Comments on: A Quick Story http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/ America's favorite blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:28:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Sharon http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5960 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5960 And still they insist that everything's fine, just fine, and that the election will proceed as scheduled. Yeah, right, okay. I suppose. After all, the USA (or parts thereof) held an election during the Civil War, did it not? And still they insist that everything’s fine, just fine, and that the election will proceed as scheduled.

Yeah, right, okay. I suppose. After all, the USA (or parts thereof) held an election during the Civil War, did it not?

]]> by: Allison in Santa Cruz http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5961 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5961 The idea that seems ludicrously stupid to me, until I remember whose idea it is, is to begin the trials for Saddam and other Baath party officials before there is an elected government running things in Iraq. Regardless of how dedicated and uncorrupt these newly trained Iraqi judges will be, how can the trials be legit if there isn't a real government in place? Maybe I'm missing the point; God knows it wouldn't be the first time. A propos of nothing, really, but I remember the first program we watched on color TV. It was "Batman," with Adam West. Holy stampede, Batman! Pow! Biff! And those off-kilter camera angles. The idea that seems ludicrously stupid to me, until I remember whose idea it is, is to begin the trials for Saddam and other Baath party officials before there is an elected government running things in Iraq. Regardless of how dedicated and uncorrupt these newly trained Iraqi judges will be, how can the trials be legit if there isn’t a real government in place? Maybe I’m missing the point; God knows it wouldn’t be the first time.

A propos of nothing, really, but I remember the first program we watched on color TV. It was “Batman,” with Adam West. Holy stampede, Batman! Pow! Biff! And those off-kilter camera angles.

]]> by: Ken http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5962 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5962 I hate it that everyone keeps saying Iraq is a *dangerous* place! That all these people who keep getting killed in mortar attaks and bombings are sad casualties of a war that should never have been fought. In truth, all these negativos just aren't asking the right question! It's not: "how many more have to die before we get out?" What we should be asking is: "how many people would be dying if we HADN'T invaded and occupied?" Aha! Consider this - through our efficient, and overwhelming bombing campaign, we destroyed a huge portion of Iraq's manufacturing capacity. As such, no one is going to work in factories anymore. Therefore no one is dying in industrial accidents!! Also, with all the checkpoints and barriers, motor traffic cannot travel with the same pre-war elan' it once had. Sure, there may be a car-bomb or two a week, taking out a few loiterers, but how that pales in comparison to all the lives saved from traffic fatalities each day! No, I think it's quite obvious that under the caring, paternal guidance of the United States of America, and her valued Coalition partner(s), Iraq will quickly see a dramatic decline in its accidental death rate, leaving many more young, impressionable people alive and with the free time to group together, get energized about their country, and do something about the issues that concern them. Oh. Crap. I hate it that everyone keeps saying Iraq is a *dangerous* place! That all these people who keep getting killed in mortar attaks and bombings are sad casualties of a war that should never have been fought. In truth, all these negativos just aren’t asking the right question! It’s not: “how many more have to die before we get out?” What we should be asking is: “how many people would be dying if we HADN’T invaded and occupied?” Aha!

Consider this - through our efficient, and overwhelming bombing campaign, we destroyed a huge portion of Iraq’s manufacturing capacity. As such, no one is going to work in factories anymore. Therefore no one is dying in industrial accidents!! Also, with all the checkpoints and barriers, motor traffic cannot travel with the same pre-war elan’ it once had. Sure, there may be a car-bomb or two a week, taking out a few loiterers, but how that pales in comparison to all the lives saved from traffic fatalities each day! No, I think it’s quite obvious that under the caring, paternal guidance of the United States of America, and her valued Coalition partner(s), Iraq will quickly see a dramatic decline in its accidental death rate, leaving many more young, impressionable people alive and with the free time to group together, get energized about their country, and do something about the issues that concern them.

Oh. Crap.

]]> by: Tom in Santa Clara http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5963 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5963 I can remember when the color TV screens were more round than rectangular, and when only really rich people had them! I used to tell people that we had a color TV too, but it only got the colors black, white, and many shades of grey. I wonder what Tony Blair is 'really' thinking today...and if anyone in either administration is thinking at all about the injured soldiers, but more importantly about the injured Iraqi citizens. Maybe Rummy should send some condolence letters to them too.... I can remember when the color TV screens were more round than rectangular, and when only really rich people had them! I used to tell people that we had a color TV too, but it only got the colors black, white, and many shades of grey.

I wonder what Tony Blair is ‘really’ thinking today…and if anyone in either administration is thinking at all about the injured soldiers, but more importantly about the injured Iraqi citizens.

