Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Sunday, December 04, 2005
If it's Sunday, it must be Cyber-Stew
Hey-- off to a proofreading shift, yeah today on Sunday morning, but the good news is I’ve been working steady daytime shifts, so I can emcee the Tuesday B&N experience. That way you won’t be just a self-promoting demagogue, if an Expendable reads your intro… Just a quick note to encourage everone to come out and enjoy MZ’s reading… though I guess most commenters here are exempt, not being in tri-state area, etc.... offline all day, but good luck! From fair trade coffee to Starbucks, should be an interesting contrast…
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 12/04 at 09:56 AMLadies and gentleman, let’s hear it for Expendable James from Hell’s Kitchen.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 10:40 AMHi James
Mickey, Good Luck on Tuesday (but you won’t need luck). If anyone films it, I can have it played on our TV station here, as everyone else can in other areas if they have a community channel. That will not give you a very big audience. Like I said before, we have to get you on C-Span soon. I will post those addresses again but maybe it would be better to do it on a day other than Sunday. Things tend to be slow on Sundays.Tomorrow in a British Court the people who were expelled from Diego Garcia will be seeking justice. There is a lot of information available. Here is just 1 link.
http://tinyurl.com/3ar2hPosted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/04 at 01:41 PMMZ, from yesterday: you are a demogogue, dear, when you consider the root word there is “demos” or the common people. You are indeed a voice for the Everyman of Conscience. We’re leaving off “agein”, to sway or persuade, because of its nasty 20th-century connotations, and reconnecting the concept to the people. How’s that for a retronymic justification?
Keir, from yesterday: “Y’all: please don’t say “sorry”. It’s the most difficult response to consider.” It is the hardest response to respond to, as well, but we got nothin’ for dealing with the aftermath of death in our stock phrasebooks that really does a decent job of conveying the impersonally painful sadness of the losses of others. “I hurt for you” is waaaaay too personal for any but the closest friends; “Your loss saddens me” is so reminiscent of Clinton’s “I feel your pain” that it makes me shudder. What, Expendables, shall we do about this? It’s a big void in conversational conventions. Challenge: think something up!
“But let me say thank you to Mickey and the Expendables for maintaining an atmosphere in which sharing that story feels natural.” You’re a welcome friend here, Keir, of course we want to hear your stories. Hence NaNoWriMo, which comes but once a year...but EVERY year....
“The big essay question on the final exam was: Why did George Washington and the founding fathers pursue a policy of isolationism in the formative years of the United States of America. My answer, which earned my a failing grade, was one sentence long and I remember it word for word to this day: ‘Because they knew they had to get their shit together before they started to #### with the rest of the world.’” It’s kids like you that made me give up my dream of being a history teacher. Just thought you should know.
Go James! Workin’ on a Sunday has to mean better pay, right?
RMJ, I sent a little something your way. more to follow via snail mail, though not immediately.
I’m off to nurse a hangover.
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/04 at 02:48 PMOkay, Mudge, just call me Demo Man. I’m the “sort” of demagogue that’s more Huey Newton than Huey Long. More Rimbaud than Rambo. More...oh, never mind.
As for your “sympathy semantics” challenge, I often write (in such situations): “My thoughts are with you” or “You’re in my thoughts during this tough time.” Neither really does more than stain a page with ink but that’s all I’ve got (unless, as you say, it’s someone close and I can be specific). It’s much easier in person. A facial expression, a touch, a hug...all much better than words. Especially words transmitted through cyberspace.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 03:06 PMFunny fact...Eldridge Cleaver was one of our clients for years, and he always said that Huey Newton scared him. You might annoy me once in a way, but I’ve yet to be scared of you. And Huey Long wasn’t anything like the buffoon he’s portrayed as...megalomaniac, sure, but how many people with strong convictions based on unpleasant facts aren’t eventually megalomaniacal in rooting the unpleasant facts out, then in other ways?
Oh dear, that’s a very inelegant sentence and I don’t know how to fix it.
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 12/04 at 03:20 PMI sometimes scare myself, Mudge...but that probably doesn’t count.
