This has been a week for hiding in place sight.
First, they found another moon circling Neptune. They've currently designated it S/2004 N 1, but they're planning to call it WheTLPA, which my sources tell me is an acronym for "Where The Lizard People Are." NASA denies the existence of lizard people, but we know better! Seriously, why call it S/2004 instead of S/2013? Clearly, this is a coverup. How stupid does the Fed think we is?!
An American archeologist has discovered two new pyramids (right) just by plugging in the words "lost pyramids" into Google Earth. So far, attempts to find Jimmy Hoffa and "the lost Arc of the Covenant" the same way have failed. Frankly, this really calls into question just how observant the average Egyptian really is. Think about it... millions of idiots live near these things and not one of them realizes that the giant pyramid shaped thing near their house is a pyramid. Yep. It took an American sitting on their butt in North Carolina to solve this mystery. Oy.
Anyway, the uselessness of Egyptians aside, it's kind of amazing there's still so much to discover in our world today. Who knows? Perhaps in a few years they will even discover the lost city of Atlanta?
Anyway, the uselessness of Egyptians aside, it's kind of amazing there's still so much to discover in our world today. Who knows? Perhaps in a few years they will even discover the lost city of Atlanta?
still feverish, eh?
ReplyDeleteNot as much as you might think. ;)
ReplyDeleteI just read a couple stories about the pyramids. Scientists are an amazing lot. Because they were spotted by an amateur with a web program, rather than--I don't know--take a closer look, the pros collectively declared she didn't know what she was talking about, they were just natural formations, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteSo what happened next was that a couple of amateur historians and collectors found a handful of old maps that marked the mounds as...wait for it...pyramids. Oh, and the locals have maintained that they are pyramids for forever. But what do silly locals know about their own land?
Finally, a PI (still not an archeologist) visited the site and discovered that the sand in the mounds was significantly different than the sand of the surrounding desert, like something was buried. Was that so hard?
Of course, this find couldn't happen at a worse time politically. We'll probably have to wait until things settle down before a team of pros will deign to look at it.
I've been to Atlanta, nice city. But it has a bit of a walking dead problem. ;)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the city of Atlantis is about as real as Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or Westeros. Seriously, its just some city that Plato made up.
Lizard people DO exist! They shapeshift too, and come out of their underground hide outs control us. Maybe they even run maybe NASA! It must be true because I read it a book and verified it on the internet...
ReplyDeletetryanmax, I read those details too, but they didn't fit into my feverish interpretation. So thanks for adding that!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how blind people become when they think they know better than other people, isn't it?
In any event, it will be interesting to see what these are an what's inside them!
Kit, I didn't care for Atlanta actually. It struck me as a city with no real soul or character... just a collection of buildings. As big cities go, nothing beats Chicago for having character.
ReplyDeleteOh, on Atlantis, there are a lot of reputable people who think that Atlantis is real, it's just been mislocated. It's actually in the Mediterranean and was destroyed by a volcano. I've seen a couple shows on that and it's pretty fascinating -- all comes down to to misinterpretation in the "beyond the pillars of Hercules" line for locating it.
ReplyDeleteBev, Wow! If you verified it on the internet then it must be true! Run for your lives!!! :D
ReplyDeleteSince the post is about finding things, and I believe in the rule of threes, this week it was reported that Waldo has been found. Waldo arthuri to be exact, a previously unknown species of clam that has tentacles and moves like a snail.
ReplyDeleteWaldo arthuri? The fabled King of Clams... defender of Clam Island and seeker of the Holy Pail?
ReplyDeleteSu-u-ure. We can go with that.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm thinking of someone else?
ReplyDeleteWell there was a civilization in the early days of Greece, the Minoans on Crete, that did collapse suddenly. Its collapse happened not long after a volcano blew its top.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of snails, the Japanese have discover that letting snails slurp across your face is excellent for the skin! Really, this what women do to look their best for men...men just shower, maybe...it's not fair...8-/
ReplyDeleteBev, LOL! That's the price of being a woman... snail slurp.
