Remember; today is your last day to send your entries for this week's Douchebag of the Week Award.
If you would like to nominate someone for this distinctive honor, please drop the Lunatic a few lines at the address above, and please provide a link or two which explain the nature and depth of your nominee's douche-itude.
I'll spend tomorrow writing up the citation, and Vito the Award Troll will begin spit-shining the trophy for it's presentation to the winner. And remember, we do this every week for you!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Charlie Says He Didn't Know...
So do five other Members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were on the same trip(s). Amazingly, all six have been wrist-slapped by that crackerjack House Ethics Committee (only republicans get real punishment, and they usually have the good taste to resign before that happens), but Charlie remains under fire.
It was good to see that yet another member of New York's fine, democratic Congressional representation also took one of these "free" trips. I'm going to be looking into what these slugs actually do in Washington, so expect as huge screed sometime next week.
You would think people go to Congress for the free trips and all the income you can conceal from the IRS, or something...
Anyhow, maybe the "I didn't know" defense might be closer to the truth, because, it seems as if you can make all sorts of crap up and have it treated as if it were a real event...after the fact, too. You can even invent an entire conversation and then have it stuck into the Congressional Record at a later date. Perhaps simply to give the impression that a subject was brought up "on the record" when, in fact, a word was never spoken on it? That's a pretty neat trick, if you ask me. That lawmakers routinely do this is disturbing. If you can invent events and conversations and such, it's quite possible that you might not know if you actually did something or not. After a while, how does one actually prove that something has actually happened if the record is unreliable? We're talking George Orwell time here. This shows you how out of control Congress has become; they have managed to create their own alternate universe where reality is continually shaped and molded to their political requirements.
No wonder people shake their head wondering whether or not these folks live on the same planet the rest of us do. They live n one they've invented for themselves!
I'm not even sure I comprehend the entire range of practical implications of this practice. Knowing they can invent "history", I'm starting to wonder how often they actually do. What if half the stuff that's recorded in the Congressional Record....never happened? What if it was all a series of after-the-fact or tailored additions to the Official Record where the Member never stood upon the House Floor and said X, Y and Z? What if people are, right now, making huge decisions on the way we're governed, what services are made available, what taxes need to be paid, and a portion of it is based upon articles from a fifth-rate newspaper or complete fabrications of conversations between lawmakers, that are treated as if they are a) facts and b) were actually uttered by a living human being?
If this is true -- and history in the form of the Congresisonal Record is being manipulated -- and this is how our government truly operates, then no wonder we're in the shitter and no one in charge seems to have an answer.
The first step in fixing our broken, making-shit-up-as-it-goes-along government is to depose the obvious crooks first. For all his weasel language, Charlie Rangel is guilty -- if he didn't actually know, he was still supposed to know. Ignorance, they used to tell me, of the law was no defense. Ignorance shouldn't be a requirement for a Congressional Seat, either. If you can't get rid of a man who cheated on his income taxes, broke the laws regarding rent-control in New York State, accepted what amounts to a bribe in the form of a couple of conference/vacations, and allegedly used his office for personal gain, then who can you get rid of? Charlie Rangel leaving the House of Representatives is as necessary to the future health of this republic as the removal of a tumor is to the continued survival of a cancer victim.
If Charlie Rangel manages to stay in Congress, then we're doomed; he will stand as a shining example to every other crooked politician that not only are the rubes stupid, they can't lay a glove on you, and the falsification and invention of history and facts will continue apace, with far-reaching consequences for how this country is governed.
(H/T to Instapundit)
It was good to see that yet another member of New York's fine, democratic Congressional representation also took one of these "free" trips. I'm going to be looking into what these slugs actually do in Washington, so expect as huge screed sometime next week.
You would think people go to Congress for the free trips and all the income you can conceal from the IRS, or something...
Anyhow, maybe the "I didn't know" defense might be closer to the truth, because, it seems as if you can make all sorts of crap up and have it treated as if it were a real event...after the fact, too. You can even invent an entire conversation and then have it stuck into the Congressional Record at a later date. Perhaps simply to give the impression that a subject was brought up "on the record" when, in fact, a word was never spoken on it? That's a pretty neat trick, if you ask me. That lawmakers routinely do this is disturbing. If you can invent events and conversations and such, it's quite possible that you might not know if you actually did something or not. After a while, how does one actually prove that something has actually happened if the record is unreliable? We're talking George Orwell time here. This shows you how out of control Congress has become; they have managed to create their own alternate universe where reality is continually shaped and molded to their political requirements.
No wonder people shake their head wondering whether or not these folks live on the same planet the rest of us do. They live n one they've invented for themselves!
I'm not even sure I comprehend the entire range of practical implications of this practice. Knowing they can invent "history", I'm starting to wonder how often they actually do. What if half the stuff that's recorded in the Congressional Record....never happened? What if it was all a series of after-the-fact or tailored additions to the Official Record where the Member never stood upon the House Floor and said X, Y and Z? What if people are, right now, making huge decisions on the way we're governed, what services are made available, what taxes need to be paid, and a portion of it is based upon articles from a fifth-rate newspaper or complete fabrications of conversations between lawmakers, that are treated as if they are a) facts and b) were actually uttered by a living human being?
If this is true -- and history in the form of the Congresisonal Record is being manipulated -- and this is how our government truly operates, then no wonder we're in the shitter and no one in charge seems to have an answer.
The first step in fixing our broken, making-shit-up-as-it-goes-along government is to depose the obvious crooks first. For all his weasel language, Charlie Rangel is guilty -- if he didn't actually know, he was still supposed to know. Ignorance, they used to tell me, of the law was no defense. Ignorance shouldn't be a requirement for a Congressional Seat, either. If you can't get rid of a man who cheated on his income taxes, broke the laws regarding rent-control in New York State, accepted what amounts to a bribe in the form of a couple of conference/vacations, and allegedly used his office for personal gain, then who can you get rid of? Charlie Rangel leaving the House of Representatives is as necessary to the future health of this republic as the removal of a tumor is to the continued survival of a cancer victim.
If Charlie Rangel manages to stay in Congress, then we're doomed; he will stand as a shining example to every other crooked politician that not only are the rubes stupid, they can't lay a glove on you, and the falsification and invention of history and facts will continue apace, with far-reaching consequences for how this country is governed.
(H/T to Instapundit)
Friday, February 26, 2010
Charlie's In Denial...
Charlie Rangel refuses to go, and tries that old bit where he uses weasel language to give the impression that he's really innocent and that his what-could-be-described-as-criminal- activities are all a big misunderstanding.
