October 09, 2004
ELECTION DAY
Come on, Australia. We're counting on you.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:21 AM
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You can stop worrying.
Now we're just trying to guess how much their existing majority will increase.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 09, 2004 07:56 AM (+S1Ft)
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It's done. John Howard wins by three lengths! Mark Latham has just conceded.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at October 09, 2004 08:49 AM (+S1Ft)
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Woo hoo! Let's hope for the best for the American election now!
Posted by: Sarah at October 09, 2004 09:24 AM (Jq+qQ)
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October 08, 2004
CONFLICT
My mom got an email forward from a friend about The Impending Draft. The email is so laughable that it's not even worth fisking. It includes all the talking points -- Ready Reserves, North Korea, "I have a son in college" -- and is quite ridiculous. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought, heck, I'll sign a petition against the draft; I don't want any un-trained, un-motivated, spolied kids who don't want to be there having to back
my husband up out on missions. I only want Soldiers and Marines who have volunteered to serve this great country of ours out there fighting, not immature brats (you know, like John Kerry was back when he was
declined for a deferment in Vietnam and then went on to make home movies about his heroism.)
So I clicked on the link to the petition. Heh. It's not a petition against the draft; it's a petition to Demand Honesty. The aim?
I demand to know how George Bush plans to guard the homeland, protect against threats abroad, and stabilize and occupy Iraq -- without resorting to a draft.
Yes, we need troops to fight in Iraq. We need lots of them. Many of my students are leaving in January for their second year in Iraq, and of course that sucks. But I've listened to John Kerry -- god help me -- and I don't see how his plan is going to require any less boots on the ground.
Kerry said in the debate last week:
That's why, in my plan, I add two active duty divisions to the United States Army, not for Iraq, but for our general demands across the globe. I also intend to double the number of special forces so that we can do the job we need to do with respect fighting the terrorists around the world. And if we do that, then we have the ability to be able to respond more rapidly.
Two active duty divisions is an addition of roughly 40,000 people. Where are they going to come from? More active recruitment? Tell that to Michael Moore, Kerry; since you parrot him on other issues, you might want to review his segment on the recruiting Marines. (Oh, and the money will come from cutting crucial defense systems and weapons programs. Way to go, Kerry.)
Kerry has also disingenuously suggested that he would start pulling troops out of Iraq in January. What he specified in the debate last week though was
I didn‘t say I would bring troops out in six months. I said, if we do the things that I‘ve set out and we are successful, we could begin to draw the troops down in six months.
And the thing he's "set out" is to bring more allies to the table to share the load in Iraq. The problem is that he keeps repeating that, knowing full well that Allies Not in Formation on Kerry's Troops Plan: Nations have a hard time supporting his proposal to use their soldiers to fill out the force in Iraq:
"Some Europeans are rather concerned that Mr. Kerry might have expectations for relief [from abroad] that are going to be hard to meet," said one senior European diplomat in a statement echoed in several capitals.
...
The French and German governments have made clear that sending troops is out of the question. British officials have made no such categorical statement, but they have expressed concern that their troops are overstretched.
Although Japan has supplied a 550-member noncombat force as a symbol of its international commitment, analysts there see little chance the nation would agree to send more.
Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Andrei Denisov, ruled out a commitment of troops. "We are not going to send anybody there, and that's all there is to say," Denisov said.
So Kerry is simply smoking crack if he thinks that he's going to get allied forces to replace our troops on the ground. There won't be anyone replacing the troops already there, so his plan won't work. It's all bogus. (And I think he knows it too, but that's a story for another day.)
Kerry also said during the debate that he would support sending troops to Darfur, Sudan if needed:
Right now all the president is providing is humanitarian support. We need to do more than that. They‘ve got to have the logistical capacity to go in and stop the killing. And that‘s going to require more than is on the table today.
...
But I‘ll tell you this, as president, if it took American forces to some degree to coalesce the African Union, I‘d be prepared to do it because we could never allow another Rwanda.
So our troops do not seem to be more likely to be in garrison (that means staying at their home bases) if Kerry is elected. That's a misrepresentation on his party's side. Kerry's plan -- only leaving Iraq if we're replaced by other allies, deploying to Sudan if necessary -- is not a benefit for our troops. It will not reduce the number of deployments or make extra soldiers or Marines any less necessary.
Maybe we should also be worrying that Kerry might need a draft. After all, it was two Democrats who initiated the draft legislation in the first place...the same legislation, I might add, that was voted down 402-2.
There's not going to be a draft. The last thing anyone who cares at all about the American military wants are ungrateful punks ending up in the ranks. Let the adults handle the job of defending America; the frat boys and hippies can stay at home.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
And so here's my problem. I find myself in an enormous conflict between Roark and CavX.
Roark's philosophy was not that he was going to try to get others to see architecture the way he did. He just kinda thought you were born with it. If you saw things his way, you had common ground. If not, he didn't want to have anything to do with you. Not in a rude way, but in a matter-of-fact, we-have-nothing-to-discuss way.
On the other hand, CavX, through patient perseverance, has managed to covert many lefties that he works with. He lays out the facts, over and over, until the people admit that there can just be no other way of looking at things. And they're won over; CavX has created right-wingers.
So which way is right?
Lots of people thought that President Bush lost the debate last week. They say he's a horrible debater (whereas Kerry appears to be a Master Debater. Sorry, couldn't resist.) But I understand completely where President Bush is coming from: he's Roarkian. I imagine that Pres. Bush was wondering why on earth he had to debate Kerry -- a man who spends most of his time debating himself on the issues -- to prove that he'd be a good President. I imagine he thinks that if his track record doesn't speak for itself, then what else can he say? If you have no common ground at all, where do you begin? The Bush Doctrine has liberated two countries, forced Libya to disarm, unraveled the enormous Oil-For-Food scam, and brought the hope of democracy to millions of people; if he has to sit down and explain to you why that's good, then what's the point? That's why he looked like he was "smirking" during the debate; it pains him, just as it pains me, to hear the string of nonsense that comes of of Kerry's mouth. He tries, but he just can't understand the way Kerry looks at the world. I completely understand that, for that's the reason I have spent a year trying to grok. These things are self-evident to me and to President Bush; if a majority of Americans and voters can't see that, then maybe they don't deserve to have him as their president.
I admire CavX's style, because it's so unlike the way I think. He's methodical and patient; I fly off the handle and want to either rip heads off or end the conversation. I wish I had his skills of persuasion; then maybe my co-workers would stop trying to convince me that Bush is bad.
Which brings us full circle to The Draft. When we get emails like this, or when our co-workers praise Fahrencrap 9/11, what is the proper response? I can't help but think of a passage from The Demon-Haunted World:
Imagine that you enter a big-city taxicab and the moment you get settled in, the driver begins a harangue about the supposed inequities and inferiorities of another ethnic group. Is your best course to keep quiet, bearing in mind that silence conveys assent? Or is it your moral responsibility to argue with him, to express outrage, even to leave the cab -- because you know that every silent assent will encourage him next time, and every vigorous dissent will cause him next time to think twice?
Sagan ends this section with "Figuring out a prudent balance takes wisdom." I just don't know what to think anymore. On the one hand, I think that some people will never see what I see, no matter how articulately I might lay it out, and it's not worth my sanity to try to beat them over the head with Truth. On the other hand, people are going to be voting next month based on bullcrap like this email forward on the draft, and unless we make a serious effort to counter the media and the junk science, we run the risk of losing President Bush.
If that happened, he would likely go home shaking his head, wondering why people just couldn't see what he saw. He shouldn't have to sugarcoat two toppled regimes and almost the whole deck of cards out of the picture.
My ballot is already in the mail; it's a bit late to be thinking about this topic. But who are we going to be over the next three weeks, Roark or CavX?
Posted by: Sarah at
02:42 AM
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The more I see and here of Kerry the more I like him. Most of the military families I talk to are thinking the same way. It seems when people finally get to see and hear Kerry themselves they like him.
I guess it just proves we cannot believe all the negative stuff said about someone by their political opponents. These debates are helping Kerry and hurting Bush in my opinion.
Posted by: Manny at October 08, 2004 02:50 AM (s6c4t)
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Yeah, I'm especially impressed with how Kerry has brought the French and Germans on board. His plan to involve more allies than we already have is gaining so much momentum in the rest of the world that I know as soon as he is elected we can pull all of our troops out and replace them with gendarmes.
Right.......
Posted by: John at October 08, 2004 04:20 AM (+Ysxp)
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Manny, I get just the opposite.
Posted by: Mike at October 08, 2004 07:50 AM (MqNKC)
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Mike, Really?
Most of the military families I talk to who have now had a chance to actually see Kerry for themselves don't think he is the orge that his political opponents tried to make him out to be.
Are you saying that Kerry/Bush debates have shown you that the political stereotypes of either side have been shown out?
I think the debates show that negative attack ads are totally or mostly misleading. I would rather make my decision on the what I can see about a person myself, not what someone with an ax to grind tells me about someone.
The first debate between Bush and Kerry gave us our first opportunity to see these men side by side. Kerry clearly came out better than Bush.
If Kerry wins I think he will make a pretty good president.
Posted by: manny at October 08, 2004 03:22 PM (s6c4t)
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I will never vote for anyone who will not actually USE preemptive action when neccessary.
Based on the debate, Bush seems like he will, as a matter of fact, based on his record I KNOW he will.
Based on the debate, Kerry seems like he won't, and based on his record I'm not willing to bet the future on the fact that he would when neccessary.
Posted by: John at October 08, 2004 03:43 PM (+Ysxp)
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John, good point.
However it is clear now that preemptive action in Iraq was NOT needed. It seems many people thought so at the time as well but Bush wasn't listening to them. Why, I don't know. This is not a point in Bushes favor.
