1
Good stuff as usual Annika. These cats really enjoyed entertaining people and they were great doing it.
Posted by: Mike C. at December 13, 2006 04:31 AM (0Co69)
2
"They specialize in pussy that won't smile."
Funny. Sounds like a marriage counselor.
Posted by: DBrooks at December 13, 2006 07:22 AM (sF8bT)
3
Love the Tony Rome series, but I celebrated with Pal Joey & Come Blow Your Horn. Jill St John is hawt, but Kim Novak is STEAMIN'!
Posted by: Casca at December 13, 2006 07:28 AM (xGZ+b)
4
I could appreciate his music, his acting which was pretty good, and the fact that he was the first American pop superstar.
But having said that, I have to say he was a bit overrated. Dean Martin had a smoother voice, Tony Bennett had a better voice. And Eddie Fischer could move you to tears.
His blustering tough guy persona was a bit overdone also. Although I am sure he got a lot of goombahs stuck on meathooks in his day.
Oh well, I did love Von Ryan's Express.
Posted by: kyle8 at December 13, 2006 05:28 PM (is6l9)
Posted by: Casca at December 14, 2006 10:28 AM (Y7t14)
6
exactly. Kyle obviously needs to listen more closely.
Posted by: annika at December 14, 2006 11:37 AM (3VCWB)
7
I been listening pretty regularly to the old crooners on XM radio, maybe you guys ought to listen again to some high quality recordings of Dean, Tony, and Eddie. I stand by my statements.
Posted by: kyle8 at December 15, 2006 05:10 AM (uzoFh)
8
Annika,
I agree with Kyle to the extent that I too think Frank's singing is overated. And he was willing to sing any piece of shit that came along. Rubber trees, for christ sake! His politics, on the otherhand started out fine and like his career degenerated into bullshit. Tony Bennett, for whom I have built some cabinetry, is not a favorite of mine either. Dean Martin is a second string if not triple A. I think Mel Torme can put a song over, and when he wasn't over produced, Nat Cole was sublime.
It is far simpler on the ladies side: there is Ella, and then everybody else in decending order.
Posted by: Strawman at December 15, 2006 07:24 AM (9ySL4)
9
Oh, and let's not forget that Frank was a wife beater. That may endear him to Casca, but I think to the rest of us it casts a dark shadow on his life.
Posted by: Strawman at December 15, 2006 07:26 AM (9ySL4)
Lindsay Logan Email Of The Year
I just received the best Lindsay Logan email of the year, from Italy.
Hi lindsay my name is Lorenzo, I'm a italian boy and i think you it's a very beatiful girl and one very talent girl.
You don't know me and i think don't interessed but, i think you all day and speack with you is my dream. You are my dream. Scuse me for my english, i don't speack good but my word it's very important for me, you are my angel and for me you are a very good girl.
I are one boy with one dream and this, are you.
I don't rich and i don't interessed money but my dream is see your eyes.
One kiss by one boy
Lorenzo
How romantic. That's something about Italians, I tell you they must be born with it. Too bad he's wasting that talent on a skank like Lindsay Logan.
Posted by: Tuning Spork at December 13, 2006 12:03 PM (0Co69)
3
yes there is something about Italians, it's called Garlic breath. Also, they rank in the personal hygiene dept only slightly above the French.
They are in general a good looking people I will grant you that. The women, especially in Northern Italy can be great beauties. But they tend to gain about 100+ Kg after the age of 30.
Posted by: kyle8 at December 13, 2006 05:32 PM (is6l9)
4
Wait, wait, wait... how do we know that:
1. The mail is genuinely from Italy, and
2. The emailer is genuinely Italian?
Anyone remember the end of Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion video? Where the "sexy" operator was a babuska-shaped ugly wearing a mumu and holding a brat? Without knowing otherwise, this "Lorenzo" might be some snaggletooth inbred hilljack who's one talent is sending email. I'd take this with a grain of salt if I were you, Anni.
Besides, he's tryin' to romance the drunken party ho. How good can his judgement be?
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 14, 2006 08:53 AM (xHyDY)
5
"he's tryin' to romance the drunken party ho. How good can his judgement be?"
Ask Casca.
Posted by: annika at December 14, 2006 11:34 AM (3VCWB)
6
I'd have to rate Lorenzo's judgment high, since he's not trying to get into the pants of a nun, or professional virgin. Yes the drunken party ho is the high percentage target.
Posted by: Casca at December 14, 2006 01:07 PM (Y7t14)
7
Probably should've capitalized, so as to draw a distinction between run-of-the-mill drunken party ho's (hoes? hos?) and The Drunken Party Ho.
You see, Casca's right: The standard issue run-of-the-mill drunken party ho is a very high percentage target, therefore a very high percentage... ummmm... payoff (*ahem*).
But The Drunken Party Ho, aka Lindsay Logan (*snicker*)... I say, the high probability of success does not necessarily lead to desireable gain. After all, what's more high maintenance than the platinum edition, Hollywood issue, The Drunken Party Ho? As well as flighty and potentially annoying, not to mention likely to leave for either the next perfect, chisled, 6-packed-abs, mellifluous voiced actor, or the next leather wearing, dark haired, pale complexioned, emotional-outlook-perpetually-tragic singer who accidentally stumbles down the Block-of-Fleeting-Fame? Let's get real: I don't change my car's oil as much as some of these folks change their beaus. Hell, I probably don't change my socks as often.
Casca's right in general, but in this specific case, I stand by my analysis of Bubba, aka "Lorenzo". Sure, good judgement if it were standard drunken party ho's in question, but he's going after The Drunken Party Ho. Bad judgement, I say. Plus, weak kneed romantics mistake his prose for italian accented broken english, when in reality it's the sad result of a no-higher-than-3rd-grade education at a one room cardboard shack deep in the heart of Kan-tuh-kee. Indulge in the fantasy if you must, but just remember someplace in the back of your romantic imaginations that somewhere, there's an inbred hilljack drooling on the keyboard of his 486 imagining Lindsay Logan being his trailer wife.
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 14, 2006 08:27 PM (dNphw)
8
Shit El, I imagine that there are several, and what's all this stuff dissin' the trailor park homies? Tweakers need love too.
Actually, you have Rex Grossman Syndrome. Just put the fucking ball where it goes, and stop thinking about all of the variations, and ramifications. You'll be happier.
Posted by: Casca at December 15, 2006 07:22 AM (Y7t14)
Hope On The Global Warming Front
As I'm sure you know, the scientists are predicting that global warming will destroy the world in a couple of years. Because even a change in global temperature as small as two degrees could be catastrophic, you know. But now, the scientists are also predicting that a small scale nuclear exchange involving countries like North Korea or Iran could help to reduce global temperatures by about two degrees. Just what the doctor ordered!
The new studies looked at the consequences if two nations dropped 50 Hiroshima-size bombs on each other's big cities. By analyzing population data and distance from blast, scientists predicted a regional nuclear war would kill 3 million people in Israel and up to 17 million in China. The U.S. would see 4 million blast deaths.
But the researchers say black soot from the fires would linger in the atmosphere, blocking the sun's rays and causing average global surface temperatures to drop about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the first three years. Although the planet would see a gradual warming within a decade, it would still be colder than it was before the war, the scientists said.
No wonder TIME Magazine has been so soft on Ahmadi-Nejad. He and Al Gore are the only guys out there with a plan to save the planet!
P.S. The AP article I linked is notable for another very surprising reason. It is the first time I have ever seen an article by a major anti-American media source that admits "Iran is also pursuing the development of nuclear weapons," without including the standard preface: "the White House claims that..." Someone must have been asleep at the editor's desk for that to slip by.
1
Ah, Nuclear Winter trumps Global Warming. Funny how the inSANE Freeze people disappeared with the crumbling of the Berlin Wall. Then again, Kucinich is running for Prez, that'll be worth a yuck or two.
WTF Gurlfren? Bears and Rams don't rate an annikan prognostication? I'll put my money on the officials, and laugh at the suckers later!
Posted by: Casca at December 12, 2006 07:33 AM (Y7t14)
2
yah, i got home after the game started, so i decided to take another bye week.
the announcer crew this year is insufferable.
Posted by: annika at December 12, 2006 08:21 AM (oantJ)
3
Those are the two planks of my '98 platform. Run all the illegals out of the country, and Shut Kornheiser The FUCK up.
Posted by: Casca at December 12, 2006 09:27 AM (Y7t14)
Posted by: Radical Redneck at December 12, 2006 11:05 AM (DY2v8)
5
Speaking of the Persian Midget, he was at it again today with the wipe out Israel talk. (The rest of his day was spent denying the Halocaust.) Of course, Oil For Food Kofi and the rest of the UN anti-semites will have nothing to say - well, accept that American and Israel are responsible for all ills in the world. (Rush is doing a great job skewering Kofi today. I love it because I absolutely despise that fucking hypocrite.)
Posted by: blu at December 12, 2006 12:27 PM (swnTx)
6
You'd think the slithy crook would have the brains to quietly slink back with his ill-gotten gains to that bunghole from which he squirted into this world.
Posted by: Casca at December 12, 2006 02:54 PM (Y7t14)
7
Hey,
Let me see if I have this right: You fellas didn't Like the Coffee?
Hey redneck, It was that talent that convinced me to marry her! Her sister, in case you are interested and I know you are, can do the same thing while lying face down! email me for her number, hard to belive she's still single.
Posted by: Strawman at December 12, 2006 03:51 PM (9ySL4)
8
Shut Kornheiser The Fuck Up (SKTFU)? Cas, start a movement. I am SO all for this.
I was trying to remember any broadcaster who was senile, idiotic, unobservant and irrelevant so I could make the joke "Kornheiser makes me pine for the days of (fill-in-the-blank)"... but the problem is, I can't find any SOBs that annoy me worse than him.
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 13, 2006 08:17 AM (xHyDY)
9
Straw, unless she's at least TWICE the size I ain't interested. I have a 50lb sack of flour that I need a use for!
Posted by: Radical Redneck at December 13, 2006 11:50 AM (ticvy)
10
He's Cosell without the intellect, style, and tude.
Posted by: Casca at December 13, 2006 01:42 PM (Y7t14)
11
Pfff... the only thing keeping me from calling Kornheiser senile is his age.
