I'MMA LET YOU FINISH
Thanks, A-Man!
Cute Edwards kids campaigning can't hurt:
Elizabeth promised in her campaign weblog that the family would return. When it did, on a bright afternoon, John Edwards spoke for about three minutes. Then he turned and handed the microphone to Jack.
Stunned for a moment, the boy paused. But he recovered quickly and the crowd roared as he piped: "Hope is on the way!"
-- Los Angeles Times
The Johns are on Conan tonight.
The original Johns, I mean.
Thanks Atrios.
Wow. The timestamp reads 8:59pm. That's way off from where I'm sitting.
______
It's Friday. If there be cat blogging, let there also be poetry. Howz about some Yeats?
After Long Silence
Speech after long silence; it is right,
All other lovers being estranged or dead,
Unfriendly lamplight hid under its shade,
The curtains drawn upon unfriendly night,
That we descant and yet again descant
Upon the supreme theme of Art and Song:
Bodily decrepitude is wisdom; young
We loved each other and were ignorant.
Anyone watching the Olympic opening ceremonies?
Awesome display - despite the best efforts of insipid Katie and blathering moron Costas.
Thanks
sorry. posted it earlier but blogger ws broken
John Edwards spoke for about three minutes. Then he turned and handed the microphone to Jack.
Stunned for a moment, the boy paused. But he recovered quickly and the crowd roared as he piped: "Hope is on the way!"
Cf. The Bush ad: which kid would you pick up first?
Well, I'm against the manipulation of emotionalism in principle, but using kids to inspire hope instead of fear seems OK to me.
The original Johns, I mean. Central Scrutinizer
Thanks for the heads up, CS. Speaking of which, everytime I see Bush & Cheney I think of the puppet head!
...
Ads up in the subway are the work of someone
Trying to please their boss
And though the guy's a pig we all know what he wants
Is just to please somebody else
If the pu-pu-puppet head
Was only bu-bu-busted in
It would be a better thing for everyone involved
And we wouldn't have to cry
Put your hand inside the puppet head
Put your hand inside the puppet head
Put your hand inside
Put your hand inside
Put your hand inside the puppet head
Could someone tell me what constitutes 'looking French'?
I mean really?
How does someone 'look' French?
How does Kerry supposedly 'look French'?
And he speaks French? So f*cking what?
Do the morons who write this fascist crap not realize that alongside spanish, both old european languages French is the second most common, and German third, languages taught in our schools?
So what are they going to do? Stop teaching foreign languages?
How more fascist can you get other than flying the Nazi flags over DC?
And when is someone from the pussy-democratic party going to start calling these anti-French tactics and rhetoric for what they really are? FASCISM!
I hope that once or if the election is won that Kerry give his in inaguration speach a complete oration concerning the descent into fascism that this country as endured the last 20+ years since the rise of neoconservatism.
MYOB'
.
Reporting here from Florida ... plenty of wind and rain here in Melbourne, but nothing overly destructive. The folks directly in the path of the center of the storm (Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda, right through Orlando on to Daytona Beach) really took it on the chin, though.
And my friends in the Tampa Bay area (where I would have been tomorrow night had the Buccaneers not prudently postponed their game) dodged a HUGE bullet.
I'm sorry Jacqueline the doctors put a turkey baster into mommy to make you, now I want to leave you and mommy to play hide the sausage with all your "uncles".
How does Kerry supposedly 'look French'?
Digby suggests that "French" has become GOP code=speak for "Faggot".
I want to know what the Democratic code-speak for "Lying Ass Motherfucker" is.
And sing away also too!
If the Wootster isn't gonna post some post-Convention Kerry Boobies, then I will! (Audio only, of course.)
Frankie Valli (and all other high squeaky voice) fans, grin & bear it.
Kerry, Kerry booby
Kerry, Kerry booby
Ke-e-e-e-erry boo-woo-by (Kerry booby)
Boo-oo-by, can you pop up tonight?
(Pop, pop, pop up tonight)
Ke-e-e-e-erry boo-woo-by (Kerry booby)
Boo-woo-bies make ev'ry thing all right
(wOOt, wOOt, wOOt,pop up) On my scooter bike
(Pop up) At the podium mic
(Pop up) When I'm testifyin'
Little Boobie on my shoulder with your hairpiece flyin!
Ke-e-e-e-erry boo-woo-by (Kerry booby)
Te-ell me, can you pop up tonight?
(Pop, pop, pop up tonight)
You-oo-oo better come to Washington (Kerry Booby)
Boo-woo-by, we can have us some fun
(And you can pop up) give the Press a thrill
(Pop up) when I'm signin' bills
(Pop up) when I'm speechifyin'
You can even do the Gaggle, Booby, I'm not lyin!
