Dead Man Talking

[Softball Bat]

Choose a dead man (or woman) from each category whom you would like to be able to have a conversation with.
Give a brief explanation as to what it is you would be interested to talk to them about.


Science and Technology -
Finance -
Politics -
Media -
Sports -
Entertainment -
Religion -

[Screw_Michigan]

Van
Whitey

Do they count?

[Softball Bat]

Tom Snyder is a curious choice, but yeah, maybe interesting.

I would also like to talk to C. Sagan.

Finance: Charlie Munger - Warren's right hand man, and knower of the finance truth. Pretend he's dead.

[Softball Bat]

Science and Technology - Wernher von Braun: We have things to discuss, including the Scripture you chose for your grave stone - Psalm 19:1.

Finance - Milton Friedman: Swam upstream against the Keynesianism understandings that tended to dominate his day.

Politics - Abraham Lincoln: One of the most consequential figures in American history.

Media - William F. Buckley Jr.: Was a very articulate voice of the conservative movement in 20th Century America.

Sports - Al Davis: A fascinating individual. Was right in the middle of the mix during the years when the NFL ascended to its spot as the most popular sports league in America.

Entertainment - Walt Disney: Much of what he created came to full bloom after his death, but he obviously had remarkable skill and vision.

Religion - The Apostle Paul: His life, his transformation, his direction. History's greatest evangelist. Very close 2nd - The Apostle John. Would like to discuss the Book of Revelation with him.

[Diego in Seattle]

Science and Technology - Bill Gates. It'd be a 2 for 1, as I'd also get a lot of Steve Jobs' ideas as well.

Finance - Robert Reich. Great economist, especially as one who understands how the economy flows upwards, not downwards.

Politics - Thomas Jefferson. For his insights into what the intentions were in what was included in the Constitution. And to thank him for his letter to the Danbury Baptist Church.

Media - Bob Schieffer. Saw a shitload, including reporting from Dallas in '63. Read his book & you'll be amazed at how much has changed.

Sports - Mark Spitz. Partially to find out his experiences with anti-semitism, but also to ask why he was so lazy until the last year before the Munich Olympics. He could have been greater than Phelps.

Entertainment - Walt Disney, Hedy Lamarr, Marilyn Monroe, Robin Williams, Wayman Tisdale, Elvis Presley....to name a few.

Religion - Joel Osteen & Fred Phelps. Just to kick their asses.

[BSmack]

Science and Technology - Isaac Newton - I'd like to find out how the man who kick started the Enlightenment was also batshit crazy about Jebus
Finance - Adam Smith, I'd want to get his opinion on crony capitalism
Politics - Aaron Burr - WTF were you THINKING man?
Media - Walter Cronkite - I'd want to know how the most trusted man in America really felt
Sports - Walter Hagen - He grew up in Rochester and became the pro's pro. I'd like to see how he played with a set of modern clubs.
Entertainment - Sammy Davis - The ultimate 5 tool entertainer.
Religion - Jesus - If I get the meeting I know he's real

[Innocent Bystander]

Van
Whitey

Do they count?

:|



Also, no one wants to talk to women....

[Innocent Bystander]

The wise-ass list:

Science and Technology - the last Sauron before the meteor hit
Finance - the first Jew
Politics - the first Prostitute
Media - the first Sycophant/Trophy Wife to come up with damnatio memoriae
Sports - the first Human Sacrifice
Entertainment - same answer as above
Religion - the first Schizophrenic

[smackaholic]

Choose a dead man (or woman) from each category whom you would like to be able to have a conversation with.
Give a brief explanation as to what it is you would be interested to talk to them about.


Science and Technology -
Finance -
Politics -
Media -
Sports -
Entertainment -
Religion -

May I assume these conversations can take place today so they have a historical perspective?

I could ask questions like “Adolf, you owned Europe. WTF were you thinking going after Stalin and then declaring war on the US?”


Science and tech- Tesla. Would just like to hear his ideas about future projects.

Finance- Warren Buffett. Why does he tend to support democrats?

Politics- Hitler. Where to start?

Media- Rush Limbaugh. Not sure what I’d ask him.

Sports- Babe Ruth. What would his numbers have been if he put the slightest bit of work into conditioning and showing up to play sober.

Entertainment- Johnny Carson. Would just like to talk about Hollywood in the 60-70s.

