Our Elite is No Elite At All
Posted By: earlybird, 2/7/2022 11:10:20 AM
An elite is always variously defined. The ideal elites, as ancient philosophers argued, were a “natural elite” due to their exemplary character, aptitude, and work ethic. Understandably, a towering few ascended from all walks of life to positions of power, influence, and occasional wealth. But such a natural meritocracy, for obvious reasons, rarely leads to an equality of result. Who Are Our Elite? Our current idea of ostensible elites could be defined by noting their money and influence. But money alone—even in the huge sums now found on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley—is not the only elite criterion.
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Our Elite is No Elite At All
13 replies
An elite is always variously defined.
The ideal elites, as ancient philosophers argued, were a “natural elite” due to their exemplary character, aptitude, and work ethic. Understandably, a towering few ascended from all walks of life to positions of power, influence, and occasional wealth.
But such a natural meritocracy, for obvious reasons, rarely leads to an equality of result. Who Are Our Elite?
Our current idea of ostensible elites could be defined by noting their money and influence. But money alone—even in the huge sums now found on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley—is not the only elite criterion.
Time Is Running Out for the COVID Coverups
17 replies
The Left has a word for misinformation that turns out to be true. They call it, “misinformation.” Over and over again, the tech giants, cheered on by power-drunk government officials, have censored and deplatformed people who have contradicted the official narrative regarding COVID and heavy-handed public health measures that restrict freedom with dubious health benefits.
Tellingly, the demands to censor Joe Rogan rarely identify the supposed “misinformation” he peddled. Even more tellingly, the censors totally fail to acknowledge that Rogan-promoted “conspiracy theories” have a better track record than many of the articles of faith his critics promoted.
Let’s start at the beginning. In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, a
This never ends well.
Joe Rogan has self-flagellated while treading water in a pool of Alinsky piranhas.
(snip)
Apparently, the Lightbringer for all modern Alinsky tribal followers, Barack Obama, triggered the final thumbs down and threatened the financial mechanism that supported the embattled Mr. Rogan, Spotify Inc. {LINK}With the twitch of his pinkie ring, Teh One, the bringer of all racial and progressive enlightenment, Barack Obama, forced the ashamed and humiliated Joe Rogan to kneel before the altar of wokeism and apologize for the mortal sin of using the “N” word.
Earlier on Saturday, Mr. Rogan assessed his bank account, glanced at the tin cup and used Woke-Insta to profess his sins
GoFundMe Says It Will Automatically Refund
All Donations to Trucker Convoy; Florida
to Investigate 28 replies
All Donations to Trucker Convoy; Florida
to Investigate 28 replies
The GoFundMe fundraising platform said Feb. 5 it will automatically refund donations made to a trucker convoy in Canada protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates after backlash.
GoFundMe said Friday it was preventing the funds from going to organizers of the Freedom Convoy and would instead send the money to “established charities verified by GoFundMe.” (snip)In its update on Saturday, GoFundMe, (snip)claimed it had already enabled donors to get a refund and only remaining funds would be distributed to charities.
“However, due to donor feedback, we are simplifying the process. We will automatically refund all contributions directly—donors do not need to submit a request
The Republican National Committee (RNC) advanced a resolution on Thursday that would censure Reps. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for their roles on the controversial House Jan. 6 Committee.
The resolution would officially strip Cheney and Kinzinger of the support of the GOP and would take away their recognition as members of the Republican Party by the RNC.
(snip)
“The Conference must not be sabotaged by Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger who have demonstrated,(snip) that they support Democrat efforts to destroy President [Donald] Trump more than they support winning back a Republican majority
Four senior aides in Downing Street have resigned on Thursday, followed by a junior aide on Friday.
Munira Mirza, the head of policy at Number 10, was the first to quit on Thursday over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s failure to apologise about his ‘scurrilous’ remarks toward the opposition leader, Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer.
Mirza’s departure was followed on Thursday by the resignations of Jack Doyle, Downing Street director of communications; Martin Reynolds, Johnson’s principal private secretary; and Dan Rosenfield, No 10 chief of staff.
A junior aide, education policy specialist Elena Narozanski, resigned on Friday morning.(snip)Mirza’s role was swiftly filled by Conservative MP Andrew Griffith, while No 10 said it was very sorry
One way of understanding the 2009-2014 Obama Administration policy of “reset” with Vladimir Putin’s Russia is to recall two iconic incidents.
The first was the 2009 “reset.”
Newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that she would pursue a “reset” détente with Russia. America would relax the prior Bush Administration’s mild ostracism of Russia after its 2008 invasion of Georgia and softly start anew.
