Monday, June 14, 2004
The Right-wing Inferiority Complex, Part II: Maine Reader writes in:
“Disagree with your right wing inferiority complex theory. People promoting Reagan memorials are mostly hacks or, like Norquist, crazies. Dems obviously have the same problems with unions
and Bay State pols.
“There's a good argument for removing Jackson from the $20. The man was unabashedly racist, genocidal, and imperialist. As a general he operated way outside of civilian control. As president he trashed and defied the SCOTUS in the course of his ethnic cleansing of the Cherokees. He came awful close to being our own Peron or Hugo Chavez. Get rid of him. Norquist proves he's an ignorant asshole by proposing to replace Hamilton on the $10. Hamilton is the patron saint of all the Wall St. guys that pay Norquist's salary. Put Reagan on the $20. Only thing is no one except people in or near the government could care less about these honors the politicians do for each other. ....”
Reaction: Stand by my theory. ... ‘The Ronald Reagan Memorial Toaster Oven.’ Inappropriately appropriate. ... Via Adam Gaffin.
Battle of the beehives, Part II: More today on the political polarization within the country. Except one source argues it’s overblown, while another looks at a polarization promoter and his anti-promoter stalker. ... I have to say that when you have polarization over the idea of polarization you have polarization. Right? ... But I will further clarify/revise/tweak my beehive rivalry theory: There are indeed two beehives, the conservative beehive and the liberal beehive, fighting it out to the death, with the rest of us caught in the picnic-bench middle, swatting at the swarms and getting stung in dive-bombing buzz attacks. ...
Eileen pines for the day when there was only one beehive with impeccable manners. ... Google it: ‘Abbie Hoffman guerrilla tactics’ ...
“Disagree with your right wing inferiority complex theory. People promoting Reagan memorials are mostly hacks or, like Norquist, crazies. Dems obviously have the same problems with unions
and Bay State pols.
“There's a good argument for removing Jackson from the $20. The man was unabashedly racist, genocidal, and imperialist. As a general he operated way outside of civilian control. As president he trashed and defied the SCOTUS in the course of his ethnic cleansing of the Cherokees. He came awful close to being our own Peron or Hugo Chavez. Get rid of him. Norquist proves he's an ignorant asshole by proposing to replace Hamilton on the $10. Hamilton is the patron saint of all the Wall St. guys that pay Norquist's salary. Put Reagan on the $20. Only thing is no one except people in or near the government could care less about these honors the politicians do for each other. ....”
Reaction: Stand by my theory. ... ‘The Ronald Reagan Memorial Toaster Oven.’ Inappropriately appropriate. ... Via Adam Gaffin.
Battle of the beehives, Part II: More today on the political polarization within the country. Except one source argues it’s overblown, while another looks at a polarization promoter and his anti-promoter stalker. ... I have to say that when you have polarization over the idea of polarization you have polarization. Right? ... But I will further clarify/revise/tweak my beehive rivalry theory: There are indeed two beehives, the conservative beehive and the liberal beehive, fighting it out to the death, with the rest of us caught in the picnic-bench middle, swatting at the swarms and getting stung in dive-bombing buzz attacks. ...
Eileen pines for the day when there was only one beehive with impeccable manners. ... Google it: ‘Abbie Hoffman guerrilla tactics’ ...
FYI: My Saturday posts, thanks to some major snafu at Blogger and probably compounded by something I did, got wiped out. I'm trying to retrieve them, but ... One was about 'It's a full retreat,' the police union's bargaining and PR setbacks. Whenever you lose a post that ties Thomas Nee to Robert Shaw and the movie 'Battle of the Bulge,' it hurts. ... Thomas Nee singing a different tune today: "We're going to get this behind us."
Friday, June 11, 2004
The last refuge of scoundrels, NY style: The homophobic politically correct NY delegation is now insisting it's really about racism. Unbelievable.
The Right-wing Inferiority Complex: Mentioned this theory to someone the other day, but waited a little bit before writing about it. Here it is: conservativism’s inferiority complex on full display. Not an inferiority complex about the rightness of their cause. Rather an inferiority complex about being liked and accepted. From a conservative pushing for more Reagan memorials: "Liberals, the left, big-government supporters -- whatever you call them, statists do a better job of using the state to highlight how great they are.” ... Perfecto. It all comes down to bashing the left while aping the left. The battle of the rival beehives. ... I used to admire the conservative movement precisely because they did NOT act like the left.
The Wedding Bride Industrial Complex: It’s worse than the Missile Gap. It’s worse than WMD. ... A chuckling Hub Blog Sis notes I once had to pick up a wedding cake bought at Lyndell’s in Ball Square and nervously drive 90 minutes south, with the groom and two niece-and-nephew tots in tow. Everything was riding with and on me. Now that’s pre-wedding pressure...
The Right-wing Inferiority Complex: Mentioned this theory to someone the other day, but waited a little bit before writing about it. Here it is: conservativism’s inferiority complex on full display. Not an inferiority complex about the rightness of their cause. Rather an inferiority complex about being liked and accepted. From a conservative pushing for more Reagan memorials: "Liberals, the left, big-government supporters -- whatever you call them, statists do a better job of using the state to highlight how great they are.” ... Perfecto. It all comes down to bashing the left while aping the left. The battle of the rival beehives. ... I used to admire the conservative movement precisely because they did NOT act like the left.
The Wedding Bride Industrial Complex: It’s worse than the Missile Gap. It’s worse than WMD. ... A chuckling Hub Blog Sis notes I once had to pick up a wedding cake bought at Lyndell’s in Ball Square and nervously drive 90 minutes south, with the groom and two niece-and-nephew tots in tow. Everything was riding with and on me. Now that’s pre-wedding pressure...
Thursday, June 10, 2004
‘A plague of locusts will descend on you ...’: It can’t get this bad, can it? ... Let’s be clear: The public is watching the city-union drama. They’re making mental notes about who’s coming across as sincere and rational, who’s playing their cards well, who’s winning and losing, who’s sitting on the sidelines. It’s fun. It’s a drama. But ... sooner or later the public will expect a happy ending. They’re PAYING for this flick, in case both sides forget. ...
... Hmmmmm. The public might make a connection to this and then this and then ... They’re padding the court payrolls and they don’t even have the money yet? The permanent bureaucracy is on autopilot. ... Remember those unconscious tipping points that can cause the public to snap. ... Instead of Menino whining to the feds, he should be coughing into his hand and muttering quickly, ‘Quinn bill!’ ... Cough -- ‘Paid traffic details!’ ... It would be a low blow. But it would work to the crowd. ... Advice to Boston police union: Get Thomas ‘Deano II’ Nee out of the public eye. Get a female cop out front who can calmly talk about how police missed out on investing their non-raises in last year’s stock market surge due to not having a contract. It would play to a growing and sympathetic professional crowd. ...