ReplyDeleteKit, That's them! The show I watched about them said they were the Minoans. And they were located on an island that had rings (natural volcano formation). And they were quite advanced by Greek standards. But they angered the volcano gods and found themselves blown to smithereens.
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently, the poem that describes Atlantis actually places it right where the Minoans lived. It was just a misinterpretation that put them out in the Atlantic.
We were talking about the militarization of the police, here's a good article on that: link
ReplyDeleteHere's some of the data:
The country's first official SWAT team started in the late 1960s in Los Angeles. By 1975, there were approximately 500 such units. Today, there are thousands. According to surveys conducted by the criminologist Peter Kraska of Eastern Kentucky University, just 13% of towns between 25,000 and 50,000 people had a SWAT team in 1983. By 2005, the figure was up to 80%.
The number of raids conducted by SWAT-like police units has grown accordingly. In the 1970s, there were just a few hundred a year; by the early 1980s, there were some 3,000 a year. In 2005 (the last year for which Dr. Kraska collected data), there were approximately 50,000 raids.
Wikipedia's article on SWAT teams indicates that they have been driven by school massacres, hostage situations and police confrontations with random armed nutjobs.
ReplyDeleteI'm just spitballing, but I think that The War on Drugs should get a lot of the credit. Cops everywhere are raiding heavily armed dealers all the time and they try to get in quick, before the dealers can flush their drugs or grab their guns.
Anthony, The war on drugs definitely started it and the war on terror gave it a huge boost, and it's the sort of thing that grows by itself once it starts.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of why, yes, it makes sense if you're going into a truly dangerous area to control the situation. But if you read the article, you will see the problem. For example, they used SWAT teams to go after student loan defaulters and guys who set up poker games with friends. They've also gone into the wrong homes at times, killed bystanders, etc. They're even using SWAT teams against people accused of regulatory violations.
I missed the link before I posted the first time, but that article makes a lot of sense. Still, while I agree that environmental agencies shouldn't have SWAT teams, I'm fine with vice squads using SWAT tactics in certain circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAnthony, I don't have a problem with SWAT teams either when they are pursing danger criminals, but the problem is the dramatic increase in use and the fact they are using them for things they don't need them for, and where the use of such force only endangers people.
ReplyDeleteCountdown to Catastrophe
ReplyDeleteJULY 20, 1914 (99 years ago today…)
In Vienna, the finalized copy of the “note with a time limit” is folded, placed into an envelope, and sealed. Official couriers, remaining as indiscreet as possible, will take it to the Austrian legation in Belgrade. It will remain sealed until Thursday, July 23rd, when Ambassador Giesl opens it shortly before the meeting he has been ordered to schedule with Serbian Prime Minister Pasic. With the note in place and the plans set in motion, there is nothing for Berchtold, Conrad, and Franz Joseph to do now but sit and wait.
Meanwhile, in the early afternoon, a French battleship- appropriately named 'France’- arrives in the bay leading to St. Petersburg. French President Raymond Poincare and French Prime Minister Rene Viviani are now set for their summit meeting with the Russians. Good thing, too. All they’ve done during the five-day voyage was fight.
Poincare represents the conservative wing of French politics. He helped approve the recent (and controversial) Three-Year Law, expanding the draft and having all able-bodied men serve three years on active duty before going to the reserves. The controversial law was one of the reasons the socialists won an election that summer, obtaining a majority in the Chamber of Deputies. Poincare spent most of his sailing time trying to explain the importance of the law to Viviani. The law, he says, will ensure that France has more men in the field when the inevitable rematch with Germany arrives. They will then be able to take back the ‘lost’ provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, while avenging the catastrophic defeat of the 1870-71 War.
