The Adventures of QueerPenguin

Outhouses of tyranny

Interesting to read the vernacular of the new Team Bush. Star forward recruit Condoleezza (ps - what the hell kind of name is Condoleezza??) Rice is telling us all about the "outposts of tyranny". It would seem the "axis of evil" is out, and Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea and Zimbabwe are now the new outposts. Their speechwriters seem to be getting a little more poetic and metaphorical these days. Perhaps they are ex-writers for Friends who've found new work.

This theme of remoteness is consistent, as MonkeyFace (aka George Dubya) has been given enough bananas so that he'll say the right thing and do his cute little dance on cue. Apparently he wants to spread liberty and freedom "to to the darkest corners of the world". Darkest corners. Hrm. Sounds a bit like "outposts", doesn't it?

The subtext behind these phrases I can't exactly put my finger on. It sounds like they want the good heartland folk of (for example) Lincoln, Nebraska to know that the threat to the US is in fact not right on their coastline, that people who want to retaliate against the US empire are not (God forbid) lurking within their country or just outside it and able to mobilise, but are too busy being oppressed in strange far-away lands like Myanmar (which to the average American is a province of Canada), and that kindly Uncle Sam will eventually get round to them and bring them Christmas sacks full of liberty, democracy and Christian fundamentalism. I bet Myanmarians (I have no idea if that's a real word) are just holding their breaths and quivering with anticipation that while they're being hung upside down in a dungeon somewhere, Sam is on his way! Just hang around a little longer!! And pray your country has untapped oil reserves too!!

posted by Sam @ Saturday, January 22, 2005