perspective

Well, Huntington was a Californian when he said that, so he ought to have known. Let's see, Huntington, Stanford; there were two more big names, but damned if I can remember them right now.

Depends on how you look at it?

All righty then, let me dumb it down. When evil sonsabitches come slamming passenger planes into office buildings or strapping on bombs to blow up Jews at pizza parlors, that's terrorism.

When Americans or Israelis launch attacks directed as closely as possibly toward the people who are doing these things IT IS NOT.

Your little post here seems to be a not-quite-argument that the evil activities of the Muslim/Arab terrorists and the counter-actions of America and/or Israel are somehow morally equivalent. This implies that Bush could be seen as just as much a terrorist as Bin Laden. "It depends on how you look at it." Nonsense. Wicked and evil purposeful moral blindness.

I gotta lotta love for my buddy Salam, but that particular quote is a load of crap. But the other quote and interpretation is KD, not Salam talking foolishness.

"It depends on how you look at it." Only if it is a question of looking at it truthfully or with wicked and willful misperception.

it means that the Western view cannot be the only right view

Well, in this case IT is absolutely wrong, objectively so. There is NO legitimate view equating these actions. The US is right, Bin Laden/PLO/Hussein are wrong and evil. I posit that this is objective moral truth, if the word "morality" has any meaning- and it does.

We are NOT attacking land and oil fields. We are attacking people who have killed our people, assisted in the killing of our people, or looking very likely to be killing our people.

We can't just go after exactly the specific people who personally planned and commited each attack. They have gone to great effort to work in the shadows, through surrogates, and leaving plausible deniability.

Instead, we have to clean out the rat's nests where they breed. Cut down the habitat where they breed and seek shelter.

can you not open your mind to a mindset other than the one you currently occupy?

No, not if the mindset is to try to understand why people think I should just die for being an infidel. Not if it is just try to understand a mindset that says my nieces and nephews should be slaughtered.

That's a lot of nonsense. Evil nonsense. There are a lot things where you can gain value from the perspectives of others, but not always.

I have a pretty good idea of the mindset of Muslim militants. I understand their hatred. I understand that they hate Jews more than they love their own children. I understand that they hate the US for our success. A great deal of this can be encapsulated in the classic phrase of Ayn Rand when she spoke of "the hatred of the good for being the good."

Are you so devoted to cheap multi-cultural equivalence that you can't see this? Do you value your life and your families lives so little as to think there is ANY competing value in our enemies?

The multi-cultural crap being taught by so-called sophisticated liberals insists that one culture is as good as another, and it is wrong to make judgments. That is crap. Life depends on making judgments. I make the judgment that we should kill them before they kill us.

Let's certainly not mention any atrocities committed by American soldiers while they were deployed to other nations.

Blah, blah, blah. Americans have done far less than our share of atrocities historically- a fact of which I am proud. The fact that some Americans have done bad things at some times in the past does not mean for a second that I'm going to accept attacks on us now in return.

Again, it is not even for our sins that they hate us. It is for our successes. Their societies are largely miserable failures -at least at this juncture in history [objective fact]- and they hate us for our success and happiness. If in fact they were motivated by people who have done them wrong, they would all be focused on killing Saddam Hussein. He's the one who's unprovokedly killed tons of Muslims.

I will not accept that these motherless ones have a right to come kill my nieces in retribution for some crap that they want to lay on America. I will kill a good, wide swath of wicked people and whoever else they are hiding behind to prevent that. If al Qaeda operatives insist on hiding in mosques and hospitals to use their own families for human shields, then the deaths are on THEIR heads, not mine.

Do you ladies really hate yourself so much as to think otherwise?

I am not willing to let evil people kill my family in order to prove that I'm "tolerant" or to avoid being accused of "ad hominem" attacks.

Speaking of "ad hominem" attacks, listen to yourselves. Look at all the wicked unfounded accusations you are making against anyone and everything American. No, those are not ad hominem attacks. It is only an ad hominem attack -the gravest of all crimes- to criticize anyone BUT the evil Republicans and Americans.

Ad hominem attacks? Yeah, I'll support ad hominem attacks with big fat B2 bombers against anyone that I think is even halfway co-operating with trying to kill my family.

This ain't some college coffee shop games where we sit around and bad mouth Big Daddy. You got problems with authority figures? Great, so do I. I didn't vote for George Bush either.

