He can be forgiven the pompous tone. Today's commemoration justifies a measure of formality. But words represent ideas, and ideas have consequences.
"If there is a lesson to be drawn on this anniversary, it is this: We are one nation — one people — bound not only by grief, but by a set of common ideals," the president said Saturday ....
...eine volk, eine reich, eine fuhrer, Mr. President?*
"One nation" is all right, but, Sir, we are not "one people." We never intended ourselves to be a blob of metabolizing protein.
The United States is the idea of 320 million discrete, individual human beings, united by the beauty and the logic of personal sovereignty and voluntary cooperation. The result of that interaction among free men and women is the nationhood you speak of.
---
*Objections to premature Godwinisms duly noted.
Sep 11, 2010
Sep 10, 2010
Sep 9, 2010
Only in SUX
Sioux City folks announce this year's Kingdom of Riverssance.
It's a festival down by the river -- the Big Sioux or the Missouri, don't know or care which.
As a public service I report a suspicion that "Riverssance" is a Chamber of Commerce guy's brainstorm. "Hey, y'know, Riverssance, like we combine river and renaissance, y'know."
And everyone on the committee agrees it is a really fun name.
Blecchh. SUX
The Gnomes
Tam has initiated an interesting little discussion about the decline and fall of your house as an ATM machine.
Which, this rainy morning, reminds me of a man who should be read by anyone curious about how the world works.
Paul Edman was an American investment banker, incredibly successful until he zigged the wrong way by going long on cocoa futures. No crap. Cocoa futures. Heavily leveraged, meaning he wagered borrowed money.
His adventurous life included a stint in a Swiss jail for that. The failure of his sure-thing African cocoa blight brought down his bank, and the resultant prison time illustrates the side point that, in Switzerland, nothing is very illegal except losing money.
He went on to get rich again writing novels about money, including explanations of why the Swiss and their bankers prosper so well. One of the most acute observations ever written about money and economics occurred when he quoted a gnome of Basel: "We are not confident of the ability of the world's politicians to manage their economies intelligently." (I quote -- paraphrase -- from memory, I believe from"The Billion Dollar Sure Thing.")
He meant that most nations elect politicians who pander to their peoples' dull notion that free lunches are nature's way. And free medical care. And free meal loaves. And, in the end, even free Oil of Olay for the masses for so long as even one rich dowager can afford the unguents necessary for the illusion of youth. It is a matter of equity and fairness, isn't it?
A third shift on the presses, Mr. President?
Which, this rainy morning, reminds me of a man who should be read by anyone curious about how the world works.
Paul Edman was an American investment banker, incredibly successful until he zigged the wrong way by going long on cocoa futures. No crap. Cocoa futures. Heavily leveraged, meaning he wagered borrowed money.
His adventurous life included a stint in a Swiss jail for that. The failure of his sure-thing African cocoa blight brought down his bank, and the resultant prison time illustrates the side point that, in Switzerland, nothing is very illegal except losing money.
He went on to get rich again writing novels about money, including explanations of why the Swiss and their bankers prosper so well. One of the most acute observations ever written about money and economics occurred when he quoted a gnome of Basel: "We are not confident of the ability of the world's politicians to manage their economies intelligently." (I quote -- paraphrase -- from memory, I believe from"The Billion Dollar Sure Thing.")
He meant that most nations elect politicians who pander to their peoples' dull notion that free lunches are nature's way. And free medical care. And free meal loaves. And, in the end, even free Oil of Olay for the masses for so long as even one rich dowager can afford the unguents necessary for the illusion of youth. It is a matter of equity and fairness, isn't it?
A third shift on the presses, Mr. President?
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