Enjoy. Humbling to think that we now have a generation of young adults that don't remember him.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Just Because It's Friday: Ephesians 3, King James Version
It's Friday, and for this weekend, in honor of the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, the glorious words of St. Paul to the Ephesians:
Ephesians Chapter 3, verse 14 and following:
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
And, for a musical moment that almost matches St. Paul's prose:
Ephesians Chapter 3, verse 14 and following:
For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
And, for a musical moment that almost matches St. Paul's prose:
Hosni Custer Mubarak Heads For The Beach: The Mubarak Effect
Reports coming in that Homeboy Hosni Custer Mubarak has taken the helicopter to the southern resort city of of Sharm el-Sheik.
Remember the Paulson Effect in 2008? Every time Henry Paulson appeared on TV to assure ever'body that ever'thing wuz jes' fahn', the stock market would tank several hundred points.
Remember the Gore Effect? Everywhere Al Gore goes, a blizzard follows. He must be back in Nashville this week. We got hammered, and it's 10 degrees outside this morning.
We now have the Mubarak Effect: Every time the senile old man gives one of his speeches, another 100,000 really pissed-off Egyptians hit the streets. It's so crowded now, there's no room to send in the goons-on-camels squad. The army is smiling and waving, just on hand to keep the crowd from burning the palace and TV studios down. They're handing out bottles of water and rations to the crowd at the palace...
The AlJazeera live feed is here.
There's a great old Russian joke:
Stalin dies, and Nikita Kruschev eventually is named to take over. His first day on the job, the office manager sez: Joe left you four envelopes and a note he sez you should read. So, Nikita opens the desk drawer, and, sure enough, there they are. The note sez--Comrade, you will face four major crises. As each one occurs, open the envelopes in order, numbered 1,2,3,4. Good luck, comrade!
The first crisis arrives--the economy tanks. Dark days, so Nikita opens envelope number 1. The message is: Blame me! So Kruschev begins the de-Stalinization campaign, and he's a hero.
Second crisis: The grain crop fails. Envelope 2: Blame the Chinese! Works like a charm--everybody hates the Chinese.
Third crisis: Eastern Europe's going off the rails. Envelope 3: Blame the Americans
Off to the UN, bangs the podium with his shoe, acts like a horse's ass, the folks back home love it.
Fourth crisis: The economy tanks, again. It's really bad this time.
Fourth envelope: Comrade! Prepare four envelopes!
Maybe Hosni was preparing his set of envelopes...and giving the staff time to shred the records, transfer the funds to Panama, pack up the bullion and antiquities.
He best not delay too long...that Custer guy, he decided to push on one more mile and not wait for reinforcements.
That worked out well.
Remember the Paulson Effect in 2008? Every time Henry Paulson appeared on TV to assure ever'body that ever'thing wuz jes' fahn', the stock market would tank several hundred points.
Remember the Gore Effect? Everywhere Al Gore goes, a blizzard follows. He must be back in Nashville this week. We got hammered, and it's 10 degrees outside this morning.
We now have the Mubarak Effect: Every time the senile old man gives one of his speeches, another 100,000 really pissed-off Egyptians hit the streets. It's so crowded now, there's no room to send in the goons-on-camels squad. The army is smiling and waving, just on hand to keep the crowd from burning the palace and TV studios down. They're handing out bottles of water and rations to the crowd at the palace...
The AlJazeera live feed is here.
There's a great old Russian joke:
Stalin dies, and Nikita Kruschev eventually is named to take over. His first day on the job, the office manager sez: Joe left you four envelopes and a note he sez you should read. So, Nikita opens the desk drawer, and, sure enough, there they are. The note sez--Comrade, you will face four major crises. As each one occurs, open the envelopes in order, numbered 1,2,3,4. Good luck, comrade!
The first crisis arrives--the economy tanks. Dark days, so Nikita opens envelope number 1. The message is: Blame me! So Kruschev begins the de-Stalinization campaign, and he's a hero.
Second crisis: The grain crop fails. Envelope 2: Blame the Chinese! Works like a charm--everybody hates the Chinese.
Third crisis: Eastern Europe's going off the rails. Envelope 3: Blame the Americans
Off to the UN, bangs the podium with his shoe, acts like a horse's ass, the folks back home love it.
Fourth crisis: The economy tanks, again. It's really bad this time.
Fourth envelope: Comrade! Prepare four envelopes!