People rip on Madden all the time -- hell, I do; senility's kinda funny... -- but at least he knows the damn sport and loves it on it's own merits. At times I wonder if Kornheiser's even remotely aware; seems as though his gig's to run his mouth, and MNF's just an excuse for him to do so. He's the anti Costas; B.C. knows the sports he talks about.
Typical of ESPN... that's what you get when one of your loudmouth, dumbass SportsCenter anchors tries to do something more substantive than snark. Can we say "Olbermann"?
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 13, 2006 02:18 PM (xHyDY)
Posted by: Casca at December 14, 2006 10:30 AM (Y7t14)
13"...would cause 3 million to 17 million immediate casualties and lead to a marked cooldown of the planet that could lead to crop failures and further misery."
Not sure how this is good news. After the temporary aerosol forcing (a well researched phenomenon) was over (and some scientists in the article disputed that the aerosols would remain in the atmosphere that long), the temperature would return to climbing again based on the amount of GHG. Not a rosy scenario by any stretch of the imagination.
Posted by: will at December 14, 2006 12:17 PM (h7Ciu)
Posted by: Casca at December 14, 2006 03:58 PM (2gORp)
15
Casca, you old obese fart you, you just crack me up! Keep up the comic relief. And I'd bet you'd make a great Santa (in a dark, despotic way), though you own elves would probably frag you.
Posted by: will at December 16, 2006 03:22 PM (h7Ciu)
16
There's no humor is telling interlopers to leave the premises; this warning generally precedes serious painful experiences.
Don't go away mad Will.
Just go away.
Posted by: shelly at December 16, 2006 10:13 PM (SLFj+)
17
Sorry, Shelly, you (nor Casca) determine what I do or where I do it. If you detest an independent viewpoint, then that says a lot about your ability to reason in the absence of propaganda. Sad, but you are the only one who can help your plight.
Posted by: will at December 17, 2006 07:00 AM (h7Ciu)
Posted by: reagan80 at December 09, 2006 11:31 AM (wkyrW)
2
Finally, the story starts to get interesting. Did I ever tell you about "The Russian"? American women could take lessons.
Posted by: Casca at December 09, 2006 01:08 PM (2gORp)
3
Ah, I noticed the wishlist today. In my case, a tangible contribution from me has been long overdue. Something should be arriving over there before the 18th.
Hopefully, it won't suck ass. That's why I usually prefer wiring the funds into a Paypal account or something so that the recipient could exercise their own discretion.
P.S. I know it's kinda late sayin' this, but I really liked the previous Aqua Teen epigram.
Posted by: reagan80 at December 09, 2006 08:13 PM (wkyrW)
4
Reagan, don't send used rubbers. Man does she get pissed! Just sayin'.
Posted by: Casca at December 10, 2006 12:12 AM (2gORp)
Pearl Harbor Day
I like this photo of U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
As most of you know, it is a naval tradition for sailors to line the deck of a carrier when passing U.S.S. Arizona and also Mt. Vernon.
I visited the Arizona Memorial once. (It's where I learned that "quay" is prononced "key.") For those who haven't yet, you definitely should go see it. The National Park Service runs the museum onshore, and before you get on the ferry to the memorial, they make you watch a movie about the attack. It's a good idea because it puts everybody in a somber mood before they go to the memorial.
When you get on the ferry boat, they make a big deal about how you are no longer in the custody of the Park Service; now the Navy is in charge, which makes you even more respectful by the time you step onto the memorial. It is a cemetary after all.
The group I was with was very quiet while on the memorial, as I imagine most visitors are. It was a beautiful day, and all you could hear was the flapping of the American flag overhead or the occasional clang of the line against the flagpole. When you look over the side, you really can see the Arizona, only a few feet below the water's surface. And there really is oil coming out of her after all these years. And inside still, are the men. They died sixty-five years ago today.
Pearl Harbor Trivia: Bonus points go to whoever can name the ship that survived Pearl Harbor, only to be sunk by a British torpedo!
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 09:23 PM (YadGF)
2
Oh Annie, thats easy. The General Belgrano! During the Falklands War. It was an old US Navy Cruiser USS Phoenix which was sunk by a British Submarine. Sad that it was sunk but when you come out to play with the big dogs that kind of thing happens. I was listening to the book "Stalingrad" and Hitler was talking about a war of annihilation. Interestingly by the end of the War the Russians were using the same term!
Now I'll take Famous Phrases for $100.00!
Posted by: Drake Steel at December 07, 2006 11:28 PM (5uuIt)
3
Nobody likes a showoff steel, u... corksucker.
I remember when I was waiting for the ferry out to the memorial twenty years ago. I was approached by a very dignified Japanese gentleman of war service vintage, and he asked me where the memorial was. I told him, "Right over there where you fucking left it!"
Posted by: Casca at December 08, 2006 07:36 AM (Y7t14)
4
Casca: LMAO
In 1957, I was in Israel and I approached a lady and asked is she spoke English; she drew herself up to her full height and hautily stated "I AM English."
Steel: You lose. Annie What was "The General Belgrano?"
I'll take "Surrender Mokeys" for $500.00
Posted by: shelly at December 08, 2006 10:03 AM (Eodj2)
5
lol, Casca. I encountered quite a few Japanese tourists on my visit too. Interestingly, I also met a very nice Japanese man when I visited Manzanar a few years ago.
Shelly you already buzzed in with the incorrect answer, the Yorktown. I'm surprised at you. The Yorktown was a carrier, and as everybody knows, there were no carriers at Pearl Harbor that day. Plus the Yorktown was sunk by the Japanese, at the battle of Midway I believe.
Drake Steel is correct and would have control of the board... if we were doing Jeopardy, which we're not.
Posted by: annika at December 08, 2006 12:59 PM (zAOEU)
6
I know it hard to believe, but I actually misread the question the first time.
Later, I notice a Jeopardy answer but incorrectly stated. He can't control a board unless he gives a proper Jeopardy answer. I'll appeal it to your stupid judges, one of whom must be Reinhardt.
Please don't read this as a signal for another game. I have no time for that now.
Go study for the Bar.
Posted by: shelly at December 08, 2006 03:25 PM (SLFj+)
7
I experienced the Arizona Memorial for the first time this past August. It really was sombering. I didn't see any of the "black tears," though. I wish we had had time to visit Punchbowl Cemetary, as well, but time was at a premium during my trip.
Posted by: Leah at December 11, 2006 10:16 PM (qyg54)
8
Visiting the USS Arizona and then taking a quick bus ride to check out and walk inside Big Mo' was one of the more memorable experiences of my life. I also noticed how so many people take their leis off and throw them down the exposed turrets...
Posted by: Amy Bo Bamy at December 13, 2006 05:43 PM (Wz2Gp)
What The Huh?
Selected quotes from Lindsay Logan's most recent e-mail missive:
"Al Gore will help me. He came up to me last night and said he would be very happy to have a conversation with me."
"If he is willing to help me, let's find out. Hilary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Evan Metroplis, and John Daur who works with them would be willing, if we just ask. If we just ASK."
"Let's sue the tabloids for saying the things they say. Defamation of character."
"our society should be educated for the better of our country. Our people . . . because I have such an impact on our younger generations, as well as generations older than me. Which we all know and can obviously see."
"It's my life. I want to live it. People cannot lie and think that it is okay to continue on having done so. I have had many ups and downs, as do we all. But to make false accusations to one girl is unjust in my opinion. I am willing to do anything I need to get my life the way it should be."
"[I'm at] such a young and tender age in a woman's life. It's enough already, I've had enough and I am going to be the one to make a change."
If you wanna make the world a bet-ter place, take a look at your-self and make that...
...change.
oooh... oooh... nanana na na na na na na...
Sorry.
Back to Lindsay's email. Memo to Lindsay: nobody gives a fuck. Except me of course, because I need a new skankwoman to post about, and you're as good as any.
Posted by: DBrooks at December 07, 2006 03:17 PM (sF8bT)
5
Gosh, it sounds like she is being coached by Barbara Streisand!
Posted by: beth at December 07, 2006 05:00 PM (1OgDG)
6
You know, it just sunk in: "Al Gore will help me"?
Da heck?? LL's invoking Al Gore as a deity now? SARCASM TIME!!!!
Gore is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Gore blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see Gore.
Fear Gore and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For Gore will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
For Gore who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts and in our movie theaters to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of Gore in the face of An Inconvenient Truth.
Thou shalt have no other Gores before Gore.
Thou shalt not take Gore's name in vain.
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 07, 2006 06:28 PM (xHyDY)
7
Wow... got my year's worth of blasphemy in on one post. Time for this catholic to go to confession...
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 07, 2006 06:30 PM (xHyDY)
8
"Thou shalt have no other Gores before Gore."
Man, if i was still doing Huge Comment of the Week, that would win!
Posted by: annika at December 07, 2006 06:46 PM (oantJ)
9
Forget it; I've heard your confession; say ten Hail Marys and perform an act of contrition, and you are absolved.
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 09:42 PM (YadGF)
10
comparing crotch shots, The Brittany crotch was pretty good, I had to avoid looking directly at the diseased twat of the Paris entity, But Lindsys crotch had a sort of twisted up crumpled look to it, like worn old rethread tire with some of the steel belts poking through.
Posted by: kyle8 at December 08, 2006 04:19 AM (JMNW6)
11
I have to agree with you kyle. It had the look of a road well travelled.
Shelly, I never took you for a pedophile?
Anni, speaking of HCOTW, I notice one name glaringly absent from the Laureates list. WTF gurlfren?
Posted by: Casca at December 08, 2006 07:42 AM (Y7t14)
12
I still think Gore's going to be busy for the next couple of years. This of course means that Lindsay's about three weeks away from appearing in the next Screech video offering.
Oddly, I don't think that she'll mind the Fish Eye or Dirty Sanchez all that much. There's a lot to be said for the heavily medicated.
Be adequite! That's the only way Robert Altman will ever be proud of you.
Posted by: skippystalin at December 08, 2006 08:51 AM (OzEoC)
13
Okay, I'm a prick, but isn't she 20 years old? When she's drinking in those upscale clubs why don't the police arrest her and the club owner? Forget her, she's an idiot, but the bartenders and owners know she's underage. I hate this shit because it makes it seem like they are above the law. No wonder we have problems.
Posted by: Larry at December 08, 2006 09:06 AM (hRx9a)
14
I confessed to Shelly? Damn, I must've been really drunk that night...
