12
Tuesday Wingnut Mailbag
William Teach of the Pirate’s Cove blog admonishes us for being too hard on his pal, Gateway Pundit:
The problem is, you and Gateway Pundit are discussing two different things. The McClatchy article unfortunately mixed the message up. Apparently, there was no operational link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. There were contacts, but, they were not working together, though at least one AQ, Zarquawi, was in fact the guest of Saddam. Bush never said Saddam and AQ were working together In fact, that was a lefty meme. But, there were contacts.
What GW Pundit is referring to is the portion which is assuming that AQ is not in Iraq now (though there is a sentence that says “in fact, al Qaida in Iraq didn’t emerge until 2004, a year after the invasion,” which GWP should have highlighted.
Dear Teach,
You raise an interesting point. Gateway Pundit went nuts about a McClatchy article. The article is about an upcoming Pentagon study that says something we already know: That Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda did not have an operational relationship before the invasion of Iraq. Apparently Gateway Pundit didn’t even read the article before going wackadoodle, typing a triumphal sneer at the traitorous MSM, and posting email addresses of McClatchy staff so that his readers could angrily demand a retraction.
Then John Cole was like, “God, what an idiot,” and Gateway Pundit apparently responded to him without reading a single, solitary thing pertaining to what he was talking about (including Cole’s post).
As I said, you raised an interesting point. The preceding was not it. There are in fact, as you say, two things: There’s the one above (the fact that Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein didn’t have an operational relationship before the invasion, and that Gateway Pundit is hootingly mad) and at long last, there’s also the Devo thing.
I’m glad I have you here. You folks of the right-wing hue need to know about Devo.
So there’s this band called Devo, right? Many have heard of a band called Devo. From Ohio.
Fig. 1: Al Qaeda, responsible for the 9/11 attacks
Now what if some totally different people, for instance in Florida,1 got together and decided to also call themselves Devo?
Fig. 2: Al Qaeda in Iraq
What would happen is that the right wing in America, or its equivalent among music critics, would tie itself into macramé trying to prove that the distinction is meaningless, that the groups are one and the same. News items would appear about Devo in Florida, and “Look!” they would say, “Look! Here is proof of Devo-from-Ohio operating in Florida, just like the terror-supporting liberal traitors always lyingly deny!” They would discover evidence of Devo albums from the 1970s and ’80s in the Floridians’ possession, as well as other concrete ties. They would postulate and theorize about contacts between Gerald Casale (Devo-from-Ohio’s #2), and the actual, real and imminent Devo (the one in Florida). Documents would be produced. Language would be blurred and terms equivocated. Sinuous theories would harden into apparent cold, objective fact. Devo-from-Ohio, being elusive and in something approaching hiding or semi-retirement, would be forgotten.2
Your argument would boil down to this: “HOW CAN ANYONE BE CERTAIN THAT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME BAND!!!”
If y’all and Cole are going to bitch at someone, at least bitch on topic. And, surprise surprise, y’all are making it personal.
Your wish has been my task and pleasure. Also, Gateway Pundit is supposed to be a nice guy in person. Helping is our business, at SadlyCo.
-G.M.
1 Pic hiked from here.
2 But they could strike again at any time!
bargal20 said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:26
Just one more comment on this subject from a wingnut blogger and we’ll have all the toppings we need for stupidlover’s pizza.
Smiling Mortician said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:28
Y’know how we’re always trying to figure out whether the Wingnut of the Day is malicious or incompetent, stupid or dishonest? I am happy to say, Gavin, that you have created for me an infinitely more pleasant dilemma regarding your own skills: which is more enjoyable, the delicious writing or the razor-sharp logic? Truly a quandary . . .
Gundamhead said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:29
You are obviously an Unserious person. Also, you swear a lot. Gateway Pundit therefor wins this argument by default. Nya Nya.
OTB said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:30
Well, of course you forgot to mention that those red, missile-like projectile helmets could ONLY be made by Iran. In China.
Spiders Everywhere said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:33
I used to work at a company that had a (deservedly) poor reputation in a number of areas. To deal with this problem, they could have started making good products, managing competently, etc, but that would have been, like, hard. So instead they bought the name of a well-regarded company that was no longer in business. Problem solved forever!
Al-Qaeda in Iraq said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:35
Are we not men?
Jeez.
Djur said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:44
Gerald. Unless you’re making a point about the carelessness of wingnuts as regards the millions of Al Qaeda #2s, in which case well done.
Gary Ruppert said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:47
The fact is, I am LOVING Spitzer on the ropes and no longer meddling with the free market. This is what wiretapping is for, busting the immoral and eliminating enemies. I have nothing to fear, for I support our President. You may say, Hillary will use this to punish me and my friends, but no. Hillary, or Obama, not going to be elected. NOT in NOVEMBER, not EVER. Did you think we would use these methods to fight the war on terror if we ever thought they would fall into Demoncrap hands? Nope.
J— said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:48
[Pic hiked from here.]
My God! She’s got the Confederate Yankee’s new grill!
Djur said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:48
And as if on cue, we see evidence of devolution at work. Take a bow, Gary.
Gavin M. said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:50
Ach, you’re totally right; I’ll fix it…
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:52
Helping is our business, at SadlyCo.
So is Little Alex on your night shift? His parents would like to think so.
jon said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:54
If the bands sing the same songs, then obviously they’re both Devo. Just like The Beatles reunited when Tiffany lip-synched “I Saw Him Standing There” at some mall in 1987.
Mark Mothersbaugh will soon release another video confirming all this and more. The big question is: what of General Boy?
It takes a worried man to post a worried blog. You may be worried now, but you’re not going to worry long.