Viviani, a prominent, pacifist socialist leader, got the job almost by accident. Joseph Caillaux (a fiery radical who would likely have even more legendary fights with Poincare), was supposed to be the prime minster, but with his wife on trial for allegedly shooting the editor of ‘Le Figaro,’ he was unable to take the job at the time. Madame Caillaux’s trail begins today, and Viviani seems more worried about it than he does the summit.
‘France’ meets up with the Russian Imperial yacht, ‘Alexandria.’ The French leaders then cross the gangway for a meeting with Czar Nicholas II before they reach port. Poincare spends the time reminding the Czar of how much France will need Russia in the coming war that nearly every Frenchman sees as inevitable. (Russia's support will be especially necessary if the hypothetical war starts in the Balkans; France doesn’t have a border with Germany's ally, Austria). Poincare, like his peers, believes that Russia- which they view as slow and lethargic- might need to be pushed into fighting Germany and Austria when the 'inevitable' happens. The meeting ends with little resolution. Nicholas II, a notoriously difficult man to read, mostly just nodded his head while the French president talked.
The day continues with a formal welcoming ceremony when the ‘Alexandria’ docks at Peterhof Palace. It is then followed by an elaborately formal Romanov gala where the two countries’ representatives toast their mutual friendship. The business of diplomatic business will have to wait until tomorrow.
Andrew, because of my traveling schedule, I'm going to have to request a writ of habeus CentralTimeZonimus, thus establishing that the 7/20 WWI update was posted in time. That is, before midnight in the Central Time Zone.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I have family visitors over the next week, so I may be filing similar requests over the next few days in accordance with Common Commentaraman Law.
Rustbelt, No problem! :)
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like having your wife on trial for murder to keep you busy.
ReplyDeleteI don't recall the details, but there was an incident around here not long ago where the police barged in on some guy SWAT-style and the suspect, thinking it was a break-in, shot and killed one of the officers. I think he was suspected of growing pot or something, but of course that got added to the charges. Regardless, the point I'm trying to make is that, rather than protecting police, in this instance the use of SWAT tactics may have contributed to one's death.
ReplyDeletetryanmax, Any time they use a SWAT style raid against people who aren't likely to resist... student loan defaulter???... they are adding a potential of death and injury that didn't exist before. That's really the issue. The issue isn't that they are taking down dangerous drug kingpins with military style assaults, it's that they are starting to use the same tactics in many instances where it's not needed, in instances where a deputy could just knock on the door and take the people into custody as has always been done. And the consequences are innocent people getting killed -- non-violent criminals, cops and innocent bystanders.
ReplyDeleteThis is dangerous for society and it's bad for the relationship of the police with average people. Read the article, I think you'll be shocked at some of the things it points out. Your example, for example, leads the article.
In those days you couldn´t go from Sidon to Carthage without switching triremes in Atlantis.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I missed that link earlier, I'll head there shortly. In the meantime, I looked up Plato's description of Atlantis, and he is clearly describing a continent. That is to say, there is no implication involved. He calls it a continent and likens it to Europe.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm a bible-thumper, but it brings to mind Genesis 10:25 - "...the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided..." I don't want to get into timeframes, but a lot of people think the Genesis verse indicates a time before the continents fully separated. It is possible that Plato was familiar with a similar account? (As Kit calls it, "secular verification"?)
Sorry, Rustbelt, but I am just the messenger...
ReplyDeleteTo: Rustbelt
From: The Management
Re: The Blog v. Rustbelt 13-BG-0720 commenced 7/21/2013
In accordance with Common Commentaraman Law Article 249876 paragraph 456 clearly states that anyone posting in a different time zone from their assigned jurisdiction AND posts late from said different time zone MUST [emphasis added] wear the invisible "I Posted Late On CommentaramaPolitics And I Am Sorry" t-shirt for a period of not less than the amount of lateness to the posting in the assigned jurisdiction.
