Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Breaking news: The Gitmo Diet, WMD finally found, Americans spend, Joe's essay, and Dear Abbie
joe, your article is terrific.
Mickey & everyone. about the living on less blog .... toward the end of the month (i think it is the 26th here and 25th in america) we have ‘buy nothing day’.
please get involved
http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/and finally, donald rumsfled really did miss his true calling as a comedian didn’t he?
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 08:43 AMwhere is everyone? busy with the novels?
i haven’t even started yet but i have worked out an idea at least.
been too busy
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 09:14 AMCount me in for “buy nothing” day.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 10:54 AMeveryone should be shouting about it - its a great idea.
in honour of it there has been some more thumping
http://www.thumpingthetub.blogspot.com
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 11:22 AMMornin’, Mickey & Michael -
Thanks to both of you…I’m in on buy nothing day, as well. I’m certain I can participate by not participating. I think I’ll not participate tomorrow, either.
You know, a few (?) years ago, congress passed a big banking act. At the time, even the mainstream press announced that the entire law was written by the big banks, for the big banks. Period. Bankers wrote it & congress passed it - untouched.
That law gives banks the right to target almost all living things for their psycho-credit programs. At the time, we had two kids at home, one 15 or 16, the other 12 or 13. Both of them were allowed by the new banking act, to get credit cards, or lines of credit, entirely without our permission. Hell, if we’d had a 5 year old, that kid too, could have gotten a credit account.
A few folks in congress girded their loins and stepped up to amend the law. They offered very simple changes, they whined, in their most obsequious, innocent little kid voices…
“Just require a parental signature if the child is under 18, please.”
No, voted down.
“Please, offer only a very small amount of money to the kiddies.”
No, voted down.
“Can’t we at least check to see if they’re mentally deficient, or on full life support...”
No.
Afterwards, a few Senators and Congresspeople swaggered out onto the steps to tell the nation that they’d just improved the look of the economy, “moving forward.”Of course, the law did not affect the responsibility to repay the debt, and when minors become indebted, their families are legally required to step in and pay it off…
Quite recently, of course, the bankruptcy laws have been altered to make it very, very much more difficult to step away from such debts.The Left rarely talks about banking.
I wonder why.Posted by joe on from The Mall! 11/03 at 11:38 AMcos most people on the left have worse overdrafts!
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 11:41 AMbravo mr. carpenter!!!
A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that’s unlocked and opens inwards; as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push.
Ludwig WittgensteinPosted by tm on from inside 11/03 at 12:27 PMThanks much, TM.
Powerful quote!
I once saw a cartoon in a Zen book. First frame is a “tight” shot of a miserable looking guy, staring out at the world through prison cell-like bars. Immediately behind him we see barren earth, and a tattered blanket. Out beyond the bars, people are passing happily by, children are playing on the grass, there are butterflys and birds in the bushes… Quite a contrast.The second frame “pans out,” so to speak. We see the same scene in a wider, deeper context. The bars through which our prisoner peers, are arranged in a fairly small semi-circle. Within the semi-circle, there’s just the tattered blanket, bare dirt, and the sad prisoner. Behind and beyond it, there is a vastness of freedom and beauty and happy people and critters.
But, he’s imprisoned untill he looks around…“within”
Posted by joe on from Oregon 11/03 at 12:55 PMHI All....Joe, Michael, and tm you all sound like Thoreau today....very uplifting. Mickey got me to thinking about Abby today. I am not 100% convinced that he DID commit suicide. Am I alone on that? I wonder what he would say today. Maybe I want a t shirt that says “What would Abby do?”
In Atlantic City the jury just let Merck off the hook. There has been a trend in jury trials for the juries to side with the big money. I used to spend a lot of time watching children interact on the school playground. It always fascinated me to see how most children would usually side with the playground bully. I think that that same kind of reasoning has infected the jury system.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 01:13 PMHello all...you know, the Expendables are not the only ones writing novels:
http://www.newyorker.com/printables/talk/051107ta_talk_collins
Posted by JOS on from an island in the sea 11/03 at 01:28 PMWow, JOS, after reading that I feel extremely unclean.
RMJ: I have heard stories that Abbie was killed but it’s not hard to believe the story as it stands: A man prone to depression couldn’t bear to face life in a nation he tried to improve.
Love the Wittgenstein quote, TM. I read “Wittgenstein’s Poker” not so long ago. He was an interesting fellow, huh?
