Friday, November 8, 2024

Reconstructing the Elephant: The Republican Party's Path Forward After a Fall from Grace

The GOP foundation is crumbling

 

As the dust settles on an electoral season defined by unprecedented turmoil, the Republican Party finds itself at a crossroads. Following the recent election of a felon and sexual offender to The White House, the party, once a bastion of conservative values and traditional American ethics, faces an existential crisis. It is a moment that demands introspection, reinvention, and a return to the core principles that once defined its identity.

The aftermath of the election reverberates not just through the halls of power, but deep into the community that the GOP calls home. Supporters are emboldened, activists are excited, and long-time Republican strategists are left pondering the political obligations of a brand now synonymous with scandal. As the party grapples with its new reality, there are echoes of a history marred by its own hand.

Take Michael Flynn, for example, the former national security adviser whose tumultuous tenure culminated in a guilty plea for lying to the FBI regarding his interactions with Russian officials. Flynn's fall from grace serves as a sobering reminder that the machinations of power can easily turn against those who manipulatively wield it. His legal woes did not just implicate him; they cast a shadow over the whole party, sending a message that the path to the top may be littered with deception and disregard for the very foundations of democracy.

Paul Manafort: CONVICTED

Then there is Paul Manafort, whose political career ended in spectacular disgrace after being convicted on multiple counts of financial fraud and conspiracy against the United States. In a stunning indictment of corruption, Manafort’s actions illuminated the depths to which some party officials would plunge to gain power and influence. His dealings raise pressing questions: Is the lust for power within the Republican Party so intoxicating that it blinds its members to ethical considerations? And what does it mean for a party that openly welcomes individuals who have shown a blatant disregard for the law?

With such figures casting a long shadow, the need for reinvention has never been more urgent. The Republican Party must confront not only the criminal actions within its ranks but also the values it projects to its constituents and the nation at large. The data is undeniable: trust in political institutions is waning, and the GOP risks becoming a relic of a bygone era if it fails to redefine itself as a party grounded in integrity and accountability.

Some may argue that the party has always enjoyed a constituency willing to overlook transgressions, buoyed by an unwavering commitment to conservative ideals. Yet, the recent events suggest a lack of depth in that loyalty. The real challenge lies in discerning whether support can continue in the face of scandals. When a party’s identity becomes synonymous with legal woes and ethical lapses, the electorate's patience wears thin.

To forge a new path, the Republican Party must embrace a robust narrative of renewal. It must be a party that prioritizes transparency over obfuscation, where accountability is woven into the fabric of its essence. This means cultivating fresh leadership that values civic duty above personal interest, and championing candidates who embody the principles of integrity, meritocracy, and genuine service to the public.

Consider the impact of conservative values on issues like family, education, and national security. Where once the party may have sidestepped these principles for the allure of power, it could now re-center its platform around the very tenets that resonate with the common American: hard work, personal responsibility, and respect for the rule of law.

Moreover, the embrace of a younger, more diverse demographic is essential. The party must make it a priority to engage with communities that have long been marginalized, expanding its appeal beyond traditional bases. This will require confronting uncomfortable truths about systemic issues rather than remaining ensconced in narratives that alienate potential allies.

In a moment when the nation is searching for leadership, the Republican Party’s reinvention rests on its ability to rise above the scandalous narrative that has overshadowed its heritage. It is not simply about rebuilding trust, but about reimagining the vision of the party itself. By discarding the vestiges of corruption and promising a commitment to ethical governance, there lies an opportunity—albeit fraught with challenges—to redefine the essence of what it means to be a Republican.

In the words of a now-disillusioned faith leader who stayed steadfast to the party through the turbulence, “It’s not enough to win; we must win the right way.” An echo of hope in a landscape often painted with the brush of cynicism, this sentiment could become the rallying cry for a party based, once more, on the principles upon which it was built. In this moment of reckoning, the Republican Party faces a choice: to stumble backward into the shadows of its past or to charge forward into a future fortified by integrity and purpose.

As the pages of history turn, will the Republican Party reinvent itself as a fortress of virtue, or will it be remembered as a cautionary tale—a once-great entity undone by the very vices it sought to eradicate? The answer lies not in the echoes of the past but in the choices made in the present.

