tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post8192212786288645293..comments2023-10-30T06:31:05.501-07:00Comments on MilPub: Trial before PilateFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-42376476816111154082009-08-18T21:21:15.354-07:002009-08-18T21:21:15.354-07:00p.s. -- thank you for your kind mention in the sid...p.s. -- thank you for your kind mention in the sidebar. I have been most remiss in following through on the story project idea. Were I not such a computer Luddite I would have transformed the RAW.com site into a feeder for the story project, which was my original thought.<br /><br />Your mention has encouraged me to put some energy into that project soon. Ta.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-5374155744859401352009-08-18T21:16:41.803-07:002009-08-18T21:16:41.803-07:00Affiliation is the lazy way through a life, but it...Affiliation is the lazy way through a life, but it is what we are taught. For many, Jesus is the prototype, though he is surely not well-emulated. <br /><br />What teacher has the presence to lead us by showing all of the manifold ways to live a life, yet then be able to release us and encourage us to find our own path? No, we are told that is arrogance which is tantamount to anarchy. So, we must find templates upon which to superimpose our likeness, and most people are hasty collations of our "idols".<br /><br />We become fairly good simulacrums via modeling of Lance or whomever. So it goes, and authenticity is just beyond reach.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-70432019468041986192009-08-18T20:51:03.135-07:002009-08-18T20:51:03.135-07:00Andy, I took your test. I am a left-social libert...Andy, I took your test. I am a left-social libertarian, scoring 3.06 on the liberal axis, and 6.62 on the libertarian axis. <br /><br />I didn't get the same breakdown you got. What I got was: Foreign policy: -6.42, meaning I'm a non-interventionist; and, Culture: -5.38, meaning I'm a liberal in the culture wars.<br /><br />My takeaway from the comparison with the average is that I'm a little farther left than the mean, but not a radical. OTOH, I'm much farther into the libertarian range than the average, with my score being far closer to anarchy than the average, which is only slightly libertarian. One thing I like is that I was significantly farther away from the authoritarian than the average, which, IMO, comes uncomfortably close to going over the line.<br /><br />No surprises for me. Moderate leftie with an extreme preference for being left alone to do my own thing. Anybody surprised about my scores?<br /><br />BTW, Andy, I agree with you on some of the quiz questions being very difficult. Based on the test composition, I also think I went as far left as I did because of the non-interventionist bias. My strong belief in no way, no how, no where when it comes to intervention pushed me to the left. I suspect that may have come into play with you, too, thus your surprise at being left. <br /><br />Nice catch. Thanks.Publiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06189226852559033120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-42113815789105531352009-08-18T19:41:43.083-07:002009-08-18T19:41:43.083-07:00PS. I think the libertarian part is right, but I&...PS. I think the libertarian part is right, but I've always considered myself slightly to the right of center, but maybe I'm not or have changed. <br /><br />Some of the quiz questions had, I thought, some faulty assumptions that made answering difficult.Andynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-47751104650716556942009-08-18T19:39:30.601-07:002009-08-18T19:39:30.601-07:00Off topic: I took this little quiz and here's...Off topic: <a href="http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/political-spectrum-quiz.html" rel="nofollow">I took this little quiz</a> and here's what it said about me: <br /><br /><em>Andrew is a center-left social libertarian. He is also a slight non-interventionist and culturally liberal. Andrew's scores (from 0 to 10):<br />Economic issues: +1.4 left<br />Social issues: +3.72 libertarian<br />Foreign policy: +2.89 non-interventionist<br />Cultural identification: +4.05 liberal </em><br /><br /><br />Here's <a href="http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/grid/17x27.gif" rel="nofollow">a link to the graphic</a>.<br /><br />It would be interesting to see how you all do.Andynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-8540326045409893692009-08-18T07:27:37.868-07:002009-08-18T07:27:37.868-07:00On the topic of role models in sports, a Nike spot...On the topic of role models in sports, a Nike spot done by Charles Barkley has always stuck in my mind:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMzdAZ3TjCA<br /><br />I'm a fan of Barkley because he could always be counted on for a no-bullshit comment on the game. And because he is one of those athletes who has no business being as good as he is, given his physical dimensions. (Allen Iverson is probably the best example of this kind of thing.)<br /><br />Anyway, we'd all be better off if parents took his advice.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />JPalmost draftednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-9119121212636038302009-08-17T23:04:44.908-07:002009-08-17T23:04:44.908-07:00Off topic, but helicopters and spooks for all.
