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A Response to Dave
(This is a response to what Dave wrote in the comments section of this post. Since his comment was rather long, and this response will likely be just as long, I decided to make it a post)
Dave writes that
I generally agree that the class of professional pundits in this country (conservative and liberal alike) serves no other purpose than to churn out steaming piles of self-serving dung. For a bit of insight on the function of the media in general and of pundits in particular I recommend, “Manufacturing Consent” by Noam Chomsky and “Sound and Fury” by Eric Alterman, respectively.
I’ve read Manufacturing Consent. I’ve also read superb refutations which have pointed out that Chomsky is just one shade away from being a bold-faced liar. I’ve concluded, after being forced to read the man extensively by certain teachers, that Chomsky’s popularity owes to his remarkable skill as a deceptor.
However, he has also become wont recently, to make absurd and outrageous claims without even employing his impressive skills of mendacity to lend to them even the veneer of legitimacy. I think this is a result of his popularity among certain groups, whom he knows will believe anything he says at face value. Some of these more ridiculous statements (I’m paraphrasing):
- Not long after 9/11, he told an audience that the US was planning a deliberate genocide of 3-4 million innocent Afghanis.
- He claimed that Israel was openly celebrating the 9/11 attacks because they thought it would give them a chance to really put the smack down on the Palestinians without anyone caring, when in fact, Israel went into a national state of mourning, while the Palestinians were actually celebrating in the streets.
- He dismissed stories of Khmer Rouge genocide as just “a pack of lies,” and then turns around and says that if there was any genocide perpetrated in Cambodia (which there wasn’t!), it was surely the fault of the Americans.
- He is routinely guilty of exactly those things he accuse mainstream media of (namely “manufacturing consent,” -purposefully cutting off chances for debate and instead supplying only the accepted “fascist/capitalist” perspective). For instance, in response to a question about the media’s depiction of Al Qeada being animated by a hatred for Western values (such as civil liberties, etc), he said “[The question] can simply be thrown out. It’s deliberate nonsense and its disseminators certainly know that, at least if they have some knowledge of modern history, including that of the Middle East. Naturally these are convenient assumptions that serve to distract attention from the real injustices expressed, even by the Middle East’s more pro-Western elements…”
So, in other words, “that’s inconvenient to my position, therfore I don’t want to talk about it, so let’s throw that shit out the window!”
Chomsky is an intelligent liar and a moral idiot. I have investigated enough of his statements to conclude that most, if not all of what he writes and says is garbage. As for Eric ALterman, my knowledge of his work is limited to his “Altercation” writings. From those I have garnered avery unfavorable opinion of him, such as his praise of Carter as a worthy recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and have written about that more than once on this site.
In response to my paragraph about the silliness of saying that members of the White House want to create an empire, Dave writes:
Bush and Powell, perhaps not. Each in their own way is doing the job they were drafted to do. Dick Cheney and Don “Lean Forward” Rumsfeld are another matter, as are the influential defense policy ideologues Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz.
No, you’re simply wrong. There is no significant difference between the ideology of what an ideal end point would be between Bush/Powell and Cheney/Wolfowitz et al. The difference is merely one of the degree to which they are willing to advocate the use of force, and what kinds of force and where.
In fact, I’ve read much of that plan that Sorensen says reads like “Mein Kampf,” and again and again, the issue that is stressed is not dominating the world, but keeping the US safe from credible threats.
>>What all of these people do want, however, and what they are in the process of bringing about, is a world where there is no power that exists that both can and would threaten us.<<
You comment here suggests that these alleged threats exist in a vacuum and that if we just show the rest of the world how powerful we are, they will patiently wait for us to eliminate them all until they will disappear forever Horse Dog Orgy.
It is closer to the truth to say that our actions aimed at eliminating threats, in and of themselves, actually create the conditions that give rise to threats.
I don’t suggest any such thing.
I said simply that they wish to bring about a situation where there does not exist any such entity that both has the power and the intention of threatening our security. This can be accomplished in more than one way. One of them is indeed actively eliminating threats through force, but this is only done in the most extreme cases, such as Saddam, where he has demonstarted quite clearly an almost suicidal will to power. But more often it is accomplished through diplomatic pressure and deterrence, the latter of which does indeed accomplish our goals of security by essentially “showing the world how powerful we are,” but not so that they will wait for us to destroy them, just so they will sit tight and not attack us. It’s not our goal to seek out and eradicate every lousy dictator in the world. Our goals are limted to getting rid of those that could and would attack, and if we can credibly eliminate the “would” part through deterrence, that is a much better solution than war.