... Hmmmmm. The public might make a connection to this and then this and then ... They’re padding the court payrolls and they don’t even have the money yet? The permanent bureaucracy is on autopilot. ... Remember those unconscious tipping points that can cause the public to snap. ... Instead of Menino whining to the feds, he should be coughing into his hand and muttering quickly, ‘Quinn bill!’ ... Cough -- ‘Paid traffic details!’ ... It would be a low blow. But it would work to the crowd. ... Advice to Boston police union: Get Thomas ‘Deano II’ Nee out of the public eye. Get a female cop out front who can calmly talk about how police missed out on investing their non-raises in last year’s stock market surge due to not having a contract. It would play to a growing and sympathetic professional crowd. ...
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
‘Deporting quite a few British journalists recently’: Considering the lazy anti-American stories resulting from quickie man-on-the-street interviews by Brit reporters at Olive Garden, it’s tempting to support these new visa restrictions on foreign journalists. But that’s the problem because that’s probably the reason. ...
It went pretty darn high, Part II: Right into the White House. ... Of course, you can believe the administration was sincerely trying to stay within the law. Or you can believe the administration was bending the law to come across as staying within the law.
It went pretty darn high, Part II: Right into the White House. ... Of course, you can believe the administration was sincerely trying to stay within the law. Or you can believe the administration was bending the law to come across as staying within the law.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
‘If I'm head of the DNC, if I'm Terry McAuliffe ...’: I’m bravely wagering Dem heavyweights aren’t going to allow the city-union confrontation to fester much longer. ... My other hunch is they’re going to have to come down, sooner or later, on the unions, who hold a winning hand but are probably too pumped up to know it.
It went pretty darn high: Forget about following the Abu Gharaib photos. The boobs put it in writing. ... The Rummy-Cheney duo really love their secret plans, secret folders, secret hideouts and secret doomsday succession scenarios etc. ... Max: ‘Chief, I think this requires the Cone of Silence ...’
It went pretty darn high: Forget about following the Abu Gharaib photos. The boobs put it in writing. ... The Rummy-Cheney duo really love their secret plans, secret folders, secret hideouts and secret doomsday succession scenarios etc. ... Max: ‘Chief, I think this requires the Cone of Silence ...’
Monday, June 07, 2004
‘Not easy being a Ronald Reagan fan in Boston ...’: Reader No. 1 on Ronnie, who Hub Blog loved as an unabashed Reagan Democrat. Don’t agree with Reader No. 1’s references to the current George, if comparisons are the intent (along with other peddled comparisons of late -- Churchill, Lincoln, WWII, JFK, Truman etc.). But I agree with Reader No. 1 on Ronnie:
“It was not easy being a Ronald Reagan fan in Boston twenty years ago, but it sure was fun. He was as loathed and despised by our local elites then as Dubya Bush is today, for some of the same reasons: tax cuts that favored the rich; unselfconscious use of religious language; and most frequently 'how could a simpleton like this be elected President.' But some of those reasons 20 years ago were a bit different from today's setting: Reagan was accused of creating the homelessness crisis; promoting dictatorships by supporting anti-communist rebels in Central America; most of all, threatening the destruction of the world through nuclear arms buildup.
“It was easy then to imagine you were a tiny minority who saw something that most people couldn't... and amazingly gratifying in the 1984 election when Reagan squeaked out a Massachusetts win over poor old Walter Mondale. You were not alone! But it sure was hard to tell reading the Globe and listening to Channel 2 news...
“Some of the old criticisms will surely creep into Elite Print in the next few days once the shock wears off. I anticipate we will read some new variations on old themes whacking both Reagan and Bush 2: dotted lines connecting the anti-Soviet Afghani rebels to Al Qaeda; how Bush might have improved the quality of Reagan's later years if only he'd supported stem cell research instead of holding to religious prejudices.
“Reagan was surely aided by Great Historical Forces. As many commentators have already noted, having Maggie Thatcher and Pope John Paul II come to power at roughly the same time created a powerful leadership team to speak the language of freedom to a world audience. And two of the last 20 years' main drivers of economic growth were just beginning to flower in 1981: the personal computer industry, and the management consulting business -- both of which revolutionized creation of economic value and fattened our 401Ks. And Ronnie had a hidden demographic weapon: all those Baby-Boomers who realized late in the 1970s they were going to have to work for a living to maintain their lifestyles and send their offspring to elite universities.
“So, lots of people handed great advantages squander them. What did Reagan do that was different? I'd argue: he changed the way people think. If you didn't live through the culture of defeatism running from 1971-1982, imagine eleven solid years of Abu Gharaib coverage, without blogs or Fox News for balance. Our businesses were run by polluters and thieves, nuclear power plants would destroy everything; only an economy with a strong central plan could guarantee prosperity. ...
“Reagan changed thinking, and feeling, by making big bets and winning them. It took political skill and muscle to push through what cautious Howard Baker called that critical ‘Riverboat Gamble’ of a tax cut package. But I'll argue, the even bigger early move was firing the air traffic controllers in the middle of their illegal strike. It took incredible guts: public safety was at stake; the economy was already poor and didn't need another hit -- and we came out fine. It is hard to imagine any other political figure then, or now, doing something like that.
“Reagan didn't dance around the edges to fight the Soviet Union and communist movements; he was in-your-face, I Won't Back Down, and It's Gonna Work Out Fine. And it did! For my money, his best statement of our values, to a world audience, comes from the dark summer of 1982, in Westminster Abbey. ...
“So what does this have to do with the Hub? Well, most articles and stories have mentioned that Reagan was ‘The Great Communicator,’ and he surely was (at least until Clinton). But that 'compliment' conveniently allows said commentators to ignore the substance of what he communicated. It was usually simple, certain, right. Simple is not the common language of our intellectually-driven academically-drenched Boston community. What about complexity, nuance, diversity? For cryin' out loud, what does a guy from Eureka College know about reality?
“In that respect, Reagan didn't change the way we think about things in Boston and in fairness, he didn't try too hard to do this. John Kerry's statement on Reagan's passing gives an excellent flavor of our local problem: Reagan's success is all about personality and emotion. There is no particular mention of any achievement on the Reagan watch except giving a good speech when the Challenger blew up. I am sure this is because the Democratic partisan who wrote the statement can't think of a single achievement on the Reagan watch, other than showing great empathy during a national disaster, which come to think of it is the highest accomplishment for today's therapeutically-driven Democrats. ...