You know, I actually don't harbor any hate towards the Brit or LL (BTW: 3 times I've looked at this post, and I just now noticed that LL's name is misspelled in the main post: Logan? Anyhoo...). With the Brit settling down to be a mom, and LL taking a couple of real roles, I was hoping there was a sort of maturation there that would lead them to actually be respectible artists. Sure, didn't think either one of them was in danger of actually becoming deep or profound, let alone winning any Oscars or Nobels or anything, but I was thinking maybe they were making moves towards not being inane and vapid.
Nope. Not so. Reality killed the charitable view. We're seeing nothing more than a spectacle of party ho's. That's all.
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 08, 2006 09:14 AM (hbe/i)
Posted by: Casca at December 08, 2006 11:05 AM (Y7t14)
16
Sorry Casca, I don't know if you remember about 6 months ago, my sidebar was totally demolished. I made the mistake of trying to rebuild the blog from my cell phone and my template got fried. So I had to use an old version of the template, which didn't have your name on the HCOTW section. I still haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.
Posted by: annika at December 08, 2006 01:02 PM (zAOEU)
17
Why not bring back the HCOTW?
I agree your Gore-ism should have won if you were still doing it. That was good shit.
Casca had a good one last week. Can't remember it exactly but it concerned the fact that some dude's posts sucked pretty much all the time. Pretty fucking funny.
Posted by: blu at December 08, 2006 06:32 PM (swnTx)
18
Actually I should revoke Casca's for harshing on my awesome co-blogger!
Posted by: annika at December 08, 2006 07:29 PM (oantJ)
19
Yes you should anni. Sometimes I'm just an unspeakably cruel motherfucker. Ask Moxie. Then again, those who are full of themselves walk through this world with a huge bullseye painted on their chest.
Blu, I love you too.
Posted by: Casca at December 09, 2006 02:15 PM (2gORp)
The Iraq Study Group Report
I'm working through the recommendations now. I've approached the report with an open mind, since it's obvious that the Bush/Rumsfeld plan is not working. However, several descriptive phrases about the Iraq Study Group come to mind as I read. They are as follows:
naïve
not helpful
wishful thinking
too many carrots, no stick
I wish I could say differently. It's almost like a bunch of guys sitting around a table on Saturday night, playing Risk, or Dungeons & Dragons. The panel members imagine a world in which all the players would act rationally if only they talked to each other. With their "New Diplomatic Offensive," they've conjured a mythological universe that sounds nice, but doesn't actually exist.
The Iraq Study Group's major error was their assumption that parties with a strong negotiation position will trade away strength for promises by a weaker adversary. The kind of negotiation that the ISG envisions could only work if the parties shared mutual interests and goals, which is absolutely not the case in Iraq or in the broader Middle East.
Our limited contacts with IranÂ’s government lead us to believe that its leaders are likely to say they will not participate in diplomatic efforts to support stability in Iraq. They attribute this reluctance to their belief that the United States seeks regime change in Iran.
Nevertheless, as one of IraqÂ’s neighbors Iran should be asked to assume its responsibility to participate in the Support Group. An Iranian refusal to do so would demonstrate to Iraq and the rest of the world IranÂ’s rejectionist attitude and approach, which could lead to its isolation. Further, IranÂ’s refusal to cooperate on this matter would diminish its prospects of engaging with the United States in the broader dialogue it seeks.
In other words, ask Iran to help stabilize Iraq, even though at present Iran is actively working to destabilize Iraq — because Iran feels it is in its interest to do so. The ISG suggests that Iran will abandon a key pillar of their regional foreign policy, to avoid becoming "isolated" (though they already are) and to gain a "broader dialogue" with the U.S. (which they don't give a rat's ass about). The penalty for not doing us a favor (against the Iranians self-interest) is to continue with a status quo that the Iranians don't mind at all.
And how does the Iraq Study Group suggest that we persuade Iran to do us that big favor, which the ISG admits they are unlikely to want to do? The report is short on suggestions. But the panelists have no trouble coming up with nice things that Iran can do for us, assuming they can be magically persuaded to ignore their strong negotiating position and act against their own interest.
• Iran should stem the flow of equipment, technology, and training to any group resorting to violence in Iraq.
• Iran should make clear its support for the territorial integrity of Iraq as a unified state, as well as its respect for the sovereignty of Iraq and its government.
• Iran can use its influence, especially over Shia groups in Iraq, to encourage national reconciliation.
• Iran can also, in the right circumstances, help in the economic reconstruction of Iraq.
Again, why would the Iranians want to do any of these things when the status quo in neighboring Iraq suits Iranian purposes so well? A destabilized Iraq is an Iraq vulnerable to Iranian influence. More importantly, a destabilized Iraq also means a weakened United States especially vis-a-vis Iranian nukes.
And of course, my criticism doesn't even reach the fact that Iranian interests are also motivated by a dangerous religious fanaticism that makes their cooperation with the West even more unlikely.
I've seen many objections to the Iraq Study Group's report from several other critics. I can't address that commentary, since I haven't read the whole report. But if the rest of the ISG's recommendations are as unwise as their "New Diplomatic Offensive," and their failure to understand the Iranian problem, I think the panel might have done more harm than good.
Update: And in the "he said what I said, only better..." department, here's a must read digest of the ISG report, by Robert Tracinski. An excerpt:
We should negotiate with Iran and Syria to convince them to help stabilize Iraq, but then James Baker angrily denies that this would mean caving in and allowing Iran to continue its nuclear weapons program, and he angrily denies that it would mean caving in and allowing Syria to re-conquer Lebanon. In other words, he wants to ask Iran and Syria to help us in Iraq--while ruling out the only concessions that might induce them to do so. At the same time, the ISG also rules out any serious military threat that would force Iran and Syria to abandon their current strategy.
This is the pattern of the whole report: to stipulate the achievement of a result, while denying the actual means that might achieve that result.
When you desire a result without enacting the means for achieving it, that's called a "fantasy"which is ironic, considering that James Baker is a dean of the "realist" school of foreign policy.
I almost never say this, but read the whole thing!
1
Baker is a well known Arabist of the Foggy Bottom ilk. he's happily throw Israel to the wolves, and appears to do so with his proposal to have a "regional" meeting without Israel at the table.
Does anyone seriously believe that Israel will hold still for this stuff, and allow Iran to move to the bomb?
I have faith that my President will not buy into this aspect of the proposals; if he does, I will be disappointed and have to reconsider my registration.
On the other hand, if it brings the Democrats closer to unity on the war, there are parts that are palatable. Now that they have "won" the election, they need to take some responsiblity for their actions and words, and if they keep to the obstructionist path, their "victory" (more like, our loss) will be short lived indeed.
In that regard, the report is useful.
By the way, Annie, remember that the Iraqis are Arabs and the Iranians are Persians; Iran could never control Iraq; they just want them weak.
Why do I think that Straw, Will and the rest of the cut-and-run interloper crew will love these proposals?
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 03:28 AM (Eodj2)
2
This report exemplifies a certain bureaucratic mindset found in government that is enamored of "process." I accept that dialogue is important, but, as Annika notes, there has to be some "stick" backing up the negotiation. This reminds me of overweight people who buy the newest diet book, and feel like they have accomplished something. Setting the book on their nightstand feels like they are doing something about their weight, but, obviously, that book means nothing unless they take some positive action that actually effects their weight. If we follow many of this report's recommendations we will be like a fat guy who accumulates more and more diet/self-help books while his weight continues to soar. I think the Administration knows this, and I pray I am right.
Posted by: DBrooks at December 07, 2006 07:23 AM (sF8bT)
3
Was there anyone among you who excected something different from Baker, O'Conner, and a pack of Democrat toadys? Anyone? Anyone?
This is the kind of fine work that got GHWB re-elected. In my heart of hearts, I knew that Rumsfeld had a strategy, and while he was there, I was certain that the administration did too. Now, the water is very muddy.
Amazingly, if I may borrow a phrase from Mr. Limbaugh, the Iraq Surrender Group did not have one military member to lend them verisimilitude. I'll remind the uninformed among you that war is the prosecution of foreign policy by other means. The product of these distinguished folks is koolaid, when we ordered an expensive Cabernet.
Posted by: Casca at December 07, 2006 07:41 AM (Y7t14)
4
Good point, Casca, about not having a military member. When it was raised this morning on Fox News, Cavuto pointed out that a few were former 1st Lts. and there was one Reserve Lt. Col. amongst the 10.
The response was "They might just as well have been veterans from the Spanish-American War; what we needed was high level recent General Staff officers who understand the logistics, tactics and strategy of modern warfare" (or something close to that). Apparently there was consultation with high level folks, but that ain't the same thing as signing on to the conclusions.
The Israelis have already rejected the central premise. Big surprise, there.
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 08:36 AM (Eodj2)
5
I don't understand some of the goals of ISG either. Call me crazy, but I figured that the last thing anyone wanted was more Iranian and Syrian involvement.
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 07, 2006 08:53 AM (hbe/i)
6
Small point, but GHWB wasn't re-elected; some guy named Clinton knocked him out of the box. Casca must have meant un-elected.
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 09:42 AM (Eodj2)
7
Annika, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on this subject. Your thoughts show substantial discernment. A couple of comments on those thoughts;
- Iran could be put on the hook by at least publicly stating their intentions. If they refuse to acknowledge support for a unified, diverse Iraq, then more weight is put behind the drive for nuclear-related sanctions. If they publicly state they do not support a unified, diverse Iraq, then more weight again for sanctions. If they publicly support Iraq, but continue with clandestine Shia militant activities, then again more weight for sanctions.
- The situation in Iraq has for too long been viewed as primarily a military operation, when we really need a tremendous diplomatic thrust to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis, if it is not too late. The early use of DIME (Diplomatic, Industrial, Military, Economic) effects based operations in a serious Phase IV plan was given extremely short shrift with emphasis almost solely on 'M'; now its time to focus on the others. Hence, the absence of flag level officers could be viewed as a positive for this group. The input of a Lt. Colonel should not be discounted.
My respect for James Baker has grown over the last few years, as he has stepped away from simply being a partisan behind-the-scenes (and sometimes in front) fighter to an independent, principled advocate of examining and taking the right steps, regardless of party platform. IMO, no higher public calling exists.