Maybe Hosni was preparing his set of envelopes...and giving the staff time to shred the records, transfer the funds to Panama, pack up the bullion and antiquities.
He best not delay too long...that Custer guy, he decided to push on one more mile and not wait for reinforcements.
That worked out well.
President Mubarak, Meet General Custer
To get things started, this is just one reaction to Homeboy Hosni's performance last night.
And, the Al-Jazeera live blog now underway...
A few questions come to mind, like, 'What the hell was he thinking? Just how senile is he?, (and) Who the hell let him on the air to give that speech? Did he write that drivel himself?'
There's a real problem with a life of unbroken successes: Humility, sweet humility, gained by failure, is never garnered. The one thing most needed, especially by those who lead, is absent when most needed. It is the raw material of tragedy: Greek, Shakespearean, and contemporary.
It's what got Custer and all his men killed that day. He'd never even lost a skirmish along the way in his storied career; and he knew better than his junior officers, and his non-coms, and his scouts, all of whom knew that the entire Sioux nation had gathered for the sole purpose of gathering his blond scalp. And no one dared disobey, or confront, or pull their unit out of the line. It was 'do or die', and sure enough, they all died.
OS once visited the site of the battle, and was immediately struck with the thought, 'What kind of idiot would lead his troops out into this exposed position, even without the entire Sioux nation on the warpath?' And OS is no military guy, a civilian to the core. It was that obvious. To everyone except George Armstrong Custer.
So, as OS retires to bed this evening, knowing that a tragedy is unfolding before the eyes of the world, he plans to say an extra prayer of thanks for all those failures he's experienced and survived. He prays for all those kids with their educations, their hopes, and their mobile devices, flooding the streets of Cairo. He has kids that age, and it's hard to watch. A number of them won't survive the weekend, likely, and moms and dads will have children to bury next week.
And, he prays for an extra teaspoon of humility in his morning coffee.
And, the Al-Jazeera live blog now underway...
A few questions come to mind, like, 'What the hell was he thinking? Just how senile is he?, (and) Who the hell let him on the air to give that speech? Did he write that drivel himself?'
There's a real problem with a life of unbroken successes: Humility, sweet humility, gained by failure, is never garnered. The one thing most needed, especially by those who lead, is absent when most needed. It is the raw material of tragedy: Greek, Shakespearean, and contemporary.
It's what got Custer and all his men killed that day. He'd never even lost a skirmish along the way in his storied career; and he knew better than his junior officers, and his non-coms, and his scouts, all of whom knew that the entire Sioux nation had gathered for the sole purpose of gathering his blond scalp. And no one dared disobey, or confront, or pull their unit out of the line. It was 'do or die', and sure enough, they all died.
OS once visited the site of the battle, and was immediately struck with the thought, 'What kind of idiot would lead his troops out into this exposed position, even without the entire Sioux nation on the warpath?' And OS is no military guy, a civilian to the core. It was that obvious. To everyone except George Armstrong Custer.
So, as OS retires to bed this evening, knowing that a tragedy is unfolding before the eyes of the world, he plans to say an extra prayer of thanks for all those failures he's experienced and survived. He prays for all those kids with their educations, their hopes, and their mobile devices, flooding the streets of Cairo. He has kids that age, and it's hard to watch. A number of them won't survive the weekend, likely, and moms and dads will have children to bury next week.
And, he prays for an extra teaspoon of humility in his morning coffee.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The GulfStream Moment Comes And Goes: Mubarak Decides To Stay
OS took a break from his project, to listen in via the BBC. When he delayed the start of the address nearly an hour, it was a bad sign. The Beeb showed a split screen of Homeboy Hosni and Tahrir Square. The mood turned decidedly ugly as the speech dragged on, and on, and on...
Chinstraps on, everybody...the Beeb is reporting a crowd moving toward the presidential palace, and they're not happy. It's some 20 kilometers from the square, through the dark and cold.
Chinstraps on, everybody...the Beeb is reporting a crowd moving toward the presidential palace, and they're not happy. It's some 20 kilometers from the square, through the dark and cold.
The Gulfstream Moment Has Arrived: Mubarak To Step Down
Enuf wuz enuf wuz enuf...
It appears the military has stepped in, and let him know it's over.
From the BBC:
Hossan Badrawi, secretary general of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said Mr Mubarak would "most probably" speak to the nation soon.
It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.
