CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 117th Edition. Sen. Lummis wakes up from a long winter's nap.

I'm shocked — shocked — to find that gambling is going on in here!

Captain Renault, Casablanca.

Initially my reaction to all this was, I don’t care. I don’t see what the big deal is. But now I see what the big deal is. The members of Congress who were pushing this were not wrong!

Retiring Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis.

About fucking time.

It's frankly very difficult to credit this comment.  A pack of rich men, and 30 members of the current Trump interregnum, are mentioned in the Epstein files, including Trump, and she didn't see what the big deal was?  As if the rich and powerful buying underaged sex slaves on U.S. territory, pretty openly, isn't a big deal.

That would be the viewpoint of a complete moron.

Lummis isn't a moron.

She's also not running for office again either.

Either she's really checked out, which at age 71, and admittedly now too worn down to do her job, she may very well be.  Maybe she just isn't paying any attention.

Or maybe her lifetime in politics has simply numbered her to stuff like this, which should worry us all, as that would suggest some pretty gross filth is pretty common.

Or, maybe retiring, and after having realized that a tsunami of filth is coming, she decided to get out of the water.

Now, if only we could draw some candidates for her replacement who never sipped the Koolaide.

And maybe now somebody will confront Barrasso whose only purpose seems to be to stand behind Trump and company and give stern looks.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 116th Edition. Dissing J.D., What's the point of the National Prayer Breakfast?, Drip.

Labels: 1960s, 1963, 2020s, 2026, 2026 Winter Olympics, Clothing, Daily Living, Donald Trump, Generation A, J. D. Vance, John F. Kennedy, National Prayer Breakfast, Olympics, Protestant, religion, Zeitgeist

Wednesday, February 10, 1926. Going to the League.

Germany applied to join the League of Nations and indicated that it would submit the South Tyrol dispute to the body.

Last edition:

Sunday, February 7, 1926. Negro History Week.

Labels: 1920s, 1926, Education, Egypt, Ethnicities, Italian Army, Italian Empire, Italy, Libya, Personalities, Senussi

Thursday, February 10, 1916. Battle of Dogger Bank.

Light ships of the Royal and German navies fought at Dogger Bank.

Canadian soldiers rioted in Calgary and vandalized two businesses owned and operated by German Canadians.  There were rumors that the stores hired illegal aliens rather than Canadian veterans, which sparked the violence.

Last edition:

Wednesday, February 9, 1916.

Labels: 1910s, 1916, Aircraft, Battle for Lake Tanganyika, boats and ships, Crime, Newspapers, Railroads, Royal Flying Corps, World War One, Wyoming

Sunday, February 10, 1901. Boers invade Cape Colony.

Boer General Christiaan de Wet's troop invaded the Cape Colony.

Last edition:

Friday, February 8, 1901. Russian overreach.

Labels: 1900s, 1901, China, Japan, Manchuria, Russia

Thursday, February 10, 1876. Terry ordered to take action against Sioux.

Today In Wyoming's History: February 10: 1876  Gen. Terry ordered to take action against Sioux and Cheyenne who remained off their reservations.

Last Edition:

Monday, February 7, 1876. Colorado women get to vote.

Labels: 1870s, 1876, Colorado, suffrage

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 3. The Quack Edition.

 

BASH: Is this measles outbreak a consequence of the administration undermining support for vaccines?

DR OZ: I don't believe so. Secretary Kennedy has been advocating for measles vaccines

BASH: Oh, come on

From a CNN Interview of Mehmet Oz, a prime example of the Oprah Effect.¹ 

In fairness to Dr. Oz, who in fairness should not be a government official, he does want people to get the measles vaccine.

Also in fairness, the dissing of vaccines isn't really a Trump thing in and of itself, but he gave it some boosted unneeded assistance by taking the political step of promising Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. a job as the HHS Secretary if he'd drop out of the last Presidential race.  Kennedy is a quack, and an opponent of vaccines in varying degrees (it seems to change day by day).  The rise of this movement, however, started with people like Jenny McCarthy who sadly has a son with autism.  McCarthy herself was a Playboy model and her only real expertise is in showing her naked visage, something that really doesn't qualify a person for anything serious, and in fact may achieve much the opposite.

