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
•
"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
October 24, 2007
I'm Perplexed By The Number Of Americans Who Can Think For Themselves
October 12-16, 2007
"Which comes closer to your view? In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism in the Middle East. OR, In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it stays out of other countries' affairs in the Middle East."Confronts 47%
Stays Out 45%
Unsure 8%August 8-12, 2007
"Which comes closer to your view? In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it confronts the countries and groups that promote terrorism. OR, In the long run, the U.S. will be safer from terrorism if it stays out of other countries' affairs."
Confronts 41%
Stays Out 49%
Unsure 10%
Is there anyone, except perhaps Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, who ever appears on TV to argue that staying out of other countries' affairs will make us safer from terrorism? Meanwhile, everyone else--from the president on down--is screaming all day long every day about the need to "confront" the evildoers. Even Chuck Todd pointed this out yesterday on Hardball, sort of:
TODD: You don't have a unified message, anti-war message, anymore on the left. It`s very muddled among the Democrats.
Obviously the idea that in the past there was a unified anti-war message from the Democrats--much less one calling for us to get out of the mideast as a wise means to reduce terrorism--is deeply insane. Still, Todd's certainly correct we're only hearing one view now.
So here's my question: when did all these Americans start sneaking off and thinking for themselves?
(poll via Digby)
Posted at October 24, 2007 11:12 AM | TrackBackBut who will confront the evil-doers in this country?
Posted by: donescobar at October 24, 2007 11:55 AMdonescobar: Well, how about YOU. Call Nancy @1-202-225-0100 and FORCE Congress to IMPEACH.
Posted by: Mike Meyer at October 24, 2007 12:18 PMMeanwhile, everyone else--from the president on down--is screaming all day long every day about the need to "confront" the evildoers.
Makes you think that the medium providing the message may not be honestly representing the situation. I read somewhere recently, that repeating a falsity often makes it seem like a truth to the average human.
Oops. Don't mean to be sounding like a paranoid schizophrenic there.
Posted by: Ted at October 24, 2007 02:47 PMChomsky regularly brings up opion polls showing that something like 80% of Americans support universal health care and so on, they just don't count for much in a public landscape dominated by propagandists.
Posted by: Non Nato at October 24, 2007 04:17 PMAnyone read Garret Keizer's essay in Harpers, "Specific Suggestion: General Strike"? Left wing too splintered and under-financed to agitate for consensus to pull off a general strike to bring this fiasco to a head? Just an idle thought.
Posted by: Hans Schneider at October 24, 2007 08:03 PMRight-wing intellectuals [sic] have long been convinced that they represent the unvocalized thoughts of the American "Common Man". They continue to reinforce this thought by talking to taxi drivers while travelling to and from conferences. Little do they realize that taxi drivers do NOT represent the Common Man, but rather Common Man's kid brother, Angry Man. And since Angry Man has just driven around all night listening to right-wing talk radio, the circle of ideas is complete.
Posted by: Ian G. Mason at October 24, 2007 09:43 PMThe wording of the study seemed vague to me. I certainly don't support ill-advised and misinformed wars, but I do support "confronting" terrorism through smart and aggressive diplomacy.
Just another of the ways in which warmongers have succeeded in redefining the language...
Posted by: Roger Moore at October 25, 2007 12:51 AM"People have very strange ideas about what's in the constitution. Some of the ideas are quite interesting. For example, there was a poll in 1987 that gave people the following phrase: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" as a principle of social policy. People were asked if that's in the Constitution. About 75% [thought it was].
Now, that's communism. ... [The phrase was coined by Marx]"
"Questions and Answers with Freshman Sociology," recorded by David Barsamian at University of Wyoming in Laramie, February 21, 1989
No-prize if you can guess who said that...
Posted by: me at October 25, 2007 01:20 AMActually, a taxi driver with a modicum of cunning will say what he thinks his customer wants to hear, just like anyone else working in customer services. With the complaints culture and no respect for such workers, the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
Posted by: me at October 25, 2007 01:28 AM
