(image found here)
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you drink and gamble
Make you stay out all night long
Love will make you do things
That you know is wrong
Love is just like the faucet
It turns off and on
Love is just like the faucet
It turns off and on
Sometimes when you think its on baby
It has turned off and gone
(Billie Holiday, "Fine and Mellow")
You know, I just can't seem to get the same vicious thrill that most people seem to be getting out of the story of Lisa Marie Nowak, the astronaut charged with the kidnapping and attempted murder of a romantic rival. Sure, she wore a diaper on her 950 mile drive to Florida, which certainly is the most important part of the story if you watch the news coverage. Clearly, we should all be racking our brains for corny puns to use when writing about the incident, because what could be more American that laughing at someone else's pain and suffering? Would the media be having this much of a field day over a male astronaut's romantic obsession and resulting spectacular misadventure? Of course not. Because in the eyes of the massive corporate media machine, women's pain is funny, whereas a man who resorts to violence in the pursuit of love is just being manly and smiting his rivals like all chest-beating male primates are supposed to.
I don't think this story is funny. I think it's ridiculous and tragic in a Flannery O'Connor kind of way, but I find it anything but funny. That woman completely lost her grip, and for what? Love? Great. A couple of sweaty fumbles with some cocky pilot, Mr. "More than a Working Relationship, but Less than a Love Relationship", who doubtless led her on, as is the way of people who want to screw someone and then bolt when it comes time to pay the emotional tab. Her circuits got fried. Her friends and coworkers insist that she's just a normal person who did something completely random and insane under the influence of A Drug Called 'Love'. She had, as mission control said when the Challenger exploded, "a major malfunction".
"Expiring for Love is beautiful but stupid.", artist Jenny Holzer from "The Truisms"
And who here has honestly never, ever in their lives done anything stupid for love? Come on, raise your hands. We're going to bring up the house lights so that I know who among you is that smug and self-deluded.
Don't get me wrong. I don't agree with or support her actions at all. Attempting to murder a romantic rival, to me, is just about as bad a plan as one can possibly come up with except maybe, "Hey! Let's invade Iraq! It won't take more than six weeks and we'll be greeted as liberators and showered with flowers and candy!"
But still, Big Media's lurid coverage of this case is off key, out of line, and really, unduly fixated on the salacious details, but of course, why should we expect any different? There's a woman to be degraded and humiliated here! Call out Greta Van Suffering!
However, having said all of that, I found out today that British-born, half Nigerian NBA star John Amaechi has come out of the closet. Mmmm-hm. Six foot nine, 280 pounds, and look at this face:
Rowr!!
Now, I probably wouldn't try to kill anyone who came between me and "Meech", but, well, I can't make any guarantees that I wouldn't do anything crazy or stupid for some of that lovin'.
I'm just saying is all.
Related posts:
Spotlight
Support this site!
Subscribe to the newsletter
Advertise on Firedoglake
Send
us your tips
Make us your homepage
About Firedoglake
Advanced search
TRex!
Yes! Two in a row!
***!!!Rawrrr!!!***
***!Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!***
?Que…?
like i said, it’s a good thing there was no real news today.
Are you suggesting that if shrub and bigtime were attractive women Americans would actually hold them accountable?
also, may i take a moment to announce skippy’s blogroll amnesty:
blogroll skippy, and skippy will blogroll you!
Blub @ 5
Not as accountable as they would hold them if they were plain women, sadly, or poor, or black, or gay.
!El Gato Negro! @
3
I have to smile every time I see this.
TRex – It’s a bizarre and sad tale indeed.
Its really sad. All of her type A life is gone. She is 43 years old. What a time to trip and fall.
“Emotional tab”? My sweet ass.
People who don’t demand what they want out of a relationship up front shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t get what they want. Yeah, sometimes people outright lie, but more often, people hear what they want to hear — and then get bent out of shape when reality doesn’t match their delusion.
Let’s try not to think of sexual relations as the man wanting physical pleasure and the woman giving it as a way to meet some emotional need that she can’t meet in her own life. It leads to problematic stereotyping.
So who’s coming in on crutches tomorrow?
i have to say trex, that was my take too.
it’s just so sad. love or the desperation that sometimes passes for it will mess you up, and take down others around you.
this story is the opposite of a laugh riot.
The enemy agent is called jealousy, not love. It short-circuits higher brain functions. Jealousy can inspire seemingly rational people who have a lot to lose to murder their ex-wife (and Ron Goldman) or drive cross-country peeing in a diaper.
I’m with you Trex – this story is sad and has been blown way out of proportion.
however, true to my calling as a low-brow word tinkerer, I have to tip my hat to “Lust in Space”.
good luck with your hoop dreams….
Ed*ard Teller @ 11
Captain Crutch.
Blub @ 5: “Are you suggesting that if shrub and bigtime were attractive women Americans would actually hold them accountable?”
Let me answer that by saying, just watch what happens if Hillary becomes president.
.
Hee hee via Froomkin:
“Rove, on leaving the theater, was heard saying: ‘I’ve gotta get home. I’ve got work to do.’”
I am gonna plead the fifth on romantic stupidity. TRex knows way too much of the truth about me and my dalliances.
The principal lesson I take from the Lisa Marie Nowak saga is “if you’re going to do something you regret, make sure the story doesn’t break on a slow news day.” I spent much of yesterday on a Wall Street Trading Floor, and CNBC/CNN are on all day long–in case of breaking news, and also to alleviate boredom–and the story was on all day.
If there’d be a big explosion or something, then it would have passed, but it never did.
it IS, however, uncanny the way these tabloid stories crop up as bright shiny media objects when hugely important topics would otherwise hold the stage.
runaway bride…missing blonde…nasa catfight…perfect stories for a media that feeds on trivia.
does karl rove have a speed dial to reality tv producers?
