Friday, April 29, 2016

Trump said something very odd.

About General Pershing. When Trump mentioned the name I thought, "Oh no, here comes that chestnut." Right then the connection dropped so I didn't hear him mention the bit about bullets dipped in pig blood. Moments later when the connection returned  I did hear Trump speaking about Pershing lining up 50 Islamic captives and shooting 49 of them and releasing the last with the bullet intended for him with instructions to tell all that he's seen.  And there were no more Islamic attacks after that. I missed the full myth of the pig's blood. I'm assuming now that Trump mentioned the pig's blood. Surely his team should know the story is false before relating it to his extended audience of hundreds of thousands.

I was hoping Trump didn't mention pig's blood in his myth. Turns out he did. And now I must face the fact that Trump will relate a story well known as myth because it sounds good and he doesn't care. The story is too tidy, too perfect, like the photograph earlier of the wild garlic in the wood with the light stabbing through, it's precious mise en scene that's perfect for commercial use, but this Pershing picture is false on its face yet related to thousands as true. Too bad.

Is it just me now thinking this? I didn't notice in the live stream comments that flew by somewhere here near the end of this video and the thousands of running comments to the side. I stayed twice as long after the rally finished to watch coverage of protests nearby from helicopter, one of three flying around.

Let's look. [trump pershing]

Donald Trump cites dubious legend about Gen. Pershing ... politifact







33 comments:

ampersand said...

Next he'll be telling us of Sir Edmund Hillary dodging sniper fire in Bosnia while making a killing on cattle futures.

Chip Ahoy said...

Obama's uncle helped liberate Nazi death camps. And Kennedy paid for his Kenyan father to travel to America and meet his Kansan mother. So without the Kennedy family then Obama wouldn't even been born. And Obama was actually conceived by the inspiration of the Selma Civil Rights march. He said so. Except he was three years old at the time. Never mind that, it's a miracle. Obama swooped in and handled his mother's health insurance because insurance called it a pre existing condition. Before his dates with composite girlfriend.

A moment for composites. Composite materials are very strong you know.

In fact, plywood from pieces of weak wood is stronger than regular boards of equal mass. And of course composite bows of steppes horsemen are famous. See, you got yer regular wood bow and the middle portion has bone strip on one side and the other side a sinew strip, the bone resists stretching and the sinew resists compression and the three together made a fierce bow that you have to be super strong to pull and could shoot an arrow right through armor. Their armor is also composite.

So Obama really has it going on with these composites and confabulations. There's more.

You know it's published fact that Obama's grandfather died valiantly in Indonesia fighting Dutch troops.

It's published fact that Obama's parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. He said so right here in Denver a few miles away under gleaming white columns brought in just to say such things. And this idea of multicultural romance shaped his entire persona and campaign. They shared everything together and his mother did NOT leave Hawaii a year before to Seattle to escape spouse abuse. He was NOT abandoned. He was embraced. As you can see, as a project and for the whole nation. And that my friends, is an inspiring story.

Now BE INSPIRED!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I saw a tweet saying Trump is being sued for having a sex slave.
The speculation is the media is not touching Trump until after he gets the nomination.
People are so conspiratorial sometimes 😏

AllenS said...

Sounds like a good story to me.

edutcher said...

Hate to say it, but a lot of people, including some here, cite that as fact.

If it is legend, it's not as well known as some might believe.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

It does sound like a good story. It is an old myth and it is not true.

Truth was is Pershing could be ruthless in dealing with Philippine Moros and other times he would try to avoid casualties. But he was always trying to win.

Michael Haz said...

Everyone lies, have you noticed that? Everyone. Beginning with Adam and Eve lying to God, who had given them paradise and a life free of pain and suffering.

The history of Man is filled with wars, tragedies, and other horrors caused by Man's lies.

We were told by God through Moses atop Mount Sinai that we shall not bear false witness; it was written in stone. Yet everyone lies.

Writers lie, reporters lie, artists lie, leaders lie, followers lie, lovers lie. It is the theme of movies, of television shows, and of literature.

You watched House, right? The medical show with the peculiar physician and his retinue of erstwhile medical students? It was putatively about medicine, but it really wasn't. It was about patients lying about their illnesses and their causes; it was about physicians lying to themselves and to one another. Because everyone lies, even doctors.

We accept lies and a normal thing, but we shouldn't. "You look awesome, as great as you did when you were thirty" we say, not wanting to hurt someone by telling her or him that they look their age, as do we all. It's just a 'white lie', so it can't be at all harmful, we rationalize. But it is, because the person who hears it, though it may be flattering, knows that it is untrue. And a seed of doubt is planted for the other things said.

