Bush, an afront to Natural Selection - Page 2 - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

roachboy · 04-09-2007, 03:32 PM

i have very little to do with cars so i suspect that i would not have been much less of a menace that cowboy george around a hydrogen car.

i agree with host on this...
the horrific policies of this administration---their consequences (which as host said are still unfolding) *and* the entire logic that enables them are political issues--and none of them are reducable to the question of whether george w bush is or is not dullwitted as a human being.

it has long been understood that he does not run the show by himself--the administration is a collective undertaking---as is *any* administration--there is a monarchist tendency that folk fall into when thinking about Dear Leaders of all stripes and that monarchist tendency is politically questionable at best--if you read any of the the legion of adoring but tedious biographies done by the legion of adoring and tedious american historians who produce such tripe, these problems become self-evident.

so focus too much on the personal characteristics of george w bush is to fall directly into this monarchism: even with the signs of adoration systematically inverted, the logic is still the same.

second, if you operate at any level in opposition to the administration's politics, it is still an error to underestimate the intelligence of the adversary.
it was an error in 2001. it is an error now.
it is a good way to loose a chess match.
and politics remains, as gramsci once said, a war of position.

even on the question of transportation, i am not sure how this is a political issue: from my personal persepctive, people would still drive and as they drive they would no doubt also indulge that instant devolution that is talking on their fucking cellphones as they drive and so. but this, too, is not political...it links to a political question, but indirectly

as a political matter, it seems to me that there should be a fundamental rethinking of transportation priorities in the states---a different model for urban transportation would be a good start--more comprehensive public transit, tax breaks for people who cycle rather than drive etc etc....while alternate fuel-source car transport would be a fine thing, it does not in itself address the problems that continue to be generated by the american transportation model. it was a bad choice, made in the context of the new deal and extended across the construction of the american highway system under eisenhower. it needs to be rethought. it is one of a myriad problems that could be addressed if more rational priorities were to prevail in washington--and these priorities would turn on a wholesale abandonment of the reagan-era "military keynesian" paradigm--which has also produced nothing but bad bad consequences.

The_Jazz · 04-09-2007, 03:44 PM

We are so far off topic here that I am locking the thread. I am partially to blame, but the last 10 posts or so have had nothing to do with the OP. If anyone has anything on topic to add, please let me know.

The_Jazz · 04-11-2007, 03:46 PM

Any update from Samcol:

Quote:

Turns out the whole thing was a joke as some had suspected.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articl...OKE.xml&rpc=92

04-09-2007, 03:32 PM	#41 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	i have very little to do with cars so i suspect that i would not have been much less of a menace that cowboy george around a hydrogen car. i agree with host on this... the horrific policies of this administration---their consequences (which as host said are still unfolding) and the entire logic that enables them are political issues--and none of them are reducable to the question of whether george w bush is or is not dullwitted as a human being. it has long been understood that he does not run the show by himself--the administration is a collective undertaking---as is any administration--there is a monarchist tendency that folk fall into when thinking about Dear Leaders of all stripes and that monarchist tendency is politically questionable at best--if you read any of the the legion of adoring but tedious biographies done by the legion of adoring and tedious american historians who produce such tripe, these problems become self-evident. so focus too much on the personal characteristics of george w bush is to fall directly into this monarchism: even with the signs of adoration systematically inverted, the logic is still the same. second, if you operate at any level in opposition to the administration's politics, it is still an error to underestimate the intelligence of the adversary. it was an error in 2001. it is an error now. it is a good way to loose a chess match. and politics remains, as gramsci once said, a war of position. even on the question of transportation, i am not sure how this is a political issue: from my personal persepctive, people would still drive and as they drive they would no doubt also indulge that instant devolution that is talking on their fucking cellphones as they drive and so. but this, too, is not political...it links to a political question, but indirectly as a political matter, it seems to me that there should be a fundamental rethinking of transportation priorities in the states---a different model for urban transportation would be a good start--more comprehensive public transit, tax breaks for people who cycle rather than drive etc etc....while alternate fuel-source car transport would be a fine thing, it does not in itself address the problems that continue to be generated by the american transportation model. it was a bad choice, made in the context of the new deal and extended across the construction of the american highway system under eisenhower. it needs to be rethought. it is one of a myriad problems that could be addressed if more rational priorities were to prevail in washington--and these priorities would turn on a wholesale abandonment of the reagan-era "military keynesian" paradigm--which has also produced nothing but bad bad consequences. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite

04-09-2007, 03:44 PM	#42 (permalink)
The_Jazz Asshole Administrator Location: Chicago	We are so far off topic here that I am locking the thread. I am partially to blame, but the last 10 posts or so have had nothing to do with the OP. If anyone has anything on topic to add, please let me know. __________________ "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - B. Franklin "There ought to be limits to freedom." - George W. Bush "We have met the enemy and he is us." - Pogo Last edited by The_Jazz; 04-09-2007 at 03:59 PM..