Comments on: Unintentional Irony http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/ The unbearable lightness of Lex. Enjoy! Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:39:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: MikeM http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/comment-page-1/#comment-2035 MikeM Thu, 08 Dec 2005 05:36:41 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/?p=288#comment-2035 Well - I am becoming increasingly pessimistic regarding success in Iraq. News like exposed embedded 'reporting' adds to the difficulty. I see a slide to civil war soon, right after the Shites win big in the next election. Like Yugoslavia, Iraq was slapped together haphazardly and will now break apart. The US cannot provide sufficient glue to hold it together. Tito and Hussein held these multi-ethnic countries together by the only means possible - through brutal police tactics. We are not that brutal, nor post Cold War will we support those that are. I can't think of a country on this globe that is held together as a democracy that has such distinct ethnic identities. Even the Czechs and Slovacs would not share a government after the wall fell. As for Hitch, I would rather read you rebut and debate his claims than read you question his motives. Thanks again for the great blog Lex. Well – I am becoming increasingly pessimistic regarding success in Iraq. News like exposed embedded ‘reporting’ adds to the difficulty. I see a slide to civil war soon, right after the Shites win big in the next election. Like Yugoslavia, Iraq was slapped together haphazardly and will now break apart. The US cannot provide sufficient glue to hold it together. Tito and Hussein held these multi-ethnic countries together by the only means possible – through brutal police tactics. We are not that brutal, nor post Cold War will we support those that are. I can’t think of a country on this globe that is held together as a democracy that has such distinct ethnic identities. Even the Czechs and Slovacs would not share a government after the wall fell.

As for Hitch, I would rather read you rebut and debate his claims than read you question his motives.

Thanks again for the great blog Lex.

]]> By: lex http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/comment-page-1/#comment-2014 lex Wed, 07 Dec 2005 15:12:45 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/?p=288#comment-2014 Part of the criticism of our campaign so far has been that, if we are truly serious that we are <em>not</em> in a war with Arabic Islam, and we are in a "war of ideas," then we need to get our message out better. For a number of reasons though, the Arab street has been media conditioned through a generation at least to be deeply suspicious of US motives in the region and in general. They won't <em>believe</em> us if <em>we</em> try to tell them truth. Hitch is killing bugs with sledgehammers, in my view: He can't totally support ever sally without being seen by his few remaining friends as a Bushist neo-con. Easy to draw a bright line against this, as a member himself of the Fourth Estate. Part of the criticism of our campaign so far has been that, if we are truly serious that we are not in a war with Arabic Islam, and we are in a “war of ideas,” then we need to get our message out better. For a number of reasons though, the Arab street has been media conditioned through a generation at least to be deeply suspicious of US motives in the region and in general. They won’t believe us if we try to tell them truth.

Hitch is killing bugs with sledgehammers, in my view: He can’t totally support ever sally without being seen by his few remaining friends as a Bushist neo-con. Easy to draw a bright line against this, as a member himself of the Fourth Estate.

]]> By: MikeM http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/comment-page-1/#comment-2007 MikeM Wed, 07 Dec 2005 07:11:17 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/?p=288#comment-2007 Admittedly naive, I just don't understand why our military or PR proxies do not just publish, in Arabic, the 'truth' instead of embedding clandestine stories in the Iraqi press. (Perhaps they do???) To win the minds of the Iraqi's - it must be very similar to winning the minds of any free-thinking person. We must demonstrate morality and restraint, overtly and transparently, in the press, on the streets, and in the dock. Anyways Lex, I would much rather read your argumentation against a more equal opponent (ie http://www.slate.com/id/2131566/ ) rather than the slouching Mr. Page. Admittedly naive, I just don’t understand why our military or PR proxies do not just publish, in Arabic, the ‘truth’ instead of embedding clandestine stories in the Iraqi press. (Perhaps they do???) To win the minds of the Iraqi’s – it must be very similar to winning the minds of any free-thinking person. We must demonstrate morality and restraint, overtly and transparently, in the press, on the streets, and in the dock. Anyways Lex, I would much rather read your argumentation against a more equal opponent (ie http://www.slate.com/id/2131566/ ) rather than the slouching Mr. Page.

]]> By: lex http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/comment-page-1/#comment-1981 lex Tue, 06 Dec 2005 19:02:46 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/?p=288#comment-1981 Churlish is good. Churlish works for me! Yours in churl, lex Churlish is good. Churlish works for me!

Yours in churl,

lex

]]> By: Steve http://www.neptunuslex.com/2005/12/05/unintentional-irony/comment-page-1/#comment-1980 Steve Tue, 06 Dec 2005 18:06:25 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/?p=288#comment-1980 I hate to be churlish, but this, coupled with Howard Dean's treasonous assertion that America won't win in Iraq, makes me hope that global warming causes deterioration of the polar ice pack so we have an adequate supply of ice floes upon which to herd these idiots. On second thought, I like being churlish. I hate to be churlish, but this, coupled with Howard Dean’s treasonous assertion that America won’t win in Iraq, makes me hope that global warming causes deterioration of the polar ice pack so we have an adequate supply of ice floes upon which to herd these idiots.

On second thought, I like being churlish.

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