So apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought calling Britney fat was going too far; but isn’t it interesting that it came from the same source? Perhaps they realized they struck a cord with the fat comments, especially considering she couldn’t be farther from it. Who knows. Either way, it is in the past now, and we can focus on more important things, now can’t we? (Like waiting for her CD release! LOL)
Or, Like today. 9/11. I don’t need to say anything about what happened on this day, and I don’t think that I will. What I will say, is that I hope that the memory is enough to stir passion in people to end the war in Iraq. I hope the passion extends pity and remorse into a call for change, and a call for action; a call for us to get out of Iraq, a call to stop the destruction, and a call to stop the loss of lives.
I, for one, hope that this day can symbolize something more for America, something more than a memorial; I hope it can symbolize a day that we come together, and understand why peace and freedom are so important. I hope it can be a day that we realize that we are all on this planet together, and somehow, we have to make it work together. In fact, that’s exactly what I want this day to be about, HOPE.
Unrelated side note: First of all, a huge congrats to the well-deserved Emmy for Kathy Griffin! Secondly, I can’t believe that an obvious joke about Jesus is getting so much press and the threat of censorship. Seriously, it was clear she was making a joke (especially so if you have seen her stand up or the show), and obviously the Emmy committee (hee, a rhyme!) totally got that joke. Let it go already… not everyone takes Jesus and religion so seriously, and some even have the ability to make something funny out of something that people clearly take far too seriously. I think even Jesus would laugh at the joke for crying out loud! Most of all, I am appalled that an organization that has a history of violence, molestation, and condemnation could call this joke a form of “hate speech”. Seriously, Catholic church, if you want to talk about “hate speech”, I think that you should listen to some of the things that your organization is saying. Gee whiz.
… not everyone takes Jesus and religion so seriously, and some even have the ability to make something funny out of something that people clearly take far too seriously.
Not everyone takes “suicidal tendencies” so seriously… so why you calling out Sean Kingston for making lite of it in his song? Contradictory much?
And btw, your 9/11 arguments are pretty contradictory, too. You hope today makes people embrace freedom… yet you don’t want us to eradicate the people who have stated they want to end our freedom and place the US under Islamic rule.
First of all, we made them want to end our freedom. We created their hatred, don’t you know? Once again, you missed his point. Gah!
Seriously though … Britney is indeed fat. Someone with no talent, whose career has been built on superficiality, is bound to be judged thusly. That’s fair. And is anyone really so weak that they’re going to develop an eating disorder based on the comments of a newspaper reporter? Well, maybe one person.
Quoting George Carlin: “rich bitch don’t wanna eat, fuck ‘em.”
FYI CNN didn’t say Britney was “fat”, merely “out-of-shape”
There are differences, and she WAS out-of-shape, BIG TIME!
dave, I don’t see how personal thoughts on two different issues makes me opinion contradictory; I think suicide is serious, and therefore, should be better respected. I also think that religion is taken too seriously, not to mention, that the last people that should be calling anything “hate speech” are the masters of it: the Catholic church. I’m sorry if you see those two as the same thing, but they just aren’t. All issues aren’t the same, and all opinions in relations to all issues aren’t the same either; because they are just that, opinions. You can feel free to disagree with me, but it doesn’t mean that I am contradicting myself in the least.
As for my 9/11 comments:
I wholeheartedly disagree; especially considering the people that caused the attack and the subsequent war in Iraq have not been, nor are even being currently sought after, targets. I have HOPE that we would actually take care of the people that are a real threat, as well as, taking some ownership of the fact that what we do in the world has consequences. 9/11 was a consequence of our actions; it didn’t just happen because they “hate our freedom”. Anyone that really believes that could be considered one of the most ignorant people alive. It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do, someone, somewhere will not like you; but it doesn’t mean they will retaliate against you for financially raping their country, by attacking the very symbol of your financial power.
Just because you see the alternative to not killing off Islam as the US being under Islamic rule, doesn’t make it reality, or even a possible outcome. I personally have hope that people that think like that will stop vilifying the many for the statements of a few extremists, and focus on trying to get the many to quiet the voices of the extremists by showing that we all can come together and live in the world without taking advantage of each other. However, this is impossible without our constant meddling, but again, we have to admit some foul play if we ever want to truly understand why these people hate us so much.
atlmalcontent, you’re a moron.