However, when there are people trying to KILL us, I get an image of my eight year old niece who calls me her "meanest favorite" and my shit gets real cold. I will goddam KILL any stupid son of a bitch that I think even MEANS her harm, and screw any little punk asses who thinks otherwise. Protecting the lives of your family from people who mean them harm is the very most basic building block of morality, and the most important value of life.

If you can't see that for yourselves, then you don't deserve to live.

mr. write-your-essay-in-my-comments, i can only say, bite my fat white ass. no really, i mean to be more coherent than that. so here that is. don't let this detract from the theme of "bite me". because that is my theme:

nationalist assholes are the reason this is wrong. are you going to try and tell me that oil is not a factor? right. bite me. are you going to tell me that US foreign policy is not at fault for the world view that we have fucked over pretty much everyone that doesn't have oil? excuse me but explain the fact that while saudi citizens are the largest percentage of suicidal terrorists in 9-11, we are not bombing them -- hello? why are we not bombing Saudi Arabia? could it be ... OIL???

it's not ideology that drives this shit. it's the economy stupid. and it's oil.

and aside from the fact that you've pushed my buttons, here's this:

look. i meant to point out that there are significant ideological differences between the west and the rest of the world. i think i did that. and i did it quite well. there that is. oh. and bite me.

Al, just give in and bite her already.

What the hell is this?
Blah, blah, blah. Americans have done far less than our share of atrocities historically- a fact of which I am proud. The fact that some Americans have done bad things at some times in the past does not mean for a second that I'm going to accept attacks on us now in return.

So now it's like this: if you are not for the war, you are unAmerican, ready to see your countrymen killed, and you should die.

I think that about wraps things up here, but for the sake of argument, I'll go on. No one is telling you to accept the attacks on 9/11. No one is telling you that you should see your family put at risk.

But the citizens of Baghdad aren't killers. They're just people stuck with a vicious leader, like 'just folks' in dozens of other countries. They aren't the motherless dogs whose blood you're just dying to see. But they are the people who are going to suffer, and for what? FOR WHAT? Because Bush and Co. couldn't finish off al-Qaeda? Oh, that's right. The recording is faked.

Now who's favoring smoke and mirrors? Now who's acting the complete crackpot? LOOK AT YOUR REPLY. YOU are the one telling YOUR OWN COUNTRYMEN that they should die if they don't agree with your warmongering, retribution-obsessed ass, and you're damned right that was ad hom.

Haven't we learned anything from 9/11? Why didn't we learn that this is what it is like in the countries we're menacing? How it feels to worry about sending your children to school for fear of terrorist attacks. How it feels to worry about friends and family in potential target cities. Now we know the fear that we always thought we would never have to face. Pearl Harbor was a one-shot, right? Right?

Guess what, folks? Now we know we're vulnerable. And if we attack Iraq, what sort of retribution is it going to bring about? We kill them, they kill us, we kill more.... and it continues until we are embroiled in the same situation we all watch from the comfort of our homes when CNN reports on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Maybe someday, those bodies will be in American streets. You don't seem to mind, so long as they're liberal commie pinko bastards who don't support America's divine right to set policy for the world.

I don't believe in an eye for an eye. I don't believe in retribution. I believe in peace and in preventing attacks on the scale of 9/11 from ever happening here again. I believe in not killing the innocent, and there is no way to avoid it in a ground war. I believe in not opening ourselves up for retribution.

But most of all, I believe in the value of all life, not just patriotic nationalist American life. And that is where we differ.

Life -- It's not just for the white upperclass caste anymore.

bite me

Wow, you really answered my arguments there.

I'm only "nationalistic" in that we are being attacked as a nation. That my niece and I are Americans is a good reason for them to want to kill us might explain why I might be thinking in terms of national defense.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia both have oil, but Saudi Arabia has almost no military at all, and specifically no weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, dealing with them comes a step or two further down the list. But oh yes, there's a day of reckoning coming for the Saudi royals. Hopefully we can do

But in fact oil is NOT a factor in my support. Nope, it has something more to do with the fact that there are evil bastards who want to kill my family.

i meant to point out that there are significant ideological differences between the west and the rest of the world. i think i did that. and i did it quite well.

Well, if by "ideological differences" you mean that they want to kill us and that I [if not you] don't want them to kill us.

