violence problem? ya think?

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

Luckily, they have a good portion of the US Congress mirroring the sentiments, if not the exact words, of their imams. It's good to have friends in high places.

Er... What? Could you please elucidate on this statement?

[mrnoodle]

Let's play a game called "Democrat or Terrorist?"

Unfortunately, the sentence construction and semantic differences make it an easy game. But the point remains.

Bush you are a lying failure and a charlatan. It has been three and a half years... What happened to us? We have gained more strength and we are more insistent on martyrdom..."

Why don't you tell them how many million citizens of America and its allies you intend to kill in search of the imaginary victory and in breathless pursuit of the mirage towards which you are driving your people's sons in order to increase your profits?

Can't you be honest at least once in your life, and admit that you are a deceitful liar who intentionally deceived your nation when you drove them to war in Iraq?

He was bright in putting his sons as governors in states and he didn't forget to transfer his experience from rulers of our region to Florida to falsify elections to benefit from it in critical times.

What happened was that he was impressed by the monarchies and the military regimes, and he was jealous of them staying in power for tens of years, embezzling the public money without any accountability. And he moved the tyranny and suppression of freedom to his own country, and they called it the Patriot Act, under the disguise of fighting terrorism. And Bush, the father, found it good to install his children as governors and leaders.

More in a bit, I gotta get some work done.

Well, Noodle, the spooky part to me is that there actually is some truth in a few of those statements. I am far from being an advocate of terrorism, but they do make some good points about what's going on in the US. I feel deeply concerned about what is going on at the National level and the direction this country seems to be turning. The US was once a great republic. I don't like what it seems to be turning into these days.

[Spexxvet]

Let's play a game called "Bush or Bin Laden".

Guess which person said which quote:

Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.

[we] will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our people.

Do I think faith will be an important part of being a good [leader]? Yes, I do.

Faith crosses every border and touches every heart in every nation.

For diplomacy to be effective, words must be credible - and no one can now doubt the word of [deleted].

Free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction.

I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace.

I think you can judge from somebody's actions a kind of a stability and sense of purpose perhaps created by strong religious roots. … there's a certain patience, a certain discipline, I think, that religion helps you achieve.

[we are] somewhat sad, but we're angry. There's a certain level of blood lust, but we won't let it drive our reaction. We're steady, clear-eyed and patient, but [soon] we'll have to start displaying [body parts of the dead].

Redefining the role of the United States from enablers to keep the peace to enablers to keep the peace from peacekeepers is going to be an assignment.

[This leader] is a homicidal dictator who is addicted to weapons of mass destruction.

[we] should have the right to enact... laws... particularly to end the inhumane practice of ending a life that otherwise could live.

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that [our supreme being] is not neutral between them.

We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.

we respect the vibrant faith of [deleted] which inspires countless individuals to lead lives of honesty, integrity, and morality. This year, may [deleted] also be a time in which we recognize the values of progress, pluralism, and acceptance that bind us together as a … global community. By working together to advance mutual understanding, we point the way to a brighter future for all.

Islam brings hope and comfort to millions of people in [deleted], and to more than a billion people worldwide. Ramadan is also an occasion to remember that Islam gave birth to a rich civilization of learning that has benefited mankind

[mrnoodle]

I see immediate differences between your quotes and mine. Mine reflect seething hatred, and the fact that both Democrats and terrorists share a common enemy is telling.

Your quotes are, for the most part, simple platitudes that could've been spoken at any random Rotary Club meeting or high school speech class. You fail to make your point, although I recognize what it is.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

the fact that both Democrats and terrorists share a common enemy is telling.

It should tell you a lot about how despicable their common enemy is.

[mrnoodle]

It's like an alternate universe here sometimes. Did you read what you just posted before you pushed 'send'? I fear greatly that you did.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

I see immediate differences between your quotes and mine. Mine reflect seething hatred, and the fact that both Democrats and terrorists share a common enemy is telling.

Your quotes are, for the most part, simple platitudes that could've been spoken at any random Rotary Club meeting or high school speech class. You fail to make your point, although I recognize what it is.

And just how do repubicans sound talking about Democrats? How did conservatives sound talking about Clinton? Was it dramatically different?

[glatt]

Originally Posted by mrnoodle

It's like an alternate universe here sometimes. Did you read what you just posted before you pushed 'send'? I fear greatly that you did.

Sure I read it. I don't like Bush. The terrorists don't like Bush either. That doesn't mean I'm buddies with the terrorists.

If two distinctly different groups like the terrorists and Democrats can agree that Bush is bad, then maybe, just maybe, Bush is bad.

[mrnoodle]

If we had been at war, you would have been hard-pressed to find a Republican trying to undermine the efforts of the commander in chief, at least until the thing was won. That's my opinion, at least.

Not that we would have stuck around long enough to win. Somalia, anyone?

[Happy Monkey]

Wag the dog! Wag the dog!

[Urbane Guerrilla]

A wagged dog can bite around more than one hundred eighty degrees of arc.

Should I start a new thread of wholly new and original proverbs?

[Urbane Guerrilla]

I for one accept that we are at war, for I do not accept the specious argument that we need to declare a war to be fighting one: history and the Supreme Court both render the verdict that it is not so. The United States has been in about a hundred and fifty armed conflicts/shootouts, and has formally declared a state of war in but five of them. Too, the War Powers Act pretty much codifies the fighting of wars without Congressional declaration.

Democracy's foes are banking on democracies' not lasting out a protracted conflict. I say we must render this strategy sterile, and be better at protracted conflict from the very beginning than democracy's foes are. An enemy of democracy is an enemy of all mankind, wealth and the good life wealth provides, Mom, apple pie with cinnamon, and so forth, no? Why shouldn't mankind therefore stamp these foes out? And should we even care how long it takes or how much stamping we do? That's only a matter of logistics -- bringing up enough bullets to parcel out among the screwballs that insist upon martyrdom.

If all of Islam's Idiots fell down dead this afternoon, what opportunities does this open up for the sensible, moderate Muslims?

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Glatt: they won't like Bush's successor, either; I'd bank on it.

[Ibby]

Yeah, you FOR ONE do.