Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Friday, August 25, 2006
The numbers just don’t add up (and "they" still have the guns)
That’s a powerful article Mickey, coming at a time when things seems to be ratchetting up a few notches all over the place. What we collectively have to lose amounts to little more than habitual and familiar routine, in my opinion. Time is relative of course, but personally I think I need some more time to learn.
Captcha says “sales” ... but who’s buying?
Seems like the salesmen don’t really care anymore.Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 08/25 at 07:56 AMGood morning, Mick and Amelopsis. Yeah the numbers...I don’t think we even have the numbers. Most of the youth I meet have bought into the American Dream hook, line and sinker. Any crack in armor of propaganda that covers their thoughts is quickly explained away and forgotten. We aren’t breakin on through, we’re riding a snake off a cliff and all people want to do is have their kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 08/25 at 09:09 AMHello Empress and JOS...always a pleasure to see you two here.
Step 1: Keep your eyes on the road
Step 2: Keep your hands upon the wheelPosted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/25 at 09:15 AMHey Mickey though I like the piece I have to admit I don’t agree one hundred percent. As I mentioned recently Zygmunt Bauman’s Society Under Siege is turning my world upsidedown. An example I just came upon today:
“Whenever confronted with contradictory, ambivalent, illegible or inconstant, labile signals, animals tend to develop inhibition—a sort of behavioural paralysis. The learned, habitualized modes of behaviour are suspended, What follows then is either a behavioural depression manifested in total inaction, or a resort to ‘irrational conduct’—moves only tenuously if at all related to the situation causing distress. If the latter option is taken, tension tends to be temporarily through pointless aggression that leaves the causes of distress intact.”
It’s a shame I can’t offer a longer quote for context. Anyway, to develop on Bauman, our inhibitions, our failures to act, don’t arise out of the fear of guns, but out of so many mixed signals that no one knows what to do, so they do either nothing or the wrong thing. Standard tactics don’t address the root causes. Jensen constantly reminds us, we are at some level aware of what we must do.
As it happens, some of the quotes at mine today relate.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague (Jackowski election hdqts) 08/25 at 10:29 AMMorning JOS, I have noticed much the same in my exchanges with the young’uns. It can be enough to make you weep; if they don’t care, who will?
Step 3: Learn to read the roadmap
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 08/25 at 10:33 AMSorry Keir, simultyping.
"we are at some level aware of what we must do."
True, but what to do when so many are willfully ignorant of this inherent knowledge?
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 08/25 at 10:36 AMI agree with you, Keir. That’s why I included the Hume quote and talked of a “potent combination of muscle and misinformation.”
Empress: The two steps I offered are from another Doors song (following up on JOS). Still, I like your third step, too.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/25 at 10:38 AMI got the Doors’ reference, liked it and ran with it Mickey...I think I reached saturation point with some of their music though, and now Ray Manzarek drives me nuts (in a bad way), he’s constantly comparing every new artist he’s asked about to Jim in what seems little more than an effort to validate his own ego trip.
Sorry if I’ve been cranky of late, but reality seems to be morphing into surreality (is that even a word?) and I’m trying not to lose the humour of it.
(Captcha: “states”...as in U.S., or altered...?)
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 08/25 at 11:40 AMSorry, Empress. Didn’t know you were a Doors fan. As for your mood, I always thought “cranky” was the password to get into this joint.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/25 at 11:57 AMJust dropping by for a quick Hello. We now have a brand new Expendable. Laura Anne was born at 3 minutes past midnight this morning. She weighed in at 7 lb 11 oz.
Great front page and comments here today. I like the first quote at Keir’s also. We better start making more noise. If we go down, don’t let it be in silence.
One more article proving that Churchill’s “E” comment was right.
Posted by rosemarie on from someplace in new york state 08/25 at 11:58 AMWelcome, Laura Anne...and congrats to Christine, RMJ, and the whole clan. Hugs and kisses all around.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/25 at 12:00 PMYes - big welcome to Laura Anne, and congratulations and good wishes all around!!