Frankly, in fact you did almost nothing here intellectually.

And getting mad at me for making a significant coherent argument does not constitute making a point. It's interesting that you resent my effort in making a coherent argument [ie mocking "mr. write-your-essay-in-my-comments"] while offering little but a few unconnected and unthoughtful bits of mockery- times several fools. I feel a bit like an IDF member being attacked by some petulant stone throwing Palestenians.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia both have oil, but Saudi Arabia has almost no military at all, and specifically no weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, dealing with them comes a step or two further down the list. But oh yes, there's a day of reckoning coming for the Saudi royals. Hopefully we can do it without a military strike. It's good to finesse things where possible.

[Sorry that got posted before in an incomplete manner.]

Al, let's review. you came to my site attacking my beliefs. i did the 'bite me' dance. it's how it goes. this is where i pay good money to express opinions entirely different from yours. these are my opinions. i could have these opinions anywhere, because this is the internet. do you grok "internet"? it's not just some american right, guess what, the entire world can express their dismay with the way the most powerful nation on earth is handling its power. coincedentally, i live here. and i object to the way this power is being handled. imagine that! a person objecting to the way the US handles itself.

think of this in an international context. well, try. it must be hard for you, being a violent nationalist xenophobe. these things happen. you have your right. on your site. this is mine. these are my views. oh. and bite me.

First off, Al, any ad hominem is just making wind. Yeah, we get that you think our points are morally infirm, evil nonsense, and that they cause impotence and hair loss. And yet, you seem woefully unable to address them, except to insult the speaker.

If I'm a moron, surely you can easily break my points down and refute them with evidence. Otherwise, calling me a moron just digs you into a hole too, doesn't it?

We are NOT attacking land and oil fields. We are attacking people who have killed our people, assisted in the killing of our people, or looking very likely to be killing our people.

Except that we're attacking people who haven't killed our people since the Gulf War (when we were killing theirs too), haven't assisted in the killing of our people, and don't (according to the CIA, who I'm inclined to trust on this one) look likely to kill our people. With that in mind, it seems bizarre to say that it's just a coincidence that the people we want to attack just happen to have one of the world's richest oil fields, and that the plan would have us taking stewardship of those oil fields.

I have a pretty good idea of the mindset of Muslim militants. I understand their hatred. I understand that they hate Jews more than they love their own children. I understand that they hate the US for our success. A great deal of this can be encapsulated in the classic phrase of Ayn Rand when she spoke of "the hatred of the good for being the good."

You claim understanding, but it doesn't wash here. Do you think people get up and die for a cause simply because of things like this? Track back any of the huge racist explosions, and you'll find an oppressed people at the heart. The US foreign policy towards these nations has not exactly been what we'd call respectful, or humane, civilized, or any other complimentary adjectives. It's been profitable. And the government is out to make sure it stays that way. Is the middle east pissed off at the US's success? No. Just the parts of it that the middle east is being forced to pay for, in cash, in oil, and in blood.

Blah, blah, blah. Americans have done far less than our share of atrocities historically- a fact of which I am proud. The fact that some Americans have done bad things at some times in the past does not mean for a second that I'm going to accept attacks on us now in return.

Compared to whom, exactly? Yeah, the US beats out the worst offenders in history, but I'd really hesitate to say far less than your share. You guys are ahead of the game, not behind. And you're about to rack up the numbers even higher.

That's a lot of nonsense. Evil nonsense. There are a lot things where you can gain value from the perspectives of others, but not always.

In the end, it comes down to this: You can never gain value from having your thumbs wedged in your ears and your eyes clamped shut.

You fear for your niece. This is commendable, even if the fear is out of proportion with the threat.

Thousands in Iraq are, as we speak, fearing for their nieces and nephews. For their daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, you name it. Don't you think we should have some sort of actual evidence of a credible threat before we start depriving them of their relatives? Don't you owe it to your niece to oppose the likely senseless killing of innocent girls just like her?

Isn't it grand that you have the right to say what you feel, kd? At least Dubya hasn't sunk to killing Americans for their opinions yet. He hasn't even said that the unbelievers should die.

Thousands in Iraq are, as we speak, fearing for their nieces and nephews. For their daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, you name it. Don't you think we should have some sort of actual evidence of a credible threat before we start depriving them of their relatives? Don't you owe it to your niece to oppose the likely senseless killing of innocent girls just like her?

