01.07.08
The connection
What do the two top news stories today – the H-word creature’s calculation to go girly in response to her collapsing poll numbers, and Iran’s latest attempt to start something in the Persian Gulf – have in common? they point up, once again, this country’s screaming need for a deadly serious commander-in-chief who thoroughly understands what we face.
Socialists driven by career ambitions need not apply.
Mr. Dings said,
January 7, 2008 at 10:45 pm
It’s called playing navy. Or Army, Air Force, Marines, etc. Macho shows of force. Kinda like sparring. Nothing to get too excited over yet. We don’t need any more excitable boys (or girls) as Commander in Chief. And that’s not a vote for Hillie. These kind of things happen all the time, in and out of out and out declared war. Boys (and girls now) will be boys. Playing silly games. Not to say that it won’t get serious. It always has before.
Mr. Dings said,
January 7, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Surprised you didn’t mention this too:
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2851460.ece
Russia has opened another front in its international show of muscle by dispatching strategic bombers to the heart of American military power in the Pacific for the first time since the end of the Cold War. Two Russian Tu-95 bombers made the 3,200-mile flight to Guam, where more than 22,000 American troops are involved in exercises, a senior air force general said yesterday.
Should we poop our pants yet? What else are these gamesters going to do with all their toys?
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 1:04 am
Wish I were able to be as worry-free about the current state of affairs on the world stage as you.
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:28 am
WWD*D?
*Dutch
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:35 am
WWW-VL HISTORY: THE COLD WAR HISTORY 1945-1991 at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy:
http://gpweb.us/VLColdWarIndex.htm
Replete with all things great and small, but nobody ever dropped the big one…
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:53 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXYg7zgAaGM
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 2:24 pm
By golly, why didn’t I think of that? Absolutely brilliant! Which one of us is going to call the White House and remind W and his national security team to consult Dire Straits on Iran’s belligerence in the Strait of Hormuz?
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Surely you jest. But, why worry anyhow? These things have always been this way. Yet, you can worry yourself silly if you want to. Call the White House if you want your telephone number on some list. Something for the FBI to get a bead on, if they want. Oh, that’s another cold war thing, newly released info on that closet drag fag that wanted to imprison, oh, about 12,000 citizens that didn’t think like he thought they ought to.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Of course I jest. I don’t consult Dire Straits on any foreign-policy matter. Guitar licks only.
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Dire Straits: 4 men, 4 votes. That’s all. If you can’t take their words for it, try Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6 or Bobby McFerrin. Just trying to ease your substantial fears, bloggie. Tear yourself up if you wish.
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Dead seriousness ain’t in my Weltanschauung and I will certainly choose not vote for it, hoping to know it when I see it. I think I was right about Tricky Dick. Cheney, that is.
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 4:23 pm
What’s tricky about Cheney?
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Let me ask you a question. Say you find yourself in a bad section of a city. Gang-bangers and obvious troublemakers loitering all over the place, giving you menacing looks, muttering under their breath about how you look like a ripe target. Is your first thought going to be, “It was ever thus,” or something more along the lines of, “What do I need to be prepared to do if things get any weirder?”
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 8, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Thinking more about this dead-seriousness-ain’t-in-my-weltaungshung thing.
Two questions:
Can the US just kind of sit back, not really do anything in the way of responses to the situations in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Israel / “Palestine,” Kenya, Sudan, Venezuela and North Korea, and be confident that they will resolve themselves just fine with no threats to us?
And, are you really going on record as saying there’s nothing you’re deadly serious about?
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Deadly serious? No, not deadly serious about anything. I want to live. I want to be free. Do you want a Monkee’s link here? Like the bluebird passing by me. The 11th Commandment ought to be “Thou shalt not take thyself (or anything else) too (deadly)seriously.” This, from today’s Indy Star tells why. It’s deadly!
Study links 9/11 stress to heart disease:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ATTACKS_HEALTH?SITE=ININS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
How many myocardial infarctions has Cheney had? A man with less stringent (and quite espensive) medical scrutiny (and wealth, though I’m sure he earned it) would be dead.
Admittedly, I am picking on words here. Of course we cannot just kind of sit back while the rest of the world’s “evil empire” runs roughshod all over us. But neither can we expect to shock and awe the world into seeing things our way, at least without substantial support from the rest of the sane people on this globe. Cheney and his ilk isolated us, from ourselves and the rest of the world. They are gone now (Cheney essentially silenced) but the bad taste still lingers in many mouths. I am deadly serious about the things I can control, if someone wants to trample on me and mine. I gotta go with the flow on worldwide insanity. It seems you want to bear arms on all these fronts. Preemptive striking is off the table. We tried it, it doesn’t work. Who knew?
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 5:18 pm
As for your question about activating fear in a bad neighborhood, been there, done that. It ended with me being arrested by two black plain clothes policemen I feared (because of an armed robbery at a suburban shopping center in Indy about two years prior) were going to rob me. No, I was not drunk, nor stoned (on anything but adreneline) nor was any contraband found on me. I just ran when scared. No biggie. But the mind can make shadows real. I try to stay out of bad neighborhoods. Don’t we all?
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Perhaps I should have preemptively struck back there in Atlanta, 1976.
