[Assam] A Joe Barton of Our Own?
Chan Mahanta
cmahanta at gmail.com
Wed Jun 23 13:53:54 PDT 2010
My apologies for the delay in replying. Out on a short vacation, I
have been out of internet service.
**** Thanks for the explanation below. I suspected something like that
might have been the
case, but wanted to make sure, before I returned to the issue's closure:
>My second mail expresses my deep sympathy to the family of an innocent
> victim,who was murdered, rather brutally.
> My real concern for those people,who fell a victim to the barbaric
> acts of ULFA, can be gauged by the fact that a barrage of letters in
> protest were written by me,even though I had special reason to be
> concerned with respect to the safety of my kith and kin,I left behind.
> KO
**** Is that a crystal clear demonstration of dedication to humanism,
beyond
the call of duty or what? It also sets one apart from the double-
talking,
selective-humanism-promoting lot. If I had the power to bestow a
Monusyo
Rotno-like award, recognizing the high valor and selfless dedication,
I would have,
had I not been confused by the unceremonious and unseemly declaration
"As a normal human being,who DEEPLY BELIEVES IN HUMANITY --"
that prefaced the expression of sympathy to the family of the victim.
**** We all have had the misfortune of knowing or running into some of
those
lovely people, who wear their piety on their shirt-sleeves and who
never fail to
make sure that their acts of charity, kindness or other commendable
acts go unnoticed
by their peers, if not the world. Like cheap politicians for example.
But KJD? I don't think so!
# So, how did that happen?
For only one and only one reason: From a need for damage control :-)!
# What damage?
For declaring earlier, that
"All these drivels ( sic) with respect to human/humanity/humanism
>>> are nothing but hackneyed
>>> slogans. "
# But that was in the context of CM recommending the human ID as the
primary ID for Anurag.
**** Now we come to another interesting part here.
# Does it therefore mean, that HUMANISM is bogus, because it came from
a man
of soiled reputation, this Odhom?
# If so, KJD's Humanism as an idea, can be made to be 'sua', soiled,
merely by the touch
of an unclean one.
**** Nice one that would be, wouldn't it?
OR try this:
#Did we hear someone sneering from the sidelines about this Odhom's
"selective-humanism" ?
Oh yes, that was from the jeer-leading section. And it held that this
Odhom's
expression of humanism is phony, because THEY never heard a
word of denouncement from him about the Bihari Killing perpetrated
by ULFA.
Obviously it means, to KJD and his jeer-leading section, that UNLESS
one wears his piety on his shirtsleeves, like themselves, particularly
in instances
of ULFA's violence, for all to see and which they had to witness
THEMSELVES, they
could not be trusted to value humanism.
**** Is THAT enlightenment or what?
**** The truth however is that neither KJD nor his jeer-leading
section is that
intellectually challenged. They just got caught up in a politically
spun web
of their own making, and while attempting to extricate from it, got
even more
mired in the muck.
**** The moral of the story here is that when allows one's judgement
to be guided by
one's politics, it may end up in doing a Joe Barton. Not a pretty sight.
**** Under the circumstances, being the nice guy I am, I still leave
the option for KJD
to accept the escape hatch I offered with "----It is a sign of
maturity to correct oneself, even
after making a spectacular blunder. ---". The least I could do. But
as the ancient proverb
goes," I can only lead the camel to the water, but if he does not
drink ----" :-).
cm
On Jun 19, 2010, at 9:33 PM, kamal deka wrote:
>>>> 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<<<
>
> Sorry,part of my response did not get through,somehow.
> I write on stuff that tickles me at the precise point of writing and
> that yokes me to the issue of ' context '.
> You played devil's advocate by spouting the pious thought of '
> humanity ' in connection with Rudra's write-up = Do not seem to
> practice what you preach in the light of ULFA's short-circuiting their
> killing machines on innocent Biharis = Double-talk = this leads to the
> humbug/baloney of humanity/humanism et al.Geddit!!!
> My second mail expresses my deep sympathy to the family of an innocent
> victim,who was murdered, rather brutally.
> My real concern for those people,who fell a victim to the barbaric
> acts of ULFA, can be gauged by the fact that a barrage of letters in
> protest were written by me,even though I had special reason to be
> concerned with respect to the safety of my kith and kin,I left behind.
> KO
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 18, 2010 at 10:32 PM, Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>> 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
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> assam mailing list
>>>> assam at assamnet.org
>>>> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> assam mailing list
>>> assam at assamnet.org
>>> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> assam mailing list
>> assam at assamnet.org
>> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> assam mailing list
> assam at assamnet.org
> http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
More information about the Assam
mailing list