Dagoril said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:58
“HOW CAN ANYONE BE CERTAIN THAT THEY ARE NOT THE SAME BAND!!!”
What an excellent analogy. This is why I love you guys.
John O said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:59
Wow.
Once again, you plumb the depths of Wingnut moronitude so that we don’t have to.
it’s amazing, and in my opinion worth at least a Bronze Star.
We’ll all be dead, but all bloggers of sensibility we be awarded one posthumously. A couple “change elections” hence.
What was the name of that Beatles’ movie parody? Bangles?
Me said,
March 12, 2008 at 3:59
Blech. Thanks for once again reminding me that the “music” of my high school years was some of the worst ever created.
John O said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:02
C’mon, Me!
DEVO’s version of “Satisfaction” is on the all-time Cover List. Put ‘em on the map. We wouldn’t even be talking about them if that wasn’t the case!
*thinking I’m unable to remember another DEVO song*
liberalrob said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:05
We’re through being cool
We’re through being cool
Eliminate the ninnies and the twits
Going to bang some heads
Going to beat some butts
Time to show those evil spuds what’s what
If you live in a small town
You might meet a dozen or two
Young alien types who step out
And dare to declare
We’re through being cool
We’re through being cool
Spank the pink who try to drive you nuts
Time to clean some house
Be a man or a mouse
Waste those who make it tuff to get around
If you live in a big place
Many factions underground
Chase down mister hinky dink
So no trace can be found
We’re through being cool
We’re through being cool
Eliminate the ninnies and the twits
Put the tape on erase
Rearrange a face
We always liked picasso anyway
Classic…
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:07
What was the name of that Beatles’ movie parody?
The Rutles
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:08
In defense of Gateway Pundit, the non-native insurgent forces DO in fact refer to themselves as “Al Qaeda in Iraq,” which suggests that they are both “Al Qaeda” and “in Iraq.” Legally, if they WEREN’T Al Qaeda or they WEREN’T in Iraq, they couldn’t use that name, for the same reason that Skunk Baxter can’t throw together a 12-piece band of really smooth sidemen and tour as “Steely Dan”…although he COULD possibly get away with selling it as “The Doobie Brothers Featuring Skunk Baxter.” To put it another way, while Islamic Jihad is more like the Hoops McCann Band doing cover versions of Steely Dan (read: Al Qaeda), Al Qaeda in Iraq would need to have at least a Walter Becker-grade claim on the Al Qaeda name (and a minimum of two uncredited Donald Fagan background vocals) — mutatis mutandis — in order to bill themselves as AQI.
Thus (as I believe is GP’s point), whoever AQI is — even if they are Israeli Mossad agents — they are, in fact, the same people who killed Leon Klinghoffer and planted the electronic “Adult Swim” placards all around Boston. And if they ARE in Iraq now, it stands to reason that they MUST have been in Iraq, retroactively, prior to the war…since, otherwise, they would have been “Al Qaeda in Some Other Place.”
Ipso facto, QED. Or, as GP might exclaim in triumph, “Who’ll be the next to outwit me?”
Hemlock for Gadflies said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:08
Unfortunately, Teach is just a big a numbskull as Gateway Pundit.
Zarqawi was not a “guest” of Saddam, as much as Teach and the rest of the wingnuttery would wish it so.
At the following URL you can get a PDF of a document captured by U.S. forces and released as part of DoD’s info dump of Iraqi source material in the handwriting of Saddam’s leading intelligence officer, directing subordinate units to hunt down Zarqawi who was hiding in the Kurdish safe haven (i.e., the part of Iraq we in the U.S. were defending with our Air Force).
This has been “news” since 2006. Apparently Pajamas Media hasn’t caught up on all of its RSS feeds yet….
http://www.blackvault.com/documents/capturediraq/ISGZ-2004-019920.pdf
John O said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:08
Thanks, gbear.
The Bangles were real, weren’t they?
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:10
Kind of like the Monkees were real.
SenderC said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:11
Devo created some of the greatest music of all time. In fact, whenever I see our illustrious president on the teevee, their song “Mongoloid” plays in my mind. Freedom of choice is what you got…freedom from choice is what you want.
Rightwingsnarkle said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:11
“If y’all and Cole are going to bitch at someone, at least bitch on topic. And, surprise surprise, y’all are making it personal.”
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. People who write out the colloquial y’all are inherently full of shit (or, better, full o’ shit).
Stupid fucking wingnuts.
John O said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:13
That’s what I thought, gbear.
But thanks for the verification.
Some Guy said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:14
Who the fuck types out “y’all”? Unless you’re jokingly trying to emulate a southern yokel drawl with your friends on AIM. Jeebus.
liberalrob said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:15
Remember to take time out for fun!
liberalrob said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:19
So is this the equation?
Monkees :: Beatles = Bangles :: Go Go’s
(apologies for improper syntax, it’s been a while)
MileHi Hawkeye said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:26
Hey now–at least Susanna could sing. Have you not heard her album with Matthew Sweet, “Under the Covers, Vol 1″? Good stuff…
Dagoril said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:27
One of my favorite Devo videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxH39QlRuhg
Batocchio said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:28
Hemlock beat me to it, although I remember reading about that before 2006.
The “lefty meme” bit sure is a hoot, too.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:28
I think it’s closer to this:
Seachers :: Beatles
Bangles :: Go Go’s
I actually kind of liked the Bangles’ All Over The Place.
Walt said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:29
I have to step in and defend the use of “y’all”. Modern English doesn’t have a second-person plural form and “y’all” works just fine. True, I was raised in Texas so maybe it doesn’t sound as heinous to my ears. Y’all would be OUTRAGED to know I’ve even used such monstrous contractions as “y’all’re” and “y’all’ve”, etc.
