Althouse, it looks like you jettisoned your admonition at the bottom of all of your comments pages about comment moderation. It was noteworthy to me because the removal came shortly after an exchange between Meade and me wherein he corrected me on the notion that you had any "rules" about the personal attacks aimed at me by many of your other commenters.
Whether they were "instructions," or "rules," they were "honoured more in the breach" than in any observation.
I suppose that it is an act of intellectual honesty, to abandon any pretense that rules for civility existed in practice on your comments pages.
Our nearby town has only two (2) contiguous shop, a country market and a small restaurant/bar. I frequent them both. On Friday night, the fish dinner is the specialty at the restaurant. Their broiled fish is the best.
Isn't it funny how the Papal rule regarding eating meat on Friday has stood the test of time, even in secular settings.
In one of these past "free fire zones" I mentioned how annoying those "Whoops! Someone else is editing" pop-ups are. People gave me some tips with dealing with them, and I appreciate that. What I've been wondering about is why this only happens (in my experience) with this blog.
One thing I really miss about the Upper Midwest is the Friday Night Lenten Church Basement Fish Supper, with the parish priest in an apron busing tables.
"Internationally acclaimed mystery author Sue Grafton has died. She was 77.
Grafton, a Louisville native, had been battling cancer and died around 11:30 p.m. Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, said her husband, Steve Humphrey.
Grafton was a contemporary American author well known for her alphabet mystery series featuring investigator Kinsey Millhone.
The series began with "A is for Alibi" in 1982 and continued through "Y is for Yesterday," released in August 2017."
"Allowing people to reap what they sow would be entirely consistent with cruel neutrality."
Our pastor uses this on a regular basis. If, in the spring, you plant wheat, don't expect to harvest corn in the fall. Or in today's example, if you sow antagonistic behavior, don't expect sweetness in return.
Yes -- we DO have a serious problem with the use of excessive force by police in this country, including a too-quick-to-draw and use deadly force. Regardless of how they were called to the scene, police should not be shooting innocent people dead -- and they shouldn't be deflecting and blaming other people when they do.
OK, so everyone knows that your Number One obsession is Trump. But why also this number two obsession with how Althouse runs her blog? What the hell is it to you what she writes about and how she runs the comment page?
My favorite 2-shops side by side are Donut Corral, opening at 4:30am, and the hair salon, which is also open. Retirement community. When you can't sleep, get a permanent wave and a bear claw.
Blogger Chuck said... Althouse, it looks like you jettisoned your admonition at the bottom of all of your comments pages about comment moderation.
...blabbity blah, more from the hall monitor...
I wonder why this comes to mind:
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." —Edmund Burke
You sure are unpitied and your struggle is definitely contemptible. However, you are not good so that's okay. Althouse, just waste this guy, what are you waiting for? Nobody will judge you, as if you cared. His next valuable remark will be his first. (FTR, Chuck, the fact that someone enhandled "Chuck" got a tag once, by no means proves that the valued poster was you. Plenty of people have shared blog handles.)
Right, BL. No is forced to frequent this blog. If someone doesn't approve of the way it's run he/she can start his/her own.
This is the best blog on the planet. Not just because of the clever and intelligent writing of the hostess but because of the amusing commentary. Looking forward to another great year at Althouse!
OK, so everyone knows that your Number One obsession is Trump. But why also this number two obsession with how Althouse runs her blog? What the hell is it to you what she writes about and how she runs the comment page?
Simple cry for attention. AA has infrequently addressed TittyTwister personally. In TT's mind, this makes him her equal. AA, famous blogging law professor with millions and millions of views and fans. TT, long time admirer and commenter, paper shuffler, golfer, resentful divorced middle aged angry white man.Self describes as On the spectrum Guaranteed that he has been sending numerous suggestions for topics this week.Ignored by AA, becomes abrasive and challenging.Hoping for response from Mom. Sad !
Continuing in the spirit of humor fairness and equality, a bit of a spanking for the Twister LLR Chuck from earlier this year:
Ann Althouse said... [hush][hide comment]
Chuck, you're doing clutter. You're causing me (and I presume others) to just have to scroll to get past your long and repetitive stuff. You need to change what you are doing or you will become one of the small group of people I call bad faith commenters, whose posts I delete without reading whenever I see them. I'm quite serious. You need to cut way back and keep it short. Stop repeating yourself. Everyone is bored and you are not cute. And don't argue with me in the comments. Stop doing clutter.
" If memory serves, both Abedin and Cheryl Mills were called in by the FBI and told them that they didn’t even know about the existence of the secret server. And that was in 2016. But here we have evidence from 2010 of Abedin forwarding classified documents from the secret server to an account called “Anthony Campaign” which is presumably the email account on her husband’s laptop. So doesn’t that mean that she (and possibly Mills) lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during their probe of the case?
It seems to me that I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how people who lie to the FBI are in a lot of trouble and could face jail time, even if the subject of the conversation they lied about wasn’t illegal. In this instance we’re talking about a clearly illegal act, specifically sending obviously marked classified State Department documents to a private laptop controlled by someone without a security clearance. If lying to the FBI is such a big deal, aren’t we being a bit selective in prosecution if somebody isn’t indicted over this? "
This is the best blog on the planet. Not just because of the clever and intelligent writing of the hostess but because of the amusing commentary. Looking forward to another great year at Althouse!
If you read this blog faithfully through 2015/2016, the combination of Althouse/commentators mirrored what was actually happening (and not what the headlines were insisting was happening)
Until "Access Hollywood" happened, I was real comfortable with a Trump win. Of course, Althouse herself went ballistic and I thought it was over.
But the Democrats shot that wad too soon. After a couple of weeks, Althouse calmed down and saw it for the bragging locker room talk it was and not a "confession" of a rapist.
So going into Nov. 8, I saw a squeaker and wouldn't be surprised a bit if Trump pulled it out.
All my relations looked at me with awe as to how my astute projection turned out to be correct.
"I suppose that it is an act of intellectual honesty, to abandon any pretense that rules for civility existed in practice on your comments pages. 'Civility bullshit.'"
You inadvertently tag yourself properly. What you are saying is what I tag "civility bullshit." You are, however, grossly wrong in attributing "rule for civility" to me.
There used to be a message above the comments box, but it was either ignored or misread and was not something we thought should be pointed at anymore, since the pointers were either misreading or lying about what was there.
OJ being released from the pokey seems to be one of the top news stories of 2017. Just guessing, but I think one of the top news stories of 2018 will OJ returning to three (3) hots and a cot.
