In response to my post praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on “Obamacare,” I received an email with the header, all in caps, “HEY COYNE, GET A CLUE”. I reproduce it in its entirety, though the name has been changed to protect the unhinged. I have reproduced the email exactly as sent:
YOU SHOULD STICK TO BIOLOGY AS YOUR COMMENTS ON POLITICS PROVE YOU ARE CLUELESS
AND CHILD, IF YOU WILL READ THE ATTACHED, YOU WILL SEE WHY I AM QUALIFIED TO SAY THE THINGS I DO
[Name redacted]
First, for some very stupid reason, most people seem to think it is wrong to tell some of the truth about yourself. Well they can kiss my butt as I care less what the illogical, irrational and not too bright think.
I’ve written this because I figure others may want to know what I want to know about what the experience and knowledge those informing me have. So here are a some things about me. (And IF you want a list of negatives, just ask as truth is truth.)
Those who know me well, know I’m a very truthful person. In 1964, I was given the nick name “Jackass John” [JAC: I have replace the real but similar nickname with a pseudonym] by a co-worker who said he did so due to my always telling the truth and most people do not like hearing the truth.
I will be most happy to both supply the contact information of others who will attest to my truthfulness. And I am most willing to take any and all scientific lie detection tests. (I hate liars! They disgust me & this is one of the main reasons I have no respect for Obama.)
As Walt Whitman said: “If you’ve done it, it ain’t bragging!”*
I am much more generally experienced and more generally Knowledge than are most my age of 77.
I say this as I have lived in three countries ten states and in twenty cities. For five years, I lived in Cerro De Pasco, Peru which is over 14,000 feet and in Honduras “cloud forests” for about a year.
I have had many more professions than most even think of having, Some are – Paratrooper, Lifeguard & Deep Sea Diver, a Cafe owner, a manufacturing supervisor (NCR – TRW) and an industrial engineer for XEROX
I’ve also done many more different types of things than most ever come close to doing. I’ve sailed on more different types of ships, driven more different types of vehicles, flown in more types of aircraft, ridden on more different types of trains and fired more different types of weapons. than most have, I’ve done all the things, (plus others) listed in signature block at the end of this.
Tests I’ve taken prove I use my “Gifted Level” IQ nearly twice as effectively as most people use their intelligence, My tested reading skills show I read at nearly double the speed which most with college degrees are able to read at and do so with high comprehension. (Read more than most do as well.)
Listening comprehension tests proved the average college educated supervisor at NCR’s Electronics Division only scored 23 percent in a listening comprehension test. (My score was 46%). (As part of a supervisors job is to listen effectively and as they knew they were being tested on their listening skills, think how poorlyothers listening skills are!) At the end of the course, my listening comprehension test score was 96 percent. And it was the tightest score ever gotten by anyone in any company world wide. (I have no idea why my listening skills are better than others, all I know is what tests showed.)
I live my life as I define Science:
“Science is the Ever-Expanding, Never-Ending, On-Going and Self Correcting Search for Truth!'”
I go where the evidence and the facts take me, And IF they substantiate the positions I which already support, Great!.
Yet, IF the evidence and the facts do NOT substantiate my presently held positions on issues, I change my position so if is supported by the facts
Very Sadly, I find this is not true for most others. I’ve found most people will simply either refuse to learn and/or will deny any facts which do not support what they already believe.
I make a great effort to be as fair as possible and attempt to not make any judgements until I have sufficient facts to know what I am doing.
I have repeatedly risked my personal safety for others. This includes for Black Civil Rights and when stopping crimes in progress. (eight so far.)
So combining my extensive experience & my knowledge with my intelligence and skills with my normally assuring I have more than sufficient facts to back me up, the odds of anyone proving me to be either logically or factually wrong are about zero!
I Thank You For your Time.
Please, Take Care!
[Name redacted]
A 77 year old Pro Iraq War Agnostic Atheist Activist, a former member of management in some Top American 500 corporations and a 101st Airborne Vet.
