Thursday, February 02, 2006

One Crayon over the line... Sweet Jesus!

Damn, I'm confused again. If someone out there could help me out here... I need, once again, to have a few basic "This is how it works" questions answered. Probably going to need those answers explained to me a few times before they can sink in. Well, here goes:

If a journalist uncovers evidence of criminal behavior on the part of an elected official and publishes that information in an effort to inform the public of the nature of its representation,
he is hurting the Nation and arguably guilty of treason?

If a news agency uncovers evidence showing a nation violating not only international conventions, but also its own laws against torture, abduction and murder, then that news agency is not only treasonous if it publishes such information, but also guilty of endangering said Nation's forces abroad?

Any published accounts of one nation's use of tactics and weaponry in direct defiance of the conventions of war it has sworn to to abide by, also endangers the forces of that Nation by inspiring irrational anger in the enemy being attacked by such weapons and tactics?

Attempts to inform the public of the ways in which its representative leaders are utilizing said public's financial, natural and familial resources in ways contradictory to its wishes are nothing more than dispersions cast against the unimpeachable character of the Nation?

But poorly drawn caricatures depicting the enemy's esteemed ancestors, leaders and heroes as subhuman monsters are important steps in bridging the cultural barriers between our peoples? Our troops deployed in regions populated by the followers of the religion depicted should not worry that these cartoons might turn the population all around them against them. And that outrage, indignation and hatred in no way increase violent tendencies in people. These cartoons are a healing, helping, outreach of peace, not a goldmine recruitment blessing for an already growing global Jihad?

The First Amendment guarantees this artist's right to be an asshole. Although I absolutely object to the content I would never support any attempt to censor the work. Freedom means you are going to have to deal with sickening shit like this. It is a heavy price, but it's worth it.

I do not have to stand idly by as this crap is put on a pedestal and glorified as anything more than a cowardly moron's attempt to engrandize himself at the expense of our military. These infantile doodlings are going to bring about the death and dismemberment of an unthinkable number of our soldiers who are currently deployed amidst overwhelming numbers of people whose beliefs demand retribution for this kind of dishonor. Facts are facts, this poor excuse for a painter just bitch slapped a race teetering on the edge of all out Jihad. He did it from the safety of his little studio without any consideration for the men and women who will make the ultimate sacrifice because of him. Do not dishonor those brave souls by elevating this steaming pile of shit into its creator's intended context. He is the lowest form of bottom feeder and I am ashamed to be of the same species. I do not even know what to call this new type of celebrity seeking scum. "Shock Profiteer" or perhaps "Misery mercenary". I don't know... But I do know that the only thing worse than this guy is the motherfuckers who will rally to him and attach themselves to his twisted pride. I can't wait to hear the pundits suddenly embrace the first amendment now that they have a perverted use for it.

13 comments:

sparringK9 said...

/bark bark bark

I guess this makes me the worst of the worst then Rev. I have NO problem with journalists exposing our rep's criminal behavior nor do I think it treasonous. And again, as far as legality of war, I won't argue that point, either. To be conservative is not to write blank checks to the RNC or the war machine.

I would have loved to have seen Saddam neutralized and then nothing more. There is plenty of support for the fact that he did finance terrorism and there are more than enough mass graves of his own countrymen to make him a suitable target for extermination.

Who inspired the irrational anger in Somalia? Lebanon. USS Cole? Nigeria. Indonesian night clubs, blah blah blah. You know this. All the pre Bush dictatorship activities that mangled plenty of our soldiers; were you outraged then? And our enemies were emboldend by our lack of action and became more agressive. I love this notion I hear over and over that terrorsim begins with the iraqi war and the Bush the butcher.

As far as our enemies esteemed ancestors, we are talking about a thief, a death dealer, a thug. Theres a reason why hes in Dante's hell with his entrails hanging out. To consider him on equal level as Christ is not a fair analogy. For the record, there has been a museumload of anti-christian art, which have been elevated to masterpiece status. Like Serrano's Piss Christ for example. Christ has been depicted in hideous ways I wont even mention and they have built celebratory cocktail parties around it. Were you concerned at all for THAT esteemed ancestor?

