On the Shock of Terrorism

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Friday August 08, 2014 · 1:04 PM PDT

2014/08/08 · 13:04

What started as a comment in a facebook post on a friend's wall, has changed into a diary entry, attempting to wade through the morass of politics and terrorism in the Middle East, and reflect on the West's "shock" regarding the brutal tactics of ISIS.

Are we in the West expecting those in the Middle East to simply forget what we did there following the fall of the Ottoman Empire (https://en.wikipedia.org/...)? Countries were carved into existence with little regard for the inhabitants, brutal regimes were supported, weapons were imported into the area, and then there's the sanctions against Iraq in the 90s, which killed over 200,000 children.

I am not advocating terrorism as a form of counter-attack, but I am not shocked nor surprised by recent actions. Sew the wind, reap the whirlwind, what what. Yes, Clinton is responsible for continuing the sanctions put in place by Bush The Elder. This issue cuts across party lines.

It appears the nature and rules of war have evolved.

See below the squiggle for why...

drpeters

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Wednesday November 07, 2012 · 1:55 PM PST

2012/11/07 · 13:55

Thanks to BlueTexasDem, I stumbled upon an interesting article from the conservative blog Red State, with the author scratching his head and trying to figure out just what went wrong. Unfortunately, he has some basic misconceptions which seem to be shared by a common slice of the population. This segment of the population is influenced by Fox News (and to some extent Rush Limbaugh). The trickle down theory certainly works, but in meme spreading, and not dollar spreading.

More below the squiggly thingamabob...

drpeters

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Thursday August 07, 2008 · 12:28 AM PDT

2008/08/07 · 00:28

Countless newshounds with dry eyes and sweaty palms hammering at their keyboards in a diligent cacophony hoping to be the first to catch the first utterance that spells the end of a political campaign.

ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Gallup, Time, AP, Reuters, Slate, Drudge, Huffington Post -- all sources, all targets, for rage, shame, fear, laughter, hope, and "news".

We hear about the "horse race" and its associated paraphernalia, be it tire pressure gauges, polling results, haircuts, shoes, racism, feminism, capitalism, communism, terrorism, religion... but none of this stuff really matters unless... (more after the fold)

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On the Shock of Terrorism

Scratching Their Heads

Ranting and Raving for Naught