tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post7877155117591022342..comments2023-10-17T08:19:58.196-04:00Comments on FreeThinke: FreeThinkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-87379595584921697802015-10-14T21:38:37.758-04:002015-10-14T21:38:37.758-04:00Who is "you," and where is such a claim ...Who is "you," and where is such a claim in the featured post?FreeThinkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16682678301019952436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-35777211249737580132015-10-09T09:25:50.503-04:002015-10-09T09:25:50.503-04:00A parting Middle Eastern lesson for the enablers o...A parting Middle Eastern <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/tunisian-democracy-group-wins-nobel-peace-prize-091311625.html" rel="nofollow">lesson</a> for the enablers of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zine_El_Abidine_Ben_Ali" rel="nofollow">Dictators</a> and <a href="http://www.toonpool.com/user/997/files/1bombed_libya_obama_hillary_clin_1206515.jpg" rel="nofollow">Libyan interventionists</a> alike.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-59394996088331354682015-10-09T09:17:39.071-04:002015-10-09T09:17:39.071-04:00And you've fail to explain what the "rati...And you've fail to explain what the "rational" (as opposed to ill-considered/ brash) response to the 9/11 attack "should have been". :)Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-43490020759981365162015-10-08T20:39:33.454-04:002015-10-08T20:39:33.454-04:00The reader will observe that I have made a case fo...The reader will observe that I have made a case for choosing the lesser of two evils and choosing to leave dictators in place, especially those who protect the rights of minorities who choose not to start uprisings against them.<br /><br />I pointed to Libya, Iraq and Syria as contemporary examples.<br /><br />You, meanwhile, believe we still have a draft, that Iran is "neutralized" and "completely out of the game."<br /><br />You have muddied the waters with European examples that are not germane to the topic and DC partisan squabbles.<br /><br />You have argued for fantasy-filled foreign policy. Perhaps some magic leprechauns would help your fanciful arguments defending the destruction Bush and Obama have caused?<br /><br />No one but our enemies are better off as a result of our inept and ill-considered foreign interventions of the past two administrations.<br /><br />So, continue to tell us how much better conditions are in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen and as you say, the passersby can judge, if they can stop laughing long enough at your weak defense of the indefensible. Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-38471631379098870232015-10-08T20:09:51.672-04:002015-10-08T20:09:51.672-04:00I'll let the reader make their own assesment a...I'll let the reader make their own assesment as to the outcome of this discussion, especially as you failed to support any of your arguments with facts, instead of mere opinions. <br /><br />And as for the job, perhaps you should take you're own advice, Unless of course, like myself, you don't find much value in it.<br /><br />Toodles!Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-85110767848851032992015-10-08T20:07:25.125-04:002015-10-08T20:07:25.125-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-20973288753345016632015-10-08T17:49:53.453-04:002015-10-08T17:49:53.453-04:00You failed to qualify your support for the foolish...You failed to qualify your support for the foolish actions of the last two presidents, so that would make you the loser.<br /><br />As long as you are comfortable with whatever level of education you may have, that is all that counts. Perhaps you could seek employment with the current administration. They prefer people such as yourself.Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-56280787966655111422015-10-08T15:35:27.423-04:002015-10-08T15:35:27.423-04:00further discussion is fruitless.
lol!
A good w...<i>further discussion is fruitless.</i> <br /><br /> lol!<br /><br />A good way of saying, you lost the argument.<br /><br /><i>I suggest you invest some time to educate yourself and refresh the information which informs your decisionmaking.</i><br /><br />As this post has proven, I'm 10x better educated and informed than you will ever be.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-24284435250587755442015-10-08T15:10:46.183-04:002015-10-08T15:10:46.183-04:00You have strayed far from the topic. I see furthe...You have strayed far from the topic. I see further discussion is fruitless.<br /><br />More western fantasies will mean further Middle East anarchy.<br /><br />We longer have the draft, so when congress declares war, one can remain in the United States and debate the issue without having to salute anything.<br /><br />I suggest you invest some time to educate yourself and refresh the information which informs your decisionmaking.Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-47076278045984872992015-10-08T15:02:39.172-04:002015-10-08T15:02:39.172-04:00Even Bernie Sanders voted for the War. His hypocr...Even Bernie Sanders voted for the War. His hypocrisy and careless disregard for the lives of America's armed forces didn't become apparent until the Iraq vote, a scant 1 year later.<br /><br />But then, what does Bernie Sanders care if Iraq flaunts the terms and conditions imposed by peace treaties signed with thema scant ten years earlier?Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-45325098761014000202015-10-08T14:33:54.305-04:002015-10-08T14:33:54.305-04:00Authorization for Use of Military Force - Authoriz...<i>Authorization for Use of Military Force - Authorizes the President to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations, or persons.<br /><br />States that this Act is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of the War Powers Resolution. </i><br /><br />When Congress declares war, you either salute, or move to Canada. Which did you do?Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-59897684670513010522015-10-08T14:28:10.544-04:002015-10-08T14:28:10.544-04:00...and then they conveniently forget how they vote......and then they conveniently forget how they voted on the War Resolutions in Congress and now pretend to have opposed intervention the whole time.<br /><br /><i>House of Representatives<br /><br />On September 14, 2001 the House passed House Joint Resolution 64. The totals in the House of Representatives were: 420 Ayes, 1 Nay and 10 Not Voting. The Nay was Barbara Lee, D-CA.[1] Lee is notable as the only member of either house of Congress to vote against this bill.[2]<br />Senate<br /><br />On September 14, 2001 Senate Joint Resolution 23 passed in the Senate by roll call vote. The totals in the Senate were: 98 Ayes, 0 Nays, 2 Present/Not Voting (Senators Larry Craig, R–ID, and Jesse Helms, R–NC).</i>Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-72897222860862921952015-10-08T14:21:41.028-04:002015-10-08T14:21:41.028-04:00They are pulling strings in Iraq and Afghanistan.
