haele
haele's JournalWhat we're seeing is live, updated tech bro version of Atlas Shrugged.
With Donald Trump as the helpless but "beautifully noble" Dagny Taggart and Elon Musk as the enigmatic pseudo engineer/master of disguises John Galt. I guess Vladimir Putin is the foreign Valentine what's his name.
The few wise and wealthy "self-made" elites who tear down the corrupt regulatory society and it's safety nets with the help of their loyal "enlightened" helpers, the Christan Evangelicals, and they all live happily ever after once the remaining "takers" and strong backed slackers (who have been culled through social eugenics) learn their proper places in society, out of sight and sound of the proper folk.
So they believe.
On edit - the primary fault I find with the Atlas Shrugged version of insanity (other than the entire insanity of the premise) is that all these supposedly great industrialists came up with the ideas for their great single invention or technology on their own, (or like Valentine what's his name, bullied a lot of people off their land and exploited locals to mine copper)springing from their minds like Athena from Zeus, instead of how inventions actually came about, which was from careful study of previous scientists and inventors, outright patent theft, and/or the hard work and inspiration of nameless engineers, scientists, technicians, and laborers looking for time and stress savers, or fiddling around on their own time to come up with something that the industrialist snags up and calls his own.
Gack, even re-reading the synopsis of that garbage was painful.
Not just the US, incumbent leadership world-wide have been losing since 2022
It appears to be a shock reaction to the social and economic crisis COVID caused. Especially economic - people have a hazy memory of the "before times", and the lingering global disaster hits of high additional mortality, lingering long COVID, global inflation, climate migration, and the wealthy and radicals taking advantage through plain old Disaster Capitalism have left the average person, educated or not, vulnerable to grievance propaganda and twisted nostalgia. Not to mention the sheer mental exhaustion dealing with a still new reality while trying to sort through what is true, what is lies, and what is coming through troll farms during elections.
https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/383208/donald-trump-victory-kamala-harris-global-trend-incumbents
Cold comfort, but it makes sense to me that a post-plague crisis can cause people long-term mental exhaustion that can be exhibited in an inability to follow through when stressed, over-reaction to the slightest threat (including existential threats), pessimism, and depression. They're more likely to just be emotionally pushed to just dump all the people they associate with lingering problems and let someone else take responsibility for a change, even if they know in their hearts it could get worse.
I know I've been having problems like depression and rage coping with solvable problems and minor conflicts post COVID. It's like a shifting fog surrounding me since 2020; harder for me to be aware of my environment; to assess and anticipate situations. I'm getting unpleasantly surprised much too easily and often. I suspect that's happened to a lot more people than would admit it.
I've been a relatively positive, energetic, pragmatic "find the solution" type of personality since I can remember. That's what got me through the overwhelming misogyny in my field to respected Upper-Mid level leadership. But post COVID (and Laz and I both caught it in January 2020) I've half the mental strength and resiliency I used to have. Too many times I'm tempted to "just leave" and let things sort themselves out without me instead of sticking to the process of fixing or completing issues that come up. I'm just easily exhausted. If that's happened to me, what could have happened to hundreds of millions of others?
Haele
LA county wildlife officials are looking for a mamma deer with a femur stuck in her mouth.
How did a deer get a femur bone far enough in her mouth to get stuck? And why?
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/wildlife-crews-search-injured-deer-with-bone-lodged-in-mouth-hollywood-hills/
I hope they find her, but still - that's a scary thought that deer might be evolving to be omnivorous.
Haele
Our newest favorite YouTube - Sandwiches of History....
If you need two to three minutes of Zen...
Haele
Prescription Drugs shortages -profiting on pain for patients
Laz needs ritalin in a specific timed dosage to remain functioning all day. Along with some other controlled prescriptions - Long Covid related.
His ritilan went "on back order" late last month. And is still on backorder. He was given an alternative dosage that requires three generic Ritalin pills a day, but the pharmacy can't give him any more of any particular strength than 30 a month, and he's run out of those.
Last year, my hypertension prescription and methotrexate went through a three month "shortage", supposedly because a plant needed to be remediated because the FDA found problems, and a fire in another plant, and a hurricane...
Anyway, I don't remember hearing about such widespread shortages even 5 years ago.
And the drug companies are making record profits. So what's going on?
They pissed that Medicare can now negotiate some prices? That California is thinking about setting up manufacturing for common Medicare genetics?
Or are they just pouring the majority of their profits to advertising, shareholders and into stock buybacks instead of looking at factory investments and improvements?
Anyway, we just called our Congressman. Will be calling out Senators later. Second year in a row there's been noticable drug shortages in August/September time frame.
Anyone else having any problems (or info as to why this is happening)?
Haele
There's no climate change?
2pm, local weather station (Oak Park, San Diego) - 106 degrees, wet bulb temperature, 117 degrees. High clouds just putting a lid on a boiling pot.
This is the hottest day I've ever experienced in San Diego Coastal or Inland Valley, since the Navy sent me here in 1985. And it's early; we can get hot summer temps up through late October.
Hottest high temps for summer around here have been around 100 to 102, and those are usually later in September, early October.
I feel for the homeless. This is close to killing temperature.
Haele
Tarot three card. The question was...How will the presidential race progress?
Card 1; Ace of cups, new beginning, joyful emotions overflowing
Card 2: 5 or clubs, fighting from the high ground, you're fending off multiple foes with intelligence and skill. There is peril, but you have the high ground.
Card 3: Queen of Pentacles....
Well, I don't think TFG is trans...so there's only one lady in the race as it stands now.
Hoping for the best.
Haele
You know those dozing dreams when you take a nap between errands...
