Comments on: You vote for it, you own it

By: The American Conservative » The art of persuasion

The American Conservative » The art of persuasion — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 22:30:55 +0000

[...] may very well wane in GOP circles, which would also reflect back on the politics. This is not true as of right now, but it’s hard to imagine COIN operations that amount to little with U.S. troops still dying in [...]

By: Manuel Miles

Manuel Miles — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 04:11:08 +0000

Richard Vajs and Gera Rosy have summed it up well. All students of history recognise the direction in which the U.S. empire is headed on both the foreign and domestic “fronts”. In Canada, where I live, the same thing is happening albeit on a smaller scale. As a toady (“ally”) of the U.S. empire, the various levels of government here are enacting all the same police statist measures. And it’s a hard rain’s a gonna fall…

By: Gera Rosy

Gera Rosy — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:41:03 +0000

Richard’s disgust with the militarization of the United States is shared by many of us “Americans.” Uniforms everywhere, even among shoppers at the mall, psychopathic cops who want to kill you for an alleged traffic violation, the banning of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch, the flood of pro-war government propaganda movies, some of which follow a ten minute military recruitment commercial on the big screen, the militarization of the English language that is seen and heard everywhere, glorifying the War Parties’ killing machine- we have it all and probably more so than 1930′s Germany. We have our own weak fuhrer, evil generals, massive propaganda machine, disregard for human life, greedy banksters, and a small, but growing, Resistance.
Thank you Richard, for reminding us of the real world.

By: richard vajs

richard vajs — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:40:34 +0000

Why does the GOP support these stupid wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and soon Iran? For the same reasons, America supports them – because in our corruptness as a nation, we have lovingly clasped the filth of militarism to our bosoms. And that is what militarism is – filth. The filth that promises honor and glory and delivers brains and guts smeared over its lovers.
The last two nights, I watched NBC Nightly News have a feature on the US Navy Seals. A feature that extolled their training and their mission, which is basically to kill and destroy. The newscaster, Brian Williams, was as enraptureered as a moony teenager as he repeated over and over how the training was so rigorous and the missions so dangerous. What missions? Assassinations and explosive destruction, generally; Williams did not elaborate.
This worship of the military, “our troops”, and the continual “brown shirting” of our police and our firemen which started with 9-11 and gets stronger and stronger. The Dept of Homeland Security and the ridiculous, shoe and underwear inspecting TSA have taken a foothold in American life that they will not relinquish. One cannot watch a sports contest without seeing flyovers of military aircraft and contingents of people in uniform surrounding our flag. It is all sickening to me. I get the feeling that I am watching some old newsreel from Germany in the 1930s.
I hope we are spared the horrible lesson that Nazi Germany and the other militaristic lover Imperial Japan had to learn, but if that is what it takes, so be it.

By: Adam Rurik

Adam Rurik — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:57:21 +0000

The “Taliban 7,” BB? Naw: That’s Liz Cheney’s next project!

By: Bob Bogus

Bob Bogus — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:47:32 +0000

seamus_padraig, on March 11th, 2010 at 4:49 pm Said:
‘…Obama’s decision to keep Bill Gates on as Secretary of Defense helps to keep Republican critics at bay as well…’

“I think that’s ROBERT Gates–or has the founder of Microsoft now replaced him as SecDef?”

Yeah, Bill Gates has been busy with Taliban 7…er… I mean Windows 7.

By: Sean Scallon

Sean Scallon — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:06:12 +0000

We Fixed it. Serves me right for writing so late at night.

Still it’s an interesting thought, Bill Gates as SecDef…

By: seamus_padraig

seamus_padraig — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:49:48 +0000

“…Obama’s decision to keep Bill Gates on as Secretary of Defense helps to keep Republican critics at bay as well…”

I think that’s ROBERT Gates–or has the founder of Microsoft now replaced him as SecDef?

By: What Does Any of This Have to Do with Vietnam, Walter § Unqualified Offerings

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:26:16 +0000

[...] Scallon wonders why the GOP continues lockstep support for the war in Afghanistan even though it can now fairly be considered “Obama’s war,” and there’s no [...]

By: Adam Rurik

Adam Rurik — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:36:24 +0000

Joe Lieberman isn’t in the power chain? Then why is the Democrats’ cherished public health care option dead? More importantly, why is America ramping up pressure on Iran over a nuclear-weapons program that likely doesn’t even exist?

By: TomB

TomB — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:43:57 +0000

Sean wrote:

“Without a White House to make patronage or political threats at them, or capable leadership to whip them into line, what could possibly hold together Republican support for Obama’s war in the Congress?”

Because without the war/some war where would the Republicans be?

Opposing health-care reform when insurers are billing double-digit rate increases? Oppose bailouts in the wake of their bailouts? Oppose spending in the wake of their spending? Oppose immigration amnesty in the wake of their attempted and no-doubt still-desired amnesty? Oppose unfair trade in the wake of their alleged but in fact corrupt “free trade” religion? Oppose out-sourcing of jobs in the wake of their indifference if not facilitation of same? Oppose federal government intervention in local education in the wake of their No Child Left Behind Act? Oppose credit-card company restrictions after desecrating the Bankruptcy Act so as to make it more difficult if not impossible for credit card debtors to discharge those debts and get what Bankruptcy was always and fairly meant to provide which is a fresh start?

War/”terrorism” is the *only* horse Mr. Bush has left them to ride. Only makes sense that the party with the most number of morons representing it should be the easiest to corrupt. And only fitting that after putting the nation on the path to bankruptcy it itself is bankrupt as well.

By: Trent Hill

Trent Hill — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:48:42 +0000

I am particularly disapointed in both Jeff Flake and Jason Chaffetz–both of whom have expressed skepticism of Afghanistan.