14
In Praise Of Folly
Let’s see what silliness Glenn Reynolds is promoting today.
LEE HARRIS ON UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: “It is simply a myth to believe that only interventionism yields unintended consequence, since doing nothing at all may produce the same unexpected results. If American foreign policy had followed a course of strict non-interventionism, the world would certainly be different from what it is today; but there is no obvious reason to think that it would have been better.”
posted at 02:21 PM by Glenn Reynolds
Well, that’s certainly one way to look at things.
For that matter, if I hadn’t accidentally flushed my wallet down the toilet, who’s to say that some maniac wouldn’t have come along and flushed it down a toilet anyway? It would almost certainly have been a different toilet, but there is no obvious reason to think that the result would have been better.
It is simply a myth to believe that only self-wallet-flushing yields unintended consequences, for doing nothing at all may produce the same unexpected results. Say, can I see your wallet for a second?
Harris’s essay concludes:
If the concept of blowback is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future foreign policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.
Ah yes, it seems he’s onto something.
Bonus: Lee Harris in April, 2003:
[...]
It is one of the most difficult things for us to understand about those who are in the grips of a collective fantasy — how even the most powerful, the most irrefutable evidence will be ignored and suppressed in order to keep the fantasy intact.
[...]
And yet this bold vision is one that the Bush administration must be given a chance to realize, and for two reasons.
First, because the Bush administration has earned it. It has proven itself right time after time. It has discomfited its critics and it has repeatedly astonished even its pessimistically inclined well-wishers, such as myself. It went into the war extravagantly claiming that the people of Iraq would greet us as liberators, and — by God — they did.
Second, because we have no other choice right now. The alternative to the optimism of George Bush is either the defeat of Western civilization or else a protracted apocalyptic struggle between Us and Them that will divide and torment the world for generations to come.
We all have a moral duty not to throw obstacles in the path of the United States as it proceeds with its great experiment in trying to reconstruct Iraq. Whatever our political goals may be — whether we love our country, or wish to see the people of Iraq flourish, or desire a more peaceful and harmonious world — it makes no difference. We are all in the same boat. If the administration succeeds, all of these various goals will be realized. And if it fails, none of them will be.
The United States is now faced with one of the great challenges that we have ever undertaken. Those who are not with us are not against us — they are against the people of Iraq, and the welfare of the human race.
Sure thing, Mr. Oopsie McSlippy Mistakeowitz.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:11
…to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.
Of course, no one saw any blowback coming, ever. Not anyone we bothered to listen to and not demonize and call a traitor, anyway.
Five of Diamonds said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:19
Hi Saul! I missed you. Still on your meds?
t4toby said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:19
Saul, I can’t resist.
I wish you’d join the army.
Go ahead, go out there and make a difference.
Oh, I forgot. You’re only 16.
Or do you have an ingrown toenail that prevents you from signing up? A pus filled boil? A pain in your penis? What stops you?
Wussy.
Five of Diamonds said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:23
“If American foreign policy had followed a course of strict non-interventionism, the world would certainly be different from what it is today; but there is no obvious reason to think that it would have been better.”
Translation: they hate us for our freedom and it has nothing to do with our decades of blood-soaked economic imperialism.
Galactic Dustbin said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:25
Oh, I forgot. You’re only 16.
Wait, he told me he has 3 kids.
sophie brown said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:26
Saul, do you have any post-election plans if the unthinkable happens and the hippies win? I am getting a little spooked by all this right wing civil war talk.
Ted said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:28
Hey Saul? Are you always a bottom, or are you sometimes versatile?
Simba B said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:30
Y’know, Saul is fake, guys.
“The fact is”->”The bottom line is”
That said I do love how this site seems to chew up trolls and spit them back out as some kind of lame parody.
Galactic Dustbin said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:31
Shorter Lee:
“Let’s not argue about who killed who. This should be a ‘appy occasion!”
t4toby said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:34
Why don’t you just go ahead and move to Israel now, Saul?
And how come you refuse to explain why you aren’t serving in the armed forces?
Tim (the other one) said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:34
Great Country or Greatest Country !