“Putting on the Political Insider Hat: Reagan's passing is a disaster for Kerry, not because people will vote in sympathy with Bush, but because people will be reminded of what a leader does: show the way, decisively and with confidence. I hate to end this note on a somewhat cynical note, because Reagan was not a cynical man. Maybe my Boston roots are showing. Farewell, Ronnie, around here, we hardly knew/know ye. But you made a difference, for which we should be grateful for a long time. Not bad - not bad at all.”
Update -- Here come the Ronnie comparisons. Agree with Reader No. 1 that Reagan's passing isn't good for Kerry. The contrasts are glaring. But, please, I'm so tired of the Bushies comparing their man to anyone or anything that's popular at the moment. It's unseemly, to say the least.
“It was not easy being a Ronald Reagan fan in Boston twenty years ago, but it sure was fun. He was as loathed and despised by our local elites then as Dubya Bush is today, for some of the same reasons: tax cuts that favored the rich; unselfconscious use of religious language; and most frequently 'how could a simpleton like this be elected President.' But some of those reasons 20 years ago were a bit different from today's setting: Reagan was accused of creating the homelessness crisis; promoting dictatorships by supporting anti-communist rebels in Central America; most of all, threatening the destruction of the world through nuclear arms buildup.
“It was easy then to imagine you were a tiny minority who saw something that most people couldn't... and amazingly gratifying in the 1984 election when Reagan squeaked out a Massachusetts win over poor old Walter Mondale. You were not alone! But it sure was hard to tell reading the Globe and listening to Channel 2 news...
“Some of the old criticisms will surely creep into Elite Print in the next few days once the shock wears off. I anticipate we will read some new variations on old themes whacking both Reagan and Bush 2: dotted lines connecting the anti-Soviet Afghani rebels to Al Qaeda; how Bush might have improved the quality of Reagan's later years if only he'd supported stem cell research instead of holding to religious prejudices.
“Reagan was surely aided by Great Historical Forces. As many commentators have already noted, having Maggie Thatcher and Pope John Paul II come to power at roughly the same time created a powerful leadership team to speak the language of freedom to a world audience. And two of the last 20 years' main drivers of economic growth were just beginning to flower in 1981: the personal computer industry, and the management consulting business -- both of which revolutionized creation of economic value and fattened our 401Ks. And Ronnie had a hidden demographic weapon: all those Baby-Boomers who realized late in the 1970s they were going to have to work for a living to maintain their lifestyles and send their offspring to elite universities.
“So, lots of people handed great advantages squander them. What did Reagan do that was different? I'd argue: he changed the way people think. If you didn't live through the culture of defeatism running from 1971-1982, imagine eleven solid years of Abu Gharaib coverage, without blogs or Fox News for balance. Our businesses were run by polluters and thieves, nuclear power plants would destroy everything; only an economy with a strong central plan could guarantee prosperity. ...
“Reagan changed thinking, and feeling, by making big bets and winning them. It took political skill and muscle to push through what cautious Howard Baker called that critical ‘Riverboat Gamble’ of a tax cut package. But I'll argue, the even bigger early move was firing the air traffic controllers in the middle of their illegal strike. It took incredible guts: public safety was at stake; the economy was already poor and didn't need another hit -- and we came out fine. It is hard to imagine any other political figure then, or now, doing something like that.
“Reagan didn't dance around the edges to fight the Soviet Union and communist movements; he was in-your-face, I Won't Back Down, and It's Gonna Work Out Fine. And it did! For my money, his best statement of our values, to a world audience, comes from the dark summer of 1982, in Westminster Abbey. ...
“So what does this have to do with the Hub? Well, most articles and stories have mentioned that Reagan was ‘The Great Communicator,’ and he surely was (at least until Clinton). But that 'compliment' conveniently allows said commentators to ignore the substance of what he communicated. It was usually simple, certain, right. Simple is not the common language of our intellectually-driven academically-drenched Boston community. What about complexity, nuance, diversity? For cryin' out loud, what does a guy from Eureka College know about reality?
“In that respect, Reagan didn't change the way we think about things in Boston and in fairness, he didn't try too hard to do this. John Kerry's statement on Reagan's passing gives an excellent flavor of our local problem: Reagan's success is all about personality and emotion. There is no particular mention of any achievement on the Reagan watch except giving a good speech when the Challenger blew up. I am sure this is because the Democratic partisan who wrote the statement can't think of a single achievement on the Reagan watch, other than showing great empathy during a national disaster, which come to think of it is the highest accomplishment for today's therapeutically-driven Democrats. ...
“Putting on the Political Insider Hat: Reagan's passing is a disaster for Kerry, not because people will vote in sympathy with Bush, but because people will be reminded of what a leader does: show the way, decisively and with confidence. I hate to end this note on a somewhat cynical note, because Reagan was not a cynical man. Maybe my Boston roots are showing. Farewell, Ronnie, around here, we hardly knew/know ye. But you made a difference, for which we should be grateful for a long time. Not bad - not bad at all.”
Update -- Here come the Ronnie comparisons. Agree with Reader No. 1 that Reagan's passing isn't good for Kerry. The contrasts are glaring. But, please, I'm so tired of the Bushies comparing their man to anyone or anything that's popular at the moment. It's unseemly, to say the least.
Battle of the beehives: JJDaley flagged a very intriguing project David Brooks plans to undertake: trying to figure out the causes of the nation’s political polarization and partisanship in general. ... I totally agree with JJ that Brooks is onto something when he brings up the issue of tribalism. But I’d also add that there are deep intellectual and spiritual needs on the part of human beings to: A.) embrace an all-encompassing cause or philosophy that explains this crazy life and world we live in and B.) there’s a competitive gene in each of us that needs to win arguments so as not to have that all-encompassing view shattered. ... Combine those psychological needs with instinctive tribalism ...
FYI -- I suspect Brooks is intrigued with this issue partly due to his recent criticism of the war and the administration, a move that undoubtably unleashed a swarm of angry Bushie bees. (Brooks recently joked that it’s almost illegal now to criticize Bush. Believe me, I know.) ...
... Tom Bethel, the conservative American Spectator columnist, in trying to explain how leftists manage to end up saying the same damn things and moving in the same damn direction on issues, once compared the phenomenon to ‘beehive’ activity -- complete with queen bees and worker bees buzzing all about. No conspiracies. No secret orders from the Kremlin. Just people acting like people -- or bees. I thought it was a brilliant analysis then. I still think it’s a brilliant analysis. I’ve tried to apply the same analogy to recent right-wing conservatism, a relatively new intellectual movement compared to the left, one that’s matured to the point where, I’d argue, it has its own beehive characteristics. The current political polarization is, to a degree, tied to the rise of conservatism as a legitimate, well-thought-out intellectual alternative to leftism. What we’re witnessing now might be described as a battle between rival beehives. ...
