Posted by
Scott Keys on Thursday, January 11, 2007 2:41:38 PM
Let's wrap up this chapter of dialogue with a few observations, Dave (you can read Dave's previous comments under the "Iraq, etc." post) :
You didn't even attempt to address the substance of most of what I said except for your two citations from Colin Powell, both pre-9/11. One of the speeches was almost 6 years ago! Information continues to come on on the WMD thing. Keep watching if you're truly interested in finding the truth. I changed my opinion about their existence once new info emerged. And since you made no attempt to refute them, I'll take it to mean you concede all the many other points I took the time to make. Thanks.
I didn't quite understand your story analogy about the girl who called in sick. Was it that I misunderstood you? Dave, I can only react to what you actually write. I'm not going to guess what you mean. If you say we shouldn't make regime changes in independent countries, I'm going to take you to task for exactly that opinion. Be as specific as possible, please. I'll do the same.
Do you mean to sound as bigoted toward Christians and Jews as you do in the section where you compare Moslems to adolescents because of the comparative age of Islam? And do you realize how condescending this attitude is to Moslems? They're like children? Dave, they had a dynamic, thriving, fully-flowered civilization a thousand years ago. The question isn't why is Islam a child, it's what happened between 1000 and today? And please don't tell me the "West" screwed them up somehow. If you're interested in the reasons there are several good books on the subject.
>I guess, then, that it boils down to
who gets to decide what's "outright imperialism and subjugation," and
what threats really do, in fact, threaten the continuation of our way
of life."
That's right, it does boil down to that and we get to decide for us, like every other country gets to decide for itself. We haven't conquered, occupied and subjugated anyone I can think of lately. I believe we make good decisions generally, (here comes standard disclaimer; I hate having to do these) NOT TO SAY WE'RE PERFECT. But I believe we are the good guys and our decisions have made the world a better place on the whole. You believe we're the good guys, don't you, Dave?
While I agree that often on many social issues it's hard to tell them apart (spending too much money comes to mind) when it comes to personal freedom and allowing me to keep more of what I make the Republicans are the party with which I have the most in common. Campus speech codes, limits on campaign spending, and smoking/food bans are examples of ideologies of the left. I guarantee the Democrats will try to raise your taxes as quickly as they can. The Republican Congress of the last few years lowered my taxes several times, so that's a significant difference. The War on Terror is the most important issue of our time and on this, the Republicans stance is more in line with my own.
>So, on another front,
how about a Hillary, Obama ticket? Any chance in hell that #1 a woman
could be elected president and #2 a black man could be elected
president?
Yeah, I think the right woman and the right black man could both be elected. I would vote for any man or woman of any color who stood for the things I believe are right. Neither of these people inspire this confidence in me, to say the least. I think Colin Powell was probably electable in 2000and I always felt the Republicans missed a huge opportunity by not nominating Jeane Kirkpatrick for VP in 1988. If she's interested at some point, and right now she's not, Condoleezza Rice might be electable.Course, she's a Republican and doesn't qualify as a "real" woman or black to most liberals.
I'm only trying to reason through this stuff myself, Dave, but I try to get my info from a wide array of sources as possible. Maybe you do too but from what you write I don't get that sense. And calling me a parrot and that I'm "parroting" the party line is not an argument, by the way, nor even "sarcastic", I'm afraid. It's another ad hominem, or personal, attack. And I apologized for being sarcastic.
As to your comments on the food ads ban in the UK, OF COURSE I'm against it and why aren't you? that is if you enjoy thinking and making your own decisions? The stats don't lie and fat kids are obviously a problem but we shouldn't expect the government to step in and solve it by censoring TV. You're not in favor of censorship are you, Dave? I ate this stuff growing up and so did you and so did all my friends. The vast majority of us were not fat kids so maybe something else has changed. In any case the government's responsibility for "safety," as in national defense, is pretty clear cut and you can even make a case for disseminating info so people have the facts to help them make informed decisions but that's where you have to leave it in a free country! The logical outgrowth of this concern for Public Safety is government intrusion into every aspect of your life. First ban ads, then ban the foods themselves, then let's ban activities that are dangerous because, after all, we're paying for your health care so we get to decide how risky yo should be in your personal pursuits. If you can make a case for one of these you can make a case for all of them. And yes, I would allow tobacco advertising on TV. Why not? It's a legal product? I can decide whether I want to be an idiot and smoke or not (I don't smoke) and I'll be responsible, thank you very much, for educating my children on this stuff. Sorry but your opinions on these issues are what made me think you would be registered Dem. It's that side of the aisle that advocates intrusion into people's personal lives to a much greater extent.
All of this having been said, I very much appreciate the back and forth and hope it's not boring for anyone else who happens to be reading. Maybe it's serving a purpose as my manifesto. The Musician's Manifesto and Rancorous Rantings. Marx had Engels. I need a lackey. Someone to do most of the work (a la Engels/Marx) so I can sponge money from my family and take the lion's share of the credit. Thanks, everyone, for reading and contributing.