OK it has to be said.
What is the most important lesson to take from the astrolady’s sorry tale?
Depends.
*ducks*
The shiny object reference reminds me of this classic, from back in Ari Fleischer’s day…
Bush Administration’s Bright Shiny Object Fascinates Americans
Major malfunction? I’ll bet the shrinks at NASA will have this astronette under the microscope for quite sometime. Could you see a meltdown like this on the way to Mars?
This is truly one of the saddest stories to be done to death by the 24/7 cable trash networks. I simply can’t imagine what pressure is put on ANYONE who really wants to be an astronaut, and that’s for the men. For a woman? Bleeccchhh…..
In case no one noticed, this poor woman completely lost all sense of reality. Today I came into my house from my shop out back every hour or so to pee and because I keep the teevee on for the doggies I kept finding this sad lady was the news – all the time – on every channel.
IMHO the news should have been why did another seven of our children have to die in a copter crash in Iraq. This country is too weird for words.
I agree with you . . .I don’t really understand why this story about Nowak is leading the news. it’s sad and Pathetic. TV news is generally about “the fall” from the heights of success, but this story is documenting a human collapse. The media coincides the tragedy with the diapers/ murder aspect when, if the networks had shown more restraint, they would have just shown the story as a ‘fall from grace’ and how anyone can have an emotional collapse. But today, ratings and revenue trump any sense of restraint. It is a sad state the media is in.
unclemike @ 23: “Major malfunction? I’ll bet the shrinks at NASA will have this astronette under the microscope for quite sometime. Could you see a meltdown like this on the way to Mars?”
At least she’ll have job security.
.
Let’’s see now …
TRex is jonesing for John Amaechi, and Ahn-drew seems to have a thing for Roger Federer.
I have no problem with lusting after unattainable athletes. Ask me about my 15-year-long crush on Mia Hamm sometime.
But guys, seriously: have neither of you ever seen a photo of Cristiano Ronaldo? Now THERE is a worthy object of lust.
Just sayin’.
Anyone who becomes the object of this sort of entertainment news story is really just a rorshach for the rest of us. Unless you know someone intimately, you don’t know what drives them to do the crazy things they do. Maybe she’s extremely competetive and used to getting her way? Maybe she’s had a psychotic break? Maybe she is lovesick?
I’m betting on a manic episode with psychotic features. It’s good she didn’t hurt the woman she seemed to be stalking.
I don’t imagine you’d be as tolerant of her behavior if the woman she was angry with was, say, your daughter.
I think it’s strange that any of us make assumptions of some else’s motives when we have no connection what so ever to that person. Still, I appreciate your putting your points out there, to let the discussion happen. Thanks!
burnspbesq @ 27
He’s okay, but he ain’t six foot nine.
I’m with TRex. This is just sad. And important, well, maybe to CNN: 15 minutes of camera pointed out the airport window for a perp walk from the plane to the car, that ultimately lasted 5 seconds, and was immediately replayed, and replayed. I was at the gym, with this misery on three TVs and, on the fourth TV, we had ESPN, which featured hockey replays, which I can’t really see from my elliptical trainer, and it was just an assault. I may have to start tuning a TV to the food channel in the morning, just to protect my blood pressure.
Crushes: Swopa on video. Sigh.
Having been through one of those all-consuming romances (though in my defense, I never tried to kidnap or kill anyone) I can sympathize with the degree to which it saps one’s energy, thought processes, and strength.
Kinda like the Andrea Yates thing, I wonder to what degree we should be hearing about the backstory- her husband, or this fellow she was so in love with, (how did this shape up/happen? what ingredients went into it?)perhaps more than this sensationalized version of what the MSM finds easy to report….
Please go back and carefully re-read the part where I say I neither support nor condone her actions. The point of this piece is not to justify violence against someone who stands between you and some illusory concept of “true love”, it’s to chastise the media for covering it in the most junior-high way they possibly can.
Were Perry Ferrell and Andrea Mitchell separated at birth?
carry on.
jeffreyw @
21
OK. who’s gonna Dole out the punishment for that one?
On love gone bad
Anthony Trollope Barchester Towers, you know an English novel.
Ed*ard Teller @ 11
Actual or emotional?
Great post. Nowak deserves our sympathy. She was clearly in a state of extreme psychic distress and the way the story was handled was absolutely pathetic.
at first I assumed it was Novak, not Nowak. unfortunately, I can picture Bob Novak in diapers.
patrick rex @ 18
Ditto.
robert @ 25
You are so right. Why can’t we celebrate success, achievement, positive stuff.
Because I suppose there are so many people who can’t even begin to relate to good stuff. For sakes – there was an AUCTION for OJ’s white bronco. Yuck.
I have to wonder why people go to Nascar races? To see people crash and burn? And don’t get me going on the bust of the horrible child porno ring in Eastern Europe today. 8000 hits AN HOUR on this website to see little girls and boys raped and sodomized.
What a horrible world we live in. I just want to crawl into my little comfort zone, make furniture, sew needlepoint and make quilts.
Then, of course, there are these that I like quite a lot.
D.H. Lawrence Sons and Lovers
Dickens Our Mutual Friend
Hugh @ 36
I love Barchester Towers!!
“I was a Jew once, you know…”
Her personal story is sad in that it has been made public. Her family will suffer for it.
But, if there is any positive to be gleaned from these reports, it is that they are just that, reports. That the MSM found her plight useful in the least is another shameless attempt at misdirection, and at least we can see them better for what they are. The only thing that amazes me is that they could not find a way to accuse her of Jon Binet Ramsey’s death…and, strangely, I’m not trying to be funny.
punaise @ 35
We’re not gonna pamper anyone here on that subject.
Attachment is the judo of self-generated suffering.
I think the reason it did catch everyone’s attention is because yes, we all have done stupid things in the name of “love,” or lust.
I got dumped Sunday for a guy going back his ex. I said some things I wish I could take back.
When I heard this story, I thought “well, at least I didn’t do that.”
punaise @ 39
Nappies for sappies.
TRex @ 33
UptownNYChick @ 47
Ow, NYChick! I got left for an ex one time, so I just did everything I could to make them both miserable until they broke up again a month later by spilling all of the embarrassing secrets that Man A told me about his ex, Man B.
Of course, by the time Man A was free again, I didn’t want him anymore.
Ha ha. I win.
Robert @ 25: “I don’t really understand why this story about Nowak is leading the news.”
Actually, it does kind of make sense.
The Nowak story has all the elements of Greek tragedy: love, sex, attempted murder, insanity, an attractive and intelligent lead character, a fall from great heights.
Despite its importance, the George Bush Oedipal struggle just doesn’t carry the same dramatic compulsion, mostly because:
A) The lead character, Li’l George, is *losing* his Oedipal struggle (at least Oedipus killed his Dad), and
B) The lead character, Li’l George, is too fucking stupid for most people to identify with.
So Nowak makes a better drama.
I agree that it’s sad and pathetic, and I have nothing but sympathy for both Nowak and her intended victim. But the media reaction is pretty much to be expected and only goes to show how little we’ve changed as a species in the last 2500 years.
Frankly, I find things like the Edwards/Marcotte story more inexplicable. How such trivia became a media focal point is truly beyond my ken.
.
This came up in an IM conversation about Nowak:
Someone who makes it into the astronaut corps is one of those amazing overachievers. Success, success, success. Hard work an achievement. Got it all under control.
What’s the personality makeup of a person who tries six times to get into a very exclusive program?
How does a person with that kinda personality type do in the face of setbacks and failure? (She and her husband split up not long ago).
I don’t want to excuse her actions for a moment… But part of the “Omigod! How could she..?” story is probably tied up with how a lifelong overachiever deals with a major setback.
Alas and unfortunately, very publicly, and, in a twisted way, well-prepared, if the contents of the trunk of her car are any indication.
The main problem weeth love affairs among the gatos, ees that the males have these tiny leetle hairs poking out from our *ahem* “equipment”, and these hairs are facing “the wrong way”, as eet were.
Wheech ees to say that during the act eetself, these hairs point out eento the soft tissue of la pobrecita gata bonita.
So, joo can see why most gatas weel no just give themselves to any old “Tom, Dick’n Hairy”, eh?
so.
(smugly bathes self)
{bathe, bathe}
The networks have dutifully informed the consumers that Nowak wore a diaper and drove from Houston to Orlando, etc.. Not one mention of the Scooter Libby trial.
speechless @28
that was the first thing that entered my mind when i heard about it…a major meltdown…….and think that even more seeing her friends and colleagues standing behind her so adamantly……
it happens, and is something you can’t help at all……if that’s what happened, she had no control over her actions until someone intervened………and i’m glad someone did before it went further.
Speechless, I agree. Looks tres bipolar to me. And right when she needs help and support the most, she’s turned into a joke. I wish the judge could have sent her to a hospital instead of setting her loose. Seems like she could be a danger to herself.
I caught a discussion of this on CNN this morning as I was dressing for work. They interviewed a number of NASA people(flight surgeons, psychologists, former astronauts, etc.) and two points came out: First, these are very goal-oriented, Type-A personalities. The competition for the few slots on the space shutle is brutal, and those that make it are the most competitive of the bunch. Think Darwin on steroids. No wonder these people are a little wound-up to begin with.
Secondly, space travel changes these people. I guess it comes from being so focused on the one goal that once they’ve achieved it, it’s hard to go back to what would be considered a normal life. They’ve been so focused on the present, they never had a chance to think about the future. The percentage of divorces, extramarital affairs, depression, and other disfunctions are much higher than in the general population. IIRC, one of the first astronauts to reach the moon actually contemplated suicide after his return. To see this sort of behavior is sad, but not surprising.
Worse, to have is splashed all over the media, and become an object of public humiliation, must make it so much harder to bear. I’ve often thought about those in the public eye who go through the common misfortunes of life (child arrested for DUI, messy divorce and the like) must suffer all the more. My policy is to ignore things like this; let them deal with it in private. Besides, the more attention we pay to such sordid stuff, the more the media will shove the next trashy story in our face.
UptownNYChick @ 47
If we didn’t say things we wished to take back, we would never say anything worth saying … and there would be no English novels.
egregious @ 31: “Crushes: Swopa on video. Sigh.”
me @ this post: “Crushes: Jane on video. Sigh.”
.
Hmmmm. Maybe you should ask some of the people in question how they felt about those issues when they were keel-hauling all of us in the “FDL is Sexist and Racist” Flap of ‘06.
There, I said it. I think the Edwards campaign would be making a deeply lamentable mistake if they caved to the fringe operators who are coming after Marcotte and McEwan, but you know, at least their attackers are a bunch of real right wing baddies instead of people who are allegedly on “their side”.
(Bitter, Party of One? Right this way…)
TRex @ 50
This guy’s ex is a lawyer for an oil company. They will rot in H3ll together, I am sure.
On an unrelated note, the love affair between Right-weengnutbars and their favorite Zombie lies continues to thees day.
Context, and the Case of the Lying Zombies
!Vamanos!
Hugh – she’s no Lawrence, but…
Love is everything it’s cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.
