[Vision2020] Blessed be the ties that bind . . .
Joan Opyr
auntiestablishment@hotmail.com
Mon, 22 Mar 2004 20:02:47 -0800
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Blessed be the ties that bind, though sometimes they cut off our circulat=
ion.
Nick Gier is quite right to point out Ed Sebesta's contributions to this =
list and to our knowledge of the Neo-Confederate movement. Though I rare=
ly apologize for my displays of ill temper, mostly because for me it woul=
d be like apologizing for breathing, I am sorry for the intemperance of m=
y remarks to him yesterday. I still disagree with Ed, and I still object=
to being scolded long distance on how to react to events in Moscow. We =
take different approaches to dealing with perceived threats to our values=
Ed's is to gather and disseminate information. Mine is to poke holes =
in the pompous. Doug takes himself seriously enough without any assistan=
ce from his critics. We don't need to give him a captive and fearful aud=
ience; we need to give him a mirror. =20
=20
I stick by my assessment of Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. She threw academic c=
redibility to the wind when she threw in her lot with Neo-Confederates, r=
abid anti-feminists, and right-wing reactionaries of the Southern Partisa=
n ilk. Like Camille Paglia, who horrifies me by purporting to speak for =
gay America, Fox-Genovese abandoned dry academe some time ago for the bri=
ght lights, big city of pop culture infamy. Both have set fire to their =
credentials and become tired media whores. Fox-Genovese doesn't deserve =
to be taken seriously. She deserves to be speaking at NSA's graduation. =
I wish Doug and Roy Atwood joy of her, and I wish the local newspapers j=
oy of exploring her unsavory ideas and unpleasant associations. =20
=20
BTW, it is possible to offer a sustained and thoughtful critique of our w=
orld from a conservative perspective. I'm a regular reader of The Econom=
ist, and I liked Republican analyst Kevin Phillips long before he turned =
his piercing eye on the Bush administration. But the list of thoughtful =
conservative critics gets shorter every day as the airwaves fill instead =
with the screamers, the emptily outrageous, and the downright certifiable=
It's a sad fact that ratings go up when the media plays to the lowest =
common denominator, and we have only our short attention spans to blame. =
Instead of Edward R. Murrow, we get Sean Hannity. Instead of substantiv=
e political debate, we get only what people can yell at one another in th=
e thirty seconds before the network cuts to a commercial for male enhance=
ment.
=20
Where is Milton Friedman when you need him? Off somewhere taking Ener-X.
=20
Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment
PS to Paul Duffau: Can you explain why John Kerry voted against the $87 b=
illion dollar appropriation for the war in Iraq without making reference =
to a Bush campaign sound-bite? This is a challenge, but in the interests=
of furthering that serious debate business I spoke about, I'd be willing=
to answer without reference to the Kerry campaign's thirty-second explan=
ation.Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explore=
r.msn.com
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><P class=3DMsoNorma=
l style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D3><FONT face=3D"Times New Ro=
man">Blessed be the ties that bind, though sometimes they cut off our cir=
culation.</FONT></FONT></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in=
0pt"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3></FONT> </P> <P class=3D=
MsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3D3><FONT face=3D"Time=
s New Roman">Nick Gier is quite right to point out Ed Sebesta's contribut=
ions to this list and to our knowledge of the Neo-Confederate movement.<S=
PAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Though I rarely apologize f=
or my displays of ill temper, mostly because for me it would be like apol=
ogizing for breathing, I am sorry for the intemperance of my remarks to h=
im yesterday.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>I still disa=
gree with Ed, and I still object to being scolded long distance on how to=
react to events in <?xml:namespace prefix =3D st1 ns =3D "urn:schemas-mi=
crosoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City><st1:place>Moscow</st1:place></=
st1:City>.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We take differe=
nt approaches to dealing with perceived threats to our values.<SPAN style=
=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Ed's is to gather and disseminate in=
formation.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Mine is to poke=
holes in the pompous.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Dou=
g takes himself seriously enough without any assistance from his critics.=
<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>We don't need to give him=
a captive and fearful audience; we need to give him a mirror.<SPAN style=
=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes">&n=
bsp; </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN:=
0in 0in 0pt"><?xml:namespace prefix =3D o ns =3D "urn:schemas-microsoft-=
com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3> <=
/FONT></o:p></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT=
size=3D3><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman">I stick by my assessment of Eliz=
abeth Fox-Genovese.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She th=
rew academic credibility to the wind when she threw in her lot with Neo-C=
onfederates, rabid anti-feminists, and right-wing reactionaries of the So=
uthern Partisan ilk.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Like =
Camille Paglia, who horrifies me by purporting to speak for gay <st1:coun=
try-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Fox-Genov=
ese abandoned dry academe some time ago for the bright lights, big city o=
f pop culture infamy.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Both=
have set fire to their credentials and become tired media whores.<SPAN s=
tyle=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Fox-Genovese doesn't deserve to =
be taken seriously.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She de=
serves to be speaking at NSA's graduation.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: ye=
s"> </SPAN>I wish Doug and Roy Atwood joy of her, and I wish the lo=
cal newspapers joy of exploring her unsavory ideas and unpleasant associa=
tions.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P> =
<P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=3D"Tim=
es New Roman" size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal style=
=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3>BTW, it =
is possible to offer a sustained and thoughtful critique of our world fro=
m a conservative perspective.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </S=
PAN>I'm a regular reader of The Economist, and I liked Republican analyst=
Kevin Phillips long before he turned his piercing eye on the Bush admini=
stration.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>But the list of =
thoughtful conservative critics gets shorter every day as the airwaves fi=
ll instead with the screamers, the emptily outrageous, and the downright =
certifiable.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It's a sad fa=
ct that ratings go up when the media plays to the lowest common denominat=
or, and we have only our short attention spans to blame.<SPAN style=3D"ms=
o-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Instead of Edward R. Murrow, we get Sean H=
annity.<SPAN style=3D"mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Instead of substan=
tive political debate, we get only what people can yell at one another in=
the thirty seconds before the network cuts to a commercial for male enha=
ncement.</FONT></P> <P class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o=
:p><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></P> <P cla=
ss=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=3D"Times New Roma=
n" size=3D3>Where is Milton Friedman when you need him?<SPAN style=3D"mso=
-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Off somewhere taking Ener-X.</FONT></P> <P =
class=3DMsoNormal style=3D"MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=3D"Times =
New Roman" size=3D3> </FONT></o:p></P> <DIV><SPAN style=3D"FONT-SIZE=
: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times N=
ew Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bid=
i-language: AR-SA">Joan Opyr/Auntie Establishment</SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN=
style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-fo=
nt-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-langu=
age: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN styl=
e=3D"FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-fa=
mily: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: =
EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">PS to Paul Duffau: Can you explain why J=
ohn Kerry voted against the $87 billion dollar appropriation for the war =
in Iraq without making reference to a Bush campaign sound-bite? Thi=
s is a challenge, but in the interests of furthering that serious debate =
business I spoke about, I'd be willing to answer without reference t=
o the Kerry campaign's thirty-second explanation.</SPAN></DIV></BODY></HT=
ML><br clear=3Dall><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download=
: <a href=3D'http://explorer.msn.com'>http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p=
>
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