Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Consider this a personal day... (and tell-a-friend Thursday)

Posted by Mickey Z on 11/10 at 05:54 AM

Ha that´s funny I gave my friend Julien the address yesterday. Thank you for the Fisk on torture piece yesterday, its not often anyone mentions the practice in Northern Ireland either, or that British intelligence (who at their core are about as British as sauerkraut) were colluding plenty with both quoteunquote sides.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 11/10 at 06:56 AM

Thanks for the word of mouth, Owen. Also, I guess I should re-post that Fisk link soon in case anyone missed it.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/10 at 07:17 AM

good vibes and happy birthdays.

have already told a friend about the site but he is now what is known as a lurker (you KNOW who you are!). he assures me that this is because the net filtering in his work won’t let him post.

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 09:06 AM

Mornin’ everyone. I just sent the link to my friend today. It’s kinda freaky how I checked the blog and that’s the topic. Good vibes to Michele and as luck would have it to day is payday, so check the mail for tidings of joy. On a side note, my friends mom copy of 50 AR arrived yesterday and should be the perfect Festiviz gift this year. Well I’m off to class now and will be back after lunch.

Posted by Rich on from Buffalo 11/10 at 09:26 AM

Hi Owen, Michael, and Mickey. Special birthday greetings to Michele !!! Michele you’re heading for the big 4 OH. Soon you will catch up with me. What a heroic cause you are devoting your life to, Michele. You and Mickey seem to have all bases covered.
Has anyone out there googled the word “failure” lately. The first thing that comes up made me laugh. Try it before google changes it.
This morning C-span discussed torture and interviewed David Cole. I will have to check out his book. Now John Yoo is on giving the other side of the argument. Is there really another side? Basically Yoo is saying right now that US law already prohibits torture and therefore we don’t do it. He says that what the US does is “aggressive interrogation”. I feel like I am witnessing brain washing going on right now. Sadly, a lot of people will believe what he is saying.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 09:41 AM

Morning all...Michele, there will be some cash heading your way from Puerto Rico, I hope it arrives in time to be of use.

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 09:52 AM

Not much going on in the comments section for a while. Can anyone guess why these people are so happy (this photo is a few months old)? Or perhaps a caption contest?:

“think”

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 12:37 PM

Hi JOS, Rich and all...I just came across a neat quote, reminds me of that old song, “THAT WILL BE THE DAY”. Below is Helen Thomas’s comment about truth coming from the White House.
“...It’s only recently that he (WH spokesman, McClellan) admits to wearing another hat—one that is obligatory, as he put it—that requires him “to make sure the American people are getting an accurate account of what is going on here in Washington.
That will be the day....”

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 12:41 PM

Sorry JOS. I was commenting the same time you were. I don’t recognize that photo… But it reminds me of the images that I saw while Chavez was speaking.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 12:45 PM

RMJ - google thing is funny - did u notice who was just below??

JOS - they r celebrating london getting the olympics.

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 12:54 PM

Yeah, but I have never seen people get so crazy over something like that!

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 01:04 PM

most people in london did not really want it. they probably shoved a few people who did and some of the organisers in front of a camera and told them to jump about a bit.

BTW - regarding that chomsky article from the guardain that someone posted a few days back - it was a hatchet job.... read this....

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn11052005.html

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 01:17 PM

Funny picture though…

Yeah, I held back at the time because it was posted by a guy who calls himself “The Infant” or something like that...he seemed to be trolling for a fight.

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 01:28 PM

In the “interview,” the “interviewer” pointed out Chomsky’s use of quotations:

“massacre” at Srebrenica was probably overstated. (Chomsky uses quotations marks to undermine things he disagrees with and, in print at least, it can come across less as academic than as witheringly teenage; like, Srebrenica was so not a massacre.)

Now I know where I got that habit from...sorry, Michael, I know it can be “annoying.” lol

Cockburn does an excellent job of ripping the so-called interviewer a new arsehole.

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 01:36 PM

its not people doing it in print - its people doing it with their fingers in real life.

i said it was irrational!

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 01:43 PM

I guess I couldn’t imagine Chomsky going around raising his arms and fingers into the air to place quotations around certain words he finds questionable. By the way, the explanation I quoted above is a bunch of bullshit as Cockburn explains in the article Michael linked to.

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 01:47 PM

Here’s a cartoon that has been going around here on the island (translation: Filiberto “Ojeda fired first"):

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 01:57 PM

This guy puts Iraq in perspective very well:

http://tinyurl.com/9yly9

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/10 at 02:51 PM

he does but the US is not the first. some points from a talk robert fisk did recently....

