It depends on what your meaning of the word "is" is.The topic currently flooding the news is ISIS
![:rolleyes: :rolleyes:](./images/smilies/rolleyes.gif)
It depends on what your meaning of the word "is" is.The topic currently flooding the news is ISIS
‘Active Shooter At Large,’ Reports Endless Background Hum Of Modern American Life
UNITED STATES—Echoing at a soft and constant volume across the nation’s collective conscious, the ambient, unending background hum of modern American life reported today that an armed gunman remains at large after opening fire on innocent bystanders. “Community members are advised to shelter in place,” stated the incessant, low-level white noise of death counts and missed warning signs emanating steadily from all directions, which confirmed that a vigil honoring the victims of the shooting will be held Thursday. “There were maybe five, six shots one after the other, and everyone started panicking. The gun was obtained legally. You never think that something like this could happen in your town.” The ceaseless, droning din of day-to-day existence in the United States went on to add, “lockdown, grieving families of the victims, troubled young man, AR-15, mental health system, senseless, took his own life, unsuccessful legislative efforts.”
http://www.theonion.com/articles/active ... und,36772/
You start looking at how things work with the above kind of thing in you mind and it makes you wonder. I was reading Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin, not because I am star-struck but was curious about broadcasting in that era.‘Active Shooter At Large,’ Reports Endless Background Hum Of Modern American Life
Book Review: 'Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes' by Chuck McCutcheon and David Mark
The authors quote George Orwell : "Political language . . . is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
How frank and clear this is, like much of Orwell, but it seems to spring from a false premise that straight talk is a norm from which political speech varies. In fact, obfuscation and manipulation are the norms from which straight talk varies.
Lying is necessary not just in politics but in our everyday lives—words, tones of voice or even gestures—the phony wink, the tactical tears. The check is in the mail. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
In politics the stakes are higher. The United States government would have been unable to send our divisions into Vietnam without a fraud called the Tonkin Gulf incident. "Slam dunk" is heard less since CIA director George Tenet used it to assure President George W. Bush that Iraq absolutely, positively possessed "weapons of mass destruction" that only invasion could destroy. It's worth noting that "weapons of mass destruction" is a disingenuous term—poison gas is a WMD but a B-52 is not?
http://online.wsj.com/articles/book-rev ... 1409786843
"9/11" was Christmas for me. It was the greatest present imaginable. It changed my life, for the better, and taught me a great deal about how the world works. Mind you for the first few years it was bloody hard work what with all the clowns I encountered. They knew they fucked up and had to create the Letstroll's and the Fetzers and Bakers and Woods and Barratt's to head us off at the pass! Total failure. It made matters worse in fact. After seeing David Rat Griff on UK GOD SLOT TV, I emailed him and told him he was a clown and a waste of space. Probably the last time I ever sat near a TV set too! How about that?Tarek701 wrote:Happy 9/11 guys. The day where nobody died and no planes crashed into the tower. Btw, bad actors everywhere... It makes me sick!
A fucking great reply.brianv wrote:We are currently basking in Indian Summer sunshine here in Ireland, so I've been out and about all day! The Fire Station has flags flying at half mast! Oh well. On a more encouraging note - I bumped into a friend and wished him a "happy 9/11". His reply, "Happy Fucking Warner Brothers", "9/11 my ass". ☺
Indeed. While we may not yet be able to reach the masses in the lofty, idealistic way we all likely wish we could, we have the potential to, at the very least, have a positive impact on the people who are closest and most important to us.hoi.polloi wrote:A fucking great reply.brianv wrote:We are currently basking in Indian Summer sunshine here in Ireland, so I've been out and about all day! The Fire Station has flags flying at half mast! Oh well. On a more encouraging note - I bumped into a friend and wished him a "happy 9/11". His reply, "Happy Fucking Warner Brothers", "9/11 my ass". ☺