April 8, 2004, Condi-scension
The long-awaited photo-op of our National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice took place before the 9-11 Commission today. There is actually little point in analyzing any of it, because the right wing blog world has determined that she came off as brilliant, forthright and masterfuland the left wing blog world has determined that she came off as stupid, dishonest and... condescending. Didn't see it; despite the Bush economy, I continue working (day 3 tomorrow, please God), albeit as a temp for the moment. Again-- a paradigm for the economy-- private sector hires are often temps these days-- a much higher hourly rate is paid to an agency, in exchange for simply not having to deal with health benefits. So... didn't see it-- I'm only commenting second-hand at best.
I see that much was made of Condi's refusal to apologize, and her statement that there was no "silver bullet" that could have stopped 9-11. I have my own opinions on the subject, and there's no point in harping on it. I did observe earlier today that American leadership made much of the notion that the Korea and Vietnam Wars were "police actions"-- even as the nation had a draft and was losing sometimes hundreds of people a month, our national leadership did not want to acknowledge that life was not normal, that we were at war. And yet, this President has contended that we have been "at war" for nearly three years now, even as he called on no national sacrifice from anyone (except people in the unfortunate position of being in the military-- especially the Reserves), and he continues to insist he is a "war president". Do you find it conceivable that Dwight D. Eisenhower-- himself a career military man-- would have DARED don the uniform and land on an aircraft carrier returning from the Korean police action for an "in-your-face-to-dissenters" photo-op? Or ex-Navy men Nixon or Kennedy doing the same for one returning from the police action in Vietnam? Not even Navy flier Papa Bush was distasteful enough to play cowboy flyer after Gulf War I. And yet-- the nation was not only not appropriately DISGUSTED, it embraced the disgraceful asshole (to be fair, the embracing broke down on precisely partisan lines).
I don't know what this says about him (you all know what I think about him... I shouldn't even try to express it in words, so right now, I won't). But what does it say about the rest of us? What have we become, when a fucking war where our neighbor's kid is coming back dead or with his arms blown off is a God damned spectator sport, complete with fucking cheerleaders? Yeah-- rooting for Iraq is clearly rooting for the Imperium (damned provincials fighting back... well, we'll kick their asses!)
There is a Doonesbury cartoon I recall of bombs dropping on a Vietnamese village, in which a local yells up at the passing bombers as he looks at his village burning, neighbors and relatives wounded or dead around him, and yells-- "You imperialist bastards! Stop doing this to my country!" While the next frame cuts to the cock-pit, as the first pilot says to the second--"Hey, did you hear the Knicks took two this weekend?"
Is it a coarseness? A national insensitivity to the suffering of others (especially if we have no financial interest in their well-being)? Is it the precursor or further of the people who merrily watched gladiators and lions in the Coliseum?
See, here's the thing: by treating Iraq as a sporting event, did we kind of forget that at some point, the locals there might start showing some resentment of being the subjects of foreign occupation by the Imperium? Imposing freedom and democracy by force sounds... not in the spirit of this nation. Of course, I suppose I should just put on my own leopard skin leotard and demand that any expression of dissent against our Dear Leader be criminalized.
Say- were you aware that other than (former American colony) the Phillipines, the United States is the ONLY country in the world that subjects its children to the inanity of a pledge of allegiance? Just thought you should know...
Comments
Blah blah. Blame America drivel.
Posted by at April 10, 2004 02:07 AM
Blah blah. Blame America drivel.
Posted by at April 10, 2004 02:08 AM
I am in a moral quandry.
My friend searches for http://detectives.any1in.us/search-now.html search now on google to screen potential roommates.
He found any1in.us , but did not visit.
I, on the other hand, searched for http://detectives.any1in.us/foster.html foster and found any1in.us.
I went there and found that http://detectives.any1in.us/kinship.html kinship were easier to find than on google.
Should I tell him that his potential roommate is a http://cheating.any1in.us/asset-search.html asset search ?
Posted by V. Dombrosky at July 8, 2004 12:28 AM
hmm... good site
Posted by troyan drumshop at July 28, 2004 09:59 PM
Nice Site !!
Posted by reality porn at July 30, 2004 03:23 AM
Your site is really good.
Posted by hairy chested at August 3, 2004 07:34 AM
I liked very much your web site.
Posted by desi at August 7, 2004 07:57 AM
great site
Posted by gay chat at August 8, 2004 02:54 AM
He who renders warfare fatal to all engaged in it will be the greatest
benefactor the world has yet known.
-- Sir Richard Burton
tramadol
Posted by tramadol at August 8, 2004 11:45 PM
Excellent site. Keep up the good work.
http://www.888-online-casino.biz
http://www.888-on-net.biz
Posted by online casino at August 13, 2004 02:46 AM
Keep up the good work.
http://www.buy-v-online.biz
http://www.online-texas-holdem.biz
Posted by viagra at August 24, 2004 03:30 PM
tramadol for pain relief If he once again pushes up his sleeves in order to compute for 3 days
and 3 nights in a row, he will spend a quarter of an hour before to
think which principles of computation shall be most appropriate.
-- Voltaire, "Diatribe du docteur Akakia"
tramadol
Posted by tramadol at August 27, 2004 10:45 PM