April 17, 2003
From the desk of Mindles H. Dreck:Apologies
Yes, Jane, I'm alive. I don't know why I am compelled to apologize for my long absence, but I am. It's really quite simple -
1) Work has been hellish, and times are not good. Extra hours at the office and little to show for it, except that I am employed, which is something. My industry is surfing the backside of the bubble. One piece of economic news that isn't getting much play outside of finance circles is that risk premia (i.e. corporate bonds vs. Treasuries; P/E discounts to riskier stocks) are finally declining from historically enormous levels. If it continues it will ultimately be good for business and markets. And not a moment too soon.
2) Just keeping up with the information on the war and aftermath soaks up almost all my leisure time (except for the brief 4-day vacation I just took in Florida, declared a blogging and news-free hiatus by the better half)
3) As if 1 and 2 weren't enough, my brother is distressed enough with my politics he is trying to work a conversion effort. He's a very smart guy but so far it has been all spleen and no brain. Some excerpts:
The Mail & Guardian of Johannesburg said the war "is about revenge; about American penis size as much as American bellies. It is an object lesson to the Islamic world in the aftermath of the Twin Towers and a shot across the bows of the other great powers with interests in the Gulf. It is an opportunity for hard-eyed generals and their industrial suppliers to test new military toys. The last thing it is really about is the liberation of the Iraqi people." (slate.msn.com)...From my point of view, it takes more than a few things to become the most disastrous president in recent (or remote) history, but being religious is not necessarily one of those things. Being a triumphalist is (using the prevailing shorthand definition of people whose philosophy is "We're strong; you're not; so shut up "). Of course in religious circles this refers to the evanglelicals (sic) who permuate (sic) this administration and I do dislike them a whole lot (An education secretary who thinks Christian schools are best etc etc ad nauseum). It's that bit about "gods on our side" that makes me start remembering zealots in history who have tortured and burned people alive to save them. But as you know, the evangelicals are not the only suppliers of triumphalists to this government- they're pleanty (sic) of secular trimphalists around.
.....Perle and Wolfy get the major arrogant-SOB-foot-in-mouth award on that one. (I mean having these bozos in governement (sic) is almost as demoralizing as Negroponte the death squad apologizer and bush the insider stock trader and corrupt tax-break seller)
...I hope the Iraqis get something out of this-I don't have high hopes given the track record of these (u.s.) officials. I have 0 confidence in their professed concerns for the Iraqi people.
(I can't resist asking you to imagine the reaction of republicans had this misadventure been undertaken by a democrat- mon dieu! "oh my god - state building??? what kind of softy liberal left wing miasma is this, where is the US interest in this, LYNCH THE BASTARD!"-that last was the lovely conservative talk radio host reaction, always ready to supply an eddifying (sic) addition to the civic discourse)
In any case when an Iraqi who is actually in the middle of being tortured when he is rescued by American soldiers can only say "well, of course I'm sort of thankful and all that but don't let me keep you and could you close the door on your way out?" Then we are in deep doodoo.
Speaking of family, I also endured remarks from my sister on how she and her in-laws are going out of their way to BUY French products and show their support for that...er..regime and how the U.S. flag "needs healing". When I cheerily informed my brother-in-law that the P.o.W.'s had been found (Young, Johnson, et. al.) he made a contemptious noise (like a 'raspberry') and said "good for them." Needless to say I didn't pursue the subject. Much moaning about Museums, no joy at liberation.
I love my family and it pains me to see the poor dears have been drinking the Common Dreams Kool-Aid.
Good to have you back.
I must say I pity you having to deal with family like that, however pleasant they may be otherwise (or not)
One thing I try to remember when dealing with folks like that is: they don't really have a clue. Its not their fault, they have swallowed lies long enough to eat them and smile.