>>what they really want is a world where the United States is held in check by some alternate power<<
Not exactly. What the Left wants is a world where the United States holds itself in check. A world where we don’t ally ourselves with thugs, madmen, and fanatics one day (e.g. Noriega, Saddam, Afghanistan’s mujaheddin), only to brand them as Evil the next day and deserving of extermination. The left wants to bring about a world where the U.S. recognizes the true roots of terrorism, and refrains from the simplistic and childish imposition of black-and-white, good-and-evil labels on a world that is largely gray. But since absolutism is the core defining trait espoused by conservatives, I don’t hold out much hope for that ever happening.
You imply that there is something morally suspect with allying ourselves to less-than-savory entities and then breaking that alliance for some reason.
You completely disregard any hint of the actual context present in those situations.
- Saddam: He was a counterweight to Iran, which at the time was the biggest threat in the Middle East and the largest supporter of terrorism against Americans in the world. We gave him significant military aid because he was a secular, non-extemist ruler in a place that was threatening to be engulfed by Muslim extremism. We didn’t have any naive notions about him not being evil, but when you have two shitty options, you go with the one that is slightly less shitty, and it was a perfectly strategic conclusion to support Saddam.
It seems that you’re upset over some supposed perception that we dishonestly portrayed him as a great, stand-up guy at one time and then turned around immediately and started screaming “evil! evil!” Nothing of the sort happened.
True, most criticism of his brutality was muted, but that is another consequence of having two options that ain’t so great, and having to choose one. It simply wouldn’t do to speak of someone who was at least a tentative ally as being brutal and evil, but at the same time, it doesn’t mean we suggested that he loved puppies and babies.
- The Mujahudeen: At the time, these people were rebels willing to fight against the Soviets because they had perpetrated an expansionist invasion of another country.
Now, some of those same people are trying to destroy us, when we didn’t invade their countries.
Notice the difference? We supported them in what was a justified cause. Just because they turn around and pursue a new, unjustified one later one does not cast any kind of moral or strategic pale onto our actions.
Saying that they attacking us is somehow just desserts for our aid to them during the 80’s is akin to saying that we should not have given massive aid to the Soviets during WWII because they weren’t very nice people either, and that Soviet aggression post-WWII was just “the chickens coming home to roost tiger sex fantasy.”
>>They want someone, something out there that is able to threaten us, because the US needs to be restrained in its evil, capitalistic behavior.<<
No we don’t, and yes we do. Surrendering everything to the whims of the free market makes no more sense than surrendering it to the whims of an all-powerful state and is nothing short of insanity.
Actually it’s about 50 miles or so short of insanity. The diffence between the market and the state is that people choose in the marketplace. That’s what is the fundamental worry of Islamists, especially since they see it happening right now, under the noses of the mullahs in Iran.
>>And what keeps them up at night is the idea that this will happen without us even trying to do it.<<
What keeps us up at night is the thought that our leaders will continue to equate consumerism with democracy and will continue to push that on the rest of the world without seeing how it is creating the fundamentalist backlash that we are now fighting in our doomed to fail War on Terror.
You seem to think that we’re shoving McDonalds and Pepsi down these people’s throats, whether they like it or not. That just isn’t true. There is a minority segment of their society (a very vocal, and sometimes violent one) that objects to the presence of Western economic and cultural entities in the Middle East, but it is not the sentiment of the population as a whole, because if it was, the market would consign those “intruding Western elements” to oblivion. McDonalds doesn’t want to spend the money putting restaurants in Riyadh if no one is going to visit them.
A useful example of this minority phenomenom is France. Because of the actions of a few arrogant jerks trashing some McDOnalds restaurants, there was a widely disseminated perception that there was a popular revolution against Mickey-D’s growing among the Gauls. But this is bullshit. France has more McDonalds per capita than its European neighbors, and its individual retaurants there are usually much more profitable than elsewhere on the continent. In fact, last year, at a time when McDonalds profits worldwide fell 17%, in France they rose by 9%.
I somehow doubt that it was the American tourists eating all those BigMacs.
>>I always wonder how sincerely they believe their own rhetoric about clandestoine efforts to economically and culturally enslave the entire world.<<
Probably with the same degree of sincerity with which you believe that inside every living breathing person on the planet is merely an American screaming to get out.