The Egyptian military has said it is ready to respond to the "legitimate demands of the people".
In a statement on Egyptian state TV, it said the safety and security of the people was paramount.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down was being discussed.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Cairo, says the fact that President Mubarak's departure is even being talked about is a huge development.
Our correspondent, who spoke to Mr Badrawi, says the 25 January movement - the day when the protests began - will see this as a great victory.
Now, the real challenge begins--how to keep the place from descending into chaos, and construct some sort of workable political system that operates much more openly than before, and allows the citizens to have some opportunities. Without starting a war, and keeping the Suez Canal open.
It probably won't look like a pure Jeffersonian democracy, but here's hoping that the populace is educated and secular enough to avoid becoming another Iran.
(Oh, and by the way, gotta find a place for his Gulfstreams to land, secure that bullion and those antiquities he's taking to keep himself and the harem comfortable...Miz Hilary???)
BBC Live Stream here.
It appears the military has stepped in, and let him know it's over.
From the BBC:
Hossan Badrawi, secretary general of the National Democratic Party (NDP), said Mr Mubarak would "most probably" speak to the nation soon.
It comes on the 17th day of protests against Mr Mubarak's 30-year rule.
The Egyptian military has said it is ready to respond to the "legitimate demands of the people".
In a statement on Egyptian state TV, it said the safety and security of the people was paramount.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told BBC Arabic that the scenario of President Mubarak stepping down was being discussed.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, in Cairo, says the fact that President Mubarak's departure is even being talked about is a huge development.
Our correspondent, who spoke to Mr Badrawi, says the 25 January movement - the day when the protests began - will see this as a great victory.
Now, the real challenge begins--how to keep the place from descending into chaos, and construct some sort of workable political system that operates much more openly than before, and allows the citizens to have some opportunities. Without starting a war, and keeping the Suez Canal open.
It probably won't look like a pure Jeffersonian democracy, but here's hoping that the populace is educated and secular enough to avoid becoming another Iran.
(Oh, and by the way, gotta find a place for his Gulfstreams to land, secure that bullion and those antiquities he's taking to keep himself and the harem comfortable...Miz Hilary???)
BBC Live Stream here.
Snowed In...And Happy
OS and The Sainted Mrs. OS managed to have a quick lunch date yesterday and scurry home. The snow storm sweeping across Tennessee arrived about twenty minutes later, just after groceries made it in the door.
Three inches later, we watched Nashville shut down on the tube, so smugly happy we had canceled all appointments...
Our Killmousky cat headed outdoors into the storm, and hunkered down through the temps in the teens. Sauntered in this morning, grabbed a bit of breakfast, a quick nap, and back out the door. He's a good beast, all rodents having disappeared within two weeks of his arrival.
Today, we're frozen in. Laundry, cooking, writing. So grateful just to be together. It's all we ever asked for, this potty little life together. We've got so much more than that, to be certain.
But days like this, these interludes imposed by the weather, are just wonderful.
Three inches later, we watched Nashville shut down on the tube, so smugly happy we had canceled all appointments...
Our Killmousky cat headed outdoors into the storm, and hunkered down through the temps in the teens. Sauntered in this morning, grabbed a bit of breakfast, a quick nap, and back out the door. He's a good beast, all rodents having disappeared within two weeks of his arrival.
Today, we're frozen in. Laundry, cooking, writing. So grateful just to be together. It's all we ever asked for, this potty little life together. We've got so much more than that, to be certain.
But days like this, these interludes imposed by the weather, are just wonderful.
Well, It's A Beginning: The First Round Of Proposed Spending Cuts
The House Appropriations Committee published their proposed cuts, yesterday.
Unlike the Dems, they actually published well ahead of time, and will allow time for amendments and debate.
It's a beginning. Amongst the NannyState devotees, there will be outraged cries declaring how cruel these cuts are. They'll also scoff that the cuts are too small to matter, etc. etc.
It's a beginning. A highlights include:
Department of Treasury -$268M
Internal Revenue Service -$593M
International Trade Administration -$93M
Economic Development Assistance -$16M
Minority Business Development Agency -$2M
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services -$96M
LIHEAP Contingency fund -$400M
Community Services Block Grant -$405M
High Speed Rail -$1B
FAA Next Gen -$234M
Amtrak -$224M
HUD Community Development Fund -$530M
Unlike the Dems, they actually published well ahead of time, and will allow time for amendments and debate.