I just had a weird one where I got a CA earthquake alert on my phone (that suddenly became a large bright blue tablet with rainbow glitter on the back that stuck to my hand) about an 8.2 in Cleveland Ohio. New Madrid fault, maybe?
Anyway Cleveland folks, don't blame me if you have a 2.8.
I guess I shouldn't have had that Taco Bell Mexican Pizza on my way back home.
Well, I'm off to pick Laz and his buddy from their Magik tournament at the card shop. Hopefully, he qualified for the final.
Haele
Open Questions to the Democratic Leadership....
Very politely - what is going on that you don't want us to know?
I'm asking this because....
I've heard what Donors and fundraisers are saying. There's a hostile Media (and punditry) and Biden is old has a speech impediment that causes gaffs. He's always had that speech impediment, the Media and punditry has been hostile since Rupert Murdoch moved in. However, Donors and Media aren't the voters, and they can be allayed by the fact that voters and more importantly, delegates are not abandoning Biden.
The strategy in this case would be to do the same thing you did with Obama (you know - that community organizer with little experience who would put off the White Working Class racist wing of the Democratic party?) - coalesce a unity envelope around him, and push back at the Media.
Standard politics. I've some background in history, I've seen how it works. So why aren't you doing it?
Do you want a landslide? Ain't going to happen. You have a Hostile Media that is run for infotainment, outrage and clicks, and you know that. They made bank during the last Trump Administration, and Biden is boring.
Don't know why you think there would ever be a landslide.
Are you afraid of the Supreme Court handing it over to Trump because Biden...what? If the Supreme Court was going to do that for Trump, it wouldn't matter who you ran. Stick with the guy what brought you.
Is there something wrong with Biden you don't want to talk about and you don't think he'll make it to December without embarrassment or ending up hospitalized? Well, you're already embarrassing him, which would make him fight harder. Basic psychology. You're also embarrassing yourselves to the voters because they can't see any change in Biden other than he's older. They frankly see y'all as stabbing him in the back, not a good look if you are running a campaign for yourself. Makes them wonder if you're going to stab them in the back for donors or the Media as well.
If there's nothing wrong with him, put that unity envelope around him and carry on. If there's something wrong with him, make your backup plans while you put that unity envelope around him.
But for the sake of the good Lord above, be honest with both us and yourselves, and don't play could-a, would-a, should-a games this late in the game.
Count your states and the ballot requirements for the General in November at the least. I know if you change the ballot now, you've just lost Nevada in the Electoral college. There's probably other states you'll lose; even if they're polling 65% GOP per the polls now, they're still somewhat in play in November.
I don't know if he steps down for health reasons and Harris goes to top of ticket that might change the rules somewhat, but you can't hound him out.
And please, treat the voters with as much respect as you treat the donors. So far, it doesn't seem like you're actually listening, you're making decisions behind closed doors. And that will depress voter turnout far worse than being honest and working out whatever your apparently sudden problem with Biden is.
He hasn't lost any delegates, and he's doing better as he's fighting. Please don't treat us like we're Q-Anon or MAGA, willing to blindly follow without question.
Yours,
Dawn.S.D, USN (CPO, Retired) AKA Haele on DU
P.S. (Because I'm old school) If you're going to replace Biden, who will you put in Harris' place? If you're going to replace him, you're guaranteed a loss if it's not with Harris. Just my observation as a long time Democratic voter.
Question - Could it be Democratic donors, pols and punditry want a landslide winner?
They are afraid of a second Trump Presidency and want reassurance they have an easy landslide winner?
Unfortunately, there is none. And it seems that "though their heart is in the right place", they don't have the stomach for the real fight to protect what they've taken for granted. Because Democracy made it easier to get where they are, they expect their opponents are on the same page they are.
After all, everyone believes Democracy and a robust Social Contact is beneficial to everyone, right? Autocracy limits the opportunities and freedom of the majority of people, creating rigid class structures and forcing almost everyone into a subservient position to a few.
Project 2025 is so hugely outrageous, it only benefits few dozen people and corporations.
There can't be tens of millions of people who would give up most of their freedom and any opportunity to live comfortably into old age just to strike out at an existential fear, could there?
Why aren't our Candidates doing better? It should be a landslide by now. Did we pick the right people? Why aren't they working harder to get the word out?
Because those who have it easy, who have money, who are moving in the "polite circles" or isolated business circles; who aren't already working in the campaigns on the deck plates, as it were, don't understand how, when and where the population, especially the working population, in general are getting their news and opinions. You can talk troll farms and panic politics all you want. They pique the interest of those who already are living with issues that are hard to solve, that seem overwhelming.
But mass media buys don't count as much as neighborhood projects, meet and greets, and town halls. Which also means panicked politicians will cause more problems than their "propositions" will solve
The Media is owned by the few who think they will make out under an authorization regime; those few cannot win unless our Democratic Representatives fall into line with that media and let them. Because honestly, what average voter cares what a wealthy donor or elitist pundit thinks?
I know Elon Musk or Jimmie Dimon are going to back the "team" that can make them richer My neighbors and I care about the team that makes sure they have jobs, health care, and security available. It should be a landslide, but realistically, as the old saying goes "familiarity breeds contempt", and for the past 70 years, the liberal, progressive, tolerant, or whatever you want to call it movements that drive the modern difference between Democrat and Republican has been too complacent standing by watching the other team get taken over by an anti-Democratic agendas.
Stand together and show me Democracy counts, Democrats.
Keep your panic or resentment that your sparkle pony isn't important enough to yourself, grow the f*** up and get to work. You've got 70 years of squabbling, vanity, hand wringing, and procrastinating to make up for in (checks calendar) three months.
Or you ain't going to get a second chance. Ever.
Haele
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Gender: Do not displayHometown: San Diego, CA
Home country: USA
Member since: 2001
Number of posts: 14,189