With a Nod to The Man
I am not a Dale Sr. fan. I’ve never even seen Dale Sr. race so my only exposure to him has been the hype. I don’t do hype. I hate hype. But what is obvious to a non-traditional NASCAR fan such as myself is the tremendous impact the man had on the sport. For both the sport itself and the fans, the Intimidator was in institution. Those that did follow his career, not to mention the Earnhardt family from which he was taken far too soon, sorely miss him.
So Happy Birthday Dale Sr., wherever you are I hope you have God’s Hunting and Fishing Gear and the Devil’s Own Racecar.
Speaking of Birthdays...
A Big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Elliott Sadler tomorrow! He seems to be handling the 3-0 with more than a modicum of grace.
“Thirty to me is just the next number in line. It's not a big deal. There are a lot of people that get worked up about a big birthday like this one. They get upset or worried about it but it hasn't been a big deal to me so far. Maybe I'll worry when I get to 40 but to me it's more about what you've accomplished or how satisfied you are with life than what age you are.
Right now I am in good health. I am doing something that I love so I haven't really thought about it too much because my I'm pretty happy where I am in life. I'm friends with so many different people. Some are in their 20s and some are in their 40s. To me it's not your age but your personality, your state of mind that really matters.”
*applause*
As I am turning 34 this year I can say with all confidence this is absolutely true. The birthday where I lost it was 28 because I realized I had been out of High School for ten years and done diddly-squat with my life. As I was back in school working towards my degree when I turned 30, it was barely a blip on the awareness radar with the exception that later I noticed that things calmed down a great deal. You get more focused on what really matters and less invested in creating or dealing with personal melodrama. You can still do all the fun stuff, but you can actually relax and enjoy the ride more.
So Elliott, welcome to the 30’s. It’s more fun over here.
BTW - The guy's birthday is on Beltane. How cool is that?
Oh, For the Love of Pete...and Not Rondeau.
It seems that Maggie Gyllenhaal’s fan site went through a similar experience to the one I went through a little over a month ago for raising the simple question, “How did we contribute to the political environment that created the 9-11 attacks?”
"“9/11 was a terrible tragedy and of course it goes without saying that I grieve along with every American for everyone who suffered and everyone who died in the catastrophe. But for those of us who were spared, it was also an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world. Because it is always useful, as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict. Not to have the courage to ask these questions of ourselves is to betray the victims of 9/11." ~ Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal in no way denied the heinousness of the act or guilt of the al Queda planners and operatives who carried it out, nor has anyone, ever, because obviously the ultimate guilt for mass murder lies with the person who was so cruelly immature as to settle an argument by hijacking a plane and crashing it into office buildings, especially when the people who died had nothing to do with the creation U.S. Foreign policy.
This isn’t about excusing anyone, it's about fully understanding how it came to be and trying to find all the ways to avoid a recurrance in the future.
She merely pointed out that it takes two to make an argument and maybe we should look at what we, rather the American government who represents us, have done to piss off people in the Middle East giving extremist groups such as al-Queda recruiting material so that when they denounce the United States as “the Great Satan” their audience thinks, “Yeah, those bastards overthrew my government in favor of a tyrant!” or ”Those bastards gave the tyrant next door chemical weapons he used against our people!” rather than “But what has the U.S. ever done to me?” and changing the channel.
Now I have discussed the ridiculousness of the arguments that “Islamic terrorists hate the U.S. because we are happy, prosperous and not Islamic” before. The U.S.’ almost constant interference in the Middle East since the end of WWII has hardly been actions to “win the hearts and minds of the people” who live there. Since WWII, America has decided elections (Lebanon), overthrown governments (Iran), played favorites according to what regime we wanted to be friendly with rather than what was best of the people (Iraq/Iran war), used nations and groups as disposable pawns in the Cold War (Afghanistan) and the Gulf War (Kurds), broken promises (pretty much everyone) and steadfastly supported, with monetary and military aid, the sometimes belligerent state of Israel.
I’m attaching a link to an article from the Cato Institute that summarizes the American involvement in the Middle East since WWII. Yeah, it’s damn long. Well we’ve been damn interfering for a damn long time. They do have something, if not a great deal, to be angry with us about.
So is it so unconscionable to suggest that perhaps it is time for the U.S. to rethink it’s approach to the Middle East? As the above linked article points out:
“We have allowed our leaders to violate George Washington's sage advice, and it has cost us dearly. For Washington, "the Great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible." We must rediscover the wisdom of our first president.”
(The article recommend “Ropes of Sand” by Eveland, but almost any history book that focuses one the Modern Middle East, such as the one I am using for my class now “The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa” by Long, will detail the United States involvement in the region. This isn’t some hoo-doo conspiracy theory, these are facts.)
Anyway, as a result of what she said, her fansite message board was flooded with right wing nut jobs being vicious. From the website administrator: “I have taken away the comments system, because it's gotten too outta hand. You can read it as a revoke of freedom of speech if you like, but it's far from it. There just isn't a need to leave comments like a lot of you have on this fan site. Thank you to the few people who have voiced their opinions in a calm and civil manner tho. It's much appreciated.”