Oh, and by the way, Jenny McCarthy appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show multiple times in the 2000s to discuss her erroneous theories on autism and vaccines, and to promote a book she wrote.

Much of this story has to do with the inability to understand the difference between present conditions and past ones.  People tend to assume that negative developments in a population mean a negative present condition. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they also represent a positive one.  I'll give a personal example.

In 1982 I had pneumonia while at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  I was extremely ill, literally on death's door.  

Before the advent of antibiotics the fatality rates for bacterial pneumonia were between 60% and 70%.

Not good.

Now, the survivability rate is pretty good.

I've had a colon surgery for a developing condition that would have killed me even thirty years ago.

The point?  Well, if I go on to develop Alzheimer's, which I pray I do not, it'll mostly be because I didn't die at age 19 of pneumonia.

Also, fwiw, Meet The Press this weekend had a physician on who noted that diseases we can now vaccinate for are associated with cancer, which is a developing field of medicine.  I.e., you get some disease that's not big deal when young, and then you get cancer when older.  You don't want cancer.

A fellow I know who suffered a heart attack, and who was otherwise very healthy, may have developed his heart condition this way as well.

Get vaccinated.

Footnotes:

1. The Oprah Effect is so named here to explain the phenomenon of Oprah Winfrey putting some flaming bogosity on to her popular daytime television show and thereby having millions of people give it credence.  There are a fair number of examples, including the rise of Dr. Oz.

Last edition:

Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump. Ignoramus Watch Part 2. The War is a Racket edition.

Labels: Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Ignorance, Imperialism, Nicolás Maduro, Petroleum, Predictions, Racism, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen Miller, The Second Trump Administration, Venezuela, War

Blog Mirror: February 9, 1976: "Taxi Driver" Premieres

 

February 9, 1976: "Taxi Driver" Premieres

I was not aware that this was a 1976 movie, but then, I've never thought of the topic either.

I've actually never seen Taxi Driver all the way through.*  It's just too icky for me.  But the point raised here, tracking the depictions of New York City from the early 1960s into the 1970s, from "magical" to decline, is a really interesting observation.

Somewhere I have a series photographs of my mother in New York that must date from the late 1940s.  She and some friends went down from Montreal to visit.  She told me once how "clean" New York was, that being her observation from that trip.

I've been to New York state, but it's been years and years.  My exposure to New York City, however, is limited to the airport, a memory which is equally old.

Footnotes:

*Indeed, of the movies mentioned in this thread, the only one I've seen all the way through is Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Last edition:

Friday, February 6, 1976. Peltier arrested. Prince Bernhard implicated. Smith warns. Black Jack dies.

Labels: 1970s, 1976, American Indian Movement, Army, Crime, Equine Transportation, Monarchy, Personalities, Pine Ridge Reservation, Rhodesia, Rhodesian Bush War

Wednesday, February 9, 1916.

It was the first flight of the Sopwith Pup.

The HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou sank the Hedwig von Wissmann on Lake Tanganyika. 

From Punch:

Officer (to Tommy, who has been using the whip freely). "Don't beat him; talk to him, man—talk to him!"

Tommy (to horse, by way of opening the conversation). "I coom from Manchester."

Today In Wyoming's History: February 9: 1916   Bill Carlisle robs passengers on the Union Pacific "Portland Rose".  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

Casper Daily Tribune established.

Last edition:

Sunday, February 6, 1916. Irmingard.

Labels: 1910s, 1916, Black Sea, Imperial Russian Navy, Ottoman Navy, World War One

Saturday, February 9, 1946. Stalin declares war inevitable.

Stalin in an "election" speech carried on Soviet radio, stated another war was inevitable due to the "capitalist development of the world economy", and that the USSR needed to plan accordingly.

