Category Archives: Politics: International

Urkaine Has Orange Secret Policement

Posted on January 17, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

History on the hoof, reported by the New York Times: How Ukraine's Top Spies Changed the Nation's Path. Fascinating, exciting, stuff.

Hollywood, are you listening?

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Life In the Bubble

Posted on January 15, 2005 by Michael Froomkin

Bush Says Election Ratified Iraq Policy (washingtonpost.com)

President Bush said the public's decision to reelect him was a ratification of his approach toward Iraq and that there was no reason to hold any administration officials accountable for mistakes or misjudgments in prewar planning or managing the violent aftermath.

Posted in Politics: International | 9 Comments

George Bush’s Best Appointment?

Posted on November 29, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Admittedly, the competition is not exactly tough, but based on Kudos where deserved, I suspect that Tony Hall, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Agencies, is GWB's best appointee.

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Trends in Leader Portraiture and Personality Cults

Posted on November 23, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

Over in North Korea, portraits of “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il are disappearing from offices and public places, creating a “baffling blankness”.

Meanwhile, back here in the US, billboard-sized portraits of “Our Leader” are springing up in public places, as a “public service” from Clear Channel Communications. Cult of personality, anyone?

Posted in Politics: International, Politics: US | 3 Comments

Corruption, Bloody Corruption

Posted on July 8, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

The story has been bouncing around the web for months, but the New Republic has now brought it out into the mainstream. It seems that after two plus years of passivity in the hunt for Bin Laden, and chasing after mirages in the Iraqi sands, the Bush administration has been telling the government of Pakistan repeatedly and in strong terms that it would like a July Surprise—a capture of one or more major Al Qaeda figures, ideally timed to take all the air out of the Democratic convention.

Yes, it's nice that the administration is finally getting serious about catching the real villains, although it's rather late. And yes, it is rage-inducing that nothing, simply nothing, is too significant, or a matter of national honor, to be twisted and sullied by Rovian manipulation.

If the US has indeed pressured a foreign government in the hopes that their capture of a major national enemy should be delayed, or timed, so that this administration could milk it for domestic political gain, I am prepared to discuss whether we should amend the Constitution to reinstate the punishment of corruption of blood so we can apply it to the Bush clan.

Posted in Politics: International, Politics: US: GW Bush Scandals | 4 Comments

Pro G 2 TRE-T 1STITUAN 1 KONSTITU6ON POOR L’€P

Posted on April 9, 2004 by Michael Froomkin

“La langue de l’Europe c’est la traduction.”
— Umberto Eco

Roland Barthes would have loved this. A Euro-MP named William Abitbol has gone and had the draft European Constitution translated into Texto SMS 'for the benefit of the younger generation'.

So here's a hipness test, dear reader. Can you read this:

Kon6an ke l'€p ét 1 continan porteur 2 6viliza6on ; ke C zabitan, venu /vag suxSiv 2 p8 lé ler zaj 2 lumaniT, i on DvloP progrSivman lé valeur ki fond lumanism : légaliTD zètr, la libRT, le rSP 2 la rézon,

If you looked at that and saw the first paragraph of the Preamble,

Conscients que l'Europe est un continent porteur de civilisation; que ses habitants, venus par vagues successives depuis les premiers âges de l'humanité, y ont développé progressivement les valeurs qui fondent l'humanisme: l'égalité des êtres, la liberté, le respect de la raison,

Then you are hip indeed. And your French is good too.

(Credit: My wife, who teaches EU law, tipped me off to this one.)

Posted in Completely Different, Politics: International | 2 Comments