It's a beginning. Amongst the NannyState devotees, there will be outraged cries declaring how cruel these cuts are. They'll also scoff that the cuts are too small to matter, etc. etc.
It's a beginning. A highlights include:
Department of Treasury -$268M
Internal Revenue Service -$593M
International Trade Administration -$93M
Economic Development Assistance -$16M
Minority Business Development Agency -$2M
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services -$96M
LIHEAP Contingency fund -$400M
Community Services Block Grant -$405M
High Speed Rail -$1B
FAA Next Gen -$234M
Amtrak -$224M
HUD Community Development Fund -$530M
Governor Haslam Of Tennessee Wins The Shortest Memory Award: He Just Can't Seem To Remember Who His Constituents Are
Eventually, it seems they all forget. Elected officials, that it is. If we were to chart the phenomenon, we'd see a ramp-up of attention (or at least the appearance thereof) toward the voters about 90 days pre-election, followed by a drop, more or less precipitous, toward completely oblivious tone-deafness.
OS thinks of George W Bush (or actually, both George Bushes) at times like this. In 1988 Bush Sr. declared 'Read my lips--no new taxes!', until he decided it was better to have Teddy Kennedy like him than keep his word to his constituents. He really seemed stunned that his 1988 voters thought that raising taxes destroyed his credibility, and didn't vote for him in 1992.
In 2004, GW Bush promised his voter base that he'd be even more conservative, appoint the right kinds of judges, restrain that spending, defend the border, etc. etc. By May of 2005, it was clear he didn't mean a word of it. He put up a few judge nominations, and didn't advocate for them. He nominated a crony to the Supreme Court, for a few days, until the laughter got too loud. He let Bill-The-RINO Frist cut deals to allow the Dems to retain control of the Senate, even though they were in the minority. He opened the spending floodgates, and for his real coupie-day-gracie, he cooked up one real stinker of an immigration bill with Teddy Kennedy (him again!) and the RINO's like Lindsay Graham, and tried to ram it through in the dark of night just before Memorial Day of 2007. The whole thing blew up in his face, and he seemed stunned at the reaction.
That went over well! The donations to Republican National Committee ceased almost immediately. The RNC is still 20 million in debt from those days. Then, the banking system and economy melted down, and Hank Paulson attempted his coup in Fall of 2008. George Junior wondered why no one believed him, why he had no credibility with his constituents, or why people are mad at him for making Obama's election such a walkover.
Both forgot who the constituency was, whose interests should be served first. It ain't Teddy Kennedy and clan, it ain't the banksters, and it sure as hell ain't the Mexican gubbmint, or the Chamber of Commerce (who love that cheap illegal labor, while letting the states handle the insurance costs), or the Chinese.
So, here we go again, in the State of Tennessee, to borrow a phrase from The Gipper, who never forgot who he worked for.
A bill has been introduced with a modest goal: Require that all drivers taking the drivers license test actually take the test in (GASP!!! OMG!!!) English!
And, here comes Guh'vner Haslam, freshly elected, saying 'No-No-No-No', we can't do that! We might ruffle the feathers of the Germans and the Japanese who are locating their plants here. Huh? Those automotive engineers who work in English everyday need license exams in German and Japanese?
Really?
Lesee--all those negotiations with those firms took place in English, all the tax abatements for those firms were drafted and approved in English, and we can be damn sure that each and every employee brought here from Osaka and Heidelburg is bilingual. Hells-bells, ya'll! They probably speak better English than most of the natives here!
And to quote the bill's sponsor: There's not a road sign from Mountain City to Memphis printed in any other language other than English. What are we doing, administering drivers license tests in five different languages? It's insane. It's dangerous. It's detrimental to the citizens of the state, who overwhelming operate in....English!
Da Guh'vner sez he don't wanna send TheWrongMessage to anybody who might wanna locate their plant here. Fair enough. There's ways to do that. This is a state matter, to be decided by the state legislature, elected by (remember us, Guh'vner?) the citizens of the State of Tennessee. Not the execs of Volkswagen or Nissan, or any other firm from any other part of the world.
Who you workin' for, Mr. Haslam? Who elected you, Mr. Haslam? Who elected an overwhelmingly conservative GOP majority into both houses (the first time since Reconstruction), Mr. Haslam? The voters of Kyoto? The voters of Bavaria?
At the very least, you act like somebody who has already forgotten who his constituents are, and for whom he works. This approach always ends badly...just ask George and George.