But now that we are in the mess the question is what do we do about it. With Bush it seems that we will get just more of the same. If you like that then I imagine you will vote for him. But with Kerry we may get something better. There are no guarantees but Kerry is certainly not the ogre of the negative campaign.
Like I said neither Bush nor Kerry are as bad as the opposition makes them out to be and Kerry actually looks better the more I see him. Bush just keeps looking worse though as more news comes out about the way he took us into Iraq.
Posted by: manny at October 08, 2004 04:28 PM (s6c4t)
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More compliments; I'm going to get a swelled head. I
do get frustrated with the absolutely intractable. We all know people so totally hardcore they'll never listen to reason; they start spouting improbable conspiracy theories like they're hoping to work on the next Michael Moore movie. Not much you can do with that.
Posted by: CavalierX at October 09, 2004 01:36 AM (sA6XT)
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>However it is clear now that preemptive action
>in Iraq was NOT needed.
Yes, it most certainly was, precisely because we
didn't know his full capabilities, even after 12 years of sanctions and resolutions and inspections. The fact that the estimates were wrong proves that we could have UNDERESTIMATED him just as badly. If we had waited until Saddam was passing out anthrax and botulinum like Halloween candy, it would have been too late, wouldn't it? If he'd only cooperated with the inspections as he should have, there would have been no
need to remove him from power... though it still would have been
right for humanitarian reasons alone, just as it was right to remove Slobodan Milosevic from power for humanitarian reasons.
Posted by: CavalierX at October 09, 2004 01:42 AM (sA6XT)
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September 15, 2004
IRAN
When my students do course evaluations, the overwhelming suggestion they offer me is to be tougher on them. They think I'm too nice and encourage me to put boot to ass when it's needed. I'm getting better about being strict -- it's something I work on all the time -- because I know that I'm not doing them any favors by letting them walk all over me.
I thought about that today when I read this article on the difference between how the US and the EU want to deal with Iran. The US wants to put boot to ass, while the EU wants a vague timeframe and an evalutation from ElBaradei. Iran is going to turn out like some of my students, the ones who come up with every excuse and lie under the sun for why they need extensions and special treatment. And the EU is going to fall for it, like I did when I first started teaching.
Believing the best in people is good. Believing the best in people when they've given you no reason to trust them is dangerous, especially when nukes are involved.
Posted by: Sarah at
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The EU is falling for nothing. They are well aware of what is going on, and what Iran's tactics are meant to accomplish. The EU is looking for balance of power vs the US. They view the world with a lone superpower as highly dangerous and they desperately want to see someone balance that out, no matter who.
Thats why they support our enemies. Very nuanced.
Posted by: John at September 15, 2004 07:00 AM (crTpS)
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Sarah,
What you said about classroom discipline reminds me of David Boxenhorn's "Kind to the Cruel" post:
http://www.rishon-rishon.com/archives/044412.php
Use that boot. Being strict does not mean you'll slip into sadism. You know where to draw the line.
John,
Europe has a long colonial history with the Middle East and its leaders believe they have a better understanding of the region than young, inexperienced America. Therefore they know better than these crazy cowboys. Or so some say. True or not, that's just an excuse for what you just explained.
Posted by: Amritas at September 15, 2004 07:21 AM (Kd2p8)
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John, one more thing: Your comment reminds Americans not to underestimate Europe. Thanks. Cheap anti-Euro putdowns distract us from the fact that the Euroelites do know what they're doing. They are not idealists. I think they see themselves as the pragmatists and the Americans as the naive, possibly insane idealists - with sick ideals.
Posted by: Amritas at September 15, 2004 07:24 AM (Kd2p8)
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Marc, you are absoltely right. They have always viewed us a that way--and we are. The difference is that we are pragmatic idealists! In their eyes, that makes us insane.
Posted by: Mike at September 15, 2004 07:56 AM (MqNKC)
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It's not a question of getting tough, no matter how good that might make some people feel. It's a question of doing what works.
Prior to George Bush's "Axis of Evil" speech the IAEA had inspectors in Iran and North Korea, the Koreans "dirty" reactors had been shut down, monitoring equipment was in place and their nuclear weapons program was suspended.
Since Bush decided to "put boot to ass" as you put it the Koreans have kicked the inspectors out, dismantled the monitoring equipment, fired up the reactors and put the weapons program into high gear. The Iranians too have increased their activities.
Sometimes booting someone's ass just pisses them off to the point where they won't ever cooperate.
It's interesting that you make the analogy between your position as a teacher and America's position in the world. That kind of paternalistic American arrogance is actually a big part of the problem.
Posted by: A Hermit at September 15, 2004 11:30 AM (0O33+)
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I think the lesson learned from all this is that if you can threaten a big enough counterpunch, say with nuclear weapons, the USA will leave you alone.
Most countries probably think that Iraqs only mistake was in giving up it's nuclear program before they could develop it into a sufficiant deterent to counter Americas overwhelming conventional superiority.
The administrations actions have unleashed a rush to build nuclear capability quickly in Iran and in North Korea. Being bogged down in Iraq, where ironically there were no WMD, we can do nothing about the areas of real concern.
Posted by: dc at September 15, 2004 12:04 PM (s6c4t)
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So many talking points, bog down, no wmds -- they only distract from one word, bojoinka. Look it up. Google it. I'm sure the Iranians understand that the one "Big Bang" is the bomb. They've always wanted it, just like the North Koreans, but the North Koreans was given it by Ms. Albright during the Clinton administration, but as she claims, the North Koreans, "Cheated." How can we trust our enemies with following through on a promise? The scary thing is, our enemies do follow through on theirs--bojoinka.
Posted by: Moor at September 15, 2004 03:54 PM (xvwyL)
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Contrary to your opinion on the state of N. Korea's nuclear program Hermit, the boot was put to their ass because they were continuing the programs despite having entered agreements to cease. They did not pick up their work where they left off, they never left off. Which is why Bush has changed our policy towards them. Clinton tried to buy them off with money and oil, it didn't work. Why should we continue to send them money and oil if they do not hold up their end of the bargain?
Posted by: John at September 16, 2004 02:59 AM (crTpS)
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John,
So, exactly how has the Bush administration changed the policy? Not just that they've abandoned the 'agreed framework'- what have they done to put boot to ass?
Also, the situation is North Korea has, in fact, become worse. The North Koreans were violating the AF by enriching uranium (as was the US- really, the whole thing never got off of the ground other than the initial stages of mothballing their plutonium and us sending fuel oil. the second stage- us helping to build a safe reactor that wouldn't produce weapons-grade material never went anywhere).
But since the "axis of evil" speech, they have broken the seals on their plutonium stocks, thus accelerating the problem from a 2-3 year window to a 6-12 month window.
Which, IMO, isn't a huge deal. OTOH, talking tough but not having a stick to swing at a nuclear North Korea hasn't been anything but counterproductive. And the repurcussions of talking tough are still with us; the Bush admin continues to refuse to find a substantive policy, for fear that an effective substantiive policy would require a backdown from their earlier 'boot to ass' rhetoric.
The real moral here is 'never threaten to put boot to ass if you cannot, or will not, do the job.'
Also, Im very much with Hermit- using an analogy from a custodial/teaching relationship about "tough love" to analyse international relations is a bad, bad idea. I could offer counteranalogies about giving kids room to make their mistakes rather than micromanaging them- but that would be just as stupid. The two relationships have virtually nothing in common.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 16, 2004 03:02 PM (7Rmoq)
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"The real moral here is 'never threaten to put boot to ass if you cannot, or will not, do the job.'"
How do you square this statement with the UN's refusal to do anything about Saddam. Bush has changed the 'do nothing but talk' syndrome that led to the problems we had now. The UN's whole problem is that it does nothing by default, and only does anything when pushed by the US.
N. Korea is pursuing their own agenda and refuse to negotiate with the world, they only want to blackmail the US once again. Bush is not playing that game and was not the one who abandoned the 'agreed framework' until it was shown to be a farce by N. Korea's actions. He has shown that he will take action where it is needed, and right now Korea is not the biggest problem we have.
Posted by: John at September 16, 2004 09:06 PM (+Ysxp)
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EXPIRED
I missed the chance to talk about a milestone from Monday: the assault weapon ban
expired. From what I understand of the issue, and from the passionate papers my students have written on the topic, I think that's a good thing.
Posted by: Sarah at
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It is a good thing if you want more firepower than the police.
Drug dealers and gang members will be the first to benefit from the Bush admininistrations cave in to the NRA with increased firepower.
Sportsmen on the other hand don't need assualt weapons to increase the advantages they already have over bambi.
Terrorists will be interested in buying them. For obvious reasons.
Law abiding wimps may want to own one for an ego boost. But really who cares enough about their self-esteem issues to put our homeland in such risk?
Posted by: dc at September 15, 2004 10:42 AM (s6c4t)
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There was one time in American history that was considered the safest. Do you want to know when?
The so-called Wild West, because men and women had guns, wore them openly and criminals knew that if they acted up, it would be the citizens that would take care of them. It isn't about egos, but about the ability to defend yourself. I find it offensive when Kennedy-Townshed said she would not rest until the 38 special was banned. I say, how can she be so elitist. The 38 special is an inexpensive gun and thereby gives poor people the opportunity to protect themselves, especially if they live in dangerous neighborhoods.
Just remember, take guns away from lawful citizens, and you'll only welcome the likes of Hitler and Stalin who disarmed its population in order to take it over.
Posted by: Moor at September 15, 2004 03:45 PM (xvwyL)
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Everyone thinks that now you can go out and by assault weapons. The only thing that really changed was the size of the magazines you can purchase. Instead of only getting a ten round magazine for a pistol, now you can get the fifteen round ones the police and military use. As far as assault weapons go, you have always been able to purchase AK-47's, AR-15's, etc...
