Plus there's a lot of them.
328 now.
I guess now that you don't have to score points with Kos to get to be a front-pager, you can give free rein to your impulses...
Nice brinkmanship. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
Sweet. Ttotally sweet.
Sadly I can never be bothered to plough through kos comments so I have no idea how they reacted but, if you're gonna torch the place like that, I guess it ain't gonna be pretty.
{snicker} keep to the Fen Causeway
The world will forget. Sad but true. America is a superpower and people will be overjoyed when it returns to sanity. European leaders will be trampling to meet with the sane new overlords of the US and will be widely praised by 'serious' journalists in their own countries for working on favourable relations. A few bloggers will be kvetching about putting the old criminals in prison, but no-one will listen to them. Rice will become the new Kissinger. In 20 years a drunken British journalist will publish a takedown piece on her which gets famous, after which said journalist will switch to the dark side and publish increasingly incoherent rants about the buddhistofascist threat.
Anti-Americanism in the '90s, for instance, was in my estimation not caused by the country's war crimes in Vietnam back in the 60s and 70s, it had to do with policies the US was enacting and promoting worldwide (neo-liberal transformation) and the effect they had on the environment and people's lifes. Plus those bases in Saudi Arabia, for some people. The same will be true 20 years from now (assuming that America pulls out within the next 2-3 years).
We Europeans should be careful about the mote in the US's eye. -----sapere aude
Another problem is that America is not fighting a clearly ideological entity. In Vietnam, the enemies were Communists. Or so the narrative goes. Currently the enemy is Al Qaida, Baathists, Islamofascists, sometimes Sunnis, sometimes Shi'ites, 'rogue states', etcetera. A lot of these are ethnic and religious categories. This may lead to a longer memory.
On the ground, Vietnam was still worse than Iraq. But there was no official endorsement of torture in Vietnam, which also changes the story of the war. And there are plenty of opportunities for Iraq to escalate even further, unfortunately.
will publish increasingly incoherent rants about the buddhistofascist threat.
That made me laugh! Excellent turn of phrase there, nanne.
A pleasure I therefore claim to show, not how men think in myths, but how myths operate in men's minds without their being aware of the fact. Levi-Strauss, Claude
You can't run a superpower like a vendetta, or like a court room. Laws are not holy, and there are many far more important things than revenge.
Or justice.
And people won't forget. At least not people in the European bourgeoisie. I know many European Cold Warriors who have become incredibly anti-american. Thinking Bush is almost the equivalent of Hitler or Stalin. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Regarding impeachment.. I would prefer him to be judged outside the US in a world Court after US Congress investigation ...slow congress investigation taking two years...combined with a Democratic program in COngress.
SO, on the no impreachment I agree with you. At the same time I completley agree with Jerome diary.. it is one of those non-logical things.. it is a narrative stuff..so it perfectly fine to hold contradictory positions.
And whenever I see the picture of this man I feel full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes!
But sadly, emotions have no place in policy. At least not in this kind of policy. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Clean out the Corruption and bring Justice with fire and sword, and all that. Very dangerous.
Let's have a war. We need the space. Let's have a war. Clean out this place.
Veeery dangerous. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
I think many of these people we're ready to give the American people some slack, considering Gore got more votes in 2000.
But Bush was reelected! In spite of policies that seemed to be printed by a create-maximum-damage machine! That was the thing that tipped the scales. We won't forget that. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
If that incompetent crew doesn't get what it deserves, the next controllers of the US presidency will use its powers (greatly extended by that incompetent crew) in similarly reckless fashion. And in that situation, it is by no means obvious which is better: if they are competent or not. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
I'd much rather see careful (and after Iraq disaster, they won't rock the boat) half mad people in charge than raging insane people with a cause. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
Hmmm. Things could get a lot worse.
Actually I half agree with the 'don't impeach' crowd, because as long as Bush is hemmed in by Congress he's not going to do much.
Cornered, he may do something really stupid. Like invent, arrange, or discover a pretext for martial law. Or something equally ugly.
But I also think the issue will sort itself out early next year.
Once Waxman or someone asks for information under subpoena, and Bush or Cheney refuse (probably citing National Security), you have a constitutional crisis which is going to occupy everyone's attention no matter what they currently have planned.
Kos, and apparently the rest of the Dems, are naive if they believe that the next session of Congress is going to be all about passing nice progressive-ish bills, and not a tug of war over the constitution and the powers of a wannabe unitary executive.
Think you, unfortunately are right. "When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins
Also, think beyond twqo-six years. What if the raging insanes return to power after the half-mad ones, and they still can rely on extended executive power?
Oh, and "it can't get worse than this" is almost as bad as Panglossianism. Of course it can get much worse. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
Can and will. I don't think you quite understand what is happening here in the US.
Return to sanity is not on the agenda.
Maybe we will all be surprised when the Dems take office in January. But the way they are talking now, I wouldn't hold my breath.
It is all about oil. And that hasn't changed and will not change (except to get worse.)
If you think the US is dangerous now, consider what happens when we replace the incompetent madmen with talented madmen.
The world is not about to become safer. The Fates are kind.
It is all about oil.
The US economy is completely and utterly dependent on cheap transportable energy which is gasoline (petrol.) 1/6th of the US economy depends directly or indirectly on the automobile. The last 50 years of Real Estate investment has been dependent on the automobile. The last 4 years the US economy has been driven by a Real Estate boom, fueled by cheap money, in the context of ever expanding suburbia, dependent on the automobile.
