'Pro-Life' COSTS Lives, "Churches Need To Save Souls, Not Run Societies" Says Herr D

 

"Black Bishop" by Herr D from "Aqua Chess Set" on heromachine.com. Sacrificing this freedom, according to some, is 'summoning more abominations in a Black Mass.' -Shelob

Are you pro-life or pro-choice?

Neither. Explain?

I’m mostly against abortion as birth control, but in cases of incest and most rapes, it’s probably the best idea. In cases of danger to the mother, including danger to her remaining reproductive years, it should be up to her. In the case of horrible known or extremely likely birth defects, it’s an understandable first choice. I’d never LIKE wanting one, kind of like I’d never WANT to need a bodyguard or an emergency vehicle or a hospital. It’s a decision that should never be made lightly any more than it should be made unilaterally. [plays clip of Biden speaking about Roe vs. Wade] This is a big decision.

Anything to do with abortion is a big decision. Abortion ITSELF is a big decision. There’s no GOOD decision when there’s an unwanted pregnancy. There’s only the best choice of bad ones. I heard some interesting comments on it at work. Please share.

The one I remember best was: How many fingernails DOES it take to get to the center of a Supreme Court justice? Do you have any words of wisdom for those involved in making the legal decisions?

I tried standup comedy once, and someone in one crowd hollered out that “abortions should be illegal.” As the booing they got began to die down, I called out, “Now, hold on! People who want abortions to be illegal will have their day in court, and I think that day should be the day after we manage to stop all child abuse and rape.” Best applause I ever got. Within the same year, Robin Williams famously suggested giving every pro-life protestor their very own crack baby.

You know who the most famous unwanted child was? Saddam Hussein. A few million people’s lives could have been SAVED if his mother had had access to a free abortion. So, saving lives is NOT REALLY WHAT PRO-LIFE PEOPLE DO. They are pushing for more control over other people.

Most people aren’t smart enough to control THEMSELVES with any grace and so shouldn’t try to control others. Churches need to save souls, not run societies. Do you know any specific cases of injustice?

Quite a few. In the nineties, I worked this one warehouse job where six women employees couldn’t afford physicals. Some of them wanted mammograms, some of them wanted pap schmears, and one of them wanted an ultrasound to check up on the baby she was carrying to term. They agreed to go to Planned Parenthood together, so the people unjustly calling them ‘babykillers’ would upset the pregnant one less. I can’t help but wonder how many protestors caused miscarriages, killing the babies they thought they might save. Let's not even get into collateral damage from abortion clinic bombers.

I think maybe Abbot and Greyhound bus lines should make a class action lawsuit against those who discourage travel. Suing the people who help others buy tickets hurts our economy. Maybe the states being traveled to should sue, too. That’s bound to be EVERY BIT AS LEGAL. People have the right to travel in the United States FOR ANY REASON. Other people have the right to help them. States don’t want to lose money to potential tourists because of stupid people threatening to sue the wrong people. Bus lines and other transportation companies don’t want to lose money because pregnant women are afraid to use their services.

I would suggest that our country is better off with more freedom and privacy and less screaming about controlling the behavior of other people. Save all the souls you can—I hope you save more than you would condemn by trying too hard to control. Shelob, do you know any universal quotes about failing through forcing too much control? Shot at Universal Studios: Princess Leia: The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.

[laughs] Well, okay then. Hopefully SCOTUS acts nothing like the Empire, blowing up Roe vs. Wade like Alderaan. [exits]

 

Alibis -R- Us Would Fill A Need Says Herr D, But Not For Long

 

"The Streets Are ROUGH Man" by Herr D on heromachine. Rolling on is sometimes not possible.-Shelob

Are you happy with the justice served for Thomas James?

What are you talking about? Who? [presents article, various short clips] https://www.gq.com/story/thomas-james-innocent?utm_source=pocket-newtab 

[7.113 minutes pass] Well, no. Why not?