Uh oh! Sounds like someone is actually jealous of Britney; which is the main reason so many are gunning for her in the first place! You want her to fail, you want her to be fat, you want her destruction for the same reason you hate me so much; you are jealous of what she has, and how she got it. I admit, it is understandable that one would be jealous, but to call it anything other than that is serious denial. I SERIOUSLY doubt that you would like 1/10000000000000000000000000000000th as good as she did in that same outfit, not to mention comparing yours and her body weight.
As far as your comments about eating disorders, it isn’t about “one person” or being “weak”, you douche. It is the whole establishment the media creates. Oh, and BTW, eating disorders are actually serious mental and medical conditions, and not just someone being too “weak”, and caving in to societal pressure. You are just an asshole for saying that, not that I expect anything less from someone such as yourself.
Now, go whine about it on your blog. If you want to actually discuss something, say so, but if it is more of your typical BS, take a hike.
So if you don’t like someone, that makes you jealous of them? By that logic you’re jealous of George Bush, eh?
Really, grow a backbone, have it surgically implanted, do something before you just melt away. Hell just the other day you’re whining about a mistake made by a sixth grade teacher. Are you really that fragile? I’m surprised you didn’t sue her for harassment.
And if the media tells you to do something, you do it? You that easily to manipulate? Guess that explains why you’re always offended.
While I’m sure you have many “serious mental and medical conditions,” I bet most of them could be cured by simply becoming a mature adult.
And mature adults don’t obsess over slutty pop stars. (They can, however, make fun of those who do.)
By the way, you missed my point entirely.
You are the dumbest person I’ve ever met in my life.
you know, i never comment on your blog and i have a rule NEVER to discuss politics on blogs. i am about to make an exception though.
how can you turn the memory of what happened on 9/11 around to advance your own agenda? seriously, this was a day of tragedy, a day in which our nation was attacked, and the FIRST thought you have in discussing it was to use it you advance your agenda on iraq? how about two seconds of sympathy for the people who lost lives and their families.
i enjoy how you call for 9/11 to be a day that will symbolize our ‘coming together’ right after bringing up the most divisive political issue of our day.
nice.
finally, quit blaming our country for 9/11. i know the malcontent has gone around and around with you on this many times and you refuse to budge, but i will say it to. american foreign policy did NOT cause 9/11. those planes were flown by wahabi-trained sunni extremists who believe that god has called them to establish a worldwide muslim calphate. they see the us and the west as the strongest bulwark against that. THAT is why they are attacking us, not because we support israel or prop up the saudi royal family. we can debate the merits of those policies all you want, but the did not cause 9/11. 11 men who are evil and have no respect for human life, directed by a group of men who also are evil and have no respect for human life caused 9/11.
as for this statement:
“especially considering the people that caused the attack and the subsequent war in Iraq have not been, nor are even being currently sought after, targets. I have HOPE that we would actually take care of the people that are a real threat,”
how dare you insult the men and women of our armed forces and intelligence services by suggesting we haven’t been doing anything to combat al qaeda?
the list of al qaeda leaders captured or killed by us or our allies is a mile long. i’ll give you just a few -
mohammed atef
khalid sheik mohammed
ramzi binalshibh
abu zubaydah
mustafa ahmed al-hasawi
need more names?
britney is a lot of things.. but fat is not one of them. She’s not as thin as she used to be.. but umm.. that’s not a bad thing.
dave, by your definition, does dumb mean: being able to attribute wrong doing to oneself, and recognizing that actions, especially negative ones, will, and often do, have consequences? Because that is what the statement you highlighted does; it points out that while we are not directly our own cause of 9/11, the events that transpired to make that attack happen are, in at least some part, the cause.
If it doesn’t I suggest you reevaluate your definition, and perhaps, become more well versed in actual events; because you will begin to see that America isn’t hated simply because it exists.
Your last comment and what you said in your post are contradictory.
Oh God, it’s another one of these days at duanemoody.com.
