1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Wisconsin
4. L.S.U.
5. Stanford
6. Boise State
7. Clemson
8. Oklahoma State
9. Oregon
10. Michigan State
Contenders: Kansas State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Drug Testing for Welfare Applicants
I just read Tuesday's NYT article on the subject. The assumption that poverty is probable cause to suspect criminality is, of course, a disgraceful violation of Americans rights. I could go through the trouble of digging up one of the many studies showing that the poor are neither any more or any less likely to be criminals or addicts than the rich, but there's no reason to, since to repeat the obvious the right-wing authoritarians pushing these laws don't give a damn about actual reality but only the right to define reality.
In some ways this reminds me of laws enshrining hunting and fishing in the state constitution, or proclaiming the right to carry a concealed weapon into a Kinko's while weearing a full-body Zuba suit. You see a lot of this symbolic governance when conservatives are in charge or state legislatures. (Practical governance is of course beneath the dignity of their knightly selves.) In the case of various hunting and gun-protection laws the purpose is to give institutional approval to the notion that herosim is the norm for Real American Men; that True Men are eternally primed for violence towards the end of defeating evil or providing food for their clans. It provides reassurance to hunters, fishers, and concealed carriers; people who in the back of their minds know themselves to be a small portion of the population yet for the most part strongly deisire to be the universal standard, that their proclivities are the True American Way, that it's the city boys who vastly outnumber them who are the deviants. People who rail against big government the most are often the most desirous for state authority to pat them on the heads and tell them what good boys they are.
The purpose of drug testing for welfae applicants is similar. It is to will the notion that poverty is proof of depravity into reality by having it officially enshrined by institutional authority. Never mind that some faggy sociologists say it isn't true, the state of ------- says it's the truth, therefore it indisputibly is. 'We', are America's responsible parents, singlehandily keeping it afloat against the riff-raff. 'We' are better then them and entitled to subject them to whatever discipline we see fit. 'We' are America. those filthy Jiggaboos just live here. God bless America.
In some ways this reminds me of laws enshrining hunting and fishing in the state constitution, or proclaiming the right to carry a concealed weapon into a Kinko's while weearing a full-body Zuba suit. You see a lot of this symbolic governance when conservatives are in charge or state legislatures. (Practical governance is of course beneath the dignity of their knightly selves.) In the case of various hunting and gun-protection laws the purpose is to give institutional approval to the notion that herosim is the norm for Real American Men; that True Men are eternally primed for violence towards the end of defeating evil or providing food for their clans. It provides reassurance to hunters, fishers, and concealed carriers; people who in the back of their minds know themselves to be a small portion of the population yet for the most part strongly deisire to be the universal standard, that their proclivities are the True American Way, that it's the city boys who vastly outnumber them who are the deviants. People who rail against big government the most are often the most desirous for state authority to pat them on the heads and tell them what good boys they are.
The purpose of drug testing for welfae applicants is similar. It is to will the notion that poverty is proof of depravity into reality by having it officially enshrined by institutional authority. Never mind that some faggy sociologists say it isn't true, the state of ------- says it's the truth, therefore it indisputibly is. 'We', are America's responsible parents, singlehandily keeping it afloat against the riff-raff. 'We' are better then them and entitled to subject them to whatever discipline we see fit. 'We' are America. those filthy Jiggaboos just live here. God bless America.
Anglish Decleration of Independence
Is the belief that there's such a thing as a 'pure' language free of foreign 'corruption' inherently racist? Nahhhh. What would ever give you that idea?
Interesting all the same, despite the pernicious conceit.
"When in the Fare of mennishly belimps, it becomes needful for one Leed to formelt the mootly bends which have limpledged them with another, and to nim among the mights of the earth, the sunderly and even standing which the Laws of Ykind and of Ykind's God befeal them, a thewly eighting to the weens of mankind tharf that they should abeed the Andwork which fordrive them to the sundering.
We hold these truths to be selforknew, that all men are shapen alike, that they are bestowed by their Shapend with ywis unafremthedly Rights, that among these are Life, Freedom, and the followth of Happiness.--That to fasten these rights, Leedwards are astelled among Men, nimming their rightful mights from the thaving of the onsteered.--That whenever any Hue of Leedward becomes harmful to these ends, it is the Right of the Folk to awend or fordo it, and astell new Leedward, laying its groundwork on such groundlaws and stighting its mights in such hue, as to them shall seem most yseethedly to ygo their Frithew and Happiness. Glewness, indeed, will stave that Leedwards long aset should not be awended for light and henward Andwork; and thas all acunning hath shewn that mankind are more yhang to thole, while evils are tholendly, than to right themselves by fordoing the hues to which they are ywont. But when a long row of shendings and oththingings, afterfollowing onefoldly the same End swettles a forthsettenness to lessen them under unthewful Neediwold, it is their right, it is their needright, to throw off such Leedward, and to bebear new Wards for their forthward orsorrowness.--Such has been the forbearing tholing of these Landbewnesses; and such is now the needtharveness which ybedes them to awend their former Endbirthnesses of Yreck. The stare of the andward King of Great Bretland is a stare of yloomly wounds and oththingings, all having in forthright end the statheling of an utter Neediwold over these Rikes. To seeth this, let Deedsakes be underworpen to a rightheart world.
