Grover Norquist's Evasions

FrontPageMagazine.com | 12/11/03 | Scott W. Johnson, PowerLineBlog.com

[Byron_the_Aussie]

It must be hell, being an upper echelon American conservative.

You've been fighting the good fight, all through the hard decades before the Internet brought some balance to the Left vs. Right war, and you can justly claim some accomplishment- like Norquist's Angola initiative. And now the scales are finally tipping, and conservative activists are a dime a dozen, suddenly you find yourself being nipped again and again by your lessers- like a marlin, in a piranha tank. In some cases, like Horowitz, the teeth even belong to those who were on the other side of the barricades- back when the barricades were real.

And the piranhas bite faster.

[MEG33]

It is not wise to rest on one's past accomplishments and engage in a cozy relationship with Islamic organizations.

Frank Gaffney was assistant Secy of Defense under Reagan and has a think tank for the study of foreign policy.

[tkathy]

I heard the interview, and it sounds like, if you dig deep enough, Saudi money may be sliming its way into the conservatives' pockets.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

We are going to have to get along with the Muslims, Meg.

You can't keep one billion people at the point of a bayonet. Cheers, By

[MEG33]

These organizations in the US include people who have been arrested for aiding terrorists.I had no problems with muslims.They do seem to have a problem with the US and it takes more than wishing to make it better.

[Pharmboy]

Hmmm...interesting comment. Sounds like you've surredered. Seems to me THEY don't want to play nice with us.

[ovrtaxt]

I heard the interview, and it sounds like, if you dig deep enough, Saudi money may be sliming its way into the conservatives' pockets.

And whose pockets? The answer may be quite surprising. It may go to the 'highest levels...'

[ovrtaxt]

We are going to have to get along with the Muslims, Meg.

How do you 'get along' with people who think that Allah has told them to KILL YOU!?! Please let me know, I would love to know, really. In fact, your answer is the key to this entire war! Your wisdom on this subject could save the lives of billions, potentially. After all, the rest of humanity has been trying to figure this out since the 7th century. So, please, elaborate.

[swilhelm73]

I heard the interview, and it sounds like, if you dig deep enough, Saudi money may be sliming its way into the conservatives' pockets.

Well, heck, its not like the Saudis don't have practice buying American officials;

[MEG33]

What ever happened to that "leak" investigation?Perhaps the other leaks of memos distracted the media.Wilson doesn't seem to be helping the Kerry campaign.

[swilhelm73]

What ever happened to that "leak" investigation?Perhaps the other leaks of memos distracted the media.Wilson doesn't seem to be helping the Kerry campaign.

IIRC, the press made all sorts of grand claims about a White House conspiracy to leak Wilson's wife's name. Novak said he was acting on his own, and contrary to their purposeful lies, the press couldn't find anyone willing to say they were one of the six journalists this information was supposedly shopped to.

The it turned out Plame's job was an open secret within the press corp anyway. Then Plame's boss had a sudden retirement all the while all sources were pointing to him, and therefore her as the source of Wilson's trip.

Then British Intelligence refused to back down from their claims that Wilson is full of Barbara Streisand, and any looking at Wilson's "investigation" backs it up.

And then to top it off, people noticed that Wilson was under the employ of the Saudi Arabian government.

So, with no evidence, of well, anything, and Wilson looking increasingly bad, the press decided to just ...move on...

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..how do you 'get along' with people who think that Allah has told them to KILL YOU!?!...

Firstly, by showing that they won't get away with it. With Afghanistan and Iraq, that's already been done. The second part is to demonstrate that adopting our principles is the answer to their problems. That's the tough part, because it would require a phoenix-like resurgence of confidence in the American Dream, and an evangelistic willingness to project it, the way the British did with their way of life in the nineteenth century. In an America whose leaders are tearing at their Constitution and culture, I'll admit it's difficult to imagine how that might be inspired.

[MEG33]

Well,well, isn't that interesting!

[ovrtaxt]

Okay, I'm for that, but it doesn't deal with the root cause. These people believe that their god has instructed them to kill us all. At the cost of their own life, if need be. Such a 'religion' has to be dealt with at it's root. There is no getting along with them by their own choice.

Either they will be killed or converted, or we will be. And I'm not gonna convert to Islam.

[Robert Teesdale]

Byron_the_Aussie:

The second part is to demonstrate that adopting our principles is the answer to their problems. That's the tough part, because it would require a phoenix-like resurgence of confidence in the American Dream, and an evangelistic willingness to project it, the way the British did with their way of life in the nineteenth century.

Damn right.

GLOBAL AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Best regards,

Robert Teesdale
American Party of Colorado

[Byron_the_Aussie]

..I'm for that, but it doesn't deal with the root cause...

It does deal with the root cause, my friend. You Americans have to start using the two greatest weapons you've got. Not B-2s and F-16s, but the New Testament, and the Constitution. The two documents that gave you your preeminence. Think every Muslim doesn't harbour doubt, about those who tell them how to interpret the will of God? They do, and in their hearts they want to deal direct. Of course, to make this work, America has to believe in those documents herself.

That's the hard part.

[Byron_the_Aussie]

That's a very powerful presentation, Robert. I've tagged your web page, for further study. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. All the best, Byron.

[LS]

Well, it wouldn't be the first time that a solid conservative started to go whacky in one or another area. Consider Barry Goldwater, who, after his second marriage, became a gay rights supporter and opposed the pro-life movement. Are we to simply sit by because of past contributions? No.

Norquist appears to be WAY off on this. I haven't read the article, and will do so later today, but it is deeply troubling, they way Newt's treatment of his wife/ex-wife was deeply troubling.

[LS]

Um, no Byron, we are going to have to get along with the peaceful Muslims. Big difference.

In my experience of reading the Koran AND the Hadith (which I doubt more than a handful of non-Muslims have) it is clear that the impetus of Islam is toward violence, slavery, and oppression. Now, that certainly doesn't mean all Muslims favor such things---nor do all Catholics practice birth control and all Baptists refrain from drinking. But it does say that we can really only deal with those who have either become sufficiently "secularized" or "westernized" so the Koran means no more to them than a Bible does to a Unitarian (and there are many such people) or those Muslims who are fundamentally ignorant of their own holy books (as are, perhaps, a majority of "Christians").