Remember these idiots?
Teabaggers and Birthers and Revolutionaries who seem to think that the military is going to rise up and remove President Obama from office so they can then seat a good homegrown patriotic authentically real American Old Uber-Christian White Guy(tm) on the throne?
These idiots (and I mean idiots in the most mockingly insulting way possible) seem to be calling for a military coup in America.
Fat chance, idiots (and I mean idiots in the most insultingly derisive manhood demeaning way possible), you didn't see the military cheering their Commander in Chief when he stopped here in the heart of Palinville USA. The applause and cheering were deafening. Obama spent 15 minutes telling us that he was proud of us, that he respected us, and that he would back us up - but, that he wouldn't hesitate to use us if necessary. He acknowledged the sacrifice of one of our own, by name. Then he waded into the crowd, shaking hands and talking to people for nearly an hour. The man radiates calm and power and dynamic energy, he makes you proud to work for him. The thousands of military folk crammed into the hanger loved him and showed him nothing but respect and admiration and support - and they talked about it all day yesterday.
In contrast, I watched George W. Bush speak in that same hanger, three years ago - he spoke for an hour about his policies and terrorists and the same old shit we'd heard every day for seven long years. Afterward he leaned down from the podium and shook a few hands like he was some kind of Caesar or something and then he hustled out the back for Air Force One and it was pretty obvious that he spoke to us only because he had to. The crowed clapped politely and showed him the respect he was due as our commander in chief and that was all.
The difference between the two was like the long arctic night and the brilliant summer day.
So, sorry to bust your bubble, idiots, but it sure looks like your coup is just you and the other neocon pinheads - against, well, us.
You should probably remember who we are and the power that we command.
You might want to rethink your foul rhetoric and your call to arms.
Just sayin'
Not that I needed to be told the armed forces aren't planning to join in a coup any time soon, but I do find this post enormously comforting.
ReplyDeleteWell...that and I really enjoy listening to you gloat!
What Nathan said
ReplyDeletePlus; The members of the armed forces aren't stupid, their jobs aren't dependent on getting lots of publicity, and they are heavily invested in having competent and human commanders. Why would they revolt?
Every time I hear one of those twits calling for a military coup, my blood pressure goes up. Those are the times I'm grateful to have abnormally low blood pressure most of the time. Then I go have a chat with one of the Real Live Honest-to-Goodness Military[tm] whom I have the pleasure and honor to know, and they gaffaw or snicker or make rude noises and say pretty much what you've said here, Jim.
ReplyDeleteWhat I keep trying to figure out -- from an Abnormal Psychology point of view -- is why these idiots keep on believing the military is going to overthrow the government. And I keep hoping they'll get the help they need to overcome their maladies, whatever they might be.
I'm not sure they're actually going for the military to rise up, but in reading the Oath Keeper pledge, they just want the military to stand by (the "disobey orders about fighting citizens" part).
ReplyDeleteYeah, only the second time in my life I've felt the need to purchase a firearm. These people are wrapped up in the mythology and glorification of the Minutemen, not really understanding who they were.
Comments about this?
ReplyDeleteBush at Ft. Hood?
Cassie
I can always count on you, can't I, Cassie.
ReplyDeleteI think the Bushs' visit to Fort Hood, especially the manner in which they did it, was wholly appropriate and I have no doubt that the troops there sincerely appreciated the gesture - just as they did President Obama's visit.
HOWEVER, Bush was the titular head of, and is still a powerful member of, a subset of a political party that the more extreme members of have recently been advocating the overthrow of the constitutional government of the United States, he is part and parcel of the political party whose mouthpieces have stated that they hoped Obama would fail and who have called upon American troops to disregard the orders of the President, Bush himself has stated more than once that he thinks people like me are the enemies of the united states, and his father thinks people like me can't be patriots because we don't share religious convictions.
Hasan's actions are exactly what religious revolution looks like - and it makes no damned difference if it's Muslims or Christians pulling the trigger. When a sworn member of the US military forgets his oath, when he places religious ideology above his military duty, when he answers the call of demagogues - whether they be Islamic Jihadists or Rush Limbaugh - then he is a traitor. This is exactly what the extreme members of Bush's party are calling for, right here, armed revolution by the military and by Americans on the street - and this is what it looks like when an officer turns on his oath and his comrades and his duty for ideology.
Bush hasn't done one damned thing to stop it either.
So, yeah, it's just fine that the former president visited Fort Hood. Now he's welcome to go back home and fade into history.
Is it all so black and white?
ReplyDeleteThere are shades in the Republican side. I think Glenn Beck is a crackpot idiot. I think George Bush forgot he was supposed to be a conservative - the man never met a spending bill he didn't love. I'm still a conservative.
I didn't post it to create a furor, and I'm sorry I did. I just wanted your POV about a former president visiting after the attack happened.
Cassie
No furor, Cassie, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion, and you're certainly entitled to air it here - even if you almost always disagree with me.
ReplyDeleteAs I've said before - most of my family is conservative, most of my friends are conservatives - and as I was careful to make clear in my previous comment, I'm talking about that small subset of the Conservatives who are just plain batshit crazy (and I've pointed out elsewhere that the extreme left is just as nuts, conservatives don't have a market on crazy). But it is conservative pundits and conservative commentators and conservative politicians who have been muttering about secession and military revolution and I'm going to keep calling them on it until they knock it off.
Cassie, I understand your frustrations. However, until Mr. Steele and/or the Republican Party in general gives the people who are acting as the defacto leadership of the party and espousing these ideas the bum rush to the door, it paints all conservatives in a bad light.
