BlackHat's Journal: The rock star and the model/ The general and the perverts

The Political Meme first, Quote, News and the Texttoon. Oh, no! Not again!

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (100%)
2. Clark, Retired General Wesley K., AR - Democrat (91%)
3. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat (88%)
4. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol, IL - Democrat (74%)
5. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (64%)
6. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat (62%)
7. Gephardt, Rep. Dick, MO - Democrat (62%)
8. Lieberman, Senator Joe, CT - Democrat (39%)
9. Bush, President George W. - Republican (11%)

Funny, as I'm a PQ and A&FN supporter (ie. a kinda whacky Denisian-anarco-conservative). Never said I was normal in the head did I? But there is a common thread between these apparently opposite parties. I like people who have made up their minds as to what they want and can articulate it. Abstract goals suck ass. "We want to speak French", "we want to have vast tracts of land to admire, interact with, and become part of", "we want no hi-tech from here to there" etc etc. Clear goals with obvious results that allows for functional-evaluation and optimal-integration into the whole. Ping me again. I'm making a pie.

Quote:
Napoleon arrived in Paris on the 31st of January. In the mean time, there had been a new election of members of the Tribunate and of the Legislative body.

All those who had manifested any opposition to the measures of Napoleon, in the re-establishment of Christianity, and in the adoption of the new civil code, were left out, and their places supplied by those who approved of the measures of the First Consul. Napoleon could now act unembarrassed.

In every quarter there was submission. All the officers of the state, immediately upon his return, sought an audience, and in that pomp of language which his majestic deeds and character inspired, presented to him their congratulations. He was already a sovereign, in possession of regal power, such as no other monarch in Europe enjoyed. Upon one object all the energies of his mighty mind were concentrated. France was his estate, his diadem, his all. The glory of France was his glory, the happiness of France his happiness, the riches of France his wealth. Never did a father with more untiring self-denial and toil labor for his family, than did Napoleon through days of Herculean exertion and nights of sleeplessness devote every energy of body and soul to the greatness of France. He loved not ease, he loved not personal indulgence, he loved not sensual gratification.

The elevation of France to prosperity, wealth, and power, was a limitless ambition. The almost supernatural success which had thus far attended his exertions, did but magnify his desires and stimulate his hopes. He had no wish to elevate France upon the ruins of other nations. But he wished to make France the pattern of all excellence, the illustrious leader at the head of all nations, guiding them to intelligence, to opulence, and to happiness. Such, at this time, was the towering ambition of Napoleon, the most noble and comprehensive which was ever embraced by the conception of man. Of course, such ambition was not consistent with the equality of other nations for he determined that France should be the first. But he manifested no disposition to destroy the prosperity of others; he only wished to give such an impulse to humanity in France, by the culture of mind, by purity of morals, by domestic industry, by foreign commerce, by great national works, as to place France in the advance upon the race course of greatness. In this race France had but one antagonist--England.

France had nearly forty millions of inhabitants. The island of Great Britain contained but about fifteen millions. But England, with her colonies, girdled the globe, and, with her fleets, commanded all seas. "France," said Napoleon, "must also have her colonies and her fleets." "If we permit that," the statesman of England rejoined, "we may become a secondary power, and may thus be at the mercy of France." It was undeniably so. Shall history be blind to such fatality as this? Is man, in the hour of triumphant ambition, so moderate, that we can be willing that he should attain power which places us at his mercy? England was omnipotent upon the seas. She became arrogant, and abused that power, and made herself offensive to all nations. Napoleon developed no special meekness of character to indicate that he would be, in the pride of strength which no nation could resist, more moderate and conciliating. Candor can not censure England for being unwilling to yield her high position to surrender her supremacy on the seas--to become a secondary power--to allow France to become her master. And who can censure France for seeking the establishment of colonies, the extension of commerce, friendly alliance with other nations, and the creation of fleets to protect her from aggression upon the ocean, as well as upon the land? Napoleon himself, with that wonderful magnanimity which ever characterized him, though at times exasperated by the hostility which he now encountered yet often spoke in terms of respect of the influences which animated his foes.

It is to be regretted that his antagonists so seldom reciprocated this magnanimity. There was here, most certainly, a right and a wrong. But it is not easy for man accurately to adjust the balance. God alone can award the issue. The mind is saddened as it wanders amid the labyrinths of conscientiousness and of passion, of pure motives and impure ambition. This is, indeed, a fallen world. The drama of nations is a tragedy. Melancholy is the lot of man.

