Plus: FL Republican Apologizes for Suggesting Palestinian Genocide, Boebert Claims the GOP's Survival Rests With Her, "Bass Reeves" Is Cool, and Richard Baskin Sings
Tasha. Tasha. Where are you? Adorable! Dogs can be such characters. That little girl and her human play the game with each other. Sometimes I wonder which creature is the most intelligent 🤓.
You have written previously about the intellectual laziness of so many people. Even with all the trials and charges the former potus is facing, the most egregious and criminal are 1) he violated his oath of office and instigated the insurrection of January 6. 2) Murder. He is responsible for all the deaths that occured on January 6 and the suicides afterwards. 3) Incompetence. He is therefore responsible for the deaths that resulted because of inaction regarding Covid. 4) Liar. Over and over again. He LOST. A lie repeated a thousand times is still a lie. 5) Traitor. He wants to suspend the Constitution and do whatever he wants. He wants revenge against his perceived unfaithful former allies, instead arrest him, throw him into the darkest pit with bread & water rations. No light ever again. He is an enemy of our country and the rest of his surrogates are no better. I don't feel sorry for any of them, including boebert.
Oh and the Shaman who was so wildly dressed on January 6 insurrection is considering running for Congress from Arizona. John McCain would roll over and emerge from his grave. He has a record. Is he still permitted to run for Congress?
I have no explanation for the depths of beliefs or perhaps lack of rational beliefs, and behavior that seems to be occuring daily. The AR-15 as the national gun? Total madness. How about the Dove of Peace instead.
Do unto others can be slightly altered to Do For others because we all need help and assistance at times. I am so grateful for all the people who have helped me.
Kareem. Your words are thoughtful, kind and true. I always try to remind myself to walk in the light. Truth will prevail.
In a review of her new memoir I read that Barbra Streisand is crazy about ice cream. The Richard Baskin connection becomes even more interesting, given this context.
Kareem! Next time you watch Robert Altman's Nashville, look for one of your (paying!) subscribers in a tiny part as one of the three flight attendants who were apparently befriended on the flight by Keith Carradine's character. We all piled into a VW bug with a sun roof, which I popped out of during the wreck-on-the-interstate scene. I got to see Jeff Goldblum practicing his magic tricks while hanging around. I got to see Lily Tomlin amuse the young Tennessee Twirlers waiting for hours between takes at the airport. She said, "I'll be Edith Ann and you can ask me questions." Those were the days before phones could be whipped out to record for posterity! Ned Beatty doing pushups. There was a breakfast taco truck, and I was in line behind Keith (who won an Oscar for "I'm Easy," which he wrote & performed in the film). As I remember it...and it was half a century ago...he said, "I don't have any cash with me, can I sing for my breakfast?" and the person said, "Let me hear the song first." And he sang, "When I was just a little tortilla, I ask my mama, what will I be-a? Will I be taco? Will I be tostada? Here's what she said to me-a: Que sedilla sedilla whatever will be-a will be-a The future's not ours to see-a Que-sedilla-sedilla." (Kareem, you're old enough to know that tune.) Of course they handed over his breakfast.
We'll soon see if Americans are morally indifferent to what's happening in America, but I do think the Republican Party is morally indifferent to democracy. In their quest to retain power, Republicans twice refused to hold donald trump accountable through impeachment. Mitch McConnell and a Republican senate majority broke norms to stack the Supreme Court with theocrats. One Republican downplayed Jan 6th, calling an insurrection a peaceful tourist visit. One hundred forty seven elected Republicans refused to certify the 2020 election in servile service to the Liar in Chief. (My vote was one of those they tried to disqualify.)
On Sunday, Ronna McDaniel, chair of the RNC could not bring herself to condemn trump's description of his opponents as vermin. The diminishing crop of Republican presidential candidates said out loud that they would vote for trump again if (when?) he is the nominee. That for sure is moral indifference, and if you one of their voters, you follow their lead. I hope we make it as a country, but I'm worried, because in our flawed democracy, people don't elect the president....states do.
