A Peculiar People
Americans believe strange things and think strange thoughts. Millions of Americans, perhaps a majority, think
proudly, that invading and overthrowing two weak, remote foreign states that have done us no harm means that we are “defending our country”;
that the main purpose of higher education is to field professional sports teams (even more important then beer busts and training Asian scientists);
that the primary goal of human life is shopping;
that what “we” feel to be right is binding on everyone (though “we” has never been satisfactorily identified);
that some pretty, morally and intellectually mediocre politician or other is a great statesman whose elevation to power will make the world better;
that it is the duty of a "good citizen" to participate in the dead ritual of voting;
unlike every civilised and even half-civilised people in history, that manners are an affectation unnecessary to society;
that a doctor's degree or an ordination makes a wise and benevolent person;
that capitalism and free enterprise mean government subsidy of business;
that science can and should prolong their individual existence indefinitely—even if it means cannibalizing babies;
that spending other people's money and blood on causes we favour makes us virtuous.
All of which goes back to the original and greatest and strangest perversion of all: that canting verbiage about government of the people and a glorious Union justifies the brutal war of invasion and conquest in 1861-1865 that reduced the people and resources of part of the country into a conquered territory to be exploited by the politicians and money men of the other part.
"If only Longstreet had . . ." —O. Henry
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man... everyone one of these... I think you hit all of my favorite pet peeves on this one!
As usual, Dr. Wilson hits the nail on the head. The first step in correctly errors is being able to recognize and acknowledge them. Looks like there is lots of work to do.
Should be -- ...correcting errors...
please excuse.
I'll give you the bit about believing strange things, Professor, but
claiming that "Millions of Americans, perhaps a majority, think" ?
Of your charity, sir, would you please tell me where one may find the evidence for such a proposition ? Most of what I've seen, heard and read leads to exactly the opposite conclusion, to wit:
Prosecution Exhibit 1: Television, particularly "reality shows", televised mercenary athletics and "celebrity"-oriented programming. "Survivor", pro football and Britney Spears; if these are America's best "contributions" to the world's culture, then America owes the world a refund.
Prosecution Exhibit 2: The formal education system, particularly the K-12 portion. As someone who interacts with it on a regular basis, I think I am on firm ground when I say that it is expressly designed to deter the acquisition of knowledge, rather than to further it. (We know that the higher education system does this; there is at least one study that directly confirms it.)
Prosecution Exhibit 3: Imperial finances. Chronic budget deficits, expanding entitlement programs and precious little commentary on either. This is not just ignorance, but willful ignorance, not just stupidity.
Prosecution Exhibit 4: The Iraqi Conquest War. I won't insult anyone's intelligence by detailing this one.
I could go on, but I believe I have made my point. The average American commoner is more focussed on his next meal, his next TV fix or his next sexual encounter than on the real world around him, and is no more capable of actual sustained thought than a well-trained horse or dog.
Worse yet, the problem is more evident at the elite levels, thanks largely to the fact that most corporate Lords or heads of State bureaucracies spend more time dealing with abstractions than real Human beings. (Paul Wolfowitz, please call your office.)
If nothing else, this state of affairs makes for good, humorous viewing. (They don't call it the Human Comedy for nothing, although "Theater of the Absurd" would be more descriptive.)
Popcorn, anyone ?
Your servant,
Lord Karth
"That spending other people’s money and blood on causes we favour makes us virtuous."
Michael Gerson was promoting his book 'Heroic Conservatism' on CNN the other day, congratulating himself for convincing Bush to send 30 billion dollars of other people's money abroad to fight AIDS. Meanwhile, the military bureaucrats are demanding that blown up soldiers send back their signing bonuses.
"Take up the White Man's burden--
Ye dare not stoop to less--
Nor call too loud on Freedom
To cloak your weariness."
Some other things which I believe most Americans hold:
that one gets one's rights from the Constitution;
that constitutional law has something to do with the Constitution;
that the President is Commander-in-Chief of the United States;
that it has always been "THE United States;"
that being an American is the mere fact of having citizenship papers;
that one can instill integrity in politicians by passing ethics laws;
that Confederate soldiers were not Americans;
that upon this generation of post-modernity no moral judgment whatsoever can be passed for any reason but that this generation of post-modernity claims for itself the right and duty to judge others, particularly the generations of the past according to the cardinal "sins" of slavery, gender bias and anti-Semitism;
that the Wilhelm Tell Overture was written for the Lone Ranger, although this misbegotten notion may have passed into the trash can of banality because even the Lone Ranger has been forgotten;
that the SCV is the KKK;
that Mike Huckabee is a paleo-conservative;
that prayer is a meaningless and superstitous unless it is performed in a public school in which case there is a danger that it might convert someone; (Actually, there are a lot of meaningless and supestitious things done in public schools.)
that Lincoln was a Jeffersonian;
that the problems which the general government cannot solve can be solved by celeberties;
that God can be mocked.