(I’d just been wondering if your absence here today was going to bring news, and voila!)Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 08/25 at 12:18 PMmickey, only line of that article i disagree with is the line
“The massive global protests were barely noticed”
they were noticed
few weeks ago i posted an email here from a woman i have met (twice, briefly) who is now in palestine as part of the international peacekeeping team (rachel corrie sort of people). NOONE mentioned it even tho it contained some, if not revelatory (no double meaning intended), then certainly shocking eye witness first hand reports.she sends updates round a mailing list and the latest 1 she sent talked about how, as she is sitting with palestinian people in desperate circumstances, as they sit amongst the bombs& the bullets& the daily low flying jets using sonic booms as a method of terrorising the population, they mention the protests that day & how it made them think. unfortunately, i have deleted it. will try to get it back and post it l8r.
for now i will repost the one i posted a couple of weeks ago to see if anyone has anthing to say about it this time..
“Regarding last nights demonstration in Jerusalem. Which as I said before extreme violence was used, I remembered a small incident which my friend and I were involved in
It was hilarious, when the army surrounded the activists, my dear friend who works in Tel Rumadia and I started doing the CAN CAN. You know the French dance where you kick your legs
You should have seen the soldiers faces, it was hilarious, they did not know what to do
So we met up again at Billin this morning for the demonstration, the same 1 where John and I received injuries last week and decided this week we were also going to do the CAN CAN once we reached the fence. This is where the soldiers are waiting on us
The theme of the demonstration this week was approx 10 of us would walk in the front line carrying bodies of dead people and dead children. So we all headed towards the fence where the soldiers were waiting carrying our sacks covered in red paint to represent the dead when we turned the corner to find the Military blocking the road. As we marched towards them they suddenly started throwing sound bombs at us and firing rubber bullets. Some of us ran to the side and some ran to the back. I was standing next to a Spanish activist who I know well, I spent time with her here the last time I was in Nablus and a sound bomb went off right in between us. Her and I have both lost hearing and there is a ringing sensation in both our ears. Two minutes later a sound bomb smashed into my elbow which actually broke the skin and my arm was bleeding
I was split from some of the group who were trying to take shelter behind some bricks, when the Israeli Army started firing at them. We went to sit in front of the army jeeps and the Israeli Army came with their batons and started attacking the Internationals brutally, smashing peoples legs and my dear friend was hit on the head
I am waiting to find out how many people were injured, this was a very brutal demonstration on the Israeli Army’s part. One young Israeli boy was hit at extreme close range with a steel bullet coated in rubber at his head and also his neck
A friend from Scotland was also there and she gave first aid. She told me that his skull was fractured very, very badly
All I could see was people either being carried, or supported with blood running down their leg, arm and still the bullets and sound bombs were being fired
This again was extreme force on a peaceful demonstration. As we walked towards them they used their brute force. Who is the terrorist?
We never of course got the chance to do the Can Can, but of course there will be another chance
One of the young boys from our Campaign was hit quite badly by the Israelies baton as well. They were sitting down peacefully when the Israeli Army took out their batons and smashed them into peoples heads, bodies and legs
I keep thinking what people say to us on the stall ‘THE ISRAELI ARMY ARE THE MOST MORAL ARMY IN THE WORLD’
The Israeli Army are the most cowardly army I have witnessed. They shoot innocent people on the back when they are walking away, they smash their batons into people sitting down. As people walk towards them they open fire on them
This is Palestinian land we are talking about here
I am afraid I vented my anger on a lady who was there and she told me that the Army there were just very frightened. I could not believe it, she witnessed the brutality, saw the injured people with blood running down their arms, legs and bodies and still tried to justify the bruality they used
Its very difficult to constantly witness what the occupation is doing here and not feel a real hatred for the Israeli people, you need to constantly remember yourself it is a bit like Tony Blair, do not hate the British people because of him
My last words are that today we had the most fantastic sight, there must have been approx 50 plus Israeli Activists came to the demonstration today and I very proudly stood beside them
Posted by michael on from exile 08/25 at 12:49 PMi am also currently taking a somewhat absurd satisfaction that the previous post may have been the first on this site to have broken the 5000 character limit that i previously did not know existed, hence the ‘1’s and the ‘l8r’
anyone else had that yet?
Posted by michael on from exile 08/25 at 12:53 PMI have never even come close to breaking that 5000 word limit, michael. I remember this post about doing the CAN CAN up to the security fence.