WW1 - british army invaded iraq to destroy the ottoman empire (which it did). in 1917 they reached baghdad. the general issued a proclamation was addressed to the people of the muhaf azat the governorate of baghdad “PROCLAMATION - from general angus maude commander ni chief british forces Iraq....we come here, not as conquerors, but as liberators, to free you from generations of tyranny”

Sound familiar?

fisk went on....

“an insurgency broke out against british rule in handari, near abu ghraib. the first british officer to die was called leachman. i covered the death of te first american soldier by a roadside bomb, i went to the scene. it was handari and it was one hundred metres from the spot where leachman was killed in 1920. in revenge, the british army took its artillery and fired into a town called fallujah, destroying much of it of course. we also surrounded najaf and demanded the surrender of a shi’ite clergyman called badr rather than sadr. its like fingerprint parallel histories..”

he continued

“ i found in london, in the public record office a british intelligence document from baghdad to the war office claiming that terrorists were making their way into iraq from syria. i also found lloyd george (the prime minister) saying ‘if we leave iraq there will be a.....(have a guess)

“napoleon when he carried out the french expediion issued a proclamation to the people of cairo saying we have come to rescue you from the pashrs(??) who don’t give you free speech”

and on and on it goes.

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 04:44 PM

quiet here today…

Posted by michael on from scotland 11/10 at 05:17 PM

So it’s the BIG 4-0 for your wife soon, Mickey? Good idea to raise money for a “Standing Dani” on that occasion. Wish I could be in Astoria to hear you sing next Sunday ..
And hi to all of you MZ’ers.
Now it’s back to reading ‘50 AR’ by the most brilliant (IMO anyway) writer Mickey Z. ..

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/10 at 05:59 PM

Michael...your comment about Fisk proves one thing...we are incapable of learning from history.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 06:01 PM

And here is a link to Robert Fisk’s thoughts on torture as expressed to Amy Goodman:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/09/1538226
Goodbye!

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 11/10 at 06:01 PM

Thanks Helga, I saw that interview with Fisk. I am lucky. My local community TV system airs Democracy Now several times every day.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 06:30 PM

Hi everyone...after working in the polling place on Tuesday, I’m now ill! A case of repiratory virus, not obviously bird flu or SARS, but pretty crummy feeling anyway.

I’m valiantly pulling towards a catch-up with the NaNovel. I’ve changed the excerpt. I;m not sure I’m making a lot of sense, so I will go now, sending excellent vibes for Michele’s “Karaoke for a Kause” celebration and what a worthy thing to buy! Coolest idea I’ve seen in yonks.

Be glad I can’t spread cybergerms, my fever’s over 100 and do I feel like hell or what?! Ain’t leavn’ the “house” tonight for sure.

Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 11/10 at 06:37 PM

Ah Mudge...I’ll be right over with some vitamin C. I hope that you will feel better real soon.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 07:02 PM

Helllo my wonderful Expendable comrades. Do I sound different? I’m CPR certified, you know? Does it show?

Anyway, thanks for all the good word of mouth and THANKS to all for any offer of vibes or $$$ for Michele’s efforts. She’ll stop by later to send her own note of gratitude.

Feel better, Mudge. We’re sending good vibes right back at you in Dubya Land.

More soon…

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/10 at 08:12 PM

Congratulations Mickey. If we keep killing civilians, I may need you at any minute.

Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 11/10 at 08:17 PM

Are you suggesting mouth-to-mouth, RMJ? I think Mudge may get jealous.

Btw, Helga, I will be singing on Sunday. I just might open the show with “Revolution.”

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/10 at 08:23 PM

Signing off for the night. Hey Joe? You out there? “Answer” me.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 11/10 at 10:40 PM

Congratulations, Mick! It’s nice to see you joking around and happy. Haven’t seen as much of that as usual, “recently.”

Posted by JOS on from mi orgullo, Puerto Rico 11/11 at 07:26 AM

Tried to post yesterday but I had technical difficulty!
Helga (and everyone)..you have great taste in authors! I have to tell you that, that mickey z is not just a talented writer but the best partner anyone could have for a lifelong collaboration !!
Thanks for all your good wishes with the fundraiser. I promise to stop by and join in here after grad school is over!!

my veterans day/ antiwar day proposal is do challenge yourself to do something outside your usual realm of helping (something that maybe feels uncomfortable..um..singing to a room full of people?) to help someone else.

Posted by michele on from Astoria 11/11 at 09:07 AM