After review of the facts in this matter, it is the opinion of The Management that for the following reasons that Mr. Belt be shown leniency. Since this is your first offense and Mr Price clearly had not previously apprised you of this section. But most importantly, we, The Management, really like your series. Therefore, the mandatory punishment will be set aside with a warning. We admonish you to take heed of the leniency of this ruling body and endeavor to do better in the future. At this time we deem this matter closed.
The Management (NOT BevfromNYC)
The Minoans
ReplyDelete-Existed between 4700 and 3500 years ago.
-Very little written evidence but plenty of archeological evidence for it.
-They were a mercantile people who made their money off trading in the area.
-They worshipped a snake goddess.
Wikipedia LINK
El Gordo, LOL! So... so... true! :D
ReplyDeletetryanmax, I have no idea honestly. I'm not aware of anyone being around before the continents separated, but my timeline from back then is a little sketchy. That said, if they did have knowledge of it, I'm sure that the story would have been passed around by multiple people and each culture would have had their own version. So it could well be the same thing?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of Atlantis being a continent, that's definitely the description, but frankly the whole things sounds like exaggeration. I doubt his description of their technology as well.
The program I saw on it suggested Minoa and they did put together a pretty compelling argument... much better than the Bermuda Triangle.
Kit, Very little written evidence.... That's because they got blown off the earth by a volcano.
ReplyDeleteBev, Our management is quite harsh, aren't they? LOL!
ReplyDeleteWell, the popular notion of lost Atlantis might well be a myth, but the sunken empires of Seatopia and Mu beneath the Pacific Ocean are real... the indisputable existence of both Megalon and Manda prove this to my satisfaction! Q.E.D.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's proof enough for me too. Though I am less than impressed with anyone led by "Emperor Antonio"! LOL!
ReplyDeleteAgain, without getting into timelines, it seems ancient people had knowledge of a lot of things that they aren't normally credited with. Whether anyone witnessed the continental divide or not, there are odd passages here and there that seem to rest on the knowledge of it.
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, I personally am in the camp that believes dragon legends actually refer to dinosaurs. Say as much as you want about when dinosaurs died out and when humans came into being, it seems pretty clear that early humans at least knew about them. And that's a completely different "how?" to explain.
tryanmax, But dragons are real! :P
ReplyDeleteYou may well be right. Ancient people definitely knew a lot of things we don't think they did. And often, they knew because of things we never even thought about. For example, I once read that the way they knew the earth was round was watching the shadow it casts on the moon. I doubt one in a million people today would be able to come up with that. So it's very possible that they did have knowledge of things like continental drift and dinosaurs.
In fact, on dinosaurs, it makes sense that they would have found fossils just like we have.
T-max (hah!)and Andrew -
ReplyDelete"I doubt one in a million people today would be able to come up with that."
Probably true, but then we as modern humans have 24/7 entertainment. Observing what was around them was "entertainment" for the ancient cultures. They had a lot of time to observe and think.
As an aside: A deep cave was just discovered in Europe recently filled with ancient drawings of animals in various of a chase. It was a long diorama that went far into this cave. It made no sense as to why it was deep in this cave. As they were filming this diorama with their lights, the way the shadows played on the walls...well, it looked to me like an ancient "movie theatre". I would bet a million dollars that "actors" would play out scenarios in firelight and it looked like a moving picture. Interesting to think about.
Oh, and dragons do exist! They are hiding underneath with the lizard people, but they can't shapeshift...
Bev, you're absolutely right. The dragons are just there to guard the lizard people's gold.
ReplyDeleteThe lizard people have gold? Those liars. :(
ReplyDeleteBev, That sounds exactly like a form of entertainment. An ancient theater or gallery.
In terms of knowledge of the world being entertainment, don't forget too that in the past you had to know things like what the weather would do to your crops or what the moon might do to the animal you're hunting if you wanted to live. These days, you just need a GPS to tell you how to get to the grocery store. So I suspect they were a lot more observant about a lot of things back then.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteAre you saying that the ancients did NOT need the help of Aliens to build the pyramids?
