PeterDavid.net

Misdirection is the most fundamental of stage magic arts. When you want to accomplish something that you don’t want the audience to see or understand, you distract their attention elsewhere.

It was something that GWB thoroughly mastered in his first four years. Using misdirection to draw the public’s attention away from his failure to find bin Laden, he and his Neocons used Iraq in what Jon Stewart correctly referred to as “Operation: Re-elect Bush.” To draw the public’s attention away from the fact that Iraq was not a threat to the US, he managed to say “9/11″ and “Saddam” in the same breath so many times that the majority of Americans became convinced they were linked. Misdirection. He waved his right hand widely and sweepingly and drew America’s attention away from his true motivations neatly tucked in his other hand. And it worked.

But now we’re into bad misdirection. Because his recent speech could have been delivered a year ago, as if the ongoing war (it’s not an insurgency; it’s a war. Let’s call it what it is) hadn’t happened. As if dead Americans weren’t piling up like cordwood, and weren’t going to be doing so for the foreseeable future. Now the problem is that instead of being distracted by the deftly moving right hand, people are starting to say, “Wait…what’s he got in his left hand?” Bush’s response? A speech that basically shouts, “Look at my right hand! See? Right hand, over here! Look at it, look at it!” His attempts to link 9/11 and Iraq yet again, at a time when more and more Americans are starting to realize that there is no link, are more pathetically obvious than ever before. His manipulation of a shell-shocked America and his naked politicizing of the terrorist strike at the WTC by using it to support a long-standing Neocon war initiative remains one of the most ugly moments in recent presidential history. I think it ironic that Democrats get slammed for invoking Nazi Germany while Bush and his pals continue to invoke 9/11 to support everything from a flag burning amendment to an unnecessary war.

The absolute lowpoint was the following:

“Some wonder whether Iraq is a central front in the war on terror. Among the terrorists, there is no debate. Hear the words of Osama Bin Laden: “This Third World War is raging” in Iraq.”

Am I the only one who finds this a hoot? What the hell has the world come to when we consider this: The credibility of the President of the United States is so non-existent, that if we won’t take his word for it that the Iraq war was a necessary strike against terrorism, certainly we’ll take the word of a murdering sociopath with the blood of three thousand Americans on his hands. Yes, that’s right, kids: George W. Bush apparently believes that the words of Osama bin Laden have more street cred than his own.

Bush will always have his apologists, of course. Those who embrace the oldest rationalization of all, namely that the ends justifies the means. Karl Rove can try to shift blame to the Democrats all he wants. But the trickery is becoming more obvious, the misdirection more obvious, and the curtain more frayed.

Most people can quote Lincoln saying “It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all of the people all the time.” But what is less known is the sentence right before that: “If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem.”

Presto.

PAD

There’s some active discussion on Newsarama over the upcoming Spidey crossover that’s going to intersect with the launch of “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” I posted a response which I think might be useful here as well–

Guys…it’s real simple:

1) It’s a way of doing a crossover story in which writers don’t feel like they’re doing bits and pieces; (2) readers who prefer particular writers can read a month of their stories in a row rather than piecemeal chapters; (3) regular readers of the respective books will be exposed to writers and might–with any luck–like what they see and check out those writers on their own regular, respective titles.

My first month of stories will essentially be one complete tale. FNSM is told from Peter’s POV, MK will be from MJ’s POV, and the third will focus on Aunt May. The main storyline will be resolved by Part 3, which will be in ASM. Now…will it have elements that tie into a larger crossover? Yes. One would hope they’ll be interesting enough to prompt readers to continue reading the full arc. But if not, you’ll still have a complete story, soup to nuts, just as if I were doing a three parter in FNSM. The only difference is that you’ll get it in one month rather than three. I would like to think that’s a good thing. But if you guys think that’s a bad thing and don’t want to read them, well…okay. I think that’s kind of unfortunate, but it’s your call.

PAD

March 6, 1992

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February 28, 1992

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Webmaster’s Note: For all the people who asked about posting something so things would be a bit calmer around here– little did you know this was the next column in chronological order to be published.

February 21, 1992

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There seems to be something preventing some commenting, including mine. If you’re having similar problems, send mail here and we’ll try to figure it out.

UPDATE: seems to be fixed now, so I’m closing the thread.

Along with the BID columns, I thought I might give you a chance to ask me questions.

Of course this comes with some conditions.

I won’t get into either political or religious discussions or debates. It can make this kind of opportunity dissolve into nothing real fast.

