A morning reflection

[dianeduane]

Remember this?

The [White House] aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.''
 

Well... it would appear that (at least at the local level) you can only insult the inherent dignity of reality and stretch the patience of the physical universe so far. And then...

Comments

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

Amen. When I lived in DC I was constantly told that just living in DC made the people "Movers and Shakers." I kept wanting to say "You sell shoes, you ain't movin' or shakin' nothin'"

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Wrong. Shoesellers keep us all healthier than we know. It's a subtle impact, but it's there. Ongoing.

[bevhale.livejournal.com]

True. Unfortunately, the guys who were telling me how important they were, weren't thinking about shoes, but that they were special because they lived in DC--and were therefore somehow cooler than the rest of us.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Over a year later, and hoping that the shoesellers have since reclaimed a bit more of their dignity wherever they live...

[seldearslj.livejournal.com]

Oh, that article's terrifying. I never realised Bush was so..."faith" based.

My interest in politics has taken more or less twelve years to come to fruition - twelve years of a leader with rather more fear than vision, only to be replaced by a leader with rather more vision than fear.

All things considered, I'd rather have the vision than the fear - at least there's the belief that one is going somewhere. But I want it to be a vision I can believe in, and which is clearly communicated to me, not a vision that I can't see.

Reading that article, it seems that Bush maintained the importance of having a vision that most people couldn't see - a faith-based vision of belief in his own infalliability.

Watching Obama's speeches, I'm very impressed with how he's communicated his vision for America to Americans; they can see where they're going at least, and dream of where they'll someday be.

[davidkevin.livejournal.com]

Magical thinking from some very, very poor magickians, who think that because they can conjure up Cthulhu from the backs of their minds into their nightmares they are the masters of the external universe.

I used to joke that the reason Yog-Sothoth didn't boil out of the Pentagon trap after the wall was breached on 9-11 was that It had possessed and reanimated the heart-attack-killed dead body of Dick Cheney before that date... (http://davidkevin.livejournal.com/302688.html)but statements such as what you quote (attributed to Karl Rove, from what I've read) indicates some actual would-be occultists in Bush's White House.

I'll be so glad to see the lot of them gone.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Yes, it does.

Yes, it did.

Congratulations.

[barberio.livejournal.com]

As I think I will spend all of today saying to USans... Congratulations!

[batyatoon]

Yes.

It's a good day.

[mikailborg.livejournal.com]

And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

This should be required reading for every president... and his advisers as well.

[mechanicaljewel.livejournal.com]

That is the best smiley ever. And accurately reflects how I feel today!

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Yes. That. Exactly.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Hee. I was tempted to borrow the "Reality Bites Back" icon, but I decided that there's such a thing as being a graceful winner. Obama campaigned on the idea of reuniting the nation, and I think that's what we (speaking as an American) have to do now.

[starlady38.livejournal.com]

The darkness drops again, but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Reality bites back, indeed. It's a great day once again to be an American.

[dinpik.livejournal.com]

Oh dear god.

I want that icon sooo bad.

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Goodness, feel free to take it! But use it responsibly. :)

[ma-feathers.livejournal.com]

I travel a lot into Canada for work. for the past year, Canadians would look at me pleadingly, begging me (either actually or implicitly) to tell them that Obama would win.

It's wonderful to know that my certitude was right. And I've already received a dozen calls of congratulations from my Canadian clients.

Yes we can. YES WE DID!

And yes, we will -- remain united in returning this country to what it was meant to be by the Founding Fathers.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

Seems like progress is being made. In fits, starts, crawls and the occasional leap, too.

Thanks again.

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

That quote revealed great ignorance of history.

Empires have not made their own reality; they've had to work with the resources available. They could put a better spin on the reality ("presents to subjects of the Chinese Empire" rather than "tribute and bribes to barbarians," for example); but they didn't make their own reality.

[raisedbymoogles.livejournal.com]

Would it be bad sportsmanship to indulge in a brief victory moonwalk?

