The Political Wars of the Plutocrats

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I have a dream, my friends. I have a dream that we are approaching the day when a ranch-owning millionaire Republican like George Bush will make peace with a vineyard-owning millionaire Democrat like Nancy Pelosi.

I have a dream that Pelosi, who was chauffeured to school as a child and who, with her investor husband, owns minority shares in the Auberge du Soleil resort hotel and the CordeValle Golf Club, will look over her famous strand of South Sea Tahitian pearls and forge bonds of understanding with the zillionaire corporate barons in the opposing party.

-- David Brooks for The New York Times

Although Brooks is no class warrior nor an egalitarian, I think his column goes a long way to explaining the chasmic disparity between our democratic expectations and our democratic government. Though, I understand that one can argue with some force that this sort of elitism is what saves our republic from itself, but if that is necessarily true, what a pity it must be that human nature should be composed of such slavish stuff.

( Brooks column )

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The Political Wars of the Plutocrats

♠
I have a dream, my friends. I have a dream that we are approaching the day when a ranch-owning millionaire Republican like George Bush will make peace with a vineyard-owning millionaire Democrat like Nancy Pelosi.

I have a dream that Pelosi, who was chauffeured to school as a child and who, with her investor husband, owns minority shares in the Auberge du Soleil resort hotel and the CordeValle Golf Club, will look over her famous strand of South Sea Tahitian pearls and forge bonds of understanding with the zillionaire corporate barons in the opposing party.

-- David Brooks for The New York Times

Although Brooks is no class warrior nor an egalitarian, I think his column goes a long way to explaining the chasmic disparity between our democratic expectations and our democratic government. Though, I understand that one can argue with some force that this sort of elitism is what saves our republic from itself, but if that is necessarily true, what a pity it must be that human nature should be composed of such slavish stuff.

( Brooks column )

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Angelina Jolie as the Madonna of Consumption

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Of all the celebrity personalities that seem ideal for mocking, I would have thought we might give Angelina Jolie a pass, as her idealism and persona seemed rather more genuine and even somewhat awesome. Britney Spears would seem more suitable for holding up as the Madonna of Consumption. But maybe I am just more taken in by the dark mystery of Angelina. Here is Washington Post critic Blake Gopnik on Kate Kretz's satiric painting:

Kate Kretz's painting comes closer to magazine illustration than to the subtle fine art you'd expect to see in a major museum of contemporary art. It gets its messages across, alright. It presents Angelina Jolie as our nation's Madonna of Consumption. In a glory of siliconed breasts, collagened lips and foreign-adopted cherubs, Angelina reigns over Wal-Mart's banality -- its all-American brands, its all-American flag, it's all-American obesity. The problem with the picture, art-wise, is that its messages are way TOO clear. It's more like a puzzle-picture than a probing work of art: Once you've deciphered it, there's not much chance of giving it a second look. Its van-art technique, especially, is so generic that it hardly has a thing to say that hasn't been said a thousand times before -- often, much better. The crucial question, in our busy age: Why spend time with this work, when a 500-word Op Ed would do a better job expressing its opinions, and any number of Old Master paintings would mean more to an art-loving eye.

Judging by the artist's use of the actress's idealism regarding multi-cultural adoption, I think this is about more than consumption. We see a play on the idea of a culture of crass capitalism that is leavened with this rather strange liberal idealism, as though multi-cultural adoption helps to justify the world power-hierarchy that Western capitalism entails. Neverthemore, I still think someone like Madonna might be a better choice in hitting this note, as Ms. Jolie has seemed authentic in her concerns.

Or, maybe it is the earnestness and authenticity that makes Jolie the ideal choice. This is not mockery but a serious point. Maybe that is what makes the painting art.

( The Painting )

(Source: Liz Kelly for The Washington Post)

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Angelina Jolie as the Madonna of Consumption

♠
Of all the celebrity personalities that seem ideal for mocking, I would have thought we might give Angelina Jolie a pass, as her idealism and persona seemed rather more genuine and even somewhat awesome. Britney Spears would seem more suitable for holding up as the Madonna of Consumption. But maybe I am just more taken in by the dark mystery of Angelina. Here is Washington Post critic Blake Gopnik on Kate Kretz's satiric painting:

Kate Kretz's painting comes closer to magazine illustration than to the subtle fine art you'd expect to see in a major museum of contemporary art. It gets its messages across, alright. It presents Angelina Jolie as our nation's Madonna of Consumption. In a glory of siliconed breasts, collagened lips and foreign-adopted cherubs, Angelina reigns over Wal-Mart's banality -- its all-American brands, its all-American flag, it's all-American obesity. The problem with the picture, art-wise, is that its messages are way TOO clear. It's more like a puzzle-picture than a probing work of art: Once you've deciphered it, there's not much chance of giving it a second look. Its van-art technique, especially, is so generic that it hardly has a thing to say that hasn't been said a thousand times before -- often, much better. The crucial question, in our busy age: Why spend time with this work, when a 500-word Op Ed would do a better job expressing its opinions, and any number of Old Master paintings would mean more to an art-loving eye.

