Boycott Sinclair News - undecided on Disney+ - they should stream Kimmel

Sinclair has decided it will pre-empt Kimmel and show local news.

Good luck with that - I won't be watching. Most won't, so ratings will likely tank - we will see by how much

I am personally boycotting all WJLA and Sinclair local news - and may simply not watch them again - which sadly makes watching ABC news (with its commercial stacking in the bottom 10 minutes) a likely pass in favor of CBS in the same slot, or even NBC in the next.

Their national stories on Sinclair during local broadcast has a GOP slant and their local investigative reporting tends to go after Democrats, especially those of color and gender.

See ya, wouldn't want to be ya.

I may or may not restart my subscription to Disney+, which has technically not run out for the current month. Truth be told, I watch it for Dr. Who, Star Wars and Marvel. I follow the Doctor every week there is a new episode and binge the rest - so I don't need to stream every month.

Paramount and Peacock show network shows in a way that Disney does not. If they did - especially if they streamed Kimmel (especially while Sinclair pre-empts him), then I may watch every night - although usually I just watch the monologues of all late night shows on YouTube.

If all the streaming services put their late night round up on live each night, YouTube would lose its "must watch" status - unless I am doing my own show. A lot of creators put up "must watch" content too frequently, so it seems like work to watch them. I have too much work to do as a writer to stick with that routine - or put up with all of the latest AI content - especially the space operas where Earth Mechanics end up bonding with Alien Queens. The anti-Trump lawyers have gotten shrill and Ukraine War stuff has gotten less current. It's hard to keep a channel going without repeating yourself. It becomes even harder to watch. Facebook is also going down that road.

is free will a physics question?

Einstein believed in the God of Spinoza. Major events are negotiated with God prior to our birth - so they are free and not free. At any point in time, the past is fixed and the future is possible. We never exist in the future, only God - and God simply acts perfectly in all times - with perfect Love. How that looks to us may be confusing until things work out. There is no evil - that is a human creation. What is fortunate and unfortunate is a different thing. Things just are. Our experiences of them are our own, as our past actions. Future actions are free to us - and are not determined - just the general plan - and we can always junk the plan. God has backups.

Our brain may select thoughts to use via chaos theory, but that is still the brain selecting - which as long as we are not dead - is us.

Everything may be known if one looks from beyond time. Looking beyond time, however, is not our point of view. We live in time and any God worthy of the name acts perfectly at every second of time - even if we don't agree what perfect is as time goes on. We self-observe - but are not observers of all of time and space.

Note to FCC Chair

You look like a tyrant and a fascist (and you may be the latter). While your comments had no legal weight, they did have influence. You should have the grace to resign for giving the world the wrong idea and at least apologize to Kimmel for how your personal comments led to his circumstances. Nothing was ordered (and if it was or if you tried to follow through, the ACLU would have had an easy win). Oh, and suck my @$$!

Culture Today - Trump on Free Speech

He did not lie when he said he believes in free speech - but his version is not free from the government, but free from social consequence. This is a very right-wing version of free speech - say what you want without argument. In personality terms, it means having introverted feeling (speaking his truth) in the first position (and extraverted thinking in last - meaning he thinks he knows lots of stuff, as long as it supports his emotional views). He can use his extraverted sensuousness and introverted intuition (leading the group) with equal facility - although when he is cognitively consistent rather than balanced, it means he imposes his feeling on the group. In culture, this is individualism/right wing egalitarianism. In other words - fascism.

It used to be, in America, we would not make fun of the disabled, especially presidents, or talk about their wives. Trump had skull surgery and it means he has to grow and comb strategically. Those who make fun of him should be canceled, not by government, but in public discourse. Likewise, biographies of the First Lady shows a devoted wife who manages his politics and image - eastern European style - who does not do PDA. It used to be, in America, no one smiled for pictures. My great-grandfather was never caught in a smile on camera . It was not done 125 years ago.  

Trump has every reason to dislike social decorum, since he does not get the benefit of what was usual - especially from people who know better. He is not sad about his FCC chair saying aloud what he was thinking himself and, while what he said should not have been said, he did not order ABC to fire Kimmel. That is all on ABC, who had no one in the room saying that they would lose credibility for reacting to a non-official comment from someone with power over them. 

For that reason, I have canceled Disney plus and will be taking my news viewing to other networks. I like where Llamas is taking NBC, although CBS will be my 6:30 go to. Sorry David. (also, watching 10 minutes of commercials in bottom half of the show was getting tiresome). 

