the synagogue of Satan
Generally, I'm happy to say, the complete non-profile of this blog means that I don't get a lot of spam - I think I deleted one comment about four months ago. But apparently the combination of recent keywords - certainly Sarah Palin, but possibly also divvils, imbecility, spitting and "hideous occultic deformity" - seems to have drawn the political spambots out of hiding. Resulting in the following comment to yesterday's post:
has mccain thrown the election?
John McCain, to the chagrin of his party, threw a gutterball when he selected that ridiculous creature from Alaska as his running mate. The Senator from Arizona who - for better or worse - can't tell a Baptist from a snake-handler, doesn't know what he has on his hands. Mayor Palin belongs to the "Dominionist" movement, a cult whose "support" for Israel is highly suspect (the Jews must be gathered in Israel for the Coming of Christ, who will then "perfect" them as Christians). We'd likewise be interested in her position vis-a-vis the infamous 13th forgery known as "Revelation 2:9." McCain's obvious ignorance of these matters has alienated a sizable portion of both the Orthodox and Reform Jewish communities. He had a clear opportunity to nominate the young congressman from Richmond, Eric Cantor, but chose instead to align himself with the sketchy Governor from Alaska, a lady who once tried to ban the teen classic "I Capture the Castle" from her local library. McCain's choice wasn't simply an insult to Jews, but to thoughtful Gentiles as well. Let's hope that he realizes his error before it's too late.
Cordially,
Matthew Anger
We gloss for a moment over the misguided aim of the spambot, choosing to target a South African Gentile blogger whose focus subjects include sf, fantasy, Cape-Town-fondling and whinging about academia, and whose sole mention of Sarah Palin has been to make sly digs in passing at her choice of spectacles. Inappropriateness aside, the register fascinates me. The spambot is clearly two things: (a) not a supporter of Sarah Palin, and (b) Jewish. Beyond that, it's all a bit foggy.
The Jewish Spam-Bot (henceforth JSB) is considerably more literate than a lot of spam, but I'm amused by the disconnect between the restrained "cordiality" of the tone and the frothing paranoia of the content. Most terrifyingly, the American Presidential race is apparently entirely about religion, as Baptists, Jews and snake-handlers jostle in happy profusion. (This probably wouldn't be as amusing if I hadn't just watched that X-Files episode about snake-handling and divvils). The JSB is off on its own mission, striking wasp-like at issues I cannot see as central - it's certainly not an Obama-happy Democratic McCain-hater, and there's a curious lack of McCain-hatred in the anti-Palin frothing. McCain clearly doesn't have a position on the Jew question, and is thus by-the-way, and the 'bot is refreshingly uninterested in whether he did or didn't deliberately shoot his presidential chances in the foot with a moose gun.
And as for "the infamous 13th forgery known as Revelation 2:9", a quick Google mostly leaves me stunned at the gnashing facility with which a broad spectrum of fundamentalists can read "some Jews are not true Jews" as "all Jews are Satan." You do that in an essay, I scribble annoyed green remarks about misreading, stretching, READING properly, SUPPORT your statements, "this makes no sense" and, oh, yes, CONTEXT!
There's no hope for it, all that politics and snake-handling calls for a unicorn chaser. I'm a bit surprised to find myself identifying this book as a happy childhood reading memory, since Elizabeth Goudge has more than a slight tendency towards the realm of the syrupy, the uplifting and the twee; also, she comes perilously close all to often to the Christian allegory which pissed me off in Narnia; fortunately it isn't as prevalent in Little White Horse as it is in the weird Heaven/Zodiac elements of The Valley of Song. The Little White Horse is a novel I still read occasionally; it's an enchanting setting, a sequestered Victorian mini-kingdom peopled by loveable eccentrics, animals with delightful personalities, tragic love stories, ancient enmities, sumptuous food and drink, and suitably dark but redeemable villains. The heroine is full of personality and enterprise, and the whole thing is told with pleasingly witty and occasionally off-the-wall detail. (The tragic love story hinges on salmon-pink geraniums). The titular little white horse is used perfectly as a distant, enchanting icon, an almost-attainable ideal wrapped about with lovely constellations of moon and sun imagery. This is something to read when the world is simply too complicatedly dark, and you want some innocent pleasure. I promise, it's only occasionally twee.
has mccain thrown the election?
