Not only is the Moronic Convergence diverging, it continues to be deaf and blind to the people whose benefit is presumably its rationale. We saw this glaringly in evidence during three years of protests against invading Iraq, which not only did not feature any Iraqis or Afghanis, but in several cases refused them permission to speak or ignored their pleas to condemn Saddam or tried to shout down their counterprotest.
Here's the latest example:
An activist emailed Norm about a proposal to tear down and rebuild a crumbling old housing project. The poor oppressed residents approve, but the revolutionaries know better of course.
50 or so residents from the estate arrived with their own placards bellowing - to the tune of the miners' "Here we go" - "Knock it down"! And what did some of our revolutionaries do? They were apoplectic, shouting abuse: "You don't know what you're talking about! You should be ashamed! Class traitors!" The residents bellowed their slogans for 10 minutes outside the Town Hall. And what did an irredeemably hirsute activist do? He put a megaphone in their faces and chanted back at them. By that time I was with the resident who was giving the V-sign ("What do they know? They don't live on the estate").
(Crossposted at Kesher Talk)
It's getting tougher and tougher on you guys. An anti-war march gets 100,000 even when the only leadership for it is the disgusting International ANSWER. That's how much America is abandoning the Iraq Adventure. Meanwhile the counterdemo drew something like 400.
Given that we have long since given up on any goal in Iraq better than getting any government that isn't Al Qaeda installed (and that government won't be democratic) and hoping it wins a civil war quick, it's not surprising that the best you have left is silly gotchas at the anti-war protest. [Residents flee the towns on the Syrian border taken over by Zarqawi; not enough Marines to stop them; Iraqi "Army" nowhere in sight.]
I'll trade some embarrassment for the pro-war side. Remember the SOTU address where Laura Bush orchestrated the hug between an Iraqi exile and a Gold Star Mother? [Official White House Photo] Seems she's changed her mind: "When we came back from exile, we thought we were going to improve rights and the position of women. But look what has happened -- we have lost all the gains we made over the last 30 years. It's a big disappointment." What is it with the State of the Union: Yellowcake, Chalabi, al-Souhail?
Weren't upwards of 100,000 demonstrating back when like 70% of the American public were in favor of the initial invasion?
Anywho, guess we better wash our hands of the whole ordeal and turn it over to Zarqawi then, since it seems you've more or less already conceded his victory.
Hopefully the anti-war triumphalism will recede a bit when their inevitable victory occurs and we get to watch a new round of the boat people and killing fields. No doubt they'll feel just as badly for them as they did the last variety ...
But look what has happened -- we have lost all the gains we made over the last 30 years.
Yeah, now all they get to do is vote for their oppressors, of whom a certain percentage must be women. Uday Hussein ordered school teachers to send pre-teens to his home for violent deflowerings. Those were the days?
Look women's rights activists in Iraq have to push hard to get what guarantees they can, but that doesn't mean that their colorful arguments are necessarily true.
Pro-war "triumphalism" is now reduced to crowing that if we don't continue to follow their advice, even worse is coming for the woebegone Iraqis. That's really a position to be proud of. Maybe after you guys show a little humility for totally misestimating what happens when you knock a beehive with a broomstick, you can talk about us.
Hey, you don't have to follow my advice Andrew, I'll be more than happy to offer a guest blog to you as far as what you think we should do in Iraq.
The people of Iraq have a purple finger for you, Andrew. Guess which one it is.
P.S. - I'm just kidding you, Andrew.
I'll save the live ammunition for your guest blog. Which I am already impatiently awaiting.
And anti-war triumphalists are reduced to crowing about how much better Iraqis had it under Saddam.
A reasonable person can look at the bungled manner the war has been fought, and the disgrace brought upon our armed forces by torture, note the central nature of Iraq to the "War on Terror", and conclude the best for everyone is for us to get out now.
A patriotic American can be glad Saddam is awaiting trial and Uday is dead, remember that grinning fool Rummy shaking the dictator's hand, and hold his triumphalist tongue.
Triumphalist tongue holder: One cannot reasonably conclude that its best "to get out now" if you've given no consideration to what happens next. Really, if you "note the central nature of Iraq to the 'War on Terror'", what happens next?
Andrew Lazarus:
Maybe that anti-war march of 100,000 will have an enormous impact on the residents of the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark.
Or then again, maybe not.
Interesting that anti-war triumphalists are reduced to inflating the attendance "anti-war" marches that actually feature pro-terrorists.
Talk about embarrassing.
Robin:
Protesters in the US have little influence over Al Qaedist terrorists.
They do have, maybe, some influence over our own torturers. We have those privates in prison. And we'll be climbing up, right up, the chain of command.
Hence the very reasonable aim of their protests.
Insight, you make at least one offensive false assumption that anyone here has claimed that objecting to abuse of prisoners is "pro-terrorist".
However, Al Queda does pay attention to protests in the US, and has in the past adapted its propaganda to feed into such protests.
"Anti-war" protests have included speakers who have expressed their hope that the terrorists prevail. Those are objectively pro-terrorist.
"It's getting tougher and tougher on you guys. An anti-war march gets 100,000 even when the only leadership for it is the disgusting International ANSWER. That's how much America is abandoning the Iraq Adventure."
Yes and I heard that number was supplied by AMSWER?
Now Confederate Yankee has an interesting aerial photo, that number mighgt be a tad inflated.
Let me see if I can get this active link done
right
Huge Waves?
Yes the Left has gone off the Deep End in some of their protests and Politically Correctness Drives.
Banning American Indian Names from athletics, doesn't matter that the Seminole Indian NATION like having a team named after them, the Intelligentsia knows best. ;-)
My favourite event lately was when.
An Anti-War Protester got led out of a War Protest by the Police for Protesting that the War Protest was NOT Protesting the WAR!
How many of the Anti-War Protesters were dedicated to pulling our troops out of
Occupied NEW ORLEANS????????
rotflamo
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