RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 26) – A noted political scientist joined one of Sen. George Allen’s former college football teammates in claiming the senator used a racial slur to refer to blacks in the early 1970s, a claim Allen dismisses as “ludicrously false.”
Now folks, I’m not exactly enamoured with the GOP, but what this guy said 30 years ago is really really really not relevant. This is silly — looking for some guy that heard some other guy say something bad at some time in his life? That’s a witch hunt, not politics.Issues, folks! Does this guy support the war? The Separation of State and church? Faith based initiatives? I don’t know — they’re only telling me that this guy SAID that other guy used the word “nigger” when I was my daughter’s age. Shame on the dems.For either side: if you can’t win on relevant topics, just drop out of the race.http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/senator-faces-more-allegations-of-racial/20060925133909990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
You are right on the basics. But the right never hesitates to hit below the belt so I think that turnabout is fair play. In fact it is essential to defeating the right, particularly the fascist xian right.
Spanders, your posts are always thoughtful and reasoned. Where your particular style of critical thinking leads you is your business. Phreedm, on the other hand seems more interested in snarky trolling than serious debate or discussion. He certainly gets points for persistance. And comic relief. [grin]
Phreedm,
I got to thinking, and want to apologize for the spoof on your screen name above, spelling it ‘dumb’. I’m not usually a name caller, and that’s what it comes down to. I’m kind of new around here at posting (altho a long time lurker). You’ve never done me any wrong, and I try to show the same respect to everyone that I’d like to receive, regardless of our philosophies, beliefs, politics or whatever.
I have no problem with calling someone a Negro, or black, but I do have a problem with calling a person with dark skin an African American or nigger. This is B.S. political correctness. Just because a persons skin is black does NOT mean they are from Africa. If their parents came from Africa, fine, they may be called African American. Otherwise, they are American, just like white people, they are Americans. Stop trying to make yourselves into something special. Being an American is special enough.
A person with white skin may be called Caucasian or white. A person with black skin may be call Negro or black. Get over it.
I am an American, and if you want to be specific, ok, a white/Caucasian American, not that it makes a fucking difference.
emkay:
phreedumb is hypocritical cynical full of hate and intolerant of other peoples values. Feel free to insult him/she.
billh, after reading through Lackoff’s “Whose Freedom”, I started seeing Phreedm, and conservatives in general in a new light. Not as hypocritical or cynical, but as having VERY different ideas about life, freedom, harm and morality. The reason I think I converge more often with many here is that my ideas of life, freedom, harm and morality are closer to an atheist than a social conservative, but with the difference that I believe in imaginary friends. I thought the book was insightful and offered me a way to diffuse anger and turn it into a better understanding, which I think helps me have better conversations and perhaps be persuasive. To conclude, I don’t think Phreedm schemes how to piss people off (although I think he could work on his delivery), but offers ideas that are so foreign because they come from such a different place that it might seem like he’s here just to piss people off.
This would be an interesting exercise, which phreedm has indulged me in once before. Phreedm, if you don’t mind, can you start this off by defining the following as you see it:
1. freedom
2. harm
3. morality
4. empathy
I will then contrast it with my ideas about these terms.
Here’s more on the Allen debacle: as always, there’s undercurrents most alarming running beneath.
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061009/party_of_dobson
Comment from: Ren
What are you kidding? You really can believe we’re not at war. Only a moron would believe that…
Spanders………I’ll be glad to give my definitions. Let me get back to you later.
And while I’m working on that, how about telling me what it means to claim to be a Christian? And out of respect to the board.
Here’s my email address.
phreedm@yahoo.com
For 6 days we heard nothing but what Allen supposedly said 30 years ago.
Well, watch how fast it evaporates now…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092702062.html
Whether Sen. Allen had used words that don’t reflect “sensitivity” toward Policital Correctness seems a silly concern – especially in Virginia. In the olden days down south (the early 60′s) you and me too would hear a LOT of people using the “N” word perpetually.
To be sure – quite a few folks did use the ‘N’ work as a racial slur. However many people down south simple used the “N’ term interchangably with “negro”. I was in manufacturing in the DEEP south for about some years and I saw there was a “dividing line” between the kind of people who used (and still do) the term “nigger” and the higher-class whites who often did NOT use that word. The poorer people (blue collar folks like me) tended to use the ‘N’ word – while the UPPER class people tended (in many cases) to refer to “negroes”.
Thus it was often true that people who used the term “nigger” were NOT intending in ANY way to denigrate the black people! That was simply a peice of the common terminology that a helluva lot of nice people used. There WERE bigots, of course, and they used the ‘N’ word also. But not EVERYONE using that word was bigoted against the black people.