@Etienne, were you commenting about the case of Mr. Andrew Finch in Wichita? "Pranksters" think it's funny to call out a SWAT team to some innocent person's house, but it isn't funny to the Finch family, who have gone from celebrating the holidays to planning a funeral. The alleged caller, Tyler Barriss, is said to have posted the following tweet: "I DIDNT [sic] GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT [sic] DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT [sic] MY PROFESSION"
Well, he has a point, sort of. Between the episode in Minneapolis where Justine Ruszczyk was shot by a trigger happy police office after she was the person who had called in the complaint and the case in Mesa, Arizona, where a police officer shot a man crawling on the floor -- with his hands up, per the officer's sergeant's orders -- and pleading for his life, it is safe to conclude that our police need vastly better training.
I think there's something wrong with the training our police get. I don't want a police officer to die in action, but I don't want them shooting unarmed people who have committed no crime, either.
I've seen people arguing ferociously online that the NCAA playoff committee made a huge mistake taking Alabama over Ohio State. All I can say is that if you want to play in the playoffs then you shouldn't get blown out by an 8-5 team.
In order to stifle growing dissent, the government of Iran has shutdown internet access in major cities. Commie-Pinko libs in this country have to be smiling.
My next door neighbor has set up a turkey fryer in his back yard. I'm watching it warily because the evening is very windy and his flames are pretty high. Also at 19 degrees it's too cold to turn on my rear hose bib.
**** COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks. ****
My new understanding is that the "instruction," as Meade called it, was never really intended to restrain "personal attacks on other commenters," since I am a regular, daily recipient of personal attacks. Notified of them, Althouse's position was that she had no way to easily ban individuals, and the task of deleting individual comments was too time-consuming and too tiresome for her.
The net effect had been that, at least as it relates to me, "Comments have been moderated NONE of the time."
I'll be darned, if I can figure out how I "misread," or misunderstood, or even "lied" (?!) about the plain import of those instructions.
I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here.
I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages.
Blogger Big Mike said... I've seen people arguing ferociously online that the NCAA playoff committee made a huge mistake taking Alabama over Ohio State. All I can say is that if you want to play in the playoffs then you shouldn't get blown out by an 8-5 team.
I think that if you want to play in the playoffs, you should win your conference.
The Big Ten is 5-0 in their bowl games this season. The SEC is 0-3.
I read that a soldier home on leave after completing basic training saved four people from a burning apartment building in the Bronx, and he died after going back into the burning building to try to save a fifth person. Where do we get young men and women with that sort of heroism.
"I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages"
Well, you may be able to type an "address", and push the "Publish your Comment" button, but you can't make anyone read it. Therefore, starting on January 1, 2018, I will implement a personal 'No Chuck Comment' policy, which will remain in effect until December 31, 2018, at which time I will revisit and reassess.
Chuck, you have about a day to point out your pointing out, so make it count.
In order to stifle growing dissent, the government of Iran has shutdown internet access in major cities.
Could you imagine the meltdown on the domestic Left, international Left and the GOP Establishment if the Iranians overthrew their government, formed a democracy and gave up its nuclear weapon program? Especially if it happened this summer?
This blog has a lot of comments, but I've been wondering how many commenters. 40? 60? Any way to tell? Obvioously a lot more if counting every comment ever, but in terms of those who comment at least once a week or once a month, the regulars at any given time.
COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks.
If those rules had been enforced, most of your comments would have been deleted based on the bolded sections. So there is that...
When will these unstructured Holi-days ever be over? I find gaps of having nothing to do and nothing going. The fesival of family gatherings is only half the time.
We were left with the Football games that we care about, and one movie that I liked, called the The Darkest Hour.
My final conclusion has been that TCU's Gary Patterson and Winston Churchill are very similar persons.
The person who owned our house before us was really into HVAC things.
The thermostats look like iPad minis and say they will connect to WiFi. I did a search to figure out why I would want the thermostats online, and it seems the point is changing the settings using one's phone. The house is not so large that I feel a journey from a chair to the thermostat on the wall is arduous, so I will leave them offline.
"This blog has a lot of comments, but I've been wondering how many commenters. 40? 60? Any way to tell? Obvioously a lot more if counting every comment ever, but in terms of those who comment at least once a week or once a month, the regulars at any given time."
There are many more readers than commenters. On any given day there are hundreds of comments, but probably not hundreds of commenters. And there are tens of thousands of readers, most of whom don't click through to the comments page at all. I would guess that for every commenter, there are a thousand readers. I have no way to know how similar or different the readers are from the commenters. This is one reason I have to be careful not to let a few commenters pester me about what I should and should not be doing. I need to follow my instincts and trust in the long-term flow of readers to this site. I'm happy that readers are here because I have written for the intrinsic reward of writing about whatever has interested me. If people want to show up in the comments and criticize me, it's okay, but it isn't going to change what I do and it shouldn't. I would prefer if people would comment in the same way that I am blogging: Find what interests you and write your instinctive response, enjoying the flow and the intrinsic reward. I strongly encourage personal expression and creativity, and you have an automatic platform with an audience. I want commenters who augment the energy here, not people who drag it down.
@Etienne: Agreed. Imagine if our soldiers operated with the same rules of engagement as our police officers: shoot to kill anyone who doesn't obey your commands or makes any movement you told them not to. Two differences: 1) our soldiers are not paid nearly as much as our police officers (often six figures where I live), are younger and have less training; and 2) the targets are not foreigners in a war zone, but US citizens who the police are sworn to protect.
Althouse could generate all of LLR Chuck's comments for him simply by uploading feeds directly from MSNBC and the DNC websites.
Sure sure, the comments would be just as cringe-worthy, but think of the efficiency! LLR Chuck would still be LLR Chuck but we would make up for it in volume!
Gahrie: "Could you imagine the meltdown on the domestic Left, international Left and the GOP Establishment if the Iranians overthrew their government, formed a democracy and gave up its nuclear weapon program? Especially if it happened this summer?"
I guarantee that if that did happen the entire left and their LLR allies would be teeing up an argument to award another Nobel to obama.
We wouldn't have to revisit all that obama/pro-mullah "unpleasantness" from a few years back.
BTW, in what is clearly a MAJOR indicator on where the republican Senators are on the Russia Collusion hoax, Lindsay Graham's discussion on Fox yesterday was a real eye opener.
Mirengoff at Powerline (no big fan of Trump) has a good piece out from today:
@Drago. LLR is still under the covers, quivering from his most recent comeuppance. I am thinking he's looking for a little affirmative action on this blog.
Several years ago we had a Sheriff's Deputy who lived in the neighborhood. Our kids were in the same grade and shared several activities so we talked fairly often. One day he told me that a guy in East St. Louis pulled a knife on him and threatened to hack him to pieces. "I could have killed him, Johnny, and no one would have said a word. I probably would have got a medal. But I had room and just kept backing up - the guy eventually settled down and I asked him to drop the knife so I could cuff him. I just didn't want to kill him if I did't have too." On another occasion, he arrested a guy who lived in the woods behind us for beating up his girl friend. As he put the guy in the car, he started to laugh and talk about how he showed her. When he went around a corner into a blind spot, my neighbor pulls over, turned around and told the guy if he said another f'ing word and if he didn't wipe the smile off his face, he was going to drag him out of the car and beat him to with-in an inch of his life. And he would get away with it because no one likes ass holes who gets his kicks beating his girlfriends. The guy pissed his pants. I think my neighbor had a cold, mature, controlled fury.
COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks. Feel free to shit on Chuck whenever you get the chance. He deserves it. Just make sure not to repeat your insults:Boring is never good. Drink plenty of fluids and make sure you brush after every meal.
And as you can see in my comment above--oh, you can't. It hasn't come back in the five hours it has been disappeared. But I'm sure you re-read the thread every time.
So now the latest squirrel is papafop's conversation with an Australian govt official re Russian info on res queen, nit the dossier wee the basis for the fisa warrant.
Happy New Year Ladies and Gents, when it gets here.
I will be spending the next two days trying to evict all the junk that floated into my machine with the recent Win 10 "upgrade." If QuackBooks and a few other needed programs ran on Linux, I could cut loose entire.
"I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here."
I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here.
I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages. 12/30/17, 4:23 PM
Now, now don't get your titties all wee-wee'd up,twister
... I want commenters who augment the energy here, not people who drag it down...
Baloney. You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics. Who will not tolerate any criticism of The Donald. And who personally attack, without any civility limits.
In the past, after the third or fourth time that I was targeted with such insults (and after repeated emails to you about it), I'd snap back and call the perpetrators a few well-deserved epithets; "miserable fuckheads..." "worthless dumbshits...")
No more. Your ugly commentariat isn't worth it, Althouse. Arguing with them does nothing for me. And it owes to your own abdication of your own lack of commenting moderation. "...don't make personal attacks on other commenters..." You attracted those commenters, and you've effectively created this ugly, stilted, boring, one-note, Trump-worshipping chorus of commenters. Who will not brook any other viewpoint.
it seems the point is changing the settings using one's phone. The house is not so large that I feel a journey from a chair to the thermostat on the wall is arduous, so I will leave them offline.
The purpose is to allow you to turn on the heater (or AC) from the airport after returning from a trip, or from work, so that the house is nice and warm when you get home.
You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics. Who will not tolerate any criticism of The Donald.
Fake news.
It would be fine if you occasionally attacked Trump in a post about Trump. However, every thing you post is about Trump, and you insist on thread jacking in order to persist in your constant, repetitive and ineffectual attacks on Trump.
It would be even better if you stopped pretending to be a Republican while you did it.
He's begging you to put him out of his misery. At least, put him out of ours.
Chuck, you can pretty much take it that you don't influence the blog or how it is run. Nobody is changing anything because of you pointing out whatever.
"I would prefer if people would comment in the same way that I am blogging: Find what interests you and write your instinctive response, enjoying the flow and the intrinsic reward"
This is probably why I've enjoyed this blog for so long. I don't comment as much as I used to but hopefully this reflects the comments I've made. And I have no doubt there's a vast difference in the number and interest of readers. People who comment are a unique sort, the kind who want their opinion to be stated (and sometimes heard).
I suspect this blog affected how I teach, teaching out of my own interest and direction, rather than trying to follow some template. Following the rules or always over-sensitive about others takes all the fun out of writing and teaching. And it has to stay fun, otherwise students (and readers) quickly lose interest themselves.
I'm curious if this approach to blogging is how you taught, teaching within a course topic, but approaching it based on your own instincts and personality.
One of the ESPN commentators stated the coach should have been thrown out for touching the ref - he doesn't think anyone should touch anybody. To which my son yelled, "No touching - this is football. NO TOUCHING IN FOOTBALL!" (Maybe you had to be there...)
Baloney. You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics.
Chuck, you are far too good for this blog and its collection of "thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics."
I would think you could find kindred spirits at HuffPo or, if you insist on pretending to be conservative, you could probably get by at Ricochet which still has a reservoir of NeverTrumpers, although some are weakening.
I am a member there and still see angry posts by NeverTrumpers. There was a discussion about the founders of the site and the consensus was that they were Trump haters.
You should try it. You might be happier among friends of your obsessions.
Unless you are like Ritmo and beg to be abused and disliked.
I don't find the personal back and forths interesting, indeed that's what raised the question about how many commenters there are as it often feels in the comment section like I've entered a particularly fractious Thanksgiving dinner scene.
That said, I find it so odd for someone to say it's a Trump worship fest around here. I was one of Trump's biggest detractors hereabouts during the election. I had nothing good to say about him. I still don't like him as a person.
But I think there's a distinction to be made about a person and how they are performing. I'm not so easily riled up by the media, and have the ability to assess on what I see. Trump is an interesting leader, and has been getting more done than I expected. I've been re-reading Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa the last month, and I see an interesting comparison between Trump and Yoshikawa's characterization of Oda Nobunaga.
In the story, Nobunaga inherits a fiefdom while a teenager, and projects a very immature face to the world. Yoshikawa writes, "Although Nobunaga had succeeded Oda Nobuhide, would he be able to survive very long, spoiled and aviolent as he was? Common opinion had it that he was stupid as well as short-tempered."
Nobunaga, of course, wasn't stupid or short-tempered. He was intentional about his self-portrayal so as to gain advantage over others who under or wrongly estimated his capabilities. Playing the fool gained him time to built his resources in the context of enemies, and gained him power over the years.
I've not liked Trump, but I can see a similar approach, indeed intentional, as his boorish, low-class posing serves the same goal in negotiations. Playing that up, gets people riled up so they make their own rash moves and mistakes.
Which is not me saying I like Trump, but I can see how his success isn't in spite of his public expressions, it's actually a continued strategy that he's used over the course of his life. And has historical precedent.
Given that I look at what he accomplishes more than how he expresses himself, I see someone I like more than I expected, and very grudgingly admit his accomplishments in his office. Plus, I'm looking to save a lot of money on taxes, and that's very helpful.
But to say that this is about some kind of blind Trumpism, celebrating his Trumpocity no matter what, is silly. It's reflexive Trump hate, which is the exact sort of boring as automatic Trump love. It's not helpful in coming to terms with the way Trump leads in a productive, albeit unorthodox, way whether you agree with his goals or not.
I think there's a lot more of the grudging respect for what Trump has done around here than blind Trump love, but it's hard to see that if you hear anything positive about him as being a sign of unthinking sycophancy.
I find gaps of having nothing to do and nothing going.
If I might interrupt what has become yet another edition of The Chuck Show, if you're looking for something to do, you could always collect all your DVDs and Blu-Rays of all the Star Wars movies -- and maybe even some VHS tapes and old-time laser-discs of the original Star Wars (aka Episode IV) -- gather them all together, pile them up outside on your lawn, and then urinate and defecate over them.
