I don’t think it is generally considered a good book, but I’m sure it depends on who you ask. I thought it had some interesting ideas, but was pretty weak overall.

That makes perfect sense. :-)

Language is just a consensus. If enough people agree about how it works, then that’s how it works.

Absolutely. It isn’t true. It just should be.

Americans do have a spine. The problem is that too many of them are no longer connected by functioning brains. Those spines are what elected Trump.

Neither side has been willing to change, or even talk about, the shift of wealth that has left most people barely able to get by. Working people get less and less reward for their efforts and the difference all goes to the owners. I think that is at least one aspect of Bernie’s complaint about the Democrats.

Bernie is a national treasure. And no one who hears him speak will wonder about whether his mind is still sharp.

The perfect quote from “The Newsroom”:

Will : “The only reason I seem liberal is because I believe hurricanes are caused by high barometric pressure not gay marriage.”

This may be the most brilliant get-out-the-vote tactic I’ve ever seen.

I’m pretty sure he realizes it. What he doesn’t want is for everyone else to realize it too.

I’ve been a Washington Post subscriber for almost a decade. I just cancelled.

Now I need to figure out which independent news organizations that money should go to instead.

Possibly, but life is full of risks.

What you really need is a carbon fiber shoehorn. If you do manage to deform it the thing will go right back to its original shape.

I understand the desire to get even, but it isn’t likely to happen and it isn’t likely to be satisfying, even if you succeed. You should focus on things that will make your life better and not things that will make someone else’s life worse, even if they richly deserve it.

You are going to have to make some compromises. You are currently putting up with a situation you don’t like, in exchange for the salary, side benefits, and location. That’s isn’t necessarily a bad tradeoff, but it is not likely to be a good long-term situation. Once management decides they have a problem with you, things are going to get worse sooner or later. It will be better for you if you leave rather than being forced out.

You need to make some decisions about which of the things you like about your situation you would be willing to give up for a better job. That will tell you what to do next. Maybe the answer is to hold out for a better position within your current organization, although the chances don’t sound good. You may need to take a salary cut to find a local position that’s better for you. You may need to move. You may even need to change careers entirely.

The key is to make your own decisions and not allow others to force them on you. There are a lot of factors you can’t control. Focus on the ones you can. And don’t stay in a bad situation with the hope that everything will work out the way you want it to.

Possibly the best line of dialog ever spoken from a movie screen.

I’m in favor of using whatever you already have on hand.

Agreed. I figure that after a trip in the trebuchet almost anyone is going to be “trustworthy”. At least, in the sense that they can no longer betray your trust.

Thank you! Sometimes thinking sideways produces interesting results.

That’s fair. I guess I question how vague an objective can be and still count as policy. He has no real idea about who it should apply to. We all know that what he really means is “anyone with non-caucasion facial features or skinner darker than his”, but he would need something a little less subjective if he were to implement it.

It amazes me that lying seems to be the only thing Trump has left. He has no policies to promote. He doesn’t really even have any positions left. Lies are all he has left to offer his followers.

Exactly. The rich will be able to buy privacy, while the rest become ever easier to exploit.