Bits and Pieces

Soldiers like their nicotine, but don't tell the kiddies. God, we're turning into a nation of nanny ultra-pussies. These guys are putting themselves in harm's way and these nervous nellies are worred about a picture of a Marine with a smoke. Grow the f@#k up, for God's sake.

Seems there's global warming on Mars. Hmmm... could it be... solar system warming? But hey, let's cripple our economy and sign Kyoto!

Rekha finds "truth in the strangest places". I suppose it all depends on "what the meaing of truth is", I guess. She's still feeling down... poor thing.

Arafat's Arrival in Ramallah

Not a woman in sight. Just young men with guns. Watching the chaos and gunfire around the helicopter and can't help but think: "this is what cluster munitions are for".

Arafat Dead

Do you remember the 1972 Olympics? I do. This gangster brought murder and mayhem to a place of peace. He was a lawless, corrupt, rich, murderous thug - and a poster boy of the left.

Christ, they'll lionise any "underdog"... any "champion of the people"... any symbol of "anti-colonialism" no matter how smarmy.

Let's hope the Palestinians take this opportunity to get their act together and get used to the fact that Israel is not going to go away. But... don't bet on it.

He Just Doesn't Get It

So much to respond to, but I'll pick one thing and try to be brief.

Sorry but for most people it is a fairly slim chance. Hey, I'm not saying it's not worth trying if that's all that matters to you. But there is a finite amount of wealth in the world and there a lot of very poor unhappy people who've been sold on an "American Dream" that is a rare thing indeed.

Man greenman I'm so glad I don't see the world through your eyes.

Okay, first of all... success is not about chance. It's about work. It's about the opportunity to make something of yourself. Granted, chance plays a part in the game. When I was an actor, the people I saw become successful did so through their drive, discipline and determination. They did their homework. They went to every audition. They were there, prepared and ready for the chance.

Compared to show business (there's a reason they don't call it "show art"), the business world is all cush. My God there's all kinds of opportunity. And you don't have to be a workaholic to do well. I'm certainly not. I have a very happy balance between family, work, friends and hobbies. I make a very good living and still had time to commit to a production at Stage West.

Next - it's not worth trying if that's all that matters to you...? So, if you want to work a go-nowhere job, that's a choice, right? More power to you. If that makes you happy, that's totally cool. Really, I mean it. But that's your choice.

"But there is a finite amount of wealth in the world..." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG kiddo. It seems that you're the sucker. You've been sold the "zero sum game" catechism. You poor thing, no wonder you're such a downer.

Ever wonder why they call it "making money"? When you work, you create value out of the effort of your labor. It's making something out of nothing in the same way that "making love" is. It's a beautiful thing, truly. Again, I really mean this.

The "American Dream" is working right now. Those in "poverty" enjoy a higher standard of living in this country than the middle class had - even after World War II. The American Dream is not necessarily about becoming wealthy (I'm certainly not...). It's about the freedom to live your life the way you choose, by your own means. And you can't have one without the other. If the government supports you, it's sure as shit gonna try to tell you how to live.

greenman, I'm by no means an absolutist. I do believe in a safety net. Nobody should starve. Nobody should go homeless. But...

We've gone way too far toward socialism in the past 40 years. The pendulum has a long way to swing back to the right before we're at anything resembling the center. I therefore play my humble part in the dialectic; pissing off those that think that they have a right to someone else's property or money just because they "need" it.

Anyway, it's been fun. How about for our next topic we talk about Abortion rights and Gun rights and how they are fundamentally the same. You see, I'm a member of the NRA and Planned Parenthood (you can only imagine the mailing lists I'm on!). And in my world, that's not inconsistent in the least.

greenman Responds

Me snarky...? Foaming at the mouth greenman, moi???

First, I was not trying to put words in your mouth. Your own words were quite enough, thank you - and I'll get to that in a bit. I did clearly stated that the comments that you site in your rebuttal were anecdotal (and a much broader sample of two, by the way), from my own experience.

Most of the Democrats I know (including my own wife) voted for Kerry at the limbic level. Most of the arguments I heard were grounded in fear, nurtured by envy and expressed in childish projection that would make even a liberal New York psychotherapist bush.

Second and last, when you can write:

If your party has decided to court and cater to the lowest common denominator (people who take pride in their ignorance and respect those most like them) than alas those who do not fall into this group may have to expect to be painted with the same brush.

... and not grasp the irony of calling me "snarky". Whoo-wee greenman...

If what you say is true, then you better look on your side of the fence. The people that serve as the sheer, numerical foundation of the Democrat party are just as ignorant, just as un-self discovered, just as shallow, just as... well... common as the Nascar Dads and Born Again Moms that make up the Republican base.

There is, of course one important difference. The unwashed masses... the drones, the rock on which the Democrats build their church can't seem to reliably support themselves or their families.

And I would suggest to you that is why they're Democrats.

Base motives in politics...? Democrats and Republicans both. I'm shocked greenman, SHOCKED.

As for being painted with the same brush, I'll proudly share the same canvas with those beer drinking, Nascar watching, deer hunting yahoos who, despite their horrible lot in life, manage to pay their rent, feed their children and often send them to college. I'll cast my lot with those brave enough not not swollow the Democrat/Socialist hogwash that there's no way to better yourself or your station... that is... without voting for us.

Democrats Skim the Cream

Yep... you betcha. Them Democrats pull in the best of the best. The smartest... the most hard-working folks on the face of the planet.

Want proof? Go to Greenman's place. He'll yell ya:

If your party [Republican]has decided to court and cater to the lowest common denominator (people who take pride in their ignorance and respect those most like them) than alas those who do not fall into this group may have to expect to be painted with the same brush.

Nice, huh?

