The media pundit's pundit. Written by NYC insider Jeff Jarvis, BuzzMachine covers news, media, journalism, and politics.
What he said
: Just saw George Bush’s speech before the U.N.
Why was Colin Powell wearing the simultaneous translation earpiece the whole time? Was he getting an alternate soundtrack? What Powell wished he’d said?
: I liked the proposal to establish a U.N. fund for democracy. It’s necessary to help nations with democracy and elections and it helps remind us that that is the goal: To give all the citizens of the Earth the opportunity to rule themselves.
The content of the speech – hey, who could argue with it?
The fears of course are:
a) that he doesn’t mean what he’s saying. This is the same administration that names bills the Clear Skies act, or the No Child Left Behind Act, and for all practical purposes lies through its teeth – says one thing and does another.
b) execution on those high level principles. Hard to say how his support of Saudia Arabia, growing ranks of poor and uninsured in this country, etc, etc gel with the idea of a decent life for all.
I could see the UN members all looking at their watches and wondering when he was going to wrap it up so they could break for lunch. That was before he even took the podium.
You don’t seem to get it. Bush has lost the respect of most of the international community and until he either regains it or is replaced, all US efforts are going to be hampered by it.
The real fear should probably be how the U.N. would administer the Fund for Democracy. Perhaps they could model it on “Oil for Food” eh?
Perhaps they could model it on “Oil for Food” eh?
Or maybe they could model it on the “Haliburton no bid contracts” and cut out the middlemen by directly pocketing the money.
The danger residing in President Bush’s UN “democracy fund” idea is that he may actually mean it.
Does anyone think that we really need is another bunch of unaccountable UN parasites with a US taxpayer funded expense account? Oil-for-Food anyone?
Bizarro-world…republicans throwing money (not a strategy) at a problem. My advice…cash the check before starting any ‘democracy projects’.
NPR’s Ann Garrels (http://www.npr.org/about/people/bios/agarrels.html) spoke recently at a school in Connecticut.
Garrels, who constantly interacts with other reporters from across the globe, noted that the reputation of the US has been shattered irrevocably. She estimates that it will be many years before the US is once again looked at favorably by the rest of the world.
The UN needs to be revamped or dissolved. It has lost all credibility (that’s saying it even had any to begin with) with its handling of genocide in Rwanda and Sudan. If the UN can’t even fight the most outrageous violations of international law, how can we expect it to build democracies across the globe? And with the oil for food scandal still simmering why would we expect an honest distribution of the fund.
I would like it better if GWB said that we were going to withhold our dues to the organization until they create a program for the promotion of democracy across the globe. Why pay money to an organization that condemns us for holding Saddam accountable for violation of its own resolutions, while not doing anything resolute to stop atrocities throughout the world.
‘She estimates that it will be many years before the US is once again looked at favorably by the rest of the world.’
By that she means looked upon favorably by the corrupt terrorist appeasers of the EU and the terrorist supporters of the Arab League. Hey all we need to do is declare that we want Israel annihialated and free trade with terrorist supporting countries and we’ll be all set. what’s all this democracy bush-wah anyhow.
Hey Rubert how many years in Federal Contracts Administration have you spent? Pls explain to me the illegality of awarding sole source contracts? Then pls explain to me how “F the Jews” isn’t anti semitic. Thanks Rubert.
Robert McClelland,
I like Don Cherry. Good Canadian.
“Cherry said he hopes Americans understand most Canadians are not anti-American. ‘Believe me, the majority of the people in Canada love the United States.’ He said his pro-American stance brings praise from ordinary Canadians but criticism from the media. ‘Our media up here is totally left wing,’ he said. ‘It’s socialist, left wing, pinko, commies. I got ripped to shreds in the left-wing media. That’s the chance you take. I don’t regret it and If I had to I’d do it over again.’”
http://www.canoe.ca/Slam030331/nhl_cbc-cp.html
Put that in your fuzzy slippers.
Dood, that ‘aint translation … its unTunes!
Mike’s right, put a fork in the UN, it’s done. Completely worthless organization. The Sudan atrocities and lack of response while Koffi slag
Why was Colin Powell wearing the simultaneous translation earpiece the whole time? Was he getting an alternate soundtrack?
Let’s see? After his successful stint as a Village Person he is getting so many offers that he can’t keep up. I think he was probably listening to a couple tracks to prepare for his audition with KC and the Sunshine Band.
Or, he could be listening to a self-help tape entitled How To Reclaim Your Dignity When Not A Shred Remains.
Or, perhaps it is just a socially acceptable equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears while chanting “La la la la la la la la La! I can’t hear you!”
Lots of possibilities……Anyone?
I like Don Cherry.
So do I. Now why don’t you look up a comment from Howard Cosell about politics, post it and then pretend it has any meaning? Oh, better yet, isn’t Don King all rah-rah for Bush these days? Let’s start taking what King says as meaningful. Bwah! You rubes crack me up.
Didn’t the sacred cow Clinton Administration also use the No Bid Halibuton company to clean up Bosnia?
“”Brown & Root Services has provided logistics services to the Army since 1992. It has provided engineering and logistics services to the troops in the Balkans, since late 1995, first under the Army’s Logistics Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP) contract, and then again in 1997 under a follow-on sustainment services contract, which expires in May 1999. The continued U.S. involvement in the Balkans prompted the need for this competitively awarded contract.””””
