The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
    Wattree's picture

    IF YOU DON’T WANT TRUMP, HILLARY MUST BE DUMPED

    By Wattree on Sun, 07/03/2016 - 7:21pm |

    Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

     

    IF YOU DON’T WANT TRUMP, HILLARY MUST BE DUMPED
    .
    AND SO IT BEGINS . . .
     
    For months Hillary Clinton Supporters have been saying that all true Democrats have a responsibility to the liberal cause, the Democratic Party, and to America to get behind Hillary Clinton in order to prevent Donald Trump from becoming President of the United States. They've been lecturing Bernie Sanders supporters incessantly on how important it is to do the "responsible thing" and put their partisanship aside in support of the bigger picture.  Now we’re going to see if they were actually sincere in their selfless, and supposedly single-minded effort to save America, or if it was just a lot of political posturing in an effort to gain support for Hillary Clinton.
    .
    Bill Clinton’s poor judgment, and arrogant “impromptu” decision to drop in on Attorney General Loretta Lynch while her plane was sitting on the tarmac in a Phoenix airport, in spite of the fact that his wife, Hillary Clinton, is under FBI investigation has made Hillary a liability to the Democratic Party. As a direct result of Bill's actions, regardless to whether Hillary is ultimately indicted or not, there will be the shadow of political corruption, or at best, a candidate with very poor judgment hanging over the Democratic campaign in the general election.  Now, if Hillary is indicted, the Democratic party can’t afford to have a nominee for the Democratic Party running for President who’s under a federal indictment, and if she’s not indicted, thanks to Bill Clinton’s recklessly poor judgment, no reasonably intelligent person in America is going to believe that "the fix" wasn’t in. So Bill's actions were so grossly ill-advised that it's enough to make one wonder if he's growing senile.
    .
    Again, Bill’s behavior has given the Republicans something to hang their hats on during the general election, and it has made Hillary a huge liability to the Democratic Party, since this situation could  create a furor of Watergate proportions - and in the middle of a national election.  It could also destroy President Obama’s legacy, and it could very well throw the election to Donald Trump.
    .
    So the question to be asked of Clinton cultists now is this - how important is it to defeat Trump Now?  With all of Hillary's political baggage, along with the fact that her IT expert, Bryan Pagliano, saw fit to invoke the 5th amendment over 125 times in a 2 hour deposition, and then adding to all of that, Bill Clinton's thoughtlessly poor judgment, Hillary Clinton could dump Trump right into America's lap. So should Hillary supporters do the "responsible thing," set partisanship aside, and ask Hillary to drop out for the sake of the nation?
    . 



    Eric L. Wattree
    http://wattree.blogspot.com/
    [email protected]
    Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
    .
    Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

    Comments

    Since spouses are fair game, I am far more concerned about Jane Sanders' scandalous behavior in her role as President of the University that she drove into bankruptcy, while leaving with an undeserved golden parachute of her own.  She perjured herself in documents which were required for securing the loan that ended up being the undoing of the University.

    The reason Bernie and Jane (who reportedly does the family taxes) have refused to put their taxes out is because not only would they have to report the largess she received after screwing all involved in the University, and also her income as an over-paid staffer for his campaign.  

    For the Sanders Family, it is definitely true that Charity begins at Home.  For the Bernie cultists it is impossible to accept truth.

    I have serious doubts about Tom Delay's FBI contacts.  Since he was indicted on criminal charges of conspiring to violate election law in 2002 (he lost his Whip position and ultimately his office in the House because of it).  But yeah, go ahead and say we should dump Hillary.  Because:

    Bernie should be the nominee per Tom Delay?

    Its OK that Bernie is hiding his taxes, because Trump does too?   High bar, much?  Oh, Romney (an oligarch -- also only released one year of taxes, but more than Bernie did)

    The Clintons have a charity that helps people all over the world,  but Bernie flies his extended family to Rome for an intrusive and fake photo-op with the Pope using donations from people who each one has only $29 to give.  (Or $100,000 give or take)

    Bernie gives the same rehash of a speech over and over, which is devoid of plans, while Hillary describes her policies and how she hopes to achieve them.

    Yeah, but we should dump Hillary.  

    Don't even get me started on the Bernie vetting that hasn't taken place.  Hillary never said one negative thing about him (except that he seemed 'unprepared' -- a huge understatement -- for his NY Magazine interview).  That was it, as opposed to all the derogatory shit Bernie threw, and continues to throw her way.

