COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Friday, April 29, 2016

...”By characterizing the events of Sept. 11 as a bolt out of the blue unrelated to past actions by the United States, the version of truth constructed in the wake of those events served both purposes. Rather than prompting a reassessment of prevailing U.S. policies — the problematic U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia among them — it upheld those policies, justifying their perpetuation and not incidentally affirming the wisdom of those who devised them in the first place.”

Of the 19 hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, 15 were citizens of Saudi Arabia. What does that fact signify?
According to senior U.S. officials, little or nothing. From the outset, they treated the national identity of the terrorists as incidental, connoting nothing of importance. It was as if the 15 murderers just happened to smoke the same brand of cigarettes or wear the same after-shave.
Had they come from somewhere other than Saudi Arabia, a different attitude would surely have prevailed. Imagine if 15 Iraqis had perpetrated the attacks. In Washington’s eyes, Saddam Hussein’s direct involvement would have been a given. Fifteen Iranians? U.S. officials would have unhesitatingly fingered authorities in Tehran as complicit.
Saudi Arabia, however, got a pass. In its final report, the 9/11 Commission said it “found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually” had funded al-Qaida. This artfully crafted passage was an exercise in damage control, designed to preserve the existing U.S.-Saudi relationship from critical scrutiny.
The effort never fully succeeded, skeptics suspecting that there might be more to the story. Today those doubts find expression in demands to declassify 28 pages of a congressional investigation said to detail Saudi relations with and support for the al-Qaida terrorist network before September 2001.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the Obama administration may finally do just that. Whether the 28 pages sustain or refute suspicions of Saudi involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks will remain impossible to say absent such executive action.
Yet implicit in this dispute is an issue of even greater moment: Who ultimately exercises jurisdiction over truth?
Does it fall within the exclusive province of the state? Or do judgments about truth rightfully belong to the people?
On anything that touches national security — an infinitely elastic concept — the state has long since staked out its position: Views expressed by government authorities are authoritative.
In matters relating to war and peace, U.S. officials tell us what in their judgment we need to know. They deny access to information that we ostensibly could misconstrue, or that they deem too dangerous for us to possess.
In effect, the state curates truth. In doling out information, curators working at the behest of the state — a category that includes more than a few journalists — fashion narratives that may not be entirely accurate but that have the compensatory virtue of being expedient. In some instances, the aim of the narrative might be to obfuscate past mistakes, thereby sparing policymakers embarrassment. More commonly, the purpose is to facilitate the exercise of power along certain lines.
By characterizing the events of Sept. 11 as a bolt out of the blue unrelated to past actions by the United States, the version of truth constructed in the wake of those events served both purposes. Rather than prompting a reassessment of prevailing U.S. policies — the problematic U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia among them — it upheld those policies, justifying their perpetuation and not incidentally affirming the wisdom of those who devised them in the first place.
No wonder the foreign policy establishment insists that the 28 pages remain secret; not only might the document challenge the state’s preferred Sept. 11 narrative, but the demands for its declassification also call into question the establishment’s very authority to control that narrative.
Opposing the pages’ release, Philip Zelikow, the Washington insider who served as executive director of the 9/11 Commission, describes them as “unvetted, raw material.” The contents, he insists, are “misleading.” Besides, were they to become public, “hundreds, if not thousands” of pages of additional material would also need to be declassified.
Why not allow Americans to judge for themselves? Why not make available those thousands of relevant pages? The answer is self-evident: Because in the estimation of those such as Zelikow, ordinary citizens are not to be trusted in such matters; policy must remain the purview of those who possess suitable credentials and can therefore be counted on to not rock the boat.
But the boat needs rocking. In the Middle East, the foreign policy establishment has made a hash of things. Indulging that establishment further serves no purpose other than to perpetuate folly. Releasing the 28 pages just might provide a first step toward real change.
Andrew Bacevich is author of the new book “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History.” Email: bacevich@bu.edu

71 comments:

  1. LIVE BY THE SWORD

    WASHINGTON — House Speaker Paul Ryan is reserving judgment on bipartisan legislation to allow the families of Sept. 11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for any role that elements of Saudi regime may have played in the attack.

