posted on December 31, 2006 08:06:23 AM new
There is no relevance between World War 11 and the illegal and unilateral invasion of Iraq which is now a civil war. In World War 11 the United States faced enemies that had agressivily invaded US allies territorially.
Bush likes to use this emotional comparison in an effort to ramp up his stay the course swagger.
posted on December 31, 2006 08:36:32 AM newTry telling that to the familys of soldiers that lost their lives during WWI, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, in the name of freedom.
Yes those soldiers and families did have to make sacrifices for what he have today. However all those sacrifices are being erroded one by one thanks to the Bush administration. World War I and WW II are completely different that what is taking place today in Iraq. In case you have forgotten the US was attacked in WWI and in World War II, the US entered the war and supported our Allies to stop a global threat - Germany. The situtaion in Iraq is not the same as it was for those to wars. Iraq was invaded by the US for one of three reasons - depending on what you want want to believe as the reason.
Besides there are some soldiers that are currently fighting in Iraq that question why they are there. I doubt you had many soldiers during WW I or WW II that questioned why they were fighting. The soldiers of WW I and WW II were fighting for the freedoms of America. The soldiers in Iraq are not fighting for the freedoms of America, they are fighting in an attempt to bring the Iraqi people their own type of freedom - many in my opinion that dont want to do their own fighting to earn their freedom.
It is a shame that you can't realize what the difference. To you it is own size fits all.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on December 31, 2006 03:09:52 PM new
"I doubt you had many soldiers during WW I or WW II that questioned why they were fighting."
Oh brother....another great example of one who doesn't know his American history ...tsk tsk tsk
Don't they teach history in high school anymore????
Because statements like that one are a perfect example of NOT knowing history.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
In her riveting weblog, a remarkable young Iraqi woman gives a human face to war and occupation.
In August 2003, the world gained access to a remarkable new voice: a blog written by a 25-year-old Iraqi woman living in Baghdad, whose identity remained concealed for her own protection. Calling herself Riverbend, she offered searing eyewitness accounts of the everyday realities on the ground, punctuated by astute analysis on the politics behind these events.
Riverbend recounts stories of life in an occupied city - of neighbors whose home are raided by U.S. troops, whose relatives disappear into prisons, and whose children are kidnapped by money-hungry militias. The only Iraqi blogger writing from a woman's perspective, she also describes a once-secular city where women are now afraid to leave their homes without head covering and a male escort.
Interspersed with these vivid snapshots from daily life are Riverbend's analysis of everything from the elusive workings of the Iraqi Governing Council to the torture in Abu Gharib, from the coverage provided by American media and by Al-Jazeera to Bush's State of the Union Speech. Here again, she focuses especially on the fate of women, whose rights and freedoms have fallen victim to rising fundamentalisms in a chaotic post-war society.
With thousands of loyal readers worldwide, the Riverbend blog is recognized around the world as a crucial source of information not available through the mainstream media.
posted on January 1, 2007 08:08:05 AM new
Thanks Kiara for the links.
America the savior… After nearly four years and Bush's biggest achievement in Iraq has been a lynching. Bravo Americans.
You gotta love Riverbend's take on the situation.
What does America possibly gain by damaging Iraq to this extent? I'm certainonly raving idiotsstill believe this war and occupation were about WMD or an actual fear of Saddam.
Yep Riverbend has pegged the righties on this board correctly.
What ever happend to all the reconstruction that the righties kept proclaim was going on?
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
"What ever happend to all the reconstruction that the righties kept proclaim was going on?
Riverbend's answer...
I’m more than a little worried. This is Bush’s final card. The elections came and went and a group of extremists and thieves were put into power (no, no- I meant in Baghdad, not Washington). The constitution which seems to have drowned in the river of Iraqi blood since its elections has been forgotten. It is only dug up when one of the Puppets wants to break apart the country. Reconstruction is an aspiration from another lifetime: I swear we no longer want buildings and bridges, security and an undivided Iraq are more than enough. Things must be deteriorating beyond imagination if Bush needs to use the ‘Execute the Dictator’ card.
Iraq has not been this bad in decades. The occupation is a failure. The various pro-American, pro-Iranian Iraqi governments are failures. The new Iraqi army is a deadly joke. Is it really time to turn Saddam into a martyr? Things are so bad that even pro-occupation Iraqis are going back on their initial ‘WE LOVE AMERICA’ frenzy. Laith Kubba (a.k.a. Mr. Catfish for his big mouth and constant look of stupidity) was recently on the BBC saying that this was just the beginning of justice, that people responsible for the taking of lives today should also be brought to justice. He seems to have forgotten he was one of the supporters of the war and occupation, and an important member of one of the murderous pro-American governments. But history shall not forget Mr. Kubba.
posted on January 1, 2007 09:58:36 AM new
‘Execute the Dictator’ card
?????
