“Annie Leibovitz is tired and nursing a cold, and she’ s just flown back to New York on the red-eye from Los Angeles, where she spent two days shooting Angelina Jolie for Vogue….”
I guess there are no other magazines available to feature stuff like art, photography, pop issues or families and children. Newsweek has to push Afghanistan off the cover in the states to feature this.
Meanwhile the foreign issues note, Five years after the Afghan invasion, the Taliban are fighting back hard, carving out a sanctuary where they—and Al Qaeda’s leaders—can operate freely.
I guess Newsweek figures what you don’t know can’t hurt you. Just shut up and look at the pretty pictures of Angelina’s baby.
But of course our media could suck because we’re so ignorant!
28 and 29,
Easiest way to stop terrorism… Stop pissing in someone elses backyard. The Middle East has been a constant circle jerk of imperial interests in which the common poor person gets pissed on by the rich and powerful. It happens in the west too, but not in such great quantity. Just look back at the past 60 years, since WW2 when innocent people were kicked out of their country for something Europeans did. This is a huge bone of contension. Plus, it’s endlessly exploited by all sides to fulfil any exploitable mission.
Of course, the whole of the middle east was fucked around by the Europeans. Just like the continent of Africa. France, England, Russia, the US… They all just worked their angles in the countries, exploited the resources, funded and aided dictators, traded weapons with despotic tyrants shamelessly. They all did it. Now, the chickens are coming home to roost. The entire middle east is a product of the meddling of the west. From start to finish.
Yes, I remember 9/11. Yes I remember that Canadians were innocently killed. But, unfortunately, innocents die every day by those who seek power, wield power or exploit power. The gun has never solved a problem. It never will. It only seeks to coalesce power into “tighter and righter” hands.
Now, all governments are shameful exploiters. No government is above reproach. I bitch about all of them, and I vote every election… About the only time democracy has shown up. Yes, I try to stay an informed and cynical citizen, as it’s the safest bet.
I know the Canadian Forces are not the strongest in the world. We’ve never sought to adventure in foreign countries. And we shouldn’t be doing it now. Our Forces should be at home protecting Canada from those who seek to harm it. And I would join if that were the case. But I cannot stand to see my fellow Canadians adventuring for foreign interests in foreign lands. You may approve of that, I do not.
Yes, I may be a mental midget, but it doesn’t seem to bother me to much. I just try to grow a little bit more every day.
#10 And the interenet is any different? LOL
31 Named,
Thank you. It was a pleasure to read.
Having said that, I do disagree with you on almost every point you make. For some, it’s due to our respective philosophies if you will; for others, because I see a difference in our interpretations of historical events.
In any case, I do appreciate you taking the time to post what you did and the way in which you expressed yourself.
31. Yes, tell this to Bill Gates with his imperial designs on Africa.
Tell this to those particular Muslims who believe themselves to be directed that all atheists must die and those who historically spread Islam through – what? – peaceful negotiation as an example to the rest of us? I don’t think so.
When I look back 100 years, I see countries like Great Britain giving up their claims to other lands. Or didn’t you notice?
You probably also didn’t notice the rising of cities, industry, hospitals and the like out of desert in places like Saudi Arabia as the result of all this Western meddling – trading our dollars for their fuel.
And as for Canadians never adventuring overseas, try Googling the Boer war, WW1, WW2 and the Korean War if you’ve never heard of those.
You wave off the deaths of innocents but at the same time say we should be defending ourselves. Make up your mind.
RBG
Ah stating the obvious…just watch 15 minutes of BBC World News every morning, you’ll surely learn more than a full week of CNN/ABC/MSNBC combined and 24/7-
RBG,
Canada enacted a very different set of foreign policy goals following the Korean War. The impressive thing is that fighting a war with weapons but diplomacy was the key.
As for the Western Meddling making such great cities in the Middle East. You obviously don’t know history or geography. The Middle East had great cities and civilizations. You got your numeric system from them after all. The difference today is the exploitation of the people in the middle east due to western meddling is what’s causing they religious fanatics to take root. Any time you have a severly exploited people, you will have that exact type of extremism as a result. Our dollars go there, but they only go to the few sheikhs that have the power and the poor are trodden underfoot again. You cannot create governments in foreign lands. They have to create their own and struggle through what is right and wrong. Stop pissing in their back yard, and they’ll have no reason to piss in yours.
Britain gave up land through force in almost every case. That and the fact the empire had already imploded from it’s own hubris. Read a non british history book and it’s a whole different story.
As for Billy Gates… c’mon! You’re talking about hundreds of years of exploitation and only one man has the balls to do something right. Should we just forget the past?
And how did I wave off the deaths of innocents. I explicitly stated that under every one of your fantasy freedom fighting wars the innocent and the poor suffer. Your glorious leaders get to walk.
32. “#10 And the interenet is any different?”
Richard, at least on the internet there are things I need like penis enlargement, pornography and verbal interaction (blogging).
Here is a good sight for free porn clips in case you can’t afford the $39.95/month porn:
http://pinkworld.com/
36. And that is your defence of “no foreign adventures” by Canada?
I think the Saudis would prefer to live in the Riyadh of today than the old. Maybe they like the free education, I don’t know. You seem surprised that there are so many poor on this earth. Oh, for the good old days when that kind of thing didn’t exist. You know, when half their population – women – wasn’t exploited. Or is that today? Hard to tell the difference. But I wouldn’t want to meddle. Though I note none of them seem too less eager to accept meddling Western dollars.
