Tuesday, May 09, 2006

In the Hot Seat with the Solid Surfer

I would like to applaud MZ and Freedom Now for catching a gaffe on my part. In the schedule post I announced this interview as being with the Silver Surfer a Marvel Comic book hero. I am certain our guest could be cool but not quite an ice man.

Regular readers should check their blogshares screen and check who is linked to their blog. I had no idea that our guest was a semi regular reader of this blog.

Blog

1 I see that Freedom Now and MZ post on your blog. I am also a huge fan of Pam of Atlas in NYC. Are there any other blogs of note that you read regularly that we should take a look at.

2 You read FPM on a regular basis who is your favorite regular contributor ?

3 Compare my two favorite Pro Israel blogs the Mad Zionist and Pam of Atlas Shrugged ? I think I get nastier trolls then MZ but some of Pam's trolls are really nasty.

Foriegn Policy

4 How do you view China as an asset, ally, foe or none of the above.
5 Should we be more concerned with Russia or China as a potential enemy
6 What countries do you see as vital to America's economic future
7 Will India surpass China economically ?

Israel

8 We have a set of clowns that refer to Israel's aparthied wall. What is your response to criticism of Israel's security perimeter. These critics are apologists for a system that built walls to keep people in.
9 Do you find that the far left is obsessed with who is a Jew. I have maintained that the Jewish critics of Israel produced by the far left are almost entirely Communist and Anarchists. What is your view of Jewish critics of Israel ?
10 Is the notion of a distinc Palestinian ethnicity a huge scam. What is the basis of this ethicity language, religion, history ?

Fun

11 Do you watch professional sports ? If so what teams do you root for?
12 Have you driven a motorcycle
13 Did you read Comic books as a kid ? If so which ones were your favorite ? Are you familiar with the Silver Surfer ?

Taxes

14 Are user fees and licenses anther form of taxation
15 Are cigarette, alcohol and gas taxes more odious because they disproportionately affect lower income people ?

Lawyers and the Law
16 What are your views on the ACLU ?
17 Does this country need tort reform

Unions
18 Have we arrined in an era where unions have outlived their usefullness ?
19 Should people have a right not to join a Union if they choose ?

Hollywood Madness
20 Are movie prices too high and quality of film produced way too low ?
21 Are there too many sequels ?
22 What was the best and worst films you have seen ? The worst films I remember were Battlefield Eartg and Yentyl.

General Absurdity

23 Whose outfits are tackier Bowlers or golfers ?
24 What Blogger that you readwould make a great candidate for survivor ? Warren would make a great candidate but Mr Beamish would generate ratings.
25 Pick one Horror Films or Sci Fiction/ Fantasy.

Mr Beamish in 08, Ducky to visit Patrick Kennedy in rehab. He was Ted kennedy's swimming instructor, 167 to visit his utopia Iran and lierally get stoned and Socrasleeze looking for Meathead, Shanghai Charlie and all the failed writers creations.

36 comments:

Mad Zionist said...

Pam Atlas is much better looking tham me, but I can drink more.

-MZ

Anonymous said...

Beak, thanks for the great questions. Unfortunately I don't have time to get to them tonight, but I look forward to tackling them tomorrow evening.

beakerkin said...

No problem Solid Surfer.

MZ Pam is very attractive but on the web that is a negative. I have never seen a site get more malicious trolls then hers. We get trolled here but her site is the ultimate troll magnet.

Warren said...

MZ, said,

"[...] but I can drink more."

Not getting into the ins and outs of "firewater"; the last time I heard this boast was from a 4' tall jockey!

I think his boast was, "I can drink you under the table". I pointed out he had a head start.

POW! Right in the kneecap!

Warren said...

MZ, said,

"[...] but I can drink more."

Not getting into the ins and outs of "firewater"; the last time I heard this boast was from a 4' tall jockey!

I think his boast was, "I can drink you under the table". I pointed out he had a head start.

POW! Right in the kneecap!

nanc said...

the kneecap?

nanc said...

just haaaaaaad to work the golfwear in there, eh beak?

Anonymous said...

He's just jealous that he's not coordinated enough to play! Now if Mr. Beamish becomes the Prez, Beaker can learn offroad golf. He might be able to play that! Besides it takes a certain manly man to wear golf clothes with panache! My Dad was aretired AF pilot, he could carry it off! One day Beaker might.

tmw

Good morning, Beaker, how you doing?