Sorry, Charlie. You can't polish this turd enough to make it shine again. Be a good boy now, and go to your room quietly. Oh wait, you have far too many rooms to choose from and might be confused; Would that be one of the rooms in your four rent-controlled New York City apartments, or one of the rooms in your Villa in the Dominican Republic...assuming someone's not renting that from you for some much-needed-and-not-to-be-reported-to-the-IRS-cash, of course. Well, maybe some corporate joe will come along and offer you a room...or three...somewhere in the Caribbean, your favorite. Seems to happen to you an awful lot... even if you never remember it.
Yes, I can see where this banishment thing might be difficult for you...so many choices....
Well, allow me to make it simple for you: get off the public stage you fat, bloated, lying, crooked windbag. Write a letter of resignation and submit it. Get out while you still can. Your pals have done as much covering for you as they possibly could (I mean, they're already risking their phony-baloney jobs following Nancy, Harry and Barry over the cliff on Health Care, you really can't expect them to extend themselves more on your behalf). I mean, they fixed it so the IRS wouldn't charge you crippling interest and penalties like they would one of we peasants. They haven't tried to prosecute you for abuses of power, possibly for lying to the FEC, and for being a fat fuck (soon to be illegal under ObamaCare). Cut your losses, Charlie. The longer you hang around, the more you give people a reason to dig even deeper -- and who knows what else you have buried?
There's probably so much shit that you've forgotten at least half of it.
Does it have to come to that final indignity, Charlie? Do they have to impeach you? Do they have to prosecute you? You know half a dozen Universities and Wall Street brokerage and Law Firms will pay you a shitload to sit on their boards, so why stay in the House of Representatives, wounded, an easy target for the rest of your term and perhaps in a primary for your seat when that comes up? Do the right thing and quit while you can still get away relatively scott-free. Or are you dedicated to the idea that you're in too deep/entitled to keep that seat and Committee Chair that'll make you fight for them tot he bitter end?
Save us all the drama, Charlie. We know how this battle goes: your foes lay out your crimes, you call them racists. They present the evidence for your crimes, you get on the same dais as Al Sharpton and call them racists again. You eventually piss your critics off so badly that they start to demand your prosecution rather than just your resignation, and then you're truly fucked.
Do the right thing and leave while you may still do it of your own accord, Charlie.
Sorry, Charlie. You can't polish this turd enough to make it shine again. Be a good boy now, and go to your room quietly. Oh wait, you have far too many rooms to choose from and might be confused; Would that be one of the rooms in your four rent-controlled New York City apartments, or one of the rooms in your Villa in the Dominican Republic...assuming someone's not renting that from you for some much-needed-and-not-to-be-reported-to-the-IRS-cash, of course. Well, maybe some corporate joe will come along and offer you a room...or three...somewhere in the Caribbean, your favorite. Seems to happen to you an awful lot... even if you never remember it.
Yes, I can see where this banishment thing might be difficult for you...so many choices....
Well, allow me to make it simple for you: get off the public stage you fat, bloated, lying, crooked windbag. Write a letter of resignation and submit it. Get out while you still can. Your pals have done as much covering for you as they possibly could (I mean, they're already risking their phony-baloney jobs following Nancy, Harry and Barry over the cliff on Health Care, you really can't expect them to extend themselves more on your behalf). I mean, they fixed it so the IRS wouldn't charge you crippling interest and penalties like they would one of we peasants. They haven't tried to prosecute you for abuses of power, possibly for lying to the FEC, and for being a fat fuck (soon to be illegal under ObamaCare). Cut your losses, Charlie. The longer you hang around, the more you give people a reason to dig even deeper -- and who knows what else you have buried?
There's probably so much shit that you've forgotten at least half of it.
Does it have to come to that final indignity, Charlie? Do they have to impeach you? Do they have to prosecute you? You know half a dozen Universities and Wall Street brokerage and Law Firms will pay you a shitload to sit on their boards, so why stay in the House of Representatives, wounded, an easy target for the rest of your term and perhaps in a primary for your seat when that comes up? Do the right thing and quit while you can still get away relatively scott-free. Or are you dedicated to the idea that you're in too deep/entitled to keep that seat and Committee Chair that'll make you fight for them tot he bitter end?
Save us all the drama, Charlie. We know how this battle goes: your foes lay out your crimes, you call them racists. They present the evidence for your crimes, you get on the same dais as Al Sharpton and call them racists again. You eventually piss your critics off so badly that they start to demand your prosecution rather than just your resignation, and then you're truly fucked.
Do the right thing and leave while you may still do it of your own accord, Charlie.
This Is Why I Don't Tweet...
Because every frickin' moron on planet Earth does. And they mostly tweet about the intimate bullshit of their daily lives, assuming that I would really want to know about it. I don't know what it is about this society we now live in, but the electronic revolution has resulted in a sort of revolting, 24/7/365 exhibitionism that apparently knows no bounds, and has no decency.
As if to prove it, we now have a woman who has live-Tweeted....her abortion.
Naturally, she considers what she has done to be some form of public service; she's "demystified" the practice of abortion for the rest of us, according to the article. I was perfectly happy being kept in the dark, thank you. if you felt the need to demystify anything, perhaps you could have clued us in as to what brand of cheap rotgut got some man blind and uncaring enough to actually stick something into you without a thick sheaf of re-barred concrete between you and he. I might want to avoid drinking that stuff.
That would have been a genuine public service, you see. Because I've seen cats puke up more attractive things than this woman.
What she's done is one-upped the rest of the Tweeting jerkoffs on the planet. This is what they do with Twitter, other than chat incessantly about nothing; (some) Tweeters engage in a competition to see who can do the most outrageous thing with Twitter, and they gain some sort of funky status and fame amongst themselves from it. Before, you might've only live-Tweeted more mundane events (the fact that you can only use 140 characters at a time kind of limits it's use in that regard, but I've now read of people Tweeting more serious, and outrageous events, as they happen; they give descriptions of disasters as they were happening, hell, I've even heard of one woman who live-Tweeted a bank robbery -- just exactly what I would do when armed felons came in,ordered me to hit the deck and then demanded cash,or they'll be gunfire. I'm positive that at some point a really dorky dweeb even Tweeted himself losing his virginity (hopefully he and the other young man involved had blood tests before they indulged).
Yeah, no one call 911 or perhaps lend assistance at the four-alarm fire; you need your fingers to Tweet it all.
The level of one-upsmanship gets ever more ridiculous and curious by the week. There's websites devoted to this stuff, keeping track of the most outrageous Tweets and so forth (don't think I'm listing any!), or giving the stupid an abundance of ideas on how to use Twitter in mischievous and retarded ways that it's inventors probably never anticipated. It's become an underground culture, complete with it's own pecking order, etiquette and celebrities.
