Impertinence

[jhetley]

I have a twinge every time I read one of our foreign siblings congratulating us on doing the Right Thing. 

It's a little early to make that judgment.  I'll get back to you in a few years.

Also, you know, I don't presume to select the Right Thing for France or even Georgia.

We've chosen a different thing. 

"Different" doesn't have to contain a Right or Wrong.  "Right and Wrong" throws us back into that realm of demons that has clouded and soured the whole debate, clothing one side in the armor of righteousness and the other cast as spawn of Satan.  And which is which changes with who you ask.

I'm more than a little tired of Us Versus Them.  That's often a prelude to Us shitting on Them.

(Cat Versus Monkey, on the other hand, remains entertaining.)

Comments

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

After 8 years of GWB, your foreign siblings were all petrified at the thought of a possible President Palin in charge of the Big Red Button (for BRB substitute 'the economy' or 'war in Iraq' or anything similarly explosive). At least Obama's got half a chance of not disgracing himself instantly through crass ignorance.

As for the rest of it, time will tell, but hope is a good emotion for starters. Today it seems like the world is a more hopeful place.

Obama has inherited a pile of shit. Growing roses may be too much to hope for, but right now I'd be happy to see healthy cabbages.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

I'm going to bend some noses by saying this, but we don't actually have much basis to say Obama will be better. He handed in a damned slim folder of job experience and references.

I voted for the man, but it was just as much a blind leap of faith as Sarah Palin claims to use for _her_ decisions.

[birdsedge.livejournal.com]

I don't think you're bending too many noses. You're perfectly correct. He's got an experineced VP, though, and a tide of well-wishers internatonally.

And at least he can talk the talk so there's a 50/50 chance of him being able to walk the walk.

Palin seemed to be able to do neither.

But, y'know, it doesn't matter who you vote for, the government always gets in.

[jhetley.livejournal.com]

True, that last. I've quoted it many times.

The thing that bothers me about Obama is, he's a charismatic speaker who came out of nowhere and won by being in the right place at the right time. There are some bad bad historical parallels with that.

And I can't go all blurry-eyed and say "Democrats won't do bad things with power!" Obama had his victory rally at Grant Park in Chicago. As I mentioned in another post, my last association with Grant Park was the "police riot" at the 1968 Democratic National Convention . . . a Democratic national administration and Democratic mayor busting the heads of people who disagreed with them.