Healing? Peace outreach? They aren't intersted in that. Arafat got 99% of his demands met and still chose terror over peace. Why? Cause they want the jihad! Theres plenty of evidence to support that statement and I am not going to revisit it here. Lets talk about the cartoons.

The jihad was in place long before these drawings. They have written it down for us and told us straight up their intention. I respect them enough to take them at their word! If you read Osama's 2002 letter to America you will see what he hates most about the west is a laundry list of the left's pet ideals and false rights. He wrote that not impeaching Clinton was the WORST thing of all, showing how corrupt we were. Look it up. And as far as empire building goes America could not begin to rival Islam.

I don't think the art work is sickening. I think its is hard to look at yes, but I think the content is correct. But cheer up, Rev, maybe this guy will find himself dead with a dagger in his heart with a note attached like Theo van Gogh did. His big crime being calling attention to the plight of women oppressed by islam.

I dont think this guy is trying to aggrandize himself at the expense of the military. and by the way, that is becoming the default reason to be against any action taken against our mortal enemy, thats right, our mortal enemy. You think that if we turn the other cheek time after time that it will all go away. Its not going away. Its never going away.

I think the artist is trying to shock people out of their complacent comfy kumbaya lala land and have them see what are the ideals of Islam. He is not a moron either. What is depicted in those images is backed up by actual facts. I cannot understand this persistent mindset that America is the root of all evil! Islam is the problem. Did you see the cartoon western and eastern mothers? While the west is constantly reviewing their atrocities and massaging their guilt, Islam entertains no such thoughts.

I wish I was a quick on the draw as you Rev. Boy you hit it hard and fast and very passionately, so literate and so smart. I don't think can outwit you.

I want to you know this though. I happened to be in Spain in 1999 for several weeks. I was not a political animal then, and I really dont think I am now. But I was thunderstruck at the bitter bitter sorrows written about, talked about as if it had happened yesterday. What was the subject? The 600 year Moorish occupation of Spain. They know what horrors can fall upon a nation when Islam comes to town. Ask the dutch now - people are scared to death. and what was one of the most free and liberal societies in Europe who allowed in these muslims who have NO intention of adopting the laws and customs of a generous host nation, their leaders are going around with bodyguards for the first time ever.

Uriel if you are out there, wade on in buddy. You are far far better equipped than I to take this battle.

With all that has been said I thank God that you, Rev. are a part of the American, or Western if you prefer, ideals that I love dearly and think is worth fighting for. Our disagreement is a beauty of our life here and a gift we tend to take for granted. And If the military would take me, I would glady risk the mortal danger myself. I swear on my life that is not rhetoric.

I realize you think me the lowest of the low by my association, but I would like to link up with you today, with your permission. also, forgive the long post, the typo and mispellings. I really should be working!!!!!!!!!!!!

/grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Bird said...

Rev X,
earlier today I was blurfing through blogville and could have sworn that I reached a blog (via a commenter on your blog) which displayed all of the "offensive" cartoons recently under dicussion in the press. I was interrupted (blogeruptus?)and unable to bookmark before logging out. Does this ring a bell with you? Have you seen a blog with these cartoons posted? I see no comment on your blog this evening that would lead to such a blog - I'm trying to retrace my steps and find those cartoons. Any assist from you would be appreciated.
Thanks.

sparringK9 said...

/bark bark bark

Bird,

The Jyllands-Posten Cartoons are here

http://face-of-muhammed.blogspot.com/

rev and I are talking about some other cartoons at the study of revenge blogspot.

/grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Reverend X said...

