An Open Letter from DOC …
Keith Olbermann may have his “special commentary” and Bill O’Reilly may have his “talking points memo” but Temporary Knucksline has that wild and crazy curmudgeon from the FARRRR right, the DOCster ... and here’s an open letter from him to moi, Knucskline and all a’yous ...
Oh, Chaz,
I think I need an intervention. I almost did a terrible thing tonight. I almost blogged. Worse than that, I almost blogged at the New York Times!
I was innocently reading an article about the use of Blackwater employees by the CIA in the Middle East. Shockingly, they are not just being used as guards. They were actually supporting CIA missions.
Now, you know that I am not someone who is prone to sarcasm, but I was tempted to drop that information I discovered about gambling in Casablanca on the NYT. Then I got to the "Readers Comments" section.. Good God Almighty!
It seems every one of their readers was represented, because there were like 28 comments. 28 comments and Bush/Cheney was mentioned 112 times. And the outpouring of outrage and disgust and indignation and moral superiority just about made me gag. I will never again accuse you of having your panties in a bunch. Your panties might be a tad wrinkled. These NYT people are in full blown, atomic, ninja, panty bunch mode. This is "the crabs are gasping for air" panty bunch mode.
Needless to say, there was much talk about arresting Blackwater, the CIA and of course Bush/Cheney. (In NYT land "Bush/Cheney" is one word and I would imagine that most NYT readers have their computers programmed to print "Bush/Cheney" just by hitting the "B" key.)
So, my new plan is to arrest Blackwater, the CIA, the entire military and of course Bush/Cheney and have the 28 readers of the NYT put their flip-flops and Birkenstocks on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let's see how the uber-conservative Taliban reacts to our new capuccino drinking, clove cigarette smoking, Keith Olbermann groupie, all gay army strike team. I think a week or two of their self-absorbed, catty, holier than thou, liberal wienie banter will have those mullahs packing up and moving to Jersey. Then we could just round them all up at the falafel stand in Patterson.
Do you think I might be onto something here?
Your pal,
Doc
PS: I would love to go to your Christmas Party, but if anyone wishes me "Happy Holidays" I will need to have the Jennster shoot them. I would also like to know what your arrangements are for dealing with the accumulation of deadly CO2 gases.
I'm not paying any carbon taxes to Al Gore! He'll just buy more food with it.
TK Editorial comment regarding above ... President Nobel Peace Prize actually upped Blackwater’s Budget (if you were looking for change—there’s one example) ... so maybe when dealing with Bush-Cheney from now on in regards to anything Blackwater or CIA, perhaps Obama needs to be added to the mantra: Bush-Cheney-Obama.
Bellum Justum ... Speaking of the Nobel Peace Prize, while Knucksline found President Obama’s peace speech eloquent as usual, we found the concept of a “Just War” used after 8 years of war against a rather nebulous enemy (we know they’re out there, all reportedly 100 of them) a bit dramatic and spurious. Should the entire nation state of Afghanistan suffer for our defense of a corrupt regime? Doesn’t that kind of negate the “Just” part of the formula?
What makes it more difficult to swallow, quite frankly, is the lack of questioning being done about what has now become Obama’s war. Except for Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist quoted here at Knucksline often in regards to anything Afghanistan related, including a polite criticism of President Obama and his “tragic mistake” of sending an extra 30,000 to war there, we’re not hearing any of the questions that quite rightly plagued the Bush administration about both wars.
If we’re going to fight a war for a just cause, why aren’t we invading Darfur, North Korea and/or Iran?
And what’s up with the nation building?
And, while we’re at it, what’s up with Blackwater? Why the increase in their budget?
If Al Qaeda is going to be our evil enemies forever (and we’re not suggesting they won’t be), what happens if in two years after we leave Afghanistan (assuming we ever leave), they return? Do we go back for that Just Cause?
Hey, you know what? Enough already. Bring the kids home and lets tend to business here. And please, President Obama, feel free to start initiating some of that so-called socialism (since wingnut loons like DOC are accusing you of it anyway). You’ve rescued Goldman Sachs and AIG ... now it’s time to rescue all of us. That would be a more than welcomed change.
No More Kirkus Reviews ... On a VERY sad note for the ugly one ... one more publishing collapse in an industry beset with collapsing, Kirkus Reviews is no more. Kirkus had been more than kind to the fat one (that Charlie Stella character). Known as the tough one on the reviewing block, Kirkus gave Stella two starred reviews (Eddie’s World & Shakedown) and a bunch of very good reviews with just one so-so review. They did not review Mafiya.
From New York Entertainment ... The Pepsi to Publishers Weekly's Coke when it comes to prepub press, Kirkus was always known, to the booksellers and industry reporters who relied on its write ups of forthcoming titles, as the cranky one. Where PW went soft for a big name or a fresh face, Kirkus could usually be counted on to demolish the overblown writers, and to be unsparing when it came to first novels by photogenic young things. A rave in Kirkus was truly a prize; a hatchet job was an easy enough excuse for a bookstore owner, besieged by the sheer volume of books being flogged, to move on.
—Knucks
In Memoriam:
“And so the dance along Mean Street begins, as complex as it is violent and brutal. Bobby will have to step lively to keep from paying the piper. With his fifth entertaining entry in the gangster follies, Stella earns a place among the most readable writers in crime fiction." – Kirkus *Starred* Review
"Fresh, fast and darkly-funny. A sure-footed debut from a writer with a spare, no-nonsense prose style who can make you like characters you think you shouldn't." – Kirkus *Starred* Review
Oh, Chaz,
I think I need an intervention. I almost did a terrible thing tonight. I almost blogged. Worse than that, I almost blogged at the New York Times!