Walt said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:30
But BOO to wingnuts.
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:34
Modern English doesn’t have a second-person plural form and “y’all” works just fine.
Agreed, and it’s my favorite form of the second-person plural – cf. New Jersey “youse” and my own state’s “you guys”. Seriously, the second-person plural possessive in Utah is “you guys’s” which sounds really dumb.
I’m also a strong defender of “ain’t” as a contraction for “am not”. Or whatever else. Must just be that forbidden-fruit effect.
MileHi Hawkeye said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:35
Go’-Go’s==Skanky No-Talent Ho’s. Bangles==Made All America boys grow up big and strong.
Just saying.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:35
Well as a MNtan, I have to say Yaa to Walt’s argument.
liberalrob said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:38
No Devo thread would be complete without this one:
Dare to be Stupid
Rightwingsnarkle said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:38
Walt – I’m fine with y’all as a spoken expression, preferably by people from Texas, etc. who can claim it as part of their culture.
But seeing it in writing makes me wince, and hearing it spoken by people who don’t have a claim to it is just wrong – like looking for good barbecue down east (Maine), or a genuine clambake in Lubbock. It just doesn’t work.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:38
Bangles==Made All America boys grow up big and strong.
Yea, but after they grew up they all went into marketing.
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:38
Y’know, I’ve recently rediscovered the Monkees. I don’t know the provinence of all the music, but it’s pretty damn good.
For that matter, if ’70s Elton John was trying to get airplay today, it would be “alternative rock”. Check it out and tell me it ain’t so..
mikey
g said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:41
They’re a franchise, just like Dunkin’ Donuts!
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:42
Go’-Go’s==Skanky No-Talent Ho’s. Bangles==Made All America boys grow up big and strong.
Ok, then, well, put me down on the side of the no talent hos, y’all. ‘Cause the GoGos were the shit, and the Bangles were…
Ready?
Wait for it
Derivative…
mikey
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:43
I went to a Monkees concert when I was in 8th grade. Never heard a note all night. Nothing but crazed screaming and kids jumping up and down. At one point, I stood on the back of my seat to see the band, but the whole row of seats tipped over and kids went flying everywhere. Somehow we had the row back up in about 10 seconds and only caught glimpses of the band for the rest of the night. I have NO idea if they were good or not, but it was fun.
stryx said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:44
I say fuck all y’all if you can’t take a non-standard contraction.
I’m with Kinky.:
“Remember: Y’all is singular. All y’all is plural. All y’all’s is plural possessive.”
MileHi Hawkeye said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:45
Musically, they both sucked eggs, Mikey. I was speaking in the lookist sense…
edub said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:45
MileHi Hawkeye said,
Hey now–at least Susanna could sing. Have you not heard her album with Matthew Sweet, “Under the Covers, Vol 1?? Good stuff…
“And Your Bird Can Sing” just came up on my iPod. I swear.
MileHi Hawkeye said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:48
edub–
I actually find myself liking their version of Cinnamon Girl better than the original.
Modern English said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:49
I’ll stop the world and melt with y’all.
liberalrob said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:50
I was always partial to Elton John’s Rocketman…
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:51
But seeing it in writing makes me wince, and hearing it spoken by people who don’t have a claim to it is just wrong…
I don’t always wince to see it in writing, but the case in this post definitely is annoying. I think it’s the faux-folksy condescension that makes it obnoxious.
I don’t say “y’all” myself, for exactly that reason – I don’t have a dialectal claim to it so it sounds fake from me.
tom-mcgee.com: the blog » Al Qaeda In Iraq Explained said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:53
[...] Sadly No lays out the connection between this al Qaeda and that other al Qaeda. I love a good simile, and this one made me laugh out loud. The Devo part that is. Especially the thing with the accordion. [...]
D.N. Nation said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:54
Really- are these dumbshits really arguing this? Really? Really?
And people take them seriously? Really? Really?
That Al-Qaeda In Iraq = Al-Qaeda Who Could Have Possibly Negotiated With Saddam Circa 2002?
Really?
Really?
With no irony?
Really?
Walt said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:54
I have heard “all y’all”, but I’ve never heard y’all as singular, except in movies with corny Southern stereotypes. I don’t know what Kinky was thinking. Hey, this gives me an excuse to dig into my giant 3 volume set of H. L. Mencken’s “The American Language” that I just got for $30 at a used bookstore!
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:56
I’ve been in places where Y’all was ok. So Y’all is ok with me. Got a problem? Don’t use it. Don’t police me up. We got a deal?
And if you can listen to Elton’s “High Flying Bird” and not sob your eyes out, I pretty much fear for your humanity…
mikey
stryx said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:56
Sam left out Pittsburgh’s variant- yoons (ph), which I take to be a contraction of you ‘uns.
Ralph Nader said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:57
The fact is, al-Qaeda has been negotiating with Saddam all along, and we should re-invade Iraq and make sure that Halliburton gets al the rebuilding contracts, because Halliburton is the most un-corporate corporation ever in the whole wide world, and if you don’t approve of this then you’re a corporate sellout.
Oh, what’s this? A bunch of giant sacks with big dollar signs on them? Just put ‘em over there, boys.
Anyway, you should vote John McCain or I’ll make Rage Against The Machine play in front of your house, you sellout. John McCain is a great American, unlike Barack Hussein Obama, who is a huge corporate sellout. Also, give me money. Ah, thanks, Hoosier X, that’ll at least pay for my dinner.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:57
really
edub said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:58
It could be the “y’all” is simply an attempt at compromise, the colloquial “y’all” being the sociobiological equivalent of a weaker animal presenting his grammatical hindquarters to his superior in the hopes of gaining approval and avoiding further humiliation.
