[Assam] A Joe Barton of Our Own?

[Chan Mahanta]

On Jun 18, 2010, at 5:57 PM, kamal deka wrote:

>>>> "As a normal human being,who DEEPLY BELIEVES IN HUMANITY ,my  
>>>> heart goes out to the family of the victim of this terrible  
>>>> tragedy."<<<
>
> This one really tops my hilarity chart and hence I laugh my gut
> out.

*** Careful now! While I envy all those who are so blessed to be able  
to laugh
all the way to one's grave, I wouldn't want to see you  head that way  
so early in life :-).



> How come the context of those remarks sank without a trace? I
> hope,you made an attempt to slip a bit of levity into the discussion
> since rank absurdity as this one cannot be expected to emerge from an
> experienced netter like you,even though I am fully aware of the idiom
> ( you see, how dam idioms torment me often) that goes '" many a true
> word is spoken in jest" ( let me give you the meaning before it gets
> your nerve.It means,witty remark that contains serious statement.)

*** Thanks much. That was so very thoughtful.  I didn't have to go  
search for the
idiom's meaning in the internet.


Tell us more about what I might have missed contextually.  Trust Me, I  
am not
infallible. While I may be old, it does not necessarily make me wise,  
as you must have
heard me say so many times. So lay bare what I missed. I am serious. I  
would want to know
what nuance did not register in this Odhom's decrepit mind. And if  I  
am so blessed as to
be enlightened, I will express my gratitude in no uncertain terms, for  
all here to see .


> Now,I must admit, your's is truly an example of peerless writing
> skill!!!.


**** Really?  Is this some kind of a 'leng-mora' compliment, overly  
exaggerated ,
just to make the tripping more pronounced?



> Now if you just could have gotten the facts straight!


**** I told you, I am not only not infallible, I am not all that  
literate either. Sometimes the
meanings of the written word, particularly of the hyperbole laden and  
verbose, do elude me.
So don't hesitate to say it like it is--I won't at all mind being  
exposed to netters' disparagement.


> It seems,you got your wires crossed and printed some laughable  
> "facts."

**** While it could entirely be possible for me to get my wires  
crossed,  I  am not sure what
I reported or referred to as "fact" that is so laughable.  Please help.



> I hope you'll do some checking into this matter by revisiting my  
> earier
> mails to see the context ---

**** That I did. But I still don't get it. From the assertive tone  
here, I have to conclude
you are sure I missed something relevant. Since I still don't get it,  
will I be asking too much
to explain what it was that was so obvious but my thick head did not  
get it? An extension of a
helping hand to the comprehensionally challenged  ( you heard it here  
first) will be an act
of kindness that a humanitarian would not refuse. Can I count on it?


> and if it turns out that I'm right (which I
> am), run a correction, an apology, a plea for mercy, or something  
> contrite. You can thank me later.

**** Absolutely! The least I could do.

A word of of advice here: Do consult your fan club before you respond,  
lest they  get thrown
under the bus :-).








>
> KO
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 8:44 AM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com>  
> wrote:
>> Words of extraordinary significance, duplicity, retraction etc.  
>> often finds
>> its
>> way into the American lexicon as phrases on their own, namely:
>>
>> *** To be Borked  came from Reagan's Supreme Court nominee Robert  
>> Bork who
>> was rejected
>> by the Senate after a highly charged hearing.
>>
>> *** To be doing a Cheney came from exaggerated fear-mongering to  
>> political
>> ends.
>>
>> *** So on and so forth.
>>
>>
>> Yesterday,  Congressman Joe Barton ( R-Tex) , an ex Oil Co.  
>> Executive and
>> the one Congressman
>> who has received the highest amount of money ( campaign donations)  
>> from oil
>> companies,
>> who was the ranking minority representative in the Congressional  
>> hearing
>> that took testimony from
>> BP CEO, Tony Howard made an unprecedented apology to BP, for his  
>> perceived
>> crime of the US Govt.
>> and President Obama in 'shaking down BP' ( in his words) for the $ 20
>> Billion to be kept aside in trust
>> for compensation to people and companies who are hurt by the oil  
>> spill.
>> Among other things he said that
>> he does not want to live in a country that does such things.
>>
>> The same Joe Barton made a complete about face, later in the day,  
>> after a
>> national outcry and having
>> been taken to task by his own party leaders and apologized to the  
>> American
>> people for his apology
>> to BP earlier in the day.
>>
>> This has the potential to find a way into the American lexicon as  
>> well, as
>> "To do a Joe Barton", meaning doing an
>> ignominious about face shortly after making a seriously controversial
>> statement.
>>
>> Did our distinguished netter KJD of Texas do a Joe Barton in the  
>> last couple
>> of days, right here in assamnet
>> by making the following two statements, one shortly after the other?
>>
>>
>>        "All these drivels  ( sic) with respect to human/humanity/ 
>> humanism
>> are nothing but hackneyed
>>        slogans. "
>>
>> Followed by:
>>
>>        "As a normal human being,who DEEPLY BELIEVES IN HUMANITY ,my  
>> heart
>> goes out to the family of the victim of this terrible tragedy."
>>
>>
>> You decide :-).
>>
>>
>> **** Personally, I  never taunt people who change their minds after  
>> seeing
>> reason. It is a sign of maturity
>> to correct oneself, even after making a spectacular blunder.  If  
>> that was so
>> in KJD's case, instead of making him a target
>> of public ridicule, I would commend him for his courage to stand  
>> corrected.
>>
>> Was it?
>>
>>
>> cm
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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