There may be support for the belief of a Saddam/ terror link, but alas, the facts say otherwise. Did I neglect to inform you that
"The news is what they hide from us. Everything else is advertising!"
And the mass graves are the graves of foolish Iraqi's who heeded Bush sr's call to rise up against the Ba'athists and topple Saddam. For 2 months we overtook their radio with appeals from OldBush for a revolution and the promise of American military invasion and aid. Dropped leaflets too. millions of em. When we were ordered to, uh, stop at the border and stand down, it was a a surprise to all of us. Not nearly as much of one as it was to the guys pinned down in marshes waiting for us. Ever her of a swamp Arab?
Irrational anger? A couple centuries of Imperial meddling, resource depletion and slave conditions imposed on the majority tribe by the Western protected minority... Hardly irrational. Israel has been caught spying on us, stealing nukes from us, false flag terrorist strikes against us. Why don't we go after them? Or better yet, just leave them ALL alone and move in to the least contaminated places after they kill each other off?
The Iraq War has nothing to do with terrorism. Insurgents are not terrorists. They Using violence to further political agendas is terrorism, freeing your lands of an occupation is a right we claim to be self evident.
Our lack of action? We have been bombing one part of the Mid east or another constantly since Reagan's inauguration. Bolder from being left alone? How does that work?
Mohammad was a prophet, not an avatar. So prophet to prophet, compare him to Saul of Tarsus. Changed his name to Paul the Apostle when he saw the light. Mass murderer. Hunted Christians down all over the Roman Empire and sent to survivors to the Coliseum. Didn't you ever wonder why of all the early christian preachers, he wasn't skinned or fed to lions? He was a Roman contract killer. Makes Mo hammed look like a saint.

Dante... "I speak now because I agree with Dante that the hottest places in Hell are reserved for those, who in a time of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality!" Dr. Martin Luther King jr.
Hows your fight going so far K9?
And i hope you notice how random and speculative Uriel's arguments became. I stuck to the points on the table, he accused me of wanting to kill grandpa, babies, etc. He called it precise, I defined sections precisely by their definitions.So he began interpreting phrases and assuming knowledge of the framer's thoughts. I had him from hello.

My point stands. These drawings will be the catalyst to hundreds of young Muslims to fight. Young males who were undecided, possibly nearly won by our H+S efforts, just picked out Kalashnikovs. Our troops do not need this kind of support. The Conservatives in power have stripped the benefits from our troops. Paid bonuses to companies supplying our troops with worthless body armor, under armored tanks, Suvs. They have involuntarily extended our troops voluntary tours of duty. Poisoned them with DU weapons and refused to investigate any corporate malfeasance regardless of the credibility of the evidence or the danger to National security. 15-50k suits of armor that could not stop a 9mm slug were distributed twice to the marine expeditionary!!! I have a great respect for those guys and I also have a leather jacket that can withstand 9mm hits! So WTF???
If that is what supporting our troops entails then for god sake's stop it!

Reverend X said...

Forgot to answer your other points.
The weeping and sorrow like yesterday. That is because they have blocked out the time since. The Moors were bad, but the Spaniards were quick studies and far more ambitious. Torquemada, the Spanish Inquisition, Cortez, Coronado, The Cities of Eldorado. The extermination of the Mayans. Spain even descended into evil of sufficient magnitude to be on the receiving end of a USMC ass kicking. From the Halls of Montezuma... Hu ra!! And that was back when we really did exhaust all avenues prior to committing our forces. Oh, one more historical atrocity of the Spanish, on the Spanish, Guernica.
They weep for that which they prefer to.

I refer to the cartoons as sickening for their quality. The artist sucks. Probably still bitter about his letter of rejection from DC comics. OK, that was unfair, but funny...
I concur on the Piss Christ points and raise ya one negative critique of any hack who must rely on the publicity of Iconic defamation in order to get anyone to notice their crap.
The Mortal Enemy of any free society is not a religion. It is whoever despises that freedom enough to toil at its undoing. The enemies are the ones usurping that freedom and enslaving that society. How can you submit to constant destruction of civil liberties in the name of security? Live free or die!! There is no ambiguity in the American Ideal.
"Those who would trade an essential liberty for a temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security!" -Benjamin Franklin

there is no allegory there. No hidden meaning. It says it like it is. We give in to invasions of our privacy and we surrender our souls. You can decide for yourself. Will you live on your knees or will you die on your feet. I know you well enough that given the choice point blank, you'd never see your golden years, but what you are missing is that the question was never going to be asked all at once. Slowly it comes to you. Never taking enough of you to raise alarm, but always taking a little more. Eventually you notice the parasite feeding on you but by then you are too weak to stop it.

http://www.blastedreality.net/bytes.swf

Let me know how feel after you watch that.
-X

Bird said...

