Blurred Line? Really? What a Perfect Analogy<http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/08/30/blurred-line-really-what-a-perfect-analogy/> By: Jim White <http://www.emptywheel.net/author/jim-white/> Friday August 30, 2013 8:56 am
As Barack Obamas relentless pursuit of a violent intervention in Syria continues, cliches have been tossed out freely in each new segment of the corporate news cycle. We had credibility<http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/08/26/credibility/> for quite some time, and then yesterday there was go it alone<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-administration-prepares-intelligence-case-on-syrian-use-of-chemical-weapons/2013/08/29/3002f180-10b6-11e3-bdf6-e4fc677d94a1_story.html> (see the capsule summary for this article on left of page for go it alone phrase) when David Cameron lost a parliamentary vote authorizing British cooperation in military action yesterday afternoon. But an article<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/30/world/middleeast/aim-of-a-us-attack-on-syria-sharpening-a-blurred-red-line.html?hp&_r=0> published last night by the New York Times provided, whether intentionally or not, the perfect analogy for Obamas drive for war in Syria. When I tweeted it last night <https://twitter.com/JimWhiteGNV/status/373262417523773441>, the title for their article was Military Analysis: Aim of a U.S. Attack on Syria: Sharpening a Blurred Red Line. That phrasing immediately calls to mind the latest pop misogynistic hit Blurred Lines. [The "unrated" version of the video is definitely NSFW.] The Times has now changed its phrasing somewhat, with the latter part of the headline reading Restore a Red Line That Became Blurred. Okay, so by changing their phrasing, the Times appears to be signalling that they didnt mean to draw a parallel with the song, but I still feel it is a perfect fit for the situation. The lyrics<http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/robinthicke/blurredlines.html> are a disgusting collection of violent sexual suggestions for what the artist wants to do to a good girl. *And that seems to fit so well for what Obama wants to do to Syria (while Assad certainly doesnt fit as good, the innocent civilians who will die do fit):* Ill give you something big enough to tear your ass in two. And if that isnt enough, we even get this in the music video <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU>: [image: Who has a big d.] Doesnt this strike, when all is said and done, amount to nothing more than Obama proving he has a big d? When even large numbers of military officers are now openly questioning the wisdom of an attack<http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-military-officers-have-deep-doubts-about-impact-wisdom-of-a-us-strike-on-syria/2013/08/29/825dd5d4-10ee-11e3-b4cb-fd7ce041d814_story.html>, and insisting that it will spiral inevitably into a larger regional war, Obamas determination to proceed is all about the size of his d. Granted, in the LA Times yesterday<http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-obama-dilemma-20130828,0,3890786.story>, there was an anonymous suggestion that Obama only wanted an attack just muscular enough not to get mocked, but from where we simple taxpayers sit, mocking seems the only tool we have left for trying to prevent one atrocity leading to many more under the guise of good intentions. - See more at: http://www.emptywheel.net/#sthash.3yXI97av.dpuf ===================================================== The Devils Advocate: Mr. Assad, call your cleric. [image: Image courtesy of Shutterstock] Dear Mr. Assad, I hope this finds you well. Our mutual friendMr. Red, as it wereinforms me that you may require legal counsel soon. At his request, I have summarized relevant facts, assessed my schedule, and proposed a way forward. In 2000, you inherited your fathers businesses: (1) the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria), a holding company headquartered in Damascus, controlled by your family and friends since the 1970s, and increasingly staffed with highly-educated professionals from select urban neighborhoods and rural provinces; (2) the Republic of Lebanon (Lebanon), a lucrative subsidiary incorporated with limited liability in Beirut but operated with impunity from a regional office in Aanjar; and (3) various Iranian-backed start-ups, joint ventures, affiliates, and shell companies (Hezbollah, Inc.). After allegations of mismanagement, you relinquished the Lebanon subsidiary to its permanent Board of Defectors in 2005. However, you successfully retained control over Syria. In the ensuing years, working through your holding company and in conjunction with Hezbollah, Inc., you orchestrated successive management changes in the Lebanon subsidiary, vacated a number of mid-level executive positions through enhanced end on earth techniques, and backed a hostile takeover of the Board of Defectors. Unfortunately, as you jousted for control over the subsidiary, a group of Syrias shareholders began petitioning for new management processes. On the one hand, these shareholderscitizens, perhaps, in their imaginationcontend that Syria is or should be a publically traded company, which would more or less grant them certain ownership and voting rights. On the other hand, you argue that Syria is and should be closely held company controlled by your family, friends, and associates. Therein lies the dispute. In the Syria holding company and its Lebanon subsidiary, you have repeatedly displayed an inability to manage