Kerry, Kerry booby
Kerry, Kerry booby
repeat (as we say in the Biz) to fade
Animate that! I dare ya!
I'm sorry Jacqueline the doctors put a turkey baster into mommy to make you
Have fun spending eternity under satan's nutsack troll.
Atrios-
You recently said that you would never actively moderate the comments. Perhaps you could give your Haloscan keys to a couple of loyal readers who would be happy to purge shit like the post directly above my last from the rolls?
Then again, the quality of the logic displayed by such assholes does not hurt the cause. It stands as a shining example of Bush-like compassion.
def,
Republican="Lying Ass Motherfucker." No code necessary.
I don't get the looks French thing either. He's not wearing a beret. He's not smoking Galouise. He's not sitting at an outdoor cafe sipping wine. What's French about a New Englander?
Kerry Campaign & DNC doing it AGAIN.
Somerby is right as rain about the hamhanded way The Campaign is responding [sic] to the Bush/RNC slime mongers.
At the risk of sounding like a suck-up to you, gentle bloggers, I think any one of a half-dozen people I've been reading on these message boards to could a better job than the current stable of official Kerry spokespeople of going on T.V. and reacting to, and hammering into oblivion, the daily drek that oozes forth from the RNC and its flying monkeys.
But, nooooo, in the 4-year run-up to this election the DNC, despite what I am sure were herculean efforts, just can't seem to find more than a Carville or two out there (and even he can be "spotty") to say:
"That's BULL, and you KNOW it is. In fact, it's Bush, the prissy little war dodger, who said [fill in blank]."
-- or --
"Sean, how much money DO you make a year LYING to your viewers like that? Why don't you tell the folks what you already know: that Bush [fill in cretenous act here]."
Dems do NOT have to take any lessons from the reptilian Rove, just cut through his and his minions' mountains of manure like so many Chainsaws of Truth through a wall of puke-flavored jello. A disGUSTing visual image, perhaps, put politics is a disgusting business and those with power, money and not a single strand of DNA devoted to conscience or character will not hesitate to go for the jugular, take no prisoners, kick 'em when they're down, or slip the knife in the back when they've got the chance. THAT'S the opposition and they must be met and thwacked (Whump!) right out of the gate.
They play for keeps. The Kerry Campaign and DNC better start, real soon, playin' that way, too.
Queequeg
____________________
Found at DailyKos diary:
Terrorism fears no longer helping Bush, study finds
Bush's speechwriters have been hard at work finding new ways to say Iraq=911. This is what he said today:
See, we saw a threat in Saddam Hussein. Now, remember his history. He had used weapons of mass destruction. That meant he was a threat. Because one of the most dangerous parts of this new war is that there is an enemy who will chop somebody's head off, just like that, who would love to get ahold of weapons of mass destruction to inflict even greater damage than the deeds they did on September the 11th. That's the nature of these people.
Amazing. What's the point in all the mea culpas of the Times and Post when they let him get away with the same lie over and over again?
You can understand why Cheney is feeling "sensitive" with the SEC stating he lied to investors while a CEO. He's senstive about Halliburton mismanaging billions of taxpayer dollars. Of course he would not understand the importance of handling intelligence documents as sensitive material.
***********
John Kerry is French comments illustrate the ineptitude of this administration's foriegn policy. They think France is a state in New England.
***********
They question my military service, but while they were getting 3 DWI'S between them, I was in Vietnam.
*************
Let me tell you this about my military records, there are no gaps in my pay periods. In the US military if you don't play, they don't pay.
****************
Look at the huge shift in the trade deficit reported today. Other countries are voting with their wallets and are buying from companies in countries that treat other nations with respect.
I want to know what the Democratic code-speak for "Lying Ass Motherfucker" is.
"GOP"?
Nah, too obvious.
There was the time once, when I "looked" GOP. Going to vote in the Dem. primary after work, back in lawyering days. Another lawyer approached me with some campaign literature, but muttered just where I could hear: "Republican," and stepped back.
I, of course, corrected him, took the pamphlet, and voted for the Dems.
But my reflex was to smack him. Those were damn near fightin' words to a yellow dog like yours truly. Worst insult I could imagine....
Digby suggests that "French" has become GOP code=speak for "Faggot".
I thought it was code for "Democrat running for office while France is our 'enemy'."
Queequeg,
just cut through his and his minions' mountains of manure like so many Chainsaws of Truth through a wall of puke-flavored jello.
Ummm... ick. Vivid, though.
Bush's speechwriters have been hard at work finding new ways to say Iraq=911.
That's because a report [about which I read today on some blog] due out soon shows that the boy king gets a significant bump in emotional and personal positive response every time September 11, 2001, is mentioned, regardless of the context.