Posted by: will at December 07, 2006 09:52 AM (GzvlQ)
Posted by: Casca at December 07, 2006 10:32 AM (Y7t14)
10
One would think that then WH CoS Baker's advice to raise taxes, thus leading GHWB to betray his "No New Taxes" pledge, would leap to mind whenever one hears the name James Baker. His name is a curse. He took GHWB from an 80% approval rating into the 40's in a year. I'll never forget '92. I was one of the casualties of Baker's stupidity.
Posted by: Casca at December 07, 2006 10:45 AM (Y7t14)
11
> Begone Fucktard
If one wonders what is meant by a 'reprobate mind', they need look no farther than Casca.
Perhaps he pines for the days when he actually could tell people what to do and expect them to do it. Now he is simply beating his gums...
Posted by: will at December 07, 2006 11:07 AM (GzvlQ)
12- Iran could be put on the hook by at least publicly stating their intentions.
HOW many times do they have to say they want to wipe Israel off the map for you to believe them? For the world to believe them? will, like james baker, can go fuck himself.
...great analysis Annie. Brit Hume had extensive coverage yesterday of Baker's "flip syria" option in the ISG report, which seems equally out of touch with reality as the recommendations on Iran.
I was hoping they might recommend, I dunno, killing more bad guys, but I guess that's too much to hope for from a country that keeps handicapping itself in the fight against Islamic fascism. We have an enemy who routinely use women and children as human shields, and often coerce the latter into the service of operating guerrillas -- and yet it is America's rules of engagement (ROE) that are questioned by the world? Charges of civilian casualties and inappropriate rules of engagement have become a staple of enemy propaganda (and reported front page by us) and this has led to the rules of engagement being modified, as a result U.S. troops have become increasingly hesitant to fire on the enemy. Solving this won't solve everything of course, but it seems we need to start setting some examples of our determination through our superior fire power.
Posted by: Scof at December 07, 2006 11:28 AM (a3fqn)
13
Baker is an anti-semite who should be ignored. The group's comments regarding Israel are so naive and silly that the remainder of the suggestions are automatically suspect. (Why is the answer always about Israel giving up land and caving into human debris?) I am certain though that this report will find ample support among the terrorist community and, of course, among the American-hating community. In fact, based on previous comments, it obviously has.
Posted by: blu at December 07, 2006 11:33 AM (Wn4WF)
14
dont worry Matt, the rules of engagement will change. But the scary thing is that when they do, it will be because we are in really deep shit.
Posted by: annika at December 07, 2006 11:49 AM (zAOEU)
15
There's nothing wrong with Jim Baker's realism in his dealings with the Arab World. For example, it makes sense to team up with Sunni nations like Jordan and Saudi Arabia against Iran. Or with Iraq in the 1980s. The problem is that he's not being realistic in the assessment of Iran's likelihood to deal with us, as Annika has pointed out.
The whole thing reminds me of Kerry's International Conference plan, as if people with divergent interests will just give in for no reason becuase they're talking. The Iranians are talking to us every day in Iraq in a languge called IEDese.
Realism is good to go. We must deal with dictators and dirtbags and our future enemies to deal with our enemies today. But there is a profound unrealism of this particular report, not least, I should imagine, because of the inherent tendency of such a bipartisan commission filed with amateurs like Vernon Jordan and Sandra Day O'Connor.
Posted by: Roach at December 07, 2006 01:38 PM (1BjlW)
16
shELLY,
I have not really had a chance to come to any conclusions about this offering by Baker, Hamilton, et al.
I do not, however, remember ever being a cut and runner. I have argued vociferously that the invasion of Iraq was a bullshit move, engineered by a cabal that was deceitful, scornfull of democracy and ultimately incorrect in their assumptions and inept in their execution.
WHAt to do now that we have induced chaos, destabilized the region, fostered more hatred of America than ever, swelled the ranks of what you refer to as the "bad guys" and in everyway possible degraded the possible foreign policy initiatives and options is a dilema that I can't imagine solving.
I just am not able to pull together the disparate forces, influences, power blocks etc, to come to any conclusion. I am at a loss. I think and have always thougt that the Bush idea of "victory" was laughable. That the loss of life and destruction of property is criminal. And that a thoughtful, detailed, and realistic plan for the invasion and its aftermath was never in evidence.
Cutting and running is different than throwing your hands up in disgust, punishing those who are responsible and retreating from a situation that you have created that will only deteriorate further if you stay. I see no possibility of an acceptable outcome if we remain and no hope of anything better if we go. But if we go no more Americans will die defending a pile of deteriorating shit. And the threat to our nation may decrease by a degree.
Posted by: Strawman at December 07, 2006 02:11 PM (9ySL4)
17
Oh, Shelly, be careful of the "Iran is persian/Iraq is arab" thing. The fact that Syria is arab hasn't stopped Iran from controlling Syria and by extension influencing Lebanon.
Posted by: annika at December 07, 2006 02:38 PM (zAOEU)
18
ah the fucktard has decided to open his sock drawer and let his puppets speak. get a life loser.
Posted by: Casca at December 07, 2006 02:57 PM (Y7t14)
19
Baker is the next to last old jackass that I ever wanted to see again, the last one being Jimmy Carter. That idiot actually tried to hold the old Soviet Union together as it was breaking up, he is the one who was primarily responsible for not getting rid of Saddam 15 years ago when it was much more doable.
Posted by: kyle8 at December 07, 2006 03:50 PM (AtaUM)
20
"swelled the ranks of what you refer to as the 'bad guys'"...does this mean that you *don't* think of them as bad guys? Or do you just dislike the term for some reason?
Posted by: david foster at December 07, 2006 04:15 PM (/Z304)
21
I think it is ironic that it was Democrat, Joe Lieberman, who came out swinging at these ridiculous recommendations. Good to see McCain calling BS on these losers as well. The so-called "Blue Ribbon" group is getting roundly and deservedly heckled by serious people. The light-weights are of course happy to jump on board so as to avoid any critical thinking.
Posted by: blu at December 07, 2006 09:17 PM (swnTx)
22
Waht sone of you folks don't seem to grasp is the concept that this is not Viet Nam.
No Viet Cong followed us home; the Islamic crazies will for sure. They already did before we went to Iraq.
We will all die if we don't kill them all first.
Posted by: shelly at December 07, 2006 09:46 PM (YadGF)
23John "Rubble Doesn't Cause Trouble" Derbyshire's review of America Alone:
-For Shelly-
"After the pungent brilliance of the preceding 200 pages, this all falls a bit flat. And in fact, the reader who has traversed those 200 pages has been having different thoughts from the ones Steyn tries to guide him to. For example: Is that original list of options—submit to, destroy, or reform Islam—really exhaustive? How about we just fence it off : Expel our own Muslims, forbid Muslims to enter our countries, proscribe Islam, and deal with Muslim nations commercially at arm’s length? (They have to sell their oil to someone, or else starve.) Such actions are, of course, way over the line of politically acceptable discourse today; but in five or ten years, after a couple more jihadist atrocities, they will not be."
-My Favorite Part-
"Ah, but Mark, there is rubble, and there is rubble. Of the 13th-century Mongol horde it was said that when they had once bestowed their attentions on a city, you could afterwards ride over the place where that city had stood without your horse stumbling. If the indignities suffered in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Grozny are the root causes of present-day Islamic terrorism, then I submit that the indignities were insufficiently severe.Armchair warriors like myself are sometimes accused of laboring under the illusion that all the world’s problems can be solved by neat “surgical strikes” on troublesome locations, in which suspect facilities, or persons, are cleanly eliminated with minimal collateral damage.Not guilty! I am, in fact, willing to confess myself a collateral-damage armchair warrior, who would be happy to see us trade in our inventory of smart laser-guided precision munitions for lots and lots and lots of old-style iron bombs, and fleets of great big iron planes to deliver them. Remember those photographs of mid-1945 Berlin, fragments of broken wall sticking up out of vast drifts and dunes of pulverized masonry? Now that’s rubble.Oh, and we won that war."
Posted by: reagan80 at December 08, 2006 05:07 AM (wkyrW)
24
By Sunday, Baker et.al. are deservedly roadkill. Ralph Peters, just said that Baker kept a Military rep off the panel so that the report wouldn't be cluttered with the facts. Love his comments on the report.
Posted by: Casca at December 08, 2006 07:46 AM (Y7t14)
25
And this today from the Associated with terrorists Press: "Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told thousands of Iranians on Friday that his Hamas-led government will never recognize Israel and will continue to fight for the "liberation of Jerusalem."
Oh, lest we all forget, Iran is holding a "scholarly" conference to determine if the Halocaust, like, you know, ever really happened.
Yeah, James, the problem is obviously Israel. And let's be sure to deal with Iran and Syria. Negotiating with sub-humans makes a lot of sense. Hell, these twits might already by road kill. Hopefully, James will go away. Maybe a little vacation to Saudi Arabia to get a load off, the fucking prick.
Just those two tid bits alone should tell these children just a little about the people with whom we are dealing. You talk to these people. You kill them. BTW, why the fuck doesn't that fat fuck Sadr have a bullet in his pea size brain yet? Now that's a recommendation worth implementing!
Posted by: blu at December 08, 2006 08:28 AM (swnTx)
26
DavidFoster,
Both, the term is childish and misrepresents who they may really be.
Swelling the ranks. The fighting in Iraq is not about stopping the "crazies who would follow us home". Those people are out there and their wish to follow us home has not been diminished by anything we are doing in Iraq nor have their numbers decreased, quite the contrary. So what is the value of this adventure? No increase in our security, no advantage in ME political influence, increasing resistance and violence, an Iraqi government that exists only in the green zone, our armed forces fighting for a goal that no one can properly define, our contractors looting the piggybank, and on and on. Altogether demoralizing.
Tell me where this present policy will lead? What will substantially change for the better in the next year? two years?
Posted by: Strawman at December 08, 2006 09:23 AM (9ySL4)
27
Does anyone else sense a vacuum in this blog? Every once in a while the Surrender Monkeys drop some poop here. As Casca would say, begone, Fucktard.
The Patriot Act never happens unless we are at war. The Surrender Monkeys may think they have the upper hand right now, but our President will hold fast and surely not abandon Israel.
We desperately need another Jihadist atrocity to jar the rest of the fools back to reality. Don't worry, it is coming, no matter how good we are about trying to delay/avert it.
BTW: Does anyone seriously think UBL is still alive? I figure he's sealed in a cave somewhere in Pakistan or Afghanistan.
I hope they parse that Arabist Baker on Sunday. Betcha he won't do O'Reilly.
