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Reading Paper Books


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2021 Jun 27, 8:34pm   30,339 views  240 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (60)   💰tip   ignore  

In my early retirement, I've decided to read at least an hour a night in real paper books. So far, I've read:

- my dad's old college English book (always felt I needed to improve my grammar)
- Candide by Voltaire
- Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche
- The Politics by Aristotle

Now I'm reading The Prince by Machiavelli, and really enjoying it. One tip: before invading, look for minorities who will help you because they resent the traditional rulers in their own country. They may in fact invite you in to help them overthrow their own country. This makes me think that the Chinese have read The Prince and are using BLM, gays, and militant feminism as allies in their fight against America.

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30   Patrick   2021 Jul 29, 6:54pm  

I think US government corruption is getting to be very much like late Roman Empire corruption.
31   richwicks   2021 Jul 29, 7:40pm  

Fortwaynemobile says
I think we gonna fail soon, and that is a very scary thought.


I will still argue that the fall of this country began when George W. Bush lied us into a war in Iraq and we didn't hang the mother fucker for doing it.

Obama was no different, and Clinton would have been no different, Biden is no different. This nation allowed obvious Fascists to run the country. This nation deserves to fall as a result of the negligence of the population. Chickens are coming home to roost.

Americans have allowed, deeply immoral, scum to run this nation for years. Today, we have a president that wasn't elected, openly accepting bribes through his coke head son whose never been arrested for his crack use much less prosecuted, selling "paintings" as a bribery scheme. You think this government deserves to continue? I don't. I'm looking forward to the collapse. It deserves to collapse.
32   Patrick   2021 Jul 29, 7:46pm  

richwicks says
Americans have allowed, deeply immoral, scum run this nation for years. Today, we have a president that wasn't elected, openly accepting bribes through his coke head son whose never been arrested for his crack use much less prosecuted, selling "paintings" as a bribery scheme. You think this government deserves to continue?


No, but there's a saying that "People get the government they deserve."

Apparently we all let the corruption get so incredibly deep and pervasive by our inaction over many decades that this is all the inevitable result.
33   richwicks   2021 Jul 29, 7:51pm  

Patrick says
Apparently we all let the corruption get so incredibly deep and pervasive by our inaction over many decades that this is all the inevitable result.


We have bombed 7 nations over the last 20 years. We have allowed Nancy Pelosi to do insider trading. We have allowed the Clinton foundation to be a conduit for bribes. We allowed Halliburton go from an "oil company" to mercenaries under George W. Bush. I fully believe we allowed our government, and the intelligence agencies, to either cause 9/11 or permissively allow it as a false flag.

We have allowed them to take over the public education system, we're allowing them to enact censorship, we allow them to NOT enforce the law when it comes to the banking sector, we allow the Fed to continue to exist.

What our criminal syndicate has been doing to those 7 nations, was just practice for what they will eventually do here.

I've openly discussed this for years only to have people scream and yell at me about what a traitor I supposedly am, how I "hate America". I hope people enjoy the bed they've allowed to be made, and they can sleep well in it. I'm sorry, but I've got ZERO sympathy for the population and the eventual fallout. My cousin left this nation in disgust, he's an expatriot in Argentina.
34   Patrick   2021 Jul 29, 7:53pm  

richwicks says
our criminal syndicate


I bet they have been diligently collecting compromising information on pretty much everyone high in government to control them.

Maybe Epstein really was employed by them.
35   richwicks   2021 Jul 29, 8:06pm  

Patrick says
Maybe Epstein really was employed by them.


What do you mean "maybe"? Alex Acosta said, bluntly, that he was told NOT to prosecute Epstein because he was "intelligence". Epstein purchased his mansion in NY from Les Wexner for $1.00. Wexner is intelligence too. Ghislaine Maxwell was the daughter of Robert Maxwell, a known double agent for Mossad and Mi6. He died under mysterious circumstances, supposedly falling from his yacht while he was urinating into the ocean. He got a state funeral in Israel. It's suspected that Robert was a triple agent, also working for the KGB.