Saddam was tried in Iraqi court and sentence and executed by under the Iraqi system
Bush was asleep in Crawford Texas when Saddam was executed.
Saddam Hussein was a vile evil dictator . I really do not care how or who is blamed or better said CREDITED with his demise and his death.
If people wish to credit it to Bush, thank you
posted on January 1, 2007 10:20:42 AM new
Bigpeepa and Logansdad, there was a good poster here a few years ago and I think she went by the identity of Plsmith and she was the one that let me know about Riverbend's blog so I've followed it ever since.
posted on January 1, 2007 12:25:17 PM new
A few more good words from Riverbend....
One of the most advanced countries in the world did not help to reconstruct Iraq, they didn't even help produce a decent constitution. They did, however, contribute nicely to a kangaroo court and a lynching. A lynching shall go down in history as America's biggest accomplishment in Iraq. So who's next? Who hangs for the hundreds of thousands who've died as a direct result of this war and occupation? Bush? Blair? Maliki? Jaffari? Allawi? Chalabi?
posted on January 1, 2007 12:36:55 PM new
Riverbend's friend Raed Jarrar used to have a good blog from Iraq when he was Iraq Project Director for Global Exchange. His blog has continued as Raed in the Middle
His old blog Raed.blogspotended in 2004. There are interesting photos and info on that one from 2002-2004.
posted on January 1, 2007 05:42:24 PM new
The Freedoms My Brother Is Defending
By Emily Miller
Tuesday, December 26, 2006; Page A25
Here is what my brother, a member of the Army National Guard, told me as he prepared to serve in Iraq this year:
The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is who controls the armed forces. Civilian command of the Army is a cornerstone of our democratic system.
My brother told me that he takes his oath to defend the Constitution seriously and that he will fight and die if necessary to honor his commitment. When I asked him if he would be offended if I participated in activities opposing the war, he replied that it was not only my right but my obligation, and the obligation of all civilians opposing this war, to try to change bad policy. "Give us good wars to fight," he said.
While acknowledging that another possible moral option is to refuse to participate in a bad war, my brother chooses to place his oath to the Constitution and his belief in our democratic system at the pinnacle of his moral convictions. That some of us might differ with him is basically irrelevant -- we (most of us) are not faced with his decision.
For the record, he believes that the war on terrorism is necessary to deal with real threats facing the United States. He is not convinced of what Iraq has to do with the matter, which puts him fairly well in the mainstream of American opinion.
So it is terribly upsetting to me to hear that some people despair that there is "no point" to their soldier's death or wounding in the Iraq war. America does not have to be right in order for our soldiers' service to have meaning.
What I find offensive is the idea that we have to "follow through" in order to give their deaths meaning post hoc. It is dreadfully apparent from the Iraq Study Group report that Iraq isn't going to have a democracy in any meaningful time frame. Even if this administration does everything perfectly, the best-case scenario is that we might maintain the barest outlines of order.
Victory being out of the question at this point, the only democracy my brother is fighting for in Iraq is our democracy. The only constitution he is in Iraq fighting to defend is our Constitution. If my brother dies, it will not be for a mistake but rather because of his deeply held belief that the time it takes us as a people to figure out through democratic processes that we are wrong is more important than his own life.
This places upon us an obligation. My brother and other service members living and dead have given us the sacred responsibility to use the democratic means we have at hand to bring judgment to bear on whether any given war is worth our soldiers' lives.
Despite the clear results in last month's elections and the grim conclusions of the Iraq Study Group, we are still hearing intransigent rhetoric and seeing unrealistic posturing from some of our leaders. This is unacceptable.
It's not too late for us to honor the almost 3,000 U.S. service members who have died defending the principles of our democracy. It is morally imperative for us to honor our living service members and to do what is demanded of us by our democracy and by common decency. We have taken a small step by changing some of our leadership in Washington, but now it is upon us to follow through at home and demand accountability from our leaders.
What are you, fellow citizens, willing to do to defend our Constitution? Will you dignify the sacrifices of our soldiers? Will you honor my brother's faith in our system? Will you let my brother or others die to eke out a slightly smaller disaster in Iraq? These are the questions we face in the wake of the Baker-Hamilton report.
My brother is betting his life that you are not going to ask this of him. He has placed his trust in the idea that we will not ask him to die for anything less than the necessary defense of our democracy. Reasonable people may at one time have disagreed about the necessity of the Iraq war, but now that it has become abundantly clear from every quarter that we cannot win, will you be responsible for asking my brother to stay?