SenderC said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:58
Where does Banarama fit into the rankings?
True story about my wife: she was a 13 year old girl during the Monkees revival (circa 1986). She became a huge fan and this being the age before readily accessible song lyrics from the internet, she would sit in her closet for hours transcribing Monkees lyrics into her notebook. Despite that fact, I too like the Monkees, especially after seeing “Head” (the Citizen Kane of career-killing films).
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:59
I have heard “all y’all”…
Me too, from a friend of mine who does have the right dialect. It sounds like an emphatic form. Plus it just sounds awesome, the way he says it.
Krassen said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:00
Gavin, no offense, but I think your analogy overstates a little bit the connection. It is more like if the Devo in Florida was not really a band, but but more like a pee-wee soccer team and they were not really named Devo but rather The Rockets, but still, since their coach’s name is Devon and they all sang the “Happy Birthday” song at Jimmy’s 6th birthday pizza party, the question is still valid: How do we know that these are not the same “organizations”?
I think the Niger “yellowcake” case is a lot more clear-cut: is anyone seriously going to tell me that nobody has ever made cake in Niger and went a little bit heavy on the egg-yolk? C’mon!
stryx said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:00
Now where did that come from mikey? “Don’t police me up.”
I like that.
Hoosier X said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:01
Ralph Nader is right. You were all stupid for not voting for Nader, because both parties were the same, and any other evidence to the contrary is stupid and dumb. What, Halliburton stock? Whatever, I never heard of it, and that’s only the fault of the Main Stream Media.
lobbey said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:02
Monkees, Elton John, you’re all showing your age here boys and girls, making me feel very young………………
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:04
I’ve got a friend who grew up in Baton Rouge and migrated to Dallas. I could listen to him say Y’all all night. He also always says Hey instead of Hi. He’s a sweetheart.
Dan said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:04
By whom you mean, of course… Jihad Jerry?!?!?!
Yeah… This is some real through-the-looking-glass shit right here, Gavin.
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:05
Sam left out Pittsburgh’s variant- yoons (ph), which I take to be a contraction of you ‘uns.
Wow, I’ve never heard that one. My last boss was from Pittsburgh but for some reason did her best to distance herself from the dialect – I should ask her about it.
edub said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:06
lobbey said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:02
Monkees, Elton John, you’re all showing your age here boys and girls, making me feel very young………………
And here I was about to brag about the Carpenters. . .
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:10
Well lobbey, can I name-drop a MN band called Walker Kong? They’re a modern band but they make me feel about 16 years old all over again.
Tupac Shakur said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:11
Fuck all y’all.
blowback said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:11
SamFromUtah said,
I’m also a strong defender of “ain’t” as a contraction for “am not”.
There ain’t a problem with using ain’t anymore according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The way Estuary English is replacing Received Pronunciation (like wot the Queen speaks), ain’t will replace am/are/is/.. not completely within forty years in England anyway.
D. Sidhe said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:13
I support “y’all” as well.
Also, rotwang, I assume you’re having fun with us, but I was still forced into giggles at the thought that terrorist organizations draw the line at breaking trademark laws.
Smiling Mortician said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:16
I am objectively pro-y’all. I am also pro-Monkees and way way way pro-early-Elton-John (Levon is teh best). Perhaps not surprisingly, I am objectively anti-lobbey. Ageists. Hmph.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:21
I wanted to get rotwang’s take on the evolution of Yardbirds to New Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin.
MileHi Hawkeye said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:25
“Fuck all y’all.”
See, this is the kind of shit that leads me to not be able to enjoy teh sadly! at work anymore.
That fuckin’ sucks all y’all.
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:26
The Pittsburgh phonetic rendering is “yunz” — as in, “Did yunz guys know that Gary Ruppert failed the Turing Test?”
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:27
D. Sidhe — Didn’t I just pass you over at Roger Ailes’ place?
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:29
Levon, Mort?
How bout “Take me to the pilot”, “Sixty years on” or the nearly perfect “No Shoestrings on Louise”?
Y’know?
mikey
Smut Clyde said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:29
The way Estuary English is replacing Received Pronunciation (like wot the Queen speaks), ain’t will replace am/are/is/.. not completely within forty years in England anyway.
The last time I was at a garden party, Her Majesty was standing there with the tea-pot asking “Would you layke unnnh or hnnnh with your tay?” I had her repeat it — still couldn’t understand her. Then I had the wit to say, “What’s the difference?”
D. Sidhe said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:29
Yup. I’m waiting for a phonecall and e-pacing through comment threads in the meantime.
EdsAppliance said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:29
I learn something new every day, to wit:
The pivotal moment for the formation of Devo was the Kent State shootings of May 4, 1970.
g said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:30
A bit OT – but has anyone seen the video of Bush at the Gridiron dinner, singing his version of “The Green Green Grass of Home”????
Its up a Digby’s place, also Crooks & Liars and Jane’s place.
It’s disgusting and infuriating, but of all the comments I’ve read, I haven’t seen anyone yet comment on the fact that they chose a REALLY interesting song to have him sing.
See – for those of us old enough to remember Tom Jones, as well as the Monkees and Carpenters – the original song is a song about a condemned man in prison awaiting his execution.
He dreams of his home, and then:
Then I awake and look around me, at four grey walls surround me
and I realize that I was only dreaming.
For there’s a guard and there’s a sad old padre –
arm in arm we’ll walk at daybreak.
