Pessimism, Quotes, and Knife Wielding Monkeys
"A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation."
--Adlai Stevenson
I wonder what Adlai Stevenson would say today about Bush's inaugural address today? After all, Bush did have the gall to say the following:
"America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling."
My reaction to this was somewhat violent. I happened to be eating a bowl of generic corn chex at the time (my morning/your afternoon) when my brother gave me the script of his speech with that particular line circled in blue ink. I proceeded in inhale a whole corn chex morsel through my nasal passages, where it was promptly ejected like a wicker chair in a hurricane. My second thought was "That fucking hurt". My first thought was "Is this some sort of joke?"
I honestly thought maybe the teleprompter guys were having a bit of fun at George's expense. I can picture Karl Rove jumping in the teleprompter booth and yelling "You assholes!! You know he'll read anything you put on there!" I don't think I could be more baffled if his speech was about the liberating experience of a monkey knife fight.
If you believe that the current foreign and domestic policy is about personal liberty, freedom from oppression, and morality, I apologize for offending you in this post. All I can see is thinly veiled imperialism, unchecked capitalism, and de-socialization of our social programs. I figure some who read this may think I'm a Marxist. I can assure you that you are wrong, as I don't think envy and redistribution are good foundations for a government. However, as an economics student, I can also tell you that there is a fine line between too much policy enforcement, and not enough. I think we are stuck in a situation much like in the days of Standard Oil, where the Rockafeller was the "king" and the government's policy his "vassel". The Bush policy on just about everything rubs me the wrong way. From a business standpoint, it sucks. From a international relations standpoint, it blows. If I go into detail here, this will turn into an 80 page thesis, and I already have my degree. So fuck that.
In other news, my friend said I was like the "straight David Sedaris" tonight. I can appreciate that, but I think I'm a little bit more pessimistic than Sedaris. I was perusing my bookshelf the other day and found a gift from my first serious girlfriend (who after a 5 year relationship, ran off with an older gentleman who worked for Sony, marrying him after a few months). This nice little coffeetable book called "I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide To Life". I'll leave you with a nice little quote from this book, then I'll suppress all feelings of growing old and dying alone until I dream tonight of being hunted down by the enforcers from "Logan's Run".
When people say:
"You have that 'retro' look."
They really mean:
"You're really trying hard to look young."
Bis Morgen,
Brent
--Adlai Stevenson
I wonder what Adlai Stevenson would say today about Bush's inaugural address today? After all, Bush did have the gall to say the following:
"America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling."
My reaction to this was somewhat violent. I happened to be eating a bowl of generic corn chex at the time (my morning/your afternoon) when my brother gave me the script of his speech with that particular line circled in blue ink. I proceeded in inhale a whole corn chex morsel through my nasal passages, where it was promptly ejected like a wicker chair in a hurricane. My second thought was "That fucking hurt". My first thought was "Is this some sort of joke?"
I honestly thought maybe the teleprompter guys were having a bit of fun at George's expense. I can picture Karl Rove jumping in the teleprompter booth and yelling "You assholes!! You know he'll read anything you put on there!" I don't think I could be more baffled if his speech was about the liberating experience of a monkey knife fight.
If you believe that the current foreign and domestic policy is about personal liberty, freedom from oppression, and morality, I apologize for offending you in this post. All I can see is thinly veiled imperialism, unchecked capitalism, and de-socialization of our social programs. I figure some who read this may think I'm a Marxist. I can assure you that you are wrong, as I don't think envy and redistribution are good foundations for a government. However, as an economics student, I can also tell you that there is a fine line between too much policy enforcement, and not enough. I think we are stuck in a situation much like in the days of Standard Oil, where the Rockafeller was the "king" and the government's policy his "vassel". The Bush policy on just about everything rubs me the wrong way. From a business standpoint, it sucks. From a international relations standpoint, it blows. If I go into detail here, this will turn into an 80 page thesis, and I already have my degree. So fuck that.
In other news, my friend said I was like the "straight David Sedaris" tonight. I can appreciate that, but I think I'm a little bit more pessimistic than Sedaris. I was perusing my bookshelf the other day and found a gift from my first serious girlfriend (who after a 5 year relationship, ran off with an older gentleman who worked for Sony, marrying him after a few months). This nice little coffeetable book called "I Hate This Place: The Pessimist's Guide To Life". I'll leave you with a nice little quote from this book, then I'll suppress all feelings of growing old and dying alone until I dream tonight of being hunted down by the enforcers from "Logan's Run".
When people say:
"You have that 'retro' look."
They really mean:
"You're really trying hard to look young."
Bis Morgen,
Brent
posted by Brent at 10:59 PM
1 Comments:
Haha, you choked on cereal, Bush choked on a pretzel. Kindred spirits?
Post a Comment
<< Home