In a recent ******* match between neocons Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and her potential Democrat opponent Tommy Sowers that was published in the SE Missourian, I posted...
"Everybody! What do we want? BLOOD!
When do we want it? NOW!"
To which a poster by the handle of VIKED (a Vikings' fan perhaps?) responded...
"Lumpy--What a silly response. Noone wants blood, least of all those of us who have served. But if Jo Ann's efforts mean that less of our children's blood is shed, then good for her. Life is not as we want it, it is as we must deal with it. So wake up, Sparky, I mean lumpy, and deal with life as it is, not as you wish it were in your fantasies."
I really didn't have time for a rebuttle in that particular thread since I was watching both of our teams lose yesterday. Because the post is old by internet standards, I figured that it would be better to post here lest the entire thing gets flushed down the proverbial memory hole.
I agree. My post was silly. I am a repressed cheerleader, and my intent was to give your team an anthem.
BTW: I still don't know who this "Noone" fella is; seems like his name pops up from time to time in these matters.
Regardless, I could not argue with the meat of your response. So, I recalled the words of a historic figure that agrees with you: Herman Goering.
"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship." When Goering was corrected that in a democracy, "the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives," Goering responded:
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Replies (24)
All that is in me compels and beckons from the deepest irony of logic to spur forth a brilliant and provokative response while instilling the realization and truth of my nature and setting recall to a further known fact, a mind is a terrible thing to waste!
-- Posted by Old John on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, at 5:00 PM
If that is what the post is about I agree. At one time NATO may have had a purpose but not now. The U.N. has never been worth the cost of membership dues, never mind what it has cost us otherwise.
-- Posted by Old John on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, at 6:03 PM
Teddy Roosevelt was right, Walk softly and carry a Big Stick.
-- Posted by voyager on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, at 6:11 PM
Here are some TR quotes...
"I don't know what the people think, I only know what they should think. The ability to fight well and breed well, and subordinate the interests of the individual to the interests of the community is crucial to true national greatness."
"That the barbarians recede or are conquered, with the attendant fact that peace follows their retrogression or conquest, is due solely to the power of the mighty civilized races which have not lost the fighting instinct, and which by their expansion are gradually bringing peace into the red wastes where the barbarian peoples of the world hold sway."
"I should not dream of asking the permission of Congress. . . . It is for the enormous interest of this government to strengthen and give independence to the Executive in dealing with foreign powers."
Teddy sounds just like your kinda guy V'ger.
-- Posted by Lumpy on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, at 8:04 PM
Teddy carried his big stick and spoke softly while his little stick did a little nation building down south. The Panama canal did come in handy in making his big stick bigger. But it helped embolden his cousin to raise the stick to which he got a reply.
-- Posted by Old John on Mon, Dec 21, 2009, at 8:18 PM
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Good post Lumpy. The above paragraph sort of reminds me of 9/11. This same play book has been used so many times throughout history that one would believe the people would be wise to this by now. But as P.T. Barnum said so well " there is a sucker born every minute."
All a government needs to do is manufacture a crisis, have the politicians say that no one wants war, have a band play some military marches, have some cute little kids wave some flags, have some military jets do a fly-over, show some old vets in their uniforms, tie some yellow ribbons round the old oak tree, and the public will be on board to attack anyone, including those of us who have seen through this ruse.
-- Posted by Thought Criminal on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 2:38 PM
And the religious right in this country will not stop pushing their moral values on people that don't want them. Evil is subjective.
-- Posted by riregrist on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 3:53 PM
Anger,
You sound like a fundamentalist in the making. As you get older, you'll learn nothing is black and white. It's all shades of gray.
-- Posted by riregrist on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 4:04 PM
-- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 5:16 PM
spank, obama's not perfect. are you happy now?
-- Posted by riregrist on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 5:29 PM
Spank,
Thanks for the link. It provided the how, what, when, and where.
Unfortunately it did not provide the why. Always, always, always ask why.
The state lies to us about everything. Why would our foreign policy be any different?
-- Posted by Lumpy on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 6:12 PM
Lumpy, I think this all means that a terrorist on a roof top is Shiite on a shingle.
-- Posted by Old John on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 6:59 PM
Ike,
I think that there is plenty of hypocracy to be spread around; Christians need not be singled out.
Republicans decry domestic waste, and celebrate waste when it is spent overseas.