Simba B said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:35
I like the use of the word “promoting”. Like he’s promoting a used car or something.
Glenn Reynolds: the used-car salesman of the blogosphere.
I’ll “heh indeed” to that.
Nimrod Gently said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:06
So Gary = “The Fact Is”, and Saul = “The Bottom Line Is”. Who gets “The Truth Is”?
dBa said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:07
“First, because the Bush administration has earned it. It has proven itself right time after time.”
Oh noe he di ent.
HumboldtBlue said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:08
“We all have a moral duty not to throw obstacles in the path of the United States as it proceeds with its great experiment in trying to reconstruct Iraq.”
I’m sorry, but this is so fucking stupid I believe I’m going to move to Israel, because it’s yet another example of the ignorant fucking morons we produce in this nation.
This leaf rake believes that we’re on a “great experiment.” Tell that to the dead Iraqis you sniveling shit stain. Who the fuck are we to experiment in anyone’s nation?
And has wicked Uncle Ernie ever come to grips with the fact that we made Saddam. His weapons of mass destruction were our out of date VX, GB nerve agents and our mustard gas.
I got a moral fucking obstacle for you, you lizard faced coward, Bush is a goddamned war criminal, now, how to we get that thimbledick imprisoned?
Jennifer said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:09
I’m sure glad that I’m not afraid of everything like Saul is. Even though he’s a few years older than me, he’s still way too young to resign himself to a life lived in adult diapers.
Troll, The Ancient Yuletide Carol said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:22
I think what Saul is trying to say is…Let’s…
End the War (By Winning It)!
Dr BLT (c) 2007
http://www.drblt.net/music/LetsWIN2C.mp3
Sorry for cutting into your bottom line by spreading these links to free copies of your song, Dr BLT, but I think your message is more important than your money.
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:34
I doubt if Saul/Kevin has outgrown Pampers yet. His mommy may let him go w/o during the day, but every night when she tucks him in, she asks, “Are you wearing your didies, my little Saulie?” Which explains why he’s always here stinking up the place.
Kathleen said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:34
Galactic Dustbin said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:31
Shorter Lee:
“Let’s not argue about who killed who. This should be a ‘appy occasion!”
LOL
Smiling Mortician said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:43
It went into the war extravagantly claiming that the people of Iraq would greet us as liberators, and — by God — they did.
Musta fast-forwarded through that part. Oh,no, wait! Was that the bad CGI segment? Hated it.
Ted said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:48
Saul, I hope you’re not really 50. If so, you’re making your generation look terrible.
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:48
TBogg (remember him?) wieghed in on Mr. Glassman’s new position as well.
Smiling Mortician said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:50
The hell with that, Ted. He’s making my generation look terrible.
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:50
“I” before “e” except after “c,” & in “weigh,” damnit to hell!!
Smut Clyde said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:52
At least Mr Harris is consistent enough to recognise the corollary of his argument — that when decisions turn out in retrospect to be right, this should not be an occasion for congratulating the deciderers, but rather, a reminder of the fallen and blinkered state of the human condition…
What?
Oh.
It has occurred to me that one of those right-wing funding foundations should be pumping money into an astroturf organisation that claims to represent the Hubri community. Then when critics complain about the Hubris of US policies and interventions, this organisation would fax out the press releases, accusing the critics of anti-Hubrism.
JUst saying, I’m available.
David Robinson said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:52
Currently at Redstate:
“Two days before teh Hawkeye Caucii in 2004, Zogby . . . ”
http://redstate.com/stories/elections/2008/fred_still_has_game_time_and_has_his_game_face_now
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:54
Nice mugshot, too. “Local Principal Charged in Child Porn Case; Pictures Were on School Computer” would be my guess.
J— said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:56
For a moment I got all excited because I thought Smut Clyde had started a blog. But sadly, no—unintended consequences and all that.
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:57
‘Zat pronounced “cock-eye?” @ Redstate?
Anne Laurie said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:58
So Gary = “The Fact Is”, and Saul = “The Bottom Line Is”. Who gets “The Truth Is”?