Posted by: Birdie at September 15, 2004 07:01 PM (ohCKH)
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Moor,
Hitler never disarmed the population, where did you get that idea anyway? Another obvious counterpoint to your logic would be Iraq. Every Iraqi has a gun, but they never usurped Saddam.
On the other hand, Ghandi didn't have a gun, but still managed to get rid of the British.
Anyway, different situations demand different solutions (and although I doubt your stats on the Wild West, I agree that a gun is quite useful in such a situation). The 2nd amendment made sense in the time it was written, but unless you believe there is an impending attack by either the government or another superpower, your final statement is wholly without merit.
Posted by: Sander at September 15, 2004 10:58 PM (3nJmx)
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Actually in Tombstone Arizona, the site of the famous story of the shootout at the OK corral, it was against the law to carry a gun in the city.
The story is essentially one of gun controll. Sheriff Virgil Earp, along with his two deputized brothers and friend Doc Holiday were just trying to disarm some armed cowboys who would not give up there guns so a gun fight broke out and they killed them. Then they took the cowboys guns, pried from their dead cold fingers.
Posted by: dc at September 16, 2004 02:31 AM (s6c4t)
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September 13, 2004
CRUEL
Wow. Ever since I decided to start deleting people, it seems they are just trying to push my buttons. Zapping them has been fun, but this comment from "Dufus Galant" (IP address 66.41.206.40 for anyone who knows about those things) literally made my jaw drop. I'm not even deleting it; everyone should go and see
the cruelty that exists in this world.
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Sarah - proof once again that idiots exist among us.
Posted by: Kathleen A at September 13, 2004 07:33 PM (vnAYT)
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Ok I'll bite, how is what he said any worse than being told "get over it" and "move-on" when your 9 year old sister suddenly dies, sixty days before your fourth birthday?? Not to mention "she's in God's hands, now" and the ever wonderful "she is in a better place"?? All these were said to me when my sister died of pleurisy on 21 December 1961. Think that hasn't messed up Christmas in my head for the last forty plus years?? If this gets me banned so be it, but I had to get that one off my chest.
Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at September 13, 2004 08:32 PM (4pVZJ)
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yeah Bubba.
I mean, this is not the biggest tragedy in the history of the human race. It isn't the worst atrocity to happen in my lifetime, by far. Compare this with the Holocaust, or the Great Leap Forward, and I think we ought to moderate our ourpourings of self-pity...
Now, the Civil War left some scars on the heart of the US. It's taken us a long time to get over it- to the extent that we have. 9-11 is, bluntly, a historical footnote. 30 years from now, you might still be asked where you were when you heard, but it'll be more of a trivia question, just like "where were you when JFK died?" is now. Of course, at the time, that was also a national tragedy.
Which makes me wonder- why do folks like to flagellate themselves with this terrible event, as if it were the second crucifixion, with innocent Americans standing in for Jesus?
There are only three answers that I can think of, non very pretty:
1)these people are so self-absorbed that they don't realize the level of human suffering in the world eclpises the suffering of 9-11 ona a regular basis.
2)they are dedicated to the cult of victimhood, and find the allure of claiming victim status overpowering (even when they live in Toledo & didn't know anyone in NYC or Washington on that day).
3)they are political opportunists, and think that living 9-11 24-7 is the way to push their favorite candidate or political philosophy.
And, to answer your last question- you are deleting people because you are a coward, but still long for the solace of others' support. You need positive feedback, but cannot handle negativity. Ergo, too weak to stand alone, and to weak-minded to stand among those who disagree with you...
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 13, 2004 08:55 PM (7Rmoq)
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geez... they do crawl out of the woodwork to push your buttons, don't they?
I'm sorry you have to deal with people like that.
Posted by: karishma at September 13, 2004 09:24 PM (dF9Oq)
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Right. I'm sure the dead of the WTC think some lame-ass, gushy, uninspired cartoon about their deaths is a stirring tribute. Incessantly milking something for self-serving melodrama...oh, no...that's not cruel at all.
Posted by: Leopold at September 13, 2004 10:31 PM (vtExu)
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Well,
I certainly don't know why people would actually tell a kid to get over his sister's death that quickly, but I think the remarks about her being in a better place is meant for comfort. I choose to remember those who were murdered in 9/11. So there are bigger tragedies. That does not mean we should not remember those who died.
Sarah,
If you want to delete comments go ahead. Not wanting to hear people call you names is not being cowardly, just that you don't get a high out of self-torture. This is your domain. The right of free speech does not apply here, nor can anyone force anybody else to listen to them even in the public domain. There's nothing wrong with grieving for those close to you, just because there are more dead people out there. How anyone can claim to care about people worldwide without being able to feel for those around them is beyond me.
You really need to start a comment regulating policy. This is your domain. Anyone who wants to insult you or be patronizing can go elsewhere. Anyone who doesn't care about thousands dead just because there are other dead people have no sympathy.
Posted by: chris at September 14, 2004 12:34 AM (VDzYB)
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I'm telling you, Ralph Wiggum quotes are more fun than deleting!
Posted by: CD at September 14, 2004 01:13 AM (bsi5Z)
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Chris wrote
"If you want to delete comments go ahead. ... [snip for length] ... How anyone can claim to care about people worldwide without being able to feel for those around them is beyond me."
Let me say -- Ditto!
Chris went on.
"You really need to start a comment regulating policy. This is your domain. Anyone who wants to insult you or be patronizing can go elsewhere. Anyone who doesn't care about thousands dead just because there are other dead people have no sympathy."
Ditto again.
OK - this is one of the few times you will see me being a ditto-head ;-)
Sarah - This is your yard we are playing in. In particular, you didn't invite me in. I know that many of my views are at odds with many of your views. Thus, I strive to maintain a civil tone of voice and to be a guest that you will (at least) tolerate in your yard -- and hopefully one who's positions you will listen to and consider, even if you reject them.
Please accept my hopes for a continued recovery for you and your mother, and my prayers that your husband returns home safe and sound.
Best Wishes
Jim
Posted by: Jim at September 14, 2004 01:35 AM (s7guT)
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Don't you just love that Wu guy? He signs his post "Wu" - man, you are just too cool for school. Oh and the history lesson - wonderful, marvelous. Yes, the Civil War, so much more important to people of our generation, mmm, brilliant. Dumbass.
She's deleting people who drive away the rest of her readers. You know, people like "Wu". People like "Wu" who are sneering, jabbering psuedo-human beings with very little intelligence or compassion. People like "Wu" who think they are clever and ironic, sarcastic, biting, caustic or whatever the current synonym is for literary sadist. Thank God people like "Wu" are being deleted now.
Sarah, Carleton the Doorman's post needs to be highlighted along with Dufus. The two of them have Grinch hearts three sizes too small. And make sure you put up a post about the Battle of Appomatox, y'hear? You know, the battle where soldiers were killed with conventional weapons while fighting on the field of war.
Hey, if "Wu" follow "Wu's" post to it's natural conclusion, you should go through all of history each day and post on numbers alone. "Today is the anniversary of the explosion at Pompeii. Clearly, much more important to our present day world because More People!! were killed than died in the World Trade Center!! And yet, these people are a mere footnote in history to us now. Where's the humanity?"
Hey "Wu", "Wu" wascally wabbit. The WTC will always be of importance to Americans. Not just for the people killed, but for the loss of innocence of an entire country hit within its boundaries by terrorists for the first time, for two beautiful buildings destroyed in one of the greatest cities in the world, for the destruction of 3,000 noncombatants with no warning of their deaths or the chance to fight back. Don't you get it? Nah, you're a numbers man yourself.
So, there should be a number 4 paragraph to your glib diatribe. I'm not self-absorbed, I'm not a victim, and I'm not a political opportunist. I'm a person who woke up on September 11 and realized a group of people flew three planes into symbols of my country and killed as many people as they could, and that they will try to kill as many more of us as possible.
While I certainly feel sorrow for those killed, I don't remember the WTC for them primarily. The WTC is a call to arms for me. I remember it to keep the disgust, anger and resolve against these animals at the forefront of my mind and heart.
Posted by: Oda Mae at September 14, 2004 02:45 AM (sIT9/)
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Oda Mae? The WTC was hardly the first terrorist attack within our boundaries -- the Oklahoma City Bombing is an example that leaps to mind, as does the prior WTC attack in the 90's.
Just to nitpick.
Posted by: James at September 14, 2004 04:13 PM (UgMq9)
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Sorry, I thought that would be clear. Every country has its' share of homegrown killers. By using the words "within our boundaries" I meant to indicate the threat and the terrorists came from OUTSIDE our boundaries. You know, linking back to that whole thing that America now realizes that oceans won't protect it from the rest of the world.
Although the OC bombing was horrific, I did not feel personally threatened by it, nor angered against Americans as a whole. I do feel threatened and angered by militant Islamic terrorists.
Posted by: Oda Mae at September 14, 2004 05:21 PM (kRPDO)
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Oda,
First of all, that's my fucking name. So, I sign my letters with it. A strange custom I picked up here in the US. Am I too cool for school? Yes. But not because I sign my letters with my name. I am, however, much cooler than you, mostly because I refrain from baseless ad hominems.
The WTC will maintain its importance to Americans about as much as the Maine or the Zimmerman telegram. It was not a world-changing event. It was a significant event. Pretending that it was as earth-shaking as World War II or Columbus is silly, demeaning, and- as I explained- can be traced to one of three causes.
[nb your "4th cause" is pretty clearly the first one. 'It feels huge to me right now so it must be huge.']
Every American generation thinks it is 'losing its innocence'. Vietnam. The Phillipenes. And, yes, the Civil War.
Just like every self-absorbed teenager thinks that their angst or broken heart is the most profound thing in history. Until they grow up, and realize that other people have things much worse, and that their awe-inspiring angst wasn't actually that big after all.
By the time they grow up, they're usually having more profound experiences, while simultaneously recognizing that those experiences aren't necessarily as gigantic as they appear subjectively.