But this goes way too far.
Depending upon your point of view on the topic of abortion, this woman has either Tweeted a description of events which mean nothing -- it's a useless clump of cells to you, after all, the procedure should be no different than if she had a wart removed from her backside, hardly worth the effort --or she has Tweeted a play-by-play of an assault and an act of murder.
Is she a social crusader "demystifying" abortion, or is she a material witness/accomplice?
That we even have to ask questions about things like this shows just how far gone we are as a species, and brought some sobering light upon some of the darker and dumber aspects of human nature.
And for the record: that woman is butt-ugly. I wouldn't screw her with a stolen pecker. That someone did only goes to prove that there's an awful lot of men out there that would fuck a catcher's mitt, if it held still and they were drunk enough.
Update: Random thought, but how long do you think it'll be before we find out this winner actually got pregnant for the specific purpose of Tweeting her abortion, attaining some measure of fame and perhaps, money? That would be one sick bitch.
As if to prove it, we now have a woman who has live-Tweeted....her abortion.
Naturally, she considers what she has done to be some form of public service; she's "demystified" the practice of abortion for the rest of us, according to the article. I was perfectly happy being kept in the dark, thank you. if you felt the need to demystify anything, perhaps you could have clued us in as to what brand of cheap rotgut got some man blind and uncaring enough to actually stick something into you without a thick sheaf of re-barred concrete between you and he. I might want to avoid drinking that stuff.
That would have been a genuine public service, you see. Because I've seen cats puke up more attractive things than this woman.
What she's done is one-upped the rest of the Tweeting jerkoffs on the planet. This is what they do with Twitter, other than chat incessantly about nothing; (some) Tweeters engage in a competition to see who can do the most outrageous thing with Twitter, and they gain some sort of funky status and fame amongst themselves from it. Before, you might've only live-Tweeted more mundane events (the fact that you can only use 140 characters at a time kind of limits it's use in that regard, but I've now read of people Tweeting more serious, and outrageous events, as they happen; they give descriptions of disasters as they were happening, hell, I've even heard of one woman who live-Tweeted a bank robbery -- just exactly what I would do when armed felons came in,ordered me to hit the deck and then demanded cash,or they'll be gunfire. I'm positive that at some point a really dorky dweeb even Tweeted himself losing his virginity (hopefully he and the other young man involved had blood tests before they indulged).
Yeah, no one call 911 or perhaps lend assistance at the four-alarm fire; you need your fingers to Tweet it all.
The level of one-upsmanship gets ever more ridiculous and curious by the week. There's websites devoted to this stuff, keeping track of the most outrageous Tweets and so forth (don't think I'm listing any!), or giving the stupid an abundance of ideas on how to use Twitter in mischievous and retarded ways that it's inventors probably never anticipated. It's become an underground culture, complete with it's own pecking order, etiquette and celebrities.
But this goes way too far.
Depending upon your point of view on the topic of abortion, this woman has either Tweeted a description of events which mean nothing -- it's a useless clump of cells to you, after all, the procedure should be no different than if she had a wart removed from her backside, hardly worth the effort --or she has Tweeted a play-by-play of an assault and an act of murder.
Is she a social crusader "demystifying" abortion, or is she a material witness/accomplice?
That we even have to ask questions about things like this shows just how far gone we are as a species, and brought some sobering light upon some of the darker and dumber aspects of human nature.
And for the record: that woman is butt-ugly. I wouldn't screw her with a stolen pecker. That someone did only goes to prove that there's an awful lot of men out there that would fuck a catcher's mitt, if it held still and they were drunk enough.
Update: Random thought, but how long do you think it'll be before we find out this winner actually got pregnant for the specific purpose of Tweeting her abortion, attaining some measure of fame and perhaps, money? That would be one sick bitch.
The Real Enemy is In Congress, Not Afghanistan...
Dem lawmakers tried to sneak a provision in that would have punished CIA interrogators yesterday. You can read about it here and here.
I'm especially interested in this quote, from Rep. Pete Hoekstra:
"That Democrats would try to bury this provision deep in the bill, late at night, when they thought everyone's attention would be focused on the health care summit is a testament to the shameful nature of what they were attempting."
This is par for the course, Congressman. This is what democrats always do; they sneak things in behind closed doors in the dark of night, because when the public actually knows what they're trying to do, there is usually a thunderous uproar.
Judging from the level of ideological fervor some lefties have for hanging every CIA agent that ever gave a cross look to a terrorist, don't be too sure that Healthcare Summit wasn't the real distraction so that they could try this stunt.
I'm especially interested in this quote, from Rep. Pete Hoekstra:
"That Democrats would try to bury this provision deep in the bill, late at night, when they thought everyone's attention would be focused on the health care summit is a testament to the shameful nature of what they were attempting."
This is par for the course, Congressman. This is what democrats always do; they sneak things in behind closed doors in the dark of night, because when the public actually knows what they're trying to do, there is usually a thunderous uproar.
Judging from the level of ideological fervor some lefties have for hanging every CIA agent that ever gave a cross look to a terrorist, don't be too sure that Healthcare Summit wasn't the real distraction so that they could try this stunt.
Charlie Rangel: Busted...
Charlie Rangel was pronounced guilty...of something....but still got a pass from his friends on the House Ethics Committee (which never met a gross abuse of power by a democrat that it couldn't find a way to justify it). But, the damage is done: Charlie Rangel has finally been exposed for what he is: a tax cheat, a moocher, a liar, a criminal. The unfortunate part is that in the district Rangel represents, no one reads newspapers (I doubt many can read at all) and no one bails out on a Brother unless there's some money in it, so he is probably a safe re-election bet.
But, the Marginalization of Charlie Rangel has begun. Even his fellow dems are calling for his head as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. The only person who will dump Charlie faster for personal gain than his constituents would definitely be Nancy Pelosi. You have to marvel at the democrats (small 'd' intentional) though: the offenses Charlie has committed are somehow severe enough to warrant punishment, the loss of his chairmanship, but not enough to have him tossed from office altogether. Amazing how that happens, isn't it? But, perhaps I'm not so finely versed in the art of politics (bullshit), and it's subtle nuances (vote-buying) as they are.
This is shaping up to be a good week for NY State, politically. Charlie is finally busted, then
Our Blind (in more ways than one) and Accidental Governor, David Paterson, is eschewing an election bid after being involved (allegedly) in the intimidation of a former girlfriend of one of his trusted aides so that she would not file for a restraining order against the lout. Unfortunately, the asshole won't do the right thing and quit. It's amazing that he's had the time to harass this woman considering that it's also alleged that he was screwing the hired help in broom closets, snorting coke every fifteen minutes, and sending the State Police out to do all sorts of errands, inane and slimy and of questionable legality.
