Thursday, September 25, 2014

new and improved not-war

As the U.S. cranks up its latest war in the Middle East -- bombing oil targets in Syria, claiming the assault is not really a "war" and generally laying the groundwork for another decade or more of violence that is easier than economic constructiveness -- various other idsies and odsies caught my eye:
Suffolk Downs officials says live thoroughbred racing will end for the season — and most likely for good — on the first Saturday in October.
..... WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to announce Thursday that it is granting permits to seven movie and television production companies to fly drones, an important step toward greater use of the technology by commercial operators, said attorneys and a company official familiar with the decision.
...... INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — The Qatari women's basketball team withdrew from the Asian Games in a protest against international rules that ban players from wearing Muslim headscarves in competition.
I'm not sure quite how, but all of this feels as if a reality-show lifestyle is more important and credible than a reality lifestyle in which horses and jockeys sweat, people are responsible for the activity of the drones they employ, and the women beneath the headscarves are just as competent or incompetent as they might be without them.

If I remember correctly, when the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler stood out on Berlin's chancery balcony in 1933 to proclaim his ascendancy as chancellor, there were only some 200 people listening in the streets below according to then-reporter William Shirer. One of the reasons for so sparse a turnout for a man whose later propaganda films would be packed with cheering throngs was that in 1933 the citizenry could still vividly recall the horrors of World War I ... and Hitler made no secret of his militaristic goals. Those memories did not stop World War II any more than the fruitless ten years the U.S. has used in Iraq is likely to inform the U.S.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/09/23/6142193/suffolk-downs-to-close-oct-4.html#storylink=cpy

1 comment:

  1. Oh please, i'm too upset about the three breasted woman hoax to digest anything about a war.

    ReplyDelete