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For all the snarky comments of some my favorite participants on this blog (in truth!) it seems as though some of the heavyweights of the internets are beginning to worry that the recent routinization of the filibuster may, in the future, cause the United States to come to a cropper. One of these worryworts is, in fact, also a heavyweight of the real world, the Heaviest Heavyweight, in fact.
Then again, he would think that, wouldn’t he?
Merry Christmas, everyone.
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LOL! Ok, here's a real failure mode for you.
Needless to say (I hope), I'm not a big fan of Mr. Kunstler's. That said, the attached makes for a fascinating, if ultimately loopy, read in a "For All Times" sort of way.
Posted by: Bernard Guerrero | December 29, 2009 at 06:26 PM
Dude, that was pretty funny! Well worth the price of admission.
You know, he sounds like quite the cranky conservative, pining for the days when even the down-and-out wore ties and nobody tattooed their necks.
I wonder if he knows that crime rates in New York City are at record lows, even with all the neck tattoos?
On the other hand, I really wish that people would stop wearing shorts in urban areas. And T-shirts, unless worn under a jacket. Just not dignified!
Posted by: Noel Maurer | December 29, 2009 at 06:39 PM
Glad you caught the "down and out" lines. This stuff is gold. No, scratch that, he may be a goldbug of sorts. It wouldn't surprise me.
"he sounds like quite the cranky conservative"
I don't think it's left or right so much as a certain mindset that has been positively relishing the last 2 years or so in a Soundgarden "Limo Wreck" sort of way.
Posted by: Bernard Guerrero | December 29, 2009 at 07:26 PM
Kunstler came to general doomsmanship, as I understand it, from the direction of transportation and land-use planning. I remember a piece from the Atlantic, maybe ten years ago, where he described the ideal structure of a village and a small city -- his examples could have been North Amherst village and Northampton in MA, though I believe he lives in Saratoga Springs. I see him as a less respectable Jane Jacobs, generalizing from his home neighborhood to a Theory of Everything.
Noel, for the record, you think he's completely wrong about Mexico, right? (E.g,, the next president will be a Pancho Villa type, the oil there is gone, the drug gangs are going to win the internal battle...)
Posted by: Dave MB | January 06, 2010 at 11:53 AM
Very overdue, Dave, apologies. Yes, I think he's wrong.
A great blog on Mexico is here. It might be a little hard to follow if you don't know Mexican politics, which is why I very much hope that the blog author writes a book. I mean, the best book ever on Mexico has already been published, but I've been saying for a long time that anything written about Mexico will be wrong ten minutes later, so there's room for another best book ever on the subject.
Posted by: Noel Maurer | February 12, 2010 at 12:03 AM