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Friday, July 07, 2006

Friday Fasts

Update: While I still claim that no blogger is going to be able to top the epic comedy of 24 hour fasts to end evil, it must be admitted that the MIQ (moral IQ) of bloggers is significantly above that of Hollywood types. Proving that even rocks aren't as dumb as the denizens of Hollywood, the Kag Report expands upon the strategy, and Peace Moonbeam provides an on-the-ground report of the proceedings. Howard of Oraculations doesn't even have time for caustic contempt re this nonsense; he's all about reality. Liberal Larry does have time, and has figured out a way to enhance participation by shortening the fasting period to ten minutes. End Update.

I like to post some comedic links on Friday, preferably to bloggers. I regret to report that no blogger ever born has been, or will be (although The Anchoress does come close when discussing fruit, and Ferdy deserves an honorable mention), able to trump the awesome comedic spectacle of 2,700 Hollywood types fasting for 24 hours each in an attempt to inspire a US revolt against the war in Iraq:
Other supporters, including Penn, Sarandon, novelist Alice Walker and actor Danny Glover will join a 'rolling" fast, a relay in which 2,700 activists pledge to refuse food for at least 24 hours, and then hand over to a comrade.

Though the anti-war movement is trying hard to puncture public perceptions, some experts believe such protests have little impact on how Americans view foreign wars.
Indeed they don't, we agree, as we stand wiping the streams of tears from our eyes after swallowing half a bottle of Valium in a last-ditch effort to stop laughing or crying. Indeed they don't. Waving goodbye at the airport to friends and family in uniforms might have a wee bit more impact on our views.

While I believe that most Americans respect those who have genuine scruples of conscience about waging war, it is impossible for a sane individual to respect someone fasting for 24 hours to protest a war. Such a protest amounts to a toddler having a temper tantrum because he's been made to stand in a corner just because he tried to shove his rotten sister down the stairs. The thing is, people die in wars. People are maimed in wars. All wars are terrible - the best war can only be a necessary evil. So war is a serious, serious thing, and if you have honestly concluded that the only way to convey to society your deep conviction that a particular war is unjustified and a crime against humanity, by fasting, you are going to have to do it seriously.

Fasting for 24 hours can only be
I do have a suggestion though - let's make a joint blogging offer to these awesome humanitarians. Let's tell them that we will consider them serious if they sign up for a publicity fast to protest the war. Until the last man and woman in our Armed Forces comes home, our peerless protesters must pledge to never make another film, TV appearance, hold another interview, pose for another photograph, write another book, screenplay, column or article. Until then, we cannot take their consciences seriously. All such a protest would amount to is asking them to endanger their money and their egos - but the millions of volunteers in our armed forces are already endangering their lives for their beliefs, and they darned sure don't make much money in the Armed Forces even in peace.

If we never have to hear from or see the stupid, self-satisfied, amoral faces of these Hollywood protesters again, we'll get a chance to rationally assess the type of vacuum that their absence creates, and a chance to contrast the empty space they leave with the echoing vacuum our friends and family over there, in the hospital or underground have left in our lives.

Until
then, we'll be right here, laughing at the protestors, mourning for those who have died or been injured in this war, contributing money to veterans' groups, and in general, earnestly working for a better world as our own consciences dictate. Because the truth is, we do have consciences, and we do not need publicity for them to kick in. And the truth is, these Hollywood types deserve nothing but universal and caustic contempt for what they are doing.

Comments:
try this:

http://kagreport.com/index.php/2006/07/07/now-eating-again-activists-to-hold-breath/

or this:

http://peacemoonbeam.typepad.com/the_peace_moonbeam_chroni/2006/07/july_7.html

cheers.
 
Good ones! But it's hard to satirize a group of people who are living self-satires.
 
Once upon a time, for youthful hippie reasons, I fasted for a week. The third day was as I had been lead to expect, was the most difficult. After that the hunger eased.

Abandoning a fast before that third day makes fasting meaningless as a demonstration of earnest feeling.
 
Granted.
 
Penn is going to fast? Give me a break, this is the guy that brought 10 people and a leaky 4 person boat to rescue the fools in N.O. He'll have a pocket full of chicken legs. LMAO
 
Well - most of us have managed a day when we had a virus...
 
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