The Chairman:

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin has the floor.

(Comrade Stalin’s appearance in the rostrum was greeted by the voters with loud cheers lasting several minutes. The entire audience in the Bolshoi Theatre rose to its feet to greet Comrade Stalin. There were continuous cries of “Cheers for great Stalin!” “Long live great Stalin, Hurrah!” “Cheers for our beloved Stalin!” )

Comrade Stalin:

Comrades!

Eight years have passed since the last elections to the Supreme Soviet. This has been a period replete with events of a decisive nature. The first four years were years of intense labour on the part of Soviet people in carrying out the Third Five- Year Plan. The second four years covered the events of the war against the German and Japanese aggressors — the events of the Second World War. Undoubtedly, the war was the main event during the past period.

It would be wrong to think that the Second World War broke out accidentally, or as a result of blunders committed by certain statesmen, although blunders were certainly committed. As a matter of fact, the war broke out as the inevitable result of the development of world economic and political forces on the basis of present-day monopolistic capitalism. Marxists have more than once stated that the capitalist system of world economy contains the elements of a general crisis and military conflicts, that, in view of that, the development of world capitalism in our times does not proceed smoothly and evenly, but through crises and catastrophic wars. The point is that the uneven development of capitalist countries usually leads, in the course of time, to a sharp disturbance of the equilibrium within the world system of capitalism, and that group of capitalist countries regards itself as being less securely provides with raw materials and markets usually attempts to change the situation and to redistribute “spheres of influence” in its own favour — by employing armed force. As a result of this, the capitalist world is split into two hostile camps, and war breaks out between them . . .

And so, how should our victory [in World War II] be interpreted? What can this victory signify from the point of view of the state and the development of the internal forces of our country?

Our victory signifies, first of all, that our Soviet social system was victorious, that the Soviet social system successfully passed the test of fire in the war and proved that it is fully viable.

As we know, the foreign press on more than one occasion asserted that the Soviet social system was a “dangerous experiment” that was doomed to failure . . . [but] now we can say that the war has refuted all these assertions of the foreign press and has proved them to have been groundless. The war proved that the Soviet social system is a genuinely people’s system, which grew up from the ranks of the people and enjoys their powerful| support; that the Soviet social system is fully viable and stable form of organization of society . . .

Now a few words about the Communist Party’s plans of work for the immediate future. As you know, these plans are formulated in the new five-year plan, which is to be adopted in the very near future. The main tasks of the new five-year plan are to rehabilitate the devastated regions of our country, to restore industry and agriculture to the prewar level, and then to exceed that level to a more or less considerable extent. Apart from the fact that the rationing system is to be abolished in the very near future (loud and prolonged applause), special attention will be devoted to the expansion of the production of consumers’ goods, to raising the standard of living of the working people by steadily reducing the prices of all commodities (loud and prolonged applause), and to the extensive organization of scientific research institutes of every kind (applause) capable of giving the fullest scope to our scientific forces. (Loud applause.)

I have no doubt that if we give our scientists proper assistance they will be able in the very near future not only to overtake but even outstrip the achievements of science beyond the borders of our country. (Prolonged applause.)

As regards long-term plans, our Party intends to organize another powerful upswing of our national economy that will enable us to raise our industry to a level, say, three times as high as that of prewar industry. We must see to it that our industry shall be able to produce annually up to 50,000,000 tons of pig iron (prolonged applause ), up to 60,000,000 tons of steel (prolonged applause ), up to 500,000,000 tons of coal (prolonged applause ) and up to 60,000,000 tons of oil (prolonged applause ). Only when we succeed in doing that can we be sure that our Motherland will be insured against all contingencies. (Loud applause.) This will need, perhaps, another three five-year plans, if, not more. But it can be done, and we must do it. (Loud applause) . .