We are told that Epstein is dead. His will was reportedly changed less than 2 weeks before his death. We have no idea if he's dead, he might be in the Cayman Islands sipping martinis with Ken Lay.. Nobody knows how Epstein, supposedly, made his money - he was never a billionaire, he just was presented as one. His apparent wealth was an illusion from whomever he actually worked for.

There is no doubt in my mind, whatsoever, that Epstein was intelligence.

We also have no idea if Ghislaine Maxwell is actually in prison.

It appears, Mossad, or the CIA, or Mi6, or all of them together were running a child RAPE ring to control politicians. Our intelligence agencies were prostituting children in order to provide for politicians, that were under their control. Bill Clinton is without doubt one of them. It's rumored that George H. Bush was a pedophile, for young boys. Remember the Franklin Scandal?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_child_prostitution_ring_allegations

A documentary in the early 1990's was made about that. Before it could be broadcast, the networks were threatened they'd be sued for libel if they aired it, and all the copies of the film were purchased by an unknown entity - but ONE copy survived:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQHrbJPhus4

If this nation has to collapse to end this shit, I say, bring it on. I'm tired of the apathy around me. People should be outraged, but they aren't. Fine, then they can goddamned suffer if they aren't outraged.

And remember - Dennis Hastert is a pedophile, he was House Majority Whip. He's never paid for his crimes. One of his victims committed suicide.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Hastert#Sex_abuse_scandal_and_federal_prosecution

If this shit happened in 1920, the people then would have overthrown their government, and hung these mother fuckers on lamp posts, and let their bodies rot there. Military does nothing, they are complicit, our intelligence agencies are entirely corrupt they're not only complicit but active participants, our DOJ is complicit, and our "free press" is silent so they are complicit as well.

I wonder if anything would change if everybody understood what I understand? I don't know what people don't know. The world certainly does seem to be controlled by something that could be called "evil". Perhaps its a real force?
36   Misc   2021 Jul 29, 8:17pm  

You forgot to mention the corruption under Trump. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud gave Ivanka's charity foundation for "Women Entrepreneurs" $100 million. Wanna bet he got his money's worth?

Do you know how many paintings Hunter has to auction to get that kind of coin?

This is just 1 example.
37   KgK one   2021 Jul 29, 8:20pm  

Read Vegas, they figured some shit out 5 to 10,000 years ago.

Also the republic by plato. Socretes was his mentor.
38   richwicks   2021 Jul 29, 8:32pm  

KgK one says
Read Vegas, they figured some shit out 5 to 10,000 years ago.


Give me a link please? What's "Vegas" other than the shithole in Nevada?
39   richwicks   2021 Jul 29, 8:39pm  

Misc says
You forgot to mention the corruption under Trump. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud gave Ivanka's charity foundation for "Women Entrepreneurs" $100 million. Wanna bet he got his money's worth?


Can you please post a link? I don't know anything about it.

But if it was corrupt, they would have used it to go after him, instead of that silly bullshit over Russian Collusion, or The Steel Dossier. They would have nailed Trump on anything, even if Obama, Biden, or Clinton did IDENTICAL things. Remember, they busted Paul Manafort for working as a foreign agent - know who he was partnered with? Tony Podesta, who was given immunity provided he testify against Manafort. Manafort was in jail from June 2018 to May 2020, and then placed under house arrest. Trump pardoned him in December 2020.

I'm apolitical BTW. If Trump was engaged in corruption, I'll listen, but don't play these games with me "but the other side did it!" - because the sides are, US, versus a criminal syndicate that pretends to be our government. Those are the two sides and they are FAR more criminal than we are.
40   Misc   2021 Jul 29, 9:12pm  

Oh, the $100 million fund?

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/21/529417148/saudis-and-the-uae-will-donate-100-million-to-a-fund-inspired-by-ivanka-trump

Although Kushner's purchase of thousands of apartments via a loan backed from Fannie, probably netted them more.

