What really constitutes a "terrorist attack" on our contry?
Would you consider the Virginia Tech shooter a terrorist? After all, he killed almost double the amount of people that Major Nadal Hassan did at Fort Hood?
How about the Anthrax Attacks in 2002 or the DC Sniper?
It seems that the metric that conservatives use is this - if you have a middle-eastern name and you do ANYTHING to harm people in the US, then it's a terrorist attack. Everything else is just a given, something that happens that can't be prevented.
Interesting.
Showing posts with label Ft. Hood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ft. Hood. Show all posts
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Revisionist Attacks
Here's a brief bit of silliness to jump-start your brain this morning
I'll pass on Hannity's and Perino's assertion that the Obama administration simply doesn't think that terrorism doesn't exist anymore, but will address it shortly. What is puzzling about this clip is what Perino says about her former employer, George W. Bush.
In point of fact, there were three terrorist attacks during the Bush administration. We all readily recognize Sept. 11th as a terrorist attack, but what conservative Republicans are conveniently forgetting are the Anthrax attack and the DC Sniper. But their own definition of what terrorism is requires that they describe the Anthrax attacks and the DC Sniper incidents as acts of terrorism.
But this doesn't fit the new reality that people like Perino and Dick Morris are fashioning. The conventional wisdom within the fringe conservative movement is that nothing bad happened to America during Bush's term. To them, Bush didn't start governing until Sept. 12th, and it was readily apparent that Bush stopped governing the day after Obama was elected.
I'll pass on Hannity's and Perino's assertion that the Obama administration simply doesn't think that terrorism doesn't exist anymore, but will address it shortly. What is puzzling about this clip is what Perino says about her former employer, George W. Bush.
In point of fact, there were three terrorist attacks during the Bush administration. We all readily recognize Sept. 11th as a terrorist attack, but what conservative Republicans are conveniently forgetting are the Anthrax attack and the DC Sniper. But their own definition of what terrorism is requires that they describe the Anthrax attacks and the DC Sniper incidents as acts of terrorism.
But this doesn't fit the new reality that people like Perino and Dick Morris are fashioning. The conventional wisdom within the fringe conservative movement is that nothing bad happened to America during Bush's term. To them, Bush didn't start governing until Sept. 12th, and it was readily apparent that Bush stopped governing the day after Obama was elected.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Some Thoughts For Your Day
- Conservatives favorite Prima Donna, Carrie "Full Frontal Fingerbang Opposite Marriage" Prejean decided that she would try to get a little saucy with Larry King and refused to answer a very simple, very honest question that is relevant to her story. The show took a bizarre turn when Prejean was speaking with someone off camera and promptly removed her mic and refused to continue when faced with the possibility of having to take a question from a caller. What a strong role-model for conservative women everywhere.
- Michelle Malkin, along with virtually every member of the fringe-conservative movement enyoy invoking the "out of context" phrase whenever they are called out for their rank hypocrisy, ignorance, and plan idiotic blathering. But now Malkin, grande dame of twisting the relevant data of a story in order to push her particular brand of ideological drooling insists that a suggestion by one writer at The Huffington Post is a sign that all liberals and progressives have it out for conservative authors. The party of context strikes again.
- Retired Col. Ralph Peters, a favorite "war-hawk that never saw day one of combat" of Fox"News" found Obama's speech at Fort Hood deeply offensive. This is all to be expected, as this man would likely find the words of Christ offensive should they not include anything about killing all the people that don't worship the way he does. But moreover, Peters seems all to willing to rush to judgement - like the remainder of the conservative media at large - about what truly motivated Hasan to kill. It doesn't help to blame Obama and assume that PC culture lead to these deaths that day.
- Michelle Malkin, along with virtually every member of the fringe-conservative movement enyoy invoking the "out of context" phrase whenever they are called out for their rank hypocrisy, ignorance, and plan idiotic blathering. But now Malkin, grande dame of twisting the relevant data of a story in order to push her particular brand of ideological drooling insists that a suggestion by one writer at The Huffington Post is a sign that all liberals and progressives have it out for conservative authors. The party of context strikes again.
