The facts show that:
- NPR just isn't a dependable, reliable news source any more.
- Corporate and other influences have brought to bear their agendas on NPR.
- They no longer fulfill their public mandate.
- They cater to a select audience.
- They conduct themselves like a commercial operation.
- Their approach is personality-based rather than informational.
- They have fully embraced entertainment and other attention-getting devices in their news shows.
- Their use of consultants and contributors is extremely limited, and is indicative of specific agendas.
- Their interpretation of news stories is also indicative of specific agendas and outlooks.
- Their objectivity and neutrality is extremely questionable.
And that's just a mild, preliminary assessment.
Speaking for myself, NPR is not a valid news source. Rather, it has become a victim of its own dubious development, worthy only of critical observation, but not of serious consideration. Good and helpful offerings still exist on NPR, of course, but the overarching credibility which should be guiding it is gone.
The truth must be sought elsewhere.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Friday, July 13, 2007
This, This Mathew Continetti-Type Person
It's interesting how this dude, recently seen on C-SPAN, not only apes his care-giver Bill 'Howdy-Doody' Kristol's brain waves, he's even been very successful in adopting the same speaking mannerisms. Like, that obvious way he's restraining himself from becoming OVERTLY snotty, but rattling along in that fake-modesty style, hesitating oh-so-slightly, so that he won't come off as too conceited, while trying to act serious at the same time.
I'd like to put in a word about the term 'chickenhawk'. I know that when it is applied to abominations such as this Continetti person, it implies cowardice, and I totally agree. But in the bird world, a chickenhawk is an aggressive hawk that nabs chickens and the like. I prefer SISSYHAWK as a label for this guy. Sissyhawks are aggressive fakes that pride themselves on spewing gobbledegook, but in fact are deeply unhappy people who are inflicting their self-loathing on others with a vengeance. Fat Fluffy Freddie Kagan, who 'designed' the Surge Flop, is another. They tend to be verbally adept, at least by mainstream media standards ('just fill the time slot, baby. Oh, and be fluent . . .') and they attempt techniques of intellectual intimidation.
Matt Continetti - welcome to the media fast lane! And prepare to get seared, roasted, broasted and mocked into obscurity.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Neocon Public Radio Makes Me A Sullen Camper. Or Does It?
Yeah, I know, why subject myself to National Public Radiation when it makes me so, so snarly? Maybe we can dispense with that question for the moment, because I don't have a good answer.
I may have said this before, but I think I have a higher tolerance right now because I have apparently 'evolved'. Not necessarily to a higher plane, but rather to a different stage of some kind. In short, I'm trying to look at NPR, the popular media, and the political scene in general with more of a scientific bent instead of an emotional one. If NPR be a mutating wad of smallpox cells down there in the Petri dish, well, I can certainly hover above it with magnifying glass and an eyedropper of bleach instead of planting my snout right into it and inhaling deeply, can't I? How else could the myriad of progressive observers, from David Corn to Chris Hedges to Noam Chomsky to Juan Cole handle the toxicity? They're scientists, that's how, and they're armed with the proper tools to not only protect themselves, but they're well prepared in keeping certain epidemics at bay. At least they’re trying to.
There's so much excellent and purposeful progressive material out there today, from books and articles to interviews and documentaries, that the right wingers can't keep up with all of it, and they certainly can't prove hardly any of it wrong. They just continue what they've always done: keeping truths obfuscated and keeping the fear up through sensationalism, denial, banal language, and basic lying.
One of the reasons I follow NPR is that it's certainly accessible and convenient. That's why radio found its place in the media world a long time ago. Tech development has essentially topped out, so it's all about content. That's one of the principal reasons why NPR was hijacked by the corporate world, aided and abetted by the neocon superstructure of like-minded groups and individuals. From my slightly-more-than-casual absorption of NPR, I think that neocon interests (a general term, naturally) have appropriated NPR simply because it reaches a demographic group which they covet. We know that neocon theory sprang from academia, but only a small wedge of it. In the 'lunge' mentality of corporate greed, (that wants what it wants and it wants it NOW), the hijacking of NPR has been very effective in wriggling its way into the educated elite of America that still purportedly 'thinks'. For those of you out there who work in academia (or 'academe', as the cooler ones say), how often do you hear 'I heard it on NPR . . .' as opposed to 'I saw it on Fox News . . .'?
Anyway, I get the feeling that neocon interests are very serious about roping in the middle class higher-educated crowd, not so much the frustrated and aging baby boomers (although they're handy for becoming more conservative the older they get), but of course the younger ones, who are infinitely more malleable and comfortable with a 'dumber-downed' society. After all, tomorrow belongs to them.
On the other hand, we could soon encounter a full-blown Iraq Effect, in which a whole damaged generation of young people finds itself compelled to go in different directions than any neocon or corporate entity wants. We shall see what that might entail soon enough, I should think . . .
And now for some petty little NPR-isms from recent mornings:
Saturday: Scott Simon interviewed Al Gore and showed himself to be much cooler than Ozone Man (remember that?) could ever be. I can't imagine squandering an opportunity to have a meaningful interview more. Scottie's in his own world, and more criticism than usual must be getting to him, because he's more and more defensive all the time. I notice that he closed his commentary segment with 'an old friend' singing lyrics about the Chicago Cub(bies) not having won a pennant 'since we dropped the bomb on Japan'. We're supposed to chuckle, of course. 'They chuckle,' Wallace Shawn rightly pointed out, when he was referring to neocons, Bushoids, and other sociopaths, who are so out of touch with reality that Marie Antoinette appears a radical socialist. Like the Wizard of Oz, they chuckle at catastrophe. But as we found out, the Wizard was only a man behind a curtain.
Sunday: Scott Horsely did a piece on Ghouliani in Florida, that was nothing short of a love-fest. To say that the mayor 'stood up to terrorism' as a pat explanation for his virtue to be president, was nothing more than a sycophant's planning ahead to make a bid for the press secretary slot in a Rudy Administration. Ghouliani did nothing that a reasonably competent person in the mayorship wouldn't have done in a 9/11 situation. Nothing. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that he mucked much of it up. Obfuscation . . . keep the fear up . . . wah-de-doo-dah . . .
Doyle McManus from the 'LA Times' is one of many who are STILL making a big deal out of how long Bill Clinton's speeches were. They are still so bemused. Who says Attention Deficit Disorder is limited to little kids? He also referred to the ex-pres as 'too big to hide'. Uh, was he referring to Bill's (much trimmer) physical bulk, or his political standing? Funny! Funny! Droll. But funny! He recited this little quip with a smile on his face, and it had a rather smuggy effect that always seems to -
[INTERJECTION: MY SCIENTIFIC APPROACH EVAPORATES AND MY EMOTIONS OF TURMOIL RETURN WHENEVER I HEAR NPR PERSONS GO ON SPEAKING WHEN THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE A SMILE ON THEIR FACE; THE SELF-PLEASURING THEY ARE INFLICTING ON WE LISTENERS IS NOTHING SHORT OF PERVERSE; I CAN DISSECT THIS ISSUE NO FURTHER NOW - I MUST RETURN TO 'SCIENTIFIC' MODE!!]