K9:
An odd thing for a pacifist and liberal to say, but I often think that Bush Sr. blew it in the Gulf War by not taking Hussein out. I doubt, if he had done so then, there would have been as many serious repercussions as we have now for invading Iraq. When I start to think this way - I quickly try to shake it off - after all, I am a damned liberal, intent on undermining all of Western Civilization. (Personally, there's another part of me that is outraged that we defended a country -Kuwait- which provides so little opportunity and few rights for women - argh! And I am pissed off that we are "partners" with so many countries that oppress women. I find it ironic that "liberals" and "lefties" advocated for economic sanctions against South Africa for its treatment of blacks, but we don't do anything at all about countries that treat women poorly. Pisses me off. On that count - one of the good Dr's drawings rang true for me.

Rev - About those drawings - I commented as one of the "anonymous" commenters when I visited that site. These drawings disturb me deeply - in part because they are visually attractive and because some of them have a grain of truth (at least someone's truth), but they strike fear in me in a variety of ways, and I didn't want my blogger identity on that page. The site pulses with hatred and fear.

Yet I would like to compare these drawings with the cartoons from the Danish press (thanks again K9 for the link) in my classes, but...contrary to one of the drawings by Dr.D, sharing these drawings (not necessarily the cartoons) may create quite a controversy - I have Muslim students in my classes - whom in no way resemble the generalizations of those drawings and would be very distressed by them. The Danish cartoons are a different story - they are not quite of the same ilk. There is a fine line I think between responsible dissent and ...hatred. (Oh hell, now I sound like Bush last night)

Back to K9 - the ideals of Islam? The ideals of FUNDAMENTALIST Islam - moderate Islams (there are many and they are beginning to speak out - shit - now I'm obligated to back that up with evidence - hell, I remember something...have to track it down) - but anyway - as I have understood, the fundat\mentalist Islamics have, in a sense, hijacked the Koran and Islam for their own purposes - similar to how fundamentalist Christians have hijacked the Bible and Christianity - well maybe not to the same degree - but close enough - I think of the bombed abortion clinics and the stalked and doctors murdered for performing abortions - gunned down by fundamentalist Christians outraged that these doctors were "killing" babies. But it ws ok to kill the docs. It was ok to bomb clinics and risk the lives of women.

Enough of my rambling.

sparringK9 said...

/bark bark bark

how goes the fight? I am still merrily engaged with you in the ring dear rev. however i am east coast and tired and tomorrow is a crunch day for me and I dont want you thinking I am avoiding this fight. I am coming back. It is 2 am for me only you could inspire me to soldier on like this.

but i cannot sleep until i say this

if the news is hidden from us, and I am a victim of advertising, where are you finding these truths? show them to me! I want to know if I am wrong.

I know what you are saying about the flawed body armour and other equipment provided by the corrupt contractors is true and I agree this is an affront to decency and to the lives of our soilders. no argument there. These contrators should be prosecuted and jailed for all eternity,

okay. please prove in some way that the mass graves are filled with those who trusted george 1 and were left hanging in the wind. The leaflets, i want some evidence, the radio bait and switch, how are you vetting this assertion? of course there are far more atrocities of sadaam and uday and qusay having nothing to do with us and you know it. Lighting all those oil wells up in the first gulf war made sadaam the biggest killer of migratory birds heading north from africa in the history of the world. I could shoot him myself for that alone.

forget pre-reagan. before this country exsisted there are 1200 years of muslim imperialism and conquest. And I knew you were going to bring up paul and should have dealt with it earlier. He does not make Mohamed look like a saint. He changed and reformed. Mohamed didnt. and you read for yourself what muslims are saying. still want to stone to death bad girls? kill the infidels are force them into dhimmitude? it is going to happen to europe sooner than you think. is that what you want to prevail?

Now the worst of Mo has been resurrected and applied to the now. What I find so interesting about you is never addressing the horrors of Islam but gleefully willing to lay the sins of the world at the foot of america, and more specifically conservative leadership. even though war was voted on by both parties which is no minor point.

(what is h+s efforts?)