    With Bernie's short fuse Trump would have him in flames in 15 minutes, and deservedly so.

     


    by CVille Dem on Sun, 07/03/2016 - 9:21pm

    Heh heh heh, trotting out "The Hammer" of Sugarland? The guy who used state and federal agents to track down Democratic reps who didn't want to give him standing for his gerrymandering scheme so fled to Oklahoma? The convict? A resurrection worth noting - a modern Barrabas.


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 1:01am

    Republicans live in their own little bubble. They won't be voting for Hillary. Trump implodes with every speech and every tweet. His performance at the debates will be interesting. You point to how Fox and wingnut media are attacking Hillary. You ignore how the wingnuts would attack Sanders who was Forty before he got his first steady income. 

    You have to keep attacking Hillary and tell us why we shouldn't vote for her because you cannot find enough to post repeated positive stories about Bernie Sanders. Sanders has no national record to withstand scrutiny. While Sanders was droning on about millionaires and billionaires, Hillary had campaign workers go to Flint and open up some financial relief for the city. She also has legal experts challenging actual voter suppression.

    Bernie Sanders is an empty suit.


    by rmrd0000 on Sun, 07/03/2016 - 10:45pm

    3 weeks of 'calls himself a socialist, wants even bigger government, will raise your taxes and give the money away to lazy (brown and illegal) people, wants to let 1 million (brown, illegal) criminals out of prison to rape your daughters, never had a steady job until 40, stole electricity cuz he was a lazy bum, moved wife into mud hut, called a 'revolutionary friend by corrupt socialist dictator Maduro - add shots of empty grocer shelves/long bread lines, riots in Venezuela, etc etc ....ads by the GOP would lead to a Trump sweep over Sanders.

    As I said before, the Republicans won't need a swiftboat to send Sanders down the river, a leaky raft with a Red flag will do.


    by NCD on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 12:36am

     

    Here Eric...  If all else fails for ya'...

    Another 16d nail for her coffin . . .

    newyorker.com/report/fox-new-evidence-hillary-killed-lincoln

    ~OGD~


    by oldenGoldenDecoy on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 12:58am

    Hey Eric if you believe the Mena story and wingnut media, then you will certainly believe that Hillary killed former UN official John Ashe.

    http://oliverwillis.com/john-ashe-death-latest-anti-clinton-conspiracy-t...


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 10:15am

    Come on, don't be obtuse - her email server was sending out targeted poison letters - that's why she spent so much energy hiding it. At State, she compiled global hit lists that let her function as her own banana republic death squad. "Like or die" was her perverse approach to social media, and you can see her mark from Syria to Guatemala to Pakistan to Haiti. "We came, we blogged, they died" was her callous attitude, and what started as drawing down the Arab Spring turned into a frosty calling card for the rest of the free world as well. All of these internet initiatives and Soros "Open Society" are just setting up people like bowling pins for the next set of online hits. Even Mossad is impressed.


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 10:25am

    ATTENTION ALL INTERNET IDIOTS


    If you disagree with me, I'll be happy to hear your point of view, because disagreement is a potential source of growth. Many of the positions that I hold today are a result of my being educated by thoughtful and intelligent people who had opposing points of view. That’s what the internet is about at its best - educating, and being educated. The downside of the internet, however, is due to it’s egalitarian nature, unlike in our private lives we can’t pick and choose the caliber of people that we come into contact with, so we’re exposed to every manner of fool, so we’ve got to learn to weed them out.
    .
    Personally, I have very little patience for the ignorance and immaturity of grey-headed children with whiskers who have nothing better to do than sit up in front of the computer in their draws and getting into spitballs fights with all the “un-Godly” people who don’t happen to share their point of view. So if you’re one of those people, please spare me your ignorance and go seek out someone who shares your intellectual proclivities. 
    .
    Eric L. Wattree

    Eric L. Wattree's photo.


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 11:08am

    If you're speaking of underwear, it's "drawers."  I assume it's not a spell-check thing since its not the first time.

    Signing off. 


    by CVille Dem on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 11:25am

    Cville,

    Black people don't say "drawers;" we say "draws."  Drawers don't even sound right to my ear. That's a White thang, or should I have said "thing." I thought everybody knew that, but I should have known better than to make unwarranted assumptions.


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 12:18pm

    Blacks say "drawers". Blacks speak English. Being a criminal is not akin to being black. Cornel West's hippity-hop vernacular has made you confused. Blacks were among the first linguists in North America.

    https://www.smartling.com/blog/honoring-black-linguists-americas/

    Blacks teach English and head English departments. 

