The Atlantic - Latest Comments in If ever we needed an open thread...

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

MouseOfSuburbia — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 03:33:57 -0000

Dr. Strangelove?

I didn't see it. All I saw was Hannibal Lecter wearing a leather mask and strapped down to a dolly being wheeled to the edge of an arena filled with hybrid pigs carefully conditioned to engorge themselves upon hearing Hail to the Chief.

Am I alone in this?

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

FreeBenoit — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:16:41 -0000

Fuck your prayers, asshole. Fuck your god, too.

"But then He'd have to deprive you and me of our free will to choose between good and evil."

Fuck your fucked logic. He wants us to have free will, yet you think he divinely intervened to give us BHO. I voted for the guy, but I want my free will back!!!

Pathetic.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

russd — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:50:32 -0000

"What I know is that in this country, one with a legacy of racial hatred, mistrust, and anymosity. Only divine intervention could explain how a Black man could be elected to the highest office in the Executive Branch of the government."

Maybe your god should have divinely intervened and stopped all the racial hatred, mistrust, and anymosity a long time ago.

"Just as I had to accept God's sovereignty over the election of W., I acknowledge His sovereignty over this."

Goodness, gracious, that is dumb.

The God I serve could have stopped all those things. But then He'd have to deprive you and me of our free will to choose between good and evil. God doesn't hold a gun to our heads and say that we should obey Him. He wants a relationship with us, so He leaves open the possiblity that we can reject Him if we choose. He did not create us to be automatons, He created us so that He would be glorified through a loving relationship with His creation. But the relationship is voluntary.

If we choose to have a relationship with Him, He provided us a vehicle to attain righteousness, that is the work of Christ on the cross. But such a relationship with the Father is entered into voluntarily, by faith in His Son.

I realize this sounds dumb to you but it is because you do not believe. But the word of God says "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1Cor 1:18) also, "The wisdom of the word is foolishness in God's sight (1 Cor 3:18)

Actually, I have to thank you for validating my belief in God to the point where you had no other fitting retort than to insult me. I'll be praying for you. Let's hope that the new President will be able to accomplish great things for our country and our people.

Just think now you have two bits of good news, God loves you enough that He wants to have a relationship with you, and Barack Obama is now President. Have a good day.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Tel — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:22:33 -0000

Man, I'm real late to the party on this one ... but at one point Cheney was in his wheelchair and had only put one glove on, and all I could think about was Dr. Strangelove...

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Dan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:34:28 -0000

Well, I may be totally alone in all of this, but I actually enjoyed Alexander's poem.

http://bleakonomy.blogspot.com/2009/01/in-which-i-reveal-my-pedestrian.html

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

jcj — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:33:27 -0000

My mood today is reflected in the music I am listening to on Pandora. It is usually "industrial" - Nine Inch Nails, mind.in.a.box, Suicide Kommandos, Neurotic Fish, etc. Today I opted for reggae - not because of the African heritage of the performers, but for the happiness often conveyed in the music ("Three Little Birds"). Yes, I know, it is not all upbeat in content, but the rhythms lighten my mood, while the industrial music often helps dissipate tension for me. (I like Rage Against the Machine precisely because they do the raging for me!)

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Bruceso — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:19:43 -0000

CitizenE

lol, so true. It's hard to dislike a guy like biden because of that trait. His manerisms aren't as effective in times of distress, but for this occasion...it's like he was born for this.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

CitizenE — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:04:31 -0000

A great, historic day. Warts and all.

The Quartet--today's America--on the John Williams sendup of Copeland was pitch perfect. Aretha improvising after a solemn Warren just right, and Lowery rescued Alexander, who seemed to be stuck between poetic and everyday usage. She overlooked Whitman, whose cadences and catalogs would have given her poetry an appropriately heroic perspective, and sense of history; she overlooked Langston Hughes. Yet Rev. Lowery's simple rhymes had both the common touch and the sense of Americana that Ms. Alexander, bless her, seemed to strain for.

And for these occasions, I just love Joe Biden. Whatever else one can say about him, his ability to have a good time is infectious.

We all love the Obamas; we want the kids to succeed; right now, they seem to carry our hopefulness, the weight and light of it, with aplomb.

George Bush is no longer the President of the United States. Barack Obama is President of the United States. Pinch me.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Sporcupine — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:03:36 -0000

Congratulations to Kenyatta on the flag: it should have been hers forever. Myself, I've just smiled for the first time ever at the sound of "Hail to the Chief."

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

FreeBenoit — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:01:19 -0000

sgwhite ruins a lot of threads.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Scott — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:07:01 -0000

I'd say were pretty much done with this one, sg. Much love for you, but we're apparently missing one anothers' points completely. You missed it the last time too.

Kick back and enjoy the day and don't fret on this any longer.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

sv — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:03:27 -0000

also - you know what was really annoying?

we were watching the BBC web feed and the commentators kept on repeating the trope of how "Dr. King's dream has been achieved on this day"

I seem to recall Dr. King's dream involving economic justice (opportunity) for all and legal equality of all the races in America as well as equality within Americans' hearts - this is a step towards it, all different races voting for a half black half white man who's called black in America, but it's not like 'oh snap, racism's finished and we're all equal now that we have a black president!" i mean that's just ignorant. TNC you've touched on this in recent weeks.

anyway also not a big deal, i realize that commentators have got to fill dead air AND that there is a genuinely enormous historical, and even spiritual, and positive, significance to this day. but he's not just 'first black pres' or first non-white-man pres. anyway i'm so glad to see it come to fruition so that we can stop thinking of it as impossible and as anecdotal evidence of our meritocracy.

i want to start fresh now and see the executive branch start fresh too, i'm gonna make an effort to restrain tendencies of preconceived bias in either a positive or negative direction.

phew.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

sgwhiteinfla — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:53:15 -0000

Scott

What you spelled out was unequivically WRONG. If you can show me where I said liberals never use the word conservative derisively I would love to see it. Hell for that matter while that wasn't my point originally, the truth is you will never see anybody use the word "conservative" as derisively as the word "liberal" is used even by some Democrats. But really all of that is besides the point because quite obviously I wasn't comparing conservatives to liberals. I was comparing conservatives to President Obama. Now just to as a refersher...