Ok. The man said open thread.
Here in the heart of Bushleague country today, a piece of artwork incorporated into the design of a new freeway was destroyed with a sledgehammer. It had been called "pagan" and a "graven image" by "Christians" in our local paper when it was first installed two weeks ago.
Google "Windy Man"
THESE TROLLS ARE DANGEROUS
Kerry must strike hard against them. Remember the Presidential candidate from MA. When you write and speak to Americans if you don't talk to them like 8th graders they don't get it.
Damn, did anyone see Hardball today? Chris Matthews bitchslapped Cheney today.
He came out swinging, saying that Dick Cheney was responsible for 10 years of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia that led to World Trade Center Attacks and called the attack on the word "sensitive" pretty "juvenile."
Damn! Am I going to have to start watching Matthews now?
If this kind of thing is becoming a mainstream media MO, there has o be hope.
I presume that in a while I'll be able to buy (or log into) a complete Who's Who in journalism, with the salient evil quotes from their work to ensure I target my undying hatred properly, for the rest of my life.
Teach the children: Dan Rather is/was an evil coward. He said....
--
Lying Ass Motherfucker = Rumsfeld, or is that Haiku Ass Motherfucker? To wit:
Once in a while,
I'm standing here, doing something.
And I think,
"What in the world am I doing here?"
It's a big surprise.
Pah. He doesn't even follow form.
Damn, go Chris. I'll tell ya, watching him whup up on that fat-headed Satan fellator O'Neill last night was a joy. A true joy.
Maybe there is hope.
Dammit! I usually torture myself by watching Tweety, and the one night I take a mental health break he smack VP Pottymouth down! Dammit!
Ooh, maybe it's on now...
Matthews would have to bitch slap Cheney around the globe to make up for the lame use of Krugman to talk about McGreevey's problems. And no one can make for Pat Buchanan just getting on the air and lying -he lied all week about the Kerry attacks. He had on Annie Panic and said the air marshalls were lying he was sitting for the Mayor of Looneyville Joe Scarborough who of course has been campaigning for the president in florida. MSGOP with Tom Selleck as its voice
they simply no longer care about being fair.
Here in the heart of Bushleague country today, a piece of artwork incorporated into the design of a new freeway was destroyed with a sledgehammer.
That's fucked up. I'm sure the good little hammer wielding Christian Soldier thinks he'll score major "Team Jesus" points with his handy work. Maybe he'll even be able to redeem them for the Jackhammer of Jehova so he might be able to continue his ministry.
But it should be noted that destroying state property over a few hundred dollars is usually considered a felony.
I wonder if Bush has any idea about French influence in southern Ohio. It's supposed to be a swing state, with some of his strongest support in the southern portions. My grandfather hailed from Gallipolis, his name was Lafayette, and most of his grandchildren has French-sounding names as well.
Is this supposed to be impressing us?
http://ediablo.com/eDiabloGallery.html
Saw a pretty good poster against Fox at yesterday's protest. It came from this free-to-copy site, which also has a great image of a donkey banging a drum, and another of the chickenhawks.
Associated with Dem Underground, I guess (no personal relationship).
==
Now this guy looks French.
So do these guys.
Woo boy. Those folks who don't like pagan gods better not watch any of the Olympics. I'm a pagan. That sculpture is not a pagan god.
Holy fucking shit! Bush wants to test us all for mental illness!
"Next month, President Bush plans to unveil a broad new mental health plan called the 'New Freedom Initiative.' The New Freedom Initiative proposes to screen every American, including you, for mental illness. To this end, the president established a New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, to study the nation?s mental health delivery service and make a report. It?s interesting to note that many on the staff appointed to the Commission have served on the advisory boards of some of the nation?s largest drug companies."
Here's the link, from interventionmag.com:
http://tinyurl.com/3q2mj
Of course this is all to benefit his buddies in the drug industry. There's no way I'll submit to this shit. I'm doing fine on sam-e, thank you.
I can't believe they have the balls to even float this as a trial balloon - I think this will freak out everyone, even republicans. It's so Orwellian.
What the fuck is next? Measuring all our skulls so we can be judged by physiognomy? Forcing us all to submit our genealogy like the Germans did to the Gypsies?
Gee I'm happy to see this thread after I spammed the previous one.
Who said Kerry was not up to hitting back harder ?
Bush, Kerry Trade Charges Over Tax Cuts
By NEDRA PICKLER and SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. - President Bush traded one refrain for another Friday, saying he is "getting the job done" on the economy and more. Not so, said Sen. John Kerry , criticizing administration tax cuts as insensitive to the middle class as he ended a 22-state tour.
"Don't for an instant be shy about using the word sensitive," the Democratic presidential nominee told one questioner, referring to criticism a day earlier from Vice President Dick Cheney.