FLORIAN said...

Firewater Warren?! Kinda like what Rain in the Face was addicted to? He loved that firewater.

Mad Zionist said...

I can also eat more than her. Pass the pizza and beer this way, please.

nanc said...

madze - it's too early for that unless you're camping and then anything goes! are we camping? then i'll have a bloody mary!

American Crusader said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
American Crusader said...

That 1 game lead in May isn't going to decide the division. The Red Sux have more than enough time to choke.

beakerkin said...

Ducky

One game does not make a season and a one run loss counts just the same as a fifteen run loss in the standings.

The Red Sox will fall apart it is a matter of when.

Freedomnow said...

When I last checked in with you guys the Sox were in first place and the Yanks were fighting for last. It is still early in the season, but it is quite amusing at the turn in fortune.

AC you were right on the money with your observation that the Yanks were in a similar position last year and they still came in at 1st place at the end of the year.

Anyways, three cheers to the Solid Surfer and Beak (the new Stan Lee of blogging).

Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!
Hip Hip Hooray!

beakerkin said...

Freedomnow

You got me in the rare Fruedian slip. I wonder if anyone other then you or THW or Mr Beamish even knows who the Silver Surfer is. I think MZ may know who the Silver Surfer is. Remember Blogging is supposed to be entertaining.

Anonymous said...

You can see how I spent my allowance! heeheehe!

tmw

Freedomnow said...

Hell, Mr. B even knows about Zardoz. I'm a bit concerned about the guy. Sci Fi can lead to osteoporosis and highwater geekness.

Warren said...

Oh, I do indeed know who the Silver Surfer is.

I had quite the comic book collection until I went in the Army. I even had a buch of old $.05 Batman comics that belonged to my dad and an original Spiderman.

Gone, all gone, (sigh).

Warren said...

Florian said:
" Firewater Warren?! Kinda like what Rain in the Face was addicted to? He loved that firewater."

Yes, I inherited the gene. I love it but it doesn't return my love so I seldom drink.

Dan Zaremba said...

No yet, heh?
I'll wait.

Mad Zionist said...

Silver Surfer was a great comic. I read it regularly when I was about 14. It was a more adult style comic, more sophiticated storylines and language. Really good stuff. Unfortunately, I don't remember many details anymore, though.

beakerkin said...

I guess we have plenty of people who read Comic books. The Silver Surfer started out as a villian and became a good guy.

Anonymous said...

All right, finally home from work and ready to hit the hot seat!

1. I see that Freedom Now and MZ post on your blog. I am also a huge fan of Pam of Atlas in NYC. Are there any other blogs of note that you read regularly that we should take a look at.

Of the relatively larger blogs, my regular reads include Little Green Footballs, Israpundit, Jihad Watch, Captain's Quarters, and The Autonomist. I'm also a big fan of a few perhaps lesser-known ones, like Hispanic Pundit, The Only Republican In San Francisco, and Meryl Yourish.


2. You read FPM on a regular basis who is your favorite regular contributor?

That's a tough question since the whole site is great, but if I have to name a favorite, I'd say a tie between Don Feder and Jamie Glazov.


3. Compare my two favorite Pro Israel blogs the Mad Zionist and Pam of Atlas Shrugged? I think I get nastier trolls then MZ but some of Pam's trolls are really nasty.

These two blogs come from somewhat different perspectives (Atlas Shrugs more secular and MadZionist more Jewish), but both are fantastic, and it's wonderful to see such strong Israel-support.


4. How do you view China as an asset, ally, foe or none of the above.

In some ways, all of the above. China's people are certainly an ally in that they generally love America, and an asset because they produce so many of our goods and invest large sums into our economy. At the same time, though, it does have a Communist government that's a natural rival to U.S. power, and I can see our government clashing even more with theirs on key issues like Taiwan, North Korean, Iran, access to oil and energy, etc.


5. Should we be more concerned with Russia or China as a potential enemy?

I think both about equally. China probably presents more of a direct danger, given its growing economic clout and potential influence over the U.S. economy. But Russia has lots of oil, possibly unsecured nuclear weapons, and influence over enemy states in the Middle East, which we can't count out. Hopefully both countries will become more free, but in the meantime, we should be concerned with both.


