Goodbye bland affluence
Via Jogo, a great piece by Peggy Noonan, my kind of conservative.
(Jogo sez: "Wonderful observations by Peggy Noonan, a decent person and one of my favorite public intellectuals." Bob adds: I always see Noonan as C.J. from West Wing.)
(Jogo sez: "Wonderful observations by Peggy Noonan, a decent person and one of my favorite public intellectuals." Bob adds: I always see Noonan as C.J. from West Wing.)
Comments
http://watch.thecomedynetwork.ca/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart/full-episodes/april-20-2009/#clip163184Don't be a dick, Bob.
I don't agree with Noonan on torture, but I think that Stewart tips her out of context. (Full video here: http://www.mediachannel.org/wordpress/2009/04/20/pundits-whitewash-torture/ around 3 mins in.) Noonan agrees that ending the practices is correct, is positive about the change of administration that is ending these practices, but says that it is not good for the full facts to be disseminated around the world. I think she's wrong about that, but she is not saying it's not something to be concerned about.
I also, by the way, disagree with her about an awful lot of other things.
That said, 'transitioning' is a fashion in America at the minute--even Elle Magazine (don't ask me how I know) is recommeding that people 'get fit and garden' in preparation 'for the coming storms'. You've got to remember that America's always had a strain of it--that was the republic, after all, that Robert Owen went off to, though when he realised it was more anarchic than socialist he came back.
Predictably, this sort of thing is something blogland is picking up on but that the media and mainstream politicians are ignoring. Allotments, co-operatives, public ownership--who knows, even quasi-kibbutzes--are making a comeback into discussions.
This is what happens when capitalism is on its knees. I'm looking forward to it. There's a positive side to peak oil, after all.
Hope all is well, all the best, Martin