Nobody 677
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Nobody # 677
Nobody Asked Me But:
Mark the weeping and wailing as the Far Right reacts to the Baker/Hamilton Report:
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page described the report as a “strategic muddle,” Richard Perle called it “absurd,” Rush Limbaugh labeled it “stupid,” and The New York Post portrayed the leaders of the group, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic member of Congress, as “surrender monkeys.”
Now mark the anger in the voices of the American voters as the Far Right continues to ignore their wish to end America’s role in the chaos that is Iraq:
“And the people spake onto these defilers of democracy and said “our will shall be done.” And in 2008 it was. It came to pass that the majority smote these defilers a mighty blow and caused it to be that their power was as nothing, no more than dung dust in the wind. And the defilers, denied access to their perks, henceforth wandered the streets of their capital beating their breasts and crying, “woe are we, for we have sinned against democracy.”<<<
When I was a kid I loved roller coasters but feared Ferris Wheels. I am braver now as this picture shows and besides, this is a Millennium Wheel. We are on the London Eye looking down on past and present. (In England isn’t that always the case?) The large green area in the center is St. James Park created by King Henry the VIII as an area to hunt deer and used by his daughter Elizabeth I for her loved outdoor ceremonies.
Just above is Buckingham Palace
and great pictures of it can be taken from the bridge in the park’s center. Not only did I do that, but Barb and I rented lawn chairs and had a pastry breakfast where Henry, Elizabeth and so many other monarchs walked and rode.
Walk about ½ mile above the park’s left edge and you are strolling on Old Bond Street with its own history. Henry VIII bought jewelry for his many loves at the Tiffany store here and crossed the street to check out the newest Ralph Lauren fashions at Polo. For his outdoor wear he walked down a few doors to Timberland.<<<
NY Times lead line: Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran. Comment: I think this clearly shows that the de-mensa society is alive and unwell.<<<
The Times/Bloomberg Poll - Asked which party they would favor if the election were held today, registered voters picked the Democratic Party by 8 points: Democrats: 49% vs. Republicans: 41% But When asked whom they would favor in the following match-ups if the election for president were held today, registered voters made these choices:
McCain (R): 50% vs. Clinton (D): 36%
Clinton (D): 42% vs. Romney (R):36% Source:
SOS: Does anyone have Barack Obama on his speed dial?>>>
Two people with a strange connection died within the last 10 days. Augusto Pinochet, 1915 – 2006, was the cruel tyrant who, with American help, ousted the legitimately elected, left-leaning President of Chile, Salvador Allende. During the 17 years of his brutal military regime, and with the continuing support of the U. S. he killed and tortured thousands, but few from the wealthy propertied class who now weep at his passing.
Jeane Kirkpatrick, 1926 – 2006, was the U.S. envoy to the United Nations in the 1980s, and the author of the influential 1979 essay "Dictatorships and Double Standards," published by Commentary magazine. Her theses that right-wing authoritarian governments were much better bets for conversion to democracy than left-wing totalitarian (since proven wrong) justified the many instances, especially in Latin America, of brutality and murder in the name of the “greater good.”<<<
In its December issue, The Atlantic Monthly asked ten prominent historians to name the 100 most influential figures in American history. From time to time, I will comment on a few that I believe to be wrongly ranked. But first, here are their top ten. I find little to disagree with in numbers 1-8 – perhaps a couple of switches in the specific rankings, perhaps not. However, Edison (may) be too high at number 9, and Wils
on is most certainly undeserving of his 10th place finish.
(The comments for each choice are those of the historians except for those in parenthesis. I claim those.)
1 Abraham Lincoln He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over America’s second founding.
2 George Washington
He made the United States possible—not only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.
3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: “All men are created equal.”
4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and then he proved it.
5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nation’s transformation into an industrial power.
6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades— scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.
7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.
8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.
9 Thomas Edison It wasn’t just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.
10 Woodrow Wilson
He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.
(This is a good thing? Most of our interventions have turned out badly. In addition, his inability to compromise gave both idealism and intellectualism a bad name. There is no way that Wilson deserves to be in the top 10.)
17 Ronald Reagan
The amiable architect of both the conservative realignment and the Cold War’s end.
(Reagan was a one-trick-pony. He was able to stay on message, because his was so simplistic. He gets too much credit for ending the cold war and too little blame for the illegalities in foreign affairs that happened on his watch. However, by accident, design, or a combination thereof, he did re-legitimize conservatism in America.)
18 Andrew Jackson
The first great populist: he found America a republic and left it a democracy.