In grade school, I learned “The Golden Rule.” In one class, we recited it daily. It is WORK! I TRY! Don’t always succeed! Responding to the other summaries: In 2016, Hillary Clinton suggested, “…You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the BASKET of DEPLORABLES…They’re racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic-you name it…” It drew a Republican outcry! Since that time, we have fought against that basket, daily! So, I’m still waiting for the likes of a Salzman, Boebert, Trump, and those Ohio lawmakers to merely adhere to “The Preamble of the Constitution,” perhaps a gateway to The Golden Rule.
KA-J: What I love in your writing is your reminders about adhering to logic and reason, and staying away from things like confirmation bias. I was wondering, were you ever a fan of James Randi? He made it his life mission to teach logic, reason and believing in prove-able things.
One of the things his organization had was called 'The Million Dollar Prize'. Anyone in the world could go for the prize. If someone could 'prove' something extra-ordinary and paranormal, they could get the Million bucks. All they had to do was get through a test by local scientists in their area (step 1) and if they pass, then go to Florida where his JREF foundation was and be tested by Randi's scientists (step 2). If they made it through both tests they got the Million Dollars! Hooray!
As you can imagine, lots of psychics, dowsers, mentalists, etc applied to this weekly, many hundreds over the years. Cool! Now the general public would KNOW about things paranormal and about things that go beyond Science and the Scientific Method. Only one problem, in decades of doing this, no one, NOT ONE PERSON, ever made it past Step 1...
You've reminded me of the movie's beginning: the guy is shouting "Get the hell away! It's not a dog! It's imitating a dog!" But he's shouting in Norwegian, and the US types don't understand.
There's an analogy here? "Get the hell away! He's a fascist!" But we don't get it.
Particularly excellent column, even as the issues you write about are depressing as all get out. 'Sudoku for the soul'? 'Morally indifferent Americans . . .'? 'Trumpian Lilliputians . . .'? Brilliant!
Trump - “…[I]f I happen to be president and I see somebody who’s doing well and beating me very badly, I say go down and indict them, mostly they would be out of business. They’d be out. They’d be out of the election.”. This implies he’s planning on an election AFTER he becomes president again…he wants the emulate Putin and spend the rest of his life as King of America!
This is the story of my first few months as a manager, the golden rule and the platinum rule.
I first became a manager in 1995. While the company I worked at didn't provide any formal management training I had studied leadership and management on my own. I thought I knew what I was doing. My management style was based on the golden rule. I managed people how I would like to be managed. Seemed like a great idea.
At the time I took on the management role I was taking a creative writing course for fun. Early on the company that hosted the course asked students to take a personality survey to help the company fine tune their material and approach to the students. I answered 72 questions and sent in my survey.
After a month in my new role I received my personality survey report. The survey used the Kiersey Temperament Sorter and the sixteen MTBI personality types. I read the three page report and, man, the report nailed me. It described how I thought, how I liked to work, my approach to doing things. I was stunned how 72 questions could so superbly describe me. Then I got to the last page where I learned that my personality type represented 3-5% of the general population.
I was running a department of 20 people. I had been managing them how I would like to be managed. My specific personality type represents 3-5% of the population. There might be one other person in the department of twenty who had the same personality type as me. Yet, I was managing the group like it was a whole bunch of me's. I knew I had to change fast.
Luckily, my studies provided a way out of the mess I has created. I came across the Platinum Rule: treat others as they would like to be treated. Versus using one management style for everyone I adapted my approach to each member of our department. My job got a lot harder, but I was a better manager for it.
There’s little doubt that trump is the greatest threat to this country since the civil war. Not China, Russia, or terrorism. Thus guy is a home-grown fascist, a Nazi masquerading as a “great businessman”. NOTHING about him is truthful.