– Erica Jong
Scooter and Cheney-Burton owe Lisa Marie Nowak big time. The MSM blinked and is off on this “hot” new news story. I hope it is over soon…
punaise @ 39: “at first I assumed it was Novak, not Nowak. unfortunately, I can picture Bob Novak in diapers.”
And that’s an image I could lived without for the rest of my life.
Ugh.
Nightmares tonight. For sure.
Someone please punish punaise.
.
Packing up to head home, gang. See you in a bit.
TRex @ 50
oh the stories i’ve heard.
hell, the stories i’ve LIVED….
JGabriel – sorry you didn’t cotton to that. … :~)
As one who has driven over a thousand miles without standing up, making the bladder gladder can be problematic…
I once had a crush on una humana mujer.
But she was weeth thees cabron who was allergic to cats.
So, I broke eento hees car, clawed the crap out of hees Alligator skin headrests, and left a “gift” right behind hees air intake for the defroster.
Years later she told me that the smell caused heem to have a fender bender weeth a hangin’ judge een the wrong small town.
Sometimes, I must admit I purrr when I theenk about eet.
so.
UptownNYChick: “I got dumped Sunday for a guy going back his ex. I said some things I wish I could take back. When I heard this story, I thought ‘Well, at least I didn’t do that.’”
I think this supports my ‘Greek tragedy’ theory @ 51; i.e., the idea that ‘Well, at least I didn’t do that.’
.
DBNSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSDDDDDDDDDDDDDDXEd*ard Teller @ 11
Jeebus Crutch
JGabriel @ 71
sad, but true.
Liberal Heart @ 56
When I heard the story, my first question was what’s the diagnosis?
And then I thought of all the academics/ entrepeneurs/ activists I’ve known who are highly driven, productive and stable in their (mildly) hypomanic condition.
Bipolar II exacerbation leading to full psychotic mania (and “promotion” to Bipolar I) sure seems a likely explanation for the astronaut’s break.
I just feel pity for the astronaut, though I don’t in any way excuse her actions.
The “War on Crime” [remember that? somewhere in the middle of the “War on Communism”. before the “War on Cancer” ] long ago demolished any pretense of mercy or justice for those who violate laws due to psychiatric symptoms.
The great majority of psychiatric patients are less prone to violence than those without psych diagnoses (substance dependence excepted), but those few who do act violently are punished mercilessly in most states.
If Florida’s “justice” system hates the mentally ill as much as it appears to hate other accused and convicted humans, the astronaut’s life is as good as over.
How terribly sad.
Wasn’t Scooter on crutches when he got indicted? Now Timmeh? Fitz puts these guys in a bind don’tee.
TRex @ 60:
Oh, total agreement with you on that score. Didn’t mean to imply otherwise.
I just don’t understand why the Times, CNN, et. al., picked up on it (meaning the Edwards/Marcotte story). It just seems such a clear case of Republican operatives making acid out of water.
.
Oilfieldguy @ 75
Fitz doesn’t kneecap witnesses. Fitz makes witnesses tell the truth, and they think they’ve been kneecapped.
Guys do dumb shit and are accused of thinking with the wrong head.
With the ladies, it’s “hell hath no fury …”
But still, this story has generate enough ink already. Now, about Rudy’s cross-dressing pictures…
What another perfect moment for what passes as “news” to do what has become all too typical. . .lazy ass reporting, just repeat the SOS over and over with the occasional “expert” thrown in to pass the time.
With the “reality” element which is really notsomuch reality after all. But keep repeating it, people will watch the SOS over and over, hoping for just a small morsel of “different” every hour or two. Just to keep people watching.
UptownNYChick: “This guy’s ex is a lawyer for an oil company. They will rot in H3ll together, I am sure.”
H3lliburton?
(Ok, punaise can punish me now.)
.
I keep thinking they’ll announce they found an oversized boxing glove attached to a large spring in Nowaks trunk.
You know, I don’t bear either blogger any particular ill will. Initially when this flap geared up, I was ready to come out fighting on the side of the Edwards bloggers. But I went back and read through some of the stuff that was said about FDL and particularly me last year, and well…
I grew from the experience of being viciously and personally attacked on every level. Maybe these guys will learn something too.
TRex, I totally agree with you. It’s voyeurism at its worst, people getting a buzz of someone who is in more miserable straits than they are. I find it totally boring — like the Runaway Bride story that ranaway with the cable news for a week. But, I wrote up your post on TalkLeft. We’ll see if any commenters disagree.
Anybody remember the pre-cable days? When all we had was the evening news, a half hour full of national and world news, did we also get subjected to this kind of lighthearted coverage of sad stories — this relentless making fun of people in such serious trouble? That’s a genuine question because I don’t remember.
Sigh.
I was just staring at John Amaechi’s face again.
Damn. That’s a sweet-looking man.
I always found this poem by Apollinaire to be the definitive one about love and melancholy:
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Et nos amours
Faut-il qu’il m’en souvienne
La joie venait toujours apres la peine
Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
Les jours s’en vont je demeure
Les mains dans les mains restons face a face
Tandis que sous
Le pont de nos bras passe
Des eternels regards l’onde si lasse
Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
Les jours s’en vont je demeure
L’amour s’en va comme cette eau courante
L’amour s’en va
Comme la vie est lente
Et comme l’Esperance est violente
Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
Les jours s’en vont je demeure
Passent les jours et passent les semaines
Ni temps passe
Ni les amours reviennent
Sous le pont Mirabeau coule la Seine
Vienne la nuit sonne l’heure
Les jours s’en vont je demeure
Liberal Heart @ 84
Somehow I can’t imagine Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley, or David Brinkley showing pleasure at human suffering. Tom Brokaw started out on the LA NBC affiliate – I never saw that sort of crap in him even on local news.
We’ve been desensitized to sociopathic behavior in the broadcast booth (TV and radio).