To "If only Longstreet had..." by O'Henry, I would add "If only Jackson had taken more care of his person at Chancellorsville"
"1) that God can be mocked.
2) To “If only Longstreet had…” by O’Henry, I would add “If only Jackson had taken more care of his person at Chancellorsville”
Isn't it strange that these truths are so apparent and yet so ignored. I would add to #2 truth above that it was unfortunate that President Davis discovered too late the leadership ability of Nathan Bedford Forrest in defeating invaders by any and all means available --conventional and unconventional. The constant worry coming from Sherman, in those days, about Forrest's whereabouts, reminds me of the constant calumny, black outs, worry, and no news regarding the Ron Paul campaign today.
I really do wish Mr. Paul would get loose in Iowa or New Hampshire so at least the remnant of America could chuckle as they watch "our leaders" go into fits of spending and character assasination before the "fire wall" of certainty is lit in February ---when 21 or 27 states will do what they are told and elect Hillary and Gulliani as Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Don-- leaders of The Free world.
Lord Jeb,
I too wish that Dr. Paul could get loose in Iowa and New Hampshire. It would be good for my soul if he could do well in at least one Southern state - South Carolina; however, it would seem that those who call themselves Republicans in that state have sold their souls to the very forces against whom their ancestors seceded.
My state, Louisiana, will deliver its Republican votes to Huckabee. His Baptist facade and folksy ways hide his neo-con soul. We lack even a modicum of discernment in these sultry climes.
I am absolutely not sure what is "free" about the socalled free world.
The tyrants of the western sort are merely more subtle. They drown their kittens in the warmest of milk, but the kittens are as dead as if they had been hung in pairs by their tails and had clawed one another to death.
Mssrs Jebb and Peters:
Yes, our SC GOP is corrupted. Efforts are underway, and Ron Paul will at least do surprisingly better than all the polls are saying---and, if nothing else, be a pretty big thorn in the side of the neocons. We're also running a genuine paleo against Grahamnesty, who actually has a chance of winning: http://buddywitherspoon.com.
Mr. Peters, I am a very tolerant man, but I will not stand for casting aspersions on the Lone Ranger!
Keemo'therapy... that's b.s. - i mean keemohsahbee... i'll be Tonto Hi, Keemohsahbee! me addressing the Lone Ranger -
huh? - no i prefer my superiors (remember from the old sf site - that's what i like about myself - i'm smart enough to prefer my superiors, like Lord Karth/ Dr. Wilson, occasionally Mr. Peters, et al...(even Pappy... when he waxes authentically - heroic... 'i'll join Pappy, i'll join,' says me and I mean it - Hold me back, guys & gals, hold me back!!!!! i'll sweep through kosovo and return it to the serbs, like a broom - hold me back ~!
i prefer my superiors, albeit - without being a suckUp or obsequious... i'll always call a spade a spade -
where was i - besides conquering kosovo? - [early alzheimers i'm afraid - or as i call it the gift of the loss of memory - ] I kid, i kid !!!
Frankly, I (legitimately) forget where I 'was'... sorry troops !
This should suffice, I hope.
Fear not, I'm the comic relief - I wear the BELLS ... fortunately you can relax - you'll subsequently - always hear me coming along -
If only Longstreet ----------- i told him 'just take washington d.c. then it's done... ?' he wouldn't listen so we all went home... and had to start over! sad.
but maybe it was for the 'best' ... it's an imperfect world... perhaps it would have been worse???????
i don't know?
Where 'was' i?????
