BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing

Subject: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: catspaw49
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 06:36 AM

I love those profound statements which say absolutely nothing. The latest comes from John McCain and is not meant to dis poor old John, but since pols are so skilled in this fine art, it is appropriate that this thread should start with one.

I just heard McCain on the news commenting on a suicide bombing in Iraq. Agreeing he said with the US commander there, Old John stated he believed these suicide bombings were "inevitable but unsustainable."

...........yeah.............uh huh.................


Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Rapparee
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:05 AM

Well, yes. Certainly. I quite agree.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Jos
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:11 AM

Is this the reason so many people, when asked a question, especially on television and radio, begin their answer with

"Yes - no ..."

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Rapparee
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:14 AM

Certainly. There surely is.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: catspaw49
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:17 AM

In some instances that might be true while in others it is not.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: kendall
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:17 AM

Give me ambiguity or something else.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: GUEST,Fred (Beetle) Bailey
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 10:02 AM

Or, as the Okies say: "Bigg'ern shit!"

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 10:21 AM

It really depends. I might make approving sounds if there were sufficient nodding heads around, but I definitely won't be saying anything committal about whatever it is that we might be discussing in the foreseable future. Though I might prevaricate in real terms, deviate and procrastinate until I can weigh things up in the balance with all things being considered.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: GUEST,Wesley S
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 10:21 AM

No comment

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 11:15 AM

Yes Spaw,

John did indeed speak with an elusive yet asertainable certainty of the deliberate speed in which the changing tides in the sustainabilty of hostilities in the region changes day by day, while the pendulum of inevitability inexorably swings toward eventual victory with the help of the hand* of the almighty which moves in mysterious ways.      


*(insert jerking off gesture here)

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: SharonA
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 11:15 AM

Just for fun, I googled "inevitable but unsustainable". I got 390 hits. I had no idea that it was such a catch-phrase.

One hit contained the phrase "inevitable but unsustainable short-termism" (from the Department of Redundancy Department!).

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 11:27 AM

I got plenty of nothin'

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Peace
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 02:45 PM

McCain is absolutely, resolutely and convolutedly correct. The man is a genius. NO DOUBT. Just because you people can't read the deep meaning behind his remarks is NO reason to put the man down. Dammit. Do I have to do ALL the thinking here?

Old John stated he believed these suicide bombings were "inevitable but unsustainable."

OK. Stay with me on this.

1) What he means is that suicide bombers are running out of bombs.

Keriste, the number of excellent thinkers on Mudcat and you couldn't figure that out? KERISTE!

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: wysiwyg
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 03:12 PM

Some people can infer and retaliate against a whole biookful of stuff one neither has said, nor thought, nor felt. I run into that a lot-- apparently "straight shooters" (who actually mean pretty much what they say and nothing more) are in short supply. But I've had many interesting experiences trying to figure out how to shut down whatever outputs they base these assumptions on-- without being totally paralyzed. People like that can be so interested in a fight that they can make a big one out of my being asleep 100 miles away, just as if I was right here and purposely ignoring them.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 03:19 PM

It reminds me of Fred Armisen, when he plays his character Nicholas Fehn on the Weekend Update segment of Saturday Night Live, especially after Amy Pohler interrupts him and tries to get him to sort of— You know how a person, when he starts to say something he feels is important, but he hasn't really digested his own thoughts yet, and— well, I don't want to give away too much of the joke, but Fred Armisen IS one of the best— well, he's no John Belushi, maybe, but— uh, maybe I'm getting off on the wrong track by comparing him to John Belushi— Armisen is really in a different category, uh, I don't want to call him cerebral, exactly, that would give the wrong impression; and I don't want you to think— oh, hell, just watch the video. (Sorry about the commercial.)

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Bill D
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 04:03 PM

Important disclaimer on silence

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: gnu
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 05:49 PM

I can't agree.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 06:44 PM

Spaw,

Good to have you back.

Doin OK?

Anyway, what are politicians like on your planet?

On my planet it is the politician's job to make profound statements that say absolutely nothing.

However, the politician's #1 job to make sure that those who paid for his/her election get a good return on their investment.

Russ (Permanent GUEST)

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 09:03 PM

bULL they aren't running out of bombs
and while I am at it, what is with these IMPROVISED Explosive devices!?

After 16 years I don;t think they need to improvise IED's anymore. I think they have it down to a science.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Art Thieme
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 11:09 PM

Always be sincere, whether you mean it or not.


Art

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: MarkS
Date: 26 Oct 09 - 11:25 PM

Best yet is the recent quote from John Kerry in Afghanistan. When asked if he was upstaging Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State, he was reported to have replied:

"I don't want--you know, I don't even--I don't think that's appropriate, de facto, whatever, whatever."

Funny, I kinda agree!