There are certain projects that I cannot and may not discuss because of various non-disclosure agreements I have signed or the company has signed.

I will answer as time allows within the comments/questions. I am in the middle of getting ready for the Shoreleave Costume Contest among a few other things that I need to do.

Kathleen

As Kathleen notes, Peter will be real busy for a bit. In the interim, I’ll be breaking out the old But I Digress… columns we keep in the BIDcave for just such occasions.

Please note that I expect a certain degree of civility. I don’t want to have to break out the lead shielding in the comment threads, and I’m much more inclined to keep things quiet so that Peter doesn’t have to deal with the grief and he can concentrate on writing. To paraphrase Josh Lyman, Peter’s a good man. He’s got a good heart. He doesn’t hold a grudge. That’s what he pays me for.*

If you need a refresher course, I recommend viewing the filmstrip Posting And You.

So let him finish, and he can have most of what he needs to have done in time for Shore Leave. (Did we mention he’d be at Shore Leave? Get your tickets now. Did I mention I’ll probably be at Shore Leave too? Like anybody cares.)

* You may note that Peter does quite well at holding a grudge on his own. This is why I get paid so little.

Peter will be AFTK (away from the keyboard) for the next couple of days as he works on a project that he has been working on for a while but needs his undivided attention for a few days.

I am asking everyone to play nice while he is not online.

thanks-
Kathleen

Remember the Spike pages I put up here a while? Well, they’re up and lettered and everything over on Newsarama.com, along with a short interview with me about the comic. Feel free to check it out.

PAD

Wired News: Blue Law Makes Webmasters See Red

Under penalty of federal prison terms, new interpretations of existing regulations would require sites that feature photographs or videos of sexual activity to keep records confirming that performers are of legal age.

So if you’re having trouble seeing profiles on Gay.com or even Yahoo.com, this is why… Gay.com has announced that they’ve had to take down ALL photos until they’re checked, because the maximum penalty is 10 years in prison per violation.

UPDATE 9/29/05: Closing comments, as this thread attracts a lot of adult spam.

We’ll make a deal: we’ll stop desecrating the flag and the Pledge of Allegiance when they stop desecrating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Star Trek pledge of allegiance gets kid suspended: “Cory Doctorow:
A young Star Trek fan was suspended from school for reciting his own version of the Pledge of Allegiance, in which he pledged to the United Federation of Planets. His mom has posted the hilarious story:

‘So, anyway. What did he do?’ I picked at the hem of my sweatshirt, looked just to the right of her face. I couldn’t meet her eyes. I felt nervous. I felt underdressed. I wondered where 8 was.

So she told me what he did. And as she told me, I started to laugh. I didn’t laugh a little, either, but I belly-laughed and grabbed my stomach. My son stood with his class this morning, put small right hand over heart, faced the American flag, and recited his own personal pledge of allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Federation of Planets, and to the galaxy for which it stands, one universe, under everybody, with liberty and justice for all species.

‘Mrs. Jaworski. This isn’t humorous. The Pledge is an extremely important and patriotic moment each morning in the classroom. I am ashamed of your son’s behavior, and I hope you are, too.’

Link“

(Via Boing Boing.)

It’s baaaaaack. The proposed brand new amendment that makes a mockery out of the First One:

“The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.

I mean, this concept should be elementary. This should be American Citizenship 101. The flag stands for a nation with freedoms, including the freedom to burn the flag in protest.

I’ve always said that I wasn’t a fan of flag-burning as a means of protest, because it’s such a (pardon the expression) incendiary visual that whatever other point you wanted to make is going to be obscured by that action. So I don’t think it’s terribly effective in terms of convincing others. But the Congress…you know, the ones who shall make no law interfering with freedom of expression?…apparently didn’t get the memo.

And hey…all those articles of clothing with the flag adorning it? Notebooks? Forget it. What about decals or bumper stickers, with the image of the American flag getting spattered by mud and dirt. Pull that SUV over, fella…you with that foul bumpersticker and your girlfriend with the stars and stripes bikini top! You’re under arrest courtesy of Congress!

You can’t burn the flag of the United States by burning a representation of it any more than you can burn the Declaration of Independence by burning a copy of it.

