The Voice of Treason

It’s really a shame that President Bush’s Asian trip has been overshadowed by non-news at home. I watched the speeches that aired here in the middle of the night and they were fine. But what got coverage was the hounding by the press over Iraq and Bush’s foiled escape. But he handled that with humor.

I did like the line, when a reporter said he was “off his game,” that he doesn’t sit and analyze himself - obviously the media does. And this is something that continues to annoy me about anti-Bush sentiment. He’s accused of being a liar, nefarious, calculating, cold. One C-SPAN caller this week said he didn’t think Bush lied - he’s just not smart enough to be a liar.

I don’t play poker, but if I played Dubya I’d probably win. He wears his emotions in plain sight. You can look at the man and know when he’s feeling comfortable, sad, angry, annoyed, amused, worried, tired, confused. Personally, I like that.

I also like that he visited Asia and planned a stop in Mongolia. I approve of what he said on this trip about freedom, our relationship with China, Taiwan, Jack Murtha, patriotism, and open debate about the war. It was an important trip and he said some important things. It’s a shame the media didn’t report this. But then, it must have been a good trip. Otherwise, we would have heard more about it.

After watching the House session yesterday (gee, who needs Hollywood?), I decided to take a day off from the theater of politics and do other things. Important things — like meeting the neighbor’s new puppy. Also made a list of items I need to pick up for Thanksgiving dinner. Watched a little QVC. Watched a movie. Cuddled with the dogs and fell asleep. And missed the end of the movie.

Then I figured I’d try to come up with a revised list of links. I imagine I’ll add more…and maybe delete a few…but for now what’s here is what’s here. Essentially, it’s a list of helpful sites that I feel are worth visiting from time to time. I put Drudge and the Media Research Center’s link page on there because these provide handy links to other places and, like Jewish World Review, offer a wonderful selection of editorials.

In other words, instead of a long list of columnists that would include Charles Krauthammer, Peggy Noonan, and Walter Williams, I can just link to sites that already provide a solid list of people I enjoy reading. (Okay, I cheated.)

I’ve also included the “world’s smallest political quiz” here because it’s…well, just fun. Revised quotes coming soon….

I don’t remember what I was doing, but I had Sean Hannity on for background noise. Then I heard him say something about a vote. I immediately turned on C-SPAN. Where’s the sound? And what’s all the commotion?

I kept watching and waiting, then noticed helpful little blurbs on the bottom of the screen that explained why the House had suddenly lost audio. Someone said something “inappropriate.” The clerk would have to transcribe the vile statement, then it would have to be carefully evaluated. If it was decided that the words were truly inappropriate, that congressperson would be muzzled for the rest of the session. So much for free speech.

Well, this was fascinating stuff! I was riveted! Who said what, I wondered. Did someone finally snap, grab the microphone, and shout:

“I can’t @#$%^&* stand this anymore! You’re all a bunch of @#$%^&*, grandstanding, @#$%^&* idiots, and you’re all so full of @#$%^&* that you wouldn’t even recognize @#$%^&* if you saw it! You’re just a @#$%^&* travesty! All of you!!! The American people deserve better because you’re all a bunch of @#$%^&*! A pox! A @#$%^&* pox on this House!!!! I yield the remainder of my time to the gentlewoman from Connecticut.”

I waited. And waited. And was, of course, disappointed. Jean Schmidt, a Congresswoman from Ohio, stood up and withdrew her statements. Good God! What had she said??? Well, I finally got to see the clip and it was pretty lackluster stuff. Sure, I’m partisan, but I really don’t think she called Jack Murtha a coward. I think she should have stood by her remarks. It is cowardly to cut and run and it’s the wrong decision.

I used to watch the members of Parliament and wonder why they could never let the PM get through a sentence without emitting wolf sounds. What are they all howling about? In stark contrast, televised House and Senate sessions were sedate. Someone would stand there and drone on about something dull, and the room was relatively quiet except for the endless, non-related personal conversations going on in the background. Is everyone else asleep? Did they go grab a burger?