FYI -- I suspect Brooks is intrigued with this issue partly due to his recent criticism of the war and the administration, a move that undoubtably unleashed a swarm of angry Bushie bees. (Brooks recently joked that it’s almost illegal now to criticize Bush. Believe me, I know.) ...
... Tom Bethel, the conservative American Spectator columnist, in trying to explain how leftists manage to end up saying the same damn things and moving in the same damn direction on issues, once compared the phenomenon to ‘beehive’ activity -- complete with queen bees and worker bees buzzing all about. No conspiracies. No secret orders from the Kremlin. Just people acting like people -- or bees. I thought it was a brilliant analysis then. I still think it’s a brilliant analysis. I’ve tried to apply the same analogy to recent right-wing conservatism, a relatively new intellectual movement compared to the left, one that’s matured to the point where, I’d argue, it has its own beehive characteristics. The current political polarization is, to a degree, tied to the rise of conservatism as a legitimate, well-thought-out intellectual alternative to leftism. What we’re witnessing now might be described as a battle between rival beehives. ...
Saturday, June 05, 2004
‘The Professional Official Fibber of Europe’: Some classic European bashing and anti-anti-American defending from Mark Twain, 1898: “Is the Professional Official Fibber of Europe really troubled with our morals?” ... The more things change... Always remember: Europeans were bad-mouthing Americans before WWI, before WWII and before the Holocaust. ... Via Instapundit.
FYI -- Hub Blog pleasantly experienced the same warm welcome in Ste-Mere-Eglise and Normandy in general on my visits there, and I’m not even a veteran. The Normans really do remember June 6, 1944. I was once stuck in an airport in N’Djamena, Chad, chatting with some French construction workers. One of them leaned over to me and whispered, “I’m from Normandy. We like Americans. We remember.” ...
FYI -- Hub Blog pleasantly experienced the same warm welcome in Ste-Mere-Eglise and Normandy in general on my visits there, and I’m not even a veteran. The Normans really do remember June 6, 1944. I was once stuck in an airport in N’Djamena, Chad, chatting with some French construction workers. One of them leaned over to me and whispered, “I’m from Normandy. We like Americans. We remember.” ...
‘Just had to vent a bit ...’: Reader P responds to the Blue Line post below and bemoans the T’s one-stop-too-short history of not connecting the station dots:
“Wonderful! We just paid $23M to build a station that provides all the inconvenience of the old one in a shinier package. From Coolidge Corner, it takes me at least 45 minutes to get to a terminal, with about half of that time spent waiting to change to another vehicle:
“-- Walk to the T stop (Wait - anywhere up to 20 minutes)
“-- Green Line to Government Center (Wait, and stop in the tunnel a few times)
“-- Blue line to Logan (after hauling your luggage up and down the stairs) (Wait)
“-- Bus to the terminal (stop in traffic, visit all the other terminals first)
“Contrast that with the experience of a driver:
“- Take the new, billion dollar, tunnel to central parking.
“- Ride a moving walkway to your terminal.
“What idiot thought this one up? Did it ever occur to anyone to re-route the blue line to stop at Central Parking and use the VERY SAME walkways to get people to the terminal? All they had to do was look at National Airport (DCA) -- no actual thinking was required. ... Once again we see that, as far as the T is concerned, the convenience of the customer is the last thing to be considered. Grrrrrrr.”
“Wonderful! We just paid $23M to build a station that provides all the inconvenience of the old one in a shinier package. From Coolidge Corner, it takes me at least 45 minutes to get to a terminal, with about half of that time spent waiting to change to another vehicle:
“-- Walk to the T stop (Wait - anywhere up to 20 minutes)
“-- Green Line to Government Center (Wait, and stop in the tunnel a few times)
“-- Blue line to Logan (after hauling your luggage up and down the stairs) (Wait)
“-- Bus to the terminal (stop in traffic, visit all the other terminals first)
“Contrast that with the experience of a driver:
“- Take the new, billion dollar, tunnel to central parking.
“- Ride a moving walkway to your terminal.
“What idiot thought this one up? Did it ever occur to anyone to re-route the blue line to stop at Central Parking and use the VERY SAME walkways to get people to the terminal? All they had to do was look at National Airport (DCA) -- no actual thinking was required. ... Once again we see that, as far as the T is concerned, the convenience of the customer is the last thing to be considered. Grrrrrrr.”
Friday, June 04, 2004
The nanny state and those naughty parents: Deborah Lindeman’s childhood trauma and obvious loss of self-esteem -- “stunned, they both cried for 25 minutes” -- is heading for a climatic showdown in Brookline, over an activist-orchestrated resolution that “opens debate about the role of the parent and the use of spanking.” ... So dramatic. ... She was hit on the thigh? The thigh? Who the hell spanks the thigh? ...
Update -- The climatic result of the historic showdown in Brookline: 'Anti-spank proposal bottoms out.’
‘Thank you sir! May I have another?’: Speaking of corporal punishment, we’re Chip and the pols are Neidermeyer when it comes to taking and dishing out more bad news about the DNC. ... Give me more. I can take it. I don’t care anymore.
Update -- The climatic result of the historic showdown in Brookline: 'Anti-spank proposal bottoms out.’
‘Thank you sir! May I have another?’: Speaking of corporal punishment, we’re Chip and the pols are Neidermeyer when it comes to taking and dishing out more bad news about the DNC. ... Give me more. I can take it. I don’t care anymore.
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Another suggestion for the Blue Line: Good news about the new Logan Blue Line station. But a suggestion: Extend the Blue Line from Bowdoin Station north to the Charles Street Red Line. One extra stop. Commuters who use the Red can’t switch to the Blue Line without first detouring via the Green Line. I know I don’t take the T to Logan for that reason. Too much hassle. Remember: People are lugging luggage. Not worth it. ...
Was FDR really a closet Republican?: Jeff Jacoby shows this morning how easily (and eagerly) ideologues can go over the deep end. He's redefining who are Democrats and Republicans. Sort of. I think. ... Anyway, Jeff forgot one president who George Bush should be compared with if his administration is now all about promoting democracy and human rights around the world, especially in right-wing dictatorships: Jimmy Carter. ... And don’t forget Woodrow Wilson. ... What about FDR? Hmmmmm. He helped promote the UN but also talked about ‘our bastards’ in South America. Was FDR really a closet Republican?
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
The Olsen Twins: Bound for the Anorexia heap: Here they are, America’s latest media dolls, born and bred in a media universe, future weird divas. You heard it here first.
