"And Miller’s observations about what makes the world go around is how we get world wars. The man is a cancer on the nation."
I some sense Miller is right. The real questions is - how do you use the power you have? What kind of world do you want to live in? How do you maintain power and have some measure of influence over what happens around the world?
Miller's problem is that he sees the realities of strength, force, and power to mean that might makes right. You simply take what you want because you can without really thinking through what the long-term repercussions of your actions are.
GftNC's Atlantic link includes some discussion of this - how the world order post-WWII has led to wealth, prosperity, peace, and freedom to degrees never seen in human history. That's not to say it's all been perfect - far from it. But it's been better overall than ever before.
If you want to be the bully that everyone wants to kill, even if they're afraid to say so until they think they have a decent chance, and you want to live in a world that is a mix of chaos and repression, depending on where you are, I guess you can buy into Miller's worldview. But you might change your mind when you're eventually dragged through the streets and ripped to pieces.
“We live in a world in which, you can talk about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time,” he continued.
Does this mean I could beat the living sh*t out of Stephen Miller and it would be okay with him?
It’s always about “what happens next”, right? I have similar feelings about Venezuela, but to a lesser extent.
Why to a lesser extent? It appear that there was little forethought on this action. The administration is generally incompetent (even worse than Trump's first) and is terrible with follow-through once it becomes apparent that whatever they're trying to do is actually difficult or complicated.
DOGE? The healthcare plan from over a decade ago? Trump's infrastructure bill? Ending the hostilities in Ukraine and Gaza? Inflation? Rounding up all the actual violent criminals in the country illegally?
This from GftNC's Atlantic link seems relevant to norm busting.
But in that sense, we are in a kind of breakthrough moment. I mean, it is a different kind of U.S. military operation. The U.S. has invaded other countries before; you can argue the U.S. has broken international law before. But to do so without any justification, without any explanation, without any support in Congress or any attempt to get it, without looking for any legal cover, even without having a coherent set of reasons or a coherent strategy, it’s all very strange.
One thing I've noticed in myself is that I'm far less bothered by the dwindling number of vocal tRump supporters I see, be they IRL or on social media. They aren't the threat they used to be, at least as I perceive them. I almost pity them now, like they're clinging to a dying mythology. My meaner impulse is to laugh at them.
I know that's not the most enlightening thing to write on the subject, but it's my own subjective synthesis of everything I'm seeing. It feels different than it used to.
I don't doubt that a significant portion of Orange's posts are written by someone (or something?) else, but I wouldn't necessarily attribute his late-night/early-morning posts to someone else just because of the time of day. That guy's a total f**king weirdo who is obsessed with himself and lacks impulse control.
He's patient zero for TDS. It's a different disease than he thinks it is.
By the time we get to Dave Lombardo and Slayer’s Reign in Blood, we are in a zone of Darwinian mutation, as Lombardo pulls off feats of speed and dexterity unimaginable—and probably terrifying—to his drumming forebears.
SLAYER!!!
(Sorry, it's kind of mandatory for me to do that.)
Sometimes I wake up from the weird ones because, in the dream, I get to the point of “I’d like to speak with the screenwriter, please.”
This happens to me, too. You become aware of how ridiculous the circumstances are and your conscious mind steps in to cut the nonsense. Or so it seems.
It happens to me when I'm lucid dreaming and start doing whatever I want. It's like I'm trying to hang on, but it doesn't last too long once the veil has been lifted.
I still have the occasional "forgot to go to class the whole semester and can't find my final-exam location" dream.
Every once in a while I have a dream where some law was changed and I have to go back to high school for a class or two for my graduation to remain valid. The dreams start off without anything seeming silly, but as the dream goes on, I begin to realize how stupid of a situation it is and the dream kind of trails off.
For a time after my father died I regularly had dreams where I would see him at a distance, sometimes across a large room full of people or on the street driving by. As I would get closer to him, his appearance would change and I'd realize it wasn't him. I wouldn't exactly remember in the dream that he had died, but it would make me feel extremely sad that it wasn't my father that I had seen.
I sometimes sleep with my eyes open and can see if there's enough light, but don't always know what I'm looking at until I wake up. I once dreamt of being chased by a helicopter during an afternoon nap and woke up to realize I was looking at the spinning ceiling fan.
I was in Colorado in early May 2024, spending some time in Denver and more time in Estes Park, plus driving between the two. I will simply say that I experienced a very wide range of weather while I was there, sometimes during a single day.
Don Bacon, a Republican representative, called for Steve Witkoff’s immediate dismissal. “For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” the Nebraska lawmaker wrote on X.
“He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”
Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican wrote that the leak represented “a major problem” and “one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop”. He urged that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, be allowed to “do his job in a fair and objective manner”.
Democratic representative Ted Lieu went further, calling Witkoff an “actual traitor,” and adding: “Steve Witkoff is supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.”
On “2026, as f**ked up as 2025”
"And Miller’s observations about what makes the world go around is how we get world wars. The man is a cancer on the nation."
I some sense Miller is right. The real questions is - how do you use the power you have? What kind of world do you want to live in? How do you maintain power and have some measure of influence over what happens around the world?
Miller's problem is that he sees the realities of strength, force, and power to mean that might makes right. You simply take what you want because you can without really thinking through what the long-term repercussions of your actions are.