Congratulations RMJ!
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 08/25 at 02:09 PMHi Everyone!
Congratulations RMJ!!! Does Laura Anne look like you?
Perfume critic? http://tinyurl.com/kznlp
Europe’s tilt: http://tinyurl.com/z26hx
Posted by TM on from 08/25 at 03:10 PMa more in-depth look at that poll: http://tinyurl.com/lnnzm
Posted by TM on from 08/25 at 03:30 PMA powerful post - and a powerful article, Mickey!
And ‘hi’ to all my fellow expendables. Just wanted to call in at the ‘cool observer’ before I wander off.
Have a great weekend,
expendable HelgaPosted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 08/25 at 06:32 PMThanks JOS, Mickey, Amelopsis, and everybody else. I just left the hospital. TM, yes, she looks just like me except she has a headfull of shiny black hair. She is a real beauty, laughing, gooing, smiling, and yawning. I can tell that she has anarchist leanings because of the way she frowns when I talk to her about world affairs. Soon as I mentioned Churchill she smiled.
Posted by RMJ on from Still in New York someplace 08/25 at 06:34 PMFor good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue. On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day massacre.
I humbly offer my opinion here:
I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).
I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.
I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Islamic Arabs.
I am sorry that most Arabs and Muslims have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.
I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.
I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools, mosques, and government-controlled media. !
I am sorry that Yassar Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian “cause.”
I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.
I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA! for all their problems.
I am sorry that our own left wing, our media, and our own brainwashed masses do not understand any of this (from the misleading vocal elements of our society like radical professors, CNN and the NY TIMES).
I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the “food for oil” money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.
I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.
I am sorry that those same bombers are brainwashed thinking they will receive 72 virgins in “paradise.”
I am sorry that the homicide bombers think pregnant women, babies, children, the elderly and other noncombatant civilians are legitimate targets.
I am sorry that our troops die to free more Arabs from the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves of dissidents of their own making.
I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.
I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.
I am sorry we don’t drop a few dozen Daisy cutters on Fallujah.
I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient “Holy Site.”
I am sorry they didn’t apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites.
I am sorry they didn’t apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, the murders and beheadings of Nick Berg and Daniel Pearl, etc....etc!
I am sorry Michael Moore is American; he could feed a medium sized village in Africa.
America will get past this latest absurdity. We will punish those responsible because that is what we do. ! !
We hang out our dirty laundry for the entire world to see. We move on. That’s one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don’t hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.
Deep down inside, when most Americans saw this reported in the news, we were like - so what? We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. Sure, it was wrong, sure, it dramatically hurts our cause, but until captured we were trying to kill these same prisoners. Now we’re supposed to wring our hands because a few were humiliated?
Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujahans.
If you want an apology from this American, you’re going to have a long wait! You have a better chance of finding those seventy-two virgins.
Chuck Pitman
Lieutenant General, USMC
This was in my email today. Thoughts?
Posted by David on from Louisville KY 08/25 at 09:26 PMDavid, if Chuck the Marine is trying to being funny, he has failed miserably. If he is being serious, I’d chalk him up to the “beyond hope” category and move on. The time it would take to debunk each point would be time wasted, in my view.
Sadly, I’ve met many, many Americans with similar views. No wonder I’ve recently been told that my tone has taken a drastic turn toward “bleak” and “defeatist.”
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/25 at 10:10 PMMickey, Like it or not you are an American too. If America goes down ,as you seem to hope it will, you go down with her. you don’t seem to be a big fan of Human Beings either even though you are one.
Oddly enough I feel I would like to donate to your site even though we disagree on many things. I like your site and the fact that you and your regulars haven’t resorted to name calling and have been pretty nice to me when I post. Any chance you’d put up a PayPal link for donations. I just hate the thought of having to register with Amazon to send you some cabbage. Thanks!
Posted by David on from Louisville KY 08/25 at 11:02 PMI don’t hate humans, David. I’m sure you know that.
Anyway, I appreciate your desire to donate and I do hope you decide to register with Amazon long enough to do so. Cabbage is always welcome.
Thanks.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 08/26 at 06:23 AM
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