Stupid Reporter Tricks
I briefly overheard a TV news reporter on ABC talking about the fall of Saddam's government. While doing so he made one of the most idiotic statements I have ever heard a TV news reporter make (and really, that's saying something). He was talking about how Saddam would now take his place in history alongside other failed dictators like Hitler and Stalin. Excuse me, Stalin was a failed dictator? If a man who was dictator for 24 years and was only removed from power by his death (which may have been unnatural, but then again he was 74 at the time), who managed to spread his power over a large part of Eastern Europe and other parts of the world, and who did away with most of his enemies (and 20 million or so other people) is a failed dictator, who the hell would be a successful one?
Comments
Well, Castro IS still alive.
On the other hand,
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
Posted by: Just John | April 10, 2003 09:41 AM
You might consider Stalin "failed" in the sense that he has no legacy -- his preferred form of government has fallen. Same with Hitler.
By contrast, our founding fathers are "successful" statesmen because their preferred form of government has flourished, here and around the world. None of them, individually, ruled as long as Stalin. But they were successful in the broadest political sense.
Of course, that might be kind of a goofy way of looking at it too. Was Stalin "successful" until 1991, when the Soviet Union imploded ... and then (many decades after his death) suddenly a failure?
I dunno. Makes my head hurt.
By the way, I'd like to join the Vast Center Wing Conspiracy. Is there some kind of secret handshake or code word I need to know?
This is where me and my shady co-conspirators hang out.
Posted by: William Swann | April 10, 2003 10:24 AM
No, you just need to put the ring code on your site. I got the submission. When I checked last night, it wasn't up. I was going to give you a couple of more days before responding, because I realize everyone can't put the code on their site immediately. So go ahead and put it on. And welcome to the conspiracy! We're like a big old juggernaut, except not really very big and I prefer mature to old.
Posted by: Lesley | April 10, 2003 12:09 PM
Thanks, Lesley. Yes ... a small, mature juggernaut is about right, I guess.
I had kind of been debating where to put the code. I can't do it as a separate entity on the weblog page, since all our menus with links are automatically included on every page ... and it doesn't seem like a natural fit, thematically, in any of our menus.
I had already added it to the Resources page, along with all the other centrist links.
What I think I'll do, if it works for you, is add it to the blurb at the bottom of each page. That way it will appear everywhere. Give me a few minutes to fiddle with it, and then tell me what you think.
Posted by: William Swann | April 10, 2003 01:15 PM
Ok, it's there.
Other options might be to turn the link in text folks can understand, like:
Proud member of the Vast Center Wing Conspiracy
Or to use your logo down there ... something like this:
Proud member of:
What do you think?
Posted by: William Swann | April 10, 2003 01:31 PM
mature?
dammit now I have to go looking for a new home.
Posted by: Justin | April 10, 2003 03:53 PM