winsor

I have yet to come across one shred of evidence to support your standpoint. CRT uses race the way a drunk uses a lamppost - for support rather than illumination.

C 2/509, Lee Barracks here. I was appalled when they reflagged 1st Batt. to a 32x (Glider) designation. Glider borne troops could be routinely assigned, but Airborne is 100% volunteer, and only 37 out of our original 110 got wings. I've served under NCOs and Officers of random ethnicities, and Blacks were out of proportion to their demographics. 1st Batt. CO and 8th Division Commander were Black. If anyone had a problem with an Officer or NCO, it was because of their personal skills and misdemeanor. Some of the finest Officers and NCOs I have known were Black, some were Chicano, some were Anglo, some were Navajo... you get the drift. When one of our unit got kicked out of a bar in Idar Oberstein, the place was trashed by whoever was there when he got back. It didn't matter what his race was, he was one of US! My only criterion in my estimation of a Combat Leader was if I'd follow him out the door of a C-130 in pitch darkness while carrying my weight in weapons and gear. Whether the answer was yes or no, I don't give a damn what he looks like. Jim Webb was asked what he thought of women in combat. He replied that he was fine with it when he was in the Academy, but after he spent much time slogging around Southeast Asia it came to his attention that the Corps was changing its PT standards, reducing the number of pull ups so that women could qualify. He noted that it was all well and good to train by touch football rules, but if you're going up against the Green Bay Packers, that wasn't a good idea. I know it sounds harsh to say to people whose forbears had a rough time of it should suck it up and get over it, but I've known enough people who lost EVERYTHING and got on with their lives successfully. Some of them had numbers tattooed on their arms and whatnot. Where I work we hire whoever is the most qualified. Period. Whether someone looks like a Ford Model or a Packer's linebacker, they are likely there because of their PhD dissertation and unique skill set. If we started hiring people for reasons other than their being reliable and professional, there would be a great deal of uproar from all quarters. If your forebears had a hard time of it, you're in good company. Either way, if you choose to be part of the team, you are an asset and will be treated as such. Any ideology that is based on racism, whether 'good' or 'bad' racism, is an abomination. BSBD, Winsor

Let me walk you through it. Just because CRT chooses to view race as a prime mover for everything does not give them a copyright on anything that deals with race, however tangentially. Thus, your reference to "CRT issues" displays a serious comprehension deficit. Typical of religious fervor, I suppose.

An interesting article suggests we are not the first to go down this path: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/lessons-in-the-decline-of-democracy-from-the-ruined-roman-republic?utm_source=pocket-newtab Of course, This Time It's Different (tm). BSBD, Winsor

Agreed, but when all is said and done the only businesses that endure are the ones that pay attention to the bottom line. In Watts, Newark, Ferguson, and Baltimore, businesses that were put out of business by forces beyond their control are still out of business. Businesses that stayed clear of neighborhoods with severe social and economic issues fared better. I gather in San Francisco 'shrinkage' is such an overwhelming problem that turning a profit is problematic. Nobody that wants to stay in business is going to open a retail establishment where paying for goods is optional, and those who are there may well pull up stakes. BSBD, Winsor

John Oliver does a good job, but allow me to stress that he is an entertainer/comedian. A good comedian is typically very bright, and their humor is based in truth. Much of what Oliver presents is spot on, and the discrimination he describes is routinely horrific. One flaw is that, while the problems are quite real, quite what constitutes a 'solution' is debatable. History is rife with injustice. If ever you find you are being screwed, you are in good company. I have known rather a few people who came here with nothing, and wound up being very successful despite being anything but European-looking and having rather a few obstacles as a result. One of the paradoxes of segregation is much of it is voluntary. According to an article I read some time back (it was not on the internet, so it isn't necessarily true), a study found that Blacks moving to a city would preferentially move to Black neighborhoods, even if they paid more for less in housing, were more likely to be victims of crime, and had worse schools. I have found that societal norms vary greatly from culture to culture. Ukrainians are not interchangeable with Russians, Japanese are not interchangeable with Laotians, Kikuyu are not interchangeable with Yoruba and so forth. Having been a token non-Sicilian, I got a fly on the wall perspective of a world with which I was otherwise unfamiliar. Back to housing discrimination. Bankers and real estate agents are in business to make money. If they make more money in the long run by doing business with one group than another, they are likely to do so. If WASPs work out to be money in the bank and Blacks are more trouble than they're worth because of issues beyond their control, they'll stick to WASPS. The prospect of having a thriving community go the way of Baltimore or Detroit is a tough sell, regardless of the details. In some instances people who bucked the system and invested in Black communities lost everything, so you don't hear about them. Even if you want to invest in, say, Ferguson, MO, you couldn't afford the insurance. The vast majority of what John Oliver has to say is completely true. However, the problems are complex and ill suited to simplistic 'solutions.' BSBD, Winsor

Oh, I don't know. I made a reference to 'conservative' in a fiscal sense and got reflexive snark about Republicans and Trump. If you actually have something of value to add, great! BSBD, Winsor

