tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post1373400398010592984..comments2024-03-27T18:00:02.032-04:00Comments on Sardonicky: Occupied OratoryKaren Garciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-54269444593553739952011-12-09T08:53:37.942-05:002011-12-09T08:53:37.942-05:00I allowed the last comment only because the writer...I allowed the last comment only because the writer, previously not part of this particular thread but a sometime participant in other discussions on this site, had been referenced in it. Therefore a onetime response is in order.<br /> <br />That is it. The moderator hereby declares this flame war over before it had a chance to get started.Karen Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-50414490940933128462011-12-08T22:44:12.061-05:002011-12-08T22:44:12.061-05:00Question to you Obama haters out there: How will ...Question to you Obama haters out there: How will you feel if/when Newt Gingrich is elected President of the USA in 2012 (with lots of help from aforementioned Obamaphobes who will vote 3rd party, or whatever) and he tries to amend child-labor laws, appoints John Bolton as Secretary of State (this is REALLY heavy), and tries to switch the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while approving new Israeli settlements in Gaza. Guess you must not be much concerned about the Palestinians. Either that--or you are more interested in trashing the admittedly very flawed Obama than in examining closely what will happen if a nutso Republican is elected POTUS.<br /><br />But...then again, what would I know? I, like Marie Burns, am a "brain dead simpleton," and both of us are terminal sufferers from Stockholm Syndrome. C'est mauvais. I am glad you are so forward thinking, Will, and have realistic answers for our impossible dilemma.<br /><br />Peace and health-<br /><br />Patty HearstKate Madisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-62129281017434076452011-12-08T17:12:45.655-05:002011-12-08T17:12:45.655-05:00Let's go back and read what I wrote in an earl...Let's go back and read what I wrote in an earlier comment, shall we?<br /><br />Valerie wrote, "OMG! I just went over to the Times comments - in search of Karen's comment. What a bunch of brain-dead simpletons! Have they been awake at all in the last three years? Clearly not! Aside from Karen, there was only one comment suggesting that THESE WERE JUST WORDS WRITTEN BY A SPEECHWRITER!"<br /><br />Marie, <br /><br />How you took that as a crack at you - especially since you are boycotting the comment section of the NYTimes - is beyond me. While you are going to vote for Obama in 2012 from a pragmatic point of view, I have found you to be quite critical of Obama and his actions – or lack of actions - over these past three years. I wasn't under the impression that you swallowed his speech "hook, line and sinker." Rather, I assumed, maybe wrongly, that you thought that his speech was a step in the right direction and that we should be encouraging Obama for this slight swerve to the left. I also assumed you realised that Obama didn't pen the words he spoke himself, but rather they were written by a speech writer.<br /><br />My words were directed at the bots who believe Obama has turned over a new leaf (as indicated by this one speech) and that the poor guy is a victim of a Republican Congress. As my best friend assures me, once Obama is free of re-election concerns, he will lead the country as the true progressive leader he is – deep down inside. This kind of drivel dominated the first 25 comments – which was about as far as I was willing to read.<br /><br />I have to wonder why you would assume that my words were directed at you and take personal offence.Valerienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-6152729722200577362011-12-08T16:47:38.641-05:002011-12-08T16:47:38.641-05:00@Marie,
Apparently the only brain-dead simpleton a...@Marie,<br />Apparently the only brain-dead simpleton around here is me for not picking up on the term's usage by another commenter earlier in the thread. My sincere apologies.<br /><br />Let's just say I was a wee bit upset about what I considered to be the annoyingly condescending tone of your post. For that particular judgment--and my layman's diagnosis of you and your friend's unfortunate psychological condition--I do not apologize.Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-53456633467639632732011-12-08T15:34:29.037-05:002011-12-08T15:34:29.037-05:00The biggest powers a president has to influence po...The biggest powers a president has to influence policy and change are the veto, the bully pulpit and his choice of advisors. I am glad the Obama is STARTING to use his bully pulpit A LITTLE. He gets a few points for that. But I want him to name names. I want his to be politically incorrect and say, "Senator Chris Conservative is fighting against the Consumer Protection Agency because he gets huge donations from the banking industry." But Obama can't do that without looking like a total hypocrite so he speaks in generalities.<br /><br />And before I move on about the Obama speech, it should be obvious to everyone that Obama doesn’t write these speeches. He has speechwriters and a team of press people who determine what is said. It is not like when you or I write something and it comes from our hearts and reflects our paradigm.