In conclusion, permit me to express my thanks for the confidence which you have shown me (loud and prolonged applause. A voice: “Cheers for the great leader of all our victories, Comrade Stalin! “) by nominating me as a candidate for the Supreme Soviet. You need have no doubt that will do my best to justify your confidence. (All rise. Loud and prolonged applause rising to an ovation. Voices in different parts of the hall: “Long live great Stalin, Hurrah!” “Cheers for the great leader of the peoples!” “Glory to great Stalin!” “Long live Comrade Stalin, the candidate of the entire people!” “Glory to the creator of all our victories, Comrade Stalin! “

Charles "Lucky" Luciano was deported to his native Italy where he'd spend the rest of his life, dying in 1962 at age 64.

Luciano in 1948.

Born Salvatore Lucania, the Mafia boss had immigrated to the US in 1906 as a child.

Last edition:

Friday, February 8, 1946. Kim Il Sung's rise. Viola Faber, accused of murdering her stepson, gives birth.

Labels: 1940s, 1946, 1960s, 1961, 1966, China, Crime, Dwight Eisenhower, Food, Homicide, Kim Il Sung, North Korea, Occupation of Korea, Strike Wave of 1945-1946, USSR

Thursday, February 9, 1911. Establishing the size of the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives approved the Permanent Apportionment Act of 1929, increasing the number of U.S. Representatives, beginning in 1913, from 391 to 435, the number that it has had ever since. 

This has created unequal representation and something really needs to be done to change it.

Voters in the Arizona Territory approved the proposed state Constitution.

Writer Jack London, who was a Socialist, came out in support of Socialist revolutionaries in Mexico.

The Army intended to deploy lighter than air craft near El Paso in an attempt to figure out what was going on in the revolution near there.

Indentured servitude for Chinese workers in British Malaya was abolished, effective June 30, 1914.

Last edition:

Wednesday, February 8, 1911. Revolutions.

Labels: 1910s, 1911, 2026 Election, Battle of Smelter View, boats and ships, Cuba, Cuba (Havana), Honduras, Iran, Mexico (Juarez), panoramic, Persia, The Big Picture, The Lost Cause, The Second Trump Administration

Playing stupid games on health care and winning stupid prizes on abortion.

 

Exactly what backers of Art 1  § 38 should have known would occur. Lampoon posted under fair use exception as I couldn't think of a more applicable illustration.

Wyoming Constitution Art. 1, § 38. Right of health care access

(a) Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions. The parent, guardian or legal representative of any other natural person shall have the right to make health care decisions for that person.

(b) Any person may pay, and a health care provider may accept, direct payment for health care without imposition of penalties or fines for doing so.

(c) The legislature may determine reasonable and necessary restrictions on the rights granted under this section to protect the health and general welfare of the people or to accomplish the other purposes set forth in the Wyoming Constitution.

(d) The state of Wyoming shall act to preserve these rights from undue governmental infringement.

Jonathan Lange: The Supreme Court Owes Us An Explanation

Hmm, depends a bit on how he voted on the dumbass Art. 1, § 38..

'Lange has a point, as much as I hate to admit it. But the party that really owes the state an explanation is the paranoid sots who backed the Constitutional amendment set out above from 2024, and those who voted for it, about a right to make your own medical decisions, which you already had, as they feared AHCA meant death panels.

That was freakin' absurd.

Lange, did you vote for it?

This was really predictable. That set it up.  It was obvious.

Nobody is more opposed to abortion, which I regard as infanticide, than me.  Indeed, my views in this general area are probably far more "conservative" than most peoples.  

And to extend it, I'm not in favor of the death penalty either.

And, no, I don't think abortion is health care by a long measure, but if this hadn't been passed, the question would never have come up.

But to set this in the constitution of the state, what the crap did you think would happen?  It puts the court in the place of making an existential decision.

A really easy one to make, in my view, but if you take my view, on natural rights, a lot of right wingers wouldn't be very comfortable, very soon.

The Making of the Christian Man By Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

 

The Making of the Christian Man

By Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Friday, February 8, 1946. Kim Il Sung's rise. Viola Faber, accused of murdering her stepson, gives birth.

