HEGEMONY
These 10:00 PM EST games in Vancouver are going to be the death of me, but the sting is lessened considerably by Roberto Luongo's annual mental breakdown in net for the Canucks. At some point in every series he will surrender a garbage goal; thereafter he goes to pieces and approximates a human sieve.
I will try to honor the No Politics rule sometime on Friday. For now, however, please do take 15 minutes (It's Friday, right? You're not working) to read this excellent take on the current state of U.S. foreign policy and the "democratization" of the Middle East. Do yourself a favor and do not look at the author, lest its baggage lead you to reject the argument out of hand.
The whole Washington Consensus thing worked when we were half of the global economy. Now, not so much.
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:44 am
You know who I trust when it comes to 'no politics' ? Noam Chomsky!
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:23 am
Hey, it's still Thursday out by me for another 100 minutes.
And text form is my favorite kind of Chomsky. I've never understood why he's praised as a great speaker – his oratory and persona are pure milquetoast – but his rhetoric shines through on the page.
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:27 am
Wow, why not look at the author? Most people I know would pay extra attention knowing its a Chomsky article… A lot of very smart people write about politics, but Chomsky might be the only first class brain that bothers… the rest are off doing mathematics, physics and analytic philosophy.
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:43 am
The hell with Chomsky.
Q: What'sthe quietest place in North America?
A: Vancouver.
Go Hawks.
April 22nd, 2011 at 2:47 am
Chomsky rulez!
I knew it was him right away, but part of me wanted it to be someone new to carry the torch.
America, Fuck Yeah!
April 22nd, 2011 at 8:31 am
Wouldn't be surprised if the People benefiting most from dubious policies will be most sheltered when things come apart.
April 22nd, 2011 at 9:34 am
At some point in every series he will surrender a garbage goal; thereafter he goes to pieces and approximates a human sieve.
That's a pretty good assessment of what's happened to Pekka Rinne in Nashville. I am SO sick of our team having a melt down in the first round of the playoffs. And here we pull Anaheim and it actually looked like we might make it into Round 2 and what happens? Pekka's slump begins and our backup goalie is a fucking rookie! Lindback is talented but bot playoff-ready.
My Stanley Cup dreams melt like a snowman in August.
{ sob }
April 22nd, 2011 at 9:51 am
How I miss chanting sieve! This makes me want to make the effort to go to a hockey game in the fall.
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:03 am
Sorry, but that Salon article is horrible.
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:16 am
Hockey's not brutal enough. World Football is, after all, a game for ballerinas. Lacrosse is fun, but the rules have kind of taken the fun (read "blood") out of it. Rugby's boring unless you're playing. I'm holding out for a North American Curling League. I've even come up with the league's ad slogan: "Curling: Lacrosse for grownups!"
Anyway, flitting like a butterfly to another idea, I was intrigued by the relatively recent thinking that the collapse of the Roman Empire was due in large part to the collapse of the tax (and presumably "loot") base. There were plenty of extraordinarily wealthy Romans even right up to the end. Watching this country get hollowed out for the benefit of the Japanese-monster-movie-style ticks that constitute our Galtian Overlords might give one pause for thought. "First time tragedy, second time farce" might apply (offensively ignoring all the intervening empires, of course, but American Exceptionalism is the rule rather than the exception). This isn't politics, of course, so it doesn't break the NPF rule.
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:35 am
Leave it to a liberal to *apologize* for linking to Chomsky. Do you really care about anyone who would reject his opinions out of hand?
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:59 am
Funny. I watched the video of him delivering that speech on youtube last night. As far as hockey goes, this year it's the Caps turn….at least to get to the second round. One skate at a time for these historic chokers…
April 22nd, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Chomsky, though intelligent, is far too pro-democracy for my tastes.
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Ah, Noam. Always the voice of optimism! I like most of Chomsky says, but man, it can get depressing to read his work. I remember when I first found him, while researching a paper I was writing in high school. Opened my little 16-year old eyes!
April 22nd, 2011 at 2:01 pm
I've never understood why it's part of making liberal bona fides to talk shit about Chomsky.
I saw an article in a liberal San Francisco weekly rag where the author spent a full page mocking people for going to see "Manufacturing Consent" at the theater. Zero arguments advanced because you don't need any! Everybody knows Chomsky is an anti-American nut.
Speaking of which, I'm going to see him speak tonight, so I guess I'm no liberal.
April 22nd, 2011 at 2:39 pm
Ha, I was actually reading that very Chomsky piece and in the middle I needed to take a break so I came here. Infinite loop ftw!
April 22nd, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Chomsky is yet another example that shows that a genius in one area might be, and usually is, nothing but a average blubber mouth in other areas. We had Nobel laureates who are racists, believe that vitamin C solves all problems, etc.
Some major mistakes Chomsky makes: the Egyptian protesters made a special effort not display signs against the US or Israel. An Israeli tour group found itself in Tahrir Square in the midst of the protests; they were escorted comfortably and warmly to their hotel by a group of protesters.