I'm not sure where to begin. There's a lot wrong. The judge pointed out that the family no longer had justice?! The family NEVER had justice. They had the ILLUSION of justice. That's absurd. The man locked up lost 32 YEARS of his life. Where is HIS justice? Why does it take a single popularity contest loss to lose your life behind bars and a near federal case to undo continuing damage? The current system is flawed?

[3.72209 second pause] PEOPLE ARE NOT PERFECT. NO SYSTEM IS PERFECT. THE RESULTS ARE NOT PERFECT. Your logic follows. What should be done?

He has the right to sue, I guess. He won't get his life back. Maybe he has a shoo-in for those businesses he wants to start? I would suggest Alibi's -R- Us. Mandatory fingerprinting at gated communities where likely suspects live. How long before it us corrupted or manipulated by guilty people?

I give it a day. [exits]

160-some Million More Reasons Floridians Shouldn't Vote Republican

 

"Ch-" by Herr D on heromachine. This really has happened to Herr D. Sportsmanship, fair play, and good character go together, but perhaps not in politics.-Shelob

 I get as peeved at Disney as anyone. You gotta wait 7 years to buy a movie if you don't get it the first time. They screw up history. Their anti-scandal contracts are unrealistically Draconian and wind up causing more harm and tabloid drivel than if they'd just not bothered. They overcharge. They're too exclusive. They bought the Muppets and pushed them downhill a little. They donated to Trump's campaign fund.

No one can replace Disney, though. Their imagineering and happy endings are sorely needed in this world. I mean really, Victor Hugo wrote 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame' so depressing, Disney could only have improved it. Hugo had them hang the damn GOAT. Even the GOAT came to a bad end. A little unreality was a big improvement and helped with a central message of tolerance.

Not so with Republicans. The more unrealistic THEY get, the more awful and intolerant everything they're connected to becomes. They shut down Disney's tax bill and added it to the citizens of Florida.

Florida man (and woman) now owe taxes for Disney. Disney WAS  going to pay the bill. Not anymore! Republican governor DeSantis would rather try to control messages Disney puts out than treat his own state well.

Treating people badly is just par for the course for Republicans in charge though. It's what they do. They have brought so much ruin to me and mine and my country that I just don't see how anyone wants them. I'm baffled at the notion that anyone other than those receiving kickbacks, blackmail threats, and / or brainwashing can vote for them. How stupid IS half our nation? Differing opinions exist between experts. The IQ of Americans averages ten points below the worldwide population.

Shelob, that doesn't even sound stupid enough to explain what I'm seeing in the news. [exits]

Blackburn Does Not Burn Brightly, Says Herr D

 

Herr D's "TickTock TickTock TickTock" on heromachine.com. Blackburn has been described by some bloggers as 'cuckoo.' Herr D suggests she is a backward thinker.-Shelob

Can you analyze these statements? In order? Topic identified by titlebot.  [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

I don’t have very long But alright. Blackburn (R. Tenn.} tries to lay common ground, as if she’s going to make Judge Jackson vulnerable by making her think she identifies with her—the ‘R’ by ‘Blackburn’ on everything makes it clear she won’t more than she must.  [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

Then she casually jabs at the judge, pointing out Jackson approved of a ‘progressive’ curriculum. THAT’S NOT THE SAME THING AS A PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL AGENDA. A progressive curriculum is one that educates students with updated science and to their maturing needs.

Then she picks at the difference between pedophilia and child predator. Anyone who studies the matter long enough to talk publicly will learn the difference. We really shouldn’t insult people smart enough to read this blog with an explanation. Blackburn is obviously not qualified to write any legislation on this topic, though she claims she is. Presumably, the predatorial actions cannot be predated. That would be one way a pedophile would not be a child predator.

Yeah, this isn’t ‘Minority Report.’ We have to have a crime committed before we prosecute. Aren’t there a number of Republicans, including senators that ARE sex offenders? Yes. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

Then she tries to say Congress will have her talk about things she’s not allowed to.

Then she picks at the difference between pedophilia and child predator AGAIN. Twice. Two different ways.

