Turdblossom Speaks
I think I have found our next book club selection:
...Rove, who helped the state party raise a total of $200,000, said the major issues in this fall's election would be the economy and Iraq. He criticized Democrats for wanting to pull troops out of Iraq, calling their strategy "cut and run".
He drew applause when he said the world was a better place without Saddam Hussein in power. He said anyone who doubts what the U.S. is fighting for should spend $13.95 to buy a collection of Osama Bin Laden's writings.
"We're in a war with Islamic facists... They want to reestablish and caliphate, an Islamic empire," he said.
Turns out that it's even cheaper than that, as Amazon has Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama Bin Laden available for $11.02. How can Rove can slam stem cell research, and then later in the same speech (it amazes me people pay that guy to speak), plug a book of terrorist's writings? I doubt that bin Laden is getting royalties on that book, but doesn't plugging his book fan the flames of hatred?
posted by Germanicu$ at 8:25 AM
2 Comments:
Hi 'cus,
I think Rove may have had to mention that Bin Laden's views were what they were and that they were easily obtained.
I'm not suggesting that I would trust Mr Rove to sit the right way on a toilet seat, let alone say much of value regarding what to do in Iraq; however, I do note with great displeasure a naive attitude that seems to suggest that leaving evildoers alone will make them go away.
The problem with the "give peace a chance" crowd is that they seem to put stock in a utopian world in which the schoolyard bully just needs a "big hug." Mr bin Laden, it would appear, needs psychoanalysis (rhymes with dialysis!) rather than a visit from a bomb.
I guess what I'm getting at, rather poorly, is that "give peace a chance" needs to be more than a mantra. Will refusing to bomb the middle east lead to a more peaceful world? Not in and of itself, but maybe something can be added to the absence of bombs that would work. Maybe not. I think, however, that the peace crowd would do very well to know what bin Laden's views of the global caliphate are, and then adjust or confirm their views accordingly. As it is, there just seems to be a whole lot of Volvo driving Marxists out there who think we should give peace a chance, and pass the fairly traded 6 dollar latte being served up by an illegal alien making 3 bucks an hour with 2 bucks of tips.
"More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
These are the banner words of the United States Institute of Peace, "an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and democratic transformations, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide. The Institute does this by empowering others with knowledge, skills, and resources, as well as by its direct involvement in peacebuilding efforts around the globe."
I'm not sure "empowerment" takes the "give peace a chance" mantra to the next level, but it's a start. Your point is well taken: asking for peace without doing the work necessary to attain it is as empty a gesture as saying you want to nuke the middle east into a parking lot while gassing up your SUV.
The old mantra of the Liberation Theology Movement rings truer, implying as it does the sweat equity needed to attain lofty ideals: "If You Want Peace, Work For Justice." And while you're on the way to work for justice, why not drive a Swedish car with great gas mileage and raise your heartrate with a latte?
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