Raw numbers don't tell the whole story of human suffering. Nevertheless, people who compare 9-11 to the Holocaust deserve nothing but scorn for their self-indulgence.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 14, 2004 05:52 PM (7Rmoq)
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Chris & Jim,
I don't think anyone is claiming that they have a *right* to free speech in any private forum. I'm certainly not doing so. This is being hosted on private property, so the owner can do as they wish.
However, just as some will claim violations of "free speech" for legimate, private censorship, others may be inclined to view any criticsm of such censorship as an attempt to assert a right. This is also a mistake.
If Sarah chooses not to have comments, I say more power to her. If she chooses to have comments and live with the free-for-all, I say the same. And if she deletes ads for penis enlargement or other white noise, that's fine as well in my opinion.
But if she opens the floor to comments, but then deletes those that challenge her without being seriously offensive, I call that cowardice. Within her rights, but cowardice nontheless. It suggests that she would prefer the comfort of likeminded yes-men. It suggests that she knows her arguments are weak, but would prefer that they remain unchallenged nevertheless. It smacks of intellectual dishonesty.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 14, 2004 06:01 PM (7Rmoq)
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Oda -- There's a lot of people in this world named Wu. The way you put the name in scare quotes shows how narrow-minded you've let yourself become.
Posted by: yettrab at September 14, 2004 09:27 PM (9AAwc)
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Carleton Wu,
Calling Sarah a coward is not what you consider ad hominem? Your comments reek of personal attacks and self-aggrandization.
Is it too much to ask for polite discussions for disagreements?
And since when do you speak for all Americans? Does grieving for three thousand of your countrymen count as self-absorbed? Do you not deserve scorn yourself for disrespecting other people? Why does it irk you so much to know that at least some Americans care deeply about those who were murdered that day? And yes, it did change the world. America before 9/11 didn't believe in preemption. And in preempting other parts of the world will be invariably affected. You may think it's a little thing, but there are those who do not. And if you can't show enough respect for people to disagree politely without calling them names, perhaps you should go back to school and polish up your manners.
And for all you people who are so considerate to the sufferings and deaths world-wide that you consider three thousand lives lost so unimportant that their mourners should be ridiculed: what have you done to help those people? What have you done to help anybody (insulting people who care about others do not count)?
Posted by: chris at September 14, 2004 11:57 PM (VDzYB)
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Oda Mae, please tell me you were joking when you called the 2 main WTC buildings "beautiful". Those two were, well to be quite frank, hideous. As a fan of the late Frank Lloyd Wright, I have to tell you, achrtitectually speaking, those buildings never deserved to see the light of day.
Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at September 15, 2004 01:45 AM (4pVZJ)
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Bubba, I agree that aesthetically they weren't the greatest. But whenever I see them in an old movie or TV series, my heart lurches a little. They DID dominate the skyline.
Yettrab - I didn't put Wu's name in quotes because I'm afraid of him. (???) But to use his name instead of the word you. Oh, and the questionmarks, by using more than one, indicate puzzled incredulity.
I am afraid of few things, but not of a pretentious twit who double signs his posts by dropping his last name at the end, like I'm supposed to recognize it. But thanks again, you guys with petty minds are great on the little details. Cheers!
Posted by: Oda Mae at September 15, 2004 02:23 AM (uiSXB)
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"Wu", sorry I didn't reply to OM, but since it was directed at me, I didn't find it did much to flesh out your earlier arguments. (Other than saying that we shouldn't compare WTC to the Holocaust, which, er, I don't think anyone here made that comparison.)
As you'll note, Sarah has not removed your comments, because they're not offensive. (Well. . . allright, I'll give you a pass, they're pretty straight up vanilla, middle of the road, party line blather.)
Some of the personal attacks she's endured when people have piled on after being directed to comment from another not-so-tolerant (raving lunatic moonbat) website have been beyond comprehension. THOSE posts should absolutely be deleted. They add nothing to the discussion and just seem to give the freaks some type of hateful personal satisfaction that they've gotten to kick someone around on a webpage.
While I COMPLETELY disagree with you and your buds on your cynical relegation of the WTC as a historical footnote, you don't make me sick, just mad. And right now you're adding needed entertainment value. That's my barometer.
Posted by: Oda Mae at September 15, 2004 02:49 AM (uiSXB)
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Chris,
"Calling Sarah a coward is not what you consider ad hominem?"
Actually, it isn't one. Just as "free speech" is often misused by those who find that they can't say whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want,
ad hominem does not just mean 'saying something bad about someone' or 'calling someone a name'.
It means 'to attempt to discredit an argument by attacking the source'. The insults can even be *true*, and it's still an
ad hominem if the insults are irrelevant to the argument being made.
What I did was express my opinion about her behavior. Since whether her behavior was justified was the question at hand, it isn't an
ad hominem at all. It's a conclusion to an argument.
As for the rest of your comments-
-I do not, and never have, claimed to speak for all Americans.
-I disrespect people at my discretion; those not worthy of it do not receive it. And, bluntly, being aggrieved does not earn respect.
-what have I done to help anybody? Since you don't know me, you don't know anything that I've ever done to help people. Likewise, I don't know anything you've ever done.
As an insult, this is only millimeters ahead of those who threaten to beat up other posters; you get to puff yourself up with imaginary pride for *confronting* me, although we both know that such a confrontation won't be occurring.
(btw, *that* was a classic
ad hominem; whether or not Ive helped anyone doesn't have any bearing whatsoever on the historical impact of 9-11).
And, in the midst all of that ranting- the real question: "Why does it irk you so much to know that at least some Americans care deeply about those who were murdered that day?"
I'll present another hypothetical: A couple loses their only child in a playground accident. A swingset manufacturer was negligent, which contributed to the death.
The parents are heartbroken. They sue the manufacturer and put him out of business, as well, as a punishment and as a warning to other manufacturers of children's equipment.
So far, so good.
The parents dedicate their lives to children's safety. They launch lawsuit after lawsuit against car seat manufacturers, crib manufacturers, etc. Anything that they perceive as even slightly dangerous, they attack. To defend their behavior, they invoke the memory of their lost child and the pain that they suffered those many years ago. Who can deny their grief, or its outlet?
No one would deny that they suffered a terrible loss. Likewise, I've never claimed that the people whose families or friendships were broken didn't suffer terribly.
But many (I suspect most) people would believe that this couple should move through the grieving process. That attacking everything that looks remotely dangerous is merely a way of holding their grief too tightly, because they are unwilling to let it go. And that their attacks on things that were not truly dangerous were actually harmful to others.
If anyone who lost family or friends on 9-11 still nurses their grief and rage, I completely understand that. If that grief and rage pushes them to political beliefs that would otherwise not be rational (eg kill all the arabs), I can even sympathize with that level of anger.
But those who didn't suffer any personal loss I do question. Why do these 3000 deaths wound you in this personal way?
Consider that, for example, over 90,000 rapes occurred in the US last year (source: FBI). If I had my druthers, ever single one of those rapists would be executed- it's a terrible crime. It's usually intensely traumatic for the victims.
Again, no one would disagree that this is terrible. Im sure that you agree.
So I ask- why is the one resonating with many people as a tragedy beyond tragedies? Why do we hear that any political, economic, or strategic decision is not too much to undertake in memory of this attack?
And so, I reached the conclusion that I outlined above- to those not personally affected, ongoing 9-11 fascination isn't about grief, or loss. It's about something else. I'm prefectly willing to consider that they're might be additional reasons beyond the 3 that I came up with on my own, but I'm not really open to the idea that some office worker from Ann Arbor was traumatized by 9-11 to the point of personality transformation.
Now, the *political* implications of 9-11, that's whole 'nother ball of wax. But we don't sort out political implications by displaying our inconsolable grief- we talk about what we want to make happen and how we can make it happen.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 15, 2004 03:30 PM (7Rmoq)
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Oda Mae,
Either there are two of you, or you were earlier calling for me to be banned (highlighted?), and are now saying that I ought not to be banned. Maybe I'm misunderstanding you.
In either case, I would hope that my comments would be perceived as something that could spark debate, not as 'entertainment'. I suppose that if one were dogmatic enough that change were impossible, then good arguments from the other side could merely be as amusing to you as the "it's turtles all the way down" story. For your sake, I hope that that's not the case.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 15, 2004 03:36 PM (7Rmoq)
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Carleton Wu,
To answer your questions and clarify my previous comments:
"Ad hominem" does *not* mean 'to attempt to discredit an argument by attacking the source'. It means "Appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason" (dictionary.com). And in calling Sarah a coward you are just trying to rile up people's emotions rather than arguing logically. Not enjoying insults is not equivalent to cowardice or the unwillingness to face other opinions.
The reason I asked whether you presume to speak for all Americans is because of this sentence: "The WTC will maintain its importance to Americans about as much as the Maine or the Zimmerman telegram." It seems rather inclusive of all Americans to me.
If you do not respect people don't get annoyed if they fail to respect you. And you should always shown basic manners and respects to other people. Apparently you do not respect the lives of the three thousand at WTC.
The reason I ask about whether you had ever done anything to help anybody is this: if the death of 3000 is insignificant to you, what is? Do you really care, say, after 10000 deaths? If you cared about them so much as to discredit those who mourn for the 3000, surely you must have done something about those significant people? Or are you just heartless and those are all numbers to you, just like the 3000, something to get over with?
As for your broken-hearted couple example: I think people who actually dedicate their lives to children's safety are to be respected. It is not necessarily an indication of a neverending grieving process - maybe they find that it is something they want to do. Of course they can go overboard if they get worried about anything and everything, but such is not the case with the Islamofascists. They not only wanted 9/11 to happen they want to kill Americans everywhere. And if you think that it's just remotely dangerous you're mistaken. You can't really "let go" and forget that people want to kill you - because they will not cease to want to kill you whether you let go or not. Those who forget the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. (And I don't recall where I read that statement, but if we just forget that people want us dead we'll end up with something worse than 9/11).