With economic dependence (addiction?) comes a corresponding cultural adaptation. The car becomes more than a cog in a mass transit system. The car takes on, attaches to, resonates with various mythos: symbol of freedom, symbol of independence, socio-economic status signal, sub-group adherence signal, e.g., VW Microbus.
The one unity of life in America, crossing all ethnic, racial, gender, sexual preference, social, economic, class, and geographical division is the car.
Economy needs cars. Cars need gas. Gas comes from oil.
The world is running into Peak Oil. The US economy is running out of cheap gas.
If you think the US is dangerous now, consider what happens when we replace the incompetent madmen with talented madmen. The world is not about to become safer.
The world is not about to become safer.
Yup.
Excellent.
(I wonder what division it doesn't cross? Religion? No, seems to fit right in. How about NYC Upper East Side / Greenwich Village intellectuals? No. Honestly, I can't think of anyone except the Amish.) -----sapere aude
There could be a major split over the Iran issue, however.
This assumes, of course, that the American people remain sensible enough to vote in the Democrats.
And, as he says in one of his "comments": he makes the rules...
Maybe I'm being foolish here, but I really like this place and respect you guys and its a shame imho to see the attitude of cynical superiority. Keep the superiority if you must but drop the cynicism. Lots of us are trying. "I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
As long as people remember that, there's no problem. But there's a danger of people taking him seriously as a prognosticator and - worse - arbiter of policy just because dKos has been so successful. And he really isn't qualified for either of those roles.
Rep. Waxman can investigate anything he wants, issue subpoenas whenever he want, and either he gets the info or the non-responder goes to jail (British: gaol.)
The rest ... as he said.
In Europe most people distrusts politicians by default. This does not mean that they do not trust in a general sense, but that they msut always refer to politicans in a cynical way. It is a must for any conversation.
Of course, we like some politicians, we hate some..and overall, we want that they solve ALL our prolbmes.. and when I say ALL I do really MEAN ALL our problems. Europe is BLame the politican land.
I tried to explain that to an amaerican and he almost got crazy... "if you are not in Europe you will not understand" I finished...because it makes no sense... if you think in logical terms.
On the other hand, if you think in mythical or narrative terms (in anthropological sense) it all makes sense. There is a whole narrative of "polticians must solve the problems".. "I do not need to"..and "politicans are nothing and mean nothing"... At the same tiem there is the narrative about we, the people, getting to the streets to get things done (If you are a lefty)..
SO at the same time, we admire the courage of the american left, but we do not expect anyhthing unti lthey do not get to the streets... At the same time, we are glad that democrats are there...but we do not expect anything from thm....
ANd you can add to the mix that any democrat is far to the right on economic issues compared to Europe and only half ot them are cenetered on foreign affair issues..and you get the mixture.
So, when an european sounds condescending is not with americans or with democrats.. it is actually a state of mind.. and it is always with politicans that we consider must solve everything and do not solve anything.
I am sorry I do not have more time... it is really complex stuff.. but at least I hope you get the flavor.. Let's say that the same way you may think we are condescending, we get pissed when someone on the US left calls supporting European social welfare the "cranky left" person (not me... well not that much.. but because I know where they are coming).
I personally think you are fantastic bloke from what you write.
Take care my friend.
The mere suggestion that the President might not have the best interests of the [people of the] United States at heart can make most American heads explode.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. You don't need extraordinary evidence to convince a European that their government is up to no good, but you do with an American. And a fair number of comments on Jerome's diary are saying as much: even after all that we know Bush has done in the past 6 years, it seems to be an open question whether a groundswell of outrage can be generated in the American public. Because to admit what Bush has done flies in the face of the myths that underpin America as a nation and define Americans as citizens. It is a question of faith, if being American is a religion the Constitution is scripture and the President is the High Priest, and people will rather deny the evidence before their eyes than deny their faith. Those whom the Gods wish to destroy They first make mad. -- Euripides
you are the media you consume.
Actually I think it is not paternalistic, it is even worse in some areas and in some groups in Europe...worse than paternalistic.
On the other hand, I really doubt that it is paternalism the way we feel about other countries here or in other forums..a d it is not about countires, it is really about people, classes of people.
In any case, I sort of get what you mean (not completley) but it is not certainly paternalistic (it is of course,an attitude, we all ahve attitutdes towards things)...I also doubt that paternalistic is correct in any US frame of reference.
IN other words... when I say that in Europe (some people) is worst than paternalistic , think about what someone from San Francisco will think about people in Alabama or Kansas or Georgia.
On the other hand , when i think it is better, think about what the peole supporting Dean or Berni Sanderd thought about Kerry. It is nto really a paternalism... not dislike...it is somethin like .. "why are some american naive"... I think somehow you would find this attitude all over Europe.
Is it shit? Well.. I will disagree... because we like very much people like you. And there is no shit among friends
research, surveys, publication... Our $ at work ;-) La répartie est dans l'escalier. Elle revient de suite.
Probably would only have wound them up more. Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
kos is not the community. I have no idea how this will play out, but it will be interesting. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Position papers justifying secession, diplomatic recognition, etc.
I'll have to mosey over and check this out.
They're fun to watch when they get riled. "When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins
Well Said. "When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins
A huge hug, Jerome...although I normally do not get or understand or agree with you...somehow I feel I do this time.
Take care.
Note to the Rest Of The World: There is no way that Bush is going to be impeached. Forget it. You see, the Democrats AGREE with most of his policies.
No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind.
Makes for genuine amusement. "When the abyss stares at me, it wets its pants." Brian Hopkins
And there is no how, no way, I am going to attempt to download that many comments on my steam-powered ISP.