6 What countries do you see as vital to America's economic future?

Most prominently - China, India, Brazil, and Mexico. Over the next few decades, the U.S. (and Europe and Japan) will face population aging, and we'll see a whole bunch of baby boomers retiring with large amounts of assets built up in stocks, bonds, real estate, etc. These retirees will want to cash out on their assets in order to enjoy retirement, but in order to do so, someone has to be around to buy the assets. And in the developed world, there are fewer younger people around to do so. This has the potential to drive the value of the assets way down (and hurt plenty of would-be retirees financially), unless younger buyers come from other nations. And most likely, they'll come from China, India, Brazil, and Mexico; the economic development of these nations in the next few decades could be as vital to the U.S. economy as it is to these nations' own economies.


7. Will India surpass China economically?

Yes, I think it will, as long as China remains Communist, because the free market will ultimately triumph. (China has semi-free markets, but not fully). However, if China becomes a democracy, I think it will hold onto its current lead.


8. We have a set of clowns that refer to Israel's apartheid wall. What is your response to criticism of Israel's security perimeter. These critics are apologists for a system that built walls to keep people in.

Most of this criticism comes from people who would criticize Israel no matter the situation. They're so concerned with harm to the Palestinian economy but could care less about the Israeli lives it saves. To them, I'd say just one thing - go about anywhere else in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, etc.) if you want to see what real apartheid is. If you're not Muslim, for example, you can't become a Saudi citizen, period. Contrast this with 20% of Israel's citizenry being non-Jews. As for the security wall itself, by the way, most of it is actually just a fence, with only about 5% being a true wall. (I went to Israel last year and saw this myself.)


9. Do you find that the far left is obsessed with who is a Jew. I have maintained that the Jewish critics of Israel produced by the far left are almost entirely Communist and Anarchists. What is your view of Jewish critics of Israel?

I don't know that the far left is obsessed with specifically who is a Jew, but they're certainly obsessed with Jews in general to a far disproportionate degree.

As for Jewish criticism of Israel, there are two main types. One is legitimate criticism of the state, which is good and healthy and a hallmark of any functioning democracy. On the other hand, there is the predominantly leftist criticism of Israel that singles it out in particular (i.e. those who question Israel's basic right to exist). Among Jews who do this, many are indeed Communists and Anarchists, as one thing they virtually all have in common is that they don't generally practice Judaism religiously, and have substituted leftist ideas for it. (So the solution to this problem, as I see it, is to get Jews more Jewishly involved.)


10. Is the notion of a distinct Palestinian ethnicity a huge scam. What is the basis of this ethnicity language, religion, history?

Yes, it basically is. The Palestinian Arabs are no different than the surrounding Arabs in terms of all the above categories, and they never even called themselves Palestinians until about 1967. The notion of the Palestinians as a distinct people was created by their Arab leaders in order to undermine Israel.

But as much as they want to fake history, their own name belies them. Think about why Arabs are even called "Arabs" (as opposed to any other name). Because they originally came from the Arabian Peninsula. And that piece of land is not in Israel.


The rest of the answers coming right up...

Mad Zionist said...

Halftime...gotta go get a cocktail.

Anonymous said...

Now for the back nine of the course...

11. Do you watch professional sports? If so what teams do you root for?

Huge fan of the Dallas Mavericks (basketball), Cowboys (football), Stars (hockey), and Texas Rangers (baseball). If the Mavs can beat San Antonio this round, I think they'll take it all the way!


12. Have you driven a motorcycle?

No, never have.


13. Did you read Comic books as a kid? If so which ones were your favorite? Are you familiar with the Silver Surfer?

I read them a little bit, but was more into collecting baseball cards. Don't know the Silver Surfer, but I liked Spiderman, Captain America, Iron Man, and the Hulk.


14. Are user fees and licenses another form of taxation?

If imposed by the government, I'd say yes, more or less. But if imposed privately, then I'd say no.


15 Are cigarette, alcohol and gas taxes more odious because they disproportionately affect lower income people?

I wouldn't think lower-income people necessarily purchase more cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline, but in general, I think all taxes are odious if they get too high.


16 What are your views on the ACLU?

For the most part, I'm very against them. Occasionally they might argue something worthwhile, but mostly they seem dead-set on undermining everything that's great about America and turning it into a completely ultra-leftist society with no dissent allowed from their particular views. This type of thing has happened before - in Soviet Russia.