Mr. Dings said,
January 8, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Insert to above Indy Star article, for practicle tips:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/ANXIETY_HEART?SITE=ININS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
hose men deemed chronically anxious were 30 percent to 40 percent more likely to have had a heart attack than their more easygoing counterparts.
The link remained even when Shen took into account standard heart risk factors such as cholesterol problems, as well as other heart-negative personality traits.
What, me worry?
Mr. Dings said,
January 9, 2008 at 1:58 am
Take it from Brother David, then:
http://www.gratefulness.org/index.htm
In the midst of a pragmatic world in which we constantly ask ourselves how useful things — and even people — are, Brother David calls us to “useless” praise. In the midst of a world in which hatred, strife, violence, and war dominate our consciousness, Brother David points our eyes in another direction and tells us that joy and peace are closer at hand than we might realize. In the midst of a world in which fear, apprehension and suspicion make us live stingy, narrow and small lives, Brother David stretches out his arms, smiles and says: “Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise — then you will discover the fullness of your life.”
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 9, 2008 at 4:55 am
Hoo, boy . . . celebrating Joan Baez’s birthday, and some Muslim feast? I dunno, man. A little rich for my blood.
Mr. Dings said,
January 9, 2008 at 11:43 am
Out demons out!
Mr. Dings said,
January 9, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I do agree with George Bush in Israel, calling Iran a threat to world peace, but that has been a long time coming, not just because of the incident with their little blue speedboats. Could it be they wanted to get blown out of the water? Them’s people’s weird. Also agree with Bush expecting both the Palestinians and Israelis to give ground to reach common ground in their peace talks. How ’bout you bloggie? Should we have blown those boats out of the water and blown the peace talks too?
Mr. Dings said,
January 9, 2008 at 10:05 pm
“Extremists think that
‘communication’ means agreeing
with them.”
— Leo Rosten
Bentnotesmanhisself said,
January 10, 2008 at 2:20 am
Agree with him on Iran, not on what he’s saying Israel has to do. The terrorism and the Katyusha rockets have to stop first. Not show a slowdown. Stop completely.
I do aggee with your Rosten quote. It’s why it’s imperative taht we win this current world war.
Mr. Dings said,
January 10, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Opinion from an Indy man(mullah?)
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080109/OPINION01/801090400/1031/OPINION01
“The United States has a long tradition of investing its money and influence into political heads of developing nations to achieve its geo-strategic and economic goals. Such policies have always created relationships between U.S. officials and the political heads of the nation, but never any form of relationship between the U.S. and the people of the nation. It was on course to do the same yet again in Pakistan, this time choosing a civilian politician instead of a military dictator. However, the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto has sent U.S. policy-makers running helter-skelter.”
Mr. Dings said,
January 11, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Re: screaming needs for deadly serious presidents, didja catch that GW was moved to tears at Auschwitz and supposedly whispered to Condi that we shoulda bombed it to stop it. I was taught we did not know until after the war. Ike who was incensed, might not have gotten the word until he saw it with his own eyes and rounded up nearby villagers, who also claimed ignorance, forcing them to bury the bodies properly. I know that is all debatable as well. And the seeker still screams out: “What is truth?”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1951975/posts
The Allies had detailed reports about Auschwitz during the war from Polish partisans and escaped prisoners. But they chose not to bomb the camp, the rail lines leading to it, or any of the other Nazi death camps, preferring instead to focus all resources on the broader military effort, a decision that became the subject of intense controversy years later.
Latest figures on Iraqi dead is only 150,000 dead, supposedly the most accurate count yet, though still questioned, of course. Not as many as the 600,000 deemed dead in other studies. Should we sigh with relief, be indifferent, shout for joy, or scream for more? That’s a lot of humans who understood the meaning of deadly serious. Can we get more deadly? Of course we can. Should we? Let’s put it to a vote. Were the Nazis deadly serious? You bet.
On a lighter note:
Bush at School
George Bush goes to a primary school to talk to the kids to get a little PR.
After his talk he offers question time. One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him his name.
“Stanley,” responds the little boy.
“And what is your question, Stanley?”
“I have 4 questions:
First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?” Fourth, why are we so worried about gay-marriage when ½ of all Americans don’t have health insurance?”
Just then, the bell rings for recess. George Bush informs the kiddies that they will continue after recess
When they resume George says, “OK, where were we? Oh, that’s right, Question time. Who has a question?”
Another little boy puts up his hand. George points him out and asks him his name.
“Johnnie” he responds.
“And what is your question, Johnnie?”
“Actually Sir, I have 6 questions:
First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN? Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes? Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? Fourth, why are we so worried about gay marriage when 1/2 of all Americans don’t have health insurance? Fifth, why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early? And Sixth, what happened to Stanley ?”
Mr. Dings said,
January 11, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Eureka! The Connection? It’s all a crying game. Or shame?
Hillie cries, GW cries, perhaps it’s only SAD* There is a cry in crisis…
*Seasonal Affective Depression
Mr. Dings said,
January 12, 2008 at 1:12 am
And, yes, it does greatly aggravate me that Iran claims we doctored the videos of their little speedboats. We are not generally liars like that, are we?