Olympic-sized Negativity

I've noticed a bunch of columnists and talking heads denigrate the U.S. Olympic performance in Torino. The Salt Lake Tribune, an incredibly nasty and negative paper, has consistently bagged on a number of athletes and developments, never for a moment letting alone or appreciating any victory, except of course for its own: "I knew these spoiled American brats would fail. I told you so!"

Some of our athletes are, undoubtedly, spoiled brats. And yes, they are American too. Put these two characteristics together and we have the makings for a pretty nasty being it seems. For nothing is impugned more in the Tribune, and a host of other fine papers, than wealth, privilege, and ability; Nothing seems to say wealth, privilege, and ability more than 'American.'Thus, the American Olympic athlete is a prime target for media scrutiny and dissection.

It should be obvious to any candid observer, however, that while the American Olympic athlete may very well be wealthy, privileged, or vane, he or she may be none of these things. The only immediate similarities shared among our many Olympic athletes is their general ability and flag. In any case, I wonder how our athletes at these Games differ greatly from those of other countries. And if this is the case, why it is that the spoiled brats of America, however many there truly may be, are put forth as the very bane of the Olympic spirit and the very image of rampant immorality?

Let me be blunt please. I think that the media generally and the Salt Lake Tribune specifically have created the monsters they seek. I believe that the media is a generally nasty thing, like taxes are a nasty thing, and that it has carefully fashioned the caricatures which we so well recognize: the rebel bad boy, the dramatic ice queen, the choker, the angry black guy, and the no-name surprise who thankfully came through where our scrutinized and hyped rebel, drama queen, choker, token "ethnic," etc., failed. And its all been about some kind of failure, despite the fact that America is behind only Austria in the medal count and the fact that most of our athletes are nice, simple, and competitive people. All in all, the media formula is a tired one.

Let me continue being blunt. Olympic athletes aren't often well spoken, well adjusted, humble, team players, good sportsmen, or even well educated. They probably don't vote how you do, they probably have secret sinful lives, and they most definitely aren't going to stay indoors and undercover during the Games. They probably will have gratuitous amounts of sex, use drugs, drink hard at after parties (or at 'during' parties), talk shit, and generallly provide all sorts of lurid tales for discerning talking heads to present for our consumption. What shall the media present for us then?

"BODE MILLER: He's the biggest bust in Olympic history" from the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Olympian quest for advertising gold turns to lead:
Disappointing Olympics for U.S. team will hurt the endorsement potential for many U.S. Olympians" from the CNNMoney.com

"America's 10 biggest busts of Olympics:
Bode, Weir, Kwan just few of many U.S. disappointments in Turin" from NBC Sports.

"U.S. brats take joy out of the Games" from the Salt Lake Tribune.

"Opening ceremony too much pomp and circumstance" from idem.

"Speedskating melodrama spices up bland games" from idem.

"At least we don't have to talk about Bode anymore" from idem, etc., etc., etc.

What a bunch of crap...

I'm Noticed That I'm Missing My Homework. The Bastards!

""US intelligence agencies have been removing thousands of historical documents from public access, the New York Times has reported.

The restoration of classified status to more than 55,000 pages began in 1999, the paper said.

At that time, the CIA and five other agencies reportedly objected to what they saw as a "hasty release" of sensitive information.

The files include documents already published or obtained by historians.

The New York Times said the reclassification programme accelerated after President Bush took office and especially after the 9/11 attacks.

But because it runs in secrecy, it continued without being noticed until December 2005.

According to the report, it was intelligence historian Matthew Aid who noticed that dozens of documents he had copied years ago had been withdrawn from the National Archives' open shelves.

Those are said to include decades-old State Department reports from the Korean War and the early Cold War.""

BBC

What The Cartoons Are Really About (Malkin)

""Last October, a Danish newspaper called the Jyllands-Posten published a dozen cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. The illustrations included various depictions of the prophet Muhammad, some innocuous (Muhammad walking in a pasture) and a few with provocative references to radical Islamic terrorism. One showed Muhammad with a bomb in his turban; another had Muhammad wielding a sword in front of two, wide-eyed Muslim women covered in black abayas; another featured a cartoonist hunched over his desk, sweating in fear, as he drew Muhammad in suicide bomb-like apparel.


