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02/03/22 10:18 PM #10548    

 

David Mitchell

Speaking of my "buddy" Rupert Murdoch

 

From the dictionary:

hypocrisy - (noun) the practice of claiming to have a moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform

 




02/03/22 10:53 PM #10549    

 

John Jackson

Dave, thanks for posting this. 

A synopsis for those who won't take the time (although they should) to watch the clip about a Washington State trooper who was interviewed and praised by numerous Fox News prime time hosts for leaving his job of 20+ years rather than get vaccinated.  When he, as sole breadwinner for his family, died of COVID a few months later, it was crickets from Fox.  In typical Fox news fashion, they used him to make their cheap appeals to the anti-vax crowd but never mentioned his death.

 


02/03/22 11:04 PM #10550    

 

David Mitchell

POP QUIZ

Fact: The Unitied States has had 115 Supreme Court Justices. 

Question: How many have been black females?

(hint; think of a number from 0 to 1)

 

footnote;

Amidst all the utterly ridiculous, childish, racist remarks by Republican Senators in the last few days - especailly Mississippi Senator John Kennedy - who should immediately move into first place for the moron of the year award.) South Carolina R E P U B L I CA N  Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott have praised Judge Childs up and down on recent interviews. Go figure.   

I know this video is a bit long for the Forum, but just hear about 4 minutes.

(BTW I always did like Mike Steele, ever since he became the FIRST BLACK MAN TO HEAD THE REPUBLICAN PARTY) 




02/03/22 11:06 PM #10551    

 

David Mitchell

Thanks John,

I urge you all to at least watch the final minute or so of my earlier post #10548.

 


02/04/22 10:58 AM #10552    

 

Michael McLeod

Jim: If you haven't discovered Cormac McCarthy already I'm guessing you might enjoy his novels.

That's what I'm guessing. On the other other hand, De gustibus non est disputandum. 

Yeah that's right. You're not just having flashbacks. I'm rockin' the Latin here, takin' you back to the good old days.

That phrase oughta be our motto around here given the way the conversations tend to go. 

Even if you din't ace Latin class you can guess at the meaning of this famous phrase from finding English language equivalents to the words. I see gustibus and equate it to gusto so that equates to "Like". And disputandum is easy - that's clearly the Latin root for "dispute."

So now see if you can guess the English language equivalent phrase of that ancient-Roman observation - one that characterizes many of the comments and conversations on this board and the logjam of opinions thereof.

I hated Latin class, cheated my way through it, but I loved it when my mom would point out Latin roots when certain words came up. Go figure.

Anyway, there is a great deal of wisdom in that phrase. It's actually quite dark if you ask me. If you really stop the think about it, it says worlds about the human condition. 

 


02/04/22 11:46 AM #10553    

 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike, 

You are correct, that Latin phrase does fit a lot of the comments, observations and opinions on this Forum. It solidifies our belief that we are all right in what we write!

Does anyone know if Latin is even taught in high school anymore?

Jim


02/04/22 12:27 PM #10554    

 

David Mitchell

Jim,

Latin?  Hell, they don't even teach longhand anymore!


02/04/22 01:37 PM #10555    

 

Michael McLeod

Don't get me started. 

I'm teaching students at a small liberal arts college the basics of writing term papers.

A bigly percentage of them clearly do not have the most basic understanding of long form composition. 

Why would they? Theirs is a world of blips and bleeps that appear and disappear like fireflies on a summer night.

Frank: why bother with my opinion. Just wait for the lord to smite me. Or smote me. I bet it smarts, being smote..


02/04/22 05:19 PM #10556    

 

Michael McLeod

God bless Mike Pence for that candle in the darkness today.

 


02/04/22 06:21 PM #10557    

 

Jodelle Sims

     I just want to say, John Jackson and Mike McLeod I love you and keep on writing


02/04/22 07:01 PM #10558    

 

James Hamilton, M. D.

Mike,

 In regards to your students and their writing skills, they seem to have been deprived of a nun-based grade school and high school education.

Jim


02/04/22 09:14 PM #10559    

 

David Mitchell

MIKE PENCE SPOKE - YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME !

Added later;

D'ya suppose Mike found some spinal pills in the back of his medicine cabinet?


02/04/22 10:44 PM #10560    

 

John Jackson

I’m going to take issue with the idea behind “De gustibus non est disputandum” which, loosely translated, can be taken to mean “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion”.   This is the mindless premise of Fox News and the right wing media – “your opinion is as good as anyone else’s and if this fits with what you want to believe, go with it!”