The very word ‘Truth’ gives a modern Republican hives. ‘Facts’ can be selective and ‘The Bottom Line’ is by definition subject to manipulation, but Truth? Misuse that one, and there’s a vague premonition in their lizard brains that their jealous God, or a federal prosecutor yet to be appointed, might strike them down with a mighty bolt.
Remember, my fellow SadlyNauts, that wasting your energy on dissection of the fewmets of sub-minimum-wage human spambots toiling in ReThug boilerrooms is counter-productive and bad for your health, since it leads to increased blood pressure and despair for the future.
MrWonderful said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:05
“If the concept of blowback is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future foreign policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.”
This–may I be presumptuous for a moment?–is the stupidest thing written today (12/13/07) in all the world.
Who is this clown? Does it occur to him–I mean of course it doesn’t. I’m waxing rhetorical–to say to himself, “Hang on–there are people who can ’see into the future.’ They’re called ‘people who know something.’ It was the systematic ignoring of, and marginalizing of them that allowed the acts which caused the blowback! A blowback which they predicted *even before it happened in the future.* Because they knew something.”
I give up. To an extent.
actor212 said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:17
So Harris’ point is, to periphrase the old commercial: “Don’t hate me because I’m abject moron who couldn’t see beyond my own ass”?
Smut Clyde said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:20
Nice mugshot, too.
Is this a Pick the Headline competition? “Police continue excavations in basement”, is my entry.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:31
“Police continue excavations in basement”, is my entry.
Excellent.
“Neighbors shocked - ’seemed like such a nice man, kept to himself a lot’”
C. elegans said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:34
That’s too bad. I loved the Bin Laddin song “A whole new world.” I don’t remember the “World wide islamic caliphate” song. Was that a Robin Williams number?
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:34
David Robinson said,
December 14, 2007 at 2:52
Currently at Redstate:
“Two days before teh Hawkeye Caucii in 2004, Zogby . . . ”
http://redstate.com/stories/elections/2008/fred_still_has_game_time_and_has_his_game_face_now
The problem with game is it needs to be properly dressed after it has been killed.
Fred’s face was left on the ground too long, and quite likely was also tied to the (hot) hood of the truck/car for the drive back to the freezer.
Gavin M. said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:35
Oh, Mr. Harris writes for the Hoover Institution’s journal, Policy Review. He seems to be on it already.
ATinNM said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:35
Elmer B. Duffleberry said, “I thought it was strange when he poured gasoline all over his garage, lit a torch, and threw it inside — all the time muttering about not being able to see the unintended consequences of the future.”
Jennifer said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:43
Hey kids! Think of any Bush scandal you can think of and then plug it into my patented Harrisometer™!!! Presto, chango, you’ve got an excuse good enough to satisfy any loyal member of the Republican base!
“If the concept of looting the treasury is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future government contracting policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.” - Lee Harris on no-bid contracts, 2002
“If the concept of flooding is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future infrastructure policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.” - Lee Harris on Katrina, September 15, 2005
“If the concept of national bankruptcy is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future budget policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.” - Lee Harris on why we’re in a depression, coming soon
See? It slices, it dices, it mangles and strangles the truth! Available for 3 easy payments of your life, liberty, and happiness.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 3:43
It is simply a myth to believe that only interventionism yields unintended consequence, since doing nothing at all may produce the same unexpected results.
I keep forgetting that the only ways to deal with foreign countries are 1) invading them and 2) ignoring them completely. Once you realize that diplomacy is limp in wrist and dick, that is.
The United States is now faced with one of the great challenges that we have ever undertaken.
…learning how to use actual superlatives in our hyperbole.
Krassen said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:03
So here’s the deal: I am standing with this guy on the roof of our six-story building and he tells me he’s afraid of heights. So I push him off the ledge and say to him “Be brave my friend, fly, fly!!!”
Then, yadda-yadda-yadda, long story short, the police is making it sound like I killed the dude. Excuse moi?!! Oh, I am so sorry, I should have seen into the future that the dude would sploch on the pavement. Yessirryee, totally my fault that I am no clairvoant… jeez!!! Well, officer, unlike some other people I don’t make my living “seeing” next week lottery numbers… it’s easy to be all smug and nasty after the event.
