Ann Coulter is a SLAG
Read this and saw your comment on GirlRobot’s blog:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20080611/cm_ucac/bushsamerica100percentalqaidafreesince2001
Pick it apart piece by piece in your next blog. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
A bit of background info:
One of my favorite blogs out there is GirlRobot and I was reading her Friday Linksthe other day when I came across yet another ridiculous Ann Coulter editorial…the one listed above in the e-mail. I must admit, I read through the article rather hastily, because well, I f%&king hate Ann Coulter. Ever since she wrote the book that contained a completely psychopathic bashing of the widows of the 9/11 attacks, I haven’t been able to take anything she says seriously. Watch this clip:
If it would not have been Ann Coulter writing that article, I would have said something along the lines of “I can’t say I agree with her, but I will admit that she makes some pretty good points.” Instead, I said something along the lines of “This chick hasn’t been admitted to the psych-ward yet? Or burned at the stake?” I am human, and when someone I don’t like writes or says something, I am probably not going to take it very seriously or I might completely discredit them before even reading what they have to say like some people I know tend to do.
So here is what I will do. I will attempt to “pick apart” the article all the while pretending that Crazy-Cold-Heartless-Manlike-Bitch (Ann Coulter) did not, in fact author it. I will attempt to address it as if my mother wrote it and I am simply sitting across the table discussing it with her.
My first thought: There is a huge difference between correlation and connection. So there has not been another terrorist attack on America since 2001. OK. Is that really a direct result of Bush’s foreign policy and this war we are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? No. Maybe a little tiny bit, but no. You’ve got to hand it to the F.B.I. and C.I.A. They are the ones keeping our soil secure. For it to be said that we are “pinning down” this massive and worldwide terrorist organization with thousands and thousands of members could not possibly be an accurate statement. That is pretty strongly evidenced by the attacks in London, Madrid, Bali, etc. so it is not as if Al-Quida could not spare a handful of their members to attack America again. That kind of statement does not take into account lots of other factors, one of those factors being how incredibley long it takes to plan an attack of 9/11’s caliber: Between 1993’s attack and 2001’s attack there was an 8 and a half year time span! America’s borders are quite secure and not easy to penetrate and orchestrate that kind of attack. Is this because of one man, George Bush, and his war in Iraq? No…at least I don’t think so, anyway.
Which brings me to my next beef with this particular article. The Al-Quida that attacked us on September 11th is not the Al-Quida that we are fighting in Iraq. The Al-Quida that attacked us were:
- 15 Saudi Arabians
- 1 Egyptian
- 1 guy from Lebanon
- 2 guys from United Arab Emirates
So, once again, to say that we are “pinning down” the terrorists in Iraq…the ones that did not attack us in the first place…to me, is not the most profound of statements. I must speculate that the fact that we have not had another attack since 2001 is most likely not because we are making our presence in Iraq of all places. Besides, if we go on thinking that just because we are fighting the War on Terror in the Middle East, then there are not Al-Quida cells left in the U.S., waiting…plotting…well then, I don’t think we learned very much from 9/11.
Next Point:
Look…I am just as American as the next guy…I am extremely proud of the men and women in Iraq and their progress in Sadr City and Basra…but let me just say this: As long as there are Curds, Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq who have been at each other’s throats for thousands of years, there is only so far that we can go to bring peace their way. WE…CANNOT…WIN…A…HOLY…WAR. We have brought down the tyranny that was Saddam Hussein. Praise George Bush and God Bless America for that. We have brought back democracy to a country in desperate need of it. Praise George Bush and God Bless America for that. We made absolutely sure that Iraq is not holding weapons of mass destruction. Praise George Bush and God Bless America for that. However, our presence in Iraq is now the primary cause of the ten-fold increase in suicide bombings post-invasion. It is time to hand over the military and security duties to the police and military of Iraq. It is time to step out and only offer assistance in the form of organizing diplomacy meetings between the three factions. It is time to step back and simply offer assistance and guidance to the new government and its leaders. It is time to stop spending 720 million dollars a day on a war that has stretched beyond what we came there to do.