HISTORY CHANNEL LIED TO ME!!!
Actually, I didn't mean that the ancients were entertaining themselves. What I meant is that they didn't have distractions. Their lives were about survival, so they had to observe the weather, the sky, the volcanoes, the migration of their food source etc. Up until the industrial revolution, most time was taken up with survival for most from dawn to dusk. Little time was wasted. They spent most of their time on physical labor like just making sure that the fire didn't go out in the stove.
ReplyDeleteWith all of our modern conveniences that we have, we have lost a lot of just plain observation of what is happening around us. All you have to do is ride the subway and see how much we are completely disengaged with our immediate surroundings and it has accelerated in the last few years. Just my own observation to people who live thousands of miles away rather than sitting right next to me...
Kit, They needed the aliens to co-sign on the construction loans.
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteOh, ok. Well, that makes sense.
Anyone ever seen that show, Ancient Aliens?
ReplyDeleteBev, True. :)
ReplyDeleteI've seen the same thing actually, an increasing number of people with absolutely no sense what is going on around them. People walking aimlessly toward walls or carts blocking their path in grocery stories. People who stare at the television and can't tell you what they just watched. People with zero sense of anything outside of whatever narrow thing they are looking at.
Just the other day, I watched a woman come up alone to an intersection with three lanes in each direction. The light was red, so she stopped and waited about 45 seconds. Right across the intersection... directly in her path... was a blown out tire. The light turned green and she floored it. Half way through the intersection, she slammed on her brakes when she finally realized there was a blown out tire in her path. How could she not see that before that time?
Sadly, this utter lack of attention is becoming more and more common.
Kit, You mean this show: LINK
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteYes, that show.
Kit, I've seen it. I enjoy the show, even if it is laughable bullship. The whole conspiratorial tone of the sales pitch is entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAndrew,
ReplyDeleteUFOs and Alien conspiracy stuff is a guilty pleasure of mine.
It probably comes from watching X-Files as a kid.
That show;s arguments basically boil down to "There is no way that they could've built X without modern equipment", "Hieroglyphs X, the one that looks like a plant, is clearly a spaceship" and "You cannot prove that Aliens were not involved!"
Just sprinkle in some flat-out false claims about construction materials, for example: They claim the Puma Pumku stones were made of granite -they were sandstone.
ReplyDeleteThis granite statement is the basis of their entire argument that it was built w/ extra-terrestrial help.
Kit, That's exactly what the show boils down to -- false claims about what could be achieved with ancient construction methods, claiming that hieroglyphs look like aliens, electronics and spaceships, and the old "you can't disprove it."
ReplyDeleteI remember their pyramid show started with the assumption that the Egyptians had no way to line things up North-South, even though that can be done with perfection with a string and four pegs. It was the most idiotic assumption I've ever heard, but they all ran with it very earnestly.
They actually claimed the Egyptians could not line up North and South? Ok, I've gotta see that!
ReplyDeleteI do wonder if those people actually believe what they are spouting?
Anyway, schools should use that show. Present their claim, then explain why that is complete nonsense. It works for Mythbusters!
They noted that the pyramids are in a perfect line North-South (which isn't actually true, but close enough). Then they said to achieve that requires modern land survey equipment and that there was NO WAY ancient people could do it. So it had to be aliens.
ReplyDeleteExcept, surveying is an ancient art that does not require modern equipment. And you can map out perfectly straight lines and perfect circles with a string and some pegs. And aligning North-South or even in conjunction with the moon is actually really simple. But these guys ran with it and went from there.
They needed the aliens to co-sign on the construction loans.
ReplyDeleteYeah. Why do you think the lizard people need dragons to guard their gold? They lost everything when the pyramid bubble burst. They're not about to let it happen again!
Hmm. This is all making a strange kind of sense at this point.
