[quote=pri_dk][quote=Allan from Fallbrook]
[…]
You want me to continue, or is this enough for you?[/quote]
What I asked to see is where I made the leap from Krugman’s argument about the media to your claim that I said “some people should not be allowed to run for office.”
Allan, I never said anyone should be banned from running – those were your words that you attributed to me. It’s that simple. You can argue all day long, pulling in inferences and irrelevant references, using fancy vocabulary…
But, at the end of the day, I didn’t say it.
Yes, I’m a smart-ass. You are letting that part cloud your judgement and interpretation. If you don’t like the way I phrase it, then read Eaves’ response. She says it better.
It’s a shame that you refuse to consider the point that we are making. There’s some scary shit that’s going on, and it’s bad for our country (no matter where your political leanings are.)
Pri: So, I’m prevented from using certain words and facts in rebutting or refuting what you’re saying? In spite of the fact that that is EXACTLY what you asked me to do?
Yes, I was aware of the Obama Executive Order and have been for quite a while. Its window dressing, as evidenced by the fact that Obama has made no serious move to enforce it (reminiscent of Bill Clinton and the Iraqi Liberation Act of 1998: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Liberation_Act).
Gitmo is both valuable and convenient to the administration and the National Security State apparatus. Renditions continue, as do Patriot I and II. You speak about “scary shit”, but are unwilling to discuss the really “scary shit”, i.e. how is that a Constitutional Law professor continues the inarguably feckless and dangerous policies of his predecessor and no one says anything about it? We are seeing a constant and unrelenting assault on our civil liberties, and from a Black President no less, and you offer up a throwaway Executive Order and Google article about Congress blocking funding. If Obama were serious, Gitmo would be closed.
If Obama was serious, there’d be an actual jobs bill, instead of the pap he’s getting ready to sell post-vacation.
If Obama was serious, there’d be meaningful healthcare reform, including single-payer.
If Obama was serious, he’d LEAD. And not from behind.
Two expressions come to mind, and both from the Army. First, “There is no substitute for decisive leadership” (Patton’s corollary: “A good plan, violently executed right now, is infinitely better than the perfect plan, executed next week”).
The second is: “No plan survives contact” (George Foreman’s corollary: “Everybody has a plan. Then they get hit”). I mention this axiom to head off any potential excuses on behalf of Obama, like, “The Republicans are obstructionist”, “There was that tsunami in Japan”, “There was the Arab Spring”, “There was the Arab Summer”, “Hurricane Irene”, “The dog ate my homework”.
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that there is “scary shit” out there and someone needs to LEAD the nation out of it.