Posted by: shelly at December 08, 2006 10:14 AM (Eodj2)
28
A flash of brilliance: Today, on Imus, Jeff Greenfield quoted Will Rogers, who, when asked how you curtail submarine warfare told the questioner that you just heat up the ocean and make it intolerable for a submarine to be in it.
When the questioner asked him how you do it, he told him that he is only into policy and not implementation.
Sounds a lot like the Surrender Monkey Report, huh?
Posted by: shelly at December 08, 2006 10:56 AM (Eodj2)
29
At the very least, the ISG has introduced some bipartisan
truth into the equation, which the limp media will
now pick up on.
Sitting down with Iran and Syria should be done, but certainly
not reported/suggested/spoken about.
Without enormous bribes/concessions, Iran and Syria
have no interest in stabilizing Iraq. Who is the ISG kidding.
rz
Posted by: Roy Zuckerman at December 08, 2006 05:17 PM (Yj+Kq)
Wednesday is Poetry Day: Ruth Stone
In an interview, Ruth Stone offered the following opinion on poetry and fiction: J.F.Battaglia: You have written many short stories, some published in The New Yorker, in Commentary and elsewhere; what are some distinctions between poetry and fiction?
Ruth Stone: Prose and stories are more objective. Poems are emotional opinion.
JB: How did that get to be?
RS: I think poems are closer to your mad reactions to life. Also to the self, the wounded. I think a lot of poetry comes out of wounds...
Seen in that light, I admit I looked at Ms. Stone's poem about a young girl turning into her mother (published when she was in her sixties!) in a whole new fashion.
Second Hand Coat
I feel
in her pockets; she wore nice cotton gloves,
kept a handkerchief box, washed her undies,
ate at the Holiday Inn, had a basement freezer,
belonged to a bridge club.
I think when I wake in the morning
that I have turned into her.
She hangs in the hall downstairs,
a shadow with pulled threads.
I slip her over my arms, skin of a matron.
Where are you? I say to myself, to the orphaned body,
and her coat says,
Get your purse, have you got your keys?
1
I'm reminded when Snoop Dogg "wounded" his mother by throwing a late night ghetto orgy:
Two in the mornin and the partys still jumpin
Cause my momma aint home
I got bitches in the living room gettin it on
And, they aint leavin til six in the mornin (six in the mornin)
So what you wanna do, sheeeit
I got a pocket full of rubbers and my homeboys do too
So turn off the lights and close the doors
But (but what) we dont love them hoes, yeah!
So we gonna smoke a ounce to this
Gs up, hoes down, while you motherfuckers bounce to this
Posted by: Scof at December 06, 2006 03:06 PM (a3fqn)
2
"I think a lot of poetry comes out of wounds..." That's especially true since Sylvia and Sexton. But it wasn't always that way, poetry being the oldest form of literature. I think ultimately, good poetry should be about beauty, not confession.
Posted by: annika at December 06, 2006 07:16 PM (oantJ)
3
Its certainly about craft at least, working on your confession can produce something of beauty. I did like the poem, quite mature it is, good stuff.
Posted by: Scof at December 07, 2006 10:43 AM (a3fqn)
4
Oh, i forgot to say: I liked the poem too. Thanks Victor!
Posted by: annika at December 07, 2006 11:52 AM (zAOEU)
Posted by: annika at December 05, 2006 10:03 AM (zAOEU)
6
Yeah, but can you be rented?
(*Chuckle*... *snort*...)
----
Reminds me of a documentary I was watching on cold fusion. Some brain dead mouth decided to level the charge that cold fusion research was being suppressed because physicists were being bought by big oil. One physicist critical of cold fusion responded something like 'No...no one's paid me off yet... if they want to, I can be reached at the University of...'
Anyhoo, payola for positive reviews isn't really that big of a shock. Hell... they do it all the time for movies. Why else do we see that Ron Noonestein from Podunktown Idaho thought the new Rob Schneider film was a "Tour de Force", a "Film for the ages", and a "Must see event!"?
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 05, 2006 11:09 AM (xHyDY)
Posted by: Scof at December 05, 2006 11:39 AM (a3fqn)
8
Casca,
Just wondering by your two postings above, does Schizophrenia run in the family, or am I just jumping to conclusions?
(Maybe just channeling GBS?)
Posted by: Brad at December 05, 2006 02:18 PM (9ADYb)
9
Obviously you're new, so you have no frame of reference here, Brad. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know...
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 04:19 PM (2gORp)
10
Bwah ha ha hah! Brad, this should help illustrate the situation. Put simply, Casca views Will as an un-housebroken interloper that soils Annie's wonderful blog which ties his world together.
Posted by: reagan80 at December 05, 2006 05:35 PM (wkyrW)
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 07:46 PM (2gORp)
15
Heh, what happened to your wishlist? I want to send you a Christmas present.
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 08:13 PM (2gORp)
16
I suspect that right about now, Annie would like an advance copy of the next Bar Exam.
Right aobut Christmas break is when they start getting seriously worried about that sucker. Last one jumped from @49% to 51.8% passing, so they are talking another look at the degree of difficulty.
Posted by: shelly at December 06, 2006 12:31 AM (0Co69)
17
Man, you keep being a prick to everybody, and nobody is going to show up at your funeral. At least, that's what momma used to say.
Posted by: Casca at December 06, 2006 07:16 AM (Y7t14)
18
Not true, Cas. Someone would gonna wanna piss and dance on said prick's grave.
Well, maybe not in that order... ewww, dancing in piss... anyway...
Posted by: ElMondoHummus at December 06, 2006 07:03 PM (xHyDY)
19
I (heart) pissing and dancing on said prick's grave! ;-)
Posted by: Radical Redneck at December 06, 2006 09:30 PM (hvREU)
MNF Pick, Week XIII
This week is a pretty even matchup, Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles. Based solely on records, I should bet Carolina, especially with the Eagles having lost Donovan McNabb for the season. But I'm going to go with Philadelphia to cover the three point spread.
One reason is that Philly is at home. If they can get the crowd into the game with some early plays, I think Delhomme will have a tough time of it. Jake throws his share of interceptions, and turnovers are always key in a close matchup.
The loss of Donovan McNabb hurts the Eagles, but Jeff Garcia isn't the worst backup QB in the world. He's actually rated higher than Delhomme at this point in the season. I'm not terribly confident about my pick, and most experts are going with Carolina, but there you have it.
1
Sorry, like the rest of America, I was doing something else. I was watching Babyface where Barbara Stanwyck screws her way to the top in the pre-hayes era on TCM. Now I know how she got all that land, and why the kids all looked so different.
Speaking of looking different. When the wolves got ahold of that Kim fellow who wandered off into the snow leaving his wife and kids in the car. Do you think he tasted like Bulgogi?
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 08:31 AM (Y7t14)
2
allow me to point out that my analysis was spot fucking on! the key play ---> Delhomme throws an interception while in the red zone to lose the game.
Posted by: annika at December 05, 2006 10:05 AM (zAOEU)
Bolton Is Out, Who Should Be Next?
John Bolton was one of the best UN Ambassadors we've had. But a minority of Senators decided he was too tough for the job. So he's out.
Apparently, being tough is not an asset for a UN Ambassador. I might have thought otherwise, but we live in a different era now. John Bolton would have fit in better during some earlier time in our nation's history when standing up for his country's interests was something we wanted our ambassadors to do.
No longer. The key requirement for a UN Ambassador these days is likeability. He or she should be well thought of by the international diplomatic corps. And to be well thought of, one needs to make concessions. Well known anti-American Kofi Annan said so himself:
"I think Ambassador Bolton did the job he was expected to do," Annan said, before launching on a discourse about how important it is for ambassadors to "understand that to get concessions, they have to make concessions."
In other words, even if the UN has lost its way, our UN Ambassador should just go along to get along. We need a kinder, gentler, friendlier ambassador who will make everybody feel good.
The question now is, with the above requirements in mind, who should replace Bolton?
The White House gave no immediate signs of its plans for a successor, but people who have been mentioned both inside and outside the administration as possible successors include the American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad; Philip Zelikow, the State Department counselor; Paula Dobriansky, under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs; and [Senator Lincoln] Chafee.
I'm not sure any of those guys have what it takes to be a good UN Ambassador under the new criteria. What we need is a real wimp, somebody with no agenda, very little intelligence, and someone whose overriding concern is the need to be liked. That's the surest way to get the good old U. S. of A.'s poll numbers back on top, the way they were under Clinton, when Matt Allbright was ambassador and chief doormat.
I have been known to favor celebrities for positions at the UN. Since celebrities have been in the vanguard on the issue of U.S. global likeability, what could be more obvious than that we need a celebrity at the UN Ambassadorship? Almost without exception, celebrities possess the requisite qualities of low intelligence and a desperate desire to be well thought of.
Therefore, I suggest Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake as co-ambassadors to the United Nations. The fact that Justin was once in a boy band should be a big advantage in dealing with the hyper-sensitive international diplomatic corps. What could be less threatening than a boy band member? Plus JT is about as dumb as half a stump, so if you team him up with Cameron Diaz, you get an intellectual total that equals about... half a stump. They would make perfect ambassadors under the newer, friendlier, criteria.
1
Cameron and Justin may actually both be smarter than Albright, who, of course, set a standard for a lack of intelligence in that particular position.
Posted by: blu at December 04, 2006 05:57 PM (Wn4WF)
Posted by: Casca at December 04, 2006 06:12 PM (2gORp)
3
Bolton leaving is an absolute shame. Not only will it be more of the same at the U.N. but likely worse than ever. Plus we've just installed the Kofi lover party as majority in Congress. What were we thinking?
Posted by: Mike C. at December 04, 2006 08:14 PM (Eodj2)
4
Rummy's my choice. He can serve for a year with a recess appointment; IN YOUR FACE!!!!!
BTW, I actualy know both Justin and Cameron. They are nice, gentle souls and not consumed with themselves as other certain clebs who are now banned from these pages.
They drive their own cars, no security. They are friendly and nice people. And, YOU should be so dumb, and successful. They manage their careers properly and that takes smarts.
So, back off on this one, Annie. You've got it wrong.
Posted by: shelly at December 04, 2006 08:31 PM (Eodj2)
5
Bolton suffered from an public airing of his vein-popping tirades, which showed that he as ill-suited as the US's leading diplomat. But this was simply one in a long string of abysmal appointments, from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Hadley, on down the line.
