connecting*the*dots

Great catch, Kevin.

Add your vote to the mix, people!

The Onion is too good!

Noam Chomsky is the most self-deprecating “intellectual”… ever. When told that he was voted “World’s Top Public Intellectual,” Chomsky probably let out what amounted to an uncomfortable sigh.

You see, Chomsky actively participates in the world through the construct of language, which is highly relational and contextual, not hierarchical. This is why his political views are so unpopular with the American power elite; he’ll play along with their restructuring of nature’s flax matrix of relationships to fit their greedy motivations, while simultaneously challenging their authority by insisting that they must be held accountable to the consequences of their explicit actions within this structure of authority. Crazy notion, eh?

This award is a hierarchical assignment, obviously something Chomsky doesn’t believe in. If his fervent supporters and lobbyists would recognize this perspective and his core point about intellectuals using (completely paraphrasing from “Understanding Power“) “big words to explain concepts in confusing ways just to remain intellectuals,” maybe they’d be better equip to challenge more hierarchical structures in our quickly changing world.

This highly oxymoronic intellectual stratosphere should be reserved for Christopher Hitchens and the ilk.

Who the fuck is George Bush to urge Americans to call members of Congress to back a war with Iraq if UN policy isn’t put into effect soon enough?

Who and what defines soon enough… his approval rating?

The questions that surround the impetus and timing on going to war are outstanding to say the least. Bush seems to want to do daddy proud and finish the job over there, but of course it’s not that simple; I’m sure there are billions of dollars and a heap of control at stake.

This preemptive charge by W is a bit frightening… make that terrifying.

In ‘81, Israel took out a nuclear plant in Iraq supposedly being used to develop nuclear weapon material in a preemptive strike. The United States and the UN chastised Israel for the attack, though Israel might have been justified in attacking due to their proximity to Iraq, as they would probably be the likely first target if that capability ever came to pass.

What’s our excuse?

We’re now charging into Baghdad to take out Saddam, guns blazing down side streets and into bunkers. If Bush really wanted to be pro-active regarding the threat of terrorism, wouldn’t it make sense to curb our own actions around the world instead of inflaming them?

Forget justification, our intelligence is so limited, we don’t even know where the chemical weapons are (the ones that we helped develop), or if there are any even remaining.

And how are we going to find Saddam?

Our guys are going to think every Arab with a thick mustache and a cowboy hat is Saddam, shooting first and asking questions later. If Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction, he’ll be riding one bareback to Jerusalem like Major Kong in Dr. Strangelove while we’re searching for him in every downtown bazaar.

A lot of Americans will die in this invasion… and scores more civilians. I really hope we know what we’re doing, but unfortunately, Bush isn’t a beacon of reassurance.

I wish I could just write a pearl script that would automatically update his damn approval rating. I bet it’d give the UN at least six more months to complete their inspections.