Your post yesterday regarding racism as being not ” JUST about RACE” by referencing ‘The Territorial Imperative’ as a basis for your three word hypothesis was more insightful (and fundamentally correct) than the adversarial and undeserved bashing meted out. Maybe the way you used a largely unknown anthropological study without clarifying or codifying its conclusions is what threw them over the edge. Ignorance (not stupidity) often induces an angry response.
Your post yesterday regarding racism as being not ” JUST about RACE” by referencing ‘The Territorial Imperative’ as a basis for your three word hypothesis was more insightful (and fundamentally correct) than the adversarial and undeserved bashing meted out. Maybe the way you used a largely unknown anthropological study without clarifying or codifying its conclusions is what threw them over the edge. Ignorance (not stupidity) often induces an angry response.
Whose worse Nixon or Obama? Nixon’s enemies list which began with about 20 people ballooned to nearly 600 and was used with IRS Audits of those they didn't like. (hmm – where have I heard that before??) But they couldn’t really organize retaliations against most on the list. HA, as I remember it, it wasn’t so much a punishment but as cool status. A certain 'Gonzo Journalist' was annoyed that he was excluded, “I would almost have preferred a vindictive tax audit to that kind of crippling exclusion.” Gotta love that!
Are Obama’s enemies saying something like that? Uh no, because most of them are dead. Call it the ‘Secret Kill List’, the ‘Hit List’ or the truly Orwellian ‘Disposition Matrix’ (see link below); what we have today the US government describes as a ‘next generation capture/kill list.’ These criteria go way beyond the consequences of just being on a list; and go way beyond tax audits, with punishments ranging from capturing, rendering to outright assassination.
The question is. Will Obama face a vicious press as Nixon did, or will it all blow away like a dissipating thunderstorm? Today's press are pussy’s after all.
I usually point out that much of this rabid the anti-Obama zealotry comes from the nutty/birther/Tea Party/Fox News fringe, but Obama’s decisions on these (they are both ethical and (im)moral) has handed his adversaries an ammo supply that even Ted Nugent would envy. Mmm…then again, maybe not.
Nixon ,and Kissinger, bombed nations on the down low. ‘Operation Menu’ in Cambodia and Laos is hard to beat. Three million tons of bombs, hundreds of thousands killed, and the entire thing was doctored as something happening only inside Vietnam. Pretty impressive; and I’m not even including his forays into South America.
However, the Obama team is rising fast to the challenge. The drone campaign, thousands of victims, (many of which were civilians) is just the beginning. Jeremy Scahill said in his book ‘Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield’, ”Pretty much anywhere humans can be tracked, targeted and killed in combat zones the Obama team has secret assassination squads at work.” With these policies now cemented as national policy and plans to institutionalize the never ending ‘Global War on Terror’, Obama has shown a more methodical approach to institutionalized bloodshed & secret warfare.
While depicting the drunken GOP’s drink(s) of choice and their hypocrisy certainly is valid, what they are slurring is worth more than cursory dismissal.
Without venturing too deep into the Sean Hannity landfill, the spying on reporters, secret wars and possible IRS politicization made me pause - and wonder. Could Obama be racing Richard Nixon on his home race track? Few here are old enough to remember that no politician, NONE, could match ‘Tricky Dick’ for obsession with leaks, secret wars or his creation of enemies’ lists. Or could they?
Let’s consider the evidence so far.
Leaks & Secrets:
So far, Obama’s penchant for secrecy has allowed only snippets of his deadly (extralegal?) policies to be revealed. On the other hand, the fervor for tracking down leaked information, Richard Nixon was legend. He organized secret break-ins by created his own ‘special investigations unit’, a secret group of top aides to combat the leaking. They became known as ‘The Plumbers’. That came with the arrest of burglars at the Watergate offices in Washington. I think we all know how that story ended.
Obama’s record is a work in progress, but is showing great potential. Not only does he punish leakers with zeal, but also targets legitimate whistleblowers to a greater extent than any President that I can remember. One glaring example being John Kiriakou (told reporters about waterboarding techniques); and another is the effort to determine who leaked classified information to the Press about terrorist plots in Yemen by having the DOJ dig through the phone records of the AP.
As the Obama administration’s actions are still largely hidden, it’s hard to top Nixon. So I give this round to the Dick.
