Tin-foil hat time.
Who listens to idiots like this? So the government staged a fake tornado and steered it out in Oklahoma to do all that damage?
UFB!
What ever happened to martians? They were so much more believable. Matt Drudge links to this clown. Conservatives need to hit the REJECT key for this nut job.
This is what people who chose to be stupid believe. Government conspiracy theories. The people who choose to be victims of the “out to get cha” gangs. All part of the dumbing down of Americans. Read a book. Travel 500 miles from home. Turn off TV for a month. Stop shopping at Wal Mart. Stay off the Internet for a month. If you’re really brave, leave the country and see how your perspectives changes when you return – that is if you DON’T stay at the Sheridan in Rome but try something local.
Americans are losing respect for themselves. There probably was something to My Favorite Martian!!
Except for the IRS! Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean the government isn’t out to get you. This generation is being shown just how untrustworthy the government can be. This guy is way over the top with his conspiracy theory, however research into modifying the weather for helpful purposes has been in the works for decades. The simplest form being the seeding of clouds in an effort to produce rain in drought stricken areas back in the fifties.
Got me there. IRS indeed.
@Lyssa
Lyssa,
While I do believe, and we are now seeing a lot of proof to support the belief that the government is abusing its power, there is much in your comment with which I agree. Both sides of the political spectrum are being manipulated through spin. Pop culture is heavily influencing the younger generation. Who gives a moosepie what Kim Kardashian, or Honey Boo Boo, or any actor believes? I might be strange, but when I was a kid, my heroes were astronauts, Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, my uncles who were firefighters. Not some pop-culture figure. About as close as I came to holding up politicos as heroes, where those from our nation’s founding, because they exercised their beliefs at great risk to their lives.
What I find ironic about today’s culture is with all of the easy availability of information, how really uninformed people are. I guess the exercise of going to the library, checking out a book, and actually researching something really did make those who sought knowledge much stronger intellectually.
Having traveled extensively during my military career, both extensively and abroad, I have come to appreciate other cultures, but have also come to appreciate our culture even more. When I was living in Japan, many of my friends had no interest or desire to check out the local sites (unless it was a club or a bar), sample the local food (Burger King and the Pizza place did a brisk business on-base), etc. They thought I was a bit off for skipping golf to go exploring, or choosing to hit a locals beach over the beach at a US installation. I keep in touch with many of my “Marine Buddies”, and they all regret not taking greater advantage of the opportunity they were afforded overseas.
I think one of the best things we can do is to dump our cable TV. Really. My family did this 2 years ago, and we’ve never regretted it. Sure, we have Netflix and Hulu, but we don’t watch it much (except my daughter, who’s a “Lost in Space” junkie. She gets her 1-episode per day ration). When I do, I mostly watch documentaries.
If you really want to see an example of the our collective intellectual state, just look at social media, and some of the things these young people are shouting to the world; Hey, look at me! I party ALL THE TIME. Here’s a picture of me in my Hoochie-girl or Gangstaboy actionwear. Here’s a picture of me thinking I look good making a duckface. Here’s a picture of me and my 2 yearold at my GED graduation. Here are all my written posts that show I am functionally illiterate. Oh…and I love Kim Kardashian…she’s made nothing but the best decisions in her life…
Gives me a headache in my eye. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go chase some kids off of my lawn.
Steve, I know it is a rite of passage to bitch about the younger generations when you get old. However….I think we have hit an all time low. Lazy speech, lazy habits, limited intellectual curiosity.
I think the lazy speech is what grates on my nerves the worst. Monosyllabic grunts and snorts have now replaced speech.
Now my eye hurts. It sucks getting old. I also find it unsettling to have to say in a paragraph that long, I can’t find one sentence to disagree with.
“Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”
Thomas Paine
Yes, we are in agreement. I see it in my own children. Fortunately mine were more interested in being outside than computer games. Of course that meant I was outside watching discreetly from a distance because of my kidnapping paranoia….a lot of PB&J and banana suppers.