I ...Off topic, but helicopters and spooks for all.<br /><br />I don't know if the story is true, but it's entertaining.<br /><br />http://tinyurl.com/l9c67c<br /><br />bbbasilbeastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-71729076032445774542009-08-17T22:49:49.138-07:002009-08-17T22:49:49.138-07:00When I was a kid in Nebraska, the town we lived in...When I was a kid in Nebraska, the town we lived in had a 7th-Day Adventist family. And God forbid you could open your store on Sunday!<br /><br />So the Adventists' store did some remarkable business . . . . . on Sundays, since they believed Saturday was the Lord's Day.<br /><br />So the Heretic Heathen provided a convenient service for the community which forbade good Christian folk to open their stores on Sunday.<br /><br />So that's my metaphor for Lance Armstrong. There is good there, and bad too. Just like the rest of us.<br /> <br />There's another theological metaphor to use, that of the "evil" priest or minister. Does what he or she does for the religious community become worthless because of some horrible sin, say on-going child-fondling or sex scandal or financial double-dealing in his history?<br /><br />I believe we can take what is right and good from anyone, and let it inspire as we wish, as long as we all know we all stomp around in feet of clay.<br /><br />With the exception, of course, that some get extensive media coverage of their feet.<br /><br />bbbasilbeastnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-381917167978264683.post-9020404541605669912009-08-17T19:56:32.058-07:002009-08-17T19:56:32.058-07:00Chief, I hope you do realize that when you referen...Chief, I hope you do realize that when you reference "Pilate," most people in this benighted nation of ours will immediately thinking of firming up the abs.<br /><br />Somebody here (Al?) has previously expressed the opinion that many American people have deliberately chosen to be ignorant about the truth, opting instead of latch onto a political or cultural belief that no matter how irrational, feels good. Such people cannot be swayed by facts; once they find themselves in a comfort zone, they won't leave it. <br /><br />The celebrity culture goes along with this, with a dose of stupidity thrown in. A rational person says, "What possible good follows from hanging on the every word, or worse, modeling oneself after, someone whose only talent lies in entertainment"? This is nonpartisan, BTW. The people who hang on Barbra Streisand's fatuous bleatings are every bit as stupid as those who think Chuck Norris has the key to success in the Mideast. <br /><br />I'm an old sports guy, fan and participant. Like most of my generation, I grew up worshipping MLB players. But, by the time I was maybe fourteen, I realized that my heroes had to be closer to home. I'm still a sports fan and I sympathize with those players who want no part of being role models and ask that they be judged only by their on-field performance. I think that's fair. I've had a lot of problems with the steroid boys, but it's not because they're poor role models. It's because they're lousy cheaters and their accomplishments are suspect. If some ball player is a kid's role model, there's a parent not doing his or her job.<br /><br />Same with the Hollywood crowd. The way it worked when I was a kid, the guys went for the sports dudes and the girls went for the movie stars. Those of us who were normal—and it seemed that the overwhelming majority were—left that around the time we discovered more important things—like the opposite sex. My daughter went through it—boy, she loved those MTV folks when she was 11 to 14—but then she dropped 'em like a rock. Still liked the music, but didn't care about the personal lives. Healthy adult transition, I'd say.<br /><br />I admire Lance Armstrong for his physical capabilities and his accomplishments, although I've noted there are some suspicions about drugs. But, so far as his personal life is concerned, I don't care if he's a saint or a sinner. Doesn't matter. He doesn't have the cred to influence me in any aspect of my life. <br /><br />I think there are millions (billions?) of people in this world who are just fundamentally unhappy because their own lives are essentially bereft of meaning. Such people just surrender themselves to slackjawed worship of people whom they'll never know, people who'd never give them the time of day, people who may be as vacuous as they are, all just to get through another day in what must be a terribly lonely and empty existence.<br /><br />This is where you get Limbaugh and Fox News. Or, for that matter, the Kennedys and Obama. Best commercial was the Wendy's spot featuring old Clara what's her name saying, "Show me the beef." Too many people don't demand the beef.Publiushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06189226852559033120noreply@blogger.com