Allegedly.
There's now a supposedly-fire-and-brimstone-small-government-republican who wants to jump into the race for governor now, which is something good; before your choice would have been limited to strictly Patterson (bad) and Andrew Cuomo (vomit-inducingly bad). Neither man could lead a three year old to the crapper, and both are so besotted by the filth of New York advocacy politics, that either one would have been an unmitigated disaster of Obama-like proportions. The other 49 states might get together, taken a vote and demanded that NY saw itself off the continent if either of these guys gets into the Governor's Mansion. Paterson is there solely by accident -- Andrew Cuomo used to play Matchbox cars in the foyer. Perhaps if this guy (The Republican, and sorry, but I can't be bothered to look up his name right now) can breathe without mechanical assistance and has 20/20 vision-with-corrective-lenses, he might actually win.
It's a sad commentary that in retrospect, it's apparent that David Paterson couldn't hold Elliot Spitzer's socks. You have to be really bad to evoke a backhanded compliment on Spitzer's behalf like that.
The other day during the Toyota Inquisit....errr..."Hearings", Representative Adolphus Towns, one of the dumbest members of Congress, showed himself to be a fully-bought-and-paid-for shill of the UAW and Government Motors. And he did it on national television, too.He's another one who's career might have been over, if only the people he supposedly represents were capable of tying their own shoes without a government program. But now his stupidity is on public record and will achieve YouTube immortality, at least.
Now, if we could only do something about the other embarrassments in this state, we might be cookin' with gas:
Kirsten Gillibrand: the Placeholder Senator need to be the Replaceable Senator, perhaps even the Disposable Senator. I would like very much to say something nice about Gillibrand, but I'm not certain "Chuck Schumer's Boot-licking Ventriloquist Dummy...with Tits" is quite nice enough. I would compare her to something less substantial, like a hole in the air, but if I did, she'd probably turn that into some campaign about the Ozone Layer (she might actually be that shallow), and then she'd have to team up with Van Jones again in a sort of 9/11-Truther-Mandingo-Kabuki Theatre, and that's an act no one around here wants to see ever again.
Chuck Schumer: I mean, what else could I say about Chuckie that I haven't said before? He reminds me of something I occasionally pick up on my shoe in the gutter, only you can usually scrape that off. Chuck Schumer is like a dose of herpes: he's omnipresent, you regret the entire sordid episode that brought it about, it itches like hell, and you wish that you could kill the bitch that gave it to you. I heard once that Chuck Schumer had an asshole transplant, but that the asshole soon rejected him. I'm lead to understand that Mrs. Schumer is the only living being with two assholes: her own, and the one she married. Chuck Schumer is like an asshole, in that he stinks, he's full of shit, and you really don't want to hear from it all that often.
But, maybe I'm being unfair to assholes? Chuck Schumer's only real talent is getting Chuck Schumer's face on television. No matter how trivial the issue, get Chuck on your side, and he'll get himself some airtime. He won't necessarily fix your problem, but he'll make sure he makes the rounds on Sunday mornings. When Chuck Schumer finally shuffles off this mortal coil, I suggest we hold a ticker-tape parade in honor of the tumor, disease, malady or drunk-driver that finally ended his miserable existence.
If we got rid of this bunch of morons as quickly as possible, the rest of the morons who govern at the federal and state level here might actually be on notice, and we could really clean the nest of State Representatives that choke their girlfriends and use their power to avoid prosecution, or who collect money under the auspices of a charity and then steal it, treat their personal staff like slaves, even going as far as to physically assault them, the both-sides-of-the-fence lawyers who write laws without a thought given to conflicts of interest, the race-baiters, the Welfare Queen Crusaders, the Fake-Reverends-with-an-axe-to-grind, the $35,000-a-year State Legislator who somehow owns a million-dollar townhouse, the Networkers, the Insiders, The Fix-It-Men.
Flush 'em all out, and start clean. I'm not saying that telling people what they already knew about Charlie Rangel (that he's a crooked bastard) is going to do it, but it might be a really good start.
Update: That "Fire-and-Brimstone" republican turns out to be none other than Rick Lazio, Designated Loser. I call him "designated loser" because Lazio is the guy the NY GOP always taps at the very last minute to get run over by a democratic opponent. It's happened to him twice already, with one of those losses to Hillary Clinton (when you can't beat an obviously-opportunistic, carpetbagging harridan in a crusty, black pantsuit, and saddled with baggage-- i.e. a nearly-impeached, disbarred, and confessed adlterer/perjurer in Bill Clinton -- then you must really suck). Do you mean to tell me that in the entire NY GOP apparatus, there is not a single individual who might stand for governor, and the only candidate they can manage is Rick Lazio, Professional Loser?
If that's the case, then we might as well swear Andrew Cuomo in tonight. Maybe we can get lucky and some Tea Party asshole who isn't either a 9/11 Troofer or a God, Guns and Gays Bible Thumper could emerge as a decent alternative.
But, the Marginalization of Charlie Rangel has begun. Even his fellow dems are calling for his head as Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. The only person who will dump Charlie faster for personal gain than his constituents would definitely be Nancy Pelosi. You have to marvel at the democrats (small 'd' intentional) though: the offenses Charlie has committed are somehow severe enough to warrant punishment, the loss of his chairmanship, but not enough to have him tossed from office altogether. Amazing how that happens, isn't it? But, perhaps I'm not so finely versed in the art of politics (bullshit), and it's subtle nuances (vote-buying) as they are.
This is shaping up to be a good week for NY State, politically. Charlie is finally busted, then
Our Blind (in more ways than one) and Accidental Governor, David Paterson, is eschewing an election bid after being involved (allegedly) in the intimidation of a former girlfriend of one of his trusted aides so that she would not file for a restraining order against the lout. Unfortunately, the asshole won't do the right thing and quit. It's amazing that he's had the time to harass this woman considering that it's also alleged that he was screwing the hired help in broom closets, snorting coke every fifteen minutes, and sending the State Police out to do all sorts of errands, inane and slimy and of questionable legality.
Allegedly.
There's now a supposedly-fire-and-brimstone-small-government-republican who wants to jump into the race for governor now, which is something good; before your choice would have been limited to strictly Patterson (bad) and Andrew Cuomo (vomit-inducingly bad). Neither man could lead a three year old to the crapper, and both are so besotted by the filth of New York advocacy politics, that either one would have been an unmitigated disaster of Obama-like proportions. The other 49 states might get together, taken a vote and demanded that NY saw itself off the continent if either of these guys gets into the Governor's Mansion. Paterson is there solely by accident -- Andrew Cuomo used to play Matchbox cars in the foyer. Perhaps if this guy (The Republican, and sorry, but I can't be bothered to look up his name right now) can breathe without mechanical assistance and has 20/20 vision-with-corrective-lenses, he might actually win.