Doug Foy’s type of village: Hub Blog has been more than a little skeptical of Doug Foy’s It Takes A Village approach toward housing development, i.e. forcing development near transportation hubs. Looks fine on paper. But the fears are A.) it won’t happen and B.) it might be exclusively dictated to the market at the expense of building other developments. ... But well, well, well. A variation of the idea IS happening, in other states, called ‘traditional neighborhood development,’ or TND. They’re not necessarily near transportation hubs, but they’re deliberately designed as compact, walkable, self-sustaining villages with stores etc. ... Ideas: Get hold of the TND blueprints, establish tax-free zones (say a half-mile in diameter) near transportation hubs, and see what happens. Worth the effort. Though such villages will never fill the state’s demand-supply gap for housing. ...
Now that Hub Blog is on a development (see above) and Sidewalk Superintendent (see below) roll, might as well weigh in on the latest Greenway proposals (read on): Go for the New Center for Arts and Culture. Whenever you have executives from Beacon Cos. and the Beal Cos. backing a project, you know it’ll get done. No more Horticulture debacles, please. Just tweak the project’s designs to make sure there's enough outdoor festivities/facilities. A roof garden, landscaped plazas and ground-floor cafe are not enough. ...
Now that Hub Blog is on a development (see above) and Sidewalk Superintendent (see below) roll, might as well weigh in on the latest Greenway proposals (read on): Go for the New Center for Arts and Culture. Whenever you have executives from Beacon Cos. and the Beal Cos. backing a project, you know it’ll get done. No more Horticulture debacles, please. Just tweak the project’s designs to make sure there's enough outdoor festivities/facilities. A roof garden, landscaped plazas and ground-floor cafe are not enough. ...
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
The Cambridge Street ‘buttoning up’ has commenced: Cambridge Street in Boston this evening resembles a futuristic night battle scene in the first Terminator: giant machines clanking and scraping and rumbling over debris, as idealistic humans dart from one rubble pile to the next etc. ... Except it’s road contractors putting ‘skim coat’ pavement on the street for, apparently, the DNC and, clearly, inconveniencing everyone in sight. Cambridge Street was already a wreck because of a previously inept, slow reconstruction project under way. Now they’re stopping and delaying that inept, slow project for the DNC and putting down a god-knows-how-much-it-will-cost ‘skim coat,' assuming you define ‘skim coat’ as a standard scraping away of an inch or two of old pavement, to be replaced with an inch or two of new pavement, only to be torn up again after the convention. ... Does Mayor Menino really think Mayor Daley et gang are going to be fooled into thinking Cambridge Street is NOT a construction site?
Saturday, May 29, 2004
‘Really do set themselves apart’: John Farrell contemplates Bernie’s Rome appointment and wonders if there really is a difference between the Vatican and Citibank.
‘Fails to appreciate the significant financial strain ...': The Dem political establishment is now asking the MBTA to slit its financial throat for the DNC. ... Good for the MBTA for rejecting the money-losing request, though they may find out it’s never nice to fool with Mother Establishment. ... The MBTA might be one of the few public or private entities to actually make a buck off of this, after balancing off its increased security costs/closure of some lines vs. probable overall increased ridership. But, nooooooo, the politicos seen determined to spread the misery around, convincing themselves the masses will be appeased by FREE rides. ... Question: If the MBTA goes freebie that week, what post-DNC transit program or service will have to be cut to make up for loss of a full work-week’s worth of revenue? Have the politicos thought of that? Never mind. ...
Don’t forget the shop owners who had their financial throats slit without being asked. ...
Don’t forget the shop owners who had their financial throats slit without being asked. ...
‘Only 100,000 people will die in Darfur’: Man, talk about guilt. Hub Blog hasn’t paid that much attention to tragic events unfolding in the Sudan. Nicholas Kristof really brings home the horror of what’s happening there and the utter hypocrisy of the global anti-American/Israeli do-gooders.
... ‘Sudden attacks by the camel-riding Janjaweed Arab militia’ ... ‘Concentration camps.’ ... ‘A strategy of systematic and deliberate starvation.’ ... ‘Deliberate effort to eliminate three African tribes in Darfur so Arabs can take their land.’ ...‘200,000 have fled to Chad.’ ... Chad? Have you ever been to Chad? If there’s one country on this earth incapable of feeding another 200,000
mouths, it’s Chad. They’re goners there.
... ‘Sudden attacks by the camel-riding Janjaweed Arab militia’ ... ‘Concentration camps.’ ... ‘A strategy of systematic and deliberate starvation.’ ... ‘Deliberate effort to eliminate three African tribes in Darfur so Arabs can take their land.’ ...‘200,000 have fled to Chad.’ ... Chad? Have you ever been to Chad? If there’s one country on this earth incapable of feeding another 200,000
mouths, it’s Chad. They’re goners there.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Just do it to Just did it: Not sure if it’s a flip-flop or a trial balloon gone wrong, per se. Instead Kerry’s let’s-do-it in Boston nomination decision probably came down to simple math and what’s best for Kerry, not grumbling from other Dems. ... Notice how the Dem establishment is now praising his decision. ... Kerry’s way of making up to Mayor Menino: Calling the DNC and Boston a “world-class stage, in a world-class city.” Music to Menino’s ears, fingernails across the chalkboard for the rest of us. ... The NYT touches upon Mickey Kaus’ ‘Brilliant Kerry Scheme’ theory, to wit: Maybe it’s in Kerry’s best interest to lay low and shut up. Mickey’s snide observation: “One day we may look back and realize that not cancelling Kerry's Boston acceptance speech was the crucial mistake of his campaign.” ...
FYI: Still get a kick out of my spellcheck that interprets ‘Kerry’s’ for ‘Query’s.’ One of these days I’m going to ignore the ‘ignore’ prompt and hit ‘change,’ just to see if anyone notices. ... Bumper sticker: John Query for President!
FYI: Still get a kick out of my spellcheck that interprets ‘Kerry’s’ for ‘Query’s.’ One of these days I’m going to ignore the ‘ignore’ prompt and hit ‘change,’ just to see if anyone notices. ... Bumper sticker: John Query for President!
‘Boston Dirt Dogs go corporate’: The Boston Dirt Dogs have been bought by Boston.com (via Adam Gaffin’s Boston Common). Obviously good news for people like Steven Silva who make some well-earned cash for just being funny. Good also for Boston.com. Hope the Dogs don't get buried and/or lose some of their original hilarity, though. ... Who’s next? Adam Gaffin himself? What a great site he’s built.
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
‘About to join Harvard’s empire on the Charles’: Niall Ferguson, the celebrity Brit professor and controversial empire advocator, is heading to Harvard. A very thorough and impressive article by Crimson staffers Joshua D. Gottlieb and Ella A. Hoffman, who cover all the bases and clearly get the dynamics of academic empire building. ...But can they write flowery concert reviews? Hah!
