It's milestone day around here at The Garlic, today.
Post No. 2,000.
We were going to celebrate it with a really, hard-hitting, political cartoon, the type-of-thing, that wasn't really satire, but we'd say it was satire once people started complaining about it, but The New Yorker beat us to-the-punch.
What about raising a glass, filled with a good ol' American beer, like, say, Budweiser, but that went out-the-window.
I hadn't really been aware of it, until early last week, when posting and noticed the count, and said "Holy Cow!"
So, what to do for such an endeavor ...
What about taking our most popular post, comment on it, waxing it with an update?
Well, out of all those 2,000 posts, our post popular, based on views, search engines, etc, turned out to be this;
Hooters Applauds FDA Breast Implant Vote; Opens Doors For More Woman To Become 'Hooter Girls'
Okay, scratch that one ...
Along with generating a comment or two to "keep you day job", our satire did, on a few occasions, befuddle some people.
During the uprising in Burma, we posted this;
Breaking News! Burma Junta Contracting Blackwater For Internal Security; Could Mean Exit From Iraq For Embattled Mercenary Firm; Radio's Limbaugh Charges "Phony Monks" Stirring Up Trouble
Which generated a buzz, before it got clarified;Your quotes come from a parody blog, meaning the statements concerning Blackwater being hired by Shwe and Rush Limbaugh calling Burmese protesters "phony" are false and completely made up for the purpose of satire.
Also, the post "Ahmadinejad “Sort Of An Islamic Lyndon LaRouche”; Said To Have Made Offer To Mexico; Ahmadinejad Claims Letter A Hoax, Cites Propaganda, Prelude To U.S. Invasion; Other World Leaders Received Similar Tomes; Mexico Offered Iran National Guard Deployed on Their Side of Border", generated a small fit on some rightwing blogs, in particular, this passage;“This Bush you call President does nothing but lie,” declared a defiant Ahmadinejad during a 4-hour rally in Tehran, before an estimated crowd of 500,000. Later in his speech, Ahmadinejad charged that “Bush wrote the letter himself ... To prepare for his evil forces to invade our great country.”
Many of those gathered carried white envelopes, with the name “President Bush, White House, USA” scribbled in English on them. Iranian government officials worked their way through the throng, with large baskets, collecting the letters for mailing, to which Ahmadinejad exhorted the crowd with chants of “We will bury him with letters” and “Send Satan the Iranian truth”.
Regrettably, I can't find, or lost the email, of the comment thread, that had those hotheads steaming, and calling for a similar campaign, of good ol' American patriots writing letters back to Ahmadinejad.
Unfortunately, we don't generate such uproar every day, however, we endeavor, ever so mightily to such ends (you can take a scroll down the left column to view some of the highlights and favorite posts).
From when I started The Garlic, in late January, 2005, I had no clear vision as to ending up here, at post 2,000.
I was coming off the end of a dream, the crash and failure of my own business, that I saw as being the last job (a non-profit Jazz Festival and Jazz Education Outreach Program) I would ever have, and, along the way, the situation on the homefront has become more cumbersome with the Aunt I am caretaker to.
So, for many of these 2,000 posts, it was an escape, a hiding place, to sneak refuge in for a few hours and, hopefully, whether you are a longtime reader, have just recently stumbled on The Garlic, or only read it via the feeds, the hope is you have been entertained, perhaps, enlightened on occasion.
And, it's enough of a hook that you'll stick around for the next 2,000 ...
Lastly, a heartfelt tip-of-the-hat to folks like Barry Crimmins, Michael Stickings, Joe Gandelman, Steve Benen, Sean Collins, and a boatload of others, who have assisted, tagged, linked, promoted, pushed, or otherwise helped me along the way.
Peace!
JTD
Monday, July 14, 2008
No. 2,000!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Breaking News! White House To Supply Burma With Pre-Fab Convention Center
Bush Wants To Streamline Media Reports, Provide Easy Access For Junta Flyovers
Ceding to mounting critics, the Bush Grindhouse has ordered FEMA to deliver, immediately, a replica, pre-fab Ernest N. Morial Convention Center to the cyclone-stricken country of Burma (also known, by the thugs who took it over, as Myanmar).
Indicating that lessons have been learned from New Orleans, and Hurricane Katrina, FEMA officials estimated that the pre-fab convention center can be airlifted and set-up within 48-hours.
"The President," offered White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, "doesn't like seeing these people scattered, without food or water, all over the country ... If they had a place to gather, like the Convention Center, they can pick each other up, offer support to each other, until help arrives ..."
Since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma 10-days ago, with scores-of-thousands dead, more injured and displaced, relief efforts have been hampered, due to the junta itself, and also, a relief ship of supplies sinking off its' coast. Some aid boxes have been distributed, carrying the names of Junta generals, in a twisted, PR effort.
No word if food and water, or other resources, would be shipped with the pre-fab Convention Center, Perino indicating that "we still have, using our New Orleans plans, a few days to decide on that", adding that, if any are sent, we "certainly will have the President's name on those boxes".
Perino offered that the President, in a telephone call with Senior Gen. Than Shwe, urged the Junta leader to to find a cathedral he could stand and front of and give a speech, promising complete and thorough aid and assistance, but "not have to worry" about actually following-up and delivering any of it.
