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J Man, Colonel Benson has retracted his remark, citing momentary passion. No one likes having their institution and life's work criticized by an outsider.
Posted at January 12, 2006 3:07 PM in response to Among Allies ....
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"So, curahee, if I'm hearing you correctly, what America needs as much as anytihng is a good old fashioned famine and that's the only thing gonna work in the favor of those suffering under class warfare?"
Americans are optimistic. They buy into the notion of cutthroat economic individualism, even when it doesn't benefit them. To regain power our message must capture that optimism, or things must become very dire. I think we're on the verge of seeing a little of both.
"And who cares about cool? Is this high school all across Amreica or something?"
Bush is president. The movement machinery that got him there is fueled and continually replenished by fresh, young blood. By contrast, my local Dem meetings are distinctly gray-haired, paunchy affairs.
Young, energetic, vigorous people are drawn to the conservative movement in a way that they were drawn to progressive causes in the '60s. So, yes, we can say that "cool" is important.
Posted at January 11, 2006 2:18 PM in response to Class Warfare
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Elitist/John, Ellen's point is this:
Americans are an optimistic lot, and generally recognize only two classes: weak losers and strong winners.
Victory comes to the party that best appropriates the image of "cool", of sexy.
The GOP has appropriated the image of the successful, rugged individualist, the height of American "cool". The Christian wing has been weaving "cool", "success", and "strength" into their structure, ideology, and messages with a vengeance.
Power shifts when the definition of "cool" changes. With the scandals, this might be happening, but in an individualistic, capitalist society like ours this happens more slowly than it should.
Ellen's point, as I take it, is that America still isn't ready for campaigns that are framed around class division because, fundamentally, they want to identify with the winners - the strong, the successful, the sexy.
America will be ready for us when corruption and suffering rise to a certain threshold AND when we package our principles in a way that resonates with the America's hunger for material (and sexual) success.
Posted at January 11, 2006 12:02 PM in response to Class Warfare
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America isn't ready for this message. Visit Memekiller's thread on "Are you the type to be a Democrat".
At this moment it isn't cool to fly the flag of class warfare - this is tantamount to acknowledging relative weakness in the face of stronger, wealthier, more influential opponents. At this moment, the coolest thing a person can be is a successful, cutthroat individualist who apologizes for nothing. Nothing.
We will need to see much, much more corruption and suffering before this changes.
Posted at January 11, 2006 10:58 AM in response to Class Warfare
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Universities paying amateur athletes - good grief. This opens up a whole Pandora's Box - how much do you pay a redshirt scholarship freshman QB vs. a playing walk-on kicker? To take it further, how much do you pay men and women b-ballers relative to both each other and football players?
Better we look at minimizing the drive for higher profits. The logical starting point here is a salary cap for coaches.
Posted at December 8, 2005 3:25 PM in response to Working for Colleges
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Irishkg,
The National Guard maintains an entire brigade of linguists. This brigade's headquarters and personnel center of gravity are located in Utah precisely to avail itself of LDS-trained linguistic assets.
The problem as it relates to Arabic is that there are relatively few LDS missions to Islamic countries, owing to safety reasons. You will not see two Mormon lads riding their bikes down the street in Saudi Arabia or Yemen.Posted at December 2, 2005 3:47 PM in response to Someone Tell the Marines Fallujah is Pacified
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Hedley,
OCS may last only 90 days, but this only admits one to the officer corps. Occupaional training follows, and this training lasts betweens six months to a year depending on the specialty.
Moreover, each additional step of career progression (for example, assumption of company command) requires at least an additional month to six weeks of training depending on the assignment.
Senior leadership levels require so much training that they confer graduate degrees.Posted at December 2, 2005 3:35 PM in response to Brzezinski on Training
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Oh, with regards to skeeviness and bummery, Seattle just:
Completely outlawed all smoking within 25 feet of bars and restaurants.
Instituted a four-foot rule in strip clubs. Patrons must stay four feet away from "that special lady" when receining a table dance.Posted at November 28, 2005 1:35 PM in response to Seattle and Quality of Life
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From Seattle...
We had this fight over ten years ago.
In 1989, Dem Mark Sidran was elected as city attorney, promising a Giuliani-esque campaign to clean up the streets. Sidran aggressively pushed through city council a number of controversial ordinances aimed at preventing civic "broken windows". Panhandlers and drunks were arrested and fined. Music promoters were forbidden from posting leaflets on utility poles, and club owners fined for excessive noise. Later, he also pushe through a zero-tolerance ordinance that impounded vehicles of those found to be driving with suspended licenses.
Sidran was roundly attacked by the civil rights community, homeless advocates, and artists on grounds of criminalizing poverty, enforcing ordinances that disproportionately affected blacks, and stifling free expression.
Last year Sidran lost the Dem primary for state attorney general.
Posted at November 28, 2005 1:22 PM in response to Seattle and Quality of Life
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When was the last time the "security" Americans want the military to "deliver" -- namely, freedom from invasion -- was not delivered?
If "invasion" is extended to "attack", then you can include the most obvious examples:
9/11. US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. WTC I in 1993.
Posted at November 25, 2005 10:06 AM in response to Institutional Suicide at Brookings? Talbott Shuns Ivo Daalder -- Hires Unknown Carlos Pasqual