_____
Dr. Wilson at 10,
Perhaps, as I rethink the Lone Ranger and his relationship to the Wilhelm Tell Overture (Actually, I believe that Rossini's was spelled "William.), I am compelled to admit that Tell was a champion of the confederation (Swiss) against the empire, and perhaps our Lone Ranger - a synthesis of characters out of the Leatherstocking Tales, Old Shatterhand of Karl May's creation, Robin Hood and Zorro - is that type of hero as well. At any rate, the last part of my post about the Lone Ranger was correct, I believe; he has been forgotten by the post-modern generation. Actually, I do not want them to remember him, lest they "rehabilitate" him as Hollywood did Robin Hood - he became a post-modern freak warped through film back into the "Middle Ages."
Mr. Peters,
There are only two types of Americans left with this kind of ear for describing and writing truth -- Southerners or Chronicler readers !! I repeat your fine turn of phrase for the truth and its effect . ----
"They drown their kittens in the warmest of milk, but the kittens are as dead as if they had been hung in pairs by their tails and had clawed one another to death."
How about, that documenting a "consensus" is tantamount to proof of the consensus's claimed point of agreement?
Even the "War Street Journal" (like the blind hog) gets it right sometimes.
Go here
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/hjenkins/?id=110010947
to help me make my point.
Mr. Reavis,
Though no virtue of my own, I was born into a clan of story tellers, people who love to read, and individuals who took history seriously because they had lived some serious history: WWI, the 1927 Flood, the Great Depression and WWII. Yet, ironically, their history was not really these big events, but their local experiences, on farms before the coming of electricity, the automobile, indoor plumbing, etc. The older ones had an objective correlative through their parents and grandparents into the heart of the antebellum South. What little ability I might have I owe in full to them.
A peculiar people who once had a peculiar institution!
Mr. Oosbree at 16
To whom is your post addressed?
and another thing, says "a peculiar people".... more accurately, "a queer people" i say ... "one in ten" but noooo, one in three, part-time at least... right
Mr. Van O. A misreading of history. John C. Calhoun created the term "peculiar institution" not to say that the institution was peculiar, which it was not, but that it was "peculiar to" one portion of the country. The doctored usage is all too commonplace in the false propaganda of the Republican imperialists of 1861---present.
It is not uncommon for those in power to censor the opposition or for winners of wars to write their own history, but the apparent opposition in comments like "A peculiar people who once had a peculiar institution!" is a false opposition that leads to false history and further demonstrates the hypocrisy of "free" Imperialists.
It is said of a conversation between Lenin and Trotsky as they trained together into Moscow having orchestrated the killing , maiming and slaughter necessary for such types of " free governments," that Trotsky asked Lenin , "Well, now shall we have freedom ?" To which Lennin replied , "Freedom ? For what ?"
Both sides of America's civil war fought for freedom -- some freedoms were rightfully gained and others unjustly lost. Why does any intelligent discussion of the losses, always lead to unnecessary accusations concerning the gains ? The ideaology of imperialists , perhaps ?
Nonsense, Dr. Wilson. The term "peculiar institution" was a euphemism widely adopted by Southerners. Euphemisms exist to mask brutal facts - in this case chattel slavery!
The term was NOT widely used by antebellum Southerners and it was not a euphemism but a precise term in its proper use.
not that anyone cares and i don't blame you but we had an impostor:
Quote: and another thing, says “a peculiar people”…. more accurately, “a queer people” i say … “one in ten” but noooo, one in three, part-time at least… right - (End impostor's quote above as Jeff Springer)
Huh? ... i guess it's a compliment (even) when i use a pseudonym - the swine show up to pretend they're me...
no matter what name i choose to Utilize... they can't immitate me successfully but by pretending to be me (or pretending to be anyone else they are not) - confuse the issue. - swine bacon -
that's why i utilize so MANY silly names - what's in a name - but to try at least to avoid the swine. they have no conscience... only a blood group... sadly.
__________________
Mr. van Oosbree,
One would inquire as to the point of your posts, particularly since you seem to want to make something peculiar out of the word "peculiar" which is down right peculiar since that very precise word has an exact historical context which Dr. Wilson has already provided you. I could be wrong, for wrong I have been before, but it seems to me that you are fishing for some moral high ground, although I am not sure that "fishing for ... moral high ground" is a well constructed metaphor; it does, however, make its point. What high ground would that be, assuming I am indeed right; and what is then otherwise your agenda in this "peculiar" exchange, your answer being of keen importance to me since your initial post on the topic appears to have been directed at something which I scribbled on this thread? A fair warning! I genuflect only to God, the Most High; and certainly not to the high minded.
Southerners did not use "peculiar institution" as a euphemism. Rather, their attackers used it as a taunt. Mr. Van O is following a well-established tactic.