The whole point is the police hates me for who I am, I have this vision that humans can fly and I am set on proving it by pushing as many people off the roof as needed. They have a moral duty not to throw obstacles in front of this noble mission…
Besides, who’s to say that if I hadn’t pushed this guy he wouldn’t have died of something else? Cnacer, car accident, stroke. Nobody can say for sure what the non-pusshing-off-the-roof trajectory of this guy’s life would look like. Could have been a lot worse.What if he was eaten alive by termites in Lesottho, would that be better than falling peacefully to his death?
Jillian said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:16
Are you all aware of the fact that if your aunt had balls, she’d be your uncle??!!?!
Think of the possibilities!
povertyrich said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:19
A softball teammate once called another teammate, who was prone to flying out to shortstop, Pop-up McGhee.
I laughed pretty hard.
mikey said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:21
Oh, no, young lady.
I spent the Bicentenial in ‘76 tearin it up with my aunt maria in fort worth.
That woman? She had BALLS. Gorgeous too. Guess I always had a bit of a crush, but my uncle Rich was also my favorite, so it was ok.
He took care of the kids. We behaved badly. Our exploits that july fourth were legendary.
She most certainly was NOT my uncle….
mikey
Jillian said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:21
Well, then, if your uncle had tits, he’d be your aunt.
Happy now?
mikey said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:26
The sad thing is, at this point?
He does.
But then, if I was to be honest?
So do I.
But they don’t turn me on…
mikey
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:29
What’s all this got to do with the Clagina™?
Malignant Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:36
Depends on whose balls they are:
After doing a link & a blockquote, & italics (twice) I am inclined to beg for better comments, like TBogg now has, where the HTML-illiterate will have an easier go of it, & the semi-literate (me) will be able to do it faster. And just better comments in general, but that’s up to the commentariat, I s’pose.
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:40
The common taters are revolting, Malignant Bouffant?
J— said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:42
Santa may say “Ho, ho, ho,” but all they hear is “Bwa, ha, ha.”
Via Crooked Timber.
Foul Ole Ron said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:45
I told ‘em, I told ‘em. Millennium hand and shrimp. I said, I said, I said. Oh, no. But they only run out, I told ‘em. Sod ‘em. Doorsteps. I said, I said, I said. Teeth. Wassa name of age, I said I told ‘em, not my fault, matterofact, matterofact, stands to reason …
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:45
Saul you’ve been posting here for 3 hours. What kind of hard work exactly were you talking about?
Foul Ole Ron's Smell said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:46
Hey, wait for me!
Malignant (Mr. Potato Head) Bouffant said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:51
I certainly prefer new potatoes, or at least Yukon Golds. Personally, I’m an armchair potato, not one of the more common couch variety.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:52
Personally, I’m an armchair potato
I’m a Monday Morning potato.
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:55
Friends, I have an update on the Marshmallow Jihadis.
Arrests made in Corral Canyon Fire
The Terrorists, 5 men between the ages of 18 and 27, who started the Corral Canyon fire by flinging flaming marshmallow projectiles into the flammable chaparral and sagebrush, have been identified, and charged with 3 felonies each for the fire that caused the destruction of 53 homes.
Note that our justice system apprehended them - evidence was gathered by canny police work, analyzing sales of firewood and Campfire Marshmallows bought at the MAlibu Colony Ralph’s on the evening before the fire started. This was achieved without waterboarding, although it is suspected that some of the terrorist may possess surfboards, skimboards, or boogie boards.
Actually - it would totally suck to be these guys. What a major fuck-up. They didn’t come forward, now their lives are ruined.
Ginger Yellow said,
December 14, 2007 at 4:56
Sadly, No! has the best trolls ever.
Step 1) Kill 3,000 people
Step 2) ???
Step 3) Global caliphate!
“Two days before teh Hawkeye Caucii in 2004″
Caucii? That would be the nominative plural of caucius, right? So what’s a caucius? Is it by any chance related to the word ‘caucus’, which isn’t of Latin origin?
