Friends, the "panicans" have been proven wrong yet again: instead of facing tariff-generated economic armageddon, the U.S. is cutting more and more deals with our trading partners/adversaries, promising continued commerce, hundreds of billions in federal revenue, expanded exports, and a modest (and healthy) reduction in American reliance on cheap imports. All in all, a pretty positive result! Not all countries have settled with DJT, as of now, but Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia have, and this creates irresistible momentum that other, more recalcitrant countries will find hard to resist. After all, if no one was willing to talk turkey with us, we might have to abandon our aggressive pursuit of new trade terms, but since so many major players, especially China, ARE willing to compromise, well, the future looks bright for American negotiators, and, more importantly, for American workers and consumers. Bravo, President Trump! You told us to be patient, and that good things would come to those who wait...and who maintain their faith in Trump, and you were right.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clynwv7gn2do
Meanwhile, a fresh poll of potential voters in the NYC mayoral race indicates that the socialist Mamdani currently holds a large lead. Is this good news or bad? Let's face it: a Mamdani victory could be one of the best things that could happen to the national GOP. On the other hand, it could lead to a depression in the NYC economy, and that could spill over into the Mid-Atlantic region and possibly even the whole country. They don't call it "the Big Apple" for nothing. Keep your eye on this race. It could have big implications.
Finally, there's another rescissions package coming soon -- hooray! -- this one targeting wasteful spending at the Department of Education. If we're going to get serious about controlling federal spending, and we should, then we'll need to make the passage of these rescissions bills a regular occurence, and we'll need our Republican Congressmen and Senators to demonstrate great intestinal fortitude (by sticking with Trump). Here's hoping!
Dr. Waddy from Jack: A thousand dittos to your opinion on President Trump's leadership in support of our economy!
ReplyDeleteI'm especially glad to see us getting along with Japan. They are an exceedingly dynamic people; they have recovered in a very positive manner from their disastrous foray into heartless military expansion and the deserved defeat it brought them. East Asia, America, the world and the Japanese have thereby benefitted greatly and the economic well being which may well be in store from the canny leadership shown by the U.S. with this President at the helm may be far beyond well informed prediction now. The Japanese, having been blessed with the good fortune of being benevolently ruled post war by a General MacArthur who was possessed of incomparablely fine comprehension and wonderfully prescient compassion , perhaps see in President Trump a similar wisdom, though he did challenge them.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Here is what I'd like to hear some heartless slaughterer say when he faces his victim(s) families. " This is all I will say: I am a sociopath. I say this simply as a matter of fact and not to garner sympathy or mercy. I deserve none of those benefits. Because I am a sociopath I have no conscience; I did what I did without any misgivings before or after. I do what I want and I don't care who gets hurt and how badly.
ReplyDeleteYou can best honor the memories of your loved ones savaged by me or anyone like me by working to change our laws so as to put the fear of God in us, either here or beyond. Believe me, fear is one emotion we do have. My life should be lawfully taken at the end of a rope without benefit of the "drop". Do not think that "life without parole" cannot be excused through the efforts of hyperidealistic do gooders. A far left state Governor who ran for President actually approved a "furlough" for the relief of a man who had stuffed a youth in a barrel and stabbed him so many times that his blood was completely drained. I'm fully capable of such a deed.
Believe also that law enforcement knows my type best. And work to end laws which prevent the lawful from being armed to defend themselves against such as I am."
The American justice system has chosen to emphasize the 'rights' of criminals over the undoubted rights of the law abiding. Its a well intended choice but it is a wrongheaded one for which those of my frame of mind have complete contempt. It was intended to prevent miscarriage of justice but it has resulted in limitless injustice toward the law abiding and vulnerable.
I say all the above without a drop of regard for you or anyone. It's simple fact."
In my career working in state prisons I heard criminals state opinions pretty close to what I have portrayed above.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: No matter what might motivate a murderous predator to admit as much in court it would be regrettably and exceedingly painful for the victims' families. But it might help to disabuse them of their devastating wonderment as to "why" the crime was committed. It would give them a window into the very minds of such monsters. It could help to show them the way to a consolation of sorts in working to deny such soul deadened creatures the succor they now enjoy (as reflected in the plea deal recently wrought in a notorious and highly publicized quadruple murder ). It might also serve to discredit the arguments made by the far left that criminal behavior is directly attributable to factors outside of the individual criminal's control and that blame must be laid upon society as a whole, even unto the random victimization of the law abiding. I have not seen in the definition of the sociopath a lack of understanding on the sociopath's part, of right and wrong. It is to them, I think, simply not worth any regard. And in their hellish minds that may give them leave to do ANYTHING.
