Wednesday, August 3, 2011

A Fate Worse Than Debt



You'd think that America has seen enough genuine terrorism to recognize it by now. The twin towers falling in smoke and flame. The bodies being carried from Fort Hood. The severed head of Danny Pearl. And thousands of innocents blown to bloody pieces by suicide bombers.

All of which makes it an obscenity beyond belief that the Democrats and mainstream media have colluded to brand the Tea Party "terrorists" for trying to stop Washington's insane and potentially suicidal spending spree, using the Constitutional procedures created by our nation's founders.

We're not talking just the usual low-level bottom feeders here, either. Vice-president Joe Biden said of the conservatives in the debt negotiations "they have acted like terrorists." And other liberal jaws have been flapping:

• Rep Mike Doyle: "This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money."
• Tom Friedman: a "Hezbollah faction" "on a suicide mission."
• Rep Hoyer: "they want to shoot every bullet they have at the president."
• Joe Klein (TIME): "Osama bin Laden could not have come up with a more clever strategy for strangling our nation."
• Steve Rattner (MSNBC): "Economic terrorism."
• Paul Krugman (alleged economist): "Republicans have taken America hostage."
• Martin Frost: "...much in common with the Taliban."
• Margaret Carlson: "They've strapped explosives to the Capitol."
• Jay Carney: "...hold the American economy hostage."

And on, and on, and on.

Here's a news bulletin for the Left: spending within your means isn't terror. Attempting to save Medicare and Social Security isn't terror. Returning to Constitutional principles isn't terror. Representing the voters who sent you to Washington isn't terror.

When this nation observes the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks next month, it would be an obscenity beyond description for any of the stupid, duplicitous, hypocrites listed above (especially Joe Biden) to set foot on the hallowed site of Ground Zero after having equated their latest petty budget battle with that nightmarish act of terrorism.

And yes, we said act of terrorism...not "man-caused disaster."

It's easy to tell them apart; acts of terrorism are committed by terrorists. Man-caused disasters are committed by politicians.

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25 comments:

Dave said...

The problem though is that the Media and these other politicians are right when they call the Tea Party Terrorists....because everything they stand for, conservatism, balanced budget, secure borders, Rule of Law, the Constitution, etc, etc SCARE THE LIVING HELL OUT OF THE LEFT. Because they see their strangle hold on the country slipping. I mean today it is refusing to pass a deficit ceiling increase that includes tax raises.....tomorrow it will be forcing Congress to put forth a budget.....OMG what's the world coming to Senators and Congresspeople being forced to do their jobs, what's next asking the So-Called President to do his. Where will it end. I mean if this keeps up the voters will actually begin to think that their elected representatives are supposed to go to Washington and represent them, not lobbyists, or big campaign contributors and before you know it the voters will be demanding smaller government and lower taxes....It will be complete anarchy and the salvation of this country the left has been trying to destroy for 100 years!!!!!!!

Angry Hoosier Dad said...

These pathetic acts of desperation would be funny if the media wasn't complicit in promoting them and giving them the air of legitimacy. This is no mere ideological difference. This is something worse; an attempt to stifle the kind of political discourse on which we were founded. I don't know if it rises to the level of treason; it seems that nothing does these days. But it is a clear effort to crush opposition to state control and limit freedom. Words can be overcome by more powerful and truthful words, but it is what may come next that scares the hell out of me. My disgust at the fecal stain in the White House aside, I would put nothing past this angry little boy so long as he can plausibly deny having his fingers on it.

Jeff H said...

Painting the Tea Party as "terrorists" is the only way these pu$$ies can claim to be "tough on terror".

Ben Story said...

As much as I like to lampoon the liberals, we have to be careful as our own party has had it's share of hyperbole that went too far. Remember when Mr. Limbaugh had his TV show start with a graphic entitled "America Held Hostage" mimicking the news graphics from the Iranian Hostage debacle under President Carter.

My Dog Brewski said...

ntwrk80:
As I recall, that was pre-9/11 and I don't think Rush referred to Democrats as terrorists. There's hyperbole and then there's vicious slander.

Earl said...