    Ryan said Tuesday that lawmakers need to review the bill “to make sure that we’re not making mistakes with our allies.” President Barack Obama strongly opposes the legislation. Obama is traveling to Saudi Arabia Wednesday.

    “The White House is opposed to it. It’s received some opposition here. We’re going to let these things work the process,” Ryan said. He noted that the White House is sure to promise a veto and “we’ll see where it goes from there.”

    The White House says it opposes the bill because it could expose Americans overseas to legal risk.

    “If we open up the possibility that individuals in the United States can routinely start suing other governments, then we are also opening up the United States to being continually sued by individuals in other countries,” Obama said in an interview with CBS News.

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Q"Nit: San Bernardino, California continued....

    FBI arrests brother of San Bernardino jihad murderer and 2 others

    By Robert Spencer on Apr 28, 2016 01:51 pm

    FBI arrests brother of San Bernardino jihad murderer and 2 others

    Marquez got the killers their rifles and attended the same mosque that they attended. This was a jihad terror cell that appears to have been attempting to expand its ranks via marriage fraud. “FBI arrests brother of San Bernardino terrorist and 2 others on marriage fraud charges,” by Richard Winton and James Queally, Los Angeles […]

    Read in browser »


    https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/04/fbi-arrests-brother-of-san-bernardino-jihad-murderer-and-2-others


    Readers of my "Q"Nit feature will recall the San Bernardino terror incident and its many innocent dead as the incident "Q" referred to as a mere 'nit'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A sample of reader's responses to me:

      One wrote "This Q character must really be a nit....wit"

      Another asked "Does this Q have sawdust for brains, or what?"

      A third speculated "I bet if this Q freak had his guts spilling on the ground from 5 or 6 terrorist bullets he wouldn't be calling the whole damn incident a 'nit'."

      Delete
  3. Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

    The US was, by far, the largest acceptor of resettled refugees, with 52,583. Canada accepted 10,236, and Australia 5211. These figures represent only those resettled under the UNHCR program.

    http://www.unhcr.org/524c31a09.html

    http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/apr/18/manus-island-detainees-plead-anywhere-but-papua-new-guinea

    ReplyDelete
  4. This slob could buy you

    Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd doesn’t look very royal stepping out on the town Monday night.

    He wasn’t Manhattan’s typical clubgoer — a portly and disheveled man in dad jeans and sandals with a cane, sipping soda through a bendy straw.

    But unbeknownst to the glitterati partying at the swanky Chelsea hot spot Avenue on Monday night, the shabby man was actually Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, whose fortune likely eclipses $10 billion.

    http://nypost.com/2016/04/26/saudi-prince-hits-the-clubs-looking-like-an-average-joe/

    http://adamcarolla.com/wp-content/gallery/2016-04-29-laux/02-Saudi-Billionaire-dressed-like-shit_1.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  5. Donald Trump put his roughest edges on display Thursday night in Costa Mesa as he opened his California primary campaign with a raw performance highlighting his hard-line views on illegal immigration and torture while trashing an array of rivals.

    The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination surrounded himself onstage with people carrying banners with photos of family members killed by immigrants in the country illegally.

    http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-na-trump-rally-california-20160429-story.html
    ===
    ===
    Jamiel Shaw, whose son was killed by a man in the U.S. illegally, joins Trump onstage

    http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-04282016-1461899204-htmlstory.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp4
    ===
    ===
    Scuffle turns bloody for Trump supporter

    http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-04282016-scuffle-turns-bloody-for-trump-supporter-1461907517-htmlstory.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Protests rage outside Trump rally in Orange County; 17 arrested, police car smashed

      http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-gays-for-trump-crowd-gathers-at-costa-mesa-rally-20160428-story.html

      Rage at Donald Trump sparks unrest in Costa Mesa: Dispatches from the streets

      http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-rage-at-donald-trump-sparks-unrest-in-costa-mesa-20160428-htmlstory.html

      Delete
  6. One can see it coming - The Donald will answer Hillary's 'woman card' by bringing out those women that BillyGoat molested and Hillary tried to silence....some of them will be on the campaign trail with him...