- Retired Col. Ralph Peters, a favorite "war-hawk that never saw day one of combat" of Fox"News" found Obama's speech at Fort Hood deeply offensive. This is all to be expected, as this man would likely find the words of Christ offensive should they not include anything about killing all the people that don't worship the way he does. But moreover, Peters seems all to willing to rush to judgement - like the remainder of the conservative media at large - about what truly motivated Hasan to kill. It doesn't help to blame Obama and assume that PC culture lead to these deaths that day.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
The Obama/Hassan Connection b/w Your Patriotism Is Smaller Than Theirs
This was to be expected....
And while it is predictable that someone like Fox"News" and Hannity would draw a direct line from what Hassan did and what Obama has done since entering office, this is about as relevant a line of question as asking what the actions of drunk sorority girls say about the performance of the physics class at your local high school.
But this is one of the not-so-subtle nuances within the broader conservative meme that their love for their country, their patriotism, is so much larger and powerful than your that they are excused from thinking and acting irrationally, as it is in the continued struggle for the soul of the nation.
This is a rather popular line of reasoning with conservatives on Twitter. I can't count the number of times that I have encountered a profile on Twitter that espouses a person's patriotism, how they are the ultimate patriot, or even using the word patriot for their name.
Patriotism isn't really something that you laud upon yourself, and certainly not to the extent that these people are doing it. Coupled with their willful ignorance towards most of the history of this country, they come off as arrogant amateurs of socio-political thought.
But the Obama/Hassan connection is relevant only in their minds, remember that. They feed of the very notion that Obama has actually done something that made this man think he needed to kill these people. They need to feel this way toward not just Obama, but to anyone who does not toe the line of Hannity, Beck, and Bachman. And, as we all know, that's the wingnut holy trinity.
And while it is predictable that someone like Fox"News" and Hannity would draw a direct line from what Hassan did and what Obama has done since entering office, this is about as relevant a line of question as asking what the actions of drunk sorority girls say about the performance of the physics class at your local high school.
But this is one of the not-so-subtle nuances within the broader conservative meme that their love for their country, their patriotism, is so much larger and powerful than your that they are excused from thinking and acting irrationally, as it is in the continued struggle for the soul of the nation.
This is a rather popular line of reasoning with conservatives on Twitter. I can't count the number of times that I have encountered a profile on Twitter that espouses a person's patriotism, how they are the ultimate patriot, or even using the word patriot for their name.
Patriotism isn't really something that you laud upon yourself, and certainly not to the extent that these people are doing it. Coupled with their willful ignorance towards most of the history of this country, they come off as arrogant amateurs of socio-political thought.
But the Obama/Hassan connection is relevant only in their minds, remember that. They feed of the very notion that Obama has actually done something that made this man think he needed to kill these people. They need to feel this way toward not just Obama, but to anyone who does not toe the line of Hannity, Beck, and Bachman. And, as we all know, that's the wingnut holy trinity.
Monday, November 9, 2009
The Pieces Don't Seem To Fit
There’s this inescapable feeling that has rattled around in my brain since the tragic Ft. Hood shootings last week – the “facts” don’t seem to make much sense.
Considering all that we are being told about Hassan, it all seems to be far too atypical, much too predictable of a portrait of a radicalized Muslim. Almost like his character traits are being created as each daily news cycle starts.
The questions that I have only multiply with each day. If the FBI was monitoring Hassan for at least 6 months, were they simply waiting for something like this to happen before acting? Federal agents have been known to do this and have even gone so far as to actively provoke reaction from those under investigation. We saw this earlier in the year in New York several Muslim men were sold weapons by undercover agents. Was the Ft. Hood situation escalated by this type of action by the FBI? Who’s to say yes or no?
But the claim made this morning by the media that Hassan was “connected” to the Sept. 11th hijackers makes this whole scenario even more difficult to swallow. Perhaps it’s the overuse of 9/11 as a catalyst to push a certain message, ideal, or excuse the actions of specific law enforcement personnel. The connection, if true, is loose at best. Hassan was alleged to have attended the same mosque as some of the Sept. 11th hijackers. But the story is being framed ( primarily by Fox ) that he had direct communications with the men who ultimately carried out the attacks on Sept. 11th.
Even within 24 hours of the shooting, where news reports showed that this was the act of one man, I found it extremely difficult to accept the fact that Hassan was able to wound 29 people and kill 13 with two handguns. Even in a target rich environment like thE processing center where the incident took place, one would have to expect multiple reloads and that those there wouldn’t simply sit and wait to be shot.