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:01
hat is the only reason our Great Country was attacked on 9/11, because we are not a muslim nation…
Yeah, I saw some idjit shortly after the attacks claiming that they targeted the WTC because “Islam hates Christianity.”
I dunno - I can think of sites that might represent Christianity even better than the WTC - like, say, St. Peter’s Basilica. Similarly, I can think of countries that exemplify Christianity even more than the U.S. - like, say, the Vatican.
Did they blow those up too, while I wasn’t looking?
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:05
I just had some Yukon Gold potatoes (leftovers from yesterdays sorta-pot roast). They tasted even better today.
I’ve been using red potatoes or Idaho for that sorta thing, but now I’m starting to think of going Gold, even when they’re not on sale.
ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:10
Funny, we never see Annie Angel/Shoelimpy around anymore.
You think maybe it changed its name?
zython said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:16
Saul isn’t even Jewish. His fear to confront the truth proves it.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:23
Funny, we never see Annie Angel/Shoelimpy around anymore.
True, thank goodness, but it’s oh so easy to relive those days when they were all over.
lobbey said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:25
Currently at Redstate:
I’m a sad loser, so I clicked through. What the fuck is it with right wing websites, all the flashing graphics, piss poor layout and odd adverts. Epileptics would be all over the place if they accidentally clicked through….
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:29
Epileptics would be all over the place if they accidentally clicked through….
You may have found the secret to the typing style the commenters have there!
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:35
Saul’s been typing these manifestoes (manifesti?) for about three hours now, and they only differ from one another by the order in which the phrases appear. So I’m really wondering - is this the best that Right Wing Welfare can offer? And who writes his material? It can’t be his personal work, because Gary and the other use the same writer. But the quality is so poor - Surely they’re not actually paying for such low-quality work.
What results could they possibly hope to get from this lackluster and paltry effort? They’re certainly not convincing anyone to their cause, nor are they provoking exciting and cathartic flame wars for their cause. The main beneficiaries of their investment in Saul seems to be the amusement he affords us.
I suspect a parody.
Ted said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:38
Who will promptly fuck it up, on a global stage for all to see, in the most spectacular fashion possible. I think we’ve seen the ‘hard work’ by the conservative pasty pussies dressed up in commando drag.
Ted said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:42
If George W. Boosh commanded Saul to kill his own son, he would. Akin to Son of Sam’s neighboring dog.
What’s it like being part of a personality cult, Saul?
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:45
What’s it like being part of a personality cult, Saul?
Yeah, I’d like to know, too. And how on earth did a personality cult form around Gee Dumbya? It’s like forming a cargo cult after seeing a bicycle with a basket of dandelions on the front.
Grace McSlippy said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:00
\When the truth is found to be lies
And all the joy within you dies
Don’t you want somebody to cult
Don’t you need somebody to cult
Wouldn’t you love somebody to cult
You better find somebody to cult
When the garden’s flowers, baby, are dead
Yes, and your mind, your mind is so full of red
Don’t you want somebody to cult
Don’t you need somebody to cult
Wouldn’t you love somebody to cult
You better find somebody to cult
Your eyes, I say your eyes may look like his
Yeah but in your head, baby
I’m afraid you don’t know where it is
Don’t you want somebody to cult
Don’t you need somebody to cult
Wouldn’t you love somebody to cult
You better find somebody to cult
Tears are running, they’re all running down your cheek
And your friends, baby, they treat you like a geek
Don’t you want somebody to cult
Don’t you need somebody to cult
Wouldn’t you love somebody to cult
You better find somebody to cult
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:11
My friend ZK’s family is starting to figure out how to take him home and care for him there. He’s off the respirator.
They are talking with neurologists to figure out what happened to his brain while he was deprived of oxygen when his heart stopped. He was given CPR pretty quickly after he collapsed, but it’s not clear how many minutes went by. He could recover, or he could be without hope, it’s simply unknown.
His mom writes in her online journal that they pray and ask for signs, and there are signs that appear in the natural world, like birds that fly in certain places, or behave in ways that seem to have some significance, but I am not sure I can believe in that kind of stuff.