Again I touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they’ll all come to see me in the shade of that old oak tree
as they lay me neath the green, green grass of home.
And if Bush awakes from his dream of Crawford to find himself in prison, and Condi and Dick are there with him, so much the better.
But I have to wonder – Whose idea was it to have him sing this song? Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed? or was there a clever mole in the Event Planning department?
Susan of Texas said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:32
If this guy can pretend he’s a pirate and pretend black is white, why can’t he pretend Sadly, No! doesn’t exist? It would be better all around.
stryx said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:33
milehi, really it’s better that way. I imagine a time where I’m going to have to explain to someone that I lost my job because I couldn’t stop reading a blog at work.
pedestrian said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:35
The Pittsburgh phonetic rendering is “yunz”
Only if yunz is dahntahn annat.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:36
Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed?
Yaaa.
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:37
D. Sidhe — Well, pace away and I’m glad you laughed. Gavin’s Devo analogy is much better, alas. Then again, nothing compares to GP’s incomprehensible rant, which defies parody. Somehow, the phrase “All men are Socrates” comes to mind.
Snorghagen said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:38
Wolfowitz believed that they worked together. Last I heard, Cheney still does believe it. But then they’re both Maoists.
And I am an ardent ‘y’all’ supporter, y’all.
When I present my grammatical hindquarters, I’m usually preparing to sociobiologically fart in someone’s face.
Smut Clyde said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:43
I’m an ardent yawl supporter, myself. The world needs more two-masted sailing vessels.
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:43
Evenin’ y’all.
OTB said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:47
edub at 4:58–
Bingo. You win. It’s also known as Lordosis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lordosis_behavior
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:48
My pet y’all died yesterday.
He was way to devoted to a multicultural love for all his fellow y’alls.
He picked up some limestone and got all rigid.
Did you know that lactic acidosis and rigor mortis are essentially the same thing?
My former pet y’all could tell you more details…
mikey
C said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:49
Thanks Gavin. I now have “Whip it” stuck in my head, potentially for the rest of my existance.
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:55
Pedestrian: Let me guess — McKeesport? ;->
Smut Clyde said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:56
Thus (as I believe is Rotwang’s point), whoever Amon Düül UK is — even if they include a drummer from Van der Graaf Generator — they are, in fact, the same people who were improvising in Munich from 1967 to 1969. And if they ARE in the UK now, it stands to reason that they MUST have been in the UK, retroactively, prior to releasing an album with Robert Calvert…since, otherwise, they would have been “Amon Düül I” or “Amon Düül II”.
Andrew A. Gill, SLS said,
March 12, 2008 at 5:56
Did someone say Devo2.0?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7W_kG3Aj9Tg
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pzUwwvCx4Kk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g5tkcRxuXEU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KCDhLAadYIc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t-X7NhbBpCs
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LlYLuttV4aM
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:00
Crisped Zebra with Dried Tofus
Ingredients:
6 pints blonde zebra
1 stick tofu
1 personable American Swiss cheese
5 jars programmable ox tentacle
5 ounces ginger
3 bunches thyme
Pick over the ingredients and discard excess plasterboard. Separate zebra throat from tail. Shred tail. Mix the tofu with the American Swiss cheese over medium heat in a bag. Drizzle resulting potion over the zebra. Char the ox tentacle, ginger, and the thyme spaciously. Spread the latter combination on to the former. Bake for 91 minutes. Serves 4 oversize individuals with dizzy stomachs.
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:00
…y’all.
Andrew A. Gill, SLS said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:01
Also…
You may be interested in this:
http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/pigsfly-02.m3u
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:12
Yep.
Cause one of the things that will flat fuck up your zebra is excess plasterboard. You wanna keep that shit in balance.
Yum…
mikey
rotwang said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:12
SmutClyde: Indeed, as per the David Sylvian/Ryuichi Sakamoto Paradox. Good catch.
And, naturally, it follows that Utopia=Woody’s Truck Stop= Nazz in Iraq.
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:13
Well, I treat that plasterboard thing as a guideline more than a rule. I just add plasterboard to taste.
What fun is cooking if you don’t fudge the recipe around a bit?
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:14
I’ve gotta work on making drinks. There should be a lot less plasterboard in those.
Snorghagen said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:26
If you’re going to make one of those rye whiskey / fish emulsion concoctions that are so popular these days, I’d recommend leaving out the plasterboard altogether and substituting a dollop of spackle.
mikey said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:26
Uncle Ricky Ricardo’s Plasterboard Fizz:
Assemble two jiggers plasterboard with one cubit Milk of Magnesia in a cocktail shaker.
Add shaved frozen methane, maraschino cherries and seven up to taste.
Shake with two tablespoons pepto bismol and two ounces depleted uranium.
Add four inches of orange Primacord. Light belligerently.
Shake like your ass is on fire.
Pour into a gorilla stomach.
Serves eleven….
mikey
D. Sidhe said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:45
My zebra has been flat fucked up for months now. I need to go see if it’s been nibbling the drywall.
Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed?
Yes. Remember, this is the party of dipshits who thought “Born in the USA” was a good campaign song, and that “If I Had a Hammer” was appropriate to serenade Tom DeLay. To them, music is all titles and noise. I don’t think they entirely *get* lyrics. It all traces back to their lack of recognition that words mean things.
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:45
Stealing ingredients y’all.
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 6:56
A Florida Devo seems pretty Devo in any case.
Krassen said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:02
“Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed? or was there a clever mole in the Event Planning department?”