His Republican cronies in Congress are just as bad. Boebert is an idiot and a fool. Every time she opens her mouth she proves it. Nothing she, Green, Gaetz, Jordan, or any of the other wingnut MAGAts says is the truth.
Mr. Lincoln was right. You CAN fool some of the people ALL of the time. I’m amazed almost daily by the idiocy they believe.
Hey Kareem - if you like Westerns, check out "Billy the Kid" on MGM+. iT Just finished the midpoint of second season both seasons available on demand. A really well-done Western that focuses on the real power relationships - economic, social, political in the West - and as close as anyone has gotten to the historical truth of the legend of Billy the Kid. You and any other reader here will really like it.
I am wondering why you skipped the Jewish sage Hillel, who said “That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah; the rest is commentary.”
He also quoted from Leviticus, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
I like the way Hilllel worded the rule, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” That wording makes it less of a “salesman’s rule” - I’ve heard the Golden Rule called that. (“I’d want someone to sell me this wonderful product!”)
As a longtime admirer of your thinking/writing Kareem, I find myself disagreeing with you for the first time concerning your thoughts on the Golden Rule.
The "Jewish" rule, as stated by Hillel, is "That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbor."
As you pointed out, this fails into the "what NOT to do" category.
The one you prefer can, unavoidably, lead to the imposing that you say shouldn't happen.
If someone was "saved" by their conversion or "born again" experience, they could, almost reasonably think, that everyone would want to be in that state of grace. That person is thankful that s/he was converted. And that everyone wants to feel that good. The unfortunate consequence of this is a kind of Christian nationalism that we see.
I have always shared your assessment of the Golden Rule as a proactive approach. But one story of the maxim always makes me smile...
Rabbi Hillel was challenged to recite the Torah while standing on one foot. He rose, said, "Do not to others that you would hate to have done to you. The rest is commentary. "
Trump Admits He'll Persecute Enemies as Prez & Ohio GOP Cancels Voters' Abortion Decision
Tasha. Tasha. Where are you? Adorable! Dogs can be such characters. That little girl and her human play the game with each other. Sometimes I wonder which creature is the most intelligent 🤓.
You have written previously about the intellectual laziness of so many people. Even with all the trials and charges the former potus is facing, the most egregious and criminal are 1) he violated his oath of office and instigated the insurrection of January 6. 2) Murder. He is responsible for all the deaths that occured on January 6 and the suicides afterwards. 3) Incompetence. He is therefore responsible for the deaths that resulted because of inaction regarding Covid. 4) Liar. Over and over again. He LOST. A lie repeated a thousand times is still a lie. 5) Traitor. He wants to suspend the Constitution and do whatever he wants. He wants revenge against his perceived unfaithful former allies, instead arrest him, throw him into the darkest pit with bread & water rations. No light ever again. He is an enemy of our country and the rest of his surrogates are no better. I don't feel sorry for any of them, including boebert.
Oh and the Shaman who was so wildly dressed on January 6 insurrection is considering running for Congress from Arizona. John McCain would roll over and emerge from his grave. He has a record. Is he still permitted to run for Congress?
I have no explanation for the depths of beliefs or perhaps lack of rational beliefs, and behavior that seems to be occuring daily. The AR-15 as the national gun? Total madness. How about the Dove of Peace instead.
Do unto others can be slightly altered to Do For others because we all need help and assistance at times. I am so grateful for all the people who have helped me.
Kareem. Your words are thoughtful, kind and true. I always try to remind myself to walk in the light. Truth will prevail.
In a review of her new memoir I read that Barbra Streisand is crazy about ice cream. The Richard Baskin connection becomes even more interesting, given this context.
