Powderhorn @ Powderhorn @beehaw.org

Unemployed journalist, burner, raver, graphic artist and vandweller.

---

Read more

Posts

959

Comments

2,686

Joined

2 yr. ago

Moderating

---

Effrctively, the Republican party is now going to starve ~40 million people to protect wealthy pedophiles.

As Jesus intended.

These folks really couldn't get any more Snidely Whiplash, and their base still eats it up. I'm very curious how much of MAGA is on food stamps ... they don't tend to be the best and brightest, and the wealthy are only along for the ride for the tax cuts; they don't care about the political red meat and essentially cosplay as MAGA to claw buck a few billion more from taxpayers.

And they'll spin it as "Democrats cut off your food stamps."

I don't know ... I picked up using the term from my ex-wife. That's what she referred to women as.

These folks are fucking pathetic. I mean, they see someone in an inflatable animal costume and claim they're Hamas supporters hell bent on turning everyone trans.

I honestly don't even see how even the most post-Flavor-Aid supporters of this clown show can look at that and say, "yup, Mabel, them's the ones trying to take away mah [insert incoherent conspiracy theory here] so they can [insert irrelevant, incoherent conspiracy theory here with no plausible connection]."

What, by playing music, listening to speeches and dancing in the streets? It must be an absolutely miserable life if your guiding purpose is to be aggrieved that someone else is smiling. Like, take up gardening or something.

When's the last time you heard a GOP politician genuinely laugh? I mean, they were on Kamala like flies on shit over the fact that she had the ability to laugh unironically. And christ, are their (I guess, attempted to be self-deprecating and folksy) chuckles just, again, pathetic.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has apparently been revised in the King Trump Version to poor health, unquestioning obedience and the pursuit of misery.

These marches and meetups are doing an excellent job of pointing out the vapidity of claims of violence. We've done, what, four nationwide days now since January? No violence to speak of.

Trump is a pig in mud trying to get people to wrestle with him who are well-enough educated to know the endpoint of that endeavour, so they decline.

Meanwhile, millions of people were out having a blast today, networking in their communities and maybe making plans for further action. I mean, it's no smearing shit on the walls of the Capitol after breaking in, but there are worse ways to spend a Saturday.

I can't fucking believe I didn't add as commentary, given the hed, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor, not a bridge."

I was never a huge fan of the franchise, as I hate horror, but when you're young, you want to fit in, so you hear "oh, it's not at all like the first one" and think "well, worth a shot." Also, I have a thing for chicks with extremely short hair, so there may be some confirmation bias in my memory.

Show me the historical data saying "functional" adult literacy (as defined by at least sixth grade) has never been higher than 25% in the U.S., and I'll reconsider. Absent that, you're just upset your unfounded belief got challenged with facts, and I'm not going off on a longitudinal excursion for you.

She didn't for Alien 3.

The most literate? What are the stats these days?

• On average, 79% of U.S. adults nationwide are literate in 2024.
• 21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2024.
• 54% of adults have a literacy below a 6th-grade level (20% are below 5th-grade level).

This from the

More than a fifth of the population being illiterate isn't a promising start, but add the 54% below sixth-grade comprehension, and 75% can't understand materials that are supposed to be mastered at 11 or 12 depending what time of the year you were born.

Given that only 79% are literate, and there's no reference to subsets here, it's understood that N is the same for all three statistics. That leaves 25% of adults at or above the sixth-grade level.

If one-quarter if the population being literate above the elementary level is a high-water mark historically, it's a wonder we got as far as we did in science and technology and literally every form of progress over the decades.

It might feel good to think things are the best they're ever been; the data don't bear that out.

(Also, if you run a literacy org, maybe at least run your copy by an editor to avoid redundant embarrassments such as "U.S. adults nationwide.")

But, but, but ... correlation is not causation! FAKE NEWS!!!!!

With any other species, surviving longer didn't mean more ways to destroy their own future. Man is special, but that's not always a good thing. They basically had to worry about weather in a stable climate and asteroids.

Having been in Texas for a decade, I'm aware!

It would be pretty kickass if Sigourney Weaver did the ribbon cutting on the first installed bridge. She'd need to shave her head, though.

Sort of the reverse of Groucho having no interest in any organization that would have him as a member.

So far as I'm aware, magnetic fields. But that's for the best ... uncontrolled fusion doesn't sound like a good path forward.

Misery loves company!

There are no liars. Only Zuul.

I mean, my generation got fucked, and I was born under Carter. The main difference is younger folks were raised jaded, so there was little to adjust to. I'd hang out with friends who had three siblings in a house they owned with two cars on a single income complete with full pension at 55.

That's what was promised to us. The young-uns never saw what things used to be like. It's one thing to hear stories, but the mid-'80s may as well be the moon landing, JFK, usw.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?