A Truth Telling, No BS, Women Chasing, (& Catching them 92 times), Iconoclastic, Fire Walking, Crime Stopping, Deep Sea and Scuba Diving, Philosophizing, Life Saving, Paratrooping, Bungee Jumping, Spelunking, 1 and 3 Meter Spring Board Diving, Partying/Dancing, Rock Climbing, Rapid Running, Expert Shooting, Beach VolleyBall Playing and “Barking” Grumpy Old “Son Of A Beach.”
I see he’s beaten the Islamic martyrs’ reward by a full 20 women—impressive! But I still don’t know what I’m supposed to learn about Obamacare. The dude spends a gazillion words about how awesome he is, and never tells me where I went wrong.
This proves something that we’ve all learned in the last year: atheists can be just as crazy as the looniest believers. Well, I hope he enjoys seeing his words here.
________
*This reminds me what Walter Brennan used to say as “Grandpappy Amos” on the t.v. show The Real McCoys: “No brag—just fact!”
oooookkkkkkaaaaayyyyyyy…..
sigh
I thought I had an ego but this guy puts me to shame. I’d be afraid to be in the same room with him for fear of being blinded by his self aggrandizing aura.
Priceless.
Considering that it’s probably a spiel that he wrote several years ago, I think “valueless” would be more appropriate.
Looking at the list of “accomplishments”, I find myself thinking “is there something impressive, or even particularly unusual, about this?”
Cool story, but needed more dragons.
+1
+1,000,000.00
You, sir, win the internet today.
Fantasimo!
Congratulations. You have just encountered the man who may be pulling into a voting booth next to yours.
I wonder if he’s reproduced. I didn’t see any mention of all the wonderful, edgeekated offspring he’s sired.
Hopefully not, or if he did, I hope he abandoned both mom & babe. I’d hate to see an innocent child exposed to his insane malevolence.
He and Duane Gish belong in the Academy of Horrors.
I was just thinking “meh..” then I saw… “Beach VolleyBall Playing”. Holy Shit!! This guy knows what he’s talking about, somebody call Obama.
77?
At least he’ll be dead soon.
Hey! I resemble that!
“Between age & death, occasion waits.”
Actually the quote is from “The Guns of Will Sonnett”
Correct! Get this man a cigar! Or a suitably healthful substitute…
Sorry, which part of the quote is from (a Western series I’d never heard of before)? The one about bragging? The wikipedia article says “and I’m better than both of ’em — no brag, just fact.” This last phrase appeared frequently on the show, and became a catch phrase with many of the show’s younger fans.”
But if it’s some of the other parts of the rant, that might make for a more interestingly unusual Western. Western Deep Sea (I assume “hard hat”) diver would be … different.
Good to know I didn’t miss anything when I started skimming…I mean, what’s the point if you never get to the point?
Perhaps [name redacted] will be so kind as to grace us with an enlightement of what we’re supposed to know about Obamacare. Yes, we get it, [name redacted] — you’re James Bond. No need to tell us any more about yourself…what is it we need to know about Obamacare?
b&
I read the damn thing twice and still didn’t see anything about healthcare reform. And I’m still wondering what nickname could be so bad as to make JAC blush?
Probably JC changed it so as not to use his correspondent’s real name.
And as long as I’ve stopped here to comment, I think I’ll continue. No sense heading all the way to the back of the queue.
If there were ever a more perfect example of Dunning-Kruger, I never saw it.
I think he’s more like The Most Interesting Man in the World from those Dos Equis commercials.
I think I recognize that guy.
I’m a fallibilist for all my assertiveness.
Does he have a reality televison probram in the works? Will he challenge Dawkins to put up or shut up about the person’s biologicl claim?
He’s going to be pissed that you redacted his name.
I’ll bet that’s true.
Tomorrow, Jerry, expect an email from me explaining spirituality (space permitting) to you, but first I just need to write a short autobiography about myself to lead into it.
Dude kind of reminds me of Jerry Bergman.
checkmate, Coyne. You are indeed clueless, I guess. And…uh…Obama lies. Anything you could possibly say in response is trumped by this individual’s experiences; any thought of yours out-experienced by your correspondent. It’s over.
Didn’t you read the email? This guy doesn’t have experience; those informing him have the experience.
Let me guess. The lurkers?
b&
Oh my. You sure he ain’t Jezuss?
As he says “I have no idea why my…..” He’s such a humble ol’ fella. Being hung up about himself is SO not him.