Ahh you say: ”Since it not seem to work, we bring all home NOW and make strong defense? That make great sense to me, instead send many many ambassadors over globe”
OHH I see, vely nice sentiment white haired eagle. One with which Limric agree. BUT. What they do? I mean, somebody give farm away for Magic Beans of ‘Free Trade'.
Quite the conundrum? Isn't it?
Oh well, there’s always Iran.
LET’S SING!!
From my era, I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag by Country Joe & the Fish
Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
The Banks & the FED need your help again.
They’ve got themselves in a terrible jam
Way out in a desert they call Iran
So put down your Macbook and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
refrain
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is ancient Iran;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Come on Wall Street, don't be slow,
This is easy war is a made for TV show
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade,
But when they said it was just gonna be drones,
Let’s prey that it’s not on our homes.
refrain
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is ancient Iran.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
(except for the chickenhawks)
I'm going against my promise of not denigrating other posters on this site this one last time.
Maximus, there are counterfeiters, buffoons, contemptible fools; and then there are ass holes. You are a professional at all four, but of the latter - you are industrial strength.
Any and all CIA components and State Dept. personnel working the Middle East and North Africa have a high probability of being the target of militant and terrorist organizations. Ooh why’s that Mr. Peaboby? Because of the Agency’s past roles in the Bush administration’s war on terror, black sites, GITMO and the Obama administration’s widespread use of drone aircraft and Special Ops across the Middles East & Africa.
While the never ending incompetence and politicization of our so called intelligence agency(s) gives me pause, what really really worries me is the DOJ’s arbitrary tapping of the telephone records of reporters and editors of the AP. And their associated ”Trust me” response. I fear this only the tip of the iceberg of what is happening and actually there is a war on the press hidden in plain sight. Really you ask? Is not this administration running roughshod over civil liberties and here freedom of the press?
I hope you all like reading stories about police & surveillance states – cause you’re living in one.
The Critic
INTERMISSION
If this is goodbye - Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris by Adamfulgence
The Critic
Sorry about the double post.
Server Fu*kage!!
The Critic
”Sherman. Let’s go to the Wayback machine again.”
”Aww, not again Mr. Peabody?”
Jess E,
Your post yesterday regarding racism as being not ” JUST about RACE” by referencing ‘The Territorial Imperative’ as a basis for your three word hypothesis was more insightful (and fundamentally correct) than the adversarial and undeserved bashing meted out. Maybe the way you used a largely unknown anthropological study without clarifying or codifying its conclusions is what threw them over the edge. Ignorance (not stupidity) often induces an angry response.
I understood what you were trying to say.
The Critic
”Sherman. Let’s go to the Wayback machine again.”
”Aww, not again Mr. Peabody!”
Jess E,
Your post yesterday regarding racism as being not ” JUST about RACE” by referencing ‘The Territorial Imperative’ as a basis for your three word hypothesis was more insightful (and fundamentally correct) than the adversarial and undeserved bashing meted out. Maybe the way you used a largely unknown anthropological study without clarifying or codifying its conclusions is what threw them over the edge. Ignorance (not stupidity) often induces an angry response.
I understood what you were trying to say.
The Critic
Enemies Lists:
Whose worse Nixon or Obama? Nixon’s enemies list which began with about 20 people ballooned to nearly 600 and was used with IRS Audits of those they didn't like. (hmm – where have I heard that before??) But they couldn’t really organize retaliations against most on the list. HA, as I remember it, it wasn’t so much a punishment but as cool status. A certain 'Gonzo Journalist' was annoyed that he was excluded, “I would almost have preferred a vindictive tax audit to that kind of crippling exclusion.” Gotta love that!
Are Obama’s enemies saying something like that? Uh no, because most of them are dead. Call it the ‘Secret Kill List’, the ‘Hit List’ or the truly Orwellian ‘Disposition Matrix’ (see link below); what we have today the US government describes as a ‘next generation capture/kill list.’ These criteria go way beyond the consequences of just being on a list; and go way beyond tax audits, with punishments ranging from capturing, rendering to outright assassination.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/may/17/endless-war-on-terror-obama
I call this round for Obama. By far!
Well, so far it’s Obama 2, Nixon 1.
The question is. Will Obama face a vicious press as Nixon did, or will it all blow away like a dissipating thunderstorm? Today's press are pussy’s after all.
I usually point out that much of this rabid the anti-Obama zealotry comes from the nutty/birther/Tea Party/Fox News fringe, but Obama’s decisions on these (they are both ethical and (im)moral) has handed his adversaries an ammo supply that even Ted Nugent would envy. Mmm…then again, maybe not.
