Whether this dude is Black, Muslim, or wearing tie-dye - he is a dying breed.
Someone who still thinks Iraq is / was a good idea - AND that the problems with Iraq are liberals and the media.
Man - I have not heard "the weapons are in Syria" since like 2003.
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POV = Point of View - Made me think for a second on that one.
Kevin's POV - Sentimental patriotism is bullshit.
jin·go·ism n. Extreme nationalism characterized especially by a belligerent foreign policy; chauvinistic patriotism.
The content of this video is funny and the fact that the content is delivered by a black guy in a sweater is even funnier.
Like the Iranian president promising to wipe Israel off the face of the map - in a sweater.
Only problem is that these Uncle Mr. Rogers are serious.
This video - which is actually a Toby Keith video in photonegative [surprised there was not a Ford logo somewhere in the background] is so devoid of fact or substance that I will not comment on any part of it except one - the death count - and the media's coverage of it.
He is right - they are doing a terrible job reporting the human cost of this war. No coffins - few mommas.
The federal government says 30,000 Iraqis. Some Agencies say 600,000 Iraqis [not all Al-Queda affiliated by the way]
Dead US Soldiers = 3,597 [12:00 PM 4/3/2007]
So - let's give the USA Government a total pass on credibility - let's stipulate that their numbers are accurate. 33, 597 people [soldiers or otherwise] have died as a result of this war. This is a factual statement - am I the enemy for saying it?
Personally I think the "liberals" and "media" have done a crummy job pounding this down peoples throats. Because all discussions regarding Iraq need to start with the acknowledgement that 35,597 people have died [in the LOWEST possible estimate]
Because any argument about freedom, honor"the right thing to do" etc - must include this number, and it must acknowledge the 20,000 or so injured and crazy returning vets. Let's say the crazy number is like 500 [I don't want the GOPers arguing over numbers - so I am lowballing. ] The injured number is 20K
Ask any CEO of any company in the world about a "project" and they will immediately ask "what is the benefit?" followed by "how much?" and then they will weigh "is it worth it?"
This guy does a crappy job selling "the benefit" and ignores the "how much?" - In fact - he says that anyone even asking "how much?" is doing the following:
1] Aiding the enemy.2] Not supporting the troops.3] Soiling the memory of the victims of 9/11 [which Iraq had nothing to do with - says the Federal Government]
Last, but not least - America overthrew Congress over Iraq / the handling of Iraq. Most Americans do not believe that a wise use of our Military is to go house to house in Iraq looking for Iraqis who want to kill other Iraqis.
The fact that this Congress is taking steps to end the war only means they know why America put them there. It certainly isn't because they think Federal cafe standards for automobiles are too low. Like it or not - when Congress moves to end the war in Iraq - they are doing the people's work.
Kevin
P.S. - The BEST lie in our speaker's presentation is "Liberals and the media are profiting from the war - so they secretly want the war to continue so they can be right and thus enrich themselves". To which I, as new antiwar blogger #324211233 say the following
1] Where is my freaking check?
2] Liberals and the media are the war profiteers? Ummm... I see.
3] 8 billion dollars of your missing money [fiscal conservatives take note here] say that the war profiteering scales do not tip in the direction of Sean Penn.
Last of all - a pretty famous passage from Ernest Hemingway in A Farewell To Arms-take it for what you may.
"I was always embarrassed by the words sacred, glorious, and sacrifice. . . . We had heard them, sometimes standing in the rain almost out of earshot, so that only the shouted words came through, and had read them, on proclamations that were slapped up by billposters over other proclamations, now for a long time, and I had seen nothing sacred, and the things that were glorious had no glory and the sacrifices were like the stockyards at Chicago if nothing was done with the meat except to bury it. There were many words that you could not stand to hear and finally only the names of places had dignity. Certain numbers were the same way and certain dates and these with the names of the places were all you could say and have them mean anything. Abstract words such as glory, honor, courage, or hallow were obscene beside the concrete names of villages, the numbers of roads, the names of rivers, the numbers of regiments and the dates. "
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Kevin's POV - Sentimental patriotism is bullshit.
