2050
I read today that The European Union will ban all carbon fuel vehicles from central cities by 2050. England's not going along. UK Transport Minister Norman Baker says “We will not be banning cars from city centres anymore than we will be having rectangular bananas.” Good for him. Stiff upper lip, wot? Isn't it typical for politicians to be drawing plans for the grandest air castles while rioters fill their streets and social structure crumbles? Of course it is. Much easier to daydream about 2050 than to think about today and tomorrow.
But this blog isn't political. I don't even know if you can call it a blog, since I let years pass without writing in it. I have another blog for politics. I just can't help noticing, though, that we now live in...1984. Here's a proof. Wikipedia: Doublespeak is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs), making the truth less unpleasant, without denying its nature. It may also be deployed as intentional ambiguity, or reversal of meaning (for example, naming a state of war "peace"). In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth, producing a communication bypass. I think we should track down all official practitioners of "Doublespeak" and smother them in their sleep. No sense beating around the bush.
You may be interested to know that we (the United States, aka NATO, aka The United Nations) are now involved in a "KMA" in and around North Africa. Sounds something like the Country Music Awards, doesn't it, maybe as Larry the Cable Guy would abbreviate it? But it's not. "KMA" stands for "Kinetic Military Action." It's actually a war. War is bad. Everyone knows that, from the littlest first-grader to Grandma Edith. "Kinetic Military Action", on the other hand, is...well, NOT so bad. And "KMA" sounds downright wholesome. This isn't really a new tactic for our controllers and pooh-bahs in government. At the earliest edges of my memory, we were involved in a "Police Action" on the Korean peninsula. The heaviest slaughter lasted three years, 1950-1953. But it never really ended. That war that was not a war but really was a war is now most famous for producing the longest "Cease Fire" in recorded history. Even today, in early spring of 2011, the war has never officially been concluded. Some people still can't bring themselves to call it a war. I've recently heard someone say "the Korean Conflict." Isn't that a kick in the ass? "Conflict" is what you have with your neighbor when he starts up his lawn mower at 7AM Sunday morning. It's what you have with your wife when you realize she's not changed the oil in her car in three years. When 33,000 American sons, dads, uncles, brothers and teenagers die in the course of it, along with an estimated two million civilians and a million or so co-belligerent troops, I think you are morally obligated to call it a "war", don't you? And of course, "Police Action" just makes people laugh. President Truman, bless him, had the stones and the grit to name it a war. No wonder the elites of the time despised him. Truman was a good little guy. The second-to-last Democrat I could look at without having pre-hurl saliva dribbling down my chin. In case you're curious, JFK was the last. So far (as of yesterday), it's estimated that this delightful little KMA has cost U.S. citizens about 600 Million Dollars. In six days.
But, hey, this isn't a political blog, so maybe I will repost this on HaveACivilWar.com and get off it here. Until we meet again, y'all have a delightful and productive KMA, hear?
But this blog isn't political. I don't even know if you can call it a blog, since I let years pass without writing in it. I have another blog for politics. I just can't help noticing, though, that we now live in...1984. Here's a proof. Wikipedia: Doublespeak is language that deliberately disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs), making the truth less unpleasant, without denying its nature. It may also be deployed as intentional ambiguity, or reversal of meaning (for example, naming a state of war "peace"). In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth, producing a communication bypass. I think we should track down all official practitioners of "Doublespeak" and smother them in their sleep. No sense beating around the bush.
You may be interested to know that we (the United States, aka NATO, aka The United Nations) are now involved in a "KMA" in and around North Africa. Sounds something like the Country Music Awards, doesn't it, maybe as Larry the Cable Guy would abbreviate it? But it's not. "KMA" stands for "Kinetic Military Action." It's actually a war. War is bad. Everyone knows that, from the littlest first-grader to Grandma Edith. "Kinetic Military Action", on the other hand, is...well, NOT so bad. And "KMA" sounds downright wholesome. This isn't really a new tactic for our controllers and pooh-bahs in government. At the earliest edges of my memory, we were involved in a "Police Action" on the Korean peninsula. The heaviest slaughter lasted three years, 1950-1953. But it never really ended. That war that was not a war but really was a war is now most famous for producing the longest "Cease Fire" in recorded history. Even today, in early spring of 2011, the war has never officially been concluded. Some people still can't bring themselves to call it a war. I've recently heard someone say "the Korean Conflict." Isn't that a kick in the ass? "Conflict" is what you have with your neighbor when he starts up his lawn mower at 7AM Sunday morning. It's what you have with your wife when you realize she's not changed the oil in her car in three years. When 33,000 American sons, dads, uncles, brothers and teenagers die in the course of it, along with an estimated two million civilians and a million or so co-belligerent troops, I think you are morally obligated to call it a "war", don't you? And of course, "Police Action" just makes people laugh. President Truman, bless him, had the stones and the grit to name it a war. No wonder the elites of the time despised him. Truman was a good little guy. The second-to-last Democrat I could look at without having pre-hurl saliva dribbling down my chin. In case you're curious, JFK was the last. So far (as of yesterday), it's estimated that this delightful little KMA has cost U.S. citizens about 600 Million Dollars. In six days.
But, hey, this isn't a political blog, so maybe I will repost this on HaveACivilWar.com and get off it here. Until we meet again, y'all have a delightful and productive KMA, hear?
posted by Mike St James at 7:23 AM
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