Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Friday, May 18, 2007
Airplane food, golf shirts, cell phones, and our latest caption winner
Quiet today.
Anyone take a look at what Ron Paul had to say when Wolf Blitzer asked if he was going to apologize to Rudy Giuliani for telling the truth?:
I posted it yesterday, but I wanted to make sure.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 05/18 at 11:00 AMHi JOS...The Ron Paul issue is a hot one on the airways. WGY, the Albany/Schenectady radio station talk show had it as the topic of the day. The amount of misinformation out there is mind boggling. I called in and was put on air immediately. I think that we are shoveling against the tide when we try to get the facts out.
JOS...can you give a brief summary of what Paul said to Blitzer? I cannot get it on my computer.
Also, on another topic but about the debates. They would be a lot better if they eliminated the moderator. He’s not running for any office and the moderators always take up too much time. It would be better if the just put all of the candidates in a room. Give each of them a microphone and the same amount of time to be used any way that the candidate wanted.
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/18 at 12:12 PMHello Expendables...from a damp, overcast Astoria. It’s a welcome change after the heat in Texas.
RMJ: http://bbsnews.net/article.php/20070518033503883
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/18 at 12:20 PMI was trying to find a transcript for you, RMJ, but Mickey’s link pretty much covers what he said.
Despite Wolf sounding incredulous that Paul would even suggest that “America” somehow brought on the attacks of 9/11...he stood his ground, gave the facts and then demanded an apology from Rudy instead of the other way around.
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 05/18 at 12:46 PMThanks Mickey and JOS. I watched the debate but missed the interchange between Paul and Blitzer. I just found it here
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/
This is a great opportunity for the anti-war folks to enlarge the debate, but I think most will miss the opportunity. The truth makes some people really mad!I don’t have a cell phone, Mickey.
I heard a good discussion about ethanol and its downside....Maybe it was on Democracy Now.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/18 at 12:53 PMWelcome back, MZ. Aye, it’s wicked rainy and chilly in these parts.
And I still contend that cell phone jammers make nice gifts. One can predict a hundred meters away, which drivers are talking on the phone. I’ve tried out a few one-liners on my fellow spectators of loud/rude users, and there are so many more waiting to be born. Have at it, Expendables!
RMJ, you’re making way too much sense re: “debates” and moderators. An open mike would be good (taking turns, of course) but I could also see giving each one a bag of money the size of their last campaign filing and staging a ‘Pilfer-fight.’ Last one standing gets the nod, and the campaign cash. That would draw in the reality TV crowd and definitely level the playing field - HRC and Obama would be sitting ducks.
And I’m spent…
Posted by Zen Prole on from Urth 05/18 at 01:14 PMRMJ, thanks for the link to Ron Paul. Leslie Blitzer is such a hack.
Posted by Zenprole on from Urth 05/18 at 01:23 PMGood Morning Everyone...just glancing at this article and thought...if you have nothing to do and feel like being pissed off for about 20 minutes read this commentary. If you don’t feel like being pissed off, don’t read this. However there are many other articles that can piss you off just as well, this one resonates with me and so do others. No new news.
http://www.culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=111&Itemid=1
Posted by Joe of Maine on from 05/18 at 02:06 PMClarification, when you get to above address, simply click on the home on right hand menu. No need to log in or any of thati.
Written by David Rovics / Dmitry Orlov
Posted by joe of maine on from 05/18 at 02:08 PMTim Russert on “doing God’s work”:
“I have not honked my car horn since September 11 as a gesture of respect to all of them.”
Posted by JOS on from Chicago 05/18 at 03:35 PMif that really is david rovics then hello. i met u in glasgow a year and a half or so ago and i also met you at the g8 alternatives conference when you were playing before we all trotted off to gleneagles.
how are you?
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 04:00 PMI’d like get Tim Russert in the ring with Raging Fred:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc6gkk9KB74Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/18 at 04:14 PMHi, Zen and michael
Joe...thanks for that link. It shows how really messed up the system is.
The news is reporting that the 5th largest computer in the world has just gone into operation near here at RPI. This is on the same day that I received an e-mail from a friend who is having very serious problems because he does not have access to medical care. The irony of great scientific advances and the lack of humanity in the application of scientific/medical knowledge is hard to explain.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/18 at 04:47 PMCould not agree more with what you say about airplane food, Mickey! And I might not be quite as enormous as the woman who sat in the aisle seat, but I don’t eat too much salad although I like tomatoes, cucumbers and asparagus.
