If you want something to read for the weekend, Bill Whittle has posted the first two parts of his new essay: Strength (Part I, Part II).
Tell me if it’s any good and maybe I’ll read it.
UPDATE: I got a nice cup of coffee and am reading it now. I’ll get back to you in eight hours.
UPDATE: Done reading it, and I’m sort of speechless as it really has me thinking about a lot of serious things.
Still, I’d like to share you one humorous quote from it that comes from Whittle’s dad: “Bill, if more than three people in your life are utter, total assholes, then maybe it’s you.”
Now go read the essay.
FIRST! HAHAHAHA!!!
Hello,
Frank, do you really think we’re at the point of being at war with all of Islam? Or should we be? If so, shouldn’t we just start spanking them full force across the board? Seriously, please, I want to hear what you have to say. Thanks.
John
Started reading it, its some good stuff. any essay that references the Patton movie is ok in my book. I haven’t finished it yet though, i dont have time.
“Tell me if it’s any good.”
Like the amplifiers in This is Spinal Tap: 11 on a scale of 10.
Well worth reading is an understatement. It was worth the wait.
Great reading. Thanks fr the link.
Wow, Frank actually compliments Mr. Whittle without even an iota of insult.
John, if you think the point of the Whittle piece is to wage war on all of Islam, I believe you should clean your glasses and re-read it. Early on he differentiates between Islam and Islamist-thinking.
Excellent reading!! Thanks so much for the link! (yep, I’ve passed it on as well.) I think everyone reading it really oughtta check out the Ayn Rand site. No kidding. Get intimate with it. You’ll like what ya find, I’m quite sure.
completely worth it
Hello again,
Patrick, thank you. Point taken, and I’ve cleaned my glasses.
John
I wish everyone would read this essay. Link times 1000 please.
Frank,
Thank you for the link. It was, as usual, a great piece by a tremendous writer. I shamelessly spread quotes on my own blog, to tease the unwary into following the link.
DAMN that Bill Whittle for sucking all the air out of my blogoshpere weekend! I had pithy, snarky things to say!
alas.
Frank, this essay is absolutely fantastic and well worth reading. I sent him money too as he surely deserves it. I got turned onto it by LGF and it took quite a while to read both parts. I will go on to read his other essays too.
This should be required reading for every school child – prior to graduation but the LLL NEA will never allow it.
Anyone with a blog should link to it. it also makes interesting reading when combined with (please don’t beat me for saying this) the article in the East Bay Express about anti-Semitism at UC Berkeley that’s linked off of Instapundit. (Oh God! Please Frank, don’t leave me to the monkeys!!! I’m not trying to push anyone to blender-izing puppies, it was just a good article.)
John,
Just as an additional point to what Patrick has said, I’ve had the benefit of actually meeting/working with a few of those who are actually moderate Muslims. Those I’d hate to see randomly sneered at simply because they went to worship on a different day of the week than most.
But do I think that this radical wahabism is a canker sore on humanity? You bet.
I respect what Whittle has done. But I could not read the whole thing, due to its tremendous redundancy. Remember this is mentioned about 100 times.
I agree with a lot of what he said. It was just written too long and boring. At times it was very good, but I can not sit through it.
I realize I will probably get attacked for this. I will be labeled and dismissed. But you have to admit that at times your mind drifted while reading.
It would have been much better if it was shortened, and the detail oriented parts were linked. Not to say what he said isn’t true because I know most of it is. But why do we believe a weblog?
My overall beef is the redundancy. Higlighting the same words in 3 word sentences back to back does not do it for me. The historical references often don’t apply to what we are doing now, and hence, lose a lot of effect on me.
Maybe I’ll finish it sometime, but I’ll have to be pretty bored.
Actually, Dylan, “remember this” actually appears, uh, ONCE. “Remember this” does appear in three other entries on the entire site, but that’s about three hundred million words worth or so.
There ARE pictures, however!
Despite all the fussin’ and a feudin’ — which we enjoy collaborating on immensely — Frank and I are great buddies. You have to be very, VERY bright to play the way Frank is playing.
And I was not here and I did not write this.
Hi Dylan… My mind didn’t wander. It was an amazing essay. The truth was self evident. In short, I. Loved. it! Just redundant enough for a newbee. They need the education. Bill rulez (when he gets around to posting)
My friend John Fleck said it a little differently, same sentiment.
If everything around you is f*&cked up, and everyone you work with is an asshole, it’s time to take a long look in the mirror.
“redundant enough for a newbee. They need the education.”
I knew this was going to happen. Calling me uneducated for having an opinion. I said I agreed with what he said, it’s just not the type of reading I like. So you go ahead and like it, but don’t f***ing call me uneducated because you don’t know a damn thing.
To quote myself: “I will be labeled and dismissed.”
Is that not what happened?
Dylan,
Are you the same guy who doesn’t like my IMW’s?
You’re just carving yourself a niche out as a dissenter, aren’t you?
I’VE GOT THE TAR! WHO’S GOT THE FEATHERS??
Simply put those essays were amazing. That’s really all I can say because that pretty much sums it all up.
Dan
Dylan, I think you are overreacting a bit. I felt that when Dawn said the piece was “Just redundant enough for a newbee” ahe was complimenting it and may have just been referring to herself as the newbee.
In any case, I agree that “Just redundant enough for a newbee” is a compliment to the piece and a good thing as it make the essay approachable to those who don’t spend their waking hours lurking the blogosphere.
And Dylan? Let down the walls man. Don’t just assume that you are going to be attacked, just because you couldn’t get through the paper. Just relax….
BTW, loved the piece myself and am planning on buying numerous copies of the book for myself and friends.
Dan, Did I ever over-react? I’ve been very calm. I don’t really care all that much over this to get all strung up on it.
The reason I assume is because it’s happened everytime I had something critical to say. And some of these people that post on here think they are just as funny as Frank.
As if my place is not here. Everyone would rather have these discussions flooded with people that all agree that ‘Frank is always hilarious’, ‘this was the best thing ever’, and all that other crap.
And Frank,
I have repeatedly made comments positively towards you on the discussion board. But nobody seems to notice since everyone says the same thing, so when there’s a criticism, people freak out.
I agree with Frank, I agree with Whittle. Maybe it’s time for you guys to let down some walls.
When counting the assholes in your life, do relatives count?
He might have had me up until the Superman lyrics. Then I realized that this is just amazingly dry satire.