Punchy p---ing, papers, Packers and (more) papers
Monday, October 2, 2006 at 2:45PM DATELINE: USAir flight to Reagan, 2 October 2006
Day lost to column, which I'm still tweaking. Tentative title is "Why Pissing Off Terrorists Is the Right Thing To Do."
Wanted something punchy and topical for first potential Scripps-distributed piece and the first of my now weekly column for Knoxville.
As I start having to come up with something new each week, I'm going to start tapping science and technology issues, as I am informed on them by Oak Ridge National Lab. Next week I'm going to pen something on genetically-modified threats based on my exposure to some work at ORNL. It's a fascinating story I can't wait to explore, although there's only so much you can do in 720 words, as I constantly discover.
Flying to DC tonight for some quiet consulting tomorrow in the intell realm. Hauling ass to get to my hotel not too long after Pack-Eagles game begins. Would love to see them go 2-2 but fear for the worst. Have seen McNabb bedevil them live at Lambeau, and it still burns!
Carrying about two dozen WAPO, WSJ and NYTs on my person. They may be my only consolation if things get bad tonight.
Reader Comments (7)
Sure, pissing off terrorists is a great thing to do. I have no problem with that.
But what about pissing off people who would otherwise be moderates and allies- and turning *them* into terrorists.
That's what the rest of us have a problem with. If all you make it just about pissing off terrorists, then you've created a straw man of the worst order.
I want the terrorists pisssed off, and raving like lunatics- so that moderates in the middle easts can see them as the lunatics they are. I don't want a war fought in a way that paints their arguments in a more favorable light.
Appearing to the masses in the Middle East to be more humane, less hypocritical, more benevolent, and less dangerous to innocents than fanatical terrorists really shouldn't be that hard, but it seems as though this administration makes that a lot harder than it needs to be.
Chris - There was something seriously sick with the christian party that shook hands with Hilter. They simply either didn't take the threat seriously or there was a darkness in their soul. If a moderate is going to dance with the terrorists, I would say that he wasn't much of a moderate in the first place.
A lot of the problem is that the arabs simply don't believe that we're going to leave Iraq and have created elaborate theories as to how we are going to maintain control afterwards. So the arabs push and prod and look to uncover our deep plan. There is none other than what we stated, they stand up and we stand down. As that filters out, as our deeds catch up with our words, we're going to have a hell of a cachet and we will be forgiven for mistakes along the way to delivering a normal country.
I recommend adding this to your "must reads" --
http://amconmag.com/2006/2006_10_09/cover.html
"The Bright Promise of Failure in Iraq"
It is already causing a 'stir'
If you are looking for some topics on the shape of things to come, suggest you may want to get briefed on the related subjects of Synthethic Biology and Interference RNA.
Gee Doc, who forgot the matches? That was hard to watch.
Piss off folks in the Middle East by killing them or impersonating Chauncey Gardner? Hardly. "I have been made victorious with terror." - Muhammed. Since the fifties in Algeria to what's happening in Gaza today, we have lots of killing to do to catch up with the Arabs themselves. Moderates into supernationalsuccessionists, be they Salaf or Whahab, is what you're really talking about.
Hello, Tom Barnett:
Wildly off topic, but . . .
You're a Packer fan!?! Gasp. I've been really impressed with your geopolitical judgment, but anyone who is a Cheesehead can't be trusted. I'll bet Mr. Kissinger isn't a Packer fan. Or Fukuyama. I'm dismayed.
Many thanks to Bob Salsa for providing the link to Professor Schroeder’s long essay in the magazine, The American Conservative. Anyone who wants to understand today’s events should listen to those who understand history. Professor Schroeder understands history and his Oct 9, 2006 article Liberating Ourselves is a must read for any serious observer, including the good Dr. Barnett.
Dr. Barnett BTW might be better advised to re-title his proposed essay. so as not to get serious thinkers off track by the grandstanding phrase “pissed off”. His thoughts are big thoughts to be headed by those who are in power and those who will be in power. He should do nothing then to diminish his gravitatis.
PS if anyone has Professor Schroeder’s email address, please forward it to me as I would like to correspond with a person of his depth.