And if accusations of terrorism don't work, fall back on racism as Bill Clinton recently did in South Carolina when he compared state voter I.D. laws to a return to Jim Crow. These people are pathetic.

John the Econ said...

How does that old saying go? "When your enemy is busy making fools of themselves, shut up."

This silly rhetoric is meant to rally the socialist/liberal base. It has near-zero resonance outside of their shrill echo chamber. Most of the rest of America knows better, and those who aren't so sure are getting more convinced every day that these people are clowns.

The liberal fantasy of portraying the adults in favor of fiscal responsibility as "terrorists" is no match against the reality that most Americans face today; rampant inflation every time they buy food or fuel; rising taxes (my property taxes will be going up drastically this year); higher power bills; and, of course, rampant unemployment, underemployment, or impending layoffs in the face of a "double dip' or even depression that we were promised would never happen if we only gave the "stimulus" a chance.

So go ahead looney-left; call the Tea Party "terrorists". Why you guys brainlessly lob invectives against responsibility, the rest of America faces the reality you've imposed upon us.

Jim Hlavac said...

So let me get this straight, the party for "hope & change" is against any hope for change, and anyone who calls for "change" is a terrorist? Hmm. So I'm a terrorist for I'm a tea partier, and can't wait for the Great Dismantling of the federal behemoth.

But don't worry about it Stilt, you get used to it, the name calling, after awhile -- for over in the lala land of Tony Perkins' Family Research Council they are quite sure that gay folks are "Domestic Terrorists." And the rest of the creeps in the NO GAYS! movement have called us the "greatest threat to the nation." And they are quite sure we are "holding the nation hostage." Amazing how similar, even exact, the language used is, isn't it? And they've been at it since the 1980s, long before the Tea Party came along to become the new "terrorists."

Now, Tony and pals are supposedly on the "right" -- but I don't think so -- for they seem to have the same "conform to my way of thinking or suffer" ethos as the Democrats and the Left do; and are just as opposed to real hope for change, too. Time to throw them out of the true party of change, if you ask me.

But I do find it odd that I'm a double terrorist: the gay tea party guy. Weird. And I'm the one with the niece and nephew bereft of their father because he was last seen in his FDNY gear heading up on the 31st Floor of Tower Two on 9/11, murdered by real terrorists.

I shall now go drown my sorrows in a haircut, like Charlie Brown did, by going to Fabian, who, "terrorist" that he is, will walk too fast with scissors, I'm sure.

John the Econ said...

Watching Newt on CNBC. Wish he'd just disappear. Add to the "squishy" file.

WMD said...

These people are pathetic. It's clear to the most casual observer that the neo-communists got together in yet another attempt to smear TEA Partiers, decided to call them "terrorists". Now they are literally tripping over themselves trying to be the one with the most hateful, bitter metphor or analogy. I'll bet the journolistas actually give out a gift certficate to the most spiteful, vindictive comment.

Suzy said...

The saddest part is that there is at least 40% of the country who are buying these lines from the media, and are looking at the right with hate and distrust. There are truly people in our country who believe the Republicans/Tea Party are the "bad guys" and the ones causing all the problems here. Not to bring up Nazism again....but at one point, people thought Jews caused all the problems. Don't like something? Blame the Jews. Now, its...Don't like something? Blame the Tea Party.

Its really sad.

Quite Rightly said...

I'm not worried that the "stupid, duplicitous hypocrites" will "set foot on the hallowed site of Ground Zero."

I think its far more likely that they are waiting for the opening of the Ground Zero mosque.

Linked at Bread upon the Waters.

Fuzzy Slippers said...

It's a strange tactic, and I'm not sure what they hope to accomplish with it. Leftists LOVE terrorists, apologize for them, make excuses for them, play down their murderous, barbaric activities and impact, so it's not aimed at leftists. Conservatives know the difference between a terrorist and a TEA Party patriot and mostly laugh at the comparison. So what's the point? Are they trying to get leftists to start LOVING us, like they do radical Islamist terrorists?

Anonymous said...

Liberals all love Muslim terrorists because they can't help themselves when they blow up women & babies because that is the only way they can be heard because they don't have a voice. Wait a minute, the Tea Party has no voice so maybe we should take up bombs - that way liberals will love us, the ACLU will defend us and Chris Matthews will want to have our baby. Oops, I forgot, unlike Muslims and Liberals, Tea Party people are humans and have morals so we can't blow up women & babies.