I do agree with your point on rapists. They should be fried in deep oil. But that's not the topic here.
The question about why WTC affects us can be boiled down to this, I believe: it *is* personal. It was an act of war against the United States, it was an attack on all Americans. An attack on each and every single American. The aim was to destroy America. Not just the two tall buildings in New York. Not just the Pentagon. Not just some airlines. Not just the thousands of lives lost that day, as tragic as that is already. That is why I identify with those people. I don't know anyone there, that's true, and if some rich guy just happened to lose two of his buildings, I don't really care. But those people attacked us. Every single one of us. And until this threat, this war, is over I CANNOT let go. These people could have been people I know. People I love. And they died for the single crime of being American, some even just for being in America. God forbid that I forget them.
Posted by: chris at September 16, 2004 01:33 AM (VDzYB)
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Chris,
Those definitions mean exactly the same thing. In both cases, the personal attack ("personal considerations") is used to discredit the logic of the argument ("rather than logic or reason"). It does not necessarily have to involve an insult- one could instead point out that the speaker has a financial or other interest in proving the case, for example.
But they are, in fact, the same.
See, the definitions don't have to use exactly the same words in order for them to be isometric at a cognative level. If you're interested in pursuing the point further, please provide a few examples that would fit one definition but not the other.
But, by your standard, one must not merely refrain from using personal attacks to discredit an argument. One must now also refrain from reaching personally perjorative *conclusions*. You say that cowardice is not equal to an unwillingness to face other opinions. I disagree, and therein lies the crux of the argument. Bluntly, that *is* the logical question being debated- "is it morally wrong to censor other people's opinions?" I say yes, you say no.
By your standards, if I asked "was Saddam Hussein a bad man?" you could not reply "yes, Saddam was evil", without an ad hominem.
----
My statement did not presume to *speak* for all Americans. It was clearly a prediction about what attitudes those Americans will hold in the future. Just as I might make a prediction about a stock price without it being construed as "speaking for all of the stockholders".
I don't crave your respect, so no loss. And I don't respect those 3000 *more* than I respect any other 3000 who've lost their lives. Say, 3000 people who've died in Iraq. Or Dafur. Or Maoist China. With the caveat that different people's deaths require different levels of respect- obviously, I have more respect for someone who dies trying to rescue others, here or there or anywhere.
As I clearly explained, the death of those 3000 is, again, no more siginificant than any other 3000 deaths, emotionally. You are intentionally misunderstanding that, I think, to make a rhetorical point. One tidbit- I volunteer weekly at the local humane society. It makes me very sad to think of animals locked up without significant contact with other people or animals. So I do something about it. That doesn't mean that I care more about this local tragedy than any other tragedy- it's just one that I can affect more easily than others.
Let me ask you a question in return: are you heartbroken over the 10ks of deaths in Dafur, and the 100ks or millions who have been left homeless refugees? Do you angonize over it every night? Do you rage against the Sudanese government and the militias conducting these attacks? Are you willing to use our blood and treasure to stop these atrocities?
If not, I would ask you why these 3000 deaths move you so much, but those 10s of 1000s do not. That is my point, in a nutshell.
Your bit about the Islamofascists is off-topic, I believe. As I said before, if we want to debate what the correct policy is under these circumstances, that's a completely different issue than whether or not America is forever scarred by 9-11, or ought to be. Just as we might put down a rabid dog, without having to feel rage or hatred towards it- it's just good policy.
In fact, I would argue that emotion clouds logic, and that we would be best served by not *avenging* 9-11, but by deciding what the proper course of action is to make America and the world safer and better. Which is why I think that this discussion is important- we cannot afford at this critical juncture to have policy discussions short-circuted by unfulfilled emotional needs.
Wu
Posted by: Carleton Wu at September 16, 2004 03:34 PM (7Rmoq)
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"Wu". Sorry about the earlier comment, you are right, it was inconsistent. In the second one I was feeling a bit magnaminous and thought I'd entertain the hope that you aren't always a pompous, long-winded asshole, mabe it was just the topic. Thank you for removing all doubt.
Posted by: Oda Mae at September 16, 2004 04:23 PM (buTJw)
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Carleton Wu,
Thank you for clarifying your points. You obviously have no respect for the basic sanctity of human lives, and you cannot understand identifying with other people. And of course, you don't even respect those hundreds of firefighters and police officers who died on that day trying to save people in the towers, contrary to what you stated about having more respect for people who died trying to rescue people.
The Islamofascists killed my people. MY. PEOPLE. To you that's just emotion. As if your attack on Sarah wasn't based on trying to up the fear of being called a coward so as to induce people to agree with your points. And your "prediction" obviously does try to speak for all Americans, and does stock predictions, since it indicates what the stockholders will want to buy or sell. And if you think that the point about Islamofascists who *caused* this tragedy in the first place is off-topic, you're detached from reality.
And yes, I do care about other people suffering. If we had any other resources to spare I'd petition for sending troops to Darfur. I could list organizations I donate to, but that's not the point. There are others who do more anyways. But I do not close my heart just because there are more people suffering elsewhere. And I do not dicount their suffering just because other people have suffered more.
This will be my last post on this thread, since you and I obviously have very different values, even on the point of human life.
Enjoy your human society work. Enjoy your lack of identity with your country, be it America or China. Enjoy your firm belief that basic human life has no value since there will always be bigger tragedies, and enjoy your lack of emotion when thousands of people lose their lives, and the lack of sympathy to those who do. Enjoy your unclouded judgement.
I pity you.
Posted by: chris at September 16, 2004 06:19 PM (VDzYB)
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Oda -
You don't understand what the phrase scare quotes means.
Posted by: yettrab at September 16, 2004 09:17 PM (9AAwc)
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August 29, 2004
IRAN
When I read the book
Alas, Babylon two years ago, I could hardly put it down. It's the story of the aftermath of nuclear war and how the remaining people struggled to survive. I've been thinking a lot about it lately as I've been following Iran's nuclear progress over at LGF. The thing is, a series of articles showing Iran getting closer and closer seems to have little impact on anyone, but picture it as a narrative or a movie, and it starts to seem important. Picture ominous build-up music and scenes of putting the final touches on while the protagonist races to get there in time. That's what I fear we're facing, though the boring articles describing the scenario really play down the urgency. But
Alas, Babylon is never far from my mind.
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It's not just nuclear weapons per se...it's also the tremendous efforts that Iran is making in the development and acquisition of missiles. To think of these weapons being in the hands of the people who hanged that girl (last week) is horrifying.
Posted by: David Foster at August 29, 2004 12:36 PM (XUtCY)
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at August 29, 2004 11:05 PM (U3CvV)
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August 23, 2004
PHOTOS
Erik of No Passaran discusses a French photo exhibit that will feature photos from Abu Ghraib but not from the mass graves found in Iraq as part of the "most important photos of the year":
Now I would like you to ask you to take another look at the photo of the father bestowing a final kiss on the dried skull of his son. (It should not escape notice that the place this skeleton was dug up at was the burial grounds ofÂ… Abu Ghraib.)
Which pictures do you think Ghirayer Ali would deem "the most important photos of the year", Monsieur Leroy? Those showing some of hundreds of thousands of murdered Iraqi civilians dug up from the Iraqi sands, including his son at Abu Ghraib, or the snapshots documenting US troops humiliating prisoners (a good portion of which were those who murdered their countrymen in the first place)?
Before I'm accused of catering to base emotionalism, I will take back the question, and ask a more general one: which of the two groups of pictures do you think your average Iraqi would deem "the most important photos of the year", Monsieur Leroy?
I have a lump in my throat from looking at that photo...
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Sarah - that is a stunning photograph. Sad that people are forgetting reality. Luckily MOST Iraqis know better.
Posted by: Kathleen A at August 23, 2004 11:05 AM (vnAYT)
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August 21, 2004
DARK STAR SAFARI
I've been meaning to write about
Dark Star Safari since I finished it, but I just haven't made the time yet. I'm making it now.
Beth recommended this book. Since I read The Power of One last year and went from zero knowledge of South African society to at least a passing level, I thought I'd give Dark Star Safari a try. I know that there's always a lot more to learn about foreign continents.
Beth's review of the book leaned towards the parallels with Iraq:
Reading the book has led me to ponder to comparisons, America and Africa, and Iraq and Africa. Theroux's book could/should serve as a stark warning of some major mistakes that could be made in trying to promote a democracy in Iraq. What it comes down to more than anything else is do the Iraqi's want a true democracy? And if they do, are they willing to go thru the struggle, take the responsibility, and resist those who would hinder the outcome?
That's an interesting parallel to make, one that I had forgotten Beth had made until I looked it up again now. Setting up the conditions for people to be free won't work if the people don't yearn for freedom. Similarly, setting up the conditions for progress won't work if people can't see the big picture.
When I was a French tutor at my college, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: students memorized formulas for putting together hypotheticals. I tried hard to teach them to think of the meaning attached to the hypothetical sentences. I encouraged them to think of what they wanted to say and then use the fitting tenses. They ignored me; the formulas were easier. My students invented intricate mnemonic devices to remember which tenses went together, completely abandoning meaning as a criterion. No matter how many times I tried to explain to them that they should view French as a language and not a math problem, they didn't want to listen. I always saw that chart in our book as the give-a-man-a-fish method: the students couldn't extrapolate from it or do anything that didn't plug neatly into the formula. But the students didn't want the teach-a-man-to-fish method because it was harder than mimicry.
I thought a lot about the giving vs teaching fish proverb while reading Dark Star Safari. Theroux is certainly an Afrophile, but all of his observations, no matter how much he tried to provide context, presented Africa in a horrifying light. Theroux does not sugarcoat the situation; he presents the good with the bad, which is admirable since I'm wont to smell agenda in everything I read. What he taught me is that Africa is a beautiful and mysterious continent that is completely screwed.