As an excercise pick just about any issue you have argued over, do a quick Lexis or google search. I just did one for Amb. Negroponte, got back such estimable sources as globalpolicy.org, and workersworld. Some might just swallow tidbits like:
"it was Negroponte's role in Central America, in the creation of death squads in Honduras"
People accept the info as gospel (well, they wouldn't use that term), after all if it were true they would be justified in doubting this administration. I can't count the number of times I have had arguments and had things thrown in my face which I happened to know were false. Often folks start from a false premise and draw conclusions in accordance with the info. After all if you have been taught Bush and freinds are unapologetically evil, you shouldn't trust them for one second. My point is that discussion is often futile, unless you can prove their assumptions to be false to their face.
It's never enjoyable when close relations are on the other side of a matter, let alone when the matter is the kind that truly involves choosing one's perception of good and evil, then assuming that respective position. Politics and religion - the two topics we're all supposed to avoid - and here they both are, wrapped up in the human events that have and will continue to change our lives.
No one wants to lose an argument or a friendship, and these days we're often tempted given a choice between the two. In fact, I've been giving a politely wide berth to a couple friends simply because I know that eventually I'll be unable to keep silence, tempted to mercilessly confront their logical and moral stance, and expecting the relationship to follow on the chopping block soon after.
For now - and it's quite unlike me - I speak on these subjects deliberately and diplomatically, without fire or flare.
I never realized how theraputic my weblog would become!
For far too many people, politics IS religion.
And Mindles, good to see you back in town!
the holidays are upon us once again, and of course politics, religion and sports will reign supreme around the dinner table (hide the sharp knifes).
if my inlaws (from the henry wallace branch of the democratic party) raise the spector of the current administration, i will patiently smile and ask what they would have done instead to change the regime in iraq. i anticipate the answer will be similar to the christmas brunch reply, dead silence.
as i have done so many times before, i will again remind them that i and most of my family hail from the scoop jackson (truman and jfk) wing of the democratic party (by the way it is the same wing which produced the neo-cons) and i am a republican (as is their daughter) because the democratic party abandoned us.
then we will talk about the sox versus the yankees and my wife will start chanting 1918, then the conversation gets ugly.
Those grapes really would have been sour anyway, ya know?
You grow up with your parents' politics, you learn that you can't make assumptions about co-workers' politics, and (in my opinion) the best marriages are dependent on finding someone who shares your priorities and fundamental view of the world, in which case political differences tend not to be an unbridgeable gulf.
But you just can't do anything about nutty politics from siblings, in-laws, and childhood friends. Particularly if you live/work on the Planet Manhattan.
"(I can't resist asking you to imagine the reaction of republicans had this misadventure been undertaken by a democrat- mon dieu! "oh my god - state building??? what kind of softy liberal left wing miasma is this, where is the US interest in this, LYNCH THE BASTARD!"-that last was the lovely conservative talk radio host reaction, always ready to supply an eddifying (sic) addition to the civic discourse)"
kosovo?
Your family may not argue well. But at least they are basically correct in their positions. You on the other hand, combine arrogance and spleen and still manage to be wrong about most things you post here.
Only a fool would think that Bush is really going to "liberate" the Iraqi people from anything more than their wealth. At best, they get to replace one repressive regime for another (hopefully less brutal) one. Bush couldn't care less if even that happens so long as he gets to take out the guy who tried to kill his father, and fools people like you long enough to win an election.
So what's worse? The brother who reads Common Dreams and quotes it to you badly? Or you, who swallow the RNC lie du jour and think yourself superior for doing so?
Three paragraphs of ad hominem, rhetoric and supposition, duly fleeced of bothersome facts. Well done, Bones: model liberal dialectic. Stick in a little barb about Florida and the statement would have been perfect.
"So what's worse? The brother who reads Common Dreams and quotes it to you badly? Or you, who swallow the RNC lie du jour and think yourself superior for doing so?"
Actually, the comment troll with nothing to say, no facts to to recite, and nothing better to do than drop anonymous bits of nastiness.
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