OS thinks of George W Bush (or actually, both George Bushes) at times like this. In 1988 Bush Sr. declared 'Read my lips--no new taxes!', until he decided it was better to have Teddy Kennedy like him than keep his word to his constituents. He really seemed stunned that his 1988 voters thought that raising taxes destroyed his credibility, and didn't vote for him in 1992.
In 2004, GW Bush promised his voter base that he'd be even more conservative, appoint the right kinds of judges, restrain that spending, defend the border, etc. etc. By May of 2005, it was clear he didn't mean a word of it. He put up a few judge nominations, and didn't advocate for them. He nominated a crony to the Supreme Court, for a few days, until the laughter got too loud. He let Bill-The-RINO Frist cut deals to allow the Dems to retain control of the Senate, even though they were in the minority. He opened the spending floodgates, and for his real coupie-day-gracie, he cooked up one real stinker of an immigration bill with Teddy Kennedy (him again!) and the RINO's like Lindsay Graham, and tried to ram it through in the dark of night just before Memorial Day of 2007. The whole thing blew up in his face, and he seemed stunned at the reaction.
That went over well! The donations to Republican National Committee ceased almost immediately. The RNC is still 20 million in debt from those days. Then, the banking system and economy melted down, and Hank Paulson attempted his coup in Fall of 2008. George Junior wondered why no one believed him, why he had no credibility with his constituents, or why people are mad at him for making Obama's election such a walkover.
Both forgot who the constituency was, whose interests should be served first. It ain't Teddy Kennedy and clan, it ain't the banksters, and it sure as hell ain't the Mexican gubbmint, or the Chamber of Commerce (who love that cheap illegal labor, while letting the states handle the insurance costs), or the Chinese.
So, here we go again, in the State of Tennessee, to borrow a phrase from The Gipper, who never forgot who he worked for.
A bill has been introduced with a modest goal: Require that all drivers taking the drivers license test actually take the test in (GASP!!! OMG!!!) English!
And, here comes Guh'vner Haslam, freshly elected, saying 'No-No-No-No', we can't do that! We might ruffle the feathers of the Germans and the Japanese who are locating their plants here. Huh? Those automotive engineers who work in English everyday need license exams in German and Japanese?
Really?
Lesee--all those negotiations with those firms took place in English, all the tax abatements for those firms were drafted and approved in English, and we can be damn sure that each and every employee brought here from Osaka and Heidelburg is bilingual. Hells-bells, ya'll! They probably speak better English than most of the natives here!
And to quote the bill's sponsor: There's not a road sign from Mountain City to Memphis printed in any other language other than English. What are we doing, administering drivers license tests in five different languages? It's insane. It's dangerous. It's detrimental to the citizens of the state, who overwhelming operate in....English!
Da Guh'vner sez he don't wanna send TheWrongMessage to anybody who might wanna locate their plant here. Fair enough. There's ways to do that. This is a state matter, to be decided by the state legislature, elected by (remember us, Guh'vner?) the citizens of the State of Tennessee. Not the execs of Volkswagen or Nissan, or any other firm from any other part of the world.
Who you workin' for, Mr. Haslam? Who elected you, Mr. Haslam? Who elected an overwhelmingly conservative GOP majority into both houses (the first time since Reconstruction), Mr. Haslam? The voters of Kyoto? The voters of Bavaria?
At the very least, you act like somebody who has already forgotten who his constituents are, and for whom he works. This approach always ends badly...just ask George and George.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Ron Paul On Egypt: Our Thirty-Year Mistake
OS is not a total Ron Paul fan, but does get the newsletter his office emails.
Today, Ron Paul cut through the confusion on Egypt with this brief essay.
The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability, including more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to pieces with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime in Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and Israel! We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and will no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but I am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-determination of the Egyptian people. Our double dealing has not endeared us to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national dignity.
It is distressing to see the reports of the secret police brutalizing and killing any and all who in any manner may shed light on the regime.
It is maddening to know we paid for it to happen, and that the folks in the streets know we paid for it.
What they don't know is that most of that money was spent out of our sight, because our Congress was asleep at the wheel.
Today, Ron Paul cut through the confusion on Egypt with this brief essay.
