I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Rob Long ·
March 10, 2012 at 8:12pm
Russians fire artillery into snow-caps. Avalanche ensues:
It's got to have some deeper meaning, right?
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Nov '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
I'm pretty sure you understand what's going on here, but just in case -- we do the same in the Fraser Canyon in B.C. Firing mortars into the snow-buildup enables the highways and rail authorities to bleed off the accumulating snow in a controlled avalanche, which they are already prepared to clean up, defusing a dangerous situation by taking charge of when and how the avalanche occurs.
As for the metaphor ... I think politically the Primary vetting process bleeds off an avalanche of scrutiny on the candidates that is less dangerous by the time summer and fall roll around and we're into presidential election season. It's a bit lame, but it's the first thing that occurs to me.
Feb '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
I am not sure what deeper meaning you are looking for, but as a native born Alaskan I am familiar with intentional avalanches. Albeit these guys seemed to be sloppy, the purpose is to force an avalanche today - while you are prepared - rather than have an avalanche occur when you are unprepared and people are driving on the road below. I suppose a metaphor could be made to the "managed bankruptcy" Mitt discusses; when a company is in trouble they go into bankruptcy to reform their business structure and contracts while they can still survive, rather than continue to operate until suddenly they are forced to shutter their doors, causing unexpected damage.
Apr '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
The metaphor isn't just that the cannon goes off and starts an avalanche (the intended good thing) but that it keeps going and wipes out their own command post, including the power lines (the unintended bad thing). Sounds like all of the Democrat policies.
Jun '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
They do something similar at the ski resorts in Utah and Colorado in order to reduce accidental avalanche danger (either that or, like all real men, they like to make noise and blow things up).
Edited on March 10, 2012 at 9:01pmApr '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
I not sure what the deeper meaning is either, but it must have something to do with the banner ad I get when I watch the video: Put Progressive Champion Alan Grayson Back in Congress
.
Jul '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Out my window I see Mt Rose ski resort and avalanche prevention can be heard we're skiing. I cannot see Russia from my house though.
May '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
The Arab Spring, the nomination of Christine O'Donnell and Johnny Knoxville hunting the Roadrunner.
Mar '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Video attached to Nikita Khrushchev e-vite to Western Ambassadors circa 1956?
Jun '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Also a good reminder that modern artillery (even in Russia) is accurate. Don't get them mad at you if they know where you live.
Oct '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
I've seen this happen on the beach in Hawaii on a rising swell. The men stopping and turning after the initial run--and a wave or two, in our case--is exactly the same. I've done it myself. You try and gauge how far the next one will go and when you spot someone closer to the water than you, he's the chump. Then everyone gets blasted.
Sep '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
This is a metaphor for all big government policies. The original intent was noble, but the resulting avalanche of destruction threatens to wipe us out.
May '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
No deeper meaning here, just an observation: I think I see why the Red Army had so much trouble with the Finns in 1939.
Oct '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
After firing numerous rethorical cannonballs with no effect, GOP contenders are swept by the Mittavalanche, because no matter the caliber of the cannon, there are snowy mountains and silver hair that can't be set on fire.
Edited on March 10, 2012 at 10:20pmMay '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Rush fires insults into contraception mandate debate...
... if only Obamacare could be engulfed as a result.
Nov '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Allow me to speak for the various presidential candidates:
Obama: The cannon is the one percent, people like Mitt Romney and the Republicans. Their greed is firing into the mountain, they don't care about the impact on the 99% down below. They're causing an avalanche and they don't care about the impact on regular folks.
Santorum: The cannon is libertarianism, the firing its radical freedom agenda into the mountains of the Republican party, its avalanche is the impact of the idea of individual freedom on families and children.
Gingrich: We can replace the artillery piece with a mass driver, build it on top of the mountain, and use it to launch cargo ship to build a lunar base by 2016. If we transfer 14% of the annual budget from the US Merit Systems Protection Board to NASA we can afford it in sixteen years. Of course, that will require us to fire artillery at the mountain to remove the snow before we build the mass driver...
Ron Paul: That artillery firing into the mountain represents American foreign involvement in foreign lands. The avalanche represents the blowback from our actions.
Nov '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Romney: [Whatever is focus tested to express the most non-offensive message.]
Gary Johnson: A mountain? Can I climb it and ski down? If I break my leg, I'll still climb Everest.
Apr '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Hmm. I think it has something to do with Mr. Lileks' Norwegians in trees. Particularly since Norway is the only old-NATO European country that bordered the Soviet Union.
Mar '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Khrushchev... "We Will Bury You"...
No good?
Sep '10
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
billy: I not sure what the deeper meaning is either, but it must have something to do with the banner ad I get when I watch the video: Put Progressive Champion Alan Grayson Back in Congress
.· 3 hours ago
It always amuses me when Google Ads (or whoever supplies Ricochet's advertising) mismatches ads on political websites like that.
Not that I'm complaining: the one thing better than Ricochet getting money is Alan Grayson's campaign wasting it.
Feb '11
Re: I Supply the Metaphor, You Supply the Thing it Represents
Fred Cole, you didn’t mention the first part of Gingrich’s answer, which involved calling out Rob Long for even asking such an appalling question.