Interesting all the same, despite the pernicious conceit.
"When in the Fare of mennishly belimps, it becomes needful for one Leed to formelt the mootly bends which have limpledged them with another, and to nim among the mights of the earth, the sunderly and even standing which the Laws of Ykind and of Ykind's God befeal them, a thewly eighting to the weens of mankind tharf that they should abeed the Andwork which fordrive them to the sundering.
We hold these truths to be selforknew, that all men are shapen alike, that they are bestowed by their Shapend with ywis unafremthedly Rights, that among these are Life, Freedom, and the followth of Happiness.--That to fasten these rights, Leedwards are astelled among Men, nimming their rightful mights from the thaving of the onsteered.--That whenever any Hue of Leedward becomes harmful to these ends, it is the Right of the Folk to awend or fordo it, and astell new Leedward, laying its groundwork on such groundlaws and stighting its mights in such hue, as to them shall seem most yseethedly to ygo their Frithew and Happiness. Glewness, indeed, will stave that Leedwards long aset should not be awended for light and henward Andwork; and thas all acunning hath shewn that mankind are more yhang to thole, while evils are tholendly, than to right themselves by fordoing the hues to which they are ywont. But when a long row of shendings and oththingings, afterfollowing onefoldly the same End swettles a forthsettenness to lessen them under unthewful Neediwold, it is their right, it is their needright, to throw off such Leedward, and to bebear new Wards for their forthward orsorrowness.--Such has been the forbearing tholing of these Landbewnesses; and such is now the needtharveness which ybedes them to awend their former Endbirthnesses of Yreck. The stare of the andward King of Great Bretland is a stare of yloomly wounds and oththingings, all having in forthright end the statheling of an utter Neediwold over these Rikes. To seeth this, let Deedsakes be underworpen to a rightheart world.
- He has called together lawmaking bodies at steads uniwonely, unqueme, and far from the netherlay of their folkly Yshednesses, onefoldly to thy that they be wearied into thwareness with his metings.
- He has hindered the Handling of Fairness, by asaking his Leave to Laws for building Deemhood mights.
- He has set up a manifold of New Works, and sent hither swarms of Sheriffs to bother our folk, and eat out their pith.
Monday, October 10, 2011
In Today's Edition of 'Right Wing Authoritarians are Assholes'
Well, belated by a day or two.
"[W]e have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy," he warned. "I'm taking this seriously in that I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960s when the left-wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy," he said. "We can't allow that to happen.
Rep Peter King: Long Island
Well, the thing about beliefs, Rep. King; they can be rational or irrational, beneficial or harmful, right, wrong, or even evil. But when it comes to opinions and beliefs, there is no standard for 'legitimacy'. They only actually exist or not, and in regards to the Occupy wall Street folks, well they certainly seem to be sincere, which is only for the best, considering that they're right and all.
You, congressman, are one of many people throughout history who indulge in the great authoritarian masturbatory pseudo logic. Start by defining yourself as the walking essence of decency, normality, respectability, declare whatever you tell yourself to stroke your ego and justify your privilege to be universal, indisputable truth, appoint yourself as brave enforcer of these truths you made up for yourself, and than give yourself the right to decide whether or not those who oppose your invented truths are 'legitimate' and worthy of acknowledgment.
It isn't a matter of 'I am right because... and they are wrong because...', but 'I am right because I am I.' And such a mindset can certainly gain a great amount of power when embraced by a majority of the common people, 'we are right because we are we' or, more commonly, a strategically-placed minority of influential people. The thing about it though, it is becoming harder and harder to hold such a mindset without willfully isolating oneself to an extreme degree and believing increasingly fantastic bullshit. We have worldwide media these days. We make routine contact, if you can call it that, with folk from various distant cultures and subcultures, and they tend to be indifferent to our own standards of status and respectability. People like you seem to consider this simple indifference to be a sign of enmity, a mortal threat. But no, it isn't that at all. People of my generation have always taken it for granted that our own goodness wouldn't be assumed out of hand because of how we look, where we're from, whether what we believe is the locally proper norm. I find this invigorating, myself, and I don't claim to be special in this. I would say that it's generally how people of my generation feel. We like scrutiny. We like to be scrutinized by others. we even like the scrutiny of The Other. And if the thought of facing the same yourself does fill you with mortal dread, makes you feel the need to demonize the citizens you have sworn to serve in defense of your imaginary, masturbatory One True Way, simply know that we will still be here after next years election, no matter what happens. We will still be here ten years from now in greater numbers, and in greater numbers still ten years from that, and none of your false bravado or claims to moral arbitration can do a thing to stop that. We exist. You have absolutely no power to 'allow' us to do so or not.