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-kushners-freddie-mac-loan-wasnt-just-massive-it-came-with-unusually-good-terms-too


I don't see why anyone is quibbling about $250000 art masterpieces.
41   Patrick   2021 Jul 29, 9:13pm  

KgK one says
Read Vegas, they figured some shit out 5 to 10,000 years ago.

Also the republic by plato. Socretes was his mentor.


The Republic by Plato is right here on my shelf, will read soon.

By Vegas you mean the Rig Veda, right? I have that too somewhere. Started it years ago but couldn't figure out what they were talking about. Maybe a bad translation, the Penguin version.

@"KgK one"
42   fdhfoiehfeoi   2021 Jul 29, 10:53pm  

richwicks says
But if it was corrupt, they would have used it to go after him, instead of that silly bullshit over Russian Collusion, or The Steel Dossier. They would have nailed Trump on anything, even if Obama, Biden, or Clinton did IDENTICAL things.


No, not on anything. Look at his cabinet appointments. Look at his defense budget decisions. If you continue backing the bankers and the MIC, no one says a peep.
43   gabbar   2021 Jul 30, 9:08am  

richwicks says
Read Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.

You can get an audiobook of it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQoh-vTRPVQ

Recall, this was written in 1971. I've only gone through the 1st chapter, but I'm a bit surprised that he was ever considered intelligent or smart.

Also, although it's frequently claimed, Saul Alinsky never said "accuse your enemy of what you are doing, as you are doing to create confusion". If you prefer to read it, here's a PDF:

https://historyofsocialwork.org/1946_Alinsky/1971%20-%20Saul%20Alinsky%20-%20Rules%20for%20Radicals%20-%20OCR.pdf


When Obama won his first term, Alinsky's son lauded Obama and his team for utlizing his dad's strategy.
44   KgK one   2021 Jul 30, 9:44am  

Patrick says
KgK one says
Read Vegas, they figured some shit out 5 to 10,000 years ago.

Also the republic by plato. Socretes was his mentor.


The Republic by Plato is right here on my shelf, will read soon.

By Vegas you mean the Rig Veda, right? I have that too somewhere. Started it years ago but couldn't figure out what they were talking about. Maybe a bad translation, the Penguin version.

@"KgK one"
Yes rig Vedas. Germans have largest collection of sanskrit books they took from India. Except for electronics , lot was discovered while ago
45   stereotomy   2021 Jul 30, 9:52am  

Patrick says
In my early retirement, I've decided to read at least an hour a night in real paper books. So far, I've read:

- my dad's old college English book (always felt I needed to improve my grammar)


The classic grammar text from the '60's on was Warriner's English Grammar and Composition. You can usually find copies cheap used. These texts taught sentence diagramming, which is never taught anymore. If you can use this technique, your grammar will be impeccable (barring Google/MS "corrections"). There are 7 books, meant to be taught from 7th grade through 12th. I recommend the Third Course (Grade 9) to start; that was the single greatest education in grammar I have experienced.
46   Patrick   2021 Jul 30, 10:01am  

@stereotomy My dad's book was Harbrace College Handbook, very well done.

I also have Warriner's English Grammar and Composition from my old high school years (I kept a worn copy they were throwing out). It's much longer.

I did learn sentence diagramming and it helped me a lot. I got 750 out of 800 on the English part of the SAT, which was in the 99th percentile. Had a fantastic English teacher, Mr Terpstra, whose father was a Calvinist minister. Real hardass, but you learned the shit. He kept the blinds closed so students couldn't look out the windows, had nothing on the walls. If you were daydreaming, he'd throw his keys at you. He probably couldn't get away with these things today, sadly.
47   Rin   2021 Jul 30, 10:52am  

Patrick says
This makes me think that the Chinese have read The Prince and are using BLM, gays, and militant feminism as allies in their fight against America.


