By Mabel Doge Luhan
In Friday’s Variations, Zaldy Dandan quotes Robert Higgs:
“Here in the United States we have been flinging rascals hither and yon for more than two centuries. But what do we have to show for it?”
Zaldy Dandan, are you out of your freaking mind? Are you in an alternate reality? I hate to go there, but were you, like many of the commenters in your “newspaper,” sloshed when you wrote this? Or just a little too drunk on Trump and Putin’s delicious authoritarian Musk?
Do you want to maybe retract your supposedly rhetorical question, along with everything else you’ve ever shat out upon the CNMI’s newspaper readers? It’s a good thing nobody buys your books, because I’m sure they’re full of the same garbage.
A third-grader — and not only an American one — could tell you what we have “to show for it.” Largely thanks to government funding, we in the US have the world’s highest standard of living (and I don’t mean the famous photo — which by the way, does not show a welfare line), the origin of technology from the light bulb to the internet, and truly, unironically, the beacon of hope for much of the world’s population.
Maybe you haven’t heard? Say, have you ever heard that many people all over the world, including in the Philippines, want to move to the US? I wonder why that is! Surely from having been manipulated by left-wing propaganda? That somehow you’ve also fallen victim to, because last I checked, you’re also here, and voluntarily?
Robert Higgs, of course, is a right-wing crank who couldn’t get a teaching post outside of Lafayette College, whatever the dickens that is. That position carries about as much weight as The Best Editorial Writer Award of the Society of Professional Journalists, except it probably (probably!) didn’t cost $99.99.
And Robert Higgs is of no known relation to Peter Higgs, who just died a few weeks ago, and who you’ve probably never heard of, because 1) He did science, 2) He was not a right-wing crank, 3) His ideas appeared in books and academic articles, not Facebook and TikTok.
You’re not so hot on book learnin’, are you, Zaldy?
Since the most you know about Karl Marx is not his take on Hegelian dialectics and his brilliant analyses of the revolutions of 1848 but that “he was a total slob.” Yeah, that’s enough to dismiss perhaps the most influential philosopher in history. You’d likely also dismiss Peter Higgs, because you can’t understand all that stuff he discovered about bosons, but he had a funny haircut and never attended a MAGA rally. Put him in the trash. That’s about your level of analysis. It shows in everything you write.
So here you are. Enjoying the fruits of the world’s best economy, and subsidies — even if you are “against” them — from the world’s richest government. Free of fear of takeover by China (and you, as a brown-skinned person, I assure you would not fare well). Able to voice your ignorant right-wing jingoism far and wide, using technology invented with US government funds, enjoying equal protection, secure in the knowledge that any offspring you bear will be full citizens of this nation.
You, and all of us in the US (including the CNMI) are the envy of the world.
Take a trip to supposedly up-and-coming China — outside its showpiece urban districts — to see what we’re grateful for in the US, and what we don’t want to become. Talk to some of those Latin American migrants you demonize and ask them why they risk their lives for just a chance at living in the US.
Indeed, what do we have to show for it?
_____
Mabel Doge Luhan is a woman of loose morals. She resides in Kagman V, where she pursues her passions of crocheting, beatboxing, and falconry.
2 Comments
They call me Joe
05/05/2024 at 11:04 PM
To quote Ronald Reagan – “there you go again” but this time it’s not Jimmy Carter, but my centerfold dream “Mabel” talking out the side of her dentures? The Robert Higgs quote Zaldy was using I believe (my interpretation) was in reference to elections and had nothing to do with all the things you went off on a tangent about. By the way, speaking of “sloshed commenters” – after reading this latest “Mabel diatribe” I would have suspected that someone in the CNMI might have started a moonshining operation producing illegal bottles of “Geritol”? (12% alcohol and a favorite of the old fogey crowd back in the day until it was banned). Maybe Kilili should have lobbied for an ATF office to be established in the CNMI and used your musings as proof (pun intended) of a black market alcohol operation?
By the way mabel, I’m sure Zaldy is quite aware of the benefits the U.S. provides (I believe his son attended the University of Hawaii – going off of memory). In my opinion, the most Zaldy is guilty of is constantly slipping in a commentary that promotes more of his “kabayan” from his mother country to be granted free entry into the land of milk and honey and gold paved streets (or in the case of the CNMI, bad tap water, sticky cockroach traps, Korean BBQ sauce, and sewage flooded streets in rainy season). All his other commentary is nothing more than the usual negative CNMI drama (talk story) that will never accomplish anything (and should be ignored, because it will be ignored).
By the way Mabel, nice attempt at trying to elevate you delusional intelligence level by “name dropping” Peter Higgs. I supect you know little about the work that take place at CERN, Fermi Lab in Batavia, Illinois, or any of the other institutions worldwide that are trying to answer the age old question of how the universe was created from “nothing”? Afterall, why would I trust the intellect of someone who claims Robert Higgs was a right wing crank (?). Was his actual academic credentials to lengthy to be included in your obviously slanted critique? (slanted critique seems to be your modis operandi, much like your TDS rantings – Trump Delusional Syndrome nonsense).
𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘗𝘩.𝘋. 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘰𝘯, 𝘓𝘢𝘧𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘖𝘹𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴, 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘪𝘯 2006, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩.𝘋. 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘲𝘶í𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 1994. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 2013, 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 1995 𝘵𝘰 2013. 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 2015 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘕. 𝘙𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘞. 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭.
In closing, yes I agree with you – many huddled masses yearning to breathe free still want to immigrate to the U.S. (a majority of them illegally under dementia Joe Biden) – but don’t forget one thing, the U.S. has now basically become a pyramid scheme and the “debt clock” is ticking (currently over 34 trillion and counting). Maybe Mabel should remember those famous words “There once was dream, that dream was called Rome”? In other words, all great empires (historically) eventually implode from within (just ask the Soviet Union what happened?) Under Biden, we have fast forwarded to that USSR moment and “God help us all” if that old fool should somehow manage (by hook or by crook) to get reelected.
Here’s to you Mabel (clink clink) as I raise a glass of Geritol to you in my aluminum can.
Ulikeithere-dontcha
05/11/2024 at 11:51 AM
Weather our country is doing bad or good at the moment we have pledged our allegiance as citizens to the US through the crucible if war!!!Many of our sons and daughters proudly defend this great nation and have died doing so that’s why revisiting our political status will fail by a huge margin unless they create a separate voter registry .Not in America u bunch of lousy cheaters.Go ahead smart guy name a greater nation!!! Watch how u won’t give up your US citizenship cuz your not that stupid.