November 2007 Archives

In blogging about progressive political theater, I've increasingly wondered what "other side" (there are probably a few other sides, Venn diagram-like) is (are) thinking. So I googled "Republican blogs" and looked at a few top results. Here's what I found, in the order I found it:

1. This was a top result, an old lady in Texas who likes racist cartoons and reports, regarding terrorists within the U.S., "We're all probably better off not knowing." Wow. You see, every time I give the far right a chance to make sense, it comes up with racist cartoons and contradictory points about "security" that alternate between nuke-worshipping and head-in-sand-burying. One racist cartoon:

2. A site that's currently down called "BoottotheSkull.com." I mean, does it matter what's on the site, if it's a political blog invoking boots to the skull? One flashes back to curb-stomping in that Ed Norton movie about Nazis, soccer hooligans, Abu Ghraib, The Siege, etc. Let's hope the barbarians who run the site don't read this post and find Steve and steal his cute dogs.

3. This is the worst of the bunch, partly because it's the most reasonable (unreasonable as it is), and it's authored by the youngest blogger - a mere 18 year-old, a kid who hasn't had time to look at all the philosophical positions in America yet. He does have crazy typoesz ("...the election’s still a ways off, and I’m there’s a conservative out there somewhere who’ll step up..."), so that makes him more of a crazy internet kid, right? But he also has a right wing/Christian magazine called "Regenerate Our Culture." (Not currently in print, as the kid's off to college. The homepage invites you to "pursue our archives," lol.) Overall impression: Not so hateful, but not a great source for real educational or political material. These are top results. This means these blogs, for whatever reason, by whatever magic feat of SEO and Digging, have had lots of hits, at least in the last few years. They span from young to old, heartland to coast, but they all seethe with undisguised rage - rage you'd never find here, as Ryan posts about Assassin's Creed or I post about giant scorpions or Harry Potter.

The Republican blogs, these random samples, don't challenge my views via argument or information.

I love what my friend Garrett Heaney at Wishtank stresses about information. It's harder, actually harder, to change someone's mind by arguing simply from an emotional or even an abstractly logical standpoint. And if you personally differ on views ("Well, I was raised as a...;" "I don't think all men are such..."), what can you do besides argue your emotion or lay out an ideal logic? Well, you can provide data. You can back up your words with sources. You can do research and keep telling people "look at these numbers!" or "look at this video!" until someone looks.

Well, or at least not have such crahze typoes whne you'r talingk about infallible dietys and how stupid liberls are.

I drew this and thought I would share it with the class.

NC4OM is an obnoxious acronym.  But a great movie.  After the horribly shitty Lady Killers which was a remake - oh shit, Tom Hanks speaking in accents equals a horrible movie!!  That came out of nowhere, but he was in a preview with a Texas drawl and it looks like the aftermath of krystal nacht, and The Terminal is bad, Forest Gump will eventually be remembered as sentimental swill - The Coen bros. are back with an adapted work and did a great job.  Now, if anyone else saw it, I'm curious what you think about some thinks I've thoughted:

 spoilery

Anyone else get a twinge of "fight club"/dual personalities? Tommy Lee and Anton guy. About 3/4s of the way intp the film Tommy Lee's character is called Anton (I think?) and a lot of things popped for me: the wife told him where Llewyln would be, so that's how Anton knows, the mexicans know from the mother in law. he also tells that story about the cattle gun for almost no reason, and he didn't guess how the guy on the road was killed. 

he seems pretty clairvoyant at the desert crime scene, but this is the first time we see him and just figure he's a good detective, but it's like he was there, maybe. The first clue is weak. I had a couple more, but I forgot, need to see the movie again. 

Oh, there was something about being a ghost that seemed tied to both characters, and the two sides of a coin thing seems obvious. and i'm firmly stating they aren't the same character but sort of a meta level to the movie. 

 Also, as for home boy above, doesn't he look like an evil Bender from The Breakfast Club?

I'm live-blogging about Culture Project's A Question of Impeachment. Check it out, if you're interested in the whole impeach-our-lying-leaders thing. (And what a thing it is.) The series will consist of songs and lawyers, mostly the latter, as they depose witnesses and mock-impeach our fearless Pres and VP.

Why live-blogging? I'm not sure. They, the producers, asked me to do it, and I was/am intrigued. Let's see where it goes.

Viva la revolucion (sp?),

W.

Teehee. Call of Duty 4 has been releasing leaders of the world videos where Putin and Castro review the game. Bla bla. This one is purdy funny. VidJump

I have the ability to turn urine into ammonia and toilet water into bleach. I am a very not good assassin. I can't be called bleach because of the anime thing. So I'm Ammonia. My theme music would be taken off the Alan Parsons Project album Ammonia Avenue but probably not the titular track.

So, I know it's been forever since my last post.

Months, literally. I know.

And I'm going to post something real.

Soon. I promise.

For now, please watch this video.

DylandMichelle cameos 22 minutes in or so! I also like people speaking german saying "gamejew."

How about everyone tries to post every other day, even if its a tiny thing, a link, or a picture, but everyone leaves a comment?