2009.03.31
Tuesday open thread
"My father is no different than any other powerful man - any man who's responsible for other people, like a senator or president
"You know how naive you sound . . . senators and presidents don't have men killed."
"Oh, who's being naive, Kay?"
What do you want to be naive about today?
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Has anyone seen the ridiculous Salem Civic Center commercial about it being the valley's True Civic Center? Absolutely hilarious. It looks like its from 1980. They should have spent some money on production. It looks like a joke.
Comment by Debbie — March 31, 2009 @ 9:01 am
Interesting Debbie. I haven't seen that but the message itself doesn't seem like a very good one.
Comment by HCS — March 31, 2009 @ 9:18 am
I can't believe they would allow that. I thought they were better than that.
Comment by Debbie — March 31, 2009 @ 10:08 am
What's everyone's thoughts on the i-81 rest areas? I don't think privatizing it would be a bad idea.
Comment by Debbie — March 31, 2009 @ 10:16 am
Sounds like the Salem Civic Center has a little inferiority complex. I think it's sort of funny.
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Remember when Saddam's armies were doing this to 3,000 citizens per month?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/blackwater.falluja.anniversary/index.html
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 1:18 pm
Actually Mark no, and neither do you. And this article has exactly zero to do with Saddam..this happened long after his death.
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 1:41 pm
I do remember Kristen, i remember Saddam slaughtering many of his own people each month. I also remember 5 years ago, some of Saddam's people doing the same thing to a few American citizens as well. I also remember that since we invaded Iraq, we have stopped the slaughter of 30,000-40,000 innocent people every year. I remember quite well, thank you.
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 2:10 pm
Wow Mark I must have missed all those years that the press spent documenting and noting Saddam's ongoing slaughter. Maybe you have a link I could check out that did so?
As for "Saddam's people doing the same to a few American citizens"...these "citizens" were being paid large sums of money to travel around while heavily armed providing "security"....they weren't over there handing out food and water. There's a reason Blackwater paid so much...the job is dangerous, and I'm sure their employees realized that.
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 2:33 pm
Wow Kristen, I anxiously await that link you apparently have that shows those 4 Americans were armed... here is one to get you started:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/blackwater.falluja.anniversary/index.html
It mentions "A 2007 House oversight committee report concluded that Blackwater "ignored multiple warnings about the dangers" and failed to supply armored vehicles, machine guns, sufficient intelligence or even a map."
Oh, that says they werent heavily armed, sorry Kristen, what a drag!
But, here is another link for you stating some of the crimes against humanity that Saddam ordered (you did ask for that right?):
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/internationalhumanrights/p/saddam_hussein.htm
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 2:46 pm
Marked, do you have any idea what Blackwater does? Those guys were mercenaries. Blackwater has subsequently been kicked out of the country for slaughtering 17 Iraqi civilians and even the US government cut ties with it.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/30/us.blackwater.contract/index.html
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
As for Saddam's crimes against his own people, I don't question that crimes were committed. What I totally question is that anyone in this country gave a damn about it before Bush2 decided he needed a reason to invade. The 90s were full of intense discussion and debate about the President's privates...not so much about Iraqis being killed.
All of the subsequent crocodile tears over the poor martyred Iraqis dead at the hands of Saddam is a little comical.
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
That's funny. I probably just missed it but, I do not remember anyone arguing that we should invade Iraq because of Saddam slaughtering his own people.
Comment by Allen Bunch — March 31, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/08/national/main4654088.shtml - 122k -
Here's another nice story about the poor outgunned Blackwater "contractors" in Iraq. They are an incarnation of the old proverb "live by the sword, die by the sword".
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
Kristen do you have any idea what the House Oversight Committee does?
Sorry you missed it Kristen, they werent heavily armed:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/blackwater.falluja.anniversary/index.html
"The 90s were full of intense discussion and debate about the President's privates" - Kristen
What on earth are you talking about??
Allen, funny, would you have argued that we should have invaded France to drive the Germans back in WW2?
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Where the 5 Blackwater employees pictured there on the front page of your link about Blackwater employees allegedly using force against civilians, the same 5 employees who were decapitated, had their hearts cut out, burned, and then hung from a bridge??
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
Did Dan Rather 'break' that story as well?
Comment by Marked Man (Mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 3:14 pm
"The 90s were full of intense discussion and debate about the President's privates" - Kristen
What on earth are you talking about??
On the assumption that you're actually serious with that comment...
http://thomas.loc.gov/icreport/
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 4:25 pm
As for Dan Rather, he retired a number of years ago, but attacking the messenger is an old trick of the right when the news threatens them somehow.
Comment by Kristen — March 31, 2009 @ 4:29 pm
I always thought the left was compassionate people.
Seems they only are if they dont want to get there hands
dirty.
We went in for 2 reasons:
First under the assumption of WMD's.
I still to this day believe they had them.
Second was to rid a Dictator that murdered his own people.
I am glad that we didnt have you guys here during WWII,
we would have lost because of your spineless attitudes.
This country no matter what people think stands for a free world.
We dont go into countries for the hell of it.
We go in for our security or for what you are so passionate about human rights.
We do the dirty work and you sit back a and talk trash.
As for Blackwater,since they have been removed from the country
how many senators or govt officials have you seen there lately.
I say it now and will say it always.
Republicans strong on country and military.
Democrats strong on mouth and no backbone.
Comment by Herb Krebs — March 31, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
Who's the messenger i am allegedly attacking? Or are you speaking in cliches, which happens to be an old trick of the left when they realize their statement is indeed false...
[Sorry you missed it Kristen, they werent heavily armed:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/03/31/blackwater.falluja.anniversary/index.html
Comment by marked man (mark) — March 31, 2009 @ 10:39 pm
Holding Dan Rather up as an example of a meesenger of truth being attacked? Quick, to 'crat cave! Someone needs help rewriting history.
As I recall, Dan Rather retired in disgrace from what could have been a distinguished career after he was found to be complicit in manufacturing and broadcasting a false report about The President. Rather allowed his personal feelings coupled with the media's burning desire to dig up dirt on Bush to destroy his journalistic integrity and betray his trust with the public and in doing so, he almost single-handedly destroyed the CBS news division. Sorry Kristen, but no one had to attack the messenger in that case. That particular messenger of truth committed suicide on national television.
Comment by C Ramsey — April 1, 2009 @ 9:32 am
Rather was retired when this report came out. What exactly is the point of bringing him up in this context except to whine about the "liberal bias of the main stream media". It's straw man nonsense.
Comment by Kristen — April 1, 2009 @ 10:24 am