Posts: 868
Threads: 3
Joined: May 2016
(01-03-2021, 10:22 AM)David Horn Wrote: (01-01-2021, 10:41 PM)Classic-Xer Wrote: (01-01-2021, 12:57 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 01-Jan-2021 World View: Saving the FT forum
Is there anyone left who wants to save this forum? Or do you want to
let it turn completely into a garbage dump and die?
Here's what I propose to do: I'll call the web host (Small Orange),
explain the situation to them, and ask them to give me cpanel access
to the web site. I'll then go into the mysql database and make myself
a moderator, and then clear all the spam crap out, and ban the spam
crappers.
They'll just laugh at me, unless I have the support of a lot of
people. So here's what I want you (all of you) to do: Just post a
message below saying that you support me in doing this.
If I can get, say, ten or more forum members to support me, then I'll
try calling them, and telling them that I have the support of a bunch
of members. They may still laugh at me, but the more support I have,
the more likely they are to listen.
Of course, if someone wants to steal my idea and do it yourself,
you're welcome to do so. Or even better, if Rags or Sam or some other
existing moderator wants to come back and do his job, that's even
better.
You have my support.
Me too.
-- go 4 it John
 my 2 yr old Niece/yr old Nephew 2020
Posts: 128
Threads: 2
Joined: May 2016
speaking for longtime lurkers (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) it would be very nice to keep this place alive.
"But there's a difference between error and dishonesty, and it's not a trivial difference." - Ben Greenman
"Relax, it'll be all right, and by that I mean it will first get worse."
"How was I supposed to know that there'd be consequences for my actions?" - Gina Linetti
Posts: 35
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2020
Xenakis, You have my support for you to be emergency moderator.
Posts: 1,970
Threads: 6
Joined: Sep 2016
Well, looks like a bit of drama today in DC. All the people who don't know generational theory are shocked.
Posts: 683
Threads: 41
Joined: May 2016
(01-04-2021, 12:13 PM)tg63 Wrote: speaking for longtime lurkers (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) it would be very nice to keep this place alive.
I hereby cast my vote for it's continued survival.
Posts: 10,465
Threads: 197
Joined: May 2016
01-07-2021, 04:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-07-2021, 06:41 AM by pbrower2a.)
(01-06-2021, 08:06 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: Well, looks like a bit of drama today in DC. All the people who don't know generational theory are shocked.
If I see any generational angle is that Americans finally split between those who endorse the worst Boom traits and everyone else. Trump is Boomer vices (arrogance, ruthlessness, and egoism) at their extreme and and a rejection of two of the three cardinal virtues (education and principle) of Boomers that one ordinarily expect of Idealist generations. If he is decisive, he is decisively wrong.
Personality is gravely important in leadership of any kind. This applies just the same to clergy as to soldiers, business executives as to union officials, and to college deans as to the police. A free-enterprise system with an adequate welfare state (to be sure we are not quite either, and few of us think that we have an adequate compromise between the two.. you tell me if you think that we live in what Voltaire's philosophical antihero Doctor Pangloss calls "the best of all possible worlds" in Candide) has plenty of use for flawed people as ciphers within the system... laborers, clerks, shopkeepers, and technicians. Many people must live on the brink of economic failure due to marginal competence, character flaws, and poor choices in life. Ideally we all have incentives to make ourselves better and not have inexcusable attachments and inappropriate desires. Whatever generation we are in we cannot excuse criminality, and we should not be so surprised at the fates of such Boomers as Ted Bundy, Judias "Black Widow" Buenoanno, David Koresh, Osama bin Laden, or Jeffrey the Pedophile Epstein, all five of whom died for their monstrous choices in life.
Donald Trump is more subtle than those monsters, but not so much that he could avoid such spectacular failure. His faults are obvious to practically all but his cult now. He may have been useful for some political and economic objectives, but of those objectives require a vehicle such as him to make them work, then those objectives themselves are suspect. Trump saw himself more important than nearly 400 years of political reality with the effective founding of the General Court of Massachusetts (in practice a responsible, elected legislature) and even longer with the tradition of English common law. Such is what the Colonies already had in operation at the time at the time of the American Revolution. It took nearly eighty years for America to recognize what can be so horribly wrong with an Idealist generation while doing nothing to protect against such.
