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Bakari Chavanu

Amazon.com: Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free eBook:... - 0 views

www.amazon.com/...ref=pd_sim_kinc_6

shared by Bakari Chavanu on 03 Oct 09 - No Cached
  • Question: What inspired, or should I say drove, you to write Idiot America? Charles P. Pierce: The germ of the idea came as I watched the extended coverage of the death of Terri Schiavo. I wondered how so many people could ally themselves with so much foolishness despite the fact that it was doing them no perceptible good, politically or otherwise.
  • Question: Is there a specific turning point where, as a country, we moved away from prizing experience to trusting the gut over intellect? Charles P. Pierce: I don't know if there's one point that you can point to and say, “This is when it happened.” The conflict between intellectual expertise and reflexive emotion—often characterized as “good old common sense,” when it is neither common nor sense—has been endemic to American culture and politics since the beginning. I do think that my profession, journalism, went off the tracks when it accepted as axiomatic the notion that “Perception is reality.”
  • Question: What is the most dangerous aspect of Idiot America? Charles P. Pierce: The most dangerous aspect of Idiot America is that it encourages us to abandon our birthright to be informed citizens of a self-governing republic. America cannot function on automatic pilot, and, too often, we don't notice that it has been until the damage has already been done.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • To this day, we have a political party—the Republicans—who, because it embraced a “movement of Conservatism” that celebrated anti-intellectualism is now incapable of conducting itself in any other way. That has profound political and cultural consequences, and the truly foul part about it was that so many people engaged in it knowing full well they were peddling poison.
  • Charles P. Pierce: Look at the political opposition to President Obama. “Socialist!” “Fascist!” “Coming to get your guns.” Hysteria from the hucksters of Idiot America is still at high-tide. People are killing other people and specifically attributing their action to imaginary oppression stoked by radio talk-show stars and television pundits. That Glenn Beck has achieved the prominence he has makes me wonder if there is a just god in heaven.
  • "Idiot America" is great, informative book about concepts we see everyday. Also, many of the 1-star reviews are likely biased because of some of the political and religious topics noted. I think this book is definitely a full, 5-star book.
  • The author notes "The 3 Great Premises: and applies them to many instances in this book: 1. Any theory is valid if it moves units (rating, and making money). 2. Anything can be true if it is said loudly enough. 3. Fact is what enough people believe (the Truth is what you believe).
  • POLITICAL TALK RADIO: One set of rules noted by a professor studying radio discourse: *Never Be Dull *Embrace willfully ignorant simplicity *The American public is stupid; treat them that way *Always ignore the fact and the public record when it's convenient
  • TELEVISION: "Television is an emotional medium. It's entertainment, not analysis or reasoned discourse."
  • But to someone willing to take the time to read it, this book tells people what practically everyone should know about American politics -- that the American people are being sold a sob story about how experts are an elite that is keeping them from being The Best Damn Nation In The World. (In that regard, one should definitely read "The Paranoid Style In American Politics" by Richard Hofstadter -- it's over four decades old, but saw from the very beginning what has come into full bloom now with the barking lunacy of the American Right.)
  • The main problem with this book is this: the people who are likely to read it already know most of the story, and are mostly getting background information, and the people who won't read it are like the six reviewers I mentioned in my intro -- determined to ignore its stories and insights as "bias" because their politics and faith won't let them look outside the cloister.
  • He lays the blame at the feet of various ideology-driven entities, with special attention given to the same corporate-media war cheerleaders who happily passed on Bush's lies about Iraqi weaponry to a somnolent public, and who, in the name of putting "balance" over reality, treat specious creationist nonsense and hard scientific fact as if both had equal validity. Highly recommended!
Anne White

I Passed the UK Police Recruitment for 2011 - 1 views

I really wanted to become a police officer, not because being a police officer is exciting, but, because I knew being a police officer is a noble profession and I wanted to make a difference in the...

started by Anne White on 11 Oct 11 no follow-up yet
thinkahol *

YouTube - 2.3 TRillion $$ of the TAXPAYER's MONEY IS MISSING - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

DoD defense missing trillions

shared by thinkahol * on 16 Aug 10 - Cached
  • thinkahol * on 16 Aug 10
     
    This video became interesting to me simply because of the fact it was announced 1 day prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S. Why has there been no mention of the massive amount of the taxpayers money gone missing? It is almost as though after the 9/11 tragedy it was forgotten. I don't know about the other citizens of the United States but I would like to know where 2.3 TRILLION dollars has gone. I believe when we as taxpayers give our hard earnings to the government is it not their responsibility to explain where the money is being spent? Was this case forgotten? If so, WHY? I would like to know where this money has gone. Wouldn't you?
nariza layosa

"happi with an i" and "unhappi with an i" - what do they mean? - 0 views

happiocracy-happi-and-unhappi.blogspot.com

unhappi

shared by nariza layosa on 30 May 08 - Cached
  • “happi with an i” and “unhappi with an i” qualify a word to suggest that it does, or does not, advance the cause of happierism. Happierism is the belief that the greatest good that government can do, is to eradicate unhappiERness, especially of the unhappiERest. UnhappiERness is government-induced unhappiness additional to our own, personal mix of happiness and unhappiness. UnhappiERness is also known as Avoidable Unhappiness.
  • nariza layosa on 30 May 08
     