people. Moreover, you have repeatedly overplayed your hand: Regardless of the broader business climate, which has compelled potential white knights or corporate raiders to stay their hands, you have clearly not maximized your companys potential (to put it gently). Whether a product of your birth, upbringing, or recent immersion in the business, your interpersonal skills leave much to be desired. Therein lies the problem. When prominent executives in the Lebanon subsidiary attempted to reorganize internal affairs, you had them terminatedan inconvenient term, to be sure, but even the best advocates are bound by the constraints of language. You could have bought them out. When the shareholders in Syria began their petition for more control, you liquidated them and their assetsI apologize again for the terminology, but facts come first. You could have given them some non-voting stock. But you did notand thats understandable, given that you have felt the need to prove how much of an insightful and decisive leader you are. In short, while running your fathers stable business into the ground, youve engaged the Syrian people, the Arab world, and the international community on a series of matters that will require legal counsel over the coming years. Regrettably, however, I must decline to represent you on these matters (as well as any prospective matters that you have yet to raise). Over the past few days, American warships have anchored in the Eastern Mediterranean, the British have begun running supplies and personnel to Cyprus, and French have doubled down on their posturing everywhere. No particular reason Im just busy with clients that are able to legally transact in American currency; I hope you understand. And, while it may be true that everyone deserves counsel, not everyone can have mine To the extent prevalent rules and conventional standards of practice compel me to refer you to someone less competent, less conflicted (legally and businesswise), and/or less discerning, please: Call your cleric. Sincerely, - The Devils Advocate *Anthony Elghossain is not the Devils Advocate. Follow him @aelghossain* *--------------------------* * * * http://972mag.com/as-syria-strike-looms-israeli-embassy-posts-threats-facing-israel-map/78006/ * By Mairav Zonszein <http://972mag.com/author/mairavz/> |Published August 28, 2013 As Syria strike looms, Israeli embassy plays up 'threats facing Israel' New and old media has gone abuzz with news that a U.S. strike on Syria could come as early as Thursday. And just as Israels cabinet<http://bigstory.ap.org/article/tensions-rise-israelis-scramble-gas-masks> ordered a limited call up of reservist soldiers, a map outlining all the threats Israel faces suddenly popped up in my social media feed, courtesy of the Israeli embassy in the U.S., and published on BuzzFeed.<http://www.buzzfeed.com/israelinusa/threats-facing-israel-explained-in-one-sort-of-t-dwmv> <http://972mag.com/as-syria-strike-looms-israeli-embassy-posts-threats-facing-israel-map/78006/screen-shot-2013-08-28-at-4-28-22-pm/> Screenshot, Buzzfeed The timing of this alarmist map couldnt be more strategic. As the U.S. mulls some kind of strike in Syria (with absolutely no convincing arguments about how it will improve the situation for Syrian civilians) Israel is playing up the victim card, emphasizing that it is in a rough neighborhood surrounded by entities that want it destroyed. Obviously there are real threats of violence: from Hezbollah, extremists in Sinai, and it aint easy sharing a border with a country at war just ask Jordan, which is receiving the most refugees from Syria. Im sure it can tell you how hard it is. But to say that the West Bank poses a threat to Israel? According to the Israeli embassy text: In the West Bank, radical forces opposing the Palestinian Authority and a culture of conflict generate strong anti-Israel incitement and hatred. First of all, it is ludicrous for Israel to call the West Bank a threat since it controls and occupies it, and it is especially infuriating considering it just shot at unarmed protesters, killing three Palestinian men and wounding over a dozen others i<http://972mag.com/watch-soldiers-open-fire-on-stone-throwers-in-qalandia-three-killed/77880/>n Qalandiya on Monday. Secondly, saying the West Bank is a breeding ground for a culture of conflict is incendiary and essentially racist, implying all Palestinians are violent by nature. The text also mentions radical forces opposing the Palestinian Authority and insists Israel is ever more committed to reaching an historic peace agreement based on the principle of two states for two peoples. Considering everything Israel has done to undermine the Palestinian Authority over the years, and considering so many members of Netanyahus ruling cabinet openly reject the Palestinian Authority and the establishment of two states, the biggest radical force opposing the PA that I can think of is Israel itself. *At a time when civilians in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon are being killed off indiscriminately, when Palestinians are as ever subject to military dictatorship, the almost half-century-old Israeli occupation is one of the most stable elements in the region.* So what could be better for Israeli PR right now than to play up its victimhood in the region, so that it can continue to do as it pleases with impunity? That way it has every excuse it needs to avoid, postpone and thwart progress on a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians. 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