tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post116527931413720543..comments2024-03-12T05:19:20.122-04:00Comments on The Commentator: Five Questions with Contratimes Bill GnadeT.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165947224750760712006-12-12T13:13:00.000-05:002006-12-12T13:13:00.000-05:00Dear Luke, I am sorry you have taken this whole en...Dear Luke, <BR/><BR/>I am sorry you have taken this whole enterprise so badly. But which enterprise have you taken so badly? I don't really know. Is it that we have attempted to define some genuine differences between ideas; and that those who adhere to certain ideas, fall under a helpful, expeditious label? If poets write poetry, am I labelling them if I call them poets? If liberals call Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165897311863501792006-12-11T23:21:00.000-05:002006-12-11T23:21:00.000-05:00I'm not getting between the two of you. However, I...I'm not getting between the two of you. However, I would like a clarification. You mentioned "under the guise of safety." This you must explain further. This is almost akin to saying the 'so-called war on terror.' Which I reject. There is no so-called war. There is a real threat. How America chooses to fight the war is another matter.T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165890633204317902006-12-11T21:30:00.000-05:002006-12-11T21:30:00.000-05:00Back to radical group marriage: think of how it wo...Back to radical group marriage: think of how it would revolutionize sitcoms!<BR/><BR/>'Dharma & Greg & Andy & Kim & Paul'<BR/><BR/>'Sanford & Son & their Wives & Their Wive's Wives'<BR/><BR/>'Married to Children'<BR/><BR/>And just imagine the wild creative possibilities of a 'Seinfeld' in which Jerry is married to Elaine, George, and Kramer.<BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, that'll be the last light note LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165890451257565212006-12-11T21:27:00.000-05:002006-12-11T21:27:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165872759356325002006-12-11T16:32:00.000-05:002006-12-11T16:32:00.000-05:00The Big three networks have something like 35 to 4...The Big three networks have something like 35 to 40 millions viewers during their nightly newscasts. FOX has 2 million. Or something like that. I could be wrong. But even if I am off by a bit, FOX pales. Which makes me wonder why people attack so much. What are they afraid of? Ok, they may disagree with it but I supsect they would love to censor it.T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165867152669688382006-12-11T14:59:00.000-05:002006-12-11T14:59:00.000-05:00Dear Luke and The Commentator, I have had a hard t...Dear Luke and The Commentator, <BR/><BR/>I have had a hard time posting comments here of late. Blogger, apparently, is being fickle. Bitterness!<BR/><BR/>OK. Since the original post was largely about life in America, I guess I should focus on that. So, in the interest of giving readers a different view than Luke's, I shall describe my own experience. <BR/><BR/>First, a counterpoint. I am old Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165809992075169642006-12-10T23:06:00.000-05:002006-12-10T23:06:00.000-05:00I think I understand where you're coming from here...I think I understand where you're coming from here. But let me elaborate on what I said before...<BR/><BR/>The belief that genius will eventually get its due is mostly superstition, I believe. A comforting superstition. We like to think we have rescued every van Gogh from obscurity, but this is very probably not the case. As for our present day--and I think you've just shown that you LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165807269401539882006-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:002006-12-10T22:21:00.000-05:00Acutally, think of all these sites that "rank the ...Acutally, think of all these sites that "rank the top blogs." What's the criteria? When you look at who is at the top I would submit the quality is not what got them there. What got them to the top is being able to be Internet savvy. Some blogsites who rank top blogs are also honest about this. How to judge a blog's quality? The good sites take a little longer to gain some credibility or traffic.T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165806873698870712006-12-10T22:14:00.000-05:002006-12-10T22:14:00.000-05:00Luke you musn't apologize. Though an observer may ...Luke you musn't apologize. Though an observer may think that we are a tad opulent (self-indulgent?). To that I say - Bah! I go back and forth on your statement. I'm not sure. Some days I think this is so because I have to go out and search for quality. I