277 Comments

My mom will tell you that I have loved Ray Charles since I was 2 and sang along to "Hit the Road, Jack," in the car. This rendition of "America the Beautiful" will always bring tears to my eyes. Thanks for reminding me to listen to it.

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This sure did make me smile. I saw Ray do this in concert, and the memory ALWAYS makes me smile. Just like our national anthem still chokes me up, these words still give me hope for the old reasons to love my country in the face of our worst threats.

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Wonderful!!

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Thank you for the smile. Ray Charles was always awesome.

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It’s s

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When I started reading Dan's column this morning I was pleased by the hopeful attitude for a better future. But then the whole thread descended into some very ugly name-calling and ranting.

There was a book written in 1938 called "The Tyranny of Words" whose premise was that words can either solve or acerbate problems, and that the misuse of words can short-circuit thinking and block communication.

Because of the vitriolic language I heard during the election, and continuing after the election, and now showing up here on this "Steady" site, I'd invite anyone who's interested to have a look at my Book Review of "The Tyranny of Words." That book, written 85 years ago, still speaks directly to the communication-gap we're still experiencing, right here, right now.

It's posted at my free substack site, and the only reason I spent the time researching and writing it was to hopefully diminish the kind of ugly vitriolic rhetoric that I see cropping up even here at a site dedicated to civil discourse.

Any comments or feedback on the review, the book, or its application to today's situation would be greatly appreciated. Everything I write is an invitation for conversation, to make the world a better place for my kids and grandkids.

https://neofascism.substack.com/p/the-tyranny-of-words-by-stuart-chase

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This is absolutely beautiful

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If someone threatens you you can press charges. Even anonymous posters can be obtained from the platform by police. When they get international or hide behind a vpn, it gets more difficult.

But how are opinions threats anyway? If they are carried out in a criminal way, then there is law enforcement. It's like guns. The media is not the cause of the violence. It's the violent people.

Yes, the anonymity does bring out the worst, but it can also bring out the best. We are both anonymous, and it allows us to speak more freely without fear of reprisal.

Just like the discovery of nuclear power, it can be used for good and evil.

Speaking of Pandora's Box, I've been railing on Gain of Function, but also realize that it's been discovered, there is no putting it back in the box. If more people understood it, and more scientists would be honest, there would be an international treaty. Einstein and others forced nuclear treaties after we nuked the Japanese. GOF is probably more risky to the entirety of humankind than nukes ever were. The Covid bug was a weak one. We have the capability to kill every mammal on earth, or even to genetically direct viruses to specific races. That gives me the creeps and I'm sure you are concerned too. I suspect something is bad happening in China right now, possibly just economic, or possibly massive genocide. It's just a feeling, I have no real evidence to back it up.

I propose that GOF only be done in Antarctica, if it must be done at all. Many scientists say that there is no real practical use for it. The practice was explained to me to be for the benefit of producing vaccines more quickly. So it is directly attributed to the Pharmaceutical companies interests. Pfizer opened a lab in Wuhan in 2009 (see link below). What we refer to as the "Wuhan Lab" is a complex of Pharmaceutical R&D giants and Chinese Scientists collaborating. I think they had an accident and made themselves out to be the heroes by creating a crummy vaccine.

https://www.pharmatimes.com/news/pfizer_to_build_r_and_d_facility_in_wuhan,_china_984211

Basically, they had a deadly spill, heroically offered to clean it up, did a poor job of cleaning up, and sent us the bill for it. Our esteemed representatives paid the bill as if it were their money, and told us it was "free".

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I don't see Kanye or anyone else becoming a Hitler in reality. It's all play acting in that influencer set. I say let the kiddies play and let the fanatics fan. Live and let live, but break into my home or threaten me and you meet your maker.

Perhaps the struggle of your people causes you to take things more seriously. I'm also less devout toward any particular religion. I like things in most all of them. Even Islam has good points in my view such as the anti-idolism. It's the radicals in any of them I can do without. I'm fine with outspoken, but not with those who take things into their own hands to do "G_d's work" while harming others.

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I think your fb was hacked

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We reasserted we can... Government of the people, by the people, and for the people...

The American voters showed their collective wisdom as well as their capacity for confident independent thinking in considering then ignoring the pundits, the conservative, libertarian and centrist mainstream media and rejected the conventional wisdom and historical fundamentals regarding midterm elections.

We also shook off the depressing negativity of the Democratic strategists who insisted on fear-mongering and who dismissed Joe Biden.

No one got it right except the American people.

All of the credit should go to the voters for defeating the anti-American MAGA candidates. Next, now we go after Trump himself. 

PS: The way to defeat Trumpism in 2024 will NOT be by promoting Ron DeSantis or Liz Cheney. It will be by appealing to the native intelligence of the American people. 

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Awesome!

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William Harlan

5 min ago

William Harlan

Wow. There is so much I could say but I will just name a few of the more egregious. Crime will continue to run rampant as the anti-police movement gains more traction as the AOC faction feels emboldened. The FBI will continue to play politics by arresting those of the opposing viewpoint and continue to pretend that Hunter and Joe were just innocent bystanders to a massive payoff which was clearly criminal. Our energy independence will continue to fade away as our dependence on other Countries energy supplies and exorbitant prices will further fuel inflation and bankrupt lots of middle and lower class families. I could go on and on but I don’t want to minimize Dan’s exuberance. Keep smiling at the grocery store and when you receive your utility bills. Merry Christmas and be careful what you wish for!

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I'm hesitant to be negative at this moment of triumph for our democracy. But I'm compelled to say, every Democratic Party candidate that won in spite of the odds and preditions, and for whom their campaign strategists used only fear of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and the MAGA crazies as their strategy, must FIRE the consultants now before they can claim credit for the win.

These consultants, election after election, bloat their resumes and go on to conferences as superstars, whether they contributed to their candidate's win or not.

This election cycle proved the credit should go to the voters who ignored the fear-mongering and saved our democracy.

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William Harlan

21 hr ago

Wow. There is so much I could say but I will just name a few of the more egregious. Crime will continue to run rampant as the anti-police movement gains more traction as the AOC faction feels emboldened. The FBI will continue to play politics by arresting those of the opposing viewpoint and continue to pretend that Hunter and Joe were just innocent bystanders to a massive payoff which was clearly criminal. Our energy independence will continue to fade away as our dependence on other Countries energy supplies and exorbitant prices will further fuel inflation and bankrupt lots of middle and lower class families. I could go on and on but I don’t want to minimize Dan’s exuberance. Keep smiling at the grocery store and when you receive your utility bills. Merry Christmas and be careful what you wish for!

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She is beautiful and strong and completely reliant on each us to keep her that way.

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