BSJ:

If you are still following Ace, and comment there as well, you might consider referring them to BtB sometimes. I could always use the plug! (They might especially like my long essay today on Orion.)

I’ve had several foreign relatives / friends visit New York for a few days, and they all commented the same about the city never sleeping.

You’re also right on target about New York’s true diversity (not just skin color). It’s a shame that there are certain types that go out of their way to be very visible and become many people’s idea of what all New Yorkers are like.

Which is not to say that there is something wrong with flyover country and that no one of consequence comes from there, many people of consequence have and will continue to.

Nope, no banjo-strings for me. Now, the Upper Peninsula should probably break off and form the 51st State (or would that be the 58th under Obama?) but it’s largely State Forest & cell-coverage is lacking in vast area’s. (They do have the Michigan Technological University & a lovely town called “Christmas.” “Hell, Michigan,” however is located in southern portion.)

But I just want to point out that Kirk was born (and raised?) in flyover country.

The fact that she made it through the academy to the level of captain and given a Star Ship to command is pertinent, and I take that as a compliment of the highest order, but I am sure is not your point. Alas I am not enough of a Star Trek geek to know the subtleties of your Janeway analogy, but I am sure that Wayne will :)

And, I must assume that you agree with my Wayne / Kirk analogy. I knew Kirk, (I literally knew and worked for a captain Kirk when I was 17, he put the Capital C in the word Conservative. A fine man.) and Wayne, you are no captain Kirk.

And don’t get me wrong, like I have said before, if I was an astronaut and was somewhere in space I want a building full of every kind of high IQ nerd that reads and posts here on Behind The Black in a building making sure that I get back home. The best of the best.

Wayne, so you live in MI. Guess I won’t offer to buy you new strings for your banjo!
BTW I have a cousin who lives in Mississippi. She actually took up banjo playing.
She’s a Bernie supporter- not many in her town but they exist.

Cotour, i’m not clear why you emphasized the size of NYC. My guess is you wanted to say that there is a large, entrenched bureaucracy and it’s unfair to expect a mayor to correct everything (the ol’ half empty vs. half full).
One thing to bear in mind about NYC is it’s diversity. While I earlier described the typical liberal elite type, I can also find people that would make Ted Cruz sound like George McGovern (Brooklyn Russian immigrants come to mind).
But for me an enduring lesson (ought to be enduring but unfortunately people forget) is the mayoralty of Rudy Giuliani. If you took someone from the 1970’s or ’80’s and told him what NYC would be like in the 2000’s they would think you’re on an acid trip.
Giuliani saved the city (I believe major employers, particularly financial firms were on the verge of leaving, which would have resulted in a death spiral) and transformed it.
BTW even Rudy could not fix the taxi system or control the corrupt NYC board of education – had to wait for Bloomie to get that done. (I like to say the NYC Board of Ed is the only crime syndicate Giuliani couldn’t beat)

So while generally even a good public executive is limited in what he or she can accomplish in a large gov’t system, the right person at the right time can do amazing things.
With Giuliani (perhaps Churchill too) things were so clearly desperate, people were ready to let him do his thing.
With Reagan, his basic decency and ability to communicate bypassed the entrenched interests.

I’ll give Michelle Obama this: America is still great. But we are clearly on a path to disaster.
Will leadership emerge that can understand and communicate the situation so people are willing to take on the changes needed to avert disaster? Or will we have to wait until the disaster is clearly unfolding.

PS I see the resemblance of Trump to Bela, but to me Harry Mudd comes to mind!

Cotour– Science Fiction is, well… scientific-fiction. (They make it up, wholesale.)
[I’ve never been to a Star Trek Convention, although I met Walter B. Gibson at the “Detroit Triple Fan Fair” in the late ’70’s. –aka Maxwell Grant, author of The Shadow.]

All hail Hugo Gernsback!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Gernsback

Cotour: I’ll tell you who you in the Star Trek universe you most remind me of: Kathryn Janeway. I leave it to you to figure that out. :)

Kirk was a risk taker, a ladies man, a master negotiator https://youtu.be/G6o881n35GU, a visionary, an ego maniac, an adventurer of the universe, a cheater https://youtu.be/8N-H1lz3OJ4, a winner and “did not like to lose” https://youtu.be/b9dEI-Ru1CI, I hate to be the one to inform of this fact that it is not you that are The Kirk, its the person that you have come to despise (maybe because you WANT to be like him and realize that you are not?).