Okay, we get it: Republicans are poopyheads, Orange man bad. There is a difference between fiscal conservatives and Republicans/Trump supporters. I know we keep getting back to dueling definitions, but the 'conservatives' to which I refer are the fiscal variety, who may well be social liberals. I suspect Libertarian is closer to the mark, though there is effectively zero chance that a Libertarian Party candidate has a shot in any national election. If you have a viable plan as to how to deflate the 'everything bubble' before it produces catastrophic results, great. I suspect we are well beyond critical mass. BSBD, Winsor

The 'conservative' press is one thing, but many people you deem 'conservatives' have been appalled at our rate of overspending since Reagan. During the '60s and '70s our deficits were to some extent cancelled out by inflation. You spend more than you make, but can pay it back with cheaper dollars. Unfortunately, Reagan didn't understand this debtor's dynamic, and figured it was just fine to both increase the debt and suppress inflation. As Rocky told Bullwinkle, "that trick never works!" If our elected representatives were to stand pointing at each other, screaming "everyone on the opposition is a sleazy asshole!" My response would be "relax, you're both right!" Why you seem to think there is the slightest bit of difference in integrity (or lack thereof) between the parties is beyond me. The people running for office who understand Math, History and Physics and speak the truth are easily identified - they're the ones who get trounced. The electorate seems to go to the polls listening to Johnny Lang's 'Lie to Me.' Nobody wants to hear nasty realities, even when they're sugar coated. Humorists often have a good handle on reality, to wit: “When trouble arises and things look bad, there is always one individual who perceives a solution and is willing to take command. Very often, that individual is crazy. ” ― Dave Barry I give you our last president as an example. I still feel nauseated when he pops up in the news cycle, though I rate his 2016 opponent as worse overall. As an aside, I wish he had been banished from the public sphere, since we have bigger issues to address than that petulant blowhard. Back to the debt. Someone said that we were spending money like a drunken sailor. My response was that this notion was an insult to drunken sailors everywhere - when drunken sailors run out of money, they stop spending. We're a bit more like someone with infinite markers at the roulette wheel. At the end of the night, the balance is not just a lot to repay but more than our gambler will ever be worth. We have gotten away with it for as long as we have because we're 'too big to fail,' and print the world's reserve currency. That's all well and good, but when this bubble pops, it will be, let us say, 'interesting.' BSBD, Winsor

For the same reason that one espousing Phlogiston Theory is hardly a Thermodynamicist. I'm impressed by your inability to distinguish between the study of history that considers race as a factor and the study of race as the prime mover of history. Race and climate change are significant factors in the environment in which we live, but are ill suited to form the basis of respective religious movements. Then again, when you consider quite how stupid religions are by their very nature, I suppose these are as good as any. BSBD, Winsor

That's precisely what I was referencing. You have Black mayors who do an absolutely great job, others not so much. Same thing goes for any ethnicity, now that I think of it. Two examples that came to mind were Tulsa (what came after the 1919 era is another issue, and absolutely ghastly) and Detroit. In my neighborhood, the standards are pretty much the same for any of the homeowners. They want a great education for their kids, great public servants (most assuredly including Police), and a strong community. Given the parents I know from school and Scouting, it really does not seem to matter what continent or culture they come from. They're all Really Well Educated and Successful As Hell. If a cop pulls over a Black guy around here, the dialogue is mostly "excuse me Doctor, but your taillight is out. The Mercedes dealership is open for another hour. How's your son?" "Thanks, Officer, he's doing great. Say hi to the Chief." So what if I'm spoiled? So is everyone around here, and it's a good thing. By and large nobody cares about race per se, which is the way I like it. I am serious that I hope St. Louis becomes a great success. I have yet to see perseverating on race being a part of such a success. BSBD, Winsor

Too many of the people referred to as 'taxpayers' in the above treatment pay next to no taxes. Looking up the statistics, well less than 100 million taxpayers pay nearly 100% of payroll and personal taxes, so I figured they'd be good for paying off the debt the Government has racked up. If you tax businesses enough, they go elsewhere or go under. It happens routinely. My basic points are twofold: 1) There is nobody suggesting how the Government can live within its means. and 2) There is nobody suggesting a viable way for the existing debt to be paid off. Whenever I see a circumstance that has led to disaster each and every time it has been tried, and people try to explain to me how 'this time it's different,' I don't buy it. If you want to quibble over the details, leave that for the autopsy. BSBD, Winsor

I am sure this lady will effect change in St. Louis: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-first-black-woman-to-run-st-louis-is-shaking-up-the-city-with-a-war-on-normal/ar-AAMKmaB If the result of her leadership works out to be on a par with Tulsa circa 1919 (leave out the massacre), great. If it works out like Detroit, not so good. I listened to an interview on NPR a day or two ago, and someone who grew up in Detroit recalled how there was a serious racial divide in income and quality of life in general, which we'll agree is a bad thing. A Black mayor was elected, and the general consensus among the Black community was 'yay! Now we'll have equality!' The administration set about the disenfranchisement of White residents who then left, taking with them the tax base. Without the tax base came equality - EVERYBODY did very badly, much, much worse than before the new mayor decided to 'fix' things. Thus, I certainly hope the new mayor of St. Louis comes through, makes St. Louis an economic powerhouse and revitalizes the North side, and people there stop shooting each other. If she pulls it off, I will applaud her achievement. BSBD, Winsor

I am familiar with the definition. If you have a valid point, by all means submit it. If I am not swayed by nonsense, I suppose that makes me 'narrow minded' as far as you can tell.

