Tuesday Thought #1

 

Tuesday Thought #1

Asshats Of The Day Week Month Year Decade Century: The GOP

Remember that day back in 2001, after the attacks on the World Trade Center, when President George W. Bush stood before the nation and held up an old timey Wanted: Dead or Alive picture of Osama bin Laden and told us we’d hunt him down to the ends of the Earth and then didn’t?

The Republicans don’t remember that, either, because even after bin Laden was captured on President Obama’s watch they tried to say it was a victory for Bush.

And remember when President George W. Bush — draft-dodging George W. Bush — flew a fighter plane onto the deck of an aircraft carrier at sea in 2003 and proclaimed the war in Iraq was over even though the fighting went on and on for years and years after?

The Republicans don’t remember either, and now, with a new crisis in the Middle East their laying the blame for all that at the feet of Obama.

But what galls me most about this group of whiners and do-nothings and asshats is that now, after how many months of their phony Benghazi hearings and months of their fake Benghazi theories and scandals — created only in an attempt to make the President look bad — how is that now, under Obama’s watch, again, when the senior leader of the Benghazi terror branch, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was captured, the GOP only whines about how long it took, how it seems a little too convenient, and how it’s just a ruse, a distraction, to take our minds off all those other scandals that the GOP rails about instead of doing the jobs for which they were elected.

Remember when the Republicans criticized President Obama as being weak on radical Islamic extremists for his “failure” to apprehend the suspects in the embassy attack? Remember when then-presidential failure Mittsy Romney said Obama was weak on terrorism?

Well, they don’t remember that either, because now, in the manner of Mittsy that will forever be known as The Flip-Flop, the GOP doesn’t think that the capture of  Khattala should detract us, and by us I mean them, the GOP, from their now nearly six-year struggle to bring down the President.

See, now the GOP, and its lapdog FoxNews, is saying that the capture of this terrorist was orchestrated simply to take our minds off the IRS mess … or Hillary running for president … or because Obama wants to boost his approval ratings.

Seriously, GOP?

Fox News has a theory that the capture occurred because Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and perhaps the next President of the United States, is on a book tour. Yes, Fox News said this was done to make Hillary look good; on their program ‘Outnumbered’ the host said:

“You have a former Secretary of State who is in the middle of a high profile book tour, I think this is convenient for her to shift the talking points to some of the things she has been discussing.”

Yup, we captured a terrorist to get Hillary’s book to the top spot on a Best Sellers List.

Even has-been Eric Cantor, just before the door hit him where the Good lord split him, released a statement through his spokesman saying:

“While it’s great to see they caught the Benghazi suspect, it’s important to remember, he wasn’t really hiding.”

Seriously GOP? But they must be serious because the rest of the party took to Twitter to test their theories as to why Obama let this terrorist roam the world before capturing him at this most opportune moment, Chief wingnut in the asshat parade, Allen West, a Teabagger who can’t get elected and can’t shut up, Tweeted this:

Then former Representative and deadbeat dad, Joe Walsh chimed in:

And, of course, South Carolina’s own Lindsey Graham, who’s done nothing while in office but kvetch about Obama, added his two-cents — though I think he’s overcharging us — by saying:

Then, as if on cue, Rush Limbaugh set down his bottle of prescription meds to imply that this was all too coinky-dinky and so it must not be right:

“Isn’t it an amazing, timely coincidence here that they have found a militia leader of the Benghazi attack and they’ve arrested him? So I guess the video really wasn’t to blame. Because the guy that did the video is in jail, he’s who knows where anymore. Remember the video made these guys do it, so whoever did this really can’t be blamed. They were just incited by this video. But all of a sudden we’ve got the militia leader. But isn’t it fortunate that President Obama get a headline using the US military when he really needs one.”

Seriously GOP? The terror suspect was captured and you found a way to twist that into yet another scandal, another cover-up, another falsehood, in order to make the President look bad?

Stop already. And though I know none of you can stand Harry Reid, maybe take a page out of his book, just this once, and then go back to be the Party Of Loons, again:

"It doesn’t matter what your ideology is, you should feel good about this. There’s no conspiracy here, this is actual news. But the reaction of some of the Republicans, I’ve been told, is to downplay and insult the brave men and women of our special forces and the FBI….They’re insulting these good men and women who did some courageous things, heroic things, in order to criticize President Obama. I think they’ve lost touch with reality; it’s really pathetic, there’s no other word for it."

Think, as Reid suggests, about the men and women who captured Khattala, who risked their lives to do their jobs, and stop using this as another feeble attempt to attack the President.

Unless you like being the Asshat Party …

source

Some Teachers Shouldn't

Down in Texas, where things are big, and sometimes stupid, a high school teacher has been put on administrative leave after an incident where he allegedly said, to a 9th grade Muslim girl, "I bet that you're grieving" following the death of Osama bin Laden. he also, allegedly, said, before that, "I heard about your uncle's death."

A teacher. Someone who should know better.

The girl's name is not being released--and neither is that of the teacher--but what sickens me most, other than the blatant sickness of the comments--are the fact that the teacher allegedly showed no remorse for his comments. 

After making his remarks, the girl began to cry, and when he asked why she was crying, another student said it was because of what he'd said to her. the teacher allegedly shrugged and smirked and went on with the class.

The Clear Creek Independent School District released this statement:

In the Clear Creek Independent School District, we believe diversity strengthens our community and seek opportunities to celebrate the different cultures within our schools and neighborhoods. The sentiments allegedly shared by this teacher are not reflective of the staff at Clear Brook High School or anyone within the Clear Creek Independent School District.

In accordance with CCISD policy, the teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a personnel investigation. The student did the right thing and immediately notified an adult regarding the teachers' comments. The principal at Clear Brook High School notified the child's parents and has been in communication with the family.