    "happi with an i" and "unhappi with an i" qualify a word to suggest that it does, or does not, advance the cause of happierism. Happierism is the belief that the greatest good that government can do, is to eradicate unhappiERness, especially of the unhappiERest. UnhappiERness is government-induced unhappiness additional to our own, personal mix of happiness and unhappiness. UnhappiERness is also known as Avoidable Unhappiness.
rich hilts

ABC, CBS Arrogance Warrants A Reply - Profit Backlash SHOULD Be Large - 0 views

drscoundrels.com/?p=2119

shared by rich hilts on 03 Jan 11 - No Cached
  • rich hilts on 03 Jan 11
     
    ".....But that would require responsibility to be taken, and we know how the left is about that. "No - I am just the Captain of the vessel, I don't know why there are icebergs coming at us instead of palm trees - it must be the first mates problem." We've talked about arrogance so much on here only because it is so true. But I don't want to be just a negative nelly. I don't want to be just a naysayer. My angle on the situation is becoming much more of an active, let's suggest a solution standpoint now......"
thinkahol *

YouTube - Martin Luther King - A Time to Break Silence - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

YouTube - Martin Luther King A Time to Break Silence

shared by thinkahol * on 02 Jun 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 02 Jun 11
     
    Martin Luther King - A Time to Break SilenceStarting in 1965, King began to express doubts about the United States' role in the Vietnam War. In an April 4, 1967, appearance at the New York City Riverside Church - exactly one year before his death - King delivered Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. In the speech he spoke strongly against the U.S.'s role in the war, insisting that the U.S. was in Vietnam "to occupy it as an American colony" and calling the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.""Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land.""At this point I should make it clear that while I have tried in these last few minutes to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the arguments of those who are called "enemy," I am as deeply concerned about our own troops there as anything else. For it occurs to me that what we are submitting them to in Vietnam is not simply the brutalizing process that goes on in any war where armies face each other and seek to destroy. We are adding cynicism to the process of death, for they must know after a short period there that none of the things we claim to be fighting for are really involved. Before long they must know that their government has sent them into a struggle among Vietnamese, and the more sophisticated surely realize that we are on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor." Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 -- April 4, 1968), was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minister b
Sarah Usher

I Have Help and I Become a Police Officer - 1 views

I want to follow the footsteps of my father who was a decorated police officer. Not wanting to embarrass the reputation he has diligently planted in the police force, I decided to seek the help of ...

police careers

started by Sarah Usher on 20 Jul 11 no follow-up yet
david derouen

Clark Howard - Commentary on Headline News TV Show on clarkhoward.com - 0 views

clarkhoward.com/...hln_comments.html

scams shameful consumers business crime

shared by david derouen on 21 Jun 09 - Cached
  • david derouen on 21 Jun 09
     
    US Fidelis did business as National Auto Warranty Services and Dealer Services in Wentzville, Missouri until they made this name change at the end of 2008. They are being investigated by the Missouri Attorney Generals Office for fraud; not to mention attorney general's offices in near 20 other states. Please also go to the Better Business Bureau to find that they have an F rating on their BBB report card. These salespeople are told to get the payment up front and they mail your contract later. Thus, thousands of people are giving their credit card, savings account, checking account, or debit card information making a down payment on the coverage before they even read the contract. What they are not told is that the contract only will cover the Blue Book value of the vehicle. If repairs exceed that, their contract is DONE. Your car can be up to 15 years old and have up to 200,000 miles on it. SURE!!! If it is only worth $2500 and your engine costs $3000 to be replace, I hope you have $500 to get it out of the shop. That is...if they even agree to fix it. PLEASE, get the word out. Stop the commercials. I know what I am talking about. I used to work there. They are ripping off thousands of unsuspecting people.
Omnipotent Poobah

I Miss Archie Bunker - 0 views

omnipotentpoobah.com/...i-miss-archie-bunker

archie bunker all in the family politics society media

shared by Omnipotent Poobah on 07 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Omnipotent Poobah on 07 Sep 09
     
    I watched All in the Family last night and realized that I learned everything I know about politics from Archie Bunker. Archie was the epitome of the gruff old bigot, he couldn't hold a candle to the birthers, truthers, and speech censorers. You never thought he was dangerous to anyone other than himself.
Sarah Usher

PoliceRecruitmentUK Helped Me Pass the Police Application Sift - 1 views

Becoming a police officer is my dream job. Since grade school I can only picture out myself as a police officer and so upon the first opportunity I applied at Wales in hopes to become a police offi...

become a police officer

started by Sarah Usher on 06 Apr 11 no follow-up yet
Sonny Cher

Getting High Legally! - 1 views

After getting out of rehab, I still cannot shake off my need to get high. However, I vowed not to resort to illegal drugs again. After consulting a friend about it, he introduced legal drugs and ma...

marijuana

started by Sonny Cher on 23 Jun 11 no follow-up yet
Chiki Smith

Effectively Seize Cheating Partner - 1 views

I am in a relationship for two years. My husband and I were okay until such time that he turned out cold to me and I could not point out the reason why he acted that way. He came home late at night...