Beautifully put, AC. I tip my hat to you. And back to work for me. 300 more words before I can sleep. That's easy, right? Yeah.

hm, i thought that w said that atheists weren't americans, not that they should die.

though i guess that the difference between the two is getting smaller.

and, imo, the war is not just about oil. it is also about getting re-elected without having to bother to do anything about the economy, or anything else that has gone wrong with america since 1999. soon the unemployment figures will be close to zero (since i do not count as unemployed, yet still do not have a job, and the same will soon happen to everyone else that is now collecting unemployment), and the economy will sound better. at least to people that don't realize that 10-30% of americans in some areas can't find work. and so, by beating up the guy that dissed his daddy, w can get reelected.

one more point, or was it the first one?

perspective. try to have some, if you're going to comment here. if you refuse to have it, well, all i can say is bite me. that would be the thing i'm saying, to the non-perspective-havers.

these are your choices: have perspective. or bite me. either one, s'ok by me.

Monkey Girl, on the other hand, has just made at least a halfway reasonable effort at an actual argument.

The problem is that she's extrapolating way out to things I absolutely didn't say, to wit:

YOU are the one telling YOUR OWN COUNTRYMEN that they should die if they don't agree with your warmongering, retribution-obsessed ass

No, that's not a quote at all, nor is it even vaguely in the spirit of what I said. Starting at the end, I'm not obsessed with retribution- revenge is not a motivation to me at all. Prevention is what I'm after, PREtribution. Stop them before any more of my people get killed.

I'm not "warmongering" at all. We're already in a war; we're being attacked. The question is whether we will fight back, or simply let them kill us.

Nor did I say you deserve to die if you don't agree with a war effort. I said that you deserve to die if you don't recognize self-defense and self-preservation as moral basics. Y'all seem much more interested in the cheap pseudo-moral satisfaction of criticizing the US than with the primacy of protecting our families.

It's possible to disagree on the strategy for that protection. Monkey Girl seems to think that if we just roll over and play nice, that'll solve the problem. She's wrong.

And if we attack Iraq, what sort of retribution is it going to bring about? We kill them, they kill us, we kill more.... and it continues until we are embroiled in the same situation we all watch from the comfort of our homes when CNN reports on the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

The problem for the Israelis has been exactly from trying to do things YOUR way. The Israelis have bent over backwards not to cause even one more casualty than absolutely necessary. They will get exactly as much carnage as they will brook before their patience runs out. They used to act somewhat tougher. Their current problems began just exactly when they started trying to make nice, letting Arafat back in and letting him have the PA.

The Israelis could easily do pretty much absolutely anything they want militarily to the Palestenians anytime they want. Sharon could have Arafat whacked in a matter of SECONDS. They could run the Palestenians off as refugees or kill them all if they were of a mind to in a matter of days.

The Israelis are by their actions the kindest, most forgiving and understanding people on this earth, bar none. The Palestenians know this, and count on it. They know that the Jews [let's get to the real issue] really, really, really don't want to kill them if at all possible.

Obviously this feeling is not mutual. Every day the Palestenians send people to kill the Jews, and the Jews respond in the most minimal and measured way possible. The Israelis get re-paid for their kindness by being murdered, yet they resist any massive retaliation.

America similarly has a good heart. However, I predict that we will not be as willing to turn the other cheek as Israel- nor should we be. If Hamas starts bringing attacks on America- as they have promised- they will WISH it was Ariel Sharon they were dealing with.

Haven't we learned anything from 9/11?

No, I don't think you have.

Isn't it grand that you have the right to say what you feel, kd? At least Dubya hasn't sunk to killing Americans for their opinions yet. He hasn't even said that the unbelievers should die.

Monkey Girl, I'm really disappointed with you for saying something this dishonest. Again, just cheap attacks on Daddy. I don't necessarily mind an ad hominem attack if it is accurate. But this is just wildly dishonest, and you goddam well know it. As if the president had the least inclination to "kill Americans for their opinions."

Thousands in Iraq are, as we speak, fearing for their nieces and nephews. For their daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, you name it. Don't you think we should have some sort of actual evidence of a credible threat before we start depriving them of their relatives? Don't you owe it to your niece to oppose the likely senseless killing of innocent girls just like her?

Monkey Girl, I normally won't answer to anything from the Pathetic Crusader, as he doesn't even make so much as a real pretense of being truthful, but I'll do so this time out of respect for you.

