Heading to Philly for the Live8 gatherings, if not the concert, with my buddy Kathy, without whom I would not do anything quite so crazy. Posted the following related comment to the BBC, concerning the G8 Summit that these gatherings are scheduled to coincide with (again, not expecting it to get posted. Need to find a good, real bulletin board!):
The most powerful countries exploit the rest of the world and leave it in desperate shape, then offer loans to fix things, but only in return for concessions aimed at facilitating further exploitation. Of course these loans should be forgiven. Perhaps Nelson Mandela said it best: "Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is manmade, and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings."
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Whaling
Seeing that whaling nations are lobbying for bans and restrictions on whaling to be lifted, I sought out the area on the BBC website where you can leave comments. Not that they ever publish my comments. Even bulletin boards that don't screen comments tend to censor me, though, so I figure it doesn't make a lot of difference. The main reason I read the BBC, besides that American news these days tends to pussyfoot even more than the stodgy old Brits, is that I can put their newsfeed in my toolbar in Firefox. Anyway, I was kind of shocked that the debate looked to be about 50/50, lots of people willing to let other people kill and eat the few whales that are left. So here's the comment I left at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4104044.stm. It may not get published there, but it's sure getting published here! BTW, is anybody reading this?? Hello? Hello?
If we can hunt and eat animals as intelligent and sensitive as whales appear to be, I see no reason why we humans are generally prohibited from eating each other. There's a few billion of us; I think that would be sustainable, and oh so tasty. Of course we should all believe it when whaling nations tell us that whaling is sustainable, just as we believe it when tobacco companies say that smoking cigarettes is healthy and promotes youthful vitality. If you are caught eating whale, by the way, say that it's "just a fluke".
If we can hunt and eat animals as intelligent and sensitive as whales appear to be, I see no reason why we humans are generally prohibited from eating each other. There's a few billion of us; I think that would be sustainable, and oh so tasty. Of course we should all believe it when whaling nations tell us that whaling is sustainable, just as we believe it when tobacco companies say that smoking cigarettes is healthy and promotes youthful vitality. If you are caught eating whale, by the way, say that it's "just a fluke".
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Don't Apologize, Dick!
Today, Senator Dick Durbin apologized for remarks he made a week ago comparing Guantanamo Bay to "the Nazis, Soviets and other repressive regimes". The remarks followed his reading an FBI memo detailing conditions there. It should be noted that Durbin did not directly back off from the intended spirit of his remarks, but rather apologized for the ways they could have been misunderstood while holding on to his assertion that what he had read was deeply disturbing. The Raving Moderate replied to the apology via Durbin's website:
Well, I for one understand what you meant by the analogy you apologized for, and I think you were right. You may have to watch how you put things, and things may not be as bad for the American populace as they were under those old regimes. But the Bush Administration seems to condone many things we associate with those despots of the world that we grew up thinking were demons, which makes these very dangerous times indeed for our beloved country. I for one am quite tired of the Administration hiding behind the pride and love Americans have in their soldiers to avoid criticism of neo-conservative policy edicts.
Another thing that frequently happened under those regimes was that critics were forced to stammer apologies, although perhaps we are fortunate, so far, that the consequences of criticism are only political, at least for highly placed politicians.
Please do continue to speak out, for only by speaking out can we avert the fulfillment of your analogy.
I will be posting this on RavingModerate.com. Thank you.
Durbin's apology is available on his website at http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=239278
The key quote for which he was apologizing was as follows:
"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what
Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."
Full text of Durbin's floor statement at:
http://talkleft.com/Gitmofloorstatement061405.pdf
Well, I for one understand what you meant by the analogy you apologized for, and I think you were right. You may have to watch how you put things, and things may not be as bad for the American populace as they were under those old regimes. But the Bush Administration seems to condone many things we associate with those despots of the world that we grew up thinking were demons, which makes these very dangerous times indeed for our beloved country. I for one am quite tired of the Administration hiding behind the pride and love Americans have in their soldiers to avoid criticism of neo-conservative policy edicts.
Another thing that frequently happened under those regimes was that critics were forced to stammer apologies, although perhaps we are fortunate, so far, that the consequences of criticism are only political, at least for highly placed politicians.
Please do continue to speak out, for only by speaking out can we avert the fulfillment of your analogy.
I will be posting this on RavingModerate.com. Thank you.
Durbin's apology is available on his website at http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=239278
The key quote for which he was apologizing was as follows:
"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what
Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."
Full text of Durbin's floor statement at:
http://talkleft.com/Gitmofloorstatement061405.pdf
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Torturing the English Language
From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4598109.stm
"Mr Bush said (Amnesty International's) accusations therefore stemmed from 'people who hate America, people that have been trained in some instances to disassemble, that means not tell the truth'."
In case you weren't paying attention, the correct word is of course "dissemble". I actually think it was rather clever of W. to pretend not to know the word for his favorite pasttime.
Or perhaps "disassembling" is a novel way of committing suicide in order not to blab terrorist secrets.
Of course I believe that Amnesty International loves America and especially loves all the things that America is supposed to stand for, like fairness and freedom, as much as anyone. But it's going to take vigilance for us to keep living up to what we're supposed to stand for with Bush in office. It is also the most tired old trick to say either that your opponents hate America or that they are somehow being duped by enemies of America.
Updated January 21, 2005
"Mr Bush said (Amnesty International's) accusations therefore stemmed from 'people who hate America, people that have been trained in some instances to disassemble, that means not tell the truth'."
In case you weren't paying attention, the correct word is of course "dissemble". I actually think it was rather clever of W. to pretend not to know the word for his favorite pasttime.
Or perhaps "disassembling" is a novel way of committing suicide in order not to blab terrorist secrets.
Of course I believe that Amnesty International loves America and especially loves all the things that America is supposed to stand for, like fairness and freedom, as much as anyone. But it's going to take vigilance for us to keep living up to what we're supposed to stand for with Bush in office. It is also the most tired old trick to say either that your opponents hate America or that they are somehow being duped by enemies of America.
Updated January 21, 2005
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