Qui bono?
Jeralyn: Has Wells locked down any reasonable doubt?
Hugh @ 86
nice. however:
La joie venait toujours apres la peine?
(Joy always came after suffering)…
I’d posit the contrary
La joie venait toujours apres la peine
Joy always used to come after the pain. That’s where the melancholy comes in.
UptownNYChick: come downtown, below 14th, or to Brooklyn, where there are lots of dirty f*cking hippies who are smart and sexy, and who, upon learning that a potential paramour worked for an oil company, would run screaming, arms flapping at sides, in the opposite direction.
‘Twould seem that y’all were incompatible from the start, at least on deeper levels.
All of that said, ending things is never easy, so you have my (avatar’s words on a screen)sympathy.
I think the interest in this story is the many bullets everyone has dodged in their lives, by not having their bizzare pecadillos broadcast on cnn, abc, cbs, nbc, et al–airing their “dirty diapers” for the world to see. Even the venerable Mr. TRex points the fickle finger of fate at his readers and declares: “There but the Grace of Happenstance Goes Ye.”
And what, pray tell is normal, when reason gives way to passion? Will this unfortunate woman be convicted by the thought police? Assault with a loaded diaper with intent to asphyxiate?
Hugh @ 90
I’m gonna have to chew on that one.
lf @ 91
thank you, that’s sweet of you.
i am thinking I am not so good at this relationship thing. Going to give it a rest for a while.
I’m with TalkLeft. The coverage of this story–and I’ll admit, I’ve avoided contact with any coverage as much as humanly possible–sounds like the most despicable kind of privileged voyeurism on the part of the media and their audiences. Better human beings would hang their heads in shame.
I’ve often wondered about zero gravity nookie…
Have to admit I had a minor ‘milk through nose’ moment when I saw the headline “Lust In Space” in the NY Putz.
The media of today is just the modern version of bread and ciruses. Without the bread.
SusanD @ 97
Well said.
I believe it was Joe MacInerny or Brett Easton Ellis who said that New York City has the same effect on monogamous relationships that Deconstruction has on the concept of linear narrative.
I’ve gotta fly to New Jersey in a couple of hours.
Does anyone know if there’s such thing as a good sushi bar in Fairfield?
Sushi being the natural food from the Lake, of cours.
SusanD@97
White bread and Sanka…
Hugh’s quickie translation:
Beneath the Pont Mirabeau flows the Seine
And our loves
Must I remember
Joy always used to come after pain
Let the night come, the hour strike
The days leave I remain
Hands in hands let us remains face to face
While beneath the bridge of our arms
Passes the wave so slow of our eternal glances
Let the night come, the hour strike
The days leave I remain
Love leaves like that flowing water
Love leaves
How slow life is
And how hope is violent
Let the night come, the hour strike
The days leave I remain
Days pass and weeks pass
Neither past
Nor love come back
Beneath the Pont Mirabeau flows the Seine
Let the night come, the hour strike
The days leave I remain
Venait is an imparfait and so can refer to a past habitual action. Because the poem is unpunctuated, it allows a fair amount of flexibility in how it can be read. I like the image of the upside down bridge formed by the lovers’ arms and the lovers’ looks forming the water which flows beneath it, but it sounds better in French.
Hugh, from babelfish (which I’m sure just strips all angst and passion):
Under the bridge Mirabeau runs the Seine And our Faut loves it that it remembers me the joy always came after the sorrow Vienna the night sounds the hour the days from go away I remain The hands in the hands let us remain face to face While under the bridge of our arms passes From the eternels glances the so tired wave Vienna the night sounds the hour the days from go away I remain The love from goes away as this running water the love from goes away As the life is slow And as the Hope is violent Vienna the night sounds the hour the days from go away I remain The days pass and pass the weeks Neither time passes Nor the loves return Under the Mirabeau bridge runs the Seine Vienna the night sounds the hour the days from go away I remain
Bringing this up from a previous thread. It turns out, I’m one in a million. Whodathunkit?
johnSwifty #103,
LOL, remind to shoot babelfish sometime.
Has any of these so-called news organization given even one thought to the consequences of the 24/7 astronaut diaper story? Does anyone think an impartial jury could be found for this woman?
What is sad is there will be no consequences paid by these so called news organizations for putting her right to a fair trial in jeopardy.
Were her constitutionally guaranteed rights about the criminal process she now finds herself in outweighed by the “newsworthyness” of her breakdown?
Suzanne @ 106
What you said, Suzanne!
thanks, kirk. it really does piss me off. this woman has three children, parents, and other innocent family members who are being dragged into this sordid mess by the media. her family had to issue a friggin media statement.
(taking deep breath and counting to 10 over and over) i remember when being decent and having good manners was mandatory – in all things at all times.
Somehow, in the last 48 hours (or was it 24?) I have managed to learn all about a pitiful astronaut running amok in diapers, without hearing a word (until now) about the “Edwards/Marcotte story.”
Anyone have a link?
So glad to know others felt the same way I do re this tragic case. I was infuriated at the way they were handling it and since I’ve had a bit of a correspondence “thing” going on with Tucker Carlson’s producer, Willie Geist, I thought it would be a good time to “check in” with him. Sometimes, we really can get their ears…so I thought I share with you all.
—–Original Message—–
From: [Mod Deleted] [mailto: [Mod Deleted]]
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 4:26 PM
To: Geist, William (NBC Universal, MSNBC)
Subject: Please, Willie…
As a psychiatric nurse, it’s so painfully apparent to me that this astronaut snapped and is in desperate need of care – “acute” care in my estimation. I’m not saying charges ought to be dismissed because not enough is known but what I am asking is that Tucker take the lead and demonstrate some compassion and mercy toward this woman and not allow it to be made yet another sensational item. He’s a good family man from what I can tell and I would hope that he can show empathy and understanding in presenting the “other side” of the story. Thus far, I think he’s doing great – just want to pipe in to add my own 2 cents.
