Great Divide – unclear on the concept (updated)

George Rebane

[Update - A slightly edited version of this post was published here in the 12dec24 online and 13dec24 print editions of The Union.]

The other day I read a newspaper column by a good-hearted commentator who tried to convince readers that there already exists a natural and effective path both sides can travel to heal the historical schism which today separates us and grows wider by the year.  In keeping with the season when families gather to celebrate their holidays, our columnist pointed out that sharing “our love of family and friends and our desire for the best for them” is sufficient common ground to foster a dialogue for healing our nation’s breach.

We have heard such shibboleths for decades now as the country’s ideological factions continue to draw us apart.  My own thoughts on this seeming paradox have led to the realization that it is precisely those shared sentiments we have for family and friends that have driven us apart, and which will continue to do so the more we all are intensely concerned for the future of our loved ones.

Reflecting on the matter, we see it is really the diametrically opposite endpoints of the country’s governance, in which both sides fervently believe and work for, that give rise to the hate and discontent we have with each other.  As a free market capitalist who believes in individual liberties, and who has directly experienced living under their absence, I loathe the thought of all those ignorant yet well-meaning neighbors and fear their cynical political leaders who work day and night to achieve a collectivist autocracy under which all that we hold near and dear about the organization of society will become impossible.  I and people who share my beliefs consider the achievement of such ends, especially under the cloak of perfidy, to be the dominant and overwhelming evil of our times that will endure and prevail unless we address it openly and directly in the public forum.

And the rank and file of such believers in collectivism share the exact opposite views, and of us as the purveyors of programs and policies that will lead to a tyranny reminiscent of Nazism and fascism (although predictably not socialism or communism).  Understandably they want none of that for their families and friends, and see us opposing their ideological desiderata as the nation’s evil ones.  And so the beat goes on, vehemently abetted by disastrously misunderstood shared values where each side is convinced the other side wants to herd them down the road to serfdom.

That we continue to hope for change and rapprochement while beseeching the same laudable social values of hearth, home, family, and friends no doubt qualifies such behavior as another form of mass insanity that guarantees our growing separation.  

Comments

[Scott O]

"...that give rise to the hate and discontent we have with each other."

I will assume "we" refers to various and sundry Americans when used in this sentence.
Personally, I have not the time, energy, or use for hating people. There are certainly actions and arguments made by people that can give rise to my anger, although even there, I find an increasing number of other emotions such as disappointment, disgust, and/or amusement taking the place of hate.
I would suggest this comes with being a student of history as well as being a person who read widely and often - even at a young age.
A good study of the Bible as well as Shakespeare helps immensely. Humans gonna do human - it's apparently in our nature.
That plays a big part in my finding the amusement in the idiot and uneducated pronouncements of the so-called intellects who inhabit the left side of the divide. Avarice, greed, and conniving - for example - seem to inhabit only the wealthy, Euro-descent males according to the accepted shibboleth on the left. And - lo and behold - mostly those who are of the conservative political nature. When in fact these nasty little traits find their way into folks of all income level, political persuasion, and skin color.
There is hatred in our land. And it poisons our discourse, politics, and familial relations. One might make note that it is the left that is constantly calling for cutting off communication and relationship with those who do not toe the political line. It was true before the election and now even more so. The left has and is increasingly immersing itself in a fantasy life of unreality. Contact and communication with conservatives brings an unwelcome and dreaded brush with reality. Witness the completely lopsided ratio in the numbers of willing conservatives to appear on lefty shows/podcasts and the few (none)leftys willing to reciprocate.
Our modern world of easy living and a disconnectedness from the toil and grime of making this easy life a reality has - I'm afraid - led to many having no idea that water runs downhill no matter how much they wish it not so. The same spoiled little brats that wax poetic about the dark-skinned folks that pick our crops turn around and spit on white men that work 70 or 80 hours a week with no certainty of payment at all and consider themselves quite the "friend of the worker".
Our country was once an overwhelmingly agrarian society. The crops came in or they didn't. Even folks that later in life worked in office buildings (both my grandfathers) had their up-bringing on the farm.
There was a common ethos and reality. Now we are several generations away from this cozy arrangement and many millions have experienced life only as animals in the zoo. They pass the time away as "consumers" and wait like the cargo cult for the Great White Father to air drop their needs and wants. And they vote.
As they increase in numbers our Republic slips away.

[scenes]

" both sides can travel to heal the historical schism"

lol. You are dealing with insane people here. I'm afraid they'll have to be minimized and aged out.

A, no doubt to be unread, reading assignment for psul.

