Polistra's Mill: Now vs Then 2

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Now vs Then 2

In an age of infinitely fake outrage and fake action and fake every fucking thing, it's hugely refreshing to see genuine RAGE by officials who HAVE THE POWER TO DO SOMETHING about the rage.

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Now: William Alsup, The Only Legitimate Federal Judge.

“Usually a criminal on probation is forthcoming and admits what they need to admit. You haven’t admitted much,” Alsup told lawyers for the company at a hearing Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco.

“There’s a clear-cut pattern here: that PG&E is starting these fires.”

Most important is what Judge Alsup DIDN'T say. He DIDN'T say "Global warming started these fires", because Global Warming DIDN'T start these fires. PGE started these fires. It's possible for a utility company to AVOID causing fires, as Avista has proved. PGE did not follow Avista's example.

For the first fucking time in modern history, we are placing the blame for a weather-related event on the CORRECT CULPRIT. It wasn't RUSSIAN_MEDDLING or ALT_RIGHT MEDDLING or GLOBAL_WARMING or SMIRKING_WHITE_PRIVILEGE or any of those nonsensical mythical ENTITIES multiplied by Deepstate to create chaos and exterminate Deplorables and MISPLACE BLAME.

The fires were caused by PGE, and a Federal JUDGE placed the blame on PGE. Historic first. Unprecedented.

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Then: A new item at KSHS. Another item in the huge pile of correspondence to Governor Capper around 1915. This caught my attention because of the name. I was snortling and chortling at Mother Bickerdyke Home For Widows. Aptronym Alert! Ha ha ha! After I read the letter I stopped snortling. The county attorney at Ellsworth visited this state-run home and saw things he couldn't forget.

Edited some for spelling and punctuation:

Dear Governor,

I write you in regard to the numerous complaints that have been made to me by the inmates of the Mother Bickerdyke Home. ... This man Chase who is in charge of the Home at the present time is tyrannical, overbearing and insulting. I have had three separate complaints made to me by inmates. "Pauper, prostitute, liar and thief" are some of the stock phrases that he uses in talking to the old ladies.

... The inmates are perhaps a bit childish and fault finding, but this man Chase lacks the tact and inclination to handle persons of that character. Had you been present today, Governor, and saw these old ladies sobbing out their grievances, you certainly would agree with me that something should be done, at once. These women are in terror of this brute, and he makes life Hell for them, and you know that is not the Kansas way. These wives of old soldiers are entitled to every comfort and the respect of all. Now Governor, I hope that you will take this matter up at once and fire this man so hard that he won't recover from the effects of it during the rest of his natural life.

Serious hardass outrage, expressed as a Biblical curse. Unfortunately the item doesn't record what the Governor did in response.

Labels: Aptronym Alert, imprecatory psalm, malign misattribution