...<i>They are pulling strings in Iraq and Afghanistan.</i><br /><br />And who's fault is that? Certainly not W.'s...<br /><br />The Surrendercrats defeat themselves, once again. :)Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-89562314442414708822015-10-08T11:24:14.578-04:002015-10-08T11:24:14.578-04:00You should have stopped here:
"You don't...You should have stopped here:<br /><br />"You don't put Americans into harms way"<br /><br />A casual glance at the newspapers reveals that Iran is neither "neutralized" nor "completely out of the game."<br /><br />They are pulling strings in Iraq and Afghanistan.<br /><br />The fact remains, and I shall repeat: Our post-911 exertions have made only served to inflame the situation.Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-31578262126263575402015-10-08T09:49:02.338-04:002015-10-08T09:49:02.338-04:00Saddam Hussein and Ali Khameini colluding to sends...Saddam Hussein and Ali Khameini colluding to sends troops next door into Afghanistan to kill Americans, as they are currently doing in Syria (absent a strong American presence), would not have been a good situation for US-Afghan commanders to have to deal with. The invasion of Iraq relieved them of any such possibilities, and gave the coalition enhanced force projection capabilities without having to worry about our planes being fired upon or our supply convoys being attacked with weapons more lethal than IEDs.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-9093218353834170472015-10-08T09:40:11.087-04:002015-10-08T09:40:11.087-04:00You don't put Americans into harms way and lea...You don't put Americans into harms way and leave their backs exposed. And I'd prefer being called "insane" to being "dead" or having my men come home in body bags... as you would have them. You may not like the fact that we invaded Iraq in support of our efforts in Afghanistan. But the very action neutralized Iran and took them completely out of the game.<br /><br />Liberals forget that Saddam Hussein was violating the Gulf War agreements that he signed with HW. If you ignore such violations, you lose all credibility in the conduct of world affairs. Unenforced treaties are absent treaties. THAT, too, is Realpolitik.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-32996905905997990612015-10-08T08:04:30.687-04:002015-10-08T08:04:30.687-04:00I hope you are taking medication for your ADD. If...I hope you are taking medication for your ADD. If you believe the Bush-Obama approach was efficacious, there there is no further grounds for discussion. Our post-911 exertions have made only served to inflame the situation. I refer you to Einstein's comment about the definition of insanity. Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-10485577839151184152015-10-08T07:34:44.109-04:002015-10-08T07:34:44.109-04:00American lives are irrelevant? Now we know who...American lives are irrelevant? Now we know who's really "irrelevant".Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-64532528223337134802015-10-07T21:40:29.897-04:002015-10-07T21:40:29.897-04:00Again, your comment is irrelevant to the discussio...Again, your comment is irrelevant to the discussion at hand.<br /><br />Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-66412559475263034112015-10-07T20:41:50.929-04:002015-10-07T20:41:50.929-04:00You've obviously never had command responsibil...You've obviously never had command responsibilities, or been responsible for the lives of others. Because only THAT is "realpolitik."Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-79365887233780491672015-10-07T18:58:24.957-04:002015-10-07T18:58:24.957-04:00I'd say that southern flank Bush "secured...I'd say that southern flank Bush "secured" has become unsecured again, if it ever was "secure."<br /><br />Dreamy ideology has been strangled, decapitated, lit on fire and destroyed in the Muslim world. You're not a fan of Realpolitik?Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-49203789226754061332015-10-07T17:53:49.235-04:002015-10-07T17:53:49.235-04:00ps - the example proferred was Tunisian... but the...ps - the example proferred was Tunisian... but then, you pass over Middle Eastern examples with as much precipitancy as you do European ones.Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-72443164453561994402015-10-07T17:49:58.914-04:002015-10-07T17:49:58.914-04:00I supported the president securing his southern fl...I supported the president securing his southern flank in Afghanistan. But then, what would you care about military exigencies?Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-69692979609462736682015-10-07T14:58:14.856-04:002015-10-07T14:58:14.856-04:00European lessons have scant application to this di...European lessons have scant application to this discussion.<br /><br />To quote a famous phrase: We can't get there from here. A dictatorship is often preferable to anarchy. I suppose you supported Bush's Middle East Fantasies?Heinrich Smoochingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145653764764266444.post-43137479014523079952015-10-07T13:44:08.624-04:002015-10-07T13:44:08.624-04:00Colonialism isn't relevant? The Reformation i...Colonialism isn't relevant? The Reformation isn't relevant? Wow. Mankind can learn nothing from history... or the history of people's not their own. Cynical, thy name is "Heinrich"...<br /><br />An no, I'm not a military man. I was raised in a military family and graduated from a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_service_academies" rel="nofollow">Service Academy</a>, but all of my active duties were for training purposes only (One year at sea and ten years in the USNR). I have zero "combat" experience.<br /><br />But my biography isn't the issue. Nor is recommending I take a "history" class anything more than condescending on your part. I'll match my education with yours any day of the week.<br /><br />I agree with you that expecting the Arab world to aspire to the same things Westerners do is ridiculous. But to think that they desire anything less than what <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi" rel="nofollow">Mohamed Bouazizi</a> aspired to, is likewise "ridiculous."Thersiteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15751286903359745316noreply@blogger.com