Sunday, June 22, 2008
Golf
Recently, former professional golfer and current broadcaster, Johnny Miller, has taken some flack for his remarks regarding Rocco Mediate at this years U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. While I do not wish to get into why people should be not be surprised at a faux pas like this, I would like to look our, in my opinion, hyper-sensitivity to certain language. I believe it was Wittgenstein who said that the main question of philosophy in the coming centuries would consist purely of the analysis of language. Well, if so, then our valuation would fall somewhere between pussy and appeaser.
Friday, June 6, 2008
On the merits of War-heroing
With Barack Obama sewing up the "presumptive" democratic nomination, the general election campaigning has started in full force. Today, McCain came out with his first ad and to nobody's surprise it keys on McCain's experience and Obama's lack there of. McCain goes on to use his POW experience as a reason he is more fit to lead this country. Military experience, especially wartime military experience, has always been a political feather in the cap, and in this election it will be McCain wearing the hat.
Now the idea of military experience being a positive for an incoming president, especially in a time a war, is not a new one, but for the sake of argument lets look at the scruples of this hitherto unquestioned "advantage".
1. John McCain was a fighter pilot. He was not a general, he did not make tactical decisions. This does not qualify him to be the leader of the armed forces. Jonny might be a great mailroom boy but no one expects him to be able to handle being the CEO.
2. John McCain was a POW for five years, yes, FIVE YEARS! Not only that but he was a POW in North Vietnam at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, this place is not known for its hospitality. The amount of emotional trauma he went through for this country is admirable, however, I do not want the person with that psychological baggage with his finger on the red button. The type of Us vs. Them mentality that a prolonged capitivity and torturing of this magnitude can induce is frightening.
In short, be weary of this "experience".
Now the idea of military experience being a positive for an incoming president, especially in a time a war, is not a new one, but for the sake of argument lets look at the scruples of this hitherto unquestioned "advantage".
1. John McCain was a fighter pilot. He was not a general, he did not make tactical decisions. This does not qualify him to be the leader of the armed forces. Jonny might be a great mailroom boy but no one expects him to be able to handle being the CEO.
2. John McCain was a POW for five years, yes, FIVE YEARS! Not only that but he was a POW in North Vietnam at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, this place is not known for its hospitality. The amount of emotional trauma he went through for this country is admirable, however, I do not want the person with that psychological baggage with his finger on the red button. The type of Us vs. Them mentality that a prolonged capitivity and torturing of this magnitude can induce is frightening.
In short, be weary of this "experience".
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