<br /><br />I also want Obama to do a “sweep out” of most of his current advisors. As long as Geithner and Bernanke are still there, doing their mischief behind the scenes, Obama's words ring shallow at best and empty at worst. So Obama can SHOW he means what he says when he chooses people like Robert Reich, Paul Krugman and Elizabeth Warren as advisors.<br /><br />For those of us who put Obama into office because we wanted” Change We Could Believe In,” we haven't gotten much more than words. Campaigning Obama and Governing Obama are two different people. No doubt about it, Obama is a charmer, as is Clinton, but their sincerity has been tarnished by their actions which only favour the one percent. <br /><br />I want Obama to actually DO something that shows he is on the side of the 99% and not in the pocket of the 1%. So far, I have been “ waiting for Godot.”Valerienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-12128037952759974012011-12-08T14:13:36.735-05:002011-12-08T14:13:36.735-05:00Excuse me, Will. Another commenter called people l...Excuse me, Will. Another commenter called people like ME brain-dead simpletons. I was merely warning you-all that the comment you were about to read was written by a brain-dead simpleton. <br /><br />Sometimes it helps to follow the thread and be familiar with rhetorical conventions before you accuse someone of name-calling. <br /><br />It seems to me I'm allowed to call myself the derogatory name another commenter already called me. But then, I could be wrong; I'm just a brain-dead simpleton, so hardly equipped to make a judgment.Marie Burnshttp://www.realitychex.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-38048692079987376602011-12-08T12:59:59.227-05:002011-12-08T12:59:59.227-05:00@Neil
(even if he did drive around for several ye...@Neil <br />(even if he did drive around for several years with a dog nailed to the roof of his car).<br /> Thanks for the laugh, although I think the proper story is that one of his kids was nailed to the dog carrier on the roof.Katnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-14789747388293567052011-12-08T12:54:10.854-05:002011-12-08T12:54:10.854-05:00@Marie,
"Brain Dead Simpletons." Really?...@Marie,<br />"Brain Dead Simpletons." Really? Looks like someone needs to be tested for hyperbolic steroids.<br /><br />Well, in praise of name-calling, here's one for you: The Stockholm Syndrome Sisters. That's my cute little sobriquet for you and Kate Madison.<br /><br />Have a nice day.Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-75168360366821405192011-12-08T12:35:09.332-05:002011-12-08T12:35:09.332-05:00Those who are fat and happy with the status quo na...Those who are fat and happy with the status quo naturally support Obama. If they think the tone here is not helpful to anyone but the GOP nominee, they may need a reality check. In my view Mitt Romney is a better choice than Obama, because while Romney shares the same core values as Obama, Romney is a more competent leader. (even if he did drive around for several years with a dog nailed to the roof of his car). <br /><br />See Chris Hedges for a reality check. (thanks again Will for the links)<br /><br />Chris Hedges "Death of the Liberal Class" <br />http://youtu.be/bYCvSntOI5s<br /><br />Chris Hedges Q&A "The Death of the Liberal Class" <br />http://youtu.be/XfPDp0jCT_U<br /><br />In a corporate-fascist world, the US president, and elections, are increasing irrelevant. Real change will come with the coming worldwide economic collapse.Neilhttp://yousue.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-102769015819360572011-12-08T12:34:14.277-05:002011-12-08T12:34:14.277-05:00@Marie
You write:
"But even bloggers & co...@Marie<br />You write:<br />"But even bloggers & columnists, like me, who have been criticizing Obama for years appropriately gave the president high marks as the quibbled with what was wanting."<br /><br />Okay, you're right. I'm sorry I did not respect the authority of you and the other mentioned bloggers when I commented.Katnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-29208973086046511402011-12-08T11:36:30.218-05:002011-12-08T11:36:30.218-05:00Brain Dead Simpleton Alert! With a few exceptions,...Brain Dead Simpleton Alert! With a few exceptions, these comments are stunning. You've got the crowd on the other side cheering a stupid, ignorant, lying SOB when he recites Pokeman, and you're complaining because after a couple of years of pushing, Obama makes an eloquent speech that's -- for him -- a hard left turn. Yes, as Dayen, Charles Pierce & others have pointed out, he said things that show there are areas where he still doesn't get it. And there always will be.<br /><br />But even bloggers & columnists, like me, who have been criticizing Obama for years appropriately gave the president high marks as the quibbled with what was wanting. The tone here is not helpful to anyone but the GOP nominee. Broaden your circle, please, ladies and gentlemen. This is not pretty. If you won't support the guy who says he's on your side, you're going to get the guy who says he isn't. Wake up.<br /><br />The Constant WeaderMarie Burnshttp://www.realitychex.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-4330952452399959622011-12-08T09:50:43.961-05:002011-12-08T09:50:43.961-05:00@Valerie,
Count me in! An archive of Karen's N...@Valerie,<br />Count me in! An archive of Karen's NYT comments is a GREAT idea.<br /><br />P.S. I noticed a new user-friendly mobile version of Sardonicky is now up and running. Life is good and getting better every day.<br /><br />Occupy!Willnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-64132126451165761182011-12-08T09:18:39.348-05:002011-12-08T09:18:39.348-05:00@Valerie