Btw, Huey Long once said: “Hard work is damn near as overrated as monogamy.” Now there’s a can of worms…
You ask (inelegantly): How many people with strong convictions based on unpleasant facts aren’t eventually megalomaniacal in rooting the unpleasant facts out, then in other ways?
I answer: 3?
Finally, as Einstein said, when seeking the truth, leave elegance for the tailor.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 03:43 PMHi Mickey, Rosemarie, Mudge, and James -
About alernative forms of condolence: I was trying to remember back a bit, when I was hanging with the gang, alot more often. It seems to me that most of us would simply say: “Wow, that’s fucked up. Really fucked up.”
It’s what we expected to hear, and it’s what we gave… and it conveyed a lot of information…Great to see the Bullworth trailer, Mickey.
Yeah, I enjoyed that film very much. It’s hard to know what to think about Warren Beatty. He’s a spoiled, rich, famous, ladies man who is pretty consistently about as far to the Left as anyone in Hollywood…
Despite myself, I guess I like him.
“Reds” was sometimes an interesting film, as well, though not as perversely satisfying as Bullworth.These professional mercenary groups really give me the creeps. But, it makes sense. I often say to myself that there really are no laws for the elites - just price tags. In this case, if they can’t do it with regular military people, they just hire a bunch of soldiers of fortune, and they can do whatever they want to do…
Thanks for the link on Diego Garcia, Rosemarie.
This situation enrages me, and makes me want to cry, simultaneously.
I’ve not yet finished reading the page, but here’s an interesting sentence, one which you’d never expect to read in your entire lifetime:“A plaintiff in another case “has not demonstrated that cultural genocide has achieved universal acceptance as a discrete violation of international law”:”
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 03:51 PMHi Joe. A silly thought popped into my head as I read your comment (Bulworth, price tags, etc.).
Q. What’s bull worth these days?
A. About 100,000 Iraqis and 2000 Americans.So, cultural genocide has not achieved universal acceptance as a discrete violation of international law? Could that be because it only happens to them?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 03:56 PMAbout Huey Newton -
I guess alot of very negative things can be said about him, but they won’t be said by me. At his best, he’s one of the most amazing guys I’ve ever heard about. He stared death right in the eyes, dozens of times, and, for a long time, death backed down…
I just can’t help loving the guy…Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 03:59 PMYeah, Mickey - and add about 200 billion dollars… of other people’s money, of course.
They always exhibit the courage to spend other people’s money, sacrifice other people’s lives, and destroy other people’s lands -
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 04:02 PMhello all
i am making a habit of these drunken sunday posts. been my friends 30th birthday this weekend. its 9.35pm and i teach all day monday so i am not around for long. there is one thing i have to say tho. not been posting much lately btu i miss these conversations when i don’t have the chance to read them.
not been posting because there is a very useful new facility coming up for researchers, activists,writers and the like and it will be online in january.
it’s a large collaborative effort and will be a lot of use.
thats what i’ve been up to
there are more than a thousand entries.
emailed mickey with preliminary details. if anyone is interested i will post them here too.
Posted by michael on from scotland 12/04 at 04:42 PMok - got to go
will be back tomorrow eve behaving like a ‘penitent drunk’ (i love that phrase- what the film ‘network’)
Posted by michael on from scotland/purgatory 12/04 at 05:28 PMBulworth was good. Entertaining and even responsible. The rap part was embarassing though. Really.
Condolences: it is all in the way its said and the body language. We lack that here. I didn’t mean to brush off what I took yesterday as genuine expressions of sympathy--but those losses happened long ago, so I guess I just didn’t expect it.
Mudge, you dreamt of being a history teacher? What was this exciting life you were living that teaching history was a dream for you?
Michael, share with us this secret information you have.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 12/04 at 06:12 PMSounds very interesting, Michael. I look forward to hearing more about it.
We miss having you here, my friend. Now, you be careful, out there in ‘purgatory.’ (Sounds like some town in an old Clint Eastwood cowboy film.)Mickey, after our brief exchange, in posts 9 & 11, I was reminded of the stories I occasionally hear about an announcement - made ( Oh, so conveniently, I always thought ) on September 10, 2001 - that the pentagon had “lost” a couple of TRILLION dollars.