    There are black organizations that promote learning foreign languages

    http://www.weboaal.com/

    Your universe of black people seems small, criminals and people unable to master English.

    Dictionaries are our friends.

     


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 1:02pm

    Damn rmrd you always have these good links on every issue you discuss. It's impressive. I know anyone can google links but one must have the foundational knowledge to know what to look for. Who are you, some professor of African American studies or black history?


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 2:25pm

    That would pigeon-hole him. He's simply a know-it-all. Or Link-it--all I suppose, Google-meister if Wolraich doesnt own the title.


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 2:31pm

    Know it all has a negative connotation. I don't think it applies. I don't have links, most of my knowledge comes from books. But with that knowledge I can usually find links. Without it I wouldn't know what to look for or even consider the possibility it exists. I've sometimes argued with rmrd usually because I think he spins to protect Obama. But I find his posts highly informative and interesting even when I disagree. It takes a long time for someone to earn my respect.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:03pm

    I focused on the sciences in college and felt liberal arts were more of a distraction. With age, I gained a passion for history , especially black history. Black history forces you to come into contact with whites, Latinos, gays, women, Asians, etc. Blacks have been everywhere on the planet . You become aware of how we are connected. There are millions of blacks doing interesting things.

    My response to Wattree was because in a previous post he noted criminal activity as if that was a black characteristic. Now he claims that blacks can't speech English. I was offended.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:24pm

    Yes, normally would be a pejorative, but I didn't want to leave it as "he knows all about black stuff", and "well-rounded" is a bit lukewarm. And God knows I'm not vrry comfortable complimenting anyone...


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:42pm

    I think all of us have a fairly well rounded base of knowledge. But each of us has an area of two that we've specialized in. After a few years of reading his posts it finally struck me that rmrd's knowledge of black history is exceptionally deep. I'm not comfortable handing out compliments either so I'm going to leave it at that.

    eda: For example, I follow the stories on events in Europe. I'm not ignorant or uninformed. But It's clear to me, whether I agree or disagree with your opinions, that your knowledge of European history is greater than mine.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:45pm

    Top Definition

     
    The accepted pronounciation of "drawers", which refers to a males underwear or boxers.
    "Pick yo draws up off the flo'!"
     
    .
    THE HOOD RAT
    .
    Baby,
    I’m sure you know that I love you.
    You’re everything I need.
    You fit the bill of all my desires,
    a perfect match for all of my dreams.
    From the moment I first laid eyes on you,
    You were everything I craved -
    that luscious vision
    from across the tracks,
    that delicate flower
    just beyond this hood rat's blade.
    *
    But what you ask is foreign to me.
    You need something that I’m not.
    You said, just tweak my nature a little bit,
    and you’ll give everything you’ve got.
    *
    But that "tweak" you need is who I am -
    it’s my essence, can’t you see?
    So how can you speak of loving my soul,
    yet, not the hood rat that makes me, me?
    *
    While "hood rat" may seem trite to you,
    it’s the very essence of my being.
    So forget about what other’s say,
    here’s what it means to me:
    *
    I’ve been brutally dragged through the pits of hell,
    yet, managed to survive,
    well educated, and fully functional,
    when I came out the other side.
    I scrounged the lessons taught at Harvard -
    because knowledge, I found, was free.
    But they’ll never obtain the lessons I’ve learned -
    or my knowledge of adversity.
    *
    While the "elite" may have heard a mournful Trane,
    or Miles muted on a Summer night,
    not in the context of hunger and pain,
    or hopelessness, hatred, and blight.
    *           
    So while I've lived the life of a hood rat,
    I’ve reaped a knowledge that money can't buy; 
    a knowledge passed on to my son and daughter,
    which has greatly enhanced their lives.
    * 
    Thus, I wouldn't change a thing about my life -
    I’ve faced hell and passed the test.
    I have a PhD in adversity, and
    it's made me much more,
    rather than less.
    *
    So unlike the people at Harvard and Yale,
    who try to buy intellectual clout,
    they only study the genius of Miles and Trane,
    while I'm who they’re talkin' about.
    *
    So when snobs try to slur me as "just a hood rat,"
    I say, "thank you," and don’t take offense.
    I take great pride in surviving the pits of Hell -
    That’s what gives me my confidence.
    *
    The Ivy League degrees of those of means
    are only paper compared to mine;
    they merely have a "receipt" for knowledge,
    while the  knowledge I've gained 
    has been ETCHED within my mind.
    *
    I can TEACH philosophy to Aristotle and Plato
    with the adversity that I’ve endured,
    and any snob who seeks to match my wit,
    will come up short, and
    that’s for sure.
    *
    Snobs walk about quoting Socrates and such,
    through their "education" they are prone;
    but while they’re spewing the thoughts of various dead men,
    I spend my time developing my own.
    *
    Because we should never give the thoughts of ANY man
    living or dead, priority over our own;
    collect the facts think for yourself,
    that’s where
    Harvard and Yale has gone wrong.
    *
    Preacher, politician, potentate or monk,
    whatever their tale or point of view,
    God didn't give them anything, that he failed
    to also give you. 
    *
    And being seen as a hood rat has its advantages -
    especially against racists of limited wit;
    I simply quietly wait for their condescension,
    then show ‘em that they ain’t shit.
    *
    God made birds to fly, fish to swim, and man to think,
    and that's the key.
    So any man who claims to be my superior
    will have to PROVE his wit to me.
    *
    Thus, knowledge is the key to set us free -
    it doesn’t matter what the people say,
    and there’s nothing more formidable than
    a knowledgeable hood rat, and
    that’s what you’re looking upon today.
    .
    Yet, these are the things you want me to purge -
    you want me to spurn the life I’ve led,
    but I’m sorry, my love,
    as much as I adore you,
    the soul of a hood rat is my edge.
    *
    Wattree