England daily witnessed, with increasing alarm, the rapid and enormous strides which France was making. The energy of the First Consul seemed superhuman. His acts indicated the most profound sagacity, the most far-reaching foresight. To-day the news reaches London that Napoleon has been elected President of the Italian Republic. Thus in an hour five millions of people are added to his empire! To-morrow it is announced that he is establishing a colony at Elba, that a vast expedition is sailing for St. Domingo, to re-organize the colony there. England is bewildered. Again it is proclaimed that Napoleon has purchased Louisiana of Spain, and is preparing to fill the fertile valley of the Mississippi with colonists. In the mean time, all France is in a state of activity. Factories, roads, bridges, canals, fortifications are every where springing into existence. The sound of the ship hammer reverberates in all the harbors of France, and every month witnesses the increase of the French fleet. The mass of the English people contemplate with admiration this development of energy. The statesmen of England contemplate it with dread.

For some months, Napoleon, in the midst of all his other cares, had been maturing a vast system of public instruction for the youth of France. He drew up, with his own hand, the plan for their schools, and proposed the course of study. It is a little singular that, with his strong scientific predilections, he should have assigned the first rank to classical studies. Perhaps this is to be accounted for from his profound admiration of the heroes of antiquity. His own mind was most thoroughly stored with all the treasures of Greek and Roman story. All these schools were formed upon a military model, for situated as France was, in the midst of monarchies, at heart hostile, he deemed it necessary that the nation should be universally trained to bear arms.

Religious instruction was to be communicated in all these schools by chaplains, military instruction by old officers who had left the army, and classical and scientific instruction by the most learned men Europe could furnish. The First Consul also devoted special attention to female schools. "France needs nothing so much to promote her regeneration," said he, "as good mothers."

To attract the youth of France to these schools, one millions of dollars was appropriated for over six thousand gratuitous exhibitions for the pupils. Ten schools of law were established, nine schools of medicine, and an institution for the mechanical arts, called the "School of Bridges and Roads," the first model of those schools of art which continue in France until the present day, and which are deemed invaluable.

There were no exclusive privileges in these institutions. A system of perfect equality pervaded them. The pupils of all classes were placed upon a level, with an unobstructed arena before them. "This is only a commencement," said Napoleon, "by-and-by we shall do more and better." --John S. C. Abbott

And much worse. More on this period 1799-1899 to come. Until then.

News strung like pearls around the globe:
Opposition tries for a hard check to the boards and a nice skate around by Stanislav Gross. He takes possession and he scores!

Free and not dead press. Italy says it has no intention of withdrawing its 3,000 troops from Iraq in the face of demands from kidnappers who have seized an Italian journalist. The government says it is committed to securing the release of the journalist, Enzo Baldoni, but the Italian presence in Iraq would continue. Earlier, the Arabic television channel, al-Jazeera, broadcast a video appearing to show Mr Baldoni. Not one of his [King Silvio] reporters?

Sharks optional. Every evening, using a laptop, projector and speakers, activists huddle across the street to project a series of explosions, flags, and anti-Russian slogans on the walls of the embassy.

Bali Bummer. But Idris was cleared of taking part in the 2002 Bali bombings, despite confessing his involvement. The court decided he could not be prosecuted over Bali, due to a recent ruling preventing the retrospective use of the law used to charge him. The anti-terror law was rushed through parliament soon after the Bali blasts.

Just lay back and think of killing the jews. Women's groups in Malaysia have reacted angrily after one of the country's most senior Islamic clerics opposed calls for new laws to protect women from rape within marriage. Malaysia's official human rights commission had asked parliament to make marital rape a crime.

Road to Kathmandu reopens. A rebel statement said the move was in response to appeals from human rights groups, businesses and ordinary Nepali citizens. Politics ! Not bombs, guys.

A thousand points of light at the end of the tunnel vision.

You can go home. Rock band Queen, fronted by gay icon Freddie Mercury, has become the first rock act to receive an official seal of approval in Iran. Western music is strictly censored in the Islamic republic, where homosexuality is considered a crime. But an album of Queen's greatest hits was released in Iran on Monday. Mercury, who died in 1991, was proud of his Iranian ancestry, and illegal bootleg albums and singles made Queen one of the most popular bands in Iran.

