Thanks RMP, for answering. I appreciate the effort to explain.

And the Air Force doesn't get involved with ground combat? Thanks for that, my understanding of tactics is minimal. I would guess they only drop munitions or strafe around the scene of combat to create a diversion, but like I said, I wouldn't know.

Hmm. I come back to Salon after a couple of days of self-enforced abstinence from this site to maintain my sanity. I then find this article and these posts. I begin to seriously consider following my friend's advice to get a gun license and buy that nice H&K he showed me -- "The safety of your family is what's important. You never know what nutcases are around the corner." That's what he always says. I am beginning to think he knows something I don't.

Then I jump to Slate and find this:

http://www.slate.com/id/2187108/pagenum/all/#page_start

I imagine I hear Nero fiddling and see flames in the distance. Bear Sterns is the perfect metaphor for America. The salad bar is still great, even if it's worth only $2 a share. And who would be JPMorgan? China maybe? Russia? Does it matter? That H&K is looking better by the minute.

Keep enjoying the sideshow, kids. The carnival continues.

And the Air Force doesn't get involved with ground combat? Thanks for that, my understanding of tactics is minimal. I would guess they only drop munitions or strafe around the scene of combat to create a diversion, but like I said, I wouldn't know.

-- Derbig Mooser

The Air Force does not have ground forces, infantry, except for the elite Pararescue SpecOps commandos. Toughest unit to make with the highest wash out rate. Navy SEALs are pikers.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1281461.html

The real ground pounders are the airborne artillery. Tactical Close Air Support.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_air_support

"has long spewed forth from the far more powerful appendages of the right-wing noise-machine, exemplified by Instapunk's Easter meditation on race."

Right. One little known blogger is "far more powerful" and holds far more sway than the black churches do.

"This racist energy had for a long time been at least partly directed towards "the Communists" but now that it isn't it is pretty much clear that Islam is now the designated nigger."

What a pile-up of compounded ignorance and vulgarity. Apparently 'racism' is a concept transferable to ethnicity, ideology, and theology.

"The belief that they are good and pure, yet subjected to unprecedented systematic unfairness and threatened by some lurking Evil Other against whom war must be waged (the Muslim, the Immigrant, the Terrorist, the Communist, the Liberal, the Welfare Queen) is the centerpiece of their ugly worldview."

What meaningless drivel, and what's more, how blind do you have to be to realise that's pretty much a caricature of the left's world view as well, accept that the groups would be changed (to the US military, rich white male, coporate CEO, Wall Street trader, Washington lobbyist, drug company, American society in general etc). If you going to attempt to pass-off simple-minded broadstrokes as analysis, at least realise when they are in fact exact parallels of your own side's entrenched positions.

"What matters is that there be some scary, malicious group about to harm them and America."

Mmm...from the man who makes a living feverishly demonising Republicans and trying to persuade his wayward readership the Bush adminstration is little short of an authoritarian junta. I'd say Glenn's as much a profiteer of ideological hate-mongering as anybody.

But of course Glenn regards himself as "good and pure", so its okay its foster hate towards those nasty right-wing despoilers.

"and as we've seen repeatedly over the last many years as Democrats are forced in ritualistic sideshows to "repudiate" whoever the Extremist of the Week happens to be (Michael Moore, MoveOn, Louis Farrakhan)"

Ron Paul has also been called on to repudiate people like David Duke who offered him support, and Mitt Romney was called upon to answer for the racist history of his church, both cases of guilt by association, so drop the baseless idea that this is one way.

Americans don't like loons or extremists, and during the eight years of the Bush adminstration frothing lunatics like Obama's pastor have not been in short supply on the left and are often closer than they should be to the Democratic party.

And no one is trashing Obama for attending a Christian church. They're trashing him (rightly) for attending the same church for 20 years where the pastor preached outright hatred and race-baiting but then wants to disassociate himself from it, saying he didn't know.

It's the lying and hypocrisy.

-- T. Suarez

Orbitboy's post with the excerpt from Obama's speech tells a different story from the one you are telling.

Seems like you're used to speaking for both of us. Please carry on, please do.

“They're trashing him (rightly) for attending the same church for 20 years where the pastor preached outright hatred and race-baiting but then wants to disassociate himself from it, saying he didn't know.”

So that means that you also are part of they. Did you listen to Wright’s full ten minute sermon that Salon and others have provided for your viewing? Have you read any articles about Trinity church and what really goes on there? Or did you just buy the "I don't want a black president," and believe that outright hatred and race-baiting is all that Wright has done with his life? That all the lives that Wright saved both physically and mentally are not important?

Obama has told the truth about his church experience and his life and I guess since it doesn't fit into what you want to believe, so you just dismiss him by saying that he didn't know about Damn America and the aids accusation. You want to use one simple idea where no one knows the truth for sure to decide about a man's full life and his extensive statements on many important political issues as the deciding factor. You must have been looking long and hard for any excuse to dismiss him.