or Powell's or me• • •
"Mike and Jon, Jon and Mike—I've known them both for years, and, clearly, one of them is very funny. As for the other: truly one of the great hangers-on of our time."—Steve Bodow, head writer, The Daily Show
•
"Who can really judge what's funny? If humor is a subjective medium, then can there be something that is really and truly hilarious? Me. This book."—Daniel Handler, author, Adverbs, and personal representative of Lemony Snicket
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"The good news: I thought Our Kampf was consistently hilarious. The bad news: I’m the guy who wrote Monkeybone."—Sam Hamm, screenwriter, Batman, Batman Returns, and Homecoming
June 13, 2007
Good Internet Things
• Robert Parry writes a mid-year report to readers. You can donate to Parry's Consortium News here.
• Arthur Silber tells a story with an extremely happy ending
• Jonathan Versen on TV's context of no context
• Ioz says: "Jonah Goldberg wallowed neck-deep in his watering hole, for though awkward on land, in the water he is beautiful."
• As the Giant Noise Machine leaps to defend Scooter Libby, Rick Perlstein remembers a similar defense of William Calley when he was convicted in 1971 for My Lai:
"The real murderers are the demonstrators in Washington who disrupt traffic, tear up public property, who deface the American flag."
Likewise, the real perjurers in 2007 are Cindy Sheehan and Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Posted at June 13, 2007 10:51 AM | TrackBackGood telly things too: Last night's Frontline was pretty good and covered "The Lost Year in Iraq".
Three points:
1. I never knew that Jerry Bremer was a Kissinger toady. Seems like he was Henry's man in charge of the Iraqi vision thing. Boy what a f*cking idiot.
2. Gen. Garner wanted -- and I mean really, really wanted -- to let the death squads out early so that housecleaning could start early. But, nooooooo... the boys at the Pentagon would have none of that -- they preferred DEEP de'bathification down to purging schoolteachers -- also, the order to disband the military -- utter, utter stupidity. Garner was considered "off the reservation" in his crazy ideas of prompt elections.
3. All along, the intent was to leave 30,000 troops in country indefinitely after the initial lovefest. You know, just to insure that the war paid for itself. And to be close to Iran, Syria, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
If I had the power to bend people to my will, I'd make every freaking HS kid in America watch Frontline. Every week -- just to keep them depressed and in a constant teenage funk; rather than this generalized bullshit teenage angst I see on the telly, they should be given solid reasons why they need to be fed a solid diet of SSRIs by the handful.
Oh, yeah, I'd make the military watch it too; to disabuse them of the notion that their leaders are competent.
Posted by: Ted at June 13, 2007 05:18 PMwhat grooviness! thanks 4 th' mention.
Posted by: Jonathan Versen at June 13, 2007 09:17 PMTed: LOTTERY DRAFT, not only will Mom, Pop, Grandma, Grandpa, and any infant over 3 years old, WORRY but the teens will love it too.
Posted by: Mike Meyer at June 14, 2007 01:41 AM