While I hope - sincerely and with the best of wishes - that the fact that one of these “signs” actually means something, and that it’s ZK’s essential self trying to tell his mother that he’s allright and he’s coming back…..I really feel despair, becaue I simply can’t believe that.
He’s either going to come out of it or he’s not. Birds flying into people’s yards doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Light those candles, folks, because even if it’s bullshit, it’s the least we can do.
Eric (An Halibut) said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:40
SamFromUtah:
It’s like forming a cargo cult after seeing a bicycle with a basket of dandelions on the front.
Beautiful.
stringonastick said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:45
g, the candle is burning; I hope it helps.
MzNicky said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:51
Late to the thread tonight, but:
The alternative to the optimism of George Bush is either the defeat of Western civilization or else a protracted apocalyptic struggle between Us and Them that will divide and torment the world for generations to come.
Well, that’s two alternatives, but who’s counting? Anyway, credit where it’s due: he nailed the second one. The first is yet to be determined, but like the second one, it’d be a direct result of Chimpy’s “optimism,” not an oppositional outcome. What a jagoff.
Is this a Pick the Headline competition?
If so:
“Local youth minister and Boy Scout troop leader Lee Harris, who has been charged with indecent exposure and inappropriate bodily contact with a minor.” (Lifted from a recent actual photo cap in my local paper. God bless teh Bible Belt, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.)
bronco214 said,
December 14, 2007 at 6:54
Saul said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:28
If the hippies take over in 08 I am moving to Israel.
Please drop by Wisconsin after the November election so you can kiss my ass on the way out of the country. Please don’t come back. Also, don’t harass non-white people over there.
Bottom line- you are an amazingly stupid anal-retentive pin-head. Go over to LGF and party with your ilk.
bronco214 said,
December 14, 2007 at 7:05
Saul said,
December 14, 2007 at 5:07
The bottom line is the U.S was attacked on 9/11 because we are the most powerful of the Western Judeo-Christian Nations, the islamo-facsists were encouraged to attack our Great Nation because of the ineptitude of President Clinton in responding to terror. Little did the islamo-facsists know President Bush was not like Clinton, President Bush is a Great Warrior and a Patriot who took the fight directly to the islamo-facsist enemy. The biggest mistake the islamo-facsists made was attacking America under the watch of our Great Warrior President George W. Bush, that will be their downfall.
OMG The chicken shit that checked off the box that said he did not want to serve overseas is your Great Warrior! The man that didn’t finish up his TANG duty and then is CINC is who you want to ass-suck. Please, don’t even wait for the election- just move your anti-American ass over to Israel. Bye!!!!
Troll, the Ancient Yuletide Carol said,
December 14, 2007 at 8:17
“Sadly, No! has the best trolls ever.”
Thank you. Do I make you’re top 5 list? Of course I don’t expect you to put me above the almighty Dr BLT, but if I could at list make #2, or #3, I’ll take that and run with it.
Hysterical Woman said,
December 14, 2007 at 8:42
Are you sure you want to go to Israel? There’s a lot of swarthy terrorist looking people there.
Susan said,
December 14, 2007 at 10:04
Reading Saul’s writings, I am once again reminded of how 19 guys with box cutters turned so many in this country into bed wetters. Those 19 guys killed less than 3,000, and the bed wetters think that their backers can take over the whole world.
Amazing levels of fear and stupidity there…..
MegaSaul said,
December 14, 2007 at 10:25
Salmon, gentlemen. The fact is, this project would focus advertising energies of our Great Nation on a bulge in the hi-definition real time video windows of the episode, and a stuck shift key. This is where sushi fights with manta. The bottom line is, after they yell at each other warily, neither of us used to be known as “Great Warrior George W Bush Day”. Instapundit logged into the cold night air. The fact is, I am a Real Rabbi where’d you get the keys girls just wanna have fun.
Doctorb Science said,
December 14, 2007 at 10:27
Let us now praise fatuous men.
Anne Laurie said,
December 14, 2007 at 10:34
Eight to ten inches of frozen anthrax in the Boston area tonight. Worst of it came down, sometimes at an inch per hour, during the rush hour, which in honor of the storm extended from approximately 1pm to 10pm, partially because once the major roads turned into parking lots people started abandoning cars in the centre lanes. I knew you Californians would appreciate the chance to laff at our pathetic Northeastern arses, and our far more seriously inconvenienced Midwestern correspondents have already gone to bed, assuming they even have power sources for the Intertoobz.