Now we have the professional rabble rousers of the Black variety who are intent on DICTATING to all us Nasty White Assholes what we need to do in order to be PC. We have guys like Jessie Jackson who are dictating this sort of CRAP to all of us. So suddenly – the ‘N’ word is SO damn nasty (according to Jessie J. et al) that we must *never* murmur the word!
Also lets not forget that there is a drive on by some Ns to have the United States pay REPARATIONS to each and every one of their race, for all the slavery (plus the discrimination too) those poor folks had endured from people I’M NOT EVEN RELATED TO.
It appears possible that I may need to pay taxes which will be used by the gummint to pay the Ns for the suffering of THEIR ancestors – although quite a proportion DO NOT KNOW who their ancestors are/were. This would be extremely ironic, considering my great, great grandfather had fought in the Union Army.
See Above = Off Topic
And oh yes. Because of the dumb varmint GWB I have NO PLANS to *ever* vote for any stupid goddam Republican again. The entire body of people in that Party were crazy or stupid enough to elect Shrub as POTUS – so as far as I’m concernend they can all step straight to hell.
Any politically powerful group of shakers and movers (like the RNC) that selects a guy having an I.Q. of approximately 91 is not worth a damn thing!
I HOPE that the Democrats ARE copying the trashy tactics of Rove & Company – and they ARE beating poor Sen. Allen by dredging up minor tidbits which scarcely are worth even discussing. The Rethuglicans NEED to take some of their OWN nasty medicine now. The nation needs to kick their asses in 2006 and in 2008. This is necessary to try keeping religion our of politics and bring SANE people back into control of our country.
Taking Cheep-Shots
At the start of this Issue, Dave stated above:
“For either side: if you can’t win on relevant topics, just drop out of the race.”
But MHO is the Democrats NEED
to use exactly the *same* sleazy tactics which the Rethuglicans have been using. The people having I.Q.s of about 100 BELIEVE all that nonsense matters. If the Dems are limited to taking the moral high ground & must alway fighting fairly -then the Rethuglicans will continue beating their asses at the voting booths.
A lot of us were dumb-asses in 2000 and 2004 & Shrub got elected even thought he was obviously lying about WMD etc. Now we are caught in a warlet that should NOT even have been started.
The U.S. is now approaching a condition of bankruptcy. This was also stated by a bright woman, Robin Blumner, in an editorial today. She states the United States is quickly approaching its Financial Armageddon! The amount of the U.S. gummint’s dept (IOUs to repay money) is HORRIBLE.
Including all the future committments the gummint has made, the burden each full time American worker will be obligated to pay is about $375,000 NOW. Also the U.S. cost for the INSANE Iraq war costs us about $8 Billion more each month.
I say it’s O.K. to use ANY lie or cheating trick that’s necessary – but we must DEFEAT whichever party that did this to us.
VERY ODD THING:
This blog does NOT allow me to use the word “cheep” (slightly mispelled word meaning ‘inexpensive’)
Comment from: robguy387
Apparently you’ll be able to add 2006 to your list…
Talk about gloom and doom…?
**** OFF TOPIC *****
Speaking of a war we shouldn’t be in…
4000 fewer to make it to our shores. Apparently the “flypaper” theory has worked brilliantly…
Absolutely right robguy. No kid gloves with these fascist xian Rethuglicans.
Democrats have acted like idiots the last two elections.
“4000 fewer to make it to our shores. Apparently the “flypaper” theory has worked brilliantly…”
It’s stupid, dumb, idiotic comments like these which convince me that Christians need to learn more about evolution! Ever hear of “exponential population growth”, phreedm? If not, go to your bathtub later today and scrub with the most abrasive detergent that your body can stand for two to three hours. You will kill 99.9% of all the bacteria on your body, but the remaining 0.1% of bacteria that remain will, in three or four hours, recolonize your body to the levels present prior to your bath.
In Iraq, what is occurring is a military “survival of the fittest.” We can kill thousands of insurgents, but the survivors that remain will be better and more able fighters, and Islamic women will continue to reproduce at their current rates. As time goes on, our enemy will grown both in numbers and in superior tactics.
The US has already lost in Iraq. Defeat is inevitable.
phreedm
and what has it cost in Iraqi civilians? Is American life worth more than Iraqi life?
I don’t know if defeat in inevitable, but if we continue to go as we have been, we’ll be in bad shape. The problem with this type of situation is that the insurgents just need not to lose, but the US needs to win. Big difference. My opinion is that we need new leadership to pull us out of this mess.