Sun Tzu wrote 'Art of War', two millennia prior to Machiavelli's own book with the same namesake.

It's been said that Napoleon used to carry a copy of Tzu's book w/ him and ppl confused it for Machiavelli's.

So using the enemy's minority groups as a fifth column is an M.O.

With Tzu in mind, I believe that the PRC, using the Belt & Road initiative in Central Asia, was able to get post-Soviet Kazakhstan's govt to suppress their own ethnicities, in supporting Kazakhs on the Chinese side of the border who're suffering oppression.
48   stereotomy   2021 Jul 30, 11:17am  

Patrick says
@stereotomy My dad's book was Harbrace College Handbook, very well done.

I also have Warriner's English Grammar and Composition from my old high school years (I kept a worn copy they were throwing out). It's much longer.

I did learn sentence diagramming and it helped me a lot. I got 750 out of 800 on the English part of the SAT, which was in the 99th percentile. Had a fantastic English teacher, Mr Terpstra, whose father was a Calvinist minister. Real hardass, but you learned the shit. He kept the blinds closed so students couldn't look out the windows, had nothing on the walls. If you were daydreaming, he'd throw his keys at you. He probably couldn't get away with these things today, sadly.


The English teacher that introduced me to Warriner's was a 400 lb. goblin of a man. His almost claim to fame was that he was offered the part in the Alka-Seltzer commercial "I can't believe I ate the whole thing," but he declined. Like your English teacher, he was a character, although more in a Bronx Italian way.

I can say that Catholic school was excellent at teaching me to read and write, but it sucked when it came to math/science.
49   richwicks   2021 Jul 30, 2:41pm  

Patrick says
That sounds about right to me. I was in Catholic school only for 3rd grade and freshman and sophomore years of college (Notre Dame).



You lived in Indiana?

I used to work for RCA. It (was) at Meridian (31) and 465 about at the northern tip of Indianapolis.
50   KgK one   2021 Jul 30, 3:06pm  

Side off tract:

Warriner's English Grammar and Composition. Should I get it for My daughters, they will be taking SAT in few years. ? I guess it can help with grammer.


Big issue has been reading comprehension. That's hard to learn, kids been reading tons of books mostly fiction but it might help.
Math I got 800, so helping them with it . One can get 720in 7th grade so I am OK with it
51   Patrick   2021 Jul 30, 3:20pm  

KgK one says
Side off tract:

Warriner's English Grammar and Composition. Should I get it for My daughters, they will be taking SAT in few years. ? I guess it can help with grammer.


Big issue has been reading comprehension. That's hard to learn, kids been reading tons of books mostly fiction but it might help.
Math I got 800, so helping them with it . One can get 720in 7th grade so I am OK with it


Yes, I would recommend "Warriner's English Grammar and Composition" though the version I have is from 1962. Hopefully it's not changed too much.
52   FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut   2021 Jul 30, 4:17pm  

richwicks says
I will still argue that the fall of this country began when George W. Bush lied us into a war in Iraq and we didn't hang the mother fucker for doing it.


My bigger issue isn't where the start was, it's where it's going. Watching my state and my country completely fall apart, and create a cycle that leads to more and more shit just feels hopeless. Like what future are my kids gonna have?
53   richwicks   2021 Jul 30, 4:41pm  

Misc says
Oh, the $100 million fund?

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/21/529417148/saudis-and-the-uae-will-donate-100-million-to-a-fund-inspired-by-ivanka-trump

Although Kushner's purchase of thousands of apartments via a loan backed from Fannie, probably netted them more.

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-kushners-freddie-mac-loan-wasnt-just-massive-it-came-with-unusually-good-terms-too


I don't see why anyone is quibbling about $250000 art masterpieces.


Neither are credible sources. I need to see their supposed sources.

NPR and PBS are, at this point, no better than CNN or Fox. I can't trust them.

There's this circle jerkoff about other "news" sources that are complete bullshit. Find an ultimate source that I can check myself, or it didn't happen. This goes for Democrats as well.