James, I appreciate your readership, and comment, and will respond to your many points. I do, however, think that you have jumped to many grandiose conclusions based on the two tiny paragraphs I have written in today’s post, and will address that as well.
First,
What is my agenda? Hope? Peace? Freedom? Isn’t that the “agenda” of everyone? I am confused as to how my stating that what I want is freedom, and for things like this to never happen again, is an agenda that detracts in any way from the events that transpired 6 years ago today.
With regards to sympathy, I am not lacking in my sympathy for anyone that has died as a result of 9/11, nor anyone that has died because of the resulting war. In fact, I have sympathy, so much so, that I want to make sure that nothing like this happens again. I hope that we can become a better nation, and as such, actually honor those that have died by not burying our heads in the sand, and pointing fingers, looking for blame. It is time to be mature about the situation; that doesn’t mean that I am have no sympathy. This is one of the most offensive conclusions that you jumped to, in my opinion, as I have repeatedly, and consistently stated nothing but support and sympathy for all those involved in 9/11 and the Iraq war. I challenge you to think about what you have accused me of, especially considering those facts.
So this would have been better as a non-sequitur, rather than a daily post? I tend to say things as a think/feel them; just because something comes before or after something you deem frivolous, does not mean that I have no respect for the topic. Would a separate post been more to your liking?
While I too don’t think American foreign policy is the only thing to blame, I think you are incorrect in removing any blame for 9/11 from our actions. The people that flew those planes were followers of extremists who were affected by our actions. This was retaliation. It was more than our simple “support of Israel” and the “propping up the Saudi Royal family”; but yes, I do believe that those factor into the grander equation. The point is, we are not sinless here, and to deny that our actions have had no impact on the events that have transpired, is to say that you truly believe we are saints.
Also, ask yourself, if these people see the west (i.e., US) as the problem, why do you think that is so? Could it be because of what we do with regards to the rest of the world? Could it be because we treat the rest of the world as if it owes us something, and we scoff at the thought of helping anyone that might need it? Could it be because we portray ourselves as the utmost greedy, selfish people on the planet, that will stop at nothing to have “it all”? Because I am not so naive as to believe that these things have had no impact on their views of us at all. If you are interested, I would be glad to point you to some resources that would illustrate how globalization works, as well as highlights some of the negative factors we have influencing the process (which have been in existence for a very long time).
This is another grandiose conclusion, as I have never stated anything but support for our troops and armed forces. Do those that act under the orders of one or two men deserve the same scrutiny? Absolutely not, which is why I haven’t applied it. But, the fact is, their actions are just that, the order of the few running this country, and those orders have done little to actually nullify the perpetrators of 9/11. Additionally, of the list of al Queda leaders that you have listed, how many came into power after 9/11? How many of them were inserted into Iraq after our presence became a threat? How many of them are in response to our military presence in the Middle East? My point, is that our actions are making things worse, because we are creating new enemies; rather than focusing on the initial ones we seemed so concerned with.
I support the troops 100%, and this is why I want them home so badly. No one should have to follow the orders of someone who clearly does not have their best interests at heart. I regret that you concluded that I lack support of our armed forces, and that I believe they have done nothing, when it couldn’t be further from the truth. I honestly believe they have done the job they signed up to do, and have bravely followed misguided orders. Is that their fault? No. That is the nature of the armed forces; which begs to call into question those making these orders.
I am sorry that you disagree with my “politics”, James, but you have grossly concluded statements that just aren’t true, based on both what was said, as well as what was unsaid today. Yes, I think that we had SOMETHING to do with 9/11, and I do think that to deny that is foolish, as it allows for these same manipulative and destructive actions of our country to go on (which put us at even greater risk in our future). There is no one that is so high and mighty that they are without blame, and I am still astonished to see Americans so offended at the mention of ours. Again, sorry you disagree, but don’t mistake what I am saying for anything more than it is.
dave, you’re right. It is contradictory. Instead of saying:
I should say:
What I will say, is that I hope that the memory is enough to stir passion in people to end the needless, and misguided war in Iraq; which we all know, was based on false intelligence, yet it has been allowed to continue. I hope the passion extends pity and remorse, but doesn’t forget these things in the process, into a call for change, and a call for action: a call for us to get out of Iraq, because we are making more enemies with our presence there; a call for us to stop the needless destruction of a sovereign nation that had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11; and a call to stop the loss of countless lives, both Iraqi and our soldiers, most importantly, because this war is not the war we needed to, or need to fight.
