Feh...

Monday, September 17, 2001

Good links JimA. There's a quote from Orin Hatch in this one (printed after the embassy bombings in '98 but before the Cole last year) where he says that the blowback from CIA funding of bin Laden was "worth it". “Those were very important, pivotal matters that played an important role in the downfall of the Soviet Union,” Aside from the nausea that the quote induces under the current circumstances, it illustrates the problems inherent in assuming that the bunker mentality that won the Cold War is the same bunker that we're jumping into now. This article that you linked to, JimA, about the Bush admin giving the Taliban $42 million to aid in fighting the drug war only 5 months ago, not only points out the abusurdity of our relations with Afganistan, but its complexity as well. Is there any doubt that these attacks are in protest to American foreign policy? We constantly play both sides and if I was a citizen of a state that was being played with from both sides, I would resent it. Especially if they denied it. And there are plenty of people that have been victims of American foreign policy. Some of these people are already refugees or exiles (sometimes by our own hand) that hold no aligence to any country anyway. So to deal with this problem as one would with another state is a false premise that our war rhetoric fails to address. As our armed forces prepare to make another statement regarding our foreign policy, I really want them to think about what they are going to say. Nobody asked for it, nor do I think it was deserved, but this was not unprovoked. These are the proverbial chickens.

If there is anything good that can ever come out of this whole tragedy, it may be the understanding that ethical foreign policy is essential to national security.

Two fingers on the trigger
Can break the heart of any day
Foolish to believe
It would turn out okay
Anodyne

posted by Pat McDonald 9/17/2001 08:43:24 PM

Saturday, September 15, 2001

For the record: I have never felt more connected to my country than I have this past week. Call it a Whitmanesque sense of love, respect and compassion for the American people. Sometimes it feels like patriotism, sometimes it feels like humanitarianism, but we are bound by our citizenship, and when America reacts it will represent me, whether I like it or not. I accept this and throw my lot in with the rest of the country and hope that our "elected" officials make good decisions, because if there is any one idea that our country represents that I believe in, it is democracy. We have strayed quite some distance from an ideal form of democracy in this country, but now is not the time to continue that discussion.

I am a pacifist. However, since our nation has never been attacked before, this principle of mine has never been tested from a defensive position. I feel that if ever there was a time to use violence that this would be the time. Now that I've conceeded my principles that far, I will be watching the government very closely to see how they weild this awesome power that we have at our disposel. I may disagree with their reaction. I fear a non-proportional response that will stoke the flames of anti-Americanism world-wide, thus compounding the problem. But for now I am resigned to a military response and I will not protest. I will question their motives, I will remain suspicious of the information that I receive, and I will reserve judgement until I have enough information to make up my own mind. Please do not mistake my skepticism for dissent. As I said, I have never felt more connected to my country than I have in the past few days. But like Jefferson said, "The price of feedom is eternal vigilance." I've never taken that quote to mean that we must continually scan the horizon for missle attacks or smoke on the water, but rather to watch our elected officials and what they do with the power we give them. I don't think that that changes in times of crisis.
posted by Pat McDonald 9/15/2001 11:38:11 AM

Friday, September 14, 2001

Good thoughts everyone. I thank you for all of your insightful input and patience in thinking this thing through. I'm more confused than anything right now. Here are some questions that I have:

Was Bush really a target or is this just something that is being used to garner more indignation and support?

If the pilots were trained at an American flight school, why would there be a flight manual in Arabic that was left in the rental car in Boston? What are we supposed to infer from this piece of evidence?

Can a war against terrorists be fought and won with a Cold War mentality?

Are we being baited? Is the point of this to provoke us to react? If so why? What awaits us if we do?

Who is Ossoma bin Laden? He has this Kaiser Sosay (usual suspects) sort of mystique to him. he is the stuff that myths are made of in the Arab world. I suspect he is more dangerous in death. think about it. If he acts as a focal point for US aggression and has the intention of being taken out (some would call attacking the US suicidal) don't you think that he has contingency plans based upon this outcome that are already in place. It's not a matter of if the events of the past few day will happen again, but when. whether it was bin lauden or not.