Our Nobel Peace Prize laureate POTUS Bush-bomb-a has done nothing to alleviate the Iraq War, has intensified the war in Afghanistan / Pakistan, and effectively opened up a new front in Yemen while throwing threats to Iran.
**** em all I say.
-- Posted by Lumpy on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 8:02 PM
All a government needs to do is manufacture a crisis, have the politicians say that no one wants war, have a band play some military marches, have some cute little kids wave some flags, have some military jets do a fly-over, show some old vets in their uniforms, tie some yellow ribbons round the old oak tree, and the public will be on board to attack anyone, including those of us who have seen through this ruse.
-- Posted by InfoWarrior on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 2:38 PM
Sadly enough, that is pretty much how it all happens ... And if you don't fall for it, you'll be labeled un-patriotic, etc.
-- Posted by gurusmom on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 9:50 PM
I thougth Hillary explained all this when she screamed something about we have a right to disagree with this administration. Are you all right wing militia types or something?
-- Posted by Old John on Tue, Dec 22, 2009, at 10:23 PM
Old John,
A huge part of the problem is that the individual States have allowed their militias to be pressed into service overseas for an undetermined amount of time. We need those militias back in their home States, serving where they belong.
Bush-bomb-a referred to individuals that speak out against his wars as spreading "poison" in his 12/1/09 speech at West Point.
-- Posted by Lumpy on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 5:37 AM
Once again, the problem is those bad guys, and the solution is us good guys.
For an administration that blames his predecessor at every oppotunity, Bush-bomb-a is doing NOTHING to correct past mistakes.
Bush-bomb-a knows exactly what he is doing. He reminded the world that he is in fact the Commander-in-Chief of the only uncontested military power on the planet, and that he has and will continue to use this power.
-- Posted by Lumpy on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 9:04 AM
Let me see if I get this right, Obama has only been in office eleven months and so he can't be blamed for anything, but Bush can for something that happened in his first eight months; sound about right?
-- Posted by Blackthorn on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 3:41 PM
Ike,
My only point is if you can blame/credit one, you can blame/credit the other.
I really was not impressed with either GHW Bush, GW Bush, or Clinton. I am not convinced any of them could have legally done much to stop terrorism.
-- Posted by Blackthorn on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 4:34 PM
Blackthorn,
They could have recalled some of the US troops from the at least 130 different countries around the globe.
Economic sanctions against Iraq have been proven to be a recruiting boon for al-Queda.
Kuwait, Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen are a few countries that come to mind that all or some of the above mentioned Presidents deployed troops to during their tenures as Commander-in-Chief.
Blowback.
-- Posted by Lumpy on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 4:48 PM
lumpy,
You may be right, I sure don't have the answers and I am not really all that sure that terrorism is incident driven.
With all of the "Terrorism Experts", I see very little consensus and can't see where terrorism has accomplished much.
-- Posted by Blackthorn on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 5:08 PM
everyone should know by now that this country never leaves any place our troops go into. the empire must expand. the war machine must be fed. corporate america bought this country long ago. all we can do is ride the wave until collapse. i hope everone has plenty of ammo and no children. they will curse us for our self centered greed and refusal to protect the environment. happy holidays.
-- Posted by riregrist on Wed, Dec 23, 2009, at 7:28 PM
Menu
In a recent ******* match between neocons Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and her potential Democrat opponent Tommy Sowers that was published in the SE Missourian, I posted...
"Everybody! What do we want? BLOOD!
When do we want it? NOW!"
To which a poster by the handle of VIKED (a Vikings' fan perhaps?) responded...
"Lumpy--What a silly response. Noone wants blood, least of all those of us who have served. But if Jo Ann's efforts mean that less of our children's blood is shed, then good for her. Life is not as we want it, it is as we must deal with it. So wake up, Sparky, I mean lumpy, and deal with life as it is, not as you wish it were in your fantasies."
I really didn't have time for a rebuttle in that particular thread since I was watching both of our teams lose yesterday. Because the post is old by internet standards, I figured that it would be better to post here lest the entire thing gets flushed down the proverbial memory hole.
I agree. My post was silly. I am a repressed cheerleader, and my intent was to give your team an anthem.
BTW: I still don't know who this "Noone" fella is; seems like his name pops up from time to time in these matters.
Regardless, I could not argue with the meat of your response. So, I recalled the words of a historic figure that agrees with you: Herman Goering.
"Why, of course, the people don't want war. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship." When Goering was corrected that in a democracy, "the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives," Goering responded:
"Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
Replies (24)