Which brings me to my next point. The article justifies the fighting and violence in Iraq by comparing the death ratio between our troops and the city of Chicago. The article also suggests that us being in Iraq is keeping our country safe. To me, that is a contradiction. If terrorists have not attacked our country in nearly 7 years, yet 12,000 people in Chicago have died a violent death since then, wouldn’t our resources be better spent cleaning up our own country’s woes? I have said it before and I will say it again: Terrorism has, is and always will be a relatively small risk to American livelihood. There are so, SO, SO many other things that ail America’s well being. We have done our duty to the world in Iraq (too bad we were tricked into thinking it was all about Terrorism…but that’s a whole ‘nother blog) and it is time to begin withdrawal process and come on home.
Do I think Bush has been a horrible or even a BAD president? No. Not really. Do I think he will go down as “one of America’s greatest presidents” as the article suggests? HARDLY! Not if he knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance and did not do more. Not if you remember things like the home foreclosure crisis, his lack of investment in renewable energy (yay gas prices!), his deregulation of corporations and big businesses, his tax cuts for the wealthy, horrible Hurricane Katrina response, invasion of privacy and disregard for the 1st amendment, no-bid Haliburton nonsense, ridiculous war propaganda and Valerie Wilson (er, Plame..er, whatever). Then you’ve got the spending spree…all the money that we have borrowed for the war, the economic stimulus package, the insane building of the 3 billion dollar border fence…all money borrowed from countries like China. And, no…it’s not like the 4th of July car sales where we get interest free financing. No, America can barely keep its head up just making the interest payments on 9 trillion dollars every year let alone start ACTUALLY paying that money back. When we owe people money, we lose power to them. Thanks in part to President Bush (who turned a Clinton surplus into a burnt hole in America’s pocket) we will see China as the only world super power within 25 to 30 years (just my prediction).
Am I saying that Al Gore or John Kerry could have done better? No. Probably Not.
A quick summary:
The article was not all wrong; it made some very good points that I just have to agree with. I was quick to judge it because a complete Bitch that I despise wrote it. I apologize for that.
I don’t think that Bush and his administration are complete f%#k ups. Not even close. I am simply one of the current 83% of Americans that is not happy. I have a right not to be happy. I have a right to feel like we can do better. That doesn’t make me any less full-blooded American. It is my constitutional right and I am so blessed to be able to express it. Ann Coulter shares that same right to call 9/11 widows “wenches” and “dumb broads” and “harpies.”
God Bless America. And God have mercy on her soul…
thanks for the shoutout and i agree with you wholeheartedly!
Comment by girlrobot — June 24, 2008 @ 11:27 am
If you think we’ve got it bad with George Bush, you don’t want to be around if B. Hussein Obama gets elected. That is a very VERY scary possibility.
I agree that the border fence is not the most practical thing, but illegal immigration is a SERIOUS problem. Talk about a multi-million-dollar-a-year-and-growing issue!
We will always disagree on the war in Iraq. I believe that we need to be there. I thank GOD every day for our president who has the balls to go after the group that killed 3,000 innocent Americans on 9/11 and who knows how many others in the past 10 years. And I thank GOD for our troops, who are over there defending OUR FREEDOM, along with the freedom of people who hate George Bush, hate the war, and hate the troops. 90% of our troops love what they do and support George Bush and the war 100,000%. If you want to support the troops, I am sorry, but you have to support what they do. That’s like saying, “I support the garbage men, but I don’t support trash collection.” It’s a damn shame that well over half the people they are fighting for don’t give a shit. Sorry, this topic literally makes my blood boil.
Good post.
