It's comforting to think that voices like Glenn's are part of the solution, insofar as he does such good work in exposing the falsehoods and inconsistencies in our corrupt government-media combine. But I'm not sanguine that a steady drip of truth and clarity will infuse We the People with sufficient will and expertise to develop a cure. -- Little Brother

Loved your post but you must understand that "infusing We the People with sufficient will and expertise to develope a cure" is not the goal of the commenters here or even Glenn so far as I can tell. They are much more concerned with being "comforted in the thought that voices like Glenn's are part of the solution" (as you put it). They are simply whistling away the hours. It makes them feel better. It makes them feel as though they are doing something. But I think perhaps that is what you were saying all along.

http://www.chris-floyd.com/content/view/1272/135/

FYI, I'm not Chris Floyd, and am only vaguely familiar with him-- although the site seems interesting, and I appreciate the link. But then, I'm a Dylan fan too.

I realize that your comment referencing my post wasn't directed to me... -- Little Brother

LB,

Just a friendly suggestion here -- you may want to consider ignoring Kitt altogether. He is very angry, very emotionally invested and not very bright. It is an ugly combination, as perhaps you have already noticed.

First things first: we've got to come to a consensus that the Republic really is shattered and in ruins at our feet. To that end, I heartily recommend Chris Floyd's piece at Empire Burlesque. Then put together what he has to say with what Glenn has posted today...

See what pops up...

(There's a General Strike called for 9.11.07.) -- Ché Pasa

I am right there with you Che. I am curious to see who else sees things the way we do. I received no response, save some blathering from a usual suspect, when I linked to Floyd earlier.

Have any other commenters here at UT bothered to read Floyd's essay? Has GG? I am truly curious.

I'm a Marine who hates Scott Ritter because of the way he disgraced the uniform. That should be enough information for you, but I doubt it.

Disgraced the uniform how exactly? Because he attempted to expose the lies of a civilian leadership bent on illegal warmongering? Some other reason?

Just to get a better understanding of where you are coming from -- do you also hate Lt. Col. North for disgracing the uniform? What about the Marines in Haditha and Hamandiya? Do their actions constitute a disgrace to the uniform? Or how about Gen. Butler? Did he disgrace the uniform by writing War Is A Racket? As a former Marine myself, I would find it interesting to know what your metric is for "disgracing the uniform."

I don't know much about Ritter's personal life, but it seems to me that exposing the dishonorable chickenhawks and their lies is precisely the type of thing we Marines are called to do. I see it as protecting the constitution and our country from our domestic enemies. What say you?

For the other Marine who makes baseless leaps of logic even worse than Glenn Greenwald's, no, I don't support Ollie North.

As for the Haditha Marines, I'll wait until all the evidence is in. I do notice, however, that charges have been dropped against three of the four.

Glad you and Murtha (who'll need a good libel lawyer real soon) are so willing to jump to conclusions, though. --Anonymous

Ease down there hard-charger. Where in my post did I "make baseless leaps of logic?" I simply asked you to clarify (which you still haven't done) by asking you questions and then gave you some of my opinion there at the end.

I didn't ask if you "supported" Lt. Col. North -- I asked if you thought he had disgraced the uniform. It appears that perhaps you think Murtha has also disgraced the uniform. Is that what you believe?

I understand that some of the Haditha Marines have had the charges dropped but, I don't put much faith in the honesty of the JAG decisions in cases such as these and, to my mind, the "battlefield legality" of it means much less to me than the honor issues. Battlefield legality can be fudged, glossed over and even ignored in a effort to cover ass -- killing innocent children can't. So, when you talk about disgracing the uniform I am just trying to understand what your metric is.

Perhaps honor doesn't play as large a role as it once did in the Marines. Perhaps the Marines have devolved into a political he said/she joke where truth and honor are no longer the driving ethos? I don't know. I have been out awhile.

Plus, he had to stop the carrier, delaying the shore leave of 5000 sailors, just for a fucking joyride? -- Scientician

Do you mean he had to stop the carrier so he could land or just that the carrier had to break off to meet him? If you meant the former... not to quibble, and I may be wrong about that particular occasion, but most of the time carriers are not stopped when planes are landing. Especially fighter jets. It is my understanding that it is much easier for the pilot to land if the carrier is traveling balls out into the wind. Perhaps a Squid will pipe up if I am wrong here, but I am fairly sure I am not. I know for a fact that true for take off. It is much easier for a fighter jet to get off the deck if the carrier is traveling into the wind.

Again not to detract from your comment... I agree he is an overgrown child who gets his off on his little power trips.