If we don’t hear from Brad or Gavin for the next few days, either they decided to wait out the storm at their favorite tavern, or they’ve been buried under one of the four-foot-high, two-foot-wide ice walls that form in the wake of the snowplows. If the giggling meteorologists are correct in predicting another 10 inches of anthrax on Saturday night, we might not hear from B or G until sometime around Easter.
niles said,
December 14, 2007 at 11:40
(new tactic)
Hey guys! You know who I haven’t seen around here in days and days? Saul. It seems like he’s vanished or just become unnoticeable or something. It’s weird. You turn your back and he vanishes like some sort of moronic dew becoming water vapidity….
(/new tactic)
Well, this sort of thing worked on Bender from Futurama, didn’t it?
Hoosier X said,
December 14, 2007 at 11:45
Saul who?
Rob Wagner said,
December 14, 2007 at 12:14
So Saul and his right-wing nuts want to defeat the baddies by “any means necessary.” I thought we already tried that. Where did it get us? Nearly 4,000 Americans dead and tens of thousands of civilian non-baddies in their graves as well. Now he wants to nuke Mecca. What exactly will that accomplish?
http://13martyrs.blogspot.com/
Hoosier X said,
December 14, 2007 at 12:56
Hey, Rob. I work as a copy editor at a newspaper in northern LA County that has been characterized as “center right.” I think that means they consider George W. Bush to be a great president but not the greatest president.
I have seen your book on LA newspapers, and I was wondering if you know anything about newspapers in the Antelope Valley. I’m about to start a little project for my paper (they have an AV history section every day) where I’ll be trying to come up with short articles about AV history gleaned from my analyses of old AV newspapers. I was thinking about focusing, at first, on a columnist named E. Heinkel, from the ’30s and ’40s. He was a staunch isolationist, and positively wingnutty in his extremism. In 1939 and 1940, he rants and raves about how everybody is overestimating Hitler. He says that the Nazis are taking so long to conquer France they can’t really be that tough. Then he chides everyone for making such a big deal about Hitler because Norway is putting up such a fight. The goalposts never stop moving. Then he changes his tune to ’so what if the Nazis take over Britain, the British are just as bad as the Germans, it will be just be more snotty Europeans in charge, so we have no national interest in rushing to the defense of Britain.’
So, do you know anything about E. Heinkel? I’m going to be on the lookout for your book. I love old newspapers. My thesis was on Miss. newspapers from 1800 to 1865. I also like to find stuff about old California papers like the Los Angeles Star and the Californian and the one that was printed on cigar paper without any w’s.
The NonSequitur » Blog Archive » May only said,
December 14, 2007 at 14:52
[...] This remark produces the following hilarious retort from Gavin M. of Sadly, No!: [...]
Arky - Cthulhusexual said,
December 14, 2007 at 15:31
Someone’s trying to get picked as Bush’s biographer I see. If he can pass the Prezidential Nob Gobbling Test, he might be a contender.
I kept expecting him to describe the kinds of flowers and candies the Iraqi’s threw at the soldiers as they cakewalked into Bdad.
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 16:53
Hey, Hoosier, do you know anything about the Santa Monica Outlook?
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 17:38
Sadly, No! has the best trolls ever.
Agreed - their unabashed love of pie is a heartwarming thing to see.
actor212 said,
December 14, 2007 at 17:59
Saul said,
December 14, 2007 at 1:13
The bottom line is, you liberals would surrender to the islamo-facsists as would your socialist democrapic candidates. We on the right however realize that this is a war that must be fought and won by any means necessary including and up to torture and a nuclear strike on Mecca.
Saul, to be fair, shouldn’t this be on the Dome of the Rock? That would solve almost ALL of America’s Middle East issues in one fell swoop.
actor212 said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:01
Saul, seriously, if you don’t stop ripping off Stone Cold Steve Austin with “the bottom line” crap, I’m going to personally ask him to come up your way and open up a can of whoop-ass and smear it all over you.
