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sawtooth
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Joined: 04 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:16 am |
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| vision wrote: |
| I hope Hitchens' cancer catches him on a better note than that. |
His essay about it in Vanity Fair was enough to make me change my mind about him for a while. It was something as humane and straightforward as Barbara Ehrenreich's recollection of breast cancer treatment in Brightsided.
| vision wrote: |
| sawtooth wrote: |
| I use radical in the tubular sense |
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Julian Assange, how do you plead in front of cool court
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Last edited by sawtooth on Tue Dec 07, 2010 4:34 am; edited 3 times in total |
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 6:23 am |
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Peter Schiff and Joseph Farah in a single documentary? Be still, my beating heart
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 7:03 pm |
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| CubaLibre wrote: |
| sawtooth wrote: |
| psiga wrote: |
| sawtooth wrote: |
| make no mistake: what WL is doing is radical with a capital R. |
I enjoy, in a grim way, how many folks see this as Radical, yet when a government that spends as much on its military as all other developed nations combined decides to lie its way into a war, that is not perceived as being even more Radical. |
Who, me? I use radical in the sense that it seeks to change the way politics and business are run in a very fundamental way. The government lying its way into an international conflict has been pretty old hat for awhile. |
I think we should preserve the world in its original leftist connotation. The substitution of "radical" for "extreme" devalues the concept. As you point out, the military-industrial complex isn't even reactionary, it's just plain old conservative. Meanwhile Islamic "radicals" are in fact reactionaries - they seek the reimposition of an ancient and defunct empire. |
I agree that it should be a term for the left. Except even assuming that "left" has a general Marxist idea as a reference point. pegging "radical" as leftist as such opens up a semantic rabbit hole:
A liberal critique of an ancient religion that has been around for millennia (Christian or Muslim) is pretty easy to define as radical. A leftist critique of something new, shocking, or modern, makes it harder to define. To make an example of something I'm a bit more familiar with: It's pretty easy to dismiss Jonathan Meades or Owen Hatherley as reactionaries, given their affinity with the radicalism of the past.
How would you classify a leftist distaste for things that are completely New and Modern? Damien Hirst's artwork? Dubai's architecture?
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Last edited by sawtooth on Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:11 pm |
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| CubaLibre wrote: |
| sawtooth wrote: |
| How would you classify a leftist distaste for things that are completely New and Modern? Damien Hirst's artwork? Dubai's architecture? |
I wouldn't attach the world to a particular ideological program like marxism or socialism. It's relative: radicalism asks for something that has not been done before. Reactionism asks for something that has come and gone. |
I thought it was a given that "leftism" is more or less defined by readings and critiques of marx; less a specific program and more of a body of critical thought. So what in the world does 'preserving the word in its leftist connotation' mean?
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:42 pm |
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| Isfet wrote: |
| what i seem to have gathered re: the sex charges is that he was possibly in violation of some kind of obscure law that doesn't allow for sex without a condom. so... |
It's a bit more than that (apparently there is an actual rape charge in there):
http://www.salon.com/news/wikileaks/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2010/12/07/julian_assange_rape_accuser_smeared
AFAIK neither the judge nor the defense have seen the evidence for the case since he turned himself in.
I think it's reasonable to assume that the charges aren't trumped up, but the urgency and pressure to prosecute & convict him certainly point to heavy pressure from outside the case.
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Last edited by sawtooth on Wed Dec 08, 2010 10:10 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2010 11:24 pm |
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This isn't the only account I've read that pegs Ron Paul as something a more than a few steps removed from "libertarian."
| Dracko wrote: |
| http://isberniesandersstilltalking.com/ |
No RSS? bullcrap
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 9:43 pm |
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how is loughner's mindset not a tea party mindset
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 11:11 pm |
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| Take It Sleazy wrote: |
| i basically only say that as partial caution because his favorite books from his youtube and myspace pages seem to be all over the political spectrum and he seems to have more mental problems than just tea party views |
Yeah, I saw that. But reading list aside, the incoherent right wing mishmash that constitutes his political views is nothing out of the ordinary even among our elected officials.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:12 am |
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| negativedge wrote: |
| well ok whatever that's your definition of a descriptor. my point is some dude walks into a grocery store and shoots people in the head and we're worried about who he voted for |
oh you
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:12 am |
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| negativedge wrote: |
| no, it doesn't. it has to do with sanity. he's not an assassin; he's a nutjob |
nutjobs are also assassins
edit: in fact, it might be a prerequisite for the job.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:07 am |
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| Mr. Mechanical wrote: |
If a crazy person uses politics to rationalize their actions, does that make their actions politically motivated? Right now my gut is telling me "No" but at the same time I'm also having a hard time determining the difference (if any) between genuine crazy and politically motivated crazy.