Religion- Jesus. Did he really think he was g0d? Did he think his teachings would catch on?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Diego in Seattle]

Entertainment- Johnny Carson. Would just like to talk about Hollywood in the 60-70s.

The Tonight Show didn't move to LA until '72.

[smackaholic]

Entertainment- Johnny Carson. Would just like to talk about Hollywood in the 60-70s.

The Tonight Show didn't move to LA until '72.

That may be, but Johnny was THE man, by the mid 60s. Everybody appeared on his show. The other networks didn't even bother to try to compete.

[Softball Bat]

May I assume these conversations can take place today so they have a historical perspective?

Yes.

Entertainment - Sammy Davis - The ultimate 5 tool entertainer.

What are the 5 tools?

[BSmack]

why

Entertainment - Sammy Davis - The ultimate 5 tool entertainer.

What are the 5 tools?

Singing, Dancing, Comedy, Acting and interviewing. Sammy did them all better than just about anyone and his dancing was second only to those on the level of Fred Astaire and Danny Kaye.

[Innocent Bystander]

Still no women, and naming two white boys instead of Cab Calloway is an unforgivable sin.

[Left Seater]

Science and Technology - Wright Brothers - what did they see that led to success or was it just luck in their trial and error
Finance - John D Rockefeller - Want to know if he truly was an asshole
Politics - Margaret Thatcher - What was it like meeting foreign heads of state and did they actually deal with her
Media - Walter Cronkite - Why did he feel the need to lie in much of his Vietnam war coverage? What was his end game in killing journalism?
Sports - "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias - She was in a league of her own
Entertainment - Ronald Reagan - duh
Religion - L Ron Hubbard - Did he really believe his shit or was he just laughing at those who followed

[Screw_Michigan]

Media - Walter Cronkite - Why did he feel the need to lie in much of his Vietnam war coverage? What was his end game in killing journalism?

Oh, so you're a blood thirsty warmonger too? I shouldn't be surprised.

[Mikey]

And what was Cronkite's big lie?

[Softball Bat]

Archie Bunker said Walter Cronkite was a communist.

[Screw_Michigan]

And what was Cronkite's big lie?

I can't wait to hear this! And how he destroyed journalism.

[Screw_Michigan]

How surprising. Left Shitter wants to meet with John Rockefeller, a man who was such an asshole he got the insanely punitive Rockefeller Drug Laws (TM) enacted in New York!

[Mikey]

Archie Bunker said Walter Cronkite was a communist.

Good enough for me...

But I’d really like to see Seater link us up with whatever well acknowledged historian convinced him of Cronkite’s dishonesty and vile destruction of journalism. Or was it based on his personal experience of the late 60s?

[Diego in Seattle]

I'm sure that in Left Behinder's mind Cronkite was a liar but Gen. Westmoreland was the epitome of truthfulness.

[Left Seater]

I see nothing has changed. Screwy still isn’t reading posts before responding. His attempt at running smack is to call me out for something that I accused John D of being.

As for Vietnam, even Barack Obama claims the US never lost a major battle in that war. Cronkite on the other hand went to Vietnam and then came back and did an hour show on which he stated his opinions. Up to that point he was strictly a who what when where guy. Hell even that hour broadcast was titled with those four words. So when he launched into his opinion most took it as fact and the tide at home turned against the war. I would love to know what changed in him that he stepped away from facts into opinion.

[Mikey]

Nice non-answer. Indeed things haven't changed. Why don't you cite some specific statements and facts to show that he was incorrect. "Link us up" seems to be one of your favorite challenges. So, where's the link?

BTW, which school of journalism did you attend? Where do you draw the line between reporting "facts" and "opinion'" hmmh?
Here's a hint: You might want to consider looking up the definition of "journalist" and comparing it to the definition of "reporter."

So a journalist goes into a war zone, sees what he sees on the ground. According to you, apparently, he's supposed to just say "I went to Vietnam, there was a lot of fighting. People died. And that's the way it is." Where are we supposed to get what's really going on when the government isn't truthful? Of course we haven't had any problem with honesty from the current administration, have we?

Care to comment at all on the Gulf on Tonkin?

[Left Seater]

Nice non-answer. Indeed things haven't changed. Why don't you cite some specific statements and facts to show that he was incorrect.