Monday, May 24, 2004
A tale of two classes: the establishment and everyone else: Merrimack Valley chamber official: "Many people we have talked to can't afford just to take that week off." U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano: “The average guy in the street could not care less what Kerry is doing.” ... Oh, just a couple million people inconvenienced for ‘bloodless’ politics. ...Margery Eagan (sub. req.): “It's all about the shrimp.” ... Adrian Walker is most definitely NOT sucking up to get a White House speechwriting job.
‘Romney booed ... ’: Not a big fan of students booing speakers off the podium, whether it’s Mitt or E.L Doctorow. But you gotta admit: Mitt’s handling of the entire gay-marriage affair has been dreadful. I’m not talking about his use of the 1913 law. The law is the law. Andrew Sullivan today is noting that gay activists shouldn’t push their luck by using anti-federalist judicial subterfuge to advance their cause to other states. ... So why does Romney irk? Because everyone has a little BS detector in them -- and everyone knows Mitt’s been pandering on an issue he knows (or should know) won’t be changed by grandstanding. It’s a waste of his and our time. ... Asking Tom Reilly, a probable gubernatorial candidate, to enforce the 1913 law was real cute -- and real cynical. Reilly’s letter to clerks was real smooth -- and real smart. Advantage: The AG. ... Reilly is looking better by the day.
Update -- ‘Romney rides volatile issue onto US stage.’ ... That pretty much sums it up. ... Any move on the Quinn Bill, Mitt? Oh, forgot. It’s local. And the State Police endorsed you.
Update II -- A reader writes in to say that Mitt did, in fact, get a standing ovation at Suffolk University after his speech. Point well taken. But that's not really what my post was about.
Update -- ‘Romney rides volatile issue onto US stage.’ ... That pretty much sums it up. ... Any move on the Quinn Bill, Mitt? Oh, forgot. It’s local. And the State Police endorsed you.
Update II -- A reader writes in to say that Mitt did, in fact, get a standing ovation at Suffolk University after his speech. Point well taken. But that's not really what my post was about.
Sunday, May 23, 2004
‘The Great Equivocator in all respects ...’: Reader No. 1 on JFK:
“I saw a quick interview with JFK on Fox 25 -- he may be the Great Equivocator in all other respects, but there was no doubt in his voice when he said ‘I'm not going to put myself at a competitive disadvantage...’
“Suggestion for journalists: look up the provision of campaign law which so disadvantages JFK, and find out his voting record on it. Oh... never mind, we all know what it will tell us... Let's not lose sight of one thing: whether or not he accepts the nomination, it is ludicrous to close down the Greater Boston area for 4 days, at taxpayer expense, so that the political class can pat themselves on the back. It's only slightly more ludicrous if he opts for cyber-nomination (which sounds like an Al Gore idea...)
“Let's not lose sight of another thing, at the risk of sounding like a broken record: he'll suffer no penalty for this massive selfishness in Massachusetts, because we are a one party state, and Bush Is Bad.”
“I saw a quick interview with JFK on Fox 25 -- he may be the Great Equivocator in all other respects, but there was no doubt in his voice when he said ‘I'm not going to put myself at a competitive disadvantage...’
“Suggestion for journalists: look up the provision of campaign law which so disadvantages JFK, and find out his voting record on it. Oh... never mind, we all know what it will tell us... Let's not lose sight of one thing: whether or not he accepts the nomination, it is ludicrous to close down the Greater Boston area for 4 days, at taxpayer expense, so that the political class can pat themselves on the back. It's only slightly more ludicrous if he opts for cyber-nomination (which sounds like an Al Gore idea...)
“Let's not lose sight of another thing, at the risk of sounding like a broken record: he'll suffer no penalty for this massive selfishness in Massachusetts, because we are a one party state, and Bush Is Bad.”
'Just do it': The Democratic establishment is rallying behind Kerry. Naturally. But Mayor ‘Just do it’ Menino isn’t. Sort of. The public generally isn’t. Naturally. Notice the gaps. ... Turns out this is over an estimated $12 million to $15 million spending gap. A lousy $12 million to $15 million. ...
This stings: NYC isn’t shutting down, so no misery loves company. I understand that trains run multi-floors underneath the Garden, protecting it if there was ever an explosion. But why no widespread road closings? Is it possible to revisit the issue here? Makes no sense. Sounds like the elected NY leaders exerted more veto power over the wedding/security planners than the pols did here.
‘Cavalier way we're approaching foreign policy’: I’m sure there are a few sharpening their rusty denunciations of Richard G. Lugar, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for daring to criticize/critique the Bush administration’s war policies. But their credibility has been shot, so maybe they’ll start listening a bit more ...
Update -- Billy Kristol et gang are now switching from Woodrowism to Lincolnianism. ... WWII. Midway. Singapore. George McClellan. Abraham Lincoln. William T. Sherman. The fall of Atlanta. It’s all there. In their minds. And it works on paper too. Thanks for the Armchair General Pundit cerebral history lesson, guys. ... Maybe they should read Tom Friedman, who notes we’re now fighting a completely different enemy in 2004 ...
This stings: NYC isn’t shutting down, so no misery loves company. I understand that trains run multi-floors underneath the Garden, protecting it if there was ever an explosion. But why no widespread road closings? Is it possible to revisit the issue here? Makes no sense. Sounds like the elected NY leaders exerted more veto power over the wedding/security planners than the pols did here.
‘Cavalier way we're approaching foreign policy’: I’m sure there are a few sharpening their rusty denunciations of Richard G. Lugar, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for daring to criticize/critique the Bush administration’s war policies. But their credibility has been shot, so maybe they’ll start listening a bit more ...
Update -- Billy Kristol et gang are now switching from Woodrowism to Lincolnianism. ... WWII. Midway. Singapore. George McClellan. Abraham Lincoln. William T. Sherman. The fall of Atlanta. It’s all there. In their minds. And it works on paper too. Thanks for the Armchair General Pundit cerebral history lesson, guys. ... Maybe they should read Tom Friedman, who notes we’re now fighting a completely different enemy in 2004 ...
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Just For Kerry in full display: A grand-scale JFKism to top all JFKisms: Kerry might not accept the Dem nomination at July’s DNC in Boston so he can get his mitts on more campaign dough. Never mind the sacrifices of local residents, local business owners and local civic cheerleaders trying to make this a success. Never mind the embarrassing blow he just dealt Menino, who now looks like a complete fool. All that’s important to John Kerry is: John Kerry. ... The Herald and Globe and NYT stories. ... Hub Blog is eagerly anticipating the first national ‘jilted lover’ story about Bostonians’ reaction to the latest Kerryism. But, of course, they’d be wrong if they took that angle. The city has been deeply and cynically ambivalent about this convention all along. Kerry’s latest selfish antic merely deepens the cynicism and eliminates the ambivalence. The DNC has become a full-scale joke. We all know it. ... Just For Kerry. ...
