One of the big things that Hunter Thompson brought back when he was novel was that he'd tell us the stories that journalists only told each other in the bar after their story was submitted.
The real story will involve three-pack-a-day Cardinals arguing with four-pack-a-day Cardinals about some weird intricacies that you need to speak Italian to understand coupled with a weird mix of the guys who have their top three priorities in *THIS* order arguing against guys who have their top three priorities in *THAT* order.
And, when they come outside temporarily to order some chicken piccata and another gross of cartons of Marlboro Reds, Camel Lights, and Pall Mall Filterless, they'll say that they're close, seriously, this close... because everybody has their top three priorities in the right order, they're just arguing about particulars.
And back to the yelling in Italian about some weird stuff that Americans (even the Catholic ones) have never even heard of.
I guess this sort of thing wouldn't survive with a Hunter Thompson.
Seattle Times reports: "UW protest ends with 31 arrests at occupied building on campus"
In a message to the UW community, President Ana Mari Cauce condemned what she described as a “dangerous, violent and illegal building occupation and related vandalism.” Four new manufacturing machines, valued at $35,000 to $120,000, were damaged. The university in a statement said the group started fires in two dumpsters on a street outside.
Where are the Free Speech Warriors now?
Anyway, I've seen arguments that the students who damaged these machines should be held accountable.
But who will be held accountable for Mumia Abu-Jamal?
I don't know where the tipping point is but I think it's somewhere between "actively aiding Palestinians" and "ceasing to sell weapons systems to Israel".
But maybe India will be able to come up with some good stuff worth selling.
One of the theories of AI that I've seen is that we'll have super-persuasive AI prior to having super-intelligent AI and that is when things will *REALLY* start getting weird.
Pelkey’s sister and brother-in-law used the technology to recreate his image and voice likeness to “talk” to the courtroom about his life and the day he met Gabriel Paul Horcasitas, who shot him during a confrontation near Gilbert and Germann roads.
“In another life, we probably could have been friends,” the AI creation of the 37-year-old Army veteran said, addressing Horcasitas. “I believe in forgiveness…”
The AI video also included real video clips from videos taken while he was alive, along with some of his personality and humor, while showing a real photo he once took with an "old age" filter.
"This is the best I can ever give you of what I would have looked like if I got the chance to grow old," the AI version of Pelkey said. "Remember, getting old is a gift that not everybody has, so embrace it and stop worrying about those wrinkles."
The Omnicause. It's a phenomenon that I'm sure you're familiar with.
Here's lifted from Google: "Omnicause" refers to the tendency in some activist and progressive circles to view all social justice issues as interconnected and equally important, often leading to a broad, encompassing approach that can dilute focus and effectiveness.
You know how Greta Thunberg is a big Palestine supporter now and how that's just as important as Global Climate Change?
That phenomenon.
Surely you've encountered the phenomenon, if not the term, on the other blog when the topic of Genocide comes up.
Taboos about what can’t be said have tremendous power.
Oh, I agree. But if the power is squandered and used less than judiciously, I think you're going to find yourself in a backlash.
You know how accusations of antisemitism don't seem to work as well as they used to? Even against seriously egregious examples of actual antisemitism that go waaaaaay beyond criticism of Israeli military policy?
I think that something like that could happen.
And I think that something like this would be an indicator of something like that has started happening.
I'm not asking about the narrative among those who have done the required reading and are familiar with the history of the region (including China's interest in Kashmir).
I'm asking about how the lines are being drawn in the minutes following the attack. The Tiktok/Insta folks.
Not to defend her against some threat of anything more than self-inflicted reputational harm, but for what, exactly?
I have seen folks make implicit threats against the woman on twitter. Some variant of "someone ought to do something violent".
I imagine that if someone did do something violent, we'd hear explanations of how this could have been avoided on her part and how the person who engaged in the violence had justification for doing so, not that we support violence, of course.