You would be saving yourself the expense of seeing The Last Jedi, but still accomplishing the same thing as the producers of that film.
One of the ESPN commentators stated the coach should have been thrown out for touching the ref - he doesn't think anyone should touch anybody. To which my son yelled, "No touching - this is football. NO TOUCHING IN FOOTBALL!" (Maybe you had to be there...)
He didn't just touch the umpire. He grabbed him. He was out of control and should have been tossed. Others have been tossed for less.
An interesting [in a sadly ironic sense] collection would be the many obscene personal insults hurled by Chuck over the past year. He's possibly the least self-aware person I've ever read.
Wow! Chuck is running the Alynski playbook on The Professor. He must be feeling bad about being laughed at by a bunch of thuggish, insulting bullying Trump fanatics. But, dammit, his Alynsky tactics are just funny.
Paddy O.,to those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome any praise of trump is syncophancy. Trad Guy has always been an unabashed Trump fan. Others here who now approve of him and are glad he was elected, voted for him reluctantly. Trump haters need to pretend that we are all fanatical uncritical fans of Trump.in reality they are the fanatical ones.
Going in, one is predisposed to like it and think it epic. And walking out, you might still want it to be so to some extent. Then it sits there in the pit of your stomach, getting more disagreeable and sour as the days go by. Going into the final minutes, they still could have saved it. But not with that ending.
Past episodes left one feeling inspired. This one just leaves you feeling empty.
I don't know if it was Johnson's idea or Disney's, but it looks now like they simply wanted to destroy EVERYTHING in order to pave the way for their planned fourth trilogy so they can sell more merchandising crap like those stupid birds.
If by some miracle Jeb had won the election and had accomplished what Trump has accomplished in his first year, Chuckles would be demanding that his face be engraved on Mount Rushmore.
Every time the cameras pulled a wide shot of the Wisconsin fans I became distracted by the distressing knowledge that 20% of those smiling young female co-eds were going to be a victim of rape before they graduate.
Chuck said...I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here. I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) -- You know..for as much as you dislike Trump and likely his counterattacking every slight, you might consider NOT responding to said insults...regardless of the targeted audience you tell yourself you are addressing. Being trolled? Don't feed the troll(s)...especially if you have to devolve into "Fuck you and everyone like you!!"
I pretty much don't read anything by Chuck any more. Speaking as lower primate I find him boring. It would be another thing if he was insightful or funny. But he is not. I think the rest of the troop agrees with me on this.
Yeah I hear you. My spouse said TLJ should have had a running track of Han Solo saying, "that's not how the Force works" since they decided to chuck the entire world they created. The porgs were the least of that movie's problems.
Oh. Before the celebrating begins in earnest. Thank you Ann and Meade for allowing me to write on the walls of this wonderful edifice you've erected. Best wishes for the new year for you and your families.
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118 comments:
Althouse, it looks like you jettisoned your admonition at the bottom of all of your comments pages about comment moderation. It was noteworthy to me because the removal came shortly after an exchange between Meade and me wherein he corrected me on the notion that you had any "rules" about the personal attacks aimed at me by many of your other commenters.
Whether they were "instructions," or "rules," they were "honoured more in the breach" than in any observation.
I suppose that it is an act of intellectual honesty, to abandon any pretense that rules for civility existed in practice on your comments pages.
"Civility bullshit."
Our nearby town has only two (2) contiguous shop, a country market and a small restaurant/bar. I frequent them both. On Friday night, the fish dinner is the specialty at the restaurant. Their broiled fish is the best.
Isn't it funny how the Papal rule regarding eating meat on Friday has stood the test of time, even in secular settings.
In one of these past "free fire zones" I mentioned how annoying those "Whoops! Someone else is editing" pop-ups are. People gave me some tips with dealing with them, and I appreciate that. What I've been wondering about is why this only happens (in my experience) with this blog.
One thing I really miss about the Upper Midwest is the Friday Night Lenten Church Basement Fish Supper, with the parish priest in an apron busing tables.
The alphabet ends with Y.
"Internationally acclaimed mystery author Sue Grafton has died. She was 77.
Grafton, a Louisville native, had been battling cancer and died around 11:30 p.m. Thursday in Santa Barbara, California, said her husband, Steve Humphrey.
Grafton was a contemporary American author well known for her alphabet mystery series featuring investigator Kinsey Millhone.
The series began with "A is for Alibi" in 1982 and continued through "Y is for Yesterday," released in August 2017."
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/entertainment/books/2017/12/29/sue-grafton-author-dies/990605001/
Chuck,
Allowing people to reap what they sow would be entirely consistent with cruel neutrality. Now sober up and stop being a whiny little bitch!
I just throw a cup of water in the microwave and add instant coffee. There's no need to go out.
Drink it at the computer.
Quit your whining, Chuck.
You must be used to insults. And I suspect you are used to ducking, too--in real life. At least I hope so.
"Allowing people to reap what they sow would be entirely consistent with cruel neutrality."
Our pastor uses this on a regular basis. If, in the spring, you plant wheat, don't expect to harvest corn in the fall. Or in today's example, if you sow antagonistic behavior, don't expect sweetness in return.
Yes -- we DO have a serious problem with the use of excessive force by police in this country, including a too-quick-to-draw and use deadly force. Regardless of how they were called to the scene, police should not be shooting innocent people dead -- and they shouldn't be deflecting and blaming other people when they do.
OK, so everyone knows that your Number One obsession is Trump. But why also this number two obsession with how Althouse runs her blog? What the hell is it to you what she writes about and how she runs the comment page?
Go Huskies and go Badgers!
Pastor should not be so cis-minded. Wheat and corn are only social constructs.
They're starting to release the emails found in Weiner's "insurance" folder.
Surprise!! It ain't all yoga, and baby pictures.
My favorite 2-shops side by side are Donut Corral, opening at 4:30am, and the hair salon, which is also open. Retirement community. When you can't sleep, get a permanent wave and a bear claw.
"Wheat and corn are only social constructs."
And redwood furniture are the same as redwood trees.
Blogger Chuck said...
Althouse, it looks like you jettisoned your admonition at the bottom of all of your comments pages about comment moderation.
...blabbity blah, more from the hall monitor...
I wonder why this comes to mind:
"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." —Edmund Burke
You sure are unpitied and your struggle is definitely contemptible. However, you are not good so that's okay. Althouse, just waste this guy, what are you waiting for? Nobody will judge you, as if you cared. His next valuable remark will be his first. (FTR, Chuck, the fact that someone enhandled "Chuck" got a tag once, by no means proves that the valued poster was you. Plenty of people have shared blog handles.)
Right, BL. No is forced to frequent this blog. If someone doesn't approve of the way it's run he/she can start his/her own.
This is the best blog on the planet. Not just because of the clever and intelligent writing of the hostess but because of the amusing commentary. Looking forward to another great year at Althouse!
