Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Absurd

New book author discusses how both Iraq wars might've been avoided by HW Bush and/or Clinton picking up the phone to call Saddam. 

In a weird way, this is the best argument for Trump as a transformative political figure. Does anyone doubt Trump would've picked up the phone? Does Trump seem like a guy who would worry about what the Democrats or the press would think (like Clinton)? This guy took shit for sitting down with Kim Jong Sun, but maybe that's more of the type of shit we need. 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Ceasefire Now

As much as AIPAC gets discussed, I'd like to know who funds and orchestrates the Ceasefire stuff. Is this foreign money? Qatar? 

Logging

Film: Godzilla (1954)

Can't believe how much the kids liked it, stuck with it, and followed the subtitles and themes of the film. 

Film: King Kong (1933)

For all the talk of "problematic" movies and TV shows, this is one of the only films I've watched in a long ass time where the argument would hold up. Women are basically insulted for their uselessness for the first quarter of the film. Natives portrayal is pretty damn weird - basically, they are black africans on a mysterious indonesian island whose big plan is to steal a white women to marry off to King Kong. Women is kidnapped, tied up and then "given" to Kong. The Chinese cook is portrayed as a decent guy with a goofy outfit and accent, who isn't capable of helping rescue the woman. The white American dudes take off on a noble crusade to get the women back and just murder several prehistoric creatures they come across (No one thinks about perhaps studying the Stegosaurus?).

And yet! Still pretty goddamn awesome. My kids enjoyed mocking the special effects, but one of them find Kong "very ugly" and didn't like looking at him.

Thinking on Dune...

...and how it's a lesser challenge to deconstruct heroism that to write it in the first place. 

Friday, March 08, 2024

My Theory

If the 7 million Jews in Israel and 5 million or so Palestinians all up and moved into the United States within a generation they would all be friends and probably be closer with each other than with other minority groups. Like you'd see traveling youth soccer teams that were just Israeli-Palestinian teams.

Maybe Britain should just recolonize? 

The Problem

Joe Biden stutters and seem to barely remember what he's saying. And yet, this 40something Republican gal is still a much worse speaker.

Our leadership is no bueno.

Criminal Justice Reformer...

...who was on Joe Rogan had body parts in his freezer. 

There's a ton of stories about famous black men who were unjustly harassed by police - from Jay Z to Malcolm X - they recount these stories in detail as evidence of prejudice against black men. But when I read the stories, I can't help but notice the guys telling the stories are always doing crime! It's hilarious. It makes the cops seem like they know what they're doing. 

Hamas's Audience

When the global left manages to apply pressure on Western governments to "go easy" on Hamas, Hamas reacts by hardening their negotiation position. Hamas's audience IS the global left. So the irony is - the more power the global left wields over institutions of power and government - the harder it becomes for the Palestinians to accept peace. The global left is Hamas's only "ace-in-the-hole." If they abandoned support from Hamas, this whole thing would be over. But they can't. Because they're the scorpion riding the frog.

Tuesday, March 05, 2024

Maybe We Needed A Bit More Racism...

One of the reasons I supported the Iraq invasion was because I bought into the idea that Arabs wanted to live like everyone else in the world and if you got rid of a tyrant like Saddam we'd see change. In hindsight, an argument I'm finding oddly compelling is that actually...maybe Saddam was doing a pretty good job keeping the so-called "Arab-street" under control while he pursued his passion for writing novels.

What's changing my mind is that post-Oct 7th, it's become pretty clear the vast majority of Arabs in their hearts of hearts support the mass murder and rape of Jews (Israelis). I'd like to think the more cosmopolitan and intellectual Arabs feel different. Or the Arabs from different countries have different nuanced and complicated positions on the matter. Or perhaps the Arabs who immigrate to the West become more sympathetic. It turns out none of them do. So therein lies the problem.

Other thing - if Israel is a colonial state - where is exactly the "home state" the Jewish colonizers are supposed to return to?

Monday, March 04, 2024

Logging

Film: Dune 2 

No profound thoughts...I generally enjoyed myself seeing a big spectacle in the theater. With Sidney Sweeney on SNL and seeing Glenn Powell in a Twisters trailer...then Florence Pugh, Zendeya, Austin Butler, and to a lesser extent Chalamet...it got me thinking maybe there will be a new generation of stars. I can't totally tell. My criticism of the film would be a lack of emotional resonance...maybe a bit cold? I found myself not entirely caring or feeling the outcome was up in the air. Perhaps knowing the story impacted this, but I also suspect it has something to do with the Bene Gesserit storyline.

Although the highlight of the evening might've been the crown booing the new Nicole Kidman AMC ad.

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Perhaps A Sign...

In Gulf War 1 we had a 100K troops in Saudi Arabia, we were allied with the Saudis but when Saddam fired scuds at Tel Aviv, our "allies" were cheering in front of our military. That would be a bit like your bench cheering when the other team scored during a game.


Logging

TV: The Brothers Sun

Couldn't make it through the pilot. 

Logging

Film: Top Gun (original)

Another rewatch with kids. A lot more adult themed than the 2nd one and I'll confess, I enjoyed Maverick more when viewed alongside them. 

I Remember the 90s

And remember the Palestinians were primed for peace, but their political leadership rejected it. I agree today is 10x worse because what's changed is the Palestinian popular opinion supports Hamas. Now is this Israel's fault? Who is to say. I guess it reflects on some level the "success" of Hamas if their true goal was to radicalize the Palestinian people. Although I tend to take Hamas at their word and their goal is a state from the river to the sea and the destruction of Israel. That plan does not seem to be going well at all.

Friday, March 01, 2024

I Somewhat Agree

Biden engages in dreampolitik. 

Biden is a proponent of dreampolitik: pursue fantasies but not in the real world. So in Ukraine fantasy of Russian defeat but without the risks of actually bringing it about. And in Israel fantasy of an end to Palestinian national project but mixed with fear of consequences.


How Are We To Make The Distinction?

I don't disagree with this Macaes statement in rhetorical terms. But in practical terms, how are Israel and the EU (in this case) supposed to make the distinction, especially when Hamas deliberately masks itself as civilian and a sizable number of Palestinian civilians support Hamas. Nevertheless, efforts in this direction would be much more fruitful in lowering the harm rather than simply directing ire toward the Israelis and Biden.