By Bill Maher
Republicans don't want anything to do with progressive thinking in any area of American life -- except in the case of military hardware. Then and only then are they willing to embrace the future. That's how we got that weird, mechanical over-land death mule and it's how we got the unmanned drone. We can now visit death upon our enemies without having to show up in person, look them in the eye and have an actual fight. It just feels wrong -- like breaking up with a girl via text message. If you're going to vanquish your enemy, shouldn't you have to confront them? How does a warrior willing to die for his cause in the Takhar Province fight a guy operating a joystick in Tallahassee?
Which brings me to this: Earlier this month we were flying one of our unmanned drones near Iranian airspace -- you know, the ones we use for surveillance and to provide the "something blew" to Muslim weddings -- and the Iranians took some shots at it. The incident was described as "unprecedented" and, as such, we really didn't know how to respond. I mean, it was an unmanned drone, not a plane with an American pilot in it, and they didn't shoot it down; they just shot at it. It's like catching the neighbor you hate throwing a beer bottle at your parked car and missing. We had no idea what level of outrage to feign.
I didn't go to West Point or anything but I’m guessing if one of our planes came upon an unmanned Iranian death-copter off the coast of Jersey the order wouldn’t be to "get a nice picture of it."
We utilize the best means at our disposal to go into foreign lands and blow up the people we consider the bad guys even if that means collateral damage in the form of civilian casualties. When someone does that exact same thing to us, don’t we call it "terrorism"?
Republicans don't want anything to do with progressive thinking in any area of American life -- except in the case of military hardware. Then and only then are they willing to embrace the future. That's how we got that weird, mechanical over-land death mule and it's how we got the unmanned drone. We can now visit death upon our enemies without having to show up in person, look them in the eye and have an actual fight. It just feels wrong -- like breaking up with a girl via text message. If you're going to vanquish your enemy, shouldn't you have to confront them? How does a warrior willing to die for his cause in the Takhar Province fight a guy operating a joystick in Tallahassee?
Which brings me to this: Earlier this month we were flying one of our unmanned drones near Iranian airspace -- you know, the ones we use for surveillance and to provide the "something blew" to Muslim weddings -- and the Iranians took some shots at it. The incident was described as "unprecedented" and, as such, we really didn't know how to respond. I mean, it was an unmanned drone, not a plane with an American pilot in it, and they didn't shoot it down; they just shot at it. It's like catching the neighbor you hate throwing a beer bottle at your parked car and missing. We had no idea what level of outrage to feign.
I didn't go to West Point or anything but I’m guessing if one of our planes came upon an unmanned Iranian death-copter off the coast of Jersey the order wouldn’t be to "get a nice picture of it."
We utilize the best means at our disposal to go into foreign lands and blow up the people we consider the bad guys even if that means collateral damage in the form of civilian casualties. When someone does that exact same thing to us, don’t we call it "terrorism"?
12 comments:
Please, Bill, be the voice--yet again--for American citizens. Our "leaders," for lack of a better word, must, must work together and compromise. Now there's a foreign word to them, I'm sure. Every one of us has to make compromises in life, especially when it comes to our own personal budgets nowadays. What gives them the right to plant their feet and refuse to do what's right. They need to get over themselves--and NOW. No more of this petty b.s. Play nice boys in Washington and let's get this country movin. Enough!
Bill, I wish there was a way for the two sides to come together, but, as you continually state, it probably will not happen. The right won't let it happen...
In the wake of a second decisive presidential victory in which Barrack Obama garnered well over 300 electoral votes and nearly 63,000,000 popular votes (two things George W. Bush failed to do in either of his "elections"), the Republican Party has decided to dig their heels in even deeper, to abstain from representing the people, to oppose and block rather than negotiate and work with.
This heightened partisanship, increasing, rather than diminishing, each day, and obviously and shamelessly much more vigorously and pronouncedly so on the right than on the left, should come as no surprise to anyone. It is not born out of strategy, it is not a form of posturing for 2016, it is not a conscious narrative technique. What it is, simply stated, is panic.
As demographics make undeniable...old, white, rich, straight, Christian men (or, otherwise described, those who have led, governed, and molded our country since its creation) are a dying breed. They are going the way of the T-Rex...and they are scared. And, just like virtually any of the creatures on our beloved Earth, from the tiniest, simplest microscopic organism to the most complex, Chondrichthyes, Reptilia, and Mammalia, when backed into a corner and threatened, they will lash out in a natural showing of rabid, vicious, and brutal self-defense.