Obama has been doing this or sometime now and very masterfully. He will totally deride and denounce neo conservative/regular conservative principles without calling it for what it is. Then he will move the goal posts and call for an end to the partisan attacks. Where the conservatives and neo cons always slip up is they love using labels. So whenever they speak out they are using terms like liberal or socialist which people can easily identify as attacks.

Now can anybody objectively read that and think I am talking about any liberal other than President Obama?

Again if I am wrong provide an example where he used the word conservative or neo con in a derogatory fashion. Otherwise either let it be or just acknowledge that he is playing the game better and smarter than his conservative counterparts. I mean you DID start this argument.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

sv — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:52:05 -0000

laborlibert,

perhaps you are right about disrespecting the occasion. i can see how that disrespects the office itself. i'm not sure if i would have been swept up in that or not, if i had been there. i dont know how big it was.

personally though, i feel so deeply betrayed by GW Bush - by what i strongly believe are his numerous and very serious crimes against the innocent and the Constitution stemming (among other things) from his own failure, however well-meaning it may have been, to give to the office the respect it must be given - that i would have a hard time showing him the respect i'd normally show any other former president. but that doesn't mean that doing the chant in that context is appropriate (not that it's ever NOT disrespectful), especially since we're supposedly trying to pull together, respectfully disagree, mend our differences, etc etc. It does sort of express how so many of us loyal citizens feel, however.

whatever. not the biggest deal, i talk too much. i'm hoping for all this politics stuff to die down, and i'm eager to set stuff like that aside (the petty slights, not the deserved lawful prosecution for serious crimes no matter how influential the offender) to work towards real useful compromises with people i disagree with politically. heck i strongly support Obama despite not being a Dem.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

alli — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:36:49 -0000

Word to what Dan said re: Copland, and I should also note that Copland composed the piece for Martha Graham, and that its original title was "Ballet for Martha." She renamed it.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Monie — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:32:17 -0000

That's one UGLY limo.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Dan — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:31:55 -0000

Not to be pedantic, but "Simple Gifts" was the inspiration for Copland's "Appalachian Spring," not "Fanfare for the Common Man."

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Scott — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:31:44 -0000

@sg

Tighty-whities unbunched, I can assure you. I'm commando today.

Just to be accurate, I wasn't calling issue on your assessment of anything. I was pointing out that you seemed to only point the finger one direction. I thought I spelled that out clearly.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

No, No — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:24:06 -0000

"And Obama didn't need to be poetic. He got a poet to do that for him."

Except she epically failed at being poetic and chose to deliver her own crappy inaugural speech instead. Whether you're a cotton farmer or a lettuce farmer... a teacher or a coal miner... whether you play a cello or use a boom box... we salute you... and then she rambled prosaically about love and that was it. If we hadn't been told beforehand that it was a poem, I would've thought I was listening to a Clinton State of the Union.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

farmgirl — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:19:41 -0000

Thanks, AFT! I saw the Big Bill Broonzy ref upthread and thought it a likely source but did not find anything specific in his Wiki page.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

Bruce — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:18:08 -0000

Now class...i want you to pay attention now! Say it! Say it out loud...come on now...i now u want to!

President...wait for it, wait for it....

President Barack Obama!!

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

RobH — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:17:21 -0000

I was eagerly anticipating Rev. Lowery's benediction. Loved most of it (choked up a bit around the time he referenced the Obama children).

But I've got to say I was really, really disappointed with the closing:

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

I was smiling and nodding right up until the implication that white folks have yet to embrace what's right. On a day where we as a nation are celebrating the election of our (that's our, ALL OF OUR) first AA president, for whom a great many whites voted and volunteered, I thought it was pretty weak to throw that line out there.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

laborlibert — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:16:56 -0000

That hey hey goodbye chant was petty and inappropriate I think. Regardless of what you think about Bush it disrespects not only him but the occasion and the office of the presidency.

As for Cheney, I think he wanted to appear weak and fragile so that no one would want to prosecute him. Like when aging mobsters show up in court in wheelchairs with IV's stuck in their arms.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

sgwhiteinfla — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:14:13 -0000

Scott

When you unbunch your tighty whities you will notice I was referring to President Obama not other liberals or progressives. Hell does what Jane Hamsher says really matter on the level of what President Obama says? And if you disagree with my assessment then provide a quote where Obama used the word "conservative" or even "neo con" which EVERYBODY uses in a derrogatory fashion.

I assure you there isn't a Republican in Congress that self identifies as a conservative that I can't pull out a quote of them derisively usuing the term "liberal". Hell I could youtube most of them from just about 3 or 4 months back. Now if you are touchy about me labeling conservatives then tell the rest of them to stop throwing the word liberal around like it is an alternate name for syphilis.

Again I hope they continue on just like they have been though. Makes it easier for Obama to push through his agenda.

Re: If ever we needed an open thread...

brucds — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:10:43 -0000

"A John Williams piece, but borrowing heavily from Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man. Need to give props."

Someone probably already caught this, but Williams arranged a version of "Simple Gifts", the Shaker hymn that Copland "borrowed heavily from" when he composed "Fanfare for the Common Man".

(Need to give props, etc. etc.)