11 AM (PGDRm)

114 there's a golf thread up, btw

Yeah, I know, that's why I'm still here. I think there's still a bit of life left in the book thread.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 11:11 AM (yRdR4)

115 #97

You can go back farther on CPUs. The 8-bit 6809 from Motorola was superior in several ways to the Z-80 and 6502 that dominated the early micro market. But its most prominent platform ended up being the Tandy Color Computer and overseas clones. Beautiful lost out because the company behind it, Motorola, was not good at keep delivery schedules along with other reliability issues as a company that made developers reluctant to commit to them.

They had a chip set to go with the 6809 for use in arcade machines and home computers that was quite impressive for the era but it found very few design wins

This carried over to the 68000. Apple took it up eventually in the Lisa and following products because the situation was even worse with companies offering comparable 15/32-bit processors. Nobody would trust them to make reliable delivery for a product that was intended to sell in the tens of thousands and hoped to grow to orders of magnitude more.

Beauty is only one part of the story.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 10, 2014 11:11 AM (NLEgK)

116 Why, I have a copy of "To the Last Man" right here. Read it a few year ago.

The book follows four men before America's involvement and through WWI: Pershing, Richtofen, Raoul Lufbery, and a Marine infantryman, Roscoe Turner. The story of the war unfolds mostly through these four men's eyes.

If there is one weakness, I'd have liked to have seen one character be either a naval figure (despite my Air Force prejudice, I thought two out of the four being aviators was too much for that war) or someone in another theater, like ANZUS at Gallipoli.

But that's sniveling. Jutland and the Middle East were essentially sideshows and Shaara tells the most important parts of the war brilliantly.

Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh at August 10, 2014 11:12 AM (21Cwq)

117 I asked this of Gabe and heard no answer.

Posted by: eman at August 10, 2014 10:58 AM (PdP7S)

Can I introduce you to my horsemate!

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 11:14 AM (o3MSL)

118 I bought Israel's Lightening Strike; The Raid on Entebbe for .25 at a yard sale. Made me fall in love with the people of the twelves tribes of Jacob all over again.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 11:15 AM (M8AJc)

119 I was disappointed the book wasn't about killing an actual mockingbird so didn't finish it, but I did see something reviewing the book on t.v., but forgot most about it. Something about a white lawyer and some black dude. Something about race issues and bad attitudes in a town.

I had a girlfriend explain Wuthering Heights is about a love so strong that even death cannot deny it and I thought, "Well, that takes care of that."

I saw a cartoon about Black Beauty. It's a horse! I wasn't into girls with horses and the cartoon pretty much sucked.

I tried watching the movie Gone With the Wind twice and fell asleep both times. Everything goes to sh|t and ends poorly.

Never heard of Raintree Country.

Know what's weird? I aced the Humanities CLEP tests. A two-parter. That was worth 6 credit hours right there. $22.00 each, so 44 bucks for six credit hours. None of these books were on the Humanities exams that I recall, and all that time studying to match which characters are found in which books by which authors was totally wasted. Did I just now say studying? I meant to say glancing.

Posted by: bour3 at August 10, 2014 11:16 AM (5x3+2)

120
112 OregonMuse
"Oh, you truly missed out, my friend. But hopefully, you can come back sometime and correct your grievous errors"

Hi there from Sydney at after 1am Monday morning!

Yes and I'm just so cranky about missing out on seeing those sites - I console myself with the fact we did go to Arlington Cemetery - even though it was much later that I realised it was the site of General Robert E Lee's home - at the time I was thinking who was that bloke???

We are planning a trip for the next year - following a blues music history trail down south, but we will be in Washington DC so will go to the Manassas site for sure

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:19 AM (EGwwB)

121 The real problem with Solomon's biography of Norman Rockwell is this -

Five years from now, no one will remember the article at Puff Ho talking about how inaccurate the biography is. But five years from now, Solomon's grossly inaccurate biography will still be available, and probably sitting on library shelves in multiple locations around the country. And then some revisionist historian will - who may or may not know about the problems with the book - will cite it as "proof" that Rockwell was everything list. And things will gradually snowball from there.

Posted by: junior at August 10, 2014 11:23 AM (bMevx)

122 Aussie - You should go to Antietam in Maryland, too. It's the site of the bloodiest one-day battle in US history and the battlefield still looks largely as it did during the Civil War. I believe it's the best preserved battlefield in the US.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 10, 2014 11:24 AM (6Turu)

123
Read...The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester this past week... very good science fiction story written in 50s...

...also read... Zebra by Clark Howard...true story about black Muslim Nation of Islam types killing 20 or 30 white devils... in San Francisco back in the 70s....pretty freaky stuff that never became a national story--I wonder why??...black liberation theory seems to be more about bringing down whitey than improving the plight of black Americans....mmmm...mmmm...mmmmm

... about 200 pages into An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson....enjoying it so far....book about Americas start in WWII in North Africa-a part of WWII I had known little about...man o man those first days were filled with some horrible mistakes (tanks going into battle with training shells instead of live ammo etc) by American forces that lead to thousands of casualties--if the media covered it like they do now the US would've been pulled from the battle fields after a week....

I'm always looking for good WWII reads if anyone has some suggestions....

Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at August 10, 2014 11:26 AM (htEYe)

124 Okay I got tired of Saki and went back to writing. 500+ new words is serious progress.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 10, 2014 11:28 AM (3Hui+)

125 We are planning a trip for the next year - following a blues music history trail down south, but we will be in Washington DC so will go to the Manassas site for sure

Excellent! That sounds like it's going to be a fun road trip.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 11:30 AM (yRdR4)

126 But five years from now, Solomon's grossly inaccurate biography will still be available, and probably sitting on library shelves in multiple locations around the country.

