Anger is a gift (Happy 3rd Anniversary!)

[innerSpaceman]

I'm well aware of our strong military presence in Germany and Japan (and throughout the world, which is among my reasons for alleging the U.S. is an imperial power).

But a military presence is not a military occupation. Admittedly, I'm not the biggest student of WWII history: Did we really occupy Japan for a significant length of time? (Of course, saying we occupy Iraq is a bit of a misnomer, because I believe we only really occupy Baghdad.)

[scaeagles]

Regarding Japan, yes, MacArthur basically ran the place under military rule until 1951.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Regarding Japan, yes, MacArthur basically ran the place under military rule until 1951.

Were they fighting daily battles and having to restrict all non-military foreigners to a single area, smaller than the airport, within the capital city?

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Again, the terrorists WANT Civil War to break out, and they are going to egg it on as much as possible. It needn't happen.

You're right there. It needn't. That's why I was opposed to breaking the power structure before we could combat that sort of thing.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

I beg you to find one place where I said that the situations are exactly alike. Of course they aren't exactly alike. But they share fundamental similarities.

You didn't. It's called "overstatement" and it was used for effect. You were the one making the argument that there are fundamental similarities. I don't see them. But I am willing to let you and your poli sci professor try to convince me otherwise. Have at it!

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

What's done is done. Time to make lemonade out of lemons.

Well, we are in total agreement there too. We just disagree on the lemonade recipe. The lemonade I'm sipping calls for the removal of the men and women that lied us into this war, NOT letting them continue along in the same fashion.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

I haven't heard anyone being shut up when speaking about the war, unless they were breaking laws in the process, like Cindy Sheehan has repeatedly done.

Ever heard of Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson. How about General Shinsecki, ever heard of him? We could go on all day, but I'm beginning to smell a lost cause.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Apparently you don't know about Saddam's secret tapes... and thousands of documents that haven't yet been declassified. Saddam's connection to Al Qaeda? Take a look.

What makes you think I haven't seen that? We already knew that officials from each organization had met to discuss collaboration, but that no collaborative relationship resulted from those meetings. This is old news.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Saddam allowed Al Qaeda operatives in his country.

Al Queda was in America too.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

He knew they were there.

We knew they were here, too.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

He didn't do anything about it.

Neither did we... well, nothing substantive.
Does that mean we're going to attack America now?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Do you think that you are above a refresher course?

Hardly. I just laugh at the hubris of a college student offering me a refresher course on ideas I covered YEARS ago and continue to discuss on a daily basis. How about you finish going through it the FIRST time, and then get back to me. Chances are I'll still be here.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Bomb-throwers like Franken and Randi Rhodes? Puh-lease.

What's your point? I don't need to pull up some bomb thrower to solidify my argument. We can't say the same thing for you though, can we? Remember, YOU brought Ingraham and Malkin into your argument. I mentioned Malkin's lies about Franken because you brought them up.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Interesting that Franken finds himself in these situations all the time.

Uh... is that overstatement or do you mean literally "all the time"?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Do you have an explanation as to why Franken went and stuck his finger in Laura Ingraham's producer's face?

Nope! Don't need one as I'm not using Franken to back up my arguments.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

It's suspicious when Franken finds himself in these situations all the time.

Again... overstatement or "all the time"?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Granted, I think that it was stupid for the the Deankey to be at a Kerry Rally, but Franken's behavior is not justifiable.

Franken helps diffuse a volatile situation and he's out of line. Malkin lies about Franken's actions and she's justified?
Riiiiiiiiiiiight!

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

I brought up Malkin. I didn't bring up Coulter. If you look back, soemone mentioned Coulter earlier and I responded to that post.

You're right. You did not bring up Coulter. She's Leo's babe.

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Provide some evidence of this please. That's a ludicrious accusation, one that can't be baked up.

You'll be covering the "Fairness Doctrine" soon if you haven't already. There's also plenty of info on the K Street Project in the news right now

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Did Randi Rhodes tell you this? Or Sean Penn?

No. Did Michelle Malkin or Laura Ingraham tell you to ask me that? ( See how ridiculous that sounds?)

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

He talked about how the Democrats have better plans, but mysteriously he didn't let people in as to what those plans were. Just that they were different from the Republicans.

Hmmm Interesting. You listened to the speeches, or did you confine yourself to the talking heads impressions of those speeches?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Oh, and that they have better hair. So if you're Vidal Sassoon, the Kerry ticket is for you.

Funny! Who says conservatives are humorless?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

That viewpoint absolutely disgusts me. The same arguments were made to keep slavery in place!

Excuse me, but I'm gonna need a little more from you here. How did we get from "A woman has the right to control what goes on in her own body" to "Scrooge argues by extension that blacks are inferior to whites"?

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

I've been trying to be very careful what I say because politics are such a personal thing and it's hard to be tactful about it. It is my sincere attempt to not attack any person, but rather what is being said. I don't hold grudges or anything of that sort.

Rest easy. Neither do I

[Nephythys]

We'll never see eye to eye.

We choose who and want we want to believe- and nothing can sway it. Then you tell me I beleive lies, and I tell you that you believe lies, and round and round we go.....

POP goes the weasel!

[scaeagles]

I don't know all of the details. Only that there was a definite military occupation under complete US authority for a period of around six years.

I would guess there were curfews, military checkpoints, numerous restricted locations, blah, blah, blah.

I have no doubt that there were many, many insurgents. The Japanese were not living in a culture built around the concept of surrender, which is why so many battles in WWII in the Pacific cost so many allied lives. The Japanese fought to the death, as surrender was not an option.

I would guess that it was far worse for the first three years in Japan than it has been in Iraq, but I have no way to prove that. The destruction imposed on Japan is so much larger in scope than what was done in Iraq that there is no way to draw a comparison.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Scrooge McSam

You're right. You did not bring up Coulter. She's Leo's babe.

Rest easy. Neither do I

Ahh....Ann....but I didn't bring her up. I think MBC quoted from her first.

And Shadoe, if Scrooge held grudges, he would still be mad at me for comparing him to Matt Drudge.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by The Shadoe

Apparently you don't know about Saddam's secret tapes... and thousands of documents that haven't yet been declassified. Saddam's connection to Al Qaeda? Take a look.

Would those be the tapes that you talked about in an earlier thread? The ones where every expert who talks about them, including ones within Bush's adminstration, say that they contain nothing that's news and prove nothing? The ones where you freely admit that you don't believe any of the facts that the copious experts have given about it, but rather chosoe to believe assumptions that support the conclusions you've already come to? Yeah, I saw those.

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

And Shadoe, if Scrooge held grudges, he would still be mad at me for comparing him to Matt Drudge.

Actually, I kinda liked that one Drudge being such a conservative icon and all.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Ahh....Ann....but I didn't bring her up. I think MBC quoted from her first.

I did, and was thinking of you when I did so.