I think the statement could have been a bit more succinct; something along the lines of: The teacher has been fired.

via TalkingPointsMemo

Just A Thought: SHUT! UP!

Sarah Palin.
What makes you think--and I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt that you actually do think--that showing the picture of a dead bin Laden is gonna makes things better in the world? That it is in any way "part of the mission?

What makes you think that those people that choose to fly planes into our buildings because they hate Americans, are now suddenly gonna bow and scrape and say, "Oops, sorry. Never mind." once we show their leader with a gaping hole in his head?

You self-centered narcissistic unintelligent amoral bitch.

Killing Osama bin Laden was a good thing. Good for American morale that the perpetrator of 9/11 was finally punished for his evil. And good for the rest of the world's morale to see that justice can be served. Justice.

But where is there justice in showing the world this man's body? It will only serve to make his minions more vigilant in punishing this country. It will only serve to make their view of America, and Americans, the popular view. That we killed a man, danced in the streets, and then printed up his picture for millions of people to blog about and Facebook "Like" and Tweet about.

You are a complete moron. Every single day that passes, you get further and further from being a potential candidate for president; and let's face it, you half-term-quitter, you were never really getting close anyway.

The difference between you and Obama, besides about a hundred IQ points, an education, a brain, and a heart, is compassion, and understanding. He understands that showing that picture serves no good. He has compassion for the dead man even though the dead man showed us no compassion. He understands that showing that picture will only feed the anti-American frenzy of the terrorists, not make them turn tail and run.

He thinks. You don't

So, seriously, Mrs. Palin, Shut.The.Fuck.Up.

GOP Wingnuts Try To Rewrite History

A little history refresher:

September 11, 2001: Osama bin Laden's minions, on his orders, attacked the United States, and murdered 3,000 or our citizens.

September, 18, 2001: When speaking to the country President George W Bush said, of bin Laden: "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.' " [SOURCE]

September 14, 2006: A few days after the fifth anniversary of the attacks, President George W Bush said capturing bin Laden is “not a top priority use of American resources.” [SOURCE]

I remember thinking, "WTF?" I mean, how did bin Laden go from  being wanted dead or alive to being a non-priority in just five years. I remember being shocked at that. And today, that shock continues. 

While former President Bush has praised President Obama for the capture and killing Of Osama bin Laden--as has Dick "Hounds From Hell: Cheney--the rest of the GOP has been busy rewriting the last few years.

GOP lapdog and chief goosestepper, Majority Whip Eric Cantor:
“I commend President Obama who has followed the vigilance of President Bush in bringing Bin Laden to justice.”

What vigilance, sir? Five years ago Bush said bin Laden was not a priority. Now, I understand that our intelligence community never stopped working to find bin Laden, but when our president says bin Laden doesn't matter I don't call him "vigilant".

Former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card:
“[Bush] made sure everything was in place so that President Obama could have an opportunity to get Osama bin Laden.”

Again, how do you make sure everything was in place when you say, basically, 'Meh, we don't care about bin Laden.'

Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said on Fox & Friends this morning:
“I think the tools that President Bush put into place –- GITMO, rendition, enhanced interrogation, the vast effort to collect and collate this information — obviously served his successor quite well.”

Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulner, wrote in a blog post,
“Bin Laden’s elimination vindicates U.S. strategy in the region, started under President George W. Bush.” 

John Yoo, Bush legal adviser who wrote “torture memos”:
“Without the tough decisions taken by President Bush and his national security team, the United States could not have found and killed bin Laden. It is the continuity of policies in the war on terror that has brought success, not the misguided effort of the last two years to disavow them.”

Conservative blogger Michelle Malkin Nit-Twitted:
“U know who Obama forgot 2 thank? Bush-era interrogators&detention staff who dvlped intel re couriers.”

Tea Party Nation head Judson Phillips said:
"It took almost ten years, but Osama is dead. That is the good news. The bad news is Obama is going to do what most politicians do, especially the liberal politicians....Obama is taking credit for this. He did give the order. Did he really have a choice? If word leaked out that he had solid intelligence on where Bin Laden was and did not act, it would have killed any chance he had at reelection. Of course, he made his announcement right in the middle of Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” show. Of course, that was just a coincidence."

As for real estate mogul Donald Trump, he had more important things to Nit-Twit about:
"Don’t forget to watch Donald J. Trump’s Fabulous World of Golf—tonight at 9 pm, Golf Channel.”

Now, I don't doubt that interrogations that took place under W might have helped; and I do believe that the hunt for bin Laden continued while Bush was president. But I cannot ever forget that he also said bin Laden, who was repsonsible for killing 3,000 Americans and terrorizing an entire country, no longer mattered. 

And I will never forget how the GOP tripped all over themselves to heap praise on a man who had seven years to find bin Laden and didn't, and trash a man who did find him in just over two years.

SOURCE

Death and Dancing

So, Osama bin Laden has been killed.

Great news, coming after the Bush years, where he went from being Public Enemy # 1--remember Bush turning all Old West Sheriff?--to not much to worry about--and then remember when Bush said they weren't concerned about him. Unconcerned about a man who instigated, initiated, planned, plotted, carried out, and laughed at an attack on innocent Americans, killing some three thousand people.

Now he's dead, and Americans are dancing in the streets. And, this may not be the popular opinion, but I don't like it.

I don't like celebrating death, no matter how evil the person who died. While I am happy that bin Laden has finally been killed, and there is some closure for the victims of 9/11 and their families, the images of people paying in the streets and tossing beach balls and waving flags just doesn't sit well with me.

I can be happy that bin Laden is dead, but I don't need to dance in the streets. If anyone else wants to, well, I guess that you're prerogative, but I won't dance, don't ask me.