As always, my absolute best to you both and thank you for listening. Are you aware you are the ONLY MSNBC host who bothers to even respond to us? Kudos to you.
Mary RN – CT
Hi Mary,
Thanks for the note. We’ll do our best to avoid the obvious jokes about this story (although I fear we may have already failed to some extent). It’s clear there’s something very wrong with her. A sad story indeed. Especially for the mother of three children. Thanks for keeping us honest, Mary. Talk to you again soon…
Willie
This is rich.
In Thursday’s NYT, Brooks rails at politicians who, while sensible in private, turn into “Self-Important Pathetic Blowhards” when the cameras go on.
Takes one to know one, I guess.
Sorry, my “gaydar” calls bullshit. It may be “late-night” but there’s a bit of junior high in the whole post. just sayin’…
Mary, you might want to edit your fantastic letter to delete your email addy
or perhaps one of our fantastic mods could (if any are still up)
[Mod Note; refreshing makes things look different]
Suzanne,
I think it says a lot about celebrity in our times. We build people up, actors, politicians, astronauts, athletes. We not only acknowledge the areas where they excel but ascribe to them all kinds of talent, smarts, wisdom in many other areas as well. Then they do something stupid or criminal or too ordinary and we destroy them.
As a friend of mine from LA once said, “If these guys (actors) weren’t famous, they would be flipping burgers.” Much the same could be said about any of those our culture and media exalt. It is not enough for us to enjoy the gifts they have. They must fit the image that has been created for them. It is often not enough for them to accept their limitations. They develop a sense of entitlement, a sense where they are concerned anything goes. It’s a poisonous, unstable mix. I’m surprised it doesn’t explode more often, but where it does the Jerry Springer spotlight of the media and our prurient interest follows.
/sermonizing
Is anyone having problems with the ‘Refresh Comments’ button besides me?
TRex: yes. hard refresh seems to work.
Hugh: nice traduction.
Thanks, Suzanne -
I’m on the technically-challenged side (as I’m sure you could tell) but if anyone would like to take it off that’s fine. Given I’m in the company of such great FDL-ers though, I’d be ok if it stays. But thanks for your suggestion – next time I’ll try to figure out how to remove it. – M
seems to be working here, TRex. do you need to flush your cache? i have no idea what that means but i remember someone here saying that helps with the refresh comments button going funky
TRex, you gots some email dood! Hi everyone!
Mary, I’ve heard rumors about these here internet tubes being patrolled by spam trolling varmits who look for email addresses to send spam to.
Your fine letter deserves a much nicer response than your in-box being filled in a non-consentual way by spam-bots.
Damnit man. I meant to put FiniFiniTOOBZ in the box and forgot. Oh well. Great post tonight. The astronaut story is already making me mad with how the cable morons are treating it. I had a WTF reaction to it at first but now I wish they would leave it alone.
Me and love?
Well this one time when I was in Pon Far on Vulcan…
Remember the book “The Right Stuff”? They had a whole deal about how the astronaut were total dogs when it came to women and John Glenn realized that it just won’t play in Peoria.
The book had more detail, but the movie had a scene about it.
Fini in disguise – with glasses?
Does anyone else have to keep filling out the form above this box? Are teh interwebs toobz clogging around here? Should we get Roto Rooter out?
Let them eat Wonder.
-GSD
I am of the opinion that the servers are doing a self diagnostic or defrag after the load they went through. This would explain the wierd refresh and filling out the text boxes and all.
If they have a manual cache dump that might help, but the problem should resolve itself shortly.
At work this week I can’t recall one single mention of the Libby trial, the Iraq debate in the Senate, or the two new bills on voter intimidation and electronic voting validation, but lots of folks mentioned the astronaut catfight.
The refresh button seems to not work. I hit it and waited fifteen minutes for it to finish while I was doing other things. I almost forgot about you guys. ;-)
refresh from the browser. it’s faster.
To continue that thought, I think that as a society we really do get the government we deserve.
I agree completely with TRex’s distaste for the astronaut story, but I do disagree with the notion that there is a meaningful correlation between “American” and “laughing at someone else’s pain and suffering.” Sadly, schadefreude is a cruel pleasure enjoyed by people of all nationalities. Some would say Parisians, for example, enjoy schadenfreude way too much, but in fact you can find it all over the world.
I agree that constructive self-criticism is a necessary step towards self-improvement, for people and for countries. But correlating schadenfreude to a national character just seems a bit too myopic to me.
There appears to be a problem with the Javascript software that manages all these comments. I have to fill in the fields of the comment form each time, which would imply that the cookies either aren’t being sent here or they’re not being read. The “edit this comment” feature is missing, also.
Fini,
Yes, I have to keep filling out the name & email forms in order to comment. And I’ve forgotten how to empty the cache…
I don’t want to hear much more of the astronaut story. I would like to know years from now how she managed to pull herself out of this, but now? This is just too open. We don’t need to know all this.
My Firefox 2.0.0.1’s Error Console shows “uncaught exception: Permission denied to call method XMLHttpRequest.open” whenever I hit any of the comment-related buttons, and the browser just spins away never completing its refresh or preview. Hmmmm…
Wordpress has gone hinky. I do know from talking to RGB earlier the site was having huge traffic loads today from the trial. Must sprung a spring in the server.
Ok, now I’m having the same problem but using the submit this comment button still works (fingers and toes crossed)
Margot @ 11:09 pm (#132)
[BTW, “quote this comment” doesn’t work either. Looks like Mustang has the problem corralled, so to speak …]
I’m with you there, although I’d like for there to be a review of this case and its implications about the adequacy of psychological evaluations that astronauts are supposed to go through.