The problem Theroux lays out is that the Africans have been given so many fish that they'll never bother to learn to fish: they always know another handout is around the corner. All of the relief workers and foreign aid are killing the African initiative; Theroux relates countless stories of Africans who shrug off problems and say that aid workers will fix it. Foreigners move to Africa, start programs, get run out of town or move on when they get frustrated, and the whole program crumbles and dies. Theroux painted a dismal portrait of the endless cycle of foreign aid and dwindling African spirit. The Africans don't see the big picture of helping themselves, because in the short-run another aid worker will come and do it for them.
Kim du Toit has advocated letting Africa sink. The first time I read his essay, I thought it was too extreme. Now I'm not so sure. I'm not saying I advocate "a high wall around the whole continent, all the guns and bombs in the world for everyone inside" as Kim does, in typical Kim fashion. But I don't see a solution to Africa's deep-rooted problems anywhere on the horizon.
I thought Bill Gates was the height of magnanimity when he gave millions to AIDS in Africa; now it seems like fish-giving at its worst. Throwing money at the problem will not do anything to solve Africa's suffering. I sure can't offer a solution, but I know it ain't money.
Good book. Check it out if you're looking for a depressingly realistic read.
MORE TO GROK:
I forgot that Bunker wrote a similar post (complete with giving/teaching fish idea) back in July. I must've subconsciously plagiarized him...
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A good friend of mine is from Kenya, and when her father visited he was amazed with the simple things in the US like reliable water and electricity, gasoline and grocery stores. He also commented on the scarcity of police presence. This was from a man who lives and works in the capital city of Kenya, not a small town or village.
Individually, I've met many hardworking Africans. As a group, I'm afraid you might be right about the problems and culture. We'll never be able to just walk away, but maybe we should.
Posted by: Ted at August 21, 2004 07:42 AM (ZjSa7)
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Excellent post! I guess for me it comes down to thinking the whole world shares America's work ethic. And while many countries do (and some even kick our butts in it) there are many that don't. I've never understood the mentality of those who shrug their soldiers and accept their miserable lot in life.
Reading your post I was also thinking of the comparisons you could make between Africa and our public education system.
Posted by: Beth at August 21, 2004 12:54 PM (hzXG1)
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I think that alot of places accept their lot in life because that is just how things are. If you live your whole life in a situation, it is normal to you, and not the bleak existence that we might be tempted to think it.
Is Africa the result of world welfare? Are there other areas of the world with the same problems? How has this been overcome in the past, and what have been successful methods of reform?
Posted by: John at August 21, 2004 05:29 PM (+Ysxp)
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John,
It wasn't that long ago that the whole world was like Africa. Life anywhere was miserable, and that was the norm. Freedom as we know it did not exist; it was an idea that had to be created. But some places of the world got out of this rut and others did not. Why? Jared Diamond offers an environmental answer in Guns, Germs, and Steel but I think there is more to it than that. Individuals make decisions that affect others which in turn affect others. The positive chain of decisions that resulted in America originated in the West. But it could have occurred somewhere else. The ability to choose is genetic; the choice itself is not.
As far as I can tell all the places in the world that rose up did so on their own. Japan did not become a world power through global welfare. Within less than a century, it had conquered a large fraction of the Earth - and that was *before* it was occupied and rebuilt! Japan modernized itself.
One ex-colony that has done very well is South Korea. But it paid a terrible price: namely, imperial Japanese oppression.
My view: Let everyone sink and do nothing unless they threaten us (four letters: I-R-A-N).
Posted by: Amritas at August 22, 2004 06:35 AM (vDqr8)
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August 05, 2004
MUSIC
Since dc is so interested in the group of bands that is touring the US supporting Kerry, perhaps he'll be interested in this link via LGF; it seems even commenters on an anti-Bush site want musicians to
shut their yappers.
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These musicians are citizens of these states speaking their minds in a crucial time. God bless them and keep them.
Posted by: dave at August 05, 2004 02:51 AM (Z2J+3)
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Visit :
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at July 28, 2005 05:41 AM (F5OpZ)
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EQUALITY
That war cheerleaders website berated me for saying that I value an American life over a non-American one. So I supposed that site's owner will also berate
this Muslim woman for saying "the blood of a Muslim is for us more precious than the Ka’ba , but the blood of [Paul Johnson] is the blood of a dog because he is an idolatrous infidel.”
But I won't hold my breath waiting for it...
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You should value an American over others, especially the enemy. It's situtational though. I mean who would value Jeffery Dahmer's life over Mother Theresa's?
But all else being equal an American's life IS more important than another's life (at least it should be to all Americans). To the critics valuing the life of your countryman over others in an EXTREMELY limited scenario is wrong, because they don't see that life is broad and that this scenario is limited. It doesn't take into account, say, twenty little girls versus one American girl. We're talking about the answer to a specific question whose answer is based on your morals and ethics. They see the answer as the entirety of your morals and ethics. Don't know why. Perhaps their own morals are simply that limited and they assign their own shortcomings to you.
Kalroy
Posted by: Kalroy at August 06, 2004 09:47 PM (q1aeu)
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July 31, 2004
FAHRENCRAP
I just got back from watching
Fahrencrap 9/11 with some friends; the one husband mailed his bootleg copy from Iraq, so we thought we'd give it a look. I thought I'd have a lot to say after I watched it, but I only have three words for Michael Moore. Boring. As. Hell. Seriously, my friend put it best when she said it was like watching one of those videos in middle school where you knew there would be a quiz but you could barely keep your eyes open. Maybe it was because I've already read so much commentary about the movie, but I found myself looking at my watch a lot. There were a few funny bits that kept us going, but that's not saying much; there were funny bits in
Dude, Where's My Car? too, but it ain't winnin' any awards. I can't believe people had to pay money to see this movie.
Oh, and I could've gone my whole life without hearing Michael Moore say "who's your daddy"...
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I told you about it. How mad were you after the movie? I wonder how good the showing went in Crawford, TX?
Posted by: birdie at July 31, 2004 07:30 PM (ohCKH)
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With over a hundred million in revenues so far and the Cannes Film Festival Award for best picture it seems your opinion is pretty marginal.
Posted by: dc at July 31, 2004 11:34 PM (s6c4t)
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I would hardly say that view is marginal. $100 million in revenue is not chump change, but it doesn't mean it is mainstream either. The level of rhetoric surrounding the debunking of the very same movie demonstrates exactly the opposite. In a world where Nobel prizes are given out as political statements I hardly think a Cannes award lends much credibility.
Posted by: John at August 01, 2004 04:27 AM (+Ysxp)
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dc,
Have you seen the movie? It's the worst documentary I've ever seen. And it's as boring as Sarah said it was. I'm gonna pop it in the dvd player when I can't sleep at night.
Posted by: Bush Lover at August 01, 2004 07:54 AM (fUuNr)
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I did see the movie at a sold out theater in Orange County, CA. I heard the audience laugh, I heard the audience cry, I did not hear any yawns, and at the end the audience rose up in a standing ovation. I have never seen that at a movie before.
I thought the movie was a very effective critique of Bush from a very patriotic point of view.
Posted by: dc at August 01, 2004 11:53 AM (s6c4t)
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dc,
I laughed when I read your poetic desription of the experience you had in that sold out Orange County theater. I don't know what movie you and the other loonies were watching, but I'd like whatever drugs you're on. There's nothing patriotic about bashing our commander in chief jack ass.
Posted by: Bush Lover at August 01, 2004 03:06 PM (+ilId)
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bush lover, you are confused. No one owes loyalty to Bush, he is just a politician trying his best to take care of his elite constituency. We owe our loyalty to America and to the American people. Bush is a terrible president and a terrible commander in chief and it is time he was replaced by someone worthy of those roles. If 'bashing bush' accomplished that task then by all means we should bash bush. But Bush does enough damage by his own actions that nothing I or anyone else can do can make him look any worse.
Posted by: dc at August 01, 2004 08:32 PM (s6c4t)
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America is a whole lot larger and more diverse than orange county CA and it is hardly respresentative of the country as a whole. I saw the same reaction you describe at the end of Saving Private Ryan with one audience, stunned silence and respect from a different audience.
Cheering something does not make it the truth, and sipping the kool-aid is bad for your critical thinking skills.
Posted by: John at August 01, 2004 09:40 PM (crTpS)
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It's been a while since Iv'e seen the movie so may be someone can help me out. What did the dead soldier say in his letter to his mother about Bush? Does anyone one remember?
Posted by: dc at August 02, 2004 12:56 PM (s6c4t)
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Why don't you remind us what the dead soldier said dc? You're the one that had the life-changing experience by watching that piece of crap film.
And unfortunately for you, Bush was elected by the majority of people in the US. If that doesn't earn him some respect, I don't know what will. Since you are so hard on Bush, I'd like to know how much fun you'd be having if Saddam were our president.
Posted by: Bush Lover at August 02, 2004 02:47 PM (cM11/)
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"And unfortunately for you, Bush was elected by the majority of people in the US."
Um. No. NO. NO!
Bush was NOT elected by the majority of the United States. He was NOT elected by a PLURALITY of the United States. He was the RUNNER-UP in the popular vote.
The only reason why Bush is occupying the White House is that states like Wyoming (pop. 500K) get 3 electoral votes while states like Connecticut (pop. 3M) get only eight.
So, Bush was the choice neither of a majority, nor a plurality of Americans.
"If that doesn't earn him some respect, I don't know what will."
How about paying something more than lip service to his so-called "compassionate conservatism?" How about not squandering the good will and respect of the rest of the world? How about testifying before the 9/11 commission without having his hand held by his vice-president?
Those would have been nice starters, but too late for that.
