Monday, June 21, 2010

The Illusory Logic of Vitty Cent

Being a blog, I get signed up for every newsletter in the state regardless of my personal political disposition. I just got this newsletter from David Vitter's campaign and the opening statement is as follows:

It's been two months since the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig tragically claimed 11 lives and created a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and millions of people in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast continue to feel the effects of this ongoing disaster.

The response so far by the Obama administration has been a failure, but I'm continuing to fight for accountability, answers, and most importantly, action to save our coast and wetlands. I recently organized a meeting with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to press him to overturn the drilling moratorium that's threatening to compound the economic damage of the spill, and I also visited areas in south Louisiana where large numbers of birds, fish, and other animals have been hurt by the spill.

Read below to find out how I'm fighting for you on these and other critical issues.

Now bear with me as I go off on a tangential spiral.

Being a fan of Carlos Castenada, I'd like to point out a concept he spoke of in his series of books. The premise of his books were written as factual (they mostly weren't) and in a psuedo-scientific manner in which he portayed himself as an anthropologist who came under the tutelage of a Toltec Brujo (sorcerer), Don Juan Mateus,  in the Sonora Desert of Mexico.  His books represent the alleged teachings of this wise man and have had a profound effect on promoting the "new age" movement over the past several decades.

I am not a "new age" fan, but I am a fan of Casteneda's and the philosophy of his books.

There was a particular passage where Don Juan and Carlos were having lunch at a diner in an obscure Mexican town; Don Juan introduced a polarized concept to Carlos called the "Tonal" and the "Nagual". It's really nothing more than a metaphor for cognitive dissonance, but the way Casteneda framed and embellished it was...well...magical.

Basically, the Tonal is everything that is "known", the Nagual is the unknown, unspoken, incomprehensible....the infinite.

Don Juan told Carlos to look at everything on the table, the salt and pepper shakers, the napkin holder, the plates, the food, the silverware, the table itself...everything you see in front of you and think you know....that is the Tonal. Then Carlos asked, "What is the Nagual?", Don Juan replied, "Everything else."

Ok, back to Vitty Cent.

Assuming Vitty Cent actually wrote this introduction, look at the opening sentence:

It's been two months since the explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig tragically claimed 11 lives and created a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and millions of people in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast continue to feel the effects of this ongoing disaster.

Fo' true. All of this is Fo' true. Preach Vitty preach, it's a pain all Louisianians share. Now...take a moment...pause....feel nothing........

....ok....now read the first sentence in the following paragraph:

The response so far by the Obama administration has been a failure, but I'm continuing to fight for accountability, answers, and most importantly, action to save our coast and wetlands. I recently organized a meeting with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to press him to overturn the drilling moratorium that's threatening to compound the economic damage of the spill, and I also visited areas in south Louisiana where large numbers of birds, fish, and other animals have been hurt by the spill. 

Try to recognize the Nagual between those two paragraphs. The huge amount of empty space between those two dissonant cognitive morsels.

The "unknown" between those two paragraphs is virtually infinite. The space in between those paragraphs would be a 4 course meal on Don Juan and Carlos' dinner table:

Appetizer: The more than cozy relationship between the EPA, LDEQ (Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality) and the Oil companies which Sen. Vitter has vigorously buttressed.

Soup/Salad: Vitter's cozy relationship with Andarko, their cash contributions, topped with his latest efforts to pass legislation limiting Oil and Gas company's liability to a $75 million dollar cap regardless of the billions of dollars in industry they destroy in our gulf waters or elsewhere.

Main Course: The massive amounts of cash David Vitter has received from oil and gas companies.

Dessert:  The connections and money Vitter has accepted from the Livingston Group....Livingston being Louisianan, Bob Livingston, another "infidel" who is currently the primary lobbyist for the country of Turkey and accused by former FBI translator and whistle blower, Sibel Edmonds, of treason for trading state secrets to the middle eastern country.

I would argue that all of the "unknown" and unspoken elements between those two paragraphs were largely responsible for the deaths of the 11 men on that rig.   That meal I just served you should be turning in your stomach.  I'm not necessarily a fan of Obama, but Vitter's kitchen was cooking up the recipes which resulted in those men's death well before Obama even put on an apron.

For Vitter to even remotely imply that Obama's response to this crisis of institutionalized, corporate greed is inadequate is the ultimate hypocrisy....or sorcery if you will.

The first paragraph in his mailer is easily digested by the masses. The second paragraph is shoved down your throat and you're not meant to taste it....just swallow.  Unfortunately most will.

In that respect, I actually admire Vitty Cent.  He is a magician of the highest order.

5 comments:

George Mauer said...

I got a petition mailer from him too. It feels like I've been drowning in shitty petition solicitations lately.

Can there please not be a law that every petition must have the complimentary anti-petition that goes along with it or is that just going to end up with every petitioner depressed and out of a job?

Anonymous said...

Are we in hell yet?

hazard-lady said...

Is the amount of money special interest groups will put into the coffers of those in congress and other positions of influence Nagal or Tonal?? Remember, the Supreme Court did away with limits on campaign contributions by those with an agenda to support.

Mr. Vitter (among others) is posturing so when the $$$$ is handed out, he will best his chances of cashing in.

PenePan said...

There should be a law that a person who has held office cannot be a lobbyist once leaving office, as Livingston has done. How easily he slid in to that role with all his pull and connections.

Editilla~New Orleans Ladder said...

We lost the Drilling Moratorium today.
That is the thing most folks don't seem to get about Disaster Capitalists, to wit: They Don't Stop the Shock. They will hit you with it over and over until you come around.
They are relentless in advancing their Reaper Madness.
They thrive on the chaos.

Unfortunately the ONLY thing We The People seem to have on our side is Information, and that is getting thin given what I see as a Draw-down of Louisiana Media: T-P, Advocate, Daily Comet, Advertiser, even Bayou Buzz (I won't even consider NO City Business).
They are backing off.
The Oil Industry started yanking people's jobs and we folded.
I really never understood Orwell's 1984 so poignantly until now.
The People really don't seem to have any recourse when the shit hits the fan. What recourse do we have?
We will drink oil and like it.
We will eat cake and like it.
I don't see Progressive Ideals pulling us out of this one.

The only thing left is...
The American Pie Party
We Believe in Just Desserts
E Pluribus Piem

PS-Any Youz wanna pull Editilla's chain on this flippancy come on, I've had enough.