ReplyDeleteThe people on the left whom the right like to say, "They're extremists" and have a point (well, because many of the conservatives feel that McCain was to extremist to the left) are typically the fringe of the left and hold little power or sway over the party. The lunatic fringe of the right have become the mouth pieces of the conservative movement. So powerful that the titular leader of the Republican Party was forced to apologize for critical remarks of them. All the while the right continued to say how much those voices actually weren't in power.
And, as for President Bush. It's now coming out that he called or met with all those who lost family members in the wars. That he didn't want to make a big thing of it at the time. I know one family that at the time of the funeral hadn't heard from him.
And the right criticizes Obama for going to Andrews and taking a pool photographer. Sorry, that's what Presidents do, especially when they're considering expanding the war. They go see first hand the cost. While I personally didn't care for his salute (the protocol officer should have reminded him it's a "Rendering of Honors" so in civilian clothes it's hand over heart, but he's the CinC, he can do what he wants), he scored big points going there. Big points with the people he would have to send.
In the "for what it's worth department" the recent NY23 election indicated that a certain (very vocal) subset of Republicans don't want to be associated with "Republicans" of a certain stripe (i.e., those who may be "moderate" or even "liberal" on social issues). They would rather vote for a candidate other than the one put forward by their party, even if it means that the even-more-liberal Democratic candidate gets elected as a result.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm all for voting for the candidate, not the party. But I not only think NY23 shows the power of the extreme conservatives, but I think NY23 it also may be the first indication of how they will shoot themselves in the foot (feet?).
I think it's pretty clear that you can exclude enough people from your party or platform or belief system to guarantee you'll never win another election ... even with all the windbaggery huffing and puffing about the so-caled issues.
So I'm guessing secession and/or revolution comes into play when you've pretty much ensured that's the only way your vision for the future will get implemented, because the majority of "unreal americans" is otherwise ignoring you.
And the Onion explains.
ReplyDeleteNick, that is exactly my point about the neocons - they place ideology above loyalty, above reason, above country, above everything. Palin and the neocons in the NY election are an explicit example of what I'm saying, they have no loyalty to their own people or their own party, only their ideology. It doesn't take long at all for people like this to start seeing everybody who is not a devotee to their ideology as The Enemy, get enough of them together and they will attempt to take over a country and kill their fellows whom they regard as traitors and heretics. History is full of them, from Germany to Iran.
ReplyDeleteWhen I hear them calling for revolution, I know exactly who they are. In the previous post, CW alluded to a fifth column of Muslims taking over American, frankly I'm a hell of a lot more worried about the Neocons, they won't win, but they're libel to kill a hell of a lot of people finding that out.
I've pointed out elsewhere that the extreme left is just as nuts, conservatives don't have a market on crazy).
ReplyDeleteJim, I know you always try to be even-handed, and not to make assumptions, but I come out of these last two hot topic posts thinking that maybe you are a bit too lenient on to the underdog on both issues.
In this instance, I don't think the leftist nutcases even come close, as Steve said, they are far form the reigns of power. Leftist extremists by and large gave up calling for armed overthrow of the US sometime around the demise of the SLA. It's only the nutcases on the right who are calling for this kind of thing in any numbers today. Leftist nutcases in the West are largely confined to the sad characters you see at the Folsom Street Fair in Berkeley, violating public decency laws and driving families with young children out of San Fran.
If there is any credible threat of terrorism outside of Islamist circles, it IS these guys on the right, and it's the duty of right thinking rightists to drum them out of the mainstream and send them packing along with the YECers.
I totally need a tshirt that says "Unreal American and Damn Proud of it."
ReplyDeleteKelley sez above: Every time I hear one of those twits calling for a military coup, my blood pressure goes up.
ReplyDeleteSP wants to know, How come we can't call these twits what they are? Traitors! Suborning a coup (!) and during a time of "war"(!!!!)
SP
On a related note, this week's South Park episode lampooned Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, and other neoconplusmore folks without mercy. The wife and I were in hysterics! "Dances with Smurfs" is highly recommended.
ReplyDeleteEpisode summary:
Cartman becomes the voice of change at school when he takes over the morning announcements. His target is Student Body President, Wendy Testaburger. Cartman asks the tough questions and gains a following.
Whether or not you're a South Park fan -- and you should be -- this episode is pointedly hilarious.
JTS, I understand what you're saying, but I'd argue that you're ignoring a few things.
ReplyDeleteThe extreme left is fully capable violence, they're just a whole lot less organized about it. The rightwing Michigan Militia pinheads are a damned dangerous bunch, no doubt, but ultimately they're fucking cowards. A bunch of blowhards, all full of wind shit and excitement who like to run around and play Army in the trees and call each other Sergent and Captain and Major - but who never had the guts or the discipline to be real Marines. They don't have the brains or the wherewithal to study or earn a real military education, their view of the military comes from KKK websites and Soldier of Fortune magazine. They talk revolution, but in the end they're always found cowering in a hole crying for their mommies. One or two of them may go McVeigh or Koresh or shoot an unarmed doctor, but for the most part they are nothing but Rush loving do-nothing cowards afraid to whip their own asses unless the whole mob is with them.
The Batshit Crazy Left on the other hand is out there right now, burning down mining camps and construction sites, spiking trees, chaining themselves to tankers, ramming whaling ships, and etc. They're carrying out acts of terrorism every day - we just call it ecoterrorism because it's usually against bulldozers and buildings instead of people.
You're right that the Ultra Right is being a significant threat to constitutional government in the US, but the Left is just as crazy, John. I've seen coming at me when I had the bridge of a US Navy cruiser, nuts in their little boats, screaming and yelling - trust me here, the Right doesn't have the market on batshit crazy.