A UN Ambassador must have the social skills to be able to work together with others to achieve the goals of the country, not simply obstinately press the failed New American Century dogma. Bolton represented the arrogant, we-run-the-world approach that has backfired horribly in our faces.
My conservative republican attorney father-in-law, who only obtained his news from FoxNews, NewsMaxx, etc, read "Fiasco" recently, and has gone through a deep soul-searching about this Administration and his
Posted by: will at December 05, 2006 05:03 AM (h7Ciu)
6
Bolton suffered from an public airing of his vein-popping tirades, which showed that he as ill-suited as the US's leading diplomat. But this was simply one in a long string of abysmal appointments, from Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Hadley, on down the line.
A UN Ambassador must have the social skills to be able to work together with others to achieve the goals of the country, not simply obstinately press the failed New American Century dogma. Bolton represented the arrogant, we-run-the-world approach that has backfired horribly in our faces.
My conservative republican attorney father-in-law, who only obtained his news from FoxNews, NewsMaxx, etc, read "Fiasco" recently, and has gone through a deep soul-searching about this Administration and his outlook on political veracity of his once cherished party.
Posted by: will at December 05, 2006 05:04 AM (h7Ciu)
7
To borrow a term, who let this corksucker back in here? Begone fucktard.
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 07:45 AM (Y7t14)
8
Hey Will,
Do you get your talking points straight from the DNC? What a fucking pathetic 6th grade attempt at analysis.
And I'm happy that "Fiasco" is on the family reading list. Wow. Impressive. Really. If you can't tell, I'm really, really impressed. If you did more than repeat DNC rhetoric, you might have heard Hugh Hewitt tear Ricks a new asshole for millions to hear on the public airwaves. Just writing for the WaPo makes his writing suspect.
Do us a favor, Will, and post something you thought of yourself. At least, Straw is original most of the time. You're just a smug, self-involved plagiarizer, who claims to be "moderate" but isn't.
And, BTW, most of the Bolton's colleagues felt like he did a very good job. And, unlike Albright, he actually brought some ideas and an IQ to the game. Why is a doormat like Albright better than a highly intelligent, forceful, patriot like Bolton? She's not - unless you are a professional America hater (read: you).
Save your nonsense for some other place, Will. I'm sure you could go rant along with Koz and the Gang. Are maybe you could get Soros to provide you with some start-up money for your own site where could just post the DNC talking points each day.
Besides, as Casca said of another smug contributor, "your posts uniformly suck.”
Posted by: blu at December 05, 2006 08:57 AM (Wn4WF)
9
I come to the ass-kicking a little late, but better late than never.
I endorse all of Casca's and Blu's views and add one of my own:
Isn't it time to understand that we are in a war to the death???
Go to this site and take an hour to listen to an intelligent human being who knows of what she speaks:
"Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America"
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev092706a.cfm
After you've listened to Brigitte, tell us what you then actually think (not what Soros says). If you do good, we may get off your ass.
Posted by: shelly at December 05, 2006 09:13 AM (0Co69)
10
Celebrities?
There's always Gweneth. She thinks about America when prompted to.
Kevin
Posted by: Kevin Kim at December 05, 2006 10:05 AM (1PcL3)
Posted by: annika at December 05, 2006 10:06 AM (zAOEU)
12
Pardon the Konglish spelling-- I meant "Gwyneth."
Shelly, since you're so plugged in-- do you know anyone who could use the services of a professional cellist? My little brother's a fantastic player.
Kevin
Posted by: Kevin Kim at December 05, 2006 12:10 PM (1PcL3)
13
Tell him to get a job and an agent.
On the other hand, Casca amy need him after Florida beats up OSU.
Posted by: shelly at December 05, 2006 12:19 PM (0Co69)
14
Blu,
You're in dittohead, broadcast mode; that's one reason the hammer came down Nov 7th. Smug, cocky, arrogant Republicans felt they could jerk the chains of the Religious Right to come vote for their scare scenarios. Their fantasy fell down around them when too many scandals broke the camel's back; Americans chose another party, rightly or wrongly, to lead the country.
"smug self-involved plaigerizer". On which blog did you find that phrase, and how do you apply it here, specifically?
Bolton an "intelligent, forceful, patriot"? One out of 3 isn't bad, but anyone can be a thug, so I hardly see that as a desirable attribute for America's main diplomat. And I'd like to see your source about "most of his colleagues" saying he did a swell job.
As far as following DNC talking points, I don't even visit their site, nor do I hang around with party hacks of either side. Again, my ultimate choice for President '08 would be John McCain, who, the last time I checked, is not a Democrat. YMMV.
It's time that some here wake up, step out of their little worlds, and see that Republican bravado no longer gets them attention, beyond the closeted few that refuse to come out.
But Rush and others have a paycheck to collect, so they will rally the ever decreasing ranks of the faithful. They'll still "tear new assholes" in the minds of the dittoheads, but they know that they've taken a big hit. But it beats the alternate of having to get real, productive jobs.
Posted by: will at December 05, 2006 06:50 PM (h7Ciu)
15
tage.org/Press/Events/ev092706a.cfm
Shelly et al,
I'll accept the challenge if you all would read Fiasco, assuming you don't fear the book or the author. Deal?
Posted by: will at December 05, 2006 06:52 PM (h7Ciu)
16
Fiasco received a favorable review in NRO. If i didn't have so much reading to do already, I'd pick it up.
Posted by: annika at December 05, 2006 07:21 PM (oantJ)
17
Annie:
51.8%.
Think about it. Save your reading for after the Bar.
I want to swear you in!
Posted by: shelly at December 05, 2006 07:35 PM (Eodj2)
18
WTF would I do with a Cellist? I'm not getting married again. As for your gator taunts. The betting window is still open beyotch.
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 07:53 PM (2gORp)
19
Why, to play "Hearts and Flowers" after the upset.
G_d knows I've been playing it all week.
It's gonna be hard to get interested in beating Michigan...wondering which team will show up from Figueroa Tech.
Posted by: shelly at December 06, 2006 12:26 AM (0Co69)
20
Tressel will not be caught unprepared. Not at this point in time with this team. The bigger the game, the more prepared he is.
You have a problem Shelly. I would not be betting the Trojans under any circumstance. UofM has been disrespected by the BCS, and they have something to prove. They're as big, as strong, and as fast as the Buckeyes. SC will be lucky if the center can roll the ball between his legs when they're done with him. Booty will be running for his life all day.
Posted by: Casca at December 06, 2006 07:37 AM (Y7t14)
21
Y'know, after Oregon State and UCLA I'm just not sure which team will show up in Pasadena.
It is not a house of pleasant memories for us.
On the other hand, USC has some great talent and if they show up with the team that kicked the crap out of Notre Dame, who knows?
I hope the center can do better than roll the balls. I think that is an OSU specialty.
The snapper is Will Collins, son of my good buddy John. He's had a good year so far.
Posted by: shelly at December 06, 2006 03:25 PM (SLFj+)
22
I KNOW you don't know what to do. You're in the doldrums along with Petey. Leadership is the other side of the coaching coin. UofM has everything to prove. USC has to be shellshocked. What's Pete going to say to these guys to get them up for this game? Play hard or they'll kick our ass all day long? For Michigan, this is about respect. This will be a VERY physical game.
Posted by: Casca at December 07, 2006 07:54 AM (Y7t14)
1
Ya know, I *still* haven't rec'd a password from them. I, for one, am not taking back everything I said about the bee, and I'm adding a few more choice comments.
I hope it's a nice article and that it drives visitors to watch The Flirts.
Posted by: Victor at December 03, 2006 10:33 AM (l+W8Z)
2
congratulations!
have you seen this yet? it's sully's new book -- www.thepathswechoose.com
Posted by: david at December 03, 2006 10:37 AM (NSKOn)
3
Well, Mr. IT Professional, maybe you fucking didn't do something right? That would be my bet.
Take it all back do you? My but your price is low.
Posted by: Casca at December 03, 2006 10:37 AM (2gORp)
4
Aw fuck, and they want a login. It will have to remain a mystery. The Sacto Bee is harder to access on the web than the NYT.
Posted by: Casca at December 03, 2006 10:40 AM (2gORp)
5
Congrats, Annie!
...and I cracked their high-security environment with:
Userid: Password
Password: Password
Posted by: d-rod at December 03, 2006 11:19 AM (JRBf/)
6
You've only been in the hood for a year + and you are already making headlines.....impressive, girl!
Posted by: blu at December 03, 2006 12:04 PM (Wn4WF)
7
or is it 2+ years. whatever....not that long regardless....
Posted by: blu at December 03, 2006 12:06 PM (Wn4WF)
8
Congrats on the Bee, and on five straight years of winning the Axe!
Posted by: Hugo at December 03, 2006 12:29 PM (Yu24L)
Posted by: Victor at December 03, 2006 05:12 PM (l+W8Z)
10
Answering this would be akin to beating an idiot child. But, I was asked. It would be bad manners to ignore the twit.
Those who show up after the fact with weakass excuses offend the sensibilities of those who have made the effort. Had you but carried your weight, our girl would have won outright. Add to this my loathing of mince pies, and all who bake them, and you've entered a very select group in my estimation. I threw in an explanation of your girlfriend's Aunt's strange looks towards you for free. Finally, your posts uniformly suck. Any more questions?
Posted by: Casca at December 03, 2006 07:27 PM (2gORp)
Posted by: Rob at December 03, 2006 07:44 PM (wMSNf)
12
Casca:
I TOLD you; pick on someone your own size. These mental midgets are unworthy.
You know better than to take bait that looks too easy. I'm thinking you might be losing a step.
Posted by: shelly at December 04, 2006 12:27 AM (YadGF)
13
Hey Casca, you can't get on the NYT or the Bee sites unless you have a super secret liberal decoder ring. You can get yours from Daily Kos.
BTW you also mispelled but (butt) just like me!
Congrats Annie for this dubious distinction. Still, as the infamous corksucker Oscar Wilde said, its better to be talked about than not talked about.
Posted by: kyleN at December 04, 2006 04:00 AM (7y1XD)
14
Shelly, I've lost several steps, but not nearly as many as you, and like you, I compensate by being a devious old bastard. Youth is exciting, but maturity is interesting.
Kyle, I did that on purpose to put you at ease, and make you feel welcome. "Corksucker", love it.
