This summer cold is killing me…

Thanks to DesertLover, publiuswarmac9999,Ed Mahmoud, and MtsEdge for addressing the ‘no WMDs’ lie that I cannot abide.

wighttrasch, you’re welcome! Sorry if it got a bit O/T.

An acquaintance of mine has a bumper sticker that says, “Peace is Patriotic.”

– BayStateRepublican

I’ve seen that one. . .and if BayState is California, I imagine you have more than one acquaintance with that bumper sticker Of course, peace isn’t always patriotic. Even as far back as Rome, they understood the notion that “A bad peace is worse than war”. The peace that Europe enjoyed the last couple of years before WWII was an example of a decidedly UN-patriotic peace for most of Europe, reflecting an avoidance of dealing with crucial issues which would eventually result in the largest war in our world’s history.

I could have asked her if Peace had been the answer to Nazism, Fascism, genocide in Eastern Europe, slavery, etc.

Heh, I saw a reply once to a comment about a guy who had a sign that said “Violence is Never the Answer”. The comment was to the effect that, how many times would this person have allowed themself to be punched before exerting some sort of self-defense? Isn’t self-defense violent? If the police can’t take someone into custody in a non-violent manner, violence still isn’t the answer?

The desire for peace is indeed patriotic. I’d agree with that statement. But peace at the expense of our nation’s interests and security is not a good peace. I know I’m preaching to the choir here on that count.

Nearly every American agrees with the statement “I am very patriotic,” but there is a large and growing division in the intensity with which Republicans and Democrats express this sentiment. Currently, 71% of Republicans and just 48% of Democrats say they completely agree with that statement.

The percentage of Republicans strongly voicing feelings of patriotism has risen sharply in the past year, from 63% to 71%. By comparison, Democratic opinion on this value has changed little in recent years. Since 1999, about half of Democrats have said they completely agree with the statement “I am very patriotic.” The events of the past two years have had little impact on those attitudes.

By contrast, many more independents strongly agree with that statement than did so four years ago (54% completely agree now, 40% in 1999). But the views of independents still are much closer to those of Democrats than Republicans: There is a six-point gap in patriotic intensity between independents and Democrats (54% vs. 48%), and a 17-point gap between Republicans and independents (71% of Republicans vs. 54% of independents).

Lots of very good stuff there.

Thanks, guys–now I won’t have to unbunch my panties…well, not as much.

Saw a young lady at the grocery store last night with a “Peace is the Answer” shirt. Its not my place to say anything (but imagine what might be said to me if I wore a “W” t-shirt to a Dixie Chicks concert), but if I wanted to be a turd, I could have asked her if Peace had been the answer to Nazism, Fascism, genocide in Eastern Europe, slavery, etc.

Peace always works great when the school yard bully is stupid enough to take no for an answer.

BSR

On June 26th, 2008 at 2:05 pm, TheOtherSide said:

Examples?

here’s one

On June 26th, 2008 at 12:40 pm, TheOtherSide said:
Sounds like many here are confusing patriotism with nationalism.

unless you’re preparing to expand and explain the alleged confusion?

The fact that the items found turned out to be outdated and either leaking or no longer usable as an efficient weapon does not change the fact of what they were and what they were intended to be used for …

Ask the Kurds and other Iraqis whether or not Saddam had WMD …

Where do people think all those mass graves came from anyway? …

I have no doubt that he used the months leading up to the fully telegraphed invasion to move anything things to Syria …

The national intelligence estimate (NIE) is always an estimate – and the quality of that estimate is based upon many sources and methods. Going to War in Iraq was a slam dunk from an intelligence perspective and, by the way, WMDs were found (not just the more modern versions of biological and chemical agents that were expected).

Finally, Saddam was seeking to develop a nuclear capability much like than now being developed in Iran. If you think that Israel isn’t going to act on intelligence that affects their survival, then I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale cheap to you disbelievers. The Israeli’s are also watching the US election situation for clues as to when to strike. They know that Obama has an Arab-American heritage and they don’t trust him.