Too bad the oracle never came to the point. I was eager to see what such a genius could cough up about Obamacare.
Instead I learned to know about a narcissistic creature I sincerely hope I won’t come across in real life.
Ah, the pain people in his surroundings must be suffering…..
But thanks for sharing. It was entertaining in it’s own, painful way.
I’ll bet 30 pieces of silver that this fellow is as gay as the day is long. No non-closet case could be bothered to spew out this much faux-testosterone for no good reason at all.
Just get over it, girlfriend.
Huh?
Well…that’s 5 minutes I’ll never get back!
Fortunately, I skimmed it after the first paragraph. Still, I’m pissed that I wasted a minute of my life on this fine example of a human being.
Cry, baby, cry. I read the whole thing and was entertained by the crazy old rogue.
I hope my kids pry into my email account when I get that old to make sure I’m not doing anything too ridiculous.
And to add to his list of accomplishments, he’s capable of unlocking the CapLock key, also putting him ahead of his classmates.
lol
Does this sort of thing happen a lot? Like some previous commentators I wondered if I missed the point, but apparently there wasn’t one. Perhaps the hot weather has affected the poor man.
Altitude.
So much for “use … effectively”.
And what is it with the “child” ageism? You are only as good as your last pitch, or in this case your last aneurysm.
I don’t want to go into any armchair psychology, but doesn’t the letter suggest the writer might require professional assistance from a psychiatrist?
I’m sure “psychiatrist” must be somewhere on the list of jobs he’s had – he’s probably self-medicating.
It’s times like these I wish I had some voice and video editing talent – that has ‘rap song’ written all over it! I’m not sure ‘DJ 77 year old Pro Iraq War Agnostic Atheist Activist, former member of management in some Top American 500 corporations and a 101st Airborne Vet, Truth Telling, No BS, Women Chasing, (& Catching them 92 times), Iconoclastic, Fire Walking, Crime Stopping, Deep Sea and Scuba Diving, Philosophizing, Life Saving, Paratrooping, Bungee Jumping, Spelunking, 1 and 3 Meter Spring Board Diving, Partying/Dancing, Rock Climbing, Rapid Running, Expert Shooting, Beach VolleyBall Playing and “Barking” Grumpy Old “Son Of A Beach.”’ is going to work when it goes viral!
Someone should set it to an Autotune.
You know, I’m just reminded of the Discworld passage where the protagonist is having all his titles read and at the end he jokes that he was also the Blackboard Monitor at primary school. You know, in case they need to know that as well*.
But basically his argument seems to be ‘I am so awesome, therefore I am right about Obama and health care’ which is a classic argument from authority fallacy. If he spent half of the space he devotes to listing his perceived qualifications to making an actual argument, then he might actually have an argument.
For that matter, most of them seem largely irrelevant: I’d rather see a well-reasoned argument than ten assertions of how rational you are. (Because, frankly, everyone has blind spots. I know I do.) Failing that, maybe some assertions of relevant qualifications, like law or health care policy or accounting or medicine or something. I have a degree in physics, and one of the lesser known things that gives me is a lot of exposure to people who assume because they know their field well, they can BS about anything and notice things that the experts haven’t**.
* And, oddly enough, this comes up later in the series.
** Which isn’t to say that cross-discipline research is useless, just that it actually involves learning more about the discipline. If I had a dollar for every retired engineer that tried to disprove relativity…
It reminds me of the Queen Mother’s funeral. It was an age before the Archbishop (or whoever) got to “Elizabeth”.
Epic fail.
He doesn’t always send crazy, self-obsessed emails, but when he does, he sends them to JAC.
He’s the most interesting troll in the world.
Stay crazy, my friend.
Perfect.
I’m not surprised people call “John” a jackass. I’ll bet they call him plenty of names like that.
I know this guy. Even without his name attached, the general stench of condescension is unmistakable.
He used to pester my blog for a while. Under other circumstances he could have been an interesting commenter, but I ultimately banned him because of his tendency to fly into a bellowing, profanity-laced rage whenever anyone challenged him about anything, coupled with his habit of never actually providing any arguments for his assertions. Like most kooks, he’s best ignored.
He obviously had trouble sticking to anything.