Count me in your battalion of naggers to...@Valerie<br /><br />Count me in your battalion of naggers to have Karen somehow somewhere archive her posts to the Times and elsewhere in one place, preferably right here on Sardonicky. It would be a great help to the historians and biographers who come along later to record the issues and events of our time.Jay–Ottawahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360356126450612113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-31645691214658896442011-12-08T09:18:18.424-05:002011-12-08T09:18:18.424-05:00Clear your cache, delete your cookies, and you don...Clear your cache, delete your cookies, and you don't have to pay for any website ever again (and NEVER click boxes that say "remember me"). The 1% wants us to feel that they own and control the internet, but you cannot eliminate open-source (i.e., any programmer can tweak any program, any contributor can edit Wikipedia, etc) anymore than you can eliminate oxygen.<br /> What you _can_ do is try to _market_ nifty little cannisters of oxygen as a far superior option to mere "street air"--thus, fancy schmancy "Elite" private schools, "Luxury" condominiums, and country clubs whose annual membership dues would feed 1/2 the population of a famine-stricken nation, thrive in the "land of the free"--because too many are duped by flimsy marketing and don't think deeply about contradictions these things pose to Democracy--so don't feel compelled to fall into the elite news "pay-per-view" trap, either. News is the oxygen of democracy, and the fact that there is a paywall at the Times, and now the 2-tier TC commenters, is reason enough to picket the Times with our flames and pitchforks.<br /><br />But yes, the quality at the Times has simultaneously gone waaaaay down. I grew up being an exclusive Washington Post snob--it was SUCH a "populist" paper, featuring a reporter who lived a year with an impoverished family in the heart of D.C., and then did an in-depth series; featuring op-eds from a homeless lady; stories about the D.C. police smoking the pot they had just confiscated on the street, and then sharing the remains with the inmates in the jail--and the "straight" news stories had so much more vitality and rooting-for-the-little-guy vividness to them than the same story in the snooty Times, which I always regarded as the rich people's newspaper.<br /><br />When the WP lost its hippie beads for its corporate suit, I fled to the Times...now, we all seem to be saying, where do we go?DreamsAmelianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-61971198528444625792011-12-08T09:17:22.715-05:002011-12-08T09:17:22.715-05:00James Fallows @ The Atlantic, “Now It's the Ad...James Fallows @ The Atlantic, “Now It's the Administration's Turn to Be Anti-Science”<br /><br />“Scientists do not have the final word on all matters of public policy, but this was an expert panel operating in its area of presumed and assigned competence. The decision to overrule them would look clumsily political and anti-science if it had been made in a Bachmann Administration. Unless Sec. Sibelius has better reasons than she has offered so far, it looks that way in an Obama Administration too.”<br /><br />http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/12/now-its-the-administrations-turn-to-be-anti-science/249647/<br /><br />Morning after O’ pandering.<br /><br />The Manchurian Candidate has no clothes.Denis Nevillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-56452426410029406652011-12-08T08:48:18.373-05:002011-12-08T08:48:18.373-05:00Morning after O-gasms
“Egyptians obviously have c...Morning after O-gasms<br /><br />“Egyptians obviously have come to realize, as many Americans have as well, that President’s Obama’s pretty, pretty speeches are often not backed up - or are even aggressively negated - by his subsequent actions.”<br /><br />“U.S. arming Egyptian military crackdown”<br /><br />President O’s support of the democratic transition in Egypt didn’t last long.<br /><br />http://www.salon.com/writer/glenn_greenwald/<br /><br />Monkey see, monkey do.<br /><br />“…on Egyptian state television during the latest violence in Tahrir Square, one official, obviously referring to the Occupy movement, said: “In the West they suppress protests, so why can’t we do it here?”<br /><br />The Manchurian Candidate has no clothes.Denis Nevillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-57148843623068004682011-12-08T02:52:57.898-05:002011-12-08T02:52:57.898-05:00OK, Sardonicky readers! I have been nagging Karen ...OK, Sardonicky readers! I have been nagging Karen from months to archive her comments so I/ we don't miss any. She is far too modest to do it without a huge show of hands! So what do you say? Shall we all join together and beg her to do us this service? <br /><br />Actually, Karen, if this is a time consuming project, I am more than happy to do the honours. I just have to figure out how to do it. I am a Luddite after all! I am sure it isn’t complicated.Valerienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-51140073575285598342011-12-08T01:43:44.191-05:002011-12-08T01:43:44.191-05:00Karen, you hit a home run with this post! It amaze...Karen, you hit a home run with this post! It amazes me that anyone still believes Obama is capable of even a minimal level of true feeling for working class Americans. The verbal gyrations that his fanboys must go through trying to persuade the rest of us of his greatness make me dizzy. But, the speeches! the speeches! If only his words and actions had connecting tissue.