Comments on: El Filibusterismo, plus Friday night Platonic self-promotion

By: mart

mart — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:16:05 +0000

it’s really alarming when they get carried away and begin their charity at home, as in 1860, and (let’s hope not) today.

But, but….Teh Mooslim Joker Soc1alist has to be stopped!

I think they should replace the filibuster with Going Galt. It’d be win-win all round.

By: Glen Tomkins

Glen Tomkins — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:42:56 +0000

You can’t tar people with association to behavior they admire

Uh, sorry, but the current Republican Party tends to approve of American adventurers, mostly from Southern states, taking over governments by force. It’s bad enough when they confine these activities to Central American countries, but it’s really alarming when they get carried away and begin their charity at home, as in 1860, and (let’s hope not) today.

By: jholbo

jholbo — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:37:02 +0000

Hmmm, that is slightly concernful. But they aren’t asking for your email password. They aren’t going to read your mail. If you only ever give them your issuu password, to download my PDF, then forget about it, then you really haven’t given them any information. The idea is supposed to be that it is a social network thingy, like Facebook. They want you to have a shelf where you check in and see the things your ‘friends’ have published. I don’t think this will ever be a successful model for them. Because people don’t publish substantial works the way they leave idle comments.

If I am missing something, and there is actually something sinister about issuu, I am willing to be corrected. I’m not contractually obliged to use them or anything. My publisher wanted me to use some technology that allows me to keep reasonable track of downloads and visits. That, combined with the nice interface, was what I wanted from Issuu.

By: Yarrow

Yarrow — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:16:32 +0000

By the way, when you sign up for Issuu they they ask you to put in your email address and password in order “to find people you know”.

That can’t be good.

By: Moby Hick

Moby Hick — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:42:48 +0000

“…thoroughly American, corn-stuffed, long-winded Senator from a nigh-unpopulated state.”

On behalf of Williams Jennings Bryan, nerts to you.

By: rea

rea — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:57:27 +0000

Just once, I wish they would call the Republicans’ bluff and make them filibuster.

That’s a myth. The Democrats would have to keep a quorum of senators available for a quorum call, while the Republicans would only have to have one senator present at a time. Under those circumstances, very obviously the burden of an “actual filibuster” falls heaviest on the party trying to end it, by a considerable margin, so that’s why it isn’t done.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:28:10 +0000

Speaking of self-promotion, here's a bit more on Rizal.

By: minnesotaj

minnesotaj — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:46:09 +0000

Happy to see Rizal here, plus: my wife is related to one of the Gomburza (I forget which) & her great grandfather (as mayor of Cavite) was hanged by the U.S… which is to say: we’re all filibusteros in our house.

As for irony involved in Republican hijacking of debate, overthrowing of Central American governments, and freebooting &cetera & so on: seriously? What I love about our current moment is watching that crowd get more and more bold about saying what they mean.

By: John Holbo

John Holbo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:10:13 +0000

“Alistair Cooke recited persistently the ‘Senator Fillibuster, from the gallant south’ bollocks!”

Really? I’m reinventing the wheel?

By: Salient

Salient — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:38:11 +0000

David, I’ve long been convinced that having to cede to the “threat” of filibuster is very much preferred to having to admit they don’t actually want to pass the legislation all that badly. It’s easier to defer to arcane parliamentarian rules than it is to admit you don’t want to have to vote on a bill that might compromise your reelection campaign coffers. It’s easier to get reelected if you can paint your opponents as obstructionist and blame the problems on them—it’s much riskier to actually pass a legislative solution to those problems, because then you’re on the hook, not the obstructionists. If I were Chris Dodd I’d be buying Max Baucus and Mike Enzi flowers, you know?

By: David

David — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:28:19 +0000

I for one wish that the press would quit equating a threat to filibuster with actually filibustering. Although, why risk engaging in the real thing when spineless Democrats shit their pants at the mere whispering of the word. Just once, I wish they would call the Republicans’ bluff and make them filibuster. I think the Repubs would tuck tail and fold in under a week, if not a day or so. Most of the legislation Obama needs only requires 50 votes and Biden.

By: Frank

Frank — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:58:50 +0000

Well, I never! Alistair Cooke recited persistently the ‘Senator Fillibuster, from the gallant south’ bollocks!

By: chris y

chris y — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:22:00 +0000

So your original Filibusters were a bit like Tories then. It all falls into place.