He sounds like Scott Adams’ model for both Loud Howard and Topper.
Neil C. Reinhart in other blogs’ comments …
http://scatteringmoments.wordpress.com/about/
http://deathbytrolley.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/bushs-book-a-book-on-true-crimes/
http://www.fightingbob.com/article.cfm?articleID=917
Bingo! All that bloviation, and he forgot to mention
What a shock, huh?
You outed him!! Well done!
(Jerry’s far too gentlemanly IMO).
From the evidence of his messages, the guy is a complete fruitcake. About as far off his trolley as the Timecube guy. Probably certifiable.
So what was the redacted nickname? Knobhead Neil?
Jesus waited too long to come back. With Jackass John here now nobody will notice.
I came here trying to learn about health care….I left with the same knowledge.. Thanks “Jackass John” for giving me your life story but what about healthcare?
Hmm .. not exactly suffering from low self-esteem, is he?
And just by the way, it’s typical of the authoritarian mind that others are not entitled to opinions. Stick to biology? I don’t care if you’re a high school dropout; you’re entitled to an opinion. We can disagree, we can persuade one another, but it’s the fascist who says SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP when he doesn’t like what he hears.
I am highly skepticsl that an atheist agnostic “activist” would be comfortable in the Tea Party as he claims. There’s something very Poe-y or concern troll-y with this one …
“So combining my extensive experience & my knowledge with my intelligence and skills with my normally assuring I have more than sufficient facts to back me up, the odds of anyone proving me to be either logically or factually wrong are about zero!”
Is this a joke? If someone typed this with sincerity, then they are to be pitied.
A lot of people screw up the expression “I couldn’t care less” by saying “I could care less”. Not content with mere quotidian error, he changes it to “I care less”.
I was about to rant about that – but are they mere ignoranti, or is this an example of language change? A phrase “I care less about X than Y” is logical, as is ” I could NOT care less about X”, but “as I care less what the illogical, irrational and not too bright think”… care less THAN I care about Y would be the logical answer! This idiot claims to be bright? hmmmm…
I don’t see how they’re mutually incompatible. “The language is changing” is not a defense to “you’re ignorant”. Just because it’s changing, doesn’t mean it isn’t ignorant.
I’ve heard better resumes; I remember one along these lines: Movies Directed, Jets Chartered, Tigers Tamed, Revivals Held, Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Revolutions Started, Assassinations Plotted, Bars Emptied, Virgins Converted, Unwed Mothers Counseled, Wives Swapped, Lawns Mowed, Flies Tied or Swatted, and Bicycle Wheels Re-spoked.
For a moment I thought Uncle Bill had scaled the perimeter fence again. Come on Neil, put your brain where your mouth is. Back up your assertions.
HAHAHA this is hilarious. Thanks for posting this, Jerry!
You know, this kind of hysterical reaction to the Affordable Care Act is actually nothing new. Garry Wills has a book called “A Necessary Evil: A History of Americans’ Mistrust of Government”, which collects and analyses the public’s reaction to every expansion of the state, from the creation of the Fed, to federal highways, to Social Security and Medicare. Wills’ book shows that this response is nothing new, and he could easily add a chapter about Obamacare to it.
This is why I’m always harping (maybe not here, but elsewhere) about the importance of brevity in writing. I gave up once I read the words “Back in 1964…”. That was it for me. Wouldn’t matter if the rest of it was the most brilliant screed ever composed, I’ll never see it because he doesn’t know how to get to the bloody point.
And which point was that?
Why his awesome awesomness of course
Well said, JJ! That is a really cohesive argument regarding health care reform.
I think this is the world’s most interesting man: “I don’t always comment on Obamacare. But when I do…”
Setting himself up for the “argument from authority” I guess.
What authority? His time spent as Xerox repairman?
I’d rather hear about the 152nd anniversary of the debate on Darwin’s Theory, between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Sam Wilberforce, held in Oxford University Museum on this very date.
Not this bloviating, self-impressed schmuck.
Well– he sure told you!
(I don’t know what he told you– but he sure did tell you.)
If he’s 77, he’s on Medicare, so the “Obamacare” law doesn’t apply to him.