I dont think for a second the cartoons will make it any worse. They have said what it is -the want to restore the caliphate. why dont you take them at their word?

So the quick study spainards destroyed the mayans? not until after they had rounded up their neighbors and sacrificed them up like lambs. and the spanish on spanish you are right - the point is why do you reserve the harshest criticism of all for us when history is littered with the same thing over and over and over. One thing prevails and another thing does not in different times. the condition of being!

I agree that if you have to resort to shock like a damien hirst type for noteriety then you your art is suspect. what i like about the revenge site more than the cartoons is the wit with which the islamic arguments are dispatched -with humor and 1400 years of history to back it up. not that the situation in actuality is funny, but in order to push forward with discussion there must be a moment or two of relief from the relentless dirge of misery!

there is no statement of mine that ever ever says I would trade freedom for security! I agree with ben and i do say live free or die.This is the point exactly!
I recognize that Islam is our mortal enemy but it changes nothing about how my day to day life is conducted. What civil liberties have I said i am willing to relinquish? I havent!
Ill never duct tape my house, hide or otherwise ring my hands. i am looking way down the road past my own concerns and comforts to a way of being I think should prevail over what islam is selling.

It is way late for me, and this post is just to get by for the night, But i will be back. I will look for that parasite but I think it is a different creature than you suggest. I am vigilant on erosion of liberties but i see that as a separate matter from this other battle!
Ive enjoyed my evening with you rev. see you soon.
remember, to me this is just a round 2.

PS i have had trouble with the videos. I want to see them tho.
/grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Bird said...

P.S. Rev - may I print out your rap from an earlier post to share with my classes? I'd actually like to share yours and K9's in a paired reading (am seeking K9's permission as well).

A word about this - I can of course direct my students to any blog for viewing, but I prefer not to do so when I've been commenting - they will figure out it's me and I'd like more anonymity than that (my typos, gaffes, etc. are not to be shared with students - hahaha).

The fair-use and copyright guru at my college tells me that as far as web stuff goes - if I'm using something "spontaneously" I can print and reproduce anything I want. But I don't like to print from blogs or individual websites without permission. If I use the material repeatedly, I'm legally bound to get permission- because I am outside the "spontaneous" range.

Reverend X said...

Do I sense doubt in, little doggie?
For starters lets cover the mass graves and other atrocities of the 1991 uprising.

"Kurdish Revolt—1991 –Encouraged by the stunning defeat of Saddam’s forces in Kuwait and spurred by appeals by President George H. W. Bush of the U.S., Kurds rose up against the Iraqi government With the bulk of his elite forces having escaped from the fighting in Kuwait and southern Iraq, Saddam was able to quell the revolt, causing hundreds of thousands of Kurdish refugees to flee into neighboring Turkey and Iran to escape."

"Shiite Revolt—1991 – Encouraged by the stunning defeat of Saddam’s forces in Kuwait and spurred by appeals by President George H. W. Bush of the U.S., the Shiites of southern Iraq rose up against the Iraqi government, only to be crushed by Saddam’s forces. Sporadic guerrilla resistance continued, with the bulk of the Shiite fighting forces seeking refuge in neighboring Shiite Iran."

That's the synopsis of the events.
Here's the story of, not only, the Bush hand in inspiring the revolts, but also the Bush hand in filling up all those empty graves. As you read, pay attention to the fact that even though the Coalition had orders to take out any Iraqi military air units flying, the US Military stood down and allowed the Iraqi gunships to take control of the Southern Cities and decimate them.
I can not find a link covering the Coalition's corollary policy of non deployment or maneuvers for Iraqi ground troops. That is of course a standard redundancy of orders. No military in the air, on the ground or in the gulf may actively engage any targets hostility and may only activate for humanitarian and emergency missions with the permission of the Coalition command.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A10874-2003Apr11?language=printer

And here are some Kurdish perspectives on what they considered to b an illegal failure to provide promised support when called upon.

http://home.cogeco.ca/~kurdistan1/16-1-04-opinion-ahmad-they-lost.html

And of course, an overview of the events which took place, the resulting mass graves, and the reason I wrote about US betrayal of Kurds and Shia in Iraq. The leaflets? I saw them. they are standard CIA psyche ops used in every war since World War two. Similar in content as the Anti Bin Laden/Taliban leaflets littering Afghanistan.