Fire Disney

ABC fired Jimmy Kimmel because of FCC pressure. Time to unsubscribe from the Disney Channel.

How Trump's New Executive Order Will Reshape Your Retirement Options

GOP donors are now dominated by Crypto billionaires, and Trump is now one of them. These are worthless assets that generate no income. Ever. They only yield gain when sold. These actions are the very definition of corruption.

Many private companies (except ESOPs), don't pay dividends because they don't make profit. SpaceX launches lots of Starlink satellites. Does it have enough users to pay for all of those launches? Do you know anyone who uses the service? Do you know anyone who buys stuff advertised on Facebook? The problem in the market is that too many people have too much money without good assets to buy. In essence, no one is tapping their liquidity with taxation - so their money is simply inflating investment prices - which encourages the creation of junk assets that require sales to the larger public to get that money from concept to spendable income.  

Cultural Theory Today - 9 Sept 25

Two stories for today.

1. HHS released a report on childhood health that affirmed the Secretary's biases on diet and exercise and his vaccine skepticism - calling for a study on the negative effects of vaccination. A better path would be a study on the actual causes of autism - which will point to genetics rather than impurities in the environment or vaccines. RFK is making decisions based on values - which is part of the job of one appointed by an elected official who shares these values - or has a constituency that does. The problem is that the Secretary has control of scientific decisions. We need to wall that off or put research in a department that requires credentials to head. Such a department should also study climate change without political interference.

2. Not so cultural - we hit an Unidentified Arial Body with a reaper drone. We connected and the UAB, after taking the hit and destroying the drone, righted itself and kept going. Essentially, we fired on tech that is out of this world. Hopefully, this does not show the rest of the galaxy that we are dangerous, although the fact that we believe in the existence of evil, rather than seeing it as a human invention means that we are still primitive and dangerous, which means we will be isolated from the rest of any galactic civilization. If we were to develop socially, we would not need advanced tech - we could have access to it just by joining the rest of sentient life. That this is the case is what makes this a cultural story. 

Othering people by calling them evil is a values decision, not a reasonable one, and it is a group intuition, not a sensory reaction. Although some initial racism is an evolutionary adaptation regarding danger - why can go beyond it with effort. Our efforts have largely been going the other way.

Note to the U.S. Navy - don't shoot at alien tech.

Trump is a bully

And he does not need to be.

For a 79 year old, he is in great shape. Better than 99 percent of people his age. He can golf, he may even be able to still play tennis. I am 63 this year, and he can beat me in both - even without cheating at golf. 

He got caught in L.A. and lost in court. DC is trying to use that precedent, but it does not apply in the same way. The DC AG, as I said previously, should go after him for rioting - planning, inciting and directing (and cancelling once his strike forces got arrested - or shot). The people Trump pardoned have no immunity, should the AG convene a grand jury. 

Trump has no chance on Chicago. The question is whether the Illinois National Guard commander will call his bluff - as legal precedent are now on the side of the Governor of Illinois - who is powerful and not a bully - but he will stand up to one.

I have no problem with Guard Troops in Ivy City, Benning Terrace or anywhere around public housing. Indeed, the HUD security forces need to be beefed up and empowered to patrol neighborhoods - at least until fathers are allowed in houses having benefits - with income thresholds adjusted so that poorer two income families qualify. Until then, patrolling those areas with troops is fine with me - in DC only. Also, either get rid of the congressional steam plant or have the national capital planning area director arrange for street work to  repair the annual damage and pay it with a no-year appropriation - as is required in the D.C. Charter.

Trump needs to quit looking like a local dictator, however. It demeans the office - especially around the Kennedy Center. The world has plenty of problems that he needs to address - especially if he listens to Rubio. He should fire Pete.

As to being safe in restaurants, Americans have a First Amendment right to shout down any Trump flunky who dines out in DC. If they can't take it, they can call Door Dash (not the National Guard).

Note to DC AG - Prosecute Trump for Jan 6 Riot

On January 6, 2021, Mayor Bowser declared that the event constituted a riot. It needs to be prosecuted as such. President Trump pardoned all accused and convicted rioters- which means that they can now be compelled to testify about any part of the conspiracy not prosecuted - especially regarding the participation of Donald Trump in planning and executing the event. We know that he called for marching to the capital to "give courage" to weak Republicans (the Democrats were considered irredeemable - which may have been code to shed blood) and that two groups - both of which had stacked Oath Keepers on the way to support - were caught trying to do just that. One was stopped in the Senate when a policeman led them into the arms of SWAT. The other was at the door to the Speaker's lobby when a DC Police Lieutenant opened fire - stopping their advance - just as SWAT was about to - and did - arrest them. It was exactly that point that Trump let his staff start to wind down the rally and that rioters, of their own accord, left the building.