The very same questions that I have always asked myself with respect to Stephan Colbert at the WH Correspondents dinner…
Smut Clyde said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:05
I’ve gotta work on making drinks. There should be a lot less plasterboard in those.
Mix equal portions of vodka and milk-of-magnesia… But y’all know that joke.
The Oracle said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:07
Back in 2002, I knew the Bush administration was lying about their unsupportable claims of an Iraq/al Qaeda connection. Simple logic dictated that they were lying.
Just like all religious fundamentalist fanatics, al Qaeda would have liked nothing more than to see Saddam Hussein dead, the generally-secular Baathist Sunnis thrown out of power and a more religious fundamentalist, sharia-spouting group taking their place, to turn Iraq into a country patterned after what the hardcore, religious fundamentalist Taliban had done to Afghanistan. (and what certain hardcore, religious fundamentalist fanatics are trying to do to Iraq today).
Hardcore religious fundamentalist fanatics were a threat to Saddam Hussein’s Baathist Sunni regime in Iraq, so why would he have aided any of them logistically or through supplying them with any WMD, if he had any? No one, in their right mind, would give help or weapons to anyone with the intention of killing them. Saddam Hussein had had problems with the religious fundamentalist fanatics inside Iraq for years (they kept trying to kill him and his family), and he’d fought a war in the 1980s against the religious fundamentalist fanatics next door in Iran.
Besides, al Qaeda had closer connections to Saudi Arabia than they ever had to Iraq. Osama bin Laden was Saudi Arabian. Fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi Arabian. Over half of the “Al Qaeda in Iraq” terrorists in Iraq today are Saudi Arabian. No financial support has ever been traced between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaeda, while there is plenty of evidence linking Saudi Arabian benefactors and al Qaeda.
But let’s look at the WMD issue again. Saddam Hussein would have hardly given any WMD, if he had had any, to people out to kill him. So, did Hussein have any “hidden” WMD that went “missing”?. Claims have been made, following the Bush-ordered invasion of Iraq, that some of Hussein’s Baathist loyalists loaded up trucks to cart off Hussein’s “missing” WMD to a neighboring country (Syria?), which is why at least three WMD inspection teams were unable to find any WMD…except for old, depleted munitions from the 1980’s war with Iran and from the early 1990s.
Logic dictates once again that the Bushites are lying. Why? Because, following the March 2003 invasion, if any WMD had been moved out of Iraq, then wouldn’t it follow (with the borders being so porous) that some of these highly-lethal, fully-charged WMD munitions would have found their way back into Iraq and been used against our troops or among warring Iraqi factions? There has not been one single report in the past five years that any WMD attack against our troops, or against the Green Zone, has occurred. No reports of IEDs blowing up, with the killer being either Sarin or mustard gas (or some biological agent). This proves to me that Saddam Hussein’s government was telling the truth when they said they’d gotten rid of all their WMD years and years ago, presumably during the 1990s when UN WMD inspection teams were in Iraq following the first Gulf War. Which is why the UN WMD inspectors couldn’t find hide nor hair of WMD in Iraq in those few, short months they had before Bush ordered the preemptive, unprovoked, criminal attack on Iraq that began in March 2003.
To put it simply, Bush and Cheney are the best friends the religious fundamentalist terrorists have. They deposed a badass secular dictator in Iraq only to see him replaced by a bunch of dumbass religious fundamentalist terrorists. They got rid of a secular dictator in Iraq, who actually provided a “check and balance” against the dumbass religious fundamentalist nutjobs next door in Iran. Bush and Cheney turned our nation’s attention away from Afghanistan, the home base of the 9/11 terrorists, and plunged our nation into an ill-conceived, mis-managed war in Iraq. leaving Afghanistan to fester and become another haven for the Taliban and the religious fundamentalist crackpots.
No wonder the religious fundamentalists are dancing in the streets in that region…for Bush and Cheney. Every strategic thing that these two fools have done has helped the religious fundamentalist terrorists
g said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:15
You know, I think you could get your RDA of calcium with the plasterboard.
Mr. Bath Bear said,
March 12, 2008 at 7:22
The Go-Go’s had a few really good singles (all of them, I’m pretty sure, written with outside help). But the rest of their material was kind of crap, making their albums a chore to listen to all the way through, and Belinda Carlisle is up there with Anthony Kiedis and Paula Abdul in the ranks of the worst professional singers ever born.
The Bangles, on the other hand, made a legitimately great EP (self-titled, on IRS) and a very very good album (All Over the Place). All material their own (excepting a cover or two) and it’s all really good; great singing throughout. The wheels came off abruptly after that, it’s true, and all their later high points were heavily song-doctored. But for a couple of years there, they were a really fine band.
a different brad said,
March 12, 2008 at 12:08
The second pic really should have “Blargh. We all have hats. It is to funny.” as its caption, except that would ruin the point of the post n shit.
I get bugged by y’all in spoken language, but use it myself in text. I cannot explain why.
Prospero said,
March 12, 2008 at 12:35
Except US, that does it all the time.
Ted said,
March 12, 2008 at 13:00
My life was changed by DEVO’s video for “Beautiful World” as it gave me proof that I was not in fact the only one who felt the way I did about the world and if I could just get out of high school alive I might find some of these other people (I too am from Ohio). Having said that, the whole DEVO 2.0 thing depresses me as it seems like a pointless degradation of the band’s legacy.
I would also like to defend the Go-Gos as their early material is in my view quite solid and there weren’t a lot of all-female bands writing songs like “Fun With Ropes” or performing songs like “Johnny Are You Queer?” in the early ’80s. And, also, I had a tremendous crush on Jane Weidlin.
Hypatia said,
March 12, 2008 at 14:17
This may be the most awesome piece of political analysis I have ever seen.
