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03/30/2004 Archived Entry: "Playing to the stupid seats."
Playing to the stupid seats.
Anything to make a goddam buck. I invite my resident GOP defenders to note that we're talking about allies here.
A voter survey tied to a Republican effort to raise money for House candidates mislabels Thailand and the Philippines as countries that "harbor and aid terrorists," say officials from both governments.A question on the National Republican Congressional Committee's "Ask America 2004 Nationwide Policy Survey" asks: "Should America broaden the war on terrorism into other countries that harbor and aid terrorists such as Thailand, Syria, Somalia, the Philippines, etc.?"
Accompanying the NRCC survey, which also poses questions about health care, the economy and other issues, was a four-page letter signed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., that seeks money to help "keep the Republican Party in control of the U.S. House."
Officials from both nations say the question came as a surprise since the Bush administration has praised their countries for their roles in the anti-terror war.
Replies: 16 people speak up
Gotta hand it to those Republicans: they are singlehandedly reviving the lost art of sticking one's head up one's ass.
Republican worldview: people from Thailand and the Philippines must be Evil Doers because they have brown skin, slanty eyes, and don't speak English.
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 03/30/2004 11:53 AM NY
Okay, we'll discuss this stupid mistake right after we talk about John F. (Flip-flopping) Kerry and all his positions on everything ("I voted for this bill before I voted against it!") and the lies of Richard Clarke. Who wants to start?
Posted by Kathleen Peters @ 03/30/2004 12:00 PM NY
Kathleen,
After Mr. 'I'm sticking to my principlies' Bush's, umm, 'readjustment' of his attitude toward the Condi testimony this morning, I don't think you really want to get into flip-flops, do you?
And do me a favor and point out Clarke's 'lies.' Links (non-freeper, non-NewsMax) would be preferable. Thank you.
Posted by editor @ 03/30/2004 12:28 PM NY
I agree that the survey question was poorly written.
Calling the Republic of the Philippines an ally is a bit generous. They still haven't solved the Mindinao problem and remain highly resistant to offers of help. They shut our base down at Subic Bay and turned a huge portion of it into a private club. They hold no great love for the United States except when the big checks arrive, and even that is shortlived until the next one arrives.
Put succinctly, they are fair weather friends.
On the other side of the pond, the U.S. does a good job of holding the R.P. at arm's length. We have done little over the last 10 years or so to help them help themselves. Our offer to help in Mindinao came only after we got hammered on 9/11.
I believe the U.S. should try to act more mature with its handling of the R.P. Perhaps we should act MORE like friends and help for the sake of help and not to seek quid pro quo favors regarding terrorists. Maybe then we could truly become allies.
It sure would be nice to have a true friend in that highly strategic place on the globe.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 01:41 PM NY
Murphy,
You wrote: "Calling the Republic of the Philippines an ally is a bit generous."
Could that comment also apply to Pakistan? Talk about your “fair-weather friends”! I find it a bit...ummm, what's the word I'm looking for…"curious" that Musharraf pardoned A.Q. Khan following the Great Nuclear Secrets Fire Sale fiasco. US reaction: congratulating Musharraf for a job well done. And that little dust-up in the Tribal Territories -- nothing more than a shadow play staged to placate an all too gullible US. The US relationships with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are awkward, uncomfortable shotgun marriages of convenience.
I disagree with your analysis of the Philippines. Most of the Filipinos my wife knows (she's a nurse in NYC where about 75% of nurses are Filipinos) are very pro-American and are irritatingly pro-Bush. Though it must be said that these Filipinos are Tagalog, therefore from Luzon, therefore Catholic. The Mindanao insurgency dates back generations and the mind-numbing poverty of that beautiful country presents fertile soil for Islamic radicals to sow their seeds of hatred.
In a bizarre, historical twist of fate (faith?), Islamic radicalism seems to have replaced Communism as the lightning rod for the poor. In the unlikely event we are triumphant in our War on Terror, there’s no doubt in my mind we’d soon be fighting Zoroastrian radicalism, or Druids, or Manichaeans.
