George Bush telling the American people the Iraq war needed to be fought is like me telling a potential date I've got washboard abs when what I've really got is one of those river boulders third-world housewives pound their laundry on; it's a teensy bit misleading. This war didn't need to be fought. Certain people wanted to fight it. The difference is huge.
Bill Maher is right. This is a war of luxury, not of necessity; there is no draft, no one's buying war bonds, there is no rationing of gas or food. Our leaders are not asking anyone on the "home front" to make any real sacrifices save for those civil liberties nobody seems to be using anyway (well, they are asking the poor to sacrifice of themselves in the form of sending family abroad, but I risk digression...) And in a war of luxury, journalists are the most reviled enemy.
When survival is at stake, butcher's bills and reports of civilian casualties, while heartbreaking, are not deal-breaking. If criminal acts are committed in the course of war, justice will be done, but we don't bother killing the messenger; we have more important things to think about -- you know, like survival. We the people are too busy plugging along, joining in the fight ourselves where necessary, because by definition there is nothing else we can do. Outside of the Quakers and Buddhists and other tiny minorities of true pacifists, there is no real dissent.
But when survival isn't at stake, when a foreign war is engaged in primarily for domestic political points, you can take it only so far; the people have a spending limit. And journalists are the ones printing out the receipts.
Mind that by journalists, I'm not talking about the Judy Millers and Andrea Mitchells and Chris Matthews, the complacent, compromised talking heads who are (sometimes literally) in bed with the ruling elite. The real dangers here are the Christiane Amanpours, the Riverbends, the Giuliana Sgrenas, the Ali Fadils -- the people who dig and ask questions and actually pay attention and have normal memory spans.
In a war of survival, journalists are welcome, or at least, not really minded -- with few exceptions it is expected they will be documenting heroism on every front, taking down the truth for a prayed-for posterity. In a war of luxury, journalists, documenting fraud and use of banned weapons and civilian casualties, are deadlier than any IED.
Real journalists are murder on hard-won and expensive PR campaigns.
In a war of luxury, journalists are legitimate targets.
[ back home ]
Comments for "At Least 66..."
in all seriousness though, what's become apparent to me is that the 1950's mentality is far more pervasive than i had originally thought. the worst thing about it too is that so many people, willingly or otherwise, are willing to swallow the whole thing hook, line and sinker but will not engage in discussion to the contrary without wanting to hold a torch aloft and scream "heretic!"
add to that a media more concerned with keeping a job by sucking a proverbial dick and acting like good lap dogs than doing any actual *gasp* reporting (and this goes all ways, conservative or liberal - people usually are more interested in playing a polar opposite to some view than being an objective reporter of the facts and what is known to be the truth).
what you end up with is a bunch of horseshit. question is: who's the farmer who can turn it into manure? cos, me personally, i'm too repulsed by the stench...
add to that a media more concerned with keeping a job by sucking a proverbial dick and acting like good lap dogs than doing any actual *gasp* reporting (and this goes all ways, conservative or liberal - people usually are more interested in playing a polar opposite to some view than being an objective reporter of the facts and what is known to be the truth).
what you end up with is a bunch of horseshit. question is: who's the farmer who can turn it into manure? cos, me personally, i'm too repulsed by the stench...
- Posted at 6:43 PM | By
pop renaissance
But when survival isn't at stake, when a foreign war is engaged in primarily for domestic political points, you can take it only so far; the people have a spending limit. And journalists are the ones printing out the receipts.
If Bu$hCo has been playing this for the domestic political points, then he truly will go down as the worst president in history. His approval slide and the war's length have marched in lock step.
If Bu$hCo has been playing this for the domestic political points, then he truly will go down as the worst president in history. His approval slide and the war's length have marched in lock step.
- Posted at 6:56 PM | By
"If Bu$hCo has been playing this for the domestic political points, then he truly will go down as the worst president in history."
the sad truth of the matter is that he has been. thing is, it's been in order to endear him to a very small percentage of the country, not unlike someone's much-younger brother trying desperately to fit in and be part of the older kids' gang.