As a seed of doubt is planted when we hear lies said by a politician who wants our vote. They all lie; a sad thing, and a reflection on how we accept lies as 'part of the game'. We shouldn't. It's wrong, and it cheapens us.

"Let me make this perfectly clear."

"Peace is at hand."

"I did not have sex with that woman".

"We will win the war on drugs."

"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

"I will cut your taxes."

"We ran from the helicopter under gunfire."

"On the first day in office I will repeal Obamacare."

Lies, all of them. Lies intended to win our votes, or keep out support. Either way, lies intended to avoid and distort the truth, because liars know the proletariat won't push back.

I don't know about you all, but I'm tired of it. Really tired of being lied to, tired down to my bones. I've reached an age in life where having clarity, clarity about all things, is increasingly important. And I despise liars and their lies.

The sad thing, the angering thing is the need now to choose the least lying candidate; a lousy compromise. This isn't the Garden of Eden; the fall from grace won't be sudden, but nevertheless, the lies we hear and the lies we tell are as destructive as if told by a serpent in a tree.

Of course, this comment will be followed by a "Hillary lies least" or a Cruz lies least" or a Trump lies least" comment. Which will be a lie because everyone lies.

All these thousands of years and Man still lies.



edutcher said...

Many of the acts attributed in Pershing story were, in fact, carried out during the Sepoy Mutiny (see Christopher Hibbert's "The Great Mutiny") and probably well-known to American soldiers. FWIW, I wasn't aware it was false*.

BTW, that "climate of violence" decried by the One True Ted, hit the Trump rally in Costa Mesa CA last night. Anti Trump (ie illegal) protestersattacked and threatened Trump supporters. All his fault, right?

* The History News Network is a project of George Mason University.

The Dude said...

I used to like bacon, and that's no lie.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Sixty, used to?

The Dude said...

Well, I still like it, it just doesn't like me so much. I switched to beef. Mmm, ground beef...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Sixty, we bovines are like Christ that way...

ricpic said...

When the legend becomes fact print the legend.

The Dude said...

Which reminds me - I need to pressure wash my valances.

ricpic said...

And always remember to pressure wash your valances.

--Julia Child

Michael Haz said...

I use some Czechoslovakian guys to pressure wash my valences.

When they bare here, it's all Czechs and valences.

Michael Haz said...

Doh. ARE here, not BARE here. Unless they send their sisters.

ricpic said...

"...Czechs and valences."

Where are the pun police when you need them?!

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Michael, nice!

The Dude said...

Were they here I am sure they would Finnish the job.

ndspinelli said...

Detecting lies professionally I know a bit about the subject. I would agree that everyone lies. But, like most everything, there is a spectrum. And the spectrum is not only about the frequency one lies, but the reason. There are noble lies, like the husband responding "No, dear" to the question, "Do these pants make my ass look fat?" Good hearted people can tell when the person doesn't want a truthful answer and lie w/ empathy. People who know me know that if they ask me a question I will give them a straight answer. So, I hardly ever get those questions that are rigged for untruthfulness.

One of the most frequent lies are really embellishments, the ugly cousin of lies. There is some truth, it's just pumped up, spin, etc. Politicians engage in this category w/ aplomb. I could go on about lies, including the lies we all tell ourselves and other categories. But, I'll cut to the chase. It look like it will be Trump v Lady Macbeth. They are both flat ass liars. She's much more skilled @ lying than he. He's clownish in his lies. Narcissistic liars are almost always poor at it. They're over the top.

edutcher said...

nd, the husbandly "No" IMHO is a quite ignoble lie.

You say that, the wife goes out looking horrible, gets weird looks - or worse, cries, blames you.

Better to tell the truth and make sure she looks good.

I've had the discussion with The Blonde and lived to tell the tale.

PS Mrs Macbeth is a lousy liar. You confuse her with his lordship who is a pathological liar - he believes what he says the second it pops into his mind.

Those who wish to believe him see him as the soul of honesty. Those not so gullible less so.

ndspinelli said...

ed, I did not say Hillary is a good liar. I said she's much more skilled than your guy, who is a clownish liar.

ndspinelli said...

I don't want into a battle w/ Trumpees on this. I just want to offer some analysis on lying. I KNOW you guys are all in for Trump and I have NO intention on trying to change that. I'm not a fucking idiot. I am merely, when the opportunity presents itself, going to give some no propaganda, no lies, analysis.

ndspinelli said...

