Plato’s Beard

Plato’s Beard » 2008 » September - whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must make random noises

Plato’s Beard » 2008 » September - whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must make random noises

Humouron September 29th, 2008 by ravi –

And he is level-headed about it, not one of those bleeding heart liberals, this fellow ;-):

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So, the USG is pumping $300 billion and more into the financial system to prevent a wholesale panic and meltdown:

But apparently this wasn’t enough for the gamblers in suits:

So, how do we characterise this utter failure of private financial entities, requiring the public to step in save the world from their stupidity? Here’s how:

[...]

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Without any hint of irony or humour, The Guardian worries that Western influence within the United Nations is waning — worrisome because it wrecks “efforts to entrench human rights, liberties and multilateralism”.

This perhaps belongs in the same category of new-found Republican concerns regarding sexism and the Bush administration’s alarm at Russian unilateralism (vis-à-vis Georgia). Dare we remind them that the United Nations came about as a response to the two disastrous wars that these nations inflicted upon the rest of the unenlightened world? Or would that explicit notice have as little effect as the implicit caution offered by a history of colonialism, political mischief and unilateral intrusion (Iran, Iraq, Latin America, Afghanistan, Africa, India, Pakistan,…)?

A recent article in the New York Times presents an altogether different picture than the one The Guardian offers, when it comes to US interest or respect for other values and thought. The article ends with a quote from Northwestern law professor Steven Calabresi:

Discussing the use of international opinion in judicial analysis, the NYT articles draws a telling contrast:

[emphasis mine]

In contrast, the New York Times describes the attitude elsewhere (including in India, a country that The Guardian laments is gaining influence in the UN, and whose UN soldiers are prominently pictured at the top of The Guardian’s piece):

and explains why a shift away from US standards and opinion is occurring:

Hmm! I wonder why…

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A while I ago I linked to Stanley Fish’s excellent criticism (Our Faith In Letting It All Hang Out) of those propagating the Mohammed cartoons under free speech justifications. Julian Baggini visits the issue in The Guardian via the Christ penis sculpture:

House politics strikes ones of its savviest players:

Rangel, to refresh your memory, is the same toad who thundered against Hugo Chavez (whose generosity fuels his constituents, unlike the lack of compassion of the leader he defends) in favour of the Imperial Presidency:

Pinker while pimping his book in Seed Magazine throws in this insight:

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