Granted, Free Speech means Free Speech for all and for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you put an opinion out there, you should expect it to be challenged. But there is a very large difference between challenging someone’s point of view and bullying people by screaming personal insults and death threats at them. One is a means of opening dialogue of understanding and possibly getting the other side to see your point of view or even better, finding a common ground. The other is simple fear. Fear that the opposite debater may be right and you just might be wrong so you use any means possible to “shut them up, shut them up now!” If one truly believes the United States is utterly blameless, then what does it matter if some kooky actress says otherwise? Why get so upset about it? You know what’s right. Right?
As evidence mounts of the ultimate wrongdoings of the Bush administration, the neo-conservative right has become more irrationally entrenched in their support of it. Since they are running out of arguments, they instead are relying more and more on pure hatred and viciousness to “win”, proving the impotence of their own stance but generating tremendous hatred and partisanship while doing so. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been accused of being a “liberal” just because I think the Bush administration is incompetent and openly corrupt.(A pro-2nd amendment, pro-death penalty liberal. Who knew?) but that’s mild. The ultimate was the person with whom I was arguing wishing the president would rape me (he’s doing that to me financially already, thanks).
It’s just so fucked up right now.
But it’s not the first time it has been so, the most frightening example of when Americans became so entrenched they stopped listening to each other is the Civil War, but we’ve gone through it over Civil Rights and Vietnam and others. Such is one of the joys of American politics, the right to voice one’s opinion. The thing to remember is that one of the responsibilities of it is to listen.
But Bush Hasn’t Been All Bad Lately.
Having said all that, the one thing I will say I have been pleasantly surprised by is the Hard-line Bush has taken with Israel in insisting they remove the illegal settlements from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and stick with “The Road Map” to peace.
Well done there so far. I hope he means it and I hope can maintain that line. It would be easy to do so, “Do it or you don’t get any more aid.”
Perhaps now that his second term is locked in, he doesn’t have to listen to his handlers anymore and feels freer to act as he deems necessary.
Good Luck At 'Dega!
Cup comes to the Talledega Superspeedway this Sunday and I wish everyone on the 8, 6 and 38 teams the best of luck....and that they keep all four wheels on the ground. (Sorry Elliott, couldn't resist. I'm sure you'll do fine.) Dale didn't qaulify highly, but A. that rarely makes a difference on the plate tracks and B. he come from the back so many times to either win or be in the top 5 I no longer worry about where he starts, only where he ends up. :) Have a great race everyone!
So Happy Birthday Dale Sr., wherever you are I hope you have God’s Hunting and Fishing Gear and the Devil’s Own Racecar.
Speaking of Birthdays...
A Big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Elliott Sadler tomorrow! He seems to be handling the 3-0 with more than a modicum of grace.
“Thirty to me is just the next number in line. It's not a big deal. There are a lot of people that get worked up about a big birthday like this one. They get upset or worried about it but it hasn't been a big deal to me so far. Maybe I'll worry when I get to 40 but to me it's more about what you've accomplished or how satisfied you are with life than what age you are.
Right now I am in good health. I am doing something that I love so I haven't really thought about it too much because my I'm pretty happy where I am in life. I'm friends with so many different people. Some are in their 20s and some are in their 40s. To me it's not your age but your personality, your state of mind that really matters.”
*applause*
As I am turning 34 this year I can say with all confidence this is absolutely true. The birthday where I lost it was 28 because I realized I had been out of High School for ten years and done diddly-squat with my life. As I was back in school working towards my degree when I turned 30, it was barely a blip on the awareness radar with the exception that later I noticed that things calmed down a great deal. You get more focused on what really matters and less invested in creating or dealing with personal melodrama. You can still do all the fun stuff, but you can actually relax and enjoy the ride more.
So Elliott, welcome to the 30’s. It’s more fun over here.
BTW - The guy's birthday is on Beltane. How cool is that?
Oh, For the Love of Pete...and Not Rondeau.
It seems that Maggie Gyllenhaal’s fan site went through a similar experience to the one I went through a little over a month ago for raising the simple question, “How did we contribute to the political environment that created the 9-11 attacks?”
"“9/11 was a terrible tragedy and of course it goes without saying that I grieve along with every American for everyone who suffered and everyone who died in the catastrophe. But for those of us who were spared, it was also an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world. Because it is always useful, as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict. Not to have the courage to ask these questions of ourselves is to betray the victims of 9/11." ~ Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal in no way denied the heinousness of the act or guilt of the al Queda planners and operatives who carried it out, nor has anyone, ever, because obviously the ultimate guilt for mass murder lies with the person who was so cruelly immature as to settle an argument by hijacking a plane and crashing it into office buildings, especially when the people who died had nothing to do with the creation U.S. Foreign policy.