     


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:26pm

    Sho'nuff that be right.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:17pm

    Well given acceptance of the Mena nonsense, it is not surprising that the Urban Dictionary is seen as the benchmark for discourse.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:26pm

    If Black English Isn't a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?

    By JAMES BALDWIN

    St. Paul de Vence, France--The argument concerning the use, or the status, or the reality, of black English is rooted in American history and has absolutely nothing to do with the question the argument supposes itself to be posing. The argument has nothing to do with language itself but with the role of language. Language, incontestably, reveals the speaker. Language, also, far more dubiously, is meant to define the other--and, in this case, the other is refusing to be defined by a language that has never been able to recognize him.

    People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate. (And, if they cannot articulate it, they are submerged.) A Frenchman living in Paris speaks a subtly and crucially different language from that of the man living in Marseilles; neither sounds very much like a man living in Quebec; and they would all have great difficulty in apprehending what the man from Guadeloupe, or Martinique, is saying, to say nothing of the man from Senegal--although the "common" language of all these areas is French. But each has paid, and is paying, a different price for this "common" language, in which, as it turns out, they are not saying, and cannot be saying, the same things: They each have very different realities to articulate, or control.
    .
    https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/29/specials/baldwin-english.html


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:43pm

    Cajuns speak a different dialect. Cajuns who want jobs where communication is important learn the"King's English". Sheryl Lee Ralph's natural voice is Jamaican Patois. On film, her voice is standard English. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X used standard English. Blacks have dialects. Black can say and write "drawers".


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:54pm

     

     

    Observe the linguistic skills of James Baldwin as he debates William F Buckley at Cambridge University in 1965


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:16pm

    Also please note that most of us are capable of communicating with multiple registers, so a Baldwin might use 1 with Buckley, 1 in Harlem, 1 in Manhattan, 1 in Paris (when not speaking French) and other registers for other situations, high- and low-brow. It is typically a sign of both education and worldliness and exposure our ability to fluidly move between these registers and social situations. TV and movies increase exposure, but they don't guarantee this ability. Inability to go down-register can sound as foolish as inability to go up-register, but of course upper classes  write more of the rules.and opportunities are more driven by these. There's nothing wong per se with Bernie's Brooklyn 'r', a black blended 'axe' instead of 'ask', or a southern "ain't", "y'all" or "I reckon", or in this case "draws" instead of "drawers", but the ability to recognize and control dialects and accepted "proper" forms makes us lingusitically and socially mobile, as well as often more hireable and promotable as affects our economic opportunity.


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 6:27pm

    Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch all came out of Harvard. None of them are Hood rats or niggers.

