My friends are smart and have a lot of time on their hands, apparently.
OK, So here you go. This is long enough to make up for my slacking of late, and certain sporadic absences to come. S forwarded this email that's being passed around about how GW Bush is being villified by the left, i.e.:

Granted, there is always more to the story than the simplified argument posed below. But whether conservative or not, it seems the left's portrayal of our president is unfairly skewed. But people will believe what they want to believe. Bush has been unfairly vilified by many people in this electoral season and the list below is at least cause for a closer look at the big picture.

So then, M took it upon himself to be wicked smart, per usual, and do a little er, responding. I think it's very very good and so, once again, I'll let someone else's words do my talking...All of the comments delineated by arrows are from the original email and the comments that follow are all M. Who is, as I said, wicked smart.

> > >>> An Interesting Perspective> > >>>> > >>>>> There were 39 combat related killings> > >>>>> in Iraq during the month of January......> > >>>>> In the fair city of Detroit there were> > >>>>> 35 murders in the month of January.> > >>>>> That's just one American City,> > >>>>> about as deadly as the entire war torn country of Iraq..

39 combat related killings of Americans is the actual statistic. If that's all you care about is how many americans are dying, fine, but give full facts in the statistic. Let's also not forget that there are more americans in Detroit than there are in Iraq. That would make Detroit more safe per capita even if you only count Americans. Hmm... so Iraq is more dangerous than Detroit. Welldamn, do you think it's a good idea to invade a coutry and brag about it being more dangerous than Detroit when you're done. I think that's pretty dumb.

> > >>>>> When some claim President Bush shouldn't> > >>>>> have started this war, state the following ...> > >>>>> FDR ... led us into World War II.> > >>>>> Germany never attacked us: Japan did.> > >>>>> From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost,> > >>>>> an average of 112,500 per year.

Really? This is considered worthy of even typing? FDR led us into World War II by attacking on the front where the battles were already happening. If we still had a Pacific fleet left after Pearl Harbor, maybe we could have attacked Japan directly, but we could not. Does anyone really think that Sadam Hussein was the kind of threat to the US that Hitler and his allies were? If so see the nice little statistic of lives lost above. That should make it pretty clear.

> > >>>>> Truman...> > >>>>> finished that war and started one in Korea,> > >>>>> North Korea never attacked us..> > >>>>> From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost,> > >>>>> an average of 18,334 per year.

We did not attack Korea. We had pledged defensive assistance the the political leaders of the southern part of Korea. We did not attack, we defended. Does it make it better, maybe or maybe not. In that case we could at least say that they were attacking our allies. Who did Iraq attack? Kuwait? Sure, did wehelp Kuwait defend itself? Sure. Did they attack anyone this time or did we attack them?

> > >>>>> John F. Kennedy...> > >>>>> started the Vietnam conflict in 1962.> > >>>>> Vietnam never attacked us.

Actually we declared war on Vietnam because they supposedly blew up a ship of ours. That was considered an attack. They attacked our ship. Attacked. We defended ourselves. how is it then that they never attacked us? Oh wait, they did.

> > >>>>> Johnson...> > >>>>> turned Vietnam into a quagmire.> > >>>>> From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost,> > >>>>> an average of 5,800 per year.

Yeah, straw man is my favorite kind of logical fallacy. If you can justify your actions by the actions of another, we can do all sorts of fun stuff. Even using straw man though, this just doesn't make sense. How do you defend starting war by talking about how horrible war can be?

> > >>>>> Clinton...> > >>>>> went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent,> > >>>>> Bosnia never attacked us..> > >>>>> He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter> > >>>>> three times by Sudan and did nothing.> > >>>>> Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

We have a defense treaty with the government of Bosnia and Macedonia. it's called NATO. Do I like it? No. Does it justify attacking Iraq? No. Does Osama bin Laden and his life or death have anything to do with Iraq? No, well it didn't used to.

> > >>>>> In the two years since terrorists attacked us> > >>>>> President Bush has ...> > >>>>> liberated two countries,> > >>>>> crushed the Taliban,> > >>>>> crippled al-Qaida,> > >>>>> put nuclear inspectors in Libya,> > >>>>> Iran and North Korea> > >>>>> without firing a shot,> > >>>>> and captured a terrorist who slaughtered> > >>>>> 300,000 of his own people.

Liberated or invaded and occupied? Liberated is what we did to the french. Invaded and occupied is what Hitler did to the Polish. Crushed the Taliban? They sure still seem to be blowing shit up pretty often. Crippled Al Qaeda? Why the hell are there guys with machine guns out in front of my office if Al Qaeda is so crippled? Put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran and North Korea?Did he really? I thought that was the UN. Why is it that he gets to take credit for that? Was he involved in the negotiations at all? NO. I definitely don't remember him capturing any terrorists that killed 300,000 of their own people. If they mean Saddam, fine, we can call everyone we don't like a terrorist. Really though, let's at least be honest and call him a fascist dictator or something. I mean if you can't drop the fear mongering just long enough to make your points, then you probably don't have any to make.

The rest of this is really not worth responding to because it is cheap shots on liberal politicians sole for the sake of distracting you from the fact that our country and our way of life and our great global peace are at risk because of an administration drunk with the power to do as they please with no forseeable consequences.

- posted by liz @ 8/17/2004 03:27:00 PM