Keyser Soze / Doug and Terrance

[Paul Mackin]

On Kelly's column

Name calling: Yes.

Analysis: You can't do much analysis in a newspaper column

Coherent point: The peace activists' advice to avoid use of military power
in the present situation is something that can be offered with complete
impunity only because there's no chance in Hell that anybody in authority
will follow it and that in Kelly's opinion this may be just as reassuring
(deep down) to the peace activists as to any other American.

Do I think this point is valid: Yes.

Do I think all pacifists are fools and fanatics: No.

Does Kelly think so: I'm not sure. Wouldn't be surprised.

P.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Wise" <philwise at paradise.net.nz>
To: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>; <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 3:41 AM
Subject: Re: Keyser Soze / Doug and Terrance


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Mackin" <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
> To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2001 9:17 AM
> Subject: Re: Keyser Soze / Doug and Terrance
>
>
> > > Judy Panetta wrote: (copied from Terrance's post since original never
> came
> > to my mailbox)
> > > >
> > > > Kelly as nostalgic for the sixties..? Let me preface this
explanation
> > that I
> > > > wrote this as a first impression on reading this article. So forgive
> me
> > > > folks, if I do not have the research usually warranted here.
> > > >
> > > > But let me try...there is in Kelly's article a tone that I found
> > reminiscent
> > > > of the rhetoric of the "conservatives" in the sixties-early
seventies.
> > >
> >
> > Kelly definitely styles himself a conservative. Doubt if I knew of his
> > existence until he came to the Post as one of their op-ed page
> conservatives
> > (to preside along side George Will). I've never read him at all
regularly
> > but associate him with the "right wing conspirary against the Clintons"
as
> > it's called..  Very abrasive in style. He was born in 1957 so would have
> > come to life at the time Reagan's 80s conservativism was in flower.
> Religion
> > and politics. Culture wars. Would guess Kelly's view of both sides of
the
> > culture wars would be negative. Actually I've no idea on how he feels
> about,
> > say, abortion rights. But in any event I would guess Goldwater's earlier
> 60s
> > conservatism would have held more appeal as something to look back upon.
> > Maybe this ties is with what Judy saw.  Tough guy, no nonsense, keep the
> > government out of my business (and bedroom if he'd thought about it) and
> out
> > of the rest of the world . Libertarian. By the way, remember it wasn't
the
> > conservatives who were pushing the Vietnam war. It was the liberals.
> > Kennedy, Johnson. Anyway, now I'll read Mr. K. more assiduously.
> >
> >         P.
>
>
> http://www.dailyhowler.com/h100301_1.shtml
>
> Since this link above has some pretty sharp things to say about Mr Kelly
and
> possibly by implication his readers, I'll preface this by saying my
posting
> of it is in no way designed reflect on Paul.  But I saw no analysis in
> Kelly's column, just name calling, which seems to be more or less the main
> tool the "right" has employed against the "left" lately.  And this guy's
> analysis of mainstream punditry is usually pretty tight.
>
> And since Kelly's managed to bring what I'd prefer not to call
> "anti-globalisation" into it ("much of what is passing for pacifism in
this
> instance is not pacifism at all but only the latest tedious manifestation
of
> a well-known pre-existing condition: the largely reactionary, largely
> incoherent, largely silly muddle of anti-American, anti-corporatist,
> anti-globalist sentiments that passes for the politics of the left these
> days"), an utterly dishonest spew (hey, I think he's talking about me,
fuck
> him, he could at least not generalise me out of existence), I'll go along
> with the critique even though its claims for the lack of genuine pacifists
> in America is wrong, although it is funny that nobody can name them, it
> seems.
>
> phil
>
>
> >
> >
> >
>