Bad for America - Page Three

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» Motivated by Fear

I'm sure that there are also some other powerful, motivating emotions involved .. such as anger. You know what James says about anger.

And hate. Check out what David Cay says here at t=4:25. Ryan Cooper knows what I am talking about here.

Lots of hate .. which is plainly obvious to everyone. David says (4th paragraph) that the Republican party is » "becoming a party permanently associated with bigotry." Lincoln must be rolling over in his grave. I bet that Steve would agree.

People typically dont think straight when such powerful motivations are at play.

Speaking of being motivated by hate .. check out what Trump said here, publicly, with his own mouth on the Larry King show in 1989.

He said » "I hate these people. Let's all hate these people. Because hate is what we need."

I wonder what scripture says about such hate.

» Cultish

Along the lines of cracking a perplexing nut, this piece with Trae Crowder is worth noting. And probably this one about something that Jim Bakker said .. because he suggests that the so called Christians that he knows are willing to die for the Donald.

What do you reckon that Ann Coulter is suggesting with the title of her book published August, 2016?

The title of her book seems to confirm what Reza said about Trump's followers when he called them "cultish" .. a term which he defines as » "formed around an individual whom they've elevated to prophetic and near divine status."

Food for thought.

» Trump Supporter Publicly Professes his Faith in the Donald

Listen for yourself to what Mark Lee publicly said with his own mouth on national television for all the world to hear (at t=3:15 here):

"If Jesus Christ Himself climbed down off the cross and told me that Trump is with Russia, I would tell Him to hold on a second there Jesus .. because I first need to check with the president to see if what you say is true."

Mr. Lee doesnt appear to be joking to me. Does he appear to be joking to you? He seems serious to me. Deadly serious.

He almost seems to be hypnotized .. as if he were in a trance. You can almost picture him saying here in this image, "I hear and I obey."

Whichever way you might happen to view it, that is a remarkable statement that Mark made there.

The reason why Mark's statement-of-faith here is so remarkable .. is because it is already evident in the actions of the die-hard Trump supporter.

But nobody thought that anyone would actually ever come right out and declare their beliefs so clearly, and so publicly.

Jesus said that the mouth speaks out of the abundance that fills the heart.

That is true devotion on display there by Mark. It is clear where his allegiance lies. And where it doesnt lie. (I wonder if he knows Dr. Lee, PhD.)

When I see things like this, I can't help but wonder, "Does this guy really believe that .. or is he just trying to be provocative during his 15 minutes of fame?"

» Satan Led Astray One Third of the Angels

Then I thought about how the devil led astray one third of the angels in open rebellion against the established powers that had been appointed by divine decree .. which is how they became fallen angels .. and were thrown down to earth.

And then I thought about Trump's approval rating.

Must be a coincidence, I'm sure.

It did not end well for them. To this very day they are regretting that decision. They wish and hope that they could go back and have a second chance at their unwise, poor decision. But they can't.

I feel confident that George Bush knows exactly what I am talking about here.

» The Place Where You Never Want to Find Yourself

Five months before the election, and before Trump was being seriously considered by anybody, I wrote that » "You never want to find yourself in a place where you have been trick-fucked into defending values that have already been judged and condemned."

Mark must not have gotten that memo. I can almost hear the weeping and gnashing of teeth now.

[ Here is the original source footage that Cenk is referencing (at t=3:00). ]

» Evangelicals Who Vigorously Fight Against the Living God Himself

I know that it seems obvious to even the most casual of observers .. but perhaps worth mentioning nonetheless  ..

.. that, if you somehow find yourself working for the cause of racism, or for the cause supporting people who have been credibly accused, by a number of credible firsthand witnesses, of molesting them when they were children ..

.. then please be aware that you are fighting against God. (I feel confident that Gamaliel knows what I am talking about.)

» Trump Supporter Who Wouldve Considered Voting for Bernie

Notice also at the very end of that video (at t=5:45) how Anthony Miles said that he would have considered voting for Bernie .. if he had the choice.

Because he is making my point. He refused to vote for Hillary, but would have considered voting for Bernie .. if he had the chance .. if the Democratic nomination process hadnt been rigged.

And I can guarantee you that he is not the only one.

» How to Treat Foreigners

The scriptures have much to say about how believers are to treat foreigners. Such as:

When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

That seems pretty clear to me. I bet that the Southern Baptists would agree with me here.

In all of my conversations with folks from various different denominations .. the Baptists tend to know more about what the scriptures actually say .. than other denominations.

It is far from a scientific survey, but this has certainly been my experience.

Most so called Christians, and those who like to fly the flag of a christians, do not actually know for themselves what the scriptures teach .. what they actually say. And they dont even seem to care to know. They dont even want to know.

I used to be one of these scripturally-ignorant so called Christians .. so I have plenty of firsthand experience from which to speak.

Ignorance is bliss .. until it aint. Dont say you werent warned, Sean.

» Frank Getting Freudian

Oh, speaking of motivations .. look at Frank here .. getting all Freudian with the Donald and Hillary. I actually enjoy these kinds of psycho-exploratory explanations. Insight into people and how they work is definitely a cool thing.

» A Bottomless Hostility for the Practice of Democracy

Notice, for example, what Jelani Cobb says here about Trump picking a fight with the NFL.

I find that interesting. If Trump succeeds at destroying our democracy .. what do we have left?