Is anybody there? Does anybody care?

Sorry, I’m still a sucker for 1776. Anyway, I got the feeling watching Congress that there was a move on to adopt the British style of government. Suddenly, background howling, baying, and barking have become the norm. What has happened to discourse? Eloquence? Oratory?

I posted some of Joe Lieberman’s remarks yesterday. There is a certain quality here that I liked. Not just because I agree with his statements - I genuinely appreciate that the man can craft a sentence and deliver it thoughtfully and sincerely. I lost a lot of respect for him when he prostituted himself to run with Algore back in 2000. He flip-flopped on every position to be on the ticket and I was disappointed. The VP debates were telling. Dick Cheney practically turned to Lieberman and said:

Joe! I know you! And I know you don’t believe a word of this crap!

And Lieberman all but said:

Well…er…yeah…ya got me there. Let’s go get dinner and get the hell outta here.

It was strangely charming. I still like the man and I admire him for sticking by his decision to support the mission in Iraq. He knows history, he knows the Middle East, and he knows that there are forces that want Israel to disappear. I suggest House and Senate members stop the whining, whimpering, howling, and growling, and prick up their ears. There really is something dangerous out there, but they can’t hear it coming.

Everyone’s out there flappin’ their gums this week. Here’s a spattering:

Senator Joe Lieberman (on the Floor of the Senate):

“The questions raised about prewar intelligence are not irrelevant, they are not unimportant, but they are nowhere near as important and relevant as how we successfully complete our mission in Iraq and protect the 150,000 men and women in uniform who are fighting for us there…

The danger is that by spending so much attention on the past here, we contribute to a drop in public support among the American people for the war, and that is consequential. Terrorists know they cannot defeat us in Iraq, but they also know they can defeat us in America by breaking the will and steadfast support of the American people for this cause.

There is a wonderful phrase from the Bible that I have quoted before, ‘If the sound of the trumpet be uncertain, who will follow into battle?’ In our time, I am afraid that the trumpet has been replaced by public opinion polls, and if the public opinion polls are uncertain, if support for the war seems to be dropping, who will follow into battle and when will our brave and brilliant men and women in uniform in Iraq begin to wonder whether they have the support of the American people? When will that begin to affect their morale?

I worry the partisanship of our time has begun to get in the way of the successful completion of our mission in Iraq. I urge my colleagues at every moment, when we do anything regarding this war that we consider the ideal and we are confident within ourselves. Not that we are stifling free debate. Free debate…is the necessary precondition to the unity we need to maximize our authority against those who would divide and conquer us. But the point is to make sure we feel in ourselves that the aim of our actions and our words is national security, not partisan advantage.”

Bill Clinton (in Dubai, no less):

“It was a big mistake.”

Senator Jay Rockefeller (on FOX News Sunday):

“I took a trip by myself in January of 2002 to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria, and I told each of the heads of state that it was my view that George Bush had already made up his mind to go to war against Iraq, that that was a predetermined set course which had taken shape shortly after 9/11.”

Rep. John P. Murtha:

“The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It’s a flawed policy wrapped in illusion.”

“The American public is way ahead of the members of Congress. The United States and the coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq.”

“The future of our military is at risk. Our military and their families are stretched thin. Many say the Army’s broken.”

“This is the first prolonged war we’ve ever fought with three years of tax cuts without full mobilization of American industry and without a draft. The burden of the war has not been shared equally.”

“Our military is suffering. The future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region.”

Mikhail Gorbachev (paraphrased):

I used to think a Communist system for Russia was a good idea, but I was wrong.

Bob Woodward (paraphrased):

I knew about Valerie Plame before anyone else did, because, as you know, I’m the all-knowing and omnipotent. I have sources.

Dick Cheney (just slightly paraphrased):

Senator Harry Reid, Senator John Kerry, and Senator Jay Rockefeller couldn’t attend this evening due to a prior lack of commitment.

