Never Enough Blunt Talk Department

DemFromCT got it right on the DailyKOS front page. We're not dealing with terrorists that are easily demoralized with a single show of force. Indeed, our own failures to live up to our own promises of swift victory are more inspiring to them than any extremist rhetoric. We said that we'd have Iraq "liberated" quickly, only to find ourselves having to dig in. We said we'd make Iraq into a model for the entire Middle East, only to make it the worst possible example. WE did this, not terrorists or insurgents. Our elected officials--who we elected, as a nation, no matter who you individually voted for in 2000 onwards--make pie-in-the-sky claims without any backing in reality, and we act surprised and disgusted at how it turned out. WE as a nation are to blame for enabling extremists to call us on our own bullshit. We say it'd only take a couple years; they say that they'll make it last a decade. We admit it'll take a decade, and they say they'll make it last half a century. And on it goes. Why not? The very people inspired to fight us in Iraq are generally impoverished with bleak prospects and a future rife with oppression and brutality, in part because of our enabling their leaders in the name of "realpolitik"--itself as much a conceit as any neocon pipe dream. They have nothing to lose, but we do.

Cut and run? Sure--cut our losses and run for office.

Never Enough Absorbent Meditations Department

This morning on the bus I saw a man read a book with this chapter title: "The First Meditative Absorbtion". He was highly distracted, looking around any time anyone so much as adjusted their buttocks on the seat. I guess he needs it. I get into trouble when I do that at home, mainly because others are usually talking at the time. I can't help it if I'm a natural for First Meditative Absorptions, especially first thing in the morning while in the bathroom. I do find, however, if I do it at work, people don't seem to mind so much.

Never Enough Resurrections Department

And you thought I was gone forever, no?

No--just a huge chunk of my data, and my ever being able to trust any web hosting company willing to let WebHostPlus buy them out.

On the other hand, I have been starting to produce audio again. I'm almost tempted to start a podcast, but not quite. As is, later on I should be posting links to various new works. Or, check out http://myspace.com/foolspress for some fast relief.

Pardon the mess, BTW.


Lil

Never Enough Double Standards Department

"Are you an Al Sharpton Democrat, or a Bill Clinton Democrat?"

Translation: "Do you support the founder of the glorious DLC, or do you support that uppity black guy that embarrasses me?"

And the Lieberman campaign claims that the "angry left" is going against him as a test of ideological purity. How much more of their own hypocrisy will they blithely expose, and how much do they really think avoids notice?

Never Enough Renamed Food Department

No more Freedom Fries--it's back to french fries (named after the way you cut them, NOT after the country) and french toast (because "pain perdu" sounds more like torture, EVEN IF YOU KNOW FRENCH. "Lost bread"--how Gallic can you get?!?)

So now I gotta dump all those damn Freedom Ticklers I was selling to College Republicans. Maybe someone can rename them something--I don't know what, offhand.

Never Enough DUH Moments Department

My blogpal belledame222 hits the proverbial nail right on the head:

If one keeps talking and talking and talking about the almighty Penis (and its straight, oppressive owners), one is implicitly suggesting that it is, in fact, more important than anything else. Even if one does it in exclusively negative ways. [her emphasis]

I tell you, belledame222, that took balls. Um, I mean vulvas. I mean to say, that your ovaries hang low. Er, no, what I'm trying to say is, you've got a big set of, uh, tits?

GUTS. Yes, you have guts.

Ever get a feeling that it's going to take a lot of language evolution, just to get metaphors that don't keep us talking and talking about O Phallae?

Never Enough Outraged Mothers Department

Brendan Nyhoff has noticed that Rep. Nancy Pelosi is using the metaphor of a lioness to describe being tough as a woman. Apparently Brendan thinks it's silly. I'm not so sure. While not a huge fan of Pelosi, I do know that I relate to that metaphor greatly. Indeed, I've used the "mama bear" metaphor for many years now to explain how women are not automatically submissive or weak on defense. After all, you wouldn't dare breathe hard on a bear cub for fear that its mother will tear your throat out. The only difference between a human mother and a mama bear is that humans are socialized--domesticated, I'd go as far as to say--and so are not immediately prone to resolve dangers through pure violence. But don't presume that this domestication means we won't use violence when necessary. History is laden with examples to the contrary.

Brendan, I'd be careful calling Pelosi's metaphor "silly". :)

Never Enough Lame Excuses Department

Well, maybe not lame, but not feeling all that well either. This place we're in is falling apart faster than the House of Usher, and it's taking our health with it. So if you don't see a post from me for a while, just wish me well and hope that we can move to a better place as soon as possible.

Never Enough GOP Spasms Department

Democracy has long been a delicate dance on the fine line between anarchism and fascism. On one hand, a nation must be united in order to be effective in meeting its own needs and in working in tandem with other nations; on the other hand, the individual spirit must be respected and nourished for a nation's citizens to best express its union in their own unique way.

The Republican version of this dance over the past half-decade has been, to be blunt, spastic. They approach totalitarianism by declaring that the President has unilateral power during times of undeclared, pre-emptive war, and claiming that all who object are sympathizers with terrorists, or worse, outright traitors. And yet, they also show a disdain towards democratic rule and its prerequisites--including but by no means limited to taxation. This they do by stripping away progressive taxation; weakening protections for consumers, workers, soldiers, and the environment; creating security mechanisms that do not work at best, and hinder or prevent actual security at worst; holding prisioners without charges in violation of federal law and international treaty; allowing torture; and ignoring the Constitution when convenient. In short, they respect power and abhor governance--they allow for obscene concentrations of power while disregarding the rule of law.

I'm not saying that all problems will be resolved by voting Democratic. Indeed, even if the Democratic Party won a majority in one or both houses of Congress, the fight would merely be joined--remember the vicious way the Republicans acted while Clinton was in office. But it'd at minimum be a much better balance than the current situation, and maybe, just maybe, some traction on truly important issues can be gained.

Never Enough Prostitution Insights Department

I'm glad that Pat Oliphant noticed the parallel between the GOP's growing prostitution scandal, and the GOP's answering high gas prices with $100 checks. They really do think everything is for sale, don't they? Well, who am I to shatter their illusions? OK, Republicans: My vote is for sale. Here are my terms:

• $1,000,000,000,000 (yes, one trillion)


• lifetime dictatorship over the GOP--no Republican politican can make any statement without checking with my viziers and voivodes first.


• $1 million/year paychecks for my chief advisors, Suzie Bright and Robert Anton Wilson


• a eco-friendly, sustainably-powered palace next to the Capital Building


• 1000 black metal CDs


• a huge sound system for blasting said CDs at the Capital Building

Pretty humble requests, no?

Update: Apparently Rush Limbaugh agrees. Let me repeat: Rush Limbaugh agrees with Pat Oliphant.

THIS IS A SIGN OF THE ENDTIMES.