Ahem - well, those darn NPR-oids really know how to bug me, don't they? As Bush Senior would say in that slightly delicate way he had, 'Well for heaven's sake!'
Anyway, another thing: NPR's 'FBI Correspondent' Dina Temple-Raston tells Bob Smith about British surveillance cameras. She mentioned that sometimes such cameras can be used for spotting 'hot-looking women' and 'very good-looking' young ladies! She also said that 'the film' in video cameras can be used at evidence. Film/video - get it? Petty, I know.
Comical, though.
Lastly: I get such a kick - in fact, it makes me CHUCKLE - when some reporter or expert is about to deliver or has just delivered his/her spiel on some horrible, horrible subject, (say, Afghan civilians getting blown apart by US - er, NATO - air raids, or somethin' like that . . .) and when they're thanked for their contribution, they say 'My pleasure'. Ah, the pure pleasure of being in the Olympian clouds of today's exciting world of journalism!
- later
I may have said this before, but I think I have a higher tolerance right now because I have apparently 'evolved'. Not necessarily to a higher plane, but rather to a different stage of some kind. In short, I'm trying to look at NPR, the popular media, and the political scene in general with more of a scientific bent instead of an emotional one. If NPR be a mutating wad of smallpox cells down there in the Petri dish, well, I can certainly hover above it with magnifying glass and an eyedropper of bleach instead of planting my snout right into it and inhaling deeply, can't I? How else could the myriad of progressive observers, from David Corn to Chris Hedges to Noam Chomsky to Juan Cole handle the toxicity? They're scientists, that's how, and they're armed with the proper tools to not only protect themselves, but they're well prepared in keeping certain epidemics at bay. At least they’re trying to.
There's so much excellent and purposeful progressive material out there today, from books and articles to interviews and documentaries, that the right wingers can't keep up with all of it, and they certainly can't prove hardly any of it wrong. They just continue what they've always done: keeping truths obfuscated and keeping the fear up through sensationalism, denial, banal language, and basic lying.
One of the reasons I follow NPR is that it's certainly accessible and convenient. That's why radio found its place in the media world a long time ago. Tech development has essentially topped out, so it's all about content. That's one of the principal reasons why NPR was hijacked by the corporate world, aided and abetted by the neocon superstructure of like-minded groups and individuals. From my slightly-more-than-casual absorption of NPR, I think that neocon interests (a general term, naturally) have appropriated NPR simply because it reaches a demographic group which they covet. We know that neocon theory sprang from academia, but only a small wedge of it. In the 'lunge' mentality of corporate greed, (that wants what it wants and it wants it NOW), the hijacking of NPR has been very effective in wriggling its way into the educated elite of America that still purportedly 'thinks'. For those of you out there who work in academia (or 'academe', as the cooler ones say), how often do you hear 'I heard it on NPR . . .' as opposed to 'I saw it on Fox News . . .'?
Anyway, I get the feeling that neocon interests are very serious about roping in the middle class higher-educated crowd, not so much the frustrated and aging baby boomers (although they're handy for becoming more conservative the older they get), but of course the younger ones, who are infinitely more malleable and comfortable with a 'dumber-downed' society. After all, tomorrow belongs to them.
On the other hand, we could soon encounter a full-blown Iraq Effect, in which a whole damaged generation of young people finds itself compelled to go in different directions than any neocon or corporate entity wants. We shall see what that might entail soon enough, I should think . . .
And now for some petty little NPR-isms from recent mornings:
Saturday: Scott Simon interviewed Al Gore and showed himself to be much cooler than Ozone Man (remember that?) could ever be. I can't imagine squandering an opportunity to have a meaningful interview more. Scottie's in his own world, and more criticism than usual must be getting to him, because he's more and more defensive all the time. I notice that he closed his commentary segment with 'an old friend' singing lyrics about the Chicago Cub(bies) not having won a pennant 'since we dropped the bomb on Japan'. We're supposed to chuckle, of course. 'They chuckle,' Wallace Shawn rightly pointed out, when he was referring to neocons, Bushoids, and other sociopaths, who are so out of touch with reality that Marie Antoinette appears a radical socialist. Like the Wizard of Oz, they chuckle at catastrophe. But as we found out, the Wizard was only a man behind a curtain.
Sunday: Scott Horsely did a piece on Ghouliani in Florida, that was nothing short of a love-fest. To say that the mayor 'stood up to terrorism' as a pat explanation for his virtue to be president, was nothing more than a sycophant's planning ahead to make a bid for the press secretary slot in a Rudy Administration. Ghouliani did nothing that a reasonably competent person in the mayorship wouldn't have done in a 9/11 situation. Nothing. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that he mucked much of it up. Obfuscation . . . keep the fear up . . . wah-de-doo-dah . . .
Doyle McManus from the 'LA Times' is one of many who are STILL making a big deal out of how long Bill Clinton's speeches were. They are still so bemused. Who says Attention Deficit Disorder is limited to little kids? He also referred to the ex-pres as 'too big to hide'. Uh, was he referring to Bill's (much trimmer) physical bulk, or his political standing? Funny! Funny! Droll. But funny! He recited this little quip with a smile on his face, and it had a rather smuggy effect that always seems to -
[INTERJECTION: MY SCIENTIFIC APPROACH EVAPORATES AND MY EMOTIONS OF TURMOIL RETURN WHENEVER I HEAR NPR PERSONS GO ON SPEAKING WHEN THEY OBVIOUSLY HAVE A SMILE ON THEIR FACE; THE SELF-PLEASURING THEY ARE INFLICTING ON WE LISTENERS IS NOTHING SHORT OF PERVERSE; I CAN DISSECT THIS ISSUE NO FURTHER NOW - I MUST RETURN TO 'SCIENTIFIC' MODE!!]
Ahem - well, those darn NPR-oids really know how to bug me, don't they? As Bush Senior would say in that slightly delicate way he had, 'Well for heaven's sake!'
Anyway, another thing: NPR's 'FBI Correspondent' Dina Temple-Raston tells Bob Smith about British surveillance cameras. She mentioned that sometimes such cameras can be used for spotting 'hot-looking women' and 'very good-looking' young ladies! She also said that 'the film' in video cameras can be used at evidence. Film/video - get it? Petty, I know.
Comical, though.
