.Bard

"Of Two Minds About the Filibuster" by Scott Horton (Harper's Magazine)

More Harper's fodder, but stay with me for a minute.

As if we needed any more reason for concern with regards to the state of the "Democracy" in the USA.. This is the sort of stuff that will make even the most apathetic of us want to SCREAM (I'm the first to raise my hand in this regard).

Scott Horton once again impresses me. His closing paragraph here sums up the thing so well, in particular his use of "constitutional vandalism" to describe the practices being employed by the GOP in the Senate.

I quite often say, half-jokingly, that democracy is outmoded, and clearly destined to fail. I don't really want to be right, though..

"Something Other Than Democracy Updated"
by Ken Silverstein
Harpers Magazine

I'm really on the fence as to whether Ken Silverstein is an idiot maggot, or actually has a clue. One things he seems to be really on top of, though, is how clueless the current administration is with regards to foreign policy -- particularly Middle Eastern foreign policy (rather ironic considering all the military activity there during this administration's term).

This short missive sums up a lot of what I've been hearing from that subversive Nabsy for the past few years. "We, the people" -- yanks, that is -- really seem to have no idea what's going on in the middle east. At the very least we could try and understand what the average person wants, because, funnily enough, it's pretty much the same thing we want: Safety and happiness, and a place to raise our kids in safety and happiness. Fairly simple desires. Nabs has a particularly interesting personal account of his encounter with the Hezbollah, but from the first time he ever told me the story he always provided caveats as to what they as a group are about, and how they're run. They're not generally in the business of creating terror, as a group. What they're about, as Silverstein points out, is looking after their own. Perhaps "We, the people", could learn something from this.

"Zimring: Giuliani’s Crimefighting is Overrated"
by Bernie Becker
(Harper's Magazine)

Now THIS is a good piece to use as a WOG starting point. It's a nice overview of the underlying BULLSHIT being employed as tactics by the Giuliani campaign. (Which, apparently, are the same tactics he's used in past elections in his ONE other public office. No great surprise there, I suppose).

It's short, and only really scratches the surface, but it does make you a) worry a bit more about the prospect of having this fucknut as the LoFW and b) give you a starting point to deconstructing the man.

I'm starting to hate this guy. I'm itchin' to vote against him..

"Meet Giuliani’s Advisors: AIPAC’s Dream Team"
by Ken Silverstein
(Harper's Magazine)

Another episode in Harper's magazine's ongoing WOG (War on Giuliani, my term, and I like it ). This one dismantling his childish, shallow views on foreign policy -- on which he supposedly is an expert. I'm a bit funny on this article, actually. I'm the first to sign on for some good, old fashioned, GOP bashing, but I'm worried that the author seems SURPRISED that Giuliani is surrounding himself with Zionist freaks. DUH. Lacking any experience in the politics of the middle east, it has long been the elephant's habit to stick to their Israel-butt-licking in lieu of any concrete policy. Two rules: protect the oil, and kiss Israel's ass. It's the formula that has worked for, oh, say, 60-odd years now. The fact that it is almost entirely irrelevant given the current climate in the middle east, and that it could actually do more harm than good would never occur to Rudy, or any of the old-ass hard-liners that he's putting in place to make these decisions for him. News flash! Republicans are backward-ass fucks! Duh!

Anyway, fun read, but, really, if you're going to be a republican-bashing lefty journo working for a decidedly lefty/arty skewed publication, you really want to save your surprise and wonder for something truly unexpected (like, say, something INTELLIGENT coming out of the GOP once in a while).