What happened to RR over the weekend?

Server upgrade and the usual glitches that accompany that.
All better now

Boy, I'm glad the rant is back. I was jonseing for discussions.

The web server gets upgraded and won't support the programs that have been written for it. That's what all those deprecation errors were about. Somebody had to go in and fix the programs. Don't be surprised if a few more pop up when you try to use some little-used function in the web site.

I just want to let all Ranters know how much I appreciate you.

I have spent a month learning just how crazy it is outside of our little bubble here of sanity. I am participating on another discussion forum and the number of outright loonies there is astounding. I don't know if it is a representative sample or not, but I am just appalled at the absolute sycophancy and irredeemably gross mischaracterization of everything that is promoted by Trump loyalists. It seems impossible that it is not deliberate, or state-sponsored.

The internet has become the Great Equalizer: It used to be only intelligent people used the internet. Sure, there were conservatives on the net, but they had intellectual arguments for their political views. Now any idiot can have internet access, and probably does. It's kind of like flying on airplanes: We used to dress in business attire to fly. Now it's short shorts, flip flops, sports bras, etc. It looks like WalMart in the cabin!

I know a post is going to be a doozy when I see whole paragraphs without any punctuation.

The combination of internet ease of access and the mind-numbing gullibility of humans is fertile ground for all manner of ethics-less and criminal grifters. And all the noise has made it impossible to sort the truth from the con in a discussion, because there are no remaining boundaries of rationality involved in the act of "discussion". Pros like Trump, or "King Kon" as I call him, know this and use it to great advantage - though I can't really see the long term advantage in it to anyone.

Recently someone posted a tweet that showed a massive crowd outside of a public venue, saying it was the overflow from Trump's recent Green Bay rally and that it represented the kind of overwhelming support he has. I wondered if it was actually from his rally, so I googled the venue and quickly verified that it was a lie - it was a different building. There was a banner over the entry on which I could make out "Griffins", so I Googled that and found it is a hockey team in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and their arena was indeed the building in the post.

I shared that information with my Trump Zombie friends and they flat out rejected the evidence of photos, accusing me of being mentally defective for photoshopping The Truth into A Lie. I suggested that perhaps they had been duped by Russians, as revealed in the Mueller investigation - or maybe one of their own - how did they feel about that? Well, what they felt is that I am a condescending assshole and should be banned from the internet.

Eeks!

Speaking as someone who has tried out no less than SEVEN of the most popular online political forums, I assure you that the one you're referring to is perhaps the most civilized or close to it.

Put it this way, shutting down Stormfront has resulted in collateral damage. That's maybe a slight exaggeration, but only a slight one.

The bright spot in all of this is, it illustrates why the Rant is so important, and why it would be so great if we could attract more voices to the Rant instead of vice versa.

It still amuses me as to what would happen if Ranters all decided to "visit the other place" from time to time however.

Contact me back channel if you want more details.

**Sighs** I just can't deal with them anymore.

When religion and politics come together it's bad. When a charismatic leader enters the picture it gets worse.

When all three come together to form a cult of personality it almost always spells doom for the nation involved.

Those who are in thrall to it are no longer rational human beings.

This might be the zombie apocalypse.

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!
We must fight the zombie apocalypse.