GftNC's Atlantic link includes some discussion of this - how the world order post-WWII has led to wealth, prosperity, peace, and freedom to degrees never seen in human history. That's not to say it's all been perfect - far from it. But it's been better overall than ever before.
If you want to be the bully that everyone wants to kill, even if they're afraid to say so until they think they have a decent chance, and you want to live in a world that is a mix of chaos and repression, depending on where you are, I guess you can buy into Miller's worldview. But you might change your mind when you're eventually dragged through the streets and ripped to pieces.
"
bc, I'm glad your reasoning has more to do with conditions in Venezuela than with your trust in the current administration.
"
“We live in a world in which, you can talk about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world … that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time,” he continued.
Does this mean I could beat the living sh*t out of Stephen Miller and it would be okay with him?
"
It’s always about “what happens next”, right? I have similar feelings about Venezuela, but to a lesser extent.
Why to a lesser extent? It appear that there was little forethought on this action. The administration is generally incompetent (even worse than Trump's first) and is terrible with follow-through once it becomes apparent that whatever they're trying to do is actually difficult or complicated.
DOGE? The healthcare plan from over a decade ago? Trump's infrastructure bill? Ending the hostilities in Ukraine and Gaza? Inflation? Rounding up all the actual violent criminals in the country illegally?
All they seem good at is breaking things.
"
This from GftNC's Atlantic link seems relevant to norm busting.
On “Moving towards Epiphany”
One thing I've noticed in myself is that I'm far less bothered by the dwindling number of vocal tRump supporters I see, be they IRL or on social media. They aren't the threat they used to be, at least as I perceive them. I almost pity them now, like they're clinging to a dying mythology. My meaner impulse is to laugh at them.
I know that's not the most enlightening thing to write on the subject, but it's my own subjective synthesis of everything I'm seeing. It feels different than it used to.
On “An inscrutable Merry Christmas”
I just finished mixing up my Boxing Day punch.
*rimshot*
On “Welcome to my world”
With all the high-quality public services they enjoy, they're a lot less cranky than than they otherwise would be.
On “Weekend Music Thread music thread #09 In Russia, Christmas music sings you!”
I can imagine middle-schoolers saying "Oksana is thermometer" randomly just to yuck it up. It could be the new 6-7.
"
Sacrifices had to be made.
On “Author, author?”
Well, he does seem to be a steward of sorts.
"
I don't doubt that a significant portion of Orange's posts are written by someone (or something?) else, but I wouldn't necessarily attribute his late-night/early-morning posts to someone else just because of the time of day. That guy's a total f**king weirdo who is obsessed with himself and lacks impulse control.
He's patient zero for TDS. It's a different disease than he thinks it is.
On “Weekend music thread #08 How do you get to Carnagie Hall?”
SLAYER!!!
(Sorry, it's kind of mandatory for me to do that.)
On “How are you sleeping?”
Just murdering people didn't provide enough ROI?
"
Sometimes I wake up from the weird ones because, in the dream, I get to the point of “I’d like to speak with the screenwriter, please.”
This happens to me, too. You become aware of how ridiculous the circumstances are and your conscious mind steps in to cut the nonsense. Or so it seems.
It happens to me when I'm lucid dreaming and start doing whatever I want. It's like I'm trying to hang on, but it doesn't last too long once the veil has been lifted.
"
I still have the occasional "forgot to go to class the whole semester and can't find my final-exam location" dream.
Every once in a while I have a dream where some law was changed and I have to go back to high school for a class or two for my graduation to remain valid. The dreams start off without anything seeming silly, but as the dream goes on, I begin to realize how stupid of a situation it is and the dream kind of trails off.
"
For a time after my father died I regularly had dreams where I would see him at a distance, sometimes across a large room full of people or on the street driving by. As I would get closer to him, his appearance would change and I'd realize it wasn't him. I wouldn't exactly remember in the dream that he had died, but it would make me feel extremely sad that it wasn't my father that I had seen.
"
I sometimes sleep with my eyes open and can see if there's enough light, but don't always know what I'm looking at until I wake up. I once dreamt of being chased by a helicopter during an afternoon nap and woke up to realize I was looking at the spinning ceiling fan.
On “Site Experiment”
I dig it immensely! Thanks to Michael and lj for all your work, and to anyone else who's contributed to the blog's continued existence.
On “Open Thread”
I was in Colorado in early May 2024, spending some time in Denver and more time in Estes Park, plus driving between the two. I will simply say that I experienced a very wide range of weather while I was there, sometimes during a single day.
"
Pseudo-class. Sounds like me when I have to wear a suit and tie.
On “Am I missing something?”
Pontius Pilate was known to be an Antifa wanna-be after none of the kids from Occupy Wall Street wanted him hanging around.
On “An openish thread featuring the comedy stylings of Steve Witkoff”
The worst part about what Frum describes was apparent in real time - as it was happening - to anyone who hadn't drunk the bitter tRump Kool-Aid.
(Also, too, I have a comment awaiting approval.)
(ed. It's up!)
"
People have noticed.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/26/republicans-steve-witkoff-leaked-call-russia-ukraine
Sounds not good for old Stevie Boy.
"
I should re-read that transcript whenever I'm suffering from imposter syndrome.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.