This isn’t about excusing anyone, it's about fully understanding how it came to be and trying to find all the ways to avoid a recurrance in the future.
She merely pointed out that it takes two to make an argument and maybe we should look at what we, rather the American government who represents us, have done to piss off people in the Middle East giving extremist groups such as al-Queda recruiting material so that when they denounce the United States as “the Great Satan” their audience thinks, “Yeah, those bastards overthrew my government in favor of a tyrant!” or ”Those bastards gave the tyrant next door chemical weapons he used against our people!” rather than “But what has the U.S. ever done to me?” and changing the channel.
Now I have discussed the ridiculousness of the arguments that “Islamic terrorists hate the U.S. because we are happy, prosperous and not Islamic” before. The U.S.’ almost constant interference in the Middle East since the end of WWII has hardly been actions to “win the hearts and minds of the people” who live there. Since WWII, America has decided elections (Lebanon), overthrown governments (Iran), played favorites according to what regime we wanted to be friendly with rather than what was best of the people (Iraq/Iran war), used nations and groups as disposable pawns in the Cold War (Afghanistan) and the Gulf War (Kurds), broken promises (pretty much everyone) and steadfastly supported, with monetary and military aid, the sometimes belligerent state of Israel.
I’m attaching a link to an article from the Cato Institute that summarizes the American involvement in the Middle East since WWII. Yeah, it’s damn long. Well we’ve been damn interfering for a damn long time. They do have something, if not a great deal, to be angry with us about.
So is it so unconscionable to suggest that perhaps it is time for the U.S. to rethink it’s approach to the Middle East? As the above linked article points out:
“We have allowed our leaders to violate George Washington's sage advice, and it has cost us dearly. For Washington, "the Great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible." We must rediscover the wisdom of our first president.”
(The article recommend “Ropes of Sand” by Eveland, but almost any history book that focuses one the Modern Middle East, such as the one I am using for my class now “The Government and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa” by Long, will detail the United States involvement in the region. This isn’t some hoo-doo conspiracy theory, these are facts.)
Anyway, as a result of what she said, her fansite message board was flooded with right wing nut jobs being vicious. From the website administrator: “I have taken away the comments system, because it's gotten too outta hand. You can read it as a revoke of freedom of speech if you like, but it's far from it. There just isn't a need to leave comments like a lot of you have on this fan site. Thank you to the few people who have voiced their opinions in a calm and civil manner tho. It's much appreciated.”
Granted, Free Speech means Free Speech for all and for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you put an opinion out there, you should expect it to be challenged. But there is a very large difference between challenging someone’s point of view and bullying people by screaming personal insults and death threats at them. One is a means of opening dialogue of understanding and possibly getting the other side to see your point of view or even better, finding a common ground. The other is simple fear. Fear that the opposite debater may be right and you just might be wrong so you use any means possible to “shut them up, shut them up now!” If one truly believes the United States is utterly blameless, then what does it matter if some kooky actress says otherwise? Why get so upset about it? You know what’s right. Right?
As evidence mounts of the ultimate wrongdoings of the Bush administration, the neo-conservative right has become more irrationally entrenched in their support of it. Since they are running out of arguments, they instead are relying more and more on pure hatred and viciousness to “win”, proving the impotence of their own stance but generating tremendous hatred and partisanship while doing so. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been accused of being a “liberal” just because I think the Bush administration is incompetent and openly corrupt.(A pro-2nd amendment, pro-death penalty liberal. Who knew?) but that’s mild. The ultimate was the person with whom I was arguing wishing the president would rape me (he’s doing that to me financially already, thanks).
It’s just so fucked up right now.
But it’s not the first time it has been so, the most frightening example of when Americans became so entrenched they stopped listening to each other is the Civil War, but we’ve gone through it over Civil Rights and Vietnam and others. Such is one of the joys of American politics, the right to voice one’s opinion. The thing to remember is that one of the responsibilities of it is to listen.
But Bush Hasn’t Been All Bad Lately.
Having said all that, the one thing I will say I have been pleasantly surprised by is the Hard-line Bush has taken with Israel in insisting they remove the illegal settlements from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and stick with “The Road Map” to peace.
Well done there so far. I hope he means it and I hope can maintain that line. It would be easy to do so, “Do it or you don’t get any more aid.”
Perhaps now that his second term is locked in, he doesn’t have to listen to his handlers anymore and feels freer to act as he deems necessary.
Good Luck At 'Dega!
Cup comes to the Talledega Superspeedway this Sunday and I wish everyone on the 8, 6 and 38 teams the best of luck....and that they keep all four wheels on the ground. (Sorry Elliott, couldn't resist. I'm sure you'll do fine.) Dale didn't qaulify highly, but A. that rarely makes a difference on the plate tracks and B. he come from the back so many times to either win or be in the top 5 I no longer worry about where he starts, only where he ends up. :) Have a great race everyone!
posted by KiplingKat | 5:26 PM
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