Good line. Dick Cheney needs to get out and make more speeches. As for a couple other people on this list, I cringe but still stand by my “stop the muzzling” theory. Let them bark. But, truth be told, sometimes I can’t help think an electronic collar might be in order for some curs.

The beautiful and brilliant brunette Brianna e-mailed me this week and has inspired me to include something here today about culture. But first, in keeping in line with the current state of journalism, I feel I must do my part and out my friend. Brianna is…a Liberal. There, I’ve said it. Actually I’ve said it here before, but I figure if outing the CIA and various black sites throughout the world is no big deal, then I can repeatedly out people here. Tag! You’re outed!

So this is what she wrote:

“I’m off to do research for my Business Interpersonal Skills class (just as obnoxious as it sounds, believe me) about corporate culture. As a side note, I had a woman who was old enough to be my mother tell me that she had no idea what corporate culture even was. I wanted to ask, ‘Umm… have you ever turned on your TV? Ever been to a business meeting? Ever shopped at WAL-MART?!’ But I was a good girl… for once.”

I immediately went online and the first thing I saw was:

“Many articles and books have been written in recent years about culture in organizations, usually referred to as ‘Corporate Culture.’ The dictionary defines culture as ‘the act of developing intellectual and moral faculties, especially through education.’ This writing will use a slightly different definition of culture: ‘the moral, social, and behavioral norms of an organization based on the beliefs, attitudes, and priorities of its members.’ The terms ‘advanced culture’ or ‘primitive culture’ could apply to the first definition, but not the latter.”

This is precisely the kind of crap that causes people to dread getting up in the morning.

Here’s another:

“Definition: The behaviors, habits, and rules which a group of coworkers uses to interact with each other. Corporate culture refers to both formal, written company policy concerning everything from dress code to employee relationships as well as to the informal behaviors that have become accepted by the group.”

Slightly less convoluted. Some organizations have well-defined corporate cultures, some just think they do. I know someone who works for Southwest Airlines and she’s genuinely happy there. I would like to find a company to work for that elicits a similar feeling in me. See, I think capitalism works. I like the concept of free trade and free markets. I like the idea of going to work, earning a living, and living comfortably. I believe most people feel the same way. They don’t mind trudging off to work every day - they just don’t want the experience to turn their stomachs.

I spent several years at a corporation and watched as its corporate culture curdled. I brought in a team of trainers to evaluate the situation. They surveyed employees and managers and facilitated a series of courses. In the end, they reported that the company’s corporate culture was, at best, sick. Funny, I’d have called it toxic.

Let’s look at the definition of culture.

1.
a. The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.
b. These patterns, traits, and products considered as the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population: Edwardian culture; Japanese culture; the culture of poverty.
c. These patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular category, such as a field, subject, or mode of expression: religious culture in the Middle Ages; musical culture; oral culture.
d. The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of a group or organization.

2. Intellectual and artistic activity and the works produced by it.

3.
a. Development of the intellect through training or education.
b. Enlightenment resulting from such training or education.

4. A high degree of taste and refinement formed by aesthetic and intellectual training.

5. Special training and development: voice culture for singers and actors.

6. The cultivation of soil; tillage.

7. The breeding of animals or growing of plants, especially to produce improved stock.

8. Biology.
a. The growing of microorganisms, tissue cells, or other living matter in a specially prepared nutrient medium.
b. Such a growth or colony, as of bacteria.

Ah, now we’re getting closer to the truth. I admit I’ve never liked the word “culture” because I always picture something bubbling and growing and going furry somewhere. It’s like in high school Biology when the teacher handed us swabs and agar-filled Petri dishes and told us to go out onto the campus and find something interesting. Students ran to telephone booths and ran their swabs over receivers. One kid went into the music room and swabbed a French horn. Water fountains were popular.

I don’t even remember what I chose, but whatever it was, it was teeming with…something. It’s no coincidence, then, that what we grow in these dishes in laboratories are “cultures.” Think yogurt. Then think Cultural Revolution.