NSA disclaimer: 2 to 3 well-aimed clicks can get you my full name and contact info, so these comments about our dipshit president are not anonymous.
dudad: a cheap trinket, or what teh wants with yer father.
the sad truth of the matter is that he has been. thing is, it's been in order to endear him to a very small percentage of the country, not unlike someone's much-younger brother trying desperately to fit in and be part of the older kids' gang.
NSA disclaimer: 2 to 3 well-aimed clicks can get you my full name and contact info, so these comments about our dipshit president are not anonymous.
dudad: a cheap trinket, or what teh wants with yer father.
- Posted at 7:10 PM | By pop renaissance
1. ALL RIGHT save it for eschaton, n00b.
2. That's the thing I don't understand about today's press corp(se). I mean, they are willing to do all sorts of despicable things, to lick the nastiest boots, just to maintain access... But what does it matter, since all they have access to to begin with is a festering pile of manure???
3. Kvatch: He'll be up there, definitely. This administration has never once had any real policy towards Iraq. Every decision made, from the decision to go there onward, has been made for the sake of political expediency at home. That's mainly why it's such a mess. That and the Heritage Foundation loons they put in charge of reconstruction.
4. That's okay. You're not annoying me, and it's my muthahfuckin' blog, so screw them NSA bitches.
5. NSA bitches: kidding!! Haha. I'm such a kidder.
2. That's the thing I don't understand about today's press corp(se). I mean, they are willing to do all sorts of despicable things, to lick the nastiest boots, just to maintain access... But what does it matter, since all they have access to to begin with is a festering pile of manure???
3. Kvatch: He'll be up there, definitely. This administration has never once had any real policy towards Iraq. Every decision made, from the decision to go there onward, has been made for the sake of political expediency at home. That's mainly why it's such a mess. That and the Heritage Foundation loons they put in charge of reconstruction.
4. That's okay. You're not annoying me, and it's my muthahfuckin' blog, so screw them NSA bitches.
5. NSA bitches: kidding!! Haha. I'm such a kidder.
Politics, schmolitics.
More importantly, did you catch this:
http://salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8F3587G2.html
I myself often pass myself off as the Third Earl of Plattsburg.
Sometimes I just pass myself off in general, if you know what I mean.
More importantly, did you catch this:
http://salon.com/wire/ap/archive.html?wire=D8F3587G2.html
I myself often pass myself off as the Third Earl of Plattsburg.
Sometimes I just pass myself off in general, if you know what I mean.
- Posted at 7:23 AM | By
N: what the heck is HNT?
Elmo: fascinating, but I can't help but think they get access as long as the write what the PR hacks want...
shingles (I know who you are): I know exactly what you mean.
And I saw Brooks on Jon Stewart the other day. Can't wait to see it!!!
Elmo: fascinating, but I can't help but think they get access as long as the write what the PR hacks want...
shingles (I know who you are): I know exactly what you mean.
And I saw Brooks on Jon Stewart the other day. Can't wait to see it!!!
HNT = Half-Nekked Thursday. It's a blog fad. I don't know why Nolff is promoting it, he doesn't participate.
This all makes me very ill.
This all makes me very ill.
INDY: That is so frickin' weird. I'm actually posting this morning without a shirt. It's true! I'm just about to get in the shower...
That's weird, I'm sitting all alone at work without my pants!
(see, I work behind a desk...a very LARGE desk...)
(see, I work behind a desk...a very LARGE desk...)
- Posted at 12:54 PM | By
More like Delta Burke.
- Posted at 8:52 PM | By
Christiane Amanpour is one of my favourite journalists. I wish I could get The Sundance Channel, so I could've seen Renée Zellweger's interview with her.
- Posted at 8:53 AM | By madamerouge
madame, darling, I adore you, and agree with you re: Amanpour, but Renee Zellweger could be buried in pigshit for all I care. God she's horrible.
aw, teh, give Squinty Zellweger-Chesney some lurve... she needs it.
They call this war a cloud over the land. But they made the weather and then they stand in the rain and say 'Shit, it's raining!'
They call this war a cloud over the land. But they made the weather and then they stand in the rain and say 'Shit, it's raining!'
- Posted at 12:27 PM | By madamerouge
Thank goodness she divorced that FAS guy with the potato stuffed down the front of his jeans...
- Posted at 12:28 PM | By madamerouge
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