They’re all pretty good. However, these are probably my favorite:
Dear God,
Are you really invisible, or is that just a trick?
Lucy.Dear God,
In Bible times, did they really talk that fancy?
Jennifer
Jan 312006
Jan 312006
Normally, I don’t publish letters from readers of NoodleFood, but occasionally, I receive one so amazing that I cannot resist sharing it.
Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 10:34:42 -0800 (PST)
From: Michael Hardesty
To: [email protected]
Subject: You Are Totally Ignorant Of The History Of The Middle East1) The Zionist Connection by Dr. Alfred M. Lilienthal
2) The Question of Palestine by Edward Said
3) The Fateful Triangle by Noam Chomsky
4) The Great War For Civilization: The Conquest of The Middle East by Robert Fisk
5) What Price Israel ? by Alfred M. Lilienthal
6) The Other Side of The Coin by Alfred M. Lilienthal
7) Pity The Nation: The Abduction of Lebanon by Robert Fisk
There are many other works but these will constitute an excellent start and help you to BEGIN to conquer the Grand Canyon-sized abyss of ignorance that has characterized ALL of you’re rantings on this subject.
I’d be willing, with compensation, to do a point by point rebuttal to all of you’re published comments on this subject from terrorism, Israel & the USA have long been the leading terrorist states on the planet, to you’re racist views on Arabs and the Fox News cartoon “understanding” of Islam, as if that religion was more irrational than Judaism and Christianity or more historically violent than those two.
I agree with you on the PARC issue but both sides are totally off the wall on foreign policy and particularly the Middle East.
Rand’s incredibly racist views towards Arabs and American Indians as exemplified in Ayn Rand Answers are far more a condemnation of her than anything asserted by the Brandens. Not to mention her Nazi-like views on retarded children in same. They should be hidden away from normal kids !!!!!!!!!!!
LBJ looks like an enlightened philosopher by contrast.
Unfortunately shifting from the Brandenite TOC line to the ARI party line is not an indication of independent thinking.
Anymore than the shift of many New Republic readers from allegiance to the Soviet state to allegiance to the Israeli state. Same old treason in a new form.
You’ll have to pardon the tone here but in reading you’re various diatribes from Terri Schiavo to the Middle East, I have found you to be a nasty, loudmouthed asshole.
So I adapt my style to the recipient, in you’re case I’m sure I’m being too polite.
Michael Hardesty
Wow, what a fantastic suggested reading list: not just Noam Chomsky, but two by Robert Fisk! (Yes, I heard enough from the America-hating leftists on that list not to waste my time reading their books.) And that was nice job of misrepresenting Ayn Rand’s views too.
Indeed, I don’t “have to pardon the tone” of that letter — and I won’t! I do really wonder why a person would take the time and effort to write such a supposedly educational letter — while brazenly declaring their total contempt for the mind of his reader? I can understand someone disagreeing with me, disliking me, or whatnot — but that kind of self-contradictory action is beyond bizarre. Well, I can only hope that Mr. Hardesty will send me another nice note to clarify.
Jan 312006
A few days ago, Paul and I were leafing through the catalog of the Anatomical Chart Company, pondering some of the strangely creepy items they sell — like the “maternity mug.” However, both of us thought that nothing beat the “life sized model of the scrotum and testicles, made from BIOLIKE synthetic tissue.” There’s even a picture of someone handling it, just so that you can see how delightfully squeezable it is!
Jan 312006
When I read Anne Applebaum’s recent column, I noticed that her byline reads: “The writer’s husband was recently named Poland’s defense minister.” Yes, it’s but true! (The AEI web site a better biographical sketch of Radek Sikorski up through 2002.)
Jan 302006
Daniel Pipes has some interesting Thoughts on Hamas’ Ascendance:
Voting today in the Palestinian Authority pits Fatah against Hamas. This face-off can be read as the corrupt, old-line Palestinian powerbroker versus the disciplined upstart, or as Yasir Arafat’s ideologically flexible organization versus Ahmed Yassin’s Islamist vehicle.On the key question of their attitude toward Israel, Fatah is willing to negotiate with Israel to gain territory and other benefits, while Hamas on principle refuses to deal with the “Zionist entity.” But the difference is between them is mostly illusory, as Fatah in fact engages in terrorism and Hamas does talk to the Israelis.
