6.16.2010

Obama's speech: Geronimo hit NY Times dean's list again

The tiny following of this blog knows that Geronimo and Larned Jetmore like to see if they can smuggle politically incorrect observations into the NY Times commments section, and still get the editors to make it an Editor's Choice, by brute force of making sense.

This time, Geronimo swung for the fence, and offered a favorable comment about the widely reviled Sarah Palin. You may have heard of her.


You guessed it--the NY Times highlighted the comment. It was way down the list, #733, but they still read it and chose it. Coincidentally, same day, I met a screenwriter who'd worked on Gunsmoke, and wrote The Witness.

You want to know how English majors entertain themselves? That was a pretty good day in the land of serendipity.

California
June 16th, 2010
12:12 pm
Very surprising to see the contrast in direct-experience depth and credibility between Pres Obama's highly crafted performance, vs Sarah' Palin's fire-breathing rant on O'Reilly, where she talked about her fights with Big Oil, conveyed a lot of understanding about how their organizations drift off-pattern, fail in their management chain of command, and have so many layers that the execs may even think they're telling the truth, while the reality is the sum of a lot of corner-cutting. She was very conversant with the simultaneous and contradictory demands of 1) not trusting what Big Oil execs tell you, but confirming and pushing back on everything they assert, while 2) never letting that make you believe that you, as the government, are better qualified to do the job than they are.

Let's not forget that for decades, Todd Palin has been earning his living on a rig pretty darn close to what blew up. Thirty years or so of real=time stories from different crews, combined with the governor's meetings with the senior management of the companies where Todd was a peon, gave her a 360-degree perspective on oil company corporate culture that came across dramatically more credible than the president.

Never expected it, not a fan of Palin, wouldn't want her as president. But, I spent 40 years in technology R&D, where grand ideas are abundant, yet someone with a command of the facts always trumps the grand idea. It was simple tonight: Palin was more credible than the president. Never, ever thought I'd say that.


6.02.2010

Provocatourism: If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own

Provocatourism--the activist option that makes Habitat for Humanity look about as exciting as a free orange apron from Home Depot. Sign up soon for a blockade-breaking vacation. You may get to tell your grandkids about it, or not. But, that's all part of the adventure!

You'll feel superior to the people you're helping, because--well, if you weren't, why would they need your help?

You'll feel superior to the people setting the blockade, because you are a true humanitarian, and they're just jamming up your noble intentions.

You'll feel superior to the United States government, because they're just talking on the phone.

Souvenirs!

  • Your ticket
  • A shiv from one of the guys who took over the boat to make sure there wasn't any non-violence
  • A shoelace from one of the Israeli soldiers
It's the next big thing. The sooner you sign up, the better your bragging rights!