To have been in the room and seen Mayor Menino’s reaction to the news. Did he stagger and sit down? Did he clutch his heart? Did his aides notify him by shoving a note under the door and then running for their lives? ... The timing and cold-calculation of Kerry’s move is what’s so shocking. The city had less then 24 hours to digest the news that the Hub will be all but shut down due to draconian security measures -- disrupting the lives of literally millions of people. Repeat: MILLIONS of people. Then the next day Kerry’s camp nonchalantly drops a bomb that reemphasizes the meaningless nature of the whole event. ... Just For Kerry. ...
Put yourself in the shoes of a Dem delegate from, say, Iowa: Would you be more tempted NOT to come to the convention if there’s no nomination? What about media members and TV networks? What about lobbyists who figure a fall in attendance doesn’t make the trip worth their schmoozing/throw-the-bucks-around time? How about loss of the ‘worldwide’ attention that was touted? How about a $50 million loss turning into $100 million loss? But fear not: Kerry needs the $75 million. That’s a net plus for Kerry. So that’s what counts. ... THE NATION NEEDS HIM!!! ...
‘Valuable lessons from the DNC Shutdown’: From Reader No. 1, sent yesterday, before the JFKism:
“1. The local political establishment has effectively used The Big Dig as a template: promise vast and undeliverable benefits to the region, get buy-in from the go-along types at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the result: an overtime bonanza for the public safety industry.
“2. The 'Economic Benefits' of the Convention have turned out to be the equivalent of WMD in Iraq. Except that we've discovered a larger quantity of WMD in Iraq then we are likely to see in economic benefit from the DNC (unless of course you are a State Trooper pulling overtime.)
“3. Things are bad when I agree with a Globe Editorial. Well, most of it. But this is what you get with a one-party political culture (for which the Globe has been one of the foremost cheerleaders: no accountability). ...
“4. If the security risks are so great, why not just evacuate the city during Convention Week? Everyone in the Back Bay has to leave their apartment or condo for the week.
“5. Memo to the publicity-savvy Red Sox: how about renting out Fenway Park available during the week to the unfortunate folk who WILL have to commute in to work at the bars, restaurants and hotels? People could pitch tents in the outfield!
“6. ‘How ironic,’ and how obvious, that an event which was supposed to show the great vitality of the city will instead will contribute to its further decline as the shutdown reminds employers of the benefits of surburban office parks: faster commutes, less-crowded roads, and more responsive local political officials.
“7. Let's not forget this is John Kerry's hometown. If you like this management style, you'll love the next four years in Washington.”
To have been in the room and seen Mayor Menino’s reaction to the news. Did he stagger and sit down? Did he clutch his heart? Did his aides notify him by shoving a note under the door and then running for their lives? ... The timing and cold-calculation of Kerry’s move is what’s so shocking. The city had less then 24 hours to digest the news that the Hub will be all but shut down due to draconian security measures -- disrupting the lives of literally millions of people. Repeat: MILLIONS of people. Then the next day Kerry’s camp nonchalantly drops a bomb that reemphasizes the meaningless nature of the whole event. ... Just For Kerry. ...
Put yourself in the shoes of a Dem delegate from, say, Iowa: Would you be more tempted NOT to come to the convention if there’s no nomination? What about media members and TV networks? What about lobbyists who figure a fall in attendance doesn’t make the trip worth their schmoozing/throw-the-bucks-around time? How about loss of the ‘worldwide’ attention that was touted? How about a $50 million loss turning into $100 million loss? But fear not: Kerry needs the $75 million. That’s a net plus for Kerry. So that’s what counts. ... THE NATION NEEDS HIM!!! ...
‘Valuable lessons from the DNC Shutdown’: From Reader No. 1, sent yesterday, before the JFKism:
“1. The local political establishment has effectively used The Big Dig as a template: promise vast and undeliverable benefits to the region, get buy-in from the go-along types at the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the result: an overtime bonanza for the public safety industry.
“2. The 'Economic Benefits' of the Convention have turned out to be the equivalent of WMD in Iraq. Except that we've discovered a larger quantity of WMD in Iraq then we are likely to see in economic benefit from the DNC (unless of course you are a State Trooper pulling overtime.)
“3. Things are bad when I agree with a Globe Editorial. Well, most of it. But this is what you get with a one-party political culture (for which the Globe has been one of the foremost cheerleaders: no accountability). ...
“4. If the security risks are so great, why not just evacuate the city during Convention Week? Everyone in the Back Bay has to leave their apartment or condo for the week.
“5. Memo to the publicity-savvy Red Sox: how about renting out Fenway Park available during the week to the unfortunate folk who WILL have to commute in to work at the bars, restaurants and hotels? People could pitch tents in the outfield!
“6. ‘How ironic,’ and how obvious, that an event which was supposed to show the great vitality of the city will instead will contribute to its further decline as the shutdown reminds employers of the benefits of surburban office parks: faster commutes, less-crowded roads, and more responsive local political officials.
“7. Let's not forget this is John Kerry's hometown. If you like this management style, you'll love the next four years in Washington.”
Friday, May 21, 2004
‘We are now going to close the interstate highway system’: If they’re worried about some sort of dirty bomb, I understand. But in my gut I think this is more a case of security officials, like anal wedding planners, going crazy with the details as the big day arrives. They are out of control. They are shutting down the city. ...
‘It’s Hairy Lewis’: The heir apparent.
‘It’s Hairy Lewis’: The heir apparent.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Brigham’s has gone cute ...: Brigham’s new owners have ignored my advice and gone cute with ice cream flavor names. Couldn’t be worse: ‘Reverse the Curse,’ complete with testimonials from ‘celebrities.’ ... OK, I know Briggies had a prior cutesy ‘Big Dig’ flavor. But it was an aberration. Most of their flavors have/had straight forward names: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate, Strawberry, etc. ... What next? ‘Bleeding Green Lemon-Lime’? ‘Maine Munchies’? ‘Cape Cod Berry Werry’? ... Horrifying prediction: The new owners are teeing up Briggies for sale to huge conglomerate who will theme-park the New England angle.