Friday, September 27, 2024

New Album: Music For The Movies In Your Mind


 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Heartbreak Time Machine Releases New Album of Cinematic Instrumentals: "Music For The Movies In Your Mind"

FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA — September 20, 2024 — The Heartbreak Time Machine is thrilled to announce the release of their new album, "Music For The Movies In Your Mind," a collection of cinematic instrumentals that transcends genres and eras. The album is now available on all major streaming platforms. Find links to your favorite service at: https://linktr.ee/HeartbreakTimeMachine

Crafted for those who appreciate the emotive power of music, "Music For The Movies In Your Mind" seamlessly blends various styles to create a listening experience reminiscent of timeless film scores while incorporating contemporary sounds. Each track is designed to evoke rich imagery and emotions, making it perfect for fans of cinematic music or anyone looking to explore the boundaries of genre.

"Jeremiah is so incredibly talented and works so hard at his craft!" said Hans Eberbach, acclaimed singer and sometimes-collaborator. "This album showcases his dedication and artistry in every note."

Featuring a total of 22 tracks, including the captivating lead single "The Long Road Home," "Music For The Movies In Your Mind" invites listeners on a captivating journey through its lush soundscapes and intricate melodies. The album pays homage to the past while embracing innovative production techniques, appealing to a diverse audience.

Listeners can immerse themselves in "Music For The Movies In Your Mind" on popular streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

For more information and updates, please visit https://www.jeremiahjacobs.com or follow The Heartbreak Time Machine on Instagram: @heartbreak_time_machine.

About The Heartbreak Time Machine
The Heartbreak Time Machine, the creative project of composer and producer Jeremiah Jacobs, pushes the boundaries of instrumental music, blending cinematic soundscapes with influences from multiple genres and eras. With a dedication to storytelling through sound, The Heartbreak Time Machine continues to captivate audiences and redefine what instrumental music can be.

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I want to thank my patrons for their unending support.

Thursday, June 15, 2023

An Open Letter To UFO & ET Believers and Evangelists

 Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence: Show us the ships.

And not just the ships, but also account for where it came from and how it got here. And why we're not all dead from the introduction of untold biological matter into our ecosystem.

You have to answer ALL the questions at once, now. 

No more claims to secret knowledge.

Show us the ships.

No more elliptical arguments or grammatical sleights of hand.

Show us. The ships.

No more special appeals.

Show. Us. The. Ships.

There are no ET crafts, friends, I know. I've accepted this reality.

I've also accepted its rational conclusion: nobody is coming to save us.

People accuse skeptics of being close-minded, but it's the UFO believers who seem closed to trying to grasp the true nature of just how vast the universe really is. 

The fact that we exist at all forces us to accept one of a few possibilities. 

    One, maybe we're first. Someone has to be, and maybe it's us. 

    Two, maybe interstellar travel is just basically impossible, or so hard as to be effectively impossible. 

    Or three, there really are aliens out there, and somehow despite having hundreds of millions of years to reach out world, they're only just now arriving, right at the moment we have the technology to imagine and detect them. 

The level of coincidence in this last option is utterly staggering., but that its invoked so easily speaks to a massive deficiency in our understanding of math.

Right now, all of us are collectively attempting to dodge the emotional labor of getting our shit together, hence TikTok, "true crime" genres, and the continuing proliferation of drive-through coffee.

The fact that we exist at all imbues us with the responsibility to act to preserve the lives of generations we'll never know, but more importantly, will never know of us at all.

We have to save ourselves this time.

Or show us the ships.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Netflix Is For Rich People

 

This is a new gilded age, and only the gilded shall have streaming.

From Netflix's perspective, "poor" people share passwords and stream lots of content, meaning they are expensive customers.

The rich, by contrast, pay the same fee but watch FAR less, i.e., they are a more profitable customer.

Yes, Netflix is ditching its most expensive customers. The poor can go back to YouTube and pay the ad-tax to watch.

If you can afford to put kids in college, you can afford to give them their own Netflix account.

Are you in the economic demographic of "Cannot afford two Netflix accounts?"

I'm sorry that capitalism didn't work out for you, either.

Tell your elected reps to support a Universal Basic Income.

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

The Top 5 Things Successful Musicians Do

  1.  Be Born Rich.


  2. .
  3.  

That's it - just the one thing: Be born rich.

