Stu Bykofsky, a neo-conservative columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News (an excellent newspaper by the way) made a big splash by arguing that the United States "needed" another 9-11. For at least one day, Bykofsky is the darling on the right with television appearances on Fox, a radio appearance on Mike Gallagher, and a prominent link on Drudge. You have to wonder when George Bush is going to invite him to the White House.
Liberal blogs are also taking note, and so is this blog.
Bykofsky claims that he wants another 9-11 to re-establish the sense of unity this country had after the first 9-11.
But the bulk of Bykofsky's article makes it sound like he believes that the U. S. deserves another 9-11. He claims that "most Americans today believe Iraq was a mistake" because we like "wars shorter than the World Series." Because the war in Iraq has dragged on for four years, "America's fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater" in all the squabbling over the war.
It's like we've been bad boys and girls and need to be punished with another 9-11 to get us back into line.
In some ways, Bykofsky's article and the right-wing embrace of Bykofsky's thesis is an example of the extreme disappointment that the right has in American society. Whether it's the pro-life movement believing that the U. S. has been engaged in a "holocaust" of the unborn since 9-11, Thomas Sowell speculating about a military coup as a way to address the "degradation" of American society, or Ann Coulter wanting to escape America's multi-cultural "roach motel," the right-wing is just as disgusted with America as they are with the Muslim world. As a result, they're just as comfortable with an attack on America as they are with an attack on Tehran.
But there's a way to unify America more quickly at much less cost--Bush could just withdraw from Iraq.
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9 comments:
the right-wing embrace* of Bykofsky's thesis
In this sentence embrace is defined as "are you effin nuts". While not the standard definition, this particular undisclosed definition allows the author to paint the right wingers as America haters in an attempt to distract the reader from actual, left wing America haters.
I personally think Bykofsky is an idiot. No one, no matter what their political affiliation, should claim that more death could save our country. Senseless violence is never the answer to anything, and typical right wing fear mongering has done this country too much damage as it is.
Senseless violence
It's important to keep in mind that terrorism isn't senseless. Bombing, kidnappings, and threats are all calculated to achieve a specific objective. While it may seem to be the tactics of choice for the mad in our view, the individuals at the top levels are level headed (from a particular perspective), far thinking people.
right wing fear mongering
Never mind the actual damage done in the name of Islam, it's those damn repubs we need to shut up?
I read Stu Bykofsky's manifesto in favor of another terrorist attack against the U.S. IN FAVOR OF ANOTHER ATTACK!! Bykofsky poses the question at the beginning of his article, "What kind of sick bastard does it take to advocate another terrorist attack in the United States?" I guess it takes a sick bastard like Stu Bykofsky. He says we need this because we are "politically splintered." And we are. But for this he would sacrifice more lives? What’s so new about political divisions in the US? Would he advocate that someone nuke us to achieve unity assuming his desired terrorist attack doesn't do the trick? He points out quite correctly the ineptitude of Administration officials in handling the situation in Iraq but he completley misses the real point, that being we never should have been there to begin with. He says we've "forgotten who the enemy is." We didn’t forget who the enemy is. We were never told the whole truth about who the enemy was/is. Many Americans, lawmakers included were duped with phony intelligence and led to believe that Saddam and Bin-Laden were connected. They were not.
He is correct when he says that Hillary, nor Daily Kos, nor Barak Obama are the enemy. Bush, Cheney, Bill O'Reilly, Giuliani, Romney, et.all are another story. Because Bush, Cheney and the people who follow their warped view of the world allow and even encourage global terrorists who use Islam to justify murder and destruction just as they encourage Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. to foam at the mouth in pure hatred for anyone who does not meet their definition of a “good Christian.“ It is true that we are deeply divided and division is weakness. But who did the dividing? Not Al-Qaeda. Not Saddam. Not even Bin-Laden. It was Bush and his sycophantic right-wing minions who twisted the unity and patriotism we all felt in the wake of 9/11, and twisted it into a fear of everyone who does not look, speak, worship, etc like the majority. This is sick. This is an attack on the American people straight from the White House by right-wing Republicans who do not give a damn about anything but their own bottom line.
He is critical of the American public for viewing the Iraq war as a mistake. He thinks we are ill-informed. Again, he is wrong. The American people believe Iraq was a mistake because it was/is.
He accuses us of impatience, of desiring a quick painless war. Again, he misses the point. Americans can live with a war that takes a while if it makes sense to fight that war to begin with. What we are not willing to tolerate is an unjustified war based on lies. Bush I was wrong in 1991, Bush II has been wrong from day one on both foreign and domestic policy.
Bykofsky asserts that, “We knew who the enemy was then.” (after 9/11) No we didn’t. Because from day one we were lied to by this Republican administration.
Bykofsky suggests that another 9/11 style attack “would sew us back together.” We do not need to be attacked to become unified. We need the kind of leadership we enjoyed under President Bill Clinton to become unified.
Bykofsky poses the question, “ Is there any doubt they are planning to hit us again?” There is no certainty one way or the other unless Bykofsky is privy to Al-Qaeda’s plans for the future. It is likely that such plans exist but no one knows whether they will be carried out or not.
Desiring a terrorist attack to unite the country is an appalling idea. Bykofsky would have more American citizens die in the name of uniting the rest of us. What kind of sociopathic thinking could possibly compel someone to arrive at such a conclusion.
America is a fundamentally good and great nation. We are, collectively better than our presidential leadership. But we're tired. We have been worn down by decades of irresponsible goverence. By the neo-con movement who simply do things and take it for granted that we will say little if anything. Most Americans are not ignorant of the fact that Iraq was not an imminent threat. There was no Al Qaeda connection. We found no WMDs. Americans know this but we are tired. It is that sense of tired resignation that War Hawks like Bykofsky and his heroes in the White House count on. What a shame that we let it work.
Todd, Todd, Todd...
That you would respond to a post titled "The Right Blames America First!!" with that America hating tirade is so outstanding that I won't even comment on any of the quasi-factual, trutherific points you raise.
Well, I do have to ask... At what point do you stop claiming that the dumbest man to ever hold the office duped the entire intellectual half of this country? Cause either he's smarter than you all are letting on or you're dumber than he is (but I'm betting on a third option, that both statements are true).
Well said, ef.
At least todd didn't cut and paste that whole rant.
And if we just withdrew from Iraq, or if we killed OBL, terrorists would just quit hating us. Great logic there, Professor.
And leave it to todd "I cut and paste therefore I am" mayo to come out and disprove the point of your post.
It would be impossible for the Right to blame America first, when todd mayo clearly has the rights to that title, and the Left has been doing so since Afghanistan.
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