Deconstructing Tom Bohs

The Jackson Sun is a daily newspaper near Memphis,TN. The following is an editorial from Tom Bohs, the editorial page's editor, which through the miracle of the Internet I picked up. My responses are in italics.

“It is past time to get U.S. troops out of Iraq. It is illogical to avenge the deaths of 3,000 people on 9/11 by sacrificing the lives of 4,000 American troops in a war to overthrow a tin-pot dictator who had nothing to do with 9/11 or the people behind it.”

Actually the issue isn’t the number killed, the issue is that this was the end of a long series of attacks by radical Muslim terrorists both outside and inside the US. It was an act of war.

The American people were lied to by the Bush administration as it campaigned for the war. So says the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee's long awaited report on how we got into this war.

The long delayed report concludes that the Bush administration knowingly exaggerated Saddam Hussein's links to al Qaeda, his involvement in terrorism and his possession of weapons of mass destruction. What the Bush administration did was not a mistake. It was a lie.

Okay , we get his point that he thinks it was a “lie.” After all, he only writes it every third word or so… okay… so it’s only three or four or seven.

The committee report was approved in a 10-5 vote with two Republicans joining the majority.

No. What it was…was a partisan political attack by the Democrats joined by two feckless Republicans In Name Only.

Must we always be reminding members of the Left and the MSM that the Demos who voted for the war saw the same intelligence reports that the Repubs did? And must we remind them continually that every major intelligence agency in the world thought Saddam had WMD’s??

None of this is news to anyone who has followed the war. It is confirmation. It should make you angry. And the response to the report on Thursday from the Bush administration should make you even angrier.

In response to the report, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino simply noted that the issue of inaccurate intelligence has already been acknowledged. "We had the intelligence that we had, fully vetted, but it was wrong. We certainly regret that and we've taken measures to fix it."

Perino and the rest of the Bush liars don't regret this nearly as much as the families of more than 4,000 dead American troops and the tens of thousands who have been injured.

And Perino and the administration are dead wrong about inaccurate intelligence. That is not what the report says. The report says, "The president and his advisors undertook a relentless public campaign in the aftermath of the (Sept. 11, 2001) attacks to use the war against al Qaeda as a justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein." The report further says, "Representing to the American people that the two (Hussein - al Qaeda) had an operational partnership and posed a single, indistinguishable threat was fundamentally misleading and led the nation into war on false pretenses."

They lied!

Hmmmm. Did the Clinton administration lie when their Justice Department issued an indictment on 11/9/08 against bin Ladin that, among other things said:
“Additionally, the indictment states that Al Qaeda reached an agreement
with Iraq not to work against the regime of Saddam Hussein and that
they would work cooperatively with Iraq, particularly in weapons development”

Indictment

Was Bill Clinton lying??

Was Patrick Fitzgerald, he of prosecuting Scooter Libby fame, lying to the 9/11 Commission when he said:

“We did understand from people, including al-Fadl -- and my recollection is that he would have described this most likely in public at the trial that we had, but I can't tell you that for sure; that was a few years ago -- that at a certain point they decided that they wouldn't work against each other and that we believed a fellow in al Qaeda named Mondu Saleem (ph), Abu Harzai (ph) the Iraqi, tried to reach a, sort of, understanding where they wouldn't work against each other. Sort of, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

…..And then we had information from al-Fadl, who we believe was truthful, learning from others that there were also was efforts to try to work with Iraq. That was the basis for what we put in that indictment.”

Link

Tell us Tom. Was Fitzpatrick lying? I mean you have to watch these people testifying to national commissions. No telling what they will say.

They knew the intelligence was wrong or non-existent. They knew there was no connection between Hussein and al Qaeda. They knew there were no weapons of mass destruction. Then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld even said the Iraqi government was operating underground weapons of mass destruction facilities. There was no intelligence to support that, says the Senate report. He bold-faced lied!
Even if we allow the Bush administration the fantasy that the intelligence was wrong, rather than ignored and lied about, where does that leave us? It leaves us in a war we shouldn't have started.

