Sorry for the multiple diaries.
I just happened upon this gem from one Michael J. Smith over at Counterpunch and felt as if it should be more widely distributed.
Here’s a little teaser.
“And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
“And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan.”
The Kosniks, smart and likable as so many of them are, haven’t the astuteness of the distinguished Galilean. He understood that the Devil’s promises are hollow ones; but I fear the Kosniks will have to discover that by experience.
There’s more.
MUCH more.
His take on Joe Wlson is right on the money.
Go read it.
Interesting.
This one is from day two.
Read day one while you are at it. It contains a TRULY precious description of Kos, General Wesley Clark, and their personal meeting.
They’re Not in Kansas, Anymore.
Priceless.
I am putting the series on my “to read” list.
Bet on it.
AG
If you go there and like what you see…rec this one up too.
We all ought to read it.
AG
Kinda strange, I haven’t been to Counterpunch in a long long time yet just happened to spend the morning reading older articles there and missed these.
Thanks for the heads up-absolutely correct-priceless.
Thanks Arthur!
Read and rec’d!
…and the truth shall set you free ;o)
More food than a Great Neck wedding? Perfect! I haven’t checked out Counterpunch in a while and never heard of this guy before, but he convinced me with that one line that his insight is keen.
This is people power huh? Teak right. It’s all about showing the establishment the money, and making them feel like they’re revolutionary while picking their pockets for more of the same old losing shit.
It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.
Check out Michael J. Smith’s website.
Stop Me Before I Vote Again
I think we’ve found a winner.
A kindred soul at the very least.
AG
Kinda funny, but I’d just stumbled onto that blog by happenstance last nite – linked to a comment on a blog elsewhere in blogtopia. My first thought was that I needed to bookmark this mofo pronto.
I just did! Too funny!
Hey Arthur –
I was just getting ready to post a comment to BooMan’s front page entry about the Mark Warner lovefest, but your name in the Diaries column caught my eye and I detoured over to read the two from today. You’re always either saying what I’m thinking more powerfully and eloquently than I could, or you’re saying what I wasn’t thinking yet but wish I had been.
I appreciate your brilliance, your wit, your passion and your perseverance. I am sure I am just one of many who have been able to sustain hope largely because there are still Arthur Gilroys out there speaking the truth. Many thanks.
Oh yeah, here’s what I was about to post to Booman’s story. It makes more sense here:
The only thing that sickens me more than the mantle “YearlyKos” is the media/blogger coverage suggesting it is the First of Many.
I cannot be the only one who would dearly love to convene with progressive bloggers but who would rather be caught dead than in attendance at anything bearing Markos’ name.
I don’t begrudge him personally – okay, maybe a little – but as a particularly visible vanguard, DailyKos is a bitter disappointment. Many great people, great minds, and great qualities on a site dedicated, at least nominally , to democratic ideals.
Unfortunately the shadow side appears to operate from a completely antithetical set of principles and practices – the term neo-fascism springs to mind – which is the all too predictable result of too much power in the hands of ambitious and immature personalities.
Here’s what I’ve been thinking all weekend: If this gathering were called Blogressives 2006, I would be in Las Vegas right now.
(On the other hand, if it were called Blogressives 2006, it wouldn’t be in Las Vegas.)
Just back from reading Michael J. Smith’s blog and he is now on my official must-read list.
Great find, Arthur; I feel like I just had a cerebral massage.
Thanks for bringing these deliciously funny pieces to our attention – I hadn’t visited CounterPunch in quite a while.
And the reference to the Temptation of Christ in the piece on Warner’s tower suite party sums up my general opinion of Vegas so well – another reason I’d never have gone to this gathering.
Personally I liked mine better. But that could be a biased opinion. If anybody wants to compare the two and let me know what you really think, as opposed to the Usual A) hallmark card sentiment, or, B) silence
I can take harsh criticism.
You are not required to recommend, and feel free to troll rate as appropriate.
I would be mucho appreciativo.
Why was that journalist in drag in cognito?
According to the astute Mr. Brian Nowhere, journalists arent supposed to be anonymous are they?
Cockburn could have stolen mine and saved himself some costume expenses, IMHO.
Cockburn?
Explain, please?
AG
Oh.
Duh.
Cockburn’s trhe EDITOR.
Nevermind…
AG
The powers that be are coming to be nice to their base. If this were a reThug story there would be nothing there because the reThugs have learned agreeing with the base and being nice to the base gets you votes.
The big issue is not, “No the base won’t get everything.”
The big issue is “Yes the base is organized enough to get together in one virtual place. “
What we want we have not gotten:
We have gotten:
I suspect this fellow, like myself, distrusts the ability of party politics to solve the various crisis in this country…although he said nothing about grass roots efforts, that is where my heart is.
What was most telling about his article, for me, was the lack of discussion of progressive issues, strategies, tactics. You are progressive when you think and you do progressive. I’m not sure Daily Kos deserves the association.
I also agree with Michael that the kosians are good people, taken in by the party system. A bit drunk with their own self-importance.
Arthur, you may be interested in reading Joe Garofoli’s article about YearlyKos, published in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Apparently, some attendees are aping the bad behavior of the odious mainstream media–willing to give up their objectivity and skepticism in exchange for some free grub, an open bar, and the chance to rub elbows with the powerful:
So a politician gives you breakfast and you’ll soften your criticism of him? Sigh. And so it begins….
There’s more:
So the blogorati are now just “another industry”…nothing special…not a group of maverick outsiders speaking truth to power. This whole blogging thing was just a way to join the circle of insiders? Sigh. (I sigh a LOT these days.)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/10/MNG29JC45I1.DTL&hw=kos&sn=002&am
p;sc=716
WTF….bought off possibly by a fucken croissant? That’s not progressive, that’s regressive…should have at least been bought off by PIE right?
Are these the same “blogorati” who sneer at the “mainstream media whore” and the “White House stenographers” (aka the White House Press Corps)?
What astonishes me is not that people are willing to sell out–most everybody has a price, it seems–but for how very little. All a governor has to do is shake these people’s hands, make eye contact, hand them a croissant, and they’ll soften the blow the next time the governor cuts $50 million from education or reiterates his support for the illegal occupation of Iraq.
Hey, at least some of the blogorati held out for the high-rent bash that Warner threw. Buzz has it that the booze there was pretty good.
I think that the serious concern here is this.
The PermaGov sent a fishing expedition into potentially dangerous waters, and found out that not only were there PLENTY of fish and that they would take just about any bait…they also found out that the pirates so long feared to be patrolling those waters had long since been ousted by the local tribal chief and his council at arms.
“EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL!!!” is next.
Watch.
AG
I was there. I have serious concerns. Kid(s) in a candy store, enough said.
What better place to sell out than Las Vegas?
But seriously, Ko$niki’s are lockstep democrats. It’s not like they’d ever consider voting for anyone other than a donk. Sure, they want to be schmoozed and petted and have their betters make nice noises in their direction, but they don’t need serious wooing. Their votes are already counted.
I love the pseudonym “Alan Smithee”. Damn, I wish I’d thought of that one!
For those of you who don’t know what “Alan Smithee” means in the entertainment industry…well, let me tell you…he is a HUGE NAME. A HUGE NAME.
Don’t believe me?
Check it out on our beloved Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Smithee