all the news that print will fit.
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| notes from underground - societal whispers all the news that print will fit. |
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Friday, August 01, 2003 np: the the - mind bomb figures i'd celebrate 2 years of blogging and then disappear for a couple of days. but since i've been continually putting off packing, i thought it best to at least compile something worthwhile to post. i have a high standard to keep, y'know. but i finished re-reading the anthemic johnny got his gun. now i've got someone i need to loan it to. so this will probably be my second copy that goes out the window. but hey, if all the copies end up in others hands to be absorbed, far better that i have to re-purchase copies every few years. if you've never read that novel, i can't recommend it enough. akin to how requiem for a dream will keep you off drugs for the rest of your life, johnny got his gun will make you hate war forever. period. "In fact, like our fellow citizens, Rieux was caught off his guard, and we should understand his hesitations in the light of this fact; and similarly understand how he was torn between conflicting fears and confidence. When a war breaks out, people say: 'It's too stupid; it can't last long.' But though a war may well be 'too stupid,' that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves." Albert Camus - The Plague. so i guess you can tell what book i'm reading now. i picked up the new-in-paperback novel from dave eggers, you shall know our velocity. if it's anywhere near as good as a heartbreaking work of staggering genius then i will be in heaven reading it. - but onward to more blood-boiling topics. first we have the president's proposal of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. a constitutional amendment to restrict peoples' freedoms? we did that once before...perhaps you remember prohibition? honestly, i don't think such an amendment would pass the 2/3rds vote in congress needed, let alone if it did manage that, the 2/3rds of states ratification. but the mere fact that our president felt confidant enough in this political climate to propose this makes me antsy. adding further to the flames, this story from the washington times dealing with contrasting the vietnam war with the current situation in iraq. i'm referring to two paragraphs in particular. "The North Vietnamese and their Viet Cong allies were bright, skilled, resourceful, well-led, and very brave. no, that sentence didn't end abruptly. that's how it was meant to read. and jesus christ how telling that is. and if you didn't trush the media's interpretation of things before, here's an almost comical example from britain to further solidify your feelings. So, here's what Tony Blair said (as he responded to a question asking whether he would continue to serve as prime minister in a third Labour term in government): "There is a big job of work to do - my appetite for doing it is undiminished." i very nearly choked reading this, laughing at the sheer audacity of that interpretation. but then realized how pointed it is. and how the same thing goes on here all the time. thanks to atrios for the tip on both of those stories. if you aren't reading him daily, you're missing a lot of things. i'm moving tomorrow. or so the plan goes. we'll see. if i go awol for a bit, that's why. so take care. posted by J. Neas | 8/01/2003 12:47:00 AM
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