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The Bravest Man I Ever Knew....
....greatly expanded the power and reach of his own organization, through the stroking of pens and speaking of words. He did it, even, under a veil of secrecy. His bravery undauntable, he achieved his unprecedented expansions of his own might even though this was all exactly in line with the wishes of the person he most relies on to keep his cushy job. He did it stalwartly, uncomplainingly, despite struggling with the general adoration of all the leaders of thought and power.
He was called Ben Bernanke, and we shall never see his like again. (I hope.) The Atlantic names Bernanke one of its top 27 "brave thinkers."
For more on The Real Ben Bernanke, see the mighty Tim Cavanaugh and me in previous episodes of Reason Online.
hmm|10.16.09 @ 8:10PM|#
You guys need to hire the artist Quickhoney ASAP. Those drawings are freakin awesome.
The Bernenke worship has only just begun.
Hugh Akston|10.16.09 @ 8:39PM|#
“There were many people who said, 'Let them fail. It’s not a problem. The markets will take care of it.' And I think I knew better than that.”
"Specifically, I knew better than the countless thousands of people whose property, investments, interests and livelihoods were actually at stake. After all, that kind of omniscience is requisite for being Fed chairman."
anon|10.16.09 @ 8:42PM|#
Like you could do a better job. Leave him alone - he saved the country for fuck's sake!
Johnny Longtorso|10.16.09 @ 9:06PM|#
Can we stop considering anyone 'brave' for increasing the size and scope of govt?
|10.16.09 @ 10:20PM|#
Or for doing something that increases their job security and advances their personal power and self-interest?
|10.16.09 @ 9:22PM|#
I wish I believed in karma or some other bullshit that made me think Ben would get his eventually, but...I don't. He's not only going to get out of this, he's going to be praised. Fuck you, Ben. Fuck you, Atlantic. And fuck you too, Michael Bay.
Rich|10.16.09 @ 9:51PM|#
"The particulars of the Fed’s interventions remain lamentably shielded from oversight."
"Brave", my a$$.
DanD|10.16.09 @ 10:13PM|#
Can't believe I used to be an Atlantic subscriber.
>.<<br />
Good riddance!
J.|10.16.09 @ 10:14PM|#
Not sure how populist action equates with brave thinking. Barack Obama, a "brave thinker"? I can think of two things wrong with that description...
The Atlantic did have a few legitimate choices though. Frederick Dyson is a good one. Brilliant guy. Although I detest his views, Ralph Nader also fits the criterion well.
J.|10.16.09 @ 10:17PM|#
Damn it. I meant Freeman Dyson (I was also thinking Fred Hoyle should have been on there, but I guess they were only including living people).
Theme music for The Atlantic|10.16.09 @ 10:17PM|#
Establishment!
Establishment!
You always know what's righhht!
DanD|10.17.09 @ 10:52AM|#
The theme continued:
Unless you're G.W. Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
*crescendo*
*chorus*
ssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh!
|10.16.09 @ 11:18PM|#
Admit it, guys, it takes a lot of guts to destroy a nation's currency while larding up your cronies, all on camera.
|10.16.09 @ 11:39PM|#
He was called Ben Bernanke, and we shall never see his like again.
Your use of the past tense had me wildly hopeful for a bit. Than I realized you weren't writing an obit. Sigh.
|10.17.09 @ 1:40AM|#
If you want to lift your head out of the sand, go read G. Edward Griffin's "The Creature from Jekyll Island - a Second Look at the Federal Reserve". Your view of current events will never be the same again.
|10.17.09 @ 2:14AM|#
G.E.G. is a conspiracist nutbag. Even when he gets something right, he has to wrap it in layer after layer of conspiracy. The bozo believes in chemtrails for crying out loud!
Suki|10.17.09 @ 9:45AM|#
I finally learned a new word in a new language that I can use for Bernanke! Imchi!
The things you learn from intertubez buds.
Suki|10.17.09 @ 9:47AM|#
"Reason Staff Paralyzed by East Coast drizzle"
-- your headline for the day.
|10.17.09 @ 10:01AM|#
"Ben"
(by Michael Jackson)
Ben, the two of us need look no more.
We both found what we were looking for.
With a friend to call my own,
I'll never be alone.
And you, my friend, will see.
You've got a friend in me.
(You've got a friend in me.)
Ben, you're always running here and there.
You feel you're not wanted, anywhere.
If you ever look behind,
And don't like what you find.
There's one thing you should know,
You've got a place to go.
(You've got a place to go.)
I used to say "I" and "me."
Now it's "us", now it's "we."
I used to say "I" and "me."
Now it's "us", now it's "we."
Ben, most people would turn you away.
I don't listen to a word they say.
They don't see you as I do.
I wish they would try to.
I'm sure they'd think again.
If they had a friend like Ben.
(A friend) Like Ben.
(Like Ben) Like Ben.
For you youngsters, Ben is a rat.
|10.17.09 @ 10:56AM|#
Ben is a rat.
But he's *our* rat. He's the best rat for the job.
And he strives to be the best, most rattish, rat he can be, every day, in every way.
Suki|10.17.09 @ 11:23AM|#
Did someone from the Obama administration visit you and knock you into line or something? lol
Lester Hunt|10.17.09 @ 3:33PM|#
How on Earth can they think of him as "brave"? The quotation the give as evidence of bravery -- about how we can't let these banks fail -- is obviously an expression of fear, which I think is sort of the opposite of bravery.
*|10.17.09 @ 5:46PM|#
No, cowardice is the opposite of bravery. Brave people often feel fear, but they don't let it prevent them from doing what is necessary - a coward would.
B|10.17.09 @ 6:20PM|#
Bernanke brave? This is akin to those piece of shit organizations that laud politicians for their "courage" to raise taxes.
zeeshan809|10.18.09 @ 2:52PM|#
Well I think he is not a brave man. He is messing up with the US economy.
http://next-world-war.blogspot.com
|10.19.09 @ 10:20AM|#
the stroking of pens and speaking of words.
I think you're missing a vowel in there somewhere.
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