    Mind-controlled blacks take pride in calling themselves niggers, and calling other blacks porch monkeys. They pretend that they have taken the work nigger from white supremacists. These useful idiots do not realize that there was no great battle to keep them from calling themselves niggers. Trump and his Klan friends just sit and laugh. John Lewis had his skull fractured actually fighting a battle for Civil Rights. John Lewis is not a nigger or a hood rat. He is a proud black man. Lewis led the recent sit-in in the House. Elijah Cummings lives close to the black neighborhood that erupted in the aftermath of Freddie Gray's death. Elijah came out into the streets to encourage people to go home. Cummings is a black hero, a black king. Elijah Cummings is not a nigger or a hood rat.

    Proud black men and women are casting votes for Hillary Clinton to continue the path started by Barack Obama. Some hood rats tell us that they are supporting the man who wanted Barack Obama replaced by a primary challenge for President in 2012. I take pride in standing with those proud black men and women working for Hillary.

    BTW Eric, you again altered your post without telling us what you changed. It turns out that we have seen that poem before.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 3:44pm

    Man,

    I don't have to tell you shit. Anything I write I modify whenever the hell I want. I edit my posts because I have sense enough to realize that the internet has a flawless memory, and I don't want my great grandchildren to pull up something that I've written someday and see an error in punctuation, spelling, or a missing word.  So what the hell does that have to do with you, and why in hell do I have to touch base with you before I edit my own writings?
    .
    Man, do me a favor.  Leave me the hell alone, and go focus on "the king's English," because every time I read one of your comments I become more depressed over the intellectual state of some of our people. It's like reading a legal decision by Clarence Thomas, or the political philosophy of Allen West. You're not quite as blatant, but the underlying mindset clearly reveals itself - and I'm not even militant. "The King's English." You damn near made me throw up in my 4th of July gin.
    .
    So comment if you like, but please, please don't direct it at me. Your intended audience will still get you're point - that "I'm wit ya, boss. I'm not like the rest of 'em."  And I'm sure that they greatly appreciate that.  


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:39pm

    Anything I write I modify whenever the hell I want.

    And it's fundamental dishonesty on your part to do so and not note it.

     


    by Austin Train on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:36pm

    Then I'm dishonest, Austin.

    I'm not writing to you, so what I do is none of your business.


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:46pm

    Yes, you are.

    And you're writing to DagBlog.  I am here.

    It is my business.


    by Austin Train on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:47pm

    Deep down inside, who do you write for?
     
    "I'm going to combine this question with the one above, "Who is my favorite writer?," because in my case, the two questions are very closely related: Again, I must refer to Ralph Waldo Emerson as my favorite writer. He’s responsible for much of the philosophy reflected above. I stumbled upon him when I was about 13 years old. I read a passage by him that immediately appealed to my youthful yearning for independence, and since that yearning has remained a guiding force in my life, his words do as well. In his essay, “Self-Reliance” he said the following:"
    .
    “It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion, and it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but great is the man, who in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
    .
    "I can’t read those words without feeling a damp-eyed connection with this man who died over a century before I was born. That’s what made me want to become a writer–the dream of someday possibly reaching across time and making an impact on someone's life.  I knew the odds against me were astronomical, because I clearly recognized that in order for my dream to come to past, I’d have to develop the skill of expression to stand head-and-shoulders above other writers of my time. But now, due to the election of Barack Obama, I suddenly find myself poised at a seminal moment in human history. Future historians will be literally crawling over every syllable being uttered during this period, and thanks to the flawless memory of the internet, we are all now capable of leaving behind graffiti on the annals of time.
    .
    "So I’m taking this opportunity quite seriously. I see it as an opportunity for my children, grandchildren, and their grandchildren not to have to ask who was “Poppi”, and what was he like?  I now have the opportunity to speak to them directly. I can now afford them the opportunity to see my time, through my eyes. Therefore, for some time now, every time I pickup my pen, I seek to speak to an audience that is yet unborn. As a direct result, I now shun the need to appeal to contemporary audiences. I am now determined that the record that I leave behind be clear and untainted by the tendency to bend, modify, or distort my views into a shape conducive to contemporary popular appeal. I think I owe that concession to my readers, who at this point, cannot speak for themselves."
    .
    So you, RM, or nobody else on this site has anything to do with when I decide to edit my writings. It's none of your business, and I am not going to apologize for feeling that way.

    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:04pm

    Thanks for this wattree. It gives us insight into your posts. In a reply to your Mena video I wondered who you hoped to con with these lies. I guess the answer is future generations that likely wouldn't know the factual details of this time. Fortunately, at least on dagblog, there are people here who post more accurate information in their comments.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:32pm

    an error in punctuation, spelling, or a missing word.