Each new day in this country brings a larger demographic number, a increased percentage in the overall population, and a "greater share of the pie" for Hispanic Americans. With every graduating class comes an increasing acceptance of and tolerance for diversity of race, religion, and sexual orientation. And, with each new Congress, we see a better representation of how our nation's landscape truly appears.
The response to all of this from the right? The offering from the old, white, rich, Christian men?... Sink their claws into the flesh of the "grand old ways" and hang on for dear life, fighting arrogantly, foolishly, and stubbornly to the bitter, inevitable end...just as a mongoose in the forest would surely do in the face of it's looming demise. There is nothing graceful about it; it is difficult, almost painful, to watch. But, as nature dictates, it is unavoidable. It may not even be a conscious decision by those who "decide" it.
The solace to take in all of it, however, for those of us who are not old, white, rich, Christian men (or those of us who might be, but do not think or act in the ways that those before us have for far too long), is that soon enough--whether it be months, or years, or decades away--it will all be over. There will be a new day, a new "collective" social awakening, a new mindset. It has already begun, we are witnessing it every day.
This "death of today's T-Rex's" will not be without incident. It will not be a completely smooth, gentle ride. There will be much ugliness to go through. There will be turmoil, defiance, and down-right hatefulness. However, the ends will almost assuredly justify the means. To live in a place where people are not kept down for the color of their skin, or their extra "X" chromosome, or their religious (or unreligious) views, or their sexual orientation, or their economic status...will be worth the horrifying sights and sounds of the writhing and thrashing of a few remaining old, white, rich, Christian dinosaurs.
I dunno; if you are fighting people who plant bombs and sneak away, decapitate people if they are at odds with their Medieval view of religion, degrade women and hide among them (and gleefully point out the women and children killed because of this), and let Al Qaeda hang out with them, then picking off their commanders with unmanned drones is just deserts as far as I am concerned.
-But really, when you are dealing with any country that has tribes and donkey carts it is going to be a quagmire. Bomb the hell out of them (the message is 'Don't mess with us!')and leave.
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Jesus loves you bill. dont be a dipshit
Your political views, though they are incorrect, do not truly matter. Jesus loves you. Do not turn your back on him. open your heart and your mind and let God into your life. He has done so much for you and you can't aknowledge he even exists. But He loves you and aknowledges you every day. Do you think a dumb ass democrat could have gotten a stupid ass show without God's help? bitch please. Let God into your life and you will gain eternal life. " Noone comes to the Fther except through me" Jesus said. please take your time today and think about what he has done for all of you. Jesus dies on the cross for your sins and what do you guys do? kill babies. Republicans beilive more of christianity: don't kill babies and don't get pregnant. wiat and remain pure. God tells you these things because He knows that it will help you in life. He wants the best for all of His children. and Bill you are one of them. Thank the Lord for all he has done. It is not too late. He wants you. PLease, your views suck but thats okay if you choose not to change, thta is your decision. but hear my warning: without God.. hell is your only destination!
Why was Bush so terrible?
He got us into foreign wars – involved us in other countries’ business.
He bombed innocent civilians in the process.
He spied on Americans and foreigners alike, with no warrant.
He kept prisoners detained indefinitely in Cuba.
He increased spending dramatically, with borrowed money (which by definition comes at the expense of private investment) and printed money (which inflates prices, including prices of food and fuel, which are then excluded from the definition of CPI).
A lot of the spending went to bailouts and pork.
In 2008 we voted for what we HOPED would be CHANGE. We voted for the guy who claimed to be the Anti-Bush.
But what we got was the UBER-Bush. WHAT about the above has changed??? What about the above has not gotten WORSE? How many innocent Muslim civilians have died in the drone attacks? We all want to kill terrorists but we’re also dropping bombs on random shepherds and villagers who previously went about their simple lives not caring either way about the US, and who have now had only one contact with us – a bomb that killed a husband or a wife, a father or a mother. Do you not think that we are creating the next Osama by doing so?
The old-guard GOP is not going to call Obama out on this – because they think Bush was a heck of a guy!
The people who should be most upset at Obama are the people who claimed to be upset at Bush.
Nobody protests the Patriot Act anymore – except two guys named Paul.
If you were truly upset at Bush for the above list of atrocities, it seems you should vote Libertarian or vote for Rand Paul, not vote Democrat – because they’ve only doubled down on Bush’s policies.
Many people will come to this conclusion unless the Democrats who vocally opposed Bush’s policies do not start opposing the same policies just because they are undertaken by their guy.
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