Current Riots in America (June 2020)

[Peter]

7 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

EDIT: Done. 

Well done.

 

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

This is another Soros-funded district attorney.

For people who don't know what a Soros-funded-DA is, after the 2004 election when George Bush defeated John Kerry, I remember Soros stating openly he intended to fund the election of local district attorneys across America to provide a solid basis for progressive leaders. I thought that was really weird back then, but he did it through a bunch of non-profits and apparently didn't talk about it much. Since 2016, he has become much more open about this.

The candidates for DA he supports know they are not to prosecute normal criminals very much, they are expected to favor progressives who have committed crimes and let them off as much as they can get away with, and they are expected to persecute conservatives and enemies of progressivism. Functionally, they are more about gumming up law enforcement than they are about getting criminals off the streets.

The latest evolution in their duties has been during the riots in Democrat-run cities. The cops arrest the rioters and the DA's recommend they be let out, and that's what the judges do, usually on the same day.

Some of these Soros DA's take their defense of evil to heart and expand on it, like the genius asshole listed above. He refused to go after a human trafficker for a long time, but when one of the trafficker's victims snapped and killed him, Graveley is taking extra efforts to nail her. And this is despite a widespread campaign to show her mercy. Now he is going after the kid who shot rioters in Kenosha with the same zeal, even though it looks like it was in self-defense. If the shooter had been a rioter, many believe Graveley would have trashed the investigation. Since it was rioters who got shot instead, it's revenge time and Graveley is seeing red.

Michael

[Ellen Stuttle]

11 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Why does the image of that goddam plagiarizer of years past keep coming to mind?.

Well...  I don't know, since "that goddam plagiarizer," for all his obnoxious features, was good at telling a story.

Regarding "Unabashed Pragmatic," I've been wondering if he got the idea for the moniker from "Unqualified Reservations."  (Mencius Moldbug, real name Curtis Yarvin, called his blog "Unqualified Reservations.")

Ellen

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

8 hours ago, Ellen Stuttle said:

Well...  I don't know, since "that goddam plagiarizer," for all his obnoxious features, was good at telling a story.

Ellen,

Actually, he was good at copy/pasting stories, and maybe changing a word here and there.

 

He wanted to write a novel back then and asked me for help. So I critiqued his first chapter. I also wanted Barbara to see how I was critiquing and sent her a copy. She appalled at how bad his writing was. (My critique was OK.  ) And it really was awful storytelling-wise. I still have it in my emails and I believe he put up a copy here on OL. It was called The Hungry Artist.

 

The unholy mess

From what I remember of it:

A group of people sat around a restaurant and talked. Then the protagonist got up and walked down the street with a friend while talking. And he walked and walked. He got some place and talked some more. Then he got up and walked down the street with a friend while talking. And he walked and walked.  He got some place and talked some more. Then he got up and walked down the street with a friend while talking. And he walked and walked.  He got some place and talked some more. Then he got up and walked down the street with a friend while talking. And he walked and walked...

 

I remember this because one of my criticisms was for him to vary his action and chop off so much walking.  

 

More mess

To be fair, he had a knack for the dramatic gesture and liked colorful put-downs. He could do those without plagiarizing, but he could also do them while plagiarizing. I found many of his dramatic gestures to be meaningless without a story to hold them. For example, his novel started by the protagonist saying to his friends, "God is dead," and pounding his fist on the restaurant table. (He didn't mention Nietzsche.  ). But it's a colorful opening. But after the discussion started, things just fizzled out and this was mentioned no more. So why was it there? (I think I mentioned this in my criticism, too.)

He liked to push people's buttons on the forum and this sometimes made his dramatic gestures seem deeper than they were. By having a person to interact with, the person provided the antagonist and a kind of story would evolve.

But like almost everything with that dude, even co-creating a story through interaction relied on another person for the substance.

I still kick myself for standing by that person while he was sabotaging the forum right under my very eyes. I went through his crap post by post trying to see what was plagiarized and what was not. When the original author was living, I sent them a link and an apology. I even sent Peikoff one of these and got a thank you from him.

