@ Null Spaces

Such insufferable self serious pomposity.

You must have been reading Patterico, who thinks that anyone who is categorically against torture (even when it's being done on evil terrorists) is insufferable. Sigh. Well, if you can't stand the suffering, get out of the kvetchin. Heh.

As for Republicants, while I admire the idea, I vote for calling them Republics. As in The Republic Party. Just to echo their Democrat Party meme.

Who are we saving from what?!?</.blockquote>

Us from Them.

I say that humanitarian intervention has been given a bad name because intervention abroad has been delegitimized with the US public in general because of the Iraq debacle. Any time in the coming decades that a US leader claims that military action is necessary abroad for humanitarian reasons, they will meet a skeptical public.

The one good thing the Bush Regime has accomplished.

And, WT, yes, exactly what you said.

The fact that Rudy had allowed the City's emergency response team to be placed in the WTC just shows how clueless he was.

As I've mentioned before, a number of us who lived in the area stayed away from the WTC after 93 because we figured a) terrorists had targeted it in the future and b) terrorists were still p.o.'d about our Middle East policy and would probably go for the Towers again. (Not to mention that they Hate Us For Our Freedoms, or used to anyway, since we don't have so many freedoms anymore.)

And you're right, Glenn, about Rudy's constant references to his own heroism during 9/11. As someone who lived in the area, I do know lots of people who were personally affected (not to mention many who were killed). The survivors have many stories to tell -- stories filled with sorrow, fear, awe, amazement, even sometimes humor in the face of bizarre circumstances, and stories about people acting well or terribly selfishly. I've heard lots of stories about other peoples' bravery or courage -- but I've never heard ANYONE brag about their own exploits. It just isn't done. Well, except by people with serious ego problems.

After all, when the Roto-Rooter truck's in the neighborhood, why not take advantage?

From your update, Friedman's casual desire to "roto-rooter" Syria, since we're in Iraq anyway. The fact that there are human lives at stake means nothing to the man. He is a self-absorbed little prick, a perfect "liberal" balance to Dubya's "conservativism". Rich frat boys without an ounce of empathy between them. And not too many brains either. Gah. Need to go scrub something with bleach, besides my eyes.

the h/t demonstrates that the Brian Williams clip originates with a GLBT site. Do I need to connect any more dots for you?

Yes, you do. I don't understand what you're on about. Do you mean that since Glenn is citing a GLBT site re marriage and since GLBTs are a priori a threat to marriage, then Williams' point is made? Or what?

(As for those folks who think that marriage is a dinosaur and isn't really any different than simply living together, sorry, it ain't so. Which is why the push from the GL community for marriage rights, it IS different. And re men exploiting women through marriage -- men also exploit women outside marriage. Not all men are misogynist bastards, though some are. Just as not all Arabs are terrorists, though some are. Just as not all Southerners are racists, though some are. Just as not all African-Americans are drug dealers, though some are. Me? I like men, especially the DH.)

Well, if AOL was among those pipelining data to the NSA....

-- Paul Dirks

We have AOL (no rude jokes, please) and when the wiretap story broke, I called AOL and asked them whether they had delivered my e-mails to the government. Their answer: no comment.

Funny thing is, the pre-OPEC Arabs around and right after the U.A.R. and Nasser -- they said the same thing. It isn't their ancient history that has to be understood in detail, they need to be understood now, as human beings who have to live in the place after someone's global strategic war against whatever has blown through, ruined everything, and gone on to greener pastures. But we never learn this lesson. Left, right, and center, Americans always see the rest of the world as players in their belief games. If they didn't, they would be able to explain why it was progressives and socialists in India who protested Indira Gandhi's recognition of Najibullah.

Someday it should be codified into human rights that non-powerful people have a right to be respected as humans beings, instead of pawns in someone else's game.

-- ondelette

Could we have a plaque or something put up in Congress and in the White House to this effect?

I don't think the neo-cons would like it tho.

It's kind of like being in a monster movie isn't it, where the good guys have finally managed to alert the townspeople to the danger and the monster is on the run, maybe even fatally wounded. The question is, are we past the point of danger, or does the monster still have enough lash in its tail to kill a bunch more folks before it finally goes down to defeat?

Then, of course, there's always the "son of" sequel to worry about. (Not to mention, a last-scene-of-Carrie-style resurrection....)

What you're not understanding is that "The Terrorists" and "Americans" are treated exactly alike, because the Bush Administration has turned Americans into terrorists. So who needs a warrant, anyway?

That was really Klein's subtext.

Do you think Shooter reads what is written here with the intent to argue against it no matter what it says? His commentary on the Ivins excerpt is surreal.

And is he deliberately dense or just dense?

He really needs to read the last book of the Narnia series and see if he can identify the character in it that he most resembles (hint: it's neither feline nor human).