The second was President Barack Obama’s hot mic moment in March 2012 in Seoul, South Korea. Obama got caught asking Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to reassure Vladimir Putin.
Or as Obama put it: “After my election I have more flexibility . .
Legions of NFL fans are emotional after Tom Brady officially announced his retirement in an Instagram post on Tuesday morning.
Sportsbooks, however, might send Brady a nice retirement gift basket — as the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback will go down as the second greatest QB of all time against the spread in the regular season.
TB12 went 186-124-6 against the spread (ATS) in regular-season games during his career, covering the spread 58.9% of the time. (snip) for context, if you had bet on Brady in every single game of his career without a second thought, you would have turned a tidy profit.
But who's first?
Fit to be Fat
15 replies
A curious example of the power of social trends on thought is that two years into the Covid pandemic, nobody of any influence has yet bothered to launch a campaign to persuade Americans to do the one obvious non-pharmaceutical intervention that would make Americans healthier whether the virus stays or goes: lose some weight.
Instead, 2022 has seen new gains in the long, grinding campaign to make the fat another of those privileged classes whose self-image cannot be affronted.
For example, Nike, with its $3.6 billion ad budget, tweeted out under the title “Styles for Self Love” a picture of a 250-pound black woman dressed head to toe in Nike garb and
The leaked text (to Spain’s El Pais) of Washington’s response to Russia’s December security proposals augurs well for an eventual peaceful denouement on Ukraine. The U.S. response may still seem to be only half a loaf, but includes an appetizing sweetener – verification.
Washington’s "non-paper" response directly addresses Putin’s chief concern.(snip)
Putin’s primary worry has long been that missile launchers now deployed in Romania and soon, if not already, in Poland (ostensibly for anti-missile defense) can accommodate Tomahawk cruise missiles with ranges that put Russia’s strategic forces in jeopardy. Putin has voiced that concern loudly for years.
On Feb. 2, Alex Vindman, the driving force of the first impeachment of President Donald Trump, filed suit in a federal court in D.C. against Donald Trump Jr, the former president’s son; Rudy Giuliani, the president’s former personal attorney; Julia Hahn, the former special assistant to the president; and Daniel Scavino Jr, a Trump communications official.
Vindman’s lawsuit alleges the four defendants conspired to intimidate and retaliate against him, in violation of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s lawsuit.
The protection from vaccines against the virus that causes COVID-19 dropped following the emergence of the Omicron virus variant, but held up better against hospitalization, according to a new study.
While the Delta variant was still dominant in the United States, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations among unvaccinated people were 3.8 times and 12.9 times, respectively, those among vaccinated people without a booster, researchers in California found.
The gap between unvaccinated and vaccinated people who received a booster was even wider,(snip)
However, the gap narrowed significantly after Omicron, a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, displaced Delta as the dominant strain in the country.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Democratic strategist James Carville cursed out unvaccinated individuals on his podcast last week, saying anyone without a vaccine was a "piece of --" and he wanted to punch them in the face.
On Thursday's "Politics War Room with James Carville & Al Hunt," Carville and Hunt took a listener question wondering why President Biden would not pass a bill that bars unvaccinated citizens from interstate travel."I wouldn’t be against that at all. I’d be for it actually, as long as you put ‘or testing.’ Before you get on a plane or bus or interstate train, you want to be vaccinated or tested. I don’t think the Supreme Court would allow
Jonah Goldberg, one of the two conservative political analysts who resigned from Fox News Channel in colorful fashion over the direction of its coverage, is joining CNN as a contributor, the WarnerMedia network confirmed Monday.
Goldberg, a longtime editor at National Review and a founder of The Dispatch, will appear on CNN programs as news networks gear up for the 2022 midterm elections. He and another popular conservative commentator, Stephen Hayes, took to the “Media Equation” column of The New York Times in November to say they were cutting ties with Fox News Channel, where they had been contributors since 2009. The duo expressed concern
AT&T Commercial Star Milana Vayntrub:
‘I Am Grateful for the Beautifully Boring
Abortion I Had’ 39 replies
‘I Am Grateful for the Beautifully Boring
Abortion I Had’ 39 replies
Comedian-actress Milana Vayntrub, who is known to millions of TV viewers for playing cheerful saleswoman “Lily” in AT&T’s ubiquitous wireless commercials, has penned a personal essay in which she expresses gratitude for abortion, describing her own experience terminating her unwanted child as “no big deal.”
She also describes women as “all of us with a uterus” and abortions as a form of “essential health care.” “Over the past decade, I’ve hardly thought about my abortion, except for when I think of those who may not have access to one,” she wrote in an essay for The Daily Beast.
