Comments on POLITICAL INACTION: Morning Whiskey - 11/06/2009

Brian 5:34 - Kind of like "final solution?"

2009-11-06T20:27:17.558-05:00

Brian 5:34 - Kind of like "final solution?"

Anon 331: RE: WWII - You've identified the princip...

2009-11-06T17:34:04.895-05:00

Anon 331: RE: WWII - You've identified the principle of go big or go home.

I like Pakdouchebagistan.

2009-11-06T16:55:56.778-05:00

I like Pakdouchebagistan.

I will agree that the term terrorist is completely...

2009-11-06T16:34:25.035-05:00

I will agree that the term terrorist is completely ambiguous and serves no useful purpose. So can we switch to using the term Pakevildoerstan, or Pakdouchbagistan perhaps?

Will the Cheneys come out crowing that Obama's had...

2009-11-06T15:31:43.209-05:00

Will the Cheneys come out crowing that Obama's had a terrorist attack on his watch?

Megan, yes its moral outrage on the one hand and down the memory hole on the other. The firebombing of Tokyo in WWII (100,000 civilians killed, more than the immediate affect of the atomic bombs) was political, i.e., terror; the US went after civilians to demoralize the Japanese public. But there weren't any Nuremberg prosecutions of American generals and politicians. Thats the way it is.

"People who take out grievances by killing others,...

2009-11-06T15:10:45.487-05:00

"People who take out grievances by killing others, taking others down with them, are vicious, spiteful murderers."

Isn't that why we're in Afghanistan? Because of our REVENGE against those who attacked us on 9/11?

We don't know anything about this guy yet at Ft. Hood. For all we know, he had to put up with harassment because he was a Muslim (i.e. he was bullied). Or he had grievances for being deployed, etc. Does this excuse his actions? Absolutely not, just like it doesn't excuse the actions of Tim McVeigh, Columbine killers, etc. But some would argue that we are creating the very grievances overseas that fosters more and more people who want to kill us, hence making us less safe. It's a cycle that appears will never end.

The first season of 24 was about a huge Serbian te...

2009-11-06T15:00:53.041-05:00

The first season of 24 was about a huge Serbian terrorist plot in the US because of Clinton's Kosovo war. I don't remember any Serbian terrorism here but they certainly have their grievances against the US.

The Columbine killers had their grievances about bullying. You could go through all of these gun/bomb tragedies and find the perpetrator has something in his craw. The postal worker is upset with some aspect of post office policy; if you've ever had a chat with your mailman, they've got a list of grievances and I bet thats all they talk about on the job.

People who take out grievances by killing others, taking others down with them, are vicious, spiteful murderers. We should debate about whether some are "terrorists" and some aren't? I want to be careful with that; the guy who killed the abortion doctor is probably going to try to put on a political defense and all he needs is one juror to think he had a genuine grievance.

we don't know yet whether the Ft Hood killings wer...

2009-11-06T14:55:44.535-05:00

we don't know yet whether the Ft Hood killings were targeted or indiscriminate, do we?

I think that anytime the guy's a Muslim, and yells...

2009-11-06T13:28:42.911-05:00

I think that anytime the guy's a Muslim, and yells any type of religious phrase while undertaking his act of violence, it can be considered terrorism.

Most terrorism, whether it be OK City, or something happening in Pakistan, is a political or military tactic.

I would both Fort Hood and OK City were political.

I think the difference between yesterday and today is the aim. It seems to me that the office shooting is going to end up being a targeted murder, instead of indiscriminate killing which is common with terrorism.

Is this guy who shot up the office in Orlando a te...

2009-11-06T12:58:42.954-05:00

Is this guy who shot up the office in Orlando a terrorist?

I remember some years back a man walked into a McDonalds and killed 21 people. I never saw it described as terrorism. Same with Columbine or Son of Sam, etc.

I thought Muhammad and Malveau, the DC snipers, were terrorists but the Bush Admin and Republicans didn't think so or they couldn't have touted "no terrorist attacks since 9/11."

Anon, I guess the Unabomber and Olympic bomber are...

2009-11-06T11:42:06.807-05:00

Anon, I guess the Unabomber and Olympic bomber aren't terrorists. Does Timothy McVeigh count? He worked with one other person. If someone came completely on their own from an Islamic country, yelled "Allah, Akbar!" and shot a bunch of US soldiers you wouldn't consider him a terrorist? No, this guy was just an amped up 21st century Cpl. Klinger.

[AMA & AARP] That news should force many fence sitters in Congress to dramatically alter their thinking. Those are not liberal organizations. It should make the general public realize the necessity of passing this bill. That said, the endorsements probably won't mean squat since people's beliefs are too ingrained at this point.

re Muslim garb --- another possibility is that thi...

2009-11-06T10:45:32.664-05:00

re Muslim garb --- another possibility is that this was part of his effort to get out of deployment, get out of the army. God, I wish they'd let him go.

The attack itself is more likely a "going postal" than terrorism unless he had connections or support from others.