Its Trump that is more like Kirk, much, much more than you :)

Maybe viewing your own Star Trek analogy from a more accurate perspective will shake you from your high IQ notion that Trump is not worthy of your support.

(I could be Kahn, I could be Kirk, maybe a bit like Trump, but you (and others here) are certainly not like Kirk. Maybe a solid support crew, maybe Zulu or Checkov? You are all too inflexible, too wed to your narrow political theology to be Kirk. Kirk would eat your lunch and have you pay for it every day :)

Something to think about.

That, is extremely, cool!

I’m under a similar range of constraints, it’s more than just proof-reading, but I am allowed to change the content of anything, except the Dr.’s stuff, or rather, it goes back-n-forth to the source, until they can give me enough to construct a logical & complete narrative.
Always enjoyed the hands-on, face-face client work, but I’ve done my time in the barrel.

What I do is more than proofreading, but less than editing (as much as I want to sometimes, I can’t change content, or even rearrange it beyond the paragraph level). If you’ve ever bought something made in China and had a hard time deciphering the broken English in the user’s manual, you have a good idea of what I start with.

Haven’t poked around Blair’s blog in a while; thanks for the reminder.

(Interestingly, what I do for work now, is to read everyone else’s Reports & data-sheets, clean them up, attempt to “standardize” them to a degree, & ensure they specifically address a set of key things, countersign them & submit. I’m literally on the hook ‘license-wise’ for what 8 other people write, so I’m highly incentivized in that respect. Just not sure I still maintain my own “style,” anymore! (I’m an LPC, licensed professional counselor, although I jokingly call myself a licensed professional copy-editor these days.) On the upside, the content is all fascinating but without the hands-on stress factor. It’s akin to binge-watching Drama’s on Netflix, but the participants are all very real People.

Here, I come for the Space & stay for the Politics, and it’s all good clean fun.

-Yes, fully concur. Lots-o-interesting viewpoints here. ( & everyone keeps-a-grip for the most part.) I even include our associate Cotour in that, although he often plays the Kahn to my Kirk. (SMILE)
(There’s a cybernetic dance between the Cat & the Ball of Yarn, or vice-versa, as the case may be.)

You should absolutely check out Blair’s blog, https://bkivey.wordpress.com/ for some very well written & highly informative stuff. “It sings.” (That’s my obscure Green Beret movie reference & said with the highest admiration.)
–He doesn’t post a lot, but what he does, is well worth the time to read.

Right back atchya; that describes you and several other posters here, which is why I read this site more thoroughly than any other.

Cotour–
do you really think “fly-over Country” is nothing but corn-fields, cows, and hicks?
–I bought a 96 ounce slushie this morning, just because I could & they are on sale, (99 cents) all month.

Edward: “well stated.”
Glad I could guess that Avenger’s clip! The embed-code thing, is not operator error, so don’t despair.
Excellent job at spotting the Star Trek reference, that’s from “A Private Little War,” I believe. I watched all 3 original seasons over the weekend on DVD. “no commercials– priceless!”
(I’m totally convinced Trump is Bella from “A Piece of the Action.”)
I remarked in a different thread– you do a good job of stating & explaining your belief’s, despite the constant baiting of our associate in NYC. ( I empathize completely & would not hesitate to “put you in charge” of any number of things, and sleep soundly knowing you were on duty.)

Trump may very well be an outsider for this purpose; while he has had to contend with (and I’m sure has taken advantage of) the New York bureaucracy, it’s plausible that he’s built his companies lean and would like to do the same with government. On a side note, I think many overestimate the size of his companies; while they move a lot of money, many would be shocked by how few employees he has.

Many would call me naive for wanting to do cut the bureaucracy, but if we don’t, what’s the alternative? And by bureaucracy I mean not only the government, but those who depend on the government, to include corporations, universities, defense contractors, and social aid recipients. It’s a job well beyond any individual, but it has to start somewhere, and president seems to be the logical choice.