Oh, really? Well, what did Scott Ritter think about the situation? You do remember Scott, don’t you? Not exactly a fan of Bush, eh?

“Iraq's borders are porous. Why couldn't Saddam have obtained the capacity to produce WMD since 1998 when the weapons inspectors left?

I am more aware than any UN official that Iraq has set up covert procurement funds to violate sanctions. This was true in 1997-1998, and I'm sure its true today. Of course Iraq can do this. “

Link

When you get into a fight you shouldn't have started, you get out. That's what we did in Vietnam. And the people of America and the people of Vietnam are better for it.

Ah yes, the old Vietnam nonsense. Oh well, since Tom brought it up, do you remember the 2,000,000 or so that were killed or died in the re-education camps?? The rape and murder of the Boat People?? And do you think our despicable actions in leaving had a bit to do with the killing fields in Cambodia? I certainly do.

I mean you can argue all you want, but when a super power starts a war then it must finish it properly. To do otherwise stains our honor and kills millions of innocent people.

The war we unleashed under false pretenses in Iraq is a civil war. Our American troops have no business fighting someone else's civil war. Not one more American soldier should die because the Shiites and Sunnis and Kurds can't get along. The Iraqis sit on the second largest oil reserves in the world. Let them figure out what to do about them. If their religious beliefs cause them to kill each other, I'm sorry. But not another American soldier's life should be sacrificed in their religious argument.

The war in Iraq is not about al Qaeda or Osama bin Laden - who is still at large - and it never was. Other countries now realize this and that's why they are withdrawing their troops from Iraq. We would not involve American soldiers in a civil war in Northern Ireland between Catholics and Protestants, why would we get in the middle of one between Shiites and Sunnis?

Bush's war has driven our country to penury. Our national debt has tripled. We are paying for the war, in effect, by borrowing money from China. The cost of oil has gone up 600 percent. Americans are riding bicycles to work, for crying out loud. Sick Americans can't afford health care, but billions are being spent on the war every month. And there is no end in sight for the civil/religious struggle in that war-torn country.

Bush lied. We paid, and are paying. It's time to bring an end to this American tragedy and get out of Iraq.

It was never a civil war, and you know that. It was an attempt by the remnants of Saddam’s Sunni forces to re-seize the country by terror and by al-Qaida to run the US off by any means because the terrorist forces cannot afford to have a stable secular democratic Iraq.

And I have just deconstructed his arguments. And precious weak ones they were.

Good news

and some names you couldn't make up....

Dr De Cock, an epidemiologist who has spent much of his career leading the battle against the disease, said understanding of the threat posed by the virus had changed. Whereas once it was seen as a risk to populations everywhere, it was now recognised that, outside sub-Saharan Africa, it was confined to high-risk groups including men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, and sex workers and their clients.

Politicians beware

Even with a loaded question, this poll rejects higher gas prices to fight global warming (which is a hoax) and energy independence.

18.2% for and 81.8% against.

And I suspect that if the "energy independence" hadn't been tacked on the results would have been 2% to 98%. And of of course "energy independence" has nothing to do with fighting the hoax that is global warming.

My first troll!!

drj2 you now opines:

Ignore a Republican eyewitness. I voted for Bush twice. I am telling you what happened. The money I quoted was money TO THE CITY to rebuild. You know the money the conservatives were squawking about us rolling in while in truth Americans, including WWII veterans, were living in their cars and pissing into cans. And before you say "Well MS is doing fine" (another memorable spin), it isn't. My mother lives a block from the beach in Pass Christian MS and the town consists of slabs and trailers today. Political partisans prefer the spin over the truth. Stay in your safe imaginary bubble. I once occupied that same space before tragedy and government incompetency opened my eyes. I will vote for Obama this election because the Republicans, MY PARTY, needs to be punished for turning their backs on the Gulf South. So stay with your hate for your fellow Americans. It is just one more reason people are deserting the conservative movement in droves. For after all that has happened and all the suffering I have witnessed I still believe that the majority of Americans are good at heart and know that, in the end, you don't abandon your own. The Republicans made a MAJOR stategic error in demonizing Americans themselves. I guess they thought there were more people of your ilk with selfishness at their core. They are wrong. (Just like they were wrong about the FONO.)

hehe..... Look, dr. You are no more a Repub than Limbaugh is a Demo. So quit trying to BS me. And you will vote for Hussein because you love Hussein, have supped the koolaid and are now blind to the facts of who he is. A Chicago politician who can't carry the truth in the bucket. But I digress.

