Kerry Accuses White House of Intolerance [habit of labeling dissenters as unpatriotic....]

Yahoo ^

[Sub-Driver]

Kerry Accuses White House of Intolerance

By MIKE GLOVER, Associated Press Writer 15 minutes ago

Sen. John Kerry accused the Bush administration on Saturday of stirring up a "spirit of intolerance" to suppress dissent over the war in Iraq.

Kerry said the Bush administration is targeting opponents of the Iraq war in much the same way he was attacked for protesting failed policies in Vietnam in the 1970s.

"Dismissing dissent is not only wrong but dangerous when America's leadership is unwilling to admit mistakes, unwilling to engage in honest discussion and unwilling to hold itself accountable for the consequences of decisions made without genuine disclosure or genuine debate," said Kerry, D-Mass.

"Although no one is being jailed today for speaking out against the war in Iraq, the spirit of intolerance for dissent has risen steadily, and the habit of labeling dissenters as unpatriotic has become the common currency of the politicians currently running our country," he said.

Kerry, the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, spoke at Grinnell College. During his visit to Iowa he repeated his call for a deadline for American troops to be pulled out of Iraq by the end of the year.

"The Iraqis have shown they only respond to deadlines," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think you've got to be tough here."

Kerry first drew public attention 35 years ago when, as a decorated Navy veteran, he testified to Congress in opposition to the Vietnam war. Some fellow veterans criticized him then, and his opposition to the war has been a point of controversy throughout his political career.

[Cobra64]

[Taxman]

AbsoFReepinglutely!

We desperately need a Patriot in the Puzzle Palace!

[Taxman]

I really don't care what Hanoi John Effing Kerry's college grades were -- I want a visual on his less-than-honorable discharge and more info on how he got it upgraded.

The Dishonorable son of a bitch needs to be stewed in some of his own juices!

[Enchante]

I, too, have yet to see any administration official, or indeed any prominent Republican, impugn anyone's patriotism. Yet, as you note, HONEST leftists affirm that they espouse a kind of secular universalism ala Marx and that they despise patriotism anywhere. Of course, radicals who take power always end up using patriotism when convenient, as Leninists and Stalinists discovered that they did in fact love Mother Russia when they needed workers and peasants to die for the Revolution!

The book linked below expresses the honest leftist argument, which is rarely found in the USA (because it is politically inconvenient for the left to become so marginalized). If all of the leftists could be honest for once they would acknowledge that they despise patriotism, but that would not win them many elections in the USA (outside of 'blue' cities, anyway) so they lie and dissemble and pretend that they are patriotic.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080704329X/sr=8-8/qid=1146971457/ref=pd_bbs_8/103-7003256-6293416?%5Fencoding=UTF8

"For Love of Country [Martha Nussbaum and friends] is a rare forum: a real conversation among some of our most prominent intellectuals about an issue of urgent public importance. At the center of this lively and utterly readable debate book is Martha Nussbaumi's passionate argument against patriotism. At a time when our connections and obligations to the rest of the world grow only stronger, we should reject patriotism as a parochial ideal, she says, and instead see ourselves first of all as "citizens of the world."

[devolve]

[potlatch]

LOLOL, I always tell you how beautiful, fantastic, wonderful your posts are but this one is called the 'sad-sack' post!!

But, you did a wonderful job of arranging those 'sad-sacks'!

[Phil Harmonic]

Please make him go away.

They're trying...wanna help?

[dixiechick2000]

ROTFLOLOLOL!

Those aren't very pretty people. ;o)
But, that is a GREAT post!

[devolve]

That recent "poll" that said democrats are much more unhappy then Republicans are appears to show up deeply and permanently etched in their aging faces

[potlatch]

I missed that poll, lol, we must all be young and extremely attractive looking D.C.!!

[peggybac]

It drives me CRAZY that politicians invited to speak at graduations spew their garbage to the audience.

[dixiechick2000]

"That recent "poll" that said democrats are much more unhappy then Republicans are appears to show up deeply and permanently etched in their aging faces"


If that is the truth, they must be an EXTREMELY miserable lot. ;o)


"I missed that poll, lol, we must all be young and extremely attractive looking D.C.!!"


Yes, ma'am!
We are ALL young and beyootiful! ;o)

[potlatch]

LOL, bump to what you said!

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[weegee]

DON'T question their patriotism? They question the movtives of this administration every DAY.

"I SUPPORT THE IRAQI RESISTANCE" - THAT my friends, is treason.

"F" John F-The-Army Kerry.

He's a treasonous bastard who lied to congress back in 1971 about attrocities he claimed to have witnessed. When asked about this decades later he said that they were the passioned words of an angry young man.

[JustPiper]

oh you used one of my favs of all clintonian times-upper lefthand corner

[devolve]

Their photo archives grow every day

[potlatch]

Especially in my computer!

[Seadog Bytes]