I don't mention his name out of sheer superstition. Words have power like a witch's spell.  (Not really, but when thinking of that dude, ya' never know... Oops, there I go again...  )

 

Irony

As an ironic end to that mess, Dan Edge was the guy who blew the whistle by listing a number of plagiarisms. He was defending Objectivism and Ayn Rand from "attack" back then by showing how awful a non-ARI sanctioned site could get, meaning OL. He has since turned, and turned hard, against Rand and Objectivism.  I read that a while back, so he might have switched back, but I doubt it. Part of what turned him was the blog by Gary Nyquist and Daniel Barnes called "Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature."

Here is the kind of attitude Dan Edge had back then when he was on a campaign to save Ayn Rand from the likes of me and OL.  "Cal" or "Calop" was "Dragonfly," who no longer posts on OL (George Smith ran him off  ).

But now Dragonfly posts out there in the Interwebs under his own name, so I don't think anything wrong in mentioning it, xxxxx. 

EDIT: Oops. My memory played tricks on me. Hat tip to Ellen for letting me know. Also, Dragonfly does not post under his real name (He has posted a lot at the ARCHN site), so I will not give out his real name. 

That was back then. Here is the kind of stuff Dan Edge wrote more recently (2018):

Quote

Yet another great post from Greg Nyquist. Since I don't believe I've publicly delcared this elsewhere, I owe a lot of credit to ARCHN for helping me overcome the stifling poison of Oist philosophy and culture after almost 20 years of involvement. On my birthday over three years ago, I spent about 15 hours across two days pouring over ARCHN blog, and when I was done I was no longer and Objectivist. Nor will I ever go back. It will take me many more years and much effort to unburden my mind of all the indoctrination I subjected myself to beginning at age 16 (if I can ever do it at all). Another benefit of ARCHN: I don't feel the need to discredit Oism for the next generation, since Nyquist has already done such a thorough job of it here. Well done Mr. Nyquist, and many thanks!

So, basically, the knight in shining armor took out an impostor to save Objectivism, then ultimately declared himself to be an impostor. How's that for the stirrings of a plot outline with a twist ending?  Also, notice the theme of clinging to correct-think (or true-think) both before and after--in order to aim it as a weapon at others.

 

Digging for gold

In fact, NOTE TO SELF--consider this plotline for a subplot in my fiction work based on Barbara, The Apostate. Just as soon as I post this, I am copying it to my notes for that work.

I know it was not on purpose, but thanks for helping me brainstorm (subconsciously) and come up with an idea that will probably become an important throughline in Apostate.

This, to me, is the stuff discussion forums are for.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

Well, the four basic principles of Objectivism are reality, reason, rational self interest and laissez faire capitalism. So Dan chucked those?

--Brant

he could make a better case for "culture"

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

1 hour ago, Brant Gaede said:

So Dan chucked those?

Brant,

Dan's a religious person.

It doesn't matter which religion (or organized lack of religion). He just needs to have a group with a core story to believe in, to give himself over to, so to speak.

Once in, he will fight all other groups with core stories and work hard at enforcement within the group he belongs to.

His mission in life is debunk and defeat others in the name of [fill in the blank].

It's kinda like how Perigo moved from radical communism to radical Objectivism. The ideas changed, but he brought all the bullying-others-in-the-name-of-the-group habits with him. That's ultimately what shoved him to the fringe.

Michael

[Brant Gaede]

Speaking of Perigo, you might visit his web site to read an interesting article about Nathaniel Branden written by a NB admirer. 

--Brant

good objectivity

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

56 minutes ago, Brant Gaede said:

Speaking of Perigo, you might visit his web site to read an interesting article about Nathaniel Branden written by a NB admirer. 

--Brant

good objectivity

Brant,

What a great little article!

 

And what fantastic news to hear Nicholas is still alive and kicking. The last time we connected, he was going through a real bad patch health-wise.

For other readers, here is the article Brant mentioned.

It really is quite good. A fine memoir about Nathaniel Branden.

Nathan—A Tribute
by Nicholas Dykes

Wonderful...

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

On 8/26/2020 at 5:19 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Now watch how someone who uses the system correctly cleans this mess up in Kenosha, and cleans it up quickly.

Yup.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Speaking of Portland...