‘Hi’ to JOS, Rosemarie, Zen Prole, Joe of Maine and Michael. May you and the cool observer have a good weekend.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 05/18 at 05:03 PMone thing about blair going…
during the world cup a few years ago the germany team were not doing very well. germany are a big soccer nation so that was a bit of a come down for them and a former star player and coach said this…
“if you put the whole team in a bag and hit it with a stick whichever one of them you hit would deserve it”
that is exactly how i feel about new (neo) labour. whichever dick comes next won’t be any better.
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 05:56 PMit was translated as ‘stick’.
i prefer to think he said ‘heavy iron bar’
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 05:59 PMBang, bang, bang !!!
Lovin’ it.
Posted by Keir on from the hague 05/18 at 06:13 PMnice keir…
david rovics paul wolfowitz song…
Lyrics:
He’s done giving orders to generals
He’s moved to another sphere
He’s through with ordering the tanks to kill
He’s gonna do something different this year
He’s moving from Virginia to Washington
With the neocons to thank
He’s done with the War Department
Now he’s gonna run the World BankHe said he’d be true to the mission
That hunger and want should end
And as all Afghans know he’s a man of his word
On that we can depend
So be prepared for prosperity
It’s coming to your door
`Cause there will be no poverty
Once we kill off all the poor(Chorus)
Last week he was bombing cities
Now he’s a financier
Pay your debts or say goodbye
Paul Wolfowitz is hereHe’ll bring the world things it needs
Such as nuclear power
Giant dams and hamburgers
No doubt he’s the man of the hour
He’s proven it over and over
With finesse and aplomb
And for those who disagree
Well then he’s got the bomb(Chorus)
He’s a real American
So he must know best
He’ll lead us all to glory
On that many can attest
He’ll lead us to freedom
And we will be so glad
Just like those shoppers in that marketIn downtown Baghdad
(Chorus)
apart from that…
mentioned this on a few blogs but i think it is vital that people see the thinking that goes on.this was all said by jack straw the former foreign secretary and a major player re new labour
funnily enough i agree with the actuality of 3 and a half out of four sentences, its just diametrics regarding what to do about it . see if you can spot which half sentence i disagree with.
“historically England called the shots to achieve a union because the union was seen as a way, among other things, of amplifying England’s power worldwide.
A broken-up United Kingdom would not be in the interest of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, but especially not England.
Our [England’s] voting power in the European Union would diminish. We’d slip down the world’s GDP tables.
Our case for staying in the G8 would diminish and there could easily be an assault on our permanent seat in the UN.”
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 06:34 PMGreat stuff all around today. I especially love this: “if you put the whole team in a bag and hit it with a stick whichever one of them you hit would deserve it”
We could extend that to all of us. We all deserve it to some degree.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/18 at 07:25 PMtrue, we all deserve it to some extent but i have been visiting this site for...as far as i can guess now… about 2 and a half years (that may be wrong).
the only reason why was that someone sent the seven deadly spins to spinwatch and i reviewed it. since then i have been a regular visitor. i have interacted with so many tremendous people here.
its a combination of your own good work and luck that you have such talented people as keir and JOS, such wonderful and wonderfully talented people as RMJ and such fundamentally nice people as helga and joe visiting here everyday.
so we may deserve to be hit with a stick sometimes for whatever reason… but not as much as tony and george do.
captcha is ‘wrong’.
if what i said above is wrong, i don’t want to be right.
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 07:53 PMwe are not mass murderers. the two fucking ___________(insert whatever expletive you feel is appropiate at the moment) i mentioned above are.
i am not suggesting we should give ourselves credit for not being so. thats what should be normal
what i think we should be kicking ourselves for is not continually redoubling our efforts to make sure that people mass murder of innocent and even unborn children is not regarded as ‘just the way it goes’
please consult (at least in the UK publication, the american may be slightly different) page 63/64 of endgame by derrick jensen. if you ever need revitalised in your convictions that will do it.
p.s. i am still pissed off that no one reacts when we talk about countries other than the US.
captcha is ‘study’. i do.
Posted by michael on from scotland 05/18 at 08:09 PMYou’re right, Michael. In no way did I mean we’re as guilty as the major criminals. For the most part, our worst crime is an inability (or willingness) to conjure a way to change things.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/18 at 08:15 PMThere are countries other than the US?
Posted by Keir on from the hague 05/19 at 03:22 AMhehe
Posted by JOS on from Oak Park 05/19 at 08:47 AMmichael...your observation of how self-centered the usa view is, is justified. Keir #23 beat me to the punch. We are taught here that if there are other people in other countries, they don’t count. Most people do not have passports and many never travel more than a few miles from where they live. I live 2 miles from the New York state border, and when I moved here I was surprised at how many people had never crossed that state line. Part of the problem is cultural but also part of the problem is poverty.