I was innocently reading an article about the use of Blackwater employees by the CIA in the Middle East. Shockingly, they are not just being used as guards. They were actually supporting CIA missions.
Now, you know that I am not someone who is prone to sarcasm, but I was tempted to drop that information I discovered about gambling in Casablanca on the NYT. Then I got to the "Readers Comments" section.. Good God Almighty!
It seems every one of their readers was represented, because there were like 28 comments. 28 comments and Bush/Cheney was mentioned 112 times. And the outpouring of outrage and disgust and indignation and moral superiority just about made me gag. I will never again accuse you of having your panties in a bunch. Your panties might be a tad wrinkled. These NYT people are in full blown, atomic, ninja, panty bunch mode. This is "the crabs are gasping for air" panty bunch mode.
Needless to say, there was much talk about arresting Blackwater, the CIA and of course Bush/Cheney. (In NYT land "Bush/Cheney" is one word and I would imagine that most NYT readers have their computers programmed to print "Bush/Cheney" just by hitting the "B" key.)
So, my new plan is to arrest Blackwater, the CIA, the entire military and of course Bush/Cheney and have the 28 readers of the NYT put their flip-flops and Birkenstocks on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. Let's see how the uber-conservative Taliban reacts to our new capuccino drinking, clove cigarette smoking, Keith Olbermann groupie, all gay army strike team. I think a week or two of their self-absorbed, catty, holier than thou, liberal wienie banter will have those mullahs packing up and moving to Jersey. Then we could just round them all up at the falafel stand in Patterson.
Do you think I might be onto something here?
Your pal,
Doc
PS: I would love to go to your Christmas Party, but if anyone wishes me "Happy Holidays" I will need to have the Jennster shoot them. I would also like to know what your arrangements are for dealing with the accumulation of deadly CO2 gases.
I'm not paying any carbon taxes to Al Gore! He'll just buy more food with it.
TK Editorial comment regarding above ... President Nobel Peace Prize actually upped Blackwater’s Budget (if you were looking for change—there’s one example) ... so maybe when dealing with Bush-Cheney from now on in regards to anything Blackwater or CIA, perhaps Obama needs to be added to the mantra: Bush-Cheney-Obama.
Bellum Justum ... Speaking of the Nobel Peace Prize, while Knucksline found President Obama’s peace speech eloquent as usual, we found the concept of a “Just War” used after 8 years of war against a rather nebulous enemy (we know they’re out there, all reportedly 100 of them) a bit dramatic and spurious. Should the entire nation state of Afghanistan suffer for our defense of a corrupt regime? Doesn’t that kind of negate the “Just” part of the formula?
What makes it more difficult to swallow, quite frankly, is the lack of questioning being done about what has now become Obama’s war. Except for Bob Herbert, a New York Times columnist quoted here at Knucksline often in regards to anything Afghanistan related, including a polite criticism of President Obama and his “tragic mistake” of sending an extra 30,000 to war there, we’re not hearing any of the questions that quite rightly plagued the Bush administration about both wars.
If we’re going to fight a war for a just cause, why aren’t we invading Darfur, North Korea and/or Iran?
And what’s up with the nation building?
And, while we’re at it, what’s up with Blackwater? Why the increase in their budget?
If Al Qaeda is going to be our evil enemies forever (and we’re not suggesting they won’t be), what happens if in two years after we leave Afghanistan (assuming we ever leave), they return? Do we go back for that Just Cause?
Hey, you know what? Enough already. Bring the kids home and lets tend to business here. And please, President Obama, feel free to start initiating some of that so-called socialism (since wingnut loons like DOC are accusing you of it anyway). You’ve rescued Goldman Sachs and AIG ... now it’s time to rescue all of us. That would be a more than welcomed change.
No More Kirkus Reviews ... On a VERY sad note for the ugly one ... one more publishing collapse in an industry beset with collapsing, Kirkus Reviews is no more. Kirkus had been more than kind to the fat one (that Charlie Stella character). Known as the tough one on the reviewing block, Kirkus gave Stella two starred reviews (Eddie’s World & Shakedown) and a bunch of very good reviews with just one so-so review. They did not review Mafiya.
From New York Entertainment ... The Pepsi to Publishers Weekly's Coke when it comes to prepub press, Kirkus was always known, to the booksellers and industry reporters who relied on its write ups of forthcoming titles, as the cranky one. Where PW went soft for a big name or a fresh face, Kirkus could usually be counted on to demolish the overblown writers, and to be unsparing when it came to first novels by photogenic young things. A rave in Kirkus was truly a prize; a hatchet job was an easy enough excuse for a bookstore owner, besieged by the sheer volume of books being flogged, to move on.
—Knucks
In Memoriam:
“And so the dance along Mean Street begins, as complex as it is violent and brutal. Bobby will have to step lively to keep from paying the piper. With his fifth entertaining entry in the gangster follies, Stella earns a place among the most readable writers in crime fiction." – Kirkus *Starred* Review
"Fresh, fast and darkly-funny. A sure-footed debut from a writer with a spare, no-nonsense prose style who can make you like characters you think you shouldn't." – Kirkus *Starred* Review