Lastly: I get such a kick - in fact, it makes me CHUCKLE - when some reporter or expert is about to deliver or has just delivered his/her spiel on some horrible, horrible subject, (say, Afghan civilians getting blown apart by US - er, NATO - air raids, or somethin' like that . . .) and when they're thanked for their contribution, they say 'My pleasure'. Ah, the pure pleasure of being in the Olympian clouds of today's exciting world of journalism!
- later
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Spending The 4th At NPR
I was half asleep when NPR did their patriotic duty and divvied up the Declaration of Independence for recitation amongst its usual all-stars. They read their bits with a self-importance that was, well, very NPR-like. Predictable, to say the least.
Anyway, a friend of mine, who listened more carefully than I did, noted that many of the complaints about George III, which make up much of the Declaration, can be handily applied to our own modern day (King) George. She wondered if some of the readers, judging from the tone of their voices, were picking up on this irony. Could there be a few covert 'liberals' at NPR, who exercise their subversive agendas by injecting a little sly 'satire' here and there?
It was all an early morning blur. Truth to tell, I was subconsciously distracted by the term 'Nina Totenbag', which was, I think, being marketed before all those references to the Kings George.
One admirable moment occurred amidst this dreary NPR soup. A marine who'd been in Iraq read his poem, 'The Cat'. It was simple, moving and profound in its anti-war message. After he finished the reading, all empty-headed Renee said was, 'Thank you for reading that.' Her use of the word 'that' to refer to this sensitive and powerful poem struck me as dismissive rather than appreciative. I guess this awkwardness was better than having her make some banal comment. Better to be left with the poem's power, and its message than to be returned to NPReality, with a thud. The inevitable musical interlude (which are more obnoxiously pushy than they used to be, no doubt to attract hipper listeners) accomplished that task without any voice pollution.
It was a few days before the 4th, but I can't leave off without commenting on Scott Simon's eagerly-anticipated return to Weekend Edition Saturday. We knew he'd have something to say about the joys of being an adoptive dad for the second time. We knew that it would be syrupy, perhaps intolerably so. We were right. Only Scottie can turn something wonderful into something so - so, I don't know - repulsive.
One good thing about Morning Edition: it's all over by 8AM at the latest. You can get on with your day with a spring in your step because, by surviving it, you actually dodge a bullet. You didn't commit some act of rage or crack open a bottle of Smirnoff as means of reaction or escape. You simply walk away.
Anyway, a friend of mine, who listened more carefully than I did, noted that many of the complaints about George III, which make up much of the Declaration, can be handily applied to our own modern day (King) George. She wondered if some of the readers, judging from the tone of their voices, were picking up on this irony. Could there be a few covert 'liberals' at NPR, who exercise their subversive agendas by injecting a little sly 'satire' here and there?
It was all an early morning blur. Truth to tell, I was subconsciously distracted by the term 'Nina Totenbag', which was, I think, being marketed before all those references to the Kings George.
One admirable moment occurred amidst this dreary NPR soup. A marine who'd been in Iraq read his poem, 'The Cat'. It was simple, moving and profound in its anti-war message. After he finished the reading, all empty-headed Renee said was, 'Thank you for reading that.' Her use of the word 'that' to refer to this sensitive and powerful poem struck me as dismissive rather than appreciative. I guess this awkwardness was better than having her make some banal comment. Better to be left with the poem's power, and its message than to be returned to NPReality, with a thud. The inevitable musical interlude (which are more obnoxiously pushy than they used to be, no doubt to attract hipper listeners) accomplished that task without any voice pollution.
It was a few days before the 4th, but I can't leave off without commenting on Scott Simon's eagerly-anticipated return to Weekend Edition Saturday. We knew he'd have something to say about the joys of being an adoptive dad for the second time. We knew that it would be syrupy, perhaps intolerably so. We were right. Only Scottie can turn something wonderful into something so - so, I don't know - repulsive.
One good thing about Morning Edition: it's all over by 8AM at the latest. You can get on with your day with a spring in your step because, by surviving it, you actually dodge a bullet. You didn't commit some act of rage or crack open a bottle of Smirnoff as means of reaction or escape. You simply walk away.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
And Paul Came Once More Unto His Homeland
From the World Bank to the American Enterprise Institute, Wolfie now hangs his comb amongst hearty comrades.
The AEI: where homely, unsavory ersatz 'intellectuals' can gather, pose, preen, and indulge in their fascist fantasies, realizing them through mafia tactics via bozos like Dubya & Co., who are easy pushovers as far as the neocons are concerned. The stupefying egotism of Wolfie and his kind truly smacks of delusional grandeur. Like Hitler (everyone's favorite Worst Person Ever comparison), the neocons' 'philosophy' remains mired in primitive mediocrity, where banal and recessive 'theorizing', based on sullen revenge and greed, is grossly mistaken for forward-thinking preservation and protection policy.
Watch out: now Paulie can collude with Fat Fluffy Freddy Kagan (the bestest-selling 'author' of The Surge), on their next Excellent Psychopathic Adventure: to take a dump in Ahmadinejad's private toilet, and then order the former President of Iran to flush it. Think of the glory!
Would you buy a used war from this man?:
http://www.aei.org/scholars/filter.all,scholarID.99/scholar.asp
Cute, ain't he? And so well-spoken, too! I hope he and Paul don't get too jealous of one another. The business of dictating policy to the Bushoids probably gets pretty rivalrous sometimes. But hell, Paul's got so much experience under his belt (which supports hidden body armor at all times), he'll no doubt outclass Fat Freddy every time.
You CAN go home again, Paul. Come, take up the President's ear once again, and change the world!
The AEI: where homely, unsavory ersatz 'intellectuals' can gather, pose, preen, and indulge in their fascist fantasies, realizing them through mafia tactics via bozos like Dubya & Co., who are easy pushovers as far as the neocons are concerned. The stupefying egotism of Wolfie and his kind truly smacks of delusional grandeur. Like Hitler (everyone's favorite Worst Person Ever comparison), the neocons' 'philosophy' remains mired in primitive mediocrity, where banal and recessive 'theorizing', based on sullen revenge and greed, is grossly mistaken for forward-thinking preservation and protection policy.
Watch out: now Paulie can collude with Fat Fluffy Freddy Kagan (the bestest-selling 'author' of The Surge), on their next Excellent Psychopathic Adventure: to take a dump in Ahmadinejad's private toilet, and then order the former President of Iran to flush it. Think of the glory!
Would you buy a used war from this man?:
http://www.aei.org/scholars/filter.all,scholarID.99/scholar.asp
Cute, ain't he? And so well-spoken, too! I hope he and Paul don't get too jealous of one another. The business of dictating policy to the Bushoids probably gets pretty rivalrous sometimes. But hell, Paul's got so much experience under his belt (which supports hidden body armor at all times), he'll no doubt outclass Fat Freddy every time.
