Archive for Osama bin Laden

The Irrationality of Moderation

Posted by: Jason | July 26th, 2008 · 4:19 AM

If politics is indeed the art of compromise, than we wouldn’t admire names such as Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan. Comparing the latter two of these American presidents, whose names will forever dominate our historical view of twentieth century politics, we would certainly find discrepancies in philosophy, leadership style, and in the challenges they each faced during their presidencies.

But of course, we would also find many commonalities between these men. As much as Roosevelt’s New Deal was considered radical, as was Reagan’s insistence on boldly calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, or the suspension of habeas corpus under the Lincoln administration controversial, these men shared in their ability to refuse compromise of their core principals.

As children, we’re taught to excel in all areas of life, whether it be sports or academics. At the workplace, we value the well being of our associates, but know that our own accomplishments are paramount to the survival of our families. In our own personal lives, to compromise in our faithfulness to our wives or time spent with our children is shunned upon.

Concerning the smaller things in life, like deciding which restaurant to eat at or which movie to see, compromise is certainly appropriate. But who would argue the virtue in tolerating things like one of our children failing in school, a verbally abusive manager at work, or relating to politics, a law that we consider devoid of justice or morality.

Political moderation is arguably the most harmful of these examples, because as politics defines the government that controls us, the lives of entire nations are affected. In recent American politics, there is no greater example of this than in our current government. And if there is one lesson to be learned from the Bush Administration, it is that moderation produces failure.

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Truther Phantoms in Afghanistan

Posted by: Ion | September 18th, 2007 · 5:12 PM

(photo: Patrick)

No one has ever accused 911 deniers of wisdom (excluding themselves of course). Here’s a fine case in point for why:

“Foreign policy? Nothing you’re going to find in a newspaper or anything like that but between 1989 and 1992, we decided to give Osama Bin Laden $20 billion to fight the Russians in Afghanistan….”
(ScrewLooseChange)

I don’t need to say it and you needn’t hear it, but I do say it only because there’s some Truther reading the above and thinking “right on!” The Soviet Union announced its withdrawal from Afghanistan on July 20, 1987 and the last troops departed on February 15, 1989. In 1992 the Soviet Union didn’t even exist, much less was it to be fought in Afghanistan.

Perhaps the only motive for 911 deniers’ habit for inventing history, is that they’ve never bothered to read any. Me say pick betta hobby.

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Osama 2.0

Posted by: Ion | September 8th, 2007 · 6:45 AM

Sporting his new Just For Men Haircolor look, Osama bin Laden is back in black…and now rhetorically indistinguishable from your average DailyKos post.

In his recent videotape, not only has Osama added global warming to his seemingly endless checklist of complaints against the West, he’s evidently become an assiduous reader of leftwing theorist Noam Chomsky:

“This war was entirely unnecessary, as testified to by your own reports. And among the most capable of those from your own side who speak to you on this topic and on the manufacturing of public opinion is Noam Chomsky, who spoke sober words of advice prior to the war, but the leader of Texas doesn’t like those who give advice.
(ABC)

Jeez. As if it weren’t sinister enough when Chomsky’s political philosophy attracted the praise of the despotic Hugo Chavez at the United Nations.

Anyone who has ever read or heard Chomsky’s ferociously antagonistic views on almost every aspect of American history and culture, or is remotely familiar with his long history of apologetics for murderously barbaric regimes (so long as they have ‘’anti-imperialist'’ propaganda, a blind eye can be found at MIT), could hardly be surprised by Osama finding consonance with his own violently anti-American ideology.

Among the unshocked is the Progressive Democrats of America who were in fact moved by the news and regretted that the Bush administration had not the foresight to heed the call of Osama for Chomsky:

…Osama has been reading Noam Chomsky. Wouldn’t we be in better shape if John Ashcroft, Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney had read Chomsky first!
(PDA)

Here’s a tip for a more rational politics PDA: When you read that Osama bin Laden is in agreement with a certain author’s political arguments which you endorse, you should not regret Osama’s wisdom, but instead seriously question your own. It’s a fair bet that nothing I’ve written could possibly find much consent from Osama (”manufactured” or otherwise). One would hope that the Left will some day recognize how serious a problem it is, that so many of them cannot honestly say the same. An admiration for Noam Chomsky is the least of it too.

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Remembering the Dream of Democracy in the Islamic World

Posted by: Jason | May 17th, 2007 · 1:57 AM

(image: fox)

John Hughes at The Christian Science Monitor has an excellent piece out today entitled The Struggle to Advance Democracy in the Arab World. It’s a memorable piece and one worth discussing, because it brings up a topic that we often forget about these days, that the long term reason for the Iraqi invasion was to promote democracy.

Somewhere between Michael Moore’s 9/11 conspiracy film and the Democrats deciding to unilaterally surrender to the global Islamic threat (aside from Afghanistan of course), we’ve managed to forget the reform-minded visions of Bush and Blair in 2003 as a way of preventing terrorism. Such a grand and humane hope for the future it was, but debatable in practice.

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McCain: Can’t Get it Right

Posted by: Jason | May 16th, 2007 · 8:34 AM

(image: npr)

Mr. McCain… The country has just suffered multiple terrorist attacks, more are said to be on the way, and we’ve caught three suspects trying to escape the country who we believe may be behind them. What do you do? “Well… I’ll tell you what you don’t do, torture them”.

Tom Tancredo said it best last night, and it speaks volumes to why John McCain may be a war hero, but just doesn’t get the world. Western civilization, as Tancredo put it, rests in the hands of the United States. If this nation falls, so do all the rest, because we won’t be here to protect them anymore. And during a crisis such as the hypothetical question laid out by Brit Hume yesterday evening in Fox’s Republican debate, you don’t think about the dangers of water boarding, and how its use might affect world opinion in a time of crisis.

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2nd Republican Debate = Sigh of Relief

Posted by: Jason | · 8:19 AM

(image: fox)

Thank God for Fox News Channel. And I mean that sincerely. By leaps and bounds, whether you are a liberal or a conservative, hell… if you have a damn pulse… you can now understand why Chris Matthews and company rank somewhere near the doghouse as compared to a real network such as the one that hosted last night’s 2nd Republican debate.

The candidates were sharp, they were engaging, and I think for the first time, myself speaking for many other Republicans I’m sure, that we can all breath a sigh of relief. This party is full of life, and we have ourselves a real race now. Assuming the entrance of Fred Thompson, and possibly Newt Gingrich, this should serve as one of the more entertaining years in presidential politics. I’m excited for the future debates.

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Radical Islam In My Hometown

Posted by: Jason | May 8th, 2007 · 10:28 AM

(image: brave soldiers who were a target at fort dix today)

Being a resident of the state of New Jersey, I suppose I’m the most qualified to talk about this story today, at least from the standpoint of our website. I’d like to address the facts, and then give my opinions on the realities of the situation.

Close to my place of residence is a town called Cherry Hill, NJ. It’s a quiet, family-oriented place, the furthest destination in America where you would expect to foil a terrorist plot.

It is there where six men of Yugoslavian descent where arrested this morning. Their crime? They were caught in the planning stages of a plot to illegally purchase AK-47 assault rifles (so much for gun control), in hopes of storming nearby Fort Dix to “kill as many soldiers as possible”, federal authorities said Tuesday.

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