Equally important is the idea (worthy of translation to Latin) that “although you may be entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts”.  This is based on the idea that opinions, if they are to be taken seriously, ought to be based on facts (or at least not be in conflict with facts) rather than motivated by whatever you want to believe.   Another way to say this is that there may be  two sides to many/most stories, but not to every story.

There are lots of issues that liberals and conservatives have disagreed over for pretty much all of our adult lives and they are mostly concerned with what is the proper role and size of government.  I have my own ideas about this topic but I have to admit I don’t think either side has won the debate. 

There are other ideas that do not deserve to be taken seriously because they are contradicted by an abundance of known facts.  A couple of high profile examples:

That the 2020 election was stolen - more than 50 lawsuits by Trump’s clown car legal team have been laughed out of court, many by Trump appointed judges. No credible evidence has been presented to support the idea of the BIG STEAL.

That COVID vaccines are not a game-changer in our ability to fight this disease and allow our society to function normally again, and there should be strong incentives for everyone to be vaccinated. But especially in the current situation, with omicron receding, I admit there are legitimate debates to be had about the necessity of school closures, mask mandates, and other restrictions.

That climate change/global warming is not a serious threat, especially to our kids and grandkids.  If you believe in science (which was pretty much settled 20 years ago) and not in propagandists, this is a no-brainer. There are legitimate debates about the best way to keep our world from melting down, but there should be no debate that we need to address this issue forcefully.


02/04/22 11:11 PM #10561    

 

Michael McLeod

John: That is a fabulous response.

All I knew was that the context of that expression was up for grabs. 

Your interpretation makes a lot more sense than mine. 

And gives me hope that truth will out.

The misconception among some about our debates so far is that they are about politics. They are not. They are about principles. Hence our applause for the former vice president. 

PS Thank you Jodelle.

 


02/04/22 11:44 PM #10562    

 

David Mitchell

Yea, and 

I just want you all to remember that I taught John everything he knows. 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, I keep going back and watching my video in post #10550. I just love hearing Mike Steele call Josh Hawley "dumb as a box of rocks" - over, and over, and over.  Oooo, that's fun!


02/04/22 11:50 PM #10563    

 

David Mitchell

pssst - the truth of the matter is I think John and I learned everything we knew from Theresa Zeyen and Susanne Weber.

 

Just don't spread that around.


02/05/22 12:07 AM #10564    

 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Testimony from a frontline Covid nurse on hospital protocols that are a danger to Covid patients.   https://youtu.be/5SVO0lc_1_o

https://www.ntd.com/attorneys-report-spike-in-calls-for-help-from-families-of-patients-hospitalized-with-covid-19_735242.html

Current Covid status of the most heavily vaccinated country in the world

Israel was the first country to mass vaccinate with Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine. It was the first country to use boosters. The first to offer a fourth shot.  About 95 percent of adults over 50 are vaccinated. About 85 percent have received a booster. 

 

 


02/05/22 12:51 AM #10565    

 

Michael McLeod

this is totally off point and may be behind a paywall but it's hilarious if you can call it up

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/boris-johnson-party-scandal.html


02/05/22 02:02 AM #10566    

 

David Mitchell

I learn something new everyday. 

I just learned today that a violent mob attacking the Nation's Captitol, breaking windows and doors to force theri way in, while attacking the Capital police, and threatening to hang the Vice President, is nothing more than "legitimate political discourse".

I had not been aware of that.

I think it is fair to say that the Republican National Committee has just finally put into writing that they condone violent insrrection. 

Think about that. The party with no written political platform whatsoever, is willing to commit to writing the fact that they basically oppose the Constitution of the United States, and would threaten anyone who would defend it.

 

And if things had not already reached a point of utter madness, get this - the lady reading the final text of this shameful document to the committee today was Ronna (Romney) McDaniel, the niece of Senator Mitt Romney, who spoke out in opposition to this resolution censuring Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.

In addition to Uncle Mitt criticizing the resolution today, were Republican Senator Cassady of Louisiana, and Republican Governor Hogan of Maryland. I hope we here more from that crowd in the coming days. But that would mean they would actually have to come out from their hiding places and show some of that same sudden outbreak of backbone as Mike Pence.

I wouldn't lay too much money on that happening.