You CAN go home again, Paul. Come, take up the President's ear once again, and change the world!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Coming To The Vast Sudan: NeoCon NeoColonialism!
II
-
Just another observation about Gwen Thompkins' Amero-centric expectations. She seemed incredulous that no one in a small town in Sudan (that she talked to) was familiar with jazz music.
Hell, I was talking to an all-American 20 year-old student the other day, and I happened to mention Jerry Lewis (the still-active comedian, not the congressman). 'Who's that?' they replied. I also heard of a survey that was taken in the UK in which it was found that more young people were familiar with Sinatra than they were with Mick Jagger. The Info Age has its quirks!
Naive Amero-centrics are always blown away when they find their much-vaunted culture isn't quite as widespread as they thought it was. That aside, there is a subtext that I get from Thompkins' reports. It creaks of neo-con colonialism. These benighted people do not have jazz. We will bring it to them. They do not have democracy. We will bring it to them. Whether they want it or not, because we know best.
Additionally, there is another factor regarding Sudan. I read in Robert Young Pelton's 'The World's Most Dangerous Places' that Sudan is sitting on a vast reserve of oil. If that's true, get set for another neo-con petri dish to be opened up.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
NPR: A Place For Fun-Loving Prigs...and Others
I must vent!
My Reprehensible Reporting Award of the Month (soon it will be 'of the Day', then 'of the Hour'...) goes to: Gwen Thompkins. Famous for her genial and chucklesome reports from that Annexation-In-Waiting to the Axis of Evil, Sudan, I was truly disgusted with her comic book portrayal this morning of a security conference in Khartoum. Readers can hear it for themselves on today's Morning Edition website, because there's no reason to describe it all here. She tries to be funny (why is EVERYONE trying to be FUNNY these days??) by waxing wry about a few things (and playful, too!), then, with all the inconsistency of a Dan Quayle speech, decides when to be properly sober, just to satisfy the NPR quota for 'seriousness' as an appropriate tone for a report from a 'serious' part of the world - you know, Darfur and all that stuff...
Predictably, this excreta was set up by Steev 'n Renayy, with all the self-amused priggishness to be found in many of their white yuppie/baby-boomer listeners.
To me they were communicating something like: 'Now, get a load of what those bozos in icky Sudan are up to! It's quite amusing...'
My dog vomits up far more acceptable discharge than this brain-dead 'infotainment'.
In the same show, I was reminded yet again how limited the range of demographics of the NPR listenship is (that's GOOD, isn't it?). Even though NPR boasts of getting letters/call-ins from truck driver types, I can't conceive of it being of much use to blue collar listeners. NPR has always been content to write them off to the nether realms of talk radio, while preferring to woo persons of higher quality - and income.
At any rate, there was a segment about what to do about having a new boss in the workplace. Nothing too terrible in itself, but it was so blithely exclusive as far as its audience was concerned (upper echelon office types), it was just another example of NPR's self-absorbed aspirations. But at the end of the piece, after one of Steav's jackass-laughing fits, he makes a bid to remind us that NPR is still of The People when he announces that Terry Semel of Yahoo's salary last year was in the 70 millions, and the implication was 'that's rather excessive'.
End of venting. Thank you for your patience, understanding - and pity.
My Reprehensible Reporting Award of the Month (soon it will be 'of the Day', then 'of the Hour'...) goes to: Gwen Thompkins. Famous for her genial and chucklesome reports from that Annexation-In-Waiting to the Axis of Evil, Sudan, I was truly disgusted with her comic book portrayal this morning of a security conference in Khartoum. Readers can hear it for themselves on today's Morning Edition website, because there's no reason to describe it all here. She tries to be funny (why is EVERYONE trying to be FUNNY these days??) by waxing wry about a few things (and playful, too!), then, with all the inconsistency of a Dan Quayle speech, decides when to be properly sober, just to satisfy the NPR quota for 'seriousness' as an appropriate tone for a report from a 'serious' part of the world - you know, Darfur and all that stuff...
Predictably, this excreta was set up by Steev 'n Renayy, with all the self-amused priggishness to be found in many of their white yuppie/baby-boomer listeners.
To me they were communicating something like: 'Now, get a load of what those bozos in icky Sudan are up to! It's quite amusing...'
My dog vomits up far more acceptable discharge than this brain-dead 'infotainment'.
In the same show, I was reminded yet again how limited the range of demographics of the NPR listenship is (that's GOOD, isn't it?). Even though NPR boasts of getting letters/call-ins from truck driver types, I can't conceive of it being of much use to blue collar listeners. NPR has always been content to write them off to the nether realms of talk radio, while preferring to woo persons of higher quality - and income.
At any rate, there was a segment about what to do about having a new boss in the workplace. Nothing too terrible in itself, but it was so blithely exclusive as far as its audience was concerned (upper echelon office types), it was just another example of NPR's self-absorbed aspirations. But at the end of the piece, after one of Steav's jackass-laughing fits, he makes a bid to remind us that NPR is still of The People when he announces that Terry Semel of Yahoo's salary last year was in the 70 millions, and the implication was 'that's rather excessive'.
End of venting. Thank you for your patience, understanding - and pity.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Distillation of Truth: The Flowering of the American Empire
You can see how a certain element in the American culture is fascinated and seduced by Empire. The glory of it all, just the idea of it, not the realities - that's what hooks people. As Chalmers Johnson said, America is sacrificing its democracy for Empire.
'Hermetically sealed' bases within Iraq for decades to come will fool dumbed-down Americans into the notion that we aren't REALLY an empire. Beware the terms bandied about. A big part of the crap shoot of the Bush Administration is that they're going for Empire NOW, before someone else gets the prizes. I think that was a BIG incentive behind invading Iraq, not the laughable Wolfowitless ‘idealism’ of bringing democracy to the benighted or the WMD burlesque…
Call me ‘over the top’, but are they kidding with this crap . . . ?
'Hermetically sealed' bases within Iraq for decades to come will fool dumbed-down Americans into the notion that we aren't REALLY an empire. Beware the terms bandied about. A big part of the crap shoot of the Bush Administration is that they're going for Empire NOW, before someone else gets the prizes. I think that was a BIG incentive behind invading Iraq, not the laughable Wolfowitless ‘idealism’ of bringing democracy to the benighted or the WMD burlesque…
Call me ‘over the top’, but are they kidding with this crap . . . ?