To anyone I missed: Happy Thursday.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 01:35 PMYes Mickey. I think depression could be a factor. I just glanced around my room here and my eyes fell upon a bumper sticker propped up on the desk. It says, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” Maybe Abbie’s rage turned into depression...there’s a lot of that going around these days.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 01:49 PMThat damn novel contest is slowing things down to a crawl here. Maybe this will spice things up...Cindy for Prez: http://tinyurl.com/cen3t
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 02:54 PMHow about some more comedy from Donny Dumsfeld? Here’s an oldie but a goodie:
“To be in an 8-by-8 cell in beautiful, sunny Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is not inhumane treatment.”
Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/03 at 03:14 PMMickey, I have been watching the Cindy vs Hillary thing for a while now. Very interesting to see the contrast between the two of them and that is a very good and useful thing for the public to see....especially for the Dems to see. I still have Democrats who tell me that Hillary opposes the War. Hard to believe, I know. I’m hanging in there for Churchill but Cindy might be a good second choice for me. Then again, I don’t know if I want to break my record of having voted for Nader for the last 5 or 6 elections.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 03:15 PMA ‘Buy Nothing Day’ sounds good to me!
And hi, michael, JOS, joe, tm, RMJ and, last but by no means least, Mickey. Thanks for another great post and all the comments. The comments are so good that yours truly can rarely think of anything worth saying.
Happy Thursday afternoon/Friday morning to you!Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/03 at 03:19 PMThis article by our Joshua Frank plays right into what you are saying about democracts believing that Hillary is anti-war, or that democratic politicians in general are anti-war, by explaining Harry Reid’s “stunt” on Monday:
http://www.counterpunch.com/frank11032005.html
“same,” as in they’re all the…
Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/03 at 03:21 PMHello Helga!
Posted by JOS on from La Isla Del Encanta 11/03 at 03:22 PMMaybe Abbie felt like Hunter S. Thompson which was born a year later than Abbie,both pranksters growing old in times that are changing and took their lives?
“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun—for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax—This won’t hurt.”
Thompson’s final written words, written with a marker four days before his death, The title was “Football Season is over”Otherwise tis quote make me wanna listen to Stooges “no fun” or Dead boys “ain´t it fun”.
Posted by Old Glen on from 11/03 at 03:42 PMHappy thursday everyone. I was thinking of running this by Mickey first but it really is about all the Expendables.
I’ve been thinking of setting up an Expendable’s Forum for all of us to do forum type things outside of the comentary section of Mickey’s blog.
Good idea? Bad idea? Any suggestions?
Posted by Luna_C on from a real cubical. 11/03 at 03:45 PMWelcome, Old Glen. Hello Luna_C. What kind of things does one do in a forum? I’m new to forums.
I think drugs and alcohol played a huge part in Hunter and Abbie’s suicides. Mix those with depression and a clear worldview and the wrong side of a gun looks merciful.
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 11/03 at 04:06 PMHello everyone...and welcome, Glen. Your take on Abbie and Hunter makes a whole lot of sense. Btw, are you from Sweden?
RMJ: If Cindy runs—either for Prez or NY Senate—I’ll pull the lever for her with enthusiasm.
Luna: I’m also not sure what you mean about a forum but I must admit, if it involves keeping track of another site, I might not be into it. If I had time, I’d be posting more comments at Michael’s site, Keir’s site, etc.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 04:11 PMHello Jos!
That could be true.
Drugs are often fun and games first but when the kicks wear out depression sets in or they just wear you out and make you depressed in the long run?Posted by Old Glen on from 11/03 at 04:16 PMHere’s something that made me exremely angry:
“Israel is deploying a terrifying new tactic against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip by letting loose deafening ‘sound bombs’ that cause widespread fear, induce miscarriages and traumatise children.
“The removal of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip opened the way for the military to use air force jets to create dozens of sonic booms by breaking the sound barrier at low altitude, sending shockwaves across the territory, often at night.
“Over the past week, Israeli jets created 28 sonic booms by flying at high speed and low altitude over the Gaza Strip, sometimes as little as an hour apart through the night. During five days in late September, the air force caused 29 sonic booms.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1607450,00.html
LeftI.blogspot.com points out that:
“The Palestinian health ministry estimates the sonic booms have caused at least 20 miscarriages.”
Posted by JOS on from The Island of Enchantment 11/03 at 04:16 PMHello Mickey!
Good blog,keep up the good work!
Yes,I´m from Sweden.Posted by Old Glen on from Sweden 11/03 at 04:19 PMThanks for that, JOS. Truly horrifying.
Israel and the U.S.: two nations perpetually claiming victim status...mournfully wondering: “why do they hate us?” It must be just jealousy or indiscriminate evil, right? How could anyone hate Israel or America unless they were just plain evil? It’s god’s country and the chosen people, for chrissake.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 04:21 PMSorry, Glen, we must have been typing at the same time.
Glad you like the blog. Hope you’ll make it a regular stop...and spread the word.
