In Defense of Our Little Community

Update: “For Good Heh, Read the Whole Thing” (Iowahawk)

Isn’t Joseph Rago’s invocation of that great Swedenborgian vision that so dominated Henry James, Sr.’s life – the “Vastation” – kind of weird in his column designed to piss off the average blogger (“The Blog Mob”)?

I don’t see Iraq that way & wonder if he does. I suspect it is the kind of allusion he thinks bloggers like us don’t make. Most often used to describe a spiritual emptiness, a profound & deeply disturbing recognition of emptiness, he probably means here a “laying waste, depopulation, devastation”. Some don’t see Iraq this way, but some seem to. (Certainly, it must be how Jamil Hussein sees it, but that is another matter, one worth discussion in places resistant to such considerations, i.e., Kurtz‘s column.)

This is an abyss word. Modern thinkers often draw us to the edge of what they declare to be an abyss; they clearly see it as titillating, as a show of courage. Of course, it isn’t really courage because they don’t feel the fear. They want to use its shock, but don’t, not really, feel it to the depth of their bones. If this is what he truly believes, it should be the subject of the column. He needs to face it – and communicate what he sees – a lot more urgently and honestly. This is far too grim a vision to merely use rhetorically. But I get the feeling he doesn’t really think it is an abyss, he just throws that in, just as he throws in the word itself, to give the illusion of depth.

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How do we feel about this new comment-feed thing?

Is it better or worse than the old recent-comments thing?

Any ideas for modifications or alternatives?

Leave a comment if you have an opinion.

Thanks.

Oh, Frivolus Me!

I decided to break my media fast and start trying to find out what has been going on in the world the last couple of weeks so I clicked over to Instapundit only to be greeted by a completely frivolous picture of a mushroom that Glenn took.

This is clearly a sign from gods of the Blogsphere that I continue my vacation from reality. As I am deeply religious when it is to my advantage to be so, I am going to follow this omen.

Look! Grass on the lawn! Isn’t this a wonderful world?

Collected Links

Following the lead of Jay Manifold (without any of his heavy lifting), below you may find links to works worth commenting upon. I don’t have the time (or the knowledge) to add value. (And yes, that is what bloggers are supposed to do, but view this as interactive blogging – part of our new national fitness exercises. Just because I’m lazy doesn’t mean you need to be.) Read on if these categories interest: Benedict’s speech, apocalyptic visions – superficial and dangerous, complaints about Kofi Annan.

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Arrrgh

Talk Like a Pirate Day: Over at the Boston Globe we can test our knowledge. For visuals, YouTube helps us master The Five A’s. And Arrrgh, we are here and alive.