Andrew said...

Demonizing the opponent is another symptom of a dysfunctional debate and, bigger picture, a declining democracy. Tactically, alas, it works.
My liberal True Believer Idealist friends, for all their genuine smartness, face cognitive dissonance when trusted MSM voices from NPR to Jon Stewart pitch the same coordinated spin. They've never once watched soft-spoken Glenn Beck but they accept the spin that he's a screaming lunatic inciting violence. They're genuinely disappointed that Obama has done nothing for jobs or housing but can't bring themselves (so far) to accept that they were just cleverly and cynically duped in '08. They accept the myth that Tea Partiers (I'm the only one they know) are sadly misinformed/misled bitter clingers, low-IQ zombies obedient to their talk radio puppetmasters. Sigh.
And because it works on smart people (those who have psychologically invested/identified all their adult lives with humanitarian ideals the Left claims to represent), the spin and the demonizing will continue.

pryorguy said...

Ever talked to someone who is of the "left" persuasion one-on-one? They do exactly as the media does, they run out steam and just start getting personal, as it always goes with a lefty when they cannot win a debate with the facts.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Dave- I'd never thought about it that way, but I'm sure the Tea Party does create terror in the Left...for all the right reasons.

@Angry Hoosier Dad- The fake "news media" these days is an unending source of annoyance (and worse). Perhaps naively, I still believe that most people would do the right thing if they were truthfully shown the world behind Washington's smoke and mirrors.

@JeffH- But the Left is tough on terror! Except when they're giving terrorists guns to take across the border, or excluding the most likely suspects from TSA searches, or announcing our surrender in wars overseas.

@Ntwrk80 & My Dog Brewski- There's a huge difference between satire and slander. And as a satirist, I want to make sure that particular form of political speech continues to be protected. As you point out, when Rush did his "America Held Hostage" bit, he was actually lampooning the Left's previous use of "America Held Hostage." That's fair (and even clever). But when Biden refers to budget negotiators as acting like terrorists, he demonstrates that he understands neither budgets nor terror...and further shows that he shouldn't be making decisions related to either subject.

@Earl- Poor Bill Clinton. He keeps beating the racism drum to bring back fond memories of the days when he was America's "first black president." Although he can still credibly claim to be America's best black president.

@John the Econ- I hope you're right that the Left is only damaging themselves with these accusations, but I worry about it. I know too many people who should have a clue about what's going on, but look at our ravaged economy and think only about "am I still getting mine?" and have neither interest nor curiosity about how we got into this mess.

But inarguably, "reality" is setting in for more people, and trumping Washington rhetoric. When Chuck Schumer announced that with the debt crisis behind us (ha!) the politicians can "get back to creating jobs" I had to ask myself if there is anyone left who believes that Washington has either the ability or desire to create jobs.

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Jim Hlavac- As I recall, you recently took a completely unnecessary family trip which surely makes you a greenhouse gas eco-terrorist, too. You, sir, are at the very least a triple threat. And you should wear that title proudly.

@John the Econ Again- Yeah, Newt should go away. I've liked him in the past, but now he's the very definition of "you're not helping here."

@WMD- I can picture the media's covert awards ceremony now. Everyone jockeying to win a "Smeary" for the most biased and deceptive news stories.

@Suzy- Obama keeps singling out the Tea Party for attack...which is right out of Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals." A well-worn copy of which is always within Obama's reach.

@Quite Rightly- Obama spoke with more conviction in favor of the Ground Zero Mosque than anything he's said about the victims of terror. To anyone with an IQ higher than a turnip, he really is the most transparent president ever.

@Fuzzy Slippers- Good point, but you're missing a subtle nuance. The Left can claim to hate terrorists because they argue that radical Islamic suicide bombers aren't terrorists. And Nidal Hassan? Just a poor sap with a stress disorder. No, the only real terrorists are the tea party members...who allowed Washington to add only another 7 trillion dollars to our debt.