Phreedm, to be a christian is to be a follower of Christ’s teachings. Before you find fault and quote me scripture, I suspect neither of us have sold all we have and given it to the poor (not just the deserving poor). My question tends to be what does it mean to follow the teachings of Christ? What is that we believe exactly? I think it comes down to interpretation. For me to tell you that you are wrong would be incorrect. The truth is, neither of us know for sure. This is one of the reasons that I am an errantist and like you have said before, it’s not for us to decide the eternal destinations of people. Judgement is not ours.
phreedm:
Although your statement “4000 fewer to make it to our shores” DOES seem like a “Good Deal” – we also need to consider the Islamists have PLENTY more religious extremist jerks to take those 4,000′s places.
Thus we will *never* run out of crazy Islamists who are dedicated to whipping our asses & killing ALL infidels. The Islamists managed to defeat the Russians through guerilla tactics in Afghanistan and are well on the way toward defeating the Americans as we type this crap.
Thus the ‘model’ you are referring to ISN’T a valid one! By now, even someone as clueless as Shrub must realize this is true. A recent poll was taken of the Iraqi civilians. Now about 60% of the civilians APPROVE of the ‘terrorists’ (Jihadists really) KILLING the American soldiers. This was UP from about ONLY 40% who thought that way much earlier.
That means we are NEVER going to WIN in Iraq. The Jihadists have the *full* approval (in principle) of the people of Iraq. We are the HATED interlopers there, NOT the Jihadists. Thus – if only because we are NOT Moslems – the “faithfull” Iraqis (meaning all Iraqis) basically had felt even *before* the GWB invasion that ALL infidels (that’s YOU, Boo-Boo) needed to be slain.
Unless Bush wants to exterminate all 30 million Iraqis – or maybe the 10, 20 or 30 million ‘insurgents’ who are fighting us there – we are NOT going to have a snowball’s chance in hell of producing ANY “democratic” society there.
They’ve *never* had democracy there and they never WILL have it in this century. I’ts their goddam religion to be ruled by an iron fisted Moslem, murdering bastard. The Iranians LOVE that Iraq is now a cauldron of death for us, and the Shiite Iraquis.
When Saddem was in control – the Iranian assholes were severely worried that HE might get the A-bomb and use it (use them) to exterminate their stupid extremist Sunni asses. The Sunni and the Shiia religious sects are SIMILAR – but the Sunnis want to enforce *their* brand of stupidity on the WORLD by means of the “sword” – or nuclear weapons.
Now we have Mr. Bush who had REMOVED from mainly Shiite Iraq the ONLY ruler in that whole scene who could counter the insane religious extremists of Iran. That was Saddam -who is now in ‘dock’ (jail) and probably will be hung.
That is UNLESS the U.S. decides to ‘recruit’ him, and have him (or a trusted follower) take control of Shiite Iraq once more anhd rule it by terror.
This whole debacle of Iraq has been a BEAUTIFUL example of WHY we should never elect anyone with an I.Q. of less than “100″ as president. And to boot – Mr GWB also is the badly *spoiled* son of a wealthy oil family & son of a former president too.
A former associate of Bush senior stated that GWB’s dad once had confided to him he was very worried about GWB’s “lost weekends in Mexico” with lots of booze, girls and drugs. Why does Shrub strike me as being exactly that type of guy?
Probably what I’ve tried to say in my previous post was no more than a paraphrasing of what JeHanne had already stated.
Bernarda:
You’re damn right! The Dems ought to use ANY kind of filthy & *nasty*
and deceptive tricks to defeat the Rethuglicans.
The neocons have HAD their at-bats now, and the results are TERRIBLE. If the neocons can elect a guy like Shrub as POTUS – then it’s necessary for all citizens to vote for the opposition “even if that party runs a yellow dog” for president.
The amount of money we owe to foreign countries is SCARY as hell. If China decides to *dump* their US dollars, and buy Euros instead – our nation’s financial condition could *easily* go in the toilet. THINK what it would mean if you woke up one morning & all your retirment nest egg had shrunk to 5% of what it is today. It can happen! When U.S dollars are the same as toilet paper, the holders are going to want to CALL-IN their American invest ments. Then it’s Game Time!
When we’ve got the Rethuglicans giving MANY $millions in Tax Rebates (especially to the rich) after Slick Willy had worked his horny ass off building a federal SURPLUS for once in AGES – then it’s Time to kick their spend-thrift butts the hell out of Washington D.C. If I EVER vote for a %$# Republican again may Zeus strike me *dead* with a thunderbolt!
