MetaTalk

A tender and slightly melancholy Metafilter reminiscence in response to a completely puerile threadstarter from a new member, courtesy of tamim. The occasional astonishing comment like this, and the occasional great thread (of which there have been a few lately) always keep me coming back for more.

Chickenhawks and Gunhumpers

Inspired by Shelley and Jonathan, who said :

I did about 3 minutes worth of research to bring you some lists of those prominent Americans who avoided military service but are now, unsurprisingly, waggling their thanato-erotic weenies around with the most vigor.
Here’s a good list, and here, a more partisan one, but still informative.
A sampler :

I also noticed that one of the warbloggers with whom Bb has been debating (in an admirably reasonable, evenhanded fashion, I must admit), has said that the epithet ‘warblogger’ is no longer fashionable.
In light of this, and my strong suspicion that most if not all of these armchair wannabe warriors would detumesce and piss their pants the first time they saw a human corpse up close and personal, I’d like to submit for your consideration some possible new names for them :

Perspective

Some of this, in a glass, with some soda.
Watch them be born, watch them die.
Repeat as necessary.

fcuk Off, Redux

Item 1 : An international human rights group files a lawsuit against the ExxonMobil oil company, accusing it of actively abetting human rights abuses in Indonesia, and complicity in the murder, torture and sexual abuse of the local population, including supplying the Indonesian military with equipment to dig mass graves, as well as building interrogation and torture centres.
Item 2 : The US State Department urges the federal court to dismiss the lawsuit and declares that pursuit of the case would hinder Washington’s war on terror.
Item 3 : Top industry contributors to Bush/Cheney election campaign :

Item 4 : The Financial Times doesn’t even attempt embroidery : “Washington says, the lawsuit could discourage foreign investment in Indonesia, particularly in the energy and mining industries. ”
I am moved, as I have been at other times, to say f–k the Bush administration, f–k them in the eye with a dead donkey’s wasabi-dipped dick. They are pure evil. I am daily more and more of the opinion that it is the responsibility of every ethical person, American or otherwise, to oppose these filthy bastards to the full extent of their powers, by every legal means at your disposal.

And as for you bloodthirsty little father-figure worshipping lickspittles collectively known as ‘warbloggers’? Well, we all know the root cause of your infantile needs to invade, overwhelm and subjugate, don’t we?
How’s that for debate?

*Stands, points*

Today’s Required Reading
Absolutely fascinating post from Alex (which is in itself not unusual, but) : The Warre of All Against All. Go, read.
Bruce Sterling gives us some new metaphors to work with, better ones, I’d say : A Contrarian View of Open Source. Go, read.

Easy Pieces

I read this right after this and this, and I wonder a little, you know?
Not that I’m sure that Bb’s idea is one that will be workable, but crikey, Anil’s little shave-and-a-haircut there looks like some semi-deft spinnage to me. ‘course, I’m a great lover of conspiracy theories.