O.T.'s response to yesterday's thread:
Juan Batista, Che Guevara, take your pick. As to murder, most estimates give Che 2-3,000, Batista 20-30,000.
Of course, he was "our" dictator, or more accurately, Meyer Lansky's.
Other dictators who have been "ours" at some time in the past include Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.
It doesn't matter what you call him: communist, socialist, fascist, capitalist, colonialist, imperialist...in the end all dictators are the same.
In the final analysis, yes, as they leave a trail of bodies and ruined lives. Their raison d'etre may different, as Batista was corrupt and self-indulgent, essentially like his patron Laskey, only with more bodies to his credit. Guevara was a True Believer.
We on the right tend to view Guevara with more anger than the more murderous Batista because of the murderous and thieving ideology Guevara sought to export, and because of adoration he continues to elicit from idiots on the American Left. There are no posters of Batista in university college prof offices.
Bachmann, $2 gas, and the Washington Times
Republican Prez candidate Michelle Bachmann is refusing to back off from her promise of $2/gallon gasoline. Below is a link to a Washington Times article that discusses the matter pretty well.
Yes the WT is right-leaning, but the article is, if anything, critical of Bachmann. I note that someone is quoted using a reference similar to my likening her promise to the student council "Pepsi in drinking fountains" campaign promised. The article uses the tiresome "tanked," however, in evitable reference to the 2008 stock market, but given the subject matter here, may be forgiven as a play on words.
As noted, the WT, like many papers, has a bias, but in this instance, its bias may be, surprisingly, against Bachmann. One way visual that media have of indicating bias is via photography and videography. Note the photo the WT ran with the article, not exactly what Michelle would post as a Facebook profile pic, I should think.This nothing new. LBJ was unpopular with much of the WH press corps, whose photographers went ouf of their way to shoot unflattering pix.
Word watch
24/7: cutesy, tiresome.
Ramp up: how 'bout "slope up," so we can make a superlative to "ramp up"? "Increase" or "raise" would suffice and spare us the jazzy reporting. Leave that to the NY Post's headline writers.
-oid: as in "factoid." Where did that come from? What did "fact" leave out? Occasionally, I encounter "freakazoid." I guess that means "weird." Far out.
Whack job: for "crackpot" or "psycopath." I'll leave this one alone. Perhaps Bucky or someone of similar wit can comment.
For so many dictators, there is a limited retirement plan: death or exile.
ReplyDeleteExile was the course for the genocidal Idi Amin, who spent part of his exile as a guest of Khadhafy, who had been a patron. He also spent part of it in Saudi Arabia. Given his tastes and lifestyle, I wonder how Amin took to living there.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in favor of the DP, but in Amin's case, I might concede that a hangman has been cheated. He died, tardily, of natural causes in 2003.
Yeah, Newsweek did an unflattering photo of her too for some reason. She will be ok with the $2 gas, but she had better not touch the sea levels promise. LBJ was another Texan and as such, the Eastern establishment was reflexively offended.
ReplyDeleteHaving visited Saudi and been clued in, I can say that it is a livelier place than one might think.
ReplyDeleteOn weekends, the well off young people take to the desert to listen to rock 'n' roll, drink beer and get down. They've gotten quite good at evading the morality police, who follow them everywhere they go, and have even developed some pretty sophisticated camouflage as a defense against helicopter surveillance.
In every coastal town there are huge yachts moored in the marinas. The wealthy men take them out into international waters and party down.
That and the general subservience of women probably made old Idi pretty happy there.
Is Bachmann aware that the US is not the only country that buys oil?
ReplyDeleteFor a person who claims to be up on biz, I don't think she realizes what $2/gallon gasoline implies.
ReplyDeleteI not sure of her understanding of the international oil market. I am sure that her understanding matters international is at least as complete as that of Sarah Palin's, however.
A scientist once said about one of the giant dinosaur's that it's brain was so small that "it was only dimly aware that it was alive."
ReplyDeleteI suspect that Bachmann has the same problem.
Agreed, OT Rush.
ReplyDeleteWe should rephrase Dotnet's question:
Is Bachmann aware?
Aware or not, she is certainly entertaining. As Jay Leno said recently "You won't need me for the next year. Just read what these candidates say and pretend I said it."
ReplyDeleteAs to Stab's comment on Sarah Palin's understanding of international relations...come on, Stab, let's not be badmouthing sweet Sarah.
ReplyDeleteFor years she kept a lonely heroic watch on those sneaky Russians for us from her front porch in Alaska. And that has not ended just because she moved to Arizona, where the view is not as good.
I am told that she has persuaded an Alaskan neighbor to take over the watch. The first time the Russkys move in our direction, the neighbor will display a certain number of lanterns in her belfry and Sarah will take to horse and ride to warn them that they are coming.
One if by stagecoach; two if by paddlewheel steamer, three if by rumor.
I know there are beer experts on this site. I am not one. Has anybody ever heard of Dos Equis? The commercials I have seen lately are downright funny! I would buy a 6pak just for the ads.
ReplyDeleteHi and good night WW!
ReplyDeleteDos Equis is Mexican beer, drank the stuff in Mexico DF in 1972, and here, later. It's a good beer, as are several Mex beers. I prefer the Belgian Stella, but certainly do not disdain DE, in spite of that Least Interesting Doofuss in the World's ad for it.
As a beer snob of the first order, meaning that originally I thought only Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium could make good beer, I must say that I have learned a great deal about beer and my misconceptions over the years.
ReplyDeleteThe Monteczuma Brewery in Mexico was created in the 1880s by a German immigrant, who, searching for a way to market his beer, looked to the approaching dawn of the 20th century and created a beer called Dos Equis (XX) to take advantage of the times. It has been an excellent pilsner ever since. The amber version is also quite good.
But guess what. The effete French, known for their wine, make some pretty good beer as well. And their influence during the colonial era, created a lot of really good brands around the world.
In Viet Nam we drank French influenced "33" (Ba Moui Ba), which was usually called Bomb-de-Bomb, because it was often bottled "green"...but those of us who had access to the properly brewed version knew that we had found an excellent beer.
Today you can get 33 and also Saigon, two fine French influenced beers, at City Beverage.
The best new beer in town is BeerLao, imported from Laos, another part of the former French Indo China.
But if you want to drink the best beer in the world, look to American craft brews.
Start at home with our own Foothills Brewery on 4th Street, then move on to Highlands (Asheville) and Duck Rabbit (Farmville). Their Milk Stout challenges even Guinness for great taste.
Moving outside NC, the Brooklyn Brewery in Brooklyn, NY has an outstanding variety of beers and ales. Anything from the Oscar Blue brewery in Colorado is worth a try, with their Dale's Pale Ale possibly the best pale ale in the world. My favorite India pale ale is Two Hearted, made by Bell Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The name comes from Hemingway's great two part short story "Big Two-Hearted River", which is a delight for those who enjoy hiking, camping, fishing, etc.
Harder to find, but often available at City Beverage, is anything from the Anderson Valley Brewing Company in northern California. Their Boont Amber Ale may be the best beer in the world. Anything else that they make is superb. And they have a great story. Just Google them.
OT..I had no idea about the world of beer! I see adds for the local craft beers and they seem interesting. My folks were tee totalers so my exposure to beer was a beer can that smelled in someone's house. Maybe Harris-Teeter sells the Dos Equis and I will try some because as I mentioned, I think their new commercials are funny. Some of the best beer I remember was in southern Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Usually in a glass, light in color and right next to a nice plate of pork schnitzel. I appreciate the beer info.
ReplyDelete