Kareem! Next time you watch Robert Altman's Nashville, look for one of your (paying!) subscribers in a tiny part as one of the three flight attendants who were apparently befriended on the flight by Keith Carradine's character. We all piled into a VW bug with a sun roof, which I popped out of during the wreck-on-the-interstate scene. I got to see Jeff Goldblum practicing his magic tricks while hanging around. I got to see Lily Tomlin amuse the young Tennessee Twirlers waiting for hours between takes at the airport. She said, "I'll be Edith Ann and you can ask me questions." Those were the days before phones could be whipped out to record for posterity! Ned Beatty doing pushups. There was a breakfast taco truck, and I was in line behind Keith (who won an Oscar for "I'm Easy," which he wrote & performed in the film). As I remember it...and it was half a century ago...he said, "I don't have any cash with me, can I sing for my breakfast?" and the person said, "Let me hear the song first." And he sang, "When I was just a little tortilla, I ask my mama, what will I be-a? Will I be taco? Will I be tostada? Here's what she said to me-a: Que sedilla sedilla whatever will be-a will be-a The future's not ours to see-a Que-sedilla-sedilla." (Kareem, you're old enough to know that tune.) Of course they handed over his breakfast.
We'll soon see if Americans are morally indifferent to what's happening in America, but I do think the Republican Party is morally indifferent to democracy. In their quest to retain power, Republicans twice refused to hold donald trump accountable through impeachment. Mitch McConnell and a Republican senate majority broke norms to stack the Supreme Court with theocrats. One Republican downplayed Jan 6th, calling an insurrection a peaceful tourist visit. One hundred forty seven elected Republicans refused to certify the 2020 election in servile service to the Liar in Chief. (My vote was one of those they tried to disqualify.)
On Sunday, Ronna McDaniel, chair of the RNC could not bring herself to condemn trump's description of his opponents as vermin. The diminishing crop of Republican presidential candidates said out loud that they would vote for trump again if (when?) he is the nominee. That for sure is moral indifference, and if you one of their voters, you follow their lead. I hope we make it as a country, but I'm worried, because in our flawed democracy, people don't elect the president....states do.
In grade school, I learned “The Golden Rule.” In one class, we recited it daily. It is WORK! I TRY! Don’t always succeed! Responding to the other summaries: In 2016, Hillary Clinton suggested, “…You could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the BASKET of DEPLORABLES…They’re racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic-you name it…” It drew a Republican outcry! Since that time, we have fought against that basket, daily! So, I’m still waiting for the likes of a Salzman, Boebert, Trump, and those Ohio lawmakers to merely adhere to “The Preamble of the Constitution,” perhaps a gateway to The Golden Rule.
KA-J: What I love in your writing is your reminders about adhering to logic and reason, and staying away from things like confirmation bias. I was wondering, were you ever a fan of James Randi? He made it his life mission to teach logic, reason and believing in prove-able things.
One of the things his organization had was called 'The Million Dollar Prize'. Anyone in the world could go for the prize. If someone could 'prove' something extra-ordinary and paranormal, they could get the Million bucks. All they had to do was get through a test by local scientists in their area (step 1) and if they pass, then go to Florida where his JREF foundation was and be tested by Randi's scientists (step 2). If they made it through both tests they got the Million Dollars! Hooray!
As you can imagine, lots of psychics, dowsers, mentalists, etc applied to this weekly, many hundreds over the years. Cool! Now the general public would KNOW about things paranormal and about things that go beyond Science and the Scientific Method. Only one problem, in decades of doing this, no one, NOT ONE PERSON, ever made it past Step 1...
Re: politicians and "The Thing."
You've reminded me of the movie's beginning: the guy is shouting "Get the hell away! It's not a dog! It's imitating a dog!" But he's shouting in Norwegian, and the US types don't understand.
There's an analogy here? "Get the hell away! He's a fascist!" But we don't get it.
Rough paraphrase. Defining Judaism by Hillel: Treat others as you treat yourself, the rest is commentary.