You can, however, incinerate the concept of freedom of speech in this country by making a constitutional amendment banning a form of expression for the worst possible reason: It upsets people. No other reason. No one’s reputation stands to be defamed, no money lost. No child’s delicate mind is going to be threatened from the sight. No panics from “fire” falsely cried in a crowded theater (indeed, nowadays the major challenge is finding a theater that’s crowded.) There’s no cover here. It’s naked censorship, a throttling of free expression by the very governmental body that’s sworn to protect it.

Plus the GOP’s gotta love it because liberals must either embrace the notion–which is antithetical to anyone who has a grasp of free speech, to say nothing of making them indistinguishable from conservatives–or else they must spend countless man hours explaining why they value free expression above cheap political opportunism…and lose the vote of every schmuck who can’t wrap his tiny mind around defending to the death one’s right to express an opinion that that same person may find personally repellant. Puts them in a nice position for the next election.

And, of course, anyone opposed to a flag burning amendment is deemed “out of touch” with the citizenry. You know what? I’d rather be out of touch with the citizenry than out of touch with the concept of free expression.

PAD

UPDATE:

Specific quotes:

‘Ask the men and women who stood on top of the Trade Center,’ said Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham, R-Calif. ‘Ask them and they will tell you: pass this amendment.’

‘If the flag needs protection at all, it needs protection from members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedoms that the flag represents.’ said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., whose district includes the site of the former World Trade Center. –GH

I seem to have come in late on this whole “Who’s the Greatest American?” thing. I haven’t seen any lists or anything, so I’m just talking off the top of my head.

Even after all the intervening centuries, and even with what we know of some of the more dubious activities in his private life, I’d still go with Thomas Jefferson.

Runners up to my mind would include FDR, Jonas Salk, Martin Luther King, and my wife. I’d also put my mom and dad, but they weren’t born in this country so I’m not sure they’d be eligible.

PAD

Does anyone know if there were law suits as a result of the famous radio broadcast that panicked Americans across the country?

Because I’m thinking that if the same thing happened now, the number of law suits filed would be so staggering, that the radio network would be put out of business, the sponsors would all have pulled their support, and the Mercury Theater would have been sued into bankruptcy and beyond.

I tell ya, you just can’t terrorize people and get away with it anymore.

PAD

It’s already been announced at www.newsarama.com, but I figure we should stay on top of things here as well. JK Woodward will be the new artist for “Fallen Angel,” and a sample of his work is below. There seems to be a misconception by some Newsarama denizens that this is merely a cover and they’re withholding judgment until they see the pencils. No, this is Woodward’s style. The entire book will have this painted look to it. What you see here is what you’ll be getting cover-to-cover.

The answer, of course, is no, because I’ve been to my brother’s website, and it’s got much spiffier pictures than I do.

Wally David, for whom Wally the God Boy was named, has set up his website at http://www.wallydavid.com. Among other things, he’s a top flight photographer and I invite you all to go and check out his material.

PAD

Spending a relatively quiet “Father’s Day.” It’s interesting in that it’s two-way: On the one hand, naturally I call my dad and wish him the best of the day. On the other hand, I’ve got my daughters calling me wishing me the same. Not to go all “Lion King,” but you get a real feeling of the circle of life. That it’s more than the simple status of being a father, but more of a sense of being part of an ongoing sense of responsibility and commitment.

I remember when I was a kid, falling asleep in the back seat of the car when we’d be coming home from a long trip. I did so with nary a concern, utterly confident that I would wake up safe and sound back home. These days, of course, I’m in the front seat, with my daughters peacefully dozing in the back of the car, equally trusting that I’ll get them safely to their destination. Metaphorically, I suppose, that’s my job for all aspects of their lives.

Hell of a responsibility. Then again, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it.

PAD

Let’s time, from this moment, how long it takes to find an article where the Downing Street Memo is referred to as “Downingate.”

PAD

I believe it’s been mentioned elsewhere, but I thought I’d let you guys know that the new issue of TV Guide features a half-page write-up on page 12 about the “Angel” and “Spike” comics coming from IDW. They feature the cover from my “Spike” one-shot and a capsule description of the plot. No, my name isn’t mentioned, but that’s fine; it’s not like my name is going to mean anything to TV Guide readers. Meantime IDW got a bunch of new orders in for the book that they directly attribute to the TV Guide write-up.

Best of all, there’s going to be a full page ad on the inside cover of the one-shot for “Fallen Angel,” so it’ll be a nice way to let potential new readers about the book’s existence.

Very shortly you’ll be seeing artwork from the new artist, either here or on Newsarama. You won’t believe how gorgeous it looks.

PAD