Why Colonel Sartoris?

Allow me to explain the puzzling title. Colonel Sartoris is William Faulkner's greatest character. He exemplifies those values that his society cherishes, namely tradition, patriarchy, courtliness, and courage. Though modernity's slow march tries to strip him of these things, Sartoris continues to live as he always has, knowing that "the past is never dead. It's not even past." He seeks order in the honorable folkways and mores of his forbears. Let us not forget his example.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Live blogging the State of the Union

9:38 - ditto on the infrastructure.  Fully paid for?  Yeah right.  How does road-building attract private investment, though?  High-speed rail?  "Without the pat down" . . . wah wah.

9:40 -- don't really care about faster Internet.

9:41--tax reform will never happen.  Lobbyists are too powerful.  Still, 1986 Tax Reform Act gives a little hope . . .

9:43--reduction of red tape.  Is this Reagan giving the speech?  Ah, common sense safeguards = blank check to EPA.  No one's a fan of exploitation.  Wow -- all 9 Supreme Court Justices!

9:45--sweet deadpan "healthcare."  Good dual applause for bookkeeping burdens on small business.  Pre-existing condition, egh.  Oh gosh -- the personal appeals.  CNN cuts to presumed victim.

9:47--legacy of deficit spending, a true conservative's beef with Bush.  Nice thought, but goodness, what are the tactics that will implement this pipe dream?  Here it comes -- freeze annual domestic spending???  This is a Democratic idea?  Holy crap -- never thought I'd hear cuts . . . and Dennis Kucinich and his family claps for the "tens of billions in military spending" cuts.

9:49--Did the teleprompter break when he gave his plane analogy?  Hmmm.  Oh yeah, John Cornyn.

9:50--big on this tax loophole reduction.  Who is that woman?  Repealing health care law will add $250 trillion to deficit?  Huh?  Rare applause from Republicans on the med-mal lawsuits.

9:51--can't put at risk current retirees, but how do we not slash benefits for future generations? Whims of stock market . . . yeah, privatization might not have been the way to go . . . (although regulation presumably wouldn't have allowed investment in CDOs).  And AGAIN, tax code simplification.  Third time I've heard it.  Did Steve Forbes get ahold of this draft?  Oh yeah -- Tom Coburn and Schumer!!!!!

"Can't win the future with a government of the past!"  12 different agencies that deal with exports, 5 different ones that deal with housing policy.   My favorite example -- Interior Dept for freshwater salmon, Commerce Department when in freshwater.  Gosh, that was a bad joke about smoked salmon.  This is a conservative theme.

9:56--"open and competent."  Is this Wilsonian gov't accountability?

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
9:57--"no one rival superpower is aligned against us."  HELLO--China????  "America's moral example must always shine for those who yearn for freedom, and justice, and dignity."  Great line.  Obligatory standing ovation for troops, as it should be.  Iraq war coming to an end -- all agree it's a good thing. 

10:01--"We will not relent, we will not waiver, and we WILL defeat YOU."  Almost Bush-ean.

START Treaty.  Not a terrible idea.  China's nuclear arsenal is much smaller, though they're allegedly modernizing it.  "US is the only nuclear power that does not have a modernization program."  Dean Cheng, China's Nuclear Capabilties, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, http://blog.heritage.org/?p=50387

10:06--RED MEAT FOR RED STATES.  "I call on our college campuses to open our doors to armed services recruiters."

Is that Kay Bailey Hutchison and Byron Dorgan?  Oh yeah.  Dorgan--you are clearly the winner in that seating arrangement.

10:09--Joe Biden fist pump (was wondering when it would happen).  And homage to Boehner . . . cue the tears . . . YES.  Definitely crying.

10:11--"Center Rock is a little company, but we do big things."  This is what drives our economy--small business.

Darn good speech, Mr. Prez.

1 comment:

  1. "We will not relent, we will not waiver, and we WILL defeat YOU." ....just a ripoff of churchill (http://www.presentationmagazine.com/winston_churchill_speech_fight_them_on_beaches.htm)

    "repealing health care will cost us infinity trillion dollars."

    was nancy boehner really crying again?

    ReplyDelete