Obama Almost Like FDR
Tuning to the temporizing tergiversations by Tim today at the Senate reinforced my notion about the slight difference between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Barack Obama. FDR was willing to sacrifice the banks and brokers to save the system. Obama is willing to sacrifice the system to save the banks and brokers.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Idioms for Idiots
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In a fast-moving world like ours where busy people don’t have the time to absorb facts and think logically, the media are there with an assortment of stupid cliches specifically shaped to bamboozle the already bewildered. One of these idiotisms was cranked up in recent days to peculiarize populist participants at the 34 nation Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. It was the old standby “anti-American.”
As used by our pols and pundits, it has not the slightest thing to do with anyone’s opinion of America or things American. It is simply, and at all times, a euphemism for disobedience. Thus, if Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is described on the evening news as “anti-American,” all it means is that he does not obey the rules and regs of the empire.
By the same token, Chavez would not have to do anything “pro-American” to absolve himself of the charge. Since our empire is multinational, he could turn his country’s oil wealth over to British Petroleum, its secret police over to the Israeli Mossad, its auto business to Toyota and its entertainment sector to Sony and be considered as red, white and blue as Siegfried and Roy.
In a fast-moving world like ours where busy people don’t have the time to absorb facts and think logically, the media are there with an assortment of stupid cliches specifically shaped to bamboozle the already bewildered. One of these idiotisms was cranked up in recent days to peculiarize populist participants at the 34 nation Summit of the Americas in Trinidad. It was the old standby “anti-American.”
As used by our pols and pundits, it has not the slightest thing to do with anyone’s opinion of America or things American. It is simply, and at all times, a euphemism for disobedience. Thus, if Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is described on the evening news as “anti-American,” all it means is that he does not obey the rules and regs of the empire.
By the same token, Chavez would not have to do anything “pro-American” to absolve himself of the charge. Since our empire is multinational, he could turn his country’s oil wealth over to British Petroleum, its secret police over to the Israeli Mossad, its auto business to Toyota and its entertainment sector to Sony and be considered as red, white and blue as Siegfried and Roy.
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