"If you don't speak your mind, you shouldn't be the president of the United States. And I intend to speak my mind," Kerry said.
Okay, Downriver Gal, you've got me spooked. This is waaaaaaay too "1984" for words.
in some sense of the word, i had breakfast with mathews about a month ago. after he aired ron reagan.
i have to say, he is a sleaze. completely theatrical. he will relate truths at breakfast, but when he goes on air, he says diametrically opposed things to what he said hours earlier.
who and how are his strings pulled?
pardon me,
by whom and how are his string pulled?
I have this fantasy of Big John getting up on a platform and saying, "As to the accusations of my 'Looking French', I just have to say that your father was a hamster and your mother smelled of elderberries!"
"Now go 'way, or I shall taunt you a second time!"
It wouldn't help, but it would make me happy...
I'm sure the good little hammer wielding Christian Soldier thinks he'll score major "Team Jesus" points with his handy work.
def
Probably hopes for more than that. In Pat Buchanan's book, "Right From the Beginning", he tells how he and his brother figured they had earned time off from Purgatory by torching an old man's newsstand, after finding playboy on the rack. That's as far into the book as I got. Right there, it went into the trash. Waste of $20.
Very French
She looks French
He looks French
They look French
And He's the French-est of them all!
To NYMary:
I have a vivid imagination. Naturally, it holds not a candle to the fevered visions of Cheney/Bush which showed them little mental picture movies of Saddam riding a nuke down to the heart of Midland, TX, a la Slim Pickens . . .
To Anon:
A couple of months ago I read an interview with Sellek during his publicity run-up to the Ike bio-pic. Sellek was all hot and bothered about the 9/11 Commission and the people (you know, like, uh, the population of the United States) who were so insistant on having an independent [as if] commission investigatin 9/11. Sellek got all indignant and said something to the effect that the clamor for a 9/11 commission is as silly as it would have been to have had some stupid commission investigate Pearl Harbor. Of course, Tom (in researching his role as a WWII General) never came across the fact that a commission was, in fact, convened to study and try and get to the bottom of Pearl Harbor.
Well, actually, there were several, beginning with the "Roberts Commission," appointed by FDR within days following the attack. There was a Joint Congressional Commission, and, I believe, a half dozen others. Tom Sellek -- another GOPer with the facts.
Queequeg
____________________
albert c.,
maybe that's the key. Maybe we're becoming a demographic and MSNBC is realizing that O'Reilly lite is not quite the sweet gig it might have seemed. I suspect that a lot of these guys can probbly think on their own, just not in front of the cameras.
On another note, I know I saw on CNN yesterday that MSNBC was closing its doors because of lack of ratings, but I can't find a damn thing about it on the web. Did anyone else see this?
Katie Dingo, I know. I was just about to go to bed when I saw that in a dailykos diary. Now I'm gonna have nightmares.
I'm sure the good little hammer wielding Christian Soldier thinks he'll score major "Team Jesus" points with his handy work.
def
Wasn't one of the outrages of the Taliban destroying Buddhist art?
Frenchier than thou, ma cherie.
Oops. That last Thersites post was me. We traded laptops.
Yes, Thersites. Terrible tragedy.
one of the important sections in my library is the gangster state of amerika f*cking aroung with latin american countries.
a special subsection is chile. two days ago, i received the latest on the pinochet regime and its links to the amerikan intell services.
a pretty succinct review. entitled THE PINOCHET AFFAIR: STATE TERRORISM AND GLOBAL JUSTICE. by roger burbach. isbn # 1842774344.
though succinct, tells most of the tale.
now, why do i bring this matter to your attention now.
it involves this gangster congressman and former spook by the name of porter goss. if you can get into his files, you will find that he was a party to the assassination of salvador allende and the installation of a military junta in chile, one of the oldest democracies in the hemisphere.
i also charge him with being an accomplice in the murders of charles horman, frank teruggi, orlando letelier, ronni moffitt. and the attempted murder of ronni's husband mike.
so there you have it. write your congressf*cks. go after this gangster.
oh, and watch kerry and edwards. listen to them assiduously. i think you will not be hearing them go after porter goss. i think you will not be hearing them denounce the crimes of the empire in latin america.
and if you don't hear that, then you will know that kerry-edwards is tantatmount to bush-cheney. boners v boners.
the goss appointment is a touchstone. if kerry-edwards refrain from going after that slime, then you will know that kerry-edwards will be no different from the thugs.
and based on the way the kerry-edwards campaign has been handling themselves, it reminds me of the malfeasance of the gore campaign.
almost makes one wonder if they are just actors in a charade. the charade of a real contest for the presidency.
i don't wonder. they are actors in a charade.
or they are the most uncompetitive contestants since the last democratic contestant.
for some reason, it appears as if the democratic party doesn't want to win.
why is that? funding by the financiers who prefer the bush spawn?
get your ak47's before november. and all the rounds you can.
this democratic republic is going down.
no matter who wins[my bet is it won't be the democratic party candidate].
sieg heil, mein fuhrer.
