"How F****** Dare You"

I am so sick of listening to the morons on the right railing against "Democrats who don't care about terrorism." Our 2008 message needs to focus on the greatly increased danger we face from Al Qaeda since GW Bush came into office.

I now live in New York City. I watched the 9/11 attacks from my high school English classroom in Fairfax, Virginia, some 15 miles from the Pentagon. I have friends who lost parents in the attacks. And I greatly fear the consequences that GW Bush's foreign policy will bring to our nation.

That so many Americans don't understand that Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11 is incredibly depressing. It has now been almost six years and we still have this misinformation campaign going on.

We have Broderesque pundits talking about the "horrible consequences" of our withdrawal from Iraq. No fucking shit. There will be civil war, genocide, you name it. Guess what. That's going to happen no matter when we leave. Better now than later, when another 3000 soldiers will never live to see age 25.

I'm sorry... this diary doesn't offer much substance; you all already know what I am saying. But I am in disbelief that nearly six years since 9/11 this country is headed down a horrendous path. On that clear blue morning years ago I laid down my partisan weapons and trusted our president. I believed that, as much as I disliked him, he would bring us together and avenge our mutual tragedy. And I thought we'd be stronger than ever. The real tragedy is that it will be difficult to repeat those same actions when there is another attack.

•  Flame jar

  For our ability to rise from the ashes.

  by Reagan Smash on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:16:50 PM PDT

•  I hope there's not another attack...

  ... but I think this administration has made it all but inevitable.  If something had happened two years ago, I think it's true that people wouldn't have pulled together in the same way that they did after 9/11.  We were so deeply divided, and half of us were completely cynical about these clowns while the other half would defend him come hell or high water.

  Then hell came in the form of high water.  After Katrina, a lot of eyes were opened.  The sheer incompetence shown during that crisis (and still on display during the endless aftermath) showed that we have to pull ourselves together because we can't trust the so-called leaders to lead.  If something happened before these jackasses are gone, I think Americans would join together and just push them aside.  If it happens after they're gone, I think we'll be willing to put our trust in a new leader... I just hope that they rise to the occasion, because if they blow it all hope is truly lost.

  by lineatus on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:34:41 PM PDT

  •  Much agreed, lineatus.

    I really do think another attack will come, and likely soon. Who knows what it will be, as long as there is no nuclear threat we can still pull together and survive it (although this administration has paid surprisingly little attention to nuclear threats).

    Terrorism is a criminal activity, and we are not at "war" with another country. Although if we really cared about terrorism we'd confront Iran.

    by Reagan Smash on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:39:44 PM PDT

    •  but do it as the Brits are doing, not militarily

      by lineatus on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:58:13 PM PDT

      •  Sorry - don't know what I was smoking

        I meant to say Pakistan. Iran is the least of our worries right now. (Hope this wasn't a Freudian slip? :) )

        by Reagan Smash on Sun Jul 15, 2007 at 09:16:38 AM PDT

•  Withdrawl...

  Withdrawl...
  Why not just backup and punt?
  Why not just withdraw all ou weaponery to say Kuwait, send all the soldiers on vacation and get them out of harms way (air strikes), tell no-military personel to leave (or stay and face certain death) and heed what that jerkball Iraqi leader said and leave the mess to him AFTER issueing a warning to all concerned...
  we will LEVEL the joint if anyone should even sneeze openly in a manner that might be offensive!
  Just blow the place to hell and back... fuck them!  

  by bfsid on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:36:54 PM PDT

  •  what? no.

    puff your chest out a little more.

    by Reagan Smash on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 07:49:47 PM PDT

•  The way you don't have another attack

  is you negotiate and find out what it is that we're doing that they find reason enough for attack.  My guess is that if we left other countries and people alone they wouldn't attack us (although playing a fair hand with both Israel and Palestine would probably help, too, but that's subject to negotiation).  I'm sure there are people we deal with who can carry out third party negotiations with groups we don't deal with directly.

  by rjones2818 on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:00:33 PM PDT