The variables, the nuance within this story, doesn’t really lend itself to the neatly wrapped package that some within the media are attempting to deliver to us.
Were there other shooters? What did he really say prior to shooting? Was Hassan carrying out orders from Al Queda? There’s been more speculation than actual delivery of facts from the media in regards to all of this.
And NPR has reported this morning that Hassan, since having his ventilator removed, has been able to speak. But what he is saying is not being reported, so as to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
And preserving that integrity is something that the conservative Right is willing to ignore. The Right needs for this to be about Al Qeada. They need for this to be about PC culture, that people are too afraid to confront someone that could potentially harm others simply because it's not the "proper" thing to do. Unfortunately, this story is not as simple as that.
I'm reminded of a scene from the film Arlington Road, where Jeff Bridges character speaks with his class about terrorism and the need for Americans to have a face, a name, to associate with horrific incidences.
By and large, our consumerist nature makes us act in very odd and reflexive ways. If we are presented a specific set of symbols, then we are moved to act in specific ways. Since Sept. 11th, 2001 many within the country have seen the actions - benign or not - by Muslims as motivated by abject hatred of America and all that the country stands for. This has resulted in a glut of stories - primarily pushed by conservative media outlets - that create the illusion that the country is continually under siege by Muslim extremists.
There is no excusing what Hassan has done, it was a horrible day and an equally horrible incident. But one can't help but feel like some of the "facts" surrounding this case are being manufactured in order to illicit a specific response.
Considering all that we are being told about Hassan, it all seems to be far too atypical, much too predictable of a portrait of a radicalized Muslim. Almost like his character traits are being created as each daily news cycle starts.
The questions that I have only multiply with each day. If the FBI was monitoring Hassan for at least 6 months, were they simply waiting for something like this to happen before acting? Federal agents have been known to do this and have even gone so far as to actively provoke reaction from those under investigation. We saw this earlier in the year in New York several Muslim men were sold weapons by undercover agents. Was the Ft. Hood situation escalated by this type of action by the FBI? Who’s to say yes or no?
But the claim made this morning by the media that Hassan was “connected” to the Sept. 11th hijackers makes this whole scenario even more difficult to swallow. Perhaps it’s the overuse of 9/11 as a catalyst to push a certain message, ideal, or excuse the actions of specific law enforcement personnel. The connection, if true, is loose at best. Hassan was alleged to have attended the same mosque as some of the Sept. 11th hijackers. But the story is being framed ( primarily by Fox ) that he had direct communications with the men who ultimately carried out the attacks on Sept. 11th.
Even within 24 hours of the shooting, where news reports showed that this was the act of one man, I found it extremely difficult to accept the fact that Hassan was able to wound 29 people and kill 13 with two handguns. Even in a target rich environment like thE processing center where the incident took place, one would have to expect multiple reloads and that those there wouldn’t simply sit and wait to be shot.
The variables, the nuance within this story, doesn’t really lend itself to the neatly wrapped package that some within the media are attempting to deliver to us.
Were there other shooters? What did he really say prior to shooting? Was Hassan carrying out orders from Al Queda? There’s been more speculation than actual delivery of facts from the media in regards to all of this.
And NPR has reported this morning that Hassan, since having his ventilator removed, has been able to speak. But what he is saying is not being reported, so as to preserve the integrity of the investigation.
And preserving that integrity is something that the conservative Right is willing to ignore. The Right needs for this to be about Al Qeada. They need for this to be about PC culture, that people are too afraid to confront someone that could potentially harm others simply because it's not the "proper" thing to do. Unfortunately, this story is not as simple as that.
I'm reminded of a scene from the film Arlington Road, where Jeff Bridges character speaks with his class about terrorism and the need for Americans to have a face, a name, to associate with horrific incidences.
By and large, our consumerist nature makes us act in very odd and reflexive ways. If we are presented a specific set of symbols, then we are moved to act in specific ways. Since Sept. 11th, 2001 many within the country have seen the actions - benign or not - by Muslims as motivated by abject hatred of America and all that the country stands for. This has resulted in a glut of stories - primarily pushed by conservative media outlets - that create the illusion that the country is continually under siege by Muslim extremists.
There is no excusing what Hassan has done, it was a horrible day and an equally horrible incident. But one can't help but feel like some of the "facts" surrounding this case are being manufactured in order to illicit a specific response.
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