For starters, we're carefully trying NOT to kill civilians- exactly the opposite tact of our enemies. Unfortunately some will be killed because the evil Saddam will use them as human shields. Their blood will be on his hands, not ours.

Beyond that, there is no legitimate doubt that Saddam is a mass murderer, planning worse things if he is allowed. You know it in your heart and mind, and you're lying to yourselves if you pretend otherwise.

You consistently insist on believing the most evil, egregious unsubstantiated things you can about Bush, who by all appearances is in fact a very decent man just trying to protect the family. Yet you bend over backwards to believe the best things you can about Hussein, whom you know to be a ruthless genocidal murderer. What's wrong with this picture?

Just this year Hussein has been funding dowries to the families of Palestenian homicide bombers. He should be overthrown for that alone. He has nasty chemical and nerve gasses. You know it, I know it, and the Kurds he was using the stuff on years ago know it. [Is there a statute of limitations on genocide? It's not to be held in account after ten years or so?] He's had years to build up new stockpiles, and it is pure willful blindness on your part to pretend that he hasn't taken advantage.

We've dicked around with this guy for a dozen years trying NOT to have to come in and have an all out war on him. This has only caused a lot of little nieces and nephews to suffer and die from sanctions and deprivations. Very likely LESS nieces and nephews will die from us just cutting through the nonsense and taking the guy out once and for all.

In short, Hussein already has killed at least a million people, and wouldn't hesitate to kill many more to satisfy his desires. He's already had and used nasty WMDs. He'll do it again if we're not right there on him. Given his evil nature, it is likely that he is developing more and worse WMDs, and will do worse the longer he has to work on them.

Moreover, he would be quite likely to hand off some of these WMDs to al Qaeda or Hamas so they can use them to run interference against us.

It's a damned unfortunate mess, but the responsible adult thing to do is to deal with cleaning it up now. The longer we wait, the more babies will get killed all around- Iraqis, Kurds, Israelis, Americans.

hello Al. you are not a stupid man, you see quite clearly that you have run into another ideology here. obviously you are in what could be called "enemy territory"

you and yours have your views. me and mine have ours. go the fuck away, k? you chant the same rhetoric as the right leaning jerkwads that spout warspeak like it made sense. go on with your bad self. away from here. this is not a warblog. there are oodles and oodles of folks aligned with your totalitarian shit, sitting there blathering your fears. be your fear. go with it. go there. go there now. this is not your place, honey, let me tell you now. you do not fit here.

there are places this shit fits. this is not one of them. have you not yet realized, there are factions within the genre of blogging about the war? go elsewhere, your shit is not welcome here. here, we wish to work for peace. the likes of you offends us. got it? it's not that fucking complicated.

spout your shit elsewhere. is this clear yet? we have our place. you have yours. go there. NOW. clear?

Very odd to post in a category called 'flamebait', and then get, well, irked when someone does just that. You weren't really expecting a big, huggy, kumbayah-singing peace rally by juxtaposing those two statements, were you, kd? I'm just sort of perplexed -- when you bait, people will bite. I thought that was a given.

This is getting a little bloated and I'm exhausted, so I'm going to respond to this and then fall into my bed.

I said:
Isn't it grand that you have the right to say what you feel, kd? At least Dubya hasn't sunk to killing Americans for their opinions yet. He hasn't even said that the unbelievers should die.

To which Al responded:
Monkey Girl, I'm really disappointed with you for saying something this dishonest. Again, just cheap attacks on Daddy. I don't necessarily mind an ad hominem attack if it is accurate. But this is just wildly dishonest, and you goddam well know it. As if the president had the least inclination to "kill Americans for their opinions."

No, I wrote that straight. Dubya hasn't done those things, but you've done the equivalent right here in this thread. You were the target there. My point? Dubya, who I despise, at least has a shred more integrity and concern for his fellow man than you've shown. Congratulations.

I've never said we should "roll over and play nice," but you're determined that I mean such when I say, "Iraq is not as big a threat as X." X at the moment appears to be the not dead (we think perhaps) bin Laden and those who are, y'know, actually attacking America on her home soil.

Y'know. The terrorists. Those responsible for the deaths of 3,000 Americans.

Read the words, Al. Stop projecting what you expect to see.