I wonder what’s got him so riled up? The fact that health insurance companies won’t be allowed to drop his grandchildren if they have a pre-existing condition? The fact that people will have to buy health insurance? (Just like they currently have to pay payroll taxes for Medicare! SHOCK!!!)
I’m wondering if he’s one those “The gov’t needs to keep its hands off my Medicare!” people.
I am the big time ignostic whilst he is the big time reactionary. I receive help from such as Google to share my views with others whilst he just brags about his nescience= ignorance. I laud WEIT whilst he lauds his own unrecognized futility. I’m a fallibilist whilst he is a no-nothing.
I rank lower than WEIT in viewers but higher than that person in his estimation.
The local paper and it reactionary viewers would laud him, I suppose.
Thanks to WEIT, we naturalists have a purveyor of science against the superstition of the supernatural!
He is… the most interesting man in the world.
He only mated with 92 females in 77 years? I think I might have surpassed that by the time I was 4. Too bad I can’t count. I can tell you it was a lot. I would also be willing to bet I’ve killed more rodents than he has.
He didn’t say he mated with 92 females, he said he “caught” 92 women. As to what he did afterwards, he doesn’t say. Maybe he had sex with them, maybe he made a suit out of their skin, we don’t know.
Well for those ladies sake, I hope he skinned them. The thought of performing acts of a sexual nature with this bozo is kind of revolting.
I doubt someone of his nature would consider a female caught until they were bedded.
The cat’s comment above is probably firmly grounded.
This isn’t too bad, but it could use a lot of work. Usually it’s best that the student, while still in the process of coming to grips with the mechanics of a foreign language, start with simple constructions involving fewer nested clauses and simpler tenses.
But hey, my hat’s off to anyone learning a foreign language. This fellow doesn’t sound like a native yet, but he’s making an effort…
testing
testing
I found it quite amusing how much effort he spent telling you that he was an exceptionally good listener.
After reading that, I think a bit of Russell is called for to cleanse the spirit.
Ah, dear old Ken.
As Walt Whitman said: “If you’ve done it, it ain’t bragging!”*
Teh Internet backs this up. Is there a more reliable source?
Dizzy Dean (baseball pitcher) is credited with something very similar: “It ain’t bragging if you can do it.”
A can with a few coins inside makes lots of noise when shaken; a full can makes no noise at all – Filipino Proverb
You must be devastated.
And so humble!
He’d be the perfect human being if it wasn’t for that damn modesty holding him back
“My only personality defect is my excessive modesty”
His opinion on Obamacare was plain as day.
Obviously, he was ticked off that mental health issues remain unaddressed.
A legend in his own mind.
Sounds like a perfect candidate for a comic boook:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0809053977/ref=asc_df_08090539772077829?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=0809053977&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1906804039587742256&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
I bought a copy, signed in Berkeley by Jonathan Gruber himself.
Great comic book, and lays out every single, disgruntled, sharp-shooting, 101st-Airborne complaint about the Affordable Care Act and slays them. But, of course, Neil, “You can’t handle the truth!”
I notice Neil Reinhart didn’t mention how many books he has read, or written, for all the accomplishments listed. You’d think that would carry more weight among those writing and reading online, than living like a peasant in Honduras or beach-volleyball-playing. Any 17-year-old could do those…
…sounds like a 17-year-old with an additional sixty do-overs in usable experience.
uhhhhh… what?
TLDR
What a loon!
“Please, take care”? – is that meant to be a veiled threat?
Hmm… Is he…Rowley Berkin QC, perchance?
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMn2YS5eTDk&w=420&h=315%5D
“So combining my extensive experience & my knowledge with my intelligence and skills with my normally assuring I have more than sufficient facts to back me up, the odds of anyone proving me to be either logically or factually wrong are about zero!”
One skill he left out was either grammar or proof-reading, which, admittedly, is not an essential requirement for spelunking, bungy jumping, paratrooping…
BTW: A list experience from anyone who is 77 years old might actually look very similar. My own father has a similar list, although he was not in the military, he was certainly shot at on more than one occasion, and still has the shrapnel in his stomach from WWII, or was it after, during the Indonesian uprising of 1947?
Now I’m curious. If he wasn’t in the military, how did he end up getting shot, and how did he wind up in the middle of the Indonesian uprising? War Correspondent? Doctor?
