| GREG-STRANGE.COM |
"If you haven't found something strange during the
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
PROVIDING SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTARY ON THE
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
Blowing Smoke At Terror
"And we will have one clear unmistakable message for al
Qaida and the rest of these terrorists. You cannot run. You
cannot hide. And we will destroy you."
And who do you suppose uttered this tough,
uncompromising rhetoric? Must have been either President
Bush or one of the other warmongering profiteers in his
administration, right? Well actually, no, it was someone at the
recent Democratic Convention, someone just a wee bit less
likely to strike fear in the hearts of the Islamo-fascists who are
hellbent on destroying us. In fact, it was someone far more
likely to dazzle a jury than a jihadist, more likely to ruin the
career of an obstetrician than an obstinate terrorist.
It was John Edwards, the boyish, grinning legal eagle with
the much ballyhooed hair who spends most of his time talking
about "two Americas" as he vies to be our next vice-president.
But if you believe that the above quote from his speech bears
even the faintest resemblance to what a Kerry-Edwards
administration would really be like in terms of fighting
terrorism, you're living on the planet Bazongo.
We all know--and by "we" I mean us, as well as the
terrorists--that Kerry wants to be pals again with the eminent
and genteel leaders of "old Europe." The only way that can
happen is to cut the rootin' tootin' unilateralism that has been
so characteristic of the current cowboy administration and get
back to those halcyon days when we respectfully deferred to
our European betters, and refinement and nuance were all the
rage.
So forget about: "You can't run. You can't hide. And we will
destroy you." If a Kerry administration would have "one clear
unmistakable message for al Qaida," it would go something
more like this (in an affectedly ponderous tone):
"And I say to you, the members of al Qaida and other
terrorist organizations who have hijacked the great Islamic
faith, that if I am elected president, you can be sure that the
United States will renew and reinvigorate its traditional
relationships with our European friends, thus creating a
formidable multilateral alliance over which you and your
unholy cause will have no possibility to prevail. And make no
mistake. Every crime that you commit against this or any other
allied nation will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest
extent of international law."
In other words, you can be certain that the prospect of a
Kerry-Edwards administration, rather than having the
terrorists shaking in their sandals, instead has them drooling
with anticipation over the havoc they can wreak with another
weak-kneed American president in office who won't wage the
serious war that is the only thing that can defeat terrorism.
Much of the rest of John-boy's speech was devoted to the
usual Edwardian pap having to do with the "two Americas" he
is so wont to obsess about. And maybe there really are two
Americas, though not the particular two he talks about. For
instance, maybe one of them is populated by those who want to
do something decisive and aggressive about terrorism, like go
to where the terrorists are, hunt them down and kill them,
since no amount of nuanced palaver can ever sway them from
their deranged objectives.
And then maybe the other America is populated by those
who are content to treat the next 9/11 like a crime scene with
detectives and CSI-type evidence technicians sifting through
the smoldering rubble and body parts for clues. But for that
particular America a question must be posed: What do you
need clues for? You already know who committed the
infraction: al Qaida. And the individual perpetrators blew
themselves up in the process. So what's the point of playing
Columbo?
The crux of the matter is that these Islamo-barbarians
aren't really afraid of our law enforcement with all its dazzling
techniques of scientific evidence gathering. Nor are they afraid
of our legal system and the possibility of punishment if caught.
The way they see it, they'll be in paradise passing around
voluptuous virgins before the cops even arrive at the scene of
the crime.
But terrorism has nothing to do with the two Americas that
Edwards usually drones on about. What he typically describes
sounds like some 19th century Dickensian realm of unfettered
smokestack capitalism where a handful of evil Scrooges work
the masses of Cratchits into the ground for pennies a day and
no health insurance. The reality, however, is that this country
is the greatest engine of economic opportunity in the history of
the world, it's open to all classes of people and all you have to
do is put forth a serious effort. If you can't make it here, you
can't make it anywhere.
Just look at Edwards' own personal story. We've heard
about his humble beginnings until we could retch, but he
makes a great point and the funny part is--though it seems not
to occur to him--it belies much of the class warfare rhetoric of
his campaign speechifying. If the poor ol' son of a poor ol' mill
worker can make it all the way through college and law school,
and then go on to become fabulously wealthy and run for
president to boot, then what the heck is all this claptrap about
two Americas? And if all kinds of refugees and emigres from
the world's poorest and most miserable backwaters can come
here, work their butts off, build lives and achieve economic
success, then what more does anyone need to know about his
"two Americas" schtick?
The problem isn't that there are two Americas. The problem
is that within this one America there are multitudes of people
with bad attitudes who, for whatever psychopathological
reasons, don't step up to the plate to take advantage of the
boundless opportunities offered in this country, but instead
vote for people like Edwards who promise that the government
will fix everything for them.
If the day ever comes when these folks get a clue, then, in
terms of political ambitions, people like Edwards will be toast.