On diapers and intestinal fortitude.
Most of the bravest people I know wear diapers.
They wear their diapers under the layers of thermal underwear, which goes under the jump suits, which go under the outerwear and the climbers’ harness.
They wear all that, and hang from bridges, using their frail bodies to halt massive ships carrying the plunder of forests, oceans and cultures.
They wear all that hanging off of absurdly high cranes… creating a global symbol of hope of freedom, hope, and resistance.
They wear all that manouvering rafts to stop warships.
They wear all that as they shield the whales from the harpoons.
They wear all that as they live amidst the branches high above the ground, protecting the forests from which we drink
– until Big Timber’s uniformed and civilian thugs cut their lines, bring them to the ground, and beat them.
(Never know when a skinny arboreal vegan kid will go into PCP-like rage after weeks of careful, deliberate movement – hundreds of feet off the ground.)
They wear all that during winter seas in Antarctic waters, searching for the rogue Japanese whaling fleet violating international whale protections.
They wear all that – with the diapers – on deck in Antarctic waters as they race to stop, disable, and if need be slice open the rogue whalers’ hulls.
Just a word on diapers.
I see a flash at the bottom of the browser referencing admin.firedoglake.com, and if the browser is being directed to XMLHttpRequest.open to a different server, then this would create a permission-denied error like we’re seeing. My guess is that an attempt to distribute the server load has caused the guys working on the server code to introduce this security exception.
FiniFiniTOOBZ! @ 11:16 pm (#134)
My guess is that they tried to do an adjustment or a restore and it didn’t go so well.
One way or another, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from the moderators shortly.
There were some server adjustments to both clear some stuff from today…over 184,000 unique visitors today…and to prep for the onslaught tomorrow when Timmeh will still be on the stand.
There will be some cache issues both for FDL and for individual browsers that should be resolved by the morning.
If you haven’t already done so, you may want to clear your cache, or just shut down and restart your browser. If the issues continue, please leave some basic info like Mac or PC and what browser you’re using and the techies will troubleshoot in the morning.
Thanks to all for your patience.
Cujo—thank you.
Since I haven’t had a chance to hear it yet today…bedlam is dreaming of rain
I’ve cleared all private data except browsing history and restarted the browser. Let’s see how this goes …
Nope, refresh and “quote this comment” still don’t work.
Firefox 1.5.0.9 on Linux 2.6.18 (Fedora Core 5).
RBG, thanks for your work.
It’s heaven to be able to follow this trial, especially compared to Watergate, when the news came in the paper and it was artfully hidden, too.
Just for future reference, three or four links will usually sneak past the spam filters. More than four may well be automatically trapped in moderation.
gosh, it feels so old school doing a hard refresh. i’ve been spoiled by the refresh comments button
Dang folks…didn’t mean to end the party.
How about I leave you with a little Van Morrison and Lavern Brown until tomorrow.
Our jails are filled — when mental hospitals would be more appropriate.
In the Regan years, liberals joined conservatives to close the mental hospitals in California — many of which were terrible warehouses — in exchange for the promise of ‘in community’ care. The community care never came to pass, and the residents of the mental hospitals became the crazy homeless and, sadly, people like the off-kilter astronaut.
How does it serve anyone to put this off-balanced woman in jail? She needs the care of a mental health professional, not the punishment of a prison.
We have the most prisoners per capita of any industrialized nation. In part, that is because we choose to ‘punish’ people, rather than helping them to live more successfully.
That’s shameful.
RBG, thanks for your Lakekeeping!
and thanks for the tip on link #’s….
and MS – bless you!
I’ve gotta admit, I find the odd fascination with Nowak’s diaper somewhat perplexing.
I mean, hello, astronaut? What exactly do you think piss does in outer space? It floats! Just like everything else.
So an astronaut resorting to diapers is not really that unexepected.
.
Beautiful diary at My Left Wing:
Top o’ the evenin’ to anyone left.
MS @ 147:
In the Regan years, liberals joined conservatives to close the mental hospitals in California — many of which were terrible warehouses — in exchange for the promise of ‘in community’ care. The community care never came to pass, and the residents of the mental hospitals became the crazy homeless and, sadly, people like the off-kilter astronaut.
I was in Oregon, working as a psych aide, a strong advocate of deinstitutionalization. Ten years later, I began working at a homeless shelter. It felt like a necessary completion of a cycle, though really, it remains incomplete. Many of the homeless (1989-92) were Viet vets, another incomplete cycle, which we now begin anew in Iraq.
::sigh::
It always seems us liberals are doing the cleanup for the wingnut fuggups.
Another byproduct: though there’s been a time or two I could have used a decent counselor, my psych aide experience, and another with the shrinkrappers aiding a child of mine, has made me completely cynical about the whole mental hell profession.
Politicians can destroy lives, but so can the brain docs.
Ahhhh, love. Has it made me blue? More like a fine color of jade.
And here’s a bit of old dirty effing hippy love.
1,46 DYAZ AND THE KILLIN GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Kevin Hayden and the Firepup Patriots:
“…another incomplete cycle which we begin anew in Iraq.”
But this cycleis gunna be in spadz ‘cuz there is NO VA medical system left to speak of, no economy left to absorb any of ‘em and no GI Bill to transition any of ‘em.
This is gunna be far worse than the Viet Nam afterword…
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THE BASTARDS AREN’T DONE YET!!
Morning firepups, for anyone who wants to listen to the latest DeadEye spin, Mrs. James Carville, aka Mary Matalin, is on Imus in about 12 minutes.