"The Democrats’ Insanity Defense
Republican activists say they have to water down the reality of their opponents’ agenda in focus groups. ‘They just don’t believe it’s true. It can’t be.‘"

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/democrats-insanity-defense

You know, if Team Blue had just stuck to nationalized medicine and tax rates, we wouldn't be where we are today.

[scenes]

Just one of a whole slew of connections out there.

"Soros gave record cash to pro-Democratic ‘local news’ network that spent millions influencing 2024 election"

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/investigations/3249950/soros-record-cash-local-news-network-influence-election/

You do have to wonder where funding for places like KVMR really comes from. It's all pretty opaque.

It's funny to me how people who think that kinky men can be women and that children being poisoned and mutilated for the sake of gender (and as fashion accessories for their crazy mom) can be a Good Thing can be so proficient at grassroots organizing. I guess you can be crazy and competent at the same time.

[fish]

Posted by: scenes | 06 December 2024 at 06:49 AM

You know, if Team Blue had just stuck to nationalized medicine and tax rates, we wouldn't be where we are today.

We would have....might have taken a little longer! After TEAM EVIL abandoned the white working class the "Coalition of the Fringes" was the only way to stay relevant and it only worked for a short time under a unique set of circumstances. It's been entertaining to watch the black community slowly notice their abandonment in former strongholds like Chicago, Philly and New York!

Don't think that the forced importation of 11 million unvetted (and at least million known or suspected criminals) South and Central Americans was unplanned or accidental. With the slow demise of the Rich Howell cohort the dems had to dilute the native (and still procreating) vote to stay in the game at all! Fortunately had their useful idiot in the "Pride of Scranton" if only for a brief period! Still marveling at how they botched what should have been a fairly routine handoff to the next democrat chair warmer!

But I do understand why Weez is so fond of the guy!

[Scott O]

The unreality the Dems and the left operate in apparently hasn't been shaken too much by Trump's victory:

"A campaign chair for Vice President Harris’s 2024 presidential bid said the notion that she dodged interviews during the campaign was “completely bulls—.”

Yeah, OK, whatever - and Biden is still sharp as a tack and just had "a bad night" when he debated Trump.
I suppose Paul and the Hillbilly still believe all this crap. Otherwise their brains would smoke and explode like the computers in the cheap sci-fi movies.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/harris-campaign-chair-narrative-about-dodging-interviews-was-completely-bull-t/ar-AA1uOlqe

[scenes]

GeorgeR: "... and of us as the purveyors of programs and policies that will lead to a tyranny reminiscent of Nazism and fascism..."

Which naturally explains their ability to do whatever it takes to avoid Orange Hitler. The upcoming tension of a new President and a bureaucracy that politicized the law enforcement (and other) apparatus to do him in should be pretty wild. Records are a lot harder to burn at this point, but don't count Team Blue out.

Lately I was considering how much control we live under. An interesting case is 'banned' books. It's a notion that has been turned into a political weapon by the Left, I mean, who wouldn't want crates of books on homosexual and more exotic sex delivered to the elementary school library? But really there are tons of books that are essentially banned by the authorities generally. You can usually tell what the scoop is when copies cost hundreds of dollars on eBay, but they're unavailable new. Small runs are cheap anymore, so the excuse isn't financial.

It would be an interesting library to put together.

[Scott O]

Here's another look at the divide from halls of "higher" learning:

"According to a recent study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, 100% of the top colleges allow students to graduate without taking a single course in American history, and three-fourths of the colleges don’t require students to take any history course at all."

Yes - why require that they learn any history - it would just confuse the poor dears.
If this study is even half way accurate, it goes a long way towards explaining why so many college grads are taken in by left-wing gibberish.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/these-upstart-classes-hold-woeful-lack-civics-education-be-self-evident

[Scott O]

And it gets worse:

"They may be the intellectual elite, but Harvard students could graduate without reading a work of fiction during their time at America’s oldest university."

Between Wikipedia and AI, the copy/paste generation rises to take over the world!
Huzzah!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2024/12/06/claims-harvard-students-graduating-without-finishing-book/

[scenes]

re: Scotto@7:57AM

How is this whole program not fiction?

https://extension.harvard.edu/academics/programs/equity-diversity-inclusion-and-belonging-leadership-graduate-certificate/#edib-leadership-certificate-overview

The genius angle to these sorts of things is that various bits of paper are required for entry into the finer corporate and government gigs. People have to pass classes and tests in nonsense, lie their asses off if necessary, to grab that ring. Just pretending that a man in a dress is a woman is a microtest some of these people have to do every day to keep their jobs.

So...maybe that is what passes for fiction these days. Various sorts of Social Nonscience presented as fact.

[Scott O]

scenes 12:33 -

...and Belonging.

Ahhh - that's so nice.

Actually, it's "conform or get the hell out".

Love the testimonial from 'Staci' (where's the heart doting the I?) - "...representing as many layers of diversity imaginable..."
Oh, good Lord. They let this poor woman call herself a "Psychologist, professor, and business consultant"!
We are fucked.

[scenes]

re: Scotto@5:00

I just spent a couple of minutes going through layers and layers of good stuff starting with that link.

The opportunities for griftiness, especially when the money flowed during COVID (what happened to that anyway?), is astonishing. No doubt there was corporate money aplenty using the typical approaches. LOOKS LIKE YA GOT A MIGHTY NICE COMPANY HERE, SURE HATE TO FIND OUT THAT IT'S RACIST.

In some ways I really appreciate the Chinese making all of our stuff for us. When you build an economy on thievery, finance, and surveillance advertising, *somebody* has to make the shoes and 10mm sockets.

[Scott O]

scenes - Can you imagine a company that makes something like gas turbine engines (or for that matter - anything functional) and having to deal with this sort of crap?

[Don Bessee]

Interesting results from their survy showing Trump voters are not isolationist but want to be strong enough to kick the axis of evils ass -

https://www.foxnews.com/media/palantirs-ceo-warns-us-facing-legitimation-crisis-defense-experts-meet-reagan-forum

;-)

[Don Bessee]

You bet baby -

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/opinion-democrats-looking-dozen-years-170000261.html

;-)

[scenes]

Behold. A modern educator. School teacher and principal.

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1865670629443452962

psul has a ready-made act here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0e8gTaZo7U0

roflmao. Remember, when you are arguing with psul or that hillbilly character, this is what you are dealing with in terms of the new normal.

[Scott O]

Don 9:44 - I've seen those kinds of predictions running both ways for decades. There is a majority of Americans (regardless of party) that are convinced the American fed govt can "fix" the economy. It is actually quite capable of destroying our economy but can do little to lift us up out of a depression. See: The Great Depression. Roosevelt's own man testified to Congress in the late 30's that they (the admin) had failed. It was only a terrible world war that devastated all of our industrial competitors that brought us the prosperous 50's and 60's.
Our country lives far beyond our means on printed money and debt. We (and other socialist nations) are in serious trouble. The solution is something most in our country simply will not do. That is getting back to work at lower wages. We need to produce value before we consume value. But this will not happen. The new American dream is to be like Staci. She is actually worthless to society as someone who would produce value yet through the alchemy of socialism and modern group think she is handed wads of money as her due. Sorry folks - the Jetsons was a cartoon and that isn't how you earn a living in reality.
If Trump is actually successful in reducing the work force in DC as he should, and cuts back on the spending as he should, then there will be tens of thousands of people out of work with no skills or desire to become truly employable.
The irony of the possibility of Trump's success will be the return to power big time by the Dems. Because they will promise to "fix" the economy even though their track record is nothing but disaster.

[scenes]

"Internal emails reveal that House Democrats, led by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, exerted pressure on the US Capitol Police (USCP) to provide extraordinary financial support and benefits to Lt. Michael Byrd after he fatally shot unarmed protester Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Despite Byrd’s significant disciplinary record, which included multiple referrals to the USCP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, efforts were made to secure him bonuses, housing assistance, and even a promotion."

https://sharylattkisson.com/2024/12/read-democrats-steered-taxpayer-money-to-officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt/

I guess those right-wing protester bounties can really pay off.

[Gregory]

I smell a pardon coming for Speaker Pelosi.

[Gregory]

"If you voted for Trump, you don’t care about people I love being unsafe; you don’t care about women and you don’t care about minorities. You don’t care about the climate or the earth. You don’t care about Medicare and Social Security being under attack. You don’t care about the Constitution.

Thus, I don’t want to be friends with you—any of you.

Susan Clark, Grass Valley"
Letter in The Uniion

There is a Susan Clark in Grass Valley that is an MFT. Might be this one.

Very sad.

Ms. Clark, the prospects that you are wrong on every single of your conclusions may come to you, but you may outlive your delusions. Stranger things have happened.

[fish]

Posted by: Gregory | 08 December 2024 at 12:29 PM

Might be time to find a therapist who has a little bit better grounding in reality...

[Scott O]

"If you voted for Trump, you don’t care about people I love being unsafe..."

That's a pretty strange thing to say - is she not concerned for the safety of everyone?
Or is she claiming I don't care about only the people she loves? How is it I can identify who these folks are? Or is she saying there are people who she knows that are "unsafe" and she loves the fact that they are unsafe?

[Gregory]

I expect that "Susan Clark" doesn't care if anyone who voted for Trump either breathes or votes.

[The Estonian Fox]

Scott O @ 03:03 PM

I believe Ms. Clark made a punctuation mistake - she missed a period:

"If you voted for Trump, you don’t care about people. I love being unsafe..."

She simply likes to live on the wild side, a permanent state of unsafety. Punctuation matters.

[Scott O]

E. Fox - I think you have it. She should be concerned about getting Monkey Pox or some other STD.

[Scott O]

Psul will be pissed! Jill Biden caught having a smile and a chit chat with HITLER!
https://www.skynews.com.au/world-news/united-states/jill-biden-seemingly-in-love-with-donald-trump-during-notre-dame-reopening/video/8cc43dfddb27e5a650f8a73ebc5b1c51
And to think Psul voted for her husband for POTUS!

[Scott O]

Good to know that Biden got us out of the Middle East:
"US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X this evening that "over 75 targets" were struck in the centre of the country "using multiple US Air Force assets, including B-52s, F-15s, and A-10s"."
Bush's wars are bad, but Biden's wars are good - right, Paul?

[Resurrected Hillbilly]

Scott oH

What war? Please list all the wars Biden got us into?
We have had 1000+/- anti-ISIS US personnel in Syria for some time.
Are you referring to Syria @1205 where US is destroying known or suspected ammo dumps stocked with nerve agents, other weapons they don't want anyone to get their hand on?

[Scott O]

Hillbilly - "We have had 1000+/- anti-ISIS US personnel in Syria for some time."

What is "for some time"? How many were in Syria when Trump left office the first time? How is that different than the troops that were in Afghanistan keeping the Taliban out of control?
We either have troops in the Middle East or we don't. American troops in that area are in an area that is experiencing warfare no matter what you want to dress it up as. Biden's foreign policy's mistakes have been a disaster to our troops, to Afghanistan, to Israel, and even though not in the Mid East - Ukraine.

"Are you referring to Syria @1205 where US is destroying known or suspected ammo dumps stocked with nerve agents, other weapons they don't want anyone to get their hand on?"

Did you notice the quote marks, dude? I wasn't referring to anything - that was a statement from our military. And yes - OBVIOUSLY - that was part of the same statement. Nerve agents are considered "weapons of mass destruction". Kinda remember that was one of Saddam's fav weapons in war and population reduction - nerve gas. How was it bad for us to go after his nerve agents and good to go after the ones in Syria?
Aerial bombing raids - whether you like them or not - are acts of war.

[Scott O]

Better than Babylon Bee - from Daily Kos Dec 9th:

"President Joe Biden’s absence from the public stage since the conclusion of the 2024 election has become a cause for alarm. The outgoing president’s lack of action is happening even as Donald Trump moves to take the country in a hard-right direction—before he is even sworn in as the next president."

Wut?! - Sharp-As-A-Tack Biden is "absent"?
LOL - these fools are even more moronic than I had thought.
They really are complete idiots.
To sweeten the joy - read the comments:
"Biden could order the release of intel on Trump and his gangs Russian contacts. And the findings of the Mueller and Smith investigations."
We really are dealing with the walking dead.
They sound like the NAZIs as the Russians close in on Berlin - "Mein Fuhrer, ve haf da secret weapon"
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/9/2291003/-Biden-goes-AWOL-as-Trump-begins-right-wing-takeover?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_8&pm_medium=web

[Scott O]

Sure - I'll post another comment:

"Wesley Snipes – 3 years
The star of Blade and White Men Can't Jump, found himself charged with tax evasion in 2006. Four years later, Wesley Snipes was convicted for three misdemeanor counts of failing to file tax returns for 1999, 2000 and 2001, and served a 3-year prison sentence before his release in April 2013."

3 years for misdemeanors.

Hunter Biden failed to report his millions and set up shell companies to hide this income.
Those are felonies.

He gets a complete pardon.

The plantation blacks not only do not riot, they continue to vote Democrat.
And I'm supposed to be generally respectful of blacks regarding their intelligence.
Nah.

[Don Bessee]

Do tell -

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/climate-change-greatly-overestimated-oceans-cooling-earth-far-more-than-we-thought/ar-AA1vBHFt?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=f27686ba25dc47c6874005ca1d5736a6&ei=30

;-)

[Gregory]

DB 1030a

That is an unapproved and unauthorized line of inquiry and should not be repeated.

snicker, snicker...