It's a sad commentary that in retrospect, it's apparent that David Paterson couldn't hold Elliot Spitzer's socks. You have to be really bad to evoke a backhanded compliment on Spitzer's behalf like that.
The other day during the Toyota Inquisit....errr..."Hearings", Representative Adolphus Towns, one of the dumbest members of Congress, showed himself to be a fully-bought-and-paid-for shill of the UAW and Government Motors. And he did it on national television, too.He's another one who's career might have been over, if only the people he supposedly represents were capable of tying their own shoes without a government program. But now his stupidity is on public record and will achieve YouTube immortality, at least.
Now, if we could only do something about the other embarrassments in this state, we might be cookin' with gas:
Kirsten Gillibrand: the Placeholder Senator need to be the Replaceable Senator, perhaps even the Disposable Senator. I would like very much to say something nice about Gillibrand, but I'm not certain "Chuck Schumer's Boot-licking Ventriloquist Dummy...with Tits" is quite nice enough. I would compare her to something less substantial, like a hole in the air, but if I did, she'd probably turn that into some campaign about the Ozone Layer (she might actually be that shallow), and then she'd have to team up with Van Jones again in a sort of 9/11-Truther-Mandingo-Kabuki Theatre, and that's an act no one around here wants to see ever again.
Chuck Schumer: I mean, what else could I say about Chuckie that I haven't said before? He reminds me of something I occasionally pick up on my shoe in the gutter, only you can usually scrape that off. Chuck Schumer is like a dose of herpes: he's omnipresent, you regret the entire sordid episode that brought it about, it itches like hell, and you wish that you could kill the bitch that gave it to you. I heard once that Chuck Schumer had an asshole transplant, but that the asshole soon rejected him. I'm lead to understand that Mrs. Schumer is the only living being with two assholes: her own, and the one she married. Chuck Schumer is like an asshole, in that he stinks, he's full of shit, and you really don't want to hear from it all that often.
But, maybe I'm being unfair to assholes? Chuck Schumer's only real talent is getting Chuck Schumer's face on television. No matter how trivial the issue, get Chuck on your side, and he'll get himself some airtime. He won't necessarily fix your problem, but he'll make sure he makes the rounds on Sunday mornings. When Chuck Schumer finally shuffles off this mortal coil, I suggest we hold a ticker-tape parade in honor of the tumor, disease, malady or drunk-driver that finally ended his miserable existence.
If we got rid of this bunch of morons as quickly as possible, the rest of the morons who govern at the federal and state level here might actually be on notice, and we could really clean the nest of State Representatives that choke their girlfriends and use their power to avoid prosecution, or who collect money under the auspices of a charity and then steal it, treat their personal staff like slaves, even going as far as to physically assault them, the both-sides-of-the-fence lawyers who write laws without a thought given to conflicts of interest, the race-baiters, the Welfare Queen Crusaders, the Fake-Reverends-with-an-axe-to-grind, the $35,000-a-year State Legislator who somehow owns a million-dollar townhouse, the Networkers, the Insiders, The Fix-It-Men.
Flush 'em all out, and start clean. I'm not saying that telling people what they already knew about Charlie Rangel (that he's a crooked bastard) is going to do it, but it might be a really good start.
Update: That "Fire-and-Brimstone" republican turns out to be none other than Rick Lazio, Designated Loser. I call him "designated loser" because Lazio is the guy the NY GOP always taps at the very last minute to get run over by a democratic opponent. It's happened to him twice already, with one of those losses to Hillary Clinton (when you can't beat an obviously-opportunistic, carpetbagging harridan in a crusty, black pantsuit, and saddled with baggage-- i.e. a nearly-impeached, disbarred, and confessed adlterer/perjurer in Bill Clinton -- then you must really suck). Do you mean to tell me that in the entire NY GOP apparatus, there is not a single individual who might stand for governor, and the only candidate they can manage is Rick Lazio, Professional Loser?
If that's the case, then we might as well swear Andrew Cuomo in tonight. Maybe we can get lucky and some Tea Party asshole who isn't either a 9/11 Troofer or a God, Guns and Gays Bible Thumper could emerge as a decent alternative.
Gadaffi's Soft Jihad? Think Again...
A Jihad on the Swiss? Are you serious? Do you have a fucking clue of what you're up against, Colonel?
The Swiss, for nearly 500 years, were the most feared mercenaries on the Continent of Europe, such ferocious and skilled fighters that they still form the Papal Guard.
Every Swiss male of a certain age has an automatic weapon at home (courtesy of the government!), knows how to use it, and belongs to a militia. That would make him a threat to National Security in this country, nowadays.
The few Swiss I've had any experience with seemed to be no-nonsense, very serious, sober-to-the-point-where-it-scare-the-shit-out-of-you, and when they aren't that, they're just fucking crazy.
Don't let the polite manners, the watches, the chocolate and the cheese fool you; these guys mean business, and will kick the crap out of a third-rate-desert-shithole run by a guy who is apparently taking his life-coaching from Keith Richards.
And you know what? They have the fucking right to ban the minaret. It's their country, after all. The same for the Dutch (who also did it), and the same for the French who banned the hijab. The same for the Danes who insisted that everyone speak Danish to some minimum or get the fuck out of the country.
Western societies, Colonel, tolerate Muslims and their customs and culture. Toleration means we are restrained by good manners and due consideration for the feelings of others not to do something terrible, like burn the mosques down, because that would be bad for society as a whole. They are not required to accommodate the worst aspects of your poor-excuse-for-a-culture, nor are they supposed to tolerate it past a certain point. Because we just know that if I wanted to build a Catholic church in Tripoli just how much toleration I'd get, don't we? There's never any reciprocation from your kind, because you're a bunch of arrogant little camel fuckers with a by-now genetic inferiority complex.
I'll bet your son slapped that servant around because he couldn't get it up, and the poor lad couldn't help but giggle.
Personally, I'd like to see every mosque burnt to the ground, even Muslim dead or sent back to their sandflea paradise of origin, and the whole culture and religion go the way of the dinosaurs and ABBA -- but that's just me. Consider yourself fortunate that you don't live in my neighborhood, because we'd have bigger issues than minarets, Colonel.
I'll even go as far as to wager that if you asked the average Swiss-on-the-Street if he even wants Muslims in his country, better than two-thirds would say they'd prefer rectal cancer to The Religion of Peace.