It is wonderful to say that we have a solid Constitution and that it works even in a Crisis. Even in the desperate times of the American Civil War in the Crisis of 1860, and the economic collapse of the Great Depression and the initial successes of fascist gangsterism in dangerous foreign powers in the Crisis of 1940 the Constitution prevailed and defined our response as the most benign one under the circumstances. But even the Constitution suggests some tradition behind it, and wise people solidified that tradition in formal law as rules of government in the Crisis of 1780.
1780, 1860, 1940, and now 2020. As in those other grave times we have an existential crisis. We have a costly war, and if the enemy isn't George III, Confederate secessionists defending slavery, or such demonic enemies as Hitler and Tojo it is the SARS-2 virus more contagious than AIDS and similarly lethal. So we drive out the Redcoats, wage a war against the one greatest fault in the inception of our Republic, or liberate territory as far away as battlefields of the Second Punic War in a war analogous to the Second Punic War (except that we wisely choose -- we are better than the Roman Republic, let alone its depraved Empire) that allow the reconstitution of Germany, Italy, and Japan as respectable members of the international community. Still, the implacable enemy of all that is good and vital in America must be destroyed and if it is not so much a place as is Carthage ( Carthago delenda est, as said Cato the Censor), much the same applies to the monstrous evil that Hitler and Tojo represented eighty years ago or SARS-2 today. Even with my limited knowledge of Latin I can imagine a near-analogue in Churchill's less-succinct but more explicit rhetorical call for the obliteration of the pernicious influence and design of Adolf Hitler.
Usually classical Latin is more succinct than English, but this time "COVID-19 must die" is just as complete as " Morbus coronarii viri anni 2019 est delenda" despite being shorter as an expression.
...At the least, let us become what we insisted that post-fascist Italy, the German Federal Republic, and a lesser Japan become. Donald Trump may be far from the monstrosities that Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo were... but he has clearly shown how inadequate he is as a leader. From a generational standpoint, Obama was in all likelihood about the best sort of leader that a Reactive type can be, as he is "weak" on the usual pitfalls of a Reactive leader (he isn't cynical, greedy, or unlearned) and strong on the virtues (respectful of tradition, perceptive, and pragmatic). He is more typical of the sort of leader that Americans get after a Crisis is over, and all that keeps him from being a fine conservative President is that he is not particularly conservative in his agenda. I see him as a more liberal version of Eisenhower more than anything else. But Obama is no Idealist, and certainly no Boomer. As he showed with the underworld-style hit (the only way such was possible) on Osama bin Laden, he serves his revenge cold (sorry about the Star Trek reference). What else could one expect? He could learn from anyone, and if he seems like the sort who had he had a career as a prosecutor or judge he would be a rackets-busting and corruption-busting DA or judge (such is his temperament) he could learn something from the Dark Side of Chicago history and apply it to the worst terrorist in history. Obviously he had far more justification for whacking Osama bin Laden than Al Capone had for whacking rival gangsters.
In view of the sick spectacle in the Capitol yesterday, we must all repudiate the dangerous cult of personality surrounding Donald Trump. If the first significant act of the 117th Congress is the impeachment of Donald Trump, then so be it. America must extricate the scorpions in its collective soul if it is to avoid the abyss of tyranny.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.
Posts: 4,336
Threads: 7
Joined: Jul 2016
(01-06-2021, 08:06 PM)Warren Dew Wrote: Well, looks like a bit of drama today in DC. All the people who don't know generational theory are shocked.
I don't know why. This was predictable from the beginning, Trump wasn't leaving on his own -- ever! Add to that, he's great at getting others to do his dirty work and viola: 1/6/2020.
There will be more unless he's stopped.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.
Posts: 1,970
Threads: 6
Joined: Sep 2016
(01-07-2021, 04:53 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: (01-02-2021, 11:37 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: So that I could draw attention to the spammer I did a personal attack. Please understand my desperation at the spammers messing up this Forum. If that is what it takes, then so be it. It is out of character for me, but if that is what it takes to stop the spamming, then so be it.
... I regret to say that I bemoan not so much making the personal attack (an implicit F-bomb) as that it did not have the desired effect of removing the spammers and deleting their posts.
Spammers do not generally read posts or responses. In fact, most spam is automated. The point is only to get the links in their posts crawled by the web crawlers to improve their search engine ranks.