Like that time I saw a 17 year old reading "Silent Spring" at one such library, presumably for a school project. I was tempted to suggest "Mein Kampf" instead, it had a lower body count.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at August 10, 2014 11:31 AM (iswjF)

127
122 biancaneve

Hi and thanks, I will try to get there too - I've been looking at some great sites on the internet - one of them has animated maps of the battles and I've just looked at the Antietam one

The site is the Civil War Trust site - very informative

Makes me mad that we drove past the turn off to Antietam and went shopping in Frederick instead - dumb move!

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:31 AM (EGwwB)

128 Okay I got tired of Saki and went back to writing. 500+ new words is serious progress.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD)

Godspeed Anna. Hot Saki is like taking a light nap and then sleeping all day.

Posted by: Daybrother at August 10, 2014 11:32 AM (HLDTT)

129 46 Catch-22 is Heller's only good book. Same for Ken Kesey with OFOTCCN.

-
Sometime A Great Notion was good.

Posted by: The Great White Snark at August 10, 2014 11:32 AM (Mogjf)

130 But that's sniveling. Jutland and the Middle East were essentially sideshows and Shaara tells the most important parts of the war brilliantly.
Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh

Jutland turned out to be a tactical stand-off, but it was said of Admiral Jellicoe, that he was the only man who could lose the War in an afternoon.

If the British had LOST at Jutland, it may very well have changed the course of the World War, because the naval blockade of Germany would have been broken.

Posted by: Bossy Conservative riding the comfy chair at August 10, 2014 11:33 AM (+1T7c)

131 Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:31 AM (EGwwB)

Although it is part of the Manassas Battlefield, it is sort of off the beaten track, you should be sure to see the Brawner Farm Site while there. It is easy to get to, but off the main battlefield area.

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 11:35 AM (o3MSL)

132
OSP... have you ever read Raid on the Sun by Rodger Claire- about Isreals strike on Iraq's nuclear site?....it's a pretty good read....

Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at August 10, 2014 11:35 AM (htEYe)

133 ...also read... Zebra by Clark Howard...true story about black Muslim Nation of Islam types killing 20 or 30 white devils... in San Francisco back in the 70s....pretty freaky stuff that never became a national story--I wonder why??...black liberation theory seems to be more about bringing down whitey than improving the plight of black Americans....mmmm...mmmm...mmmm

I mentioned the Clark Howard book on the book thread a few weeks back. The Zebra murders have really been dropped down the memory hole, but they think there's more victims than the handful around San Francisco. Maybe 200 (!) nationwide is the figure I've heard.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 11:36 AM (yRdR4)

134 Aussie, if you do get to the Mid- Atlantic, drop me a line, I'd be pleased as punch to walk the battlefields with you and explain the battles.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 11:38 AM (N/cFh)

135 Thank you OM very much for posting In Time of Peril and A Difficult Damsel to Rescue.
This is just the kind of audience they were written to entertain, both young and old, with appealing and engaging heroes. Please click on OM's link to visit and browse through The Decaturs series website (no ads, no cookies, just for the books) for little fun background. You all may be surprised to learn:
The perhaps unexpected social, historical and cultural African dynamics that drive the increasingly high-stakes interactions of In Time of Peril are infused by actual first-hand experience with exactly those social castes described, from local nobility to slaves. The mother-in-law-from hell story in A Difficult Damsel to Rescue is not made up, but is based on a true story related personally by the hapless son-in-law nomad himself, as he suffered through the extortion...and twice at that in only three years!
As an indie writer on a shoe-string overseas, spreading the word to new readers is the goal. With hundreds of downloads, the responses are beginning now to trickle back as people actually start to read the books: "fresh" "clean" and "characters you care about." Please enjoy and pass the word! Many thanks and much appreciated!
T.K. Naliaka

Posted by: TKN at August 10, 2014 11:38 AM (HT3wn)

136
125 OregonMuse

The fun part is trying to squeeze in so much history into 3 weeks holiday without forgetting stuff like sleep, hours on the road etc

The blues music history trail will be fascinating - plus seeing some Civil War sites - should keep us very busy for 3 weeks!!

One last book

"The Lost Romans - History and Controversy on the Origin of the Romanians" by Mircea Davidescu

Also on Kindle - for anyone who is interested in ancient Roman history and what happened to them as they spread out from Italy....

Have a wonderful yesterday everyone and happy reading!

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:41 AM (EGwwB)

137
131 Hrothgar

Thanks and I'll write that place name on my list of places to find when we get to the Manassas site

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:44 AM (EGwwB)

138 Speaking of Solomon, a bleg here for book thread readers:

I am on a new project and the Queen of Sheba has come up. There are plenty of art pieces illustrating their meeting.

But I want this specifically: "when [Solomon] heard that she was coming, he... sat down in an apartment of glass. When the queen saw him sitting there, she... said that he was sitting in water, and she raised her dress to cross the 'water'"
https://archive.org/stream/explanatorycomme00cassrich#page/282/mode/2up

Ideally Jewish and dating to the late 600s CE. Islamic and Christian will do.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at August 10, 2014 11:46 AM (iswjF)

139
134 Wierddave

Thanks so much! That would be wonderful - trip will be in October 2015

That is so nice of you to offer your help!

Posted by: aussie at August 10, 2014 11:46 AM (EGwwB)

140 I proudly proclaim that I have read none of the five one-hit wonders. I'm presently working on Hawthorne's The Blithedale Romance, Blind Man's Bluff (about submarine espionage), and Stahr's biography of Wm. Seward. Also, I must read some atrocious philosophy stuff on consequentialism, a type of ethical theory. Crabbed, barbarous, and futile. Academic philosophy is too often an unreadable exercise in beating dead horses. For a lot of non-crabbed, non-barbarous philosophy in a compact work, philosophically inclined members of the hoard can try Some Problems of Philosophy, Empirically Considered. The author is very conscious about his own methodology, which is unusual.