If by “American” you mean someone who is allowed the maximum amount of freedom in deciding the course of their life, then yes, I do sincerely believe that the vast majority of the people in this world would take that chance, were it freely given to them.
>>Do they really refuse to realize that the rest of the world, if given the honest choice, would like to become like we are, and that this will happen just by itself eventually?<<
You obviously believe that the noble ideals upon which this country was founded are still the principles that govern it today.
I do indeed believe that. In fact, I believe the level of democracy in this country and the adherence to those founding principles has expanded considerably in the last 200 years. Sure, I could do without gun control, the welfare state, the income tax, the department of education and a bunch of other things that have accompanied us in our march from the 18th century, but overall, our history has been one of increasing freedom and enfranchisement, and people who say otherwise often need to adjust their tin-foil hats.
Do you really believe that someone living in some shack in some random corner of the world and whose life is still imbued with tradition, meaning, and reverence would trade that in for the opportunity to live in a place where the only true freedom we enjoy is the freedom to shop, to consume and to pick from over 2 dozen different kinds of toilet paper?
I think that person would opt for, in 2 shades of a second, the chance to live in a heated home and sleep in a soft bed and not have to worry about dysentery or malaria or starvation and know that they’re most likely going to live beyond 45.
It’s idiocy to suggest that you have to give up the metaphysical in order to enjoy those physical comforts. I’m a Catholic, and I see God working in every corner of my world, and revernce for that mystical world is a fundamental part of my existence. So if you’re suggesting that because I can choose between toilet paper brands that I’m a soulless cog in the machine of capitalism, you’re a fool.
Update: Heh Horse Sex Dream… I just reviewed this post and after reading my first paragraph, something struck me sorta queer: “Chomsky’s popularity owes to his remarkable skill as a deceptor.”“Deceptor,” huh? Didn’t know that word existed.
Those people are especially useful when they have access to the core computer systems that hackers would otherwise struggle
psychopathic fancy without fear of retribution.
course grew out of the experience of 9/11.
by both Instapundit and Cold Fury (and probably by sundry others by now):
No nation deserves to exist if it permits itself to lose the stern and virile virtues; and this
I urge anyone in the bay area who has the time on the 16th to come as well and lend credence with your example to the
it is shoved, in all its detailed horror, right into my face.
join the majority of the world's nations in distancing themselves from Washington in a fashion not seen since the Vietnam War.
But anyway, right there you've got yourself eight nations total in the coalition, hailing from North America, both western
And at most, UN weapons inspectors have delayed conflict by a few years, not averted it. In actualyity, I think they have
When they aired some actual interviews with the protesters, I started to honestly think they were part of some sort of
be harried by idiots who have full compliments of heads and genitals! With the ranks of my imaginary gnomes rallied,
United States invade a distant country without any evidence of impending aggression.
To quote a boozed up, cynical and misanthropic individual whom I greatly admire: "Making fun of these people is like
I'll get a chance to ask why they've been glorifying images of Hamas murderers on their flyers.
Heh. Didn't Nostradamus write something about "a bespeckled plague rising in the West..."?
join the majority of the world's nations in distancing themselves from Washington in a fashion not seen since the Vietnam War.
cause, but I,
vaunted proof of yours. Then you could be really sure.
I urge anyone in the bay area who has the time on the 16th to come as well and lend credence with your example to the
of a lack of imagination or basic humanity; the fact that it's difficult for me to feel deeply for people suffering unless
After 3000 of your countrymen die in a couple hours, anything less than that is wont to be downplayed in significance
A taste, just a taste...
You must be triple jointed to be able to twist words like that.
destroying the technological infrastructure of Western civilization again. And it's only 3 months away!
You mean everyone in America aren't like San Franciscans?
to all of you warmongering neanderthals" tone of voice. She then struck a pose of righteous exasperation when she asked
and eastern Europe, Australia and the middle east. Is that not multilateralism?
Saddam is so hot to get his grubby hands on nukes is enough evidence of aggression. What's he going to do with them once
over the heads of the world's nations as threat so that he can act willy-nilly in whatever new adventure captures his
Sure, it'd be nice to be a leader...
looks like a green light, no?
In fact, the idea of pre- emptive attack depends on fear. It presupposes insecurity and assumes we will always be threatened.
military action to counter the Soviet threat was not possible, because of their equal capacity to destroy us through
morally, that this is the right thing to do.
nothing may stand in our way!