(Jackson was also a narrow, bigoted, racist, super-egocentric, unpleasant SOB, but he did, as The Atlantic points out, complete that which Jefferson started – changing the republic to a democracy. For this he probably deserves a higher rating.)<<<
Staying with presidents for a moment. You have heard the expression “ugly is only skin deep.” Of course you haven’t. I just made it up to prove a point. Here is what the NY Herald had to say in commenting about Lincoln having surprisingly received the Republican nomination to run for the White House in 1860: “He has most unwarrantably abused the privilege which all politicians have of being ugly.”
<<< CNN Headline: Iran's leader: 'Zionist regime will soon be wiped out.'
Make me president and I would request a time to speak to the U. N. General Assembly where I would deliver two messages. To Iran: “If you make any attempt to try to destroy Israel, your country will immediately become Southwest Asia’s largest parking lot.” To Israel: “OK, we have your back, now give back the occupied territories and make peace or your cash flow from the U. S. will dry up like an Arizona stream in the dry season.”<<<
Friday was Bill of Rights Day which made me wonder: the way we are allowing some of our basic principles to be damaged in the “war on terror,” will we someday say of the U. S., “We had to destroy our nation to save it?”<<<
On Bruin Basketball:
Sometimes Bruin recruiting reporters will say that UCLA did not try to recruit a certain excellent playe
r because “he is not a good fit.” Many have written and asked what they meant by that phrase.
Here is an answer in these paragraphs about Bruin prize recruit for next year, Kevin Love. His “doesn’t haves” are the baggage that make other players, no matter their high skill level, fall short of the requirements necessary to be recruited by coach Howland and staff.
“There's so much to admire about Love, who doesn't have a posse following him around, doesn't have an entourage of advisors other than his parents, doesn't have any tattoos and doesn't worry about where he'll end up in the legacy of UCLA centers. He's respectful, polite and addresses his elders as ‘Mr. Walton" or ‘Mr. Jabbar."
"The goal is not to be the greatest player," he said. "It's for our team to be the greatest. I play for the love of the game."<<<
Nobody # 677
Nobody Asked Me But:
Mark the weeping and wailing as the Far Right reacts to the Baker/Hamilton Report:
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page described the report as a “strategic muddle,” Richard Perle called it “absurd,” Rush Limbaugh labeled it “stupid,” and The New York Post portrayed the leaders of the group, former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic member of Congress, as “surrender monkeys.”
Now mark the anger in the voices of the American voters as the Far Right continues to ignore their wish to end America’s role in the chaos that is Iraq:
“And the people spake onto these defilers of democracy and said “our will shall be done.” And in 2008 it was. It came to pass that the majority smote these defilers a mighty blow and caused it to be that their power was as nothing, no more than dung dust in the wind. And the defilers, denied access to their perks, henceforth wandered the streets of their capital beating their breasts and crying, “woe are we, for we have sinned against democracy.”<<<
When I was a kid I loved roller coasters but feared Ferris Wheels. I am braver now as this picture shows and besides, this is a Millennium Wheel. We are on the London Eye looking down on past and present. (In England isn’t that always the case?) The large green area in the center is St. James Park created by King Henry the VIII as an area to hunt deer and used by his daughter Elizabeth I for her loved outdoor ceremonies.
Just above is Buckingham Palace
and great pictures of it can be taken from the bridge in the park’s center. Not only did I do that, but Barb and I rented lawn chairs and had a pastry breakfast where Henry, Elizabeth and so many other monarchs walked and rode. Walk about ½ mile above the park’s left edge and you are strolling on Old Bond Street with its own history. Henry VIII bought jewelry for his many loves at the Tiffany store here and crossed the street to check out the newest Ralph Lauren fashions at Polo. For his outdoor wear he walked down a few doors to Timberland.<<<
NY Times lead line: Holocaust Deniers and Skeptics Gather in Iran. Comment: I think this clearly shows that the de-mensa society is alive and unwell.<<<
The Times/Bloomberg Poll - Asked which party they would favor if the election were held today, registered voters picked the Democratic Party by 8 points: Democrats: 49% vs. Republicans: 41% But When asked whom they would favor in the following match-ups if the election for president were held today, registered voters made these choices:
McCain (R): 50% vs. Clinton (D): 36%
Clinton (D): 42% vs. Romney (R):36% Source:
SOS: Does anyone have Barack Obama on his speed dial?>>>
Two people with a strange connection died within the last 10 days. Augusto Pinochet, 1915 – 2006, was the cruel tyrant who, with American help, ousted the legitimately elected, left-leaning President of Chile, Salvador Allende. During the 17 years of his brutal military regime, and with the continuing support of the U. S. he killed and tortured thousands, but few from the wealthy propertied class who now weep at his passing.