Barring that, best of luck.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

A Lifetime in a Decade

I've been doing ten jobs for ten years:

  • Performing Artist / Keyboardist
  • Band Manager / Music Director
  • Booking Agent
  • Publicist
  • Songwriter
  • Music Producer
  • Graphic Designer
  • Audio Engineer
  • Market Researcher
  • Husband / Friend / Human

Each of these can be performed better by a single full-time person.

 But those of us out here in the dust have been doing these ten jobs by ourselves and its no wonder we've burned out.

I've done a century's worth of work and for what? Three complete mental / emotional breakdowns that almost cost my marriage?

Thursday, November 5, 2020

A Near-Majority of Americans are Authoritarian Racists (And They're Just Fine With That)

 It's one thing to be a racist, but it's another to be called a racist.

Here's what I'm thinking about as American Democracy collapses under international attack:

American Exceptionalism (wiki link, lots of reading)

    My current sense is "most people" think of the US as an outlier nation - above all others in moral foundation and righteousness of action. Because we think of ourselves as a dominant power, we feel we're immune to attack (Russia, China) which is partly why those countries efforts to influence our elections are working.

Racism (and Sexism) predict support for Trump

    A Google Scholar search with lots of results. Key insight: Trump voters love the raw power of racism and sexism. They'll die to uphold white supremacy. Worse, they'll kill, too.

 Narcissism.

This is America's "real problem" however it intersects with the above in ways that predict authoritarian outcomes. To Republicans, "government" = "police" = "state violence." Advertising media amplifies this signal to +1000 overwhelming our ability to create a reality other than theirs.

The Overton Window

It has moved to the Right after The Fairness Doctrine was struck down (by Republicans... of course) which makes formerly centrist ideas appear "far left" (i.e., racial justice, police reform, medical care)

Running thoughts:

  • There is no American "left" to speak of, there is only a right wing noise machine that is basically a racist propaganda system. The "left" is a product of right-wing thinking, specifically "there must be an enemy to defeat" + false equivalence = "liberals are enemies!"
  • Facebook is a right-wing propaganda amplifier and has always been. Yes, they can buy your data from other companies, but getting away from the ecosystem entirely has health benefits that go beyond mental/emotional.
  • The sons and daughters of the WWII generation went on to raise a nation of sexist authoritarians who think Hitler might have been onto something in the first place.
  • Internet hosting companies who have "de-platformed" neo-nazi groups have never fully answered to how/why they were platformed in the first place...

TOE's (Theory Of Everything)

 Peak Complexity:

  • Predictable human response to complexity is seeking (or reducing to) simplest form(s)
  • Some things can no longer be reduced (mobile phones, radio technology, internet, etc)
  • All national and cultural origin stories are up for examination / deconstruction / annihilation. This is a worldwide existential crisis and predicts pockets of fundamentalist violence.
  • Most "entry level" jobs are now specialised (barista) and require specific training or behavioral adherence (i.e, food safety standards).Early entry to the workforce is critical to long-term positive outcomes, and higher bars to entry leave too many behind.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Adobe Audition is NOT for Music Producers


 ..and they say so right here in this forum post:

"Audition is a multitrack audio editor, and doesn't even attempt to cut it as music creation software, as such."

 Yes, the software can be used to edit music clips together, but it does not support VST instruments, the core of how music producers work these days.

The software also has latency issues that make recording / monitoring in realtime a bit challenging, which again, is only an issue for musicians.

This is really too bad, and I should have looked up the specifics before doing a subscription, but I'm only out about $40.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Braindump: Adobe Audition and Headphones on Laptop

Here's a quick brain dump re: using Adobe Audition on a laptop (specifically in this case a Raider GE75, but this applies to others that use the RealTek audio hardware/software). In most apps (your web browser, Netflix) when you plug in your headphones, the system automatically connects that audio device and assigns the current audio to that output.

In your experience, you plug in your headset and it "just works."

But because Adobe Audition has taken over the system's "master clock" it cannot simply switch audio hardware or outputs - i.e., "hotplug" - so here's the little trick if your headphones don't work in Audition:

(*For MSI / Realtek / Raider)

Plug in your headphones (IN THE CORRECT JACK) and open the Realtek Audio Console.


Take note of the device name underneath the headphones icon, in this case "ReakTek HD Audio 2nd output."

Adobe Audition / Edit / Preferences / Audio Hardware -->


Drop down the "Default Output" options and select the (now available) headphone output.

VOILA! You should be hearing your work through your headphones!

I hope this helped!