University or Diversity
trying to get an education
that off my list of things to do. Now, on to learning how to square-dance."
slope proposition, claiming that because we go after Saddam, we'll suddenly be all aggro-ed up to obliterate any country
democratically decided laws - - not the capriciousness of individual rulers -- should govern human affairs.
weapons inspections in Iraq represent a good example of how the rule of law has been used, and can be used again, to avert
needed now was healing, closure; in short, to "get over it" and "move on."
nuclear weapons. Containment was born out of a realization that we were effectively restrained by our lack of strategic
that has the temerity to look at us cock-eyed.
Already, even if the UN thumbs its irrelevant nose at the idea of going after Iraq (and if it actually does, then they'll
anger that is so justifiable -no, demanded- by these despicable acts, but if that must be the case, then from on, I'll be
support (in the small, mostly insignificant ways that are possible for one such as myself)
Many in the global community also distrust the Bush administration's expanding war aims. It is not easy for our friends around
democratically decided laws - - not the capriciousness of individual rulers -- should govern human affairs.
only be revealed as more useless than it already seems), there is right now a coalition prepared to go into Iraq with the
In fact, the idea of pre- emptive attack depends on fear. It presupposes insecurity and assumes we will always be threatened.
the efforts to find these people and eradicate them, to ferret them out from their cowardly hiding places and vaporize
but they make up for any lack of actual existence with pure unadulterated enthusiasm.
not just "fear," as if we're going to indiscriminantly nuke the floor under our beds because monsters might be hiding there.
An insightful, well-written and quite simply excellent column somehow found its way in the SF Chronicle's website today.
to get a good smack upside the head (or as I call it, a "hippie hello"), but that was apparently too much for the niggardly
superiority.
Why are you still here?!
Such as this quote by Teddy Roosevelt concerning his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, posted now
the All Men Are Rapists self defense workshop? Surely that must be a representative sample of the country!
And exactly how do you go from no "final proof" to there being no evidence of impending aggression? The very fact that
world that even today harbors and offers succor to the same groups that piloted the 9/11 planes, right?
Please. I can't swing around a dead Saddam on a rope without hitting this argument these days. At bottom, it's a slippery
curiosity that trumps any sort of legal resriction placed on him, but it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he's
attack against the United States. Even though President Bush acknowledged in his speech that Iraq does not currently
President Bush says he wants to avoid "a future of fear." It's an admirable goal, but one hardly served by this new doctrine.
Diversity. More than motherhood, it is the one unassailable concept these days. Open any teaching publication, and you will
to penetrate.
It may be a sad illustration of my lack to find sympathy within myself without reading descriptions or seeing pictures,
care. Just don't let me hear anything about how this bombing that specifically targeted Australian civilians was somehow
It seems the Muslim version of a slander suit is cutting off your head. Now when I read this I was shocked, just shocked
We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but
I suppose you mean that it's not "multilateralist" unless France says so?
and you'll get diversity in the speech by the politician, in the one by the principal who welcomes him and in the one by
cutting-edge performance art group impersonating real anti-war folks, as the whole ordeal seemed to approach parody. No,
Replace "powerful" with "crazy and armed with nukes" and you'd be right. Otherwise, your statement is nonsense.
of the mass moron movement.
I see. Did you talk to this "everyone" at your International Socialist Organization direct action planning seminar or
making a point of reading in depth about any such future atrocity to ensure that I don't allow myself to be instantly "over it."
he revealed himself to be a seriously dishonest debater (that, or he was so stupid that it wouldn't be safe for him to
just now. Admittedly they do face significant challenges in carrying out their duties due to their imaginary nature,
One middle-aged woman who looked like she hadn't combed her hair since Jerry Garcia died had this to say, when asked
looks like a green light, no?
cause, but I,
getting an education. When she tried to talk to one of the organizers after her test about how some people were just
the efforts to find these people and eradicate them, to ferret them out from their cowardly hiding places and vaporize
that blatantly called for some rhetorical bitch-slapping.
to make the first world poor and make sure the third world stays that way.
Don't you people ever get tired of just pulling shit out of your asses?
During the last half of the 20th century, this principle was expanded internationally through the United Nations. The U.N.
to get a good smack upside the head (or as I call it, a "hippie hello"), but that was apparently too much for the niggardly
I'll get a chance to ask why they've been glorifying images of Hamas murderers on their flyers.
morally, that this is the right thing to do.