I'm not defending her. But neither am I particularly willing to attack her beyond a social "oh, she shouldn't have done that" admonition.
Saul, she shouldn't have done that.
Do you think it speaks well of right-wingers that they are turning this woman into a hero and giving her hundreds of thousands of dollars apparently?
I think that it's an indicator of some sort of tribalism returning after having been suppressed for a while. It strikes me as something that is likely to come to a head, actually.
You should face social shame for calling anyone a slur but especially a small child?
She did something awful but it's not like she stabbed the kid. She shouldn't have done that.
What punishments do you feel she should have applied beyond society saying "nope, you shouldn't have done that"?
If you don't have an answer to that question, would you think it silly of me to ask "Why are you defending a woman who called a 5 year old kid the n-word?"
I do not get the strategy of the Pro-Palestinian side at all.
It seems fairly straightforward.
Just wait until sufficient numbers of people oppose Israel. It's a waiting game and a numbers game.
Do you think that Israel will have more US support next year than it has this year?
How about in two years?
Boomers aren't the largest demographic in the US and haven't been for a while... Millennials are. But you know where the lion's share of the support for Israel is? The Boomers.
On “Open Mic for the Week of 5/5/2025”
No link and the stories popping up in the Google are from last year or earlier.
On “A Post-Conclave Conclave”
One of the big things that Hunter Thompson brought back when he was novel was that he'd tell us the stories that journalists only told each other in the bar after their story was submitted.
The real story will involve three-pack-a-day Cardinals arguing with four-pack-a-day Cardinals about some weird intricacies that you need to speak Italian to understand coupled with a weird mix of the guys who have their top three priorities in *THIS* order arguing against guys who have their top three priorities in *THAT* order.
And, when they come outside temporarily to order some chicken piccata and another gross of cartons of Marlboro Reds, Camel Lights, and Pall Mall Filterless, they'll say that they're close, seriously, this close... because everybody has their top three priorities in the right order, they're just arguing about particulars.
And back to the yelling in Italian about some weird stuff that Americans (even the Catholic ones) have never even heard of.
I guess this sort of thing wouldn't survive with a Hunter Thompson.
On “Open Mic for the Week of 5/5/2025”
Seattle Times reports: "UW protest ends with 31 arrests at occupied building on campus"
Where are the Free Speech Warriors now?
Anyway, I've seen arguments that the students who damaged these machines should be held accountable.
But who will be held accountable for Mumia Abu-Jamal?
On “The Department of Good Things”
But even if you think we shouldn’t have a Department for Education, we still need to, uh, do that.
This is the "we still need Good Things!" argument.
I agree that we need Good Things.
"So you should support the existence of the extant Department as it exists in its current form!"
No.
On “Open Mic for the Week of 5/5/2025”
Eh, the "by explaining the dynamic, you're excusing it!" is a poor argument.
I mean, would you buy it in service to why Israel shouldn't be bombing Occupied Palestine?
"What about October 7th? YES OR NO? WHAT ABOUT OCTOBER 7TH?!?"
"That's abuser logic."
"
Those arguments will accelerate political pressure to get USG to stop selling weapon systems to Israel. Right?
You get that if that argument gets popular, that's the result, right?
"
I don't know where the tipping point is but I think it's somewhere between "actively aiding Palestinians" and "ceasing to sell weapons systems to Israel".
But maybe India will be able to come up with some good stuff worth selling.
"
It's an "is" statement.
Not an "ought" statement.
"
It's up to $700,000, according to twitter. When it passed Karmelo Anthony's, that was seen as a moral victory of some sort.
The foolishness has become competitive.
"
One of the theories of AI that I've seen is that we'll have super-persuasive AI prior to having super-intelligent AI and that is when things will *REALLY* start getting weird.
Anyway: Family uses AI to create video for deadly Chandler road rage victim's own impact statement.
"
The phenomenon he's describing does seem to exist, though. The accuracy of that particular point seems to be there.
But that's an "is" statement, not an "ought" statement.