I'm tired of fucking claims, pointing out what I know are propaganda sources as credible. PBS ended as a news source when Robert MacNeil left in 1995. Jim Lehrer sold out, I noticed when he was reporting on the "weapons of mass destruction program in Iraq".

All we fucking get is propaganda.

If those two "news" articles are accurate, why weren't they used against Trump? Either Trump is more controlled opposition (possible), or it was bullshit (find that Russian Collusion yet?). I don't know and I recognize either is possible. But I need to see original sources at this point and an explanation of why our "intelligence" agencies didn't pick it up.

You may not understand, the election of Trump wasn't that people expected him to change things, it's was a one fingered solute to the assholes that have been running this country, EVEN IF he was controlled opposition. Hopefully he was the real deal, but EVEN IF HE WASN'T and we've seen a play for 4 years, FUCK YOU criminal syndicate that runs this nation. He was a protest vote and I continue to protest.
54   richwicks   2021 Jul 30, 4:47pm  

FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut says
richwicks says
I will still argue that the fall of this country began when George W. Bush lied us into a war in Iraq and we didn't hang the mother fucker for doing it.


My bigger issue isn't where the start was, it's where it's going. Watching my state and my country completely fall apart, and create a cycle that leads to more and more shit just feels hopeless. Like what future are my kids gonna have?


Any future you allow to be made.

I was continually pissed off with the Boomer generation. As I age, I'm getting pissed off with Generation X - MY generation.

These fuckers in power seem to want to knock over every goddamned table before they take their dirt nap. Well, if we let them, we deserve what we get, and what our progeny gets. The only solution in my awareness it to allow people to know what is going on. The fact there is state sponsored censorship, shows we're making progress - perhaps not quickly enough, but we're making progress.
55   Patrick   2021 Jul 30, 5:16pm  

FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut says
richwicks says
I will still argue that the fall of this country began when George W. Bush lied us into a war in Iraq and we didn't hang the mother fucker for doing it.


My bigger issue isn't where the start was, it's where it's going. Watching my state and my country completely fall apart, and create a cycle that leads to more and more shit just feels hopeless. Like what future are my kids gonna have?


@FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut

I think there is hope as long as we all do whatever we can to apply and keep the pressure on the corrupt oligarchy.

"Every country has the government it deserves" -- Joseph de Maistre

I was pretty discouraged last night, but reading https://twitter.com/RWMaloneMD really encouraged me today. The evidence is getting to be overwhelming that the jab is the worst thing ever done to humanity, but the mandates that all government employees, Facebook employees, Google employees, and Morgan Stanley employees submit to it may well lead to a revolt against it, even among the elite.

They are evil, but they also do not want to die of stupidity just to make Big Pharma richer.
56   richwicks   2021 Jul 30, 5:27pm  

Patrick says
but the mandates that all government employees, Facebook employees, Google employees, and Morgan Stanley employees submit to it may well lead to a revolt against it, even among the elite.


Oh, please let this be suicide in a needle...

Couldn't be a more deserving group of people.
57   Patrick   2021 Jul 30, 5:31pm  

richwicks says
NPR and PBS are, at this point, no better than CNN or Fox. I can't trust them.


Oh, NPR and PBS are far far worse than CNN or Fox.

They have this thin veneer of Ivy League respectability, which is all our elite classes need to instantly believe whatever murderous nonsense they spout.
58   richwicks   2021 Jul 30, 6:24pm  

Patrick says
richwicks says
NPR and PBS are, at this point, no better than CNN or Fox. I can't trust them.


Oh, NPR and PBS are far far worse than CNN or Fox.

They have this thin veneer of Ivy League respectability, which is all our elite classes need to instantly believe whatever murderous nonsense they spout.


Back in the day, 30 years ago, I still believe the Macneil/Lehrer report gave out good information. Just a kid then, maybe don't know what the fuck I'm talking about, but Nova and Frontline were decent, in my recollection.

