“A process cannot be understood by stopping it. Understanding must move with the flow of the process, must join it and flow with it.” — Frank Herbert When I see certain rhetorical formulations, I’m immediately alert to sententiousness that wishes to go unrecognized. One of those formulas is “no reasonable person.” What follows …
Category: rhetoric
Mar 03 2023
The Weapon
Eric Frank Russell, one of the most talented writers of his day, left as his legacy to the developing field of science fiction a magnificent novella titled “And Then There Were None.” (Yes, I’ve commended it here before this.) This novella is so powerful, and so memorable, that it was awarded a place in …
Jan 09 2023
SKUNC >> RINO
This news item “Adam Kinzinger, House Republican Who Served on Jan. 6 Committee, Lands Job at CNN After Retiring” reminded me why I could never abide the easier to recognize but poor choice for a pejorative that is Republican In Name Only. For one thing, a RINO is still a republican, just not a constitutional …
Jan 08 2023
On The Reason Progs Favor Border Invaders
“…as the wetback problem was never about humanitarian concerns but about the accumulation of power via the fraudulent votes of the invaders….” — AoS coblogger CBD The reason I’m calling attention to this is I am hoping to prevent others from also carelessly parroting what I consider a red-herring. Heck, some of those migrants are …
Dec 12 2022
Identity, Attribution, And Affiliation: Some Thoughts
Apologies, Gentle Reader, but the immortal words of Becker and Fagin,in I’m about to do it again: My self-imposed exile wasn’t for any particular purpose. Maybe it served one even so. —No maybes about it, Al. You are not who or what you were. You’re far more. Some of it is invisible …
Oct 28 2022
A Digital Transformation, Or Merely More Of The Same?
Yesterday’s closing of the deal, whereby Elon Musk became the owner of Twitter, was announced to its user base thus: I wanted to reach out personally to share my motivation in acquiring Twitter. There has been much speculation about why I bought Twitter and what I think about advertising. Most of it has …
Oct 02 2022
Is it Safe? Part 1
The wannabe despot is a coward. Before he acts he needs to feel the environment has been well prepared before he makes the next move. The title of this series comes from the line endlessly repeated by the Lawrence Olivier character as he tortured the one portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man. Well, in …
Sep 05 2022
Postmodern Energy Strategy Revealed
Macron: France, Germany to provide each other with gas, electricity, to weather crisis appears to be remarkably similar to
Aug 26 2022
A Deficit Of Rationality
A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!” “However,” replied the universe, “That fact has not created in me A sense of obligation.” — Stephen Crane — I’m in one of those moods this morning. I could slather you with the reasons, but as I’m also feeling charitable, I’ll spare …
Jul 10 2022
Settled Outrage
The word of the day is settled. As in “The metal shavings have settled out of the engine oil,” or “The fruit has settled to the bottom of the Jell-O®,” or “He settled his fat ass in his high-backed leather desk chair, grinned mockingly, and said ‘no comment.’” But most emphatically not as in …
Jun 26 2022
Distortions And Evasions
My responsibilities to my Gentle Readers are more extensive than you might imagine. Yes, I’m here to provide analysis and commentary. Yes, I’m here to dissect the statements of others who don’t always express themselves clearly. But alongside those duties, I’m also here to pull the wool off your eyes – to tell you, …
May 25 2022
There Are Days…
…when I want to pick up the entire political class by its lapels and shake it until its brains start to work. Like today: ‘I have news for the embarrassment that claims to be our President — try to take our guns and you’ll learn why the Second Amendment was written in the …
May 22 2022
The War Of The Words
Yes, the title has been used by others. But the motif is critical to political combat in our time. Words are weapons. Words are tools. Define or be defined! — Michael Emerling I read in this morning’s news sweep that a Republican Congresswoman, Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), has introduced a “Women’s Rights” …
Mar 05 2022
Targets
If you need a demonstration of just how little intelligence, candor, and personal integrity are required to win a high public office, just look here: I totally forgot Bernie existed. And then I saw THIS gem today: We talk about being a divided nation. In many ways, that’s true. But, in some …
Feb 20 2022
Capitalism: The Order Of Execution
Forgive me, Gentle Reader. Because of the graphic above, which I found over at 90 Miles From Tyranny, my memory has assaulted me again, and so I find that I must do a terrible thing. How terrible it is, I shall leave for you to decide. About thirty-five years ago, Long Island’s regional …
Feb 06 2022
Censorings And Shapings
‘I don’t understand your viewpoint,’ she said. ‘You broke his nose, yet he had done you no harm of any sort. You expect me to approve that?’ ‘But Persephone,’ he protested, ‘you ignore the fact that he called me a most insulting name.’ ‘I don’t see the connection,’ she said. ‘He made …
Dec 20 2021
Shibboleths And Scare Talk
Political talk is mostly hot air, of course. Among other influences, politicians almost unanimously regard their own voices as the sweetest sound in the universe. They’ll fill whatever space is provided to them with as much blather as they can get away with – and it won’t necessarily mean anything in particular. So …
Fran’s Recent Novels
Margaret’s Recent Novels
