When Stupid Becomes Lethal

The Pew Survey on News Consumption points out some very depressing stuff. People just don’t know what they’re voting for or against. It’s now just another sports event. Go with the home team.

I think the stupidity tipping point has been passed. And the results are going to bode very poorly for the future of this country.

We can be sure Media Man isn’t going to help. There’s gold in them thar ignorants!

Update: The ever sane Mahablog has more, much more, about teh stoopid.

 

Funny Headlines

“God trumps doc.”

I do believe I have just solved our health care issue. Let these folks opt out.

(This poll has to be flawed, just for the record. Half? I wonder why only 17% don’t have health insurance?)

 

Not Much To Say Lately

Sorry to my seven readers.

I have to think things will heat up a bit next month.

On the Cubs-Watch front, things look good. Excellent road trip, which they needed in a big way. They’re now about an 85% chance to win the division in real statistical terms (assuming ESPN is using them) but about 55% in actual Cubs-fan world.

We know the stats don’t matter. Hell, it’s been 100 years.

 

The Jesus Debate

McCain clearly won, because the Jesus debate-watchers are idiots. He gave his canned stump speech, he made some good jokes, and Media Man will give him all the props. Obama was thoughtful and personal, and there is no place for that in today’s American politics.

It is very possible that we are fucked, as a country.

I’m going to try to make it simple: Faith doesn’t put food on the table, gas in your car, or cure your sick kid. Faith doesn’t start wars, nor does it end them, faith doesn’t create energy, and faith doesn’t help the needy. Faith, in fact, is for shit here in Reality Land, and though I have some faith of my own, I don’t believe it the basis for good public policy.

I’m nutty that way.

I’m watching the post Jesus-debate spin, and it is not even close about who “won.” McCain was a fucking genius, for sure. In “faith” matters, I suppose.

I have this freakishly weird passivity about a McCain victory. People deserve what they want. And sometimes things need to get worse before people pull their heads out of their asses and understand it.

*shrug*

I can’t deal in a 45% moron country, no matter what.

Update: Correcting a MAJOR error: Faith does, in fact, start wars. Lots of ‘em. Sorry about that.

 

100 vs. 200 Sprint

Though the 100 meter winner has always been declared the “world’s fastest man,” I respectfully disagree. Too much depends on the start.

The 200 is the measure. Congratulations to Bolt, who IMHO could have set a world record that would stand for years had he not been so jacked about blowing out arguably the fastest field ever.

Still, to me, it is the 200 that determines the fastest man on the planet. Start, schmart. If you’re fast enough, you can make up the ground.

Michael Johnson’s 200 record was the fastest a person has ever run. It was magnificent.

 

Michael Phelps

Amazing stuff. Seems like a nice guy, too.

One of the truly great athletic performances of all time.

Kudos to Phelps, and kudos to the team. Great final IM race, again. 8 for 8 for Phelps. Incredible.

I’m 49. I’ll be surprised if I see this one topped. It’s been a great life for me, a sports fan and aging ex-jock, between Federer and Woods, Maddux and Payton, Howe, Hull and Gretsky, Michael Johnson and Edwin Moses and all the others I’ve neglected to list.

If one uses sports as a metaphor for human progress, sans drugs, we’re doing OK.

 

It’s Simply Craptacular

It is beyond my reality-paradigm when St. McCain of Media Mountain says things like, “My friends (Ed: McCain needs to let that phrase go.), we have reached a crisis, the first probably serious crisis internationally since the end of the Cold War. This is an act of aggression.”

Huh? The War on the impotent Iraq was not an act of aggression? In this millennium? WTF? I wonder if anyone in the Middle East considers this the first crisis since 2000?

Is this man coherent? Lucid? Irony-free? Someone needs to let me know.

Jon Stewart, of course, does it better. But still, WTF?

If McCain wins, and I put his chances around 40%, since that’s what they are, I will despise my own country for the first time in my life.

After getting over it, I’ll try to take the long view, in the context of realizing everyone is going to hate the USofA as World Power #1 just as they have hated, eventually, every single other WP #1 since time immemorial. I’ll save every dime I can and use the intertubes to say I told you so. Small victories.

McCain has turned out to be not only a shitty candidate, but also somewhat of a deranged lunatic. Who knew his constant Media Man dick-sucking would come back to haunt him, at least amongst the reality-based community?

I may have to tune into the nonsense that is validation of the candidates’ “faith.” FSM, it will be painful to watch.

 

You Know Who’s A Dick?

The entire GOP power structure.

Sad and pathetic creatures, virtually all of them. The sane ones are running like the proverbial naval rats.

 

Russia Vs. Georgia

It is obvious that the Corporate Media is going to keep this story going. Good for ratings and all.

As little as I know about the region, and it’s very little, I’ve been looking around for more information, and have found some pieces I find very common-sensical.

John Cole on the “national interest” part. John again on our now standard issue fantastic handling of the situation, in true Bush legacy fashion.

Steve Benen on McCain’s frighteningly giddy response to the “crisis” so St. John can wield his “I know how to end wars” stick, apparently thinking in this case we’ll have to start another one first. And forgetting he’s got a couple of wars already started he could use to end.

But I don’t think he really wants to end wars. He’s from a “war is honor” family.

Hilzoy covers a lot of good ground on the issue here, too.

If Americans read just those links above, they’d know about 100X more than they do now. Not. Gonna. Happen. They’ll let the networks and cable gasbags get them all fired up for more death and destruction.

Update: The great IOZ goes a little deeper into the historical morass. He’s one worldly smart mo-fo.

Update 2: LGM has another rather funny (unless you consider the potential) take. Hey, you’re a genius, why not go to LGM and take them on, argumentatively? It will do your soul good.

 

Funny Headlines

“‘Where was God?’, ask refugees in Russia.”

Um, er, uh, pretty much where God has always been when it comes to the minutiae of the Human Existence.

If there’s one thing I know for sure about God, and I admit to knowing nothing but what I can objectively see, it’s that He/She/It doesn’t pay too much attention to the details.

I’m forever amazed that the rest of the world hasn’t figured this out.