I would also add:
Just because I don’t illustrate 100% of my opinion on every facet of an issue, does not mean that it a) does not exist, b) that I am against it, or c) that I have yet to address it; because I would hope that people would be able to see what I have written, both now, and over time, as a representation of my opinions, without the constant need for reassurance of what I have stated many times, and even implied in the opinions that are being called into question.
Is that less contradictory for you?
It matters not if we had interfered with the Middle East (as you suggest) or ignored them completely. The fact that we operate in a free society is the reason they hate us and want to put us under Islamic law or do away with us completely.
The fact that you think this whole thing can be “talked out” is absurd. How can you be this naive? Did you not see the bin Laden videos released in the past week? Whether it’s really him or not, it is the message of the Islamic Radicals we are talking about. I don’t recall that message saying, “Hey guys, pick up and go home and we can all be cool. Sorry about that 9/11 thing. Our bad.” No. I recall it saying they will not stop until they kill us or put us under Islamic Law.
I don’t disagree that a lot of shit was stirred up by us in the past. I don’t disagree that there is stuff we could have done in the past to reduce the severity in feelings some people in other nations have for us. I do disagree with the statement that the responsibility of 9/11 falls on anyone shoulders but that of the Islamic Radicals. They made a decision to attack our innocent civilians. By doing so, they justified us sparing no expense in eradicating their style of hatred from the face of the Earth forever.
I know you won’t post this, but you’re either dangerously misguided or willfully uninformed. There’s no nuance in your point,only to blame America and overlook the rise of radical Islam. I have to be honest — I enjoy bullying you because you need to be bullied. You are a fool, and an obstinante one at that. Thank God you have no influence.
And then you’re so fucking condescending in your response to James. Yes, Duane, lead us all in a demonstration of how globalization works. Here’s a good idea: why don’t we send you to Iraq to negotiate peacfully. I’m sure you’ll be welcomed with open arms.
Then you decry American materialism — you’re writing every week about some new product you can’t wait to get and how much its going to change your life. You, in fact, are the prototpyical ugly American. But please, lecture us all.
dave, atlmalcontent, and anyone else who wants to accuse me of placing the blame on America for 9/11 incorrectly, listen up:
1)accepting responsibility for one’s part in something does not negate another’s responsibility in the same thing.
2)because you choose to focus on your own sins, does not mean you do not recognize the sins of others.
3)if you are too dumb to understand that influence of many parties affects what happens to each party involved, you are misguided.
4)just because you admit to blame on your own part, does not mean that the blame you have identified is the only blame that is necessary.
Point being, because both of you consistently miss this, and call me stupid for not saying it: I don’t think that America is 100% of the reason for 9/11. I also think that the Islamic extermists who attacked us are really bad people.
BUT
I am not so naive as to think that our influences on the middle east, and our meddling in their culture and way of life had no effect whatsoever on their motivation for attack.
So let’s go over this again, as I know you are slow to understand things that I say:
– I have never said we are 100% of the cause of 9/11; you have inferred that misguidedly. What I have said, is that we have played some part in making people hate us. Like it or not, we have done wrong, and like it or not, it had consequences.
– I have never, nor will never, believe that an entire religion, or race of people, simply hate America, just because America exists. If this were the case, they would hate every religion and nation other than their own; yet we were the target, and remain their focus. This tells anyone that is able to think logically, that we may have done SOMETHING to deserve this focus.
I hope that you can finally understand that, by admitting some blame in a situation, and working to right the wrong that you have done, you become a better person; and in this case, a better nation. But, if you blindly point the finger at your attacker, and say, “they attacked us because we are awesome, nothing more”, then you are asking to be attacked again; under the guise of willful ignorance.
