Thursday, April 28, 2011

Stuck On Stupid

Anyone that follows blogs, blog articles, blog commentaries, newspaper editorials and opinion pages, local Times-Standard “My Word,” and letters to the editors will soon begin to see a recognizable pattern emerge – very little substance and very little actual relevant conversation. Oh! There's a humongous amount of words, mostly by unknown web entities (avatars) going AT one another, rarely ever talking TO one another. Lots of shouting and hollering, but no meaningful conversation. As one Blog Commentator put it, when talking about the wanton actions of those that engage in totally unjustifiable conduct that prove themselves so totally untenable, without any credibility, they continue to try to justify themselves by incoherent and nonsensical rationale – in other words: Stuck On Stupid.

An interesting observation regarding these individuals is how many seemingly intelligent and responsible people (known and unknown entities) readily engage these self-manifest stupid blowhards in their mindless quest for attention. As a consequence, with their cooperation, it is the stupid that dominate and obfuscate whatever meaningful work honest, sincere and descent people might want to accomplish in their blog articles, commentary, letter to the editor and opinions. Most responders are incapable of distinguishing the difference between the "subject" from the "object." It seems very few people can deal with the issues at hand, or the “OBJECT” under discussion. So they go after the person, the “SUBJECT.” Rather than discuss matters dispassionately, you end up with a personal vendetta.

As some of you may know, the writer of this blog Report made his living as a logger, mostly in old growth redwood and Douglas fir. I'm not in the picture, but could of easily been one of those guys. Back in those years, we'd occasionally get one of these hot-shot "deaf and dumb" blowhards, that couldn't find his ass with both hands, but was always trying to tell someone what to do and how to do it. One notable reality of the timber industry is that it was and still is, rather unforgiving; you rarely got a second chance. Even so, most of the old-timers would exercise great patience with these upstart punks. We all had a job to do and these guys were a hindrance, never carried their share of the load and were always a threat to themselves and others. In some cases, if the person was really likeable, the old-timer's would spend hours trying to talk, to explain and to show them the seriousness of their situation if they did not start cooperating.

These men took pride in themselves and in the professional work they performed. They expected new entries into their profession to show the same consideration. You ultimately EARNED the “right” to work equal to them. It was always the same with whatever new crew you engaged. You had to start all over, right at the bottom and earn everyone's respect. If you thought you were going to bullshit your way in and that everyone would just rollover for you, you were in for some serious education. Once in a great while one of these individual non-listener/non-learner would see what you might say was “the handwriting on the wall” and quit. No disgrace, they could readily see that they were totally out of their league and move on to something more to their abilities (probably saved their lives, too). Others never saw or heard anything until it was WAY too late. Those that could, never came back either.

Which brings me to “Stuck On Stupid.” Look at what I post on my two blogs, this one and The Joe Blow Report 2 and you won't find many comments. It's not that people don't come here, even spend time here, they do. It is that they just don't want to engage on the issues. And, there are some serious issues confronting everyone in this world today. I recently had an opportunity to confront one of these issues dealing with who or what you actually vote for in this country. I don't think there is any disagreement that all political representatives, from top to bottom, one way or another are corrupt and controlled by a wealthy Elite, what I call a plutocratic oligarchy. Consequently, a vote for anyone ultimately is a vote for the Oligarchy. The question arose as to what the common man and woman can effectively do to get back the control they believe they have in their country's government other than just keep on voting. The conversation surrounding this issue, Stuck On Stupid, was clearly and concisely demonstrated on Eric Kirk's SoHum Parlance II. The commentary thread is rather informative; there's a good example of one of these rather dense blowhards. Notice in particular the comments by Eric Kirk, or perhaps the lack of comment to demonstrate lack of substance - it is his blog and chosen subject, however.

Another good example of the serious issues confronting us was illustrated in an interview I recently saw on Access Humboldt TV: Sentinel Interviews: [E.P.D. Chief] Garr Nielsen by Charles Douglas. This was an astute and timely interview. Mr. Douglas' questions revealed some important information everyone that lives in Eureka needs to consider. As a property owner in Eureka who has had occasion to call on the police for assistance, I was under the impression that they received benefit of their employment paid for by my tax monies; that they essentially worked for the benefit of the taxpaying citizens of Eureka. Thus making the police department ultimately answerable to all of us through our elected representatives, the Eureka City Council. In this interview, Chief Garr Nielsen sets everyone straight on that subject. He says he works for and serves at the pleasure of the Eureka City Manager, David W. Tyson. I wonder how many taxpaying people in Eureka understand what this difference really means. The City of Eureka Website defines his job. Here's a partial quote:
The City Manager is the chief executive/administrative officer of the City, ... The City Manager is appointed by, answerable to, and takes direction from the City Council. The City Manager's office is responsible for the day-to-day efficient performance of all city operations, implementing Council policy ...” [Emphasis added]
Anyone that knows anything about corporations, and the City of Eureka is a corporation, knows that “the” chief executive/administrative officer runs the corporation. So, Chief Garr Nielsen spoke the truth. When there is a complaint about E.P.D. policing conduct, the only person Chief Nielsen has to worry about is Mr. Dave Tyson. That reality was reaffirmed when he explained his approach to demonstrations and demonstrators. If you'd like to learn more about what the taxpaying people and property owners in Eureka can expect from the EPD in the future, here's a link to the complete interview: Sentinel Interviews: Garr Nielsen. Confronting this issue will change your mind and alter your beliefs regarding police protection and what we can expect in the future.

