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 21, 2016 - 10:34 a.m.

Wake Up You Sleepy Head

Something momentous happened yesterday; I stayed awake from 6 PM to 1 AM. That's the best stretch I've had since I started on the Hydroxyzine HCL. Of course now that I took my morning dose I'm falling asleep. Still it was nice to be able to stay awake last evening. I still stayed on the Island. I made it as far as getting ice cream and the supermarket but that's it. The ice cream was disappointing as for the second time in a row Lickity Split didn't have the flavor that makes them special, Bittersweet Symphony. It's a mixture of coffee and dark chocolate that is heavenly. I hope they are just out and it hasn't been discontinued.

I used those waking hours to watch the Olympics and the Sarah Jane Adventures. I'm up to the fifth and final season. It did a classic shark jumping maneuver, adding a new young character, Star. The original premise of the show was that Sarah adopted Luke a teen boy created by aliens to conquer the earth. He left the series to go to University. Star is a 12-year-old girl created by aliens to fight a war with metal people. Luke didn't have a belly button; I wonder if Star does?

As I have not had the energy to do anything I've been experiencing the world through the Internet, especially Facebook. When I do that I'm always struck by two things. The first is how wonderful and interesting my friends are. They do fascinating things and have unusual thoughts and create original art.

The other thing I notice is how people have totally different standards of judging reality and arguing from me. This one I find disturbing. One common experience is I'll see someone post A is bad because of B. I'll point out that B is false. The response is not "I'm sorry I should have checked my facts" or "thank you for enlightening me." Those are my reactions when that happens. But the most common response is, "But A is still bad." I might very well agree but they are missing that's not my point. They don't see that you can't just make things up to support your positions. If you follow me here and on Facebook, you'll see that I'll often criticize people who take positions I agree with for sloppy thinking. You can argue any position if you don't care about the truth. It's much harder to defend things that are false if you do.

Some people don't feel the need to justify their claims at all. My friends for the most part can see this when Trump does it but they don't see that they do the same things and so set the bar lower. I hate mentioning specifics as I don't want to call out individuals but sometimes I need to illustrate a point. If you are the one that posted this, it doesn't mean I think you're stupid. I think you are wrong in this instance. A friend, someone I like and respect, said that we would have a cure for cancer if doctors, hospitals, and drug companies weren't making so much money off treating it. There was no evidence given. It isn't even worth refuting, there are so many grounds that I wouldn't know where to start. I'll give one. It isn't how research works. Scientists can't discover things on demand. Research is difficult and unpredictable.

It is a demonstration of a common theme in conspiracy theories; "They" have unlimited power so anything that happens is because it's what they want to happen. The other aspect of it is that "They" have no morals. There is no limit to how many people they will hurt or kill to achieve their goals. So you get that AIDS was deliberately created, the US government blew up the World Trade Center, etc. These people are most powerful among people that are lack power. They feel that others must be the exact opposite. "They" are so powerful they can do anything. If "We" suffer misfortune it is the deliberate plan of "Them."

I took my meds this morning and I'm feeling tired. Despite this I'm going to make the trek to Brooklyn for Katherine and Deb's birthday party. I might end up spending my time napping on my blanket. I might fall asleep on the train and find myself at Coney Island. I might be Charlie on the MTA and never return. I'm hoping the stimulation of being around people will keep me awake. When I'm done I need enough strength left to buy coffee and eggs at Trader Joe's. Wish me luck. If I succeed I might be able to write longer editions of Wise Madness again. I am feeling more awake than in recent days.


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 21, 2016
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