Russia and shit. Besides, it's just the Russians. Why don't we just contain them or something? Hey, who's up for some
...but there's no shame in being a follower when those you're following make such damn good points.
again soon, didn't we?"
Well I'm far far far too petty a person to do that.
"What I found personally to be true was that it's easier to manipulate people rather than technology," he said.
Heaven forfend them not being on board with us!
Please. I can't swing around a dead Saddam on a rope without hitting this argument these days. At bottom, it's a slippery
Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard at 12:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
you could see stink lines of self-satisfaction coming off her so that he could simply get to his job. She of course started
hunting dairy cows with a high-powered rifle and scope."
Hey, didn't there used to be a city where this smoking crater is?
superiority.
about equal probability.
the real fault of that government or its citizens, or the West in general, or capitalism, or any other ridiculous boogeyman
I mean come on, when you're arguing with someone who's just going to call you a Nazi when you spend 2,000 words making
chanting in his face and moved in front of him every time he tried to get around her.
Do you mean the Muslim world that celebrated 9/11, saying the US deserved it all along? Or perhaps you mean the Muslim world
But for now if you all don't mind, I'd just like to stew in my rage for a while, and remind myself in a truly visceral
"approach parody" is too mild. They sprinted towards parody, jumped on top of it and proceded to give parody a spirited
According to the president, "we cannot wait for the final proof" that Saddam Hussein's government is planning an imminent
of fist.
Well I'm far far far too petty a person to do that.
without regard to whether the loss is due to the growth of a heartless and all-absorbing commercialism,
That is, until this morning. Now I'm glad to say that I've gotten over getting over it, and am thoroughly pissed again.
It is time for a new day to dawn in the Blogosphere, my gnome brothers. A glorious day. A day when no longer will we
owned," she pontificated, in that snotty "52% of my clothes are made of hemp which therefore makes me morally superior
threaten the United States, he said we must "assume the worst." Essentially, the White House is proposing that the
Well that's not really true. People on a different side of the debate than I are not necessarily jerks, just wrong.
and you'll get diversity in the speech by the politician, in the one by the principal who welcomes him and in the one by
Saddam will use these nukes when he gets them, whether that use takes the form of vaporizing a city or merely being hung
it is shoved, in all its detailed horror, right into my face.
Watching Channel 7 news today (the Simpsons were in a commercial), they reported on a wad of dingbats who blocked access
Wheeler Hall last spring.
anger that is so justifiable -no, demanded- by these despicable acts, but if that must be the case, then from on, I'll be
Now could someone please tell me what concrete purpose that woman's behavior, and that of her great chanting unwashed bretheren,
be replacing the old site that was hosted on that evil of evils, that bane of banes, that something-really-awful of
way why we're doing all of this, and why, if they still choose to berate us about "root causes" and "birds coming home
not just "fear," as if we're going to indiscriminantly nuke the floor under our beds because monsters might be hiding there.
threaten the United States, he said we must "assume the worst." Essentially, the White House is proposing that the
information with your heads crammed so far up your asses, so I'll give you a pass.
find testimonials to diversity. Flip through any recent social sciences or humanities textbook and diversity pops up with
The article also points to this site, which maintains a running clock of how long it will be until Mitnick can start
rivals.
he is willing to act aggressively and recklessly and cannot be reasonably deterred and 2) is working to get and use nukes
I mean come on, when you're arguing with someone who's just going to call you a Nazi when you spend 2,000 words making
rather than submit to infamy or see those that are dear to him suffer wrong.
Do you mean the Muslim world that celebrated 9/11, saying the US deserved it all along? Or perhaps you mean the Muslim world
Saddam will use these nukes when he gets them, whether that use takes the form of vaporizing a city or merely being hung
we could go and stop the Soviets and all their expansionist hijinks, but then we'd like, have to go all the way over to
so that he will be better equipped to fulfill point 1). Show me another nation that's like that today.
that I hadn't thought of it first!
computer systems.
I finally went and did it.
The article also points to this site, which maintains a running clock of how long it will be until Mitnick can start
agree that [insert additional badly-forced car metaphor here]!
Don't you people ever get tired of just pulling shit out of your asses?
obviously they have lost loved ones or friends."
computer systems.