Posted by Kevin Hansen at 12:17 PM
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5 Comments:
Kevin, Kevin, Kevin... while I appreciate that it took you 6 days to write your response to the video in novella form, the fact is it's way too long for me. As a proud new owner of an XBOX 360, I now have an attention span of 3 minutes tops, so I've had to order & read the Cliff Notes version. It does a great job of highlighting the points that stick out like Yao Ming amongst a tribe of Pygmies.
First - props on the Toby Keith & Ford reference.
Second - you've exposed yourself by proclaiming your belief that the newly elected Congress "are doing the people's work". What kind of crap is that? You actually believe that this time "they really mean it"? Did you believe that same thing back in '94 (or whenever that was) when the GOP gained the majority? Eat your Wheaties and re-think that one again.
Third - even if Congress was "doing the people's work", do you really trust the collective intelligence of "average America" (btw, I like to put "things" in quotes…) to formulate and execute our military strategy? That's like asking all the checkers and bag boys at Raley's how they would run the company. Of course, their strategy is going to be to protect their jobs and increase wages. Oops, that just put them out of business. I guess that's what leaders (read: CEO's and Commander's in Chiefs) are for…
Fourth - your cost/benefit analysis stinks. Your conclusion here leads me to believe that the Revolutionary War, WWI/WWII and the first Gulf War were not "worth it" (no, won't include Vietnam here, that one can be interchanged w/ Iraq).
Fifth - the perspective that we are "losing" the war primarily comes from the attention deficit "average America". I'm really sick of hearing about it myself - are we done yet? BTW, have you seen the new XBOX 360 Elite?
Now you done made me write my own novella. That's 25 more XBOX Live gamerscore points I could've had.
Jim [and Brad - they only guys reading this]
First of all - I did not listen to your video until yesterday. I was looking forward to something funny - and you go and give me Scott McClelland in blackface - repaeating the same lies that I have not heard since the time I last purchased music. And that my friend, is a long time ago.
New Congress - I am not sure what they will or will not do. That is not the point. The problem was with Dick Cheney's love child accusing Congress of undermining the war effort - they were put in place to stop this war by the stupid checkers and bag boys. Man democracy is a bitch when it does not go your way. I know - I was there Election night 2004.
The failure in Iraq is not the fault of the Military - it is specifically the fault of "CEO's and Commander's in Chiefs"
1] For going there in the first place.
2] Not sending enough guys in the first place.
3] Making the military fight with one hand behind their back. [See: Al Sadr is still breathing and Mosques with guns still standing - what would the Arab Street have done if we dropped bombs on Mosques with people shooting from them? Gotten mad? Oh no not that - they have been so facile in the past!]]
So if the CEOs and Commanders are doing such a great job - let them go house to house - in lieu of heavy bombing. The failure to pacify Iraq can be found in the 3 markets that have not been bombed...yet.
Cost benefit?
If we don't do the revolutionary war British soldiers live in our house and take our shit. - Worth it.
If we don't do WW1 - [not sure here - damn you public education]
If we don't do WWII - we do not answer a direct attack on one of our cities / we do not side with our direct Ally who is under direct attack [Britain]. And then we speak Japanese or German. So I give it a "worth it".
1st Gulf War - seemed like a good idea - but if chasing Saddam out of another Arab country does not win over the Arab St. - I am thinking it is a lost cause. So still not sure on that one - I had assumed that that action would have made us some friends.
So what has this war done for America. - That is what I am trying to say - we have spent lots of $$$ and lives -and I cannot even look to cheaper gas as a benefit - let alone greater scurity.
Losing / winning - I don't care - but I don't see how we are better off for ever going there in the first place.
Just curious - do you really believe all this shit you are writing - or are you just pulling my chain in regards to this oil war?
Kevin & Brad [& Dave - he purports to visit every so often]
Of course any credit or blame will lie w/ the CEO/CinC (usually only the blame). That comes with the territory. According to your bag boy rhetoric, I guess we should've just subscribed to a classic war strategy and just dropped an A-bomb on them. Then we wouldn't have to deal with those damn insurgents their urban warfare. Geez, what a mess of incompetence our leaders must be...
As for even going there in the first place and are we any better off by it? Only time will tell, but it's way too soon to judge. One analogy I like for this war is that of a WWII era scenario. What if the US and its allies would've pre-emptively invaded Germany and removed Hitler from power? How many lives might have been saved (cost/benefit) by that action?