The newspaper was making a vivid editorial point about European artists' fear of retaliation for drawing any pictures of Muhammad at all. (Remember: It's been a little over a year since Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by an Islamist gunman over his movie criticizing violence against women in Islamic societies.) A Danish author had reported last fall that he couldn't find an illustrator for a book about Muhammad; the Jyllands-Posten editors rose to the challenge by calling on artists to send in their submissions and publishing the 12 entries they received in response (available at http://www.michellemalkin.com/archives/004413.htm).....

Soft-on-terror mouthpieces are blaming the messenger for the conflagration. Former appeaser-in-chief Bill Clinton condemned the cartoons as "appalling" and "totally outrageous." Where was Clinton's condemnation of the gun-wielding, death-threat-issuing, flag-burning bullies of Islam who have targeted Denmark for jihad?""

Good question...

Jonah Goldberg

I recently attended a talk given by Mr. Goldberg. He has a book coming out about the connections between socialism and fascism, or rather about how they are basically the same thing.

I tried to tell some of my buddies, but they weren't hearing it. It seems that despite what are apparently similar (if not identical) practices, one government is left and the other is right of center. Who knew?

Here's to liberal fascism, which is also the working title of the book. Out soon.

Tid Bits and Nit Wits

A Pakistani cleric announced Friday a $1 million bounty for killing a cartoonist who drew Prophet Muhammad, as thousands joined street protests and Denmark temporarily closed its embassy and advised its citizens to leave the country.

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK—Hamas leaders invited "all living Israelis" to a comprehensive summit in an effort to end conflict in the Middle East once and for all.

Every day as I drive in to school I pass a Volvo 960, or something like that, with a Cali plate that reads: "I B PHD"

How tacky. Really sophomoric, I think. I laugh derisively to myself all the way down the street, perhaps worrying that when (or if, rather) I too am anointed I'll lower myself to such ostensible and conspicuous grandstanding.

All over I notice people driving with stickers in their windows, license plate frames, etc., ad nauseam, ad blarum, blah blah blah... "look at me and my car and cell phone, I am not even driving right now"

"USC"
"Harvard Graduate"
"UCLA"
"Claremont Graduate University" (haaaa!)
"Cal Poly Pomona"
"WTF U"
"I Went Somewhere Better Than You"
"Drinking At College Cost 50K"
"My Rod Is Ivory"

You Have to be Bloody Kidding

What a ridiculous media event is the hunting accident involving our worthy VP? This should be of no consequence - and is truly of no consequence - to anyone. Now, of course, one may say that they agree; they may also say that the nature of public things, being rather charged and commanding of attention, requires that even when a "story" such as this ought to be noted in passing at most, nevertheless the "story" requires full publicity and "openness."

I think not. Utter bollocks, rather. To give in to non-reason is the little death that brings total obliteration. We see far too many little deaths lately, I think.

Like this one... ""Watching the news in my hotel room before my speech, I just saw CNN air a few of the new, highly inflammatory Abu Ghraib photos now making the rounds.

No pixelation of the nude prisoners in the photos. No disclaimers about paying respect to members of the US military who will be endangered by publication of the pics. The Washington Post used the opportunity to republish Abu Ghraib photos and video it obtained in April 2004.

Readers have been e-mailing all day the question the MSM needs to answer:

Why the Abu Ghraib photos, but not the Mohammed Cartoons?

We're listening...""

http://michellemalkin.com/

Harry Reid Is Ridiculous

I'd rather hunt with Dick than ride with Teddy!

I am thinking about putting that on t-shirts or mugs or bumper-stickers or something.
Anyone who can help me with that gets a cut of the massive profits. We will have to careful about wind-fall taxes, however.

The Morally Superior (already dead?) West

What? There are no real morals. It's all relative man!
Superiority? Every culture is equal dude! What are you, racist!?
Just chill out, it's all good, I promise, nothing really matters anyway...

------What I learned in college------


for an interesting read see
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4570

Warm, sunny, kinda blue skies here in Calico.
Hope all is well wherever you may be.