There is something to love and hate about every culture. We might like curry, pizza, sushi, champagne, sauerbraten, blintzes, gyros, and Pu Pu platter. We might dislike cockfighting, dogfighting, bullfighting, human sacrifice, and cannibalism. Certain cultures love what we hate.

When my mother’s family came here from Italy, they adopted cultural behaviors that were decidedly American. They ate roast beef and potatoes. On rare occasions, my grandmother would sit down with my grandfather and share a plate of chicken feet. Not like this is an Italian delicacy; this is what you eat when you’re poor. I imagine they ate these from time to time to remind themselves why they left Italy. A bit of nostalgia. And maybe they liked chicken feet, who knows? But my mother remembers that most of what they ate when she and her siblings were growing up was “American.”

Food is a wonderful tool for introducing people to new cultures. And a menu is a wonderful introduction to a new language. I imagine that if I moved to Italy, people would be eating burgers and fries and speaking English, but I would make it a point to eat and shop at local Italian businesses and master Italian.

If France is experiencing some problems lately, then it’s an assimilation issue. A group can retain aspects of its culture, but it must adopt a new culture as well. Same with language. No one in America is telling Spanish-speaking citizens to stop speaking Spanish. When I was going to public school in the Bay Area, there were over sixty different languages spoken. I took French classes with Vietnamese students who were fluent in both French and their native language and were working hard to master English.

The problem in France is, perhaps, a failure to communicate. Why are there French citizens who don’t speak French? Why are there Americans who don’t speak English? I encourage schools to offer languages. My brother studied Russian. One of my sisters studied German. I studied French, Spanish, and Latin and was devastated when they cut Latin out of the curriculum for lack of interest. If my schools had offered Italian, I’d have signed up.

But I insist that English is the national language and should remain so. Let’s go back to corporate culture for a moment. Think of working with a new employee who’s being trained and this person interrupts every five minutes to point out that “this isn’t the way we did it at Nap-Tech.” That’s nice, you say, but this isn’t Nap-Tech, this is Rap-Tech, and this is how we do it here.

It’s like cheese. You like brick, I like smoked Gouda. Some Sardinians like worm cheese. They slather the creamy substance all over crackers and gobble it down like it’s the most wonderful taste treat in the world. They don’t seem to mind that it’s teeming with maggots. After all, it’s the maggot, who eats the cheese then defecates back into the mix, that makes it so irresistibly creamy.

Sounds delish, but I’ll take the Havarti.

Or is it Pajamahideen? It shows up both ways, but I think I prefer the former. I took a couple minutes today to check out NRO and found something I’d like to share here. It’s from Andrew Leigh’s piece, Pajama-Clad Revolutionaries. He’s written an informative article about Charles Johnson and Roger L. Simon and Pajamas Media. Here’s a snip:

“…More than that, however, Johnson and Simon consider the entire blogosphere their fact-checkers. This is a sacred tenet among many bloggers. If a blogger makes a mistake, readers will call him on it right away, either via comment or email. And the blogger is honor-bound to correct it immediately and clearly.

Instead of relying on a few overworked editors to fact-check every story, bloggers count on thousands of other bloggers to, as they like to say, ‘fact-check their a**.’ Bloggers, in other words, lean on the collective knowledge of the entire Internet rather than a handful of elites.

Johnson and Simon claim that, like most bloggers, they will not hesitate to own up to errors. In their view, more established media are too arrogant and hidebound to admit many of their mistakes. And when they do, it’s often published separately from the original story. For instance, newspapers usually print corrections buried deep in subsequent editions. Someone who’s read the original error but doesn’t read the paper closely every day will never know of it.

‘You really can’t prevent every kind of error,’ Simon elaborated. ‘The difference is, corrections will immediately come up on the front page [of Pajamas Media], as opposed to the mainstream media, where you need three Talmudic scholars to find the correction.’”