I was never sure that the tale was true, so I’ve been looking about. Yup, seems to be true…Here’s the link. I debated about whether or not to wait till tomorrow to post it, since it’s so quiet today, but - well, what the hell:
If traffic stays low, today, I’ll re-post, if you think it might be a point of interest. $2.3 trillion seems pretty interesting to me… Or, as the “gang” might have put it: “Wow, that’s fucked up, man. Really fucked up!”
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 06:29 PMHi Keir -
Yup, we’re still gabbing about how best to tell you about how we feel…
We’re a thrilling bunch, eh?I was going to teach school, at one point. I decided to spend a year pulling out my fingernails with pliars, instead… I’ve never regretted it, though on cold, rainy days, my fingertips often ache…
Hey, what time is it, there?
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 06:33 PMHello all.
Michael gave me the lowdown on his new project but I’ll wait until he posts it. I wouldn’t wanna take away from our debate on how best to express sorrow via the Internet. How about one of those smiley faces...only wearing a frown? Get it? He’s sad.
Joe: $2.3 trillion missplaced, huh? Damn, I get upset with Michele when she tells me she can’t find the five dollar bill she could’ve sworn she had in her jeans pocket. Maybe Rummy and Co. needed a little seed money to start their non-public military budget? Someone has to pay for secret prisons in Eastern Europe and planting stories in the Iraqi press.
Btw, did you use “society’s pliers”? (Couldn’t resist the opportunity to show off with an obscure Dylan reference).
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 06:43 PMIt’s time for bed. More school teachers like you, Joe, and we might have ourselves a country of decent, reasonable, considerate people.
Can’t read that post now Joe but I’ll check it tomorrow. A few years ago I ran across the printed copy of Newsweek dated September 10 2001 (i.e. printed earlier). Can’t remember the exact gist of it, but the cover story hinted at--get this--impeachment of Bush for his ineptitude. The month-long vacation, remember? Well, it’s so nice of Newsweek to change its tune since years of brave and thoughtful decisions have proven Bush’s, um, eptitude.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 12/04 at 06:49 PMOops. Mickey, didn’t see you there.
Like, no reason to put a frown on a smiley face ‘cause that’s like, um, sad and stuff. Just leave it like a smiley face ‘cause that tells the sad person to, you know, be happy. Sad people are, like, a total drag.
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 12/04 at 06:53 PMKeir, like, totally gets it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 06:56 PMSee, there he goes again. Mudge making me feel inferior using words like “retronymic”. I wonder if Mudge’s partners get mad at him because they have to walk around with unabridged dictionaries strapped to their backs.
“Because they knew they had to get their shit together before they started to #### with the rest of the world.” great quote! That’s how my favorite students thought. I was often given the classes of students who were said to have “attitude” problems. I miss them.
Joe, I checked out your link. Maybe it would be great if they lost another couple 2.3 trillion. The problem is not that they lost it. The problem is that “somebody” found it and will no doubt use it for unsavory purposes. Maybe we now have yet another Black Budget.Posted by RMJ on from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts 12/04 at 07:32 PMRMJ: Forgot to say thanks for your continued C-Span campaign. There’s no way I’ll have the Tuesday night event filmed (unless Indymedia shows up). So, perhaps when my WWII book finally gets re-released, Book TV will schedule me in. In the meantime, I appreciate anyone dropping them a line about it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 08:03 PMRosemarie, I just “had a visual” of Mudge reading those dictionaries. I guess that’s one way to fall in love with words…
Oh, by the way - you’re surrounded, here, by people with “attitude problems.” YOU have an “attitude problem!” It’s a common malady, among those of us far to the Left… fortunately.Great line, by the way, Rosemarie - about the $2.3 trillion. I guess if the money really HAD been lost, enormous suffering and loss of life might have been avoided. Sadly, it probably wasn’t lost at all…
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 09:07 PMHa...I found the money. They gave it new hero, Super Steven, so he can “develop” a magic camera to end terror by filming it:
http://tinyurl.com/8m869Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 09:16 PMHi Mickey -
Well, I’m just grateful that the citizens of the US will finally learn about how difficult it is to be an Israeli, in these troubled, terrorist-ridden times.