    One or two of them are already dogging Hillary's campaign, holding up signs that say:

    "Hillary Clinton IS The War on Women"

    Romney was too genteel to try such type tactics with Obama which is why he lost.

    Trump's 'in your face' is a strength when it comes to this election, and Hillary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChKHSfXWYAEIwYx.jpg

      Delete
  7. Zika Marketing:

    "Everybody Likes a Little Head"

    ReplyDelete
  8. "The scene outside the Donald Trump rally was chaotic as a crowd of hundreds of mostly young protesters blocked the streets. Many were carrying Mexican flags."
    ===
    Because Mexico is so much better than the USA.

    That's why they insist on turning it into Mexico with the aid of "our" politicians.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Did we ever determine if Rufus is once again pro illegals in order to remain in lockstep with his hero, Barack Hussein ?

    (After being for them before he was against them.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "The front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination surrounded himself onstage with people carrying banners with photos of family members killed by immigrants in the country illegally."
      ===
      Which is more important, cheap Tacos, or live Citizens?
      Rufus was for cheap Tacos, then he was against them.
      Where is he now?
      (We know where BHO is:
      Dead Black and White people is a good thing if it brings down this once great country.)

      Delete
    2. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-04282016-1461899204-htmlstory.html#nt=oft12aH-1gp4

      Delete
    3. It still is a great country Doug.

      Delete
  10. Highlights

    Spending is weak but income is solid. These are the latest results, and also the trends, for personal spending and income.

    Spending, which is being pulled down this year by weak car sales, rose only 0.1 percent in March, even weaker than the 0.2 percent gains in February and January. Spending on durables, which includes vehicles, fell 0.6 percent in March to match the same size plunge in January (February was up a negligible 0.1 percent). Spending on non-durables, though rising in the month, showed net weakness in the quarter tied largely to what is a positive for the consumer, lower fuel prices. Spending on services is a clear weakness in the report, up an unusually low 0.1 percent in the month.

    The income side looks positive throughout, up 0.4 percent in March following gains of 0.1 and 0.4 percent in the first two months of the year. The wages & salaries component rose a very solid 0.4 percent in the month while the savings rate rose 3 tenths to 5.4 percent. This matches the highest rate of the last three years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The gain for wages is not boosting inflation, at least yet. Price data are soft with the core PCE up only 0.1 percent in the month and only 1.6 percent year-on-year which is 1 tenth lower than February and further away from the Fed's 2 percent goal.

      Personal Income and Outlays

      Consumer income is an important positive for the economic outlook, offsetting weakness in spending and stubbornly low inflation. Though the gain for wages does hint at emerging pressures, this report doesn't turn up the heat for a June rate hike.

      Delete
  11. WHAT YOU SAY????

    US military softens claims on drop in ISIS foreign fighters

    The US military on Thursday retreated from a top general's claim this week that the number of foreign fighters joining Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has plummeted by as much as 90 percent.

    Air Force Major General Peter Gersten, deputy commander for operations and intelligence in the US-led coalition battling Islamic State, told reporters on Tuesday that the number of foreign fighters joining the group had fallen to 200 a month from between 1,500 and 2,000.

    US Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Baghdad-based spokesman for the coalition, told Reuters that the official estimate is higher than the one Gersten offered, although he did not provide a precise figure.




    "We believe the foreign fighter flow was 2,000 at one point and is now down to a quarter or less of that," Warren said. That would equal roughly 500 fighters per month, or a drop of about 75 percent from the peak.



    wiggle wiggle wiggle

    ReplyDelete
  12. Now that's how you kill arabs

    Aleppo onslaught: New air strikes hit medical facility

    Syria: Under Russia's Fist
    We investigate the horrifying consequences for civilians under Russian air strikes in Syria.

    http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2016/02/syria-russia-fist-160225053929748.html


    Now you want to REALLY kill arabs?

    Watch, Iran, Russia, Hezbollah and Syria...

    They do it right...

    ReplyDelete
  13. What no UNHRC condemnations?

