28 January 2011 · 4:43 pm

2010 – Look Back in Horror

I need to to a little housekeeping, which I’d planned to do, but 2011 has been shaping itself into an annus horribilis, with two revolutions, dead birds and fish and a mass shooting/assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona.

Now, while Egypt melts down, this seems an apt time to tie up some loose ends. In 2010, I wrote several thematically interlinked series. They have not grown silly or ephemeral with the passage of time. So, a brief catalog. There was the North To Alaska series, being an actual reconnaissance-in-farce of the stomping grounds of the Princess of Moosylvania™ — without, significantly, relying on her Facebook pronunciamentos, which may well be unique in American media.

The installments are:

And there was the Foster Friess story, occasioned by Tucker Carlson’s juvenile attempts to take down Keith Olbermann. (Gee. Who’s still polluting media, and who’s sitting out the fray? Hmmm.) Here is the most influential cranky zillionaire you’ve never heard of:

  1. Tucker Carlson is Keith Olbermann; I am Glenn Beck (18 July)
  2. More Fake Cowboys (23 July)
  3. The Biggest Foundation That You’ve Never Heard Of (1 Aug. )
  4. Following Foster’s Buddies’ Money (10 Aug.)
  5. Foster’s Dominionist Pals (13 Aug.)
  6. Rubber Baby Buggy Bunglers (18 Aug.)
  7. (12 Nov.)
  8. (Dec. 31, 2010)

And there was the (ignored nationally, except for the superficialities) Robert Mercer funding of an astroturf attack group (“Concerned Taxpayers of America”) to the tune of $680,000. Who is Robert Mercer? Good question. I seem to be the only one who bothered to ask:

I did quite a bit of coverage of the “Tea Party” and FreedomWorks, and how they work in Oregon — because you sometimes understand the macro by focusing on the micro. Here’s one three part series on “FreedomWorks in Oregon” and how they connect to the “Tea Party”:

And we had the “on the scene” two parter following the Ciera Prieto earthquakes in Southern California/Baja Mexico:

Then there were those odd stories that just seemed to mysteriously vanish into the electronic aether:

This one, about how those creepy Mel Gibson beat me up photos were clearly doctored was met with stony silence at the gossip blogs, but, oddly, NO MORE PHOTOS were released, and the story suddenly went away. Hmmm.

Let’s get something straight: I in no wise approve of what Mel Gibson is purported to have done.

But his moral train wreck is NOT my business.

Then again, if he is to be tried, let that trial be fair and not simply media whores using the pain of the famous as the ben-wa balls in their self-pleasuring. If they were committed to NEWS, or facts or anything other than the lowest sort of Rupert Murdoch schadenfreudey wallowing in human misery, the clear faking of the photos OUGHT to have been news. They were supplied with the story.

And there was my tracing of the seeming international conspiracy to discredit the Copenhagen Climate Summit across three (count ‘em THREE) continents:

I tried to warn yas. But, as with CNN, my please fell on def earz

Again, an important story about how multinational millionaires manipulate international press and policy for ends that are deleterious to the body politic. It was important, dammit, and it’s STILL important.

And there were others. (TK)

I may add to this list, as things occur to me, so be forewarned that what you read is only the latest revision of this post. But, as no clear theme emerges from my pointless badinage, it strikes me that for the moral uplift of the reader, I should frame this potpourri of post-facto porridge with a mythological metaphor, a meaningful mimetic (and mnemonic) meme:

Cassandra seeks the protection
of  Athena (Tuileries, Paris, France)

So, let me conclude by telling you the Story of Cassandra (from Mythography):

We first find the tale of Cassandra and her legendary gifts in other works of ancient Greek literature. According to one version of the story, Cassandra received the power to foretell the future from the god Apollo. Apparently, Apollo instructed the mortal woman and taught her about the art of prophecy because he had an ulterior motive – the god wished to win her affections. Cassandra accepted Apollo as a teacher, but not as a lover. Naturally, the god was insulted by this refusal. So he punished Cassandra. Apollo caused the gift that he gave Cassandra to be twisted, making everyone who heard her true and accurate foretellings of future events believe that they were instead hearing lies. In other words, the wondrous blessing bestowed upon a mortal became instead a terrible curse.

And indeed, the burden of Cassandra’s “gift” is evident in mythology. She predicted the outcome of many disastrous events. In one memorable example, Cassandra announced the dire consequences of the Trojans accepting the infamous Wooden Horse from their Greek opponents. But as Apollo made certain, no one believed Cassandra when she warned her companions about the future. And this, in the end, was to be Cassandra’s tragic fate.

Well, I have even less of a propensity to view Apollo’s unwanted attentions favorably,  but if it will lift this damned burden of seeing clearly to no avail, then I suppose that I must put aside maidenly virtue and accept.

Or sacrifice a goat or whatever it is that they did.

Courage.

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  1. Pingback: Foster Friess Links for KVOT Listeners | his vorpal sword