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a371d59862125.htm
Oh I forgot, thats the war it was ok to send troops into and spend millions, but without UN approval. ssshhhhh…we cant talk about that.
Didn’t the sacred cow Clinton Administration also use the No Bid Halibuton company to clean up Bosnia?
So I’ve heard which only goes to show how long Halliburton has been screwing you sheep out of your hard earned money.
Robert McClelland,
You like Don Cherry? Same article – he calls you a “kook.”
“Don Cherry thought he might be fired over his pro-American rant on a recent Coach’s Corner, but that didn’t stop him from going on a U.S. radio show Monday to give a tongue-lashing to Quebecers who booed the American national anthem, Canada for not sending troops to Iraq and ‘those kooks’ protesting the war.”
Sounds pretty relevant to me.
“… shattered irrevocably. She estimates
that it will be many years before the US
is once again looked at favorably by the
rest of the world.”
Silly me. When I look up the word
‘irrevocable’ in the Oxford English
Dictionary I find: “not able to be
changed, reversed, or recovered”.
Maybe Ann Garrels and NPR learned
“journalism” from Dan Rather. With
a $440 Billion/year deficit don’t
we have much better things to spend
our money on than those stupid,
illiterate fools at NPR?
Rubert: F the Jews. Explain…
“So I’ve heard which only goes to show how long Halliburton has been screwing you sheep out of your hard earned money.”
Hey, we’ve found the idiot who shows up at protests with “no war for oil” signs and pretends the arguement is persuasive. You really are going to have to come up with something new material bud, like Asscroft or Dumsfeld, you should use both in the same post and throw in somethin bout killing babies and stifling dissent, yeah, that always works – see polls.
Sounds pretty relevant to me.
Of course it does, but then we’ve already determined that you think what Don King has to say is also relevant.
You really are going to have to come up with something new material bud
How many more times do you need Halliburton to get caught with their hand in the cookie jar before you realize how badly they’re ripping you off? But hey, it’s you’re money, sheep. Baaaa!
Robert McClelland,
No, I never spoke of Don King – you did.
More from Don Cherry, whom you like.
“Once the boys are over there fighting and dying, you have to stick beside them. Those kooks that are out on the street protesting the war are only encouraging Saddam Hussein.”
Some people in Jeff’s comment section have villified Canadians because of your comments. I find that to be unjustified. Let me paraphrase someone that you might recognize:
“While I’m not trying to say that insults against [Canadians] by the [right-wing]/[pro-American] side are justified, at least they are born out of the heat of criticizing [certain Canadian bloggers] whereas the [certain Canadian blogger’s] insults are 100% gratuitous and completely unprovoked. Defending [anti-American hatred] is simply not reason enough for [certain Canadian bloggers] to insult [Americans]. This is why I’m claiming it’s the [certain Canadian bloggers] who bear most of the responsibility for anti-[Canadianism] in [America].”
So I thought I would post Don Cherry as proof that not all Canadians spew anti-American bile like you.
Rubert please explain how “F the Jews” is not anti semitic? Thank you.
So I thought I would post Don Cherry
You still don’t get it. Don Cherry is the Canadian equivalent of Don King. Would you quote anything Don King had to say about politics?
Besides that, how exactly is pointing out that Halliburton is ripping you off anti-American?
The people whom I care about are even more pro-American now than they ever were.
The others make no difference to me whatsoever, particularly the future Islamic Republics of Old Europe.
Hey, Bobby McC, how’s that sharia working for you guys up there?
Guys, don’t feed the troll.
Especially as Mr. Jarvis seems to have abandoned his blog to them again.
Robert,
It kills me the way you keep using the “sheep” reference in describing the posters you disagree with, yet you repeat that tripe about Haliburton just as the liberal shepherds Molly Ivins, Maureen Dowd, and Paul Krugman do. That’s groupthink. If I were you, I’d rethink the sheep thing. Also, ideas should be measured by their inherent value, not on who says them. I believe my next door neighbor makes more valid comments on the shape of the world than any of the above ever have. Noah Chomsky may know his way around lingistics, but he’s by no means reliable or accurate in his political meanderings. Ideas can stand alone, irregardless of who professes them. Check your credibility at the door with Dan Rather’s… hackneyed, unproved liberal canards are not facts.
Oops!
I meant “Noam” Chomsky, not “Noah” (thinking of a friend of mine, I guess). Hey, TIMELY CORRECTION! That’s something missing from the MSM, no?
How transparent are the UN’s finances (not very, according to Claudia Rosett of the WSJ, apparently, but I don’t know how accurate those articles are). I think it would be healthier, all the way around, if the finances were completely transparent, and say, available on the Web for citizens to review. A pipe dream, I know, but maybe we should tie our money to the UN to a certain level of transparency?
yet you repeat that tripe about Haliburton
It’s not tripe. They’ve been the subject of at least a dozen investigations that I know of that have proven they were ripping you sheep off.
Robert,
Again with the “sheep”. This isn’t debate, it’s “Oh, yeah… well, I may be one, but you are too!” Geez.