To Thersites:
In early 2001 the Taliban blew up the 130 foot tall, 1500 year old Bamiyan Buddhas, carved in the wall of a cliff in Afgahnistan. They did it for Allah. About the same time the Bush Administration gave the Taliban regime $43 million . . .
Very French
Downriver Gal, did you see the recent report by the environmental agency in England finding traces of Prozac in the water? No kidding. Orwell rolling over in his grave?
Yeah, that's the outrage I had in mind. They have it on film, as I recall. I was drawing the parallel to the Krazy Kristians taking a sledgehammer to a pagan icon. Not that highway art is quite the same as 1500 year old statues, but the destructive impulse is definitely the same.
Anyone else know the XTC song "Books Are Burning"? Addresses the same issue.
I think I might be French. I am smoking and feel ironic.
"About the same time the Bush Administration gave the Taliban regime $43 million . . ."
-Queequeg the Bullshit Artist
Oh, right, just gave them $43 million dollars, because Robert Scheer the liar said so.
What was the $43 million for, you lying sack of shit? Parts for the pipeline? RPGs? Or was it food aid that bypassed the Taliban altogether?
To NYMary:
Which albumn? I should know that, but can't think of it off the top of my head. Very applicable to the Bush Regime and the Cable (cabel of) Heathers that prop it up: "Melt the Guns" --
". . . and all the media will fiddle while rome burns acting like modern-time Neros. . ."
written, what, over 20 years ago by now!
Queequeg
_________________
Queequeg,
It's on Nonsuch, the same album as "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead." Not the album Skylarking is, but then, there's maybe one of those a decade, or a career.
I love XTC--Patridge is a genius, IMHO. I appreciate Colin Moulding's social criticism, but it can be kind of heavy-handed.
Queequeg,
It's on Nonsuch, the same album as "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead." Not the album Skylarking is, but then, there's maybe one of those a decade, or a career.
I love XTC--Patridge is a genius, IMHO. I appreciate Colin Moulding's social criticism, but it can be kind of heavy-handed.
It wouldn't help, but it would make me happy...
pbg
You forgot "I wave my private parts at your aunties..."
oops. mea culpa
To "Pinkie":
Well, actually, Colin Powell said it. But, in fairness, the money didn't go *directly* to the Taliban, it went to, uh, Afgahnistan through, according to Powell, "...United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations."
So, as with other U.N. programs (say, like, the Iraq oil-for-food program), the money didn't go *directly* to the Regime and we ALL know how rare it has been, since, say, WWII, for dictators and dictatorial regimes to actually get their hands on money flowing into their countries through int'l aid organizations.
How silly could I have been!
Queequeg
_____________________
Robert Scheer, laughing stock.
If French=Gay, then how come there's a whole country of them? Did they discover cloning centuries ago?
Queegueg you're an idiot for lobbing out one of the most thoroughly debunked non-facts ever put forward by RS aka the single worst journalist in America. Nice backpedal, by the way. Most of the aid took the form of surplus wheat in case anyone cares.
"Well, actually, Colin Powell said it. "
Lets see what he said, liar.
"At the direction of President Bush, I am today announcing a package of $43 million in new humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan, including 65,000 tons of wheat, $5 million in complementary food commodities, and $10 million in other livelihood and food security programs within Afghanistan. We also expect to soon announce additional assistance to Afghan refugees."
Wow! A genuine lesson in troll 101: find the least important point, blather, rinse, repeat. Congrats, Pinkie!
Queequeg, you-n-me and our XTC had better retire to bed with your harpoon and Ishmael. Oh, wow. That sounded a lot dirtier than I meant it. Maybe some helpful religious type will wander by and hit me with a sledgehammer....
From 1781 and the cowardly ways of LaFayette, Rochambeau and DeGrass at Yorktown (when they left Washington in such a lurch), to the 1940s and the Maquis operating behind German lines to, the French Foreign Legion units that fought in Gulf War I, these people have NEVER been ready to get into a scrap.
Now let's contrast the French with our Dear Leader, who, during the early 70's, never waivered from his duty and destiny to keep the Gulf of Mexico free from flying Viet Cong and never tired of fighting for "One More Round!" even *after* "Last Call" had long since passed . . .
Queequeg
_________________
Maybe some helpful religious type will wander by and hit me with a sledgehammer....
Funny.