Billions have been spent on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in general. And guess who is paying for it? Auntie Jane in Kansas. Do you think it right that people who live in more hostile climes pay for your blue heaven in paradise? That's nonsense.

Run the politicians down who have stolen the city and state blind and get some of that money back. Letting them continue, well... That's nonsense.

Get rid of the politicians who were too stupid evacuate the city when they knew they should. You want money? Get someone in charge who is smart enough to take the right action. Otherwise, giving them more money.... That's nonsense.

But you know and I know that isn't going to happen. The re-election of your Mayor proved that the city is terminal.

You want to live there. You pay for it.

New Orleans should be rebuilt a 100 miles (or whatever) up the river on ground high enough not to flood. And the building code should be strict enough to withstand winds from a CAT 5 that will, sooner or later, come roaring in from the Gulf and up the river to the new city.

You see dr, I am a social liberal. (Go back and read my very first post.) And I don't mind spending money on people and infrastructure, but I hate to stupidly spend money. We don't have enough to do that.

So go over to KOS, or MoveOn or some other leftie blog. In the meantime, do you want some cheese to go with that whine??

Freedom of speech and Europe

I note from my visitor country list that quite a few have dropped by from Finland and other countries.

If any of you would like to comment on the problems caused by the PC police/laws I will publish them as a post, assuming they follow the guidelines for comments.

Hussein's Preacher and the church of getting money

Look up "irony" in the dictionary and you will find this.

The Wright/Obama church has received fifteen million from the Government, that is, since governments do not earn, from America’s tax payers. Fortunately for the recipient, God has ignored Wright’s call to “damn” America. Action by him would have seriously impaired the US’ ability to pay..... It revealed after the matter became public that, the money accepted was “necessary compensation for the legacy of white racism”. Two observations conclude the case. One: Only few church members could have been personally disadvantaged by the once prevalent and shameful “white racism”. Therefore, the money went to the beneficiaries of a quota system and of preferential employment and not to the victims of Jim Crow laws. Second: Those who ask for funds to compensate for someone else‘ past suffering, generally fail to face and prevail against the challenge extended by the opportunities their own time.

FONO and tax payer money

Drj2u responded to my post re Democrats party with tax payer money which you may remember quoted the Denver Post who said that the 503c organization “Friends of New Orleans” was throwing a party for the Demos because Denver didn’t have the money. By complaining about Limbaugh dissing someone over the rebuild. My reply was basically I don’t get excited about a talk show host's comments re complex subjects but what I couldn’t figure out was why we were rebuilding something that will just get zapped again.

And the Denver Post changed their story:

“For whatever reason, probably because they realized they had stepped on their peepee, the story has changed.

"The party for the 6,000 delegates and their guests on Aug. 24 will honor Friends of New Orleans, a charity formed to help that city recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.The host committee originally said in a news release that Friends of New Orleans would be hosting the party. That is incorrect, according to the group, which raises funds for non-profit groups in Louisiana. The host committee is paying for the party. After the party, Friends of New Orleans is planning a gathering of its own at Fillmore Auditorium to raise awareness of the rebuilding efforts. The group plans a similar event at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota"


So let me understand.

The Friends of New Orleans isn't hosting THAT party, but instead is hosting THIS party. And a similar event will held at the Repubs..... uh huh. Sure.

An why? Why in the hell is a tax payer funded charity throwing a party for anybody???

This is nonsense. Pure and simple. And things like this is why that I quit long ago giving any money to anyone except the church.”