Posts: 1,970
Threads: 6
Joined: Sep 2016
(01-07-2021, 02:02 PM)David Horn Wrote: There will be more unless he's stopped.
There will be more whether or not he's stopped. Trump is a symptom of the times, not a cause. It seems many here have forgotten the key lesson of generational theory: it's the generation cycle that controls, not the individuals caught up in it.
Posts: 2,936
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2016
(01-02-2021, 03:09 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: You have mine. I want the effective denial of service attack to end.
It's thoroughly disgusting that someone can have spam ads for fake credentials, including drivers' license (use a fake one and go to jail in some states), a fake green card (get caught with one of those and you will be deported), fake diplomas (get caught with one of those in some employment and you may end up losing your freedom as well as your job), or passport (use a fake US passport in certain countries, and you are assumed to be up to the worst -- such as espionage or drug trafficking). One creep even offers fake currency; use of fake currency of any kind is a serious crime.
They must be Russians or Chinese
Posts: 3,956
Threads: 11
Joined: May 2016
01-08-2021, 05:30 AM
(This post was last modified: 01-08-2021, 05:31 AM by Bob Butler 54.)
(01-08-2021, 05:01 AM)taramarie Wrote: So, i come back after some time (settling into my new life in europe after all) and see a bunch of spam. What is being done about it and if nothing will we have to move the forum elsewhere with a new moderator who would be able to invest the time to keep the spammers at bay?
Eric has formed a public Facebook group located here. Xenakis has opened a new sub forum on his Generational Dynamics site. Xenakis is also stating an intent go get MyBB to give him moderator authority here if he can get ten supporters, and is almost there.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Posts: 2,751
Threads: 4
Joined: May 2016
** 08-Jan-2021 World View: Deleting spam
Webmaster (Sam) has risen from the grave and made me and David Horn moderators.
I was able to ban Dazdraste, who has posted almost 100 spam messages
in the last couple of days. I was able to go through the extremely
tedious process of deleting a couple of his posts individually, but I
was unable to delete more than one at a time, even though a moderator
is supposed to be able to do that. Either I'm missing something, or I
don't have permission to do that. So after deleting two of his posts,
I gave up in disgust. Perhaps David Horn would like to try in case I
missed something.
Sam said that he will clean things up over the weekend, presumably
doing mass deletions. Given that one spammer can post dozens of spam
messages a day, I hope he plans to stick around permanently.
Posts: 2,936
Threads: 0
Joined: May 2016
(01-07-2021, 04:56 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: In view of the sick spectacle in the Capitol yesterday, we must all repudiate the dangerous cult of personality surrounding Donald Trump. If the first significant act of the 117th Congress is the impeachment of Donald Trump, then so be it. America must extricate the scorpions in its collective soul if it is to avoid the abyss of tyranny.
You're on the side that clearly represents tyranny dude. You are clueless.
Posts: 10,465
Threads: 197
Joined: May 2016
(01-09-2021, 02:21 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote: (01-07-2021, 04:56 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: In view of the sick spectacle in the Capitol yesterday, we must all repudiate the dangerous cult of personality surrounding Donald Trump. If the first significant act of the 117th Congress is the impeachment of Donald Trump, then so be it. America must extricate the scorpions in its collective soul if it is to avoid the abyss of tyranny.
You're on the side that clearly represents tyranny dude. You are clueless.
I direct you to this post in another thread:
http://generational-theory.com/forum/thr...l#pid73181
The assault on the Capitol, to make a long story short, looks more like the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 than any semblance of anything in American history, with Trump taking a role more like that of Vladimir Lenin than like any statesman in American history. Note well: Vladimir Lenin became a dictator by nullifying an election that did not serve his purposes.
You endorse tyranny when it serves your view of the world. I reject it when it serves my view of the world.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.
Posts: 3,956
Threads: 11
Joined: May 2016
Applause. Much spam deleted. I assume a lot of deleted users. Thanks to Sam, Dave and John.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Posts: 4,336
Threads: 7
Joined: Jul 2016
(01-01-2021, 12:57 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 01-Jan-2021 World View: Saving the FT forum
Is there anyone left who wants to save this forum? Or do you want to let it turn completely into a garbage dump and die?
