Crocker and Bigots

[spencert]

Last night, I went to go see former abassador Ryan Crocker give a talk at Whitman College (his alma mater) on US Middle East policy. It was really interesting in some regards, particularly his brief history lessons, but it was also maddening to listen to as someone who was against the war in Iraq from the first hints that it was going to happen

Comments

[more_bjorn]

It's absolutely fascinating to me that these folks can completely redefine issues so they are the victims / Cassandras / fucking-holier-than-thou assholes. Never any kind of self-reflection, and certainly no consideration of different points-of-view.

[mizrobot]

Oh yeah, it's fascism to spend taxpayer money on your own citizens but patriotism to spend it on killing people in other countries. Especially brown people! DUH

[nikoel]

I agree on the federal level tip! From what I understand, it's federally unconstitutional for the majority to vote on the rights of the minority, but it's been happening because individual state constitutions allow it or versions of it. I'm not well versed in all the state constitutions, but I believe this was true for California.

I'm also fine with all state recognized "marriages" just being called civil unions. I don't know what the popular opinion on that is though I would imagine most people who did not have a religious ceremony wouldn't care. Either that, or they'd go get a religious marriage.

[more_bjorn]

I agree with the separation of civil and religious marriage, but the federal amendment about marriage is a little bit of a stretch. Each state has its own way of defining marriage in all sorts of ways: Nevada has no waiting period, Montana allows for common-law marriage, and Arkansas has "covenant" marriage. If they want to do things their own way, that's fine by me. Getting the federal government involved though, either to allow or ban gay marriage across the board, seems like it's taking the power from the states in a way that's just not warranted.

[mizrobot]

I see this as a civil rights issue so I'm not sure I agree. Just as the Voting Rights Act made it illegal for individual states to discriminate against minorities who wanted to vote, I think it is time for some kind federal act to make it illegal for states to discriminate against those who want to get married. Is that crazy? Makes sense to me.

[toodamnloud]

I've been a longtime supporter of the war in Afghanistan. I was for it in the beginning, think it was the right thing to do, but the election did in the last of my wavering support. It was fucked up so monumentally, and yes, there are a lot of women who will return to barbaric 14th Century standards of dress and morality, but frankly, it was only an island around Kabul that we actually liberated from that. Many of the warlords we're propping up impose standards that are just as harsh as the Taliban's. Besides, people hate living under fundamentalist governments. Sooner or later, they clean them up on their own, as is happening in Iran, as is happening in Gaza, as is happening in Saudi Arabia, as happened in Algeria and on and on. We put our boots in the door and suddenly, if you oppose the nutjobs, you're allied with the Great Satan. Let's get out and let them solve their own problems.

[miss_eagle_eye]

I love to imagine you at Whitman!

I, like you, was against the war from the very inkling of it, so anytime I hear this stuff, it makes me go mad. I want to think that we're not so dumb as much as we have the most sophisticated media in the world. But I don't know. We may just be dumb.

[reverend_runt]

I have condensed the sum total of my observations and interactions with people (both professionally and personally) into a single truism that, if you remind yourself of it at least once a day, will never leave you disappointed in and/or surprised by anything your fellow man does or says:

People are stupid, greedy, lazy, nasty whores.

It's true. Just remember this, and your outlook and mood will improve drastically because anytime anybody does or says anything counter to this axiom, you will be pleasantly surprised !!

[krull]

Oh Harold, you're a man after my own heart. :)