Jeane Kirkpatrick, 1926 – 2006, was the U.S. envoy to the United Nations in the 1980s, and the author of the influential 1979 essay "Dictatorships and Double Standards," published by Commentary magazine. Her theses that right-wing authoritarian governments were much better bets for conversion to democracy than left-wing totalitarian (since proven wrong) justified the many instances, especially in Latin America, of brutality and murder in the name of the “greater good.”<<<
In its December issue, The Atlantic Monthly asked ten prominent historians to name the 100 most influential figures in American history. From time to time, I will comment on a few that I believe to be wrongly ranked. But first, here are their top ten. I find little to disagree with in numbers 1-8 – perhaps a couple of switches in the specific rankings, perhaps not. However, Edison (may) be too high at number 9, and Wils
on is most certainly undeserving of his 10th place finish. (The comments for each choice are those of the historians except for those in parenthesis. I claim those.)
1 Abraham Lincoln He saved the Union, freed the slaves, and presided over America’s second founding.
2 George Washington
He made the United States possible—not only by defeating a king, but by declining to become one himself.
3 Thomas Jefferson
The author of the five most important words in American history: “All men are created equal.”
4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
He said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and then he proved it.
5 Alexander Hamilton
Soldier, banker, and political scientist, he set in motion an agrarian nation’s transformation into an industrial power.
6 Benjamin Franklin
The Founder-of-all-trades— scientist, printer, writer, diplomat, inventor, and more; like his country, he contained multitudes.
7 John Marshall
The defining chief justice, he established the Supreme Court as the equal of the other two federal branches.
8 Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream of racial equality is still elusive, but no one did more to make it real.
9 Thomas Edison It wasn’t just the lightbulb; the Wizard of Menlo Park was the most prolific inventor in American history.
10 Woodrow Wilson
He made the world safe for U.S. interventionism, if not for democracy.
(This is a good thing? Most of our interventions have turned out badly. In addition, his inability to compromise gave both idealism and intellectualism a bad name. There is no way that Wilson deserves to be in the top 10.)
17 Ronald Reagan
The amiable architect of both the conservative realignment and the Cold War’s end.
(Reagan was a one-trick-pony. He was able to stay on message, because his was so simplistic. He gets too much credit for ending the cold war and too little blame for the illegalities in foreign affairs that happened on his watch. However, by accident, design, or a combination thereof, he did re-legitimize conservatism in America.)
18 Andrew Jackson
The first great populist: he found America a republic and left it a democracy.
(Jackson was also a narrow, bigoted, racist, super-egocentric, unpleasant SOB, but he did, as The Atlantic points out, complete that which Jefferson started – changing the republic to a democracy. For this he probably deserves a higher rating.)<<<
Staying with presidents for a moment. You have heard the expression “ugly is only skin deep.” Of course you haven’t. I just made it up to prove a point. Here is what the NY Herald had to say in commenting about Lincoln having surprisingly received the Republican nomination to run for the White House in 1860: “He has most unwarrantably abused the privilege which all politicians have of being ugly.”
<<< CNN Headline: Iran's leader: 'Zionist regime will soon be wiped out.'
Make me president and I would request a time to speak to the U. N. General Assembly where I would deliver two messages. To Iran: “If you make any attempt to try to destroy Israel, your country will immediately become Southwest Asia’s largest parking lot.” To Israel: “OK, we have your back, now give back the occupied territories and make peace or your cash flow from the U. S. will dry up like an Arizona stream in the dry season.”<<<
Friday was Bill of Rights Day which made me wonder: the way we are allowing some of our basic principles to be damaged in the “war on terror,” will we someday say of the U. S., “We had to destroy our nation to save it?”<<<
On Bruin Basketball:
Sometimes Bruin recruiting reporters will say that UCLA did not try to recruit a certain excellent playe
r because “he is not a good fit.” Many have written and asked what they meant by that phrase.Here is an answer in these paragraphs about Bruin prize recruit for next year, Kevin Love. His “doesn’t haves” are the baggage that make other players, no matter their high skill level, fall short of the requirements necessary to be recruited by coach Howland and staff.
“There's so much to admire about Love, who doesn't have a posse following him around, doesn't have an entourage of advisors other than his parents, doesn't have any tattoos and doesn't worry about where he'll end up in the legacy of UCLA centers. He's respectful, polite and addresses his elders as ‘Mr. Walton" or ‘Mr. Jabbar."
"The goal is not to be the greatest player," he said. "It's for our team to be the greatest. I play for the love of the game."<<<
posted by jmt | 8:51 AM
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