    LOL

    http://in.reuters.com/article/mideast-criris-syria-aleppo-idINKCN0XQ0LP

    ReplyDelete
  14. Doug, I can't take seriously anyone who makes a statement like this:

    "(We know where BHO is:
    Dead Black and White people is a good thing if it brings down this once great country.)"



    I'm afraid you're going to have to go in the box with bob and wio.

    too bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Better racists than you have tried and failed to put me in a box..

      You are just a drunk retard...

      Delete
    2. O no no no no.....a fate worse than death....far worse than death.....aiyee yee yee....I'm in the Rufian 'box' with WiO and Doug.....yowl yowl yowl....

      Bwobwobwobwabwabwahahaha....

      (better the Rufian 'box' than Mississippi, though) !!

      Delete
    3. In order of severity there's:

      1) Life in Prison
      2) The Death Penalty
      3) The Rufian Box
      4) Life in Mississippi with Clan Rufus

      hehe

      Delete
    4. (from less severe to most severe)

      Delete
  15. Indiana tightening -

    Trump 38.8
    Cruz 33.5
    Kasich 18.5

    RCP rolling poll

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. General Election: Trump vs. Clinton: Rasmussen Reports: Clinton 38, Trump 38 Tie

      Delete
  16. Fox News watchers reel in shock -

    Andrea Tantaros Joins Wio, Doug, Bob in Rufian Box

    April 29, 2016

    Andrea Tantaros taken off the air at Fox News

    By Thomas Lifson


    Speculation abounds as Fox News talking head Andrea Tantaros is no longer appearing on air. In response to a query from TV Newser, Fox issued a terse statement:


    “Issues have arisen regarding Andrea’s contract, and Fox News Channel has determined it best that she take some time off. She is still under contract with the network.”

    That opens the question of what could have changed regarding her contract all of a sudden. She does have a new book, but has clammed up.


    Tantaros was last on Outnumbered on Monday. She got a shout-out Monday evening on The Five for her new book, Tied Up in Knots: How Getting What We Wanted Made Women Miserable.

    Tantaros was scheduled to call in to Bill Cunningham‘s radio show yesterday, but canceled a few hours before.

    The Examiner opens a few doors on what might (or might not) be at issue woith Tantaros and the network:


    While not cited by FNC as a reason for her extended vacation, Tantaros recently claimedduring a taping of Outnumbered that certain GOP Establishment-types were coming down hard on her for supporting Donald Trump; "They have been doing this. Specifically, Charles Cooke, who is a writer for National Review, he tweeted out that I should give my job to somebody else. Also, I saw a tweet, it was a meme by Kevin Williamson of National Review trying to make me seem stupid. There’s a girl talking about biorhythms, or something. So I’ve gotten my fair share as well from folks on the right and the left and in the media calling me stupid and Trump supporters as well… Exactly I should give up my job according to men in the Republican Party."

    In the midst of the Obama Administration's less-than-kosher investigations of certain journalists, Tantaros held little back. As cited by the NewsHounds.us weblog, while on the air, the woman who grew-up working at the family restaurant stated quite plainly, "This is Obama’s America. It’s like the Soviet Union. He said he’d change the country. He said it, he said it, he said it, and a lot of people voted for him. And if you see any of those people today, do me a favor, punch 'em in the face. We’ll be right back."

    I find it unlikely that pressure from the National Review would have led FNC to yank her off the air. But I have no access at all to any of the parties involved. I have always found Tantaros to be entertaining and common-sensical. Should the Fox gig not work out, I have no doubt she will find another TV home.
    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/andrea_tantaros_taken_off_the_air_at_fox_news.html#ixzz47ETLMF7K

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, her legs weren't that great.

      I am an expert on the legs at The Five, and Outnumbered and she came in last.

      Good brain, though you wouldn't recognize your brain being filled with wood chips.

      Her flaw was in her snotty ethical attitude and something about the twist of her mouth and face.

      Now get back to the Q Box with you.






      Delete
    2. There have been rare and totally inexplicable occasions when I have imagined you in the hot seat on Outnumbered. You made a fool out of yourself of course as anyone would expect, especially on politics, international relations and the moslems, but you did handle the back and forth with the gals well enough, probably from your experience in sucking up to the females on juries, and you seemed to at least gain their sympathy.