Do you mean the Muslim world that celebrated 9/11, saying the US deserved it all along? Or perhaps you mean the Muslim world
But for now if you all don't mind, I'd just like to stew in my rage for a while, and remind myself in a truly visceral
"approach parody" is too mild. They sprinted towards parody, jumped on top of it and proceded to give parody a spirited
by both Instapundit and Cold Fury (and probably by sundry others by now):
In fact, the idea of pre- emptive attack depends on fear. It presupposes insecurity and assumes we will always be threatened.
So I hereby declare myself Ayatollah Mustardah of Blogistan. From this day forward, I will call down, on any Idiotarian
they're done, hang them on his wall next to the framed heads of Iraqi dissidents and say to himself, "Well, I can check
Many in the global community also distrust the Bush administration's expanding war aims. It is not easy for our friends around
Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard at 09:37 AM | Comments (0)
owned," she pontificated, in that snotty "52% of my clothes are made of hemp which therefore makes me morally superior
During the last half of the 20th century, this principle was expanded internationally through the United Nations. The U.N.
which is all about the biggest threat to the security of all companies: their own employees.
I'll get a chance to ask why they've been glorifying images of Hamas murderers on their flyers.
But for now if you all don't mind, I'd just like to stew in my rage for a while, and remind myself in a truly visceral
Shiite Muslim clerics in Lebanon and Iran have reacted with rage at the Rev. Jerry Falwell for calling Islam's prophet
Sure, it'd be nice to be a leader...
or any other simply crappy country in the world, because none of them satisfy both those propositions.
A taste, just a taste...
they're done, hang them on his wall next to the framed heads of Iraqi dissidents and say to himself, "Well, I can check
Heaven forfend them not being on board with us!
It is time for a new day to dawn in the Blogosphere, my gnome brothers. A glorious day. A day when no longer will we
Stand up to these thugs This Wednesday, the 16th at noon, an apparent composite of the Students for Justice in Palestine
looks like a green light, no?
Whereas the Cold War doctrine of deterrence and containment rested on strength, the new idea of pre-emption insists on U.S.
Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard at 09:13 PM | Comments (4)
Saddam will use these nukes when he gets them, whether that use takes the form of vaporizing a city or merely being hung
a terrorist and an envoy of Iran's supreme leader reportedly called for his death.
nothing may stand in our way!
"A bunch of people died from terrorism over the weekend? Sure, that's awful, but we all knew this was going to happen
making a point of reading in depth about any such future atrocity to ensure that I don't allow myself to be instantly "over it."
Containment and deterrence were responses to US weakness, you silly-headed dunderpate. It was obvious that using direct
one of the most fad-driven enterprises imaginable. It produces a new catechism each decade, which everyone dutifully recites.
I have to admit I'm pretty curious just to see what he's going to do. The guy has shown himself to have an overpowering
Another Australian tourist, 18-year-old Rachel Hughes, said she and her boyfriend had just arrived in Kuta when the blast
The BBC has a story about the so-called "master hacker", in which it does a good job of destroying the mythos that
the All Men Are Rapists self defense workshop? Surely that must be a representative sample of the country!
support (in the small, mostly insignificant ways that are possible for one such as myself)
superiority.
Anyway, take the new site for a test drive. Take her easy on the clutch and go steady on the hills, and I think you'll
without end is causing traditional friends of the United States to
I'm going to be checking the weather channel for reports of snowflakes in Hell, but meanwhile you should go read it now.
you could see stink lines of self-satisfaction coming off her so that he could simply get to his job. She of course started
Well I wouldn't be surprised if this Wednesday at Sproul there will be similar behavior, and I plan to be there. Maybe
"I said it's being taken care of, dammit. Mind your own business."
Shiite Muslim clerics in Lebanon and Iran have reacted with rage at the Rev. Jerry Falwell for calling Islam's prophet
But it's not really fair to denigrate someone's ideas just because they themselves come from an organization riddled with
to really concern yourself with, except in a somewhat general, theoretical way.
Now at this point, most people would just say, "let it go, and move on."
computer systems.
being the reaction described above.