have to cut through the gunk of Jessica Simpsonesque faux artists and find the real ones. That's the underground. However, even the underground T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165781898362343612006-12-10T15:24:00.000-05:002006-12-10T15:24:00.000-05:00Luke, I have but a moment. I was able to read just...Luke, <BR/><BR/>I have but a moment. I was able to read just the beginning of your first reply to me. <BR/><BR/>The reason I mentioned Bukowski, Thompson, Ginsberg, was not because I thought you were neglecting something. I mentioned them to show you how absurd it would be for me to ASK you, or to expect you, to write about them. I made that perfectly clear. You need not have responded to this Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165780915195776382006-12-10T15:08:00.000-05:002006-12-10T15:08:00.000-05:00Luke, I have but a moment. I was able to read just...Luke, <BR/><BR/>I have but a moment. I was able to read just the beginning of your first reply to me. <BR/><BR/>The reason I mentioned Bukowski, Thompson, Ginsberg, was not because I thought you were neglecting something. I mentioned them to show you how absurd it would be for me to ASK you, or to expect you, to write about them. I made that perfectly clear. You need not have responded to this Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165779386608300732006-12-10T14:36:00.000-05:002006-12-10T14:36:00.000-05:00(I apologize if I am being too relentless. But yo...(I apologize if I am being too relentless. But you see, after looking over our exchanges last night, the fever I was running intensified, so much so that I become extremely dizzy and weak and was unable to do much more than lie in bed. And since my brain was still whirling with our debates, and I was too exhausted to fill it with anything else, I became obsessed.)<BR/><BR/>Bill has repeatedly LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165778564078574782006-12-10T14:22:00.000-05:002006-12-10T14:22:00.000-05:00As for Bill's remark that one is free to not work,...As for Bill's remark that one is free to not work, and therefore avoid taxes: I have done this, and it certainly didn't feel like freedom. As Bill knows, the experience left me battered, frightened, and very much alone. Only those who inherit great wealth can afford to do this (actually, I don't believe they are necessarily free to do it, either). As for fleeing to the woods, and living LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165778190315187002006-12-10T14:16:00.000-05:002006-12-10T14:16:00.000-05:00For the sake of intellectual exercise, let's prete...For the sake of intellectual exercise, let's pretend, for a moment, that I take the term "conservative" more seriously than I do, and think it represents a real group of people, with something of a united front. (I suppose this is directed mainly at Bill, but I'm posting it here because I want you both to read it) Ready? Okay, here goes:<BR/><BR/>I'm glad that you brought up Socrates. That's LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165777219092752352006-12-10T14:00:00.000-05:002006-12-10T14:00:00.000-05:00"human accomplishment always finds its way to the ..."human accomplishment always finds its way to the top"<BR/><BR/>Sorry, but I completely disagree with this. In fact, I think that this assumption allows people to scoff at the unpopular, at the ignored, at the low-selling; it even encourages a sort of the-marketplace-is-the-best-judge sort of elitism.<BR/><BR/>I have spent my life searching obsessively for, and finding, great works in every LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165774015911980392006-12-10T13:06:00.000-05:002006-12-10T13:06:00.000-05:00I don't if it's rosy in as much as this is how Ame...I don't if it's rosy in as much as this is how America - letting aside people who abuse patdiotism and there are many - built its image and history. I'm not naive to not believe, for example, the story of the boobs you described. Bit if you are to discuss the diffrences between nationalism and patriotism; nationalism seems more cynical to me. Of the two, when weighed without extremist T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165698273287828072006-12-09T16:04:00.000-05:002006-12-09T16:04:00.000-05:00By the way, I think group marriage is a good idea,...By the way, I think group marriage is a good idea, though I find it impossible to imagine that I will ever be involved in any sort of marriage.