‘No way to run a war’: Reader No. 1 sends along this latest criticism of the Bush administration’s handling of Iraq, coming from a still-staunch supporter of the cause. Don't agree with the “year-and-a-half delay” argument. More like a “year-and-a-half rush” if you ask me, not that anyone listened to or asked me. No matter. I liked the piece’s “deliberate contempt for history, strategy and thought” part and, most amazing, the regret over the “allies who would have been with us.’’ ... Allies? But didn’t we not need them and/or have a coalition of the willing at the same time? Now they tell us. ... David Brooks, who recently went wobbly, sounds like he’s covering his ass in case things work out. Still, he has a good line: “There are, for example, members of Congress from both parties who feel estranged from this administration. They feel it does not listen to their ideas. But in this troubled hour, they are desperate to help. If but a call were made, they would burst forth with intelligent suggestions: about Iraq, about political tactics, about getting additional appropriations.” ... Listen? To moderates? This administration? ... Tom Oliphant, a pro-war moderate, has something Europeans should listen to: get over the Bush obsession and start helping the administration now, otherwise John Kerry, if he should win in November (big if), will call in the big multilateralist chips next January.
‘No flag’ -- American athletes are being asked not to wave the flag this year at the Olympics due to the world hating us these days. ... But, wait, turns out they were upset with U.S. flag waving four years ago -- before Bush was in office, before 9/11, before Iraq. ... There’s one thing I can’t stand more than this administration: Lefty European anti-American weenie whiners.
‘No flag’ -- American athletes are being asked not to wave the flag this year at the Olympics due to the world hating us these days. ... But, wait, turns out they were upset with U.S. flag waving four years ago -- before Bush was in office, before 9/11, before Iraq. ... There’s one thing I can’t stand more than this administration: Lefty European anti-American weenie whiners.
Gay marriage and the media herd: Congrats to CSM for running slides of yesterday’s gay-marriage events that actually show and note the media hordes, rather than cropping out views of the media and pretending it wasn’t a gargantuan media circus. ... Check out the bride on the left. ... Sorry! Couldn’t resist. Hey, I support gay marriage. I’m entitled to a politically incorrect slip.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Did the world end yet?: I’m still here. Reading stories like this and this. So I must be here. ... I’m with Joe: ‘To the rest of us - it’s Monday.’ ... The only regrets about today are: A.) It was court imposed and B.) we have to put up with the same type of photo shots of the exact same activists over and over again -- minus the horde of photo journalists taking the photos. ... Y’all remember this one, right? Now think about Cambridge City Hall last night.
FYI -- Now THIS is disturbing. It’s only mid-May and Casper the Friendly Shaughnessy is already in hyper Curse mode. He’s outdone himself. I didn’t think it was possible, but he did it. ...
FYI -- Now THIS is disturbing. It’s only mid-May and Casper the Friendly Shaughnessy is already in hyper Curse mode. He’s outdone himself. I didn’t think it was possible, but he did it. ...
Sunday, May 16, 2004
‘Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy, issued Oct. 12,’ Part II: No pity for the prison-guard grunts in Iraq. They were quite a crew. But, please, don’t tell me it was the actions of a ‘few.’ The NYT and Seymour Hersh weigh in today with Higher Up stories. But WaPo, which has another documented story today on a very specific case, pretty much established the higher-up link a week ago. The question is how higher up is higher up. ... Still say follow the photos. Private England apparently identified some military intelligence officers in photos. What were they doing there? Where were the photos and videos kept? In the grunts’ tents? In a flimsy box within a closet that investigators just happened to stumble upon? ... Those dismissing this scandal, ie the Armchair General Pundits, say that Americans’ revulsion and demand for justice mitigates, to a degree, the tragedy. They’re right. It does. But not if there’s kangaroo-court justice that covers up most of the truth. If that happens, we’ll suffer a double whammy propaganda setback. ...
‘Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents ...’: Re Europe’s alleged new ‘Iraq generation,’ Reader JL from Maine writes:
“Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents, collaborated and sometimes sympathized with the Nazis or the Communists, sometimes both, and they know very well that it was the US that often saved them from themselves -- as recently as in Kosovo. Having that knowledge about oneself must be demoralizing. One way to appease that guilt is to say, ‘well, others do it too, so we're not so bad.’ That explains why Europeans are so vehement in their opposition to Israel and so generous to the Palestinians. Just a couple of generations ago, many, maybe most, Europeans were complicit in the near extermination of Jews. What an opportunity it is, then, to regain one's moral stature by criticizing Jews for seeming to act the same way towards Palestinians.
“Never the less, the fact that critics are guilty hypocrites does not excuse the US or Israel or anyone from legitimate criticism of their actions. Indeed, the beheading of Nick Berg has saved Rumsfeld by exposing the nature of our adversaries.”
‘Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents ...’: Re Europe’s alleged new ‘Iraq generation,’ Reader JL from Maine writes:
“Most Europeans themselves, or their parents and grandparents, collaborated and sometimes sympathized with the Nazis or the Communists, sometimes both, and they know very well that it was the US that often saved them from themselves -- as recently as in Kosovo. Having that knowledge about oneself must be demoralizing. One way to appease that guilt is to say, ‘well, others do it too, so we're not so bad.’ That explains why Europeans are so vehement in their opposition to Israel and so generous to the Palestinians. Just a couple of generations ago, many, maybe most, Europeans were complicit in the near extermination of Jews. What an opportunity it is, then, to regain one's moral stature by criticizing Jews for seeming to act the same way towards Palestinians.
“Never the less, the fact that critics are guilty hypocrites does not excuse the US or Israel or anyone from legitimate criticism of their actions. Indeed, the beheading of Nick Berg has saved Rumsfeld by exposing the nature of our adversaries.”
The Charles Street and Cambridge Street contrasts: Hub Blog, your self-appointed Downtown Sidewalk Superintendent, has been closely following the big street project on Cambridge Street. Progress report: Very little. Moving at a snail’s pace. There are many/most days when workers aren’t visible. ... But, oh, the DNC is coming and major portions of Charles Street’s brick sidewalks were quickly ripped up a few weeks ago and have already been mostly replaced. The contrast between the two projects couldn’t be more stark.
FYI -- On one of the brick pallets on Charles Street, there was a sign touting them as ‘original’ Boston City Hall Pavers. Someone scribbled a note on the sign, saying that, no, they weren’t true classic Boston City Hall Pavers and that the ones recently plunked on Charles Street were cheapo versions. ... Only in Boston. ... I pointed out the dispute to a friend in the construction business and he gave me a long-winded explanation about the raging debate over the best City Hall Pavers. Google it and you’ll see there’s a whole City Hall Paver world out there.
FYI -- On one of the brick pallets on Charles Street, there was a sign touting them as ‘original’ Boston City Hall Pavers. Someone scribbled a note on the sign, saying that, no, they weren’t true classic Boston City Hall Pavers and that the ones recently plunked on Charles Street were cheapo versions. ... Only in Boston. ... I pointed out the dispute to a friend in the construction business and he gave me a long-winded explanation about the raging debate over the best City Hall Pavers. Google it and you’ll see there’s a whole City Hall Paver world out there.