Just sharing a "Monty Python's Holy Ale" with Thor and Jesus.
Anything we can do?
NYMary, how am I meant to sort out the unimportant, nonsensical outrageous and easily discovered lies from the responsible and factually accurate stuff?
Speak truth, or shut the fuck up.
NYMary, how am I meant to sort out the unimportant, nonsensical outrageous and easily discovered lies from the responsible and factually accurate stuff?
I never said a word about Powell. As a professional teacher of rhetoric, however, I'd recommend starting with close reading and critical thinking skills. The point was the destruction of art by religious nutballs.
'night all . . .
Especially NYMary, a lover of way fun music.
And Xtra especially to "Pinkie," who (1) now admits that Dear Leader did, indeed, give $43 million to "the people" (right) of Afganistan and (2) I am sure is now ready to go debunk some REAL lies now, beginning with Saddam's WMDs, Saddam's ties to 9/11, Saddam's nukes being ready to go in 45 minutes, Saddam's drone airplanes ready and waiting to fly around the world and lay waste to Bullwhip, South Carolina (or wherever "Pinkie's" from, Dear Leader's humble foreign policy, and Dear Leader -- the rancher, wrangler cowboy . . . It is to laugh.
Again, 'night . . .
Queequeg
________________
"The point was the destruction of art by religious nutballs."
The what the fuck was the smirking and slanderous aside and how does that fit in with the discussion? Because it sounded clever and maybe he thought no one was paying attention anyway.
I never said a word about Powell. As a professional teacher of rhetoric, however, I'd recommend starting with close reading and critical thinking skills. The point was the destruction of art by religious nutballs.
Or destruction of braincells with religious figures.
And I knew we had something in common, NYMary. I'd never claim "professional teacher" for myself ("teacher," yes, but it's about my third "profession," so I'm wary of such titular observances). Just finished another round of trying to teach freshman how to think (much less write), and start over again in about a week.
It's something to do between pulpits....
Queequeg nice of you to distinguish the "real issues" from the "bullshit" -- I'll have to go find my special eschaton decoder ring that lets me know when someone is talking out of their ass (see above) or making substantive non-slanderous factually accurate points.
RMJ,
I suspected it all along--something about the crush of grading right at the end of the line says "freshman comp" to me....
Ah, yes...
so nice to listen in on civilized conversation.
(wish I knew what it was like, again....)
" As a professional teacher of rhetoric, however"
As a professional teacher, you should be as sensitive as anyone to the serious evil presented by unapologetic bullshit artistry by the likes of smirky sneery Q.
Q, I live in New York City. Are you a snob as well as a liar?
Can't speak for NYMary, but as a teacher myself, I am as sensitive as anyone to the serious evil presented by resorting to terms like "unapologetic bullshit artistry," as well as perjoratives like "smirky" and "sneery."
It doesn't advance your argument (whatever that might be) one jot by resorting to such an adolescent vocabulary.
It's a sign of a weak sense of the issues, and an even weaker ability to think clearly about them.
RMJ,
I suspected it all along--something about the crush of grading right at the end of the line says "freshman comp" to me....
It's why I prefer teaching philosophy (well, part of the reason). I can assign four papers, and space them out. Same for a lit. class.
But I enjoy teaching comp. and rhetoric, even if it does mean grading 10 or 11 different papers in a semester.
"Next month, President Bush plans to unveil a broad new mental health plan called the 'New Freedom Initiative.' "
Hmmmm.... when Bush called for going to Mars, I said, "When can you leave?" Now I'll just say, "You first, and publish the results."
For the matter, how's about publishing the list of medications Bush is on, eh? I think Kerry beat cancer a while back, so his meds list would include anti-cancer meds. Wonder what Bush's list would include?
Seroquel? Zoloft? Trileptal? Lithium? Ritalin? Prozac (it isn't just for the water supply anymore)? I bet there would be more than one "interesting" drug in the list, you know?
Ed
Robert,
Well, teaching comp makes one sensitive to a whole range of logical fallacies, including the subtle difference between opinion and bias. ("But I believe it, so that's as good as something dumb old Stephen J. Gould believes!") As they say, you never really know something until you teach it, so it's made me a lot more careful.
Having said that, it also makes one imptient with the "neener neener" form of argumentation.
*impatient*
It does not, however, improve one's typing.
Robert M. Jeffers, my argument is confined to the following:
Queequeg wrote the Bush regime gave $43 million to the Taliban, a factually inaccurate and highly irresponsible statement.
instead of doing the gracious thing and admitting he was wrong, Q thought he'd be cute and talk about some other irrelevant bullshit, then make fun of me cause I'm some hick from the sticks, while he is a sophisticated prog-rock-listening urbanite.