P.S. How did you find us?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 04:30 PMMickey,I found you while checking out the blogs reccomended on infoshop´s homepage.
Now it´s bedtime over here and work tomorrow - good night!
Posted by Old Glen on from 11/03 at 04:39 PMHi Mickey & Helga and Glenn & Luna &
Hey, JOS - that story makes all of us angry…
60 years ago, there were Jews in the Warsaw ghetto.
Now, the Israeli Jews have created their own Warsaw ghetto for the Palestinians. And, one of the most horific aspects of the situation is that we’re paying for the jets, we’re paying to train the pilots, we’re paying for the jet fuel. It’s our Warsaw ghetto, too. We kill them, too. We torture and torment and terrorize them, too. We bulldoze their homes with just enough notice for most of them to escape physical damage. We help build their little “fence,” to keep out the “terrorists.”
It’s like we live in the middle ages, and pay taxes to Vlad the Impaler…Posted by joe on from what difference does it make? 11/03 at 05:26 PMJOS, that article by Joshua Frank is a good one. Also if you really think about Plamegate, why is everyone so upset about it. After thinking about the history of the CIA, maybe the world would be a safer place if they were all outed. Black budgets, black secret prisons, torture cells, with that in mind maybe all government secrets should be exposed. Maybe its time to let the sun shine on the CIA and then disband it. Let’s give them all pink slips and retirement parties.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 05:31 PMNo doubt, Joe. Talk about terrorists...we (and our little military outpost Isreal) are #1!
un"reported"
Posted by JOS on from Calle Colon 11/03 at 05:40 PMSounds good to me, RMJ. Plamegate is nothing but a nothing little story within the secret history book of terror our governmental agencies have produced.
Posted by JOS on from Calle Colon 11/03 at 05:42 PMI just realized that I wrote a whole lotta of little nothings in my last two comments…
“mans” ?
Posted by JOS on from Calle Colon 11/03 at 05:47 PMUPI just reporting that the US has the highest rate of medical errors and also the highest cost. Kind of proves that you don’t always get what you pay for.
http://www.upi.com/HealthBusiness/view.php?StoryID=20051103-025505-2409rPosted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 05:47 PMA forum would give everyone who participates the ability to start there own threads or posts regarding whatever they want to discuss or share. I think it could give our little community a bit more breathing room for dialog. Of coarse there is nothing wrong with the format and discussion going on here. Honestly, I’m hoping it would allow the regulars an opportunity to discuss subjects and ideas that may not be specifically about Mickey’s post of the day. Personally there are times I would like to bring a subject up with everyone but I’m reluctant to post it in the comments section because it may not have any bearing on what’s being discussed that day and I don’t want to fill the comments section up with off topic clutter. like for example talking about starting a forum for the Expendables. lol ;)
Here is an example forum:
http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition
For this guys blog,
http://rigorousintuition.blogspot.com/
Personally I would hope it wouldn’t take any surfing time away from anyone. I was planning to set it up and host it myself. Other then that I trust everyone will act like adults so we don’t need any full time monitors to police for trolls. I wouldn’t allow for anonymous posting if you want to participate you would have to register. I don’t have all the details, my plan would be to make it about as easy as posting here as to post on the forum.
Wikipedia on forums
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_forumPosted by Luna_C on from seriously a real cubical! 11/03 at 05:52 PMLuna, I’m all for whatever everyone wants to do but I’d like to say this: As far as I know, there’s plenty of posting here that might qualify as “off-topic” and I like it and do nothing to discourage it. For me, no offense meant to Luna, I think we do fine here.
Anyone else?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 05:59 PMi’m divided on it.
mickeys is a great place where a lot of good people have come together (and some malicious lurkers too). but there is a lot to be said for doing it differently because as a lot of us are getting quite (cyber)friendly it might scare some people off. that said, as mickey said i don’t think anyone is really made unwelcome.
in short, i dunno
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 06:10 PMI don’t think there is any problem staring one...I am not sure I would use it myself just because I enjoy the converation here, and I feel that any topic can and should be introduced. But don;t let my vote stop you, Luna_C.
Posted by JOS on from Calle Colon 11/03 at 06:20 PMi enjoy it too. but i was lurking for a while before i joined in - a wee bit intimidated i think.
although that is the case i still regard it as the best ‘find’ i have had on the net.
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 06:28 PMoh - and my last post on my blog is only one with no comments - too radical?
its not mine. i just changed it a bit
yes, thisis shameless self-promotion (but not really cos its not my stuff)
maybe its a bot of ‘both’
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 06:32 PMI think I felt a little bit of that when I found this place, but it was a while back, and my memory ain’t so good. I guess we can keep on asking people to join in…
Posted by JOS on from Calle Colón 11/03 at 06:39 PMThis may sound naive, but it never occurred to me that folks might be hesitant to join in with a group that’s so familiar with each other. I’m surprised to learn that Michael was originally a lurker and JOS, you’re a real veteran...back from the days when I was thrilled to get a single comment.
