(no subject)

[somedaybitch]

on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when even the NYT is printing thoughtful opinion pieces about the event, what this country gets is a President who can't be bothered to attend the ceremonies in Berlin, and a university that shuts down a student memorial rally because it's too offensive.

well, yes, asshats, well spotted. communism *is* offensive. celebrating the 20th anniversary of its downfall, however, is not.


so in honor of the Ninth of November, i'm listening to The Hunt for Red October. again. yeah, yeah, so it's always a pleasure but still. it reminds me of a time when even Hollywood paid lip service to the notions of freedom and liberty.

"I would have liked to have seen Montana."

Comments

[arthurfrdent.livejournal.com]

It's stunning in parallels, where we are in the ebb and flow of time... it's the late 70's somewhere. The worse part is how history becomes less important as the days go by after you've lived it. A LOT of things happened in 89, but then a bunch happened in 84 too and so on... but you get a blank stare if you talk about Tieneman, or Berlin, or Jal007 or The fall of the Shah.

It's always different next time, but people don't even remember last time.

It's pretty tough to see clearly the good you are when you have nothing to contrast with, and this used to be easier. But the Chinese are now business partners, and a different unknown shade of gray, and the worry is a patient, implacable, and mostly illiterate foe that has no interest in becoming first world powers. Rather in subjugating everyone under whatever extreme form of islam they espouse. Ideologically they are quite adept at exploiting our religious tolerance. The kids running the country don't seem to remember the world they live through back then. My interest in history showed up because Ted Koppel came on every night and told me how we had hostages in Iran, and there wasn't anyone who could get them out. Course I've learned a thing or two since then. But that really formed a teen view of a world where being the nice guy sometimes got you a bloody nose. ESP. if the bad guys thought you were so weak you would just lay down and take it.

It's weird that in some ways we got the Chicago Way Lite. All the double dealing, but none of the toughness.

[arthurfrdent.livejournal.com]

ooh, that's more than a little incoherent, except somehow I figure you'll get it.