Metaphores seem popular; the below discussion verges on 'how
many angels...' We are dealing here primarily with imperialism (US)
and no amount of rhetoric can disguise it (remember the tortured positions
of the politically correct during the Viet nam war).

>
> Tony declared:
> >If Yugoslavs want to criticize Milosevic for getting them
> >into a fight with The Big Guys, that's an entirely different
> >matter than [Chomsky] going to bat against Milosevic [...].
>
> Tony declared:
> >I don't defend Milosevic at all.
>
> Tony declared:
> > Milosevic headed a 'parlimentary democracy' and was not a
> >'dictator' of the Saddam Hussein variety.
>
> Tony declared:
> >Left opposition to Milosevic from citizens of the US and it's
> >NATO allies should be seen as giving ideological support to
> >NATO during its attack on Yugoslavia.
>
> So let me get this straight. According to Tony Abdo, you can be anti-NATO
> without being pro-Milosevic. However, you cannot be anti-Milosevic
> without being pro-NATO. Blimey. This makes discussing anything with him
> tricky! It would seem to me that Tony is trying to establish a sort of
> 'Abdo Exception' in terms of logical argument. Luckily for Tony, this
> tidy piece of sophistry is an exact match for his point of view! Being
> anti-X without being pro-Y, is not only permissible, it also serves "to
> state the obvious", as he puts it. So there you go. On the other hand:
> being anti-Y without being pro-X, he insists, is not only impermissible,
> it is also "particularly repulsive". The 'Abdo Exception' allows you to
> side-step explaining exactly half of what makes up your biaxial view
> (Tony does not address the Milosevic issue). Meanwhile, those of us who
> are passionately anti-NATO are suddenly rendered pro-NATO at one stroke
> of the 'Abdo Exception's deadly logic: you're not ALLOWED to address the
> Milosevic issue and, er... what's more, you support the U.S. Empire,
> unwittingly and DESPITE YOURSELF. Well. This discussing-things business
> is hard work. I didn't think so at first, but I now have a feeling that
> Abdoism is just Meechamism fleshed out with more words.
>
> Unless... I'm right about the parody thing. There used to be someone like
> that on the Medeski Martin and Wood list. Used to make really redneck
> remarks which wound everybody on the list up no end! I constantly thought
> he'd blown his cover but people kept falling for it. Not that Tony Abdo
> is a redneck, of course. Although, come to think of it, the proverbial
> visitor from Mars would not be able to differentiate between the shrill
> and inflexible pedantry of Tom DeLay and Tony Abdo.
>
> Are there any Chomsky admirers on this list?
>
> Cheers
>
> Adrian
>