Maybe Rummy should send some condolence letters to them too….

]]> by: arnotsmith http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5964 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5964 I imagine that Tony Blair has been carefully *not* thinking for a year or so now - it would be too painful. I imagine that Tony Blair has been carefully *not* thinking for a year or so now - it would be too painful.

]]> by: SeattleDan http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5965 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5965 Bonanza was the first color show I remember. The colors were,well,odd. But it was color and a source of fascination to my young mind. Wow! Gotta a color tv An Rca Victor color tv Her hair's so red Her eyes so blue Bonanza was the first color show I remember. The colors were,well,odd. But it was color and a source of fascination to my young mind.

Wow! Gotta a color tv
An Rca Victor color tv
Her hair’s so red
Her eyes so blue

]]> by: Bob http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5966 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5966 As a kid, I remember walking through a local dime store and passing a display of colored transparencies which, according to the copy on the display, would convert your black-and-white TV to color. Provided, of course, that whatever was at the top of the screen was supposed to be blue, and whatever was at the bottom was supposed to be green. These things weren't much of a metaphor for our current foreign policy, because one could imagine at least a limited number of scenarios in which they might sort of work. As a kid, I remember walking through a local dime store and passing a display of colored transparencies which, according to the copy on the display, would convert your black-and-white TV to color. Provided, of course, that whatever was at the top of the screen was supposed to be blue, and whatever was at the bottom was supposed to be green. These things weren’t much of a metaphor for our current foreign policy, because one could imagine at least a limited number of scenarios in which they might sort of work.

]]> by: Murray http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5967 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5967 You know how you feel during a prostate exam? I think that Tony is feeling that, only multiplied. You know how you feel during a prostate exam? I think that Tony is feeling that, only multiplied.

]]> by: Chris http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5968 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5968 Just read about the attack on one of Rumsfeld's "light" US mess tents today. 22 dead, more injured, reported the AP's Slobodan Lekic. Just another story until I got to the part about the aftermath of the blast: "'I can't hear! I can't hear!' one female soldier cried as a friend hugged her." Bush's reponse: "'I'm confident democracy will prevail in Iraq.'" I'd forgotten what it was like to truly hate someone. Just read about the attack on one of Rumsfeld’s “light” US mess tents today. 22 dead, more injured, reported the AP’s Slobodan Lekic. Just another story until I got to the part about the aftermath of the blast:

“‘I can’t hear! I can’t hear!’ one female soldier cried as a friend hugged her.”

Bush’s reponse:

“‘I’m confident democracy will prevail in Iraq.’”

I’d forgotten what it was like to truly hate someone.

]]> by: hedera http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5969 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/12/21/a-quick-story/#comment-5969 Oh, and Ken - the automobile accident rate in Iraq is way down (if you leave out the IEDs) because: the Iraqi government sets the official price of gasoline at about 1 cent per gallon. To keep it easily available. So it somehow "leaks" out of the local gas stations and onto the black market, or over the border; and the Iraqis queue all night for gas, sleeping in their cars, and when they get to the head of the line it's sold out... So nobody can drive because there's no gas. (For real. See this week's Economist.) Of course, sometimes they get so mad they start shooting because there's no gas, but no CAR accidents... Sharon, the parts of the U.S. that still considered Abraham Lincoln the president had an election during the Civil War. It's been too long since I read Shelby Foote's book; I can't recall what the states that had seceded did. But I bet the South participated in that election about the way Fallujah will in January. And a lot of people thought that Lincoln was reelected for the same reason I believe Bush was reelected - people were afraid to change the commander in chief during a live war. Moral values, phoo. Fear. That's your argument. Oh, and Ken - the automobile accident rate in Iraq is way down (if you leave out the IEDs) because: the Iraqi government sets the official price of gasoline at about 1 cent per gallon. To keep it easily available. So it somehow “leaks” out of the local gas stations and onto the black market, or over the border; and the Iraqis queue all night for gas, sleeping in their cars, and when they get to the head of the line it’s sold out… So nobody can drive because there’s no gas. (For real. See this week’s Economist.) Of course, sometimes they get so mad they start shooting because there’s no gas, but no CAR accidents…

Sharon, the parts of the U.S. that still considered Abraham Lincoln the president had an election during the Civil War. It’s been too long since I read Shelby Foote’s book; I can’t recall what the states that had seceded did. But I bet the South participated in that election about the way Fallujah will in January. And a lot of people thought that Lincoln was reelected for the same reason I believe Bush was reelected - people were afraid to change the commander in chief during a live war. Moral values, phoo. Fear. That’s your argument.

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