XOXOXOX
K
Comment by Kim — June 24, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
George W Bush was in office for how long, Andy? Bill Clinton was in office previously for 8 entire years before hand. Exactly, how and what did Bill Clinton do in terms of fighting terrorism. A blowjob from Monica and then lying under oath about it? Bill already had the First World Trade Center bombing, not to mention the USS Cole under his belt, and he still did nothing.
And last, but not least, Bill Clinton was the one who let Bin Laden himself SLIP right through his fingers in 1996.
Pot, Kettle, black anyone?
By the way, I’m still waiting on Nancy Pelosi’s promise she made in 2006 to bring down gas prices…..how about you, Andy?
Much to learn, you still have.
Comment by Braden — June 24, 2008 @ 12:49 pm
@ Kim
I support Trash Men. They have one heck of a tough job. They are one of the most important behind the scenes jobs on the planet. I have all the respect in the world for them. But what if the city government wasn’t providing them orange safety vests or hand rails on the backs of the trucks? What if the city was not providing them proper health care when they rolled their ankle jumping off the truck? What if the city was making them work more than 8 hours without extra compensation? What if they were forced to go down the same street twice a day even though they got all the garbage the first time around? What if I didn’t think that the city of Omaha was doing enough to support recycling incentive programs which would make the trash men’s jobs a lot easier? What if they increased the price of trash pick up by 200 percent but I never saw where that money was going? It just disappeared???
I feel like I have every right to say that I support the men and women of the armed forces and the heroic things that they do, but I don’t agree 100% with how this war was started and how George and The Pentagon are running it. Yes, they’ve got some things right but a LOT of things wrong. That has nothing to do with supporting my brave countrymen over there making a huge impact. My hand is sore from shaking so many hands with armed forces at the College World Series.
They are wonderful men and women and God bless them. Each and every one of them.
Comment by Andy — June 24, 2008 @ 5:18 pm
But here’s the thing - Jarrod’s unit just got back from a deployment last year and I did not hear ONE… SINGLE… PERSON complain that they did not have the right equipment to do their jobs. Or that they weren’t provided with the right safety equipment. Sure, they may not have the most state-of-the-art humvees, but they’re not driving around Iraq on Big Wheels either. The troops get a LOT of extra compensation when they are in Iraq, including hazardous duty pay, family separation, and the like. Did I hear soldiers complain about 112 degree temperatures and hot showers? Yes. Did I hear soldiers complain about being on level 15 of some video game and have the power go out? Yes. Did I hear soldiers complain that they missed their child’s first birthday or their brother’s wedding or their grandmother’s funeral? Yes. Did I hear soldiers complain that this war was wrong and that they shouldn’t be over there fighting anymore and that George Bush lied and that we should have pulled out along time ago? NO! In fact, several of Jarrod’s friends are on their second tour! Is it because they want to leave their families and go play G.I. Joe in a 112 degree sand box and make a little extra money? NO! It’s because they BELIEVE in the cause. They have seen it first hand. They have seen the good that has come out and will CONTINUE to come out of us being over there. They do not lead the good life over there, but they are provided with what they need to do their jobs. It’s the liberal media that wants you to believe that our troops are invading Al Qaida hideouts with cardboard boxes for body armor and Super Soakers. It’s the liberal media who will seek out that ONE bitter soldier and plaster their face all over TV as “proof” that our troops are being treated unfairly and are unhappy and sick and dimented. It’s the liberal media that cover Cindy Sheehan taking a leak but ignore the parent who still supports the war even though they have lost two sons in Iraq.
I can respect your opinion about supporting our troops but not the war, but I would encourage you to sit down with a member of our armed forces (you could start with your brother-in-law or your uncle) and ask them why they support the war. It might give you another point of view that you hadn’t considered. I personally couldn’t walk up to a soldier and say, “Thank you for fighting for our freedom,” if I didn’t really believe what they were fighting was a threat or that they needed to be over there fighting at all.
Comment by Kim — June 25, 2008 @ 8:40 am