Well. Always good discussions going on over here...

KD doesn't want to play anymore. OK, fine. All done with war issues. Just a couple of quick exit notes, and I shant darken your server again.

With due respect to Jen, I don't think I was flaming here. I have tried to make extended and coherent arguments for my outlook on our defense issues. On the other hand, "right leaning jerkwads that spout warspeak" and "your totalitarian shit, sitting there blathering your fears" sound more like flaming to me. You be the judge.

As is typical of many modern left wingers, you speak of having an open mind and promoting intellectual diversity, but as is evidenced by your dis-invitation here to me, you don't mean it. No, you're obviously not a "liberal." What you want is for people with the same narrow mindset to come jerk each other off. The first time someone comes along to seriously challenge you, you want to shut them down.

Since this is your house, as you have graciously pointed out, shutting down dissent is your right. I'll go away now.

So, you kiddies go back to your regular playtime, and don't worry. Us adults will be protecting you, even if you don't appreciate it.

XOX,

Al

I came here earlier, before my morning caffeine had kicked in, and had to leave 'cause it was more than I could comprehend at one time. I'm back with my caffeine and still can't take it all in at once. But I still want to add this little bit ...

This man (hypothetical person) killed someone 15 years ago, he was somewhat punished for his crimes though not enough to satisfy me, and now he's out and living next door to me. I've heard rumors that he is still just as mean as he ever was, and someone says they saw him with a gun last week. I know he doesn't like me, he's said before he's jealous of me having such things including my inground swimming pool (I wish) so I'm afraid he might try to kill me or my family. I decided to buy a gun and next week while he's outside mowing his grass, I'm going to blow him away. I don't think anyone should have a problem with this at all, do you? I mean isn't this what we're planning to do to the people of Iraq? Kill them before they kill us.

"it depends on how you look at it" means, quite simply, that there are different perspectives from different folks in the world. mainly, it means that the Western view cannot be the only right view. it means we should open our minds and back the hell off.

i am in no way approving of folks that slam aircraft into buildings. neither am i approving of folks who use threats of violence to effect regime change when there is no specific threat.

please. let's realize that the 'war on terrorism' has reached a point where we are attacking pieces of real estate that are rich in oil, rather than address the specific threats that happen in a de-centralized way, world-wide.

and while this is happening, we should be evaluating our own foreign policy, which is apparently not working.

and, while i'm at it, here's this: all i presented was two quotes from differing perspectives. how is this so offensive to you? can you not open your mind to a mindset other than the one you currently occupy?

it's about opening your mind. that's what this post meant.

the analogy of goodness, Lee.

No, kd, it seems some people can't open their minds. If America does it, it can't be wrong, except when it is, and then... we should change it.

Let's certainly not mention any atrocities committed by American soldiers while they were deployed to other nations. We're not allowed to look that deeply into our own history and point out the truth where truth lies. No, we are right. It is our job to police the world and force freedom on everyone.

Sorry, Al. It does depend on perception. What doesn't?

Logic, baby. Yeah.

What about when the US bombs a hospital, wedding, or passenger train?

What about when Norwegian resistance fighters would sneak into the homes of nazi collaborators and execute them?

What about when the French did the same to their own set of nazi collaborators?

You say "When Americans or Israelis launch attacks directed as closely as possibly toward the people who are doing these things IT IS NOT [terrorism]." What about when they launch attacks that aren't? The simple fact is that both groups have engaged in acts that are arguably (or definately) terrorism.

If it's reprehensible when it's done unto us, it's reprehensible when we do it unto others. That's the point.

And Al, you're really fond of tarring the opponents as morally wrong, wicked, etc. How about you show us how, rather than expecting us to all nod and agree that they are simply because you say so? Logic and evidence carry more weight than ad hominem arguments and inflammatory rhetoric.

Let's see... We need to keep momentum going so we can maintain our new infrastructure that has managed to scare the snot out of the citizenry. ...and we might as well pick a target that we can unload tons of rhetoric on 'cause they're not well thought of byt the rest of the kids on the playground. ...and we don't really care if the overt issue is really there or not, 'cause we need to Do Something...

...and if we paint with a broad enough brush and keep slathering it on, maybe we can keep the facts at bay long enough for the Grand Plan to become a fait accompli.

Sheesh.

I'm with you on that one, Patti. But I'm also getting Emperor W. vibes here.