The US government has sent more than $60 billion to the Egyptian regime since the Camp David Accords in 1978 to purchase stability, including more security for the state of Israel. We see now the folly of our interventionist foreign policy: not only has that stability fallen to pieces with the current unrest, but the years of propping up the corrupt regime in Egypt has led the people to increase their resentment of both America and Israel! We are both worse off for decades of intervention into Egypt’s internal affairs. I wish I could say that we have learned our lesson and will no longer attempt to purchase – or rent – friends in the Middle East, but I am afraid that is being too optimistic. Already we see evidence that while the US historically propped up the Egyptian regime, we also provided assistance to groups opposed to the regime.
So we have lost the credibility to claim today that we support the self-determination of the Egyptian people. Our double dealing has not endeared us to Egyptians who now seek to reclaim their independence and national dignity.
It is distressing to see the reports of the secret police brutalizing and killing any and all who in any manner may shed light on the regime.
It is maddening to know we paid for it to happen, and that the folks in the streets know we paid for it.
What they don't know is that most of that money was spent out of our sight, because our Congress was asleep at the wheel.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Egyptian Police Trash American University Press Offices Friday: Homeboy Hosni's Finest Hour
The offices overlook the square, and the police wanted the vantage point from which to fire on the crowd below. So, they broke in. Rule of law, schmool of law, we don't need no stinking law. We're the law, bro! Homeboy Hosni sez so.
While they were at it, they trashed the offices, for good measure.
American University in Cairo Press editorial director Neil Hewison posted his account on the Oxford University Press blog.
Our AUC Press offices were trashed on Friday. The police had broken into the AUC to use the roof of our wing to fire on protesters at the junction of Sheikh Rihan and Qasr al-Aini (we found empty CS canisters and shotgun cartridges up there). And persons unknown ransacked our rooms. Drawers and files emptied, windows broken, cupboards and computers smashed. But it could have been much worse. Meanwhile, the violence may get worse before it gets better.
I’m well stocked with food and water, and there’s a good gang of neighborhood lads downstairs with makeshift weapons to keep our building and other buildings safe. Now that we have internet again I can communicate better and even do some work!
Now, ya'll, jest in case someone thinks that this is some wild-eyed bunch of anarchists pushing revolutionary screed out the door, take a look at their catalog, distributed by those wild and crazy guys Oxford University Press.
Our tax dollars at work, ya'll. Miz Hilary best be packing Homeboy Hosni off to his Gulfstream and finding a place for his scurvy ass to land. With a fortune in the tens of billions, he should find some place warm and dry to finish out his days.
Unless, of course, he really is Obama's special homeboy, and it doesn't matter how many publishers get trashed, or civilians get shot...
Only power matters, right? Never let a good crisis go to waste, right?
(HT Inside Higher Education)
While they were at it, they trashed the offices, for good measure.
American University in Cairo Press editorial director Neil Hewison posted his account on the Oxford University Press blog.
Our AUC Press offices were trashed on Friday. The police had broken into the AUC to use the roof of our wing to fire on protesters at the junction of Sheikh Rihan and Qasr al-Aini (we found empty CS canisters and shotgun cartridges up there). And persons unknown ransacked our rooms. Drawers and files emptied, windows broken, cupboards and computers smashed. But it could have been much worse. Meanwhile, the violence may get worse before it gets better.
I’m well stocked with food and water, and there’s a good gang of neighborhood lads downstairs with makeshift weapons to keep our building and other buildings safe. Now that we have internet again I can communicate better and even do some work!
Now, ya'll, jest in case someone thinks that this is some wild-eyed bunch of anarchists pushing revolutionary screed out the door, take a look at their catalog, distributed by those wild and crazy guys Oxford University Press.
Our tax dollars at work, ya'll. Miz Hilary best be packing Homeboy Hosni off to his Gulfstream and finding a place for his scurvy ass to land. With a fortune in the tens of billions, he should find some place warm and dry to finish out his days.
Unless, of course, he really is Obama's special homeboy, and it doesn't matter how many publishers get trashed, or civilians get shot...
Only power matters, right? Never let a good crisis go to waste, right?
(HT Inside Higher Education)
Home-Boy Hosni Has Done Well: It's Good to Be King...
One must take this with a bit of caution, as the source is Al-Jazeera, but it's worth consideration.
Even if it is only 20% true, little wonder the streets have filled with fed-up people.
Even if it is only 20% true, little wonder the streets have filled with fed-up people.
Happy Birthday, President Reagan. We Miss You Terribly.