Posted by: Taken Aback at August 10, 2014 11:46 AM (jRdOe)

141 #123

If you like WWII naval history, may I recommend the books by James Hornfischer?

Ship Of Ghosts deals with the saga of the USS Houston and its crew; The Last Stand Of The Tin Can Sailors is about the encounter during Leyte Gulf between several escort carriers & escorts, and the IJN Central Force (key quote: "We're sucking 'em into 40-mm range, boys!"); finally, Neptune's Inferno is an account of the savage naval actions between the USN and IJN during the Guadalcanal campaign.

I have Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, and the next two books are just as engrossing/entertaining, even if we do know the ending...

Posted by: Mahan at August 10, 2014 11:49 AM (8BD8r)

142 I've been reading "The Forgotten 15th" about the US Army Air Force based in Italy during WW II. My father served as a navigator in a B-24 in the 529th Bomber Group there. He seldom got angry about much of anything. I guess doing navigation calculations with a pencil while pieces of flak punch through one side of the plane, and out the other in your early twenties has that effect. He did get rather agitated about people on TV praising the B-17, particularly when flown from England.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-Hole at August 10, 2014 11:53 AM (PD6iL)

143 132
OSP... have you ever read Raid on the Sun by Rodger Claire- about Isreals strike on Iraq's nuclear site?....it's a pretty good read....
Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at August 10, 2014 11:35 AM (htEYe)

I have not but thanks for the heads up.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at August 10, 2014 11:55 AM (M8AJc)

144 Interesting discussion about small groups of organized people having a large impact and most people being bystanders.

I
think the gay marriage debate was "lost"though not just because of
organization but largely because most people don't feel like it effects
them in any way. If two guys get a piece of paper from a government
office, it doesn't really take something away.

Also, social conservatives in hindsight should have probably gotten behind something like Civil Unions. I think that would have been a compromise most people on both sides could have been happy with.

At the end of the day though, this battle was largely won because of sympathetic judges. You win more elections, you get better judges.

Posted by: Uniden at August 10, 2014 11:56 AM (13G+x)

145 At the end of the day though, this battle was largely won because of sympathetic judges. You win more elections, you get better judges.

Heh.

Posted by: Souter and Roberts at August 10, 2014 11:59 AM (iswjF)

146 pyromancer76 is a fan of Big Anus.

Ghey marriage happened because the road to hell is paved with good intentions ie all the conservatives who wanted to be invited at manhattan parties.

Funny that somebody mentions that AIDS propelled ghey marriage. AIDS is on the rise because the little fascists of big anus paid so much money into aids research (for themselves, not for the poor children inheriting aids from their mothers) that a new range of drugs is on the market to limit the catch of aids, which means that they can go back happily screwing each other without protection like in the old days.

So not only AIDS will rise, but also a lot of other STDs.

And Marriage won't solve a thing since we all know that is not a piece of paper that activates monogamy.

Posted by: fromabroad at August 10, 2014 12:03 PM (rnV3B)

147 At the end of the day though, this battle was
largely won because of sympathetic judges. You win more elections, you
get better judges.

Heh.

Posted by: Souter and Roberts

Roberts voted FOR the Defense of Marriage Act, and every Democrat nominated judge voted against it.

It doesn't always work for our side, but it ALWAYS works for Democrats. I would rather roll the dice with a Republican President than a Democrat one.

The legal profession is a cesspool of liberalism, it's very tough not to find judges that don't "grow" in office.

Posted by: Uniden at August 10, 2014 12:05 PM (13G+x)

148 I was disappointed the book wasn't about killing an actual mockingbird so didn't finish it...

You should've read the first draft of "To Kill a Mockingbird" that was released a few years ago.

It's a bit different and was considerably shorter as well.

Here:

"To Kill a Mockingbird": The First Draft

In his thirteenth year, my brother Jem got a Schwinn 3-speed bicycle for Christmas. From Santa Claus, I received a Crossman BB gun.

Now, this being the South, we had no snow at Christmas time. However, every year the townsfolk got together and raised a fine and beautiful Christmas tree festively hung with lynched Negroes in the town square.

I'd had my eye on that Croosman BB gun for a long time and this seemed to me to be the best Christmas ever.

So, after we finished unwrapping presents, I loaded my BB gun with BB's and went looking for game in our backyard. And, what did I see?

Why, it was that damn old mockingbird poaching my hound's dog food again. I raised my Crossman BB gun, got a bead on that purloining varmint and let fire.

A small puff of feathers appeared at his breast. The mockingbird fell over dead.

I looked at his dead feathery body for a bit. He sure looked puny being all dead and such. Then I throwed him in the garbage cans out back in the alley.

My BB gun in hand, I made back for the house when I suddenly heard the garbage cans rattle.

I turned around and there was Boo Radley, pale and frail as Death hisself, holding the mockingbird. He gently stroked the mockingbird's breast, then kissed the bird upon it's beak.

Then Boo started in humping that mockingbird.

Dill, our friend, come over to show us his new roller skates.

He said, "Boo Radley is sure humpin' the bejeesus outta that mockingbird ain't he?"

"He sure is.", I said.

My Daddy, Atticus Finch, the lawyer come out of our house about that time. He stared at Boo Radley ahumpin' that mockingbird for what seemed the longest time.

Then he looked at me and said, "Scout, killing a mockingbird may be a sorry thing, but it's a sin to hump a mockingbird."

I nodded a my Father's timeless wisdom.

"Scout. Dill", he said, "Y'all get into the house and eat some gingerbread."

And that's what we did.

THE END

I have to say the first draft seems more to the point than the revised version.

