Thursday, February 09, 2006

Two Lost Souls

Please visit this previous post of mine and have a look at the comments section. If you ever doubted the damage that Bush has done, then look no further.

James and Clay need your support before they totally lose their tortured, fractured minds. They are like dogs with bones who just don't know when they are starting to sound and look stupid. Don't mock them. These are but a couple of the few remaining sad people who still think that Bush didn't lie, and that he has been good for America and all Americans. James in particular seems infatuated with me, he can't keep his hands off my blog and mentioning me as often as he can on his blog. If I wasn't already married, I might be interested. (He would have to like Real Ale, or it's none starter. Sorry James). Obviously I feel honoured that a solitary Englishman like me can provoke such a response. As for Clay, if you read the last comment he left, you can see he is clearly at the end of his string, - no further comment necessary.

I have found in blogland, that there are basically 2 types of right-wing blogger; those in whom you can engage in rational discussion and argument, and others like James and Clay who have this mentality of "us and them". If you don't agree with them, then you must be wrong and a danger to all society. It is precisly that attitude that has got us into this mess, with American and British soldiers dying for a fraudulent cause. These guys, unfortunately, appear so far out of their tree, they can't have much support.

All there comments are on a simple post where I argued that Americans are probably more in danger from other Americans, than all the terrorists presently active in the World. Perhaps us Brits have a bit more back-bone than some of our cousins across the pond, because we've learnt how to live with terrorism without infringing civil liberties and defeat it morally and legally.

6 comments:

James said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
James said...

Hey, Mark! First thanks for all the traffic. Now that you've put my link in a post I should get even more hits.

Infatuated? I mentioned your name in two posts and you want to go steady. If that's all that it takes to get you excited then I pity the women in your life. (And the men!) You're beginning to sound like Jay who told me once that he "takes a special interest in guys like you." SHUDDER!

As for commenting on your posts, that's as much sport as anything else. It's obvious your skull is way to thick to penetrate with facts.

Speaking of facts, I'm still waiting on some info (any info) on those arrests you mentioned. Remember, the "over 50 arrests" that were made in last week's pro-terrorist march in London. I mean, really, you should be eager to prove how your country has "learnt how to live with terrorism without infringing civil liberties and defeat it morally and legally."

Jay said...

It would take a great deal of Real Ale, Mark.

sandegaye said...

Good Golly Miss Molly.. I'll have to send James & Clay's names to Pat Robertson's 'Right Wingnut Rally' prayer chain. Obviously God needs to whop them upside the head w/ the butt of a .357 magnum.. maybe knock a little sense into a vacuous cranium.

Keep up the great postings, Mark.

Mark said...

James, if you had read the quality press like the Guardian, Indpendant or Telegraph, you would have seen that they have been reporting arrests since last weekend, and some of those arrested are presently in prison. I concede that it wasn't at the protest itself, where public safety was more the issue for the police, but afterwards. Irrelevant hair-splitting is probably another sport you are in to.

Here in Europe we have learnt to live with the threat of terrorism without scareing ourselves silly. Throughout my life, groups like Bader Meinhof, Eta, Red Brigades, - even the IRA, which was funded for over 30 years by Americans, have all been defeated without going to "war". I've lived through those times, sometimes very close to bombs and other incidents that have taken place, but we learn to deal with it, and in the end, defeat it. The fear induced in America is nothing more than another political manipulation which fewer and fewer people are prepared to accept. Only today, I was reading that Bush was again trying to raise the fear stakes by saying that they had foiled a major incident in Los Angeles. Now that may be true, (but no-one really believes anything Bush says any more) but why raise it now if not to try and manipulate the political climate to suit himself? The problem is that he has forgotten what happened to the boy who cried wolf. The problem is that even once loyal Republicans are turning away from him, and are having to be threatened to stay in line by Rove.

Finally, you and Clay's behaviour on that previous post may only seem a sport to you, but it epitomises exactly the reason why most people in the world dislike America, and even why some people go so far as to hate America.

Basically, you decided to hijack my post and use it for your own ends. It wasn't to convince me that you were right, because you and I know that will never happen, but to display your own arrogant, contemptable attitude to others who you don't agree with. And that is exactly the same with American foreign policy, whether political or commercial. My local high street has half its shops, American shops; Starbucks, McDonald etc which we don't really want, but whose business practices are such that local business are forced out and they move in. Disney destroys some of our finest literature for the sake of smaltz and dollar, - do you understand why dislike America for that.

I do make the distinction between America and its policy towards the rest of the world, and with most Americans, who care deeply about America's reputation in the rest of the world.

Whether it is someone else's blog or someone else's country, if "America" wants to do it or it satisfies American interest, then they will do it and who cares about the locals.

Finally, this is my last reply to you on my blog. I will no longer enter discussion with you unless I feel that your comments are on the basis of rational discussion, not dogma. I've got a life to lead.

Clay said...

Mark,

Well, well well. As if name-calling your tactic wasn't enough and so now you've graduated to dedicating an entire post on name calling.

You said:

"As for Clay, if you read the last comment he left, you can see he is clearly at the end of his string, - no further comment necessary."

