Sending Signals

(fm the BC thread "The politics of detection")

Republicans tend to walk around holding books to send signals. Bush did so with Natan Scharansky and Palin did with Mark Levin. People should now start reading and walking around with Bernard Lewis' The Crisis of Islam and Rebecca West's The New Meaning of Treason.

Democratic politicians don't have to since they get other people to read for them. Their role models are the Hollywood executives who scan a two page summary prepared by a kid from Harvard hoping to break into Conan O'Brien's staff. The pols agents in the press report that they commune with the Muses without regard to evidence that they can communicate unaided using two syllable words. Barack Obama is given credit for writing two books before there is any reason to believe that he had read one.

The reading is important as that is how the author speaks to you but it is the walking around holding the book that enables you to speak to others. While no one should reduce books to props, or think that they could get away with doing so, it is important that we act more aggressively in shaping the terms of public debate. This is one way that we can begin to do so.

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Konyok,
(who praised Bush 43 for the theme "Freedom", & Iran's resistance & wine)
Perhaps Presidents like Japanese Emperors should have three names.
1. Their birth name (George Washington or Prince Michi)
2. Their name in office (Mr President or Prince/Emperor Hirohito)
3. Their name for history (Father of His Country or Emperor Shōwa)

This could make for an interesting parlor game as we argue over how the POTUS should be remembered.

Iran needs a General Monck.
Does Georgia make slivovitz?

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blert,
we have an army of Shultz’s

Relax.
Think of the movie not the TV show. The bad guys have Sgt. Schulz.
We have a military full of guys like JJ Sefton.

Put your money on the Yanks.