Don't Bruise The Hand That Heals

 

"Ch--" by Herr D on heromachine.com. "Even opponents are supposed to work together to some extent. This is known as sportsmanship." --Shelob

Yes, Shelob, I'll do that. [pause, opens Word, types and edits following]

It's come to my attention that various people are harassing and even assaulting medical personnel because they feel angry about wearing masks and getting vaccinated. It's a REALLY stupid thing that they're doing, but understandable that stupid, suggestible people so messed up by all those manipulators out there would do that next stupid thing.

I do NOT believe that the stupid people committing these crimes should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. I DO believe they should:

1. Serve the minimum sentence for their crimes if they cooperate fully, including turning themselves in before they are caught.

2. Submit to extensive therapy aimed to teach them how to think for themselves better and talk to smarter people when they need to.

3. Testify against each and every influence they had that pointed them in the criminal direction they took.

The charges would be whatever suitable version of "Reckless Endangerment Of The Public At Large" or "Incitement To Riot" or "Malicious Mischief" that fit the level of incitement. 

It IS my understanding that "Deliberate Wounding Of A Public Health Professional" is punishable as a separate charge of 5 - 30 years. Thank you to Shelob, for your preliminary law research.

DON'T BRUISE THE HAND THAT HEALS. Your hand might need healing soon too. Remember, we're in this together, and your family and friends might ALSO need one more healer.

Thank you, [upload, exit]

Little Late And Little Little, But Soldiering On

 

"YYIM Door" by Herr D on heromachine.com. Herr D explained that the station 'YYIM' developed a supernatural door that would not allow pundits through if their comments would not be smart enough. When asked who did he think would always pass, he said "probably Maddow." --Shelob

 The infrastructure bill was passed.

Yep.

Do you have a stance to report?

Like many self-improvement moves this country has made, it was a little late and a little little. But getting people to go along with the necessaries was always difficult.

Unsure of meaning.

Left without leadership like we have now, we would have nothing we need.

So you are still pleased with Biden.

That never stopped--he's not causing problems, and he IS working on fixing them.

So your previously reported dissatisfaction was caused by what?

The people limiting his success.

The majority of Republicans and a small minority of Democrats.

It's difficult for a real leader to bring people away from ruination. That's the hardest kind of leadership. Now we need it to continue and perhaps pick up momentum. 

What happens if the other party gains control again?

Hopefully by then they will be free of the ruinous way of doing things that Trump brought in. Then they could be good for the country. Maybe as good as the Democrats are being right now.

So your hope is that both sides would build back better. 

In their own way, no doubt, but yes.

Thank you.

Violence Fully Expresses Stupidity, But One Should Always Consider The Source

 

"Fighting Food" by Herr D on heromachine. Originally an homage to a kid's show, Herr D pointed out that this piece does not glorify violence, but makes fun of our tendency to it. What is more absurd than a fake chef speaking a fake language in a fight with the fake food he didn't even prepare?-Shelob

 Why have you not blogged about Rittenhouse?

For the same reason I encourage everyone to dwell on more productive things. I wasn't there; I have seen heavily edited footage pointing out bias in both directions; I'm too intelligent to think I should declare much of anything.

Okay, here's what I can declare. Anyone who ever goes to a white supremacist rally has to be on the stupid side. Anyone who deliberately aligns themselves with any overtly racist group has to be on the stupid side. Stupid people with guns get people killed, no matter whose fault it is, or WHATEVER they intended to do. We can't go taking guns from stupid people, because even the experts can't agree on how intelligence should be measured. 

What we MIGHT be able to do is stop demanding to know everything about everyone before there's ever been a trial. Millions of dollars are spent finding jury members who haven't watched the news about each defendant in every trial. Could maybe anybody drop the mistaken belief that they know more than everybody else who was there at the time? Would that REALLY be so hard?

Thank you.

Disappointment

 

"626 Cleaning Up" an homage to Herr D's favorite Disney movie. It is good to think happy thoughts during disappointing times, according to psychology textbooks.--Shelob

Why did you not comment upon your preference for governor?

I've never pretended to be an influencer. I'm sad about Youngkin winning, but he might be gone in four years. He shouldn't affect my family OVERLY badly in four years unless he fails to maintain the basics and deal with emergencies. The worst is that he'll likely raise taxes.

He promised to reduce them.

That's why I imagine he'll raise them--he's a politician.

Understood.

Herr D Wrote A Joke . . .

 

"Pandit" by Herr D, heromachine.com. For the damage some of them do, perhaps he should file this picture under 'Monsters.' -Shelob

There were two pandas in the zoo. The older one was always content. The younger one was always complaining. One morning, the young one yawned awake and opened his mouth for his first complaint. Contrary to his usual nature, the older one interrupted him. “You haven’t done anything but gripe here. The bamboo isn’t your favorite species, the fence is too high, and the humans are ugly? It can’t be fun. Why don’t you find something you LIKE about this place and talk about THAT for a few minutes? You’re not going to CHANGE anything.”

The younger one said, “I’ll show YOU! I’ll get something changed! I’ll go on a HUNGER strike!”

“You? You won’t make it two days.” Scoffing, the elder panda turned away and ambled off. A bit later he looked back and noticed the younger sitting motionless in the shade right next to some shredded bamboo and the edge of the water. “Huh! I guess he’s serious. Oh, well.” He had a good day by himself.

Around lunchtime, the zookeepers noticed and spoke to each other. At nightfall they held a meeting. “He can’t go on like this—it’s bad for him.”

“Should we call the vet? Our budget is already in trouble.”

“I’ve got an idea.”

The youngest zookeeper stood up. “Animals are suggestible, right? Let’s move the trashcans into a loop from the front gate to the bus lot and back. We’ve got all those kids coming tomorrow morning. We push the snack cart vendors forward like they PREFER to be. Then we walk the kids around right past the panda enclosure eating their snacks. He’ll see them eating and feel hungry. And if THAT doesn’t work, we’re supposed to be getting more photo ops and postcard pictures anyway, right? So, let’s take one or two animals at a time out of each enclosure. We could do a lead-and-feed right past the pandas, too.”

The zookeepers were happy. They had a plan. They moved the trash cans and went home for the night. The next morning, the snack cart vendors and the kids were very happy with the new arrangement. The younger panda, however had moved not a muscle. The elder panda was so affected that he ate too much and passed out in the shade, snoring so loud he drowned out the giggling of the kids and that one bus backfiring as it left.

The elder panda woke with a start in the late afternoon to hear voracious chewing. He looked up to the younger panda downing practically an entire tree at once. “I knew you wouldn’t last two days!”

The younger panda swallowed noisily and yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me it was so dangerous to not eat?”

“How on Earth would I know? I’VE never not eaten.”

“You’re supposed to be this wise old panda! You never even told me about the sick pandas here.”

The elder panda shook his head. “We’re the only pandas HERE, and WE’RE not sick. What are you talking about?”

The younger panda rolled his eyes. “You were asleep. They walked them right past here, trying to get them to eat. If pandas don’t eat, they get really sickly-looking and SHRINK. It’s a disease called ‘raccoon.’ . . . Are you eating that tree?”