JohnnyComeLately's Journal: Protesting Moms

Yahoo article pops up after I thought to myself, "Funny, dont see much press coverage of pro-war rallies". I have to agree with the Marine who, like me, hasn't served in the Middle East but doesn't want my service used against it. I can't begin to explain the betrayal and sadness to hear that your mom took part in an anti-war rally only a matter of days after returning from officer school and getting commissioned. Actually, I could begin, but won't.

If it didn't appear too disingenuous, I'd say it seems everyone has an opinion about things they know nothing about. The more capability we have to communicate, the more overused it becomes. I like the blog from someone on the war front (major thanks to RW for his JE link) but yet people like Michael Moore gets more play, yet has less experience and education.

I'd post something more, but I'm at the end of a 14 hour work day and don't feel like typing more.

Newsertainment

[dexterpexter]

Ignorance makes for absurdity, and absurdity for entertainment.

Outside of the realm of intelligent satire, that means that more ignorance is presented to the public than not, regardless whether the opinion presented is "right" or "wrong."

It is far more entertaining to hate the establishment than to credit it; culture has evolved such that it is more popular to protest a cause than to support it. Sometimes that is right, sometimes that is wrong.

However, from my observations, it is clear that the media (mos

Re:Newsertainment

[JohnnyComeLately]

Thanks for the thoughts... You're right. I guess I was taking the media a little too seriously. It just disturbs me that so many people believe so much of what it reflects. My eyes were completely opened when I attended a Senate Armed Services briefing with Donald R, Gen Tom Franks and a few others. It was right after we'd started and ended the second Gulf War*. The news accounts the next day ranged from not very useful to, "Were they really even there?" To their (dis)credit, it was a session no civ

Re:Newsertainment

[Marxist Hacker 42]

*I'm not considering an insurgency as a war. If so, our Civil War has lasted in the US well into the 20th Century as some neanderthals (sp?) still haven't gotten past racism.

Not to mention that the northern industrialists have now morphed into anti-American multinational corporatists (how does a CEO sleep at night when he knows he's undermining the economy he lives in to make more bonuses for himself and money for stockholders)? Plus, the civil war is about to start up again- if the Federals and stock br

Easiest thing on earth

[Timex]

I think that it's very easy to criticize someone when...

• one doesn't have all the information that the other person may have. Whether that person cannot divulge that information due to security concerns or whatever, it's generally a Bad Idea to shoot off one's mouth without enough information to draw a proper conclusion. (Most Slashdotters should know that by now...)
• the person(s) being criticized refuses to speak with the criticizer. For some odd reason, many people see a refusal to counter an argument

Re:Easiest thing on earth

[Marxist Hacker 42]

one doesn't have all the information that the other person may have. Whether that person cannot divulge that information due to security concerns or whatever, it's generally a Bad Idea to shoot off one's mouth without enough information to draw a proper conclusion. (Most Slashdotters should know that by now...)

A democracy should not have any security concerns- security concerns are the realm of dictators who are trying to get away with crimes against the people of the nation.

Having said that- Edgar Allen

Re:Easiest thing on earth

[JohnnyComeLately]

I don't have the patience for a line by line reply, but there are a few flaws in the premise of your argument. It's a sorta, "you don't know what you don't know."

As a former security police augmentee, who pulled guard on an active duty base, and a current Anti-terrorism Officer, who sees intel regularly, I can say with absolute certainty that a democracy must have security and there are facts you don't want made public. For example, if we were "freely" giving away information in the 1960's, we'd have a m

Re:Easiest thing on earth

[Marxist Hacker 42]

As a former security police augmentee, who pulled guard on an active duty base, and a current Anti-terrorism Officer, who sees intel regularly, I can say with absolute certainty that a democracy must have security and there are facts you don't want made public. For example, if we were "freely" giving away information in the 1960's, we'd have a majority of nations with nuclear weapons. Imagine if Iraq and Iran had nukes in 1980. We saw what Saddam did with the Chem. Part of the "peace dividend" is that we do

Easy way to defuse both

[Marxist Hacker 42]

If the Bush Administration actually WANTED to defuse the situation anyway. Two steps are required:

1. Anti-War mothers, and the country itself, needs an explaination. We now know most of the reasons for going to war were lies. We now know the latest reason for going to war, to install a democracy in Iraq, is at best a process that will take 7-13 years; it can't be done on a short timetable (and certainly NOT a shorter timetable than it took the original 13 colonies in this country to first become a trad

Re:Easy way to defuse both

[JohnnyComeLately]

Most of what people REMEMBER (or were told to remember) were the things that didn't end up to be found. Even Saddam's friends were warning us before the war he had WMD. When you have a guy playing shell games, kicking out inspectors, and the documented use on Iran and his own people, you have to believe he has them and will not hesitate to use them. Actually, do you find it startling that your own advice (nuke two provinces that don't agree with us) is exactly what Saddam did? I can tell you that as I w

Re:Easy way to defuse both

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Most of what people REMEMBER (or were told to remember) were the things that didn't end up to be found. Even Saddam's friends were warning us before the war he had WMD. When you have a guy playing shell games, kicking out inspectors, and the documented use on Iran and his own people, you have to believe he has them and will not hesitate to use them.

Except for he wasn't kicking out inspectors, was he? The UN inspectors were in there right up until 48 hours before we invaded- WE'RE the ones who kicked out