Number23 said,
March 12, 2008 at 14:25
GOT A NERVOUS KIND OF FEELING
GOT A PAINFUL YELLOW HEADACHE
EVERY PICTURE IN EVERY MAGAZINE’S TURNED REAL
EVERY FACE LOOKS OUT AND SCREAMS AT ME TOO REAL
COLD SWEAT ON MY COLLAR
DRIPPING TO MY BOOTS
THE WAVES OF NAUSEOUS PAIN
SETS OFF THE PRESSURE PAD ALARMS
GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE
GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE
GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE
GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE
GOTTA PAINFUL SWELLING BRAIN
BANGING IN MY HEAD
GOTTA PAINFUL SWELLING BRAIN
AND I CALLED OFF SICK
GOTTA SWELLING ITCHING PAIN
GOT ME PULLING OUT MY HAIR
GOTTA SWELLING ITCHING PAIN
CLUTCHING AT MY BRAIN
GOT ME LAYING ON THE FLOOR
THINK I LEFT MY SENSES
SEEMS LIKE ENDLESS TORTURE
GOT ME PULLING OUT MY HAIR
DRIVING ME UP THE WALL
DRIPPING OUT MY EYES EARS NOSE AND MOUTH
IMPLODING MY THOUGHTS
BLASTING HOLES IN THE FRONT LAWN NOW
GOING OUTTA MY SKULL
BURNING UP MY THOUGHTS
TEARING ME APART
OB-GYN Kenobi said,
March 12, 2008 at 14:26
Take all the leaders from around the world
Put them together in a great big ring
Televise it as the lowest show on Earth
And make ‘em fight like hell to see who’s king
http://www.clubdevo.com/mp/html_songs/enoughsd_lyrics.html
Peg Boy's Cove said,
March 12, 2008 at 14:29
Shut up. That’s why.
kiki said,
March 12, 2008 at 14:42
Bush never said Saddam and AQ were working together In fact, that was a lefty meme.
This is the best “lying shithead or ignorant shithead?” comment I’ve read in a while. Which is it, Will? On the one hand, nobody in their right mind would expect to get away with spouting such bare-faced bullshit. On the other, nobody (except a right-wing pundit, obviously) would be fucking stupid enough to actually believe it.
Props to Teachy, though, for having the stones to actually post such absurdities on such a clued-up board, in person and with a straight face.
"Oh Stewardess, I Speak 'Nut" said,
March 12, 2008 at 15:10
Nicely done, Sadly No!
GoatBoy said,
March 12, 2008 at 15:59
“Having said that, the whole DEVO 2.0 thing depresses me as it seems like a pointless degradation of the band’s legacy.”
You’re looking at it all wrong. The great majority of Devo songs are essentially Subgenius gospel numbers. Which received mass marketing on children’s television networks due to their 2.0 release. On a Disney records imprint. Such subversion is the band’s legacy.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 16:21
The Bangles, on the other hand, made a legitimately great EP (self-titled, on IRS) and a very very good album (All Over the Place). All material their own (excepting a cover or two) and it’s all really good; great singing throughout.
After sleeping on it, I agree with Mr Bath Bear. Even the covers on that album were hip choices played really well (’Going Down To Liverpool’ by Kimberly Rew from the Soft Boys, and ‘Live’ by L.A. wonderboy Emitt Rhodes). I still like that album a lot. They had a few good songs after that but their early vibe got totally wrecked once they became ’stars’.
Andrew A. Gill, SLS said,
March 12, 2008 at 16:30
There is a point. Devo is the De-Evolutionary band. After Kent State, it appeared that we were all de-evolving back to apes.
Devo would show us the ways in which we were all de-evolving. Booji Boy and General Boy, Jocko Homo Heavenbound, a lot of the cliched lyrics that they use–it’s all to show de-evolution.
What better way to show de-evolution than to have a bunch of tweens sing cleaned-up versions of your song for Walt-freaking-Disney? Or a Swiffer ad? (that’s Mothersbaugh doing the revised vocals)
It occurred to me a while back that it is logically impossible for Devo to sell out, since selling out would prove their original point.
That’s not to say that I like listening to Devo 2.0. (I do listen to it in rare cases where I want to be traumatized)
Djur said,
March 12, 2008 at 16:44
Andrew Gill: Hell, pretty much the blueprint for Devo 2.0 was present in the Through Being Cool video.
Righteous Bubba said,
March 12, 2008 at 16:53
I only recently heard Emitt Rhodes.
Dorothy said,
March 12, 2008 at 17:04
have heard “all y’all”, but I’ve never heard y’all as singular, except in movies with corny Southern stereotypes
I have heard people address an individual as “y’all” here in Texas. I’ve even called them on it, and they get just as huffy as if I’d corrected a split infinitive or cited the Supreme Court ruling on “Lie v. Lay” again.
And “all y’all” is claimed to be an “emphasis” phrase, but there’s not really a clear or obvious usage pattern I’ve been able to parse out.
Bottom line: Yes, we need a second person plural pronoun. Yes, “y’all” often serves that function. And yes, as soon as we make “y’all” official, one-third of the population will be found to be using it wrong in spoken English. cause we’re like that.
And, I have to ask, since this is apparantly destined to become a running gag:
Her Majesty was standing there with the tea-pot asking “Would you layke unnnh or hnnnh with your tay?” I had her repeat it — still couldn’t understand her. Then I had the wit to say, “What’s the difference?”
Am I the only one who has NO FUCKING CLUE what “unnnnh” or “hnnnnh” were supposed to be in that delightful WFB anecdote? I mean, how can I laugh at the poor enunciation of the undereducated underclass if I don’t know what their they are supposed to be saying?