Allow me add PSU.
Um, Penn State is playing the Washington Huskies [right now, in fact]. We'll have to see who prevails. Go dawgs!
"Go Huskies and go Badgers!"
Allow me to add PSU.
Speaking of the Big 10, I see the Buckeyes dismantled the school where OJ received his "higher" education.
Seen on Drudge this afternoon: Demonstators beat
Is that a march or a dance?
Naturally I hope Clemson wins again.
"Go dawgs!"
Oh noes, this may be the only time I disagree with you mockturtle.
PSU '73.
OK, so everyone knows that your Number One obsession is Trump. But why also this number two obsession with how Althouse runs her blog? What the hell is it to you what she writes about and how she runs the comment page?
Simple cry for attention. AA has infrequently addressed TittyTwister personally. In TT's mind, this makes him her equal. AA, famous blogging law professor with millions and millions of views and fans.
TT, long time admirer and commenter, paper shuffler, golfer, resentful divorced middle aged angry white man.Self describes as On the spectrum
Guaranteed that he has been sending numerous suggestions for topics this week.Ignored by AA, becomes abrasive and challenging.Hoping for response from Mom.
Sad !
Most police are scared every minute. These guys aren't the men who walked the beat with a billy club in the old days.
Drunks and druggies are always doing the wrong thing. You tell them to stand still, and their arms are all over the place, and they fidget a lot.
In the military we were taught never to rest our finger on the trigger.
Someone lowering their hand to their belt, should not be shot. First he has to display a weapon. You have plenty of time to kill him later.
If your finger is on the trigger, you might react the wrong way.
Anyway, you shouldn't be on a police force if you kill unarmed civilians, just because you're scared.
Continuing in the spirit of humor fairness and equality, a bit of a spanking for the Twister LLR Chuck from earlier this year:
Ann Althouse said... [hush][hide comment]
Chuck, you're doing clutter. You're causing me (and I presume others) to just have to scroll to get past your long and repetitive stuff. You need to change what you are doing or you will become one of the small group of people I call bad faith commenters, whose posts I delete without reading whenever I see them. I'm quite serious. You need to cut way back and keep it short. Stop repeating yourself. Everyone is bored and you are not cute. And don't argue with me in the comments. Stop doing clutter.
"Go dawgs!"
Go nits!
Wow...looks like Chuckles has decided that Althouse is one of the Deplorables.
Oh Boy! Lock them up
" If memory serves, both Abedin and Cheryl Mills were called in by the FBI and told them that they didn’t even know about the existence of the secret server. And that was in 2016. But here we have evidence from 2010 of Abedin forwarding classified documents from the secret server to an account called “Anthony Campaign” which is presumably the email account on her husband’s laptop. So doesn’t that mean that she (and possibly Mills) lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation during their probe of the case?
It seems to me that I’ve been hearing a lot lately about how people who lie to the FBI are in a lot of trouble and could face jail time, even if the subject of the conversation they lied about wasn’t illegal. In this instance we’re talking about a clearly illegal act, specifically sending obviously marked classified State Department documents to a private laptop controlled by someone without a security clearance. If lying to the FBI is such a big deal, aren’t we being a bit selective in prosecution if somebody isn’t indicted over this? "
This is the best blog on the planet. Not just because of the clever and intelligent writing of the hostess but because of the amusing commentary. Looking forward to another great year at Althouse!
If you read this blog faithfully through 2015/2016, the combination of Althouse/commentators mirrored what was actually happening (and not what the headlines were insisting was happening)
Until "Access Hollywood" happened, I was real comfortable with a Trump win. Of course, Althouse herself went ballistic and I thought it was over.
But the Democrats shot that wad too soon. After a couple of weeks, Althouse calmed down and saw it for the bragging locker room talk it was and not a "confession" of a rapist.
So going into Nov. 8, I saw a squeaker and wouldn't be surprised a bit if Trump pulled it out.
All my relations looked at me with awe as to how my astute projection turned out to be correct.
And I owe it all to 'Althouse'.
"Go Dawgs!"
Agreed.
But the Rose Bowl isn't until Monday.
"I suppose that it is an act of intellectual honesty, to abandon any pretense that rules for civility existed in practice on your comments pages. 'Civility bullshit.'"
You inadvertently tag yourself properly. What you are saying is what I tag "civility bullshit." You are, however, grossly wrong in attributing "rule for civility" to me.
There used to be a message above the comments box, but it was either ignored or misread and was not something we thought should be pointed at anymore, since the pointers were either misreading or lying about what was there.
Humperdink says: Speaking of the Big 10, I see the Buckeyes dismantled the school where OJ received his "higher" education.
So far the Big 10 have pretty well blown out the Pac 12 and today may be no exception. The Huskies' offensive line looks pretty ineffectual.
"And I owe it all to 'Althouse'..."
LOL
OJ being released from the pokey seems to be one of the top news stories of 2017. Just guessing, but I think one of the top news stories of 2018 will OJ returning to three (3) hots and a cot.
Speaking of the Big 10, I see the Buckeyes dismantled the school where OJ received his "higher" education.
Speaking of the Buckeyes, I see they played a December 29 bowl game (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha). Meanwhile, Michigan is playing New Year's Day.
@Etienne, were you commenting about the case of Mr. Andrew Finch in Wichita? "Pranksters" think it's funny to call out a SWAT team to some innocent person's house, but it isn't funny to the Finch family, who have gone from celebrating the holidays to planning a funeral. The alleged caller, Tyler Barriss, is said to have posted the following tweet: "I DIDNT [sic] GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT [sic] DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT [sic] MY PROFESSION"
Well, he has a point, sort of. Between the episode in Minneapolis where Justine Ruszczyk was shot by a trigger happy police office after she was the person who had called in the complaint and the case in Mesa, Arizona, where a police officer shot a man crawling on the floor -- with his hands up, per the officer's sergeant's orders -- and pleading for his life, it is safe to conclude that our police need vastly better training.
I think there's something wrong with the training our police get. I don't want a police officer to die in action, but I don't want them shooting unarmed people who have committed no crime, either.
I've seen people arguing ferociously online that the NCAA playoff committee made a huge mistake taking Alabama over Ohio State. All I can say is that if you want to play in the playoffs then you shouldn't get blown out by an 8-5 team.
In order to stifle growing dissent, the government of Iran has shutdown internet access in major cities. Commie-Pinko libs in this country have to be smiling.
My next door neighbor has set up a turkey fryer in his back yard. I'm watching it warily because the evening is very windy and his flames are pretty high. Also at 19 degrees it's too cold to turn on my rear hose bib.
This was the old rule on commenting;
****
COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks.
