The oxymoronic and snarky ruminations of a conservative American expat living in the eternally "lit" liberal bastion that is Paris!
Friday, October 29, 2004
We've Been Betrayed By A JFK Before!
You know, for someone who is supposed to be so brilliant, so nuanced, so cerebral, Sen. Kerry sure seems to be pretty stupid. I mean, what else could explain the man comparing the incredible, textbook-inspiring job in toppling the regime of Saddam that our most excellent troops did in Iraq to the Bay of Pigs fiasco during the Kennedy(D) administration? I mean, like, hello?!??!!!???
And in the process of denigrating our brave soldiers for political gain, he has also displayed his contempt for America's Cuban community. AtBabalu Blog, Val Prieto takes Sen. Kerry to task for his in"sensitive" and poorly "planned" analogy. "There are old men in my family, very esteemed and revered men, who served in the Brigade 2506 during the Bay of Pigs invasion. They saw their fellow soldiers killed and served time, under deplorable and inhumane conditions, in Fidel Castro's gulags. These men had the courage to risk their lives for the freedom of their country. Their operation was a complete fiasco because of a waffling US President, betrayed by a man with the initials JFK." (emphasis mine) "Today, another man with the initials JFK had the audacity to cite the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion, using the lives and memories of these men who believed the armed forces of the United States of America to be not only the best in the world, but their ally, and compare it with the war in Iraq. I am completely stunned." I suggest you read the whole thing because there are some really good comments that follow.
This is another perfect example of why a large number of Cuban Americans support the Republican party. The Democrat party just doesn't get the whole Cuba situation. From Elian all the way through sanctions, they just don't get it. And unfortunately for both native and American Cubans, they are on the wrong side of the "revolution." You have Hollywood bigwigs feting and producing puff pieces for Castro. You have fashionistas and rock stars donning Che Guevara banners. You have activists blaming America for the deprivations average Cubans must face everyday because of their despotic leader. You have journalists regaling us with stories of 100% literacy rates and universal healthcare for "all" Cubans. On and on and on, yada, yada, yada!
Sen. Kerry's condescension and contempt for both our military(AGAIN! AND AGAIN!) and the Cuban community is just disgusting.
In a piece of totally un-pc satire, The Politburo Diktat takes on the Islamofascists' tactic of hostage taking.
"The Arabic television station Al-Jazeera has broadcast a second video of kidnapped blog worker The Commissar, who took himself hostage last week and threatens to behead himself with his own circular saw, unless his demands are met."
I must admit that I both laughed and cringed when I read this post. I laughed because, damn it, it is just funny. The Commissar has turned this unfortunate and horrible reality on its ear. And the little picture he included was the clincher. However, I also cringed because the fact is, this is based on what is an unfortunate and horrible reality. It just seems wrong to make light of something so serious. So I make this post and link with a huge smile on my face; but also with a bad taste in my mouth.
One other thing. Has anyone else noticed how when the newspapers do a story on any of these kidnap victims, that more often than not, they include a picture of the victim and that picture is a headshot? Does anyone else think that this is kind of ghoulish on the media's part? I mean, to put a headshot of someone who is about to or has been beheaded; come on! Isn't the symbology of that just wrong? Are the editors just oblivious to the symbology or are they trying to send some kind of nonverbal, non-written message? My cynicism leads me to believe that it is done for effect. My cynicism leads me to believe that the MSM will stoop to using subliminal messages, just as they stoop to using fraudulent documents and partisan hacks as reliable sources, just to advance their political ideology.
France in general and Paris in particular has always been famous for its melange of olfactory stimulants. From fresh baking bread to sewer gas. From floral abundance to traffic jam car exhaust. From brewing espresso to doggie caca. The list could go on and on. But, apparently, Paris is in for a new, bloodstained and fetid odor. (Come to think of it, this odor is not at all new to the land of Gaul!)
"Fifteen doctors - including Palestinians and specialists rushed in from Jordan, Tunisia, and Egypt - examined the 75 year-old Arafat on Thursday and decided he would be able to get the best treatment in Paris, one of the doctors said on condition of anonymity." "Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said a Palestinian Authority without Arafat could become a partner for peace. 'We always said we would be willing to talk to a Palestinian leadership that would be willing once and for all to bring an end to the bloodshed."
Now I am not at all hoping for Arafat's death. Even though this man is a monster and is responsible for the death and misery of an incalculable number of people, (on both sides) I still cannot, in good conscience, wish for his death. I think this is a major difference between his religion and mine. That being said, I pray that the "Palestinians" are finally rid of this evil man forever and that someone of a more temperate temperament will step forward to take his place. There is peace to be had in Israel and this could be just the beginning of it.
"Whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty's lamp guiding your steps and opportunity's arm steadying your way."
No offense meant to real photobloggers but posting some pictures just seemed like the order of the day. I'm not quite sure where this falls on the dorkmeter (I can probably guess) but yes, I do indeed have these two wonderful men proudly displayed on my desks' walls in both my Paris apartment and my family home here in the States. I just love to see the expression on my liberal friends' faces when they first see these. Now that would be a good picture to post!
Just a note to let you know that my posting will be spotty if at all for a while. I have just found out that I have a family medical emergency and even if I had the time and a vast amount of material to cover (with it being a week before this contentious election, the vast amount of material is a given) I find that I have very little inclination to blog. Now I am not arrogant enough to believe that my "10 or so" readers are going to be bereft by my absence. But I do feel that I am a small, small part of a great dialogue and that there are a few people out there who have been kind enough to invite me into the conversation. And to those people I feel I owe a little notice. So, if you are of the sort, please say a prayer for my family and I hope to back "talking" with you all really soon.
