good post on Bush's UN speech by insomnia_lj

September 23, 2003 8:13 PM

While sometimes I know the Bush Bad threads wear on a number of us (not to mention the problems with Newsfilter), I wanted to single out today's post by insomnia_lj linking to Bush's UN speech as good. [more inside]
posted by namespan to etiquette/policy at 8:13 PM (26 comments total)

The mainstream newsmedia rarely gives you an entire source document or speech, preferring to summarize. So while it's in some sense newsfilter, and perhaps the presentation of the link could have used some more neutrality, I'm really glad it was posted.

So... is Newsfilter better... when it's not just the news?
posted by namespan at 8:14 PM on September 23, 2003

Also, keswick's repetition of mr_crash_davis' traditional line brought a smile to my face. I'm starting to say it in my head every time this sort of thing happens.
posted by namespan at 8:15 PM on September 23, 2003

I vote Not Good. It's (a) still the News, which (b) we all heard, probably live, today, and (c) all have an opinion about, which won't change no matter how many times the same arguments are made in a MetaFilter thread. The presentation was nothing special, even though it was the actual speech, and it still only served as a jumping-off point for the usual arguments.

Or, more succinctly: it wasn't a link to something on the web that most people haven't seen before, that has something interesting about the content on the page, and which might warrant discussion from others.
posted by yhbc at 8:21 PM on September 23, 2003

I concur.
posted by timeistight at 8:31 PM on September 23, 2003

Leave it to a lawyer to spoil it for everyone.

*ducks*
posted by mr_crash_davis at 8:37 PM on September 23, 2003

I concur with the legal dude and the tight guy.
posted by dg at 8:41 PM on September 23, 2003

I thought the Orwellian crap kind of killed the thread from the get go. Posting with an agenda is rarely something I'm in favor of, but then doing it in the most obvious, hamfisted way doesn't help. We get it, Bush is Big Brother (except, of course, he's not. Really. At all. Just a terrible President with horrendous ideas about his "mandate").
posted by jonson at 8:45 PM on September 23, 2003

i thought Ashcroft was Big Brother...we're all Winstons, Condi is Julia, and Karl Rove (or Cheney) was Emanuel Goldstein, no?
posted by amberglow at 8:56 PM on September 23, 2003

I'll repeat what I just put in the thread:
You people are all fucking idiots. Everyone. On all sides.
It's a steep learning curve. That's why we need "IraqFilter".

Half of what I've learned from these threads is what NOT to do: When a MeFi asshat makes an arguement that sounds good at first, but ends up getting his ass handed to him, I learn what to avoid in RL arguements. Thanks!

Bush is Big Brother (except, of course, he's not. Really. At all. Just a terrible President with horrendous ideas about his "mandate").
We'll know about that a lot better in November '04. Right now, he seems to be losing his grip on the nuts of SOME of the media. But most of those who escaped are just falling in behind some other Pied Piper - Howard Dean? Gen. Clark? Jon Stewart?
posted by wendellseviltwin at 8:58 PM on September 23, 2003

I'll go with Jon Stewart.
posted by anastasiav at 9:02 PM on September 23, 2003

I concur with the legal dude and the tight guy.

if he's that tight, are you sure he's legal, dude?
posted by quonsar at 9:04 PM on September 23, 2003

It's (a) still the News, which (b) we all heard, probably live, today

Hmmm. Was this broadcast live today? By US media?

Even if so... a persistent version of the speech? I guess I could have googled for it. But what I'm saying here is, minus the Orwell cracks, MetaFilter worked here, at least for me -- I got to see something interesting (the full text of the speech that I wouldn't have happened to find on my own.
posted by namespan at 9:06 PM on September 23, 2003

Never mind Newsfilter and Halfwit President Bashing, that UN page has the first Office XP 'smart tag' I've ever seen in the wild. Yikes.

Nuke the site from orbit ('cause, you know, it's the only way to be sure), and His Excellency with it!
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 9:29 PM on September 23, 2003

It was a good link. It was a bad post, pre-derailed for our commenting pleasure.
posted by dhartung at 9:33 PM on September 23, 2003

boo-yah.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 10:26 PM on September 23, 2003

I think the speech was bad enough that it called--nay, begged--for derision if it was to be posted. I can't wait to see what Stewart and assembled Daily Show staff come up with over at Sardonicism Central, or to see what depressing poll numbers are born of this mess.
posted by The God Complex at 10:38 PM on September 23, 2003

Hmmm. Was this broadcast live today? By US media?

Even if so... a persistent version of the speech? I guess I could have googled for it. But what I'm saying here is, minus the Orwell cracks, MetaFilter worked here, at least for me -- I got to see something interesting (the full text of the speech that I wouldn't have happened to find on my own.

The coverage about the UN visit on the BBC News site has the speeches of Bush, Jacques Chirac and Kofi Annan. This would seem to confirm to me that if you want news, a news site is the best place to go.
The post was not good in my opinion because in ignoring the posting guidelines it help reinforce several negative stereotypes about MetaFilter.
posted by chill at 2:03 AM on September 24, 2003

which won't change no matter how many times the same arguments are made in a MetaFilter thread.

This isn't true.

I used to be a libertarian, but after seeing enough of them on the net, I suddenly didn't want to be one anymore.
posted by Space Coyote at 4:54 AM on September 24, 2003

wendellseviltwin, who are you, really. 'Fess up.
posted by ashbury at 6:04 AM on September 24, 2003

'Fess up.

And just WHAT are you implying????
posted by UncleFes at 7:24 AM on September 24, 2003

Nuke the site from orbit ('cause, you know, it's the only way to be sure),

We all should be entitled to nuke one thing from orbit in our lifetime, no strings attached, no penalties incurred whatsoever.
posted by signal at 9:44 AM on September 24, 2003

I had a bad outlook on Metafilter because of the "Bush Sucks" threads and a seemingly "With us or against us" attitude. Then I visited kuro5hin.org and my outlook changed.
posted by Akuinnen at 4:21 PM on September 24, 2003

I used to think that homosexuality was bad and that all taxation was theft until I started coming to mefi.
posted by mcsweetie at 8:20 PM on September 24, 2003

wendellseviltwin, who are you, really. 'Fess up.
The opinions expressed by wendellseviltwin in the last couple days do not represent the views of anyone in his right mind. (Oh, yeah, now they're going to believe I'm schizophrenic, too...)

The eviltwin was a literary device I created way back when membership was too open. Giving the eviltwin password to a non-MeFite friend was an ill-advised attempt to keep in touch with the site while in the hospital, and has turned out to be as humiliating as getting kicked out of the hospital and told "you're a lot healthier than you feel". I know how coveted access to this closed membership is, but I thought that being associated with the infamously dorky wendell would be a controlling factor - wrong again. I have spoken to the eviltwin and am implimenting plans to nuke him from orbit before Matt nukes me from orbit.

You may now resume your political snarkfest.
posted by wendell at 8:54 PM on September 24, 2003

It's a steep learning curve. That's why we need "IraqFilter".

Ahem.....iraqfilter
posted by jaded at 9:01 PM on September 24, 2003

Sure, terrorism is bad, but it has really been about the white slavery and sex tourism all along.

I hear giant robots are on the rise too.
posted by milovoo at 1:05 PM on September 26, 2003