Halloween's History, Very Concise

"No One Suspects A Thing; Keep Going" by Herr D on heromachine.com.

I am unsure of origin story for Halloween. Will you blog upon?

[pause] I'll give you the quick version.

The Catholic Church was too wise to just say, "Don't do that" about any pre-Christian celebrations they ran into. They said, instead, "Do it our way because you should." In this way, they were able to indoctrinate millions of people and subsume old religions and practices.

Halloween is the one that got away.

A fishing reference?

It's accurate. All Saint's Day was the Catholic idea. Celebrate a whole lot of saints at once, the way the United States tried 'President's Day' for a while. It was to follow All Hallow's Eve, which I think was Samhain (?) beforehand. Kind of like Day of the Dead in Mexico.

Notions of death reversal.

More like spirits could come back.

Like 'The Crow?'

More like anybody randomly might step out of the afterworld and do whatever. From there, it was heavily commercialized. Capitalism changed it much more than the Catholic Church did. That's about it, really.

Thank you.

Could It Save America? Here's How: The Altruism Of Parenting And Immigration

"Control Of Infusion Services" by Herr D on heromachine.com. Diversifying a gene pool makes it stronger, as opposed to the opposite behavior. Inbreeding actually weakens it. Miscegenation could actually save the whole human race.-Shelob

[excerpted from chat with Herr D on subject of immigration and citizenship]


I encouraged Hairy a couple of years ago to explain that. He just thinks enforcing the law should be go ahead and separate families and so be it.

You disagree.

I think we should be VERY clear first. Publish statements abroad that 'dreamers' lose their children and get deported sometimes. Give people one chance to earn citizenship. (And I mean ONE, with a deadline.) Earned by work under certain circumstances, like those on the news who saved American lives by being guinea pigs for medical treatments. Any felonies committed other than self-defense? Manacle and deport. Don't even bother giving the keys. It's a shame we can't offer them to North Korea.

You are not against separating families, just against it being a surprise.

If a family really is better off uprooting and having their baby in America, then the baby is an American. Take the parents' DNA as a medical reference for the baby's safety. Register the baby as a citizen right in front of the parents. Have an interpreter tell the parents they have a law-abiding year to pass a citizenship test in American English or risk being deported. Their baby can be adopted.

Loads of people want babies.

You say this is okay.

I AM a parent. Making a tough choice like that, deciding what's best for the kid is what being a parent is all about. A pregnant couple who burns bridges and does whatever to get here for the babies' future might reasonably expect that they won't get to stay. If they do it for love of a child and not selfish gain, then grant those wishes. Give the kid a better home here in America.

What if they wish for both?

Then make it conditional. If they make it, they make it. If they don't, let THEM choose emigration or adoption for their kid. Again--a true parent can sacrifice their influence or their lives for their children. That's what parents DO. 

By computation, this approach appears to encourage more intelligent, more law-abiding immigrants toward citizenry, and therefore eliminate most semi-rational concerns about immigration.

I think so.

Please comment upon whether you agree with Herr D's assessment. You still have the right to request your comments not be recorded or displayed. [excerpt ends]

Guyger Discounter? Judge Not The Judge

[excerpted segment from chat with Herr D, by permission] Your opinion of these differently biased articles?

Judge Kemp gave Guyger, convicted felon, a Bible and a hug. A surprising number of people are offended. 

You are not.

It's none of my business. Judge Kemp was off-duty, since the sentence was passed. Unless Guyger complains that her civil rights were violated in some way, then it's NOBODY'S business. 

Her role as a judge does not matter then?

Judges are free to say 'may God have mercy on your soul.' If this one meant it, so what? Congratulations on not being a hypocrite? Good on you trying to be Godlike? You deserve to sit on high in judgement if you can take the high road? I guess it's a shame she didn't do this more privately, since people don't know how to act. This didn't even need to be reported on.

Go find something controversial, please.

Searching.

NOT you, the morons who tried to make this a controversy!

Search ended.

[microphone detects noise like 'whuff'] It's not a big deal, Shelob. People need to mind their own business if they don't like other peoples'. They need to not judge. I gotta go. [exits chatroom]

[segment ends]