      Delete
    3. .

      Her?

      I was talking about you.

      .

      Delete
    4. :o)

      Field Report:

      What with all this rain the lentils are getting off to a good start.

      Good price, too.

      You know what a lentil is, C. Slicker ?

      Very nutritious but they make you fart.

      We have The World Famous International Lentil Festival here each year.

      Why don't you hitch hike your way on out, free lentils, free lentil soup, free tent out at the farm for you too.

      Time it right I might take you to The World Famous International Basque Festival in Boise, too.

      Delete
    5. .

      Is that how they market them?

      'Give a toot. Eat lentils.'

      .

      Delete
  17. April 29, 2016

    Survey of Canadian Muslims reveals major concerns

    By Sierra Rayne


    Far from being benign, or even positive, as some commentators in the liberal media claim, a new survey of Canadian Muslims should give many pause for thought.

    Keep in mind that there are already more than one million Muslims in Canada, and their rate of population growth is doubling every 10 years, meaning that -- if century-long trends continue -- Canada will be a majority Muslim nation by 2050. Since the last census of the Muslim population was in 2011, the current number is likely in the neighborhood of 1.5 million, or more than 4% of the total population.....

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/04/survey_of_canadian_muslims_reveals_major_concerns.html#ixzz47EXDrVmn



    ReplyDelete
  18. .

    More Musings from the Ivory Tower...

    More campus madness: ­UMass-Amherst students this week threw a mass temper tantrum to derail a forum that challenged the speech police.

    “The Triggering: Has Political Correctness Gone Too Far?” featured three guests: American Enterprise Institute scholar Christina Hoff Sommers, journalist Milo Yiannopoulos and comedian Steven Crowder.

    But they barely got a chance to speak. Protesters broke in to swear, name-call and throw fits. (Isn’t it ironic that this is what “political correctness” means in practice?)

    With shouts of “F–k you! F–k you!” and “Keep your hate speech off this campus” — not to mention “Go home!” — the kids of course proved the critics’ point.

    “There was not a 10- to 20-second period during [the event] where there wasn’t an interruption,” said senior Nicholas Pappas, one of the panel’s organizers.

    Still, Sommers managed the score of the night. Interrupted by a scream of “stop talking to us like children,” she shot back: “Then stop acting like a child.”

    Sounds like the cure for today’s college ills...


    http://nypost.com/2016/04/27/pc-mob-shuts-down-forum-that-asked-has-political-corrrectness-gone-too-far/

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No shit.

      Truly.

      The heart of the perversion beats in the liberal arts departments.

      Perhaps the universities should just be devoted now to useful things like engineering, military science, mining, aeronautics, etc.

      Close out everything else.

      Delete
    2. Hat tip to Quirk.

      He was the first here to emphasize how bad things have gotten.

      Delete
  19. Strikes in Syria

    Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted six strikes in Syria:

    -- Near Raqqah, a strike struck an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed two ISIL vehicles.

    -- Near Mara, five strikes struck five separate ISIL tactical units and destroyed six ISIL fighting positions, four ISIL mortar positions and an ISIL vehicle.

    Strikes in Iraq

    Bomber, fighter and ground attack aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 16 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government:

    -- Near Baghdadi, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL heavy machine guns and an ISIL bunker and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Fallujah, four strikes struck two separate large ISIL tactical units; destroyed three ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL vehicle and two ISIL-used bridges; suppressed a separate ISIL tactical unit; and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Hit, two strikes struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroyed two ISIL fighting positions and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Kisik, two strikes struck two separate ISIL tactical units, destroyed an ISIL assembly area and two ISIL tunnel entrances and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Mosul, two strikes struck an ISIL fuel and service station and suppressed an ISIL mortar position.

    -- Near Qayyarah, two strikes struck a large ISIL tactical unit, destroyed an ISIL tunnel entrance and denied ISIL access to terrain.

    -- Near Ramadi, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL assembly area.

    -- Near Sinjar, a strike destroyed an ISIL rocket position.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Rufus:
    Can we agree Obama's policies that result in the killing of legal citizens by illegal immigrants is less than optimal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doug, I don't engage with wio, or bob. From here on out, you will be in that select group.

      Delete
    2. People only engage with you to mock you silly, RufusGoose.


      With all the terrain being denied ISIS, surely they will be running out of terrain soon ?

      Care to put a prediction out there as to when ISIS runs out of terrain, Rufus ?

      Delete
    3. "eventually" ?

      That's what your Hero said about Mosul.

      Eventually our sun will become super large and the earth will broil.

      Delete
    4. By the way, Congrats, Doug, you are now among 'the select' !

      A motley diverse crew to be sure, but we all 'select'.

      Delete
    5. VIDEO: Trump Forced To Hop Fence After Protesters Form Human Chain, Block Entrance To San Fran Hotel...
      'It Felt Like I Was Crossing The Border'...
      Rioters rage outside Trump rally in SO CAL...
      Smash police car, hurl rocks at motorists...
      Hundreds waving Mexican flags...
      Cops outnumbered...
      Video...
      'He's gonna build a wall in our land'...DRUDGE


      It's sickening, except they are helping elect Trump.

      Delete
    6. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChPLo6eWgAAL9z4.jpg

      Delete
  21. Well, at least he avoided having to answer the question without referring to it.

    Well played,
    (For a supporter of an America Hating, America Destroying, worse than worthless Socialist Racist Evil Scumbag.)

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ChPLo6eWgAAL9z4.jpg

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He being Rufus, party of one.

      Delete
    2. .

      Well played...

      Laces out.

      .

      Delete
    3. You, Quirk, are not one of The Select.

      Doug, Bob and WiO are The Select.

      Just remember that.

      Delete
    4. And I realize and am proud to be a peckerwood, as Terrorista used to say, and a country bumpkin, and a hick, but what's with this:

      Laces out

      ?

      Some more Detroit street slang again ?

      Delete
    5. .

      It means 'good form'. Or, there's the x-rated version (something that definitely wouldn't apply to this crowd) from Urban Dictionary.

      Haven't you seen 'Ace Ventura'?

      Ace Ventura at Ray Finkel's House

      .

      Delete
    6. Good Grief....

      You are perhaps the strangest of all God's creatures, Quirk-O.

      Where in hell do you come up with this shit ?

      And, your music !.....

      Lordy

      You GOT to get out of the city sun soon son.

      Delete
  22. GWB was Flawed, Reagan was flawed, Trump is flawed, but Barack Hussein is flawless.
    ...according to some.

    ReplyDelete
  23. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rufus supports Hamas, hates Israel and Jews, their religion and calls them "colonialists".

      And yet claims to have served in the United States Armed forces in Vietnam.

      I wonder how he justifies the usage of cluster bombs and napalm on the Viet Cong and their kids but he has issues with Israel?

      He lists proudly the attacks america makes on iraq on people who have never met an american.

      odd little drunk

      Delete
    2. Rufus has no rage against the Americans who actually genocided his own people, and yet claims, that if lived in gaza? He'd be a hamas member.....

      Interesting.

      israel provides all sorts of food, medical care and more for tens of thousands of arabs who by luck of birth are living under the occupation of hoodlums and terrorists. Freedom for the arabs from Jihadists

      Delete
    3. Rufus mostly is (7/8ths or so) of the people, the whites, that genocided his own people, the Cherokee(the REAL people).

      This understandably might lead to a good deal of confusion for anyone in times like these, when everyone is blaming everyone else for everything under the pitiless sun, so I'm willing to give Rufus some benefit of the doubt here, even though he has called me the dumbest fucker in the galaxy o, maybe, twenty times.....

      To be unable to discern what's really up with the moslems though is a grave error not to be excused by one's genetic history.





      Delete
    4. .

      :o)

      Nothing like watching the boys in the penalty box whine.

      That's entertainment.

      .

      Delete
    5. What "penalty" box?

      It's total fun...

      Ridicule the drunk....

      Delete
    6. Whine ?

      I've been trying my best to rise to the defense of Rufus, I just can't come up with much.

      Delete
  24. Security forces kill 91 ISIS elements, foil ISIS attack south of Mosul

    (IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – Media officials with the Ministry of Defense announced on Friday the killing of 91 ISIS elements during clashes in the villages of Muhana and Khardan south of Mosul.

    The officials said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The security forces had managed to kill 91 terrorists and foiled an attack by ISIS on the villages of Muhana and Khardan south of Mosul.”

    Noteworthy, a security force was able to repel an ISIS attack on the village of al-Nasr south of the city of Mosul a few days ago.

    Iraqinews

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We're wiping out the Periodic Table in Iraq, that much is certain.

      Today we got 91 'elements'.

      This damned government talk drives me nuts.

      Delete
  25. .

    Trump is an idiot. But he doesn't deserve those idiots in the streets, some with masks on others vandalizing police cars and still others attacking the Trump supporters, all trying to shut down his speeches.

    Trump is an idiot. But even a blind squirrel can occasionally find a nut. And that is not a comment on Hillary or Cruz (though it does apply). But, Trump is correct when he says The US doesn't know how to negotiate. This applies to...

    1. Trade: Where the US is continually having their ass handed to them as it gives away the farm,

    and

    2. Foreign Relations: Where the US has the strong hand but continuously acts like the weak sister.

    The latter is explained in the following article from VOX.

    How America enables its allies' bad behavior



    2009. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images



    It is satisfying and certainly trendy to complain about America's allies. President Barack Obama unloaded on them recently in an interview with the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, calling them "free riders" who rely on the US for security but refuse to pay back. The commentariat has piled on, with a special focus on deteriorating relations with such perennial malcontents as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey.

    The truth is that our allies behave the way they do because we let them. We provide billions of dollars in military and other aid to countries in order to protect and advance US interests, yet we fail to use this leverage to induce the recipients of this aid to behave in a way that actually advances US interests.




    That's because the US has become so focused on maintaining its relationships with its allies above all else that it's forgotten what the relationships were for in the first place: securing US interests.

    In part, this is a holdover from the days of the Cold War, when what mattered was who was on "our side" and who was on the "their side"

    2009. SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images



    It is satisfying and certainly trendy to complain about America's allies. President Barack Obama unloaded on them recently in an interview with the Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, calling them "free riders" who rely on the US for security but refuse to pay back. The commentariat has piled on, with a special focus on deteriorating relations with such perennial malcontents as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey.

    The truth is that our allies behave the way they do because we let them. We provide billions of dollars in military and other aid to countries in order to protect and advance US interests, yet we fail to use this leverage to induce the recipients of this aid to behave in a way that actually advances US interests.




    That's because the US has become so focused on maintaining its relationships with its allies above all else that it's forgotten what the relationships were for in the first place: securing US interests.

    In part, this is a holdover from the days of the Cold War, when what mattered was who was on "our side" and who was on the "their side"...


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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trump is NOT an idiot.

      He's playing the fiddle and at least half the country is dancing to his barn dance.

      You're just jealous, and gave yourself away by admitting he's right on at least on the two things you mentioned....

      He's right on more too....

      He's a scoundrel in many ways, but knows that fiddle.....no idiot can fiddle like that....he can sell product like you can't even dream of doing....

      And think, we'll soon have a slutty center fold as First Lady !

      A new corner is being turned in USA....

      Delete
    2. The Donald, like Nixon and Vietnam, has a 'secret plan' to wipe out ISIS soon....

      I was sorta thinking Jim Webb, to be honest, but he didn't even get a bunt...

      #NeverHillary

      Delete
  26. There is a new documentary film out soon with the 'co-operation' of Anthony Weiner about the failure of Weiner's 'Quest For Redemption'.....

    The review on Fox said it was great.....

    This is one of those urban dramas that would doubtlessly appeal to The Unselected, like Quirk...

    hoHoHOHHoho

    ReplyDelete
  27. Checking out here for awhile....

    Preemptive Self Censorship.

    Besides I got two letters to write.

    Cheers !

    ReplyDelete