A Facebook "discussion" with my niece

[Perd Hapley]

Uncle Dick, my issue in this case was not with the US propping up brutal dictators, but the fact that this is never mentioned in media or in textbooks, even in university courses about Latin American politics. It's simply not mentioned.

It was taught in the freshman-level survey course in American history, at the U of MO-St. Louis. Of course, my prof was a head-case from Berkeley that made sure to mention as much negative about the U.S. as she possibly could...

Monkeyleg; I think your relative ought to read something by Richard Miniter.  He seems to have managed a pretty decent perspective on A'stan.  Including dispelling some myths about Bin Laden.
Who was not a fighter.  At best, a financier.
He was not created by the CIA (a common meme among leftists).  Miniter has many CIA associates from the 1980s-90s, none of whom knew who OBL was at the time.
And so on ....

That fits with what I've read about OBL. There seems to be a telephone game that goes like this: "America aided the anti-Soviet Muj," "America aided the anti-Soviet Muj, which OBL also sponsored," "America ran the whole anti-Soviet Muj operation and recruited and paid OBL and pretty much founded al-Qaeda."

[longeyes]

There are two continuums of American history.  One is the one most people live in, working, saving, investing, creating, paying taxes, etc.  The second is the one inhabited by our State Dept., the CIA, and various entities, both group and individual, so "black" we can only detect them by a moral spectrometer.  Is it any wonder that American history sounds like theater of the absurd?  If this sounds a bit like The Matrix, it's because...well, you're not supposed to know.  Just turn on American Idol and enjoy.

[Nick1911]

Unfortunately, you'll never get through to her or your other left wing family members because you don't have any credibility with them.  You represent what their whole life experience, education wise, has taught them to disparage.  The only way they change is when they go a bit further in life they get struck smack dab in the face with reality and they wake up.  It's possible.  But sometimes they never change, only get more dogmatic and continue to be like your earlier posting of Ronald Reagan's quote.

That's a very insightful comment.

[zxcvbob]

My eyes glazed over about halfway through due to the small font and my short attention sp... LOOK, A SQUIRREL!!! -- where was I?  Oh yeah, you're a racist.

[longeyes]

Folks, in this exchange of messages, we're seeing an American tragedy unfolding.  No small thing here.  This alienation of American generations is going to be the death knell of America.  It is going to end very badly.  People we care about are going to get hurt.  I hope to God we all wake up.

[AJ Dual]

Folks, in this exchange of messages, we're seeing an American tragedy unfolding.  No small thing here.  This alienation of American generations is going to be the death knell of America.  It is going to end very badly.  People we care about are going to get hurt.  I hope to God we all wake up.

Maybe just safe passage corridors like there were for West Berlin between the coasts and urban enclaves is a more realistic hope...

[Matthew Carberry]

Maybe neither one is science, ever consider that?

See?  Scientologism is rampant.  You with your "objective facts" and "physical properties" and all.

 

[longeyes]

Don't worry, you are helping to support several faculty members and their entitled children.  It's a good thing you're doing.

If you use some of that cool, tactical crime gear--Dexter-type stuff--I'll take it all back.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Racist, she keeps using that word, I do not think it means what she think it means.

[longeyes]

"Racist" is just a mental glottal stop, meaning I can stop thinking now, this isn't going right.

[Monkeyleg]

Racist, she keeps using that word, I do not think it means what she think it means.

It sure doesn't mean what it did back in the 1960's, when racism was in your face in many places in the north as well as the south. It's still around, alive and kicking everywhere in the world, not just here.

For liberals, though, it's become a way of ending the argument when all else fails. Use the "racism" card, and nothing the other party says is valid after that point, because he is, after all, a racist.

When you can point to parts of the Koran that deal very harshly with infidels, or look at polling by Zogby and others in the middle east that address attitudes toward the US, there's nothing "racist" about saying that many in the Middle East hate us and always will.

[ramis]

For liberals, though, it's become a way of ending the argument when all else fails. Use the "racism" card, and nothing the other party says is valid after that point, because he is, after all, a racist.

Racist! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCMKPtNEAto

[Monkeyleg]

That about describes it, ramis. :D

[Perd Hapley]

That about describes it, ramis. :D

neo-confederate...

[griz]

Do you know how she found out all his terrible stuff that they do not teach in school?  I suspect it was "mentioned" in class.