But you’re right. Many people do end up with some interesting stories to tell.
My dad was born in Indonesia, so being there was not really a choice. He was shot at as he was walking along a straight road, and happened to have a rebel jeep at one end, and a Dutch figher plane straffing from the other. My dad took shelter in a thicket of bamboo on the side of the road which got shot up a bit, and he got hit. So it was after WWII, well after he got out of the Dutch-Indo prison camp.
Then there was the time he was bitten by a sea snake…
“A 77 year old Pro Iraq War Agnostic Atheist Activist, a former member of management in some Top American 500 corporations and a 101st Airborne Vet.
A Truth Telling, No BS, Women Chasing, (& Catching them 92 times), Iconoclastic, Fire Walking, Crime Stopping, Deep Sea and Scuba Diving, Philosophizing, Life Saving, Paratrooping, Bungee Jumping, Spelunking, 1 and 3 Meter Spring Board Diving, Partying/Dancing, Rock Climbing, Rapid Running, Expert Shooting, Beach VolleyBall Playing and “Barking” Grumpy Old “Son Of A Beach.”
Yes.
But was he any good at _any_ of that?
This guy is everywhere…
I know I cannot draw conclusions from personal experience but up until now, every time someone said to me they were more intelligent than most, I ended up feeling more intelligent than them. (I didn’t say I ended up being more intelligent, mind you).
Fine Google work there, soldier.
Oh man, Hilarious! I read through the intro thinking okay, that’s kinda weird that he’s talking about all these achievements, but whatever. Then…hmm, he’s still blathering on about himself *quick scroll down to see how long the post is* odd…he’s not leaving much room for Obamacare…then the slow realization – he’s not going to say a single damn thing about Obamacare! Lol!
So are you going to ask for a list of negatives? After all, truth is truth. I imagine that would be a much shorter email. His negatives probably consist of others not recognizing his superiority 🙂
Sounds like my thought process while reading this tripe.
Just don’t ask him about Noni Juice. Seriously, don’t ask.
Cracking up, as I had just found that on his “adlandpro” site. Am thinking this is some random troll that found this adlandpro entry, thought it was funny, and cuts/pastes sections of it to atheist-oriented sites.
I also liked this:
“I have a sub-conscious, and self-sabotaging mental problem which has prevented me from reaching the success I should have.”
NPD perhaps?
Reading this again, I’m wondering if that large section of him rambling about himself is actually his email signature.
Oh, Lordy! A look at one of the baby names website reveals that “Reinhart” means “brave counsel” and “Neil” means passionate.
Apparently, the Troll Hunter let one get away.
He alarms me because he is clearly a jackass/jackoff, but he also stated such a terrific colloquial definition of science.
“Science is the Ever-Expanding, Never-Ending, On-Going and Self Correcting Search for Truth!’”
Too bad that he couldn’t practice the science that he preaches by keeping his focus on the facts of the world & minimizing himself.
He must care what the illogical, irrational and not too bright think, then.
It was actually Dizzy Dean, Cardinal pitcher, who said “If you can do it, it ain’t bragging!” But this is stupid! Any who goes around expounding on his achievements and abilities is bragging!
Why do you publish such drek? If I wish to hear such crap, I can get drunk with a tape recorder.
I publish it because I want to. If you don’t like reading it, there are plenty of other websites to read.
Oh, and you’re urinating on my carpet.
Gods, fishes and so forth. I never urinate on carpets. I like to save it for sleeping cats.
🙂
“YOU SHOULD STICK TO BIOLOGY AS YOUR COMMENTS ON POLITICS PROVE YOU ARE CLUELESS”
Baseless assertion. All the rest is an argument by authority.
“I’m so smart, cool and awesome that when I say you are clueless, you should believe it without any evidence.”
You did learn one thing about Obamacare. You don’t have to be crazy to oppose it, but it helps.
I think this guy fancies himself the wingnut Buckaroo Banzai.
“What a humble guy!” — Said no one ever in regards to this gentleman.
Imagine if that’s how science and other fields of inquiry operated. Person writes out a biography of their life, then says their thought in a few all-caps sentences. Or, when writing a book review, drop in the biography then say “The book isn’t good” or “The book is good” or whatever.
