Remember that oft repeated poem by Dylan Thomas? Do not go gentle into that good night. Apparently, the West never read the poem. Or western country leaders never learned the lesson of Neville Chamberlain. Appeasement and inaction are gentle pathways to self-destruction and death.
Now Houthi rebels in service of Iran feel rather emboldened as they attack shipping in a channel through which a large proportion of the world’s trade moves. They even had the temerity to launch weapons at the US Navy. And the American response?
“If you kids don’t settle down back there, I’m going to stop this car, turn around, and head back home. No trip to the zoo for you. So, stop it. I’m warning you.”
"My Inappropriate Citation," as Harvard Would Term It
I’m sorry to say that I cannot remember who told the following. By retelling it, I risk imitating the current President of Harvard or the current President of the United States, both proven plagiarizers. Oh, well, as the justifying Harvard committee argued about President Gay’s plagiarism, “It’s just a case of inappropriate citations.” Duh! Or lack of any citations.
Here’s my “inappropriate citation”: Over the radio I heard someone say that during a strong American response to its enemies, a professor argued with students against the American response and for a peaceful solution. Maybe. Maybe it was an Israeli response to rocket attacks. I can’t remember; this is a vague memory like the one the Harvard president probably had when she quoted the exact words from another research paper. Well, anyway, a student asked the prof what should be done in the context of the attacks. The answer was “turn the other cheek,” I think. So, the student said, what would you do if threw a chalkboard eraser at you right now. The reply, “I’d ask you to stop it.”
“And what if I didn’t? What if I continued to throw erasers at you even as you repeatedly asked me not to?”
“Oh! I see your point.”
Someone get this lesson to the US Commander-in-Chief. I don’t care if he plagiarizes my plagiarism. Stop the fecklessness. Stop the car. Don’t take the kids to the zoo. Turn around and smack them. And do it in front of cameras so the whole world can see.
Now Houthi rebels in service of Iran feel rather emboldened as they attack shipping in a channel through which a large proportion of the world’s trade moves. They even had the temerity to launch weapons at the US Navy. And the American response?
“If you kids don’t settle down back there, I’m going to stop this car, turn around, and head back home. No trip to the zoo for you. So, stop it. I’m warning you.”
"My Inappropriate Citation," as Harvard Would Term It
I’m sorry to say that I cannot remember who told the following. By retelling it, I risk imitating the current President of Harvard or the current President of the United States, both proven plagiarizers. Oh, well, as the justifying Harvard committee argued about President Gay’s plagiarism, “It’s just a case of inappropriate citations.” Duh! Or lack of any citations.
Here’s my “inappropriate citation”: Over the radio I heard someone say that during a strong American response to its enemies, a professor argued with students against the American response and for a peaceful solution. Maybe. Maybe it was an Israeli response to rocket attacks. I can’t remember; this is a vague memory like the one the Harvard president probably had when she quoted the exact words from another research paper. Well, anyway, a student asked the prof what should be done in the context of the attacks. The answer was “turn the other cheek,” I think. So, the student said, what would you do if threw a chalkboard eraser at you right now. The reply, “I’d ask you to stop it.”
“And what if I didn’t? What if I continued to throw erasers at you even as you repeatedly asked me not to?”
“Oh! I see your point.”
Someone get this lesson to the US Commander-in-Chief. I don’t care if he plagiarizes my plagiarism. Stop the fecklessness. Stop the car. Don’t take the kids to the zoo. Turn around and smack them. And do it in front of cameras so the whole world can see.
RSS Feed