Quick comments about the election yesterday (11/8/22)

 Not going into everything from the election, since there are still votes being counted in a number of races. Two good things are that the Red Wave certainly didn't occur and Abortion Rights were given a boost in statewide voting. Another proof that the GOP is out of touch with the majority of America.

I'll have updates on all this later this week, as things become more apparent. 

All Quiet on the MSNBC Front

 It was sprinlling earlier, but it's just overcast right now. The rain is supposed to pick up tonight and continue tomorrow.

Figured now was the best time to do some shopping, so I'll be set for the next few days. No way do I want to go out tomorrow, not only because of the weather, but you never know what sort of craziness might begin anywhere near a polling place. Already reports of some of the outdoor ballot boxes having signs placed on them saying that early voting was over. Wonder who would be doing that?

Keith Olbermann spent some time naming names and pointing fingers at various MSNBC hosts that have decided that their contracts are more important than speaking out about the firing of Tiffany Cross by the company. Apparently, Tucker Carlson was upset by things she said about him and Fox contacted the execs at NBC. We know how brave they can be. Sad, that the "progressive" hosts can't stand up for one of their own. Only Joy Reed took a few minutes to talk about the situation, and she's the newest of the Prime Time hosts. 

Violent GOP

I shouldn't be allowed near computers

 About a month ago I got a new modem for my computer and this caused the Google Chromecast, given me by The Girls when they updated, to start having issues I couldn't seem to fix. I broke down and purchased a new one with a trial of Google TV.

For some reason, this started isssues with my computer. I'm one of those folks knows just enough about computers and software to be dangerous. I caused my toolbar to disappear and the screen to have a black bar across the top. I would sometimes have to minimize my screen to be able to scroll down enough to perform some task.

When I finally got the toolbar back in place everything I had put there had disppeared. I decided that I had to finally admit defeat and was going to call Geek Squad. This was where I was when I left for my cruise.

I had signed out and turned off my computer, as I always do when I go away for more than a day or two. When I came back there were some updates that needed to be installed. When the computer had rebooted I found that all my previous issues had been corrected. I have a full screen and the items on the old toolbar reappeared.

I have no clue and I'm not going to question it. Guessing that I had done something and the update went back to older settings. From now on I'm just going to call Best Buy and let their folks handle it. 

I am one of little faith

 As a progressive and an atheist, I have to admit that I have little confidence that the election next week will be good for either of my philosophies. I see the Trumpist/Evangelical politicians taking the House and even more state & local seats, leaving the majority of Americans looking at the possibility of  democracy's end. 

Even should the Dems maintain the Senate, the House and state legislators will do their best to rid Americans of every freedom, except those in the Second Amendment, which they have already twisted.  I think the surprise for those who praise guns over humanity is going to be when the Right decides that their base might have too many guns after all and turn on them before it's the other way around. It will start with limits on any guns held by non-white/non-Christians and move on from there. 

The imaginary separation of Church & State will become even more of a joke and the "religious right" will have even more non-taxable privileges given to them.

By the way, as some of you already know I've dropped my Twitter account and as much as I enjoy Facebook, I do know that folks there would rather not have me political and anti-religious ranting thrown at them. Going to keep the loudest ranting here. 

International Atheist Day

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FIST OF JESUS www.fistofjesus.com

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Panic by Harold Schechter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Was there an epidemic of child predators in America. Men driven to horrible desires by listening to swing music. As usual in these situations politicians, the media and others seeking a platform try to.find someone or something to blame for events that are often hard to explain.

One of the more disturbing books in this
series of historical crimes. The author focused on a brutal number of child murders that caused a panic until the more enormous issued taking place around the world in the lead up to WWII drove the issue from the headlines.


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The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book by Pulitzer prize winning critic Michiko Kakutani could, in a way, be seen as a companion piece to Fantasyland by Kurt Andersen. While Anderson's book looked at a history of America and our countries susceptibility to showman and con artists, from our very beginnings, this book centers on the later part of the Twentieth Century and the early decades of this one that have brought us to where we are. The books subtitle, Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump, sums up where the author is coming from and she does it quite well.

Kakutani looks back, as does Anderson, on how critical thought and the bending of "reality" began during the cultural and social turmoil of the Sixties. How did many Americans begin the split into two very separate cultures, both unaccepting of what the other felt were legitimate concerns. Social critics as far back as Orwell and Huxley predicted some of the very things that we are seeing taking place. The anti-establishment rhetoric of the Sixties radicals was taken up by the Right and used to turn even more citizens against the institutions that were meant to protect us.

The author examines the writings of folks on both the Right and Left, plus a close look at the individuals Russia who developed the techniques there that were used successfully here in 2016, and continue.

This book probably won't change minds, but it is fascinating in allowing the reader to see how we have gotten here. What we can do about it, and if we can regain the civility and unity we once had, remains to be seen.


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The Pirate by Harold Schechter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Harold Schechter is one of my favorite True Crime writers. His focus is mainly American serial killers of the 19th & 20th century. This is the first of a series of shorter works that focus on little known murders that were major events at the time, but have been forgotten.

This deals with the event leading to the conviction and execution of Albert W. Hicks, who was charged with "piracy on the high seas", despite the murders taking place in the waters off New York on an oyster boat. Hired as a mate, Hicks killed the other three members of the crew, for what amounted to less than two hundred dollars, a pocket watch and several items of clothing. As the bodies were never recovered the prosecutor went with the piracy charge.

P.T. Barnum even makes an appearance here as he paid to be allowed to make a 'life mask' of Hicks and purchased from him the clothes he wore while imprisoned. These Barnum put on exhibit in his NY hall for public display. I found it also interesting that in earlier years Hicks moved to my hometown of Norwich, CT where he was arrested and confined for a series of robberies.

Shechter also spends time discussing not only the rise of the oyster industry in NY, but the social and political tone of the era, which helped to make what Hicks did into a huge event. His execution being witnessed by thousands along the shore of what would one day be the island where the Statue of Liberty now stands.


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