The reason I liked this was because I’ve received comments from “Marie” who wanted to point out an error on The Voice of Treason. When I went online to read about the death of Charles Rocket, many of the stories I came across noted that he’d left a wife and daughter. Marie has pointed out that he had a son. I’ve thanked her for the correction, and her comments are on the site. However, in case no one goes back to read that particular entry, I want to be sure she’s acknowledged for the good catch.

The Voice of Treason welcomes such corrections. Thanks again, M!

God save the queen
The fascist regime
They made you a moron
Potential H-bomb

God save the queen
She ain’t no human being
There is no future
In England’s dreaming…

God save the queen
‘Cause tourists are money
And our figurehead
Is not what she seems…

God save the queen
We mean it man
And there is no future
In England’s dreaming

No future, no future,
No future for you
No future, no future
For you

– The Sex Pistols

Ayman al-Zawahiri has named Queen Elizabeth II as “one of the severest enemies of Islam.” His website includes inflammatory material from Mohammad Sidique Khan, who urges Muslims to take part in jihad and seek martyrdom, and encourages British Muslims to disregard moderate Muslim leaders who want integration within British society. “Our so-called scholars of today are content with their Toyotas and semi-detached houses in their desire for integration.” Well, yeah.

This might explain why Prince Charles has been dropping hints that he, a nuanced kinda guy, is warm and fuzzy about Islam, and that our government just doesn’t have a clue. Actually, we do have a clue. It’s why we declared independence, won the war, and don’t have a royal family to support. But thanks for bringing the new wife by to visit, anyway.

(Clue to Chuck: Mom has no intention of dying. Get used to it.)

Okay, okay, call me misogynistic, but when I heard that there was a fourth homicide bomber in Amman and she was married to the one who brought the lousy wedding gift, the first thing I thought was: What an interesting way to get rid of your husband and his buddies.

It was probably her idea. “Hey! Let’s all strap explosives to ourselves and go to the hotels and we can all be martyrs together!” (Some couples just go camping or skiing, or do the timeshare thing.)

They all blew themselves to smithereens, but she didn’t. She got out of the hotel. Early reports said that the story was false. There was no married couple, there was no woman with a device strapped to her body. After all, what woman could possibly walk into a ballroom full of wedding guests - other women and so many children - and blow them up?

I can name a few. I know women who are still pouting that the ribbons on the little net bags of Jordan almonds didn’t match the flowers in the bouquet just perfectly. Ohmigod! Jordan almonds! Could I be on to something here? Or not. I never really understood wedding favors anyway.

Or maybe she was just sick and tired of her husband and his buddies every night, sitting around the kibbet el battata, talking infidel this, and infidel that, night after night after night. You can hear her. “All I ever hear from you is infidel this and infidel that! We never go anywhere anymore! And your friends are always dropping yaprakh on the carpet!”

Okay, maybe not. She might have been stoned to death for that. But maybe it was chapping her hide a little that every night her husband and his friends were talking about paradise and the seventy-two virgins. “Fine! One woman isn’t good enough for you? You have to have seventy-two? You don’t even know what to do with the one you have, you goatsniffer!”

Women can be mean. But here we have such a woman confessing on video that she was there, but couldn’t get that thingamajig to work very well and it just didn’t go off the way it was supposed to. Her husband must not have been mechanically inclined. But, strangely, when he saw that her device wasn’t functioning and she was going to be blown to bits, he was inclined to push her out the door to safety.

“My God, this is a hell of a job! I have no trouble with my enemies…but my damn friends, they’re the ones that keep me walking the floor nights.” — Warren Gamaliel Harding

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. George W. Bush is making the same mistake his father made. His dad, a fine and decent human being, truly believed that the average American was sharp enough to know which end was up. He was criticized for not getting out more often and explaining in simple terms what the average American needed to know. He assumed they already knew what was going on - as if the average American actually stayed on top of things - and it would be not only a waste of time but insulting to explain things to them like they were five years old.

Here is where I have to give people like Ross Perot and Democrats credit. They do believe the average American is stupid and they do not hesitate to spell things out in big purple crayon for the citizens. Take Perot and his charts and graphs.