    That is fundamentally dishonest. You do more than correct, " an error in punctuation, spelling, or a missing word." At times you increase the size of your argument adding to the original post arguments that address comments to the post. That makes it appear that the commenter foolishly didn't understand or account for your full argument. It's a cheat to make yourself look smarter than you are, to "win" the debate by altering the original post.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:00pm

    Ocean-Kat

    We'll never be able to relate, because I think you're incapable of understanding how I think. I don't believe in trying to "win" a debate.  I believe in growth. I'd much prefer "losing" a debate and walking away more knowledgeable as a result of it than to "win" and simply walk away with bragging rights.  For me, the only mature and productive form of competition is to compete against who I was yesterday. That's what's so exasperating to me about some of the people on this site. The point of life should be personal growth, not trying to prove you can "beat" someone else. The only thing I want to try to beat is my last best effort. That's why I'm not into any kind of sports. I rather spend a day in jail than at the World Series or the Super Bowl, because at least in jail I can lay down and read and won't be expected to do the wave. Life is not a hockey match, proving that I'm better than you. That's not only childish, but the source of most of the problems that we have in this world:
    .

    BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

    Is Our Competitive Spirit Helping or Hurting America?
    .
    We accept a lot of so-called truisms simply because we've been told that they're true all of our lives. Take competition for example. From the day we start school most Americans are taught that our competitive spirit is what makes America great. But is that really true? Is competition really the most productive model for promoting human progress? I don't think so. While recently discussing this issue one gentleman said the following:

    “Personally I don’t mind competition. It has brought us better roads, better cars, better airplanes, better vacations, better medicines, longer life spans, and in many cases, except for us damaged Vets, better health.. I don’t see honest competition as dysfunctional at all. Profiteering is okay also, as long as it is honest and based on productivity, job creation and boosting the human spirit. Why shouldn’t I be motivated by money, a bigger house, a nicer restaurant, to create the next Penicillin, the next Salk vaccine, the next aspirin, and all the jobs and opportunities these inventions have provided.”

    I’ve heard this argument a million times, but we have absolutely no evidence that any of the things mentioned above are a result of competition. Neither do we have any evidence that suggests that competition is a more powerful motivator than the simple pursuit of excellence. The fact is, competition caters to the very worst in human nature - selfishness, hostility, and greed. Competition is only truly productive when we compete against our last best personal effort.

    It's more likely, therefore, that human accomplishment has actually been stifled rather than enhanced by our childish need to be competitive. How much more might we have accomplished if instead of duplicating their efforts in pursuit of competitive greed, drug companies shared their knowledge in an effort to cure disease, or instead of the nations of the world spending trillions of dollars in global competition, that money was being used in a cooperative effort to enhance the plight of mankind?

    The mere thought that man's primary imperative is in pursuit of conflict and greed - and that's essentially what competition is - is counterintuitive. The fact is, our tendency to be competitive rather than cooperative is man's primary dysfunction.

    It would be interesting to see the results of an experiment where they took two footballs teams and trained one in the traditional way, and trained each member of the other team to focus on nothing but improving on their last best effort. I'm virtually certain that the latter team would prevail if all other things were equal.

    And consider what life would be like if as a society we rewarded ourselves on character and intellect instead of how many “things” we could accumulate; if we rewarded our young people for creativity and scholarship instead of how often they could get a ball to go through a hoop; if teachers and scientists were the superstars in our society instead of self-absorbed dysfunctionals. Try to imagine the benefits to our society if young men aspired to getting into the best universities with the passion that they currently dream of getting into the NBA or NFL.
    http://wattree.blogspot.com/2011/02/is-our-competitive-spirit-helping-or...

     


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:37pm

    You may believe that your self analysis is accurate but I don't and neither do most of the people posting here. I place less weight on what are person claims he believes than on what he does. How a person acts is often a clearer reflection of who a person is than what they claim they believe or want.


    by ocean-kat on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:51pm

    When people show you who they are, believe them.


    by Austin Train on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 5:55pm

    Watree: .. we have absolutely no evidence that any of the things mentioned above are a result of competition. Neither do we have any evidence that suggests that competition is a more powerful motivator than the simple pursuit of excellence....The mere thought that man's primary imperative is in pursuit of conflict and greed - and that's essentially what competition is - is counterintuitive. The fact is, our tendency to be competitive rather than cooperative is man's primary dysfunction.

    Watree has a noted authoritarian bent.