Americans believe strange things and think strange thoughts. Millions of Americans, perhaps a majority, think that
civil discourse in politics means never employing violence to achieve one's ends.
bi-partisanship means that both Republicans and Democrats should agree on all things.
"unlike every civilised and even half-civilised people in history, that manners are an affectation unnecessary to society;"
I've noticed this too. Doesn't it seem like movie heroes very often tend to be ill-mannered-- seen as equivalent to honesty, I suppose-- whereas the villains are so often well-mannered and genteel?
One example is the guy in the latest Star Wars films, the "Count Duuku" character. He compliments his foes with terms like "you have fought gallantly" and even salutes his foes before lightsaber-dueling.
The "Die Hard" films -- even though I must confess to liking them-- exhibit this phenomenon as well. The coarse NYC cop vs. cultivated European terrorists.
Aren't the Harry Potter villains all a pack of aristocrats as well?
Both liberals and "conservatives" have played their part in the rise of Total War and the mechanistic dehumanist state, by sneering at chivalry. To be obnoxious is almost seen as a virtue at this point.
What's ironic is I'm more inclined to identify with the coarser, more populist spirit myself -- but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate the worth of aristocrats.
And I think the image of the aristocrat-demon is a trick concocted by big-shot oligarchs and moguls to keep the people from identifying their real enemy.
Country squires and gentry and noblemen weren't the ones who poured poisons into our rivers and taught our daughters to dress like low-budget strippers and sent our sons (and daughters) off to die halfway around the world.
I think you're right, G.S. There is the sometimes portrayed Southern gentleman villain as well. Not only aristocratic and genteel, but Southern to boot. Perfect villain for the lowlifes who make today's movies.
I dont watch Bruce Willis movies because I cant stand him. I guess the ill-mannered hero might have his origins in the bad guy-hero of the 1930's, though I cant imagine Bogart being so rude and ill-mannered as the 'heroes' of today's gutter flicks. Even the worst of Bogart's characters would have beaten today's movie 'heroes' half to death for being rude and obnoxious, and for being disrespectful to women, and would have disliked many of them for their unmanliness, and what is worse, gender bending.
I think that informal behaviour is so ingrained among Americans today that manners are often seen as too formal or even as a false put-on, and some may even shed any real manners for fear of embarassment or hostile reactions from peers. It's all part of moderns' hostility to anything traditional.
Americans have been fed a steady diet of Islamophobia in media for a couple of decades now....
It's not a stretch to ask who decides that Arabs should be the villains in a Hollywood production?
It's not a stretch to then ask - who benefits from an xenophobic, islamophobic America???
The answer to both questions is - Jews.
Now think about why the Mossad was camped in the apartment next to Mohammad Atta in Florida.... monitoring his every move.
Roosevelt did nothing to save our boys at Pearl Harbor - because he wanted Americans to demand war after he LET THEM sink our subs..
Bush/Cheney/Israel played the same game on us...
So the premise of this article is false.... Americans are conditioned by propaganda to hate the people our leaders hate.
And our leaders are in partnership with Israel and her treasonous American cousins in positions of power.
We are all Palestinians now.....
Janice Ladik:
Oh, puuuuleeeeez. You need a tweezers and magnifying glass to pull out the Islamophobic stories from the MSM. Would that it were as you state. And would that Americans evinced the teeniest tiniest aversion to foreign practices and values, rather than their addled embracement of any manner of odd beliefs and practices that manage to wash up on our shores.
Actually, we have the most to worry about the influence of the Saudis and the tendency of our president to rush to the nearest Islamic Mutual Understanding Center when summoned.
No. We are all well on our way to being wahabbi errand boys unless we can do something about our national commitment to nondiscrimination.
Mr. Holler:
Who are you to suggest what Mr. Wilson should have the courage to do or not do?
The talk about "white nationalists," "youth" and "momentum" reminds me too much of a certain song [i]Die Zukunft gehört uns[/i] and the ideology which drove it. If embracing "that" is what it would take to "win," then I would prefer to lose!
Mr. Peters,
What? You'd rather lose than adopt Leon's way of thinking? What kind of fuddy-duddy are you?
I wholeheartedly endorse Leon's worldview -- "All that matters is white survival"-- as an appropriate approach to living.
Assuming, of course, that one is a cockroach.