FWIW, DeadEye media whore Mary Matalin on Imus in about ten minutes.
Imus ripping Matalin.
morning…
mac osx 10.4.8, safari 2.0.4. my “refresh comments” and “submit comment” buttons aren’t working… just goes into an apparently infinite “loading” loop. i’ve got to reload the whole page to clear it.
anyone else seeing this?
i’m going to try firefox now… let’s see if it works.
Good morning, pups. It’s Bobo again in the NYT {sigh} and Bob Herbert.
http://mgpaquin.blogspot.com/
I’ve still got some sort of bug, so use the hand wipes over there before you touch that link.
Selise, you’re right. I’m using Firefox and the toobz seem to be badly clogged. Maybe they should get what I had last night — that would have them running… No editing, reply fields don’t remember who I am, can’t preview, etc., etc., etc.
Morning All Our Relations,
Whew, glad to read the hiccup is here at FDL, I cleared my cache thinking it was mine, then pulled up this thread.
[To clear your cache of cookies and Temp Internet Files, which slows down your puter performance as they build up too much, go to Tools > Internet Options (in IE) or Options (Firefox). Not sure about Macs. I clear mine at least once a week, to optimize speed and surfing.]
I noticed KO used ‘Astronaughty’ on his banner for this story. I too will be glad when it fades.
Marion in Savannah and Shez,
thanks for the replies…
actually, i kinda wish the trouble was at my end… i worry what’s gonna happen to the servers later this morning when the trial liveblogging starts.
RGB – WHERE ARE YOU? WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP (IF YOU AREN’T ALREADY AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM)
hope the yelling will get the mods attention.
Selise, I did a quicky run through the comments earlier and RGB was onto the problem last night, but I’m sure will be interested to know it’s continuing this morning. Seems there was some sort of a server clean-up issue?? (About the finer points of the toobz I am completely tabula rasa…) Off to work…
Gang — we had to do some resets on the server after yesterday’s hiccups when the traffic was high. We’re still troubleshooting. Please be patient — we are working on it.
Mornin’ all!
Speaking of clearing caches, lady at puter shop recommended a nifty free tool called CleanUp!, it does really deep cleaning plus frees up lots of disc space.
christy – thanks for the update. my only impatience was to know that you-all were aware of potential issues before the high traffic hit. good luck with the trouble shooting!
Morning Christy, are you sure having to fill in our info to post each time isn’t really a super double secret tactic to cut down on comments during the rush? ;) j/k!
Looking forward to knowing the
RethugsPants On Fire Party will be feeling the real heat again today as testimony continues. I hope to see more people when addressing a troll’s misinformation, if you must reply, to preface it with: “Any sane person knows…”, like someone did yesterday. Got a chuckle and Amen out of me.Matlin called Imus back to whine more. “If Scooter said I said it then I said it”. Then she goes on and on about what this is doing to Scooter.
10 degrees in eastern PA this AM. CNN says parts of NY can expect to have 8 feet of snow by the end of the day.
i down loaded the mp3s of libby’s visits to the grand jury last night (ap has posted them, here. beware they’re each over 400 MB).
one problem i’m having is that the date of the testimony isn’t noted.
i’ve figured out that the first one starts with march 5, 2004.
anyone have a guide i can use? thanks!
good post
Posting a tad late in real time, but this is a goodie. Imus = must-see Teevee these days:
Yep, she’s one of the archangels of death. Medusa’s on Imus right now going batshit haranguing. Carville must be out of the country. She’s going to take $500 from her Imus ranch contribution fund to give to the Scooter Libby defense fund. And we’re supposed to have sympathy for Libby? Tell it to Chelsea Clinton.
Does this woman realize she’s helping Fitzgerald?
Why is it happening, Medusa?
Because you guys OUTED a COVERT CIA AGENT and then conspired to COVER IT UP. Because this ain’t beanbag. It’s 3000+ American lives in Iraq.
Ah, the smell of panic in the morning…. can you say u.n.g.l.u.e.d?
selise – here’s a link to the transcripts in PDF form
new thread
Good morning (to you east-coaster’s one presumes) from the left coast. Woke up, couldn’t get back to sleep.
As to the media frenzy, whattaya expect? They do it because we fat, stoopid(tm) residents of the U.S. portion of America lap that shit up. Whattaya expect them to talk about their complicity in the BushCo agenda; a clear failure of professional ethics? That don’t make money.
As to Amaeche, I was at Penn State when he was our star hoopster. There was talk…and my gaydar was pinging. When I heard yesterday about his coming out, I couldn’t help but shout out (a quiet shout)YEESSSSSS! I KNEW IT!
I did enjoy watching him play in Rec Hall but never got to really meet him so sorry Trex, I can’t fill you in on those things you’re wondering about. I’ll just say this: on the court, he was versatile.
twolf1 – thanks, i have that one (i haven’t read it through, though). but that wasn’t the only time libby testified, was it?
I swear this was the lineup of stories on my local news the other night:
1. Ryan O’Neal shoots at son.
2. 1,000 dead in Iraq in one week.
3. The sighting of a possibly rabid raccoon in a suburb.
4. Update on the Libby trial.
Each story was given the exact same weight and time.
OK, I agree that this is a stupid story. But what I don’t get is Trex being able to so knowingly smear the “cocky” pilot “who doubtless led her on.” Doubtless? I don’t understand how Trex, in a post dedicated to ripping the simplistic media coverage about a tragic situation would drag the male pilot into it for a dose of blame. I actually find this whole post to be a tad flip and stereotypical, even as I agree with the gist of it.
Barbaro is dead and an astronaut behaves badly. I think Cheny had a hand in both these stories happening and coming to light.
“Love is a Dog From Hell: Poems 1974 – 1977″ by Charles Bukowski.