ReplyDeleteWe must face this reality head on and perhaps of necessity determine to follow up on individual's behavioral suggestions of fascination or compulsion with corporal mayhem or murder, with lawfully imposed oversight, using modern technology, of individuals in which such tendencies are creditably and professionally evaluated. Intent has long been , in certain settings, a factor in determining legal culpability. Perhaps it should sometimes be considered to be as indicative of future very injurious effect as to justify technologically possible vigilance against such people. Yes, legitimate concerns could be raised against such measures but perhaps we have paid too high a price in an overemphasis on such limits, some of which have been time proven only to enable cynical and, yes, sociopathic victimizers.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Well, we have shared concerns about President Trump's followthrough to his initial executive efforts with encodement into statutory law. And he is coming through!
ReplyDeleteDisempowerment of the implacable dictatorially far left Federal Education Dep't has been heretofore a seemingly unrealizable dream. Now its actually happening! Pull their funding and they have far less and eventually nothing, to waste on dictatorial measures imposed on America in contempt of regional cultural resistance or almost universal realization that such as pervasive wokeism reflects the intent of a taxpayer esconsed miniscule elite which is determined to force its views even on our children , at legal hazard to parents if they object. "All it took was a new President!". (with guts!)
Dr. Waddy from Jack: If Cuomo were to win he would try to develop his disingenuous "moderateness" into his embodiment of the national redemption of the Dem party from the far left. His conduct as Mayor would manifest this intent( eg. a disingenuous Guiliani style "crackdown" on crime). He would as such such seek the '28 "Dem" nomination. Of course in unlikely Presidential office he would become a restored leftist and would reprise his NY state Gubernatorial contempt and dismissiveness for any who doubt his wisdom.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, a triumphant Comrade Mandami would attempt only to solidify NYC's status as a fortress of political correctness , an oasis, in a hostile American desert of Trumpian common sense.He might seek to extend his baleful rule to all of NY state but even he can't entertain national ambitions, yes?
Yes, by all means, let's get along with Japan, which will be more likely if they buy slightly more from us, and we slightly less from them...
ReplyDeleteJack, that's interesting that criminals can be, in some rare cases, so candid, and so insightful. I suppose it makes sense, though. No one knows sociopathy like a sociopath!
So far, as far as I am aware, we've done a very poor job of identifying persons who pose severe risks of criminality and violence, much less heading them off at the pass. Basically, we don't understand the human psyche all that well...and that's not entirely a bad thing!
Mamdani run for president??? I love it! Why not? Split the Left in twain forevermore!!!
Dr. Waddy from Jack: I agree with you that we still do not understand human psychology very well. I think psychology is about at the same stage that physical medicine was in , say approx. 1890. But perhaps planting a chip in someone who has plausibly demonstrated sociopathic tendencies is an imposition on their freedom and privacy which is not as draconian as to rule out considering it. Especially if its a chip which would make it possible to immediately disable the recipient. Impersonal monitoring of the recipient so as to discern, for example, high levels of emotional arousal, may well be within the scope of modern technology. It could even serve to exonerate a mistakenly accused person.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: Belief in an omnicient , omnipotent, righteous being who expects good behavior of us is a powerful deterrent to destructive behavior. Its suppression in an ever increasingly secular civilization is almost certainly a significant cause of the limitless inhumanity demonstrated by many violent criminals. I think Hitler, Stalin and Saddam, who were for most of their reigns free of human restraint, were probably sociopaths but they were nonetheless greatly driven by intense antipathetic emotion. Sociopaths, I think, are unresponsive to feelings of sympathy or empathy but they still harbor potentially catastrophic emotions.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, using modern technology, we can imbue in sociopaths a perception of cause and effect punishment for their freely chosen wrongs similar to that which is common to people of religious faith. Of course, adoption of religious faith can do that better and some criminals do sincerely gain it. But the norms of a secular society can make that far more difficult.
Jack, I would like to understand better the links between sociopathy/psychopathy and violence/crime. I've seen reports of a strong correlation between psychopathy and murder, but then again people who exhibit some traits of sociopathy/psychopathy are so numerous that it stands to reason that the vast majority are, physically speaking, harmless. Might there also be some socially redeeming features of sociopathy/psychopathy? My mind is open to the possibility.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: That is a novel thought; is there something good to be found in sociopathy/psychopathy?I agree with keeping an open mind on it.
ReplyDeleteThe sense I have from being in the midst of criminals for almost every work day for 20 years: I think most of them did display some arguable aspects of sociopathy/ psychopathy (eg. failure to recognize what a scourge crime is). I'm confident (within the limits of my scanty formal education on the subject) that a few of them were profoundly sociopathic/psychopathic (eg. a guy who followed his girlfriend into a police station and there murdered her or a very violent rapist who violently maintained he was a "political prisoner" ). Those two were really eerie to be around, whether or not you knew their crimes.
I would strongly recommend the book Inside the Criminal Mind by Stanton Samenow and Louis Yochelson. I think it the most credible exposition on that subject that I am aware of.