Shwe advised the President, according to Perino, that as soon as the pre-fab convention center is up-and-standing, Shwe, and other Junta officials, will make a fly-over, to access the damage.
"This is a tough one for us," admitted Perino. "The tragedy and destruction there wasn't caused by broken levees, so we may have to tweak things as we go along."
Perino deferred, and wouldn't answer, questions if a pre-fab convention center will be sent to earthquake-stricken China.
Bonus Links
VOA News: As Many as 10,000 Dead in Burma Cyclone
CNN: Cyclone victims face 'long-term' food shortages
IPS News: Cyclone Nargis Exposes Junta's Anti-People Attitude
Breaking News! Burma Junta Contracting Blackwater For Internal Security; Could Mean Exit From Iraq For Embattled Mercenary Firm; Radio's Limbaugh Charges "Phony Monks" Stirring Up Trouble
Friday, October 19, 2007
You Gotta Love It, Friday Edition, Dateline: Burma
Well, with things on the home front (follow-up Doc visit) keeping me from being fully engaged today, we go to the lighter side tonight ...
And you gotta love it!
Activists send female underwear to Burmese embassiesActivists exasperated at the failure of diplomacy to apply pressure on Burma's military regime are resorting to a new means of protest against the regime's recent crackdown: sending female underwear to Burmese embassies.
Too bad J. Edgar Hoover wasn't still around, to give the Junta's security some assistance ... I'm sure he'd want to personally investigated all the evidence ...
Embassies in the UK, Thailand, Australia and Singapore have all been targeted by the "Panties for Peace" campaign, co-ordinated by an activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
"Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman's pants or sarong will make them lose their strength," Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.
Or the surprises of surprises ... Who knew that Britney Spears was into activism? ...
Bonus Link
Breaking News! Burma Junta Contracting Blackwater For Internal Security; Could Mean Exit From Iraq For Embattled Mercenary Firm; Radio's Limbaugh Charges "Phony Monks" Stirring Up Trouble
Rudy ... How's about giving up a pair, or two, for the good cause?
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Breaking News! Burma Junta Contracting Blackwater For Internal Security
Could Mean Exit From Iraq For Embattled Mercenary Firm; Radio's Limbaugh Charges "Phony Monks" Stirring Up Trouble
On the heels of it's CEO, Erik Prince, testifying before Congress yesterday, the Myanmar Junta Leader, of the country formerly known as Burma (Ed. Note: The term Burma, following Michael Stickings of The Reaction lead, will be used by The Garlic), Senior General Than Shwe announced today that he has contracted with Blackwater USA for "internal security".
"I don't know what the Iraqi's problems are," Shwe was overheard saying, following the announcement, "We certainly don't mind if these Blackwater soldiers take out a few civilians... In fact, I am expecting such results."
The pro-democracy protest, with 10,000+ demonstrators led by the country's Buddhist Monks that began last month, has been met with brutal violence by armed forces, including the killing, caught on television, of a Japanese journalist.
In the major city of Rangoon, shots have been fired into crowds and monks beaten. Reports coming from Burma, where the military junta has shut down the internet and have curfews in place, say that thousands have been murdered, including monks, whose bodies have been dumped in the jungles.
Led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for much of the past 12-years, Burmese citizens have called on the military junta to step down, following the 1990 election, the first in nearly 30-years, that elevated the pro-democracy party of Suu Kyi to a majority position, but then was annulled by the military rulers.
Shwe junta forces are continuing their repression, even at the United Nations attempts to intervene.
Blackwater USA, coming under fire in both Iraq and the United States, issued a brief statement, indicating they were pleased to serve the Government of Myanmar and look forward to the work of bringing order to the country.
A spokesperson for Blackwater refused to answer questions if the new Burma contract meant Blackwater would be exiting Iraq.
One element of the contract was leaked to the media, showing that the Myanmar Government will have a Blackwater liaison, who will be responsible for investigating complaints and writing official reports on the results of any queries.
When asked about Blackwater now working for Burma, Homeland Security Advisor Fran Townsend referred questions about Blackwater to the State Department, but added "I didn't know there was a Burma before there was a Myanmar."
And in a related matter, radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh, already embroiled in a heated dust-up over criticizing U.S. soldiers opposed to the Bush Grindhouse's Iraq policy, charged today that much of the unrest in Burma was being lead by "phony monks".
"These guys," chortled the rotund, drug-taking Limbaugh, "shave their heads, put on orange clothes and start prancing around and we're all supposed to think this is something sacrosanct ... Hogwash! ... Seeing some of the news footage on this, I think I recognize some of these phony monks ... They hit me up at the airport recently, asking for money, or if I wanted to take a free personality test ... Yeah, right ... I got a personality test for them ..."
When a caller later in the hour chastised Limbaugh for making fun of the Burmese Monks, Limbaugh berated the caller, saying he was only speaking about one, particular phony monk.
More as this story develops
Bonus Burma
There's a bevy of good info on-line on what's going on in Burma, and we want to take the opportunity today to point out Joe Gandelman's The Moderate Voice and their tremendous Burma posts - and in particular, the Burma posts of Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Saxophonist Wayne Shorter wrote a tribute song to Aung San Suu Kyi
