perfidy

With some luck, johnnytwocents.com will soon have comments enabled. Oh, goody! The incoherent mewling of the unwashed and unlearned hoi polloi will finally be recorded. History will take note.

In case it wasn't obvious, the foregoing was a joke. Except the parts about comments coming soon, and the hoi polloi being stuff. I go among the hoi polloi from time to time. They eat at McDonalds, stare with their mouths open at shiny things, and they sometimes smell.

[update] Hey! It seems to have worked! Pretend we care: leave a comment! No trolls.

[update the second] It's a free service. You get what you pay for, mmkay?

John Derbyshire of the National Review has some interesting points on the ultimate fate of the artifacts that were looted from the museum in Baghdad. The gist of his argument is that those who stole the Sumerian thingies were in all likelihood museum employees, and will in all likelihhod sell the loot to western collectors, who will eventually die and leave the stuff to a museum in their will. This is a reassuring thought - the artifacts will be dispersed rather than destroyed. It won't be like the burning of the Library, or the Cultural Revolution in China.

Apparently, the French government had to beg the US to allow Chirac to have his 20 minute "business-like" conversation with Bush. Instead of enhancing their world status, France's behavior over the last several months has gotten them ostracized. They are frozen out in Washington and London, and soon, TotalFinaElf will be completely out of Iraq. Frankly, it couldn't happen to a better country.

At least, now that we have eliminated the prior regime, Iraqis now can have different opinions without being shot.

Apparently, some Iraqis are giving U.S. forces the thumbs up in the Middle Eastern cultural context, figuratively speaking. This story from the NYT describes protests against the current U.S. occupation. It also discusses Shi'ite demands for an Islamic fundamentalist government.

Huh. I recall saying many times in the past that the U.S. could open the door to just such a state. It's still unlikely, but nothing is impossible. Moreover, it seems that Iraqi opinion is quite divided on the American campaign and occupation. Some in favor, some against, some just trying to stay alive. Go figure. Some Americans protested the war, some supported it, most probably didn't care since war coverage didn't interrupt March Madness coverage, or their favorite sitcom, or what have you.

Fun Facts About Syria: 

• In a fight between Syria and Aquaman, Aquaman would win since Superman couldn't just sit there and watch Aquaman get his ass kicked.
• Military estimates say that the conquering of Syria would take months... unless, of course, you don't care about all that collateral damage crap. Then it would only take a couple hours and a few beers.
• The Syrians, unlike the Romulans, cannot turn invisible.
• Syria is not in South America. and,
• Once, while everyone was distracted with an anti-Israel rally, a bunch of monkeys staged a bloodless coup. At first, people found it funny seeing the monkeys playing around in the government's capital - that was until the monkeys started ordering mass executions of dissidents. 
   

Okay. Clarification noted.

I'm going to write a looong essay on exactly why I hate Oliver Stone.

Mike, in my post, the only editorial comment I offered was, "The quote from the station manager seems to indicate that public radio has serious problems with traditional American values like free speech." I said this because the quote from the station manager included the words, "We have a policy that eliminates or restricts the expression of personal opinion on issues of controversy." 

I did not say that NPR had no right to fire him. However, for an institution that receives substantial tax support (in addition to contributions from viewers like you) this attitude is problematical. Especially since it is hypocritical, because any number of other programs on NPR are rather, well, outspokenly liberal. 

As for Oliver Stone, I did not comment editorially on HBO's removal of the program from its schedule. I merely stated, quite clearly, that Stone should be thrown out of a window. 

I spoke most precisely. 
 

Buckethead, WELL SAID. Very, very nice. 

Speechifying 

Mike (and Bucket), both NPR and HBO are within their rights to do what they did, no matter how odius either action may be. The airing of an Oliver Stone documentary is not a free speech issue-- Stone is perfectly free to take his insane ravings to the corner of Hollywood and Vine, if he so chooses. HBO, like NPR, made an editorial decision. The First Amendment only comes in to play when someone is being barred from expressing their views in a public forum. NPR, supported as they may be by donations, still don't make the grade. I wish they hadn't fired the guy, but what more do you expect from NPR? Private companies are very different from public spaces, and the First Amendment does not apply in the same way-- just look at ol' Hootie Johnson and his Constitutionally protected right to yammer like a jackass about how the women-folk would ruin his eighteen-hole old folks' home forever.