Posted by: naturafake at August 10, 2014 12:11 PM (KBvAm)

149 Read Royal Assassin (Farseer Trilogy #2) by Robin Hobb, which I enjoyed a lot. Maybe not as strong as book #1 since it has the origin story, but Hobb is a terrific storyteller with a knack for dialogue and interesting characters. Look forward to book #3.
Also finished Dying To Get Published by Judy Fitzwater, a light comedic murder mystery. An aspiring author who has written half-a-dozen murder mysteries has yet to hit it big, and concocts a plan to get herself indicted for murder, prove her innocence then write a best-seller on the experience. Things don't go as planned, and it was entertaining to see it through.

Posted by: waelse1 at August 10, 2014 12:12 PM (x+P8L)

150 aussie, give the NoVaMoMe folks enough of a heads-up, and you can probably meet a BUNCH of morons all in one sitting!

Let the rest of us know your itinerary, and you'll probably find the same thing in most places you travel - we're everywhere.....

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX (@Teresa_Koch) at August 10, 2014 12:13 PM (PZ6/M)

151 During the week Allan Bloom's "Closing of the American Mind" was mentioned. One of his theses was that you didn't have to actually read the book, but you had to have a working knowledge of the author, plot and historical significance. Looked all over the place for my old copy, but I think I lent it to my mom (who always passed on my books to her friends).

Only 4 out of 5 on the Puff list. Did I read Raintree and it was just sooooo bad that it lost the memory? Had to read WH and I totally despised it.

Posted by: Mustbequantum at August 10, 2014 12:16 PM (MIKMs)

152 Anyone read Orson Scott Card's Rebeka (Women of Genesis) recently -- is their anything in there too mature for a pre-teen girl?

Posted by: Jean at August 10, 2014 12:16 PM (TETYm)

153 also the insane idea behind ghey marriage is that once ghey coupling and ghey purchase of children in clinics is established, together with the manufactured science that all animals are also ghey because they grope each other when they are in heat will suddenly make homosexuality and anal sex attractive to parents, ie mothers and fathers actually seeking out to have a ghey son.

Do you see it happening?

They have massively miscalculated this one.

But of course they will make it a crime to say that you wish to have a straight son or that you are thankful you have a hetero daughter.

See you soon, at a justice palace near you.

Posted by: fromabroad at August 10, 2014 12:18 PM (rnV3B)

154 Aussie I hope you enjoy you next visit to the US. I suggest going to Gettysburg and hire a guide. You will learn so much and get a true sense of what took place. I visited Antietam and left a little disappointed. Depending on how far your blues travels take you into Dixie please consider Vicksburg on your civil war sites to visit. Again,a guide is your friend.

Posted by: Kentucky kid at August 10, 2014 12:18 PM (wgZvs)

155 Still reading Paul Johnson's "History of the Jews." Every time I finish a chapter, I break and read something light. I finished the Linda Fairstein mystery I was reading last week which was "meh" - that makes two of her novels I've read and she's just not that good. So I just finished chapter 2 of History of the Jews yesterday so I started "A Warm Place to Call Home (a demon's story)" which I'm pretty sure was a recommendation here. I'm only four or five pages in and enjoying it immensely - I hope it keeps up.

Posted by: Tonestaple at August 10, 2014 12:21 PM (B7YN4)

156 Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, TX (@Teresa_Koch) at August 10, 2014 12:13 PM (PZ6/M)

aussie, Teresa makes a very good point. Post an itinerary to AoSHQ, with appropriate troll screening measures in place, and I doubt you will ever buy a beer in the States!

Posted by: Hrothgar at August 10, 2014 12:22 PM (o3MSL)

157 Antietem when they put out the candles is awesome.

Posted by: Jean at August 10, 2014 12:23 PM (TETYm)

158 70 "A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".
That's what the poster says, it's mocking what's pictured.

That's not mockery. It's the opening words of The Communist Manifesto.

"A spectre is haunting Europe -- the spectre of communism."

Posted by: Splunge at August 10, 2014 12:25 PM (qyomX)

159 When I was in school (70s) some lit crit class had a section on critical theories with an entire section on Marxist literary criticism -- apparently based on how the writing helps further a political agenda -- not whatever literary value a piece of writing has. I was reminded of that critical method when reading about Feminist literary criticism. Lame then and lame now.

Posted by: Mustbequantum at August 10, 2014 12:34 PM (MIKMs)

160 Posted by: Bossy Conservative riding the comfy chair at August 10, 2014 11:33 AM (+1T7c)

Well, that's true but I'd argue it would have brought the U.S. in sooner.

Probably my bad for calling it a "sideshow." You're right, it was more than that.

Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh at August 10, 2014 12:36 PM (21Cwq)

161 I
think the gay marriage debate was "lost"though not just because of
organization but largely because most people don't feel like it effects
them in any way. If two guys get a piece of paper from a government
office, it doesn't really take something away.

Posted by: Uniden at August 10, 2014 11:56 AM (13G+x)

Yet they take the opposite approach to wanting to ban "H8 speech."

Even in the U.S. they are arguing that "H8 speech" isn't free speech and thus not protected by the 1st Amendment.

An example:
http://tinyurl.com/lnyye8c

Posted by: The Traditional Marriage Hat at August 10, 2014 12:41 PM (lN8KC)

162 Have any of you morons bought or used one of the Sony e-readers? Thought not.

Actually, I did. I bought it back when I needed a convenient way to read work documents and thought that it was the only e-reader available at the time on which one could load PDFs. (I may have been mistaken, but I thought that that was true at the time.)

I've been happy enough with it, and still use it. My tablet will obviously do a lot more, but the battery life on the Sony is measured in days, which is sometimes convenient.