<BR/><BR/>Group marriage already exists in many places, including America--but, thus far, it has usually allowed men to assemble a harem of women, whereas a broader definition of group marriage might allow the ladies to compete in this area. Also, in manyLukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165695430234124682006-12-09T15:17:00.000-05:002006-12-09T15:17:00.000-05:00I think I'm getting a fever of some kind. Chills ...I think I'm getting a fever of some kind. Chills intermittently cascade down my shoulders, and I feel as if my head is a helium balloon suspended from a ribbon.<BR/><BR/>"Americans of all ages, all stations in life and all types of dispositions are forever forming associations."<BR/><BR/>If there is anything I actually hate about America, De Tocqueville has zeroed in on it right here.<BR/><BR/>LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165638748518198292006-12-08T23:32:00.000-05:002006-12-08T23:32:00.000-05:00Dear Commentator, I find your comments interesting...Dear Commentator, <BR/><BR/>I find your comments interesting and compelling. Thank you. <BR/><BR/>I pray you forgive me for gassing up the place in my lengthy replies to Luke.<BR/><BR/>Blessings!<BR/><BR/>Gnade<BR/><BR/>PS. Luke, please know that I also find you interesting and compelling.Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165638603319879712006-12-08T23:30:00.000-05:002006-12-08T23:30:00.000-05:00Luke, my friend. You have a way of always turning ...Luke, my friend. <BR/><BR/>You have a way of always turning these sorts of discussions back on what I DON'T say. You are seemingly obsessed with my apparent lack of commentary regarding issues on the right. But I think your concern is misplaced. It's a bit like being disappointed by a book on floods because the author does not elaborate on droughts. It's a bit like being miffed because I praise Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165628361760636172006-12-08T20:39:00.000-05:002006-12-08T20:39:00.000-05:00Let me start with a quote from Alex De Tocqueville...Let me start with a quote from Alex De Tocqueville. "Americans of all ages, all stations in life and all types of dispositions are forever forming associations." Nationalism, patriotism and liberalism all cross paths. The consensus is that patriotism and nationalism are the same ism ith subtle differences. Interestingly, while history books explore nationalism, patriotism is essentially absent T.C.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10275996524128634117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165613861545165852006-12-08T16:37:00.000-05:002006-12-08T16:37:00.000-05:00My Dear Bill, I don't think that being skeptical a...My Dear Bill, I don't think that being skeptical about the prospect of a world-wide ban on meat-eating means that I am ducking the constant threats of oppression.<BR/><BR/>Several people claiming to be Catholics have made the following statement to me: "Catholics believe that the apocalypse already happened." They did not elaborate. So I thank you for explaining the reality to me.<BR/><BR/>Yes,LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165593666696247302006-12-08T11:01:00.000-05:002006-12-08T11:01:00.000-05:00Luke,There is much to say here, of course, and I w...Luke,<BR/><BR/>There is much to say here, of course, and I will surely say it.<BR/><BR/>The terms liberal and conservative are mere shorthand. They are used to expedite communication. They need not always be explained. And they are not completely absolute, nor are they static. They are dynamic and nuanced; they cannot be applied to all members of a set. <BR/><BR/>But if we are to get into the Bill Gnadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18343608982238562089noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165557003617171712006-12-08T00:50:00.000-05:002006-12-08T00:50:00.000-05:00Commentator: you have stated that patriotism is be...Commentator: you have stated that patriotism is better than nationalism. Nationalism is an ideology that holds that a nation is the fundamental unit for human social life, and takes precedence over any other social and political principles. How different is this from patriotism, and how is patriotism better?LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9206524.post-1165555377139913392006-12-08T00:22:00.000-05:002006-12-08T00:22:00.000-05:00I agree with much of what you've said here, actual...I agree with much of what you've said here, actually. But I have found it necessary to drink three glasses of wine in order to continue this conversation. Why? I think it's because I'm exhausted by the lack of specifics in this conversation--and we all share the blame for that, I think, though perhaps I am most guilty, since I am the one bitching about it.<BR/><BR/>You're right that I speak to LukeBuckhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11638459373086007564noreply@blogger.com