ReplyDeleteBTW, "pyramid bubble" -- LOL! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when you leave a thread open all weekend. We solve the mysteries of the ancients.
ReplyDeleteNow if we could just figure out the Easter Island heads...?
LOL! Clearly. We should leave more open threads.
ReplyDeleteEaster Island, huh? I'm thinking galactic dump for Martian Bobble-heads.
Hmm... I dunno. I think you need more than four pegs and a string to make bobble heads.
ReplyDeleteYeah, those require a sweat shop, a Vietnamese kid, and a redwood tree.
ReplyDeleteCountdown to Catastrophe
ReplyDeleteJULY 21, 1914 (99 years ago today…) -Part 1 of 2
In Vienna, Berchtold shows the final text of the “note with a time limit” to Emperor Franz Joseph for the first time- 24 hours after it was sent to Belgrade. The Emperor, clearly believing this will lead to a European war, makes a dire prediction: “Russia cannot swallow it. There’s no mistake about it. It will be a big war.” Berchtold is also told by his staff that German Ambassador Tschirschky wants to read the note before it is sent, as the German Foreign Office is desperate for a report from the Ballplatz. Berchtold instructs his staff to tell Tschirschky that the draft is not ready, that details are still being worked out, and that Tschirschky won’t be able to see a working draft until tomorrow.
In St. Petersburg, Czar Nicholas and President Poincare work to iron out a few problems in order to strengthen Franco-Russian relations. Several British diplomats claim that Russian diplomats have broken the terms of the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907, and have asked France (being Russia’s ally) to mediate. The Czar quickly (and to Poincare’s surprise) admits the incidents happened and promises to prevent any more of them. The meeting then breaks so that Poincare and Prime Minister Viviani can tour St. Petersburg (strangely, though, without the Czar going with them). So far, the meeting has been a success, as far as shoring up the alliance goes. These two countries are practically made for each other. For while some countries need a reason to start a war, all these two need is a time and place.
France has been itching for war ever since 1871. In the Franco-Prussian War, French forces were ultimately routed by German armies under the command of Helmut von Moltke the Elder at the Battle of Sedan. The French government subsequently collapsed, with Emperor Napoleon III going into exile. France was forced to pay war reparations (for wartime damages, nothing out of the ordinary) and to turn over the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to the Germans (who claimed that the provinces had been stolen by France’s Louis XIV in 1648, at the end of the Thirty Years’ War). In a final blow to French pride, Moltke, Otto von Bismarck, and King Wilhelm I of Prussia (now German Kaiser Wilhelm I) proclaimed the creation of the new German Empire (the Second Reich) in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles on January 18, 1871.
Having lost its traditional place of power on continental Europe, France, under the new, fanatical Third Republic, has been scheming ever since for a rematch with Germany. In 1892, France allied with Russia, hoping to better prepare for the inevitable rematch. In 1911, Colonel Louis Loyzeau de Grandmaison delivered a series of lectures which gave birth to the “cult of the offensive.” Wars, he declared were won not with superior weapons or tactics, but with will, desire, and ‘life force’ (‘elan’ in French). Basically, this became a doctrine of “Attack!” and only “Attack!” Whatever they're attacking doesn't matter, as long as it's German. All defensive measures and plans for possible war with Germany were thrown out and any commanders who questioned the new doctrine- including General Victor Michel and Colonel Phillipe Petain- were cast into military exile. When war comes- AGAIN, as the French would say- the goal- the only clear goal- will be seeing Germany defeated and France in power once again.
