Comments on: NOT A CULT, A CRUSADE

By: Thomas Jackson

Thomas Jackson — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:39:58 +0000

Osama is the king of platitudes but how does McCain stack up against him? McCain’s manner does not attract followers or suspension of belief, perhaps because McCain glories in his enemies. Osama hasn’t been around long enough but has managed to attain some impressive achievements in this class. The problem here is that no one can ignore McCain’s record while Osama followers don’t care what his record is.

By: Brooklyn Dave

Brooklyn Dave — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:58:22 +0000

Your backdrop commentary on the Crusades was amusing as it followed into an analysis of looking for a messiah in Obama.I don’t look for any kind of deliverance or salvation from politicians (or any human for that matter). What do I want from a politician? That he/she is reasonably honest, intelligent, and wants to steer public policy in a conservative libertarian direction. I don’t expect the politician to be 100% in the same ball park as myself, but we’d have to be in agreement more than half way. Obama seems to have tthe honesty and intelligence bases covered, but as far as his policy stances (which are garnered from his background rather than what he is saying on the campaign trail)I could never vote for the man unless I desired more of a socialist nanny state than we already have. He talks about change–but what kind of change? Change from the Clintonistas? Changes from the Bushies? Spare change that you may give to a homeless person? Brutha Barack what do you exactly mean? I personally believe we are going to hell in a handbasket which no president can totally turn around, only perhaps slow down.
(that’s my cynicism). I don’t need an Obama to lead a chorus of Kumbaya and promise me a cotton candy future. Brutha Barack, just come out of the socialist closet. Yup, your young, black, smart, and have a good line of sh*t (not as good as BJ Clinton) and maybe that’s all a lot of folks are looking for. But as far as what you have to offer me as a citizen of these United States, I am not up for the taking.

By: Rick Moran

Rick Moran — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:05:51 +0000

On the contrary, I have read and studied his positions and “philosphy” on his website.

It is a cut and paste job that lacks both specificity and realism. Precious little on how to fund his programs save “raise taxes on the rich.” Considering the cost of his plans will top $875 billion over 5 years, he will need considerably more revenue than that to make his proposals “revenue neutral.”

He talks change but his health care plan has been around DC for a decade or more. His energy plan is laughable - again with absolutely no specificity regarding how we get there from here not to mention how much “encouraging” alternative energy sources will cost.

I could go on and on. And before you criticize someone as you did me, perhaps you should remember the fact that just because someone throws a bunch of crap on a website doesn’t mean he is being specific. Easily impressionable people like you ought to do a little more thinking and less emoting when it comes to Obama.

By: TTT

TTT — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:56:21 +0000

Obama has gone into specific policy details; as Jake mentioned, the policies are outlined in great depth on his website. The meme that “Obama never says anything specific” is just a made-up media creation, the modern successor to “Gore said he invented the Internet,” spread by people who choose to repeat what they’re told rather than looking into the matter for themselves.

Hillary Clinton, as well as all of the Republican candidates, were pretty “specific” when they supported the Iraq War. Nobody who supported the Iraq War is fit for public office. Obama’s better judgment is one of the best reasons he deserves our trust, and why he will get my vote.

By: syn

syn — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:26:52 +0000

It’s entertaining to hear Bill Clinton worshippers lecture Barack Obama worshippers about irrational exuberance for believing in the utopia of LSD-induced new-agey hippies ‘last shot at the dream’.

Mugged by reality on 9/11/2001 is what brought ‘change’ to my former utopian hippy self; the change was so revolutionary I am never getting on the flower-powered magic bus of ‘peace, love and understanding’ again.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:20:15 +0000

This isn’t a bad analogy, but the first Crusade was not an army of peasants. It was made up of knights, with their retainers and men-at-arms. It was a professional army, which is why it was successful in wresting the Holy Land away from the Muslims. The kingdoms that the first Crusade carved out remained in European hands for 200 years, until internecine squabbling and complacency, coupled with a united Muslim enemy, made them ripe for reconquest.

I think you may be a little hard on the Obamaniacs. Young people aren’t too keen on critical thinking in any generation, and becoming invested in the political process for the first time is often a largely emotional reaction for most. I voted for Jimmy Carter in 1980, for God’s sake, because I was 19 and thought that people should share what they had. I didn’t have anything, so what did I know about earning a livelihood, or providing for a family? Like edward cropper said, they will learn for themselves that politicians can’t change the world and usher in the age of Aquarius.

By: tHePeOPle

tHePeOPle — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:30:28 +0000

Edward Cropper,

Our founding fathers only saw fit for three requirements to become president…

(Section 1 of Article 2 of the U.S. Constitution)
* be a natural born citizen of the united States
* be at least 35 years old
* have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years

I don’t see anything in there about being a full vessel, or real life learned lessons. Maturity is apparently covered by the 35yr age requirement. Honesty is supposedly ensured by the check and balances of the other two ‘coequal’ branches. None of those requirements says anything about “political worth” either.

Why do you suppose the founders left out such important things as you described? Only three requirements are needed to hold the highest office in the land. How exactly do you quantify real life lessons learned in a person?

By: edward cropper

edward cropper — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:34:23 +0000

These Obama folks will have to learn for themselves just how shallow he really is. All of us old timers have been through this at once time in our life. Some of us have learned and grown up a little. WE now look at things with our rose colored glasses in our pockets.
Obama is an empty vessel lacking any real life learned lessons or maturity and honesty to cause him to recognize his own complete lack of true political worth.
He is a recorded slogan posing as a leader.

By: Rick Moran

Rick Moran — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:27:37 +0000

“Emotion trumps reason”

Thanks for proving my point, Jake.

And most of that pabulum on “change” is cut and pasted from a variety of sources as TNR showed a couple of months ago.

There’s hardly an original thought in the entire piece.

By: JK French

JK French — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:14:28 +0000

Excellent essay containing many truths. Thanks.