A couple months ago I’d heard on a MSNBC show that the Iraq and Afghanistan war(s) had already cost the U.S. $450 BILLION! The COST of this whole stupid & unwin-able Iraq fiasco is gonna be PAID for by the ordinary *employees* like you and me, and ESPECIALLY by our offspring -or all future Americans young people.
To see that shrub is doing strong “Bible thumping” to try to attract devout X-ian people to vote for him seems highly “appropriate”. His actions do NOT seem in any way to be based on *reason* so his resort to playing the religion card is par for the course.
Comment from: Jehanne
Comment from: spanders
Comment from: robguy387
These quotes are exactly why I don’t trust the Democrat party with the defense of this nation…
So we pull out. Then what? This enemy has been attacking the west since 1972.
So instead of just complaining let me hear someone’s plans to deal with Islamic Facists AFTER we pull out of Iraq? Or hasn’t anyone thought that far in advance…
Spanders…
Interesting response. Would you please post the link to your church site again?
Thanks…
here ya go:
http://www.northraleighunited.org/
phreedm, I’ll get back to you on my ideas about iraq
Phreesuck:
How long has the US been meddling in the Middle East? Also, isn’t all that mess created by religion (with a pinch of politics…).
“Religion is for those who need it”
Phreedm, you need to Get Real about the Iraq situation. It does virtually NO good for the U.S. to invade Iraq while we try to explain to the unsophisticated Iraqis (who HATE all non-Moslems) that that invasion is for *their* own good.
But the guy Shrub did NOT know that
(having LOW cognitive ability) so we are now bogged down in a high-priced war there, which has pushed the U.S. further toward the brink of bankruptcy. We LIVE on borrowed money.
From all SENTIENT and sensible analyses I’ve seen, the Terrorist Islamists NEVER had any relation with Saddam & and they could NOT gain an operational foothold in Iraq. Saddam was a big-time THUG of the camel-jockey persuasion & his most admired hero was Stalin – who was maybe the worst madman murderer to have ever ruled.
But the FACTS are that Bush fugged up BAD by putting the United States on the ground with only 150,000 troops while we supposedly are trying to “help” the Iraqis build a new government.
The Iraqis (et cetera) are a bunch of guys who like to quarrel with each other incessantly. Then they bring out their AK-47 at kill each other. Their different sects will NEVER agree to any kind of cooperative” government in which they would all SHARE power. The Sunnis are 24-caret bastards & are *dedicated* to screwing-up the whole deal also. They HATE the U.S. for having put the Shah in power over the goddam religious leaders there – which had enabled us to have their oil. This is the plan of IRAN – which is causing the whole Middle East to be a tinderbox of wars & of incessant religious hatred. Many *wise* people thought Shrub was CRAZY for invading Iraq – the “word” was that he should have invaded IRAN.
But he’s a jerkoff – so “small errors” are to be expected.
The Bush Regime are goddam *fools *for trying to introduce democracy into Iraq! Although Saddan was almost as bad as Stalin or Hitler – he was NOT the cause of Islamic terrorism. Saddam was smart enough NOT to be a (big) player in the ‘terrorism’ game world wide.
The religious fanatics among the Islamic people are mostly SUNNIS – and NOT the Shiite ones. Saddam was (is)a SHIITE by the way.
We need to have a NEW regime in Wash. that will find a way to get the U.S. the hell OUT of Iraq soon! Bush is REFUSING to cry “uncle” in Iraq now – because that will show EVERYONE he is a failure who has wasted U.S. money by the truckload and killed lots of patriotic young American soldiers for *nothing*.
Now the Islamic world looks at us as a “paper tiger”. The U.S. military CAN’T cut the mustard in Iraq – because it is a guerilla war there. We hava a fine Army Navy and Marine Corp. – in fact it will be *perfect* if we ever need to fight WW-2 again.
Phreed-Hem,
I’m sorry, according to Article I, Section VIII of the United States Constitution, only the Legislative Branch has the authority to declare war.
No declaration = No war.
Only a moron would think the president has the power to declare war. Even the War Powers Act doesn’t allow for what we have done in Iraq.
Now, as for the shitty mess we find ourselves in, maybe now you know why I have been against our involvement in Iraq since before it began.
What is your opionion of the Armed Services Committee report that Iraq has made the GWOT MORE DIFFICULT, not less, like the president keeps claiming? Do you sleep any sounder at night knowing that over a hundred thousand humans that had less than nothing to do with 9-11 have been murdered in your name?
So much for, “Thou shalt not kill”! You fucking moron. I’m sorry. You fucking hypocritical moron.
In this case, the end justifies the means
anything to bring down a Republican
president can initiate police actions. No president has ever paid much attention to the “War Powers Act”