****
My new understanding is that the "instruction," as Meade called it, was never really intended to restrain "personal attacks on other commenters," since I am a regular, daily recipient of personal attacks. Notified of them, Althouse's position was that she had no way to easily ban individuals, and the task of deleting individual comments was too time-consuming and too tiresome for her.
The net effect had been that, at least as it relates to me, "Comments have been moderated NONE of the time."
I'll be darned, if I can figure out how I "misread," or misunderstood, or even "lied" (?!) about the plain import of those instructions.
I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here.
I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages.
Blogger Big Mike said...
I've seen people arguing ferociously online that the NCAA playoff committee made a huge mistake taking Alabama over Ohio State. All I can say is that if you want to play in the playoffs then you shouldn't get blown out by an 8-5 team.
I think that if you want to play in the playoffs, you should win your conference.
The Big Ten is 5-0 in their bowl games this season. The SEC is 0-3.
This was the old rule on commenting:
NO CRYING OR WHINING.
Also at 19 degrees it's too cold to turn on my rear hose bib.
A stream of water is not what you want for a grease fire.
This was another old rule on commenting:
Get your own damn blog.
I think that if you want to play in the playoffs, you should win your conference.
No, because that's equivalent to saying that a conference can send at most one team. Why should that be the case?
For the love of fucking gawd, Chuck.
Do you ever stop whining?
@tcrosse, I was worried about my house and my wooden deck.
I read that a soldier home on leave after completing basic training saved four people from a burning apartment building in the Bronx, and he died after going back into the burning building to try to save a fifth person. Where do we get young men and women with that sort of heroism.
"For the love of fucking gawd, Chuck.
Do you ever stop whining?"
Of course not. That's why he comes here.
it is safe to conclude that our police need vastly better training.
No amount of training can make a coward brave. A lot of people should not be policemen on the beat. Keep the cowards in the office filing reports.
Not just in Wichita. Here in OKC you see cops running around with their guns drawn on shoplifters.
"I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages"
Well, you may be able to type an "address", and push the "Publish your Comment" button, but you can't make anyone read it. Therefore, starting on January 1, 2018, I will implement a personal 'No Chuck Comment' policy, which will remain in effect until December 31, 2018, at which time I will revisit and reassess.
Chuck, you have about a day to point out your pointing out, so make it count.
Don't go away mad, Chuck. Just go away.
In order to stifle growing dissent, the government of Iran has shutdown internet access in major cities.
Could you imagine the meltdown on the domestic Left, international Left and the GOP Establishment if the Iranians overthrew their government, formed a democracy and gave up its nuclear weapon program? Especially if it happened this summer?
"the government of Iran has shutdown internet access in major cities."
The ultimate net neutrality: nobody's traffic gets through. Equally.
Go dawgs! Go nits!
It's the lice versus the rabid mongrels.
Chuck should approve.
This blog has a lot of comments, but I've been wondering how many commenters. 40? 60? Any way to tell? Obvioously a lot more if counting every comment ever, but in terms of those who comment at least once a week or once a month, the regulars at any given time.
Chuck Quoted...
COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks.
If those rules had been enforced, most of your comments would have been deleted based on the bolded sections. So there is that...
Humperdink: Well, your Nits beat my Dawgs. But it got a little exciting.
Now I can unwind my guts and relax to watch the Orange Bowl. Pulling for Wisconsin, of course, but it won't feel as tense as watching my school.
@mock. Your team made a valiant comeback. My stepson lives in WA state. He became a Huskie fan. I'll be working on him. :)
When will these unstructured Holi-days ever be over? I find gaps of having nothing to do and nothing going. The fesival of family gatherings is only half the time.
We were left with the Football games that we care about, and one movie that I liked, called the The Darkest Hour.
My final conclusion has been that TCU's Gary Patterson and Winston Churchill are very similar persons.
The person who owned our house before us was really into HVAC things.
The thermostats look like iPad minis and say they will connect to WiFi. I did a search to figure out why I would want the thermostats online, and it seems the point is changing the settings using one's phone. The house is not so large that I feel a journey from a chair to the thermostat on the wall is arduous, so I will leave them offline.
"try to X" ≠ you must X
It's not a rule. It's advice.
Here's some more advice: Don't be boring!
"This blog has a lot of comments, but I've been wondering how many commenters. 40? 60? Any way to tell? Obvioously a lot more if counting every comment ever, but in terms of those who comment at least once a week or once a month, the regulars at any given time."
There are many more readers than commenters. On any given day there are hundreds of comments, but probably not hundreds of commenters. And there are tens of thousands of readers, most of whom don't click through to the comments page at all. I would guess that for every commenter, there are a thousand readers. I have no way to know how similar or different the readers are from the commenters. This is one reason I have to be careful not to let a few commenters pester me about what I should and should not be doing. I need to follow my instincts and trust in the long-term flow of readers to this site. I'm happy that readers are here because I have written for the intrinsic reward of writing about whatever has interested me. If people want to show up in the comments and criticize me, it's okay, but it isn't going to change what I do and it shouldn't. I would prefer if people would comment in the same way that I am blogging: Find what interests you and write your instinctive response, enjoying the flow and the intrinsic reward. I strongly encourage personal expression and creativity, and you have an automatic platform with an audience. I want commenters who augment the energy here, not people who drag it down.
@Etienne:
Agreed. Imagine if our soldiers operated with the same rules of engagement as our police officers: shoot to kill anyone who doesn't obey your commands or makes any movement you told them not to. Two differences: 1) our soldiers are not paid nearly as much as our police officers (often six figures where I live), are younger and have less training; and 2) the targets are not foreigners in a war zone, but US citizens who the police are sworn to protect.
Althouse could generate all of LLR Chuck's comments for him simply by uploading feeds directly from MSNBC and the DNC websites.
Sure sure, the comments would be just as cringe-worthy, but think of the efficiency! LLR Chuck would still be LLR Chuck but we would make up for it in volume!
Althouse: "And there are tens of thousands of readers, most of whom don't click through to the comments page at all. "
Thousands.
Indeed thousands of thousands.
I think they call them "millions".
Hilarious three (3) minute of the worst on MSLSD. Lawrence O'Donnell is a piece of work. His mother would be proud.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/12/worst-of-msnbc-2017.php
Gahrie: "Could you imagine the meltdown on the domestic Left, international Left and the GOP Establishment if the Iranians overthrew their government, formed a democracy and gave up its nuclear weapon program? Especially if it happened this summer?"
I guarantee that if that did happen the entire left and their LLR allies would be teeing up an argument to award another Nobel to obama.
We wouldn't have to revisit all that obama/pro-mullah "unpleasantness" from a few years back.
Humperdink: "Hilarious three (3) minute of the worst on MSLSD. Lawrence O'Donnell is a piece of work. His mother would be proud."
If you think LLR Chuck is going to allow you the opportunity to laugh at MSNBC without a fight, well then you've got another thing comin' bub.