Friday, April 27, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Post Mortem on Juan's Love-Cuddle With Junior
It's as if all the little biggies at NPR News have signed onto Junior's porno program with drooling relish. The love fest is just too intoxicating. Tipsy with corporate capital, they're just too drunk with power to realize that they have unabashedly hopped on to the doomed caravan so late, so very late in the Bush Era. How else could such insipid performances on such a wide scale be explained?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Juan Williams Interviews the Blessed One on NPR
Leaving aside all the factors of what this interview SHOULD have been, (and it should have been an opportunity for somebody really bold to nail Bush's ass on every issue) it is nevertheless a considerable example of just how good our boy Junior has gotten at posing in the presidenting act. Not only has he long been able to buddy up one on one, he has also been able to refine his conversational parrying to and fro. It is breathtaking what progress that boy has made. Some of his responses were downright reminiscent of a (get ready) Henry James paragraph-sentence. Could it be that he genuinely impresses the interviewer who happens to be in his presence, so that said interviewer, expecting a true dumbo, discovers Bush to be surprisingly adept at verbal rattling, and so they are defused from asking the tough, intelligent questions, and instead get derailed onto a sidetrack of superficiality, causing the Pres to 'win'. . . ? Why is his decorum so powerful? I noticed that Andy Rooney let fly a complaint yesterday on '60 Minutes' that the Pres can't even say 'nuclear' properly, yet here's poor, pathetic, overrated Juan Williams, taking the Pres to heavy task on his saying 'Democrat Congress' in the SOTU, and even gets him to utter an 'official' statement, saying that he can't pronounce certain words very well, yet drops the ball on this and every other opportunity . . . Well, that's not very accessible or helpful journalism, because the timidity in the face of the Throned One is too great for truth to prevail. I happen to know a woman who, when she lived in Texas, got to talk with the then governor at a benefit in which he appeared. The two talked for over an hour. And because of that - because he deigned to talk to a commoner one on one for over an hour at a public function - the woman I know was exalted. She felt so cared-for, so attended-to. And now, years later, Bush is still able to work his wonders on people who should know better. Question: Bush may have a knack of yak, but is it so formidible that NPR wimps can't stand up to it? Answer: why should they stand up to it when they are perfectly happy to go along with it?
Monday, January 22, 2007
Mara Rage #723
When is someone going to pull up Mara Liasson's turtleneck collar, so that not only her turkey-neck is concealed, but that her trap will be shut as well?
Who the hell likes her? Who thinks she's funny? Or witty? Why does she have to talk in that self-amused, slime-filled, jelly-masticating rattle-babble, that is so blatantly skewed against Democrats and Whigs, despite her alleged 'center-left' stance? Why, why, WHY??
I know, I know, this is 'NPR Loathing 101', but I listen to her in horror, and I know I can turn the radio off, but - wait, I don't want Mara to know that she has this power over me! I know she enjoys it! OK, I'm better now. Her segment is over - for now. But, but, why can't she just stay at Fox, where she's the token gal amongst Bill 'Howdy Doody' Kristol, Brit ‘Lurch’ Hume, et al. At least in their company she can't compete, so she's just boring, what with her time-filling blah-blah-blah and attention-starved pop-eyed grimaces.
End of Mara Rage #723.
Who the hell likes her? Who thinks she's funny? Or witty? Why does she have to talk in that self-amused, slime-filled, jelly-masticating rattle-babble, that is so blatantly skewed against Democrats and Whigs, despite her alleged 'center-left' stance? Why, why, WHY??
I know, I know, this is 'NPR Loathing 101', but I listen to her in horror, and I know I can turn the radio off, but - wait, I don't want Mara to know that she has this power over me! I know she enjoys it! OK, I'm better now. Her segment is over - for now. But, but, why can't she just stay at Fox, where she's the token gal amongst Bill 'Howdy Doody' Kristol, Brit ‘Lurch’ Hume, et al. At least in their company she can't compete, so she's just boring, what with her time-filling blah-blah-blah and attention-starved pop-eyed grimaces.
End of Mara Rage #723.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Condi Is A Flop
There is little doubt that Condi is a failure as Sec. of State. That is, in conventional terms. As a tool of the Bush Machine she is, admittedly, a success in taking her orders from Chief Martial Law Administrator Cheney, like a good overrated girl.
None other than the ever-reliable Bob Novak points out that State is a mess under her genius leadership:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/
AR2007011002021.html
Regarding Ahmadinejad's state of mind, as revealed by our thoughtful Julie McCarthy on NPR as the US being his 'bitter enemy', it's another example of the Bush Machine's too-perfect packaging of 'evil' enemies. NPR loves to suck up to such opportunities; not much incentive to look past the BS shoveled in their direction. Most of the duds at NPR have about as much imagination as a dried up slug. Of course, this is typical of the mainstream media, where if a reporter gets truly investigative these days, they'll be written off as a conspiracy theorist. Julie wants to keep her comfy gig.
Speaking of theories, I hope I don't risk offense by suggesting that it's not too far out to think that Ahmadinejad just might be on the US payroll in order to agitate matters, so as to 'justify' a US invasion/intervention. After all, Saddam was our man in Baghdad for years, though he didn't stay bought, as Bill Clinton would say. Chavez, that other nasty bogeyman, is too smart to suck up. He can smell sulfur more than a kilometer away. That's what bugs the BM (Bush Machine) so much.
And there is this: the fact that Chairman Mao & Co. embraced US overtures to China as quickly as they did, especially after more than two decades of demonization, is plenty of evidence that nations want deals instead of wars. The Chinese had long been terrified of a US invasion.
Engaging Iran would be just about the simplest and least complicated gesture the US could make right now.
But as we know, the BM does not want a cooperative Iran as it exists now. The BM wants an Iran remade in its own choice of image.
None other than the ever-reliable Bob Novak points out that State is a mess under her genius leadership:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/10/
AR2007011002021.html
Regarding Ahmadinejad's state of mind, as revealed by our thoughtful Julie McCarthy on NPR as the US being his 'bitter enemy', it's another example of the Bush Machine's too-perfect packaging of 'evil' enemies. NPR loves to suck up to such opportunities; not much incentive to look past the BS shoveled in their direction. Most of the duds at NPR have about as much imagination as a dried up slug. Of course, this is typical of the mainstream media, where if a reporter gets truly investigative these days, they'll be written off as a conspiracy theorist. Julie wants to keep her comfy gig.
Speaking of theories, I hope I don't risk offense by suggesting that it's not too far out to think that Ahmadinejad just might be on the US payroll in order to agitate matters, so as to 'justify' a US invasion/intervention. After all, Saddam was our man in Baghdad for years, though he didn't stay bought, as Bill Clinton would say. Chavez, that other nasty bogeyman, is too smart to suck up. He can smell sulfur more than a kilometer away. That's what bugs the BM (Bush Machine) so much.
And there is this: the fact that Chairman Mao & Co. embraced US overtures to China as quickly as they did, especially after more than two decades of demonization, is plenty of evidence that nations want deals instead of wars. The Chinese had long been terrified of a US invasion.