@Anonymous (above)- Oddly enough, the Left considers our morals to be every bit as destructive as bombs. Which is why they're our best weapons, and need to be used as often as possible.

@Andrew- Very well put. And sadly, the smears work too much of the time. People who have known me for decades recoil when I say I'm a Tea Party guy, as if I'd just announced that I attend lynchings with my fellow KKK members, or make a hobby of skewering babies on bayonettes.

@Pryorguy- Irrational name-calling is the first resort of the Left. Although in fairness, I should say that in today's cartoon I originally left out the word "assholes," and it just didn't work. Sometimes, a little descriptive language is actually necessary.

Dave said...

@stilt--Almost as destructive to the Left's way of thinking is our (The Tea Party's) attempts at Social and Political awareness. If the sheople are just watching main stream news then they are able to control the sheople. But when there are other opinions out there being expressed loudly and intelligently they may lose control. So the best way to continue our fight for our country is to tell everyone who will listen for even a couple of seconds what we believe in and stand for...Small government, and a return to the Constitution. And yes I agree that when you start talking to some of these people they look at you as if you just announced that you like to eat infants for breakfast. But keep talking....keep telling the truth...and being intelligent about it. Other then the hard-core militant left you will start getting through to some of the people, and every voter we get our message through to is one less vote for Obama come Nov 2012!

Colby said...

I think what drives the lefties nuts is "The Tea Party" is more of an ideal or a way of thinking than it is an organized political party. It's sort of like "The Force;" you can't see it or touch it. I think that is what drives them to the extremes. They fear getting their asses kicked by the invisible man.

We MUST keep our heads and not lash back in anger or retaliation, lest we prove them right.

Anonymous said...

Colby, you nailed it. I can't count how many times I've heard a liberal refer to a person as the "leader of the TEA Party". I try to explain that there IS no "leader". They just don't get it. On a side note, has anyone noticed that Dagong Global, China's credi reporting agency, just lowered our credit rating AGAIN? They're not buying what Washington is shoveling.

SC said...

The left thinks that if you live within your means and pay your bills on time and want your country to do the same thing that you are a terrorist! Really? Most Americans do pay their bills & try to live within their means. Let’s hope that they take offense to these viscous attacks from the liberal progressives & vote for the people that want to balance the budget & get the country’s bills paid. God help us if they don’t.

Pete(Detroit) said...

Jim! Missed you! Big hug, ya galoot! On that note (gay terrorist hairdressers) I'm bailing to watch 'don't mess w/ the Zohan'

Tim Pawlenty may be BE a Squish, but he sure smells like one...

Anonymous said...

All this is straight out of Alinsky, people.

"Demonize your opponent, use personal insults when you run out of facts. Don't debate honestly, use ridicule. Don't worry--the 'comrades' in the newsmedia are all in our camp and will repeat anything we say uncritically. Remember, there are no rules, and the conservatives will always be crippled by their belief that there are rules. The only thing that matters is who wins. Anything is acceptable, from stuffing the ballot boxes to threats of violence to assassination and bombing, because we're bringing about the Socialist Revolution here, and as Comrade Mao says, the Revolution is not a tea party. There is no right and wrong, there is only victory and defeat."

One may note that these tactics worked a lot better for them back before the Internet, back before there existed any other way for information to be disseminated to the people that wasn't guarded and watched over by Maoist fanatics who'd graduated from Ivy League universities with journalism degrees, taught by professors who were CPUSA members. They can no longer tell the people what's newsworthy and what's not, they're no longer able to dictate to "right-thinking people" what are and are not the acceptable limits of opinion or debate.

One also notes that these tactics worked splendidly for them as long as the Right in this country whimpered and sniveled and took every blow without responding. Maybe the Tea Party, for all its flaws (was anyone else as disgusted by their caving in and agreeing to raise the debt limit instead of presenting a balanced budget as I was?) represents a turning point, a historical watershed. Then again, that's what people said when Nixon was elected...

SC said...

@ Anonymous directly above, I agree with your assessment. Also, I think the reason I like Sara Palin is that she does not whimper or snivel. She responds with clear conviction and is not wishy-washy. She says it like it is; I respect that in a person. It’s almost unheard of in a politician, therefore making it one of her best attributes.