[kayshapero]

The Empirical Strikes Back comes to mind, it do.

Diane, would you please contact me ASAP?

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

I have been trying to reach you via gmail for months about some books I paid for in July, but have been receiving no answer! Help!!!!!

Re: Diane, would you please contact me ASAP?

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Kiwi, check your email inbox: I just dropped you a note. D.

I hope you've gotten my reply via gmail!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

They can't stop the signal!

Re: I hope you've gotten my reply via gmail!

[dduane.livejournal.com]

:)

We can has communications!

[dakiwiboid.livejournal.com]

YAY!

Re: We can has communications!

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Yes We Can. :)

[kayshapero]

Oh, btw - any idea when you'll get back to The Big Meow? Judging by some of what's floating around the net you probably ought to post a situation update at least every month, so it doesn't feel like the whole thing has vanished beyond recall. [If I could only draw worth spit you would see a picture here of a manuscript being sucked into a black hole with the reader frantically clinging to the last page.]

[(Anonymous)]

love the little smiley doing it's thing :D

and your Young Wizards books! I need more, though I have to finish Elegant Universe still...:)

[lythia.livejournal.com]

oops wasn't logged in, that as from me!

[kayshapero]

I'll second THAT motion. :)

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

Valentined!

(Hope you're doing okay over there.)

Uwe Boll

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Hey, Diane, did Boll get this idea from you? :-)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/technology/news/e3ie0a24a92e254fef976e4b9b8a1a09a90

Re: Uwe Boll

[sarekofvulcan.livejournal.com]

*headdesk* That's what I get for not clicking through the Google searches. For the number of hits I was getting on http://www.google.com/search?q=uwe+boll+"Ring+of+the+nibelung", it's an understandable mistake. Maybe.

[handworn.livejournal.com]

The Irish are looking to Obama, wrote Kate Holmquist, a columnist for the Irish Times, "as if he’s not just America’s but also our president."

True?

[ravens-shadow.livejournal.com]

Sorry for being OT, but a friend of mine (huge fan of the Young Wizards series) mentioned he preordered A Wizard of Mars, and I got to wondering if you had an online blog or journal. I'm also a big fan. I hope you don't mind my adding you.

~Sabrina

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

On a similar note, there's a discussion going on here: http://rachelmanija.livejournal.com/734768.html?view=8340784&style=mine#t8340784

about how you are the Bestest Thing To Happen To Star Trek Novels EVAR OMG. Cuz you kinda were.

Yay, Star Trek.

[londonbard.livejournal.com]

I'm here on May 18th (your time) to wish you a very happy birthday.

[roseandheather.livejournal.com]

Oh. Hi.

Yes, I realize this entry was posted a couple of years ago, but I've been trawling the fandom_wank wiki, and I nearly died of shock when I found out you did, in fact, have an LJ. And then I had to get up the courage to gush about your books to your - well - internet-face.

So please, allow me to tell you that:

* I am a massive, massive fan of your Trek novels;
* I am quite scared they may fall apart soon as I a)snagged them from secondhand bookshops and b)seem to read them constantly;
* The Wounded Sky is my favorite Trek novel in existence, ever, and either my hardback or my softcover goes everywhere I do;
* I ship Ael t'Rllaillieu/Jim Kirk hardcore because wouldn't that be a completely awesome romance; and
* That you are awesome and made of massive amounts of win.

And that I sincerely hope you write more Trek novels at some point in the future, because your tendency to have McCoy do ridiculously awesome things makes me all glowy inside, as TOS!McCoy is my favorite character in the history of anything and your novels provide wonderful fixes for McCoy-aholics such as myself.

Scurrying back to my copy of Wounded Sky now. *waves cheerily*

[dduane.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! :)

I do have one Trek book left in me -- I think -- and it's just a matter of seeing whether I can get the present administration interested. This may take a while, though, as other projects have been on my mind (such as this (http://www.youngwizards.com/A-Wizard-Of-Mars)).

But I'm glad you're having fun with the books. They were fun for me, too. :)