Engaging Iran would be just about the simplest and least complicated gesture the US could make right now.
But as we know, the BM does not want a cooperative Iran as it exists now. The BM wants an Iran remade in its own choice of image.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Yakkings of Melmoth
NPR Knows How To Handle Hugo Chavez & Co
I find it difficult not to be crabby about NPR's frequent smirking over something like the recent (9/19-20/06) UN speeches by world leaders. In reviewing Hugo Chavez' fan-mucking-tastic screed at the Bush Machine's accomplishments (9/20/06), it was obvious that 'All Things Considered's Melissa Block's mouth was curved into a smug little smile for the whole duration of the piece, and her voice had a tone and inflexion far more comfortable with a garden party story. So that's how she handled it. Her voice betrayed the triteness of her own condescension. The only good thing was that we didn't have to suffer through Robert Siegel's tut-tutting. So much of prime-show NPR is becoming unlistenable to me. Their on-air talent has either been around too long (i.e. Cory Flintoff STILL sounds like he's a middle school nerd trying to prove himself) or they're just plain terrible (Jack Speer reading the news!). Of course, they all take themselves so seriously that their opinions of themselves and their enterprise could not possibly be anything but self-congratulatory. Yet they're still the only viable alternative game in town as far as convenience is concerned.
As far as Chavez's speech is concerned, it was certainly a burlesque. But supposedly sober, supposedly upright (but terminally bozo) characters like John Bolton may wish to learn that the Latin American world-view often integrates literary and theatrical techniques, sometimes involving 'low-brow' or surrealistic humor to make very serious points. I cite G. Garcia Marquez, Reinaldo Arenas, and J.L. Borges as masters and practitioners of this approach. NPR might have attempted to explore this angle, but I guess they were just too cool to bother.
The conservative corporate influence has its protruding dangerous instruments poised at, near, or within every orifice and sphincter associated with the body of NPR, and that fact is certainly an embarrassment, but an unavoidable fact.
There is hope: there IS life after NPR. Stay tuned.
I find it difficult not to be crabby about NPR's frequent smirking over something like the recent (9/19-20/06) UN speeches by world leaders. In reviewing Hugo Chavez' fan-mucking-tastic screed at the Bush Machine's accomplishments (9/20/06), it was obvious that 'All Things Considered's Melissa Block's mouth was curved into a smug little smile for the whole duration of the piece, and her voice had a tone and inflexion far more comfortable with a garden party story. So that's how she handled it. Her voice betrayed the triteness of her own condescension. The only good thing was that we didn't have to suffer through Robert Siegel's tut-tutting. So much of prime-show NPR is becoming unlistenable to me. Their on-air talent has either been around too long (i.e. Cory Flintoff STILL sounds like he's a middle school nerd trying to prove himself) or they're just plain terrible (Jack Speer reading the news!). Of course, they all take themselves so seriously that their opinions of themselves and their enterprise could not possibly be anything but self-congratulatory. Yet they're still the only viable alternative game in town as far as convenience is concerned.
As far as Chavez's speech is concerned, it was certainly a burlesque. But supposedly sober, supposedly upright (but terminally bozo) characters like John Bolton may wish to learn that the Latin American world-view often integrates literary and theatrical techniques, sometimes involving 'low-brow' or surrealistic humor to make very serious points. I cite G. Garcia Marquez, Reinaldo Arenas, and J.L. Borges as masters and practitioners of this approach. NPR might have attempted to explore this angle, but I guess they were just too cool to bother.
The conservative corporate influence has its protruding dangerous instruments poised at, near, or within every orifice and sphincter associated with the body of NPR, and that fact is certainly an embarrassment, but an unavoidable fact.
There is hope: there IS life after NPR. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
The Yakkings of Melmoth
A SPIN, WITH VOLGAMATIC TRANSMISSION
The scene spun out like this:
Dubya: How the f@*% d'ya steer this Commiemobile?
Vlad: Mistr Prayseedawnt, has forklift-style stee-reeng box.
Dubya: How the f@*% d'ya shift it?
Vlad: Has Stalin-o-matic drive.
Dubya: Holy f@*%! Y'mean the Leader and Teacher hisselfs drove this
here rig, Vladimur?
Vlad: (lying, as it seems to please the President) You bet you, Mistr
Prayseedawnt.
Dubya: Can't wait to get the f@*% back to my Suburban!
Vlad: (in post-Soviet Russian, to the press outside) Poor Mistr Boosch.
He is how you say, baby-coddled with the GM autos.
Dubya: Hey Vladimur, kin you f@*%ing do me a favour?
Vlad: Anything, Mistr Prayseedawnt.
Dubya: Well, y'know, cuz Poppy won the Kold Worr an' all, I uh,
promised him that when I'd finally driven Joey Stalin's car in triumph,
with you ridin' shotgun so's you're humiliated in front of all your
Commie friends, I promised Poppy that I'd take a dump in Joey's crapper,
too, jes for good measure. And hey, YOU get to f@*%ing flush! Can we go
over there now?
Vlad: But of course Mistr Prayseedawnt. Take 'left' turn up ahead. 'Get
it'? (laughs)
Dubya: (a tad dim in picking up on Vlad's wry wit in roasting him with
a little post-Leninist-Marxist humour) OK. I can't wait no longer. This
is gonna be a the f@*%ing highlight of this here joyride.
Vlad: (as former head of KGB, Vlad knows that all Kremlin toilets are
equipped with spy-cams; he whips out his Nokia and, in deepest Russian,
requests for the Josef Stalin Memorial Sanitary Pedistal Stall to be
dolled up for the President's imminent arrival, and that spy-cam access
be opened up to the international media) I totally agree, Mistr
Prayseedawnt.
The Yakkings of Melmoth
The Yakkings of Melmoth
Continuing our series of celeb affairs, none other than Angela Davis
appeared here on campus for a lecture. I remember seeing her in her more
radical days, in 1976, when I worked at the Paramutual. Speaking of V.I.
Lenin, she was appearing there as candidate for Richard X. Chaenei's
office on the Commonist Party ticket, with the legendary Gus 'I'm Just
Like Brezhnev' Hall going for the Pres slot. I thought she was brilliant
back then, and she is even more so now. She gave a wonderful talk about
corporations and globalism. Ronnuld Wilson Raygun had her framed in a
preposterous bogus case, of which she was exonerated (no one ever said
they were even sorry), and as a consequence, Jay Ed Hoov put her on the
FIB's 10 Most Wanted. She is utterly without any bitterness on her own
behalf though, and is not burdoned with an ego. She is totally cool.
The Yakkings of Melmoth
appeared here on campus for a lecture. I remember seeing her in her more
radical days, in 1976, when I worked at the Paramutual. Speaking of V.I.
