Category Archives: terrorism

20 years since Shock and Awe? ‘Good God, y’all!’

Posted on March 26, 2023 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit examined the playlist of protest songs I compiled to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the Second Persian Gulf War. He played “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and started laughing. “That song came out in 1971, during the Vietnam War,” … Continue reading →

Posted in apocalypse, history, humor, Iraq war, mainstream media, pop music, terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Pity the poor, oppressed Capitol raiders

Posted on January 13, 2021 by oddmanout215

Swamp Rabbit said he was in a terrible state after watching reruns of the mob storming the Capitol last week at the behest of their Dear Leader, who hid in the White House while they did his dirty work. “You … Continue reading →

Posted in history, humor, mainstream media, Politics, terrorism | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Enough about Naipaul the man — read his books

Posted on August 15, 2018 by oddmanout215

The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it. — V.S. Naipaul, A Bend In the River (1979) Pardon me for breathing! And make no mistake — the … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, globalization, history, mainstream media, terrorism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Regarding Rushdie and the limits of satire

Posted on January 8, 2015 by oddmanout215

Salman Rushdie has issued an eloquent denunciation of the fanatics who slew 12 in Paris in the name of their god: I stand with Charlie Hebdo, as we all must, to defend the art of satire, which has always been … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, history, humor, mainstream media, plutocracy, terrorism, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stalin would have smiled at Manning’s sentence

Posted on August 23, 2013 by oddmanout215

Ben Wizner of the ACLU sums up why he thinks decent people everywhere should be disgusted by the 35-year prison sentence imposed on Bradley Manning this week: When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq war, mainstream media, police state, terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

American exceptionalism, in a nutshell

Posted on April 27, 2013 by oddmanout215

Spokespersons for the U.S. military often refer to anti-American combatants as “bad guys,” as if opposition to U.S. foreign policy is the same as immorality. As if killing on behalf of the U.S. government makes you exempt from bad-guy status. … Continue reading →

Posted in Iraq war, life in the big city, mainstream media, Obama, terrorism | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Killer drones are people, too

Posted on April 17, 2012 by oddmanout215

Q. What’s the difference between a terrorist who bombs civilian centers and a military pilot who does the same thing? A. Usually, it’s only a matter of altitude, although the terrorist is likely to be hunted down and the pilot … Continue reading →

Posted in terrorism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment