Sunday, October 28, 2007

New Rules | Bill Maher | October 26 2007

"Islamic terrorists taking over America? They can barely get across the monkey bars! Our defense budget is 600 billion dollars a year! They're using guns that they took off a dead soviet in 1981! I think we can hold Charleston...

"We are the most powerful nation on Earth, with the largest economy and the best military and were made to act a FOOL by a few thousand cave dwellers who still put out their videos on VHS!!!... we have become the most insecure, paranoid superpower ever.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Put Down That Hose, Comrade

Since the President was so concerned about "socialized medicine" that he vetoed SCHIP expansion, can we assume that his trip to Southern California tomorrow is to deliver a lecture about the evils of socialized firefighting? After all, if the free market is the best way to fight poverty, injury, and disease, I'm sure the invisible hand would have no problem putting out a few fires. Since America has the best healthcare in the world, maybe the progress against the wildfires would go quicker if the firefighters borrowed a trick from the insurance industry and only concentrated on saving the homes of people whose employers have enrolled them in a private fire protection plan that provided coverage for fires caused by accidents, arson, and acts of god. Just cross your fingers and hope that the fire gets put out before your coverage lapses.

--Greg Saunders

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Islamofascism! Awareness Week


Apparently what us lefties are suppose to become aware of during Islamofascism Awareness Week is that in order to stop the next terrorist attack from happening on American soil, we need to stop talking about the worst foreign policy disaster in our history, we need to shut up about global warming, we need to stop pointing out the fact that the actual definition of fascism involves extreme nationalism and corporatism (two key aspects missing in terrorist organizations), we need to shut up about outsourcing torture, stop caring about the body count of half a million people in Iraq, and we need to support the extra $46 billion (with a B) in spending on Iraq, while spending $0 on our own children's health care (that's 0 with a Z). This, all according to David Horowitz. (That's Douchebag with a giant D)
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"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity. We weren't punctilious about locating and punishing only Hitler and his top officers. We carpet-bombed German cities; we killed civilians. That's war. And this is war." -- Ann Coulter, partner in peddling hatred for Muslim people
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Great plan Ann.
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Awareness weeks/months are usually used to raise awareness for things like breast cancer, black history, and alzheimer's aren't they? Learn more about Horowitz and his hatred for everything and everyone, by clicking on his name in the link above.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

What It's All About

Yahoo!News: "Love thy enemy" -- U.S. soldier gets discharge

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier who said his Christian beliefs compelled him to love his enemies, not kill them, has been granted conscientious objector status and honorably discharged, a civil liberties group said on Tuesday.

Capt. Peter Brown -- who served in Iraq for more than a year and was a graduate of the elite U.S. military academy West Point -- said in a statement issued by the New York Civil Liberties Union that he was relieved the Army had recognized his beliefs made it impossible for him to serve.
"In following Jesus' example, I could not have fired my weapon at another human being, even if he were shooting at me," said Brown, who plans to continue seminary classes he began by correspondence while in Iraq.
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Spirituality Demonstrated: Living and demonstrating your own deepest convictions and professed beliefs through your daily actions and life decisions.

Peter Brown is a brave guy. I don't know what the percentage of soldiers in the army classify themselves as Christians, but holding a Bible in one hand, and a machine gun in the other seems like a bit of a contradiction to me.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See

"The risk of not acting FAR OUTWEIGHS the risk of acting". This joe schmoe uses a simple diagram to break down the exact same global warming argument that I've been trying to frame for a year on this blog, but haven't been smart enough to be able to simplify as successfully. Watch it, it's the best way I've seen it presented yet.

Monday, October 08, 2007

War Without End

This is what policymakers around the world have known for decades. You don't combat terrorism in the same way that you would combat a conventional enemy on the battleground by invading their country and outgunning them... what President Bush likes to call "shock and awe". Terrorism isn't a country, it's not a distinct group of people, it's not located in one convenient location waiting for us to come and blow it all to hell... terrorism is an idea, as is fundamentalist extremism. It's not physically possible to bomb an idea into submission. You could, for the sake of argument, kill all of the people who share an extreme ideology. Unfortunately, anti-Americanism crosses all borders and ethnicities across the globe and is steadily increasing every year. Yes, the most extreme elements of this anti-Americanism could probably be traced to the Middle East; an area that includes over 15 nations. Either we invade all of them, or we just kill all of the bad people in Iraq and create a stable democracy there that will become a role model and a 'beacon of hope' for the rest of the region. Two very reasonable and realistic options, no?

It is, however, possible to have the opposite intended effect in confronting a broad, undefinable extremism that crosses all borders and nationalities with unilateral military action. Terrorism and extremism are both primarily fueled by hatred. What is the worst thing you could possibly do to make someone hate you with a passion? That's right, BOMB THEIR COUNTRY! (... broadly insulting their religion as evil is also very useful) In other words: bombing, invading, and occupying countries = More Terrorists.

I sometimes wonder if the Bush Administration (particularly Cheney) is really aware of the ineffectiveness of their foreign policies, but still allow them to continue. Why, you say? War costs money. Specifically your money. Who's getting that money? Defense contractors have seen steadily rising profits in every sector since 9/11. War against a broad, undefinable ideology is a great way to make money, for a couple of different reasons:
  • There's no threat of it ever ending.
  • Money is made by the manufacture of weapons, and therefor, by the destruction of the 'enemy's' infrastructure.
  • Rebuilding that infrastructure (so that it can be bombed all over again) costs money; money that's pocketed (at a profit) by private contractors.
It's the perfect new economy. Disaster capitalism at it's finest.

A new report released by a think-tank in Britain today is making the tired, old claim that us unpatriotic liberals have been screaming for years. That the War On Terrorism is actually fueling Al Qaeda and terrorism around the world instead of suppressing it. Here it is, via Yahoo.

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LONDON (Reuters) - Six years after the September 11 attacks in the United States, the "war on terror" is failing and instead fueling an increase in support for extremist Islamist movements, a British think-tank said on Monday.

A report by the Oxford Research Group (ORG) said a "fundamental re-think is required" if the global terrorist network is to be rendered ineffective."If the al Qaeda movement is to be countered, then the roots of its support must be understood and systematically undercut," said Paul Rogers, the report's author and professor of global peace studies at Bradford University in northern England.

"Combined with conventional policing and security measures, al Qaeda
can be contained and minimized but this will require a change in policy at every level."He described the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a "disastrous mistake" which had helped establish a "most valued jihadist combat training zone" for al Qaeda supporters.

The report -- Alternatives to the War on Terror -- recommended the immediate withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq coupled with intensive diplomatic engagement in the region, including with Iran and Syria.

In Afghanistan, Rogers also called for an immediate scaling down of military activities, an injection of more civil aid and negotiations with militia groups aimed at bringing them into the political process.

If such measures were adopted it would still take "at least 10 years to make up for the mistakes made since 9/11."

"Failure to make the necessary changes could result in the war on terror lasting decades," the report added.Rogers also warned of a drift toward conflict with Iran. "Going to war with Iran," he said, "will make matters far worse, playing directly into the hands of extreme elements and adding greatly to the violence across the region. Whatever the problems with Iran, war should be avoided at all costs."

Wednesday, October 03, 2007