One of the reasons I choose not to watch television news is that I can’t stand the stultifying, cowardly, inhuman, stuffed shirt posturing that goes for responsible public behavior on the part of media personalities and the politicians they feed on. I’m not sure how we got into this world where operating in the public domain means buying into a code of conventional silence, but I think it’s changing. I think the popularity of John Stewart and the Daily Show are exhibit A. So too is George Clooney’s short opinon piece on Common Dreams. To Democrats in the Congress he says about the war in Iraq, “Fuck you, you weren’t misled. You were afraid of being called unpatriotic.” And I say Amen brother.
Update: Looks like Clooney is now saying he didn’t write and didn’t approve the blog entry, though he stands by the comments that make it up.
And apparently he says fuck you to sooo many HE doesn’t agree with.
Concerning the Iraq war not only does he say fuck you to Bush, but fuck you to the Iraqi people. You know, the majority who actually have aspirations for a life without tyranny. The majority who Clooney would forsake in a heartbeat, pulling our troops out because ‘they’ are the bad guys.
Its an ongoing history, get over your no WMD mantra.
“Unpatriotic?” No you can be patriotic any way you see it Jeremy. Inhumane, and willing to turn over 20 million to beheaders… you’re that too.
Wow. You really took that one for a ride, didn’t you? Take a look at what I wrote again — never did I say that the war in Iraq was wrong (although it was), or that we should pull our troops out (because on this point I don’t believe I have enough information to form an intelligent opinion).
What I did was praise Clooney for calling Democrats (you know, the party you hate) cowards. Cowards because when they still had a chance to take a principled stand on the Iraq war, they decided instead to do the politically expedient thing. And cowards because now, rather than admit that’s what they did, they’re pretending they were misled.
I’d think you’d support calling Democrats cowards. After all, that’s what your side has been doing for the last six years.
But, you know, I guess that axe you’re carrying needed a grind.
No I didn’t take it for a ride but LOL you’re a great one to say. Yes I did assume you believed the war in Iraq was “wrong.” Boy that was tough. And you don’t believe we have enough info to pull them out, or stay? I thought you didn’t digest MSM bull. There’s plenty of alternative info. Look. The bottom line: Iraqis can go to beheaded hell if we do leave. Clooney, the one you’ve seen fit to praise, doesn’t care. You make him out as principled. He’s got his millions; he’s got his narcissist freedom to live for himself – away from tyranny.
Do I think the Dems are cowards? The party I “hate.” Not really. Depends on your perspective. I think they’re opportunists. I think they’re clever as a fox. They’ve sold their souls, they have no principle. Its any means possible for the end result: power. You can call them cowards but, what are you… really?
Like I said Jeremy, WMD is an old mantra. There is no principle at this point pounding on it. What do you stand for? As far as the fate of the Iraqi people, not much other than not being able to make an “intelligent” opinion.
At least you’ve posted my point. Good for you.
The Dems are cowards and almost always wrong. The war in Iraq is both right and good.
Three final points, then I’ll let you have the last word if you so choose.
(1) You keep hammering on the “WMD is an old mantra” point. I agree, that’s why I didn’t bring them up. There was plenty of evidence that there weren’t WMDs in Iraq before the war was started, so Democrats (IMHO) can’t reasonably claim they thought there were. As far as I’m concerned, WMDs are completely beside the point.
(2) You’re right, I was imprecise when I said I didn’t have enough information to make an intelligent opinion about withdrawing. What I should have said is that at this point, I don’t feel I can predict whether a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is in the best interests of the United States or not. It’s not a question of having enough information, so much as being able to predict the future. And I’m highly skeptical that anyone can predict the future well enough to know the answer to that question.
Then there are the issues of moral responsibility — if it’s not in the United States’ best interest to stay, do we nonetheless have a moral responsibility to be there? To my way of thinking, the “you broke it, you bought it” argument is compelling. I don’t buy the argument I understand you to be making, that we need to be there to protect the Iraqis from themselves. To me that argument falls down unless you also claim we need to be in all the other places in the world where people are killing each other (Sudan) or where there are tyrannical governments (Myanmar) or where terrorists operate with impunity (Colombia).
(3) And anyway, this whole conversation was besides the point of my link, which was to say that the media industry has a habit of talking about events that strike me as pretentious and false. And even self-consciously false, as though there are some things we’ve all agree are improper to talk about, when the topics we can’t talk about are the very topics that are most important to be discussing. And to me that point ought to cross political boundaries: whether you’re in favor or against the war, shouldn’t we be telling each other what we really believe?
Anyway, thanks for contributing.
I’ve written out my response to your first 2 points but you’ve been gracious with me so instead I’m gonna leave you with most of the last word. On point 3 I agree very much, no surprise I’m sure 😉
I’d like to include these 2 links.
Here’s a post by Iraqi blogger Mohammed just written. Sources such as his tell of first hand accounts you’d be hard pressed to find in the MSM. This is a very good read. http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2006/03/third-anniversarysacrifice-fear-and.html
And in case you’re interested on casualty count post-Saddam rule compared to his time in power go here. Says a lot. http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2005/12/look-at-how-war-in-iraq-is-preserving.html
Take care.