At any rate some people died yesterday for completely unnecessary reasons. That's already bad enough. And if the guy really is that crazy then who's to say the right demagogue or bit of rhetoric couldn't have incited him to try and kill a Republican instead? |
my gut tells me yes. Actions speak louder than words, and certainly a lot louder than someone's internal monologue at the time they're doing the deed.
There seem to be a conspicuous absence of leftwing demagogues urging violent action against elected officials. It's not as if he had an equal chance of wandering into Kaczynski(? That's all I'm coming up with atm)'s jail cell and coming away thinking shooting a republican was a good idea. Just saying.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:24 pm |
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| Dracko wrote: |
No patience for those complaining about "policisation" of Gifford's assault. The attempted assassination of a politician is political.
Of course, since a white man did this, it's "complicated". You don't see that happening with other terrorist attacks. No, no, those are clear cut black and white deals which should justify nuking the Middle East. |
right on cue, http://www.boingboing.net/2011/01/09/why-the-shootings-me-1.html
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:01 am |
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there is no such thing as society
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:05 am |
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| Mr. Mechanical wrote: |
| sawtooth wrote: |
| there is no such thing as society |
IAWTP |
you, extralife, and thatcher.
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sawtooth
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:14 am |
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| Loki Laufeyson wrote: |
why are school boards allowed to have politcal leanings in the first place? surely that can only lead to indoctrination? all schools should be like summerhill anyway.
in other news, there's a 13th sign of the zodiac now. |
exactly how would you root out politics from a school board
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:38 pm |
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love that music
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:18 pm |
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i know it's not him but it would be so great if that was *the* george lazenby. His twitter is great
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:17 am |
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sewn
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 9:33 pm |
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I figured that whatever replaced a lukewarm democratic governor was going to be a lukewarm republican, but I can't stop being surprised at what a fucking creep this guy is.
He's going to hold his ground. I can't think of a reason why he wouldn't.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:05 am |
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| Mr. Mechanical wrote: |
| http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2011/03/is-egypts-military-turning-against-the-revolution/71859/ |
as i've read it, they were never "for" it; they assisted the protesters on the assumption that any revolutionary changes to egypt's government were going to cosmetic. Once Mubarak was out, it was supposed to be business as usual. There appeared to be a growing wave of strikes in Egypt a couple of weeks ago; it's hard to find articles mentioning them after the military announced a crackdown on labor protests.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:16 am |
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It is the supposed "liberals" that are letting this happen. It is no coincidence that the same people who produced "An inconvenient truth" made "waiting for superman". I would love love love for the progressive consensus on education to be changed . No to education "reform", no to charter schools, no to privatization and corporatization. Fuck anyone who says otherwise.
The unions have already given up their privileges, which is too much. I would love to see harm to come to anyone who questions their rights. I mean this whole heartedly: when scott walker's bloody head is paraded down state street on a pole past granola shops and yuppie ethnic food stores, it means that the work of thinking people in the state of wisconsin has only begun. shame that it won't ever happen.
I'm drunk. Don't delete this. good night.
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sawtooth
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:47 pm |
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| vision wrote: |
| Quote: |
Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) protested that he had not had a chance to even see what was in the resolution before the vote was taken.
“I need to know what was removed. I need to know that,” Barca said.
The public, the media and the Democrats were not allowed to see the resolution before the Republicans voted on it.
“This is clearly a violation of the open meetings law,” Barca yelled, as Scott Fitzgerald called for the vote and struck the gavel to adjourn the meeting.
Barca said state law requires at least 24 hours notice before a conference committee hearing can be convened. |
http://www.biztimes.com/daily/2011/3/9/republicans-ram-through-bill-to-revoke-collective-bargaining |
here's the footage:
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 9:20 pm |
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jesus christ
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:12 am |
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So much equivocation, Psiga. Why wouldn't you be interested in forgetting what the unions have become? Have you already forgotten the forces that bent them that way?
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2011 9:13 am |
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Oh, right. SciEncE!!! ftw!!!!
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 6:34 am |
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no.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2011 7:52 am |
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The central thesis of demosclerosis makes it seem in line with the ideology of 'post-partisan' bloomberg/brookings institute -style pundits. a large cup of lukewarm spit.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2011 5:50 am |
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| Quote: |
| sawtooth: Interesting take on demosclerosis. I sort of thought it would be more akin to what happened in New Zealand from 1984-1990, where the Fourth Labour Government just wrecked house on the mixed economy and took on nearly every interest group. The same sort of thing looks like it might be happening in Britain today with the Coalition Government, though its too early to tell there, probably. Either way, it looks like overcoming demosclerosis necessarily means going beyond the traditional conceptions of left/right and pissing off everybody. I don't really see Bloomberg nor Brookings is really in that mold-the only thing either of them did was ban smoking and fun and advocate for the Iraq War. Then again, I don't know enough about either in terms of consistent policy perspectives to speak intelligently. |
After reading the capsule summary of demosclerosis on amazon and writing my previous post, i looked up the author and found he is currently a writer-in-residence at the brookings institute, which is no surprise.