Here's his perspective on the free market:

On economic policies what I see it all boiling down to is that the Democrats message has been that your chance to become wealthy out of poverty is slim at best so instead why not try to make your life a little better secure you some fundamental needs like health care and job security and spread the economic gains the Country may experience across the board. Republicans realized a lot of people play the lottery and that if the promise of prosperity and wealth is dangled just right that many Americans would be willing to become more poor if they believed they had a chance to become even more wealthy. Consider how few achieve this and how many already wealthy people get even wealthier due to this I'd have to characterize those who believe this message as "suckers".

Yep, no one can dig their way out of poverty. No opportunity here. Let's just take the wealth that someone else creates and give it to them poor folks.

Republicans want to keep the poor down. Yes sir! That way, the poor won't be able to create their own wealth, buy more stuff and make everyone, including the wealthy... more wealthy. No, the captains of industry surely don't want that. Much more satisfying to see the poor starve in their Dikensian treadmills and poorhouses.

Not "suckers" greenman... strivers... workers... Entrepreneurs. No wonder you gloomy Gus's lost the friggin election. All you offer is drab, socialist status quo... Victory Gin and faux cigarettes... Numbing balms against the whole "life is an unfair sack of shit" mantra. So sad...

Most of the Democrats I know (including my own wife) voted for Kerry at the limbic level. Most of the arguments I heard were grounded in fear, nurtured by envy and expressed in childish projection that would make even a liberal New York psychotherapist bush.

Businessmen are bad and greedy. And in the next sentence:

How come they have all of that stuff and I have to live in a crummy apartment and drive a 10 year old junker?

Everything Bush does in the his tenure as President of the United States is calculated to ultimately enrich him and his cronies.

Gee whiz... people shouldn't be without health care... health insurance... whatever.

We shouldn't be indiscriminately killing tens of thousands of innocents in Iraq.

Bush is dumb.

He smirks.

I just feel that he doesn't feel emotion like real, feeling people like me feel, ya feel me.

Yep greenman, East Coast Democrat elites are smart, bright, emphathetic, caring and lovely people with broad backgrounds and lofty historical perspective. Your comments are proof.

Me So Stupid

Me no understand things. Me not live in real world. Me lack nuance and perspective. Me told that why me vote for "W".

Me thought me think hard about this. Me never vote for Republican president before. Vote Democrat - Carter, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis (me think him have funny name, hee hee hee!), Clinton, Clinton. Me then vote Libertarian.

Now, me vote Republican. Me no know why. Guess me dittohead pawn of Fox News (but me no have cable TV...), Rush (but me no listen his show) and other right wing propaganda.

People on left say me vote for "W" 'cause me fundamentalist Jesusland freakyboy.

No, not true. Me agnostic. Me kinda like what Buddha teach, except for whole spirit/material duality stuff. Work good for some people, but not scale up good to group.

But me no born again Christian.

Me support gay rights. Me have gay brother and gay friends. Me okay if gay friends get married. If no have kids, don't know why they want get married. Seem silly to me. But me no judge. Me also understand how some people not like gay people get married. This one kinda hard one.

Me want all woman control their body. Make baby by mistake. Okey-dokey do over. But make mind up quick, okay lady. Not wait 'till baby get too big. Not okay when baby can live outside of mommy. This one hard too. Big choice must be made quick. This hard grownup choice. This choice make big things happen that last long time.

Me no like policeman state. Me want all good people do what they want. Do what they want long as they no hurt nobody else. Me no pay for what you choose do, okay. Me have own family. Me think that hard enough most days.

You want know why me thought me vote for "W"?

Me thought bad men no like us. No like our choose things. No like my gay friends. Want kill my gay friends. Want kill ladies who snuggle close with man they not married to. Want women not drive car. Want women not vote.

If we no think like them, bad men want kill us. Bad men think God no like us. Bad men think it goodness to kill us. No matter if kill man, lady or even baby. They cut people's heads off and make video to scare us. All this really really bad.

But bad men no think it bad. They think if we not believe what they do we not people. We just things. Me think their God think funny.

Saddam Hussein not believe these things. But he use things bad men believe to help keep him big man. He give money to bad people that blow up ladies and kids in pizza shop. He let people who kill ladies and kids live in his country. He use people who believe bad things from their funny-bad God to make him big. To me this make him worse that bad men who believe in funny-bad God.

We let Saddam alone for long time. But all world change when big two buildings fall down. Bad men do this. We not know how bad they be until then.

Me work in one of two big building closer to water. Me go there every day for three month. Now all gone. Me think some people me see every day back then gone too. Fireman brother of friend of mine died try help people out of big building. This make me angry at bad men.

But some people say it our fault. Some people say we the bad men. They say we deserve it.

I say they not smart. They follow discredited paradigm leftover Cold War. They not have sense defend own culture. They not know time for nuance over. They not know postmodern thinking just like suicide pill. They not know this war and no time for moral relativism.

You know I hear that bad men want get really big bomb. This really big bomb not really that big. One man can carry in bag. But it blow up real big. Whole city go away. Me think that bad men do it too. If they have it they use it. Kill many people. Democrat friends. Gay friends. Not matter to them. They not people to bad men.

"W" say he know this is scary thing. "W" say we can't wait for them come to us. "W" call these bad men bad men. We got get them first. "W" want to help all Americans not get blowed up. "W" want to help all Americans not get anthrax or poison gas.

Bad men only have to blow up big bomb once. One time too many times.

Me scared that if bad men blow up many Americans, we must do same to them. Kill many ladies and babies. Me no want this. Me want finish it now. Not so many dead people. Try kill only bad men not so many ladies and babies.

This too big big hard grownup choice. Wish world not like this. Wish everybody get along nice.

Anyway, me done now. Me go back read "Flowers for Algernon".

Bye-bye.