My apologies, I can’t resist this:
I am the very model of a modern major general. . .I know more about gunnery than a novice in a nunnery, I am the very model. . .
Gilbert & Sullivan “Pirates of Penzance”
Anyone knowing any more of the lyrics feel free to add.
I know the kings of England and can quote the fights historical from Marathon to Waterloo in order categorical.
I’m very well acquainted to with matters mathematical. I understand equations by the simple and quadratical. About binomial theorem I am teeming with a lot of news. With many cheerful facts about the square of the Hypotenuse.
One of the best songs ever. I especially like the line in the second verse when they make fun of another of their operas.
Marvelous! I’m glad I’m not the only G & S fan out here.
Oh yes, and that line.
. . dinafore?. . .dinafore? Ah, I know all the words. To that infernal nonsense, Pinafore. For I am the very model of a modern major general!
If he thinks that lying is bad he really has learnt nothing in his 77 years.
POE?
Lol…wut
That’s hilarious! It sounds like a infomercial but without the info.
I want to tell you all about nail polish and why you are wrong about your knowledge about nail polish. I can do this because I have credentials and I am going to list them for the next 30 minutes as to WHY I am perfect at telling you all about nail polish and then never tell you about nail polish! But gosh golly gee, I have a high IQ – because I was tested – and I’m smarter than most everyone – because I was tested, thus your argument is invalid!
You know it really reminds me of Sheldon!
“I’m not crazy! My mother had me tested!”
LMFAO
I’m perfectly sane and I have a certificate to prove it!
My first thought was that you should have revealed the identity of this jerk, then I realized that he must be suffering from either dementia praecox or full-blown dementia. Age does not excuse such stupidity, but dementia would. I am 84 and, mercifully, free of dementia. I found the diatribe difficult to read, but certainly don’t question your right to print it. I too would like to benefit from his views on Obamacare. The fact that this was missing from his spiel is further evidence of his dementia.
poor thing. Couldn’t even get someone to pencil whip him a “sharpshooter” badge when he was supposedly in the military. What a pathetic liar.
Neil is a friend of mine but I don’t argue with him. Why would I? I think he hates ObamaCare because he hates Obama. He hates all liberals. I doubt he knows anything factual about ObamaCare. Both his income and his medical are covered under government programs so ObamaCare will not affect him at all. Now, if it were BushCare or RomneyCare, well, that would be different, I’m sure.
Jerry, the author of that email doesn’t always drink beer. But when he does, he prefers Dos Equis.
For these nasty comments there was not a single one that recognized this was a parody, a satire. Come on, you guys, don’t you know when someone is pulling your leg? He fooled you!
Your evidence?
Nobody could be that stupid!
You don’t read this blog very often, do you? People that stupid say stuff like that all the time.
Moonpanther, I hate to get into an argument about this because I think you and I are on the same page. No, I don’t think this was a satire or parody. I think this guy is really that stupid. Saying it was a parody was my subtle way of saying this guy is really stupid. Some of these exchanges remind me of a therapist I knew who argued with his schizophrenic patient and could never win. It’s interesting to me that often it seems more difficult to refute absurd statements than ones that are just a little bit wrong. I’m not sure of how to deal with these idiots! I’m open to suggestions.
I think we believe 80% of what we believe because of memes. What I don’t understand is why we want to push our beliefs onto others. Christian or not; Republican or Democrat; positive attitude or negative one, we all seem to do it. Is it simply justification?
You need to get out more.
Probably true! Right now I’m researching material for a critical thinking book and these webpages are giving me a lot of data. You know, people often say stupid things but I’m more interested in the source of those beliefs. I used to argue with idiots but lately I just want to know how they came to believe what they believe. Like, how can someone as smart as John Polkinghorne believe in Anglican theology? How could Galileo be a Catholic? How could Kepler believe Jupiter was inhabited? How could Newton believe the planetary alignment in the solar system was the hand of God? How could Jesus believe in demon possession? If you trace the origins of these beliefs there is always a reason that makes sense – that’s what I’m looking for!
Any ideas?
My idea is that you are trying to lure someone into a discussion of theology.
As for Galileo, he had no choice. It was Catholic or dead.