I said I wanted to see if he was an asshole. Period. Full Stop.

BTW, which school of journalism did you attend? Where do you draw the line between reporting "facts" and "opinion'" hmmh?

I didn't attend journalism school. Did you? What is the difference? You have opinions on all sorts of things that you didn't study in college.

It isn't hard at all to draw a line between facts and opinion. Facts are the who, what, when, where. When you start to discuss the why, you often bring in opinion.

So a reporter goes into a war zone, sees what he sees on the ground. According to you, apparently, he's supposed to just say "I went to Vietnam, there was a lot of fighting. People died. And that's the way it is." Where are we supposed to get what's really going on when the government isn't truthful?

He could have said what was really going on and stayed in the factual zone. He could have just reported on what he saw. He could also have let his viewers know that he was denied access to some areas if that was the case. Prior to this broadcast he hadn't been delivering opinion. However, he went and then did. He dropped lines like this: "It seems now more certain than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate..."

Again, he is free to state his opinion. I want to know what changed and why he went from staying only with facts to moving to opinion areas.

Care to comment at all on the Gulf on Tonkin?

There was a legit first encounter, however the warning shots fired by the US Navy were never revealed and Johnson either lied to the US people or he was uninformed. The 2nd claimed conflict in fact didn't happen. Johnson then used the actual first encounter (with some info ignored or not fully understood) and the fabricated second attack to take further action, some of which was already underway.

[Mikey]

As I mentioned above, but not before you posted your reply, you talk about "journalism" as if it's the same thing as "reporting." You might want to look up the difference.

I can't comment on how strictly Cronkite stuck to "reporting" before his trip to Vietnam because it was before my time. I'm pretty sure the same applies to you. Where are you getting your information from (care to link us up?)?

I can only speculate that what he saw in Vietnam was so obvious and disturbing that he felt he needed to speak up. Personally, I have to admire him for that. One of the main functions of the Free Press is to hold the government accountable. Has been since the founding of our country. If you're not on board with that, I would suggest you move to Russia or maybe Saudi Arabia.

[Screw_Michigan]

The federal government was lying about "progress" in the Vietnam War. That's what the Pentagon Papers was about. People put their lives on the line to publish the truth about what was going on in Vietnam. But Left Shitter doesn't care nor respect any of that. He only cares about conservative story lines about feeding young men to the maw of death to fight the evils of communism.

What conservatives in the federal government want and do are inherently virtuous and should never be questioned. No wonder a genius like Donald Trump became president. That's Lefty's type of guy!

Amazing how someone so allegedly intelligence could be so ignorant and frankly stupid. That's because you're anti-democracy.

Again...Rice wants its degree back.

[Left Seater]

As I mentioned above, but not before you posted your reply, you talk about "journalism" as if it's the same thing as "reporting." You might want to look up the difference.

I can't comment on how strictly Cronkite stuck to "reporting" before his trip to Vietnam because it was before my time. I'm pretty sure the same applies to you. Where are you getting your information from (care to link us up?)?

I can only speculate that what he saw in Vietnam was so obvious and disturbing that he felt he needed to speak up. Personally, I have to admire him for that. One of the main functions of the Free Press is to hold the government accountable. Has been since the founding of our country. If you're not on board with that, I would suggest you move to Russia or maybe Saudi Arabia.

Here is a definition for you. Journalism - the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

News isn't opinion. News should stand on its own and get no pushback as it is facts. Opinion is just that and doesn't have a place in news. Unfortunately today news/opinion/journalism are one in the same. But this is our fault. Most of the masses want their info with a spin that tastes better to them. Media just fills that want.

And nice rant about Free Press holding government accountable. How is opinion helping to hold government accountable? Facts are needed to hold governments accountable.

[Screw_Michigan]

You don't know jack fucking shit about journalism. Don't feel bad, most conservatives don't, unless it involves lying to the American public to push an anti-democratic agenda.

I don't tell you how to fly aircraft. You should shut the fuck up about what you wrongly perceive to be journalism.

[Screw_Michigan]

Here is a definition for you. Journalism - the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

News isn't opinion. News should stand on its own and get no pushback as it is facts. Opinion is just that and doesn't have a place in news. Unfortunately today news/opinion/journalism are one in the same. But this is our fault. Most of the masses want their info with a spin that tastes better to them. Media just fills that want.