Judging by the artist's use of the actress's idealism regarding multi-cultural adoption, I think this is about more than consumption. We see a play on the idea of a culture of crass capitalism that is leavened with this rather strange liberal idealism, as though multi-cultural adoption helps to justify the world power-hierarchy that Western capitalism entails. Neverthemore, I still think someone like Madonna might be a better choice in hitting this note, as Ms. Jolie has seemed authentic in her concerns.

Or, maybe it is the earnestness and authenticity that makes Jolie the ideal choice. This is not mockery but a serious point. Maybe that is what makes the painting art.

( The Painting )

(Source: Liz Kelly for The Washington Post)

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Crossing the Rubicon?

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There have been rumblings, comments on the Net, voices on talk radio, arguing another alternative. That we owe the rest of the world nothing. That an effective response to terror is simply to start vaporizing cities, beginning with Tehran and working our way down until attacks cease. That, quite simply, the United States should transform itself into Rome.

... Fate is by definition unavoidable. Nations are often forced into roles they might not have chosen, the way Britain found itself an empire "in a fit of absentmindedness". For now, we - the Americans, despised and envied across the world -- still stumble along, doing the best we can, taking our licks and looking for solutions while living up to our image of ourselves. But the critics should be wary of screaming too loud, of conspiring too well, of undermining us too thoroughly. Because if they succeed, if they do get what they insist they want, then the result may well be something they never conceived, and it will be their desolation, and our peace.

-- J. R. Dunn for The American Thinker

"WE WILL LEAVE YOU A DESOLATION!" You can hear the Darth Vader voice.

Mr. Dunn gives us a new slant on America's parallels to ancient Rome. Usually, America is seen as being aligned with its last period of effetism and failure. In contrast, Mr. Dunn draws the idea of America being more like the much younger Rome, a Rome in its strong republican youth, a Rome that has yet to reach the end of its patience to become more of a power without conscience.

Naturally, I find it an interesting notion since I am keeping it for the record, but I wonder about the accuracy of this narrative. Although Monk has not succeeded very well in his studies of Rome, I never really sensed it to be a particularly restrained power, and I understood the fall from republican rule to be internal division. But, be that as it may, this is a colorful and provocative piece.

( Dunn essay )

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Crossing the Rubicon?

♠
There have been rumblings, comments on the Net, voices on talk radio, arguing another alternative. That we owe the rest of the world nothing. That an effective response to terror is simply to start vaporizing cities, beginning with Tehran and working our way down until attacks cease. That, quite simply, the United States should transform itself into Rome.

... Fate is by definition unavoidable. Nations are often forced into roles they might not have chosen, the way Britain found itself an empire "in a fit of absentmindedness". For now, we - the Americans, despised and envied across the world -- still stumble along, doing the best we can, taking our licks and looking for solutions while living up to our image of ourselves. But the critics should be wary of screaming too loud, of conspiring too well, of undermining us too thoroughly. Because if they succeed, if they do get what they insist they want, then the result may well be something they never conceived, and it will be their desolation, and our peace.

-- J. R. Dunn for The American Thinker

"WE WILL LEAVE YOU A DESOLATION!" You can hear the Darth Vader voice.

Mr. Dunn gives us a new slant on America's parallels to ancient Rome. Usually, America is seen as being aligned with its last period of effetism and failure. In contrast, Mr. Dunn draws the idea of America being more like the much younger Rome, a Rome in its strong republican youth, a Rome that has yet to reach the end of its patience to become more of a power without conscience.

Naturally, I find it an interesting notion since I am keeping it for the record, but I wonder about the accuracy of this narrative. Although Monk has not succeeded very well in his studies of Rome, I never really sensed it to be a particularly restrained power, and I understood the fall from republican rule to be internal division. But, be that as it may, this is a colorful and provocative piece.

( Dunn essay )

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Losing at Chess as well as Life

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Chess life also has been plummeting these days. It feels like Monk has lost twenty IQ points recently. He keeps overlooking the most obvious moves, leaving his pieces hanging out to dry, and not spotting the most transparent attacks. Monk just lost a game to one of the beginners. At this rate, he will be battling his heart out against Cassie, hoping to be able to beat someone again. Before this, Monk was actually getting a bit cocky.

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Losing at Chess as well as Life

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Chess life also has been plummeting these days. It feels like Monk has lost twenty IQ points recently. He keeps overlooking the most obvious moves, leaving his pieces hanging out to dry, and not spotting the most transparent attacks. Monk just lost a game to one of the beginners. At this rate, he will be battling his heart out against Cassie, hoping to be able to beat someone again. Before this, Monk was actually getting a bit cocky.

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Bo's Deathly Breath

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Monk also had been neglecting Bo's teeth. Tonight, he sees that the upper-right teeth have been accumulating a moldy, greenish junk, and it does not take much to get to blood when trying to clean that mess. No wonder Bo has had hellish bad breath lately. Part of his mouth is dying.

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Bo's Deathly Breath

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Monk also had been neglecting Bo's teeth. Tonight, he sees that the upper-right teeth have been accumulating a moldy, greenish junk, and it does not take much to get to blood when trying to clean that mess. No wonder Bo has had hellish bad breath lately. Part of his mouth is dying.

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