Again, I hope this clears it up for you, but somehow, I doubt it will. I mean, it is about a clear as can be, yet you both keep telling me I am wrong and stupid, while illustrating that neither of you want to acknowledge our presence in the equation; other than on the innocent, attacked end.
And atlmalcontent, sadly, a fool is someone that not only lacks the correct judgment, as well as the application of logic and prudence, but they are so blinded by their own foolishness, that they are often quick to continually make incorrect assumptions about others, based on little evidence. That makes you the fool; not I.
atlmalcontent, I have said before, but it begs to be said again, are you really THAT unhappy? I mean, you hate EVERYTHING. Seriously. If you took what I said to James as condescending, especially the part about globalization, you read into it, and gathered that on your own; I didn’t mean for it to come across as anything but informative. With regards to language and manner with which I defended myself from his accusations and grossly misrepresented conclusions, the tone I tried to take was respectful, yet defensive.
I think that you are just so unhappy and miserable, that you either a) want the rest of us to join you so that you don’t have to suffer alone, b) really do want to find something hateful and demeaning in everything, as to identify personally with it, or c) a combination of a and b. Seriously, grow up already. You have been toeing the line again today, and I am fed up. Play nice, or fuck off; it’s your choice.
Thanks Dr. Duane. The thought of u being anywhere near a hosptial as anything but a patient is frightening. I criticize, and I’m a hater? It’s like arguing with a sixth grader. A sixth grader named … Diane?
Amazing how someone can be so condescending yet so clueless.
Are you sure you’re not a parody?
I love how you think I was “so offended” by writing a story about how I personally overcame being called the wrong name in sixth grade. Again, you are grasping at straws dude. You aren’t getting to me. Just save yourself the trouble of coming up with more. More importantly, save me the trouble of having to hear it.
If I wanted to hear your constant whining, I would go to your blog.
no more comments from atlmalcontent! YAY! (yeah… you’re banned from making any more comments on this post, sugar.)
I’m sure they have many reasons for hating everyone, even each other, but what made us stand out from the rest was our unwaivering support of Israel (one of the best things we’ve ever done).
Anyway, it looks like the ***SUCCESS OF THE SURGE*** will allow a draw down of troops next year.
Bugboy, which, is an action that we took, and that we are responsible for.
I don’t know so much about that surge, though…
Do you seriously not see how many times you’ve contradicted yourself in this one comment thread alone?
Forgive my French, but I so not fucking surprised to see you say this. I was actually waiting for it. You’ve said on multiple times that we should listen to our Generals. Well, the General both parties put in charge of operations in Iraq has come back and said things are working. He’s made a request to send troops home… some now, a fuckton more later. Yet, because this doesn’t fit into your plan to make Bush or Republicans looks like they were right all along, you “question” it. You are so completely one sided and ignorant.
dave, being contradictory is taking a position, and then arguing something different in the same vein. I haven’t done that. What I have done, is be consistent in my position.
Please point out contradictions.
As far as the surge jab, it was just that, a jab. But since you went there, it isn’t about “being right” and republicans “being wrong”; it is about doing what’s right, and stopping what is wrong. That has been the point all along. The man that is sitting there telling us that the troop surge is working is the SAME MAN that developed the strategy for overthrowing an insurgency; and strangely enough, he has consistently (since his appointment) gone completely against his own recommendations for the minimum requirements to overthrow an insurgency. Maybe he was wrong initially? Maybe, but is more likely that there isn’t as much “success” as he is reporting, and he is saying what he is so that we can “wait it out” a little longer.
Lack of real evidence makes that questionable to me, why not to you?
Wow. There are a lot of people who read this blog who have been brainwashed by the simpleton republican one-line agenda - “They hate us for our freedom.” What a retarded thing to say. They don’t hate us for our “freedom” (a freedom, I must say, that has slowly deteriorated to something more like free, as long as you get permission), they hate us because of what we did to their homeland.
Freedom has nothing to do with the issue - all mankind wants to be “free”. It’s in our nature.