John McCain, to the chagrin of his party, threw a gutterball when he selected that ridiculous creature from Alaska as his running mate. The Senator from Arizona who - for better or worse - can't tell a Baptist from a snake-handler, doesn't know what he has on his hands. Mayor Palin belongs to the "Dominionist" movement, a cult whose "support" for Israel is highly suspect (the Jews must be gathered in Israel for the Coming of Christ, who will then "perfect" them as Christians). We'd likewise be interested in her position vis-a-vis the infamous 13th forgery known as "Revelation 2:9." McCain's obvious ignorance of these matters has alienated a sizable portion of both the Orthodox and Reform Jewish communities. He had a clear opportunity to nominate the young congressman from Richmond, Eric Cantor, but chose instead to align himself with the sketchy Governor from Alaska, a lady who once tried to ban the teen classic "I Capture the Castle" from her local library. McCain's choice wasn't simply an insult to Jews, but to thoughtful Gentiles as well. Let's hope that he realizes his error before it's too late.
Cordially,
Matthew Anger
We gloss for a moment over the misguided aim of the spambot, choosing to target a South African Gentile blogger whose focus subjects include sf, fantasy, Cape-Town-fondling and whinging about academia, and whose sole mention of Sarah Palin has been to make sly digs in passing at her choice of spectacles. Inappropriateness aside, the register fascinates me. The spambot is clearly two things: (a) not a supporter of Sarah Palin, and (b) Jewish. Beyond that, it's all a bit foggy.
The Jewish Spam-Bot (henceforth JSB) is considerably more literate than a lot of spam, but I'm amused by the disconnect between the restrained "cordiality" of the tone and the frothing paranoia of the content. Most terrifyingly, the American Presidential race is apparently entirely about religion, as Baptists, Jews and snake-handlers jostle in happy profusion. (This probably wouldn't be as amusing if I hadn't just watched that X-Files episode about snake-handling and divvils). The JSB is off on its own mission, striking wasp-like at issues I cannot see as central - it's certainly not an Obama-happy Democratic McCain-hater, and there's a curious lack of McCain-hatred in the anti-Palin frothing. McCain clearly doesn't have a position on the Jew question, and is thus by-the-way, and the 'bot is refreshingly uninterested in whether he did or didn't deliberately shoot his presidential chances in the foot with a moose gun.
And as for "the infamous 13th forgery known as Revelation 2:9", a quick Google mostly leaves me stunned at the gnashing facility with which a broad spectrum of fundamentalists can read "some Jews are not true Jews" as "all Jews are Satan." You do that in an essay, I scribble annoyed green remarks about misreading, stretching, READING properly, SUPPORT your statements, "this makes no sense" and, oh, yes, CONTEXT!
There's no hope for it, all that politics and snake-handling calls for a unicorn chaser. I'm a bit surprised to find myself identifying this book as a happy childhood reading memory, since Elizabeth Goudge has more than a slight tendency towards the realm of the syrupy, the uplifting and the twee; also, she comes perilously close all to often to the Christian allegory which pissed me off in Narnia; fortunately it isn't as prevalent in Little White Horse as it is in the weird Heaven/Zodiac elements of The Valley of Song. The Little White Horse is a novel I still read occasionally; it's an enchanting setting, a sequestered Victorian mini-kingdom peopled by loveable eccentrics, animals with delightful personalities, tragic love stories, ancient enmities, sumptuous food and drink, and suitably dark but redeemable villains. The heroine is full of personality and enterprise, and the whole thing is told with pleasingly witty and occasionally off-the-wall detail. (The tragic love story hinges on salmon-pink geraniums). The titular little white horse is used perfectly as a distant, enchanting icon, an almost-attainable ideal wrapped about with lovely constellations of moon and sun imagery. This is something to read when the world is simply too complicatedly dark, and you want some innocent pleasure. I promise, it's only occasionally twee.