BTW Chip, This is one of your best posts recently. IMHO. Speaking of Chip, I miss Chip Ahoy. I would love to know his take on this clusterfuck.

ndspinelli said...

I mean Chip Silicon.

edutcher said...

nd, you need to drop the bias if you want to analyze.

You, of all people, ought to know it.

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

Nick:

I cannot believe anyone is being taken in by Trump's act (he really is a grifter) but it is working. And it is way more than him being clownish, he is very very good at what he is doing. Which is why Rush Limbaugh is so fascinated by it all. I can only hope that if he does win, he will be a good President. I know damn well Hillary will be horrible.

I suspect that when the media onslaught begins (just after he gets the nomination) things will not go as well for him. But it is what it is, we will wait and see. I have to admit I look forward to him debating Hillary, if only for the WWW spectacular nature of such a conflict.

I fought and advocated hard for Cruz because I think he is the most principled conservative running and what this country needs. Unfortunately, all the conservative creds don't mean a hill of beans if you don't have the political chops to get them into power. Cruz, his whole adult life, has manage to alienate a lot of people around him. He is a good dad, a very capable lawyer (and he did go to trial occasionally--although his real chops were on appellate practice), but there is something about him that sets people off.

I think Cruz would have surprised a lot of people in a one on one debate setting with Hillary. But given how easy Trump managed to turn him into "Lyin' Ted" (which is a completely BS charge), I can't see how Ted would have done well with the media onslaught that will be coming.

There is really no point getting upset anymore (unless you are a primary voter in the remaining races). The GOP is obviously signaling they are going to back Trump as the nominee. Mike Pence's have hearted endorsement of Cruz in Indiana is not going to sway things that much.

It will be a long summer and I need to stock up on more Campari.

edutcher said...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I cannot believe anyone is being taken in by Trump's act (he really is a grifter) but it is working. And it is way more than him being clownish, he is very very good at what he is doing.

A lot more people say the same thing about the One True Ted. One might think, after his justifying the kind of insider politics he says he stands against, his acolytes would begin to see the light.


I suspect that when the media onslaught begins (just after he gets the nomination) things will not go as well for him. But it is what it is, we will wait and see. I have to admit I look forward to him debating Hillary, if only for the WWW spectacular nature of such a conflict.

How very superior of you. You think Daddy Cruz would do any better? You think, when the media went to work on his love life, his very weird father, his connections to Goldman Sachs and Chase, and, most important, the Bush family there would be much left?

I fought and advocated hard for Cruz because I think he is the most principled conservative running and what this country needs. Unfortunately, all the conservative creds don't mean a hill of beans if you don't have the political chops to get them into power.

No, it's because, when push comes to shove, his "Conservatism" is just a pose to woo the gullible. Most people see that. I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt until I did some research and found there was little to like. Or support.

Cruz, his whole adult life, has manage to alienate a lot of people around him. He is a good dad, a very capable lawyer (and he did go to trial occasionally--although his real chops were on appellate practice), but there is something about him that sets people off.

Could it be they see through him? You might want to consider that.

ndspinelli said...

Evi, As I said the other day, you can often determine if a candidate is a demagogue by looking @ the followers as much as looking @ the candidate. Like you, I am resigned that this clownish Reality TV buffoon will be the nominee. And, I will vote for him against Hillary. But, as I said yesterday, you can tell just how much of a demagogue this guy is by the Trumpee's as much as by him. Look @ ed. Trumpee's are mad as hell and they aren't gonna take it anymore. ANY critique of their guru is taken personally. They are Trump, and he is them. Anger is a great motivator. But, only in the short run. Then it implodes. Novemeber is a looong fuckin' time in politics.

ndspinelli said...

I had a bartender ask me if I wanted my negroni made w/ gin or vodka. I wanted to pull him over the bar and pimp slap him!

edutcher said...

The clown stuff makes you feel very superior, doesn't it?

You sound like a pack of Lefties at Salon or Puffington, forever flaunting your intellectual magnificence.

Oh, our guy is nuanced, he believes in evolution, he wants us to see the True Path.

Get over yourselves. Your Messiah wasn't that great and following him didn't make you any better.

ndspinelli said...

It does not make me feel superior in the least. It is what I, and a large percentage of people see, objectively. Maybe the problem is the blind followers of this demagogue feel inferior. As I have said, if it's Touchstone v Lady Macbeth, I will vote for Touchstone. But, I won't pretend he's not a court jester. I don't lie to myself.