Note to all lurkers: If you like remaining silent, more power to you. But if you wanna join in (like Glen did tonight), please do it. Either way, feel free to spread the word.
Finally, Luna: I appreciate your longtime presence here and if you wanna do the forum, I’d certainly support you. Personally, like JOS, I can’t say I’d be able to spend too much time there and also I’d be concerned about having to repeat comments on two different sites and all.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/03 at 06:51 PMIf you want my two centimos about a forum, I think it´s better the way things flow here instead of all the conversations divided and bunged into subsections. Ontopic or offtopic don´t mean a lot to me, the way I see it if you´re in a coffeeshop with six people and three are talking about one thing and three are talking about another, would you prefer they sat at different tables? I like how the different undirected conversations have a chance to coalesce and inform each other here.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/03 at 07:04 PMmaybe we have different definitions of lurker. i read what was goin on for about 4 days before i joined in. i think i had probably emailed you before i got stuck in with the forum.
there are so many worthwhile forums and blogs people could join in and that what its about - plurality of voices. mickey has provided an excellent space here but thats not to say that there aren’t other ones too. or that we could create more.
i am happy here on this forum but that is not saying that i wouldn’t b elsehwere or that one is better than the other etc etc etc
we all know this - it ‘figures’
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 07:09 PMMaybe no one ever noticed but I am usually “off topic”. I do often visit other sites and sometimes drop a comment there. I always identify myself by name but if registering is involved I don’t do it. It just takes too much time.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/03 at 07:14 PMregistering is a fucking pain in the tits
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 07:23 PMowen - can’t get thru to the link but i suspect its a bit abusive. its the waco museum… link goes up to wacomuseum/library/martin1. - after that i can’t read it - stick it on here.
what a ‘trial’
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 07:32 PMhere for you http://www.dabney.com/wacomuseum/library/martin1.html
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/03 at 07:41 PMcheers dude
Posted by michael on from scotland 11/03 at 08:08 PMHey cool no worries. Who am I to screw with a good thing? ;)
It’s for exactly this reason why I floated the idea by ya’ll first.
Peace,
Posted by Luna_C on from the Rat Haus 11/03 at 10:35 PMJoe, I remain in love with you, and this is why:
“We do not need to ask permission to live like sane, reasonable, thoughtful, compassionate human beings.”
Sentences like this are rare and exptremely pleasurable. Galway Kinnell’s squashing aside, tell me again the reason you’re not NaNo-ing?
Luna, I am a huge fan of threaded conversations, and I don’t recall being on-topic (whatever that really is around MZ’s) except on Storytelling Saturday and that’s only because I’m a big fat ham. Whatever you decide to do is good. From your last post it sounds like you’re not gonna do it, but whichever way you go....
NaNoers...I’m at 5324 words at the end of day three. Two humdred twenty-four en plus. I feel smug, until I look at the Z count. Then I become serotonin impaired.
RMJ, I have nothing but disgust for the medical-mistakes hushjob. What a crock that it’s not reported on...oh dear, there I go again thinking the Fourth Estate is looking out for us. Silly faggot! >smacks head with dead mackerel<
Ciao for now, all, I’m off to “bed”
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 11/03 at 11:50 PMJust read your article, Joe. What a breath of fresh air! Well done. It’s so nice to read the “Bleeding Obvious” for a change. I suppose what makes for the “bleeding obvious” effect is the clarity of your thoughts expressed through the clarity of your words. Full marks!
It reminds me of the little story of the lieutenant who goes to the colonel to tell him, rather worriedly, that the men are very upset about things and grumbling mighty loudly about it. The colonel tells him that everything is OK saying “You only really need to worry when they STOP grumbling - because then they have decided to DO something”!
But talking is the necessary precurser to action (or non-action i.e. boycott).
Power is indeed an illusion. Complaining to Caesar about Caesar is always worse than a waste of time because in doing so you are reinforcing the illusion of power and it’s necessity.
Cheers, JimAaaahhh, captcha word is “doing”. I kid you not!
Posted by Jim on from 11/04 at 03:04 AMIf you value your synapses don´t look at JOSs wordcount Mudge.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/04 at 06:25 AMTo add to what Jim and Joe said above, Douglas Rushkoff made a documentary called The Persuaders with a good deal about neuromarketers and the focus groups they have which are basically brainwashing sessions. Rushkoff said he thought he´d get some flak for depicting the psychologists as a nasty bunch to be wary of but instead they were delighted, made them feel they were powerful.
Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/04 at 06:59 AM
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