The good doctor has now decided the evils of evils has been done, and comments:

“New Orleans HAS rebuilt mostly without the aid of government on ANY level. The first government aid made its way to the city November 2007, more than two years after the storm devastated our world. As to why government money should be used to be rebuilt, I have 2 answers. 1.)It is what I, as an American citizen, pay taxes through the wazoo for. 2.) It was the failure of inadequate poorly designed federal levees that destroyed the city in the first place. As you see signs in stores "You break it,you fix it." You know this arguement we have gotten from the beginning of "Why rebuild it?" has been the biggest loss to me from Katrina. I NEVER thought Americans would turn their backs on their own. NEVER!!! Now I know how wrong I was. I hope you and your family never have to live through such heartache. If you do, I will be there to support you because you are my countryman and that to me is the American spirit. I believe this country has lost its way. People wrap themselves in the flag while turning their backs on their fellow Americans. Is that how patriotism has been warped? I just bought a book called "Painting Katrina". The foreword says it all for me. It says:

"To all the people whose lives were ravaged by the hurricanes of 2005, to the first responders and volunteers who put themselves in harm's way to save lives, to the private citizens from all walks of life and all parts of the country (and I add- the world) who gave us shelter and helped us rebuild, and to the indomitable spirit of our beautiful New Orleans."

New Orleans, a 300 year old city, has not died. We are still here creating a culture that has been here much longer than America itself. I am sorry you feel we are not "worth" your support but we are not going to disappear to make you happy. We endure.”

Since he seems to want to ignore taxpayer money being spent on a worthless party I suspect he is more of a Demo than Repub. But when he starts to slip into the world of urban myths, I can’t let him slide.

Doctor. Google New Orleans rebuilding funds and you will get 162,000 hits.

BTW – You write: “The first government aid made its way to the city November 2007.” Uh, what do you call all those sailors, coast guard and national guard??? And the supplies and the equipment they brought. Remember the $1500.00 debit cards that were passed out??

Look. If you don’t want to clean up the mess, don’t live in a flood zone. And quit expecting Auntie Jane in Kansas to pay for your right to live in a nice place. As for the “culture,” the corruption in NO is legend. Clean up that before thinking I should pay.

As for the levees:Link

“The original residents of Greater New Orleans settled on the high ground along the Mississippi River. Later developments eventually extended to nearby Lake Pontchartrian, built upon fill to bring them above the average lake level. Navigable commercial waterways extended from the lake to downtown. After 1940, the state decided to close those waterways following the completion of a new Industrial Canal for waterborne commerce. Closure of the waterways resulted in a drastic lowering of the water table by the city's drainage system, causing some areas to settle by up to 8 feet (2 m) due to the consolidation of the underlying organic soils. After 1965, the US Army Corps built a levee system around a much larger geographic footprint that included previous marshland and swamp. The average elevation of the city is between 1 and 2 feet (0.61 m) below sea level. There are no residential areas of the city that are currently more than 10 feet (3 m) below sea level.”

As the above shows, it was, and is, a complex situation. Along with that we know that millions just disappeared..not unusal… and then we have this, written about two months before Katrina.

“Money is so tight the New Orleans district, which employs 1,300 people, instituted a hiring freeze last month on all positions. The freeze is the first of its kind in about 10 years, said Marcia Demma, chief of the Corps' Programs Management Branch.

Stephen Jeselink, interim commander of the New Orleans Corps district, told employees in an internal e-mail dated May 25 that the district is experiencing financial challenges. Execution of our available funds must be dealt with through prudent districtwide management decisions. In addition to a hiring freeze, Jeselink canceled the annual Corps picnic held every June.

No picnic. Now that is a true sacrifice.


So feel put upon if you like, but rebuild out of your own pocket, not mine.
And yes, I have spent quite a bit of time in NO and find it to be an “experience.”

You gotta love this stuff

PC food reviews....

1. Sophy's Thai & Cambodian Cuisine Long Beach

Lots of Cambodians and Americans eat there together.

Would that be as opposed to lots of them not eating together?? How do they do it? 1C 1A, 2A, 2C, 2C, 1A, 3C, 6A??

Inquiring minds want to know. That's why they read the LA Times!



http://theguide.latimes.com/profiles/3025/lists/168332