[Behind Liberal Lines]

Normally, I don't post a lot of editorials from Cornell itself since I figure, hey, these are just stupid kids (as opposed to the perpetually adolescent adults who live in Ithaca).

But this one really burned me up.

This kid is complaining about television shows that:

Said positive things about the troops
Criticized Saddam Hussein
Said al-Quaida was a threat

This isn't pacifism. This isn't disagreement with government policy.

This is the kind of "hate America, hate the troops, glorify the enemy" think that characterized traitors like Hanoi Jane Fonda during the Vietnam War.

Disgusting.

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

City of Evil bump

[general_re]

Kid watches too much TV. It's warped his brain.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Bush is spending like a teenager with a credit card

The author of this column is essentially a teenager with a credit card himself, with all that implies for maturity and self-reliance.

[jigsaw]

What a name!

Adam Bloom.

Sounds like "Atom Bomb."

There is a Karl Adam Bloom listed in the Cornell directory (not sure if it's the same guy.)

But sign him up as K.A. Bloom and pronounce it, "Ka Bloom."

And BTW, on the subject of names, CU (as Cornell University is often abbreviated to) is pronounced 'thoo' in the Fijian language and means "to turn the buttocks towards one - an insulting attitude expressive of contempt."

How appropriate.

[steve-b]

If television were a state, it would be a red state. I watched Letterman three times last week, and he made a point each time of calling Sadaam Hussein "a stooge and a thug." On Sunday I watched the NFL on Fox (the one time I get to see the Redskins, so of course they get fustigated), and not only did the announcers thank our troops, but several of the commercials were reminders from the NFL to support our armed forces.

Reasonable people can disagree about whether or not we should go to war with Iraq (a matter of political policy). However there is less room for such disagreement about the stoogedom and thughood of Saddam Hussein (a matter or observed fact) or the honoring of our troops (a matter of basic human respect). Treating the latter just like the former is idiocy (if the difference is not understood) of cynical mischief-making (if it is).

[steve-b]

Killing bin Laden would be a nice symbolic victory for the United States and particularly for the president, but it is not essential; al-Qaida is a threat regardless of its leader. The more important concern is securing Afghanistan -- where American positions are still being attacked -- and building it into something more than a big, dirty sandbox.

Wonder of wonders -- an entire paragraph of factually and logically justified comments.

Above all else, this will require money, which Bush is spending like a teenager with a credit card: The economy is weak, the Clinton surplus is faint memory, social security and health care require immediate attention, and the president wants to make his tax cut of abominations permanent and then spend at least $200 billion on a war in Iraq.

In the next paragraph, the momentary flare of intelligence fades to black. Making the marginal rate cut permanent, even if it did (contrary to all experience) reduce ultimate government revenue, will not have any effect during the time period in question.