I think Ted's having a bad day.

 

Let's start with the DOJ, shall we?

74 People Facing Federal Charges for Crimes Committed During Portland Demonstrations

Uh oh... That's serious.

The feds means jail-time for those 74 is a strong possibility.

But Ole' Ted, he's a feisty one, he is.

That's show Trump.

Yeah, that'll show that reprobate.

And then...

 

Ole' Ted knows he's got to do something. So he dug working on cleaning up his act and getting Portland under control.

Didn't he?

Well, didn't he?

Oh...

Portland Black Lives Matter Have Chained Themselves Together in Lobby of Leftist Mayor Ted Wheeler’s Apartment

and...

and...

I want to add to that irony but I can't think of a goddam thing...

Michael

[turkeyfoot]

13 hours ago, Brant Gaede said:

Speaking of Perigo, you might visit his web site to read an interesting article about Nathaniel Branden written by a NB admirer. 

--Brant

good objectivity

Thx Brant!

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Look at the title of this book.

In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action by Vicky Osterweil

Do you need to read it to know what's in it?

It's right out of Atlas fucking Shrugged.

Dayaamm!

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

More about that idiot book defending looting.

NPR promotes insane book celebrating looting and riots
 

Quote

Vicky Osterweil's new book, In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action, is a social justice justification for property damage and theft.

. . .

Speaking to NPR's Natalie Escobar, Osterweil made the point that looting during the course of riots is a redistribution of wealth, not theft, and that property damage, too, is simply a way to reapportion assets which she deems necessary in an unequal society.

Osterweil claims that looting is what happens when people want to express that society isn't working. She defends it as a "mass expropriation of property, mass shoplifting during a moment of upheaval or riot." This is nonviolent, she claims, no one gets hurt, "it's not a home invasion…"

. . .

In fact, she believes that the term "looting" is racially based because the word comes from a Hindi root.

. . .

She not only justifies the riots and looting, but lauds them for giving people "an imaginative sense of freedom and pleasure." This mass destruction of "riots and looting are experienced as sort of joyous and liberatory."

 

Here is her promotion interview on NPR.

I didn't have the stomach to read it.

One Author's Argument 'In Defense Of Looting'

 

I think Mike Cernovich said it best. The tweet below is in the first article, but that tweet is not where I came across this book. I came across it from a news feed. I looked at the headline and thought there must be some mistake.

Definitely defund the NPR.

Taxpayers subsidizing a book that morally justifies looting them through riots is a new low in shoving sanction of the victim down their throats.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

President Trump is going to be doing many events on up to Nov. 3.

And the rioters are going to try to make people afraid to attend.

So President Trump is doing it the Rudy way.

I have little doubt there will be arrests and, where legally viable, jail time.

That should settle the rioters down during the campaign season.

That's the same strategy Rudy used in cleaning up NYC's crime.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

President Trump retweeted and commented too many times in the last few hours to post all of it, so I'll just comment on them in this post. He focused a lot on three themes:

1. A white Patriot Prayer member (i.e., supporter of Blue Lives and Trump) was shot and killed in Portland a few hours ago. The fake news media and fake-ass social media reported it as backwards. They reported that white Trump supporter gunned down a BLM member in cold blood and a new riot started. President Trump retweeted videos of the rioting. Then after everyone knew they truth, Antifa started celebrating the murder of the white guy.

2. Ted Wheeler, the mayor of Portland, got dissed by a lot of people for refusing to accept President Trump's offer to send in federal law enforcement, and for sending a snarky refusal letter to President Trump.

3. In an act of total irony, soon after that letter hit the news, Antifa members invaded and took control of the lobby of the apartment building where Wheeler lives and demanded he resign (and abolish the police department). They also made a huge ruckus that has gone on for hours outside the apartment building.

President Trump also tweeted/retweeted about football, the virus, etc.

I think all these tweets/retweets are "setting the table" for him to employ the Insurrection Act and send in the National Guard without being asked..

Ah, yes... And he let it be known that militias are OK by him for taking out the rioters.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

The killing was cold blooded murder, too.

I have looked at a lot of videos trying to find one with enough resolution and, maybe, highlights to make it clear.

