New Yorker magazine "Osama Obama" cover--Wow!

[MicroBalrog]

I will certainly agree that ending the New Deal and recapturing liberty is vital.  I think you're wrong to ignore the threat of modern terrorism.  I would say that both are equally important.  It doesn't matter how many liberties you've regained if you die because your government wasn't willing or able to protect you from foreign attack.

The problem is, we are not moving to end the New Deal. We've allowed people like the neoconservatives (I don't mean the bogeyman of crazy leftist here, but the actual political denomination) to take prominent positions in the conservative movement.

It's not a 'walk before you run' question, because we are not walking. We're moving in the wrong direction.

Further, terrorists committed attacks in major American cities long before 9/11, they just got really lucky in that one. THey will also continue to commit these attacks. There is no emergency.

[Manedwolf]

Further, terrorists committed attacks in major American cities long before 9/11, they just got really lucky in that one. THey will also continue to commit these attacks. There is no emergency.

Not if we destroy them.

[MicroBalrog]

Further, terrorists committed attacks in major American cities long before 9/11, they just got really lucky in that one. THey will also continue to commit these attacks. There is no emergency.

Not if we destroy them.

Destroy whom? Al-Quaeda?

After you kill every last emmeber of AQ and affiliated group, other such group will spring up.

If a bunch of dissatisfied, semi-literate, sexually-insecure goatheards is enough to cause Americans to curl up and cry emergency, then there's ALWAYS going to be an emergency.

[Manedwolf]

Further, terrorists committed attacks in major American cities long before 9/11, they just got really lucky in that one. THey will also continue to commit these attacks. There is no emergency.

Not if we destroy them.

Destroy whom? Al-Quaeda?

After you kill every last emmeber of AQ and affiliated group, other such group will spring up.

And you keep destroying them, just as the British entirely wiped out the Thugee cult.

If they're found to be operating in an area, you drop leaflets that citizens have a day to get out. Then you level that town to rubble.

Curiously, the terrorists won't find many havens soon.

Fight a WAR, or give up. We've been screwing around for seven years, afraid of offending people who want to destroy us. At this point, Western civilization and all that it has accomplished in the last two millennia are at stake.

[MicroBalrog]

I ask you again.

What specific conditions need to be accomplished for the "emergency" to be over?


America will ALWAYS have enemies. There will not be a perfect world with sunshine and unicorns, EVER.

When do we cancel the emergency and get our freedom back?

[Manedwolf]

I ask you again.

What specific conditions need to be accomplished for the "emergency" to be over?


America will ALWAYS have enemies. There will not be a perfect world with sunshine and unicorns, EVER.

When do we cancel the emergency and get our freedom back?

We didn't seem to have such "emergencies" back when we reacted to any such threat with overwhelming and devastating force until it was destroyed or surrendered unconditionally.

I was always taught that if someone tries to get into a fight with you, shoving you, don't shove back, just hit them as hard as you can and end it right there. We're just shoving and being shoved.

There will never be bunnies and unicorns, no. But there can be a world in which nobody DARES touch any US interests, because they know the cruise missiles will level every last bit of their interests within hours.

Are we a superpower, the last remaining superpower? We sure as hell don't act like it.

[MicroBalrog]

We didn't seem to have such "emergencies" back when we reacted to any such threat with overwhelming and devastating force until it was destroyed or surrendered unconditionally.

That's very well and true. But here's what we (the West, not just America) did now:

We enacted a whole bunch of 'anti-terrorist' laws - under different names in various countries, variously expanding surveillance.

We expanded 'security' in airports (TSA is particularly known for its, uh, habits).

At least in some countries, we got to the point where candidates are evaluated almost SOLELY on their foreign/security policy (q.v. McCain, q.v. the Israeli leadership). This means stifling debate and reform on other issues.

I do not think there is an emergency currently that justifies this.

[longeyes]

And you keep destroying them, just as the British entirely wiped out the Thugee cult.

If they're found to be operating in an area, you drop leaflets that citizens have a day to get out. Then you level that town to rubble.

Curiously, the terrorists won't find many havens soon.

Fight a WAR, or give up. We've been screwing around for seven years, afraid of offending people who want to destroy us. At this point, Western civilization and all that it has accomplished in the last two millennia are at stake.

+10

[De Selby]

How Ironic:

-The thugee cult was likely an invention of the British to justify a crackdown on dissidents; that is the historical consensus at this point.  So it's interesting that it's cited in this case, where terrorism is rapidly becoming a justification for all sorts of stuff unrelated to violence.

-The Russians did the whole leveling villages thing in Afghanistan.  Check out how that turned out for them.

-Refusing to insult people's religious beliefs or to kill them on the basis of being the same religion as a terrorist is not political correctness-it's called basic human decency.

[Manedwolf]

How Ironic:

-The thugee cult was likely an invention of the British to justify a crackdown on dissidents; that is the historical consensus at this point.

Not among anyone but revisionist liberal professors.

You know, I just realized, you haven't defended the Mongol Horde yet. When are you going to get to excusing them or claiming they were an invented threat?

[De Selby]

How Ironic:

-The thugee cult was likely an invention of the British to justify a crackdown on dissidents; that is the historical consensus at this point.

Not among anyone but revisionist liberal professors.

You know, I just realized, you haven't defended the Mongol Horde yet. When are you going to get to excusing them or claiming they were an invented threat?

Really...who is it that's defending the existence of the thugee cult as historical fact?

[El Tejon]

Very ironic as the Chinese refer to themselves as China person.

June Gwa Yen, Cantonese for person from China, China person.

[seeker_two]

When you have a bee in the room, running around in a panic and hiding doesn't prevent you from being stung.....swatting the bee into bug juice and then going back to your regular daily life works much better....

...right now, we're still in the panic mode.....and we haven't hit the bee hard enough to stop stinging.

[PremiumSauces]

I find Micro Balrog's arguments and information to be very persuasive. 

[alan2]

Mrs. Obama sort of resembles Angela Davis, at least as my memory serves.

[RocketMan]

Mrs. Obama sort of resembles Angela Davis, at least as my memory serves.

Aside from any resemblance, I'll bet they have a similar political outlook.

[roo_ster]

Mrs. Obama sort of resembles Angela Davis, at least as my memory serves.

[easily_offended]Oh, they all look the same you you?!?![/easily_offended]

[Manedwolf]

"The New Yorker's Washington correspondent has been denied a press place on Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe after the magazine depicted the presidential candidate as a terrorist on its cover.

The Obama camp said there was not enough room on the aircraft but the move is being seen as a snub to the magazine.

The vindictiveness of liberals. Backstabbing politics right out of high school.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/21/usa