"formed a democracy and gave up its nuclear weapon program?"
I doubt they would give it up but would keep it on background.
Hillary taught all countries to never give up a nuclear program/
I wouldn't care if they had a reasonable government.
BTW, in what is clearly a MAJOR indicator on where the republican Senators are on the Russia Collusion hoax, Lindsay Graham's discussion on Fox yesterday was a real eye opener.
Mirengoff at Powerline (no big fan of Trump) has a good piece out from today:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/12/lindsey-graham-doj-used-anti-trump-dossier-in-court.php
Once again, as always, LLR Chuck hardest hit.....but in good, Althouse-rule compliant way!
Huzzah!
@Drago. LLR is still under the covers, quivering from his most recent comeuppance. I am thinking he's looking for a little affirmative action on this blog.
Several years ago we had a Sheriff's Deputy who lived in the neighborhood. Our kids were in the same grade and shared several activities so we talked fairly often. One day he told me that a guy in East St. Louis pulled a knife on him and threatened to hack him to pieces. "I could have killed him, Johnny, and no one would have said a word. I probably would have got a medal. But I had room and just kept backing up - the guy eventually settled down and I asked him to drop the knife so I could cuff him. I just didn't want to kill him if I did't have too." On another occasion, he arrested a guy who lived in the woods behind us for beating up his girl friend. As he put the guy in the car, he started to laugh and talk about how he showed her. When he went around a corner into a blind spot, my neighbor pulls over, turned around and told the guy if he said another f'ing word and if he didn't wipe the smile off his face, he was going to drag him out of the car and beat him to with-in an inch of his life. And he would get away with it because no one likes ass holes who gets his kicks beating his girlfriends. The guy pissed his pants. I think my neighbor had a cold, mature, controlled fury.
COMMENTS ARE MODERATED some but not all of the time. This is for the purpose of excluding/removing a small handful of commenters who, I believe, intend to ruin this forum. They already know who they are. For everyone else, try to be responsive to the post, don't make personal attacks on other commenters, bring some substance or humor to the conversation, and don't do that thing of putting in a lot of extra line breaks. Feel free to shit on Chuck whenever you get the chance. He deserves it. Just make sure not to repeat your insults:Boring is never good. Drink plenty of fluids and make sure you brush after every meal.
And as you can see in my comment above--oh, you can't. It hasn't come back in the five hours it has been disappeared. But I'm sure you re-read the thread every time.
So now the latest squirrel is papafop's conversation with an Australian govt official re Russian info on res queen, nit the dossier wee the basis for the fisa warrant.
Laslo update (strictly unofficial, but damnit just read between the lines will ya Jeez):
http://themetapicture.com/he-absolutely-deserves-the-job/
Happy New Year Ladies and Gents, when it gets here.
I will be spending the next two days trying to evict all the junk that floated into my machine with the recent Win 10 "upgrade." If QuackBooks and a few other needed programs ran on Linux, I could cut loose entire.
And Happy New Year to Chuck also.
"I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here."
I may have to print and frame this jewel.
I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here.
I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters) and pointing out the ugly, aggressive, bullying, crowd of pro-Trumpists that Althouse has attracted to her comments pages.
12/30/17, 4:23 PM
Now, now don't get your titties all wee-wee'd up,twister
... I want commenters who augment the energy here, not people who drag it down...
Baloney. You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics. Who will not tolerate any criticism of The Donald. And who personally attack, without any civility limits.
In the past, after the third or fourth time that I was targeted with such insults (and after repeated emails to you about it), I'd snap back and call the perpetrators a few well-deserved epithets; "miserable fuckheads..." "worthless dumbshits...")
No more. Your ugly commentariat isn't worth it, Althouse. Arguing with them does nothing for me. And it owes to your own abdication of your own lack of commenting moderation. "...don't make personal attacks on other commenters..." You attracted those commenters, and you've effectively created this ugly, stilted, boring, one-note, Trump-worshipping chorus of commenters. Who will not brook any other viewpoint.
it seems the point is changing the settings using one's phone. The house is not so large that I feel a journey from a chair to the thermostat on the wall is arduous, so I will leave them offline.
The purpose is to allow you to turn on the heater (or AC) from the airport after returning from a trip, or from work, so that the house is nice and warm when you get home.
You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics. Who will not tolerate any criticism of The Donald.
Fake news.
It would be fine if you occasionally attacked Trump in a post about Trump. However, every thing you post is about Trump, and you insist on thread jacking in order to persist in your constant, repetitive and ineffectual attacks on Trump.
It would be even better if you stopped pretending to be a Republican while you did it.
In other words Chuckles...you've committed the biggest sign a commentator can make at Althouse.....you're boring.
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
"try to X" ≠ you must X
It's not a rule. It's advice.
...
Well it isn't even "advice" anymore. Not "instructions" either, as Meade suggested.
Whatever it was, it is gone. Removed. By you. Because, I presume, I regularly pointed out how they were almost never enforced.
Actually I enjoy you coming on board to present your opinion. What is troubling is coming under false pretenses. If you're a LLR, I'm the Pope.
He's begging you to put him out of his misery. At least, put him out of ours.
Chuck, you can pretty much take it that you don't influence the blog or how it is run. Nobody is changing anything because of you pointing out whatever.
"I would prefer if people would comment in the same way that I am blogging: Find what interests you and write your instinctive response, enjoying the flow and the intrinsic reward"
This is probably why I've enjoyed this blog for so long. I don't comment as much as I used to but hopefully this reflects the comments I've made. And I have no doubt there's a vast difference in the number and interest of readers. People who comment are a unique sort, the kind who want their opinion to be stated (and sometimes heard).
I suspect this blog affected how I teach, teaching out of my own interest and direction, rather than trying to follow some template. Following the rules or always over-sensitive about others takes all the fun out of writing and teaching. And it has to stay fun, otherwise students (and readers) quickly lose interest themselves.
I'm curious if this approach to blogging is how you taught, teaching within a course topic, but approaching it based on your own instincts and personality.
Badgers going in to the locker room, up, 24-14 :)
One of the ESPN commentators stated the coach should have been thrown out for touching the ref - he doesn't think anyone should touch anybody. To which my son yelled, "No touching - this is football. NO TOUCHING IN FOOTBALL!" (Maybe you had to be there...)
Baloney. You have attracted a gang of thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics.
Chuck, you are far too good for this blog and its collection of "thuggish, insulting, bullying Trump fanatics."
I would think you could find kindred spirits at HuffPo or, if you insist on pretending to be conservative, you could probably get by at Ricochet which still has a reservoir of NeverTrumpers, although some are weakening.
I am a member there and still see angry posts by NeverTrumpers. There was a discussion about the founders of the site and the consensus was that they were Trump haters.
You should try it. You might be happier among friends of your obsessions.
Unless you are like Ritmo and beg to be abused and disliked.