Posted by: Jay Guevara at August 10, 2014 12:48 PM (SLea8)

163 Thanks #141

...have heard of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors and planning on buying it.... the other books sound interesting as well- I will look 'em up and read some reviews.

It's good to know that Atkinsons second and third books in the series are equally entertaining....I have read a lot of WWII books but it's absolutely wonderful to find some that are great reads vs. boring technical works...

Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at August 10, 2014 12:50 PM (htEYe)

164 A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".

That's what the poster says, it's mocking what's pictured.

That's not mockery. It's the opening words of The Communist Manifesto.

"A spectre is haunting Europe -- the spectre of communism."

Posted by: Splunge

Socialism = Communism = Fascism = Oligarchy = Autocracy = Monarchy = Dictatorships
Same pig, different lipstick. Mind your betters, dear.

Posted by: Jean at August 10, 2014 12:58 PM (TETYm)

165 And on the other side, the ones fighting for traditional marriage, had nothing comparable, not even close. Their opposition was ad hoc and disorganized, and thus ineffective: they were outflanked, out-argued, and out-gunned every step of the way.

Out-argued in a non-Democratic forum. The homos have forced me to do something I never would have imagined myself doing ten or twenty years ago, discriminating against the richest oppressed minority in history. Now I'm totally conscious of people's signals and I will do the homos dirty at ever opportunity. Unless I cannot avoid it, I will not hire them, will not patronize their businesses and I avoid even the common courtesies of society, mocking them to their faces.

Posted by: toby928(C) with a goatee at August 10, 2014 01:03 PM (QupBk)

166 That is a terrible thing Deborah Solomon did to the life of Norman Rockwell. I am glad Rockwell's granddaughter fought back. Sadly, you are correct, Oregon Muse, the left will have to find another target to smear.

I have just finished the biography, "Saint Therese of Lisieux-her family, her God, her message," by Fr. Thomas Bro which was issued before Therese was declared a Doctor of the Church. Years and years ago I read "The Story of A Soul" by Therese by found it pretty treacly. I think her sister who may have been the Prioress of the Convent cleaned up some of her spiritual struggles because the process of her eventual canonization was in the works. The real Therese was a much more interesting person and the author presents her struggle between darkness and faith, humor and sadness, realism and pretense" in a very powerful way. I find this Therese much more engaging than the "little flower" which is sometimes presented.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:11 PM (oyOpn)

167 Please send barrel pass!

I haven't read upthread, yet, but I imagine I'm not the only one. Those five books aren't that obscure.

Posted by: Gem at August 10, 2014 01:12 PM (zw+pb)

168 164 Socialism = Communism = Fascism = Oligarchy = Autocracy = Monarchy = Dictatorships
Same pig, different lipstick

I think there are very consequential differences among those. An ideology telling you that you are virtuous by definition and that vast swaths of humanity may be slaughtered if they are in the way of your Grand Plans seems to really crank up the evil quotient. Both Russia and China were much worse in the era when they hewed more closely to "Marxism-Leninism".

Posted by: Splunge at August 10, 2014 01:14 PM (qyomX)

169 But yes, the biography of Rockwell by Solomon will be disseminated everywhere because the agenda must be disseminated.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:15 PM (oyOpn)

170 Started reading Charles Messenger's "Rommel: Lessons from Yesterday for Today's Leaders" and the introduction ends with this: "Rommel's dilemma [i.e., supporting Hitler's regime/orders] was similar to but greater than those faced more recently by U.S. forces in the conduct of the war in Iraq, especially in the revelations of the torture and mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad and the policy of denying the inmates of Guantanamo any of the rights that a true democracy is proud to uphold".

Thanks for saying it's only a matter of degree, Masshole!

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 10, 2014 01:21 PM (QBm1P)

171 I have never read "Gone With the Wind" or "Raintree Country" . The others, yes.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:21 PM (oyOpn)

172 Lot's of cynics and haters here -- but mostly name calling -- "you might as well argue for male pregnancy"; "it was rooted in money, not love"; "oh, a lefty troll"; "no you can't have my biological children to sodomize"; "necrophilia, bestiality, pedophilia"; legal rights to pleasure themselves"; "they are perverts"; "such people are wonderful liars"; "fascistsl never know when to stop" "AIDs propelled gay marriage"; "fan of Big Anus"; etc.

Could you ever talk to anyone who has such entrenched "religious" beliefs about an entire group of people with no way to think and differentiate between those with fascist tendencies and those without?

There might have been a lot of witty cynicism here, a thinking badge of morons and moronettes absent most other places. But I sense hatred of a group and lots of projection, and probably helplessness.

I did not nor have I ever supported gay marriage. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s this issue should have been resolved then in a "pro-active" way. Take a look at the history (real history) of Americans (sons and daughters of good heterosexual Americans) who were homosexuals. It is horrendous and abysmal. (Yes, call me a lefty troll again. I say I speak the truth in this area.)

Americans were denied their Constitutional rights, privileges, and responsibilities. That's what matters to me -- along with keeping marriage between a man and a woman.

Instead of hating and name calling, you might begin saying "no" and making a Constitutional, respectful, and strong argument. You do give away the "whole ball of wax" with groupthink, hatred, and name calling. There is no space to argue for truth and respect and organizing for limit-setting.

Posted by: pyromancer76 at August 10, 2014 01:22 PM (i0aYq)

173 166 That is a terrible thing Deborah Solomon did to the life of Norman Rockwell. I am glad Rockwell's granddaughter fought back. Sadly, you are correct, Oregon Muse, the left will have to find another target to smear.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:11 PM (oyOpn)
--------------
I just saw the Solomon biography on the "our staff recommends" shelf at the library.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 10, 2014 01:23 PM (QBm1P)

174

Aussie,
I'll second what Theresa in Ft. Worth said - if you're ever in the Pacific Northwest (I know it's a long way off the Blues trail), give a shout. . .
To books - still working my way through "Bloodlands" and have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that we're going to get to experience a rerun of history.
Also reading Jack Welch's "When Running Was Young and So Were We" and Eric Schwarz's "The Opportunity Equation" - Welch's book is excellent, still too early to know with Schwarz's.

