Comments on: Bad Day For Satire http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/ America's favorite blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:01:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: adam http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4511 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4511 Note to self: Don't be a downer on April Fool's Day. When will I ever learn? Note to self: Don’t be a downer on April Fool’s Day. When will I ever learn?

]]> by: tess http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4512 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4512 you do realize that the joke's on us . . . and our kids and the kids who'll probably be drafted to go to iraq, then libya, syria, france, germany, nigeria, venesuela, pakistan, russia, spain . . . you do realize that the joke’s on us . . . and our kids and the kids who’ll probably be drafted to go to iraq, then libya, syria, france, germany, nigeria, venesuela, pakistan, russia, spain . . .

]]> by: Tom Lehrer afficianado http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4513 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4513 When someone makes a move Of which we don't approve, Who is it that always intervenes? UN and OAS, They have their place, I guess, But first...Send the Marines We'll send 'em all we've got: John Wayne and Randolph Scott. Remember those exciting fighting scenes? To the shores of Tripoli, But not to Mississippoli, What do we do? Send the Marines! For might makes right, And till they've seen the light, They've got to be protected, All their rights respected, Till Somebody we like can be elected. Members of the Corps All hate the thought of war, They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means. Stop calling it aggression, We hate that expression. We only want the world to know That we support the status quo, They love us ev'rywhere we go, So when in doubt, Send the Marines. Thirty-five-year-old satire that's still (sadly) timely. When someone makes a move
Of which we don’t approve,
Who is it that always intervenes?
UN and OAS,
They have their place, I guess,
But first…Send the Marines

We’ll send ‘em all we’ve got:
John Wayne and Randolph Scott.
Remember those exciting fighting scenes?
To the shores of Tripoli,
But not to Mississippoli,
What do we do? Send the Marines!

For might makes right,
And till they’ve seen the light,
They’ve got to be protected,
All their rights respected,
Till Somebody we like can be elected.

Members of the Corps
All hate the thought of war,
They’d rather kill them off by peaceful means.
Stop calling it aggression,
We hate that expression.
We only want the world to know
That we support the status quo,
They love us ev’rywhere we go,
So when in doubt,
Send the Marines.

Thirty-five-year-old satire that’s still (sadly) timely.

]]> by: Rusty http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4514 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4514 What a sad, if predictable, drama. How can we ensure order other than being as ruthless as those we deposed? Do we have a choice? Well, we did, but that choice was made one year and few days ago. Leaving Fallujah a "smoking crater" would be no better than Saddam's gassing of the Kurds. In doing so, we would become the very thing we hate. It is all so very Thomas Covenant-ish. What a sad, if predictable, drama. How can we ensure order other than being as ruthless as those we deposed? Do we have a choice? Well, we did, but that choice was made one year and few days ago.

Leaving Fallujah a “smoking crater” would be no better than Saddam’s gassing of the Kurds. In doing so, we would become the very thing we hate. It is all so very Thomas Covenant-ish.

]]> by: Johnboy http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4515 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4515 I don’t stop for or look at accidents unless I can help, and looking is not help. Most Americans are “rubberneckers”. They are fascinated by carnage and tragedy. What struck me today was what two of America’s best pollsters, John Zogby and Andrew Kohut, had to say about the possible reaction to the brutal Fallujah killings and mutilations. Both said that if the news networks showed more actual footage, Americans would turn away from supporting the war. I can’t agree with that. My feeling is that Americans will demonize all Iraqis and want blood revenge for what occurred. Does that sound familiar? It should, because just what do you think the average Iraqi citizen thinks of us? If you guessed “less than human and hates us”, treat yourself to a Twinkie. I don’t stop for or look at accidents unless I can help, and looking is not help. Most Americans are “rubberneckers”. They are fascinated by carnage and tragedy.

What struck me today was what two of America’s best pollsters, John Zogby and Andrew Kohut, had to say about the possible reaction to the brutal Fallujah killings and mutilations. Both said that if the news networks showed more actual footage, Americans would turn away from supporting the war. I can’t agree with that. My feeling is that Americans will demonize all Iraqis and want blood revenge for what occurred. Does that sound familiar? It should, because just what do you think the average Iraqi citizen thinks of us? If you guessed “less than human and hates us”, treat yourself to a Twinkie.