If you smellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllEL what the Actor. Is. Cooking.
g said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:17
Actor, “the bottom line is” is part of Saul’s Regnery Press supplied writing kit. I’m imagining it’s kind of like a refrigerator poetry kit, with little magnetized strips printed with phrases you connect up to make “paragraphs”.
If you could take Saul and Gary’s “Wingnut talking points” kit, and combine it with one of those “Erotic poetry” refrigerator kits, you could get some great prose!
The bottom line is, you hot sexy liberals would surrender to the ample creamy islamo-facsists as would your throbbing democrapic mistresses. We dreaming on the right however realize that this is a beautiful war that must be fought, massaged, and stroked by any means necessary including and up to nibbling and whipped cream on my bedroom.
SamFromUtah said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:27
g - that’s genius.
Hope your friend is pulling through OK.
JK47 said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:29
This just in: Dr. BLT still sucks.
dBa said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:36
Saul, how do we get to the bottom line if you guys keep lowering the bar?
tritonesub said,
December 14, 2007 at 18:54
Where’s your other sock Dr. BLT?
Southern Beale said,
December 14, 2007 at 19:21
I’m sure Glenn Reynolds was supporting the same ideas back when conservatives were foaming at the mouth over President Clinton’s intervention in Bosnia.
Right?
Hoosier X said,
December 14, 2007 at 19:30
g, no, I don’t know a thing about the Outlook.
fish said,
December 14, 2007 at 20:33
Let’s see. Things could go badly in the Middle East if we do nothing, or things could go badly in the Middle East if we cause the deaths of over half a million people. Seems like a wash.
Dan Someone said,
December 14, 2007 at 20:50
Which is correct?
1. “Balls!” said the Queen. “If I had to, I could be King.”
2. “Balls!” said the Queen. “If I had two, I could be King.”
Troll, The Ancient Yuletide Carol said,
December 14, 2007 at 21:10
Correction: Though I would put myself slightly above Dr BLT, in terms of Sadly No trolls, Dr BLT clearly does not suck.
He pulls the mask off of liberalism, exposing what it truly is and it does it using tough love, not hate (oh, and Dr BLTunes that even his would-be enemies download in droves and fill their iPhones and other iPod devices with).
Though they are eager to hang up on him (figuratively), they can never seem to get enough Dr BLTune ringtones.
I have studied his style for quite some time now. I have not emulated his style, but hope to—some day. Dr BLT is a true uniter, not a divider. Yet, he gently chews, then spits out (figuratively) all who would systematically berate him as a way of falsely bolstering their own image and their own precarious standing in the blogosphere.
actor212 said,
December 14, 2007 at 22:06
OK, g, u now oe me a cp of cofee and a new monitor an eYbroad
Smut Clyde said,
December 14, 2007 at 23:00
The party of offshore bank accountability.
Sadly, No! » Meow-Meowing The Flab-Catchers II: Electric Boogaloo said,
December 15, 2007 at 0:26
[...] blowback. Then again, as Glenn showed us yesterday, “it is simply a myth to believe that only interventionism yields unintended consequence, [...]
Arne Langsetmo said,
December 17, 2007 at 5:41
Lee Harris sez disingenuously: “If the concept of blowback is to serve any constructive purpose in our current debate over our future foreign policy, it must not be used to beat up those whose decisions turned out in retrospect to be wrong, but to remind us of the common lot of those sad creatures, known as human beings, who are constantly forced to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it.”
Speak for yourself, azo. I predicted the Iraq insurgency, and I predicted the lack of WoMD. And I was hardly alone in this; I just read the papers and listened to the freaking news like most sensible people do if they want to know what’s going on….
Yes, it is a “sad lot” you have (”… to deal with the future without ever being able to see into it”, as you so shrewdly admit), and while you deserve it, and I hope it makes you feel like a total loser, I’d point out that I’m happy as can be knowing that I’m not irredeemably stoopid and can at least make my own decisions without having to worry if they’re going to light up the room like stale farts too near a gas burner….
Cheers,