What do you mean by "clearly at the end of my string"? If you mean I've crushed your silly paranoid fear of the government argument then, I suppose you're right. No more discussion is needed.

you said:

"I have found in blogland, that there are basically 2 types of right-wing blogger; those in whom you can engage in rational discussion and argument, and others like James and Clay who have this mentality of "us and them". If you don't agree with them, then you must be wrong and a danger to all society. It is precisly that attitude that has got us into this mess, with American and British soldiers dying for a fraudulent cause. These guys, unfortunately, appear so far out of their tree, they can't have much support."

If any one has a "us or them" attitude it would definately be you. Because I took exception to your argument I became a "sap". And of course now because James and I don't agree with your viewpoints we are blamed for the reason the world hates America.

I presented to you counter arguments to your assertions, of which none you ever even addressed. So much for your ability to recognize your, "right wing blogger in whom you can engage in rational discussion and argument" type.

Both James and I have done just that, and yet you choose to categorize us the way you do. Wow, beats me what goes on in that cranium of yours. You seem to have the ability to come up with generalized stereotyped categories for right wing bloggers, but then completly lack the ability to identify which of your categories your opponent belongs in.

Of course, maybe you consider calling someone a sap and ranting about the secret plans of the government to keep tabs on you and then label you a terrorist if they so deem, and imprison you (aka "the sky is falling the sky is falling") drivel, rational argument. I call it delusional paranoia.

Do you even know what the Patriot Act is? It sure doesn't sound like it.

As for being tracked by the government, I am. They have my medical records, my DNA, I've interrogated in order to keep a security clearance, I'm randomly drug tested. Hey, the government practically owns me, and I have to tell you, I'm not concerned nor hiding in my closet in a cold sweat over it at all.

As for the Patriot Act monitoring my wife's phone calls home, it's not a problem. She's not a terrorists and we have nothing to hide from the government. Do you have something to hide?

It's one thing to go along gullibly following lockstep with one's govenment right into dictatorship but quite another to take the other extreme and never trust your government at all at anytime, and always expecting the worse for it, even to suspect that it knows your name and where you live and is coming to get you at any minute mentality. You do know that there is a middle ground between the extremes?

There is a time to protest and a time for dissent. That is when there is a real evil to address. Alot of people protest just to be part of the protest movement.

Much of your anti-Patriot Act drivel is apparently just a knee jerk response to some American policy which you don't even understand. (btw, your'e not American so why do care in the first place?)

No Mark. Instead of actually debating either James or myself you decided instead to play the name calling and the arrogant, "You need to do more research" response.

I guess you think I need to do more research until I come up with your point of view?

Apparantly when you can't even argue your viewpoint, name calling and arrogance is supplanted with outright lies. You lied denying the absurd level of the taxation of your people to support its socialist government.

Maybe it's because I called you out on it and you couldn't defend yourself that you felt I was "at the end of my string?"

As for James and I being the reason that Europeans hate Americans I highly doubt that. If presenting the truth and standing by your convictions is the cause of Europeans "hating" America, then shame on Europeans.

But, this is not the reason. The reason is more likely that Europe is jealous of America, who grew from a small bunch of colonists farmers and city folks who had had enough of the unfair British tyranny they were living under and fought and won their Independence, to a nation that has risen to the level of Super Nation status.

America has spilled it's young men's blood through two World Wars to ensure Europe retained its freedom from tyranny. The fact that Europeans hate us is telling.

Europe has been scrambling to make a constitution that would ban them together to be an economic competitor with the U.S. and to hopefully topple us from our super nation status. It failed.

As for your fixation on Bush, maybe he is all you think of, but my convictions and viewpoints don't come from him. They come from me. I stand by Bush in a lot of his decisions, particularly on the war against terrorism and keeping America safe because they mirror my convictions. I don't stand by him on his other policies like illegal immigration and his bigger government policies. So I'm not just a Bush sycophant.

You said:

"All there comments are on a simple post where I argued that Americans are probably more in danger from other Americans, than all the terrorists presently active in the World. Perhaps us Brits have a bit more back-bone than some of our cousins across the pond, because we've learnt how to live with terrorism without infringing civil liberties and defeat it morally and legally."

I assure you that Americans are not a threat to other Americans. But al Qaeda is. (re 9/11 and every since that date). As for backbone, we definately have demonstrated that we have it on more than one occasion, taking the fight to the terrorists and giving many of them their much needed dirt nap. If the ostrich approach of "sticking you head in the sand, appeasement, they're not really much of a threat and will go away if we just leave them alone" is what you call having backbone then I guess you have backbone.

Britain has learned to live with terrorism and has a firm handle on it? (7/11 sure didn't look that way) I'm sure you believe that. I'm sure you think Britain is so much better than America. You're entitled to your opinion. No matter how ludicrous it is. And I mean no slur to Britain. I have no beef with Britain, like you apparently do against America.

I'm sure you are going to take the cowards way out like you did with James and threaten not to converse with me any more until I learn how to conduct reasoned, well thought out debate (aka cede to your viewpoint). I could care less since you obviously don't know what reasoned arguement is. I will give you one thing though, you certainly get it right when it comes to beer and ales.

All political differences aside, I would have no problem downing some ales in a English pub with you anytime.