“Yer an American. And yer a voter. And that makes you stupid. Not your fault, it’s just a fact. So lemme show you a graph and some charts - world class stuff - that’ll make it easier for you to understand what I’m sayin’. Am I goin’ too fast?”

The Dems saw this and knew he was on to something. They’ve used visual aids ever since. And they’re very good at repeating the same phrase over and over and over again until the voters start repeating it to themselves over and over and over again. Think Algore and the phrase “risky tax scheme.” I’m still saying it. It’s like freaking hypnotism.

Now Bush has come out in his speech to take a long overdue swipe at those who want to rewrite history. It’s like when Chuck Schumer was reminded during an interview that he had been one of the many Democrats who spoke out against Saddam Hussein and supported the intelligence that showed there were weapons of mass destruction. His response was something like, “Yeah, I said it but I really didn’t believe it as much as Bush did.”

Well, hell. Saying something you don’t believe is better than saying something you do believe? Whoa there, Chuckie! Did you just sum up how your party operates? Yes, say what you don’t believe so that when you want to backpedal it’ll be easier because it was something you never believed in in the first place. Gotcha.

In other words, you can just make up stuff as you go along. Like Jimmy Massey, the former Marine, who’s been telling anyone who’s holding a camera or tape recorder that he witnessed untold atrocities when he was in Iraq. Including the shooting of an innocent four year-old girl. Or six year-old. I’m not sure - Massey hasn’t quite yet solidified his story so that the facts are consistent with each telling. Anyway, there’s only recently been a move to prove that he’s a liar. But he’s been out there for over a year with these horror stories. There’s even a book. Hmmmm, could there be a political future for this chowderhead?

Why has it taken so long for anyone to come out and say, “Hey! This sounds like horsesh*t!” and challenge the story? Well, look how long it took for someone to say John Kerry was embellishing his war experience.

But my point is - and I do have one here - that the administration has got to get off the stick and come back faster when it’s being accused of something. I want the Republicans to wheel in charts, graphs, and video to illustrate their points. “Well, so Harry Reid said that? Funny, this is what he said three months ago. Roll tape!”

Bush’s enemies would not hesitate. And I suspect his friends are saying that this is beneath them. We don’t have to say anything. Americans know what’s going on. We don’t want to talk to them as if they’re ignorant, for God’s sake.

Well, maybe someone in the White House should put aside their own political ambitions and tune in Sean Hannity’s show from time to time when he’s doing his “man on the street” interviews, asking the tough questions of average Americans. Questions like: Who’s Dick Cheney? Condi Rice? Colin Powell? Who were the candidates in the last presidential election?

You don’t want to hear the answers. But the administration sure needs to.

Yes, the list of places to see is getting shorter (hell, I’m old and running out of time and money), but I might just have to add another spot to my list. Kurdistan. As you know I tend to fall asleep with FNC, so I usually wake up to either breaking news or one of those United Airlines commercials I love so much. But instead I woke up to hear someone thanking me, repeatedly. I tell you, it’s an awfully nice way to start your day. As good as a dog licking your face. Another way of saying thank you (and, by the way, I need to pee and you need to feed me). But I didn’t get that from this commercial - I just got the thank you part.

By the time I focused my eyes it was over, but I had it in my head to listen for it in my sleep. The next time it aired I jumped up to watch. Why, it’s a commercial for Kurdistan - the Other Iraq! Those Kurds are damned nice to be thanking me - and such a nicely produced ad, too! Karl Rove and the RNC in on this? Halliburton? Must be some sort of vast right wing conspiracy. When are the Senate hearings?

I fell over myself getting to the computer to type in theotheriraq.com. Wow. This is cool. How long have these ads been running? And how do I say you’re very welcome and thank you, too, to the people responsible?

Can we pleeeeeeeeeeze hear more from the Kurds? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeze?

And speaking of saying thank you, yesterday was the 230th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, and today is Veterans Day.

“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because it is the quality that guarantees all others” - Sir Winston S. Churchill