Comments on: Post-election musings

By: Hy Rosen

Hy Rosen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:34:25 +0000

It is physically impossible to control all places where safe haven might be given to a score of people training with low technology. For example, the 9/11 attackers who flew the planes did not learn to fly in Afghanistan; they learned to fly in the United States. That is the nature of asymmetric warfare – the small, nimble side causes the large, slow side to incur enormous costs in mounting a defense.

By: Harry McHaliburtonstein

Harry McHaliburtonstein — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:08:17 +0000

Illion:
“That’s good, as far as it goes; but we all accept all sorts of “liberal” (or leftist) premises — it’s kind of unavoidable, seeing as the “liberals” have long controlled the indoctrination centers, … er, schools.”

Oh, and the press, who had “moderate” Republicans fooled that Obama was somehow a centrist while the true Republicans understood otherwise.

By: Harry McHaliburtonstein

Harry McHaliburtonstein — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:04:56 +0000

Why would we need to occupy NY? I thought we were already doing that and had been since the Indians granted us immigration permits over 200 yrs ago.

By: Baklava

Baklava — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:12:36 +0000

New York isn’t giving safe haven to training grounds and terrorists Hy.

You are an odd one.

We aren’t trying to ‘occupy’ a country. If that is what you think our intent is you are smoking too much.

By: Hy Rosen

Hy Rosen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:04:53 +0000

Timothy McVeigh was born and raised in New York, but we didn’t have the army occupy the state after his attack on the Murrah Building. Preparation for 9/11-style attacks can take place anywhere. Trying to occupy a country because the preparation happened there is plain stupid. And no, I’m not a Truther. Conspiracy-mongering denialists of any stripe are just idiots.

By: Ilíon

Ilíon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:57:22 +0000

Harry McHaliburtonstein: “To me you’re a RINO if you even accept a liberal [premise]; i.e.: Global Warming. Accepting the premise means you’re tacitly agreeing with the direction that the car is going knowing that the cliff is ahead.”

That’s good, as far as it goes; but we all accept all sorts of “liberal” (or leftist) premises — it’s kind of unavoidable, seeing as the “liberals” have long controlled the indoctrination centers, … er, schools.

Perhaps a RINO is a Republican (or presumptive conservative) who cannot be reasoned with concerning specific “liberal” (or leftist) premises — one who, even seeing the approaching drop over the precipice, cannot be persuaded to drop the premise which cannot but lead one over the precipice.

By: Ilíon

Ilíon — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:45:22 +0000

“I love Ilion’s analogy! That’s perfect! It’s so correct!”

The idea expressed in the analogy goes back to Mark Steyn and others (stretching back hundreds of years), and the basic outline of the particular analogy, so far as I know, to Steyn.

By: Baklava

Baklava — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:05:58 +0000

Hy, smoking pot said, “open up government secrecy”

oh my! As a sober, drug free human being who reads the daily news from all kinds of sources – I almost shot my coffee onto my monitor.

Hy (the honest liberal) then wrote, “give up on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

I have to hand it to you. At least you are honest about the destruction you want to see ! Thank you The 9/11 (unless you are a truther) perps were based out of Afghanistan (yes they were Saudis) and your drugged up brain can’t handle any more logic.

By: Hy Rosen

Hy Rosen — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:17:52 +0000

The office of Westchester County Executive has been held by both Democrats and Republicans, but mostly the latter – here’s the history. Spano, the current Democrat, has been in office for twelve years, but the prior holder, O’Rourke, was a Republican and held office for fourteen years. It was strictly Republican for more than thirty years between 1939 and 1973.

As for us whiners on the Left, we want Obama to do what he promised to do – reform health care, end DADT, close Guantánamo, open up government secrecy, give up on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and so forth. We want to do the equivalent of what was done to Scozzafava in NY-23, for the same reason – without consistent hard pushing to the edges, politicians naturally gravitate to the center where they try to do nothing risky but necessary, and just try to get re-elected. Your socialism is my progressivism, just as your return to conservative principles is my know-nothingry.

By: Oblio

Oblio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:15:49 +0000

Great point, J.L. You know as well as I that progressives are only happy when they are unhappy and angry.

I remember walking through the streets of Geneva after an anti-American demonstration that windows smashed, fires burning, and obscenity-laced graffiti sprayed everywhere. I went to a meeting with a progressive American lady of a certain age. She said, in a dreamy tone of voice, “Wasn’t it peaceful?” I remember thinking, that word doesn’t mean what you think it means.