Most of those “old” loggers were survivors. They would do everything they thought reasonable to help a new member of the crew if that person showed the least interest in learning what it took to do the job. Couple that with some initiative and they'd give you every chance. Spurn their offer and you'd soon find out that they were just as unforgiving as a widow maker.
--Joe

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Humbug Blogs - Good Ol' Boys Club UPDATE

Hank Sims, as most of you know, was the Editor of the North Coast Journal or simply "The Journal" until recently, when he moved to the Lost Coast Radio :: "Freeform Radio From Humboldt County, California" - From the website it looks like this makes up four radio stations. Since I don't make it a practice to listen to any of those stations, it's anyone's guess what he does there. What I do know is there's a new website that's made its appearance since he took up residence: Lost Coast Outpost. At least I think it's new. The website has Sim's fingerprints all over it. One of his special little features is his list of blogs he publishes as a reader update. The list of acceptable blogs, according to him, are listed there for all to see - his version of the Good Ol' Boys Club. Look for them under the heading: "Elswhere..."

Look as hard as you want, but you won't find the Joe Report listed there. You won't find a listing on Heraldo's blog either. Guess those two lads have a personal problem that's got the best of them . . .
--Joe

Monday, April 18, 2011

Juan Cole (more or less) Beats Around the Bush

[UPDATE Below]

Juan Cole writes today, Israeli Soldiers’ Brutality at Prison Camp for Palestinians - should be an eye-opener for any decent human being. The “Privileged Class,” in this case the Jews are exposed, AGAIN, for who and what they are as a nation and as a people. 

While he lays down some seriously condemnatory facts, and exposes the complicity of Jeffrey Goldberg, journalist for The Atlantic, he show extreme difficulty calling a spade a spade. After detailing the “in-your-face” wanton, lawless criminality of the Israeli people he, concludes by saying:
Israel has many positive accomplishments to its name, but its policies toward the Palestinians are a national tragic flaw. Israel cannot become a normal, really successful society until it lets Palestinians have statehood and popular sovereignty.
The greatest “positive accomplishments to its name” are defined by Mr. Cole when he says,
Israeli national mythology attempts to erase this foundational crime and to deny the very existence of the Palestinians, of whom there are now some 11 million.”
It is the “mythological” belief that is the root cause of the Jews inability to coexist peacefully with the Palestinians. And, I might add, the Americans with the rest of the world. Americans respect NO national sovereignty of any country, i.e., so-called "War on Terror." In their minds these people, Palestinians, are a non-entity, a non-person, a non-species certainly NOT equal to them. How do you talk to someone that doesn't exist? It is here where Mr. Cole capitulates by defining the Jew's delegitimizing criminal state of being as a “national tragic flaw.”

The real “flaw” here is contained in Mr. Cole's next statement where he says Israel's growth as a people depends upon them “letting” the Palestinians “have” statehood and popular sovereignty.” The legitimate right of a people to “statehood” and “popular sovereignty,” by definition, does NOT depend or rely upon another person's, people's or nation's permission. Because the Palestinians do no “exist” there can be NO will of any people to justify and legitimize “popular sovereignty.” Not withstanding his contradictory state of being, he has defined exactly why there shall never be any peaceful coexistence between Jew and Palestinian. The Jewish people have had over 60 years to reconcile their aberrant beliefs with truth and reality. Like Juan Cole and many other misdirected and misinformed people, he believes that the Jews are in the position of giving recognition and accepting these people or not. For the Jew's to accept the Palestinians in any way, such as recognize a Two-State reality, would cause or force them to the deny their original premise, legal or not, for their state or nation of Israel - to reject their legitimate right to exist as a people.