(note: I heard somewhere that Ronna Romney McDaniel prefers to go by only Ronna McDaniel) 


02/05/22 10:41 AM #10567    

 

Michael McLeod

not sure if this is contemporaneous mm but from the news:

 

Part of Israel’s success in preventing a Covid-19 surge between March and June was credited to the government’s quick action to bring quarantine measures for individuals entering the country, as well as other restrictions. Unlike most other countries, however, the government decided to drop its mask mandate and with the first case of the Delta variant confirmed in July, that decision proved costly. The sharp increase in cases in Israel is likely linked to the emergence of the highly infectious Delta variant, first identified in India. In addition, Israel will likely continue to see an uptick in cases as schools reopened at the start of this month, with children still yet to be vaccinated.


02/05/22 11:44 AM #10568    

 

John Jackson

MM, regarding your chart about current deaths in Israel - after sealing off their country it finally appears that  the omicron wave is hitting Israel.  But you have cherrypicked a brief moment in time that bolsters your case.  Even more relevant is the graph below (from the same source you used) that shows that in the longer tterm (the year or so that vaccines have been available), highly-vaccinated Israel's death rate has consistently been less than half (a third?) of ours: 

 

MM, I also think the CDC graph I posted a few days ago on death rates in the U.S. (which you must have missed) is even more relevant - can you explain it?  Here it is again:

And Dave, you absolutely hit the nail on the head about Theresa Zeyen and Suzy Weber...


02/05/22 04:41 PM #10569    

 

David Mitchell

More than just sports. 

A story behind all the current news of Super Bowls and, and NFL owners - and all of the noise about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Daniel Snyder - owner of the Washington "Commanders" NFL team. It grows more and more apparent every day that Snyder's corporate culture includes an awful lot of disgraceful behavior, and that Roger Goodell's NFL office has known and covered up most of it - for years. 

 

We have many regular customers at Camelot Limo, one of whom I just took to the airport a few days ago, and  I will also pick up tonight from his return trip. He's a really nice guy and has one of the most interesting "niche" carreers I have ever heard of. He is a specialized banker who works stricly in the field of financing professional sports teams and their stadiums. BTW, he was a pretty good hockey player growing up in Canada, but not good enough to make it in the NHL.

But he got into working for the St. Louis Blues (hockey) front office, and later got into the banking buisiness. Then followed this opportunity in his current field of big league teams financing.

I asked him whether or not he will be involved in the upcoming sale of the (my) Denver Broncos - valued at approximtely $3.75 BILLION. He said "No", but he has been involved in some other franchise deals. He told me that he had been involved in the sale of the (then) Washington Redskins to Daneil Snyder - the current owner - the one grabbing all the negative headlines latey.

His comment - "Daneil Snyder is the worst person I have ever met. He's a horrible human being." He would not elaborate any further.

 


02/06/22 06:35 AM #10570    

Theresa Zeyen (Kucsma)

It was quite a surprise  to see my name not once but twice in the Forum. Thanks for the shout out, Dave and John, but it's pretty obvious you both hold your own in what you know. I've been a Forum stalker for a couple of years now, and I have to say I totally enjoy reading all the sides to so many debates. I never left central Ohio so I feel my perspective is pretty narrow. Kudos to all of you who are out there sharing your stories and cogent arguments for your way of thinking. I'm just happy we live in a country where that is still allowed. 

I have to say though, that had we been given a writing assignment in high school of the magnitude and depth that regularly appears on the Forum, there would have been no end to the complaining. As a life long educator, I'm really proud of you/us. 


02/06/22 09:30 AM #10571    

 

Michael McLeod

rip to a singing nun

 

 

Sister Janet Mead, an Australian nun whose crystalline voice carried her to the upper reaches of the charts in the 1970s with a pop-rock version of “The Lord’s Prayer,” died on Jan. 26 in Adelaide. She was in her early 80s.

Her death was confirmed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide, which provided no further information. Media reports said she had been treated for cancer.

Sister Janet’s recording of “The Lord’s Prayer,” which featured her pure solo vocal over a driving drumbeat — she had a three-octave range and perfect pitch — became an instant hit in Australia, Canada and the United States. It soared to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 during Easter time in 1974, and she became one of the few Australian recording artists to have a gold record in the United States.

The record sold more than three million copies worldwide, two million of them to Americans. Nominated for the 1975 Grammy Award for best inspirational performance, it lost to Elvis Presley and his version of “How Great Thou Art.”

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Along with Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” famously covered by the Byrds in 1965, “The Lord’s Prayer” is one of the very few popular songs with lyrics taken from the Bible.

