Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
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July 9, 2005
Nothing to Say

Running a blog is not only time consuming, it drains your power.

If there is a reasonable bunch of commentators, like you at MoA, for a blogger to be somehow serious you have to reflect on what they say. You have to take in all the news and arguments they bring. Which is much, much more than one would be exposed to without running the blog.

I think that´s the problem Billmon was confronted with, when he shut down comments at his site. Now, I don´t plan to do this, I just want to use this as an excuse for not writing coherent stories about recent outrage issues that need to be tackled:

US Transit Security

The joke of an G8 meeting on Africa

Faryar Shirzad, a deputy national security adviser, said later that the aid commitment involved no new money from the United States, only adding up increases previously agreed to. Mr. Bush’s opposition also helped doom calls for the rich nations to commit themselves to providing a defined proportion of their national incomes to aid to Africa, a step that would have required much larger contributions from the United States

and a hopeful development in Iraq where two foos get together and work out some  cooperation.

I should research more on this, but I can´t. I am confident that you can. Here you go.

Posted by b on July 9, 2005 at 21:11 UTC | Permalink
Comments

this may have already been posted a few days ago, i found it worth the read. it seems inevitable w/ the ratio of shiite in the region that we are going to face the iraq/iran merge to a certain extent and i really don’t see how the admin is going to except us ‘liberating’ iraq and then having them thumb their noses by cohorting w/ an axis of evil.
bernard, thank you for all your work, not a day goes by….
Iranian Revolution Is Thriving in Iraq
” Whether the United States approves or not, the most powerful Iraqi behind the scenes since the occupation began more than two years ago has been Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who, along with Jafari was sheltered and nurtured by Tehran’s ayatollahs during Saddam Hussein’s secular dictatorship. It was no accident that the first serious independent initiative of the elected Shiite leadership in Iraq was to welcome Iran’s foreign minister and to declare, amazingly, that Iran was the moral party in its 1980s war with Iraq.”

Posted by: annie | Jul 9 2005 21:32 utc | 1

1 more time

Posted by: annie | Jul 9 2005 21:35 utc | 2

Daily Star interview
In the region itself, Iraq gives the U.S. much less influence in neighboring states for now. Bush’s team has moved heaven and earth to deny American dependence on neighboring states. Whether they like it or not, Iran and Syria have a vast amount of influence in Iraq, especially Iran. Iran has its hands firmly under the entire south of Iraq, and when the conflict between Iran and the U.S. comes over the uranium enrichment issue, Iran is going to squeeze. The Americans must realize that, but they’re trying to deny it, because the consequences are that in Iraq America is much more vulnerable to Iran than Iran is to America. That’s a very difficult situation for the world’s sole superpower to be in.
Interesting comment, b, about that cooperation….

Posted by: alabama | Jul 9 2005 21:36 utc | 3

b
i think we all understand that it is not a bowl of cherries, at times but i do not know for what reasons – in the last two weeks there have been ppeople arriving at our door & as i sd shitting on the carpets. it is a drag for all of us – you have created a home that is not a refuge but a means of reasserting physically our energies by sharing our thoughts & largely it has worked. of all the regulars i am the most hot headed & the most likely for saying something a little too brutal than it needs to be
i meant what i sd – physically to enter the site last night & to see that shit & today the ‘liberal’ defender of that shit exposed for me that they don’t listen nor do they read what has been written
mostly we are speaking from our different points & they are different points & they cover the terrain
& when it really burns there is a rapid polyphonic communication
that noise that came is just that noise – & it is uncomfortable in every way
b if you want people to share you must ask – there are those here – who are evidently capable
& this last weeks indeed this last month has been straining on us all
& it seems also you are searching for work at the same time
b take care – ask for help – it is our duty as a community to share that responsibility
amité et force

Posted by: remembereringgiap | Jul 9 2005 21:42 utc | 4

alabama, i’m not having success w/your link

Posted by: annie | Jul 9 2005 21:56 utc | 5

Daily Star
If it doesn’t work this time, Annie, go to Juan Cole, where it’s embedded in today’s commentary.

Posted by: alabama | Jul 9 2005 22:19 utc | 6

Or more precisely, Annie, in the item that starts “Iraqi historian Toby Dodge explains….”, where Cole links directly to the Daily Star (and I have no idea why my own links aren’t working; I’ve typed the tags correctly).