cheating partners

started by Chiki Smith on 14 Oct 11 no follow-up yet
thinkahol *

Martin Luther King - A Time to Break Silence - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

Martin Luther King - A Time to Break Silence YouTube

shared by thinkahol * on 18 Oct 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 18 Oct 11
     
    Martin Luther King - A Time to Break Silence Starting in 1965, King began to express doubts about the United States' role in the Vietnam War. In an April 4, 1967, appearance at the New York City Riverside Church - exactly one year before his death - King delivered Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence. In the speech he spoke strongly against the U.S.'s role in the war, insisting that the U.S. was in Vietnam "to occupy it as an American colony" and calling the U.S. government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today." "Now, it should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war. If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read: Vietnam. It can never be saved so long as it destroys the deepest hopes of men the world over. So it is that those of us who are yet determined that America will be are led down the path of protest and dissent, working for the health of our land." "At this point I should make it clear that while I have tried in these last few minutes to give a voice to the voiceless in Vietnam and to understand the arguments of those who are called "enemy," I am as deeply concerned about our own troops there as anything else. For it occurs to me that what we are submitting them to in Vietnam is not simply the brutalizing process that goes on in any war where armies face each other and seek to destroy. We are adding cynicism to the process of death, for they must know after a short period there that none of the things we claim to be fighting for are really involved. Before long they must know that their government has sent them into a struggle among Vietnamese, and the more sophisticated surely realize that we are on the side of the wealthy, and the secure, while we create a hell for the poor." Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 -- April 4, 1968), was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minist
thinkahol *

Parsing the Data and Ideology of the We Are 99% Tumblr | Rortybomb - 0 views

rortybomb.wordpress.com/...eology-of-the-we-are-99-tumblr

Parsing the Data and Ideology of We Are 99% Tumblr | Rortybomb

shared by thinkahol * on 20 Oct 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 20 Oct 11
     
    One of the most fascinating things to come out of the current We Are 99%/Occupy Wall Street protests is the We Are 99% Tumblr.  At the site, people hold up signs that explain their current circumstances, and it tells the story of a whole range of Americans struggling in the Lesser Depression.  It is highly recommended. DATA The site features pictures of individuals holding their signs, and occasionally the tumblr reproduces the text of the signs themselves underneath the image as html text.  Sometimes the text under the image is blank, sometimes it is a different message, but often it is the sign itself. In order to get a slightly better empirical handle on this important tumblr, I created a script designed to read all of the pages and parse out the html text on the site.  It doesn't read the images (can anyone in the audience automate calls to an OCR?), just the html text.  After collecting all the text on all the pages, the code then goes through it to try to find interesting points. It's a fun exercise, pointing out things I wouldn't have seen otherwise.  For instance, I found this adorable little rascal, pictured below, mucking up the algorithm, as the first version of the code assumed all the ages would have two digits.  I found that he, and the sign his mom made for him as a confessional to her son, hit me a ton harder than any of the more direct signs of despair in this economy:
Henry Jaxx

Learn It From The Expert - 1 views

I used to be very shy both in school and among my peers. But when I started working, I was forced to get out of my shell due to the nature of my job. I was even asked to deliver short speeches duri...

started by Henry Jaxx on 21 Nov 12 no follow-up yet
Sarah Usher

Police Jobs Through Police-Recruitment UK - 1 views

I was searching for police force jobs that will suit the qualifications that I have. I searched in offices and online until I came across Police-Recruitment UK. I was able to set my sights on a sp...

police force jobs

started by Sarah Usher on 06 Sep 11 no follow-up yet
Keith Sweat

How Mandurah Real Estate Changed My Life - 1 views

Ever since I decided to take my residence in Mandurah Real Estate, I have enjoyed the benefits that living inside a safe and beautiful neighborhood brings. I now have a very stunning and comfortabl...

Mandurah Real Estate

started by Keith Sweat on 08 Jul 11 no follow-up yet
Syntacticsinc SEO

IT Solutions That Really Work - 1 views

I am planning to build up and improve my website for my business and I was thinking of choosing the best IT company that can meet my requirements for my website and optimize it to make it easier fo...

web designing

started by Syntacticsinc SEO on 19 Oct 11 no follow-up yet
Jerry Chavez

Reliable Business Directory Site - 1 views

I have a small business that I have been trying to market online. I also tried posting my business profile for free at Business Directory Philippines. And you know what? Availing their free busines...

started by Jerry Chavez on 06 Dec 12 no follow-up yet
Felix Gryffeth

Leonard Pitts laments lack of critical thinking - 0 views

www.postcrescent.com/...83177766

leonard pitts

shared by Felix Gryffeth on 04 May 16 - No Cached
  • Felix Gryffeth on 04 May 16
     
    "There's been an abandonment of intellectualism, he argued, and "we're less concerned about being honorable than winning." "I came from an era where facts mattered," Pitts said. "It was a matter of honor - intellectual honor - that if you had better facts than I did, I have to either undermine your facts or concede the point. "
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