Consider yourself lucky that the world tolerates the poison you call religion, and that there aren't more frequent incidences of mobs bearing torches and pitchforks to forcibly scrub the stain of Islam from every civilized place on the planet. That sort of thing doesn't happen because we happen to be civilized people; that's why Muslims in the West usually have to STAGE such events so that they can play martyr.
I can promise you that if you keep up this "I declare jihad because my boys are impotent and abusive" bullshit, you won't have to stage them anymore. You may think the Swiss a target as soft as a banker's suit, but you'd be very unpleasantly surprised, Colonel.
I suggest you teach your sons better manners, buy them Viagra, and keep them at home shtupping the goats before they break someone else's laws, or worse, have their victims turn on them and seriously kick their asses; you people aren't nearly half as tough as you think you are.
The Swiss, for nearly 500 years, were the most feared mercenaries on the Continent of Europe, such ferocious and skilled fighters that they still form the Papal Guard.
Every Swiss male of a certain age has an automatic weapon at home (courtesy of the government!), knows how to use it, and belongs to a militia. That would make him a threat to National Security in this country, nowadays.
The few Swiss I've had any experience with seemed to be no-nonsense, very serious, sober-to-the-point-where-it-scare-the-shit-out-of-you, and when they aren't that, they're just fucking crazy.
Don't let the polite manners, the watches, the chocolate and the cheese fool you; these guys mean business, and will kick the crap out of a third-rate-desert-shithole run by a guy who is apparently taking his life-coaching from Keith Richards.
And you know what? They have the fucking right to ban the minaret. It's their country, after all. The same for the Dutch (who also did it), and the same for the French who banned the hijab. The same for the Danes who insisted that everyone speak Danish to some minimum or get the fuck out of the country.
Western societies, Colonel, tolerate Muslims and their customs and culture. Toleration means we are restrained by good manners and due consideration for the feelings of others not to do something terrible, like burn the mosques down, because that would be bad for society as a whole. They are not required to accommodate the worst aspects of your poor-excuse-for-a-culture, nor are they supposed to tolerate it past a certain point. Because we just know that if I wanted to build a Catholic church in Tripoli just how much toleration I'd get, don't we? There's never any reciprocation from your kind, because you're a bunch of arrogant little camel fuckers with a by-now genetic inferiority complex.
I'll bet your son slapped that servant around because he couldn't get it up, and the poor lad couldn't help but giggle.
Personally, I'd like to see every mosque burnt to the ground, even Muslim dead or sent back to their sandflea paradise of origin, and the whole culture and religion go the way of the dinosaurs and ABBA -- but that's just me. Consider yourself fortunate that you don't live in my neighborhood, because we'd have bigger issues than minarets, Colonel.
I'll even go as far as to wager that if you asked the average Swiss-on-the-Street if he even wants Muslims in his country, better than two-thirds would say they'd prefer rectal cancer to The Religion of Peace.
Consider yourself lucky that the world tolerates the poison you call religion, and that there aren't more frequent incidences of mobs bearing torches and pitchforks to forcibly scrub the stain of Islam from every civilized place on the planet. That sort of thing doesn't happen because we happen to be civilized people; that's why Muslims in the West usually have to STAGE such events so that they can play martyr.
I can promise you that if you keep up this "I declare jihad because my boys are impotent and abusive" bullshit, you won't have to stage them anymore. You may think the Swiss a target as soft as a banker's suit, but you'd be very unpleasantly surprised, Colonel.
I suggest you teach your sons better manners, buy them Viagra, and keep them at home shtupping the goats before they break someone else's laws, or worse, have their victims turn on them and seriously kick their asses; you people aren't nearly half as tough as you think you are.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Healthcare Summit...
I watched for about two hours this afternoon. I should have found something else to do.
It went like this:
Random Republican: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...Listen to us! Let us have a hand in crafting this monstrosity, under the guise of fighting for the American people, that we've all but accepted as a foregone conclusion, blah, blabbity,blah.
Barack Obama: Blah,blah, blah, blah, blah, but that's a good idea but it'll be another 1,000 pages after Nancy And Harry get through with it, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Random Republican: Blah, blah, blah, blabbity-blah-blah, can we just start over?
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, blah, we've come too far for that, and I can't hold any more dem votes on what we have already, blah, blah. And besides, it's not a good bill for me unless i can create another 100 federal bureaucracies stuffed with union labor to skim money off the top, blah, blabbit, blabbity, blab, blah.
Random Republican: This bill is bad: how about we do this, blah, blah, blah?
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, blah, screw you, we're doing what we want, blah, blah, blah, but that was a good idea that we won't consider, though, blah, blah. We'll now have five minutes of Chuck Schumer to put everyone to sleep.
Senator Schumer: Whine, cry, whinge, where's my closeup?
Random Republican: I should have won, dammit!
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, please sit down and shut up, Senator McCain, I won...oh,and blah,blah, blah to you, too! Do you have anything to add, Senator Reid?
Senator Reid: Blah, blah, blah, waaaaaaaaaah, blah, blabbity, blobbity, blah,blah blah. Oh, and blah, blah, blah.
It was a tour-de-force, so far as dog-and-pony shows go, and I should know: I've seen absolutely masterful dog-and-pony shows given by expert bullshit artists in even more expensive suits, with even bigger salaries.
The only thing that could have made even more ridiculous would have been the use of props...Oh, wait! There were props! Some repub tried to evoke the Spirit of Reagan, and brought the entire 2,500 page Senate bill to the meeting to make the argument that no one could make sense of a pile of paper that thick and full of Senatorese.
And of course, there was John Boehner, who's function I could not, for the life of me, discern.
But then again, what did I expect? The event was staged to make Barry I look all Presidential and to lob the same, tired attacks at the other side; Stop obstructing! Stop politicizing! Stop criticizing! Arguments against Obamacare were heard; hell, Barry's Boys and Girl's Club knew what the points against it were before the thing ever started. This "meeting" wasn't called to really hash anything out, nor was it intended to exchange ideas; it's supposed to blunt the predictable mid-term election battlecry: There was no bi-partisanship, and it wasn't on C-Span!
So, we got three-plus hours of absolute drivel that will, ultimately, change nothing. The democrats (small 'd' intentional) will do what they've wanted to do all along, and implement this sucker piece-by-piece, buried in countless appropriations bills where no one will see it, and which if Republicans try to filibuster will result in the threat of (if not the actual) shutdown of the Fed'ral Gubmint. Just like what happened when Newt Gingrich got all uppity about balanced budgets.
Democrats think Newt lost that fight because some Social Security checks got held up, but history tells a different tale: Newt did get his balanced budget, and Billy Jeff Clinton had to "reform" welfare. His republican inheritors fucked that all up in the years that followed, and so they are now in the position they find themselves in today; crying about bi-partisanship, and then eagerly rushing to the Potemkin display of bi-partisanship they got today so that they can still appear relevant, but still unable to stop the worst idea to come down the pike since the Battery Acid Enema Diet.