Read the complete article what he (and I) consider(s) Israel's "foundational crime." It's not long. There are two extremely revealing videos. [Emphasis added]


[UPDATE :: Monday, April 18, 2011]

In the same vein, Juan Cole writes, Saving What's Left of the Constitution. Here's the pertinent excerpt:
I am relieved that Judge Lynch and his colleagues reinstated the suit, and a little surprised, as well. The courts, prosecutors and even the present attorney general have let the Bush administration get away with so many crimes that I had begun to suspect that that our system had just become too corrupt and/or politicized to protect basic American freedoms.
I emphasized those words to illustrate the same "beat around the bush" attitude. Did you notice who is missing" Who he omitted from responsibility for refusing to comply with his solemn oath to enforce the U.S. Constitution? Worthy of note, however, was his equating "corruption" with "politics." Unfortunately, he doesn't equate "American freedoms" with the fundamental issue, American citizens obligation to obey and enforce and to demand and enforce its government to obey, comply and enforce the Constitution to justify American Sovereign Legitimacy.
--Joe

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Getting Through A Thick Head


AP/Evan Vucci
President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room
of the White House on Tuesday.
One of the more important lessons I learned in my working career was the day I saw an older workmate trashing a piece of very important equipment, at least it was important to me and a couple of other people. Knock out that equipment and the workload immediately tripled. So, I ran over and with all of my best intentions began to explain to him what would happen if he didn't immediately stop. Instead of stopping, he turned on me fighting angry and told me exactly where I could go and what I could do when I got there. His anger and indignation was because I had the temerity to think he didn't know what he was doing - actually stupid! It just didn't make sense to me that someone whose job was to keep this equipment working would be trashing it. Obviously, he didn't know what he was doing. Well, I found out, in short order, that was a very real, and very personal insult Trying to ruin that equipment WAS exactly what he was trying to do. For my information, he was sick and tired of constantly being called to repair that equipment. Broke and unrepairable would take care of that problem. And the company would, then, be forced to replace it. Well, I knew the company was NOT going to replace anything. Bottom line, I and my workmates would be forced to do the extra time-consuming work. When I realized he knew exactly what he was doing – well, needless to say, THAT was a wake-up call I never forgot.

When I first began to hear the propaganda about President G. W. Bush being stupid, I knew better. The excuses put out to justify his programs and policies totally disqualified him from being President as either being deliberately lawless, by betraying his oath to defend, and protect the U. S. Constitution or being inept and incompetent. Either way, he was not fit or qualified to be President of the United States. What no one could accept, however, is that he is extremely smart and shrewd. He knew exactly what he was doing and why. A course of conduct and a state of being that the American people absolutely would not accept. Remind anyone of what we're all hearing about President Obama today?

When President Obama first began running for President and I started listening to him speak, it didn't take me long to realize that his message, tone and way of speaking was just like a black, Southern Baptist preacher. He, as a man and a politician was WITHOUT substantive credentials or any legitimacy. His message, therefore, was all about trusting in him and believing in his empty and unsubstantiated offer of “HOPE.” I said at the time, this guy is setting everyone up, should he actually become President, for one big betrayal. What I got for my efforts was denigration and ridicule. Today, what I get is vindication.

Obama's "bad negotiating" is actually shrewd negotiating – Glenn Greenwald defines President Obama's legacy and why. In this article he begins to show the true nature of Barack Obama and his massive betrayal of everyone that trusted him to do what he promised. Here's the first paragraph:

In December, President Obama signed legislation to extend hundreds of billions of dollars in Bush tax cuts, benefiting the wealthiest Americans. Last week, Obama agreed to billions of dollars in cuts that will impose the greatest burden on the poorest Americans. And now, virtually everyone in Washington believes, the President is about to embark on a path that will ultimately lead to some type of reductions in Social Security, Medicare and/or Medicaid benefits under the banner of "reform." Tax cuts for the rich -- budget cuts for the poor -- "reform" of the Democratic Party's signature safety net programs -- a continuation of Bush/Cheney Terrorism policies and a new Middle East war launched without Congressional approval. That's quite a legacy combination for a Democratic President.
Continue reading:
--Joe

Monday, April 11, 2011

Humbug Blogs – The “Good Ol' Boys” (and Girls) Club

When I was a kid I can remember my Grandfather occasionally talking about “The Good Ol' Boys” of Humboldt County – mostly he railed against that Gang of regressive, “old money” businessmen in Eureka that were constantly fighting progress. Anything that would be or was good for the community or the county that Gang made sure to “monkey-wrench” it. Later I can remember my Dad's contribution to the conversation; both were property owners and businessmen. One of that Gang's greatest achievements was getting the Highway 101 bypass stopped. Over the years there's been one battle after another. One way or another the community at large always pays the price, usually paid back in spades.

