Matt Taibbi on Sarah Palin

Here's the thing about Americans. You can send their kids off by the thousands to get their balls blown off in foreign lands for no reason at all, saddle them with billions in debt year after congressional year while they spend their winters cheerfully watching game shows and football, pull the rug out from under their mortgages, and leave them living off their credit cards and their Wal-Mart salaries while you move their jobs to China and Bangalore.

And none of it matters, so long as you remember a few months before Election Day to offer them a two-bit caricature culled from some cutting-room-floor episode of Roseanne as part of your presidential ticket. And if she's a good enough likeness of a loudmouthed middle-American archetype, as Sarah Palin is, John Q. Public will drop his giant-size bag of Doritos in gratitude, wipe the Sizzlin' Picante dust from his lips and rush to the booth to vote for her. Not because it makes sense, or because it has a chance of improving his life or anyone else's, but simply because it appeals to the low-humming narcissism that substitutes for his personality, because the image on TV reminds him of the mean, brainless slob he sees in the mirror every morning.

Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States. As a representative of our political system, she's a new low in reptilian villainy, the ultimate cynical masterwork of puppeteers like Karl Rove. But more than that, she is a horrifying symbol of how little we ask for in return for the total surrender of our political power.

Vegans and poseur Dems

"Vegetarians and their Hezbollah like splinter faction the vegans are the enemy of everything good and decent in the human spirit.”

- Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

I read a couple of interesting things today. There is a story in the New York Times about differing views on diet choices impacting modern dating relationships. The story used the above quote from Anthony Bourdain, a personal pantheon member and author of just about my favorite book this decade: Kitchen Confidential. I dated a vegan for a short while once, against my own better judgment, and my tolerance for the vegan mindset lasted even less time than I expected. When she turned down Jimi Hendrix for a second time that was the final assault on good taste, so I ended the relationship on the spot. This piece reminded me of my recent thoughts on humorless liberals and liberals I have no use in being around in general. Vegans are real high on that list, at least pushy vegans. I suppose there are right wing vegans out there somewhere, but none I've ever heard of. Arin Greenwood is the lone exception I can think of to that rule. She is the more tolerable branch, a vegetarian.

Also, Matt Taibbi has a great story on how the Democrats have mastered the art of looking like they're against the Iraq War, but haven't done anything close to a serious effort on doing anything to actually stop it. This piece doesn't even expound on the Democrats failure to conduct any real oversight on the various assaults on the Constitution or to impeach the SOB.

Right versus left

One thing I've contemplated of late is why right wingers I know, Bruce Bateman, Harry Blalock, Mike Ernest and even Richard Pierce come to mind, are way cooler people to hang out and talk with than the left wingers I agree with so much more. I think it boils down to humor, and the left's apparent lack of it. Angelo, pretty liberal himself, has had his spats with lefties Wendy Doromol, Ed Propst and Dengre. I've gotten it from lefties Jane Mack, monkey picture and a touch of it from Steve Woodruff. As usual, Matt Taibbi captures this phenomenon in a quote I just read.

As for why the left's writers are dull, that's probably the reason —
anybody who's doctrinaire is also always going to be dull. If I know what your
opinion is going to be on any subject, why should I bother reading you? Plus,
most of the left's writers are like Democratic politicians in general — always
worried about offending somebody. And they're always trying to stay on message.
There is something there left over from the old communist dictum about art for
art's sake being dangerous and unorthodox. What's most infuriating about this is
that humor is the most subversive force there is. If you can become the place
where people go to laugh at the system, you will attract all the dissenting
energy in the population. But the American left has no sense of humor and no
sense of fun at all. And so the would-be revolutionaries all avoid them like the
plague, go into day-trading and shit like that.

Blog reviews

Here are the five blogs I will review, as per Angelo's request, and I will say what I think is good and bad about them. Time, will, the factor of a small island and the conservativeness of most people getting older and afraid to upset anyone keeps most blogs either short lived or dull.

Angelo's Saipan Blog - Angelo takes a lot of guff, probably because he's so ubiquitous I suppose, but I don't think he is very controversial. He's not all that political, and a lot of people don't get his humor. It's really a northeastern style, so I get it. He has great pictures, videos and I like his humor. He can write well. Not all his topics are up my alley, but some are. I find the celebrity porn aspect annoying, and I wish he'd censor himself less, but he has his reasons.

Ken's SOS Saipan - I thought he was one of the best, and then he disappeared for a long time. I'm surprised he's back and hope he stays. He's bright, knows how to write and chooses important topics.

Bruce's Saipanuvian - I almost never agree with Bruce, and he puts very minimal effort into his blog, but I like to read his nutty opinions. As I've said before, column Bruce can seem like a dickweed, but the real Bruce is a great guy and a good friend.

Matt Taibbi is a journalist for Rolling Stone and one of my heroes. He is doing what I hoped I'd be doing if I stayed in journalism full time. He has been on Bill Maher's show of late, and that is like a Lennon/McCartney combination.

Marianas Dive - This isn't a blog exactly, and even with 10-15 contributors, it's light on content and dead and/or dull for stretches at a time, but I like diving and there are some things of interest here from time to time.

Honorable mention to Brad Ruszala not for his blog, but for his comments on other people's blogs, which he has always put more effort into than his own blog.

I'll tag Galvin, Cinta and Mike Tripp, three people who have a lot to offer the community and should post more.

A must read

Here is a must read. My man Matt Taibbi wrote a long expose on war profiteering in Iraq. The most shocking part is that whistle blowers were demoted and "witnesses were afraid to testify in an effort to recover government funds because they feared reprisal from the government." Can you imagine, the government didn't want witnesses to expose fraud and get the money back to the government because it makes the Bush Administration look bad. $9 trillion in the hole and counting. The whole thing is revolting, and it is a clear expose on the true purpose for Bush's refusal to leave Iraq. Leaving Iraq makes it harder to give away $12 billion a month to friends, which is the true purpose of modern government, giving away money to large, influential corporations whether it is more useful HPV vaccines, or just plain war profiteering described in this piece. Chomsky covers all this as well. The system is so (rhymes with ducked) for normal people.

The thinking award, my nominees

Angelo graciously awarded me the thinking award. Thanks Angelo. I have to nominate five people. I'm nominating two famous people, two local bloggers and a newspaper editor.

Noam Chomsky is probably the closest thing to a modern Aristotle that exists. His writing revolutionized how I view the world.

Matt Taibbi is who I would be if I stayed in journalism full time -- at least he's who I would aspire to be like. He hasn't been writing much lately, at least political stuff.

I befriended Zaldy Dandan because I really think he tells it like it is. I know he has his detractors, but I like his stuff and think he definitely inspires thought.

I nominate Harry Blalock's Food For Thought Blog, which does provide that.

While I seldom agree with him, I have to give props to Bruce Bateman for provoking thought and being intellectually consistent.

The rules are here on Angelo's page. I don't expect Noam or Matt to participate, but it would be cool if they did.