I lump them all under the banner of third-way democrats. The things that stuck out to me were
a: The idea that america is in a permanent crisis that demands 'tough decisions'. The handwringing over debt and moral decay is the same as it was two days ago, 15 years ago, 30 years ago. I don't particularly care what specific cocktail of tough medicine Rauch proposes, as it usually consists of the same 'post partisan' neoliberal reforms: pissing off the AARP means putting social security under the axe, pissing off Greenpeace means selling off national forest, Saying no to the unions means no longer defending the right to organize, and so on.
b: The conclusion that more power must be invested in the executive branch to do accomplish the agenda noted in point a.
Authoritarianism will save democracy, war is peace, etc. I take it that 'citizen-whiner' is a phrase lifted directly from the book.
c: The equivocation of corporate lobbying power with said citizen-whiners. This seems false.
edit: of course, i may be getting it all wrong, but the general tone and context makes me believe I've seen this all before.
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Last edited by sawtooth on Fri Jun 03, 2011 11:43 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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sawtooth
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sawtooth
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:54 am |
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I remain unconvinced that you need secrets to get out of problems that secrecy gets you into
This massive, ugly, unnecessary state security apparatus certainly didn't grow without a little watering
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 8:02 am |
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What the fuck is wrong with us
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 9:37 pm |
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I'm so glad the economy is recovering. Thanks everyone, we did it.
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sawtooth
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 5:52 am |
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| Broco wrote: |
That's basically the left-wing inversion of the Tea Party attitude I mentioned. |
i suppose the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 7:09 pm |
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| Mr. Mechanical wrote: |
So wait, a guy shot at police who then shot him. And people are rioting over it? Is there really nothing more going on here? Because if it's really just people in Britain not used to gun violence then that kind of blows my mind.
Then again, if you're going to riot over something it might as well be something like gun violence. Americans only seem to riot when their basketball team loses.
There was a very similar incident that happened a couple months ago not more than 20 or so miles from where I live where a guy got shot and killed by police after a shootout. It made the nightly news but nobody got super upset about it. Even the guy's family was like "yeah we're upset but what was he thinking". I mean I think there's a huge, systemic problem in America with police brutality and etc. but I find it hard to fault any police for shooting back when fired upon. What were the Brits expecting the police to do in that situation? |
Two relevant bits i've read so far:
| Quote: |
| 7.35pm: Initial ballistics tests on the bullet that lodged in a police officer's radio when Mark Duggan died on Thursday night show it was a police issue bullet, the Guardian understands. |
| Quote: |
2.44pm: Returning to the reports a girl was involved in an altercation with police – here an eyewitness tells the BBC that a female was "set upon" by police. It was subsequently discovered she was 16, the witness says, which provoked a surge forward in her defence by people at the scene.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/blog/2011/aug/07/tottenham-riots-police-duggan-live
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 2:10 am |
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The Top Ten Ways news websites ruined themselves in the name of gaming search engines for ad revenue
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 6:02 am |
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I havent been following the wisconsin elections as closely as I should. Digby's blog is bringing me up to speed, though:
| Quote: |
| At this point in the evening, two Democratic wins out of six in the recalls and a lot of questions about a third (coming down to the same Republican activist who was suspected of rigging the Supreme Court election last April.)Remember that these were all GOP districts. |
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/wisconsin.html
| Quote: |
| Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Mike Tate following evidence of election tampering in the 8th State Senate District race: "The race to determine control of the Wisconsin Senate has fallen in the hands of the Waukesha County clerk, who has already distinguished herself as incompetent, if not worse. She is once more tampering with the results of a consequential election and in the next hours we will determine our next course of action. For now, Wisconsin should know that a dark cloud hangs over these important results." |
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/
This last issue is especially important to note: Kathy Nickolaus (the waukesha county clerk in question) is if not entirely incompetent a complete scumbag:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/07/964645/-Kathy-Nickolaus-in-Waukesha-forgot-to-saveReally
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/04/12/966070/-The-Follies-of-Kathy-Nickolaus:-A-Quick-Review
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sawtooth
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| Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 5:35 am |
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"Needless to say I did not mean to use any offensive racist term and was referring to the urban jungle."
lol
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