politics

I Suppose

Posted by

0

I suppose many things. Supposition means to think. To start with a conjecture and take that hypothesis to an end in one’s own mind.

Evangelism markets those thoughts to the world.

Reactionism responds to those ideas.

It is a circle. It is a discussion, rather, it could be a civil discussion of ideas and beliefs. Sometimes, maybe many times, it is not.

—–

My term – reactionism – merely means reaction and what one does with their reaction to the stimulus of an idea. In Miriam Webster – my favorite authority – 1a: the act or process or an instance of reacting; b: resistance or opposition to a force, influence, or movement; especially: tendency toward a former and usually outmoded political or social order or policy. – This from their web pages.

There are, of course, many ways to react to ideas and the evangelical marketing of them to other folks with different beliefs or no interest in those ideas. I personally am uninterested in what wine pairs with which dish on the menu of a nice restaurant. I personally am resistant to hyperbole – “OMG” in SMS text messages – and the like, but that is just me. I personally am resistant to the extreme negativity of comments that appear on various social media platforms and at the same time fascinated by what total strangers will say to one another when they are not speaking in person. And yet, I do not equate disagreement with disrespect of another person as some do.

Violence and termination of another person’s life for an idea is disrespectful disagreement in the extreme.

I did not know Charles Kirk. We do not know if the person who killed him had gone mental about his ideas or was merely testing his/her/their prowess as a sharp shooter. We may never know the reason, and yet, as human beings, we long for the answer to why.

Jesus Christ was killed for his ideas. Julius Caesar was killed for his ideas. Abraham Lincoln was killed for his ideas. Mahatma Gandhi was killed for his ideas. Medgar Evers was killed for his ideas. Robert F. Kennedy was killed for his ideas. Martin Luther King was killed for his ideas. John F. Kennedy was killed for his ideas. Written history is full of examples. No doubt prewritten history is also. Those ideas live on in religions, movements, political parties and other organizations. Ideas cannot be killed. The messenger can be given the opportunity to do so by a reactionary.

So the question remains; why?

Only He knows the answer. … And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. (Max Ehrmann)

I will add: Do not be envious of other’s happiness. Rejoice with them and celebrate it.

Carpe Diem.

Stitching Together Financial Noise

Posted by

0

The world of business and markets and trade and economics and human behavior is and has been and will forever be a fascination to me.

From the WSJ: … One illusion that’s bursting is that Mr. Trump is imposing tariffs in the cause of free trade. He’s imposing tariffs because he likes them as an economic policy. … There’s a mood of triumphalism in MAGA circles because the sky didn’t fall after Mr. Trump announced the highest tariffs in memory on April 2. But he retreated from that fiasco after a financial market panic. (my bolding) Mr. Trump’s tariffs on present course would take $300 billion in border taxes from the productive economy this year, and he seems bent on going higher. That’s an anti-growth tax increase, and an arbitrary one…

To many, me included, $300 billion (with a “B”) seems like a lot but in the context of the deficit, a trivial sum. As a percentage it is not even a rounding error.

More from the NYT: …Economists expect the tariffs, which Mr. Trump sees as a way to revive American manufacturing and add revenue to the federal budget, will reduce U.S. imports. American companies, as well as their business partners abroad, would suffer lower profit margins as the government levies are split between consumers, importers and exporters. Firms would be left with less money to pay wages and invest in their growth.

There are two sides to every coin.

(6/6/25) Meanwhile, Trump Coin, the meme cryptocurrency backed by the president, was down 12% in afternoon trading. Today coin is trading for about $8.50 each.

What does any of this mean? The takeaway seems to be America is already great. There is no AGAIN needed. As capitalists extraordinaire we will bet on anything. The market for anything and everything exists. Follow your passion. Or simply keep your money in your pocket.

Recommended reading – “The World for Sale” available on Amazon.

Carpe Diem.

News or Gossip

Posted by

3

Joe Biden, Jake Tapper, Alex Thompson — Biden’s health

Watching the morning news show on CBS I found myself listening to an interview with Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson both journalistic authors of a new book about health issue cover ups by the Biden staff towards the last couple years of his term in office. The point of their conversation was transparency in cognitive health of the president and other leaders in our society. Certainly, I believe, a worthwhile pursuit. Being President or serving on the SCOTUS or any other high level position in our government is cognitively stressful. It seems useful to weed out the mentally deficient, sociopaths and other mental health issues.

But how to determine the clarity of the transparency? And who to lend definitive definition to the mental issues and the transparency of the communication? A conundrum indeed.

My mind wandered off into the weeds of “Is this news? Is this gossip? And What is the difference?” I generally turn on the morning news show for companionship. I feel no strong desire to do so when others are present.

Yesterday, when Debbie was here and, although she was here, out of habit I turned on the news. We spent some time watching the show and she pointed out that I talk back during the show. It is as though I am having a conversation with the TV. It made me smile and I believe that news and gossip are names for the same activity.

When the TV folks invented TV news, it was profound and important. Edward R. Murrow and the like made it so. George Clooney is on Broadway memorializing it. But is it not merely gossip in an official form? The term gossip demeans the news reporting activity. Fake news explains to everyone which way we lean in the political landscape. (What is a political landscape? Sorry.) Is politics another form of gossip? Or is it merely advertising and selling one’s belief structure?

I am really in a deep rabbit hole this morning.

Merriam-Webster’s thesaurus, I have had a red covered one to go with my college dictionary of the same vintage for a long time but find the online version most convenient and worthy of support, displays these as useful synonyms for news: information; info; story; announcement; tidings; rumor; item; advice(s); message; intelligence; gen; word; bulletin; uncos; reportage; communication; tale; gossip; 411; feedback; tidbit; dispatch; correspondence; scoop; tip; lowdown; propaganda; tidbit; dope; tattle; disinformation. Gen, uncos and 411 have a special use in the British, Scottish and slang genres. Gossip is in the list.

The gossip entry in the same volume does not display news as a synonym for gossip. It is no doubt a unilateral relationship. Gossip can be either news or olds (repetitive stories). The term news implies something that is a new story and is factual. Gossip can have facts but those are not a requirement. Alternative facts and opinion may be presented as substance.

With Tapper and Thompson and the CBS morning crew the conversation leapt from news – they wrote a book – to we should do something about the less than forthrightness of discussion of health issues of the leadership. This last is most worthy of discussion but perhaps in a different forum. Perhaps a thoughtful show presented by a news oriented organization but not the early morning slot it got between the latest Mission Impossible movie hype and yesterday’s CBS Deals shopping segment. I find it hard to believe Nate changed his suit that fast. Why would he?

The morning news shows are just gossip after the opening fifteen minutes of weather disaster, shootings, the Trump spot and war images.

The gossip is more interesting but there is more to the day than that. I will move on.

Carpe Diem.