How do you define “pissing in their back yard” anyway? Killing 3,000 in one go? Or putting up an invited McDonald’s franchise with those wicked McHappy Meals? Or spending billions in foreign aid? It’s pretty clear you believe all the innocent dead of 9/11 got what they deserved.
Yes, I remember the fight for Canadian independence from the UK: Canada shot hockey pucks at them. “The slapshot heard around the world.” And the Commonwealth seems not to hold any hard feelings about it all. Now there’s war against tyranny and oppression for you.
Okay, forget Gates. Let’s go with Warren Buffet. Dang. That doesn’t work either. You know, being a money-grubbing capitalist just ain’t what it used to be.
“Yes I remember that Canadians were innocently killed. But, unfortunately, innocents die every day…” That’s called a “wave off.”
So tell me. What do you think of all those nervy foreigners coming over to Canada and forming a multicultural mosaic. Pretty meddlesome, wouldn’t you say? Same for all the foreign investment into Canada? The evil is unspeakable. I say we drink a gallon of Molson Canadian and go piss in THEIR backyards. Hello, Named. Time to let your love and admiration of the 7th century go.
RBG
#35 – Ah stating the obvious…just watch 15 minutes of BBC World News every morning, you’ll surely learn more than a full week of CNN/ABC/MSNBC combined and 24/7-
Comment by sam — 9/26/2006 @ 10:26 am
To a great degree, that is true, insofar as it applies to international events.
You know… Americans news outlets don’t ignore the world. Reporters are, in fact, remarkably knowledgable about what is going on. News outlets just don’t report on the world because there is no money in it (which is a crime in itself, and Edward Murrow is rolling over in his grave)
And I know that many Americans are apathetic. They were raised that way. They can’t help it. But for many of them, it isn’t that they don’t care… but that they don’t understand how it affects them. That, and when you get right down to it, many Americans, especially lower middle class and poor Americans feel powerless to affect any kind of change in the first place. Why pay attention when your fate is (apparently) to walk the same path in the same rat maze day after day.
This might not be reality, but perhaps perception… and perception, isn’t that a kind of reality?
31
(Second try as my previous lost all the quotes I’d referenced. A “preview” feature would be really nice!)
31
Easiest way to stop terrorism…
Sorry but there is no ‘easy’ way, nor is there any short way. Look up the “Malaysian Emergency”, for example. A State of Emergency was declared in 1948 after the local Communists decided that violence was the only way to achieve their aims. That SoE was lifted in 1960, but a peace treaty wasn’t signed until 1989. 41 years, think about that. But it worked, in the end.
Or how about the Troubles in Northern Ireland? That lasted almost 30 years, and could still be dicey.
Of course, the whole of the middle east was fucked around by the Europeans.
Yes, it is always the fault of the Europeans, isn’t it? NO ONE ELSE, of any race or nationality ever tried to exploit their people, or engaged in foreign adventures until those pesky Europeans came along. Yeah, right.
innocents die every day by those who seek power, wield power or exploit power.
And that goes for terrorists too. You think they don’t “seek power, wield power or exploit power”?
“The gun has never solved a problem. It never will.”
You think maybe you could convince bin Laden, Hamas, Hezbollah, of that very pertinent observation?
Yes, I try to stay an informed and cynical citizen
Named, now this I can agree with. But, I hope that you can agree it’s a damn tough job keeping informed.
36
Canada enacted a very different set of foreign policy goals following the Korean War. The impressive thing is that fighting a war with weapons but diplomacy was the key.
Foreign policy goals can’t stay static in a changing world.
Pedantic note: I think you left a ‘no’ out of that second sentence. But this too, I can agree (partly) with.
There was an author, name forgotten, who said something like “Violence is the last resort of the incompetent because they are incompetent. Consequently, when they do use it, they have to use too much. The competent know when violence is required.”
Yes, diplomacy may be the key, but a wise person keeps ALL options open.
Britain gave up land through force in almost every case.
Citations please. I’d like to check your sources out for myself.
The Middle East had great cities and civilizations.
Yes, they did. Now, did these cities decline because of European influence, or before?
I recommend “Guns, Germs & Steel” by Jared Diamond. It’s a very interesting read. I don’t agree with all of his conclusions, but it will make you think.
PUBLIC SERVICE MESSAGE
Tiny URL takes large web address and gives them a very short address. Please go to
TinyURL.com
And read the side bar on making a permanent link on your browser. I use FF and it self installed alongside my bookmark folders.
With the long address page I want to link to open, I click on the Tiny URL button and it takes me to TinyURL website. The link is there and just needs to be copied and pasted into your work. For example.:
http://news.google.com/
http://tinyurl.com/14er
are both the same site.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
41 – You bothered to try to answer 31? It’s no use trying to impart 12 years of school to include history, political science, social studies and general common sense in a couple of paragraphs to someone who obviously hasn’t paid attention in school at all. The Newsweek cover is a reflection of that general lack of knowledge – not intelligence, there’s plenty of that. It’s the decline of education in favor of entertainment. Dude at 31 has an opinion, just not an informed one.