Wait a min--
"Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects on the planet, some species capable of remaining active for a month without food, or being able to survive on limited resources like the glue from the back of postage stamps.
Some can go without air for 45 minutes or slow down their heart rate.
It is popularly suggested that cockroaches will "inherit the earth" if humanity destroys itself in a nuclear war.
Cockroaches do indeed have a much higher radiation resistance than vertebrates, with the lethal dose perhaps 6 to 15 times that for humans."
That's it!
Eureka!
What we need to do, see, is invest in genome research and bioengineering -- and then redesign white-people so we are disgusting pests (but highly capable of survival), resistant to pesticides and radiation, etc.
And then we can lay our eggs everywhere and laugh as the darkies slowly but surely fall before our Darwinian onslaught!
We few, we happy few, we band of blattodeans;
For he to-day that sheds his exoskeleton with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so gentle,
This day shall vilify his condition:
And gentlevermin now a-bed in the nest
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their infestationhood cheap whiles any chitters
That fought with us behind Uncle Leon.
Speaking of the Lone Ranger...
The Lone Ranger's Creed
"I believe that to have a friend,
a man must be one.
That all men are created equal
and that everyone has within himself
the power to make this a better world.
That God put the firewood there
but that every man
must gather and light it himself.
In being prepared
physically, mentally, and morally
to fight when necessary
for that which is right.
That a man should make the most
of what equipment he has.
That 'This government,
of the people, by the people
and for the people'
shall live always.
That men should live by
the rule of what is best
for the greatest number.
That sooner or later...
somewhere...somehow...
we must settle with the world
and make payment for what we have taken.
That all things change but truth,
and that truth alone, lives on forever.
In my Creator, my country, my fellow man."
The Lone Ranger
There has been a complete absence of critical thinking from the majority of Americans for about three decades now. The damage that these people have inflicted upon this republic is incalculable. Bill O'Reily, a "conservative," just referred to a pro-constitution tv ad (that he and the network rejected) as "anti-American." In a sane society, he would be facing the end of his career.
"There has been a complete absence of critical thinking from the majority of Americans for about three decades now. The damage that these people have inflicted upon this republic is incalculable. Bill O’Reily, a “conservative,” just referred to a pro-constitution tv ad (that he and the network rejected) as “anti-American.” In a sane society, he would be facing the end of his career." -Joe C.
judaism has defeated xianity. so just like the monolithic media is no longer diverse or free - xianity is being stamped out as well. jews never came up with anything we by and large 'believe' in - when jews tried to go greek themselves in a civil war they were defeated... that defeat is celebrated to this day as Hanukka.
How many of you buffoons even 'know' that?
so Jews must be laughing...
hear them-?-HA-HA-HA
?
John McG - on his 'show' with pat buchannan as a guest usually - HAPPY HANUKKA last week he ended his show as he does every year this time of year...
john, we get it... sadly.
we've been hammered to oblivion by our own Values... Funny, john, ok.
merry christmas.
____
"So, fool,"
Hey, hold on a second, before using the "F" word -- I got master-race superior-IQ stamped all over me.
Solidarity, Brother Leon. Solidarity.
I believe the term you were actually looking for was "my-fellow-glorious-and-brilliant-Aryan-specimen-of-evolutionary
-success".
"what exactly is more important (politically) than white survival?"
Well, weakling antiquarians like Doc Wilson or Mr. Peters would probably say "integrity" or "honor" or "basic human decency" are more important than survival, but you & I know better.
Saddle up the selfish-genes, boys, it's time to give the darkies an ass-whuppin'.
I don't think you gave my proposal the serious consideration it deserves -- if you're as dedicated to white survival as you claim to be, you need to broaden your mind, Brother Leon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parahuman
Pretty soon, hopefully, we'll have it in our power to manufacture a race of super-whites -- with three or four extra-white extra arms, with great big multi-faceted white eyeballs that can see in all directions at once and in the dark (no pun intended), maybe poisonous white tails that can sting our racial enemies into submission.
Perhaps we could even breed a race of white dwarves. Or white giants.
And we could name all of them "Leon".
Now that would, like, totally rock.
Whew. It's such a relief to be able to discuss the real issues of our age with someone uninhibited by quaint hang-ups about religion and philosophy and "soul".
*Finally*, somebody else who realizes that nothing is more important than white survival.
Once more into the breach, dear friends!