  •  "The way you don't have another attack"

    They remember things that were done hundreds of years ago , they will remember all the death and destruction we have brought to them also . Its to late to leave them alone . We need to leave asap , but they will be truly pissed off for a very long long time . I know I would be if the situation was them doing to us what we did to them .

    by indycam on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:15:10 PM PDT

    •  I'd be pissed too,

      but I'd also be wary of having my country turned into a glowing parking lot, which would be part of the we'll leave you alone package.

      by rjones2818 on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:27:01 PM PDT

      •  If they feel the threat

        "glowing parking lot"
        they will be pissed at that threat .

        by indycam on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 10:05:28 PM PDT

    •  People are more concerned with recent history

      not many are obsessed by ancient history, the mass of populations will forgive old bugbears, if current attitudes are fair.

      by Ferrofluid on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:29:12 PM PDT

      •  So the

        Sunnis vs. Shiites thing ?

        by indycam on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 10:00:46 PM PDT

•  Fighting them over there

  so we have to surrender over here.  If Canada or Mexico decided to attack the US right now in a real war (highly unlikely at present I know) who would we have to defend the country?  All our troops and a big chunk of our National Guard are either dead, badly wounded or in Iraq.  Nice job, neocons.

  by CalbraithRodgers on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 08:22:40 PM PDT

  •  If China or Russia

    Really wanted to invade, they probably could and we'd have little with which we could fight them.

    by Cali Techie on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 10:49:45 PM PDT

  •  If Canada attacked the US ...

    they'd be welcomed as liberators.

    by Jon Meltzer on Sun Jul 15, 2007 at 06:45:09 AM PDT

•  Trusted Bush to bring us together?

  The day Bush was first elected, a friend of mine said "Ready for the days of Big Oil?" Of course, who could have known just how bad it could get, how much hubris and delusion would be manifested by the sneering frat boy, whose very expression said "You jackasses - look at me - the most powerful man in the world."
  Take a look at Ted Klaudt http://legis.state.sd.us/...
  No matter how grotesque, bloated or perverse a man can be there are always people who said "He was a good friend. Who could have known?" The guy vibes like fucking John Wayne Gacy and only the most blind, deluded person couldn't pick it up. Or as Chomsky says "requires willful ignorance." But that's our state here in America. Cut off from the most obvious instincts, filled with bizarre ideologies. Behaving like savage, degraded animals, willing to take advantage of the most powerless, downtrodden people to make a buck or fulfill our fixed, obsessed, brainwashed view of the world. Or maybe just look the other way.
  Did you really think that Bush would bring us together? When I hear Hillary talking about being "misled" by the preznit, I WANNA PUKE! I truly believe that impeachment is off the table because the next group in power would like to exercise the same prerogatives as Bush has done. That's why Bob Barr dropped out of the Republican party and became a spokesman for the ACLU. He knew that he was the next victim of the bullshit he pulled on Clinton I when Clinton II came into power. He realized that as soon as the "permanent majority" crumbled, the shoe would be on the other foot.
  No, no, no, no... The chickens are coming home in droves. The bill will be due for our willful blindness, our stupidity, our lack of compassion and empathy. As Lily Tomlin said "Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse."

  by shmuelman on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 10:20:43 PM PDT

  •  Pure coincidence

    But a co-worker and I were talking on 9/10/01 about the sorry state of the economy and how in the past it's often taken a war to pull it out of the cellar. The next day as the events unfolded I turned to him and said "Looks like we got our war."

    by Cali Techie on Sat Jul 14, 2007 at 10:52:19 PM PDT

  •  Well,

    in my defense, I was all of 17 years old at the time and knew nothing about politics. The only reason I even disliked him then was because of his douchebag swaggering meathead persona (no offense to meatheads; I have plenty of meathead friends). Plus I realized he had pretty much stolen the election. Now I have plenty more real reasons to dislike him.

    by Reagan Smash on Sun Jul 15, 2007 at 09:20:39 AM PDT