A top candidate in the Republican primary for Oregon governor has admitted that he and his wife had explored a swinging lifestyle before deciding that swapping partners wasn’t for them, according to a report. Stan Pulliam, 40, told the Williamett Week that he and his wife of 12 years, MacKensey, had “explored relationships, mutual relationships with other couples, for a brief period of time before ultimately deciding that it wasn’t for us.” Pulliam, the mayor of his hometown of Sandy, fessed up to the outlet after a 2016 screenshot from a page titled “Swinger Facebook Group PDX” made its rounds across the state’s political circles.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is criticizing the Republican National Committee for censuring two House GOP lawmakers investigating the “violent insurrection” on Jan. 6, 2021, saying it’s not the party’s job to police the views of lawmakers.
As former President Donald Trump has downplayed the attack by his supporters last year — the worst attack against the Capitol in two centuries — the RNC last week took a voice vote to approve censuring Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois at the party’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City.
Putting ladies TIGHTS over your face mask
makes it better at stopping spread of
Covid, study finds 37 replies
makes it better at stopping spread of
Covid, study finds 37 replies
They are a versatile fashion accessory and a staple in every woman's wardrobe. But now researchers say wearing ladies tights on your face could slash your risk of getting Covid. One of the criticisms aimed at commonly worn face coverings is that they do not fit tightly enough to significantly block viral particles from being inhaled or exhaled. As part of a new study, Cambridge University experts reviewed a variety of DIY hacks people have used to make masks fit better, including using rubber bands or tape. Curiously, they found the most effective tactic was to wrap pantyhose around the bottom half of the face—on top of a mask.
Stelter Says People Are 'Not Watching
CNN' if They Think Its Biased or Lacks
Real Journalism 34 replies
CNN' if They Think Its Biased or Lacks
Real Journalism 34 replies
CNN anchor Brian Stelter claimed Sunday that CNN is comprised of hard news journalists that engage in real journalism and that criticism of the network comes from people watching commentators on other networks.He explained twice on Sunday – both on his morning show and in his newsletter – that critics who say CNN is all talking heads and no real journalism do not watch the liberal network and thus, have no real sense of what kind of programming is delivered to its audience.
Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) said Monday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party continuing to claim the 2020 presidential election was not valid and downplaying of the January 6 Capitol riot it was increasing the “real possibility” of a civil war in America.Kinzinger said, “We’re in a real dire moment. I think if we don’t wake up and recognize that it is more than just performance art when we lie, when we tell people elections were stolen, this actually goes to the survival of this country and in the form, we know it. it is that serious.”
Two months ago, New York Times reporter Maggie Astor warned that those dastardly Republicans were much more likely to send around "misinformation" in their political emails than the Democrats. After subscribing to emails from 390 Members of Congress, their little study concluded "Republicans included misinformation far more often: in about 15 percent of their messages, compared with about 2 percent for Democrats."On Monday, I received the latest fundraising pitch from Nancy Pelosi's Pact to the Future PAC, headlined "MSNBC (SHOCKING announcement)."
The Ottawa Freedom Convoy protests are exposing too many hypocrisies of the leftist Canadian government and their faux conservative opposition. It is only a matter of time before both wings of the Federal UniParty vulture known as Parliament sanction an aggressive federal response. An insider within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), essentially the Canadian federal police force, has leaked some of the details. The leaked plan as outlined in this video warning does seem to be authentic and aligns with the statements from federal ministers inside the administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) broke with the Republican National Committee Tuesday over its decision to censure GOP Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger for sitting on the House Select Committee tasked with investigating last year’s Capitol riot. McConnell told reporters at the Capitol that he felt the RNC had no business “singling out members of our party who may have different views from the majority.“That’s not the job of the RNC,” the Kentucky Republican added.The censure resolution passed by voice vote at the RNC’s winter meeting in Salt Lake City last week.
Pfizer is the leading manufacturer of Covid vaccines in America, and has recently began to rollout to rollout what many believe to be the most effective antiviral pill available to treat the virus as well.
The rollout of both has already led to a substantial financial windfall for the New York City-based company, and the prospect on enhanced distribution of Paxlovid, the potential rollout of Omicron-tailored vaccines and more booster shots in the future will lead to an influx of even more cash. On Tuesday, the company revealed its Q4 earnings and revenue projections for 2022. The company estimates to rake in up to $102 billion in sales
Comments:
VDH has a great time with this one and so will those who take the time to read it. He even mentions the Kardashians' “boobs and butts”. Yes, he does. “Elite”, as used now, makes me cringe. It is tossed around willy-nilly. See what VDH thinks about it.