OldSouth has been wondering how best to join the chorus of voices honoring the 100th birthday of Ronald Reagan. So many others have done so much, so well. And hopefully, we will all continue to tell his story, and our story in light of his. Our children and grandchildren deserve to hear about this man, given the venal midgets Clinton and Obama, and the well-meaning dunces Bush and Bush, who have occupied the White House since.
So, OS looked through a few previous posts, and found this one from a few months ago, Memorial Day of 2010. It recounts his remarks of Memorial Day, 1986. Reagan, unlike so many in our day, believed that words have meaning and power, and that they should be simple, memorable, and unequivocal. He loved words. And, unlike the crowd now in the White House, he loved America and freedom with his whole heart.
So, in honor of the Gipper, OS would remind you of the closing words of that address from 1986. They were so typical of Mr. Reagan: simple, true, and from the heart. May God in his mercy grant us another like him in our day, even though we don't deserve it.
I know that many veterans of Vietnam will gather today, some of them perhaps by the wall. And they’re still helping each other on. They were quite a group, the boys of Vietnam—boys who fought a terrible and vicious war without enough support from home, boys who were dodging bullets while we debated the efficacy of the battle. It was often our poor who fought in that war; it was the unpampered boys of the working class who picked up the rifles and went on the march. They learned not to rely on us; they learned to rely on each other. And they were special in another way: They chose to be faithful. They chose to reject the fashionable skepticism of their time. They chose to believe and answer the call of duty. They had the wild, wild courage of youth. They seized certainty from the heart of an ambivalent age; they stood for something.
And we owe them something, those boys. We owe them first a promise: That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we. And there are other promises. We must always remember that peace is a fragile thing that needs constant vigilance. We owe them a promise to look at the world with a steady gaze and, perhaps, a resigned toughness, knowing that we have adversaries in the world and challenges and the only way to meet them and maintain the peace is by staying strong.
That, of course, is the lesson of this century, a lesson learned in the Sudetenland, in Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, in Cambodia. If we really care about peace, we must stay strong. If we really care about peace, we must, through our strength, demonstrate our unwillingness to accept an ending of the peace. We must be strong enough to create peace where it does not exist and strong enough to protect it where it does. That’s the lesson of this century and, I think, of this day. And that’s all I wanted to say. The rest of my contribution is to leave this great place to its peace, a peace it has earned.
Thank all of you, and God bless you, and have a day full of memories.
So, OS looked through a few previous posts, and found this one from a few months ago, Memorial Day of 2010. It recounts his remarks of Memorial Day, 1986. Reagan, unlike so many in our day, believed that words have meaning and power, and that they should be simple, memorable, and unequivocal. He loved words. And, unlike the crowd now in the White House, he loved America and freedom with his whole heart.
So, in honor of the Gipper, OS would remind you of the closing words of that address from 1986. They were so typical of Mr. Reagan: simple, true, and from the heart. May God in his mercy grant us another like him in our day, even though we don't deserve it.
I know that many veterans of Vietnam will gather today, some of them perhaps by the wall. And they’re still helping each other on. They were quite a group, the boys of Vietnam—boys who fought a terrible and vicious war without enough support from home, boys who were dodging bullets while we debated the efficacy of the battle. It was often our poor who fought in that war; it was the unpampered boys of the working class who picked up the rifles and went on the march. They learned not to rely on us; they learned to rely on each other. And they were special in another way: They chose to be faithful. They chose to reject the fashionable skepticism of their time. They chose to believe and answer the call of duty. They had the wild, wild courage of youth. They seized certainty from the heart of an ambivalent age; they stood for something.
And we owe them something, those boys. We owe them first a promise: That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we. And there are other promises. We must always remember that peace is a fragile thing that needs constant vigilance. We owe them a promise to look at the world with a steady gaze and, perhaps, a resigned toughness, knowing that we have adversaries in the world and challenges and the only way to meet them and maintain the peace is by staying strong.
That, of course, is the lesson of this century, a lesson learned in the Sudetenland, in Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, in Cambodia. If we really care about peace, we must stay strong. If we really care about peace, we must, through our strength, demonstrate our unwillingness to accept an ending of the peace. We must be strong enough to create peace where it does not exist and strong enough to protect it where it does. That’s the lesson of this century and, I think, of this day. And that’s all I wanted to say. The rest of my contribution is to leave this great place to its peace, a peace it has earned.
Thank all of you, and God bless you, and have a day full of memories.
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