"
My position is that she shouldn't have said it.
That poor five year old boy shouldn't have to hear that word and it's distressing that it was targeted at him.
And I'm also not particularly surprised that this turned into a major big deal. Did you see River Page's article on the issue in The Free Press?
"
The Omnicause. It's a phenomenon that I'm sure you're familiar with.
Here's lifted from Google: "Omnicause" refers to the tendency in some activist and progressive circles to view all social justice issues as interconnected and equally important, often leading to a broad, encompassing approach that can dilute focus and effectiveness.
You know how Greta Thunberg is a big Palestine supporter now and how that's just as important as Global Climate Change?
That phenomenon.
Surely you've encountered the phenomenon, if not the term, on the other blog when the topic of Genocide comes up.
"
There has been a metapoint made about how we know about this story in the first place.
A guy filmed it, posted it to the internet, and said "internet, do your thing".
Since then, the internet has done many things.
Maybe the pendulum will start swinging back soon.
"
Taboos about what can’t be said have tremendous power.
Oh, I agree. But if the power is squandered and used less than judiciously, I think you're going to find yourself in a backlash.
You know how accusations of antisemitism don't seem to work as well as they used to? Even against seriously egregious examples of actual antisemitism that go waaaaaay beyond criticism of Israeli military policy?
I think that something like that could happen.
And I think that something like this would be an indicator of something like that has started happening.
"
I'm not asking about the narrative among those who have done the required reading and are familiar with the history of the region (including China's interest in Kashmir).
I'm asking about how the lines are being drawn in the minutes following the attack. The Tiktok/Insta folks.
"
"there are ways to deal with them"
Social disapproval?
"
Lemme guess at where the battle lines are being drawn...
India is being painted as the aggressor and comparisons are being made to Israel/Pakistan. Pakistan, of course, is Palestine in this situation.
The Omnicause demands solidarity with Pakistan against the colonialist India.
How close am I?
"
Not to defend her against some threat of anything more than self-inflicted reputational harm, but for what, exactly?
I have seen folks make implicit threats against the woman on twitter. Some variant of "someone ought to do something violent".
I imagine that if someone did do something violent, we'd hear explanations of how this could have been avoided on her part and how the person who engaged in the violence had justification for doing so, not that we support violence, of course.
Have you not seen examples of such?
Would it matter if you did?
"
I'm not defending her. But neither am I particularly willing to attack her beyond a social "oh, she shouldn't have done that" admonition.
Saul, she shouldn't have done that.
Do you think it speaks well of right-wingers that they are turning this woman into a hero and giving her hundreds of thousands of dollars apparently?
I think that it's an indicator of some sort of tribalism returning after having been suppressed for a while. It strikes me as something that is likely to come to a head, actually.
You should face social shame for calling anyone a slur but especially a small child?
She did something awful but it's not like she stabbed the kid. She shouldn't have done that.
What punishments do you feel she should have applied beyond society saying "nope, you shouldn't have done that"?
If you don't have an answer to that question, would you think it silly of me to ask "Why are you defending a woman who called a 5 year old kid the n-word?"
"
Willing to swoop in to do *WHAT*?
I mean, sure. The plan is doomed. They're showing the same poor long-term planning that they've showed the last couple of millennia.
"
Is it not?
"
I do not get the strategy of the Pro-Palestinian side at all.
It seems fairly straightforward.
Just wait until sufficient numbers of people oppose Israel. It's a waiting game and a numbers game.
Do you think that Israel will have more US support next year than it has this year?
How about in two years?
Boomers aren't the largest demographic in the US and haven't been for a while... Millennials are. But you know where the lion's share of the support for Israel is? The Boomers.
How about in ten years?
"
Wait, so a bad thing happened for which there is nothing to be done except be offered as an example of how bad The Outgroup is?
I can dig it.
"
What legal recourse are you looking for?
I imagine that there might be something of a civil rights violation... what statute covers this?