I remember in the early 1990's during the "partial birth abortion" issue, that it was NPR that informed me, finally, that nearly in all cases, it was just horrible slut mothers that did it, and it was rarely used as an emergency to save the life of the mother. They USED to admit their mistakes. They stopped doing that by 2000.

Fox, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NY Times, The Atlantic, blah blah blah - they NEVER admit error even when they are caught flagrantly lying. They were always useless.
59   Patrick   2021 Jul 31, 10:25pm  

Finally finished Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

The Byzantine Empress Theodora started out as an actress and prostitute.

She wished for a fourth alter on which she might pour libations to the god of love.


Woah. Rather roundabout way of saying she enjoyed it every which way.
60   Ceffer   2021 Jul 31, 11:39pm  

Patrick says
She wished for a fourth alter on which she might pour libations to the god of love.


Woah. Rather roundabout way of saying she enjoyed it every which way.

Musta been a squirter.
61   komputodo   2021 Jul 31, 11:49pm  

Ceffer says
Musta been a squirter.

Patnet members opinions of squirters... anyone?
62   Patrick   2021 Jul 31, 11:52pm  

I have not experienced this squirting phenomenon.
63   komputodo   2021 Aug 1, 12:01am  

Patrick says
I have not experienced this squirting phenomenon.

Well put it on your bucket list...Its pretty amazing.
64   Patrick   2021 Aug 1, 10:47pm  

Finished Decline and Fall and now I'm on to Fredereic Bastiat's "The Law".

30 pages in and it's very good. Didn't know they had socialism and communism in 1850.
65   FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut   2021 Aug 2, 9:50am  

Patrick says
Finished Decline and Fall and now I'm on to Fredereic Bastiat's "The Law".

30 pages in and it's very good. Didn't know they had socialism and communism in 1850.


Hi Patrick is this the one? I saw several different books with that title, just want to get the right one, same one you reading basically.
https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Fall-Roman-Empire/dp/1354279492/
66   richwicks   2021 Aug 2, 10:25am  

I'd recommend this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_International_Jew

(there's tons of copies online).

Would also recommend The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

I have a particular fascination with what is considered banned, subversive, or propaganda. Rules for Radicals is a particularly hated book that I was told was filled with horrifically immoral, dastardly devious advice. The simple truth is, there's a lot of people that don't want you to read it. That's true of MOST books that are denounced.
67   Patrick   2021 Aug 2, 10:54am  

FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut says
Hi Patrick is this the one? I saw several different books with that title, just want to get the right one, same one you reading basically.
https://www.amazon.com/Decline-Fall-Roman-Empire/dp/1354279492/



@FortWayneAsNancyPelosiHaircut No, it's this one:

68   Patrick   2021 Aug 2, 10:55am  

He really challenged my vocabulary, using a lot of words in archaic ways ("specious" means "good-looking" and "insensibly" means "gradually" for examples).

But you don't need to get every word or turn of phrase to enjoy it.
69   stereotomy   2021 Aug 2, 11:08am  

Patrick says
KgK one says
Side off tract:

Warriner's English Grammar and Composition. Should I get it for My daughters, they will be taking SAT in few years. ? I guess it can help with grammer.


Big issue has been reading comprehension. That's hard to learn, kids been reading tons of books mostly fiction but it might help.
Math I got 800, so helping them with it . One can get 720in 7th grade so I am OK with it


Yes, I would recommend "Warriner's English Grammar and Composition" though the version I have is from 1962. Hopefully it's not changed too much.


It pretty much hasn't changed from the '60's. For that matter, that was the high point of American English; everything else subsequent to this was downhill.

Back before the SAT was PC'd to uselessness, the vocabulary part was chock full of words that used Greek or Latin cognates. All you had to do was memorize about several hundred of these to ace the vocab section.

Interestingly enough, MENSA considers any SAT exam after the early 90's to be invalid proof of IQ. IFAIR, that's when we began the long slide into national and cultural bullshit.

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