Here's what I propose to do: I'll call the web host (Small Orange), explain the situation to them, and ask them to give me cpanel access to the web site. I'll then go into the mysql database and make myself a moderator, and then clear all the spam crap out, and ban the spam crappers.
They'll just laugh at me, unless I have the support of a lot of people. So here's what I want you (all of you) to do: Just post a message below saying that you support me in doing this.
If I can get, say, ten or more forum members to support me, then I'll try calling them, and telling them that I have the support of a bunch of members. They may still laugh at me, but the more support I have, the more likely they are to listen.
Of course, if someone wants to steal my idea and do it yourself, you're welcome to do so. Or even better, if Rags or Sam or some other existing moderator wants to come back and do his job, that's even better.
Good job! It's always heartening when the positive wins. There's enough negative at the moment, so this is truly welcome.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.
Posts: 4,336
Threads: 7
Joined: Jul 2016
(01-09-2021, 02:21 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote: (01-07-2021, 04:56 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: In view of the sick spectacle in the Capitol yesterday, we must all repudiate the dangerous cult of personality surrounding Donald Trump. If the first significant act of the 117th Congress is the impeachment of Donald Trump, then so be it. America must extricate the scorpions in its collective soul if it is to avoid the abyss of tyranny.
You're on the side that clearly represents tyranny dude. You are clueless.
If you really believe that even now, then you may need glasses and a hearing aid. Not one Antifa person (there are no members, so that will have to do) was identified, but there is no shortage of RW whacknuts, QAnon being omnipresent. If you feel comfortable being in that group, please contact the FBI and add your name to the list.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.
Posts: 3,956
Threads: 11
Joined: May 2016
(01-09-2021, 03:42 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: The assault on the Capitol, to make a long story short, looks more like the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 than any semblance of anything in American history, with Trump taking a role more like that of Vladimir Lenin than like any statesman in American history. Note well: Vladimir Lenin became a dictator by nullifying an election that did not serve his purposes.
Even then, the Bolshevik Revolution was no action against a democratic major power with as long a tradition as the United States. It is really hard to come up with anything really compatible.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
Posts: 4,336
Threads: 7
Joined: Jul 2016
(01-09-2021, 10:32 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: (01-09-2021, 03:42 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: The assault on the Capitol, to make a long story short, looks more like the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 than any semblance of anything in American history, with Trump taking a role more like that of Vladimir Lenin than like any statesman in American history. Note well: Vladimir Lenin became a dictator by nullifying an election that did not serve his purposes.
Even then, the Bolshevik Revolution was no action against a democratic major power with as long a tradition as the United States. It is really hard to come up with anything really compatible.
This looks more like the Beer Hall Putsch, with Trump playing the part of Hitler. That one failed too, but lead to a win for the Nazis. We should always keep that in mind.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.
Posts: 10,465
Threads: 197
Joined: May 2016
01-09-2021, 12:09 PM
(01-09-2021, 02:21 AM)Classic-Xer Wrote: (01-07-2021, 04:56 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: In view of the sick spectacle in the Capitol yesterday, we must all repudiate the dangerous cult of personality surrounding Donald Trump. If the first significant act of the 117th Congress is the impeachment of Donald Trump, then so be it. America must extricate the scorpions in its collective soul if it is to avoid the abyss of tyranny.
You're on the side that clearly represents tyranny dude. You are clueless.
Tyranny takes many forms, but all of them have one thing in common: the Leader is responsible to no existing checks and balances. It can be a mad emperor like Caligula or Ivan the Terrible, a mad dictator like Idi Amurderin', an all-powerful Party boss with a strange vision like that of Stalin, Hitler, or Satan Hussein, or a military dictator who destroys all democratic process. There are obvious differences in ideology between Pinochet and Pol Pot or between Hungarian traitors Szalasi and Rakosi, but such is a triviality. No principle exists except power, and no life, career, or property is safe. I will take freedom and the rule of law, thank you, even if those can be inconvenient much of the time.
Now we know what those Trump rallies were for after the election. They were not celebrations of success, for Donald Trump had fewer successes than most Presidents. It was not a kick-off for 2024, because the banners still said "2020". Democracy depends upon people recognizing electoral losses as important as electoral wins in deciding the political reality.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.
|
