Counter-counter-counter point?
Published by StB on Sunday, May 20, 2007 at 5:06 PM.
I would like to thank BG for allowing me to reply. I know I cannot translate my thoughts as well as he does, but I thought I would give it a try. At the very least, it gave me something to do while the rib roast was cooking.
Let's start with a focus on who the real enemy of the United States is. It is not just one organization. It is group of different people who have taken extremist views of a religion and want to impose them on everyone. Sounds far fetched? Hardly.
I'm sorry, hang on... Show of hands - who really believes this to be a remote possibility? Do Islamic Fundamentalists have the manpower and the infrastructure, let alone the military might to engage the rest of the world to establish an Earthly Caliphate? These guys are dangerous, but they're not capable of installing a Caliphate in the Western hemisphere. This isn't even an argument worth countering.
It would be nice if we could live in pre 9/11 world. But we cannot. The threat of jihad is real, whether people want to recognize it or not. It is not something that should be dismissed because you choose to. It didn't take much manpower to hit the World Trade Center. It doesn't take much manpower to blow up a market. They have a plan. Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch explains:
It would appear that the planned attack on Fort Dix has already been forgotten. It is foolishness to think there are not other cells on American soil planning similar attacks.
Have we not learned about underestimating out enemy?
And since when should we take anything said by our enemy at face value? To take the direct words of Bin Laden and say it is about an American presence on Arab soil makes little sense. That is clearly just the beginning. Think about it. By planning an attack on US soil, that guaranteed there would be more of a presence, not less. The power of the American military was going to be used. No, there is more behind those words.
Who says they hate the American lifestyle? Please provide proof of this, in their own words please.
There are many reasons for Al Qaeda's opposition to the US. First, the United States was regarded as an "infidel" because it was not governed in a manner consistent with the group's extremist interpretation of Islam. Maybe we can use language people may understand. They do not like the American lifestyle because it is not based on their interpretation of their religion. They don't like it because in the United States, women have rights. Simple things like an education or driving. Gay people have rights and are accepted. They are not " terrorized, beaten up and ordered to leave or be castrated." Hell, they would rather you not enjoy a cocktail or a cold beer. Yep, simple rights that we take for granted are that bad to them.
The American public is stupid, and that's entirely purposeful. Let's take a look at something you said the other day.
So, it would appear the netroots are growing, which would mean that more people are being informed. Of course with one side getting stronger, the other side begins their own recruitment. Sounds like the American public is getting smarter. With the number of people voting in the last election up 60%, it would indicate that people are not just relying on 10 sound bytes to get the information they need. Beyond the internet is the daily download of podcasts, talk radio, and the dying newspaper. Give people more credit. The American public doesn't buy in to silly racist sayings about scary brown people. They understand the difference between torture (beatings, electrocution) and reality TV (sleep deprivation, extreme cold).
It would be nice to see the enemy for who they truly are. To not blame America for all that is wrong. Our country by no means is perfect, but the United States still stands as a beacon of hope for many across the world.
Let's start with a focus on who the real enemy of the United States is. It is not just one organization. It is group of different people who have taken extremist views of a religion and want to impose them on everyone. Sounds far fetched? Hardly.
I'm sorry, hang on... Show of hands - who really believes this to be a remote possibility? Do Islamic Fundamentalists have the manpower and the infrastructure, let alone the military might to engage the rest of the world to establish an Earthly Caliphate? These guys are dangerous, but they're not capable of installing a Caliphate in the Western hemisphere. This isn't even an argument worth countering.
It would be nice if we could live in pre 9/11 world. But we cannot. The threat of jihad is real, whether people want to recognize it or not. It is not something that should be dismissed because you choose to. It didn't take much manpower to hit the World Trade Center. It doesn't take much manpower to blow up a market. They have a plan. Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch explains:
Unfortunately, however, jihad as warfare against unbelievers in order to institute Sharia worldwide is not propaganda or ignorance, or a heretical doctrine held by a tiny minority of extremists; instead, it is a constant element of mainstream Islamic theology.
It would appear that the planned attack on Fort Dix has already been forgotten. It is foolishness to think there are not other cells on American soil planning similar attacks.
Have we not learned about underestimating out enemy?
And since when should we take anything said by our enemy at face value? To take the direct words of Bin Laden and say it is about an American presence on Arab soil makes little sense. That is clearly just the beginning. Think about it. By planning an attack on US soil, that guaranteed there would be more of a presence, not less. The power of the American military was going to be used. No, there is more behind those words.
Who says they hate the American lifestyle? Please provide proof of this, in their own words please.
There are many reasons for Al Qaeda's opposition to the US. First, the United States was regarded as an "infidel" because it was not governed in a manner consistent with the group's extremist interpretation of Islam. Maybe we can use language people may understand. They do not like the American lifestyle because it is not based on their interpretation of their religion. They don't like it because in the United States, women have rights. Simple things like an education or driving. Gay people have rights and are accepted. They are not " terrorized, beaten up and ordered to leave or be castrated." Hell, they would rather you not enjoy a cocktail or a cold beer. Yep, simple rights that we take for granted are that bad to them.
The American public is stupid, and that's entirely purposeful. Let's take a look at something you said the other day.
Not only do the Netroots have the audacity to organize online, but they're speaking out too.
So, it would appear the netroots are growing, which would mean that more people are being informed. Of course with one side getting stronger, the other side begins their own recruitment. Sounds like the American public is getting smarter. With the number of people voting in the last election up 60%, it would indicate that people are not just relying on 10 sound bytes to get the information they need. Beyond the internet is the daily download of podcasts, talk radio, and the dying newspaper. Give people more credit. The American public doesn't buy in to silly racist sayings about scary brown people. They understand the difference between torture (beatings, electrocution) and reality TV (sleep deprivation, extreme cold).
It would be nice to see the enemy for who they truly are. To not blame America for all that is wrong. Our country by no means is perfect, but the United States still stands as a beacon of hope for many across the world.