Most of that “old money” Gang is long dead now, but their legacy continues. In many ways, it just takes on different forms and incarnations. The attitude, demeanor and purpose NEVER changes. They're still fighting progress. Just look at the controversy over the proposed Marina Center. A good example of how local bloggers have used the Internet to fight this battle under a progressive label was brought to the public's attention by a local blogger that also writes an “Opinion” every Sunday in the Times-Standard newspaper. His “As It Stands” opinion for April 10, 2011, was: Next stop online: Humboldt Blogs, a slice of Americana. Read the article and you will find a select group, his group of accepted Humboldt Blogs, all told a dozen or so including his. The Report is NOT saying that all of these bloggers Stancliff names are members of "the" Club. They do, however, make up the members of "his" club now.

His list of local blogs are “a slice of American” alright. His personal slice. As an example, notice who he directs you to for a list of local bloggers, the infamous, anonymous Humboldt Herald. A far more prolific or extensive list resides on another blog, one he also give credence to: Redheaded Blackbelt. Apparently, Kym Kemp, the author, is far too inclusive to suit Stancliff's “club” nature.

Read through his list of blogs in the newspaper that share a common theme and follow their extensive commentaries, it won't take you long to see that there is a common thread. That thread is the so-called “slice of Americana” Stancliff alludes to.

For those of you that have followed Dave Stancliff's antics on the Joe Blow Report this bit of hypocrisy shouldn't have slipped past unnoticed: “The author(s) of the Humboldt Mirror ... are unknown, which is probably a good thing.” That certainly is NOT what he's publicly told the “author(s) of this blog. Nor is it what Ernie Branscomb (Ernie's Place) said either.

The list of blogs offered by local bloggers, who they include and exclude, says more about the author than they know. By the way, Google takes note of the incoming and outgoing links and rates and ranks accordingly. The more inclusive you are the better all around for attracting visitors and readers – not to mention you credibility as a blog author.

The imperious nature of this “slice of Americana” is clearly demonstrated by Stancliff when he says, when speaking of the Planet Tapperass “humorous quasi-competition for ALL Humboldt blogs: “Basically, Sal introduces new, or lesser known, blogs to the Humboldt Blogispher [sic].” What defines a “lessor known” Humboldt blog? Herein lies the crux of this observation regarding Humboldt Humbug Blogs that are portrayed as the Elite Club – The Good Ol' Boys and Girls.
--Joe
List of blogs from Redheaded Blackbelt Blog below:

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Trash-talking – A Way of Life

I wonder how many people would invite into their home, specially a home with a newborn baby and young children some filthy, rotten-smelling diseased person, covered in boils, open pustulated sores, oozing yellow infected pus and filling the air in their every breath and racking cough with germ-ridden pneumonia and tuberculosis? I'm sure most people, if they didn't call in an emergency for the police, would call for an ambulance to take this person to the hospital. I know I would.

Yet this is exactly what thousands of people do every day on the Internet. They invite these infected, gutter-talking, diseased-ridden, degenerate, hate-mongering parasites into their Internet homes where they publicly fill the air with their wanton filthy obscenities, foul accusations and vicious murderous lies. I was showing my wife the other day Dave Stancliff's latest piles of filth he'd deposited on my blog, and she asked me why I allowed that kind of a person to say such things? Why would you want to give this obvious juvenile punk bully a platform to personally attack you like this? My response to her was, “what he says is proof of who and what he is.” “For whose benefit,” she asked. “Decent, God-fearing, respectable people need only to see one example of his trash-talking to know what he is and the rest, those that agree he has the right to personally judge and assault people that don't agree with him or believe as he does, are just like him. You're not writing for his benefit anyway, or at least that's what I thought, so why don't you just put him and his hate-filled bile in the trash where he and it belongs”?

Bullies of all types survive by primarily sucking on emotional energy, in particular the fear or the anger of their victims. This is the state of being were the victim actually becomes vulnerable; when they get emotionally attached. When they take the bully's threats, accusations and insults “personally.” These kinds of people get off on causing an emotional response that connects. I guess it takes an objective perspective, sometimes, to call it for what it is - "sick."