Secondly, such a case will require the question of the DOJ General Counsel memo coming up for review. DOJ cannot ask for its review - only a prosecutor can. The DC AG is such a prosecutor. When DOJ loses the case defending the memo (because that is American justice), Judge Chutkan will have to restart the existing case and order that a special counsel be appointed to pick up where Jack Smith left off.

Thirdly, make sure that the charge that is brought includes a prohibition on holding office. This case may or may not be ready for trial, but it is certainly ready for investigation - and the whole rioting/insurrection charge regarding Trump and his cohort in the Willard has never really been explored. It is time to do so.

Culture Today 5 Sep 2025 - Part 2

More on income adequacy and undocumented immigrants as slaves. Trump attempts at tyranny shows of force from LA to DC to Chi to make himself look strong.

Culture Today 5 Sep 25 - Part 1

Recorded on Sep 5, released Sep 7.

1. RFK testimony reaction: he should go after high fructose corn syrup. Also, he can still climb rocks - which I have not been able to do in 30 years.

2. A reminder, the obsession by the GOP with Trans Kids is based on Youngkin winning 2021 Virginia governor's race. He did not win, McAuliffe lost badly.

3. Why is adequate income is necessary (especially for immigrants)? Is it so they can care for themselves or be available for low wage (or if undocumented - slave) labor?

Why Jesus' Followers Abandoned This Teaching with Bart Ehrman

Exactly true. For us to escape our constant repetition of original sin (focusing on the evil of others) we need to go back to this.  Not doing so could be fatal - more than any comet or asteroid. 

Culture Today - 3 Sep 2025

Two stories in the US stand out (I did not watch the BBC Today - although I can reasonably assume we need to pray for Gaza (and its oppressors), Sudan and Afghanistan): Trump calling the Epstein story a hoax - and having it twisted onto his victims AND the Florida Surgeon General on ending vaccine mandates.

Trump likely meant to say that the continuing saga has gone on too long and that some are prolonging it because it makes him look bad. No empathy at all for the victims. He has no one with the emotional maturity mixed with communication skill to pull this off - or to coach him before he makes a mess of things. In a world of emotional and familial normality, he would not have screwed over his niece and her brother and not been creepy - and indeed would have sought her out for coaching rather than having Mary make a name for herself by explaining his emotional dysfunction. It is on Donald to repair the rift. If they were in family space, I suspect that she could say that he does feel for their situation, promises to help them find catharsis but hopes that in doing so, they do not relive their trauma. Trump's feelings are about his attitudes rather than reading the room (introverted feeling as part of authenticity) with understanding the reasons as a worthwhile activity and an obligation rather than a shortcoming he must protect guide his decision making. That particular mix of cognitive functions is not uncommon - about one in eight live in that space - although not all of them are assholes.

Dr. Ladapo's actions today came entirely from values rather than reason or science. They come from an egalitarian/sectarian space with individualistic overtones. In the old left, we call that crypto-fascism . My colleagues in cultural theory have a point that right-wing egalitarianism and left-wing egalitarianism are not the same - although they often function in the same way. Together, they make up about a quarter of people - with hierarchy-professionalism making up another quarter or a full third (depending on how you classify people who think but who are not wed to group intuitive conformity). Hopefully, less radical heads will keep his values from killing children and their families. He lives in the same social space as Trump, although he may conforming to his politics more than exercising moral leadership if he is going along with his political tribe. Because Florida.

What's the Real Story on the Pharisees and Jesus--with Dr. Amy-Jill Levine?

Before the baptism of Jesus, John was visited by both priests (possibly including Joseph of Arimathea - John's relative) and the Pharisees - who John said one among you is even greater than he. In other words, he was one of them and John was calling him out to John's ministry - which he undertook - leaving the party - who he went back to at John's death - or at least ate with. They were his friends and colleagues - all of whom believed in the resurrection of the soul (which we know is true because we now have near death experiencers - which Paul may have been when he was stoned at the gates of a city - meeting Jesus in the air.