Saturday 23 March 2019

Oh boy, this is going to be fun! The Mueller Report is out and ....

.... and now we can watch the furious spin on both sides: CNN and the New York Times on one side, Fox and the Wall Street Journal on the other.
Watching, reading, not to get the balance of truth. But to get the balance of spin. Because both sides spin. Fox is open about its spin. CNN pretends - maybe even believes - it is a neutral and "news only" channel, but it's most assuredly not. CNN has massive spin. Don Lemon, eg, is set on permanent spin cycle.  
Meantime and FWIW: I've come to classify myself as an "Independent Centrist". All my adult life in Oz I voted Labor. And would have voted for Obama and Hillary, were I American. (ie, I am/was a leftie). But since then, well, things have changed. I haven't hunkered into my tribe, but watched, from a distance, as I no longer have to vote, trying to balance the spin from left and right. 
I like Ann Althouse's description of her attitude in her blog as being "cruel neutrality". I'm aiming at that. Cruel neutrality. 
My centrism is this way: I remain socially liberal; economically, I'm a capitalist. I don't like socialism because of my experience with it in China of the seventies (ration books to get food and clothing. Ration books, for goodness sake). Also I've had experience of owning and running my own business for seven years. One with 300 staff and so a sizeable payroll to meet every month. There's nothing like meeting a payroll to give you a keen appreciation of the needs of business. 
Apparently there are not many Centrists around. There seem to be plenty of Independents, thought never enough to make a third party candidate viable. Just enough, sometimes, to screw up mainstream candidates like Al Gore in 2000. (That year it was Nader and the Greens).
Anyway, I'll be watching with interest and amusement what goes on post the Mueller report. 
Short Mueller: no collusion with Russia by Trump and co. And no new indictments. Cue Left meltdown ...
CNN spin (a part): look at the number of Trump associates already indicted. Guilty! Guilty Trump! But dig down (says I). They've been banged up mostly for lying and the lies were a result of "perjury traps". If a prosecutor wants to get you on  a perjury charge, they will. Bang. A Felony. And some others are in for tax evasion. Again, if a prosecutor wants to get you in tax, they will. Look at Al Capone.
And as Scott Adams says, CNN pundits are really depressed this morning. He’s right! As for the indictments for perjury, he says it’s like they went off to hunt an elephant and shot sixteen squirrels! And claim victory. And he’s right ! Video here.

[Note my use of the singular "they" in the penultimate para. I'm trying to promote it, rather than the clumsy "he or she". Which in any case these days, is not trans-inclusive enough. You could get arrested for "misgendering". 
[Also, Shakespeare used the singular "they"].

Sent from my iPhone