» When Moral Values Become Inconvenient

I find it interesting that the Republican party, in a remarkably short period, went from claiming that moral character was very important in their leaders .. to saying now, "What's moral character got to do with anything?"

Do you feel that the earlier claim of moral behavior being very important .. do you feel that this was a sham the whole time? That they were simply fooling themselves? Or that their moral values actually changed dramatically?

It's a valid question, no?

Their actions seem to say, "When moral values suit us, then we embrace them. But when they dont, we dont." Doesnt their current attitude toward moral behavior make it seem like they were big phonies all along?

» What Happened to Donald in the Third Grade?

I caught myself pondering the question regarding Trump »

"What the fuck?"

And I am not the only one.

Sunny knows what I am talking about.

There seems to be a stunting of his emotional growth.

Does there not?

A recurring comment is that he often acts like a child .. like a spoiled child sometimes.

Far from presidential.

And that other times he acts like a bully.

And that he lacks a sense of humor.

A part of his emotional maturity seems stuck at a 3rd grade level.

Hence the eternal man-child.

» The Eternal Adolescent

Grabbing pussy is typically a grade school thing .. sixth grade.

Linguists call his use of language 'adolescent.'

Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee says it is a shame that the White House has become an adult daycare center .. implying that the President acts like a child. (Immature.)

When people find themselves under enough pressure, they tend to revert back to the security of their familiar comfort zones .. which may be based upon a third grade mindset. (Juvenile.)

Emotionally traumatic experiences can freeze a part of the person's psyche at that point .. and make it difficult to move on in areas affected by the trauma.

I can't help but wonder what mightve happened to him in the third grade.

I bet that the FBI and the CIA have people who do these types of things. Personality profiles .. which can identify weaknessess and liabilities and vulnerabilities and propensities and inclinations and habits.

» Moral Growth During the Bourbon Restoration

Bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age), in which character change is extremely important.

If someone is stuck at the emotional maturity of a grade schooler .. then they somehow did not experience this growth of character that is so important.

How would you characterize the moral character of President Donald Trump?

Le Rouge et Le Noir (1830) by Stendhal (1783-1842) is an example of a bildungsroman. A good example.

It chronicles the attempts of a provincial young man to rise socially beyond his modest upbringing through a combination of talent, hard work, deception, and hypocrisy.

Sounds like The Art of the Deal, no?

More broadly, it is » an analytic, sociological satire of the French social order under the Bourbon Restoration (1814-30), which followed the fall of Obama .. uh, I mean Napoleon, in 1814.

» Faux Masculinity

And here is David calling out the faux masculinity of men in the Trump administration.

I recall reading this thing by Maureen, where she said that George Bush's presidency was very much defined by trying to appear like he was not a big pussy .. because that was a key complaint and a persistent ding on his dad.

Insinuating weakness and a lack of manliness is a key tactic in goading people into doing things that they would normally never want to do.

Speaking of Maureen .. she also impresses me. She is like you in that she knows how to use the knives.

Edsall is such a stud. He takes you to school. And he introduces you to his friends. His cool friends. Who say cool things.

» Self-Contradictory

Edsall calls the Trump voter a walking paradox. The term paradox is defined as » "One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects" or "An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory".

Trump is not one of them. He is not a member of their socio-economic community. He is nothing like his die-hard supporters. He has never been one of them .. from the day he was born. And he never will be one of them. He lies to their face and they just brush it off time and again.

He could give a flying happy rat's ass about them. You would think the Donald would be chewing out congress daily .. demanding they produce a heath care bill that takes care of the people who helped elect him. But that's not what is happening. Not hardly.

Next time you see Blow, tell him that I felt that this column was his best ever. This is like Blow 2.0. Or 3.0, or 4.0 .. .. a major step forward.

I dont think that I've read read anything of that caliber from Blow before. I wonder what Roxanne thinks.

And John Oliver .. I am very much impressed with him. Tho I am not the only one. I can't get over the amount of ass he is kicking. Week after week, he steps up to the plate and cracks out grand slam after grand slam .. exceeding expectations all over the place. Remarkable, no?

Does anybody tackle the topics that he tackles? He goes after the stuff that is hard to grapple with .. and he breaks it down with such skill. You have to really understand a thing before you can lay it out so plainly like he does.

» Now that's How You Start a Movie

I saw your column today. I am in the middle of watching this movie Captain Fantastic, starring Viggo.

You would like this movie .. particularly the opening scenes. I caught myself saying, "Now that's how you start a movie."

This is an excellent film. I dont think that I've ever seen another film like this one.

Viggo is something of a renaissance man. He is well-read, like yourself. (Unlike my dad.) He's got his own publishing company. He was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in this film.

There is much in this film about the philosophy of living life. I like these kinds of movies that make you reconsider long-held ideas.

» The Articulation of Thought from Vast Empty Spaces

Nov 10, 2017 - You are on fire here. You almost made me pee my pants.

Re » The big problem with Pence is the vast empty space between his ears and the articulation of thoughts formed in that space.

You are definitely funny, but in a different sort of way. I can feel myself trying to figure out how you are able to write so that the words leap off the page and do these absurdly funny things.

I know that I have a different sense of humor than most people. Maybe this has something to do with it. Because the things that you write about are not really funny at all.

When I was reading that, I thought, "Egan is on fire."

The end. ■

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