******

The World is at War today. Most people believe it is a war on terror. Actually, it is a war promulgated on the masses of common men and women by a relatively small class of self-righteous, self-important “Dark Age” believers with a bully mentality. People that believe they are touched by God therefore preordained to rule the World with the right to tell people what to think and how to believe; what's right and what's wrong. More than that, they believe they have the god-given right to control and use as they see fit all that is valuable, be it life, land, governments, religions, thought, belief, food, water, and, lets not forget, money. Stancliff's whole effort since the first of June 2009, for more than twenty-two months now, was about trying to bully, coerce and threaten me the author(s) of the Joe Blow Report, into going along with his right to destroy this blog and if he could its author for refusing to accept his god-given right to judge and condemn. He saw a threat to his ability to legitimize his opinions based completely upon his personal prestige and possibly his reputation in the community. That personal prestige is a picture of himself that resides solely within his mind. Anyone that doesn't conform to his personal image and bend to his will becomes his mortal enemy, or more precisely his conjured ego. That is, by definition, a parasite. Like a myriad bullies throughout history, he gets off on puking out his filth on people like me.

Dave Stancliff and his ilk were the same kinds of wannabe exceptional Elitist's high and mighty, “holier than thou” aristocrats, constantly lording over the Americans, constantly trying to force them to bow down and submit, so that when it became so intolerable, caused the Revolutionary War. I say that because not one time in all these months has Dave Stancliff defended, tried to substantiate or justified a single issue he wrote about as observed on this blog. That's because none of this is about issues, unless he is “the” issue, since everything is all about him. What is his proof? The latest record shows here and again you can read it for yourself here that he doesn't need proof. He said it's so, therefore, what more do you need? He is the proof.

Then there is this, repeated in one way or another, over and over again. Notice that I made the statement that no one forced Stancliff to come to my blog Report and read what's written here. He turns around, as is his custom, and now takes issue with the fact that I read his opinion in the Times-Standard newspaper – his inference to my apparent hypocrisy. He said: “I write a column (that you don't have to read but do religiously every Sunday)and then you attack whatever I said.” That statement [on its merits] is a bald-faced lie. The record of his weekly opinions and my blog reports repudiate that statement. The fact is that is exactly what he does to me with rare exception.

By the way there is a big difference between voluntarily going to someone's blog where they self-publish what's written there and writing for a newspaper where someone else publishes what's printed there then sold for money. That means the newspaper editors and publishers are responsible for this guy's opinions and everything else they publish in that paper. I pay for the right to read what's in that paper; the good with the bad. I don't pay him. I pay the newspaper, and I might add, despite the fact that they continue to publish this guy when they know what he is.

Finally, I'd like to offer a little test. Notice Stancliff's claim in his first comment. What he took issue with in my article about his As It Stands: “Gaming the system – frivolous lawsuits flourish in our courts.” I addressed that comment in my next article. Now read his comment posted on that article. It is like he NEVER ever said anything relevant to my article BEFORE. Now he totally changes the subject, trying to use what I wrote addressing he previous comment to castigate me. Conclusion? His comments are nothing more than they are deliberately designed to be: PURE UNADULTERATED BULLSHIT.

Apparently Glenn Greenwald has similar problems with his writings. I came across the following statement that enunciates the exact sentiments I had planned to post here, so I quote him instead:
There's one other point I periodically make about how I engage in these discussions that's worth re-emphasizing here. When I criticize a specific idea, I usually do so not by examining it in the abstract, but by focusing on a particular person's expression of that idea. That's how one avoids fighting strawmen and ensuring accountability (I strongly prefer "X wrote" instead of "some say"). But the focus for me is always on the idea, not its personal advocate. The point of this post was not that Kevin Drum is a mindless, subservient follower of the President's (the fact that I said I read him regularly and find it worthwhile should make clear that I don't think that). The point was that Kevin Drum expressed an idea that I found worthy of criticism, both because it was wrong and consequential (consequential because I encounter it frequently enough to make it worthy of examination). That style of engaging arguments ("X said Y and it's very wrong") can sometimes appear more personal than it is (especially for the person whose idea is being criticized), but it almost never is about the person; identifying a specific expression of an idea is, in my view, the only way to criticize the idea honestly and rigorously.
Dave Stancliff's unproven or unsubstantiated, i.e., “Any rational reader (notice: anyone that doesn't agree with him is not a “rational reader) couldn't help but conclude that you have some serious anger issues coupled with delusions of always being right” personal accusations forced me to accept his definition and the established issue he enforces. His personal accusations do not establish “my” anger or anything else. His acts, publishing his worthless opinions establish who and what “HE” is. Hence: “Since actions speak louder than words, the HYPOCRITE self-manifests for all to see. It isn't the fact of what observations Joe Blow makes regarding Dave Stancliff that harms or degrades his self-made importance and value. It is the fact that he has proven himself to be an unprincipled, deviate, and corrupt individual incapable of rational and decent behavior.”

So, to all you trash-talkers out there, just remember this: Are you ready for a throwdown?

--Joe
P.S. If you are, ready for a "throwdown," go here.