(Info on Russia to come tomorrow)
Countdown to Catastrophe
ReplyDeleteJULY 21, 1914 (99 years ago today...) -Part 2 of 2
After the tour, Poincare and Viviani meet with other ambassadors at the Winter Palace. After a nice meeting with the German Ambassador to Russia, Friedrich Pourtales, Poincare meets with British Ambassador Buchanan. After again going over the disputes of the 1907 Convention, Buchanan mentions overhearing Sazonov talk about an Austrian ultimatum to Serbia. It just so happens that Austrian Ambassador Szapary is next in line. The two trade empty barbs over the ongoing investigation into the archduke’s murder before Poincare warns Szapary that “Serbia has very warm friends in the Russian people. And Russia has an ally, France. There are plenty of complications to be feared!” The encounter ends with both sides now certain that the other is up to good. (Szapary believes Poincare will push Russia to attack Austria and Germany to ignite its long-desired war.) Poincare then passes on this information- and France’s continuing pledge of alliance- to Sazonov.
Sazonov then corners German Ambassador Pourtales (obviously hoping to convince Austria’s ally to indirectly put pressure on Vienna). He declares (without evidence) that the archduke’s murder was the act of a few crazy people, and that Serbia cannot be held responsible. Although Pourtales tries to fight back, Sazonov continues his tirade, adding that Russia would not allow military attacks on Serbia. He finishes by saying: “whatever happens, there must be no talk of an ultimatum.”
Bev, thank you for passing on the word from Commentarama Management. I've read the passages mentioned and accept their decision.
ReplyDeleteHowever, due to my prior engagements (which will last throughout the week), I was unable to meet the criteria for tonight's delivery.
I will, therefore, accept the punishment of wearing the invisible Commentarama "I am sorry" T-shirt for the time Management requires.
I am in the process of preparing more material in advance so as to avoid the problem repeating itself this week.
For now, please accept my humblest apologies. My work, I assure you, will not be stopped!
That's the spirit! Don't let "the man(agement)" stop you! :D
ReplyDeleteAlso, Andrew, I might not have been clear in yesterday's post. Viviani's wife isn't on trial for murder- Caillaux's wife is. If she's found guilty, Caillaux probably won't be able to take the post of prime minister, which he was expected to get. However, if she's found innocent, Caillaux will likely become prime minister and Viviani will be cast from the Cabinet and sent back to the Chamber of Deputies. Quite literally, Viviani's career is hanging on the trial's outcome.
ReplyDeleteI should also report that I'm not sure if Caillaux (having a family member on trial or in prison) is disqualified for the prime minister post by Third Republic Law, or if he's being sidelined for obvious reasons of bad publicity. Still checking for background on that one.
Andrew, the "man(agement)," is not as big a man as I am!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rustbelt, I misunderstood you. :)
ReplyDeleteIn any event, it must be rather a strange time when the wife of a possible PM is on trial for murder.
Andrew, for a country that nicknamed its primary method of execution- the guillotine- the "national razor," I tend to regard this as French politics as usual.
ReplyDeleteStill, it does make our brand of politics pretty boring by comparison- with all of Europe, for that matter. (Oh, what I wouldn't give for Obama and Ted Cruz to say what they really think about each other a la the House of Commons!)
Rustbelt, If we had that kind of system right now, we would probably need to re-institute dueling or just let them go all Taiwanese Legislative Fist-Fight every so often.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I'll take your dueling and Taiwanese Fist-Fighting and raise you one:
ReplyDelete"Tonight, live at the Verizon Center, at the In-Session Monster Truck Rally, in one corner, having fled from Detroit, President Obama in the GM clunker "Backward!" In the other corner, straight from Dallas, in the Ford "Strategic Negotiator," Senator Ted Cruz! Be there, or you'll wish you were!"
Well, according to Idiocracy, that won't happen for another 100 years, but I don't see any reason we can't move it forward. LOL!
ReplyDeleteWell, then, to the DeLorean! And if that's not ready, order all Commentarama technicians to begin calculations for time warp!
ReplyDeleteAs for how we'll move everything forward and usher in a new age of actually entertaining reality TV mixed in with extreme sports, well...we'll just have to wing it!
I'll get the Boiler Room Elves right on that! :)
ReplyDeleteSounds great! Let me know how it turns out! I've gotta turn in now. I'll be back tomorrow. Later!
ReplyDelete