The Critic
Secret Wars:
Nixon ,and Kissinger, bombed nations on the down low. ‘Operation Menu’ in Cambodia and Laos is hard to beat. Three million tons of bombs, hundreds of thousands killed, and the entire thing was doctored as something happening only inside Vietnam. Pretty impressive; and I’m not even including his forays into South America.
However, the Obama team is rising fast to the challenge. The drone campaign, thousands of victims, (many of which were civilians) is just the beginning. Jeremy Scahill said in his book ‘Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield’, ”Pretty much anywhere humans can be tracked, targeted and killed in combat zones the Obama team has secret assassination squads at work.” With these policies now cemented as national policy and plans to institutionalize the never ending ‘Global War on Terror’, Obama has shown a more methodical approach to institutionalized bloodshed & secret warfare.
I call this round (but just by a hair) for Obama.
Cont.
The Critic
Great cartoon today Mr. Bennett.
While depicting the drunken GOP’s drink(s) of choice and their hypocrisy certainly is valid, what they are slurring is worth more than cursory dismissal.
Without venturing too deep into the Sean Hannity landfill, the spying on reporters, secret wars and possible IRS politicization made me pause - and wonder. Could Obama be racing Richard Nixon on his home race track? Few here are old enough to remember that no politician, NONE, could match ‘Tricky Dick’ for obsession with leaks, secret wars or his creation of enemies’ lists. Or could they?
Let’s consider the evidence so far.
Leaks & Secrets:
So far, Obama’s penchant for secrecy has allowed only snippets of his deadly (extralegal?) policies to be revealed. On the other hand, the fervor for tracking down leaked information, Richard Nixon was legend. He organized secret break-ins by created his own ‘special investigations unit’, a secret group of top aides to combat the leaking. They became known as ‘The Plumbers’. That came with the arrest of burglars at the Watergate offices in Washington. I think we all know how that story ended.
Obama’s record is a work in progress, but is showing great potential. Not only does he punish leakers with zeal, but also targets legitimate whistleblowers to a greater extent than any President that I can remember. One glaring example being John Kiriakou (told reporters about waterboarding techniques); and another is the effort to determine who leaked classified information to the Press about terrorist plots in Yemen by having the DOJ dig through the phone records of the AP.
As the Obama administration’s actions are still largely hidden, it’s hard to top Nixon. So I give this round to the Dick.
Cont.
The Cover-Up
BRP,
Ahh you say: ”Since it not seem to work, we bring all home NOW and make strong defense? That make great sense to me, instead send many many ambassadors over globe”
OHH I see, vely nice sentiment white haired eagle. One with which Limric agree. BUT. What they do? I mean, somebody give farm away for Magic Beans of ‘Free Trade'.
Quite the conundrum? Isn't it?
Oh well, there’s always Iran.
LET’S SING!!
From my era, I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag by Country Joe & the Fish
Well, come on all of you, big strong men,
The Banks & the FED need your help again.
They’ve got themselves in a terrible jam
Way out in a desert they call Iran
So put down your Macbook and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
refrain
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is ancient Iran;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Come on Wall Street, don't be slow,
This is easy war is a made for TV show
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of its trade,
But when they said it was just gonna be drones,
Let’s prey that it’s not on our homes.
refrain
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is ancient Iran.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die. (except for the chickenhawks)
The Cover-Up
I'm going against my promise of not denigrating other posters on this site this one last time.
Maximus, there are counterfeiters, buffoons, contemptible fools; and then there are ass holes. You are a professional at all four, but of the latter - you are industrial strength.
The Cover-Up
Continued from my 13:19 post
Any and all CIA components and State Dept. personnel working the Middle East and North Africa have a high probability of being the target of militant and terrorist organizations. Ooh why’s that Mr. Peaboby? Because of the Agency’s past roles in the Bush administration’s war on terror, black sites, GITMO and the Obama administration’s widespread use of drone aircraft and Special Ops across the Middles East & Africa.
While the never ending incompetence and politicization of our so called intelligence agency(s) gives me pause, what really really worries me is the DOJ’s arbitrary tapping of the telephone records of reporters and editors of the AP. And their associated ”Trust me” response. I fear this only the tip of the iceberg of what is happening and actually there is a war on the press hidden in plain sight. Really you ask? Is not this administration running roughshod over civil liberties and here freedom of the press?
I hope you all like reading stories about police & surveillance states – cause you’re living in one.