<br /><br />I always anticipated your excellent comments at the NYT, and I went looking for the newest one, but, apparently, I have been banned from being able to click on any of their comment pages and peruse the facebookyness. It seems Queen Abramson didn't appreciate my recent email outlining the reasons why I loathe the new commenting system. Her answer to criticism is to cut off the critic's internet access to the newly minted blather. Not much of a loss, I'm afraid.<br /><br />In any case, I really like your blog. I'll be visiting more often.Mickey from Seattlenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-22854985761407647992011-12-07T22:18:59.786-05:002011-12-07T22:18:59.786-05:00@Valerie: Thanks for the welcome :)
@Anne: I rece...@Valerie: Thanks for the welcome :)<br /><br />@Anne: I received an email from NYT today offering an 8-week subscription for only $0.99...what a bargain! LOL No way will I give them any money. The only thing I will miss is Paul Krugman and Karen's comments. I think anything I would want to read there I can find an outside link to somewhere.Jackienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-14242271491305828042011-12-07T19:07:57.057-05:002011-12-07T19:07:57.057-05:00@Anonymous
I too have lost almost all interest in...@Anonymous<br /><br />I too have lost almost all interest in the New York Times. They HAVE changed, more than just their comments format too.<br /><br />I used to read most of the opinion pieces, many of the comments, and several news pieces but I rarely do either anymore. I don't even look for Karen's comments as much, although I get a real kick out of reading them here and there. <br /><br />It would be great if someone would post when/where they see a comment by Karen at the NYT. How about it? Will whoever spots a Karen comment mention it here asap after reading it? I bet I'm not the only one who would appreciate it. Otherwise reading the NYT is a waste of time now!Anne Lavoienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-66831733096135270162011-12-07T17:48:22.788-05:002011-12-07T17:48:22.788-05:00Jackie,
Nice to have you join us. And your word s...Jackie,<br /><br />Nice to have you join us. And your word smithing is just fine! Some of us are brilliant writers and others, like me, make mistakes all the time. The readership is very forgiving of that kind of thing. Thanks for the link to Naked Capitalism.Valerienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-26136063080286914362011-12-07T17:43:29.981-05:002011-12-07T17:43:29.981-05:00I admit to getting pretty depressed when I look at...I admit to getting pretty depressed when I look at the news. And then I get more depressed when I look at the comments to news penned by my fellow citizens. I feel like we get the government we deserve. And we don't deserve much.<br /><br />Then I come here and discover that not everyone in America has gone insane. I find myself nodding in agreement to the posts AND the comments. If I were more articulate, I'd have expressed those thoughts myself!<br /><br />I don't know what difference it makes, but it's nice to know I'm not alone.<br /><br />By the way, what the heck happened to the New York Times? I used to love reading it and now I can't stand it. <br />So much stuff there is either massively biased or plain inaccurate. Did the Times get worse, or did I become a bit less credulous?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-58779281437473341962011-12-07T17:43:08.198-05:002011-12-07T17:43:08.198-05:00A slight precision:
Karen had not one but two (2...A slight precision: <br /><br />Karen had not one but two (2) comments under that Times editorial of this morning. The problem was, you had to jump over so much Yellow Dog do-do between her first comment, at the top, and her second comment down the line, that you probably quit scrolling before you got to it.Jay–Ottawahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360356126450612113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-41308530273698163272011-12-07T17:31:45.525-05:002011-12-07T17:31:45.525-05:00@Everyone.
Thanks so much for all your support, as...@Everyone.<br />Thanks so much for all your support, as well as for sharing your own insights, links, ideas and wonderful selves!Karen Garciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15612731479365562803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-974773076690597683.post-4156454076364215972011-12-07T17:15:28.054-05:002011-12-07T17:15:28.054-05:00Karen, I've been reading your comments in the ...Karen, I've been reading your comments in the NYT for a long time, and your blog since its inception...LOVE, LOVE what you say and how you say it!!! This is my first comment (and maybe my last, I'm not a very good wordsmith :/), but I just wanted to compliment you and say thanks!<br /><br />You've also got some great commenters here!<br /><br />Yves Smith (Naked Capitalism) also had a great post on Obama's speech you all might like:<br /><br />http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/12/obama-road-tests-hopey-changey-big-lie-2-0-hell-reincarnate-as-teddy-roosevelt-if-you-are-dumb-enough-to-be-fooled-twice.htmlJackienoreply@blogger.com