Lenin, she was appearing there as candidate for Richard X. Chaenei's
office on the Commonist Party ticket, with the legendary Gus 'I'm Just
Like Brezhnev' Hall going for the Pres slot. I thought she was brilliant
back then, and she is even more so now. She gave a wonderful talk about
corporations and globalism. Ronnuld Wilson Raygun had her framed in a
preposterous bogus case, of which she was exonerated (no one ever said
they were even sorry), and as a consequence, Jay Ed Hoov put her on the
FIB's 10 Most Wanted. She is utterly without any bitterness on her own
behalf though, and is not burdoned with an ego. She is totally cool.
The Yakkings of Melmoth
The Yakkings of Melmoth
Bush-y Moustache is on the mat. Personally, I hope he gets into the UN
position, if for nothing else because his subsequent boorish berhaviour
(which will no doubt include throwing staplers at any number of
delegates from sub-Saharan African nations) will show the world what
radicals the Cartel really are. I'd love to see him make a complete and
utter bozo of hisself on, as the Bush Twins would say, 'LIVE TV!!', or
else he will be completely and utterly emasculated and humiliated by the
constraints of the office, and will wobble off into private life, in
need of Viagra I-V boosts in order to just keep his Bushy lip brush from
falling out. The latter will no doubt satisfy Condi's housecleaning
obsessions most thoroughly.
'But in Iraq, which already had a secular state, we have the additional
complication of sectarian/ethnic divisions -- your Sunnis, your Shiites,
your Kurds -- not to mention, the tribalism within those divisions. (Am
I bitter enough to point out once again that Paul Wolfowitz said under
oath, "There is no history of ethnic strife in Iraq"? You bet your ass I
am.)' - Molly Ivins
The Yakkings of Melmoth
position, if for nothing else because his subsequent boorish berhaviour
(which will no doubt include throwing staplers at any number of
delegates from sub-Saharan African nations) will show the world what
radicals the Cartel really are. I'd love to see him make a complete and
utter bozo of hisself on, as the Bush Twins would say, 'LIVE TV!!', or
else he will be completely and utterly emasculated and humiliated by the
constraints of the office, and will wobble off into private life, in
need of Viagra I-V boosts in order to just keep his Bushy lip brush from
falling out. The latter will no doubt satisfy Condi's housecleaning
obsessions most thoroughly.
'But in Iraq, which already had a secular state, we have the additional
complication of sectarian/ethnic divisions -- your Sunnis, your Shiites,
your Kurds -- not to mention, the tribalism within those divisions. (Am
I bitter enough to point out once again that Paul Wolfowitz said under
oath, "There is no history of ethnic strife in Iraq"? You bet your ass I
am.)' - Molly Ivins
The Yakkings of Melmoth
The Yakkings of Melmoth
HE DIDN’T STAY BOUGHT
Now listen. What I'm about to say may strike you as incredulous, but I
tell you, it's all based on a pretty credible-sounding speculation I saw
on the Beeb. That is, the Cartel is trying to 'work' with Saddam. When
Little Dohn was over there a few weeks ago, he gave about 17 minutes to
cheering the droop troops up. Where was he the rest of his day-long
cameo in B-dad? Hanging out behind the chopped-down palms on the
Merciless Road To The Airport? No sir. Seeings how Donn and The Saddom
had their buddy days, why not have the little wrestler meet face to face
with the ageing Stalin admirer and make him a full-Nelson offer? That
is, promise exile in return for some Saddamish condemnation for this
here insurgency. No one knows what happened as a result, but I would
imagine that by the time Dawn trotted daintily up the embarkation ramp
and got on his little Pentagon jammies for the long flight home, the
Cartel was busily coming up with a plan B. Which is: just a few days
ago, it was Condi's turn. After 14.5 minutes pepping with our men and
women in uniform (reminding them to 'stay focused' while in Iraq!!), she
too went unto the recalcitrant Leader and tried her black chick
schtick-hula dance in front of him. Because, heck, this pesky
insurgency's GOT to stop SOME time! Right? Personally, I think they're
desperately trying to get Mr Hussain to somehow defuse the insurgency.
As if any of the insurgents still CARE about him! Listen, they're in it
for themselves. Why should they still be following some 68 year old
jailbird? I'm sure that Richard X. Cheney, enraged over sending
candy-ass Condi to do a big Dick's job, is preparing discreet procedures
so as to lean on the Saddam in ways that will finally produce some
gawdam RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Yakkings of Melmoth
Now listen. What I'm about to say may strike you as incredulous, but I
tell you, it's all based on a pretty credible-sounding speculation I saw
on the Beeb. That is, the Cartel is trying to 'work' with Saddam. When
Little Dohn was over there a few weeks ago, he gave about 17 minutes to
cheering the droop troops up. Where was he the rest of his day-long
cameo in B-dad? Hanging out behind the chopped-down palms on the
Merciless Road To The Airport? No sir. Seeings how Donn and The Saddom
had their buddy days, why not have the little wrestler meet face to face
with the ageing Stalin admirer and make him a full-Nelson offer? That
is, promise exile in return for some Saddamish condemnation for this
here insurgency. No one knows what happened as a result, but I would
imagine that by the time Dawn trotted daintily up the embarkation ramp
and got on his little Pentagon jammies for the long flight home, the
Cartel was busily coming up with a plan B. Which is: just a few days
ago, it was Condi's turn. After 14.5 minutes pepping with our men and
women in uniform (reminding them to 'stay focused' while in Iraq!!), she
too went unto the recalcitrant Leader and tried her black chick
schtick-hula dance in front of him. Because, heck, this pesky
insurgency's GOT to stop SOME time! Right? Personally, I think they're
desperately trying to get Mr Hussain to somehow defuse the insurgency.
As if any of the insurgents still CARE about him! Listen, they're in it
for themselves. Why should they still be following some 68 year old
jailbird? I'm sure that Richard X. Cheney, enraged over sending
candy-ass Condi to do a big Dick's job, is preparing discreet procedures
so as to lean on the Saddam in ways that will finally produce some
gawdam RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Yakkings of Melmoth
The Yakkings of Melmoth
BOLTONIA
This is the 16th hour in which I've been down on my knees, doing some
mega-heavy-duty Elmo Gantry-style holy rolling, doing my part to
arm-twist the Lord into allowing His country to make sure that such
leaders of the future, such as Ultra-Judge Janice Rogers Browne and John
'Misplaced Moustasche' Bolton, be placed in their high-high offices, and
so that Christian Fascism will become the Rule of Law in His nation, now
and for ever.