Please. I can't swing around a dead Saddam on a rope without hitting this argument these days. At bottom, it's a slippery
going to be monitored so closely that I'd be surprised if he were able to put in a phony name at a porn site and not have
threaten the United States, he said we must "assume the worst." Essentially, the White House is proposing that the
side of the political spectrum... what are they called?
find testimonials to diversity. Flip through any recent social sciences or humanities textbook and diversity pops up with
they're done, hang them on his wall next to the framed heads of Iraqi dissidents and say to himself, "Well, I can check
of a lack of imagination or basic humanity; the fact that it's difficult for me to feel deeply for people suffering unless
You mean everyone in America aren't like San Franciscans?
owned," she pontificated, in that snotty "52% of my clothes are made of hemp which therefore makes me morally superior
anger that is so justifiable -no, demanded- by these despicable acts, but if that must be the case, then from on, I'll be
You must be triple jointed to be able to twist words like that.
Well, being the abject conformist that I am, I would like to welcome all new and oldcomers to my new blog, which will
Bush also spoke of an "international coalition" that would disarm Hussein. Bush knows the American public is loathe to
hacky-sack?"
The BBC has a story about the so-called "master hacker", in which it does a good job of destroying the mythos that
But anyway, right there you've got yourself eight nations total in the coalition, hailing from North America, both western
making a point of reading in depth about any such future atrocity to ensure that I don't allow myself to be instantly "over it."
to penetrate.
War, by three fellows that hail from Global Exchange. You know who I'm talking about. The folks that want to "build an
In theory, I was of course angry, but I had a vaguely detatched sense about the whole thing. A large part of that of
looks like a green light, no?
you could see stink lines of self-satisfaction coming off her so that he could simply get to his job. She of course started
Well I wouldn't be surprised if this Wednesday at Sproul there will be similar behavior, and I plan to be there. Maybe
them into a thin paste of protein on a cave wall, to wipe out every last vestige of the disgusting stain they have left
we could go and stop the Soviets and all their expansionist hijinks, but then we'd like, have to go all the way over to
But it's not really fair to denigrate someone's ideas just because they themselves come from an organization riddled with
At the very least, don't let me hear any of these things when you're standing in my presence, unless you want a faceful
Don't worry, I'll sit here with my rifle ready to take out any airborne porcines, should they come flying by.
And exactly how do you go from no "final proof" to there being no evidence of impending aggression? The very fact that
that continues to characterize the US as the Great Satan and preach jihad against all things Western? Oh I know, the Muslim
The fact that this is being published in the Chronicle is no small feat. Even more reason for you to go read it.
One middle-aged woman who looked like she hadn't combed her hair since Jerry Garcia died had this to say, when asked
occurred, smashing the window of their hotel room.
Well that's not really true. People on a different side of the debate than I are not necessarily jerks, just wrong.
and that it wasn't fair for these people to stop them, the girl started literally screaming at her about selfish she was.
they're done, hang them on his wall next to the framed heads of Iraqi dissidents and say to himself, "Well, I can check
superiority.
to make the first world poor and make sure the third world stays that way.
the real fault of that government or its citizens, or the West in general, or capitalism, or any other ridiculous boogeyman
I'm going to be checking the weather channel for reports of snowflakes in Hell, but meanwhile you should go read it now.
We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but
to elicit empathy had been raised considerably since 9/11,
faith at large, since many of them are peaceful, albeit intellectually stunted, people.
When I first heard about the bombing in Bali, my initial reaction was, "Another terrorist attack? Well, of course."
I simply love it when my case is made for me.
cause, but I,
trying to get an education
the efforts to find these people and eradicate them, to ferret them out from their cowardly hiding places and vaporize
superiority.
about equal probability.
he is willing to act aggressively and recklessly and cannot be reasonably deterred and 2) is working to get and use nukes
that I hadn't thought of it first!
We despise and abhor the bully, the brawler, the oppressor, whether in private or public life, but
And perhaps because of the collective weight of all those accumulated exhortations, perhaps from the psychic weariness
one of the most fad-driven enterprises imaginable. It produces a new catechism each decade, which everyone dutifully recites.
curiosity that trumps any sort of legal resriction placed on him, but it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that he's
One of the great advances of the modern era has been the spread of the rule of law. This is the now common idea that
of fist.
the way. Apparently that wasn't enough for the however, because they then started pulling at her legs to keep her from
Saddam is so hot to get his grubby hands on nukes is enough evidence of aggression. What's he going to do with them once
being the reaction described above.