Posted by: Can't win at August 02, 2004 08:08 PM (aQOKC)
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Seeing as how Bush Lover apparently slept through the last election, I seriously doubt he/she even knows the difference between a plurality and a majority. But you're right, Bush had neither. So by his/her logic, doesn't that mean we should have even more respect for Gore, since he did? Whaddya say, Bush Lover, give a shoutout to Gore, who deserves your respect for having won a larger share of the popular vote than Bush. I'll hold my breath.
Posted by: Like anyone cares at August 02, 2004 10:51 PM (u+Iyg)
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DC,
If only 8% of the country has seen the movie (and mathematically, fewer liked it) it seems the voices in opposition have a much larger base.
I wonder were you in the service when you heard the words of the "dead" soldier? I have heard the words of dying servicemen in combat.
If you would like to know what they say, I would be happy to educate you.
I don't want an reluctant warrior and opportunist as this country's C-in-C.
Just drop me line anytime you want, DC, I'll tell you all about what men say in combat.
//JCL
USMC '88-'94
Posted by: jcrue at August 10, 2004 06:51 PM (G9kk0)
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July 26, 2004
MANUAL
My mom let me in on some happenings in P-town: seems one of my high school friends' dads has been voted as principal of a local high school. Big whoop, right? Well, he's white and the high school is predominantly black,
so
Members of the NAACP, Citizens for a Better Peoria and the 'African American Leadership Alliance' held a press conference Friday morning. They say they are concerned about the process by which William Salzman got approved as the new Manual High School principal.
Apparently "local black leaders have complained for months that a core group of board members have discussed district matters in private and without input from the board's two black members." OK. Whitey's getting together in secret and trying to keep the man down. Riiight.
Ross said she's "not one to cry racism" regarding the hiring, but the surprise vote shows a "lack of sensitivity" on the part of some board members.
Lack of sensitivity towards what, exactly? I know I don't know the whole story, but Salzman was already the assistant principal, he received over 100 letters of support from faculty and parents, and the summer is coming to a close and they need a principal.
Why on earth can't a white man effectively principal Manual?
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July 22, 2004
SPITTING
What's with the spitting? I have been known, at the height of my athletic days (read 16 years old), to spit. But to spit
on someone? I'm not sure I could ever do that. (I can barely stand the episode of South Park where the moms are trying to get the kids chicken pox; they make up a game where Kenny spits in Kyle's mouth...ugh.) So how can people
spit on Lance Armstrong? Spitting on someone is the most degrading thing I can think of, and they do this to a man who overcame cancer and is on the way to winning his sixth Tour de France. I'll never understand.
(via Smash)
MORE TO GROK:
And look at this horrible photo.
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Ugh, isn't it terrible? But is it really that surprising? Right off the bat, he's an American, which means they "must" hate him. And then, he is proving what they always suspected (and hated) about the U.S.: that, in almost any way you can think of, Americans are superior.
I don't mean this in a "nyah nyah, we're better" kind of way, I just mean that the American love of freedom and individual achievement allows for Americans to rise to the top of almost any field they attempt.
I hope Mr. Armstrong psyched himself up for this kind of treatment and is capable of transforming
that into more energy to win.
Posted by: Carla at July 22, 2004 10:37 AM (r5M6F)
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i have a handicap brother he can walk and talk he just picked up spitting from some where he spits all over the house all over everything tell me a remedy for this please we have tryed everthing please help me
Posted by: angel at January 16, 2005 07:20 PM (8uBjg)
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I am African American for the time being living in Japan noticed something strange sometimes I encounter older gentlemen who just have to spit when i walk by or sometimes they make that loud sound right behind me and just as they are a few steps in front of me the spit or sometimes if i recognize the face they turn their backs first and then spit trying to find out what gives? have a pretty good Idea but want to know if my idea is correct. any one reading this please reply or send me email. Its not in the travelers guide i checked believe me!!
Posted by: S at March 26, 2005 07:13 PM (hsaZ6)
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July 18, 2004
LORE
This, via Greyhawk, is one of the funniest things I've heard in a while:
I had to pull radio watch in the War Room last night, and somebody left a copy of the April edition of People Magazine there. So on radio watch, I read how Survivors Rob and Amber are in Love, Kelly Osborne is in Rehab, Omaarosa has a suprising past, and how Reese Witherspoon and hubby Ryan Phillippe bought a house in Los Angeles for 4.9 million. And you know what, after reading that magazine, for a split second, I was glad I was here in Iraq, and not back in America.
Hawk talks in the same post about the lore that people spout off as fact, namely that no one is interested in joining the military anymore because of the deployments. I understand that to not be true, even though I've heard several of my students say the same thing. We talk often in our class about avoiding "lore", like Americans are the fattest people on the planet or more black men are in prison than in college. These common-knowledge bullcrap statements are thrown around all the time because people think they could be true and never bother to research them. Same with the enlistment: it seems plausible that people would no longer want to join the military knowing the dangers involved, but it seems that recruitment and retention rates are steady. That article took me ten seconds to find; why don't most people bother to take those ten seconds before they propagate lore?
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Maybe it's a failure of rigorous and critical thinking, with a variety of logical fallacies related to the enumeration of favorable events bolstering deeply held convictions and perceptions that are never examined objectively?
Posted by: Jason at July 18, 2004 09:00 AM (JC8d4)
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It's my experience that what you are kindly calling "lore", Sarah, is really crap. It's crap that is true for them based on their core values--ergo their ego does not allow a reason to research to even "fly by." Often when presented with the real facts ie "Wilson Lied" they still don't get it ie Cleland going ballistic on Bush today--after all he spent hours talking to the man and his opinion is the most important!
Posted by: Pamela Husted at July 20, 2004 04:45 PM (9Clmh)
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uh, if you take a look at your link, the numbers do say that there are more black men in jail than in college.
Posted by: andrew at July 20, 2004 06:38 PM (/VCKQ)
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Andrew, by strict numbers, yes. But comparing the normal age at which men go to college (early 20s) vs the normal age when men are in jail (any possible age) is an unfair comparison...it's skewed.
Posted by: Sarah at July 21, 2004 02:42 AM (CONVd)
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The college population isn't stagnant, there is a lot of turnover, but the same thing is true, especially for drug related crimes, of the prison system. Furthermore, I expect that the vast majority of black men in jail are young, in their 20's. If you want statistics I'll find them. At any rate Sarah, we can break these stats down any way we want, but there is no way around it: that statistic is disturbing as it stands.
Posted by: Andrew at July 21, 2004 05:49 PM (PUFM9)
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July 17, 2004
FINE LINE
There's a strange fine line you walk when you're a white girl who likes rap music. One of my students was writing his paper on the FCC and he wanted to use Eminem as an example of censorship but couldn't think of a good way to work it in. I quoted him a couple of lines from an Eminem song that I thought he could use, and he looked at me in awe: "You know Eminem?" We then talked at length about different rap albums, he made a couple of recommendations that I haven't heard yet, and we had a nice time. He even dared me to teach class in ebonics and encouraged me to use more slang! It was a pretty funny conversation, but it was nice that I never once got the feeling that I was "stealing his culture", which is the feeling I often get when I express interest in rap. I told him I especially enjoy the music for the language and that I can relate a bit to Nelly's Midwest tales, but I know that I certainly can't relate to many of rap's messages the way that he -- a young black kid from NYC -- can. I would never pretend to.
Which is why what John Kerry did at the NAACP looks especially foolish and freaky to me. You can express respect and admiration without making yourself part of the in-group. You can share common ground, but there is a fine line you need to respect.
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Um, no, those last two photos look more like the Tiger Woods "yessss" gesture. Try again, rfidtag.
Posted by: Sarah at July 17, 2004 01:39 PM (vMhet)
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As someone noted on my blog, that particular gesture of Kerry's is a socialist symbol. I agree that the versions your poster mentioned are
"YES!" gestures. No comparison. One is to stick your arm in the air in a fascist fashion, the other is to pump your arm up and down with your elbow bent. It's more of a sports fan gesture.
What makes Kerry's move significant is he was talking to black people and emulating some old 60s symbol to suggest he was "down" with them. This is a whiter than white rich guy who lives in several mansions and has done diddly for poor people other than, what do you know, champion socialist policies.
Posted by: James Hudnall at July 17, 2004 01:56 PM (FV8Tp)
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Actually, the picture of Bush and Franks is exactly what I was going for...the "pump your arm up and down with your elbow bent...sports fan gesture." is exactly what I meant to point out. Hence the "War President" remark.
See, you tried to frame Kerry's gesture as something done only for the benefit of the NAACP...But the pictures of Kerry giving your the "socialist" salute I googled were from events that both predate and were *not* sponsored by the NAACP. Then I introduce a picture of MLK Jr. using a similar gesture (arm extended straight with a fist), and clearly it is debatable whether he was either militant or a socialist.
Then I presented links to Bush and Franks doing a gesture that I think is a silly display of the Warrior Victorious, an embodiment of the Military/Sports mentality of those figures.
I am glad you understood me.
Posted by: rfidtag at July 17, 2004 02:33 PM (/qocr)
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And I stand by my point. This is where I got the picture:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040715/480/px10407151800
Yes, he WAS at a NAACP even. The fact that NAACP president Kweisi Mfume is standing next to him should be a clue.
The MLK picture is nothing like the Kerry picture. MLK is holding a clenched fist to make a point. He isn't raising it up high like the socialist/fascist salute. (the difference between socialist and fascist salutes is the fascists hand their hand open and flat and the socialists made a fist.)