But just like we'll never know how many terrorists attacks the FBI/CIA have thwarted, we'll bitch and complain about the incoveniences we must suffer and atrocities to our freedom they've transgressed. We never realize (and/or appreciate) the benefit, so the cost is always too damn high. [Cue Toby Keith patriotic songs montage].
Yes, I believe most of the crap I write.
3 takes:
If this "War for Oil" stuff were true, crude would have been at $29.99 a barrel since Sept 2004 and the R's would have 250 seats in the house and 60 + Cheney in the Senate ... and maybe Bork on the bench. :-)
Neville Chamberlain and his ilk killed millions and I hope they never slept a wink after 9/1/39. Pussies. There might have been a few DAYS when 36,000 died.
When I make a decision that ends up having negative consequences, I fix it to the best of my ability as fast as I can - I might bitch about my shabby advice or inputs a little but that doesn't last more than a day or two - of course I'm not competing with another person to run my household or my company in front of a TV camera.
BO
Registered Libertarian who really just wants to raise two well adjusted daughters who don't become exotic dancers ...
My heart is about 1/3 into the blogging of Iraq.
Money, oil, lies, and hell hole sum it up for me. Hell hole before, during, and after.
If we are at war - we need to show our enemies that messing with America is a big mistake. Heavy bombs go a long way toward this. Gee after Viet Nam and Iraq - do you think other Crapistans [for the Savage connoisseur] would hesitate to go to war with us?
"Oh gee, not the USA - they will send their soldiers on door to door suicide missions while they leave our mosques alone - and fight in a culturally sensitive way as we conduct chemical attacks on our own people."
Think anyone remembers the 1000 Somalis killed in Black Hawk Down? Nope - just the American soldiers being dragged through the street. What in the hell do we produce Napalm for - if not for these events?
We should have intitiated the war by bombing armed mosques. This would have told the Iraqis [in case they did not know] that the occupiers were MORE ruthless than them. I think convincing people that we want them to be our friends with Apache helicoptors is a tough sell.
Just me but war is not all that great of a diplomacy tool.
So with all of my war mongering here - I really think we need to do a much better job avoiding the things in the first place. Then when we get into one for whatever reason - the enemy must know that they are outmatched in savagery, skill, weaponry, and resolve. And our soldiers need to know that they will never go door to door - when a bazooka will do the trick.
But I digress - avoiding expensive and horrific wars in the first place is really the way to go. Especially whne those wars sure look and feel like they are there to line multi-national corporations' pockets.
But again - blogging about Iraq is kind of like blogging about global warming or the weather. Kind of boring.
Give me music, composting, and shit talking anyday. I can sink my teeth into those.
By the way Dave, North Dakota has enough wind to power the nation.
As I drive through town not saving gas for the war effort - I have turned my thoughts elsewhere for blogging purposes. Brad and my high parenting standards for example -
1] No scalding.
2] Do what you can to prevent them from plying the exotic dancing trade.
Anyway - the "people's work" is only a response to the speaker's points. The new right-wing talk points are that the Democrats / Congress are breaking Iraq. Like "what is their plan?"
I have no illusions that the new Congress will continue to ignore the people's work in pursuit of their narrow corrupt agenda [seems like this is a bipartisan trait].
But in the case of doing everything they can to get us out of Iraq - they are doing the people's work. They were put there specifically to do something about Iraq. And they know it.
So my "people's work" applies only to their Iraq effort. And I only bring it up in response to Jim's video which I am positive was filmed in 2003. No one believes the points that guy is making. He makes Colin Powell look like Malcolm X.
In regards to the Democarats NOT doing the people's work...
One thing is for sure - none of their Homeland Security plans will involve the closing and/or the controlling of the border.
Because these might strain our relationships with our neighbor and partner Mexico. Sure they flood us with the poorest of the poor in the most insidious and dangerous of conditions - but suggesting a change to this "non-policy" is racist.
Too bad the Republicans are all talk regarding this issue - in some ways worse than the Dems.
GOP response to immigration. Deny Emergency Room visits and leave the border wide open.
DEM response give emergency room care and a driver's license [an official governmental ID for a person who has arrived here illegally] - leave the border wide open.
Gee - I hope the terrorists don't know about the open borders.
See you in the mushroom cloud.
I hope that the liberals control the media in heaven. I can only stand so much Lee Greenwood and 7th Heaven.
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