My son just peeked into the room and said:
“I’ve just experienced the ultimate rejection: My imaginary friend hates me.”Every few years, for a moment or two, having a family is a delight.
Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/04 at 10:12 PMThanks for that, Joe. Nice ending to the day for me.
It’s 10:20. Signing off from Astoria...with a little snow still on the ground.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 12/04 at 10:20 PMAm a late visitor today, Monday 5 December @ 6:0e PM local time. Thanks for posting the Bulworth lyrics, Mickey! And I don’t think private armies are sexy at all actually.
And hi to all of you MZ’ers!
OT: are you as suspicious as I am at the timing of the finding of the mass grave in Lebanon which supposedly is filled with opponents of Syria, when that country occupied Lebanon? I mean - who encouraged the Syrians to occupy Lebanon all those decades ago? Those memory holes are getting bigger all the time ..Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 12/05 at 02:04 AMOh - and peace out from a very warm Daylesford, Australia - temperatures rose to nearly 86F today. It’s a bit ‘cooler’ now, at 6:40 pm EST on a Monday evening.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 12/05 at 02:41 AMHi Helga - Well, better late than never.
You’re always in great spirits, it seems, which is refreshing…
I’ve not heard of the “mass grave” discovery, but it seems there are always such revalations before we begin blowing people up. In the former Yugoslavia, we suddenly found lots of evidence of genocide, just before we jumped in. Later on, when these claims were investigated on the ground, almost none of them proved to be true.Posted by joe on from Oregon 12/05 at 10:54 AMYour analysis of the human need for greed is quite intriguing. As long as human being have created a monetary value to a little piece of paper deemed as a “dollar bill”, greed and destruction will never cease. I’m sure there are a million stories of things “we’re not supposed to know or find out,” yet there is nothing to be done other than take a small step everyday to better humanity. Hence, the all to familiar ideals of Buddhism. Do not judge, do not hurt, do not kill, and look for the truth and beauty in life. Take the extra step to hold a door for an old lady, donate clothing and food to the needy here and there, and most importantly show compassion for your fellow human.
These are the ideals that have been forgotten and lost not just at a governmental level, but at an “everyday human” level. It is up to people like us to make a change.
You can make yourself and others aware of all the death and destruction, yet at the same time it continues. It will continue, because human begins are ignorant, selfish, and malicious. It is a fact of life. There is not one day one of us gets angry about somebody driving slow in front of us, somebody cutting in line at the grocery store, or somebody giving us problems at work. We’ll never learn until we begin to understand how to prevent these situations and deal with them in a more compassionate and understanding manner.
I don’t blame politics, I blame humans in general. The government is just a group of people with mixed negative motivations. They’ll steal and manipulate you much like your neighbor or even close friend.
It’s not that I’m apathetic about our current situation, I understand and accept it as a nature human flaw that will never redeem itself. Much like I accept death as my natural fate, as I do yours, my parents, and everyone else close to me.
We’re animals. We kill, just like animals do. Animals in the wild kill for food and survival. Humans kill for financial survival, and security. We’ve created that need over years and now we are suffering for it.
Even in high school we competed to be liked by everyone, to get the best grades for our parents (and ourselves), and of course to be accepted by our peers and everyone else. Yet, at the same time we were so absorbed by that false sense of happiness we forgot what it really is to be alive and enjoy the small things.
As long as we continue this way, we’re bound for extinction. Of course, at some point it is inevitable.
Yet, there is hope, look in a mirror and you will see it.
Best of luck in your search for a political utopia Richard, perhaps you will find it in the same place you’ll find Peter Pan and Santa Claus.
I see it in our eyes, the inner rebellion with never die.
Your good friend,
Ryan
Posted by RyanThinks on from WNY 12/08 at 04:14 PM
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