Thursday, October 05, 2006

Susie sez it

Susie Bright on the relevance of scandals.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still can't figure it out : nobody's asking the main question, whether he pressured some people or abused them, or whether all those who told him off were left alone. All that seems to matter is : "Did he (try to?) have sex with young men?"
Next thing you know, there'll be a Constitution amendment forbidding the gay marriage of a Congressman and a former Page!

I think when they don't have a Lewinski affair, the Republicans are ready to throw one of their own to the lions if it can ONCE MORE divert the public's attention from the real issues. Namely, how lousy was/is the Administration's management, and should they be indicted for THAT?

If the Democrats want to use that affair to their advantage, this is the only question they need to put on the table.

If the Public is satisfied with dumb circus games like the burning of Christians, they damn well deserve to be ruled by a Dictator autocrat named Cesar!
(For the record, I think the word "dictator" was invented by Julius Cesar.)

Anonymous said...

All that seems to matter is : "Did he (try to?) have sex with young men?"

I don't think that's accurate.

For one, there's the question about abuse of power - many people would just feel to intimidated by their relative positions in the hierarchy. I personally know a woman who was repeatedly groped by a high-ranking politician whose office was next door to that of the company she worked for as a secretary. She was older than 16 back then but it still took her a while to complain - after all she was just a secretary, right?
Even if it's all one hundred percent mutual, the work situation would require a bit more consideration in my mind. How hard would it be for that page to be moved to some location where he's not in daily contact with the politician? Or find another job altogether? There are valid reasons for such relationships being frowned upon, and they don't relate to sex or love.

Secondly, I think it is an interesting situation that exactly one of those fighters for the sacred family and against homosexuality who was on the forefront of fanning the fear of pedophiles being a threat to every home with children, got caught out like that. Hypocrisy never looks good on anyone.

Namely, how lousy was/is the Administration's management, and should they be indicted for THAT?

They can definitely use some distraction from that question. Even though I don't count on anyone ever being indicted for that - accountability doesn't look like a much-requested feature in those circles, at least not concerning their own dealings.

If the Democrats want to use that affair to their advantage, this is the only question they need to put on the table.

In a sense I'm glad that they mostly refrain from throwing mud. After all, your choice of means does say something about you. Shouldn't stop them from digging into the dirt that's all over the place, though.

If the Public is satisfied with dumb circus games like the burning of Christians, they damn well deserve to be ruled by a Dictator autocrat named Cesar!

Hang on - Christians are out, Muslims are in! And the current guy has a different name. And they don't do it in stadiums anymore, which is probably the biggest pity...

I think the word "dictator" was invented by Julius Cesar

It's one of the titles Caesar gave himself, from Latin "dictare" - dictate, telling, saying often/repeatedly ("dicere" is saying or telling), so it's the one who tells (everyone else what to do, I guess).
One of the others was "imperator" (from "imperare" - to order/dominate) which emperor is derived from. And "Caesar" morphed into "Kaiser", the German word for emperor.
There you have it, for the record.
;-)

Anonymous said...

Ronald,
I just said "all that SEEMS to matter". Not to me, just the way the politicians manage that affair.
Just like I felt that in the Lewinskin affair, the point of whether Monika was fully consenting (maybe even coming on) or not didn't seem to matter in the debates, only whether a fellatio was or wasn't "actual sex", and such BS.
In short, it seems to me that the herd is bleating: "Sex bad, power abuse okay."

And if you ever imply that I don't care about abuse of power, I'll sue your gluteus maximus, veritas!
;o)

"Secondly, I think it is an interesting situation that exactly one of those fighters"...
Yes, ich myself don't find it entirely devoid auf freudian interest, ya?
):-P

"Hypocrisy never looks good on anyone."
Are you sure? I was thinking of going for a striped Hypocrisy tuxedo in my upcoming political campaign. I think it might look good on me, given my elegant body type...

"accountability doesn't look like a much-requested feature in those circles"
Strange. I thought I heard someone mention they were actually HIRING accountants.
;o)

"After all, your choice of means does say something about you."
Isn't it interesting, how people for whom the end justifies the MEANS will usually resort to any EXTREME? What's becoming of Statistics these days?
:`(

"Hang on - Christians are out, Muslims are in! And the current guy has a different name."
You know, I'm not a big fashion buff... Stadiums, shmadiums, whatever.

"it's the one who tells"
Wasn't he CEO of the WeSaySo Company in Pangea at one time?...

Caesar also gave the russian "Czar", I know. See? There's wery few originality left in the world, only more of the same, all the time. How gauche!
I find it very interesting how the comic strip Doonesbury replaced GeeBee's stetson with a tired roman helmet...

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

"In short, it seems to me that the herd is bleating: "Sex bad, power abuse okay.""

Totally. It is mostly emotion-driven. You rarely hear of anybody having to resign for criminal behavior or power-abuse, but any hint of sex having taken place, they resign in herds. It makes me sick.

And the fact that most people infantilize young people so much that consent/no-consent seems to be totally irrelevant, is just beyond the pale.

Anonymous said...

Pascal:
I just said "all that SEEMS to matter". Not to me, just the way the politicians manage that affair.
...
In short, it seems to me that the herd is bleating: "Sex bad, power abuse okay."


Ah, now I get your point, Eureka! Thanks for elaborating.

I found it quite astonishing, too, that Clinton was removed from office for a sexual escapade while his successor has been getting away with commiting nearly every single crime and offence from the political and war menus.

"Hypocrisy never looks good on anyone."
Are you sure? I was thinking of going for a striped Hypocrisy tuxedo in my upcoming political campaign. I think it might look good on me, given my elegant body type...


Well don't take my humble opinion for the people's voice - it is quite possible that the outfit you describe might prove wildly popular...

Isn't it interesting, how people for whom the end justifies the MEANS will usually resort to any EXTREME? What's becoming of Statistics these days?
:`(


Statistics? LOL! I didn't get that one... :-]

Caesar also gave the russian "Czar", I know. See?

Ok. Pointless to take up a Latin contest with a medic. (Especially for me, who just so scraped through Latin...) :-)