It is one of the world’s largest cities and bureaucracies, but having lived in Tokyo, I can tell you that Tokyo is probably bigger. Tokyo not only fulfills DC’s role as the national capitol, but also New York’s role as the financial center, and Hollywood’s role as the center of film making and television. I would also put forth London, Beijing, and probably other Chinese cities on the same scale as New York.

One of my favorite encounters in Tokyo was with a New Yorker, who spotted me giving him looks when he made some disparaging remarks about southerners. He asked if I was from the south, and I told him I had been stationed there, but grew up in Connecticut. I told him that as a resident of a place to the north of New York City, I agreed with his assessment that people down south were hopelessly stupid. He either didn’t or pretended not to catch what I was saying.

Roasts aside, much like race, I evaluate people from states, cities, etc. on a person to person basis; it’s just that New Yorkers seem to have a greater number of people who arrogantly think that everybody else is hopelessly inexperienced and only they can handle things.

I live in Western Michigan, in a very nice subdivision with a big yard. Lake Michigan is about 1,200 feet from my front door.

Nearest dairy-cows are a good 30 minutes from me. We don’t have a lot of corn in my County, mainly fruit-trees & forest, those are about 30 minutes away as well. Currently I tele-commute for work although ironically I have to physically show up for meetings & to get my check, but no… I don’t drive past corn-fields, coming or going.

I have lived in Chicago, Detroit, Louisville, and Tampa, and I have an advanced degree. My deceased wife grew up on a 400 acre farm, she had advanced degrees in Geology. My daughter (and son-in-law) both have PhD’s in Pharmaceutical Design. They live/work on the east-coast.

“Are you implying that only big city New Yorkers can understand the problems of big federal governments, and need to take care of those poor country hicks who are just too stupid to understand the world’s real problems?”

No, I am not implying that, but if he has no real context of what NYC is then my attempt to inform him was appropriate.

I have some contempt, but its not for Wayne. I think its good that you moved.

Cotour,
You wrote: “First: I will again point out that your tagging Trump as a ‘tyrant’ (your favorite extreme, fear instilling word) is not accurate,”

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tyrant
“1. a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly.
“2. any person in a position of authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.”

So, you believe that shutting down opposition voices, despite the First Amendment, is just? You believe that those who govern should be allowed to reward cronies and punish enemies? You think that the “bully pulpit” means that it is OK to be a bully?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bully_pulpit

Or are you feigning stupidity in order to ignore that Trump has announced that he will rule as a tyrant — although he used different words. Oh, he *is* a person in a position of authority in a few companies, so he can already be a tyrant.

*Sigh* You really *are* blind to Trump’s negatives. For you, Trump can do no wrong, nor can he ever be wrong. This is why I do not think that I can change your closed mind on this topic.

You wrote: “Second: You and Wayne are stuck on that a candidate MUST be a ‘conservative’ period.”

Well, the guy I want to vote for. Duh. Once again, you feign stupidity. What do you think wayne and I have been saying, all these months?

To be clear (can I get any clearer than I already have been?): I will not vote for or assist any tyrannical candidate, politician, businessman, or other person. We cannot regain our liberty by putting into office people who will rule as tyrants; all we can get from them is more tyranny.

“Success has come in the form of reasonable, common sense, practical Conservative principles as the guiding foundation and then some reasonable flexibility which you do not appear to have room for.”

I do not consider Social(ism) (In)Security, Medicare, or Obamacare to be successes. Every time it is the Republicans and conservatives who must be flexible but the liberals and Democrats need not be, thus we continue to move away from liberty and toward tyranny; how do you propose that we regain our liberty if we continue to allow the liberal Democrats to be inflexible? Plus, how do you propose that the tyrant Trump will “come in the form of reasonable, common sense, practical Conservative principles” but a conservative candidate will not?

The Democrats were right, yesterday. Trump said that he will build a wall, and that is all that he promised (though he did not promise it). You decided that he is the right guy, ignoring all other liberal Democrat beliefs of his. You are a one-issue voter, chose your issue, and refuse to see anything else.

“Your narrow wish can never be fulfilled.”

Since you believe that we will never regain our liberty, which is my wish, narrow though it may be, then you have given up and will work your hardest to be one of the cronies who is favored, under Trump. At least one of us can have his narrow wish fulfilled.