]]> by: Ibid http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4516 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4516 The people in the office are calling me "Cassandra". I called the invasion of Iraq after watching the 2000 Republican National Convention. They laughed. I told them there are no WMD. They laughed. I told them that this would go badly. They laughed. I told them that Bush would learn WHY Saddam was such a hard ass. They laughed. Now here is what's going to happen. We'll stay in Iraq for years and the US/UN casualties will climb into the thousands. Public opinion back home will keep us from wiping out whole cities Saddam style. Instead we'll get attacked and retaliate brutally Sharon style. Eventually we'll put another secular Sunni Saddam wanna-be in charge and leave. Twenty (give or take a few) years later we'll re-invade specifically to take their oil. It won't be long before the cost of occupation will far outstrip the value of the oil but our need will keep us in place. Peace keeping solution? Give the Iraqi people cable TV. It's simplistic on the face of it, but if they have cable that means they have TVs and electricity and other related niceties. They'll be more concerned with the next episode of "Friends" than political/religious activism. Make them comfortable and their extreme views will mellow. I probably would have called post-bombing Fallujah a sheet of glass. You know, heat + sand = $ for Iraqi window industry. I like your addition of a business card. The people in the office are calling me “Cassandra”. I called the invasion of Iraq after watching the 2000 Republican National Convention. They laughed.
I told them there are no WMD. They laughed.
I told them that this would go badly. They laughed.
I told them that Bush would learn WHY Saddam was such a hard ass. They laughed.
Now here is what’s going to happen. We’ll stay in Iraq for years and the US/UN casualties will climb into the thousands. Public opinion back home will keep us from wiping out whole cities Saddam style. Instead we’ll get attacked and retaliate brutally Sharon style. Eventually we’ll put another secular Sunni Saddam wanna-be in charge and leave. Twenty (give or take a few) years later we’ll re-invade specifically to take their oil. It won’t be long before the cost of occupation will far outstrip the value of the oil but our need will keep us in place.

Peace keeping solution? Give the Iraqi people cable TV.
It’s simplistic on the face of it, but if they have cable that means they have TVs and electricity and other related niceties. They’ll be more concerned with the next episode of “Friends” than political/religious activism. Make them comfortable and their extreme views will mellow.

I probably would have called post-bombing Fallujah a sheet of glass. You know, heat + sand = $ for Iraqi window industry. I like your addition of a business card.

]]> by: Aaron Headly http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4517 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4517 Also frustrating to me is the feeling that were not going to have any people like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0679724141/qid=1080916300/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-3954675-0986262?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">John Paul Vann</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0670030309/qid=1080916370/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3954675-0986262?v=glance&s=books">Daniel Ellsburg</a> emerge from the current effort and start saying intelligent things about the mess we're in. The current climate doesn't seem to allow for it. Also frustrating to me is the feeling that were not going to have any people like John Paul Vann or Daniel Ellsburg emerge from the current effort and start saying intelligent things about the mess we’re in. The current climate doesn’t seem to allow for it.

]]> by: lovable liberal http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4518 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4518 Richard Clarke and friends are already saying that the emperor has no clothes. It just takes time and repetition to sink in for the less engaged, reality-TV-watching population. (Note: 'reality TV' is a oxymoron.) Richard Clarke and friends are already saying that the emperor has no clothes. It just takes time and repetition to sink in for the less engaged, reality-TV-watching population. (Note: ‘reality TV’ is a oxymoron.)

]]> by: lovable liberal http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4519 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4519 <b>An</b> oxymoron... An oxymoron…

]]> by: spiralsands http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4520 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/04/01/bad-day-for-satire/#comment-4520 The Americans killed were mercenary soldiers employed by Blackwater (www.blackwaterusa.com). They were 'soldiers of fortune'. Does anybody remember what a soldier of fortune is? They are guys who go do military duty for profit, devoid of loyalty to the country, loyalty is to the corporation. A country, any country, hires the coprporation. What is more frightening than their deaths, is the fact that a corporate miliary power is replacing the citizen soldiers of our country. Iraqis are seeing first hand the military occupation of their country by corpoations. Imagine that it can happen, and probably will, here at home. The Americans killed were mercenary soldiers employed by Blackwater (www.blackwaterusa.com). They were ’soldiers of fortune’. Does anybody remember what a soldier of fortune is? They are guys who go do military duty for profit, devoid of loyalty to the country, loyalty is to the corporation. A country, any country, hires the coprporation. What is more frightening than their deaths, is the fact that a corporate miliary power is replacing the citizen soldiers of our country. Iraqis are seeing first hand the military occupation of their country by corpoations. Imagine that it can happen, and probably will, here at home.

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