Posted by: Long Running Fool at August 10, 2014 01:36 PM (77WNv)

175 I think I might contact the staff who recommended it and send them a copy of Rockwell's granddaughter's article.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:38 PM (oyOpn)

176 I did not nor have I ever supported gay marriage. During the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s this issue should have been resolved then in a "pro-active" way.

So, what do you support?

You believe that the civil rights struggle is the same as the struggle for gay marriage?

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:43 PM (oyOpn)

177 Just finished "Twilight of Abundance" by David Achibald. Highly recommended with one caveat.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G1SM4YU/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o01_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Key point - we're one volcano away from mass starvation in poor countries and some rich ones too. Spengler makes this point repeatedly about Egypt, Iran, Yemen, and other ME countries. A good investment might be marginal farmland in the US, Argentina, or Australia - low price today but as food prices increase, expect cash from production and ground appreciation.

He argues effectively for shifting coal to liquid fuels production (CTL) from electricity and building loads of new reactors. Fine.

Where he doesn't convince is in his advocacy of thorium-fueled reactors. We covered those in reactor design classes back when I was a nuclear engineering student back in the 70s. Sure, they would work and there's lots of thorium out there but why they are so important and so much better than the other current and prototype reactor designs is not offered in any sort of cogent and convincing manner. I'm suspicious.

Over all, the best party that the human species has ever (since the Garden of Eden) had is coming to an end. We'll all be singing that Stephen Foster gospel song "Hard times, come again no more."

Get a copy into the hands of your teenagers and college kids so they will be motivated to buckle down and learn something useful.

Posted by: Whitehall at August 10, 2014 01:43 PM (k876Y)

178 Christian bridal shop under fire after refusing to help lesbian couple find dresses

http://tinyurl.com/mrb8uzm

Posted by: News of yet more "tolerance" at August 10, 2014 01:45 PM (lN8KC)

179 A couple of other WWII book recommendations, if I may?

"Iron Coffins" by Herbert Werner. It's a memoir of his service in the U-boats during WWII, and is extremely worthwhile, if only to see things from the German POV in this campaign.

If you want campaign-type histories, try out Antony Beevor (avoid the whole-war history, though). His account of the Spanish Civil War may be the most readable I've encountered; just don't confuse the factions!

Posted by: Mahan at August 10, 2014 01:46 PM (8BD8r)

180 The gay marriage movement was just an attempt to suck resources away from the productive to the self-indulgent.

Society gives certain benefits to people who create future citizens - like tax breaks and shared medical benefits, to name two.

Gays don't want to be burdened with raising future citizens, the most expensive enterprise in a normal married person's life, but they want those benefits!

For an older gay or lesbo, they now have a lure for a younger partner - shack with me and get your teeth fixed!

But worst of all, they want to recruit our children into their lifestyle. I've made HUGE investments in my progeny and I EXPECT GRANDKIDS!

Posted by: Rake Yardley at August 10, 2014 01:50 PM (k876Y)

181 These kinds of stories will continue. If they wanted to get dresses they could go many places where it wouldn't be an issue at all, but, i suspect they sought out some Christian bridal shop owners.

Anytime anyone government tells me as a pastor of a church which couples I must perform marriages for-straight or gay-is the time I go to jail. No doubt there are any number of gay people as there are straight people who merely care about the lovely little venue and couldn't care less about Christian marriage, just as there are gay people who believe in Christ who want to make a commitment in front of God.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 01:51 PM (oyOpn)

182 Huckabee has always been a strange one. He *was* the moderate choice for the Arkansas Baptist Assembly. Yet, he never advocated against inerrancy or took the moderate positions after. He just attempted to moderate between the sides and align himself with the winner.

It doesn't endear me to him that he was essentially a modern day example of Herod the Great on the topic.

Posted by: Shawn at August 10, 2014 01:51 PM (eK3xL)

183 Posted by: Rake Yardley at August 10, 2014 01:50 PM (k876Y)

My sister is very wise. When the whole ghey marriage movement started, she stated, simply, "Follow the money."

Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh at August 10, 2014 01:54 PM (21Cwq)

184 Well, damn. Guess it is just me, or I'm the only one willing to admit it! BB, GWTW and TKaM I read when I was a kid. My mother got TKaM through her DoubleDay Book-of-the-Month Club and she always let us read whatever she got when she was done. Does that still exist? Wuthering Heights I read in high school, and was the only one of these books I did not particularly enjoy. I read Raintree County as an adult after seeing the old movie with Liz Taylor and Monty Clift.

I also read Screams of My Father and really liked it. I like its old-timey, Alfred Hitchcockian vibe. That reminds me that I still need to post a review.

Posted by: Gem at August 10, 2014 01:55 PM (zw+pb)

185 while in private, they drink, whore, beat their wives and abuse their kids,

I feel obliged to object to drinking being listed with whoring, wife-beating, and child abuse. The vast majority of people who drink do so responsibly and in moderation.

Posted by: rosignol at August 10, 2014 01:59 PM (B7FlU)

186 I just saw the Solomon biography on the "our staff recommends" shelf at the library.

This is where the ordinary citizen can effectively fight back. You go to the librarian, show her the Huffpo article (a reliable leftist source!), and demand that they remove such obviously non-factual material from the library (the fallback position is to remove it from the "recommended" shelf).

Not only have you got the damn lies out of view, you have a Leftist doubting her judgment.

Persuasion happens one human interaction at a time.

Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh at August 10, 2014 02:00 PM (21Cwq)

187 A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".

That's what the poster says, it's mocking what's pictured.

Posted by: Trotsky w/an ice-pick in his head

Am I the only one who immediately thought of Zombie Lenin on the Simpsons staggering around groaning: "Must. Crush. Capitalism!" ?

Posted by: Serena at August 10, 2014 02:00 PM (oyhV/)

188 A gay argues against gay marriage on what they consider rational terms. So evidently not every gay is in support of gay marriage, which is not surprising. Why would anyone assume that gays walk in lock step on that or any other issue:

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2013/03/9432/

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 10, 2014 02:02 PM (oyOpn)

189 y'all keep those book recommendations coming ... when I bought my Kindle HD (or HDX, never remember) I opted to go heavy on RAM, so I'm having a blast trying to fill it up. Of course, some weeks - like the past one - I find myself really enjoying retirement and reading instead of getting stuff done. I thinki I finished #20 last night (#2 in the Occult Crimes Unit) and started #21. Someday I'm gonna have to unlearn speed reading ... heh.

OT, although its eaten up many pixels in this thread, I've found it amazing and amusing how far we've come down the Sodom and Gomorrah Trail. I seldom watch TV, and never "sitcoms" or "reality tv", but my wife, before she passed away this winter, often did ... and I remember remarking that control of Hollywood had transferred from jooos to homosexuals ... since they were less than 1.5% of the population but appeared to be 99.666% of sitcoms, talk shows, and anything to do with decorating, real estate or building. Hmmm ... maybe that's why I do't watch TV

Posted by: WingNut at August 10, 2014 02:14 PM (7giQd)

190 An ideology telling you that you are virtuous by definition and that
vast swaths of humanity may be slaughtered if they are in the way of
your Grand Plans

Lets break that down:

Socialism a little more lipstick then most
Communism OK
Fascism Your kidding me, right
Oligarchy Belgian Congo?
Autocracy Oliver Cromwell in Ireland?
Monarchy basically History of the World part II
Dictatorships
basically History of the World part I

Posted by: Jean at August 10, 2014 02:15 PM (TETYm)

191 Posted by: pyromancer76 at August 10, 2014 01:22 PM (i0aYq)

So you're arguing that if non-discrimination against gays had been part of the CRM, gay marriage as a cause would never had traction?

I think there's a lot of chain of argument that you need to fill in here.

Posted by: Hurricane LaFawnduh at August 10, 2014 02:19 PM (21Cwq)

192 @weirddave, I answered but late (even later than this).
Unfortunately your instincts about the Pat Tillman book are correct. It is in line with his wacky mother's view of conspiracy and coverup.

Posted by: Lenin's Ghost at August 10, 2014 02:27 PM (J0EaG)

193 Speaking of Kindle, the last two ebooks I ordered took hours to download.

Prior, a huge work could download within a minute.

Anyone with a hint as the reason for the sluggishness?

Posted by: Rake Yardley at August 10, 2014 02:29 PM (k876Y)

194 In the future, everyone will be gay for 15 minutes - as regards the Norman Rockwell issue, I'm reminded of a statement my mother made when it was alleged that some famous person was gay: "well, yeah, homosexuals are always claiming that everyone famous is gay". This "smear" of Rockwell could be based on no more than that sort of attitude: he's talented? Gotta be gay - go find the evidence!

Posted by: M Noonan at August 10, 2014 02:30 PM (njN2U)

195 70
"A ghost is wandering around Europe, the ghost of Communism".

I'd probably go with "a spectre is haunting Europe, the spectre of Communism", aka the opening line of the Communist Manifesto.

Posted by: Anachronda at August 10, 2014 02:31 PM (o78gS)

196 What a nice rich book thread. Thanks.

Posted by: gracepmc at August 10, 2014 02:37 PM (rznx3)

197 "Could you ever talk to anyone who has such entrenched "religious" beliefs "

pyro, the big anus fanatic failed to see that nobody (and I mean NOBODY) ever mentioned the bible, religion arguments to oppose homosexuality. You have lost whatever credibility you have.

We have stopped long ago calling them perverts, we are calling them with their true name, FASCISTS.

"Take a look at the history (real history) of Americans (sons and daughters of good heterosexual Americans) who were homosexuals. It is horrendous and abysmal."

I do not understand the reference of the parents of alleged homosexuals. Even Al Capone's parents were probably decent heterosexual people, so what is your point? Even Jeffrey Dahmer parents were nice folks. So What?

The fact that homosexuals are born from heterosexuals shouldn't be even a point for pro-homos like you, you think they are born that way so a ghey son can happen to virtually anybody.

Me, on the other hand, I believe it is a result of behavioural choices and the environment (ie an adult molesting the child). Therefore even a good heterosexual family can happen to have a nasty neighbour or a nasty family friend or a nasty nanny etc.

About the part that ghey americans were denied rights, so a lot of other minorities. Again, SO FUCKING WHAT?

Currently it is people of faith who are denied their rights, I suppose you are going to do another civil rights tweet today for them?

Posted by: fromabroad at August 10, 2014 02:47 PM (rnV3B)

198 "A gay argues against gay marriage on what they consider rational terms. So evidently not every gay is in support of gay marriage, which is not surprising. Why would anyone assume that gays walk in lock step on that or any other issue"

this has much the same value as some german decent folk speaking out against the Nazis. It did not alter the course of history and it did not stop the damage.

Those gheys count zero in the greater scheme of things.

Big anus is marching on pink stilettos. Big Anus will not stop until religion is marginalized and Big Anus worship is celebrated as a new age religion, until kindergarden children are taught the joys of ghey sex etc.

