What is the difference between the keyboard warriors who see "Islamofascism" as the greatest threat to our civilization, and the keyboard warriors who see BushCo, the MIC and rising domestic fascism as the greatest threat to our civilization?

I mean, I know one fundamental difference is that the former is delusional and the latter is correct, but, in the end, what is the difference? Neither group is willing to actually shoulder a weapon and put their ass on the line for democracy/liberty.

Thoughts?

The terrorist hoach

I already checked The Urban Dictionary.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hoach

It's a cross between a "ho" and a "roach".

arabs. with box cutters.

Imagine what our world would be like if a Republican president with the mindset of RWAs today, had been in charge of the Cuban missile crisis. Notice also it was a Dem president and congress that brought FISA into existence.

I remember those days. When I was crouching under my desk, I couldn’t figure out how that desk could help me live through an atomic bomb attack after seeing the power of such a bomb on newsreels at the movie theater. I dropped my belief in the myth of all communists as crazed monsters through the demagoguery of McCarthy and after reading a book and learning that as many as 30 million Russians died in WWII, I understood why they were very fearful of us. They had very good reasons to be somewhat paranoid.

Our Serious foreign policy experts never seem to be able to have any cultural sensitivity. Their perspective is always power and win-lose or lose-win as the only two possibilities as outcomes in a conflict. I see Obama as someone who recognizes that two other outcomes should be in play, lose-lose and win-win. We need more women and compassionate, gray vs. black and white thinkers determining our foreign policy instead of those with the mindset that Glenn has wisely condemned repeatedly.

@ MacDonald

The reason Fisa was set up in the first place was to avoid the 'errors' and abuses of former administrations. 'To err is human' indeed is a lovely saying ... which is why the courts should keep an eye on things.

I think Lord Acton’s phrase "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." would apply to this circumstance; except I would hardly call this group currently occupying the executive 'great’.

I've yet to hear from the warrior wannabes how expanding the ability to eavesdrop on cell phones will make us any safer. The American military are all overseas fighting "them" there - look who's left to defend us here. Red Alert: we're screwed.

Before 9/11 we had intercepted messages, e-mails, web traffic, civilian reports, FBI reports and a true-terrorist-in-training who walked into the FBI building in Newark, NJ warning us. Intelligence services from all over the world sent us warnings.

The infamous PDB read to the Vacationer-in-Chief got such an enormous reaction, that the National Security Advisor was still dismissing it as hype two years later. Watching the decidedly low-tech hijackers breeze through airport security on video was like watching a bizarre comedy skit.

As long as the Neocon Nincompoops are charged with DOING something about security, we're toast.

Forget the duct tape, buy some wine & cheese.

"But the 9/11 attacks and ensuing events catapulted their paranoia and powerlessness syndromes from clownish sideshow to dominant political faction. And their fevered, self-serving fantasies have empowered the Federal Government beyond anyone's wildest dreams, created a completely out-of-control domestic surveillance state, subordinated even the rule of law to the lawless dictates of Security State officials, and dismantled long-standing constitutional protections and political values so basic that they were previously beyond debate...."

All true, and no coincidence. 9/11 made all of this possible because it was designed for that purpose. 9/11 was an inside job and anyone who continues to believe the "19 crazy Arabs with boxcutters did it" fantasy is contributing to the success of the whole neocon/war on terror/police state/cowed or complicit Congress clusterfuck that we now find ourselves in. WAKE UP! And that includes you, Greenwald.

A trip down the memory hole...

As a teenager I babysat for a neighbor who had just completed their new home. In the basement was a good sized, concrete bunker. The first time I went to sit for the neighbor's kids, their mom gave me a tour of the facility complete with instructions on taking the kids there, securing the bunker, etc. It was completely stocked with food, water, change of the kids clothes, diapers for the baby, formula, and more. I'm sure my eyes were as wide as saucers at the thought of pulling four kids (one of whom was an infant) into that space to wait out... what?... and, for how long? Running through my head was the comparison of teachers instructing us to crouch under our desks. One of those childhood "disconnect" moments. One of the "authorities" in my life was clearly crazy.

The Halliburton (anti) Terrorist Hoach®

Akin to the backyard A-bomb shelters of the 1950s, these self-contained, fully furnished, prefabricated enclosures are both IED and RPG resistant, and are equipped with their own filtered air supplies and electrical generators. They come ready to be buried in sizes appropriate to your family needs.

Entance can be either from the basement of your dwelling, or from the outside. Chobham-armored external blast doors are emblazoned Allahu Akhbar in Arabic, and God Bless America in English.

Apologies if another letter writer has already commented on this -- the letters pages are so overwhelming at this point that I can't read them all. As I read Glenn's post, I realized that we used to hear the same "civilization saving from a safe distance" from the anti-legalized-abortion folks. Interesting that those voices seem to have quieted as this new breed has risen. Interesting also that both found homes in the modern Republican party.

People play games because they're fun and mentally stimulating, not out of some kind of pathetic neo-Napoleon complex. Board gaming in particular is a social activity; interacting with other players is half the fun. And if you're upset about people using games to bring meaning to their lame, dreary lives, that criticism goes triple for movies, literature, music, TV, sports, gambling, and the entire entertainment industrial complex. There's nothing wrong with a little escapism, as long as it's kept in perspective. Also, it's better to work out one's feelings of aggression harmlessly by playing games than by taking them out on other people.

The problem comes when people lose their sense of perspective and start believing that games represent reality. War isn't a video game, or even a war game. I think everyone wants to feel like they belong to something larger than themselves. That's fine; working towards some kind of larger positive goal is a great way to bring meaning to one's life. But along with it comes the danger of self-righteousness, and that's as seductive and addicting as drugs.

This is where I think the problem lies -- those who confuse entertainment with reality and are OD'ing on their own group's self-righteousness.