Random posts on general randomness, motivated by a general laziness and ennui.
More space stuff. Liberty and other family values. War Aims, or why good people sometimes need to be blown up. Fascism, Norwegians and communism, three things that I hate.
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Wait... that includes the three of us, doesn't it?
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Our five readers will be devastated.
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Which means I can't post, at least not right now. I've been slammed at work, and still must devote mucho time to preparing the new hacienda. But I've been thinking... (and yes, Johno, it does make my brain hurt) and hopefully will have some interesting thoughts up soon. I'm not going to argue with Mike's history mojo on the origins of fascism and communism, but I think there's a lot to say about how they fit in now. Also, I have some bones to pick on the empire thing - just can't let it die.
As for opposition to the war - it doesn't make you puking, filthy, Stalinist, anti-Bush, ill-informed, blinkered, one-worlder, giant-puppet wielding, anti-Capitalists. There are two groups of people against the war - people like you and Mike, and people like the asshatted fuckwits at DU. But even those idiots are not traitors; there is a clear difference between dissent and treason. Treason is more like Taliban Johnny - actively fighting for our enemies, not merely opposing the war inside the U.S. If they were sabotaging military installations, or hiding Al Quaida operatives in the SanFran area, then they should be hung from the neck until dead, dead, dead. Until then, they are free to make complete asses of themselves on national TV.
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Was, curiously, also on April 30 - five years earlier when the U.S. Embassy in Saigon was evacuated by Helicopter. Operation "Frequent Wind."
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First, the boys at CalPundit are writing about fundamentalism in all its forms as the enemy of progress, in the context of American politics. Great stuff, including a call for a new political party to appeal to the squishy center. Yes, please, and quickly!!
Second, an interesting discussion about the end of history. That is, what is the first political event you remember, before which everything is history to you, and after which everything is current events? For me personally, it was watching Walter Cronkite's daily tally of the Iran Hostage Crisis with my father. I distinctly remember day 179, so history for me ended on April 30, 1980.
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Informal empire, or hegemony, if you will, is maintained not as much through government (if at all) but through corporations. American informal empire/hegemony is achieved through American corporate enterprise.
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1) Stupendous Idiocy
Yeah, pretty naive alright. As someone of middle eastern descent myself, if only 25%, I can still clearly state that there are plenty of middle easterners, just like American white folks, who are none too fond of people of sub-Saharan West African descent. That is intentionally opaque.
2) Republicanism
Okay, fine, but we should move toward as democratic a government as possible. Is this a Clinton dig? If so, bear in mind, he was the best Republican president since Eisenhower.
3) Expectations
Okay, more media than guv'ment. Fair enough.
4) Patience
Bring your A game on that one. You're in my house ... yo. Ain't nuttin but a H thang.
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The McCain quote that Johno posted below exactly describes my views on the current and historical (well, last century, anyway) uses of American power, and why we aren't an empire. I always liked McCain, and even my liberal mom said she would have voted for him in 2000 had he been the Republican candidate. But I don't remember him coming out against military action in Iraq, and the article would seem to suggest that he supports it.
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I am driving out to Ohio, for tomorrow I must endure...
...A baby shower.
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...It's alllll about the Right Hon. James Traficant. (Courtesy The Smoking Gun.) 
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Calvin Klein bikini briefs (aka 'banana hammocks') are really comfortable.
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Mike: I wasn't bring up any particular issue in re: University of Michigan. I just hate them because I'm an Ohio State fan. But thanks for the insightful commentary.
As far as the connection between communism and fascism, there are many similarities - state control of economy, police state policies, brutal oppression, etc. They were two sides of the same coin - one side plated with internationalism and class warfare, the other with nationalism and race warfare. That's probably why they hated each other so much, and why calling a political opponent a Nazi is still the greatest insult someone on the left can lay on an opponent. (If Stalin and crew weren't communists, why did they insist that they were? Socialism evolved into many things, one of them was fascism.)
Definitely tell your students! Tell everyone, pass out flyers in the street...
Johno: On convenience, I agree completely. That's why we wrote our constitution in negative statements - "Congress shall pass no law..." It isn't about government convenience, its about our freedom.
As far as Saddam, ex-pet American dictator, goes - I think we are cleaning up our mess. The fact that we helped create it (as we did in Afghanistan) does lay a moral obligation on us. We did a lot of questionable things in the Cold War - many of which were probably justified in the light of the larger struggle against communism - that we will have to clean up.
Thanks for the Pat Boone post.
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WKYC news in Ohio reports that Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots is among those helping to liberate Iraq.
n.b. Optimus Prime is evidently a resident of Mansfield, Ohio.
Well, of course he is.
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They should make a buddy movie starring Rob Lowe and Charlie Sheen.
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Windy City Mike, DITTO on everything you said, from your thoughts on casual empire to questions about the potential for us to see an Alien & Sedition Acts Redux. Patriot II is in fact in the works, and if it passes, Bush will become exactly as poor a President as John Adams by that scorecard. The government has already taken the opportunities presented by the War on Terror to pass opportunitistic legislation, and if that legislation contains provisions to ensure that nobody arrested under certain provisions can ever appear in court to challenge it, thus preventing judicial review, then where does that leave the balance of power?
p.s. I have been meaning to write a longer essay on fear and government. Someday I will get to it. Threat, or promise? You decide.
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Buckethead:
haw!
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Will post space stuff later, I have to go home and work on the houses.
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Except that they're not going up.
(and you jumped in too early, there is a Spiderman Part II coming.)
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...a puce alert. Or at least Aquamaroon.
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