PS.
I like literature better, too, but as an adjunct, I teach what I can, when I can. This semester, two sections of Ancient Lit (which is half philosophy anyway), one of Irish lit, and two of freshman comp. Ugh.
"resorting to such an adolescent vocabulary."
Robert M. Jeffers, have you never employed "adolescent vocabulary" on an Atrios thread? Please let's not go there!!!!!
See, Pinkie, you're still confused. *I'm* the one who brought up "prog-rock"--though XTC never refer to themselves that way and neither would I. In Andy Partridge's inimitable phrase: "This Is Pop." But again, this is missing the point, since the issue at question was the song "Books Are Burning," concerning narrow-minded dismissals of ideas they haven't considered.
It does not, however, improve one's typing.
I've decided to "claim" my typos. It's a sign the post is authentic, and not the work of a troll.
"Pinkie Green"
So responding in kind makes for a reasonable argument? Letting "Q" belittle you is is fault? Or yours?
Get a grip. Even if they curse you, you don't need to respond in kind. Keep it civil, keep it reasonable, and others will listen to you.
Descend into schoolyard curses, no one wants to hear what else you have to say.
It's easy, really.
(Man, it's late, I'm turnin' all pastoral....that's what I get for getting hammered with a Thunder God and a Son of God. Wonder if the hangover will be mythological?)
RMJ,
You're a man of the cloth; give me your opinion on this.
There's some pill you now can take before you go out for an evening which cancels tomorrow's hangover before it starts. I thought we were supposed to pay for our sins.
But then, I was raised Irish Catholic.
I like literature better, too, but as an adjunct, I teach what I can, when I can. This semester, two sections of Ancient Lit (which is half philosophy anyway), one of Irish lit, and two of freshman comp. Ugh.
Yeah. It's adjunct living that has me NOT teaching philosophy this semester (I think someone with a "real" philosophy degree came along. Been getting by on my divinity degree so far.) I prefer philosophy even to literature. And I'm envious of your ability to teach Irish lit. The best I can do is cover "Exile of the Sons of Uisliu" in a Brit Lit. Survey.
Developing a deep love for Anglo-Saxon and early Irish work. But that's another career, and I've no time to go there...
Robert M. Jeffers, have you never employed "adolescent vocabulary" on an Atrios thread? Please let's not go there!!!!!
Oh, no doubt. But there you go again, resorting to irrelevancies instead of addressing the issue. Whether or not I've been driven to using simplistic expletives in place of thought is no excuse for your doing so, is it?
Very OT!
Very close to finishing The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. In it she writes: "On n'aime qu'une fois, la premiere."
What does it mean?
RMJ,
You're a man of the cloth; give me your opinion on this.
There's some pill you now can take before you go out for an evening which cancels tomorrow's hangover before it starts. I thought we were supposed to pay for our sins.
But then, I was raised Irish Catholic.
Oog. Midnight theology. Well, all right, but remember, you asked for it.
Wait. I take it back. Is drinking sinful? I suppose Aquinas would be used to argue it violates natural law to drink excessively. But then we'd have to discuss "excessive."
Besides, which sins do we pay for? Illness? Theologically, it's source is original sin. But is medicine then "bad."
Think of it as medicine. Take two, and call me in the morning.
Bush lies again -- this time on Kerry's stance on the Yucca Mountain question.
I would, but I'm nine months up the pole. (And yes, I'm supposed to start teaching in two weeks....). My doc limits me to one glass of wine of an evening to help me sleep.
You can imagine my intense Backslider envy.
the first time is the best time?
Susan, if my high-school French is still with me, it means: We only love once, the first time.
I was going with "One only likes it once, the first time."
I would, but I'm nine months up the pole. (And yes, I'm supposed to start teaching in two weeks....). My doc limits me to one glass of wine of an evening to help me sleep.
You give me an excuse to sign off (my lovely wife is wandering the house like a ghost, a sure sign I should fill my half of the bed), with my heartiest and most heartfelt congratulations.
Still remember the very moment of my daughter's birth, the very time of day (and I usually forget almost every event, or the time of day of almost anything).
My best wishes and blessings to both all of you (you, and Thersites, and the child).
And so, good night.
Merci! Each of your definitions fit the context. BTW, The Sea, The Sea is a fabulous book!
'Night RMJ. Guess I should crash, too. Thersites claims his grading is done, and maybe we'll retire.
MaryNY, you're raised Irish Catholic, I'm Irish Catholic, this'll ring true for you, I bet.