"[W]e have to be careful not to allow this to get any legitimacy," he warned. "I'm taking this seriously in that I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 1960s when the left-wing took to the streets and somehow the media glorified them and it ended up shaping policy," he said. "We can't allow that to happen.
Rep Peter King: Long Island
Well, the thing about beliefs, Rep. King; they can be rational or irrational, beneficial or harmful, right, wrong, or even evil. But when it comes to opinions and beliefs, there is no standard for 'legitimacy'. They only actually exist or not, and in regards to the Occupy wall Street folks, well they certainly seem to be sincere, which is only for the best, considering that they're right and all.
You, congressman, are one of many people throughout history who indulge in the great authoritarian masturbatory pseudo logic. Start by defining yourself as the walking essence of decency, normality, respectability, declare whatever you tell yourself to stroke your ego and justify your privilege to be universal, indisputable truth, appoint yourself as brave enforcer of these truths you made up for yourself, and than give yourself the right to decide whether or not those who oppose your invented truths are 'legitimate' and worthy of acknowledgment.
It isn't a matter of 'I am right because... and they are wrong because...', but 'I am right because I am I.' And such a mindset can certainly gain a great amount of power when embraced by a majority of the common people, 'we are right because we are we' or, more commonly, a strategically-placed minority of influential people. The thing about it though, it is becoming harder and harder to hold such a mindset without willfully isolating oneself to an extreme degree and believing increasingly fantastic bullshit. We have worldwide media these days. We make routine contact, if you can call it that, with folk from various distant cultures and subcultures, and they tend to be indifferent to our own standards of status and respectability. People like you seem to consider this simple indifference to be a sign of enmity, a mortal threat. But no, it isn't that at all. People of my generation have always taken it for granted that our own goodness wouldn't be assumed out of hand because of how we look, where we're from, whether what we believe is the locally proper norm. I find this invigorating, myself, and I don't claim to be special in this. I would say that it's generally how people of my generation feel. We like scrutiny. We like to be scrutinized by others. we even like the scrutiny of The Other. And if the thought of facing the same yourself does fill you with mortal dread, makes you feel the need to demonize the citizens you have sworn to serve in defense of your imaginary, masturbatory One True Way, simply know that we will still be here after next years election, no matter what happens. We will still be here ten years from now in greater numbers, and in greater numbers still ten years from that, and none of your false bravado or claims to moral arbitration can do a thing to stop that. We exist. You have absolutely no power to 'allow' us to do so or not.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
CFB top Ten
Everyone from last week won.
Great night for Nebraska last night. Still the specter of Denard Robinson in Ann Arbor remains a serious problem. It would be better if we could find a more standard way of handling a leggy qb beyond just hoping we can take him out.
Great night for Nebraska last night. Still the specter of Denard Robinson in Ann Arbor remains a serious problem. It would be better if we could find a more standard way of handling a leggy qb beyond just hoping we can take him out.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Thoughts on Secret song Meanings
http://www.cracked.com/article_19454_5-famous-hidden-song-meanings-that-are-total-b.s..html
There was a period in my adolescence when me and my friends were preoccupied about the deep secret meanings of our favorite rock songs. Trends from previous generations tend to hang in the air out in the sticks. Also we were constantly high.
I think the much-derided overanalysis of popular rock songs from in the sixties and seventies (As well as insistence upon the 'revolutionary' aspects of fucking your best friends girlfriend or shooting heroin) in the sixties just goes to show that the counterculture was really just a part of the greater Anglo-Saxon, post- Puritan American mainstream culture; nagged by the same hangup of everything, fun not excepted, needing to have some greater moral and philosophical purpose. Bob Dylan, among others, is famous for recognizing this conceit for what it is/was and having a great deal of trickster fun with it, and that's especially funny in light of the campaign to reward him the Noble Prize for literature. Which, having said that, isn't to say that he doesn't deserve it. I mean, come on, you know you can't fuck with this...
There was a period in my adolescence when me and my friends were preoccupied about the deep secret meanings of our favorite rock songs. Trends from previous generations tend to hang in the air out in the sticks. Also we were constantly high.
I think the much-derided overanalysis of popular rock songs from in the sixties and seventies (As well as insistence upon the 'revolutionary' aspects of fucking your best friends girlfriend or shooting heroin) in the sixties just goes to show that the counterculture was really just a part of the greater Anglo-Saxon, post- Puritan American mainstream culture; nagged by the same hangup of everything, fun not excepted, needing to have some greater moral and philosophical purpose. Bob Dylan, among others, is famous for recognizing this conceit for what it is/was and having a great deal of trickster fun with it, and that's especially funny in light of the campaign to reward him the Noble Prize for literature. Which, having said that, isn't to say that he doesn't deserve it. I mean, come on, you know you can't fuck with this...
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