And nice rant about Free Press holding government accountable. How is opinion helping to hold government accountable? Facts are needed to hold governments accountable.

And you still haven't shared any links to where you are getting your information about Cronkite and Vietnam. Any day now.

[Left Seater]

The federal government was lying about "progress" in the Vietnam War. That's what the Pentagon Papers was about. People put their lives on the line to publish the truth about what was going on in Vietnam. But Left Shitter doesn't care nor respect any of that. He only cares about conservative story lines about feeding young men to the maw of death to fight the evils of communism.

Yes the feds were lying lead by your liberal democrat Johnson. Cronkite could have pointed out all those lies while staying in the facts. Why did he feel the need to start pushing his opinion?

What conservatives in the federal government want and do are inherently virtuous and should never be questioned. No wonder a genius like Donald Trump became president. That's Lefty's type of guy!

Never mind that Obama has said that the US never lost a major battle during the Vietnam war. Is he now some conservative? Are you questioning him and his takes?

Amazing how someone so allegedly intelligence could be so ignorant and frankly stupid.

You want to run intelligence smack and this is what you drop on us? No response is necessary, just keep kicking your own ass.

[Left Seater]

You don't know jack fucking shit about journalism. Don't feel bad, most conservatives don't, unless it involves lying to the American public to push an anti-democratic agenda.

I don't tell you how to fly aircraft. You should shut the fuck up about what you wrongly perceive to be journalism.

Keep spewing your liberal talking points. But if I know so little about journalism then why do you keep turning to me to do your job? Roundtable with Delta CEO or US Airship project say what?

There are other examples as well but those make the point.

[Mikey]

You still haven't provided any source or specific information on exactly what he lied about. Just a lot of opinion. I guess we won't get that.

Nice work. Not.

[Mikey]

Here is a definition for you. Journalism - the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast.

News isn't opinion. News should stand on its own and get no pushback as it is facts. Opinion is just that and doesn't have a place in news. Unfortunately today news/opinion/journalism are one in the same. But this is our fault. Most of the masses want their info with a spin that tastes better to them. Media just fills that want.

I repeat my suggestion that you look up the difference between journalism and reporting. Maybe you're just afraid to admit that you're entire premise is BS.

Any number of websites will tell you that reporting, while a subset of journalism, is not the same thing as journalism.

Journalism is getting beneath the news. It's investigation, analysis and thoughtful commentary. It's in-depth expository reporting.
i.e., what you prefer to call "opinion."



https://www.theguardian.com/media/green ... publishing

https://work.chron.com/difference-betwe ... -2868.html

https://online.maryville.edu/blog/journ ... 20industry.

[Screw_Michigan]

Keep spewing your liberal talking points. But if I know so little about journalism then why do you keep turning to me to do your job? Roundtable with Delta CEO or US Airship project say what?

There are other examples as well but those make the point.

You are a bald face liar. If you were telling the truth, you would know I don't cover commercial aviation. And I only ran something past you once, years ago, when I first started writing about aircraft.

Eat my shit forever, you traitorous scumbag.

[Left Seater]

You are a bald face liar. If you were telling the truth, you would know I don't cover commercial aviation. And I only ran something past you once, years ago, when I first started writing about aircraft.

Eat my shit forever, you traitorous scumbag.

I have the PMs and can post them. Keep spinning and freaking out.

Sure the Delta CEO is commercial aviation, but the airships weren't and neither was the story you wanted help to support your position that you had already taken a side on yet didn't have info/facts.

Keep kicking your own ass.

Bottom line is you asked for help with your job, I have never asked you for help with mine.

[Screw_Michigan]

Fuck you. Let's see what you got.

[BSmack]

Archie Bunker said Walter Cronkite was a communist.

Archie Bunker wasn't real. It was totally staged. They had actors and audiences and everything. Total fake.

[Bill in Houston]

Nice non-answer. Indeed things haven't changed. Why don't you cite some specific statements and facts to show that he was incorrect.

I said I wanted to see if he was an asshole. Period. Full Stop.

Your enthusiasm for asshole discovery is disturbing to me though not in the least bit surprising.

[Left Seater]

Another liberal "woke" person attempting to smack by going to the homo card.

Your true colors show themselves once again.


Rack me.