One of the young women in my office had been flapping her mouth before a meeting started, and she said, "Oh, I've gotten so fat, I'm just so fat these days." Yeah, whatever, and then the meeting started. Then after the meeting, she realizes that around the table were several women who were rounder than the Atri-kitties, whereas she was actually quite trim. And she realizes that she whined "I'm so fat" in front of people who immediately thought, "You certainly have a fat head, young lady," and she feels like a moron. So she comes to talk it over with my office mate, who had been a seminarian and would have been a lovely priest.
She's all upset. Should she go to the roundest of the women and apologize to her for her fat-headedness? Should she apologize to the whole group? What should she do? She feels TERRible. You can imagine.
So my pal hears her out, and he says, all right, I can tell you feel awful, that's your punishment for flapping your mouth without thinking about what you were saying. For your penance, say three Hail Marys and forget about it.
Now I thought that was the wisest thing anyone could have said to her. She knew what she'd done wrong. She felt contrition (oh boy, did she). She confessed and was assigned a penance. I think she did it, at least the first part, and she certainly shut up about it, and I never heard her yammer about how fat she felt any more after that.
Practical pastoral theology at work, I thought.
So as for the hangover remedy: Is the hangover the punishment for the stupidity of drinking too much? Well, yeah, I guess. Does that mean we have to suffer it? I guess it all depends on just how drunk you plan to get and how often, but if you're an average matron who likes to get a little tipsy once in a while and responsibly hammered (designated driver and all that) maybe once every other year, I'd say: Venial. Take the hangover medicine before the class reunion or whatever it is, say three Hail Marys and forget about it.
strawhat,
I do think many major tenets of Catholicism, particularly its wacky Irish subgroup, are borne out by general philosophy and psychology. Reflecting on wrong behavior (or boneheaded, as in the case of your coworker) is fairy healthy--Socrates said "the unreflected life is not worth living". If you feel like shit for being an asshole, there's a good chance that you should. Someone like Cheney could use a good dose of Catholic shame, for example.
And the rosary seems to be to be a useful meditation tool, particularly if you race through it in standard IC style. (An Irish person from Ireland can do a decade in about three minutes flat.) Repetition clears the conscious mind,right? Think "Ommmmm."
I'm no great defender of the church, though I've known some great feminist nuns. But this pope in particular is a real nightmare, or rather the cardinals who are running the show. I like the Catholic Worker movement and the liberation theologians--the hierarchy pisses me off.
French Enough?
I Fart in their general direction. Mothers are hamsters and fathers smell of elderberries.
In regards to the mental health screenings, look forward to seeing a lot of democratic supporters, liberals, progressives, free choice supporters, environmentalists, NEA members, organized labor supporters, gay rights supporters, and just about anyone who supports anything that runs contrary to the neocon's fascist agenda to suddenly become classified as 'mentally unstable'.
We've already seen the pattern. Every time Gore, Dean, Pelosi, or just about any democrat spoke up in a fiery speech against this administration the right-wingers called them 'nuts' and questioned their mental health. As if being passionate in a speech was somehow evidence of mental instability?
What this does is give them yet another tool to use in eliminating opposition. Label all your opponents unstable, then pass laws making it easier for them to have you or their opponents committed.
MYOB'
.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news...p-
7702817c.html
n what may be the closest presidential race in the state since 1992, Democrat John Kerry is within 3 percentage points of President Bush in a new poll.
Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney hold a lead of 48 percent to 45 percent over Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards, according to a poll conducted this week for The News & Observer, WRAL-TV and WUNC radio.
The poll, taken about two weeks after the Democratic National Convention, shows a slight gain of 2 percentage points for Kerry since the poll a month ago, when he trailed Bush by 5 points. The percentage of voters who say Edwards' presence on the ticket makes them more likely to vote for the Democrats also rose 2 points, to 27 percent.
The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
8/29
NYC
be there, be counted
Democracy blooms apace in Iraq:
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) -- Truce talks aimed at ending more than a week of violence between Shiite militants and U.S. and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf broke down Saturday, Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie said.
``I feel deep sorrow and regret to announce the failure of the efforts we have exerted to end the crisis in Iraq,'' he said.
Al-Rubaie, who had headed the negotiations on behalf of the government, said he was going to leave the city.
We need effective soundbites
Here's my offering:
A president needs congressional approval to use power in order to hold the UN's feet to the fire, however, WE need a president who will wield his power intelligently and wisely.Leave the dense nuance for those with the wit to grasp it.
Kerry should think about using this ad:
Mother in Park
For those who might be interested in how badly GIs are being hosed by those who led this country into the Iraq misadventure, a new website (called OperationTruth) is under construction. It will be launched on 8/24. In the meantime, you can learn all about it at a website currently operating at:
It is being operated by--and for--Iraq War veterans whose first-hand reports differ considerably from what Bush and Co. would have us believe. I have no connection to the folks running the website; but I'm looking forward to learning from those with immediate experience.
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