In 1997 Clinton did away with the 7-7-7 law of media. The Law kept media influence over the public discourse to a minimum by preventing any one entity from owning more than 7 of any information medium like TV, Radio and print news. In the 8 years since, all Network television and cable news has come under the control of 5 companies. AOL Time Warner, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch, and two others I just blanked. By this time next year that number will be 2 or 3 due to mergers planned to pass congress soon. Radio has been devoured by one company, ClearChannel, who at last count owned 65k thousand Radio stations. 8 years and 64,993 more than our was deemed to be the limit when the power of the broadcast news was first understood. Democracy can not exist without an objective fourth estate and an informed public.
You want to find out what is really going on? Go to every world news site you can find. I have a great launching page at http://www.blastedreality.net/action.html. Spend some time taking off from there to actual news sites.

So the big fight is Cultural Friction? No it will end up being liberty vs security.
I will be the first to admit that our 2 cultures clash. I have had numerous interactions with Arabs. Almost all of which have ended in violence. I won't get into any other than my experience as bartender. Arab man comes into bar, drinks fast and gets intoxicated. Finds a woman to harrass and insults US culture when the woman refuses his proposition or advance. On removal from premises, assaults (me). Gets ass kicked and threatens revenge.
I have been through that time line more times than I can count. And I hear what you are saying about the Fatwas and the death threats. But I also hear at least 0 times a day that we should genocidally wipe out the entire race using nukes on the mid East. Which is worse? Jihad or Nuclear extinction? I treat them equally. They are wrong, no matter which side they are on if they promote the policy of genocide.
Imperial Islam started well into the era of Christian Imperialism and both are evil concepts. You only see me illustrating the wrongdoings of Western Civilisation because you already covered the other side. I will give detailed reports of both equally if you do that also. You can not forgive our barbarity by pointing out theirs. I do not forgive theirs because of ours. If someone reds us both, they get a good idea of the criminal history of both. In between our topics is a balance the two of us sometimes overlook.


And, finally. No, you do not promote the removal of our freedoms directly. But you do argue in favor of a regime that is destroying our way of life. That is why I quoted Dr. King.
"...the hottest places are reserved for those whe, in times of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."
You do not fight the treasonous dismantling of American Democrcy, but instead maintaain a nuetral opinion of this atrocity while defending the Conservative policies which are allowing it to happen. I do not support the liberal or Democrat policies which are in lock step with the GOP. Lieberman wrote the Patriot act and Bush weilds it. Though alleged to be at odds with eachother, I see them as equally traitorous. They are playing both sides against the middle and you and I are tht middle! You are not engaged in a big fight, but an intended attrition of attention allowing the bastards to fulfill their evil goals. As I have said before, I am not doing this to convert you. Just open your eyes enough to see the Reality we face and get you into the fight. Do you need more proof of my claims? Have I failed to show evidence for any up until now?
-X

Anonymous said...

Factitious

Rev X said:
There may be support for the belief of a Saddam/ terror link, but alas, the facts say otherwise.

Rev, those free floating "facts" wobble. Put some legs under that
table top.

FoF (Fact or Fiction)

sparringK9 said...

/bark bark bark

You think it is a weakness to consider if a belief system or understanding of a situation is built upon a solid foundation. I say that my views could change and fluctuate if new, vetted, knowledge is aquired.


To me that is a strength! You could say "hey, yesterday you said this...." and I might reply "yes and since then I have learned this.........." there aint no shame in that brother. so dont start swaggering around me just yet. i dont have as much free time to disect reams of info as you apparently do.

But I hear ya. and i understand what you are saying about not workin' on convertin'. I 'll be back.

/grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

sparringK9 said...

/bark bark bark

I saw the video. and it is good.

next Post Apoc post I would love to read is: assuming everything you have said is true

what is your game plan?

/grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Reverend X said...

K9,
If you got the impression that I viewed that as weakness, was not my intention. I, too, adapt from error and learn from new information and new insight into my own mistakes.

go check the new post.