For reasons that somewhat escape my understanding, on this basis, Fatah is dubbed moderate and Hamas extremist; or, in the even more dramatic terms of an Associated Press headline today, “Palestinians choose between pursuing peace or confrontation with Israel.” In fact, the differences between them are merely tactical; a more accurate headline would be “Palestinians choose between pursuing more overt or more covert destruction of Israel.” Basically, Hamas speaks its mind and Fatah dares not. And Hamas provides the social services that Fatah cannot because its honchos have stolen the funds.
Ironically, this means that there is some reason to prefer Hamas to Fatah, for it prompts a more negative response from Israelis, Europeans, Americans, and others. But the New York Sun has already made this point for me a couple of days ago, in a house editorial titled “Recipe for Trouble”:
a victory by Hamas, evil though the organization is, might not be all bad. At least then it would be clear to everyone what Israel is facing, an enemy committed to its complete destruction. … With Hamas in power, the Palestinian Authority could be seen, even by the American state department, for what it is, a terrorist state with the aim of destroying a free and democratic American ally. It would join the ranks of Iran and Syria as a rogue state that America would seek to isolate and roll back rather than subsidize with taxpayer dollars.So, while I do not wish Hamas well in any manner at all (an article of mine appearing today in USA Today calls for it to be destroyed), there will likely be some benefit in having it complicit in the Palestinian Authority. (January 25, 2006)
I’ve not bothered to reproduce the links, but those can be found in the original. For those interested in understanding the grave problems of the Middle East — and its effects upon the West — I would highly recomment Pipes’ book Militant Islam Reaches America.
I must admit, I wasn’t particularly impressed by Daniel Pipes’ compilation of examples of European governments standing up to the irrational demands of Islamists under the heading of The West Stands Up for Its Customs. Although supposedly evidence that “there is still fight left in the old continent,” too many of the incidents centered around national tradition and … yes … serving alcohol.
This quote from an editor of a Dutch newspaper seems to pretty much capture the state of play: “It’s funny. We now want to teach immigrants more about our identity, and we discover that we’re not sure what’s left of it!”
If Europeans are limited to defending the accidental features of its culture rather than any universal values, then Europe is doomed to be overrun by the barbarians in short order. In that case, don’t expect substantial opposition to Islamism, except in the form of xenophobic fascism. And Europe would probably self-destruct in face of that kind of horror again.
Also, in case you haven’t heard of it, the ongoing brouhaha in Denmark over twelve depictions of Mohammed published this fall in a Danish newspaper is quite stunning. In face of great opposition, the Danish government has remained firm: it has “repeatedly rejected calls to intervene in the matter, saying the government has no say over media.” Meanwhile, Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia are boycotting Danish products, withdrawing their ambassadors to Denmark, protesting en masse, and so on. In contrast, the government of Norway capitulated after its media reprinted the drawings. Their embassies received a letter from the Foreign Ministry instructing them to say that the drawing caused “distrust and unnecessary conflicts” between Muslims and Norway. And their Foreign Minister said “I am sorry that the publications of the Prophet Muhammad in the Magazinet has caused unrest in the Muslim community.” How about if the crazed zealot Muslims causing the unrest apologized for their total lack of respect reason, reality, and rights instead?!?
Jan 302006
I’m pleased to report that the lawsuit against me originally filed on behalf of Dr. Ignatius Piazza and Front Sight Firearms Training Institute over this web site was settled just before the case was scheduled to go to trial in April 2005. Although the details of the settlement are confidential, I can say that I’m reasonably happy with it. The lawsuit was a long and unpleasant ordeal, so I’m glad that it’s behind me.
As for the web site, it will remain where it is for the foreseeable future.
Jan 292006
Miss Manners just wrote about the impropriety of wedding reenactments — as opposed to say, receptions within a year of the wedding and anniversary parties thereafter. I loved the last line: “What [married couples] should not be doing is making a mockery of the marriage ceremony by holding mock ceremonies. They may be able to reproduce the starry-eyed look, but they will never manage that tiny note of ‘What am I doing?’ that makes it exciting.”
Although I had no doubts about marrying Paul, I do remember that “What am I doing?” feeling of our wedding. Now that I know exactly what I’ve gotten myself into with my vows, I certainly couldn’t manage to reproduce all the scary delights of the actual wedding. Then again, nor would I wish to do so, since it was an extremely stressful event to plan!
Jan 292006
Jan 272006
My grandfather Jim Mertz passed away on Wednesday. (Some of you might remember my speaking of him this post.) Although as mentally sharp as ever, he’d been struggling with his physical health for the past few months.
Paul and I flew to New York today for his funeral on Saturday. It will be an honor to pay my respects to such an excellent man.
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