Yes the Miami coach going bonkers is an eye opener. Still dont know why.
I don't find the personal back and forths interesting, indeed that's what raised the question about how many commenters there are as it often feels in the comment section like I've entered a particularly fractious Thanksgiving dinner scene.
That said, I find it so odd for someone to say it's a Trump worship fest around here. I was one of Trump's biggest detractors hereabouts during the election. I had nothing good to say about him. I still don't like him as a person.
But I think there's a distinction to be made about a person and how they are performing. I'm not so easily riled up by the media, and have the ability to assess on what I see. Trump is an interesting leader, and has been getting more done than I expected. I've been re-reading Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa the last month, and I see an interesting comparison between Trump and Yoshikawa's characterization of Oda Nobunaga.
In the story, Nobunaga inherits a fiefdom while a teenager, and projects a very immature face to the world. Yoshikawa writes, "Although Nobunaga had succeeded Oda Nobuhide, would he be able to survive very long, spoiled and aviolent as he was? Common opinion had it that he was stupid as well as short-tempered."
Nobunaga, of course, wasn't stupid or short-tempered. He was intentional about his self-portrayal so as to gain advantage over others who under or wrongly estimated his capabilities. Playing the fool gained him time to built his resources in the context of enemies, and gained him power over the years.
I've not liked Trump, but I can see a similar approach, indeed intentional, as his boorish, low-class posing serves the same goal in negotiations. Playing that up, gets people riled up so they make their own rash moves and mistakes.
Which is not me saying I like Trump, but I can see how his success isn't in spite of his public expressions, it's actually a continued strategy that he's used over the course of his life. And has historical precedent.
Given that I look at what he accomplishes more than how he expresses himself, I see someone I like more than I expected, and very grudgingly admit his accomplishments in his office. Plus, I'm looking to save a lot of money on taxes, and that's very helpful.
But to say that this is about some kind of blind Trumpism, celebrating his Trumpocity no matter what, is silly. It's reflexive Trump hate, which is the exact sort of boring as automatic Trump love. It's not helpful in coming to terms with the way Trump leads in a productive, albeit unorthodox, way whether you agree with his goals or not.
I think there's a lot more of the grudging respect for what Trump has done around here than blind Trump love, but it's hard to see that if you hear anything positive about him as being a sign of unthinking sycophancy.
I find gaps of having nothing to do and nothing going.
If I might interrupt what has become yet another edition of The Chuck Show, if you're looking for something to do, you could always collect all your DVDs and Blu-Rays of all the Star Wars movies -- and maybe even some VHS tapes and old-time laser-discs of the original Star Wars (aka Episode IV) -- gather them all together, pile them up outside on your lawn, and then urinate and defecate over them.
You would be saving yourself the expense of seeing The Last Jedi, but still accomplishing the same thing as the producers of that film.
One of the ESPN commentators stated the coach should have been thrown out for touching the ref - he doesn't think anyone should touch anybody. To which my son yelled, "No touching - this is football. NO TOUCHING IN FOOTBALL!" (Maybe you had to be there...)
He didn't just touch the umpire. He grabbed him. He was out of control and should have been tossed. Others have been tossed for less.
An interesting [in a sadly ironic sense] collection would be the many obscene personal insults hurled by Chuck over the past year. He's possibly the least self-aware person I've ever read.
Whatever it was, it is gone. Removed. By you. Because, I presume, I regularly pointed out how they were almost never enforced.
Yep. You ar THAT important.Removed because you complained constantly.
First we disappointed Obama, now we've disappointed Chuck.
@Mark
I watched TLJ Thursday. Oh wow. Some parts were really good, but completely overshadowed by the crap that was Laura Dern and the gambling planet.
Wow! Chuck is running the Alynski playbook on The Professor. He must be feeling bad about being laughed at by a bunch of thuggish, insulting bullying Trump fanatics. But, dammit, his Alynsky tactics are just funny.
Badgers are in the driver's seat now.
mockturtle,Chuck has some stiff competition from Inga and the toothless revolutionary when it comes to being self unaware.
That was an enjoyable football game. yay Badgers!
Paddy O.,to those afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome any praise of trump is syncophancy. Trad Guy has always been an unabashed Trump fan. Others here who now approve of him and are glad he was elected, voted for him reluctantly. Trump haters need to pretend that we are all fanatical uncritical fans of Trump.in reality they are the fanatical ones.
I watched TLJ Thursday. Oh wow.
Going in, one is predisposed to like it and think it epic. And walking out, you might still want it to be so to some extent. Then it sits there in the pit of your stomach, getting more disagreeable and sour as the days go by. Going into the final minutes, they still could have saved it. But not with that ending.
Past episodes left one feeling inspired. This one just leaves you feeling empty.
The actual ending with the dumb kids or the plot ending with the entire Rebel Alliance fitting in the Millennium Falcon?
The whole Leia storyline really lowered the ceiling for me. Just let her die already.
Neither. The other ending.
Before the film came out, people were wondering who Luke was talking to in the trailer, "This is not going to go the way you think."
Now it is clear, from the fans reactions, that he was talking to Disney and the film's producers.
I don't know if it was Johnson's idea or Disney's, but it looks now like they simply wanted to destroy EVERYTHING in order to pave the way for their planned fourth trilogy so they can sell more merchandising crap like those stupid birds.
If by some miracle Jeb had won the election and had accomplished what Trump has accomplished in his first year, Chuckles would be demanding that his face be engraved on Mount Rushmore.
Every time the cameras pulled a wide shot of the Wisconsin fans I became distracted by the distressing knowledge that 20% of those smiling young female co-eds were going to be a victim of rape before they graduate.
Chuck said...I can assure Althouse that in light of the new and official policy of an honest no-moderation policy, I am not going to respond by counterattacking my detractors here.
I will be addressing the other readers (and I suppose, a great many non-commenters)
--
You know..for as much as you dislike Trump and likely his counterattacking every slight, you might consider NOT responding to said insults...regardless of the targeted audience you tell yourself you are addressing.
Being trolled?
Don't feed the troll(s)...especially if you have to devolve into "Fuck you and everyone like you!!"
You know..for as much as you dislike Trump and likely his counterattacking every slight, you might consider NOT responding to said insults
Chuckles and Trump are an awful lot a like that way.....
I pretty much don't read anything by Chuck any more.
Speaking as lower primate I find him boring. It would be another thing if he was insightful or funny. But he is not. I think the rest of the troop agrees with me on this.
@Mark
Yeah I hear you. My spouse said TLJ should have had a running track of Han Solo saying, "that's not how the Force works" since they decided to chuck the entire world they created. The porgs were the least of that movie's problems.
Oh. Before the celebrating begins in earnest.
Thank you Ann and Meade for allowing me to write on the walls of this wonderful edifice you've erected.
Best wishes for the new year for you and your families.
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