Michael...I might not agree with your comment that WE are NOT mass murders. Certainly there is some level of responsibility that falls upon the general population. The way that I see it, there are degrees of guilt - the Congress, the arms manufacturers, the financiers, the bomb-droppers, all of those who support the bomb-droppers, the taxpayers, the voters, .....None of us can be exonerated, except possibly those who went to Iraq as human shields.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/19 at 01:48 PMEverytime we pay taxes we are guilty. Our tax dollars buy the bombs. We may not push the button that drops them but we pay for the plane, ship, Bombs, and the buttons. So Yeah, We are guilty to some extent.
Hope all is well for everyone.
Peace!
Posted by David on from Louisville KY 05/19 at 02:25 PMHello Everyone...Brainstorm, create a future, without the mistakes of america and other materialistic, corrupt societies.
Posted by Joe of Maine on from 05/19 at 02:55 PMPart II...If everyone is escaping from their unique circumstances, individually...how can we remove the isolation that separates us and does not enable us to communicate, to help us understand and transcend our isolation so we can live humanely...peacefully...evolve?
Posted by Joe of Maine on from 05/19 at 03:57 PMDavid...I agree, also George Bush has no planes, bombs, or guns except for the ones that the people finance, manufacture, and give him. It is the people who should be Impeached.
Joe of Maine...I am ready for your new society. The big issue that I see is the access to medical care. Tell us what would happen to someone who needed chemo, or needed expensive medical procedures. What about a newborn with birth defects that required medical care??? Those risks keep us dependent on the corrupt system. Living humanely and peacefully is a worthy goal but I think that it will take more evolving in the usa than in most other countries. We live in a “me first” culture. Some people get Botox and silicone breasts, while others die from lack of medical care.
Listening to the “average” call-in person on radio talk shows since the great immigration debate began has convinced me that there is a lot of hatred in this country. We, in the usa, continue to look upon “those” people from other countries as inferiors, terrorists, criminals, free-loaders…Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/19 at 04:24 PMBREAKING NEWS...I just received this good news, not yet reported anywhere that I know of. It sort of proves the point that Joe from Maine makes about people working together. A small group in California has been working to stop shipments of weapons from the port of Oakland.
“...SATURDAY, MAY 19 Longshoremen honored a
community picket line this morning at the SSA
Terminal in the Port of Oakland. Three ships are
now sitting at the SSA docks, and cargo is NOT
moving today. Our picket line will resume this evening to meet the next shift of dock workers...”Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/19 at 04:56 PMIt could have been worse. I had never heard of Debord when I first saw this documentary 9 years ago at a local film festival, but you don’t need theory when spectacle/disaster journalism is exposed so well.
Posted by sk on from 05/20 at 05:54 AMHello again, friends...from overcast, damp, rainy Astoria. I’m truly enjoying the comments, conversations, and observations. Don’t have much of anything to add but appreciting the vibe nonetheless. Speaking of vibes...
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/20 at 07:40 AMGood Morning...Hi Mickey...yes, speaking of Vibes...he’s one of the best in my opinion.
http://www.garyburton.com/home.html
Posted by Joe of Maine on from 05/20 at 09:11 AMHere’s more wonderful news that we will all benefit from...yet,I didn’t see anywhere in this plan, money to pay for my doctor’s appointment that I cannot afford, perhaps I didn’t read the fine print?...Hmmm! $504 billion dollars...???
US plans Israel missile shield
Israel already used US-made Patriot missiles to defend against missile attacks [GALLO-GETTY]The US House of Representatives has adopted a measure aimed at weaving closer US and Israeli defences against ballistic missiles of the type that could be fired by Iran.
The measure, part of a $504 billion defence spending bill passed on Thursday, would redirect $205m in defence department funds toward projects already underway in IsraelPosted by joe of maine on from 05/20 at 11:42 AMHi Joe… $504 billion for offense and not a penny for health care for some. As Bill Blum says, Israel is not the 51st State. (He also says that he would probably be assassinated for that and other statements, if he was president).
Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/20 at 03:56 PMCENSORED NEWS YOU WON’T SEE ANYWHERE ELSE…
On Wednesday, May 23, 2007, in the Royal High Court of Justice in London, the judgement will be handed down. The victims of the crimes of the USA and Great Britain have been waiting for justice for over 30 years.
For background information see the link below.
http://tinyurl.com/8pgazPosted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 05/20 at 04:19 PMThanks, RMJ...and everyone. I’ll post something new tomorrow.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 05/20 at 09:31 PM
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