The American Mind

[...] Sean Hackbarth: “It’s what happens when you build your national capital in a swamp. [...]

“if AlGore were President this wouldn’t be happening.”

If Al Gorical was President this wouldn’t even make it to the news.

Sorta like how Homeless people are a major problem only when the United States President is Republican.

And let us not forget that this is not the only Jefferson legacy that is sinking. I am sure that will be blamed on the current WH occupant, too. As well as lack of a long term solution. Yes, the US has a lot of swampland we have built on. And all because of what one occupant of the WH does.

[...] They don’t wear jackboots and scary black uniforms anymore, and they’re doing it one small step at a time instead of suddenly and all at once; it’s all in the name of “progress,” and it’s all “for your own good.” And we’re making it easy for them, each and every one of us. It’s not just Jefferson’s memorial that’s sinking into the swamp; his legacy is as well. [...]

If AlGore(tm)were President, the Memorial would have been dismantled years ago, parted out to pay Reparations for all types of human evil perpetrated on all types of human people.

I blame Bush.

Holy Grail, Scene 14 seems appropriate here.

Listen, lad. I built this kingdom up from nothing. When I started here, all there was was swamp. Other kings said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show ‘em. It sank into the swamp.

Because you know if AlGore were President this wouldn’t be happening.

It might still be happening, but at least the Iraq Misadventure wouldn’t be, so we’d have the resources to actually do something about the Jefferson Memorial.

Chet, you’re an idiot; blind to the threats our Nation faces, ignorant of the capabilities our Nation possesses, and determined to see us fail no matter the cost.

Why don’t you just move to France?

Right Chet. Democratic members of Congress probably have more cash stashed in their freezers than we spend annually on Iraq.

…but at least the Iraq Misadventure wouldn’t be, so we’d have the resources to actually do something about the Jefferson Memorial.

Absolutely, ‘cus, ya know, edifices to dead 18th century elitist slave owners are so much more important than confronting theo-fascism bent on the destruction of our way of “…life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” (where have I read that before?)

So let’s all feel better and chant, “Run, Al, run.” It’ll show how oh, so very involved we are with all the Very Important Things that the modern Left has to offer.

we’d have the resources to actually do something about the Jefferson Memorial

This statement is almost supernatural in its stupidity.

What’s the idea here? Hook the memorial up to helicopters using tow cables to keep it on an even keel? Buttressing the foundations with tanks? Perhaps if we posted round the clock guards they could fend off the advancing waters of the tidal basin? Lemme guess: Army engineers will save the day, right?

I will be shocked into blindness if I read something less smart today.

Chet — except that if we hadn’t launched the war in Iraq and taken the war to the terrorists, we would be under constant terrorist attack in the United States and our economy would have collapsed by now.

If Congress can fund a $125,000,000 bridge to benefit 80 of Ted Stevens constituents in Alaska, it can probably do something about a sinking Jefferson Memorial.

I can’t think of a more fitting metaphor for our vanishing liberties.

Well played, Chet. Well played.

I am sure he (Bush) cut funding somewhere that the lefties can find to blame this on. They always say he cut some dept’s budget whenever a natural disaster happens.

Well played, my ass. Jaed, That was a lame “me-too” response to a cheap, tired, anti-War comment.

Let’s just get real. Forget whether we should or should have gone into Iraq, or whether it is or is not going well. Are you two, or anyone actually that misinformed of the wealth of our nation? Do you think that a 4 year war like the one we are fighting would prevent us from being able to fix the Jefferson Memorial.

A war the size of WWII, DOES require true ‘guns and butter’ type choices in the short term. But, this war is NOT anywhere near that. Almost none of us have made any actual sacrifices to our standard of living due to Iraq. Nor will out children or grandchildren. Worst case it is some well-intentioned money that turned out to not end up helping. But, at least we tried. Try as you might, “war is never the answer” people, but, some things ARE worth fighting for. And in those times, sometimes you don’t win, and sometimes it turns out the enemy is tougher than you thought, or that you make mistakes. But, it doesn’t make it any less wrong to have fought in the first place. All this, if you knew then what you know now crap is, just that, crap. If I would have know then, what I know now, I would have bet on the Warriors to beat the Mavericks this year.

Wow, Chet, what a genius!!! You know what Al Gore would have done if he were elected President!!! Hey, what is the stock market going to do next week?

It’s like I’m arguing with people from an alternate universe. Let me tell you how it is here in reality, people.

Absolutely, ‘cus, ya know, edifices… are so much more important than confronting theo-fascism

Iraq was a secular state before we invaded. You can be Dumbass No. 1.

Chet, you’re an idiot; blind to the threats our Nation faces, ignorant of the capabilities our Nation possesses, and determined to see us fail no matter the cost.

Actually I’m just a guy like more than 60-70% of Americans who’s tired of seeing billions of dollars and thousands of lives vanish down the Iraq rathole with no end in sight and no visible progress of any kind – while things go to shit here at home. You can be Dumbass No. 2.

Chet — except that if we hadn’t launched the war in Iraq and taken the war to the terrorists, we would be under constant terrorist attack in the United States and our economy would have collapsed by now.

