Posted on 03/13/2005 7:53:20 AM PST by Chi-townChief
I've been writing this column now for precisely two years. It happened rather by accident. In February 2003, I was angered by the frenzied, irrational opposition to a possible war in Iraq from those on the Angry Left.
I conceded there may have been no link between Saddam and 9-11. But I fumed when I heard them argue there was no link between Saddam and terror. And so I mentioned to my boss: You know, what if I wrote something about this for the op-ed page?
The boss said sure, give it a shot, and my first column appeared on March 2, 2003. I said today's pacifists are still brainwashed by the lessons of Dr. Spock, who taught Baby Boomers in the 1960s that violence is never the answer. Kids bullied on the playground are not allowed to hit back. Likewise, when bullied, America is not allowed to hit back either.
I believe this kind of thinking is contemptible. I still do. It's one of the main motivations of why I write.
But with that said, I have learned much in the past two years. One is that while I usually made good points, I often did it too meanly. I was under the illusion that to counter those who disagree with me, I had to smash them.
Now I know different. Now I look back at a few of my early paragraphs in embarrassment. Now I'm leaning toward the "Tuco" approach. I refer to the 1967 Clint Eastwood movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly."
From the side, Tuco (he's the ugly one) fires a bullet at a cutout plywood target of a man. Nothing happens. Then Tuco stomps his foot. The top half of the target falls off the bottom half.
That's deftness.
Another shortcoming is that I've failed to make it clear that I really do recognize that not all liberals are nitwits. Some are. Too many of 'em. But others are decent Americans who just happen to disagree with the way George Bush gets things done.
If you are one of those decent liberals and I have gratuitously offended you at one point or another, then please accept my apology. Also write down this date. I may never write such a thing again.
Now, what's the difference between a nitwit liberal and an honest liberal? One remarkable test has arisen in just the past few weeks, as several nations of the Middle East have taken baby steps toward freedom.
Here is the test: What does the subject think about what is happening in the Middle East this spring? If he is as happy about it as I am, and if he's willing to concede that Bush might have got a few things right, then he deserves respect.
On the other hand, if he acknowledges no progress and still loathes Bush then I am saddened to live in a country that contains such haters.
There's no shortage of the newly honest liberal nowadays. You can hardly open a newspaper or magazine without reading some fervid Bush opponent painfully acknowledging that hey, maybe the president wasn't so wrong about the Middle East after all.
But then there are the irredeemables. They remind me of Nicolae Ceausescu, the last communist dictator of Romania. In December 1989, the rest of the world had realized that communism was finally finished forever. But not Ceausescu. He strove to cling to power, and on Dec. 17, his troops murdered dozens of protesters in the city of Timisoara.
Romanians were furious. They toppled Ceausescu on Dec. 22 and put him and his wife before a secret summary court-martial. On Christmas Day, the couple were shot like dogs.
Now, we have new Ceausescus, who do not realize that repression in the Middle East is going the same way as communism in Europe.
One such Ceausescu is Robert Fisk, a British journalist who has made a living out of hating America and Israel. In Lebanon, he says, "democracy, if it comes, will be drenched in blood."
And then there are the little Ceausescus at DemocraticUnderground.com. I feel a little sheepish about quoting the miserable statements from this miserable Web site; it's almost like going to an insane asylum and writing down the crazy things you hear.
But, as Sun Tzu, the famous ancient Chinese general, wrote, a fundamental rule of war is know your enemy. So let me tell you some of the things they say at DU.
No Exit says: "'Freedom is on the march' in the Middle East, and fascism is on the sneak in the U.S. of A."
BullGooseLoony says: "If anyone tells you that our country is safer because of the war, they're lying."
Stephanie says: "'Liberating Iraq' is just as big a lie as 'finding the WMD' was. Bush Co. is in Iraq to establish a foothold in order to dominate the entire region and its resources. They have no intention of allowing genuine democracies."
Such ugly sentiments are depressing. They make me need a shower. But then I remember a few words from Frank Zappa, and I feel a little better. To paraphrase, he once said: The world isn't getting any smarter. Make stupidity work for you.
Bush is certainly doing so. It's one of the things that have allowed him to change the world. Soon he will be remembered along with FDR and Reagan.
Michael Bowers is a layout editor for the Star. Send e-mail to mbowers@starnewspapers.com.
Fisk is an awful, just awful person.
*************
No, it's exactly like that.
From the article:
And then there are the little Ceausescus at DemocraticUnderground.com. I feel a little sheepish about quoting the miserable statements from this miserable Web site; it's almost like going to an insane asylum and writing down the crazy things you hear.
But, as Sun Tzu, the famous ancient Chinese general, wrote, a fundamental rule of war is know your enemy. So let me tell you some of the things they say at DU.
