In Lord of the Rings, there is a passage where Gandalf calls Isengard a "slave's flattery" of Mordor.

That's what DJT's pathetic parade is: a slave's flattery of the dictators he so admires.

-- Mal

For Midway anniversary: A Dawn Like Thunder

Excellent 2008 book about Torpedo Squadron 8 by Robert J. Mrazek. The events of Midway and Guadalcanal have been written about many times: this one is about the men. Very engaging and well-written.

-- Mal

I remember a Mexican comedian doing a bit about illegal immigrants...

... he commented "Y'all shouldn't be worried that everybody wants to come here. When you should worry is when nobody does."

And that, in a nutshell, is the Administration's policy: make the country such a hellhole that nobody will want to come here.

-- Mal

SS Payment on time... this month.

For those worrying, and insofar as it is relevant, my SS came on time this month. Maybe yours will too.

-- Mal

For the record, I am not embarrassed that DJT is President.

I'm too busy being furious. But I was no part of this train wreck, and I refuse to take responsibility for it. I also refuse to "apologize" to the rest of the world because millions of American voters couldn't be arsed to vote against this circus.

Let those who are culpable take the blame and eat the crow. Like that will ever happen. I am not going to bat for them.

-- Mal

Spousal abuse 101: Force your spouse to break all ties.

I haven''t seen anyone point out that the current Administration is acting out this rule of abuse right out in the open. The abuser forces his spouse to break all former ties, even of family, so that she is wholly dependent on him. This is a classic maneuver.

That the Administration is acting like an abusive spouse is no secret to anybody, but I find it intriguing how closely they follow the classic patterns.

-- Mal

"You can either demand respect or command respect."

I remember being taught this at a very young age. It's quite clear what the current Administration has chosen.

-- Mal

Funny the Calvinists don't think DJT was sent by their god to punish the US for not honoring the stranger...

... and not loving their neighbor. I mean, they'll claim the guy sends hurricanes because we let gays get married.

Dunno, if I were this god-thing, I'd be more pissed about people violating the commands that form the central tenets of my worship than gay marriage.

-- Mal

My thanks for the heart. From the heart. n/t

Sumptuary laws and class war.

It occurs to me that most forms of legislation being imposed on Americans these days, both Federal and State, are really instances of sumptuary legislation at bottom. Now, sumptuary laws have one real intent, to put people in their place and keep them from imitating their betters. And it seems that this is the intent of almost all the legislation we're seeing: to put people in their place (as defined by the legislators), and keep them from enjoying the liberties and indeed the decency of life enjoyed by their betters (as defined by the legislators).

It appears that nothing offends the privileged so much as when other, unworthy people enjoy comforts and a standard of living that is not at a much lower, indeed marginal, level than their own. Those who contrive to own attractive and comfortable material possessions, or indeed control of their own bodies and consciences, are uppity and insolent individuals who need to be crushed with all the force the Law possesses. Or perhaps exterminated altogether, though this does pose the problem of whom the privileged will then have to look down on.

I am coming around to the belief that this is truly all that matters to these people, and that alleged ideologies and beliefs are really no more than rationalizations for this base meanness that fills their souls with bile and decrees that they shall never be satisfied so long as one other person is happier than they are. And of course, since they are not very happy, one can see where this leads.

-- Mal