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 03/30/2004 03:06 PM NY
Metro,
I can't necessarily disagree with what you have to say. I didn't bring up other countries not mentioned in the original post, but sure you could say similar things about Pakistan.
The comments I made about the RP are based on my 8 visits there, and a business relationship I had with a fellow in business there. I certainly didn't mean to impugn the RP for a cool relationship with the US. After the fall of our puppet leader in the RP, they probably had a strong desire to stretch their proverbial legs in freedom. The relationship between the US and post-Marcos RP has been spotty, and it's proportionally our fault. Yes, Mindinao has been a thorn for many years but has escalated over the last several to the point that they are much less religious extremists and more gang-like. They do, however, continue to use kidnappings and bombing to advance their cause. It's a longer story than we should go into here...
Sometimes I'm not too succinct, but mine was meant to be more of a comment than an argument. I remain convinced that they like our money more than they like our friendship. Your points are good.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 03:28 PM NY
Okay, we'll discuss this stupid mistake right after we talk about John F. (Flip-flopping) Kerry and all his positions on everything ("I voted for this bill before I voted against it!") and the lies of Richard Clarke. Who wants to start?
Posted by Kathleen Peters @ 03/30/2004 12:00 PM
We couldn't talk long enough about Kerry's positions - they are much too nuanced to put into sound bites that FReepertrash can understand. And we certainly are aware that Mr. Kerry's onlky flip flops are in the minds of good Repugnicants everywhere.
Mr. Richard Clarke has not been shown to be a liar yet in any way except for when he was requested to do so by the Chimperor's handlers.
Maybe we could start talking about the continuous lies and hypocrisy coming from 1600 Pennslyvania Ave. since the junta stole the White House in 2000? Just detailing all of the lies so far would take us just about up to the election in November. After that, hopefully it will only be an academic discussion...
Posted by (: Tom :) @ 03/30/2004 03:31 PM NY
Murphy,
You raise many excellent points and I defer to your greater knowledge of the Philippines. I hope your assessment that the Mindanao Islamic movement is more a function of opportunistic thuggery than religious zealotry is correct. Better we deal with a Mafia-type element than an al-Qaeda type. At least the former can always be bought-off; the latter is implacable.
I’ve enjoyed our exchanges.
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 03/30/2004 04:17 PM NY
Damn, between Murph and Metro, it's getting a little highbrow in here.
Could you guys at least spill your beer on the floor or knock over an ashtray or something? I got appearances to keep up here....
Posted by editor @ 03/30/2004 05:34 PM NY
A drop of reason in a pool of insanity, my friend.
Exchanging ideas instead of lobbing verbal bombs gets more done....a lesson Mr. Bush and Mr. Kerry may wish to consider.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 05:45 PM NY
Just clownin' a little, Murph.
I'm glad I've got a resident contrarian that believes in reasoned discourse. You're always welcome here, even though we may disagree more than agree.
Posted by editor @ 03/30/2004 05:56 PM NY
Fine. Now shut up and get me another beer.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 06:06 PM NY
That was, of course, typed with a crooked little smile.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 06:07 PM NY
You little scamp, you.
Posted by editor @ 03/30/2004 06:09 PM NY
Been watching this site for quite some time, ed. Please feel free to pass a quick look at my fledgling little blogworld. If you look closely, you might even find a kind word about you.
Just don't get used to it.
Posted by Murphy @ 03/30/2004 06:22 PM NY
Blah3 and Murph:
My dear sirs, sorry to burst your collective bubbles but I prefer merlot to beer. Is it possible to be both blue collar and a snob simultaneously?
Murph, as is my wont, I visit many a Lefty blog every day, but Blah3 is my home base. It's a bit like crashing at your parents' house when life gets too weird.
Posted by Metropolitan99 @ 03/30/2004 10:10 PM NY