“‘“your words are unimportant & I do not hear you.”'”

That is from Star Trek. It is supposed to be insulting in a politic way.

“As evidenced by Wayne’s list of things that he would ban in NYC, talk about tyrant.”

So, Cotour, for you rent-control, taxi medallions, crony unions, and non-free markets are what you consider to be liberty, rather than tyranny?

Eliminating the tyrannies of rent-control and taxi medallions; allowing for private, free market companies rather than government sponsored monopolies, including the monopolies — and cronyism — of public unions seem to me more like liberty, where We the People choose what we are willing to pay for our goods and services, not what the government mandates. You now advocate that these are the new tyranny and government control the new liberty.

Government control may seem like liberty to you but is the very tyranny that the Founding Fathers and the American Revolution intended to eliminate. We the People should choose for ourselves how live, not the government.

Frankly, Cotour, you really need to review how you think that the US should be run.

Cotour: Now you are being silly. Your comment to Wayne was snobbish. It implied that he was nothing more than a small town hick that can’t understand us big city slickers. In fact, it epitomized that famous Saul Steinberg New Yorker magazine cover that showed the general contempt New Yorkers hold for the rest of the country, a contempt you are now displaying for all to see.

So what New York is big. So is the federal government. Are you implying that only big city New Yorkers can understand the problems of big federal governments, and need to take care of those poor country hicks who are just too stupid to understand the world’s real problems?

You illustrate again those New York values that most Americans dislike, and are one of the reasons I left.

Will you concur that NYC is bigger and more complex than any other city / metropolitan area and anyone who has not been immersed in it, payed taxes in it and survived in it really does not know it? As I pointed out earlier, NYC’s budget is almost as big as the three surrounding states budgets are. Its easy to say “eliminate” this and “destroy” that if you have no context related to what you are talking about. Which does not mean that those issues do not need adjustment or to be sunsetted.

I really do not see what might be offensive about that sentence. Mayberry? If so, Mayberry is a common designation for the American small town experience. Living on a farm? Wayne, do you drive by corn or soybean fields or do you see cows on your way to work?

Cotour: At the same time, your comments to Wayne, as follows::

I do not know if Wayne is a person who lived his life on a farm or if he has lived in a Mayberry all of his life, in which case any imaginations about NYC would have no connection with reality, as you well know.

were probably as sloppily written as mine were, and probably merit an apology as well.

https://youtu.be/Kh_BT82kxp8

Is Floyd still a cutin hair? I love Aunt Bee’s pies :)

“I do not know if Wayne is a person who lived his life on a farm or if he has lived in a Mayberry all of his life, in which case any imaginations about NYC would have no connection with reality, as you well know.”

Oh, come on… what am I— the unwashed masses who live in fly-over-country?

“NYC IS something that exists as unique on the planet.”

Really? How parochial of you.

I guess I’m convinced now, Trump is God… “Please Mr. Trump, save me from my Mayberry existence.”

“it’s all clear to me now, something wonderful is going to happen.”
https://youtu.be/yM25-lz1Yms

Cotour: Point well taken. I apologize. My wording was sloppy.

To the Zman, I do not appreciate being classified as “silly”. My detailed descriptions of NYC to Wayne was to illustrate the immensity of the place and the size of the dollars and the wealth, all of which contribute to the tendency of a large and unwieldy bureaucracy which as we all understand usually becomes more liberal than less. I do not know if Wayne is a person who lived his life on a farm or if he has lived in a Mayberry all of his life, in which case any imaginations about NYC would have no connection with reality, as you well know. NYC IS something that exists as unique on the planet.

I assume that you will apply your standards to your own postings on “name calling” in order to keep the civil conversation going. Good for thee but not for me?

Of course, I read all the Credits on films & look at the extra’s in background shots in old movies, and have strong opinion’s on Film V. Digital.
-have a good friend who went to UCLA film school in the late 70’s & had a bunch older, old-school studio film Craftsmen as his instructors. He did a lot of regional Theater (writing) & worked on some artsy Biker documentary’s (camera guy). “Starving filmmaker” and all, he teaches film-history now— he has a film & memorabilia library that would blow your mind.