    Who determines excellence? The truth? A government ministry?

    Competition is intricately linked to excellence, in every field that humanity has endeavored there has been a competition since the beginning of history to see what works best, lasts longest and costs less. It's why the copper age was followed by the bronze age, and then the iron age. It's why Einstein relativity overcame Newtonian theory, only Einstein's theory accounted 'excellently' for the slower observed orbit of Mercury due to the sun's gravity causing relativistic effects.

    Every material, metal alloy, food, agricultural or industrial process, medicine, aircraft, motor or engine design, electrical component, camera, processor, computer etc that we have today was developed in a competitive search for excellence by individuals or teams of people seeking to do their job and improve things. Competition is necessary to determine the degree of excellence of an idea, process or product.

    Conflict and greed are no more inherent to competition than they are to the lack of competition....dictates, rigged bids, or 'edicts' on excellence. The scope for greed is certainly greater without competition.

     


    by NCD on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 8:54pm

    NCD,

    I disagree, and you've demonstrated my point in your response. You said that I have an authoritarian bent. How is that? I'm not trying to force you to agree with me.  I just simply presented my opinion.  That's what I do, but your comment started with an ad hominem, which is a reflection of hostility and aggression because my opinion differed from your own. That's competition - "How dare he say something that's so radically different from my opinion." On the other hand, if you wrote something that I disagreed with, I'd simply shrug and say, "Oh well, that's his opinion."  So I think you've inadvertently made my point. 
    .
    You're attitude is so common among in the population that I've saved a standard response for such people. I posted it here early this morning, but in case you missed it, I'll post it again.
    .
    ATTENTION ALL INTERNET IDIOTS
    .
    If you disagree with me, I'll be happy to hear your point of view, because disagreement is a potential source of growth. Many of the positions that I hold today are a result of my being educated by thoughtful and intelligent people who had opposing points of view. That’s what the internet is about at its best - educating, and being educated. The downside of the internet, however, is due to it’s egalitarian nature, unlike in our private lives we can’t pick and choose the caliber of people that we come into contact with, so we’re exposed to every manner of fool, so we’ve got to learn to weed them out.
    .
    Personally, I have very little patience for the ignorance and immaturity of grey-headed children with whiskers and cellulite who have nothing better to do than sit up in front of the computer in their draws and getting into spitballs fights with all the “un-Godly” people who don’t happen to share their point of view. So if you’re one of those people, please spare me your ignorance and go seek out someone who shares your intellectual proclivities. 
    .
       Eric L. Wattree's photo.
    This is a serious issue on this site, and Dagblog needs to look into it. Thoughtlessness, tribal thinking, and immaturity seems to be a prerequisite for hanging out here. I spoke with Sync offsite, and she said that she just couldn't put up with it. I don't know what Dagblog's mission is, whether it sees itself as site for serious and independent thought, or a social club, but if it's the former, it needs to seriously look into this situation, because losing someone like Sync was a serious loss.


    by Wattree on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 10:35pm

    Hopefully sync will come back. There was pushback when repeated posts were random unsubstantiated rants about theft of the primaries. There is real voter theft going on, no one had time for whiny ramblings about a nonexistent loss of votes. The ignorance is coming from the Sanders camp. Like Sanders they cannot put forth rational reasons why people should believe that a man who has done nothing in Congress will convince obstructionist Republicans to take action on his programs.

    BTW 

    James Baldwin himself used "drawers" describing a white woman's underwear in the three act play "Blues For Mister Carlie"

    https://books.google.com/books?id=tcxWAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT82&lpg=PT82&dq=why+t...

    Blacks understand English.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 10:57pm

    Eric, I get to comment where and when I want. You do not have to reply. English is a language like French, Russian, German. Blacks people have mastered all of these languages. Black professors teach all of these languages. James Baldwin excelled in conveying thoughts and images in English.

    BTW the best drink for the Fourth is Zinfandel, a wine grape perfected in the United States. It is truly and American grape. There are clones grown in Europe under the name Primitvo, but Zinfandel is the gold standard. One of the best producers of Zinfandel is Brown Estates Winery in Napa, a black-owned vineyard.

    https://www.brownestate.com/

    That is what I am sipping now. Cheers.


    by rmrd0000 on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 4:57pm

    The accepted pronounciation (sic) of "drawers", which refers to a males (sic) underwear or boxers.

    "Pick yo draws up off the flo'!"