Particularly excellent column, even as the issues you write about are depressing as all get out. 'Sudoku for the soul'? 'Morally indifferent Americans . . .'? 'Trumpian Lilliputians . . .'? Brilliant!
Trump - “…[I]f I happen to be president and I see somebody who’s doing well and beating me very badly, I say go down and indict them, mostly they would be out of business. They’d be out. They’d be out of the election.”. This implies he’s planning on an election AFTER he becomes president again…he wants the emulate Putin and spend the rest of his life as King of America!
This is the story of my first few months as a manager, the golden rule and the platinum rule.
I first became a manager in 1995. While the company I worked at didn't provide any formal management training I had studied leadership and management on my own. I thought I knew what I was doing. My management style was based on the golden rule. I managed people how I would like to be managed. Seemed like a great idea.
At the time I took on the management role I was taking a creative writing course for fun. Early on the company that hosted the course asked students to take a personality survey to help the company fine tune their material and approach to the students. I answered 72 questions and sent in my survey.
After a month in my new role I received my personality survey report. The survey used the Kiersey Temperament Sorter and the sixteen MTBI personality types. I read the three page report and, man, the report nailed me. It described how I thought, how I liked to work, my approach to doing things. I was stunned how 72 questions could so superbly describe me. Then I got to the last page where I learned that my personality type represented 3-5% of the general population.
I was running a department of 20 people. I had been managing them how I would like to be managed. My specific personality type represents 3-5% of the population. There might be one other person in the department of twenty who had the same personality type as me. Yet, I was managing the group like it was a whole bunch of me's. I knew I had to change fast.
Luckily, my studies provided a way out of the mess I has created. I came across the Platinum Rule: treat others as they would like to be treated. Versus using one management style for everyone I adapted my approach to each member of our department. My job got a lot harder, but I was a better manager for it.
There’s little doubt that trump is the greatest threat to this country since the civil war. Not China, Russia, or terrorism. Thus guy is a home-grown fascist, a Nazi masquerading as a “great businessman”. NOTHING about him is truthful.
His Republican cronies in Congress are just as bad. Boebert is an idiot and a fool. Every time she opens her mouth she proves it. Nothing she, Green, Gaetz, Jordan, or any of the other wingnut MAGAts says is the truth.
Mr. Lincoln was right. You CAN fool some of the people ALL of the time. I’m amazed almost daily by the idiocy they believe.
Hey Kareem - if you like Westerns, check out "Billy the Kid" on MGM+. iT Just finished the midpoint of second season both seasons available on demand. A really well-done Western that focuses on the real power relationships - economic, social, political in the West - and as close as anyone has gotten to the historical truth of the legend of Billy the Kid. You and any other reader here will really like it.
I am wondering why you skipped the Jewish sage Hillel, who said “That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah; the rest is commentary.”
He also quoted from Leviticus, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
I like the way Hilllel worded the rule, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” That wording makes it less of a “salesman’s rule” - I’ve heard the Golden Rule called that. (“I’d want someone to sell me this wonderful product!”)
As a longtime admirer of your thinking/writing Kareem, I find myself disagreeing with you for the first time concerning your thoughts on the Golden Rule.
The "Jewish" rule, as stated by Hillel, is "That which is hateful unto you, do not do to your neighbor."
As you pointed out, this fails into the "what NOT to do" category.
The one you prefer can, unavoidably, lead to the imposing that you say shouldn't happen.
If someone was "saved" by their conversion or "born again" experience, they could, almost reasonably think, that everyone would want to be in that state of grace. That person is thankful that s/he was converted. And that everyone wants to feel that good. The unfortunate consequence of this is a kind of Christian nationalism that we see.
Hillel's formulation avoids this possibility.
I have always shared your assessment of the Golden Rule as a proactive approach. But one story of the maxim always makes me smile...
Rabbi Hillel was challenged to recite the Torah while standing on one foot. He rose, said, "Do not to others that you would hate to have done to you. The rest is commentary. "