 

Sister Janet was the second nun to have a pop hit in the United States, after Jeanine Deckers of Belgium, the guitar-strumming “Singing Nun” whose “Dominique” reached No. 1 in 1963. She died in 1985.

When stardom struck Sister Janet, she was a practicing Catholic nun teaching music at St. Aloysius College in Adelaide. The video for “The Lord’s Prayer” was shot on campus.

A humble novitiate who devoted herself to social justice, she donated her share of royalties for “The Lord’s Prayer” to charity. She had long helped raise money for the disadvantaged, the homeless and Aborigines and worked on their behalf.

She later described the period of her record’s success as a “horrible time,” largely because of demands by the media.

 

 

 “It was a fairly big strain because all the time there are interviews and radio talk-backs and TV people coming and film people coming,” she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Shunning the spotlight, she declined most interview requests and all offers to tour the United States.

She had already achieved some local notoriety by staging rock masses at St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral, long the hub of Catholic life in Adelaide. Her goal was to make the Gospel more accessible and meaningful to young people, which she succeeded in doing by presenting religious hymns in a rock 'n' roll format and encouraging participants to sing like Elvis or Bill Haley. Her masses drew as many as 2,500 people and enjoyed the full support of the local bishop.


02/06/22 01:21 PM #10572    

 

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

John, I did see your post of the graph relating to deaths per 100,000.  To further elaborate on my post of the data from Israel, I seek only to question whether these present day stats from Israel, the most vaccinated and boosted population in the world even though they have one of the youngest and least obese populations (unlike the US), spread to the rest of the vaccinated Western world.  If Israel became the first Pfizer vaccine experiment,and it is failing, we should at least be interested to know why it is now failing.

 One doctor offered his thoughts on why a leaky vaccine would potentially make people sicker from a respiratory virus:.

He explains how the sugar high of superficially high blood-based antibodies could actually harm the body’s effort to fight respiratory viruses, which tend to require more of a cytotoxic T cell response in the respiratory tract rather than generalized blood-based antibodies.

“One thing that can go wrong in a viral immune response is that to make antibodies, the immune system has to make fewer cytotoxic T cells, and therefore fight the virus less effectively. In this case, the vaccine can tell the immune system to switch from a mostly cellular immune response with T cells to a mostly humoral immune response with antibodies. Then even if the antibodies are neutralizing and the proper type (not a given with experimental vaccines), the infection will go untreated and destroy tissue. ADE (antibody dependent disease enhancement) is characterized by much higher levels of antibody production than is seen with natural infection, and a much lower Tc response. It’s this second nuance of viral immune responses that misleads many to equate great antibody responses with immunity.”

So why did the vaccines appear to be effective on some level at first, but then wane, and why would Israel have more of a problem with waning immunity? This is where the booster requirement comes into play.

Whatever the immune system is taught to do the first time it sees the pathogen’s components, it memorizes that response and gets better and better at doing that with each successive exposure to the virus, even if it’s wrong”. “With the failed RSV vaccine in the 1960s, Marek’s disease vaccine in chickens, and these COVID-19 vaccines, immune response appeared protective at first. Then, as the body gets better and better at responding the wrong way – constantly reinforced by boosters – all hell broke loose. The vaccine is likely to teach your broken immune system to react the wrong way, you’re stuck in ADE, and won’t see it until it’s too late. The hallmark of ADE is failing immune response against all strains of the pathogen as time goes on, as we saw with RSV and Dengue, and we’re seeing with COVID-19 vaccines.”

The doctor goes on to question whether the more the virus changes, will not the Pfizer and Moderna shots lose efficacy, but will the shots go negative because the body won't produce as many T cells in the parts of the body that are infected.  

I believe we lose sight of the fact that these shots remain EUA and that Pfizer would only agree to release documents revealing their ingredients in 75 years.  I can remember many years ago how enraged I was at learning how the tobacco companies kept the ingredients to cigarettes hidden away in a vault for decades not wanting the public to know that their ingredients posed great harm to the users of tobacco products.  By then Crick (Jim) who began smoking at age 17, was so addicted that no matter how hard he tried, he seemed incapable of escaping tobacco's hold over him, and thus he died of small cell lung cancer - one of the most lethal among cancers.  After two years of all things Covid, we can not stop asking questions and pursuing critical thinking about the actions of our government, our bureaucracies, our pharmaceutical companies, banks, healthcare facilities. 


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