Posted by: Casca at December 04, 2006 07:33 AM (Y7t14)
15
Congrats on the Bee mention; that's how I just managed to become aware of you just an hour ago. But I do think that when Tower and other music retailers blame Amazon and file-sharing for their woes, they are overlooking their own role in their demise.
Until these recent going-outta-business sales, I hadn't bought new music at Tower in years. Classic albums by Jesus & Mary Chain...30% off a $26.95 list price? Even factoring in gas and bridge tolls, I'd be saving money to buy that at Amoeba Records in Berkeley. Even during these drastic price reductions, the Tower store four blocks from my house in Davis couldn't compete for my dollar next to a mom 'n' pop store 60 miles away. Why is it a surprise that they're folding? Why is it even lamentable?
I'm reading music-related blogs by avant-gardists and obsessed obscuro geeks from all over the planet, and it seems to me that only Americans ever ballyhoo the plight of fading record stores. And DIY labels in America complain loudly about losing their sales to downloaders, but DIYCEO's abroad don't seem as prone to that. I've begun to seriously believe it when my friend Scott--who runs his own DIY record label--says that this problem is uniquely American because of the way we devalue culture here. Europeans, he says, are more enthusiastic about supporting art and music and that they'd never disrespect it enough to steal it.
Indeed, culture is such a low priority for so many Americans that even when we do wanna pay for it, we buy it from the ultra-limited and tame vanilla selections at Wal-Mart and Target. I read somewhere recently that 55% of all music sold here in the USA are sold at Wal-Mart and Target.
Several stores are finding a successful niche selling serious music to serious music fans, the minority of Americans who do not roll over and settle for less. And even a store like The Beat has said that they had a record year in 2005. Amoeba and Aquarius in the Bay Area are as successful as ever. Portland, Oregon, has more record stores now (32 and counting!) than they did last year or ten years ago. These success stories are adapting and finding a new sustainable business model. Tower put up a feeble attempt to adapt; their can't-beat-'em-join-'em approach of offering downloads for purchase on their website shows just how ready they were to capitulate.
I spend probably $500-$1000 per month on new music, but I am not even 1% sad about Tower's bust.
Posted by: Rick Ele at December 04, 2006 04:05 PM (ykE8/)
16
Your comment gives me some reason to be optimistic, Rick. Thanks. Tower's prices had been going up, its true. And like I said, I had found other sources myself. Amoeba was a favorite haunt, in my college days. But now, without Tower, there's a vacuum, and technology will find a way to fill it. Pandora.com and satellite radio may be part of the answer. We shall see.
Posted by: annika at December 04, 2006 04:46 PM (zAOEU)
Posted by: The Law Fairy at December 02, 2006 11:43 PM (6KMvp)
2
Why that pumpkin need rubbas? It ain't got no dick! Unless it iz fer sumone else to give him safe eye hole sex. I wonder if he like it if take his cap off and shit down his head? Ferrealdoe!
Posted by: Spanky at December 03, 2006 08:56 AM (wkyrW)
Big Hair Video of the Day
Victor here, still wired from watching my beloved Caps roll over one of the top two teams in hockey. Heckuva game and I'm not gonna be able to sleep for a couple of hours. I mean, it's 1:15 in the AM and I was going to go to work in about five hours, but not no more!
Instead, I'll clutter up annika's blog with a big hair video. I give you...The Flirts!
annika will soon begin to regret giving me posting rights.
Posted by: Casca at December 02, 2006 11:28 PM (2gORp)
2
wow, that is cheesy. love the outfits! did everybody try to look like sheena easton in the 80's?
Posted by: annika at December 02, 2006 11:43 PM (oantJ)
3
When they first walked out, I thought the one on the right looked like a young, blonde Margaret Thatcher.
Anyway, here's one of the few 80's music videos I remember seeing back when I was a pre-schooler: Genesis - "Land of Confusion".
Those puppets freaked my ass out back then, but, for a video with an anti-Reagan message, it had the opposite effect on me as a kid.
Posted by: reagan80 at December 03, 2006 07:05 AM (wkyrW)
4
Its so funny to see old anti-Reagan stuff from the 80's now that we know who was right!!!
Posted by: annika at December 03, 2006 09:59 AM (oantJ)
5
Yes indeed, Annika. The first RoboCop movie is another amusing example of satire containing obsolete prophecies about the "dark legacy" of the Reagan administration.
Skippy once noted:"At several points, Gorbachev had higher approval ratings in the United States than did President Ronald Reagan.The above paragraph should be a clear demonstration that people didn't just go stupid in the last six years, like you might think."
Posted by: reagan80 at December 03, 2006 04:28 PM (wkyrW)
Who Gets To Go To Glendale, The Sequel
It's Michigan.
Eric McNeal's deflection and catch were unbelievable. What quick hands.
Musberger said it, "that's why they play the game." USC, heavily favored by as much as 13 points, was upset at the Rose Bowl tonight by arch rival UCLA. And now we'll never get an answer to the Shelly vs. Casca debate.
But instead, we all get a rematch between Ohio State and their arch rival Michigan, undisputably the second best college football team this year. I wanted to see OSU vs. USC, but now I, and the rest of America want the Big 10 rematch.
And I don't want to hear anything about Florida or that strength of schedule bullshit they were peddling on tv tonight. You all saw the Florida Arkansas game. I ask you, did that sloppy Gator team look like they could do anything but cower and hide against either of the Big 10's best? I want to see a game in January, not a blowout.
Update: Hey wait a minute. Cal beat UCLA by two touchdowns. We should go to the Rose Bowl!
1
How nice of you to speak for the rest of America. You're certainly speaking for me. This rematch will be historic. Michigan has earned that number two spot. Great teams find a way to win. USC hasn't been great since their loss to that punkass UT team last year. My only fear is that the fucktard sportswriters will elevate Florida if they win tonight. The SEC is over-rated.
Anybody seen Shelly? He's probably in the attic wrapping a tourniquet around his neck to stop the rectal hemmorage. LMAO, that's what you get for all your shit-talking. Pete Carrol thinks he's going back to the Rose Bowl as the two loss champ of the PAC 10. I'll predict the USC loss now.
Chris Leak, Chris Leak! Leak just shovel-passed the ball to an Arky def lineman, and let him do the pick six. Oh yeah, they're good in an inbred southern sort of way.
Posted by: Casca at December 02, 2006 06:30 PM (2gORp)
2
What do you mean, "And now we'll never get an answer to the Shelly vs. Casca debate."? Oregon State beat them on the road. The other film school beat them decisively in their backyard. USC couldn't make it to the NC game when it was being handed to them. If anything, USC's loss shows what a weak team Notre Dame really is.
I've offered to cover all bets against the Buckeyes, against any opponent. There are still no comers.
Posted by: Casca at December 02, 2006 07:22 PM (2gORp)
3
It's hard to blog when there is blood pouring from every apeture.
There are no excuses; USC was not ready for prime time and that's the sad truth of it.
Casca wins this round; in the time honored tradition of college football, I utter the sanctified phrase "Wait 'til next year".
Now, I intend to get in the bathtub and slit my wrists.
Wait: Saving grce: My undergraduate degree is from....... UCLA. Go Bruins!!!!!
Posted by: shelly at December 02, 2006 08:32 PM (Eodj2)
4
LOL, you're not getting off that easy.
Mr. Casual looked shellshocked in the postgame interview. Guess that's what you look like when you've just lost half of your closest personal friends. Karl Dorrell on the otherhand is certainly a rising star. It's about time UCLA returned to respectability.
Posted by: Casca at December 02, 2006 11:12 PM (2gORp)
5
This football season is officially OVER.
I never thoought I'd welcome back Peter Pumpkin and Glowee.
Well, I saved a shitload of money and a long drive to Phooenix/Glendale. And, I didn't even have to watch the thing, as I am in D.C. and was having a drink with my buddy Rich who writes "Mullings" and then to dinner at the Palm.
Also, someone sent me Brittany's commando photo to cheer me up.
Posted by: shelly at December 03, 2006 01:49 AM (0Co69)
6
Hey, don't try to take Cal out of the Holiday Bowl just because you know they're going to lose to Texas A&M. Just stand up and take your lumps...
Posted by: Duncan Avatar at December 03, 2006 07:08 AM (2ExXc)
7
Wait a sec. Cal and USC split the title. How will the criminals in the PAC 10 front office decide on who gets the BCS seat? Oh, they'll just fall back to the head-to-head argument, and the Bears will roll over and take it, cause that's what they know how to do.
Posted by: Casca at December 03, 2006 10:04 AM (2gORp)
8
You're in DC, Shelly? Dang, if I'd known you were coming I'd have offered to buy you a beer before the hockey game.
Posted by: Victor at December 03, 2006 10:29 AM (l+W8Z)
9
it's sc in the rose bowl because they beat cal that they won the title, like it would have been cal if they'd beat sc (even if sc had beat ucla)
i think, as a cal fan, that the holiday bowl should be a good team, cal will come to play, and hopefully not stink up the place like they did against texas tech 2 years ago. A&M much bigger name though, and that year cal was salty at the bcs snub (which THAT year) they deserved.
as for florida, i love it. nothing against the big10, but mich-OSU 1 was the big ten championship, and OSU won it, so they win that battle, period. a rematch would have solved nothing about the national title, if michigan were to beat OSU in natl title game, it would almost be like they were co-champs (in my mind)
ummmm, ok, my blab is over. go bears, and sorry trojans, tough break (bwahahahahahahahhaha)
Posted by: keith el otro at December 04, 2006 05:05 PM (RBMgg)
10
Sorry dude, but not even the QB's mother gives a flying fart what the Bears are doing this holiday season. Just so long as they're not in jail.
Posted by: Casca at December 05, 2006 07:57 AM (Y7t14)
This Day In WWII History
From Gordon Prange's comprehensive tome about Pearl Harbor, At Dawn We Slept:
At 1700 on the evening of December 2 a telegram arrived aboard Nagato . . . directing the opening of certain sealed top secret envelope. As his eager fingers tore open the seals, [Adm. Matome] Ugaki sensed that he had in his hands the orders he had awaited impatiently. His instinct was correct. Down the page ran the words "Our Empire has decided to go to war against the United States, England, and Holland early December." Ugaki immediately sent a message to the commanders in chief of each fleet: "Decision made, but date and time will be ordered later."