There are a number of researchers who keep on working despite being on the wrong side of history, for the time being.

[Gregory]

Scotto 753p

I have met a number of blacks who I think are smarter than you. And who are smarter than I.

[scenes]

There's a lot to like in this headline:

"Top Democrat on Ethics Committee Outed as Leaker of Gaetz Report"

[Scott O]

Gregory - I have no doubt. I said 'generally'.
I didn't say all. Some of the best non-fiction I've read were authored by blacks. My point was despite being pissed on by the Dems for decades, blacks continue to vote for them. Although I see that is starting to change.

[scenes]

From KVMR fave, 'Democracy Now'

"Thirty-year-old Neely, a beloved Michael Jackson impersonator, was unhoused and hungry, and crying out for help when Penny, a white former U.S. marine, attacked him and pinned him down on a subway train by the neck for six minutes. "

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/10/headlines/new_york_jury_acquits_subway_vigilante_who_killed_distressed_street_performer_jordan_neely

roflmao. That's their take. No wonder all the local libs are so whacked. That's what passes for 'news' in Crazytown.

[Don Bessee]

They have truly lost their collective minds and are preapproving murder -

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/12/10/warren-on-unitedhealth-ceo-slaying-violence-is-wrong-but-you-can-only-push-people-so-far/

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024/12/10/msnbcs-reid-conservatism-itself-justifies-violence-they-just-elected-the-joker/

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/12/10/left-wing-new-republic-attacks-magas-sick-nature-over-praise-daniel-penny-acquittal/

https://www.foxnews.com/media/socialist-upenn-professor-hides-social-media-after-celebratory-post-about-ceo-murder-suspect-goes-viral

https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbcs-odonnell-psaki-wagner-hit-all-time-viewership-lows-despite-busy-news-week#&_intcmp=fnhpriver_2

;-)

[Scott O]

Forget left and right, Dem and R - you either get this about our economy or you don't - we're going broke.
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/government-spending-shock-us-budget-deficit-worst-start-year-record

[Gregory]

We can't be going broke... I still have blank checks.

[scenes]

"Former President Clinton said he is open to having a conversation with President Biden about a potential preemptive pardon for his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."

- thehill.com

lol. Those people are such crooks.

[scenes]

"This development was anticipated, according to Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel, who tells Sputnik that Bill Clinton is also likely to seek a pardon for himself and his daughter."

"As in the case of the first Biden family pardon, my view is that a federal pardon for the Clinton family will have to go back, perhaps, to 1992 and continue so long as 'The Clinton Foundation' and its affiliates may operate," Ortel suggests.

Sputnik News on X.

You could argue that a Clinton Family Pardon should extend to some time in the mid-1970s.

[fish]

Posted by: Scott O | 12 December 2024 at 05:57 AM

Forget left and right, Dem and R - you either get this about our economy or you don't - we're going broke.

No worries Scott. Noted economist and frankly pouty bitch (Given the paucity of his posting since the election) Paul Emery will be by shortly to tell you why the democrats have financial matters firmly in hand!

[Gregory]

Where *is* punchy hiding?

Four years will go by quickly... the next four might not.

[scenes]

I think I admire their gall.

"EXCLUSIVE: Biden Races To Sell Off Border Wall Parts Before Trump Takes Office
'The goal is to move all of it off the border before Christmas,' Arizona border patrol agent tells The Daily Wire"

https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-biden-races-to-sell-off-border-wall-parts-before-trump-takes-office

---

"Where *is* punchy hiding?" - Gregory

He is *such* a poor loser. It cracks me up.

[Gregory]

And he would be an abysmal winner.

So would Steve Frisch, Bored Georgeman and the rest.

[Scott O]

Gregory 6:35 - Ha! and the other comeback is:

Oh, no, silly - this other bank just sent us a new credit card to pay off the other ones. We're fine.

[Ben Emery]

The blueprint for bridging rural and urban areas is straightforward. The main challenge lies in the reluctance of influential players to participate.

Greed is our biggest hurdle.

With the Energy and Tech Industries colluding, we now face a common enemy: "Green Energy." While the technology's developers may have had good intentions, capitalism corrupts their efforts, creating another negative force for ordinary people to become enslaved or another enemy to fight.

Far too many people have given up and the global population is begging to be saved while the grip becomes even tighter around their necks.

We must address this issue directly.

https://www.gp.org/ten_key_values

[Gregory]

Br'er Ben, good to see you.

Good luck wit dat.

[Gregory]

Br'er Ben... just how are the Energy and Tech industries "colluding"?

[Gregory]

Ben, where'd you go?