17 Does this country need tort reform?

In certain areas, I think we do - it's far too easy for people to get away with frivolous lawsuits and exaggerated medical malpractice claims. But that said, we should definitely tread carefully in these areas, as we need to make sure that all genuine claims are still taken very seriously.


18 Have we arrived in an era where unions have outlived their usefulness?

No, I think unions are still useful, as they do bring needed benefits to their members. Unions originally formed because big business often exploited workers, and there's no guarantee that situation wouldn't happen again. At the same time, though, certain unions have amassed so much power that they're hurting their own industries (teachers unions, in particular, are greatly harming our educational system), and I feel this type of monopoly should should be challenged the same way a large company's monopoly in an industry would be.


19. Should people have a right not to join a Union if they choose?

Yes, they should absolutely have a choice.


20. Are movie prices too high and quality of film produced way too low?

The prices are a bit high for my own tastes, but there's nothing wrong with this, since it's just based on supply and demand.

Film quality, meanwhile, highly varies in my opinion. Sure, there are plenty of bad movies out there, but some good stuff is out there too. Hollywood has had a poor past couple years, but I'm excited about some movies this summer - the new Superman, Nacho Libre (Jack Black comedy), Cars (new Pixar film), a couple others.


21 Are there too many sequels?

It sure seems that way lately. As long as the sequels are good, though, I don't mind.


22. What was the best and worst films you have seen? The worst films I remember were Battlefield Earth and Yentyl.

That's a tough one. For the best ever, I'd say the original Star Wars trilogy. Worst - hard to say...to name a recent one, I saw a movie called "Failure To Launch" that wasn't too good.


23 Whose outfits are tackier Bowlers or golfers?

Bowlers.


24 What Blogger that you read would make a great candidate for Survivor? Warren would make a great candidate but Mr Beamish would generate ratings.

Good question. Beak, you'd probably be great at it - I don't think anyone would mess with you once they saw your cool Rambo-like avatar! :-)


25. Pick one Horror Films or Sci Fiction/Fantasy.

Well, I already named Star Wars, so I'll say Lord Of The Rings. Unless you count home videos of me and my brothers as kids - we behaved so badly in them that it definitely classifies as a horror film!

nanc said...

O.T. madze - i think danabobanaboboneheaddana's brother is at your first article.

nanc said...

thanks surfer for confirming #23 for me - it means much coming from you.

speaking of survivor - one of our associate pastors is in the final round of candidates for the next survivor series - he's a good one too.

great interview surfer, although i don't believe unions are very useful at all. but you did justify your answer somewhat with the question after that - thanks.

Mad Zionist said...

Nicely done, Surfer. As usual, we agree on most points...except the Star Wars trilogy being the best movies ever. They were ok, but sooo hokey.

Looks like the Mavs just might just get it done this year. I love Cuban, so hopefully they'll win it all.

Meanwhile, my Buffalo Sabres are kicking ass in the NHL playoffs.

Warren said...

Thank You Surfer.

I think you're dead wrong about that golfer bowler thing!

Unions are a sore point with me! They have become shadow corporations whose product is intimidation and protection rackets!

nanc said...

what does warren know about golfing? apparently he knows about bowling though...kingpin probably his favorite movie...who am i kidding - kingpin is one of my favorites too! but definitely not better than happy gilmore!

beakerkin said...

Interesting interview but I wonder if Nanc would be a great Candidate
for Survivor. I may do a parody of survivor here and do a version called troll survivor. We would need to get Dana the Moron from MZ.

Readers could vote their least favorite troll off the blog. That idea is in the future.

nanc said...

i would be a horrible candidate, all things considered. i have a discriminating palate and could never eat the fare on survivor. now my husband, that's a different story - he knows how to rough it and loves every minute of it - as long as the beer holds out!

dana is not as obnoxious as brownie and rarely comes back to repeat herself - she's a one hit wonder so you'd have to make the series short!

Freedomnow said...

Surfer Dude,

I never thought about the differences of public opinion between the Chinese and Russians.

Russians are generally bitter because of their poor economy and loss of international prestige. Traditionally, they view themselves as the champions of all Slavic people.

The Kosovo Campaign really alienated them and US influence in the former Russian republics was just salt on the wound.

Dan Zaremba said...

GReat interview.
Thanks again Surfer and Beak

Anonymous said...

Thanks everyone, glad you enjoyed the interview! And Beak, thanks again for hosting it!