It takes effort to live and raise kids this way – but someone did it for us. When did people begin to accept less for their children?
@Steve Thomas
+1 – but it starts with the Parents. The Parents have allowed the children to run the house. The kids say what is for dinner, how much time they watch tv, that they do not go outside. I blame a good portion of it on Cable tv – 24 hrs of time to fill with nothing has gotten us to the ‘entertainment’ of reality tv. And, many of us are too stupid to not know that it not good for us – hence, leading us to the nanny state.
I’d say your “kidnapping paranoia” was/is just good parenting sense. Things have changed since we were kids. I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood, where neighbors had known eachother for years, some from childhood. They looked out for eachother, and the kids. There was a well-known policy in our neighborhood. If the kids were at your home, and were acting up, you were free to discipline them in the same manner you disciplined your own children…which meant if I was acting like a fool at Bobby’s house, I got a spanking Mrs. Hughes, and my Mom, after the phonecall was made. Now, there’d be lawsuits.
Folks are more transient now, same for neighborhoods. The “stay-at-home” parent is becoming more rare. My Mom (a divorcee) had to work, but I wasn’t a true “latch-key” kid. Every other home on my street was either occupied by Aunt or Uncle, or a family that was well-known to mine.
There weren’t all the “entertainment options” available to us. Maybe a couple hours of loony-tunes cartoons or Three Stooges reruns on UHF TV. We played outside, if the thermometer was above freezing. I spent a lot of time in the library during the coldest months. Always had a stack of books checked out on American or military history. I had a paper-route delivering the evening paper from age 9-15, and I read this paper every day, as directed by my grandfather. I listened to CBS “Radio Mystery Theater”, hosted by Alistar Cooke. I watched the evening news hosted by Huntley & Brinkley (real journalists), again at the direction of my grandfather.
Now, our kids are overwhelmed with hundereds of cable channels, videogames, etc. What is shown on the news (all stations) is too shocking to be shown to children. Could you imagine what the footage of yesterday’s machete attack on that British soldier would do to a kid watching the news?
When I take my 6-yo out for “Date Night”, we have dinner at Chick-fil-A, then hit the central library. We check out 6 books. Some for me to read to her, some for us to read together. She’s picking up archery (the movie Brave got her interested in this). The thing that bothers me is the way things are today, we have to schedule “play dates” for her and her friends. When I was 6, the door was opened, and the directive to “be home before the street lights come on” was issued, but kids were generally safe.
We blame technology. Everything has an off switch. I love the sound of your date nights!!
The Mrs Kravitz of the world indeed kept things safer in neighborhoods. Now they are sued and or disdained….that’s a mistake. Your Grandfather and mine must have been kindred spirits. Mine actually brought his TV when he came to visit. We didnt have a TV until the mid-70’s.
But back to the thread – there is no reason for this man to have an audience larger than a dozen.
@Lyssa
Were it not for the internet, he wouldn’t. He’d be tapping out a newsletter on an IBM selectric. Then again, so would Moon and Elena. You are correct. Everything does have an off-switch. Unfortunately, so do our brains, and sometimes we, on both sides, turn off reason. Give me John Batchelor’s show. Sad thing is, he got bumped later on WMAL to make room for Michael Savage, who I cannot stand.
My take on Savage is that he began with Ginsberg and decided he’d make more money if he became negative and angry regardless of philosophy or his own convictions. He’s just another mercenary. That’s one of the odd things of these angry, conspiracy driven, anti everything different talk show hosts – their “followers” don’t realize they’re just being used so the hosts can make money. If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny.
Anyone catch “The Following” on Fox this season?!
@Lyssa
You are lucly your grandfather even came to see you. I probably wouldn’t have. We old people get used to our TVs.
@Lyssa
Yes, I caught the following. I have to go watch some back issues though. It sort of got less interesting there for a while.
