How did the United States make it through the cold war facing an enemy a thousand times (if not more) threatening and menacing than fundamentalist Muslims, and yet never set up concentration camps or agree to torture Russians in a place like Gitmo? Why was that?

As barking mad as the drunk Joe McCarthy was, even he wasn’t so scared of commies in the 1950’s that he supported rounding up and torturing Russians? Why was that?

With the impending doom and fear instilled during the duck-and-cover years, why did no one think of abandoning the Geneva Conventions to use that much more justifiable fear to argue for water-boarding Russians, or piling them up in naked pyramids, or hooking electrodes to their genitals and murdering them? In a period just a decade after the unimaginable human cruelty of Nazi Germany, no one thought we needed to resort to such excessively cruel measures. Why was that?

What is it that “justifies” the rightwing powder-puffs of their pathetic fears when faced with a threat that’s monumentally smaller than the threat posed during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the very existence of mankind was on the brink?

What could that one thing be?

I’ll give you a hint. It's something we all have, but some folks have it in a different hue.

"As repugnant as I find his views on homosexuality, calling Rick Warren "extremist" dilutes the term and alienates those you are trying to convince."

-- Ross Cunniff

Christ Almighty, how can anyone read such a pathetic paean to submissivism and not laugh?

When I was reading Glenn's previous post today on the rising chorus of voices calling for prosecutions of Bush administration war crimes, I was thinking one of the most logical platforms for pushing these charges forward in the media,“liberal radio” Air America, is not doing it because of this same craven, placating mindset.

Thanks to this kind of spinelessness, president of Air America, Mark Green, and on-air apologists for rightwing behavior like host Ron ‘agree-to-disagree’ Kube’ (who considers Caroline Kennedy’s possible appointment to the Senate grounds for a week long discussion, but war crimes and illegal wiretaps too “alienating” to discuss), making such on-air discussions too "extremist" and "alienating" for the only so-called liberal network on the air. God forbid anyone alienates knuckle-dragging racists, homophobes, and religious intolerants. We must ALWAYS keep the discussion at a level that panders to, and shows respect towards, the lowest, scummiest, vilest members of society.

What the fuck is the point of “trying to convince” anyone of anything if you’re afraid telling the truth is too "alienating"??

"The average person here in the US doesn't care. At all. Among those who do care the numbers are probably fairly even between those who want prosecutions and those who think that torture was entirely appropriate."

-- Jack Ketch / December 18, 2008

Hmmm. You make a strong argument.

Oh, wait, what's this?

"to predict any electoral consequences for the Republicans is yet another instance of progressives desparately trying to convince themselves that the Republican empire can collapose under the weight of its own greed and treachery, and it won't."

-- Jack Ketch / February 17, 2006

"The only reason that various factions on the right are openly bickering is because they know that their hold on power is secure."

-- Jack Ketch / May 18, 2006 11:25 AM

Did I say a strong argument? I meant strong stench.

".. death or, sometimes, Satan"

I’ve always been torn between which of those 2 better represent the conservative ideology. It seems he picked an appropriate pseudonym.

Those quotes I took were from just the first page of his brilliant observations. I’m sure if someone could stomach a deeper dig into his thought repository there are even more such prescient insights.

Rightwingers are so confident in their prognostications precisely because, as we have seen over these past 8 years (and longer), that no matter how catastrophically wrong and ignorant they are like our friend Jack here, they are always welcome in rightwing circles to opine further.

War talk fun!

50 CAL! M4! APACHE! HUMVEE!

Me like!

Talk of democracy intimidate me!

This bad!

More fun war talk PLEEEAAZZE!

-- Elephantman

"I remain amazed observing white liberals going native when a person of color does not follow the script of progressives and liberals ( majority of whom are white as usual you get some black liberal apologists like Pam Spaulding needy colored folks existing always in the margins as mascots for white folks validation)"

-- GBT

Indutibly! So, stroking your beard in a most contemplative manner, not only are you a racist asshole, you're also an asshole racist.

I remain amazed...

"Symbolic paeans to inclusion might just work. Consider that?"

-- freelancer1211

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome.

Placating the apeshit rightwing crackpots will pay off huge dividends this time around. I can just FEEL it!

"On FISA, I think Obama made the only decision at that time that wouldn't have prevented him from being elected."

-- Xrandadu Hutman

You mean because of the widespread support dismantling FISA had among the American people? The huge clamoring mobs screaming that keeping FISA, as is, would be intolerable?

I don't think you're going to find a lot of Aryan Nation devotees here. But I believe the word 'negro' is still very much in use on rightwing sites.