• • •
"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
September 11, 2008
Today Is The Seventh Anniversary Of An Enormous Opportunity
Time to rerun this.
Seven years ago today I would never believed it possible that Bush could fail to catch bin Laden, yet (1) get reelected and (2) maybe even get a Republican successor elected this year. It's a testament to the right's near-total control of our political system. They do good work.
—Jonathan Schwarz
Posted at September 11, 2008 07:23 AMSeven years ago today I would never believed it possible...
Consider your horizons expanded.
Call him sensei.
Posted by: Labiche at September 11, 2008 08:01 AMSo, you were, what, asleep all through the Clinton administration? Welcome to the new millennium, Mr. Van Winkle.
Posted by: AlanSmithee at September 11, 2008 08:55 AMIt is still a great opportunity!
Posted by: Seth at September 11, 2008 09:18 AMIt wasn't Bush. It was the people who own Bush. He's just a marionette on the stage. He couldn't find his way out of the box they keep him in.
Posted by: Bob In Pacifica at September 11, 2008 09:27 AMHe wasn't reelected.
Posted by: thwap at September 11, 2008 10:45 AMThirty-five years ago today a US-sponsored coup in Chile assassinated the democratically-elected president of that country and instituted a military dictatorship that resulted in the torture and murder of thousands.
Twenty-nine years ago, having spent years undermining the Cambodian government, the US began bombing, destabilising the country and leading eventually to the ascendancy of the Khmer Rouge, which led to the slaughter of a million people.
Eighteen years ago, the US, having deliberately misled Iraq into thinking it would not oppose Iraq's annexation of Kuwait, led an invasion of Iraq, initiated by the illegal bombing of civilian targets, that resulted the deaths of 100,000 Iraqis, both civilian and military. Additional sanctions following the war killed half a million children.
The list goes on and on. What happened seven years ago was karma.
Posted by: Mike at September 11, 2008 10:46 AMI am still not sure if "GWB has failed to catch Bin Laden or he has been let go". There is a lot we ( at least I ) do not know as to really what happened that day and events leading to that day and following it ( suspicious deaths of many including Pakistani chief of air force in a suspicious plane crash).
Also, there is a question if GWB was really elected in 2004. Allegedly they stole the election.
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10432334/was_the_2004_election_stolen
No one could ask a question "Why did it happen?" and if anyone did, he/she was branded "unpatriotic". Every news item had to be followed by a statement that 3000 people had been killed. Yes, there is an opportunity. Even after seven long years, if our country starts asking questions like why it happened and seek answers,
we will have made progress.
The thought that McCain/Palin could win the next election is too scary to even contemplate.
Posted by: Rupa Shah at September 11, 2008 10:49 AMThat's some good irony: "Happy 9/11"
Posted by: Monkay at September 11, 2008 11:09 AMI must agree with Mike @10:46 and add that the with what is going on today and add the last 7 yrs, karma ain't over yet.
Posted by: Mike Meyer at September 11, 2008 11:15 AMGuys, please stop accepting the official story at face-value when they lie about everything else. It's not Karma if you engineer it.
Winter Patriot has done a lot of writing on this subject. Here's one that he did recently, I encourage you to search his site for more. This is directed at you, too, Schwarz!
http://winterpatriot.blogspot.com/2008/08/unhinged-at-last-further-reflections-on.html
Posted by: Saltyjustice at September 11, 2008 12:44 PMMany Americans either don't mind or seek the control of our system, political, economic and social. A strong man at the helm, "democratically chosen," that's what they've bought into. And may well buy into again. Fascism with a friendly face, as someone put it so well fifty years ago.
Don't blame just the right wing agitprop machine, as slimyly good as it is. We choose the boots walking all over us, objections from the left duly noted and quickly forgotten.
Engineered or not WE asked for what WE got and are getting (and about to get). NO foreign power or ideology "engineered" the Phil Grahams, Tom Delays, Abrahamoffs, Reids, Pelosis, the Newts, in Congress. NO SIR! WE BRED them ALL down on the farm, right here. Got'em fat and elected them. George and Dick being the "cream-o-crop" of our "engineered supermen" all homegrown, oh boy!
Posted by: Mike Meyer at September 11, 2008 02:14 PMWhat an amazing photograph. Do you know who took it, Jon?
Posted by: Nell at September 11, 2008 11:39 PM