    My correction wasn't about the pronunciation, but the spelling.  

    Now, I am well and truly done with you and your antagonistic comments.  I hope that your dream of your as yet unborn grandchildren reading your angry rants is met by wonderment and sadness rather than agreement.  I hope they see hope rather than hate.  

    MIC -- drop


    by CVille Dem on Mon, 07/04/2016 - 10:43pm

    CVille,

    I'm not angry at all.  I'm just not a Black man that fits into the role of Rochester, and I deal with White folks eyeball-to-eyeball instead of looking down at my feet, and some White people - even those with the best of intention and motives - have been conditioned in this society to see a confident, no-nonsense Black man as arrogant - "Who the hell does he think he is!!!?"  The answer to that question is, a very competent man who who has a very low threshold for bullshit.
    .
    While I have a very firm understanding of the history of Black people in this country, I'm a thinker, not a feeler, so I have sense enough to recognize that it would be stupid to go around with a chip on my shoulder trying to blame every White person in America for it. I also have sense enough to recognize that we should assess every individual as an individual, and not as a part of a group. 
    .

    When I was 19, a White cop and a White judge (both conservatives), came together and saved my life.  I had already been convicted of a very serious drug case, and when I came for sentencing they took me in the judges chambers and offered me a deal that, literally, saved my life. They offered me the option of going into the military in lieu of prison, because my father was already in San Quentin for dealing drugs, and I had a very prolific juvenile career going back to the age of 12 years old (the cop involved, Sgt. Foster, was the one who arrested me when I was 12, and had "harassed" me throughout my juvenile career). They gave me the option of going into the military, and if I came out with an Honorable discharge, the judge would expunge my entire record and give me a fresh start.  I accepted, and the judge followed through on his promise upon my discharge from the Marine Corps. And later, after I graduated from college, Foster, who was a Captain by that time, tried to get me to join the LAPD  -  "We need people just like you." I declined because my wife was against it. But he did live to see my son, Eric Jr (who wouldn't have been born if it had not been for him, because I would have been in prison) become a Special Agent.
    .
    So why should I be either angry, or bitter? I have three grandsons who are half White, and a daughter-n-law who is so pure in her Whiteness that she makes Donald Trump look like an Angolan immigrant.  I've live in a White community for 29 years, and since I'm a widower, every holiday I have to clean out my refrigerator to accommodate the plates of food that the neighbors bring me from as far as two blocks away.
    .

    So again, why should I be bitter, or angry? If I seem that way to you, it's because I'm responding to you  as an individual, not at White America.  And I simply didn't appreciate your implication that I was so dumb and/or illiterate that I didn't know the difference between "draws" and "drawers."  That was an insult, and since I always allow whoever I'm communicating with set the tone of that communication, I responded in kind.
    .
    So if you start shit with me, be prepared to have it thrown back in your face.
    .

    Jill Wattree
    My daughter-n-law


    Eric Wattree III


    by Wattree on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 9:47am

    Blacks excel at every level. When you become ill, you do not go to a street educated hood rat,my ou seek out a highly trained physician. Legal problems? You find a skilled lawyer. Differential equations, etc. You find a mathematician, physicist, engineer, etc. Blacks excel at every level. The hood rat is a dying breed because we need trained brains to face the current and future assaults on the community.


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 9:13am

    OK, truly my last comment.  

    It will surprise you, I think, to find out that I never thought the source of your anger was black vs white.  You support a white guy for President, you clearly don't respect rmrd000, and you don't like or respect Barack Obama.  I don't know the source of your anger.  I just note that there is quite a bit of hostility and defensiveness when you write.  You claim to want to have discussions with people who disagree with you because learning can come of it. But when someone says they would like to know what you edited in a long, long, long comment (who wants to read the whole thing again?), your response was antagonistic.  

    Edit to add:  You said you felt insulted when I commented that your spelling was incorrect, and that the tone you took with me (or presumably anyone else) is set by them.  I should remind you that my comment was based on a post you made with the title:  TO ALL INTERNET IDIOTS.  I'm thinking you set a pretty insulting tone with that as well as the two paragraphs that made up the post.  A little self-reflection is a good thing.  Too much can get you into the weeds.

    OK, that's it.  Over and out.  Peace


    by CVille Dem on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 2:20pm

    OOPS!  My comment was meant for Eric, not you.


    by CVille Dem on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 10:39am

    No charges in the Hillary Clinton email case

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-email-fbi-no-charges...


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 11:50am