Dan Someone said,
March 12, 2008 at 17:15
My take on Devo 2.0: If it allows me to introduce my kids to Devo’s music — and then to actual real Grade A Number One Devo (from Ohio) — that can only be a Good Thing.
More often, these days, I’m subverting my son’s dominant paradigm with Apples in Stereo, Little Man Tate and Richard Thompson’s phenomenal live acoustic rendition of the Britney Spears magnum opus “Oops…I Did It Again.”. Anything to wean him away from High School Musical.
J— said,
March 12, 2008 at 17:15
“You” is our second person plural. Its problem is that it can easily be confused with the second person singular. One advantage of “you all”—besides distinguishing the plural from the singular—is that it is gender neutral.
gbear said,
March 12, 2008 at 17:29
RBub, I’ve got four original albums by Rhodes and another collection of songs he did with a band called The Merry Go Round. I found out about him in the mid 70’s because a local bar band was doing a cover of a GREAT song called ‘Really Wanted You’. Even back then I had to scour the used and cut-out bins to find his music. I’m not a fan of all of his musings (he can be self-indulgent), but his best songs are as good as Beatle’s style pop gets.
Five of Diamonds said,
March 12, 2008 at 17:35
Bush never said Saddam and AQ were working together In fact, that was a lefty meme.
Bush in October of 2002:
Iraq could decide on any given day to provide a biological or chemical weapon to a terrorist group or individual terrorists.
Interrobang said,
March 12, 2008 at 18:30
Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed?
Hmf. These guys come from the same segment of the population that thinks “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree” is somehow about the same concept as “The White Cliffs of Dover” or even “Leave the Dishes in the Sink, Ma” (as in, not a song about a stupid asshole begging his girl not to leave him while he’s in the clink) and adopted the central symbol from it wholesale (prices cheaper by the gross, Made in China). In other words, my money’s on “too clueless to know the difference and too entitled to care.”
Which goes about double for the confusion between Al Qaeda and their wannabe cover band in Iraq.
SamFromUtah said,
March 12, 2008 at 19:16
One advantage of “you all”—besides distinguishing the plural from the singular—is that it is gender neutral.
Interestingly, the usage of “you guys” in Utah is gender-neutral as well. The singular word “guy” is always masculine, as is the plural “guys” without the “you”, but I’ve witnessed “you guys” being used to address a group of women and nobody but me thought it was odd. Utonics is a strange dialect.
Whipping It Good « BIG INK said,
March 12, 2008 at 19:41
[...] It Good The Sadly!Nofolk turn the bright light of 80s new wave music onto the Bush fiasco policy in the Middle East, to great effect. But wait! Which is the best DEVO [...]
digitusmedius said,
March 12, 2008 at 20:54
“Zarquawi[,]was in fact the guest of Saddam.” Interesting phrasing for someone being under house arrest. It’s the way a dictator would put it, right? “He’s my guest.” At least they’ve stopped chewing on the bone that AQ was “operating” in NE Iraq. There were AQ-like fighters up in the borderlands between Iran and Iraq and well beyond Saddam’s reach due to the “no-go zones” set up after Gulf War I. They were there because Saddam couldn’t get there to eliminate them.
Duros62 said,
March 12, 2008 at 21:03
Are the Bushies that clueless, that incapable of self-assessment that they don’t realize its a song about a criminal about to be executed?
They have an irony barrier that encircles the White House. Kind of like the Cone of Solitude from Get Smart.
And just as effective.
BoiseNick said,
March 13, 2008 at 1:45
BRAVO Sir !
a masterful and logical example to stymie the Bushit Chicken-hawk Delusion .
But , Mr. Smarty-pants , whatda I do to get all the exploded ‘n fetid Repiglican brain matter offa my seer-sucker suit , , ,
HMMmmmmmmM ?
David said,
March 13, 2008 at 6:05
I know how the right-wing thinks… the salitent point to them is that you are comparing al-Qaeda to Devo.
Candy said,
March 13, 2008 at 7:27
We do the gender-neutral “you guys” thing in Iowa too, Sam. I kind of thought that was a midwestern thang.
I love the Bangle’s cover of “Hazy Shade of Winter”. I actually like it better than the original. It’s got such a gloomy, mysterious vibe.
I am quite fond of “ain’t”. I can take “y’all.” But that “all y’all” thing? That’s full of shudder.
Crack that whip!
Johnny Coelacanth said,
March 13, 2008 at 20:50
“performing songs like “Johnny Are You Queer?” in the early ’80s.”
Johnny Are You Queer was by Josie Cotton. Take it from someone who has watched Valley Girl within the last decade. Also, not that the Grammy’s ever meant much, but the GoGos were the first female rock band to ever win a Grammy. Going Down to Liverpool was a cover song? I never realized. You know they had Leonard Nemoy in the video, right?
thepoliticalcat said,
March 15, 2008 at 5:50
What someone else said about second person plural, which exists in many Asian languages, but not English, and therefore native speakers of the former often use y’all, which is actually pronounced more like yuall, with very short vowels. So I’m a y’aller.
William Teach said,
March 31, 2008 at 3:42
Hey there. I’m way late to the party. Preciate the plug :)
BTW, Devo rocks.
Peace out!
BlueHerald 2.0 - News You Can Abuse! said,
April 11, 2008 at 0:58
[...] on Dana Goldstein’s sage observation that Petraeus and Crocker at times deliberately confused Al Qaeda in Iraq with Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda. I’ll also link once again Gary Kamiya’s piece [...]