@Steve Thomas
One correction….you are right about the internet, Steve, but if I had to use a selectric, I seriously wouldn’t bother.
Nothing I have to say is worth that much effort.
@Steve
Disneystore.com has a neat set of brave weapons. I had to get the young Miss Howlett a set last year as a reward. They are very substantial weapons without being dangerous. That was her first pick of rewards to get.
She earns rewards by helping out her aged, decrepit grandparents. Actually she earns stars that I keep track of. 25 stars equals a new American girl doll. Brave weapons = 10 stars.
…a math teacher….. Moon regarding TV I AM talking about the early 70’s….
My young Lass has them: Battle Axe, Sword, Mace & Chain set. She also got the bow, arrow and quiver.
Last Christmas she moved up to a real achery bow, real arrows. She’s picking it up well. Just needs to work on consitancy.
The mace and chain set is cool.
Where does Miss Thomasette practice?
I know someone who will be very jealous when I tell her.
As I recall, both lasses have Mirida hair also. Miss Howlette has blonde Mirida hair.
Alex Jones….. proof that tin foil can be invisible.
Good one, Cargo!!!!
Too funny.
Are you enjoying your time off school?
Hey Lyssa, how big was the TV your Grandfather would bring. Not many small TV’s before the 70’s if I can remember. I have this vision of a moving hand-truck with a 25″ console strapped to it ; )
@Moon-howler
She practices in the back yard. I paste targets onto old pizza boxes and tie them to a tree, which is in front of the woodpile. She’s doing well, and loves it.
I think that is neat!! Howlette has only used suction cupped arrows. I didnt realize you could get real archery sets for people that age.
I would have to regulate it closely here. She has a wicked little temper.
@Second Alamo
It was small and bluish green. It fit on top of a bookcase. Are you old enough to remember Hotpoint? I think Hotpoint… The rabbit ears on it were the same size as a regular TV which we found hilarious. My Grandfather was a gadget man (ah, no tools though). He bought every new coffee pot that came out in the 60’s and 70’s and loved transistor radios and had a couple of those small TV’s. I can only imagine how he would have loved iPads, cell phones and computers. He died in 1972.
@Lyssa
My Grandfather had a huge RCA floor model. Thing was about 20 years old in 1984. The picture tube was going, and I noticed Ephrim Zimblast Jr. (on the FBI…in color) was a sick-looking orange, and the sky was green, whenever my grandfather watched his “program”. So, I used some of my bootcamp pay, and bought my grandparents a nice Sony Trinitron with “infrared Remote” while on boot leave. I came home again three months later after Infantry Training School, and was sitting with them when Nan told Gramps to put Lawrence Welk on. I watched as he picked up a yardstick and used it to punch the channel button. I asked my Grandmother what had happened to the remote, thinking they had lost it, or the batteries were dead. She said she didn’t want to use is…thought it might start a fire, with “all those infrareds”. I said “Nan…it’s a remote, not a ray-gun. You’re not going to vaporize Grampy by using it..” Though they passed away in the late 1980’s, I still get requests to tell this story at family reunions.
I am howling over here. Did they ever learn to use it?
That was really decent of you to buy your grandparents a TV, by the way.
I am also smiling over Lawrence Welk. It was the staple at my house when I was a kid. We kids all groaned over it. Now I feel badly. My mother loved the show up until the time she died. (not him, just the music) I unmercifully made fun of her until the day she died over that show. I shouldn’t have. One day someone will make fun of me over Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Melanie and Joan Baez.
@Moon-howler
No…since it wasn’t a “clicker” they didn’t like it. Loved the TV though.
@Moon-howler
BAck in school.
That didn’t take long.
The Lennon sisters and Joe Feeney were required watching with both Grandmothers. The first program I saw in color was Bonanza. I’ve a very vivid recollection of the opening in color.
Alex Jones represents right wing conservatives