As for the terrorists, the Kerry-Edwards ticket is undoubtedly
the toast of the town.
"And we will have one clear unmistakable message for al
Qaida and the rest of these terrorists. You cannot run. You
cannot hide. And we will destroy you."
And who do you suppose uttered this tough,
uncompromising rhetoric? Must have been either President
Bush or one of the other warmongering profiteers in his
administration, right? Well actually, no, it was someone at the
recent Democratic Convention, someone just a wee bit less
likely to strike fear in the hearts of the Islamo-fascists who are
hellbent on destroying us. In fact, it was someone far more
likely to dazzle a jury than a jihadist, more likely to ruin the
career of an obstetrician than an obstinate terrorist.
It was John Edwards, the boyish, grinning legal eagle with
the much ballyhooed hair who spends most of his time talking
about "two Americas" as he vies to be our next vice-president.
But if you believe that the above quote from his speech bears
even the faintest resemblance to what a Kerry-Edwards
administration would really be like in terms of fighting
terrorism, you're living on the planet Bazongo.
We all know--and by "we" I mean us, as well as the
terrorists--that Kerry wants to be pals again with the eminent
and genteel leaders of "old Europe." The only way that can
happen is to cut the rootin' tootin' unilateralism that has been
so characteristic of the current cowboy administration and get
back to those halcyon days when we respectfully deferred to
our European betters, and refinement and nuance were all the
rage.
So forget about: "You can't run. You can't hide. And we will
destroy you." If a Kerry administration would have "one clear
unmistakable message for al Qaida," it would go something
more like this (in an affectedly ponderous tone):
"And I say to you, the members of al Qaida and other
terrorist organizations who have hijacked the great Islamic
faith, that if I am elected president, you can be sure that the
United States will renew and reinvigorate its traditional
relationships with our European friends, thus creating a
formidable multilateral alliance over which you and your
unholy cause will have no possibility to prevail. And make no
mistake. Every crime that you commit against this or any other
allied nation will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest
extent of international law."
In other words, you can be certain that the prospect of a
Kerry-Edwards administration, rather than having the
terrorists shaking in their sandals, instead has them drooling
with anticipation over the havoc they can wreak with another
weak-kneed American president in office who won't wage the
serious war that is the only thing that can defeat terrorism.
Much of the rest of John-boy's speech was devoted to the
usual Edwardian pap having to do with the "two Americas" he
is so wont to obsess about. And maybe there really are two
Americas, though not the particular two he talks about. For
instance, maybe one of them is populated by those who want to
do something decisive and aggressive about terrorism, like go
to where the terrorists are, hunt them down and kill them,
since no amount of nuanced palaver can ever sway them from
their deranged objectives.
And then maybe the other America is populated by those
who are content to treat the next 9/11 like a crime scene with
detectives and CSI-type evidence technicians sifting through
the smoldering rubble and body parts for clues. But for that
particular America a question must be posed: What do you
need clues for? You already know who committed the
infraction: al Qaida. And the individual perpetrators blew
themselves up in the process. So what's the point of playing
Columbo?
The crux of the matter is that these Islamo-barbarians
aren't really afraid of our law enforcement with all its dazzling
techniques of scientific evidence gathering. Nor are they afraid
of our legal system and the possibility of punishment if caught.
The way they see it, they'll be in paradise passing around
voluptuous virgins before the cops even arrive at the scene of
the crime.
But terrorism has nothing to do with the two Americas that
Edwards usually drones on about. What he typically describes
sounds like some 19th century Dickensian realm of unfettered
smokestack capitalism where a handful of evil Scrooges work
the masses of Cratchits into the ground for pennies a day and
no health insurance. The reality, however, is that this country
is the greatest engine of economic opportunity in the history of
the world, it's open to all classes of people and all you have to
do is put forth a serious effort. If you can't make it here, you
can't make it anywhere.
Just look at Edwards' own personal story. We've heard
about his humble beginnings until we could retch, but he
makes a great point and the funny part is--though it seems not
to occur to him--it belies much of the class warfare rhetoric of
his campaign speechifying. If the poor ol' son of a poor ol' mill
worker can make it all the way through college and law school,
and then go on to become fabulously wealthy and run for
president to boot, then what the heck is all this claptrap about
two Americas? And if all kinds of refugees and emigres from
the world's poorest and most miserable backwaters can come
here, work their butts off, build lives and achieve economic
success, then what more does anyone need to know about his
"two Americas" schtick?
The problem isn't that there are two Americas. The problem
is that within this one America there are multitudes of people
with bad attitudes who, for whatever psychopathological
reasons, don't step up to the plate to take advantage of the
boundless opportunities offered in this country, but instead
vote for people like Edwards who promise that the government
will fix everything for them.
If the day ever comes when these folks get a clue, then, in
terms of political ambitions, people like Edwards will be toast.
As for the terrorists, the Kerry-Edwards ticket is undoubtedly
the toast of the town.