Like all fake progressives, Chomsky make Clinton the devil incarnate. Hatred, no matter where it comes from, reflects the on the hater and show her/his real character.
Chomsky still views the Arab world the old way. He totally fails to understand the enormous change that is about to happen in countries such as Egypt and Syria. He tries desperately to shackle them with the past.
April 22nd, 2011 at 9:54 pm
@middle seaman – fake progressive? Blubber mouth? what are you talking about? you Say 'some mistakes
that chomsky makes', then give only one example that has nothing to do with the article linked. Chomsky is as clear and just plain correct as ever. That he is considered beyond the pale of mainstream debate is an indictment of mainstream debate, not of Chomsky.
April 22nd, 2011 at 10:51 pm
.Wow I feel so bad for picking on Pekka Rinne earlier, he just got nominated for the Vezina trophy along with Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas. Ed, you gonna take back what you said about Luongo now?
April 22nd, 2011 at 11:37 pm
The Canucks were slightly off this week due to 420. Stick a fork in the Hawks.
April 22nd, 2011 at 11:43 pm
@Voice–you gonna stick with that one, or do you want to come down off the wacky tobacky and come up with an even stupider excuse for Luongo folding like a card table?
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:06 am
Well I'm a very depressed hockey fan. The Preds have 16 minutes to pull this game out of their ass and I'm starting to wonder if it's even possible.
SIGH.
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:13 am
In the meantime, we Detroiters get to enjoy a week or so off while the rest of you beat each other up.
I'll give Vancouver this much, and I do love the city and root for it's football team, it's a beautiful place to spend the offseason.
JJ,
I'm with you. I'm glad the blogosphere lends itself to discovering more liberals, but I worry that we won't find someone nearly as articulate to carry the torch.
April 23rd, 2011 at 12:57 am
Clinton is the fake progressive not Chomsky.
April 23rd, 2011 at 1:06 am
I am "particularly" "offended" by "Chomsky's" "odd" "use" of "quotes."
Also, hockey is for me the most unwatchable of all televised sports. All I can see is that people move from one end of the rink to the other in pursuit of a small invisible object, and hit one another gratuitously.
April 23rd, 2011 at 2:24 am
@ tommytimp
The Hawks will fold like a cheap lawn chair. You can put that in your crack pipe and smoke it.
April 23rd, 2011 at 3:13 am
@Ike – Try upgrading to HD. Makes all the difference in the world.
April 23rd, 2011 at 10:57 am
I was reminded how hard it was to watch hockey without HD Wednesday night. The Rangers and Caps were in overtime on Versus, which must of been providing the HD feed for Fox Sports Detroit. Consequently, the first few minutes of the first period looked like they were played underwater. I've only had my big screen and HD for about a year- it's a revelation after watching hockey on relatively small and poor picture quality sets the previous 45 years.
Ordinarily, I don't like to see the Wings sweep the first round. Too much time off. Five games is about right, but this year with Zetteberg and now Franzen banged up, a sweep was perfect. Be nice if the Kings could extend the Sharks another game, because it's hard to believe the Canucks can't get it together for one more win. On the other hand, with their history of doing less with more…
Middle Seaman, like most members of our species, Chomsky makes some mistakes, but I'll take his explanation of current events as well as his narrative of the past 500 years of western history compared to the one offered by just about anyone else I see when I turn on my tv. Most of you are probably familiar with him, but Michael Parenti is another guy whose insight I value.
April 23rd, 2011 at 11:57 am
Oh.
My.
God.
The Predators literally pulled it out of their asses last night. It was UN fucking believable. Scored a win in overtime, after tying it up in the last minute of regulation. I was practically peeing on myself.
If we don't win Sunday night I am going to hurt someone.
April 23rd, 2011 at 9:31 pm
@Ike: "…and hit one another gratuitously."
You say that like it's a bad thing. Ever hear of hockey fans throwing flares and rioting because they're so bored they need to self entertain?
April 24th, 2011 at 12:45 am
Unfortunately yes, Xynzee. Montreal, 2008.
April 24th, 2011 at 11:47 pm
@Ed: As it is NPF (well, sunday here), a sundry question: could you please add in your "buy stuff" section a regular size poster (e.g. 2' by 1,5') with the G&T picture instead of those smallish stickers? I would be honored to have it in my reading room. Thnx!
April 25th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
@Voice of Canuckistan:
Game. Seven.
If fragile Bobbi Lu gives up the ghost tomorrow night, the streets of Vancouver will run red with Cabernet.
April 27th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Chicago folded not like a cheap lawn chair…. more like rebar, however the job is done. Book your tee times now.
BOOYAH!
April 27th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Oops. Sorry for your loss :)
April 29th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
hockey?
jeebus
yanqi scum
down here when we see ice it is either clinging to the trees or calming down the beer. sometimes diluting the sour mash.
hockey? should be some way they can all lose…