It is, as President George Skwalker Bush would say, 'hard work', but
now that that chunky Tex bitch Prissy 'Thank Yieu!' Owens is planting
her 50-year old widetrack ass in the easy chair of the 459th Circuit
Court - a chair that is heavy duty enough to be wheeled with no problem
across the street into the Supreme Temple of HyperJustice when Bill 'I'm
Almost Wrapped' Wrenkwiszt trips over his robes for the last time -
there is now hope that the hopelessness and melancholy despair of
Rillidjuss Write lifestyle gloom will further seep into His country's
very soul. Rejoice and be dismal!
In all seriousness, while I have a contempt for all those unsavoury
judicial candidates, as I said before, I DO want Moustache to get into
the UN position. At this point, I want the Cartel to pepper the points
of power with their clones, if only to show the world (not to mention
the just over half-braindead Americanski peipl) just what radicals these
characters be. If they cannot be avoided by namby-pamby conventional
means, then they must be indulged so that they can either self-destruct
or burn out, or demonstarte to decent people, interested in still doing
this thing we call civilization, that we don't want what they bring with
them, and thus they will press for their removal in more aggressive and
effective ways. I want the extremists to blow out so the pendulum can
swing back again. This may sound overly optimistic, but I think it's
possible - still.
One thought on the ReeLidJus Wryte. It is a fact that much of
conservative and evangelical Christianity (if the latter term can be
accurately used) tends to be fatalistic, if not downright apocalyptic in
their world view. They bring little comfort, what with their Final Days
scenario, which has no basis other than mumbo-jumbo legends that aren't
even as classy as the Mayan calender cut-off. This yearning for the end
of all things has seeped into Gubment in that it lends a dreariness to
the conservative agenda. I remember, while growing up, that mainstream
Christianity always used to badmouth eastern religions for being
fatalistic, but there's not much talk about that any more. And I'm not
talking about Islam, cuz it's a western religion, being Abrahamic and
all. Today, in comparison with the Christian tilt to the right, so to
speak, Hindoos and Buddhists look positively hedonistic, cheerful, and
more sure of themselves than ever. The world of the 'Merican holy roller
is very constricted, and it continues to shrink. Yet, with their
political influence, they have brought an anxious dreariness with them,
and they have inflicted it on the rest of us. Even though they have what
they think is a sympathetic president in control, and a virtual majority
in congress, and now the judicial wing might be within their grasp, they
are still miserable. Because that's what they think they're supposed to
be. Life MUST be a Vale of Tears. Never mind about making it better.
Personally, I think that the Cartel is scarcely interested in such
gobbledegook, and is only tolerating the Dreary Ones for political
purposes. That's why this conjoined extremism must be allowed to extend
further, so that it can collapse under its own weight.
So in the meantime, GO, Moustache, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The Yakkings of Melmoth
This is the 16th hour in which I've been down on my knees, doing some
mega-heavy-duty Elmo Gantry-style holy rolling, doing my part to
arm-twist the Lord into allowing His country to make sure that such
leaders of the future, such as Ultra-Judge Janice Rogers Browne and John
'Misplaced Moustasche' Bolton, be placed in their high-high offices, and
so that Christian Fascism will become the Rule of Law in His nation, now
and for ever.
It is, as President George Skwalker Bush would say, 'hard work', but
now that that chunky Tex bitch Prissy 'Thank Yieu!' Owens is planting
her 50-year old widetrack ass in the easy chair of the 459th Circuit
Court - a chair that is heavy duty enough to be wheeled with no problem
across the street into the Supreme Temple of HyperJustice when Bill 'I'm
Almost Wrapped' Wrenkwiszt trips over his robes for the last time -
there is now hope that the hopelessness and melancholy despair of
Rillidjuss Write lifestyle gloom will further seep into His country's
very soul. Rejoice and be dismal!
In all seriousness, while I have a contempt for all those unsavoury
judicial candidates, as I said before, I DO want Moustache to get into
the UN position. At this point, I want the Cartel to pepper the points
of power with their clones, if only to show the world (not to mention
the just over half-braindead Americanski peipl) just what radicals these
characters be. If they cannot be avoided by namby-pamby conventional
means, then they must be indulged so that they can either self-destruct
or burn out, or demonstarte to decent people, interested in still doing
this thing we call civilization, that we don't want what they bring with
them, and thus they will press for their removal in more aggressive and
effective ways. I want the extremists to blow out so the pendulum can
swing back again. This may sound overly optimistic, but I think it's
possible - still.
One thought on the ReeLidJus Wryte. It is a fact that much of
conservative and evangelical Christianity (if the latter term can be
accurately used) tends to be fatalistic, if not downright apocalyptic in
their world view. They bring little comfort, what with their Final Days
scenario, which has no basis other than mumbo-jumbo legends that aren't
even as classy as the Mayan calender cut-off. This yearning for the end
of all things has seeped into Gubment in that it lends a dreariness to
the conservative agenda. I remember, while growing up, that mainstream
Christianity always used to badmouth eastern religions for being
fatalistic, but there's not much talk about that any more. And I'm not
talking about Islam, cuz it's a western religion, being Abrahamic and
all. Today, in comparison with the Christian tilt to the right, so to
speak, Hindoos and Buddhists look positively hedonistic, cheerful, and
more sure of themselves than ever. The world of the 'Merican holy roller
is very constricted, and it continues to shrink. Yet, with their
political influence, they have brought an anxious dreariness with them,
and they have inflicted it on the rest of us. Even though they have what
they think is a sympathetic president in control, and a virtual majority
in congress, and now the judicial wing might be within their grasp, they
are still miserable. Because that's what they think they're supposed to
be. Life MUST be a Vale of Tears. Never mind about making it better.
Personally, I think that the Cartel is scarcely interested in such
gobbledegook, and is only tolerating the Dreary Ones for political
purposes. That's why this conjoined extremism must be allowed to extend
further, so that it can collapse under its own weight.
So in the meantime, GO, Moustache, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
The Yakkings of Melmoth
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Tuesday morn and another Gwen Thompkins item on NPR's 'Morning Edition. I'll try to be brief. Her 'notebook' story's premise: her passport was kept for a long time in a small town in Sudan, and jazz music from New Orleans saved the day. Why I find her reports troubling: Gwen herself perfectly embodies the NPR target audience. Educated, with grad degrees, comfortable income, plus, a well-cultivated Amero-centric point of view. That last bit is the real problem, and it's so glaring in her reports. Thing is, listeners are supposed to 'identify' with her, and in the process, objective journalism is abandoned. Colloquializing the world at large for this specific audience is not only imprudent, it is a recipe for disaster. This approach also fits well with the neo-con vision of the world, the sinister elements of which seek to take advantage of these supposedly 'informed' listeners. Subject for a thesis, I guess, but when I hear reports such as Thompkins makes from such a troubled area of the world, its frighteningly easy to identify trouble in the making.