Posted by: James Hudnall at July 17, 2004 04:09 PM (FV8Tp)
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RECYCLING
Bunker wrote about
recycling the other day, and I was reminded of his post this morning when I saw a news clip on the Pentagon Channel here about a recycling program at Ft Knox (no hit on google though). Apparently they're tearing down some old housing, and they've decided to recycle what they can. People in the area are encouraged to come take cabinets, doors, wood, etc while the buildings are still standing. One man interviewed said that he was using the wood to start a new business -- a campsite for kids -- and that he's saved $35,000 so far in supplies from being able to take wood from the recycled buildings. Ft Knox also has saved over $100,000 in not having to pay to dump the materials. Now THAT is a recycling program I completely support, one that pumps money back into the community.
This morning the AFN News channel was on and on about Martha Stewart. I switched over to the Pentagon Channel and caught their news broadcast instead. Top stories: the tale of a group of MPs in Iraq who are transferring duties over to the Iraqi police, the birthday of the Army Rangers, and the recycling program at Ft Knox. Much more interesting, in my opinion, than Martha Stewart.
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Reusing is far more effective than recycling.
Posted by: Mike at July 17, 2004 04:21 PM (tJNpU)
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The recycling program at Ft. Knox is a great idea but not an ideal situation in which to live. The way families in these areas are left to live in very close proximity with half torn buildings for an extended period of time is very dangerous for children. Broken glass inside and out, missing doors and windows, stair wells ripped out, and chunks of sheetrock laying about in an open building sometimes just a couple feet from your front yard where children play is a hassle. If I wasn't stressing about my own little ones wandering off into the building next to me while I ran to pee, I was running off older unattended children playing around and in them. I felt like I could never relax for one second. I even had people coming to collect doors drive their truck through my front yard where my 2 and 3 yr old daughters were playing....looking at us like WE were in THEIR way. This program on Ft. Knox is a terrific idea, but one that needs a little more tweaking I think
Posted by: JJ at July 18, 2004 12:28 AM (8IhJm)
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July 16, 2004
MINORITY
California education chief calls preschooler 'stupid dirty girl'. See also Anger, Boiling over. (via
Allahpundit)
The California State Education Secretary made fun of a little girl's name. The NAACP got involved, saying it never would've happened if the girl were white. Um, the girl is white. And when the NAACP figured that out, they said
"Race is not a factor in this issue," Dymally said in Thursday's statement, adding that Riordan had apologized a second time. "It is time for us to move on."
So the State Education Secretary makes fun of a six year old, and it's no big deal, as long as she's not a minority. For the love of pete.
Reminds me of a story back in high school. Our teacher was calling roll on the first day and came to our Indian friend's name, which she proceeded to make fun of, saying it sounded like the noise you make when you sneeze. He was a little taken aback, but retorted with the funny quip, "Well, at least I'm not a Pollack," since her name was obviously Polish. He was kicked out of class and sent to the Dean. As he got up and walked out of class, he said, in a calm tone I'll never forget, "But you sneezed my name."
Come to think of it, those two stories aren't that related. Well, except that they both involve jackasses.
MORE TO GROK:
My bad: Dymally is not associated with the NAACP. They made ridiculous errors and bad judgement calls independent from one another.
Posted by: Sarah at
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You think Michael Moore is bad...you realize that Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, D-Compton is *not* the NAACP right?
I like your writing style.
Posted by: rfidtag at July 16, 2004 10:55 AM (XxIKf)
Posted by: Sarah at July 17, 2004 02:07 AM (5TFbW)
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"I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land." -- Harriet Tubman
I think it is fascinating that in Stranger in an Strange Land, Robert Heinlein was promoting equality of the sexes, racial equality, and sexual freedom...And here on a site called "Trying to Grok" you are giving me a link to a man named Francis W. Porretto whos is saying that a Martian (our President) would realize the *Truth*:
What are those realities?
All men are not equally strong.
Neither are all nations.
All men are not equally moral.
Neither are all nations.
To treat a weak adversary as if he were as strong as you is to hobble your own powers for no good reason.
To treat an immoral adversary as your moral equal is to hand him a weapon he can use against you -- and he will use it, without restraint or scruple.
These facts would be obvious to a man from Mars -- but how many generations of American politicians have behaved as if their opposites were true?
I wonder if Robert Heinlein would agree?
Posted by: rfidtag at July 17, 2004 11:17 AM (XxIKf)
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July 12, 2004
CLASS
My class this weekend was pretty good. We all thought it would focus on the current terrorist events, but instead the prof mostly lectured about terrorism in the 70s and 80s. It was interesting because I didn't know that much about pre-9/11 terrorism, and it helped me gain better perspective on terrorism as a whole. I appreciated the experience.
And I loved being in class with Soldiers. A long while back I wrote about a professor who was using his class time to discuss his anti-war views, and I thought that active duty soldier students shouldn't have to be exposed to that in a class the military is paying for. However, after this weekend, I trust that Soldiers can hold their own. There were several students who actively challenged the prof when he said things they disagreed with, and there were also two clowns in the back row who were calling bullshit under their breath and mumbling quips about making parking lots. When the prof said things that we didn't agree with -- that Europe's position on the death penalty is much more enlightened than the US's, that al-Qaeda was nothing to be worried about, that we should understand the root causes of the Palestinians' beef -- there was always a hand in the air to voice an opinion. Even though the prof knew his stuff, none of the students simply took his more opinionated statements at face value.
Bunker's back in the building with a great post about the relationship between government and society. There was an interesting, and tangential, moment in class when the prof said that the US was no better than Iran or China for having the death penalty, and that even though roughly 85% of the population supports it, a civilized society would not allow it. He pointed to Europe as being more modern and classy for having banned the death penalty. I went home that night and checked on the stats; I found that support is declining in the US but rising in Europe. (Here's another interesting site.) I just don't see how abolishing something that anywhere from 50 to 70% of people support is a sign of civilization or modernity. Why should a government say, "We know you want this, but we don't think you're capable of making such a grown-up decision so we're just going to decide for you"?
Another thing that came up in class was the "America has no culture" meme. The "American culture is nothing but Coke and Nike and Big Macs" crap. And then the prof said that American culture is no different than European culture. I strongly disagree. (Den Beste's said it all before; see here and here and here and here. And many other places too.) The many problems we're facing today vis a vis alliances and the UN are a direct result of the widening gap between cultures. We're not, as one student jokingly said, "not good enough to be British." We do indeed have a culture that goes beyond Supersize. Just ask Abkow Edow and Madina Idle.
All in all a good experience. Some bits I disagreed with, but for the most part the prof did a good job of just reporting the facts, which is hard to come by in education today.
MORE TO GROK:
David of Rishon Rishon points out two posts on the difference between American and European culture: The Freeholders and Happy Independence Day, USA.
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Hi Sarah!
"American culture is no different than European culture"
I also think European and American culture are very different. What do you think of
this or
this?
Posted by: David Boxenhorn at July 12, 2004 07:58 AM (C3hAo)
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Hey, Sarah--
Those clowns weren't mumbling; they were "sneezing"!
Good to hear that "dumb grunts" can hold their own with sofistecumated perfessers. (I ain't never got no ejucashun--I wuz just a dumb ol' sailor.)
Really, though, today's American Soldier (deliberately cap'ed) is much better informed, and much more passionate vis-a-vis what he is protecting than ever before. Our nation's Citizen Soldiers, both active and reserve, (and I include Airmen, Marines, Sailors, as well as Coast Guardsmen) are the finest, most decent in human history. I thank them all for their commitment to "duty, honor, country". And Ithank all the Sarahs, Tims, and other loved ones who sent their Soldiers into harm's way.
As they tapped to each other in the Hanoi Hilton, "GBY" (God Bless You).
Jim
P.S.--
Noticed Capt Patti is back in Germany; when does yours come home?
Posted by: Jim Shawley at July 12, 2004 03:44 PM (DNY/X)
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Jim, not for a while! We hit Month Five this week, so he's slated to be home next March...if all goes according to plan.
Posted by: Sarah at July 12, 2004 04:01 PM (yObyZ)
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Gosh, Sarah. I'm hitting month five shortly, too, and even with the Marines' shorter deployment times, I feel like it's about freakin' time for Alex to be coming home (maybe in part because he just admitted last week that he'd like some time off).
Well, don't I feel like a whiney baby compared to you (gosh, and Tim!). You're awfully brave.
I just find it hard to reconcile my immediate, personal need, with how I feel rationally about the importance of the mission. Then again, from last time I learned that there are psychological phases for those of us in the rear during the deployment, and this is just one of them.
Still, I think you're handling it better than I. Thanks for being such a good example.
Posted by: Carla at July 13, 2004 02:45 AM (r5M6F)
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July 07, 2004
RIDDLE
Q: What weighs the same as a
rhinoceros but is missing from the homepages of the major news sites?
A: The uranium found in Iraq
RIDDLE #2:
Q. What is the appropriate response to the UN when they whine we didn't ask permission to transport uranium that could be used for dirty bombs?
A. The same response the American delegate made at the UN in South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut when the Canadians condemned the actions taken by American in apprehending Terrance and Phillip.
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Since the administration gave the announcement to the lowly Energy Secretary (instead of having Rumsfeld or Bush crow about it), and it is low grade uranium, it seems that the administration is not even trying to pretend this is "WMD" evidence.
Posted by: bos at July 07, 2004 08:27 AM (WJFwN)
2
there are many industrial and medical uses for radiological material. It can also be used in "dirty bombs" but this stuff is not uranium as you suggest.
Posted by: dave at July 07, 2004 09:40 PM (B1FWn)
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June 24, 2004
GAMES?
I wrote a long time ago about how strange I thought it was to see my cousins playing
Catch Osama in the summer of 2002. But that was nothing compared to seeing these Swedish kids play
Behead Nick Berg.
I just can't think of anything else to say.
MORE TO GROK:
This video, Seeds of Hatred, found in the comments at LGF is worth watching too.
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These kids would probably play Halshugg Svennen (Behead The Swede) if they had only known that's what happened to the cook in al-Khubar.
Posted by: Anders at June 24, 2004 07:43 AM (RWjHO)
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