Letters to the Editor
-
WT
Anyway, The Bedford Incident was just about the most claustrophobic film I'd ever seen, until Alien came along.
Das Boot?
-
@ Aycharaych
No, see, it's an emotional claustrophobia I was talking about -- not so much menace as the sterile human relationships which had no hope of overcoming it. Das Boot was leavened by a melancholy, doomed camaraderie, more reminiscent of an Edith Piaf song than of 1984. It's not the same thing at all.
-
Ollie Inspires a Neologism
@Ollie:
"Those who believe the Iranian version of any incident are people who hate America or those who believe that every event is part of some grand conspiracy theory. Which one are you?"
This gem of comical incoherence and petulant paranoia has inspired a neologism:
Ollie is a dyed-in-the-wool, red-white-and-blue, take-no-prisoners, kiss-my-ass unabashed wankeroon.
wankeroon: noun, singular [combination of English wanker and maroon]; a self-abusively stupid person, commonly exhibiting violently authoritarian tendencies; a person whose consciousness is highly impervious to logical, rational arguments; a person who worships force rather than appealing to reason as a means of conflict resolution.
KR
-
AI
Kucinich and Paul are, as LWM and his quavering ilk clearly see, like, you know, "nutjobs."
I kind of enjoy our little conversations, we can say pretty much anything we please without worrying about being interrupted by the "serious" commentators.
Obviously we are beneath their notice since we are not "serious".
Seems like time to post this again..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem
An ad hominem argument, also known as argumentum ad hominem (Latin: "argument to the man", "argument against the man") consists of replying to an argument or factual claim by attacking or appealing to a characteristic or belief of the person making the argument or claim, rather than by addressing the substance of the argument or producing evidence against the claim. The process of proving or disproving the claim is thereby subverted, and the argumentum ad hominem works to change the subject.
It is most commonly used to refer specifically to the ad hominem abusive, or argumentum ad personam, which consists of criticizing or personally attacking an argument's proponent in an attempt to discredit that argument.
Many, if not most, people seem to think that ad hominem means to insult someone, as we can see from the above, that is not so.
It's interesting that the only two candidates (with the possible exception of Gravel and Huckabee) who are saying anything other than focus group tested platitudes are considered to be "nutjobs" by the "serious" commentators here.
If I didn't know better I would swear that the "serious" commentators are terrified of a truly fundamental change in the way things are done in the USA.
-
Are we
in the bardo now, bebop-o? with all these wrathful and peaceful deities the reflections of our own minds? With only the Clear Light of Compassion as our guide?
And Avalokita was mentioned.
Reality is always turning up to wink at me and remind me of what is important.
-
WT
Ever read Frank Herbert?
_The Dragon in the Sea_ aka _Under Pressure_ is similar to _Bedford_..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_in_the_Sea
Typically for Herbert, psychology and religion (the title comes from a quote from the Book of Revelation) play a large role in the narrative
It was written in 1955..
-
No, jkalos
More like nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita.... Not a lot of difference, actually, except for how far you can see.
-
Oh, indeed, Aych, indeed
They denied us the hajj seems the more relevant Herbert in these threads, though, doncha think?
-
Ollie North??
That Ollie North?? The criminal -- the liar who covered for the crooks in the Reagan WH?? He's outta jail already?? They let this guy speak in public?? And people actually listen to what he says?? I thought he disappeared years ago -- partly because he's a convicted felon, a known liar and a ass-kissing stooge to boot. Not to mention his mental-challenges. In some places, people who screwed up as bad as he usually do the honorable thing -- eat their service revolver.
Sheesh. Just goes to show.
-
H.R. 1955: An Assault on Free Speech
At the end of another thread, I posted an essay about H.R. 1955, "The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007." At the time, the essay elicited the sound of a thousand crickets.
Here's the link to a video which points out the very ominous language in the bill that criminalizes dissident political speech.
Watch the video or run the risk of finding out about this legislation after it has been signed into law by the Wankeroon-in-Chief.
I challenge you to watch. this. video.
"H.R. 1955 - Part One: An Assault on Free Speech"
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/248.html
KR
-
bebop-o
Listen to me. This is a serious proposal. Get some medical attention. By that I mean SEE A DOCTOR. If you do that, then I'll light up a fine Nicaraguan broadleaf stogie and read me some Wendell Berry.
-
On Logical Fallacies & Repression of Evidence
@Aycharaych writes:
"I kind of enjoy our little conversations, we can say pretty much anything we please without worrying about being interrupted by the "serious" commentators."
I reciprocate the sentiment.
When Glenn posted his comment above to LWM saying that he (Glenn)had never seen so many non sequiturs in a thread, I considered posting the observation that if he's going to discourage non sequiturs, he could lose a quarter of his readers, and that if he were to seriously discourage the argumentum ad hominem, he could lose another 50%.
If he were to go philosophically postal on us and attempt to discourage the repression of any evidence that might even risk engendering any cognitive dissonance, then he could probably afford to buy lunch for everybody left.
lacrimae rerum :^)
KR
-
"Pentagon added sound later"
Sorry no time to read all the comments today. Just wanted to add this, in case anyone missed.
A respectable Dutch newspaper (10/01/08) wrote yesterday that the Pentagon admitted sound had been added to the images at a later stage.
http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article887819.ece/Iran_video_VS_met_speedboten_is_nep
Can American sources confirm this?
PS: Favourite short poem, late, I know, but anyway:
Tiger, tiger burning bright
Who the hell set you alight?
- Colin Thompson