I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.
Edgar Allen Poe

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
- H. L. Mencken

Many people would sooner die than think; In fact, they do so
-Bertrand Russell

What I have been telling you, from alpha to omega, what is the one great thing the sigil taught me — that everything in life is miraculous. For the sigil taught me that it rests within the power of each of us to awaken at will from a dragging nightmare of life made up of unimportant tasks and tedious useless little habits, to see life as it really is, and to rejoice in its exquisite wonderfulness. If the sigil were proved to be the top of a tomato-can, it would not alter that big fact, nor my fixed faith. No Harrowby, the common names we call things by do not matter — except to show how very dull we are ...
-James Branch Cabell

August 27, 2014 - 11:26 a.m.

Open the Window

My life is still not going the way I want but it still goes on. Funny how that works. OK I can complain how I can't get myself under control or I can write a blog. I think I'll go for the latter. That's part of my lie that is under control. I can always get myself to write. I wonder if I could get myself to not write. It's very much become part of who I am.

I finally remembered to pick up my suit from the cleaners yesterday. It was ready a week and a half ago. I brought in the entire outfit I wore to the wedding and more germane to it needing cleaning, the Budgiedome. I want some feedback. should I wear the suit next year on Saturday night or not? Is it a tradition or a one off? For those of you that missed it here's what I looked like

I used to wear the suit once a year to the WfUV parties but now they are out on the grass so that might not be wise. Somebody else get married in the summer and invite me so I can wear it.

I went shopping with Heather the other day and left my Irish butter in her fridge. Yesterday I went to get it and I met her new housemates, Martin and Natalie. There from Germany. I went through the entire The Germans episode of Fawlty Towers in my head. It is not easy being me. We showed them round the neighborhood which meant walking to the East River at the Williamsburg Bridge then up Kent Street. We got ice cream at OddFellows. Not sure if written as one word or two. I think of it as Odd-Fish


Then we walked over to a pier a few blocks away to see the City.

Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to The City. It does a very good job of being The City.

When he was running Obama spoke of being transformative president and gave Ronald Reagan as an example. Many liberals were taken aback by that but Reagan is a good example, the best since FDR. I don't like the way that Reagan transformed the country but he did. What I'm taken about by his how Obama then proceeded to do none of the things that Reagan did to make the transformations. What Reagan did was move the Overton Window. He changed what was considered reasonable. He made bashing the poor acceptable. He speaking well of the government unacceptable. It became a given that government was bad. He made "liberal" a dirty word.

Obama made a great keynote speech in 2004 that promised someone who would make being liberal acceptable but then he ran away from that. He's getting better now.

When I discuss politics I find that what I'm often trying to do is move the Overton Window. I don't try and fire up the base, I don't try and convince the undecideds, I try and change what is acceptable and what isn't I read this article today in the times, Obama Pursuing Climate Accord in Lieu of Treaty. There is a scientific consensus on climate change. We should no more be arguing that than if it gets colder in winter than summer. We need to make it politically unviable to be a denier. So when I write about it I will paint those who deny as ridiculous, not evil. They are not people to be taken seriously.

Sort of a strange place for me to go today but that's where I went. Today I'm going to do things I can write about tomorrow. That will be a pleasant change. Now I'm off to make breakfast. Today's menu is eggs, ham, and cheese on a challah role.


I signed the Pro-Truth Pledge:
please hold me accountable.





Memories: Not that Horrid Song - May 29, 2018
Wise Madness is Now In Session - May 28, 2018
The NFL and the First Amendment - May 27, 2018
On The Road Again - May 26, 2018
Oliver the Three-Eyed Crow - May 25, 2018



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Horvendile August 27, 2014
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