Whether via genegineering, or via white-survivalist ideology -- turning the next generation of white children into what the squeamish might call "amoral, freakish monsters" is not a measure which we, as true conservatives, can afford to flinch at.
Long live the Uber-cockroaches!
After reading all these posts, I was left wondering what purpose they serve. The reference to the Lone Ranger brings to mind what the image stood for. The Lone Ranger stood for the good in humanity. It showed children the difference between good, moral behavior and greedy, selfish behavior. Now children are taught to do whatever feels good -- no matter what the consequences. So there went the morals in this country
The references to a superior white race makes me think of the fact that the scholastic averages in this country have dropped about one point per year since bussing started. So there went the intelligence level of this country
As far as reference to the Civil War and the Constitution go -- everyone needs to read "The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Constitution" The Civil War was totally unconstitutional. We the People have no more Constitutional rights. The Supreme Court has judged that We the People need to be regulated because we are too stupid to govern ourselves. Therefore, we are now subjects of the government.
Talk is cheep! If you care anything at all about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness -- get off your duffs and fight to get this country back from the totally unconstituional government and Supreme Court rulings that have made us all slaves to their whims. We the People need to be heard and every voice counts. United we stand and that means every American!
Excellent article by Dr. Wilson.
Until we ditch our current utopian egalitarian mindset this state of affairs will continue.
Since that would entail dealing with the elephant in the living room of the reality and importance of race issue I too find it hard to understand why many paleo-conservatives refuse to address it. I say that as a paleo-conservative myself who also holds to European Nationalism.
What's the point of trying to defend a geographic unit of area without addressing who should live there? It has been said that paleo-conservatives reject the importance of blood, but for some reason care very much about the soil. Soil is meaningless without blood, and blood cannot survive without soil. Blood and soil.
Anyway, tip of the hat from a fellow South Carolinian.
What exactly is it that you "white survivalists" do, other than get on the net with false names to whine and pout that others don't match your wisdom or live up to your brave and noble standards?
No worries, Brother Leon -- I got this one.
Dr. Wilson, I'll have you know that we of the Blattodearyan Revolutionary Supremacy Army lead very busy, fulfilling, and strenuous lives.
Dodging the Orkin Man while slipping into countless bathrooms and garages to lay our tens of thousands of eggs is harder work than you could imagine.
I got a cramp I don't even want to talk about.
I think that the reason many paleos avoid the race issue is that whenever they try to address it in any serious, sane manner, all the freaks and aryano-white nationalist crazies pile on like flies on rotten meat.
Yes, race is a very important issue, and we must preserve both blood and soil, but what good will that do if we end up as nothing more than post-civilisational savage thugs? Culture, spirit, civilisation, and soul are as important as blood and soil, and also must be preserved, and most white nationalist fanatics, so many of whom are not as uber-smart as they like to think they are, are incapable of even understanding them. That's why they are incapable of forming anything but silly Nazi-like movements, and why they will ever fail at preserving anything or saving the white race from any threat, real or imaginary.
When I was in school, the teachers told us the illegal aliens were "exchange students" even though we were eventually outnumbered by them in many classes, esp the ones that taught in spanish.
"proudly, that invading and overthrowing two weak, remote foreign states that have done us no harm means that we are “defending our country”;"
If "us" is a bunch of people loyal to an America that has never actually existed (and in that sense the mirror of neocons), then I agree.
If "us" is the US then i seem to remember 9-11 as well as terrorist actions supported by Saddam Hussein.
"proudly, that invading and overthrowing two weak, remote foreign states that have done us no harm means that we are “defending our country”;"
I find it strange that Dr. Wilson does not realize that Al-Queda was based in Afghanistan, with Taliban support. That state was not remote enough or weak enough to prevent it from inflicting harm on the United States.
Actually, I seem to remember something about Middle Eastern mujahadeen -- and a certain Middle Eastern tinpot dictator -- who were all supported, fawned upon, and funded by U.S. tax dollars.
With competent immigration policy & border controls, neither Afghanistan nor Iraq could pose a threat to the United States.
It sounded good, until you started bashing everyone who contributed, but was not a member of your mutual-admiration society. Turns out, it's all word games. You disappoint me.
Thank you, Paulette Spaay, you are smarter than these self-important windbags. Honor and decency, you say? And who is going to maintain those values after (or while) you are overrun by the third world? Who cares; don't you admire that elegant turn of phrase?
Humbugs!