Quotable
"As a Washington native," writes Sam Smith of the Progressive Review, "I find myself thinking of part of my city as occupied, and part still free, part still human. I roughly define the free portion as that having buildings one can enter without having to prove in some physical way that you are not a terrorist."
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The terrorist threat allows everyone inside
the beltway to take themselves even more
seriously than they already do. How can you
be a serious agency, bureau or administration
if you do not have metal detectors at the
entrance along with bored security guards
talking to their boyfriends or girlfriends
on the phone?
I even went to a HUD building that had a
metal detector. Why would anyone who hated
America try to attack HUD? It makes no sense.
If so-called “progressives” would stop acting like shriveled old pussies, I might have a smidgen or respect for them, but alas, as it is… Die Progressives. Die.
Oh cry me a river, Sam. You can whine and cry about big-bad-ole’ Dubbya, Ashcroft, et al, but don’t tell me for a nano-second that if given half a chance, “progressives” like yourself wouldn’t be pulling the same “Homeland Security” shit that the Bushies are pulling now.
What you’re all upset about is that you didn’t think of it first.
Mark S.:
You’re probably right about most “Progressives,” because that term is usually just a synonym for NPR liberals of the Hillary Rodham-O’Donnell variety who want to socially engineer the rest of us for our own good.
But not Sam. He’s a left-wing populist who is sympathetic to gun rights and hates Bill and Hillary, yuppies, the whole schmear. C’mon, he has a recurring news feature called “Clintons Still at Large” after two and a half years. He’s regularly beseiged with emails from outraged Clintonoids. Sam didn’t like statism under Auntie Jen back then any more than he does under Ass-crap today.
The guard presence and the Jersey barriers went up during the reign of the Glorious Sun King, William the Ist.
So Washington was actually occupied by the true King, following Tim McVeigh’s antics in Oklahoma City. The usurper has only tightened the security a little bit; raised the drawbridge if you will.
OK, I’ll grant you that up until this moment I hadn’t heard of this individual or his opinions. So their that I do apologize for jumping the gun.
However I don’t take back what I said about “progressives” in general. Chances are they wouldn’t mind their own little police state. They just wouldn’t use the Bushie “terrorist” line. They’d be looking for second hand smoke, listening for sexist language, and send jackbooted thugs to kick down your door if you’re suspected to having ties to a “milita.”
He seems to leave out that (large) portion of DC that you can’t venture to without getting caught in the gang war crossfire. That’s a progressive for you.
Typical white paranoia about black neighborhoods, as a white guy who lived in the DC ‘hood I can say they are almost as safe as the boring suburbs — don’t deal drugs and people leave you alone and neighbors are a lot more friendly than some dumbass hellhole like Germantown.
I know Sam, a great guy, I disagree with him on stuff though the posted article is brillant, but I can’t help liking the guy anyways — wish there were more of him — its so easy to judge people basedon the labels they are assigned — you libertarians (I’m one of them as well) ever heard of judging individuals first, not blanket statements about ‘groups’? Glad I moved out of DC.
no we’re judging his lame article, if that’s what you call a series of Orwell quotes (how original) linked by banal populist generalizations.
he probably is a great guy – many naive morons who just want to be thought of as on the side of the “little guy” are.
Well if the Little Taverns were still around he probably could’ve gone into one of those without proving he was a terrorist.
Things in DC just ain’t what they used to be. Hard to believe, huh?
hating yuppies is anti-statism
Funny Smith should quote Attali who blamed rioting and vandalism by Parisian youth on….you guessed it, the wealthy. He actually said the fancy store windows in Paris were a provocation for the kids from the hood.
The politics of jealousy sums up Smith from what I can see, which is why he talks of widening gaps of inequality, etc. without bringing up overall improvement for life conditions for world’s poor. He can’t grasp – or more likely refuses to acknowledge – that rich getting richer doesn’t negate poor getting richer as well.
” He can’t grasp – or more likely refuses to acknowledge – that rich getting richer doesn’t negate poor getting richer as well”
he is a believer in the labor theory of value for sure…
Yup, how I miss the days when any ordinary citizen could go to Washington like Mr. Smith, take a tour of the Capitol or the Cannon House Office Building, walk freely and and out of the halls of power…
And pull out a gun, open fire and kill a half dozen staffers and Capitol Police.
Now you have to be a Congressman from California if you want to go to Washington and croak Hill staffers.
Ahhhh, for the good old days. It was so much better then.
He seems to leave out that (large) portion of DC that you can’t venture to without getting caught in the gang war crossfire. That’s a progressive for you.
Actually, Todd, that’s in the very next line:
“While the occupied city encompasses much of downtown Washington, the consumptive fear of those in power is so concentrated on their own safety that they leave the better part of us alone. In fact, since September 11 both local crime and fires have increased for there just isn’t enough time to look after the rest of us anymore.”
This Smith is such a lame poser – he should go on tour with Steve Earle.
As if he’s one of the “us” he constantly refers to.
First impression of article is someone who stays as far away as possible from statistics – particularly concerning those concerning changes in poverty, hunger, wages, life expectancy and living conditions. He tiredly quotes tired old Orwell and Jacques Attali, a Frenchman most notable for being extremely wrong in his political analyses/predictions and mostly comes off as a New York/Hollywoodsian poser who listened to too much Woody guthrie as a child.
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