My family begs of you: Do not ask this of him. Do not ask this of us. My brother is doing his constitutional duty. Now it is time for us to do ours.
The writer is a member of Military Families Speak Out, an organization of more than 3,100 military families opposed to the war in Iraq.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
posted on January 1, 2007 06:09:45 PM newTOP 10 WAYS THE LEFT ENABLES TERRORISM
Hindsight is 20/20 and it is easy for historians to look back and evaluate actions that, though they seemed appropriate at the time, in the light of current information are now recognized as questionable choices. But, there is nothing you can do about it 40+ years after the fact, is there? Except to rage like a verifiable lunatic about the "if only's".
Leave it to Juan Cole, intrepid useful idiot professor, to "if only" us to death.
It's just too bad we don't always have the brilliant foresight to identify who our enemies are going to be down the road in 50 years or so.
Some of you may recall that Juan Cole himself, is not the most prescient or intelligent of Middle East analysts in the first place. So there are many reasons to doubt his present analysis of the past.
But in any case, it would be ever-so-much-more helpful from an historical perspective to proactively identify actions IN THE PRESENT that are detrimental and dangerous for the long-term welfare of this country and its people; and which actively enabling our enemies right now.
As a modest example of the sort of proactive, pre-historical analysis I am talking about, I offer the list below. It has the advantage of just looking at events in the last week or so--not 30-50 years in the past like Professor Cole-- to tease out the present cognitive dysfunction; identify the asinine behavior; and pinpoint the dangerous attitudes and mindless drivel that enable and empower the Islamofascist enemies of civilization in their attempts to destroy us. [For a full review of enabling behavior for terrorism, see this post.]
THE TOP 10 WAYS THE LEFT ENABLES TERRORISM
1.
Articles from clueless academics like Cole focus on past policy mistakes from previous administrations (both Democrat and Republican). Those backward thinking poseurs, Cole among them, actively undermine current policy that corrects the philosophical and ethical underpinnings of those mistakes; as well as to generally undermine and discredit our country as a whole.
2.
Ex-presidents (also here and here) ; as well as president wannabes indulge their narcissistic longings and place any common sense they might have on hold. These pseudo-patriotic bozos (or summer soldiers, if you will) gratuitously attack the current administration's policies for personal gain. They do not offer any alternative plan--except for surrender, of course--but feel it is perfectly appropriate in the middle of a war to offer their worthless opinions and enable the terrorists we are waging war against.
3.
News articles from the MSM that, with pathological hysteria, regularly sensationalize military deaths in Iraq--the lowest number of war fatalities from any war that the US has ever fought.
New milestones are invented every day to undermine the war effort and to advance the antiwar, anti-US, leftist agenda.
In the link above, the subtext of the article suggests that if military deaths in Iraq exceed 9/11 then the war is a failure!
Aren't you glad these editors and journalists weren't around in early 1942, when the death toll in WWII would have surpassed Pearl Harbor? We would all be speaking German or Japanese now.
4.
The UN calls for a cease-fire in Somalia --immediately after Ethiopian troops begin to crush the militant, murderous religious fanatics of Al Qaeda. What does the UN care that these fanatics were trying to institute another taliban-like reign on the hapless citizens of Somalia?
About their atrocities, the UN has nothing to say. Just as they have very little to say about Darfur; just as they have little to say about Hezbollah and the Palestinian aggression since they are too busy condemning Israel and the US.
5.
The abject failure on the part of the press to report on the economic successes and booming economy in Iraq.
Outside of Baghdad things aren't so grim as the MSM would have you believe, but to put the violence in perspective would be contrary to the official leftist template that desperately needs Bush and the U.S. to fail in Iraq.
6.
The deliberate and opportunistic distortion of articles such as this one, which puts words into a newly dead ex-president's mouth in an attempt to discredit the current president. Pathetic, but nevertheless effective. Everyone sees the Post article--but who will notice this one that put's the words in context?
7.
There are over 150,000 individual troops in Iraq. Are we now to poll them to decide if every military decision in a war meets with their approval? How insane is that? But once again, it serves to shore up the MSM and left's socialist template of of the poor, oppressed U.S. military personnel; that is when they aren't promoting the alternative template that U.S. military personnel themselves are oppressive, barbaric and murderous tyrants.
8.
The rage and vituperative onslaught against this man--one of their own; and their vice-presidential candidate in 2000--who dares to think outside their ideological box when the welfare of the U.S. is at stake. The Islamofascists know they can always count on the brain-impaired Kos Kidz and the dementors of the DU to support their strategic objectives.
9.
The ongoing distortions from the many crooks and liars of the left blogsphere in their delusional attempts to convince themselves that the real "enemy of civilization" is George W. Bush and not the terrorist fanatics blowing people up all over the globe.