As has been abundantly proven in the past three years, there were no terrorists of any perceptible strength until we invaded. You can be Dumbass No. 3, unless by “taking the war to the terrorists” you meant “bringing war to places where there are no terrorists.”

Are you two, or anyone actually that misinformed of the wealth of our nation?

Oh, so tax and spend is ok when Republicans are doing it? I’m well aware of the “wealth of our nation”, but thanks to George Bush we spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year more than our government takes in taxes. It doesn’t matter how much wealth you have if you’re spending all of it plus billions.

You can be Dumbass No. 4 (sorry if that’s a little higher than most of you are used to counting.) I’d like to introduce you to a little concept called “debt”, which, despite meaning that you buy now and pay later, it’s not nearly as fun as it sounds in the long-term.

some things ARE worth fighting for.

What exactly is going on in Iraq that you think is worth fighting for? And if you think it’s worth fighting for, why aren’t you over there fighting for it?

I suspect what you really meant was “some things are worth having other people fight for at no cost to myself.” Some of us aren’t equipped to be so amoral.

Ahh, Chet. Guns or butter then, is it? What year are you so desperately pining for… 1912? Eugene V. Debs for President, yeah, if only we could revert to the Good Old Days before socialism became the punchline to so many obvious jokes.

To be capable of thinking that the enormous US economy ($13.2 trillion in 2006) would be unable to sustain both the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan and the shoring-up of a building site at the same time is not even absurd. It’s sub-absurd in its ignorance.

If you’ve got so much as a semester of a college education, Chet, or even a year at a shabby underfunded public junior high school, you ought to call them up and demand a refund of your tuition or parents’ tax dollars.

Clearly, someone failed to educate you. Or perhaps your teachers were decent, and the failure is entirely your own.

My bet’s on the latter.

Yes, Chet, you are correct. You are arguing with smart, successful people, which is clearly outside your accustomed realm.

Oh, will you, will you, Chet, allow we ignoramuses into the vaunted secret halls of reality, as defined by the self-selected You?

Thank you so much for deigning to enlighten us, O arbiter of Reality and the One True Authority To Inform Those Retards Who Disagree With Chet That They Only Do So Because They’re Stupid So There Nyah Nyah.

Truth is, you’ve contributed nothing to this discussion and have not broached the ideas presented in the original post. But you’ve made yourself Feel Better™ which was the whole point along now, wasn’t it.

Yesss, yesss, Chet has validated his (objectively pitiable) self-worth by posting here. Good for him; it’s the best he’s got.

Let’s be charitable and only snicker at his feeble attempts discreetly.

But inside, Chet, in the realm of feelings, which appears to be the only refuge of a scoundrel like yourself, we’re laughing our asses off.

At you.

“determined to see us fail no matter the cost.

Why don’t you just move to France?”

Alex, you are devoid of all originality.

[...] 18th, 2007 · No Comments into the swampland it (and the rest of D.C.) was builtupon. [...]

Oh, will you, will you, Chet, allow we ignoramuses into the vaunted secret halls of reality, as defined by the self-selected You?

You don’t need my permission. It’s sufficient of you to realize that nearly every conservative narrative about the Iraq war is substantially false, and the following things have been demonstrated to be abundantly true:

1) Iraq had no functional nuclear program, no weapons-grade nuclear materials, and no functional chemical weapons program, thanks to years of interdiction by UN weapons inspectors.
2) Iraq had fundamentally complied with every portion of the UN sanctions, including the re-admission of weapons inspectors into the country – who only left when we ordered them out in preparation for invasion.
3) Claims of Iraq possessing WMD materials in any significant, dangerous quantities were not supported by any intelligence except the most fraudlent, and the “corrobration” provided by the British and Italian intelligence bureaus was simply the repetition of the same information from the same single fraudlent source.
4) Saddam had no plans and was not providing any aid whatsoever to Islamic terror groups. To the contrary; such terror networks were as great a threat to his government as they were to ours. The invasion of Iraq and the complete dismantling of the government infrastructure sent Iraq’s armies straight into an insurgency. The current status of Iraq as a breeding ground for terrorism is a direct result of the power vacumn created by our invasion.

These things are known to be true; additionally, they’re obvious to anybody who cares to look. If the only information you get about the war is from Captain’s Quarters and Instapundit, of course, you’re completely ignorant as to these facts.

To be capable of thinking that the enormous US economy ($13.2 trillion in 2006) would be unable to sustain both the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan and the shoring-up of a building site at the same time is not even absurd.

You can be Dumbass No. 5, I guess, if you think that the entire United States economy is avaliable for government spending. For all you conservatives claim to hate taxes, I’m surprised that here you are, advocating tax rates of 100% to fund two failing wars and all the rest of it.

And you guys are saying I’m the socialist? Take a good look at Brinkley, here.

But inside, Chet, in the realm of feelings, which appears to be the only refuge of a scoundrel like yourself, we’re laughing our asses off.

Was there an argument in there? A refutation of some kind? If so I didn’t see it.