glastonbury was awash with wet, and rumours of wet (apologies to marley brothers:) but then it appears reading
aint a lot better and not bein wetter though
fuji
looks green without bein a drain
what's all this talk about global warming, i just want to set the world on fire:)
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Comparing Iraq to Vietnam is like comparing Bush to King Minos
Obscure joke (King Minos ran the minoan empire who worshipped bulls! Bush&Bull - Bull is what Bush mostly talks) - anyhow, to cut to the chase:
So, the Wall Stret Journal and Financial Times battle it out to
see who can win the argument over Bush's typical confused
comparison of the "success that could have been vietnam" argument on why to stay
in iraq
WSJ and
FT and
more FT comment on Bush's recently fabulously insulting speech about how Vietnam informs Americans about what to do in Iraq (or what not to do:-)
Fascinating stuff all this albeit completely irrelevant to any possible
useful way of finding an effective way forward.
Reasoning by analogy has always been a very poor intellectual tool.
If one can relate iraq to vietnam, answer me these simple questions, by way of an
excercise in thinking about this mode of debate:
Who is the equivalent of China, or more generally, is there
an equivalence between the Sunni/Shia fight, and some internal
communist/capitalist debate?
(more close to home for me:-)
Who is the equivalent of France's role in Vietnam, in Iraq?
or
Who was the equivalent of Syria's role in Iraq, in Vietnam?
Why did the UK send troops to Iraq, but decline to support the US in
Vietnam?
Is 9/11 some sort of deep metaphor for the the Cuban Missile Crisis, and
the march of world socialism supposed to be a plugin for Islamic Jihad/Al Queda?
Frankly, this all looks like high school kids debates, and for me really doesn't
do any more than show what a skewed view of the world journalists and politicians
have, and how little interest ether have in solving things.
Most worryingly, it continues the US-centricism which is just going to piss off
more people in the region, as usual.
No it is clear to me that the nearest lesson in history to the US role in Iraq
is Ancient Rome's role in Carthage. Or maybe, the Bay of Pigs fiasco:-)
Saddam is Fidel. Viva la Revolucion!
Consused yet? no more than Geo. W. Bush, illiterati supremo!
So, the Wall Stret Journal and Financial Times battle it out to
see who can win the argument over Bush's typical confused
comparison of the "success that could have been vietnam" argument on why to stay
in iraq
WSJ and
FT and
more FT comment on Bush's recently fabulously insulting speech about how Vietnam informs Americans about what to do in Iraq (or what not to do:-)
Fascinating stuff all this albeit completely irrelevant to any possible
useful way of finding an effective way forward.
Reasoning by analogy has always been a very poor intellectual tool.
If one can relate iraq to vietnam, answer me these simple questions, by way of an
excercise in thinking about this mode of debate:
Who is the equivalent of China, or more generally, is there
an equivalence between the Sunni/Shia fight, and some internal
communist/capitalist debate?
(more close to home for me:-)
Who is the equivalent of France's role in Vietnam, in Iraq?
or
Who was the equivalent of Syria's role in Iraq, in Vietnam?
Why did the UK send troops to Iraq, but decline to support the US in
Vietnam?
Is 9/11 some sort of deep metaphor for the the Cuban Missile Crisis, and
the march of world socialism supposed to be a plugin for Islamic Jihad/Al Queda?
Frankly, this all looks like high school kids debates, and for me really doesn't
do any more than show what a skewed view of the world journalists and politicians
have, and how little interest ether have in solving things.
Most worryingly, it continues the US-centricism which is just going to piss off
more people in the region, as usual.
No it is clear to me that the nearest lesson in history to the US role in Iraq
is Ancient Rome's role in Carthage. Or maybe, the Bay of Pigs fiasco:-)
Saddam is Fidel. Viva la Revolucion!
Consused yet? no more than Geo. W. Bush, illiterati supremo!
Sunday, August 12, 2007
paleochora is fractal
wheer i am right now, a small town in south west crete, is compressed in an interesting way - unpacking it is very amusing, and can, effectively take forever - i just found this pic of my oldest kid visiting here on the site
of a rather fine (*but surreally english run*) calypso restaurant!
of a rather fine (*but surreally english run*) calypso restaurant!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
floods of tears, veils of rain
all i can say is that its damn lucky no african americans live in tewksbury or oxford and that the country is not run be neo con texans
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