Judge Jackson is clearly better at suffering idiocy than I am.

When Blackburn said that the KIDS don’t understand, that is NOT ANYONE’S CONCERN. It was a pointless, stupid thing to say, which is probably why Jackson smiled. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

There was a friendly question where Blackburn essentially asked Jackson a memory question and didn’t even elicit an opinion? Pointless. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

Then Blackburn tries to get her to talk about things she’s not allowed to. Twice. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

Then Blackburn ignores the results of a case, ignores half of what Jackson said in a particular instance and tries to make it sound like she meant the opposite of what she did say by quoting her QUOTING OTHER PEOPLE. Blackburn interrupts her twice, not letting her finish as soon as she begins to explain either time. Blackburn also claims she’ll run out of time and drags out her words to take up the time so Jackson can’t answer. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

On the next question, Jackson restrategizes. She stops thanking Blackburn and simplifies her answer to a straight ‘no’ and expands only to say that she wasn’t talking about the same thing it’s claimed she was talking about. [presents snippet from Blackburn’s questioning of Jackson]

Then Blackburn says she’ll give Jackson a tough one in writing and plays to the camera that [the American people] “expect this of us.’ Blackburn admitted Jackson was gracious and jabs at some word choices while doing some more mild grandstanding.

I wish I could say that Blackburn is less intelligent, less well-spoken, less abrasive, less shallow, less false, and less statesperson-like than most of Congress. I’m afraid it’s the opposite. Subjective ratios preprogrammed correlate with your assessment. Unable to report upon swimming activities.

What? Blackburn’s shallowness cannot be verified. Her state is landlocked. All other assessments verified.

GOODBYE, Shelob. [exits]

Herr D Says Descartes Is Before De Horse

 

"Dragons Can't Eat Ice Cream" by Herr D. The time isn't right.-Shelob

You read Descartes twice before you were eight years old.

Yes? I guess I should add that at that age, if I didn’t know a word and couldn’t find it in a dictionary, I just did my best without it.

Did Descartes use many words not in dictionaries?

Not in mine. It was for twelve-year-olds. A lot of the geometry terms weren’t there. Some of the metaphysical terms weren’t defined well outside the context of his writing.

Do you recall your reaction to the Mind-Body Problem?     

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/descartes-and-the-discovery-of-the-mind-body-problem?utm_source=pocket-newtab

I don’t even remember the problem itself. I do know I disagree.

Which part do you disagree with?

All of the premises. First, I’d say that the mind can’t definitely be proven to be separate or as one with the soul. There’s some question for me as to the boundaries there. Animals, I don’t believe, have souls, but I do believe they have minds. Whales and dolphins might have souls too—I’m not sure. Then there’s the idea that minds don’t have a location—that’s stupid. If minds didn’t have a location, then ‘out-of-body’ experiences wouldn’t be any different from the rest of experience. Then there’s extension. Anyone who’s used a tool or a spreadsheet or a musical instrument until it felt natural knows that a person can extend their sense of self to include any functional thing they are using enough.

So you believe minds are physical.

No, I believe some metaphysical things have physical traits. It’s not very bright to assume that anything with traits automatically IS something. Some flus might have all the symptoms of food poisoning, but then they have more symptoms. So they AREN’T the same thing. Metaphysical means beyond, but shouldn’t automatically mean not including the traits of.

So, how would the mind and body be connected?

Who says they are? Maybe the mind is connected to the life generated BY the body. Maybe the mind simply inhabits the body as long as life generates it. Maybe a soul is only connected to the mind by God itself. We don’t know and can’t measure it. You know what that means?

No.

NOTHING. It doesn’t mean anything. There’s loads we can’t measure and maybe never will. We know that there’s some way the mind communes with the body, uses it, is connected to it, whatever. We know it’s there and can’t prove how. So what? That doesn’t change anything.

So your strategy is to leave the problem unsolved.

Until further notice, yes. Anyway, without better premises, it's useless to continue. It's premature to be blundering about with it.