[Adm. Chuichi] Nagumo had been even more than usually concerned with security that day. At 0730 he signaled his ships:
This force is already in the anticipated scouting areas from Kiska and Midway Islands. Tonight we will pass the 180 degree line and near the enemy zone. More strict air alert and strict lookout against enemy ships suspected of tracking us will be maintained. Particular attention will be paid not to reveal any light at night and to limit blinker signals as much as possible.
Now, on receipt of the "Go" signal, Nagumo knew that he would have to push forward on this gambler's venture he had so dreaded.
The next morning, Admiral Ugaki sent out the second most famous Japanese coded message of the war, "Climb Mount Niitaka, 1208," which meant that the attack would begin on December 8, 1941 (Japan time).
Meanwhile on the other side of the world, the German Wermacht had cut off Leningrad from the rest of Russia. They had been unable to take the city and now the first winter of the long seige had begun. Neurobiologist Alexei Alexeivich Ukhtomsky was one of the leading Soviet scientists of his day. Also a devout Russian Orthodox, he would not survive the seige of Leningrad.
From Harrison E. Salisbury's harrowing The 900 Days:
Ukhtomsky was sisty-six years old when the war broke out. He had just completed editing his lectures on the nervous system for the University of Leningrad publishing house and was planning in the 1941-42 academic year to offer a new course in physiology. With the onset of war he put aside these occupations . . . His laboratory and institute were packed up and shipped to Elabuga in the Tatar Republic and Sratov, but he himself refused to go. His lifelong associate, Nadezhda Ivanovna Bobrovskaya, was critically ill; she had suffered a brain hemorrhage on June 6, and he was caring for her in his apartment. Moreover, his own health was extremely bad. . . .
Nonetheless, he refused to be evacuated with his laboratory. Nadezhda Bobrovskaya died September 26, but Ukhtomsky still refused to go. . . .
"I remain in Leningrad," he said, "in order to finish my work. I haven't long to live. I will die here. It's too late to leave."
The university organized a meeting on December 2 to mark the fiftieth anniversity of Lenin's graduation. It was held in the assembly hall. The electricity was working. From somewhere flowers had been produced for the platform. But the windows were broken, icy winds filled the chamber, and there were snowdrifts on the floor. Air-raid sirens sounded during the meeting, and there were occasional explosions of German shells.
Although he was now suffering from emphysema, although his toes were gangrenous and his cancer much worse, Ukhtomsky spoke with such vigor that participants counted his address one of his most striking.
. . .
So the intellectual life of Leningrad went on; so the intellectuals kept to their laboratories and their libraries, dying by the hundreds but making no concession to the terrible enemies which threatened their existence.
Professor Ukhtomsky finally succumbed to his illnesses and starvation on August 31, 1942.
Posted by: annika at
03:28 PM
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1
Ha ha! Looks like somebody over there has seen Office Space one too many times.
I was disappointed that none of 'em said "PC Load Letter? What the fuck does that mean?" at the beginning.
Posted by: reagan80 at December 02, 2006 10:41 AM (wkyrW)
2
Yep,
Pretty funny but I hope no one misses the irony. A brave soldier fighting to protect and inject into Iraq the same Capitalist spirit as practiced by HP et al. and at the same time he "kills" capitalism's product.
We could, if we were propaganists, use this clip to show the yearning that even our soldiers have for socialism. A system where his need for information to fix the tool he needs to do his job would be provided to him for the simple reason that he needed it and it was for the greater good. SOunds like this soldier and single mom's on food stamps have the same attitude. Help me for free 'cause I am in need and I don't posses the currency necessary to solve my problem. What a terrible idea!
War does make for some confusion, eh Blu?
Posted by: Strawman at December 02, 2006 11:29 AM (9ySL4)
3
Oh, Straw, that was such a pathetic attempt that I could tell you didn't even believe what you were writing.
I need to feel the honesty, Comrade!
I expected more from a varsity letterman....
Posted by: blu at December 02, 2006 11:48 AM (Wn4WF)
4
Strawman
This printer was picked by some dumb-ass government left-wing bureaucrat. He voted against socialism by by blowing up the the left-wing bureaucrat's choice.
Posted by: Jake at December 02, 2006 11:54 AM (V6rxT)
5
Hey Straw, sorry, but no one in the military yearns for socialism. Remember we have socialized medicine and it SUCKS.
Posted by: Larry at December 02, 2006 12:02 PM (hRx9a)
6
that was an example of strawman's subtle humor, i bet
Posted by: annika at December 02, 2006 01:08 PM (oantJ)
7
Blu,
I think it is clear: The soldier wanted something for nothing. Something, information, that has value, was produced by a hardworking 'merican at that HP document division some where in the heartland. Some would say the currency of this great land of ours is information, now that China, Japan, Germany and the rest have most of our "old economy" currency and that soldier was pissed off he had to pay for it. He wanted special treatment because he thinks his job, enacting American wooorld hegemony disguissed as democracy, is more important than the young Smith kid, who didn't go into farming like his dad, but instead got a degree in that new and valuable computer science stuff. He wrote his little heart out to produce that repair manual and was paid coin of the realm to do it. HP's coin. Why should HP just give it away?
And while were at it what are soldiers in the field doing with printers/copiers? DonÂ’t they know the careless dissemination of tactical and other vital information is a crime, possibly rising to the level of treason?
I think BLu, you miss the seriousness of this situation. Soldiers dissing Capitalism are possibly collaborating with the enemies of America by displaying resentful and selfish behavior toward capitalism's great gifts; this could be a crime.
If you saw this tape on Al Jezzera English (if only your free and fair media outlets would allow you to) you might be singing a different song.
“Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh my America brothers, I, your humble reporter, Jezrah Al Jezbah, am here this morning in the hot stinking Iraqi desert south of Shrumladda with a cartoon of disgruntled American infantrymen, who, after a telephone call home, left their tent in an inconsolable rage. After many screamed profanities, mostly the Fuck word , they lost control of their emotions and using the weapon they love so dearly, committed a tragic act. Praise be to Allah! The scene was horrific, these infantrymen did shoot, in anger and with the hope of causing a downturn in the stock price of a blessed member of the international encomomy, the Hewlett Packard Company, a great symbol of American technology- the combo color printer-fax-copier-scanner. I don't embarass myself when i say this particular model is sitting on the counter in my home office.
This was great day indeed maybe a little sad too.
Will nobody listen to the cry of these brave men?"
Posted by: Strawman at December 02, 2006 01:19 PM (9ySL4)
8
Not the heartland Straw. the soldier, obviously a red-stater judging by his accent, is simply taking out his frustration on blue state palo alto based HP corporation!
Posted by: annika at December 02, 2006 01:28 PM (oantJ)
Posted by: annika at December 02, 2006 01:30 PM (oantJ)
10"that was an example of strawman's subtle humor, i bet"
WHAT?!
*pulls hair out*
Posted by: reagan80 at December 02, 2006 02:51 PM (wkyrW)
11
People, stop giving BS arguments on political theories which have absolutely nothing to do with reality.
Let's recap the situation from a REAL WORLD PERSPECTIVE for a moment, shall we?
The soldier is pissed off because said (capitalist) product doesn't work. That has nothing to do with political theory and everything to do with whether or not something is good or bad.
He then tries to get help to fix it from the company which made it, who deliberately try to milk him of his hard-earned dough - making them leeches, not good capitalists. Capitalism would be them helping him so that he comes back as a happy customer later. They aren't good capitalists; they are good leeches. There's a major difference.
Then he shoots said product in protest because, as the British did in the 1770's, they are trying to "tax" him on something which shouldn't be "taxed". Capitalism recognizes certain rights a customer has. He was denied those basic rights.
That's the problem with socialist morons today: they don't even understand the basic workings of capitalism, and they then proceed to criticize it.
Get a fucking book on economic theory sometime and read it - preferably one not written by Marx or one of his supporters.
Posted by: Banagor at December 03, 2006 11:24 AM (dh+iG)
12
I love you, Benatar...I mean..nice post, Banagor. (Sorry, all of the Big Hair videos are starting to rub off on me.)
Posted by: reagan80 at December 03, 2006 11:34 AM (wkyrW)
13
Bagor,
Capitalism recognizes no such rights. Get a grip, Capitalism recognizes only the right of the seller to get as much for their product and milking in the perifery is just part of their strategy. The soldier shot the product as much for the attitude of HP which, in his and your opinion violated his rights. Bullshit. There are no rights, and ripping off the cunsumer in rigged markets is what capitalism has become in America today. You pray to a economic theory that bends you over, forgets the lube because it cuts into the bottom line (good one), and plows you silly every day. Why do you think an ink cartridge for your printer costs 35.00? Because ink is so expensive?? Or because once you buy their printer they've got you by the short hairs. Where are you precious rights then? Is there one manufacturer of printers that tries to undercut and sell their ink at a small margin to try and gain market share? No one. Do you think thats competative or monopolistic?
Posted by: Strawman at December 03, 2006 02:44 PM (9ySL4)
14
Straw,
Exactly how many economics courses have you taken? And, aside from Marx, please name your favorite theorist(s) and the books/research that written by him/her that have led to such a deep understanding of markets.
LOL. You have no fucking idea of the production cost of an ink cartridge.
Stick to what you know: reciting the bromides of an ideology that has been discredited over and over and over and over again.
Posted by: blu at December 03, 2006 06:52 PM (Wn4WF)
Posted by: Rob at December 03, 2006 07:55 PM (wMSNf)
16
Hugo Chavez after his victory today: "No one should fear socialism," he proclaimed. "Socialism is human. Socialism is love."
So fucking Orwellian that it's scary. "Socialism is love." Tell that to millions upon millions dead because of all the "love."
The idiots in this country deserve the totalitarianism that is coming their way. I guarantee that elections in this country will soon evaporte or exist only in the manner that they did in Iraq under Sadaam. In addition, those that oppose Chavez will end up in prison or conveniently disapear. Hopefully, though, somebody with courage and a love of freedom will assist Mr. Chavez in joining Mr. Castro.
Posted by: blu at December 03, 2006 08:49 PM (Wn4WF)
17
Chavez is lucky this ain't the 60's or he'd have to watch his back a lot more closely.
Posted by: annika at December 03, 2006 11:48 PM (oantJ)
18
HP shipped a new one right out as the story goes...
i wonder if this qualifies as wanton desctruction of government property? i got in trouble for something similar during Desert Storm. wished i had a video camera and the internet then...
Posted by: jcrue at December 04, 2006 01:21 PM (ZDQoM)