We will get Obamacare. It's almost a forgone conclusion. The question now becomes whether the genie can be put back in this particular bottle if, and I do mean if, republicans win the mid-terms and are in a better position to first limit the damage done, and then, eventually roll it back. I say if because if McConnel and Boehner and the assholes who were on display yesterday in the Toyota Hearings are what the republican party calls"leadership", then nothing short of Barack Obama being seen lustily filleting a panda on You-Tube will guarantee victory in November.
And quite frankly, why this need and clamor for bi-partisanship, anyway? Why is it that the repubicans believe that a bad bill made worse by bi-partisanship is somehow more palatable, especially if Libtards get the bulk, or even the beginnings, of what they've wanted in the first place? Quite frankly, you were elected to be republicans -- not accessories-after-the-fact.
This piece of shit needs to be defeated in toto; not steered into a presumably less-worse direction. Barack Obama is dead-set on raping the United States Healthcare System -- republicans, with their insistence on having their ideas included instead of insisting their ideas replace what Harry and Nancy hath wrought -- are pretty much looking as if they're begging Barry to wear a condom while he does it.
Three hours of absolutely sleep-and-vomit-inducing television didn't bring anyone one step closer to that.
Update: Something that I was thinking about that didn't make it's way into The Screed; I made it sound as though republicans "lost" this battle (in effect, they have: the dems will try to sneak this thing into appropriations bills as poison pills), but there was another aspect to this thing: Barack Obama, while trying to appear all Statesmanlike, is basically in the position of having to beg republicans to lower their tone (to get the heat off of him) and maybe, move a bit to his way of seeing things. He was basically saying: listen, I'm throwing you a bone here, so do a brother a solid and make it look like we're negotiating and co-operating, okay?
A pox on both their houses.
It went like this:
Random Republican: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah...Listen to us! Let us have a hand in crafting this monstrosity, under the guise of fighting for the American people, that we've all but accepted as a foregone conclusion, blah, blabbity,blah.
Barack Obama: Blah,blah, blah, blah, blah, but that's a good idea but it'll be another 1,000 pages after Nancy And Harry get through with it, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Random Republican: Blah, blah, blah, blabbity-blah-blah, can we just start over?
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, blah, we've come too far for that, and I can't hold any more dem votes on what we have already, blah, blah. And besides, it's not a good bill for me unless i can create another 100 federal bureaucracies stuffed with union labor to skim money off the top, blah, blabbit, blabbity, blab, blah.
Random Republican: This bill is bad: how about we do this, blah, blah, blah?
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, blah, screw you, we're doing what we want, blah, blah, blah, but that was a good idea that we won't consider, though, blah, blah. We'll now have five minutes of Chuck Schumer to put everyone to sleep.
Senator Schumer: Whine, cry, whinge, where's my closeup?
Random Republican: I should have won, dammit!
Barack Obama: Blah, blah, please sit down and shut up, Senator McCain, I won...oh,and blah,blah, blah to you, too! Do you have anything to add, Senator Reid?
Senator Reid: Blah, blah, blah, waaaaaaaaaah, blah, blabbity, blobbity, blah,blah blah. Oh, and blah, blah, blah.
It was a tour-de-force, so far as dog-and-pony shows go, and I should know: I've seen absolutely masterful dog-and-pony shows given by expert bullshit artists in even more expensive suits, with even bigger salaries.
The only thing that could have made even more ridiculous would have been the use of props...Oh, wait! There were props! Some repub tried to evoke the Spirit of Reagan, and brought the entire 2,500 page Senate bill to the meeting to make the argument that no one could make sense of a pile of paper that thick and full of Senatorese.
And of course, there was John Boehner, who's function I could not, for the life of me, discern.
But then again, what did I expect? The event was staged to make Barry I look all Presidential and to lob the same, tired attacks at the other side; Stop obstructing! Stop politicizing! Stop criticizing! Arguments against Obamacare were heard; hell, Barry's Boys and Girl's Club knew what the points against it were before the thing ever started. This "meeting" wasn't called to really hash anything out, nor was it intended to exchange ideas; it's supposed to blunt the predictable mid-term election battlecry: There was no bi-partisanship, and it wasn't on C-Span!
So, we got three-plus hours of absolute drivel that will, ultimately, change nothing. The democrats (small 'd' intentional) will do what they've wanted to do all along, and implement this sucker piece-by-piece, buried in countless appropriations bills where no one will see it, and which if Republicans try to filibuster will result in the threat of (if not the actual) shutdown of the Fed'ral Gubmint. Just like what happened when Newt Gingrich got all uppity about balanced budgets.
Democrats think Newt lost that fight because some Social Security checks got held up, but history tells a different tale: Newt did get his balanced budget, and Billy Jeff Clinton had to "reform" welfare. His republican inheritors fucked that all up in the years that followed, and so they are now in the position they find themselves in today; crying about bi-partisanship, and then eagerly rushing to the Potemkin display of bi-partisanship they got today so that they can still appear relevant, but still unable to stop the worst idea to come down the pike since the Battery Acid Enema Diet.
We will get Obamacare. It's almost a forgone conclusion. The question now becomes whether the genie can be put back in this particular bottle if, and I do mean if, republicans win the mid-terms and are in a better position to first limit the damage done, and then, eventually roll it back. I say if because if McConnel and Boehner and the assholes who were on display yesterday in the Toyota Hearings are what the republican party calls"leadership", then nothing short of Barack Obama being seen lustily filleting a panda on You-Tube will guarantee victory in November.
And quite frankly, why this need and clamor for bi-partisanship, anyway? Why is it that the repubicans believe that a bad bill made worse by bi-partisanship is somehow more palatable, especially if Libtards get the bulk, or even the beginnings, of what they've wanted in the first place? Quite frankly, you were elected to be republicans -- not accessories-after-the-fact.
This piece of shit needs to be defeated in toto; not steered into a presumably less-worse direction. Barack Obama is dead-set on raping the United States Healthcare System -- republicans, with their insistence on having their ideas included instead of insisting their ideas replace what Harry and Nancy hath wrought -- are pretty much looking as if they're begging Barry to wear a condom while he does it.
Three hours of absolutely sleep-and-vomit-inducing television didn't bring anyone one step closer to that.