But for now if you all don't mind, I'd just like to stew in my rage for a while, and remind myself in a truly visceral
why she thought there weren't more stories about protests going on in the news, "Well, because the media is corporately
threaten the United States, he said we must "assume the worst." Essentially, the White House is proposing that the
side of the political spectrum... what are they called?
and you'll get diversity in the speech by the politician, in the one by the principal who welcomes him and in the one by
I strongly suspect TR had access to some sort of time machine and traveled into the furture about a hundred years.
rivals.
Watching Channel 7 news today (the Simpsons were in a commercial), they reported on a wad of dingbats who blocked access
to all of you warmongering neanderthals" tone of voice. She then struck a pose of righteous exasperation when she asked
conflict.
"The lethal combination is when you exploit both people and technology," Mr Mitnick told BBC News Online.
be replacing the old site that was hosted on that evil of evils, that bane of banes, that something-really-awful of
But for now if you all don't mind, I'd just like to stew in my rage for a while, and remind myself in a truly visceral
Falwell was a "mercenary and must be killed," the Farsi-language daily Abrar reported Saturday.
Peace is generally good in itself, but it is never the highest good unless it comes as the handmaid
US: Italy, Australia, Poland, Spain, Qatar, Kuwait and, of course, Britain. I know it's hard to find out this kind of
So I hereby declare myself Ayatollah Mustardah of Blogistan. From this day forward, I will call down, on any Idiotarian
to prolonged indulgence in luxury and soft, effortless ease, or to the deification of a warped and twisted sentimentality.
Many in the global community also distrust the Bush administration's expanding war aims. It is not easy for our friends around
he is willing to act aggressively and recklessly and cannot be reasonably deterred and 2) is working to get and use nukes
owned," she pontificated, in that snotty "52% of my clothes are made of hemp which therefore makes me morally superior
anger that is so justifiable -no, demanded- by these despicable acts, but if that must be the case, then from on, I'll be
You must be triple jointed to be able to twist words like that.
If a good education is meant to produce independent thinkers, I've seen precious little evidence it does. Education is
over the heads of the world's nations as threat so that he can act willy-nilly in whatever new adventure captures his
that boiled up to the surface when I read things like this.
of the mass moron movement.
During that protest, my girlfriend had to take a midterm in Wheeler auditorium and had to step over the bodies lying in
rather than submit to infamy or see those that are dear to him suffer wrong.
use grown-up scissors), but nevertheless, even though he really didn't deserve it,
The fact that this is being published in the Chronicle is no small feat. Even more reason for you to go read it.
In theory, I was of course angry, but I had a vaguely detatched sense about the whole thing. A large part of that of
"Standing in the foyer of the Bounty Hotel, people were just walking in, blood dripping off them, burns to their face, skin
Mr Mitnick even had to get permission from his probation officer to use a computer to write his book, The Art Of Deception,
and that it wasn't fair for these people to stop them, the girl started literally screaming at her about selfish she was.
"to prolonged indulgence in luxury and soft, effortless ease, or to the deification of a warped and twisted sentimentality"?
Many in the global community also distrust the Bush administration's expanding war aims. It is not easy for our friends around
both at home and abroad, can go heartily fuck themselves, or jump off a cliff, or shoot themselves in the head. I don't
that I hadn't thought of it first!
let you know when there's a mushroom cloud over New York, because that's the only "final proof" that seems to be able to
the not-being-a-jerk department.
If a good education is meant to produce independent thinkers, I've seen precious little evidence it does. Education is
psychopathic fancy without fear of retribution.
One of the great advances of the modern era has been the spread of the rule of law. This is the now common idea that
The BBC has a story about the so-called "master hacker", in which it does a good job of destroying the mythos that
the All Men Are Rapists self defense workshop? Surely that must be a representative sample of the country!
But I am thankful that at least for now, I've been able to summon that deep-seated, personal wrath so appropriate to an
Those people are especially useful when they have access to the core computer systems that hackers would otherwise struggle
So welcome. If this is the first and/or only post you can see, it means I haven't imported my archives from Blogspot yet,
In theory, I was of course angry, but I had a vaguely detatched sense about the whole thing. A large part of that of
Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard at 12:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
you could see stink lines of self-satisfaction coming off her so that he could simply get to his job. She of course started
And perhaps because of the collective weight of all those accumulated exhortations, perhaps from the psychic weariness
"I said it's being taken care of, dammit. Mind your own business."
When they aired some actual interviews with the protesters, I started to honestly think they were part of some sort of
But it's not really fair to denigrate someone's ideas just because they themselves come from an organization riddled with
last update : 5-2-2012
