Gregg R Thomas

Have a great week folks!

“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for critical thinking.”

– Leo Tolstoy.

@ Enco

Disruptive protests are an effective political tool going back in American history at least as far as the “Boston Tea Party,” and in the case of the protest in question, has resulted in uncovering the Sheriff’s apparent disability scam.

Perhaps the shortest, but certainly one of the shortest, great speeches in American history. Mario Savio’s speech on the steps of Sproul Hall during the so-called “Free Speech Movement.”

@ Enco

How do we get the country back on track? Trump isn’t smart enough to know he’s being played, so he plays his role as figurehead while Musk calls most of the shots. And the shots he does call are likely handed to him by Elon in a “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you” fashion.

So, Musk is busily tearing our democracy apart and our…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
Incidents like this don’t belong at any meeting, public or private. Maybe the holders of such meetings need to busted for maintaining a disorderly house or some such as that. Maybe the woman should have been busted for using an animal call out of hunting season.

I know the difference between an opinion and a fact and I…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
I’ve seen public town hall and state university meetings handled in the way I specified and I see no problem with that, as it prevents the heckler’s veto from silencing someone else’s free expression. And the enforcement if it can’t be upheld should be that the meeting is cancelled.

There laws against interfering with of…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
Private security should be bound by the same restrictions as law enforcement officers.

No, they should be bound by the same restrictions as ordinary citizens, which they are. If they have legal grounds for a citizen’s arrest, swell. Otherwise, they were engaging in an assault. The hall was open to the public. Had…[Read more]

Lear’s business license has been revoked for violating city ordinances, which include a provision that requires security personnel uniforms be clearly and visibly marked with the word “Security,” Sergeant Reneau said.

Re the badges video, what caught my attention first was that it looked like they were wearing black shirts.

I too had forgotten about Natan Sharansky.  It is good to read a different perspective, especially when it is from someone whose life experience gives it a weighting that basement pundits can never attain.

Who are you and where are your badges?

A letter in the Free Press.

TheEncogitationer wrote:
the rules of the “patriarchy” don’t redound to the benefit of most men. … Lots of reverse serendipity to go around on this flying mudball in space.

You’re right, those things are true.  There’s a sore deal for men there.  However, they’re there for reasons of practical necessity – someone’s got to do those jobs, and wom…[Read more]