Brainwashed fox news sheep. That’s what these dumbasses are.
thanks, duane, but i will pass on the globalization stuff. i work in a global capacity for a multinational so i am pretty familiar with it. plus i am pretty sure that your sources would only be ones that support your worldview. honestly, i could dig up a thousand sources that disagree with you. i have no desire to play the competing links game.
i have asked myself those questions. let me tell you the answer…BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ISLAMIC STATES RULED BY SHARIA. that is it. ask yourself this; if the west is so horrible, why do so many people from all over the world try to get into the us, australia and europe every year?
finally, let me respond to this:
duane, please check your facts before you makes these statements. let us go through my list -
mohammed atef - al qaeda operations chief. killed in afghanistan in 2001. was indicted by a us grand jury for the african embassy bombings that took place in 1998. he’s been around for awhile. wikipedia here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Atef
khalid sheik mohammed - according to the 9/11 commission reports he was the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks. planned them, recruited the hijackers, secured the money. yup, he’s been around for a long time too. wikipedia here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_Sheikh_Mohammed
ramzi binalshibh - long time al qaeda member. suspected of being the ‘20th hijacker.’ key to assisting ksm in planning the attacks. nope, he didn’t come out of the woodworks in iraq either. wikipedia here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramzi_Binalshibh
abu zubaydah - among other things is suspected of playing a key role in planning the thwarted ‘millennium attacks’ in the late 90’s. many claim he is the highest ranking al qaeda member alive and in custody. most likely took over as operations chief for al qaeda after the previously mentioned mohammed atef was killed by us bombs. wikipedia here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Zubaydah
and finally, mustafa al-hawsawi - he was the money man and financier behind 9/11. he didn’t really have anything to do with the war in iraq either. wikipedia here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustafa_al-Hawsawi
so yes, duane. when you make the statement that we have done nothing to target the ‘real’ perpetrators of 9/11. i believe that that is an disrespectful to the dedication of those that have put their lives on the line to bring these and other al qaeda operatives to justice for their role in the attacks.
James,
So by this statement, Islamic extremists want to eradicate every society on the planet? That doesn’t seem to be the case, except for people that agree with your position making those assertions. Yes, it contributes to the fact that they hate us, but seriously, I can’t believe you people don’t think that ANYTHING we have done has pissed them off! How can you be so blind to that? It really doesn’t make sense to me to make this such a “cut and dry issue”, when it is clearly multi-faceted.
As far as the questions that I asked you, they were questions; which you answered. My point is, and it has been fact checked, is that it is known that we have made al Queda more of a presence in Iraq since we invaded. In fact, it has been said numerous times, that al Queda wasn’t in Iraq until we got there.
My statements that suggest that we need to go after the “real” perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, focus on doing just that, instead of doing what we are currently doing… which is trying to stabilize a nation that we threw into turmoil.
James, again, you conclude that I have said that the troops have done “nothing”, when I even clarified that for you in my last comment. Please stop making grossly overstretched conclusions, because they simply denigrate your argument. We have had some wins. We have had some losses. However, the overall threat remains; and more importantly, grows with every day we spend in Iraq. A handful of al Queda targets is not going to solve the problem, and continuing to focus on them as the “success” is dangerously misrepresenting what we are doing, and what needs to be done.
We agree that these were bad men. I never suggested they weren’t. If they were part of planning 9/11, I’m glad we “got ‘em”. However, our focus has been, and continues to be on Iraq, which doesn’t have ties to 9/11. If we really want to get the rest of these guys, we should go after them; instead of waiting in Iraq for them to come to us.
We totally agree on the facts, James, I just think we come at it from different perspectives. You see it as we have gone in, and done our job, and have definitely taken care of business, so things are going according to plan. I see it as, we have gone in under false pretenses, managed to get a few of the bad guys (which is definitely good), yet have remained in a country that we threw into turmoil, and continue to create new enemies by sticking around. You yourself even indicated that at least one of those men was killed in Afghanistan… isn’t that clear enough for even you, that Iraq wasn’t the target, but al Queda was; wherever they were? Final point being, they are in Iraq because they came in after us. They are able to recruit more of them each day, because of the growing hatred for us in Iraq and the surrounding reason. Calling a campaign that creates more enemies a success is misguided at best.
We on the right think that preventing a genocide is a good thing.
And you?