No Exit says: "'Freedom is on the march' in the Middle East, and fascism is on the sneak in the U.S. of A."
BullGooseLoony says: "If anyone tells you that our country is safer because of the war, they're lying."
Stephanie says: "'Liberating Iraq' is just as big a lie as 'finding the WMD' was. Bush Co. is in Iraq to establish a foothold in order to dominate the entire region and its resources. They have no intention of allowing genuine democracies."
I remember when he was first making the talk show circuit rounds and thought, how could a former CIA agent believe that Iraq never had WMD.
When I heard that he believes the exact opposite, I was even more appalled than usual at the MSM.
Yeah, but the folks at DU got it mixed up a bit.
Their motto is: Dare to be Stupid!
"There's two kinds of people in this world Tuco, those with loaded guns and those who have to dig. You dig." (I know this has nothing to do with the article but it's one of my favorite all time movie lines and comes from The Good, Bad and Ugly and I just had to post it.)
He cherry-picked very mild and rational argument from DU. Nothing like the majority of comments implicating that Bush and Cheney only invaded for money, will shut down the internet next week, or will suspend further elections here and set themselves up as dictators.
We watched that last night. I like the part where tuco is having a bubble bath and the guy who lost his right arm due to a bullet from Tuco at the beginning of the movie. Tuco has his gun under the bubbles and shoots him several times. Tuco says, "When you have to shoot, shoot, don't talk".
Still fun to watch. Video here:
http://www.ceausescu.org/ceausescu_media/ultima-video.html
..."DU - DU"....
error acknolowged, excellant suggestion accepted.
Right now the evil morons at DUH are supporting Hillary's strategy of disguising her true intentions with her transparently faked "triangulation" press releases and insincere photo-ops with the Rick Santorums of the world.
bump
Red: Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae & Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption, by Lieutenant General Ion Mihai Pacepa, Form Head of Romanian Intelligence.
<< there are the little Ceausescus at DemocraticUnderground.com [And noting their] miserable statements [Posted at] this miserable Web site [Is] almost like going to an insane asylum and writing down the crazy things you hear. >>
God save US FRom their evil.
God save US FRom their Envy.
God save US FRom their Hatred.
God save US FRom their Rage.
God save US FRom their insanity.
That Liberalism is a psychosis doesn't detract one iota FRom its evil.
"Well, if there's gonna be any shootin'...I gotta get my rest."
That period of 1989-90 had to be the low point of modern liberalism. It was great because it came so quickly after the short-lived liberal golden age (August 1974 - November 1979.)
Re: "No Exit says: "'Freedom is on the march' in the Middle East, and fascism is on the sneak in the U.S. of A.""
Mighty Christian of No Exit to let us in on their secret.
[HollywoodInvestigator.com] Beloved pop sensation Michael Jackson has for the last 9 years been a walking undead corpse -- the mindless zombie slave to a blood-thirsty Communist vampire! Those are the shocking findings of a six-year Investigator investigation in which a team of Investigator investigative reporters traveled the globe to discover the following blood- curdling discovery: Nicolae Ceausescu, Communist dictator of Romania and Transylvania until his 1989 Christmas Day "execution" was a true-life vampire -- who has already risen from his grave -- and claimed JACKO as his new victim! |
![]() now vampire-white -- in a Communist uniform!!! |
Here are the startling facts that cannot be denied:
![]() |
Nicolae Ceausescu: * Cringed at the sight of crosses! * Demolished scores of churches! * Stuttered and twisted so bizarrely that a Fort Bragg US Army prof believes Ceausescu was possessed by a legion of demons! |
* Mesmerized a nation in a vampire-like thrall -- despite his repulsive looks and dwarfish stature!
* Left Romania with skyrocketing HIV rates -- which can happen when you drink tainted blood!
* Himself suffered from a blood disease!
* Vanished after his execution -- his "corpse" moving under mysterious circumstances!
* Hero-worshipped Dracula -- for whom he issued a commemorative postage stamp!
* Tried to move Romania's capital from Bucharest to Tirgoviste -- Dracula's 15th century capital!
* Sought refuge in Dracula's capital during the final days of his crumbling Commie rule!
* And most shocking of all, built a palace near Dracula's tomb, where in 1992 ...
![]() |
![]() Sun too intense???!!! |
Right. Not to mention how they use an asterisk to refer to the President, as it is their symbol for "A-hole". I just don't know what all that "n/t" stuff is. Anyone? n/t?
Don't ever call him that. Besides, they've got files. Classic flick. Chainsaw and Dave were two hilarious characters. One of my favorite lines was when Dave learned he passed the test and Chainsaw says, "You passed, I failed. You a-hole!" and Dave says, "I'll take it again. I can fail. I know I can!" (or something like that).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.