That’s likely “closed.” Your argument is about as compelling as any I am given to reject out of hand. That makes ME closed minded? If you say so…

And the data to support that conclusion are?

Many moons back I was told that if I did not put on a seat belt when in the front seat of a car, German law deemed the driver uninsured - regardless of who was otherwise at fault. People wore seat belts. I like the idea of being uninsured if you don't wear a helmet on a motorcycle as well. You get cut off by someone blowing a stop sign and you're not wearing a helmet? You're on your own.

The "simply devalue the debt" part is problematic. Let's say the U.S. followed the lead of other enlightened countries and devalued the currency by 90%. That would reduce the debt load on each taxpayer to $30,000 and their monthly payment to $120.50 (with the Government forbidden to borrow ANYTHING). Great solution, right? One minor side effect is that anyone in another country in their right mind will be unlikely to do business in US dollars, so buying things from overseas might become a bit problematic. Okay, so we effectively close our borders, economically speaking. We will then have to make do with our production of energy, clothing, food, whatever we get at WalMart and so forth. A minor problem is that we import the vast majority of our consumer goods as well as industrial equipment, car parts and so forth. Since we make the Weimar Republic circa 1922 look like a picture of financial responsibility, I do not have a high degree of confidence that this will turn out well. I could be wrong, but I'm not. BSBD, Winsor

I occasionally hear someone say 'the debt doesn't matter' and then attempt to support that hypothesis. A quick look at the numbers belies that contention. For the U.S. of A. we can figure roughly 100,000,000 people who actually pay taxes, when corrected for children, the elderly and people below the taxable threshold. Divide a Trillion into 100 Million and you get 10 Thousand, so every Trillion of debt is 10 grand on every taxpayer's tab. $30 Trillion is thus $300,000 per taxpayer. At current mortgage rates, the monthly payment for a 30 year $300 grand note is $1,205. The bottom line is that, if the Government magically stops spending a nickel more than they bring in (quit borrowing) right now, and EVERY taxpayer pays an additional $1,205 a month to pay off our existing debt, by the year 2051 we will be either broke or hand to mouth, depending on how you look at it. If I was a bookie, I'd take a million to one odds against that happening, all day long. The bottom line is that we're screwed. I wish I was wrong. BSBD, Winsor

I'm not holding my breath waiting for for 'an intelligent conversation.' Marxism is on a par with Scientology in its ability to withstand close scrutiny. In order to adopt either, one must tap in to their inner moron. It rather goes beyond simple 'suspension of disbelief.' BSBD, Winsor

Nope, I merely call bullshit where it seems appropriate. CRT pins the meter, as does pretty much anything "woke." People are free to be stupid, and some cling more tightly to that right than others. Social Justice Warriors are among them. Your assessment of the Marxist nonsense that is CRT as "tools we use to determine whether or not those equal rights actually exist" does not reflect a dispassionate thought process. BSBD, Winsor

Not familiar with this website: https://freebeacon.com/culture/why-private-schools-have-gone-woke/ but their thesis fits with what is happening at exclusive private education around here. As to why, Deep Throat's admonition to follow the money seems apt. "Do this or we put you out of business." Argumentum ad Baculum (appeal to force) is one of my least favorite fallacies, though it is certainly popular. 'Agree with us or we will kill you" has garnered rather a few converts over the millennia, so who can argue with success? BSBD, Winsor

If there was any chance something worthwhile would come of this whole thing - Trump being barred from any future association with the Government for example - I'd be all for it. Unfortunately, the single saving grace of the whole think is that it keeps our legislators busy enough that they are not otherwise causing damage. BSBD, Winsor

My standpoint across the board is equal rights and equal responsibilities, no more and no less. If Harvard it thus filled solely with students of Bulganistani heritage because nobody can touch their test scores and work ethic, so be it. It's an overrated Divinity School as it is. BSBD, Winsor

I am wholly in agreement that you can't have it both ways. That is rather my point. The old 'From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs!' works, after a fashion, in a closed system such as a Shtetl. In an open system, not so much. If the CRT advocates want to cough up to address the damage that has resulted from many decades of catastrophic policies (all implemented with the best of intentions), good for them. In the Pharmaceutical industry you have companies that screw the pooch royally, and come under a Consent Decree. One marvelous feature of the Consent Decree is that the people tasked to resolve the problems are the very people who caused them in the first place. It does not usually end well. Expecting 'the Government' to fix the things that went to hell on their watch makes every bit as much sense. The problems blacks and Latinos have has close to nothing to do with the fact that they are black or Latino per se, but a lot to do with policies that have been implement over the years to 'help' them. If you ask whether I approve of doing the same thing and expecting different results, my answer is no. If you ask if I want to pay for it, my answer is HELL NO! BSBD, Winsor