But be prepared, because sooner than soon the gheys will realize they have created a monster that will come back to bite them in the ass and they will come to you asking for forgiveness, playing dumb telling you they did not agree with the fascist agenda and such. Revenge is a sweet bitch.

Posted by: fromabroad at August 10, 2014 02:52 PM (rnV3B)

199 Thank you Lenin's Ghost. I'll let you get back to wandering around Europe now.

Posted by: Weirddave at August 10, 2014 03:09 PM (N/cFh)

200 #12 Someguy -
" Where can I download the list of goals, strategies and metrics for success that conservatives have put together to out liberals from positions of power in the United States?"

Try Kurt Schlicter's book as a starter, "Conservative Insurgency." His point is that is starts in the hearts of citizens and it will need to be a bottom-up effort.

Posted by: Whitehall at August 10, 2014 03:12 PM (k876Y)

201 163
"Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" is a wonderful book. Gives you a harrowing look at what WW 2 naval battles were like(absolutely terrifying)and the bravery of the officers and citizen sailors who fought them. Just awe inspiring.

Posted by: Tuna at August 10, 2014 03:32 PM (hpWy+)

202 The title of Lenin's book was also the title of a book written by Chernyshevsky, an early Russian revolutionary. Lenin claimed it was the single most influential book he ever read - reading it five times in one Summer, I believe). It thus goes down as one of the most influential books in history.

Posted by: Pigilito at August 10, 2014 04:44 PM (U2lLe)

203 The one book out of my extensive library of militaria focused on WWII that I have to pester people to get back is Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy MacLean.

This is an enthralling story, quite well told.
He was at some of the most revealing events of the 20th Century, from the Show Trials in Moscow, to the start of the SAS on the raid to Benghazi, and finally Tito's Yugoslavia.

Fitzroy MacLean went from private to Brigadier in the course of WWII. The way he escaped from the Foreign Office (he was a diplomat) to join his father's Regiment is a classic.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at August 10, 2014 05:27 PM (u82oZ)

204 184 Well, damn. Guess it is just me, or I'm the only one willing to admit it! BB, GWTW and TKaM I read when I was a kid. My mother got TKaM through her DoubleDay Book-of-the-Month Club and she always let us read whatever she got when she was done. Does that still exist? Wuthering Heights I read in high school, and was the only one of these books I did not particularly enjoy. I read Raintree County as an adult after seeing the old movie with Liz Taylor and Monty Clift.

Gem, you appear to be the winner, and I am surprised it took this long. No matter. Please step up to the window to collect your winnings.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 10, 2014 05:37 PM (yRdR4)

205 Eastern Approaches is one of my favorites.

Posted by: Chris_Balsz at August 10, 2014 06:31 PM (8rRE+)

206 I have a Sony e-reader that I've had for about 4 years. Gave up a long time ago on Sony's software for the reader and use Calibre. I convert most everything into ePub format. Also reads .pdf files Ok, but I prefer ePub. Still works great.

Posted by: BarneyOffal at August 10, 2014 09:24 PM (CDFXa)

207 "Well, a few people got together and determined to make it happen, that's what happened. They devised an agenda, goals, and the various courses of action necessary. They made no secret about it, it's all out in the open. In fact, they even wrote a book about it. Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality is the account of by some of the major players, the partnership of lawyers Ted Olson and David Boies, who ironically were the opposing attorneys in the infamous Bush v. Gore case from the 2000 election.

And on the other side, the ones fighting for traditional marriage, had nothing comparable, not even close. Their opposition was ad hoc and disorganized, and thus ineffective: they were outflanked, out-argued, and out-gunned every step of the way."

But we didn't lose a national fight for public opinion. We had 5 unelected judges with lifetime tenure decree a falsehood - that gay marriage has been guaranteed since 1867 and all laws against it are a form of religious bigotry.

And subsequently, a few dozen federal judges have declined to rule in defiance to a falsehood promoted by the Supreme Court.

And less than 20 state attorney generals have opted to force the issue through the federal courts back up to the Supreme Court.

Apparently the next step is to pass a constitutional amendment directed the 5 judges to change their mind. If you trust them to obey it. We haven't developed any practical way to bounce a majority of the Supreme Court. Perhaps that should be the basis of an amendment, rather than any one policy.

Posted by: Chris_Balsz at August 10, 2014 09:38 PM (8rRE+)

208 Just spent some time in Edinburgh so I picked up Naming the Dead by Ian Rankin since it is set around the city and castle. Solid book and I rather liked being able to picture what parts of the city looked like. Not sure I would have liked it as much if I had not just visited Scotland.

Posted by: Charlotte at August 10, 2014 11:04 PM (o5F30)

209 Quick! Send me my Get out of the Barrel card. I have actually read all five books, albeit quite awhile ago. I worked in the public library after school and so had a wider range of reading material than others in my Class of 1966. But at least high school students back in the day could actually read and write.
Gone with the Wind, the book, is a fantastic read; the flick is execrable. Scarlett had her flaws but she was a real heroine, perhaps in spite of herself.
Right now I'm listening to a recorded version of Chris Kyle's American Gun: The History of the United States in Ten Guns. Great way to introduce history, and a lot of knowledge about historical weapons. Besides, I'm glad I bought it because it will help out his family after the appalling court decision with Jesse Ventura.

Posted by: Alifa at August 11, 2014 02:47 AM (X8JZK)

210 Quick! Send me my Get out of the Barrel card

Sorry, the main prize winner has already been announced (see #204). However, please except this Valu-Rite empty found in ace's basement as a consolation prize.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 11, 2014 10:32 AM (yRdR4)

211
Huckabee another pretend man of God like Jessie Jackson and Al Franklon. His answer for eliminating opposition to Common Core. Rename it.

Posted by: burt at August 11, 2014 01:38 PM (yp2Xd)

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