Behind the Blogger: Political Overload Leads to Apathy

Wow, this is what you don't want to happen. I'm so sick and tired of every Donald Trump utterance being at the top of the news, I'm starting to tune out. The media clearly loves having Trump around, and is currently employing double standards aplenty for him.

For instance, Hillary Clinton--still the Democratic front-runner, though not the only Democratic candidate--is rarely talked about in anything but negative stories, even if there is no new news. Her negative polls are up! Even though she's still beating every one she's matched up against. Even though her standings in any polls that matter have barely budged. Even though we're well more than a year out from the election. She compared GOP candidates to terrorists! She needs to apologize! Even though she really didn't, and even though Trump says several worse things each and every day and never has to apologize.

I've detested this man since the EIGHTIES. It would be easy
to blame my blogging apathy on him! Image from Huffington Post.

For instance, Bernie Sanders. . .crickets. He's packing stadiums and auditoriums, has enthusiastic supporters, actual policy positions and details, and is every bit as unfiltered as Trump. Almost no coverage, other than as a curiosity.

But, Joe Biden might run! Curtains for Clinton! What? Biden has run twice before without making much of a ripple. He's even older than Bernie, Hillary or Trump, and his positions are virtually identical to Hillary's. And good grief, on the GOP side, SEVENTEEN major candidates are running! So what if Biden runs? Run, Joe, run, if that's what you want to do. Though, truth be told, I'd rather see him end his career on a high note, than with an ugly campaign.

And outside of presidential politics (and yes, other things are actually going on out there), we have a wildly see-sawing stock market, with impossibly skittish, cowardly investors freaking out over their own shadows. Tell me that between 3:00 pm on an odd Tuesday things are looking rosy, then by 4:00 pm the world is coming to an end, and then the next morning, rally! I mean what the actual fuck, you guys?

People being shot on live television, and the shooter turns out to be both black and gay, which is confusing (and rare). Liberals want to bring up gun control, conservatives finger-wag that it's "too soon," and it's "politicizing a tragedy." And yet, they're simultaneously politicizing the tragedy by whining about the prospect of gun control, and--bizarrely--trying to equate the rainbow flag with the Confederate flag. Attention conservatives: you do not understand humor, sarcasm, irony nor analogies.

Closed caption is wrong! It's "meh." M-E-H.

So, clearly, there is no shortage of things to write about. So why is the blog languishing with nary an update for days at a stretch? Well, beyond burnout, change of life circumstances, change of residence and environment, and more, I'm just feeling apathetic about it. Yes, I've been horrible at updating the blog all year pretty much, but I'm blaming the Dog Days of August. Life is feeling that way, or rather, my online life is. Actual life is going pretty well.

I'm trying to plug back in, at least better than I have been, but it's a toughie. It's like rolling that rock uphill sometimes. I also find myself participating in smaller, nugget-sized ways via Twitter, Facebook comments sections and other social media. I'm going to have to curb that a bit if I want to get back to something resembling a daily blog again. So, I'll try. As I said before, it's not like I don't have the time these days, being on semi-sabbatical. I just need the oomph, the zazz. The blog's not going anywhere, I just am having difficulty with putting new stuff on it!

Stay tuned.

Post-Halloween Horror: The 2014 Election

I voted today, finally, after having been busy the past two weekends. We have early voting here in Nevada, and Ready, Set, Vote! voter guides, and it all works remarkably well. So far, though we have a Republican governor, there has been no attempt to curtail or change this system in the name of "protecting the vote," or "stopping voter fraud." Which is amazing when you think about it.

But not as amazing as the brazenness the GOP displays when cutting early voting, eliminating Sunday voting (known to be a big, post-church, African American voting day), requiring IDs (but only certain IDs), and more. . .with very little reason. Sure, they'll handwave the nonexistent in-person voter fraud "problem," but mostly they just make whatever changes will help them ensure that fewer Democrats vote.

Do you think that sounds radical? The fact that I'm saying it is not. The fact that they're doing it, is. Occasionally, they'll even admit it. Here's Paul Weyrich, a founder of The Heritage Foundation and ALEC, in 1980. Admitting it.



That, coupled with gerrymandering, with a politics-weary electorate, and the typical demographics of midterm voters adds up to: a bad year for Democrats, almost certainly. Maybe not historically bad, but not good. Double-plus ungood? Time will tell.

But it is baffling to me. Though I'm fairly a realist about my fellow Americans and their fickle, skewed, illogical voting patterns, I want more from them. I want them to be better than FOX "News" parroting, paranoid conspiracy theorists. I want them not to reward Republicans, when it is Republicans who have given us the obstruction, the gridlock, the governmental shut down, the lack of a Surgeon General. Many, many of the problems people complain about the state of our union, were either caused by, allowed to happen by, or are a byproduct of the GOP.

I'm with you, Jean-Luc.

And their slate of candidates? It really makes no sense to me that they're even electable, but even if they were not a clown car full of bozos, why reward them for what they themselves help come to pass?

I'm not saying that President Obama has been perfect, far from it. I'm still in his corner, and I'm not ashamed to say it (though many a cowardly Democratic candidate is). I think history will judge him well. But whatever you think of him, how does voting for say, Ted Cruz or Louis Gohmert help anyone? Sadly, for my side, Democrats don't offer a strong, defiant message to root for. To me, they are infinitely preferable, but they seem to not be trying. Why the Dems haven't pumped 90% of their cash into Get Out the Vote, I have no idea. That is all we need, matching the numbers or besting them.

