Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Shucks!!

Bernie did less well in New York than I'd hoped. Sigh. I got nuttin' for today, so will hand over to someone who had many wise and wonderful words for Americans - and others.


The Twain Well Met: Epigrams by Mark Twain

Facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable.

There are lies, damned lies and statistics.

The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane.

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you do know that ain't so.

Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish.

The very ink with which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.

It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.

If you don't read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do, you are misinformed.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.

There is probably no distinctly American criminal class, except Congress.

Reader, suppose you were an idiot. Now suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.

There are many humorous things in the world; among them, the white man's notion that he is less savage than the other savages.

In our country we have three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.

9 comments:

R J Adams said...

A sad day - though, I fear, somewhat inevitable. It's looking Trump v. Clinton. Oh dear!

mike said...

Twain was writing in the mid 1800s until the turn of the century. I suppose there is comfort in knowing that we are caught in the time-loop, with Twain's words being timeless and just as fitting for the 21st century as the 19th century.

"Twain was born shortly after a visit by Halley's Comet, and he predicted that he would 'go out with it', too. He died the day after the comet returned."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

Sagittarius Sun, Scorpio ASC, Aries Moon
http://www.astrotheme.com/astrology/Mark_Twain

mike (again) said...

Here's a humorous article about an artist who dared paint a likeness of The Donald...a likeness perhaps too real...and it hit the raw nerve of his YUGE egoed, small handed, cocktail wiener:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/17/nude-donald-trump-painting-illma-gore-lawsuits?CMP=fb_gu

Twilight said...

RJ Adams ~ If the RNC allows Donald Trump the nomination, that is - and if nothing untoward happens to Hillary Clinton (re e-mails or anything else) - that'll likely be our choice come November.

I shall support Bernie for as long as he fights though - he's fighting for what's right, and people in those states still to vote need to have the chance to voice their opinions as to whether they want to retain status quo or change for the better - for all.

Twilight said...

mike + (again) ~ Mark Twain had a nice chart! His natal Venus is around a degree from my own in Sagittarius, and he had Aries Moon, as do I - I'd have been a groupie of his had I lived in the 19th century. ;-)

LOL at the portrait of The Donald! I've just watched a video of his victory speech from last night. It was considerably more businesslike than some of his previous ramblings. Someone has likely told him he'd better start shaping up or the RNC will find ways to sink his ship.

Bernie still feels there's a chance for him pledged-deletate-wise. I'll be worried for him on Tuesday next week. That psychological positive pull from previous wins has been dampened a little by last night's loss, even though that loss was kind of expected. Still, he's doing good work - work that has been needed to be done here for a long time.

mike (again) said...

Yes, I read news release this morning stating that Sanders intended to take the challenge all the way to the convention...he wasn't yielding. I see there's a lawsuit underway challenging the NY Election Commission and denied-voters are encouraged to file their paperwork.

I've not understood the minds of some would-be-Bernie-voters that have predetermined Hillary as the DNC nominee based on the media reports and delegate counts, thereby either not voting or casting for Hillary. This is the primary, not the presidential election! Even if one believes Hillary has this snared and in the bag, they should vote for Bernie, if he's their preference.

Twilight said...

mike (again) ~ I hope the NY lawsuit brings some kind of change, at least for the next election if of no help this time.

The Sanders campaign is also making a complaint to the DNC (making themselves even more unpopular if that were possible!) regarding the distribution of funds gathered in such obscene amounts as from the recent George Clooney bash. there's a video about the complaint at Ring of Fire

http://trofire.com/2016/04/20/bernie-accuses-dnc-colluding-hillary-campaign/

It's not something likely to be seen in mainstream media - but it appears a reasonable
complaint, not apparent without some research.

One thing becomes less clear as weeks go by - how is Bernie going to be able to support Hillary Clinton eventually, as he initially promised, when his campaign ends (if it does)? They now seem so far apart, in attitudes and policies. Some commenters around the net feel Bernie should be encouraged, now, by his supporters, to renege on that promise, and instead make a third party run either forming a new party or by joining the Greens (that'd be a good idea!) I don't know if these suggestions are even doable though, time-wise, after he is denied the nomination (if he is).

It's getting Neptune-ish - again.

mike (again) said...

I highly doubt Bernie would join the Green Party as a bid for the White House...Jill Stein would have to step aside and I'm fairly certain she wouldn't from her recent comments [ http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/15/politics/jill-stein-green-party/index.html?eref=rss_politics ]. She makes it clear that Bernie is outside the Green Party by his own choice. As she indicates, should Bernie run independent, it would assure a Republican win, due to split votes with Hillary (unless the Republicans have a contended-contentious convention and Trump runs independent, too!). We may have an incredibly interesting, ground-breaking, seven months ahead. Neptune-ish, as you said...or Saturn-Neptune square-ish...and we'll have Jupiter mid-Libra T-square Uranus and Pluto come this November and December...discontent...confined...ill-will...fracture.

Twilight said...

mike (again) ~ I doubt it too. I have always found it frustrating, though, that any seminal third parties (to the left of centre) haven't banded together, long ago. There'll have to be more unity if the establishment is ever going to be meaningfully challenged. DNC and RNC are corporate owned monsters now. Maybe they always were, I wouldn't know about that.

I recall that way back last year, or before that, Bernie was trying to decide whether to run as an independent 3rd party or as a Democrat, and finally decided it was better to try within the Dem party. I can see his reasons - he'd have been out of the race long ago had he gone the third party route - I feel sure.

The Greens have been trying for years to break in - they've never even been on the Oklahoma ballot paper. Their ideas are great, but they remain blocked. Bernie is shrewd enough to have realised that joining them, initially, would have been consigning himself to the hidden corner where they now reside - he wasn't known (except in Vermont and to lefties like me and a few others who saw him occasionally on Bill Maher's show). However, NOW, he is known, has a strong following he didn't have before. Now it might be different, but too late, I suppose, because due to his age he'd be unlikely to run in 2020.

I hope the next several months WILL be interesting, because if all there is to read about/talk about is Trump vs Clinton I'm not sure my interest will survive. I shall have to take up knitting.....oh but that'll be good practice for my Defarge role!