Damn. And here I was hoping I could talk you into betting me a tour of your offices next time I'm in town!
I have never understood de mortuis nil nisi bonum. Still less in this case. How much does anyone want to bet that beatification and canonization procedures are already underway somewhere for him?
Well, Fidelo, I know what those medals are for! There's an old cuban joke about the general who was sent by Fidel to Moscow for a major international celebration. So he meets up with some of his fellow generals and he asks the American one what his medals are for, and the American gives him a long list of battles; and so do the British and the Russian. Finally, the Russian asks him: so, tovarisch, what are your medals for?
And the cuban general smiles proudly and answers: good conduct!
All the prizes handed out by this administration are for good conduct, i.e. towards the Bush family.
I was at work, thank God, and didn't see it live, but as I watched some of the evening bow-and-scrape-fest on CNN I had this weird flash of deja vu. It wasn't until several hours later that I realized it reminded me of May Day celebrations. All it lacked was the parade of rockets passing the stands...
Anything I can get my hands on by Fredric Brown.
Plus The Anarchist in the Library, dealing with the clash between control and anarchy in the information technology field, and how it's spreading from the digital to the "real" world. Professional reading, but well worth it for anyone, IMO.
Andy, do us all a favor, and grow up, ok? You are behaving like a six year old who thinks throwing feces is funny and will get them mommie and daddy's approval.
I'm sorry but I find some of Matthew's discussion a tad confusing. Maybe I'm slipping into one of those alternate time streams?
The "social justice" branch of the conservative movement lobbied for and got Mr. Bush to deny funds to the United Nations for the Women and Children Fund with the excuse that the fund supported forced abortions in China, which it clearly did not. They used it as an excuse because one of their games in the third world is to appear as champions of the poor in order to proselitize, and they didn't want the competition. They have played that game before. Their "social justice" carries a heavily weighted noose inside it.
And if you think I've decided never to cut any of them any slack, no matter how unreasonable that makes me sound, you are right.
Patrick, I started writing something earlier and could not get through at "preview" so if it shows up at some point, please delete it?
Please bear with me, because I have to tell this to someone. I went to bed last night and dreamed that I was standing in the middle of a great ruined city; and I was crying for all that was lost. And I heard a voice that said, quietly and sadly, "quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat".
I've had the jimjams and the jeebies all day...until I read some of the comments in this thread. There are babies being born, and gardens being planted, and peaceful revolutions being planned. It might just be a great time to be alive.
And another thing. Take it from someone who's lost a whole country already (or gave it up, but the effect is the same): at the worst of times, it's the people that matter. What was that line in Barrayar?: My nation is not a place, it's the people. WE ARE A NATION. ALL OF US, TOGETHER. Don't forget that, please.
That is one of the funniest book reviews I have ever read. Nasty and cruel, too, and to make sure the reviewer was correct, I actually went to Borders and looked at the thing.
The reviewer was incorrect. The thing (I cannot bring myself to call it a book) is WORSE.
Mr. Farah reminds me of one of my high school English teachers. She hated science fiction and insisted we read "real" literature from the textbook (all together now, AAAIIIIEEEHHHHH!)in class. My girlfriend and I used to prop the textbook up and open a paperback in front of it. I met a large number of my favorite writers that way....Ah, yes, the pleasure of the forbidden...
Ah yes, the textbook. It turned out we had already read ALL the books excerpted...on our own.
Cuban Cure for All Sinus Ills: Vicks Vapor Rub in boiling water. Inhale Steam. Then rub some on your chest and get in bed. Stay there for two days, periodically drinking strong hot tea with lemon. You will get up healthy. Promise!
Short answer: please, God, YES.
Long answer: I have a feeling that we are going to see a reversal of the usual pattern, and it's the states and cities that are going liberal. Since the federal government is strangling them with severe underfunding for federally mandated programs, a lot of mayors are going to feel like flipping Washington the bird!
Ricky, the last resort of the person losing an argument is to fall back on credentials. Theresa and Patrick have credentials up the yingyang, so do I, and I would venture to say so do a large number of folks who visit this site. Besides, I know a number of frightfully stupid PhDs!
The problem with the honorable discharge is that if he got the appointment dishonorably, by using his father's influence to vault over other candidates, how difficult could it have been to use the self-same influence to get the "exit visa"?
Jesus. That'll teach me to look at your blog during work hours. How do I explain the tears?
Patrick, I find it highly unfair that you get to read new Brusts before I do...pout, whine...
With apologies to Mr. Moles: I am getting seriously tired of people telling me that the "greens" or the "moderate republicans" had no idea of what they were letting the country in for.
Anyone who read the Republican platform for the last two elections knew exactly what the country was being let in for. Anyone who heard the Republican party leaders prea...er...speak knew exactly what they were letting the country in for. Anyone with a serious interest in the future of this country knew that the Republican party had been hijacked, and the loonies were running the assylum.
If you led with your loyalty instead of your reasoning, fine; if you believed that the maniacs could be reined in by a "humble" "moderate" president, fine; if you believed that Republican control would somehow spark a grass-root revolution, fine. But don't tell me you didn't know.
Condolences to Teresa. And I'm glad she got to go home to say goodbye--I couldnt' with my grandmother, and I hadn't seen her in thirty years.
On the other hand...you'd forgotten you'd been around for that many years, eh? I guess they old cliche is true: time flies when you're having fun. Congratulations!
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 |
| 2004 | 9 |
| 2003 | 10 |
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