I'm not optimistic. But a bad outcome will likely spur me to blog more. So, there's that.

iDon'tCare: Apathy for Apple's New Delights

A cult that needs a new name. . .

I am no stranger to "new product lust." When I get something into my head that I want to possess, I tend to obsess about it. Particularly if it's not going to be available right away. I'll read all the reviews. Set a Google alert. Sign up for blogs and forums dedicated to the subject. I might even make a custom wallpaper for my computer monitors.

There was a time when I went to Office Depot at midnight, in order to be among the first to get Windows 95. And believe me, in those days, getting the information was much more difficult! I attended the "Start Me Up" launch event earlier in the day, with Jay Leno! These days, I've obsessed about the Samsung Galaxy S4, about granite for countertops, faucets, sinks, appliances, and most recently, the upcoming Jeep Renegade. But the so-called "Cult of Mac" eludes me.

Cult of Mac is the name for Apple fan boys and girls, and is sort of out of date as a term, since it isn't limited to must Macintosh derivatives. These are the folks who hang out at the Apple store, and wait in days-long lines to be the first to get the latest iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc. And "cult" is really close to the right term. Some of the things that come close, are Disney, Star Wars and Star Trek fans, sports fdespises my beloved Renegade, as well as the latest Cherokee).

Calling Dick Tracy, Calling Dick Tracy!
Images from source, Reuters.

ans, and the Jeep community (which, it should be noted,

It's probably a little unhealthy to have such devotion to a corporation. And frankly, I'm really glad this particular obsession passed me by. I mean, I have had three MacBooks, but all used. They're fine, but not thrilling. The bug just didn't bite me. I gave my only iPod to my sister, because I never used it. I use my Galaxy S4 phone for music, podcasts and radio, I don't need an iPod.

I can't imagine needing an Apple Watch either (and they probably should have stuck with iWatch, or iChronos or something). It seems kind of clunky to me, and a bit superfluous. But I could be wrong. Who would have thought we'd decide we have to pay thousands of dollars a year to have data/texting/cellular service that we used to manage to do just fine without? Who would have thought that tablet computing would bloom into desktop/laptop-killing segment in just four years?

You read that right, the iPad came out four years ago. That's it. So, maybe the Apple Watch can manage to get people to pay $350 for a watch that only works if they also have an iPhone? Maybe.

What a big phone you've got, Apple!

Also in this news were the expected upgrades to iPhone, the 6 and the 6 Plus. These phones--finally--approximate the size of the rest of the world's smart phones. Which is borderline hilarious, considering Apple fan boys have been belittling larger screens for years, as unnecessary, cumbersome, and not user friendly. And now? They won't even have the small size available to them unless they buy--horrors--an outdated model!

There is no doubt that Apple knows how to put on a show. It knows how to create buzz. And it has a sizeable chunk of the populace on the hook. It is baited and set, and they will land most of them! Kudos to Apple. I'm just glad I'm not in on this particular obsession.

[Excerpt]

Apple unveils watch, larger iPhones in bid to retake innovation crown

Apple Inc unveiled a watch, two larger iPhones and a mobile payments service on Tuesday as Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook seeks to revive the technology company's reputation as a wellspring of innovation.The first new product to be developed and introduced under Cook's reign is a timepiece tethered to the iPhone that will combine health and fitness tracking with communications. It will price at $349 and go on sale in early 2015. . .

Read more at: Reuters 

I've Got Nothing. Talk Amongst Yourselves.

I'll give you a topic:  the conservative economic plan is neither conservative, nor a plan. Discuss.

I'd like to blame my blogging apathy on my new Mac, and being so wrapped up in all the wonders it can do. But that's not true. I've fiddled with it, but have so far found it nifty. It's "different" but so far not noticeably "better."  I'll be doing some more intensive work with it this weekend, and I'm sure I'll find it instructive, and probably fun.

But the truth is, I just don't feel much like blogging at present. Oh, I'll be back later today, especially if something cool/interesting/tragic happens. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just not doing anything right now.  So, happy Friday, everybody! I'll see you again when the muse strikes me.

Gays and Straights March to Protest Proposition 8

Image from source, Towleroad

I didn't go to tonight's Las Vegas protest over the California Proposition 8 passage. I kinda wanted to, wanted to be part of the movement. And considering that I got married in Palm Springs this June, I probably should have gone. I actually feel kind of lame for skipping it. I hope they had a huge turnout anyway.

It turns out that I'm more of a armchair (OK, desk chair) advocate. I give money to the causes, and I blog about them, but I'm not much of an "in person" advocate. Maybe I should change that. I'm proud of the people who are doing this, and I hope that they are successful in changing public opinion, or at least in showing our numbers. And I'll try to be there next time. Promise.

Read all about the protests happening all over the country here: Gays and Straight Allies Protest for Marriage Equality Across Nation

Why "I Don't Pay Attention to Politics" Isn't Good Enough

Do you know anybody who claims "I don't pay attention to politics?" They might work with you, or might be in your family. They're probably in their 20s or early 30s (at least I hope so), and just don't give a rip. Barack Obama or John McCain? They don't know. They don't care.

And when the person trying to convince them that paying attention is important is 40 or 50, there isn't much you can say to change their minds. Supreme Court? They couldn't name a single member. Bill of Rights? Meh.

Have them watch this video. Who knows, it might do the trick.