The following video is the first I have seen that does the job on both counts.

I believe this video is plenty enough for the cops to work with to catch this lowlife, that is if Murder One is still a crime in Portland.

Hopefully, something or someone will peg him to out-of-state, then the FBI can take over. This is work they do well, that is when they are not spying on Trump.

If you watch the video a few times to get familiar with it, you can easily see the murderer crossing the street before turning to shoot (right after the white car passes in front of the camera and is already backing away as he fires the second shot.

This was a practiced maneuver.

Michael

 

EDIT:

It looks like they were hunting Trump supporters to shoot them.

 

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Then there's this:

From the execution style of the murder in Portland, it sure looks like these two events are connected.

Maybe not, though. One of the guys chasing that 17 year old in Kenosha had a Glock on him (the guy who got his bicep shot off). Maybe it is open season on Trump supporters who show up to keep the riots in check and the Antifa/BLM policy now is to shoot one here and there to make a statement.

Michael

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Pics of the murderer.

Another:

I keep wanting to think the murderer was a professional, but how on earth is a professional going to wear such easily identifiable clothes? And why didn't he cover that tatoo on his neck? (Is it a real tatoo?)

I bet he has military training, though. Maybe a pissed off vet who took the dark road after he came back.

Michael

[Ellen Stuttle]

4 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

 

Michael

That picture gave me a visceral thrill, kind of to my surprise.  I'm not prone to being triggered by flag waving.  But that picture, like a cavalcade of good guys to the rescue...

Knights of the Table Round stuff.

Ellen

[Ellen Stuttle]

Damn, I meant:

Knights of the Table Round stuff.

(I wrote "Nights of theTable Round stuff."  I've fixed the word goof and the spacing error in the original post.  Thanks, Merlin.)

What's happened to the "Edit" button?  Grrrrrrr!

Ellen

[merjet]

1 hour ago, Ellen Stuttle said:

What's happened to the "Edit" button?  Grrrrrrr!

Click on the 3 dots near the top right of your post.

[Ellen Stuttle]

40 minutes ago, merjet said:

Click on the 3 dots near the top right of your post.

Thank you!!

I've fixed it now.

Ellen
 

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

2 hours ago, Ellen Stuttle said:

That picture gave me a visceral thrill, kind of to my surprise.  I'm not prone to being triggered by flag waving.  But that picture, like a cavalcade of good guys to the rescue...

Knights of the Table Round stuff.

Ellen,

Have you seen the boats when they get going? Flags galore and boats and boats and boats and boats and it looks like it will never end.

I read one article by some anti-Trumper or other complaining that the sheer quantity of boats in one of these boat parades caused such turbulence in the water that a Biden-supporting boat nearby got flooded and almost sank. The author of the article was outraged by the bullying.

But near the end of the article, the author casually mentioned, like in a throwaway comment, that some Trump-supporting boat people stopped and helped right the boat and get the water out.

Or how about the bikers? They do a real good thunder road by the thousands thing, flags and all...

Michael

[Ellen Stuttle]

5 minutes ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Ellen,

Have you seen the boats when they get going? Flags galore and boats and boats and boats and boats and it looks like it will never end.

[...]

Or how about the bikers? They do a real good thunder road by the thousands thing, flags and all...

Michael

Yes and yes.

 But those scenes don't send the thrill down my spine I got from seeing the car cavalcade picture.

I think that that picture got me because of the line-up and the rows of light poles.

I'm reminded of a scene I just love, and sometimes "see" replaying in my mind, from the movie Excalibur.

In that scene Arthur's Knights go charging off horseback in a row through a cherry orchard in bloom, their flagged lances in upright position held against the saddles.  The cherry blossoms go scattering.  I've often thought that that scene had to be done right on the first try, since the scattered cherry blossoms couldn't be put back on the trees to redo it.

Ellen

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Andy has already identified both shooter and victim, but is waiting for the official word before disclosing them, so this is going to make it real hard for the press to spin in their usual manner.

Andy is one fine journalist.

Not like these idiot sellouts we see in the mainstream.

I think I saw Tucker Carlson tell any he deserved the Pulitzer Prize for his body of reporting on the riots.

I agree.

Michael