This is certainly very brave of them (i.e., just like those courageous Dixie Chicks who have suffered a loss of --gasp!--fame and box office receipts when they dared to criticize the tyrannical Bush)--speaking "truth to power" and all.
As you might imagine, their rantings are the nourishment and soul food that actively enables the real fascists and theocrats --but the left gets to feel good about themselves, and that hallucinatory sense of moral and intellectual superiority they experience is all that matters in their little bubble.
Check out this roundup of leftist hysteria at Gateway Pundit over the execution of Saddam Hussein by the Iraqis. It was much the same when Zarqawi was killed by US forces; and they will undoubtedly howl in disbelief and rage when news of Osama's demise is certain.
Let me be perfectly clear:
THEY DO NOT WANT THE US TO WIN IN IRAQ OR THE WAR ON TERROR.
They sell their country out regularly because they are so blinded by hate for George Bush. This promulgation of this kind of mindless rot that erodes the country from within is just as effective as any suicide bomber.
It must please the enemy to no end that they have so many willing allies working for them right here, right now.
10.
Last but not least, don't take it from me--just listen to what the head honcho of Al Qaeda says. As Al Qaeda sees it, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" and it justifiably considers the recent antics of idiotish Democrats (who constantly seek to discredit their mortal enemy Bush by undermining the Iraq war, as well as the larger war with Islamofascist thugs like Al Qaeda)as somewhat helpful to their plan for world domination.
The Democratic Party, the offical mouthpiece of the lunatic left these days, is so far gone in its narcissistic indulgences that it is wholly unable to step back and consider how their behavior has made this country weak and vulnerable to homicidal organizations like Al Qaeda.
For a litle bit of cheap glory they can pander to their leftist base, they are perfectly happy to give Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups the ammunition they need to continue their campaign against civilization. Hence their opposition to every single initiative by the current administration to monitor and thwart terrorist planning.
Now, that, my dear Juan Cole, is real enabling behavior.
***HELPFUL PSYCHIATRIC NOTE: For anyone on the political left who is tired of his or her addiction to the shitty ideology that is destroying their critical thinking capability and is turning them into useful idiots who mindlessly support and enable terrorism; I recommend this 12-step program
- Diagnosed by Dr. Sanity
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
Ann Coulter
[ edited by Linda_K on Jan 1, 2007 06:21 PM ]
posted on January 9, 2007 05:21:53 AM new
That cartoon is In keeping with the lynching mentality. Only Bush and Maliki and their ignorant followers would giggle about a hanging.
posted on January 9, 2007 12:52:35 PM new
lol....guess so.
Otherwise we'll have to listen to more of their support for what a wonderful man saddam was and what a terrorist our President is.
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on January 9, 2007 01:53:44 PM new
Thanks for the BEST laugh of my day, mingo.
YOU of all people asking for proof?
YOU...the one who has been GIVEN proof...then continues to deny it over and over again. LOL
And here I thought your memory was better than helens.....guess that's not true either. I stand corrected - yours is JUST as poor. LOL LOL LOL
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
Ann Coulter
[ edited by Linda_K on Jan 9, 2007 01:58 PM ]
posted on January 9, 2007 03:39:38 PM new
Well, linduh, one thing that can be said about you is that you never change ...but can , and do, change the subject to get out of proving what you say
I knew you lied when you said people in here thought Saddam was wonderful and now you just proved THAT! Thank you!
posted on January 9, 2007 03:58:34 PM new
Nope...I don't lie. That's your gig, mingo.
What I trust is that enough adults here have read their/your previous statements and do know the truth.
I trust they have read all the posts from the liberal left here calling our President a terrorist....calling our troops terrorists....being nothing but negative about everything America has done....while NEVER putting any of the blame on saddam.
Those who don't wish to believe what they read all of you saying...or see it differently than I do...hey...that's their choice. Can't change the minds of those who live in denial all the time.
But I do find it SO odd that YOU of all posters here....have the gall to post your demand...when you have NEVER done it yourself.
Another case of the liberal 'do as I demand...not as I do...not as I require from ANYONE else'
"While the democratic party complains about everything THIS President does to protect our Nation": "What would a Democrat president have done at that point?"
"Apparently, the answer is: Sit back and wait for the next terrorist attack."
posted on January 9, 2007 11:41:11 PM new
linduh, your phony excuse for having no proof of anyone saying Saddam was wonderful is just so typical of your posting style...throw out some garbage and then have no proof whatsoever ever!
Do you really think no one has caught on to this?
You can say anything about me or anyone else but the FACT remains that no one said that so you obviously LIED...TSK TSK TSK !
And a hot cha cha FOOL!
