[Peace-discuss] Howard Zinn speaks

[Laurie at advancenet.net]

I thought I would bask in the glory of having people think that I was
cleaver enough to have deliberately called Carl "Christ" as either an ironic
statement or one of parody before posting in response to the intentions and
meanings attributed to my statements.  You all have given me much too much
credit.  Your interpretation is the result of an unfortunate choice of
punctuation marks.  My opening articulation of "Christ" was intended as an
exclamation and should have been punctuated with an exclamation mark and not
a comma.  Next time, I will use "shit" as my exclamation rather than
"Christ" so as not to give anyone a reason to think that I am naming someone
Christ.  On second thought maybe I should not do that because they will
think that I am calling the person "Shit."  I guess I will have to learn how
to punctuate my sentences.  My skills with exclamations are bad since I
infrequently write them; I assure you that I am much better with writing
grammatically correct and well punctuated compound complex sentences, which
can be page length or better.

In passing, I am afraid that neither Carl nor John qualify to be Christ
since neither of you are Jewish. :-)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: C. G. Estabrook [mailto:galliher at uiuc.edu]
> Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 7:42 PM
> To: John W.
> Cc: Jenifer Cartwright; Laurie at advancenet.net; 'Peace Discuss'
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Howard Zinn speaks
> 
> Having been christened/anointed (as I'm sure you have, John), I
> technically
> qualify, I suppose -- but remember what happens to those so designated.
> 
> In fact, Borges has a story about that, too: "The Gospel According to
> Mark"
> <http://downloads.newyorker.com/mp3/071015_fiction_theroux.mp3>.
> 
> BTW, the Borges' "story" I referred to below is in fact an essay, "The
> Analytical Language of John Wilkins," available at
> <http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/wilkins.html>.  Like all of Borges,
> it's worth
> reading, in spite of his bad politics.  --CGE
> 
> 
> John W. wrote:
> > At 05:00 PM 2/15/2008, Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
> >
> >> Good one. Laurie... and I also like the way you called Carl "Christ"
> ;-]
> >>
> >>  --Jenifer
> >
> >
> > Hahaha!  I hadn't noticed, and didn't realize that Laurie was so
> > spiritually inclined.  "Christ" means, I think, "The Anointed
> One"...a
> > characterization of Carl that I'm sure we can all live with.  As
> proof
> > of his status, he will correct me if I'm wrong.  :-)
> >
> > John
> >
> >
> >
> >> "Laurie at advancenet.net" <laurie at advancenet.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>     > "On those remote pages it is written that animals are divided
> >>     into (a) those that belong to the
> >>     > Emperor, (b) embalmed ones, (c) those that are trained, (d)
> >>     suckling pigs, (e)
> >>     > mermaids, (f) fabulous ones, (g) stray dogs, (h) those that
> are
> >>     included in this
> >>     > classification, (i) those that tremble as if they were mad,
> (j)
> >>     innumerable
> >>     > ones, (k) those drawn with a very fine camel's hair brush, (l)
> >>     others, (m) those
> >>     > that have just broken a flower vase, (n) those that resemble
> >>     flies from a distance."
> >>
> >>     Christ, isn't that a description of our government's enemies
> list,
> >>     which
> >>     they have stamped as classified? By releasing this, you will
> have
> >>     to answer
> >>     to Homeland Security - especially since you have listed some of
> >>     their top
> >>     personnel as enemy animals. :-)
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>     > -----Original Message-----
> >>     > From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
> >>     [mailto:peace-discuss-
> >>     > bounces at lists.chambana.net] On Behalf Of C. G. Estabrook
> >>     > Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:57 PM
> >>     > To: Jenifer Cartwright
> >>     > Cc: Peace Discuss; Morton K. Brussel
> >>     > Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Howard Zinn speaks
> >>     >
> >>     > The multiple uses you cite serve to cover the fundamental
> social
> >>     meaning of
> >>     > class -- roughly those who have the same role in the process
> of
> >>     producing the
> >>     > necessities of life. In a (more or less) capitalist order,
> these
> >>     tend to two: a
> >>     > very small group of 'owners' (not a natural relationship but a
> >>     peculiar notion
> >>     > of dominion over what's needed to produce food and shelter)
> and
> >>     the large
> >>     > majority, who have to sell what makes them human -- their work
> >>     of head and hands
> >>     > -- in order to eat regularly (even when they're privileged,
> like
> >>     us). The
> >>     > interests of these two groups (classes, sensu stricto) are not
> >>     just skew but
> >>     > contradictory -- in spite of all Mr. Obama can say.
> >>     >
> >>     > Your description of the uses of class reminds of the famous
> >>     passage from a J. L.
> >>     > Borges' story, in which Borges claims to know of "a certain
> >>     Chinese encyclopedia
> >>     > entitled Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge. On those
> >>     remote pages it is
> >>     > written that animals are divided into (a) those that belong to
> >>     the Emperor, (b)
> >>     > embalmed ones, (c) those that are trained, (d) suckling pigs,
> >>     (e) mermaids, (f)
> >>     > fabulous ones, (g) stray dogs, (h) those that are included in
> this
> >>     > classification, (i) those that tremble as if they were mad,
> (j)
> >>     innumerable
> >>     > ones, (k) those drawn with a very fine camel's hair brush, (l)
> >>     others, (m) those
> >>     > that have just broken a flower vase, (n) those that resemble
> >>     flies from a
> >>     > distance." --CGE