Alas, like many blood suckers the 'house of war' only gains entry by invitation.

I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair/
Spreading his hands on the multitude there/
A man who cried for a love gone stale/
And ice cold hearts of charity bare/

Straw hut, Straw hat(white), strawdog(white) in all white from White Hall.

Another inning for Adam Ereli.
QUESTION: On Darfur.

MR. ERELI: Okay.

QUESTION: Britain's Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, said on Tuesday that we are all in a position by the end of next week to make judgments about whether there is sufficient progress. There is not enough progress, but and the question is whether there is sufficient progress. What's your comment on that?

MR. ERELI: My comment is, I'm reluctant to comment on comments that are put to me out of context. I will say this: Foreign Secretary Straw is in Sudan. He is there to get a firsthand impression of what's the situation there. We will be consulting with him, as we will be consulting with our other Security Council partners to, consistent with Resolution 1556. This -- I believe there's a meeting today in the Security Council to hear an interim report on implementation of Resolution 1556. The Security Council will meet to hear the Secretary General's Special Representative's assessment on September 2nd.

So this is -- Secretary Straw's visit, I think, is a part of our collective effort to gather information, see what the situation is, work together to come to a common understanding of how effectively the Security Council resolution has been implemented, and what steps to take on that basis.

QUESTION: When is the time of the meeting? Sorry.

MR. ERELI: The Secretary's September 2nd meeting is when Mr. Pronk, the Secretary General's Special Representative, will report to the Security Council and provide his assessment.

QUESTION: Thank you.

I'd have to call that a man on base.

QUESTION: In Japan, U.S. Marine Corps (inaudible) Japanese University, but because of the SOFA, the Japanese side couldn't join in the investigation, so the local government is now the -- requesting a review of SOFA. What's your position on SOFA?

MR. ERELI: Well, I don't really have a comment on that issue, per se. Let me say that, with respect to the helicopter crash and the fallout from that, it was an accident. It is an accident that we have expressed our serious regret over. We have made clear to the Government of Japan that we take safety very, very seriously. We are conducting an investigation. My understanding is that, certainly, at the scene of the accident, cooperation and coordination between the United States and Japan was excellent. We are very mindful of Japanese concerns, Japanese needs, in this area, and taking -- doing everything we can to work closely with our Japanese partners. There is an investigation underway, as you mentioned, and we are taking every possible precaution to ensure the safety of our flights and the security of our Japanese friends.

QUESTION: Well the local mayor is requesting is the return of U.S. Marine Corps Air Base, Futenma. How are you working on that issue?

MR. ERELI: We are, as I said before, we are working with Japanese authorities in a close and cooperative way.

And he steals second off of a failed bunt.

QUESTION: North Korea made another statement yesterday that they had no hope; they came to have no hope for the next six-way talk, because American attitude toward North Korea, they said. So does the U.S. have any method or leverage to bring North Korea to the table?

MR. ERELI: Do we have any --

QUESTION: Does -- do you -- does the U.S. have any method or leverage to bring North Korea to the table?

MR. ERELI: I don't think it's a question of the United States having leverage to bring North Korea to the table. Let's remember how this process works.

First of all, it's a six-party process, so that it's not a question of the United States versus North Korea; it's a question of a multilateral diplomatic approach to a common problem, number one. Number two; it is being worked through multilateral diplomacy, with China as the host of the talks. And number three, all the parties to the talks agreed at the last plenary to hold the next plenary before the end of September in -- to hold the next plenary at the end of September.

So that's what was agreed to. And as far as we understand, that agreement remains in effect, notwithstanding different things that we hear from different elements in North Korea.

QUESTION: Are you saying there's a split in the North Korean hierarchy there?

MR. ERELI: No, I didn't suggest that. I just said we're hearing different things from different elements.

QUESTION: Have you sought clarification in the last 24, 48 hours?

MR. ERELI: No, not that I'm aware of.

QUESTION: Adam, the North Korean Government has just been hurling insults at President Bush for the last couple of days, calling him a tyrant, lots of other things -- just a long list of kind of interesting things that they say. Do you think that these kind of statements are productive? Do they contribute to any loss of confidence that the talks will be successful?