Kim Il Sung was elected Chairman of the Interim People's Committee in the Soviet occupied portion of Korea.  Originally, the Soviets preferred Cho Man-sik to lead a "popular front" government but Cho, to his credit, refused to support a Soviet-backed entity.  Red Army General Terentii Shtykov supported Kim over Pak Hon-yong to lead the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea, and therefore Kim was selected on this date.

He remained subordinate to General Shtykov until the Chinese intervention in the Korean War.

More strike problems on the front page of The Rocky Mountain News.

A person had to read deeper into the News to see the story on Viola Elliot. Page 5, where you need to go, is set out below.

She was accused of the beating death of her stepson, Robert.  She denied it, but she was convicted of second degree murder.  Her 8 year old son by a previous marriage was a witness for the prosecution at the trial and Mrs. Elliot admitted at the time of arrest that she had hit and kicked the child on the occasion of his death.  She later changed her story and claimed he'd tripped on his pajamas.

Her parents and husband said they'd stand by her at the time of her arrest, but I wonder if that was still the case later on.  At her sentencing, she stated that Leslie was just as responsible for the death and the judge agreed.  Leslie had already been arraigned for assault and battery and assessory after the fact.  In April she petitioned the County to make her children wards of the County, to which her husband objected.  They were noted to be "estranged" by that time.

Viola was 27 years old and on her second marriage at the time.  She would have had her first child, if her son who testified was the first at age 19 in 1937 or 1938.  The paper mentioned that there were three children, including the murdered boy.  Interestingly, I can find one other reference to a "Miss Viola Elliot" from 1937 indicating that Viola Elliot was employed as an arts and crafts teacher.  A 1943 edition mentions a Viola Elliott as being just back in town after visiting her husband in Tennessee, who was probably in the service.

Viola received 15 to 20 years for the murder.

Leslie would receive six months for assault and battery.

Her mother, Alice Faber, testified at the trial, as did her father.  Alice died in 1966 and is buried in Denver.  Her obituary listed Viola as still living, still with the last name Elliot, and in Denver.  The Fabers also had a son named Wilmer, who was alive at the time.  The boy who testified at the trial was living in California.

Her father died in 1961.

Arguments were occuring on the Bomb.

A resort was being planned near Fort Logan.

An impressive imposter story was reported.

Last edition:

Thursday, February 7, 1946. France attacks in Bến Tre Province, Truman speaks. Bikinis appear in the press. Strike controls. Army shoes on the market.

Labels: 1940s, 1946, Cheesecake, China Burma India Theater, Clothing, French Army, French Indochina, French Indochinese War, Harry S. Truman, Standards, Strike Wave of 1945-1946, The Cold War, The Press, Việt Minh, Vietnam

Wednesday, February 8, 1911. Revolutions.

Fighting raged on in Mexico, notably by Juarez.

The civil war in Honduras ended with an agreement to free elections supervised by the United States.

Perhaps Honduras can return the favor and watch the 2026 elections which Trump might be planning to steal.

Nasir al-Mulk assumed power as the new Regent for the 12-year-old Shah of Persia.

A dedication was made in Tampa to the traitorous rebels of the 1860 to 1865 period.

S.S. Hamburg departing from Havana Harbor, February 8, 1911.

Last edition:

Tuesday, February 7, 1911. Mexican Revolutions.

Labels: 1910s, 1911, Battle of Smelter View, Emiliano Zapata, Francisco I. Madero, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Mexico (Juarez)

Friday, February 8, 1901. Russian overreach.

Russia presented China with Russia's conditions for withdrawing from Manchuria.

The conditions were unacceptable to China, and Japan.

Last edition:

Wednesday, June 6, 1901 Joe Boot escapes.

Labels: 1900s, 1901, Angola, Boer Armies, Boer War, China, Crime, Eight Nation Alliance, Personalities, Portuguese West Africa