Posted by: alabama | Jul 9 2005 22:26 utc | 7

Just a thought here. I’ve only been around this blog stuff a year and a half, but here goes.
If Billmon continues to write, with the current production rate, this site could run indefinitely with just open threads to supplement.
I think blog writers try to produce too much, when it isn’t at all necessary.
My 2 million Weimar Marks.
I have enjoyed your and Jerome’s
writings on many different subjects. Writing is very hard and time-consuming for me, and I can only imagine that it is much harder for those for whom English is not theier first language.
Do what you feel like doing in the writing area, when you have time.
And thanks again for your creation here.

Posted by: FlashHarry | Jul 9 2005 23:57 utc | 8

@Bernhard
I second FlashHarry … surely we could survive on open threads given Billmon’s rate of postings and only create posts to supplement on an ‘as needed’ or to ‘fill in gaps’, unless someone has a particular thread topic to explore/discuss … much less pressure and consumption of time for you …
My 0.02 cents is up and I’m all outta change 😉

Posted by: Outraged | Jul 10 2005 1:19 utc | 9

Running only with open threads linking to Billmon? Wouldn’t this put an added pressure on Billmon? I hope Bernhard would consult with Billmon on the wisdom of this, and perhaps he already has.

Posted by: alabama | Jul 10 2005 1:42 utc | 10

@Alabama
Hmmm, what I understood FlashHarry suggesting was:
1) continuing to create individual threads linking to Billmon’s posts
2) supplemented by generic Open Threads
3) with a dramatically less frequent number of MOA generated (non Billmon linked, Non-Open) Threads
Thereby lessening the overall workload for Bernhard …

Posted by: Outraged | Jul 10 2005 2:24 utc | 11

” I just want to use this as an excuse for not writing coherent stories about recent outrage issues that need to be tackled:”
bernard states that he is was confident we can tackle some recent issues w/out him doing the research/writing. i think it is a challenge for some posters.
africa anyone?

Posted by: annie | Jul 10 2005 2:36 utc | 12

b
gratitude for this space. you do a fine job. your sleuthing is impressive. the adjunct status of this site with WB is problematic, if only because the unpredictable visitation by idiots increases.
perhaps you can consider a way to divide labor and costs. I just watched a charles Schwab commercial, and he councils the same efficient use of resources.

Posted by: slothrop | Jul 10 2005 3:41 utc | 13

I second FlashHarry …for now.
I hope b will be back soon with his insight on different matters. He may “employ” some help on moderation cause it’s time consuming to read everything here …but only if he feels so.
Billmon is “working” fool time lately and that’s great…

Posted by: vbo | Jul 10 2005 5:03 utc | 14

My own 2 bits is this: I thank both Bernhard and Bilmon for their efforts. I apologize that my own comments which, as often as not are not only off topic but off the wall as well. But I enjoy the comments in MOA so much I just have to come with my own (pip)squeak now and then…
As to the trolls, well, yeah, there have been a few, but usually they get squashed — it’s like in Florida, where I grew up, you never get rid of the roaches, you just keep them down…
On the other hand, if Bilmon (and, of course, Bernhard and many of the contributors here as well) — but especially, if Bilmon had the kind of coverage / exposure which the amazing quality of his writing deserves…well, it would be a different ballpark all together — (sigh)
But, like it says in Ecclesiastes 9:11

“… the race is not to the swift , nor the battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding , nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happens to them all…”

Rgrds

Posted by: BarfHead | Jul 10 2005 6:25 utc | 15

Again, I am sorry for not contributing much here anymore. I do read most of what you guys write, it’s pretty much overwhelming.
B and others – would you like me to crosspost some stories from Eurotrib. It’s hard for me to do these days because (i) Billmon and b cover a lot of the same ground with their usual talent and (ii) I did not want to impose with stories posted with another site in mind.

Posted by: Jérôme | Jul 10 2005 18:02 utc | 16

b, I find it draining just to baby-sit EuroTrib when Jérôme is away for an afternoon. Trying to take in, synthesise and use all the theses posted here will either kill you or drive you mad: accept you’re finite, do what you can and stop worrying about it.
Anyway, if all you ever did was post your pointers to stories you’d be doing a valuable task.

Posted by: Colman | Jul 10 2005 18:14 utc | 17

Jerome
I appreciate the value of the Eurotrib project but greatly miss your energy posts here. I can read them there, but what I miss is the commentary by this unique cast of characters. I am not sure whether the series of countdown to peak oil pieces, which are triggered by events in the news, would draw as much commentary as the more analytic essays, but would love to see at least the latter type here.

Posted by: liz | Jul 11 2005 3:50 utc | 18

I truly think i would be bereft w/o Moon- I know i sat in front of my screen and cried when Billmon said ‘last call’.

Posted by: Anonymous | Jul 11 2005 18:20 utc | 19

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