MR. ERELI: You know, I wouldn't make the connection, certainly, between these comments and the talks. I would simply reiterate what we said yesterday, that obviously we take issue with those statements. We do not believe they're appropriate to diplomatic discourse. You know, our focus, frankly, is on trying to work with our partners internationally to address a problem of regional concern, which is the threat that North Korea's nuclear programs represent, and to find a way to eliminate that threat in a multilateral context.

That's where our focus is. It's not on sort of rhetorical flourishes or outbursts. It's on steady, consistent, dedicated work to bring about the end of the nuclear threat on the North Korean Peninsula -- on the Korean Peninsula.

Oh, dear. The coach has run out of the pit and is punching the third baseman.

QUESTION: On the Olympics. According to USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, and some other big newspapers, the anti-Americanism terrorism in Greece was a big zero, nothing. And the San Jose Mercury wrote today, we apologize to Greece for all negative stories so far. Any comment on that? You are laughing. It's a matter of laughter.

MR. ERELI: No, I'm not laughing.

QUESTION: Any comment? (Laughter.)

MR. ERELI: Comment on the newspaper's comments?

QUESTION: That's exactly -- there was discussion --

MR. ERELI: I think that -- I think that, as we said before --

QUESTION: Yes.

MR. ERELI: Greece has put on a great Olympics Games and they deserve full credit and praise for that.

QUESTION: And one more. According, however, to a bunch of reports, Ambassador Tom Miller, who carried, also, the Olympic flame, he was soundly criticized because he was the only U.S. official who advised the American athletes and the American tourists that terror exists over Greece and asked them not to show their pride, not to display the American colors, and not to sing loudly the American national anthems of Francis Scott Key, in order --

MR. ERELI: I don't --

QUESTION: -- let me finish -- in order to be protected by a mass of angry anti-American Greeks, (inaudible) even presidential candidate John Kerry, to ask athletes and tourists not to follow those type of advice. My question is, since Secretary Powell is going to Athens, is he aware about Tom Miller's such tactics, should consider (inaudible) interests, and it's an obvious effort to disgrace Greece --

MR. ERELI: Okay, hold on. That's enough.

QUESTION: No, no, no.

MR. ERELI: That's enough. That's -- no. That is enough.

QUESTION: (inaudible) to bridge the gap between the American and Greek people.

MR. ERELI: Sir, let me -- no, let me tell you something right now.

QUESTION: Yes, please, explain his role.

MR. ERELI: I am not going to explain his role, because your information, I think, is not accurate. You are basing your question on a false presumption, and that presumption is that somehow the American Ambassador acted in a way that was -- that distorted the facts and was contrary to the interests of Greece and contrary to the interests of good bilateral relations, and he didn't do it. So the premise of your question is just not there.

QUESTION: No, I'm --

MR. ERELI: I'm sorry, that's what I have to say.

QUESTION: No, it's of value -- his statements to the press. It's of value. Thank you.

So that was one man left on base and their coach hauled out after losing the fight with the third base man. Only ~70 more innings to go.

Any of you ZNet'ers out there care to poke Juan for a new post? Thx.

Texttoon:
Fumetti : Stock photo of Jack Straw in Darfur leaning over to talking to a young woman in front of a reed wall. Overlayed speech bubble has him singing; "I use public toilets/ And I piss on the seat/ I walk around in the summer time/ Saying 'How about this heat?'/"

The real news?

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Denis died? [theage.com.au]

Re:The real news?

[BlackHat]

A chip of shit off the old block head. [/:-)

South African police have arrested the son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on suspicion of involvement in a coup plot in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, according to police sources.

A spokesman for the elite Scorpions unit said that "the son of a prominent former British politician" had been arrested after a search and seizure operation at a Cape Town residence.

Police sources said the suspect was Mark Thatcher, now a businessman who has a home in

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate.

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Go figure. I'm a pinko. Kerry get's pretty low marks - no surprise (Israel?). But there's someone lower than Bush?

Your Results:

1. Your ideal theoretical candidate. (99%)
2. Cobb, David - Green Party (99%)
3. Nader, Ralph - Independent (99%)
4. Brown, Walt - Socialist Party (82%)
5. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat (74%)
6. Badnarik, Michael - Libertarian (22%)
7. Bush, President George W. - Republican (11%)
8. Peroutka, Michael - Constitution Party (10%)