The Guild 4-30-2004 Home Alone

[lodwick]

OK - you've wasted enough time researching WWI:
now get some things accomplished...

[mountaineer]

It can become addictive, can't it?

[Hillary's Lovely Legs]

It's official, Mike Rogers has blown off his committment to go the Bush event when Bush won't even be there until 8:45.

I am ticked.

[lodwick]

Yes - it's both addictive AND frustrating.

LDS dudes have located Lodwick's as far back as the Revolution. Huh!

[lodwick]

Mike doesn't sound that solid, or bright.

Come'on Mike, you can do it.

[Iowa Granny]

Well, so much for working for your Base. I'm glad a tossed Roger's plead for cash into the trash!

I will have to leave home Friday morning at 4:00 am to get to Dubuque by 6:30 when the doors open. It's worth it.

[mountaineer]

Very peculiar. Does this guy not want the party faithfuls' vote?

[BigWaveBetty]

They laugh only when the joke borders on nasty. Good-natured joking escapes them. The year Darrell Hammond did the comedy...

Darrell Hammond killed!

You're on spot about the good natured jokes and that they only laugh when the joke borders on nasty. I think it was the last WHCDinner, Ray Romano was the entertainment. Since I hadn't ever seen his stand up act I didn't know what to expect. Most of the material was about his family and about his role as a dad. I have never been so embarrassed for a group of people (the audience), they forced out a few chuckles but most of the show looked as if they were bored to tears.

ALERT! ALERT!

At the Michigan rally for President Bush tonight Hillary's Lovely Legs will be on stage with GWB!! Be sure to tune in tonight on C-span at 8:30. I'll start a live thread a bit later and ping y'all.

[They'reGone2000]

Denise (bless her heart) attending Dangerous Liaisons; Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century

[mountaineer]

Another worthy essay by Larry Miller (excerpted; click on link for rest of article):

Well, It Was a Good Idea in '46 - On Kofi Annan, violence, occupying powers, and making matters worse.

by Larry Miller

"Violent military action by an occupying power against inhabitants of an occupied country will only make matters worse."

--Kofi Annan, April 28, 2004

NOW THAT MAY NOT BE the undisputed, going-away, hands-down, dumbest thing ever said, but you have to admit it's close.

In fact, there's so much lush stupidity in it, the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. So let's examine them that way. As a bonus, it actually shows us everything you always wanted to know about the United Nations but were afraid to ask.

"Violent military action . . ." As opposed to what? Non-violent military action? What kind of military action would the distinguished secretary general prefer? Saddam et Fils still in charge? Since they're not (at no small loss of American and Coalition life), what would he like our forces to do? Leave the country immediately? To whom? The hundreds and thousands of Syrians and Yemenis and Saudis and Iranians who have spent the last year pouring over the borders and getting ready to joyously kill everyone they see?

Or should the Army and Marines stay to direct traffic, hand out blankets, learn how to say "Have a nice day" in Arabic, and let themselves get picked off two, five, and ten at a time for forever? (Like a poker game in Vegas, where the dealer keeps taking part of each pot, until the players realize no one has any money left, and the house has it all.)

The thing that's driven me nuts over the last year is the thought that our leaders weren't pressing the way they should, winning the way they should, making each precious loss count the way it should. Because being for or against this war may be an opinion, but here's a fact: Either do this, or don't, but if you do it, don't do it halfway. As Napoleon said, "If you're going to take Vienna, take Vienna."

Ah, but you see, half measures are, in fact, exactly what Mr. Annan and the United Nations want, because that's the way they work. Remember, this is the organization that literally and figuratively pulled its trucks over to the side of the road in Rwanda and let the jeeps full of machete-wielding murderers roll from town to town until they had hacked up all the screaming people they could find. Apparently, the U.N. follows some goofy Star Trek Prime Directive of "Never get involved."

Hey, bonehead, the only reason there ought to be a United Nations in the first place is so that you do get involved, so that every so often you put your baby blue helmets in between the bad guys and the screaming people before they get chopped up. That's the reason you have such a big, tall, pretty building in Manhattan, you know, not to go to cocktail parties on the Upper East Side and chat up the local, needy blondes.

SO WHAT'S HE SAYING? Is all military action involving violence wrong? How about the invasion of Normandy? That was pretty violent, but it made us the occupying power, which brings us to the next part of the opening quote . . .

[mountaineer]

Is it really that difficult to find a dress to fit?

[lodwick]

See Mike - already the deep-pocket pubbies are bailing out.

Either you, or your advisors, or both, are NOT really bright.

[lodwick]

Is it really that difficult to find a dress to fit?
***
Da kness is slacking - I know she could have packed it all into a six.

[They'reGone2000]

Six pack abs? = )

[Timeout]

I can't believe it... you read my mind!

I was reading something earlier today about Kofi Annan's NOT acting in Rwanda, then Srebrenica, then Iraq. The writer went on to complain that Kofi appears ready to NOT act again in the UNSCAM investigation.

My thought was, why waste your time listing all the times he didn't act. Can anyone name a time he DID act? No. Kofi is obviously allergic to military (violent) response, regardless of the mission. In Kofi's small mind, 3rd world residents are victims, whether they're on the side of the machetes or the side having their heads chopped off.

How tragic that we have this man in this position at a time of such historical danger. He should step down.

[Timeout]

Did anyone see Charles Krauthammer on the Fox News panel? Bless his heart, he had the best response I've heard yet to these repulsive prisoner-abuse photos.

Krauthammer pointed to the rank hypocracy of those Arabs condemning it...the same Arabs who have SAID NOTHING about terror attacks on our troops and citizens, the violent murders of the civilian contractors and desecration of their bodies, the mass graves found in Iraq, the horrific torture of Iraqis under Saddam, the use of innocent civilians as shields, etc. etc. etc.
Point, set, match! What a perfect point!

Bush should find a way to work this into his response. Something like,

"These acts are repulsive and those found guilty will be punished to the full extent of the law. We'll allow the trials to be broadcast so that all can see that we do not tolerate such abuses.

We are gratified at the Arab reaction to these acts and their recognition that it's important to publicly condemn such atrocities. No more silence in the face of such barbarism as was witnessed in Fallujah when 4 American workers' bodies were desecrated. We must all condemn the use of innocent women and children as shields in battle. We welcome Arab determination to root out those who are brutalizing Muslims..."

Wouldn't that sound good? Hoist those Arab leaders on that petard they've built for themselves.

[Timeout]

C-span at 8:30

Eastern or Central?

[BigWaveBetty]

Oops, sorry, that's for eastern time zones.

[BigWaveBetty]

Link for Michigan rally live thread.

[mountaineer]

Hoist those Arab leaders on that petard they've built for themselves.

Of course, that's exactly what Dubya, et al., should do. The same nutballs who celebrate the mutiliation of the four American contractors and suicide bombings of busloads of Israeli children are boo-hooing over some inexcusable, but non-fatal, prisoner humiliation.

Well, I'm all packed and under the impression that I haven't forgotten anything. We'll leave for the airport around noon. Mr. M still hasn't packed, of course (grrr), but at least I have all the important stuff in my bags, e.g., passports, camera, money, toothpaste. As Mr. M has been dealing with much craziness at his work, I'm hoping this is a good break for him. Thankfully, we both remembered to cast our absentee ballots today for the 5/11 primary (a friend is running for governor), but I don't suppose Le Monde will have the W.Va. election results in the 5/12 paper.