Update: Something that I was thinking about that didn't make it's way into The Screed; I made it sound as though republicans "lost" this battle (in effect, they have: the dems will try to sneak this thing into appropriations bills as poison pills), but there was another aspect to this thing: Barack Obama, while trying to appear all Statesmanlike, is basically in the position of having to beg republicans to lower their tone (to get the heat off of him) and maybe, move a bit to his way of seeing things. He was basically saying: listen, I'm throwing you a bone here, so do a brother a solid and make it look like we're negotiating and co-operating, okay?
A pox on both their houses.
Hey, Thanks!
I'm very grateful to my loyal readers. My traffic to this site has increased month-to-month, steadily, but surely. Either there's more crazy people out there than I bargained for, or I'm doing something right.
I'm inclined to believe the former rather than the latter. I know I'm nuts. Hell, I'm not even a very good writer, so I'd like to hear just why it is you people keep hitting this page. Gimme some feedback, will ya? Tell me what you like, what you hate, what you'd like to see. I'd be interested in knowing, and I could use a few other topics and subjects to divert my OCD-addled brain! You'll find an address with which to Contact the Lunatic on the banner.
Also, I would like to ask you loyal readers to Help a Brother Out and let three people of your acquaintance know that this site exists. It would also be a great help if some of the more frequent visitors became "Followers" of this blog. It's easy to do, and will cost you nothing; simply click the "Follow This Blog" link at the top of the page.
I was also thinking of deputizing some of the Other Lunatics, and granting access to folks who have a flair for the written word. If you have something to say, and would like to join an established blog (although not an especially notable or powerful one) as a contributor, than drop Us a line. My imaginary Asylum Trolls are standing by to take your call, as it were. I'd be interested to hear what other people have to say, especially anyone who might have a contradicting point of view. It'll spice this blog up; I keep hearing about how everyone agrees with me, which is all well-and-fine, but dammit, I love a good argument!
Likewise, if you have some sites you'd like me to link to, let me know about those, as well.
Thank You All for your continued readership! My plans for World Domination continue apace!
I'm inclined to believe the former rather than the latter. I know I'm nuts. Hell, I'm not even a very good writer, so I'd like to hear just why it is you people keep hitting this page. Gimme some feedback, will ya? Tell me what you like, what you hate, what you'd like to see. I'd be interested in knowing, and I could use a few other topics and subjects to divert my OCD-addled brain! You'll find an address with which to Contact the Lunatic on the banner.
Also, I would like to ask you loyal readers to Help a Brother Out and let three people of your acquaintance know that this site exists. It would also be a great help if some of the more frequent visitors became "Followers" of this blog. It's easy to do, and will cost you nothing; simply click the "Follow This Blog" link at the top of the page.
I was also thinking of deputizing some of the Other Lunatics, and granting access to folks who have a flair for the written word. If you have something to say, and would like to join an established blog (although not an especially notable or powerful one) as a contributor, than drop Us a line. My imaginary Asylum Trolls are standing by to take your call, as it were. I'd be interested to hear what other people have to say, especially anyone who might have a contradicting point of view. It'll spice this blog up; I keep hearing about how everyone agrees with me, which is all well-and-fine, but dammit, I love a good argument!
Likewise, if you have some sites you'd like me to link to, let me know about those, as well.
Thank You All for your continued readership! My plans for World Domination continue apace!
Perhaps the Smartest Man, Ever, Writes About Diversity...
I was introduced (not formally, as alas, I have not had the honor of actually meeting the man) to Professor Victor Davis Hanson about a decade ago on the pages of National Review (to which I used to subscribe, back when the late William F. Buckley was still the editor) in the book review section. There was a review of his book Carnage and Culture, something which piqued my interest as an amateur military historian. Not soon afterwards, there was an excerpt of that book published in, I believe, American Heritage (to which I also used to subscribe) which convinced me that I just had to own that book.
I soon became obsessed with owning everything the man ever wrote, as he seemed to have considered esoteric, but vitally important aspects of history that my untrained mind had not even acknowledged. Carnage and Culture led me to read more culture-based treatises on the practices of war and politics, like those written by John Keegan and Donald Kagan. Before, Hanson, the scope of my knowledge was limited to the dry, linear histories of the individual campaign or the tactical "tricks" of the great generals that were little more than the recitation of facts, or the parroting of the last "expert" that I had read. Like many, I had simply assumed that because someone had managed to get published, that they were probably right. Hanson helped me identify a critical error in my way of thinking (such as it is).
Years later, I have come to the conclusion that Professor Hanson is perhaps one of the greatest historians of our time (along with Daniel Boorstin and Eugen Weber), and more, that he is one of the better commentators on our present culture.
I have faithfully followed him from National Review to his own website (see link bar) and finally, to the pages of Pajamas Media. It is my opinion that if you don't read Professor Hanson regularly, you are missing out on a valuable resource that will make you think upon, and hopefully better understand, the world you live in.
No, he isn't my God, but he's certainly someone who's opinions and conclusions I take seriously.
Today, the Professor takes a look at the nature of the movement for "Diversity", Read. And you'll fall in love with VDH yourself, I believe.
Note: I'm adding a link to American Heritage, something I have neglected for some time now. It's especially important, in this day and age, to know how we got here and became Americans.
Update: Perhaps the Second Smartest Man, Ever adds an intriguing tale of his own, complete with an Olympic opening ceremony.
I soon became obsessed with owning everything the man ever wrote, as he seemed to have considered esoteric, but vitally important aspects of history that my untrained mind had not even acknowledged. Carnage and Culture led me to read more culture-based treatises on the practices of war and politics, like those written by John Keegan and Donald Kagan. Before, Hanson, the scope of my knowledge was limited to the dry, linear histories of the individual campaign or the tactical "tricks" of the great generals that were little more than the recitation of facts, or the parroting of the last "expert" that I had read. Like many, I had simply assumed that because someone had managed to get published, that they were probably right. Hanson helped me identify a critical error in my way of thinking (such as it is).
Years later, I have come to the conclusion that Professor Hanson is perhaps one of the greatest historians of our time (along with Daniel Boorstin and Eugen Weber), and more, that he is one of the better commentators on our present culture.
I have faithfully followed him from National Review to his own website (see link bar) and finally, to the pages of Pajamas Media. It is my opinion that if you don't read Professor Hanson regularly, you are missing out on a valuable resource that will make you think upon, and hopefully better understand, the world you live in.
No, he isn't my God, but he's certainly someone who's opinions and conclusions I take seriously.
Today, the Professor takes a look at the nature of the movement for "Diversity", Read. And you'll fall in love with VDH yourself, I believe.
Note: I'm adding a link to American Heritage, something I have neglected for some time now. It's especially important, in this day and age, to know how we got here and became Americans.
Update: Perhaps the Second Smartest Man, Ever adds an intriguing tale of his own, complete with an Olympic opening ceremony.
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