Mark

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: GUEST,Teribus
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 02:54 AM

"Inevitable" - certainly you will always find someone prepared to die for "the cause" whatever that cause is

"Unsustainable" - also correct because the number who are prepared to die for "the cause" in such a manner is few - How many suicide bombers attacks have occured of late compared to a couple of decades ago - unheard of now in Israel where they used to be so common.

A favoured tactic of the Tamil Tigers - suicide bombing did them no good, it has done the Palestinians no good, it will do Al-Qaeda and the Taleban no good.

Liked the quote from the Suicide Bombers Instructor:

"OK you lot, watch carefully I'm only going to show you this once."

Donuel, I believe the "Improvised" part of the IED comes from having to be a bit inventive in obtaining explosives, constructing the device and then finding a "safe" means of detonating it - In Afghanistan the Taleban have to go out into areas mined during the Soviet occupation and prospect for old mines which they then adapt, quite a few kill themselves and their colleagues getting the mines and during the adaption process, latter apparently being quite spectacular as they are adapting anti-tank mines for anti-personnel use.

On IED use and effect in Afghanistan about 80% of the IED's deployed are detected and rendered safe, they are the greatest cause of civilian and military casualties.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Rasener
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 07:41 AM

Sounds like the House of Commons in the UK.

They say a lot, but say nothing.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: kendall
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 07:46 AM

McCain's comment makes sense to me.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 11:34 AM

McCain's comment certainly does make sense...if you interpret it as Teribus has...and that's probably exactly what McCain intended when he spoke, I would think.

Howwever, this is what I would say about American and British military intervention in both Iraq and Afghanistan...and their current attempts to build thereby an overseas empire and control oil in the Middle East and Caspian regions.

Ahem! Do I have your attention?

It's inevitable but unsustainable. ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Amos
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 03:43 PM

I'm sorry--could you repeat that?

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Little Hawk
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 06:23 PM

"B'dee...b'dee...b'dee...that's all, folks!" (Porky Pig)

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: GUEST,Teribus
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 07:04 PM

"this is what I would say about American and British military intervention in both Iraq and Afghanistan...and their current attempts to build thereby an overseas empire and control oil in the Middle East and Caspian regions."

Now let me see the US will have withdrawn from Iraq completely by when was it Saint Obama said?? August 2011 wasn't it?? Y'all sayin' that he's lyin'

Now how much of Iraq's Oil have they "controlled" - the only oil that the US has obtained from Iraq it has paid full market price for. As yet no US Oil Company has been awarded a licence to develop or operate any oil or gas field in Iraq - some Empire eh??

Now how about Afghanistan where they are empire building in order to control oil from the "Caspian regions" - well there only ever has been one pipeline talked about (Note "talked" about it is far from certain that it will ever be built) and that is the TAPI Pipeline which is supposed to transport NATURAL GAS (the property of the state oil company of Turkmenistan) from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan and Pakistan to India. So what's all this about oil from the "Caspian Region"? Anybody able to tell me how the US Government or any US Company is going to benefit from this gas pipeline? The only US company that was interested in it was UNOCAL and they bowed out of it in December 1998.

By the bye the TAPI Pipeline if ever built will be funded via the Asian Development Bank - the US Government has no stake in this bank.

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: gnu
Date: 27 Oct 09 - 07:32 PM

Ahhh... Teribus... who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of the dreaded Pipers?

Subject: LYR Add:- Whatever You Say, Say Nothing
From: Ross Campbell
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 09:00 PM

WHATEVER YOU SAY, SAY NOTHING
(Colum Sands), copyright Elm Grove Music

Chorus:
Whatever you say, say nothing,
When you speak about you know what,
For if you know who should hear you,
You know what you'll get,
They'll take you off to you know where,
For you wouldn't know how long,
So for you know who's sake,
Don't let anyone hear you singing this song

Now you all know what I'm speaking of, when I mention you know what,
And I fear it's very dangerous, to even mention that,
For the other it is always near, although you may not see,
But if anyone asks who told you that, please don't mention me.

Chorus

And you all know who I'm speaking of, when I mention you know who,
And if you know who could hear me now, you know what he'd do,
So if you don't see me again, you'll know why I'm away,
But if anyone ask you where I've gone, here's what you must say

Chorus

Well that's enough about so and so, not to mention such and such,
I'd better end my song now, I've already said too much,
For the less you say and the less you hear, the less you'll go astray,
And the less you think and the less do,
The more you'll hear them say.

Chorus



From the Colum Sands website.
A tongue-in-the-cheek (or should that be "biting your tongue"?) comment on a situation hopefully past.

Ross

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 29 Oct 09 - 01:32 AM

That is a very good question.

I am glad you asked me that...

Subject: RE: BS: The Fine Art of Saying Nothing
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Oct 09 - 10:26 AM

"Saint Obama"?

Since when have I been praising Obama's policies in Iraq and Afghanistan? ;-) Yes, I think he probably is lying. He's just a puppet on strings anyway. He doesn't decide what happens.