I suspect that the Bush admin. will use this as a reason to step up funding for the defense industry and jumpstart a sagging economy.
posted by Pat McDonald 9/14/2001 03:39:38 PM

Thursday, September 13, 2001

Noam Chomsky on WTC attacks.
posted by Pat McDonald 9/13/2001 08:48:13 PM

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

How do you make a crime scene out of lower Manhattan? As well as each airport where planes took off from and again where they went down? This is massive.

Here's who's not claiming responsibility.

I agree, Amos. I hope for restraint as well.

posted by Pat McDonald 9/11/2001 04:48:56 PM

Sunday, September 09, 2001

In honor of what may have been the final Emperor Penguin show last night (a band that I never did see play live, sigh), I give you a joke about penguins:

A cop sees a guy driving down the street with three penguins in the back seat of his car. The cop stops him, and the guy explains that he found the penguins just standing by the side of the road. The cop says, "I think you'd better take those penguins to the zoo." The guy agrees and drives off. Next day, the cop sees the same guy drive by with the same three penguins in his back seat, only this time the penguins are wearing sunglasses. The cop stops him again and says, "Hey, buddy, I told you to take those penguins to the zoo." The guy says, "I did. Today we're going to the beach."

It's funny because they're penguins.

Liz. We've gotta get together soon and talk about all of this culture that we've been simultaneously consuming. I just finished the Cold 6 Thousand, I'm on episode 20 of Twin Peaks, I borrowed your david sedaris and PKD books this summer and want to return them. I figure you and I have spent anywhere from 60-80 hours geeking out on the same stuff. If we don't meet and talk about this stuff, I'm just going to assume that we aren't friends. Give me another week to finish TP and watch FWWM.

Twin Peaks update: OK Phil, it's official. I hate James with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. I didn't mind him at the beginning because I liked the question his story line raised, namely, "How can we be so blissfully happy when everything is turning to shit around us." The fact that he was almost always in a scene with Donna also made it easier to stand him as well. Now, he's off on some sort of porno trip where he lives above this married woman's garage and "fixes her car" while her abusive husband is away.. It's so cheesey, that I wonder if David Lynch was trying to make some sort of parody of porn plots with this device.

I am really digging the second season a lot. I remember when the show was on TV I lost a little interest once the murger of Laura Palmer was solved. Now I'm almost more curious as to what happens to all of these other characters after the big mystery is over. What I like is that almost every character changes radiacally, or at least is revealed to be more than you thought they were. Horn goes crazy, Bobby gets responsible, garland Briggs turns out to be a major player, cooper loses his badge, the list goes on. It's really great scriptwriting. As I was watching episode 20 a few nights ago, when the major is missing and then he turns up again, I was struck by the thought that Garland Briggs reminds me of Ned. A lot. this is intended as a compliment, Ned.

It's far too nice for me to be banging away on my computer today. I should go for a hike or something.
ta ta.
posted by Pat McDonald 9/9/2001 12:01:27 PM

Wednesday, September 05, 2001

I just sat down to blog. Had three false starts, about 50 typos, and I don't think I have anything to say at all. Today was the first full day of classes. they went as well as they could, I think. I'm fried. I need food. I had to go to a mall today after work. yuk. Hope everyone is fine and dandy. I shouldn't be doing anything in public right now.

"George Lucas says he's definitely not going to make another "Star Wars" trilogy when he finishes this one, despite having indicated in the past that he intended to make nine films. "I can guarantee to you that I will definitively give up after Episode 3, which will come out in 2005," Lucas told French magazine Tele 7 Days. "

good bye.
posted by Pat McDonald 9/5/2001 08:09:28 PM

Bloggers
Ned
Jim
Bill
Shari
Clint
JimA
Sean
Sonya
Liz
Amy
Amos
Dave
Becky
Phil
John
Heather
Carrie
Thom

Useful Links
CNN
Google
Blogger
Hotmail
IMDB
Amazon / Books
Webmonkey

Amuse Me!
The Onion
Salon
Counterpunch
Tom Paine
McSweeney's
This American Life

Archive

patio@spiritone.com