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The following books by Robert Paul Wolff are available on Amazon.com as e-books: KANT'S THEORY OF MENTAL ACTIVITY, THE AUTONOMY OF REASON, UNDERSTANDING MARX, UNDERSTANDING RAWLS, THE POVERTY OF LIBERALISM, A LIFE IN THE ACADEMY, MONEYBAGS MUST BE SO LUCKY, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF FORMAL METHODS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY.
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Saturday, January 26, 2019

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

Now that Roger Stone has been arrested and indicted, soon to be arraigned, it might be useful to remind ourselves of a little bit of history.  Surely we all recall the Florida recount and subsequent Bush v. Gore Supreme Court Case that stole the 2000 presidential election and gave us, among other things, the Iraq War.  Politics buffs will even recall the "Brooks Brothers riot" by Republican operatives that succeeded in halting the recount that, had it gone on, would have tilted the election to Al Gore.

Well, Roger Stone was one of those Brooks Brothers goons, and as he said memorably about John Podesta, this is his time in the barrel.  You can read about it here.  [It is worth noting that another participant was a man who now regularly appears on cable TV as a "Republican consultant":  Matt Schlapp.]

Spare me your reminders that Al Gore is no Che Guevara.  I am an old man suffering, at the moment, from crippling back trouble.  I take my pleasures where I can find them.

9 comments:

s. wallerstein said...

As a fellow sufferer from back problems, sciatica on the left side which now seems to have moved to the right side, I wish you a speedy recovery.

Robert Paul Wolff said...

Thank you. Nothing unhinges you like back trouble.

s. wallerstein said...

It can be almost completely incapacitating, making it hard to sit comfortably or to walk or to even to sleep.

David Palmeter said...

Tell me about it. Walking used to be one of my great pleasures. About two years ago the problems began--scoliosis and arthritis have been diagnosed, and given my age (81 in a couple of days) the likelihood of some stenosis is great. At times there's nothing I can do to stop the pain--standing,sitting, lying down, nothing works. At other times I feel fine, but if I walk a block, I wind up having to stop on somebody's steps and take a break, before heading for home. I pop a lot of Tylenol.

Dean said...

If Tylenol does the trick, then talk to your doctor about Voltaren, a topical NSAID. It works wonders, and I think -- check with your doctor -- it risks less damage to the liver.

David Palmeter said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll ask about it. I'm limited as to painkillers because I'm also taking warfarin--no NSAIDs orally, but topical might be OK.

Dean said...

My mom takes warfarin, too, and a nurse at the facility where she lives advises looking into a couple new alternatives to coumadin/warfarin. Evidently, the frequent testing isn't required as it is for warfarin, but I'm not sure about interactions with NSAIDs, which are also blood-thinners, as I'm sure you know.

Charles Pigden said...

Friends and comrades,
Take your medications, bolster your tortured backs and check out the pdf of the Stone indictment. As they used to say in antiquated British cop shows 'They've got him bang to rights'. Reading it won't take away the pain but it will make it easier to bear. I really don't see how the odious show-boating scumbag can possibly wriggle out of this one. And if he goes down others won't be far behind.

Stone quotes Wilde 'There is one thing worse that being talked about and that is not being talked about'. He ought to remember how poor Wilde ended up.

Jerry Fresia said...

I shall skip over my back problems, minor compared to those above, so instead I will add to the "small pleasures" thread:

Name: Greta Thunberg
Interest: Climate Activist
Age: 16
Home: Sweden

watch her blow away the scoundrels at DAVOS: https://bit.ly/2Td0OBT

and speak/write clearly and powerfully in her "I want you to panic" talk,
also at DAVOS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjsLm5PCdVQ