MIND YOUR S's and B's
St. Peter -- long before he was ever a saint -- denied Jesus Christ three times the night his Lord was arrested.
Not that this has anything to do with the gospel, but a reporter for Reuters seems to have "slurred" a new saint -- Barack Obama -- three times in one story. It is all rather innocent to me; I have made the same typing and editing mistake. And I've probably done it at least three times.
Really, writing Osama when you mean Obama is not that big a deal, is it? Well, to Jeff at Ohio Daily Blog it is a very big deal -- Reuters has no doubt surrendered to the far right.
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NOW, IF THIS WAS ABOUT A REPUBLICAN...
I don't pretend for a second that politics is a game where fairness prevails. There are no official referees holding politicians accountable, though one might make the case that the press is an unofficial judge. Unless you're talking about a leading Democrat. Untoward behavior? Yes, it makes the front page news for a cycle or two. But if such behavior is linked to a Republican, well there'd be no escaping the trope, "culture of corruption."
A $31.3 million secret donation to a library? Well, that's gotta be one amazing library.
Too bad you can't get what you need at the reference desk.
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A NEW DIRECTION CAMPAIGN SONG?†
Rumor -- that reliable correspondent -- has it that this was recently heard at a Barack Obama rally as the candidate walked out on stage (but rumor is rarely right).
When asked about it, campaign guru Oprah Winfrey said it was a mistake, but only if one took the lyrics "literally."
When shown the lyrics (which follow)
“And during the few moments that we have left, we want to talk, right down to
earth, in a language that everybody here can easily understand.” (Malcolm X)
Look in my eyes, what do you see?
the Cult of Personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you wanna be ohhh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
Neon lights, Nobel Prize
When a mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face of your T.V. ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
I exploit you; still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi ohh…
I'm the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
the Cult of Personality
Neon lights, Nobel Prize
When a leader speaks, that leader dies
You won't have to follow me
Only you can set you free
(Guitar solo)
You gave me fortune, you gave me fame
You gave me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be ohh…
I'm, the, Cult, of, Per, Son, Al, Ity
I am the Cult of (x8)
Personality
“Ask not what your country can do for you…” (John F. Kennedy)
“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
...one Obama supporter said that he could not understand why the song should evoke any criticism.
"Mr. Obama is not a cult of personality. He is instead the inspiration for change."
When asked how he felt when he heard Mr. Obama's "We are the ones we’ve been waiting for... We are the change we seek," contrasted with Living Colour's "Only you can set you free," the supporter responded by asking if I was a member of the "fascist racist right wing." When asked if he thought Mr. Obama's
"We have to choose between change and more of the same. We have to choose between looking backwards and looking forwards. We have to choose between our future and our past."
was a fallacy of the false choice, he said that there was no reason to choose to believe it was. "Change is always imminent," he said. "And Barack Obama is that change, and he is pointing us toward our future."
What future is that, and how will we know when we get there? I asked.
"You'll know," he said, confident. "You'll know when the Obama Nation stands where we have been told we cannot stand ... in control of our own destiny as a country and even as a world."
†Written and performed by Living Colour, 1988
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Peace.
BG
©Bill Gnade 2008/Contratimes. All Rights Reserved.
