Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, September 12, 2012
2012 Rmoney Loses It
Posted by Charles Mudede on Wed, Sep 12, 2012 at 8:10 AM
The current situation in the Arab world is certainly complicated, but it seems to come down to this: crazy Arab Muslims getting worked up by crazy white American Christians, and the other way around. No one in mainstream America, of course, takes this nutty pastor Terry Jones seriously, and my guess is that many Arabs are aware of this fact. The negotiation of a cultural, social, and historical terrain of this complexity requires seriously considered diplomacy. But because a certain candidate is behind in the polls, got no bump from his convention, and is desperately looking for anything that might work, a major national and international blunder was made. We are talking about his controversial statements and not about how to solve the situation.
There are a lot of problems with Romney's reaction to the U.S. consulate attacks, but the most straightforward one may be that it burns away time his campaign didn't have. We're now going to spend at least one news cycle — and probably more — analyzing and responding to Romney's incendiary statement, and the issue will surely carry through to the Sunday shows this weekend. When you're trailing in a presidential election with eight weeks to go, you can't afford to spend one of those weeks defending a provocative statement that you didn't have to make in the first place, especially when you were already on the defensive on national security.Libya is not a playground. The Arab world is in the process of major cultural changes. The last thing you want is a man who can't keep a cool head when the heat is on.
2
"The cultural, social, and media terrain presented to those in power can only be negotiated by seriously considered diplomacy."
and we all know how successful seriously considered diplomacy has worked so far.....
and we all know how successful seriously considered diplomacy has worked so far.....
4
Funny how he's not even in office and he's already screwing up. The State Department must be pissed.
5
Robots can keep cool heads. I maintain that there is a closet Democrat sabotaging Rmoney's campaign, or someone so deadly brilliant at manipulating voter sentiment positioning Rmoney's foreign policy statements so the American ignorant xenophobes can bond to him.
6
The turd in the punchbowl, however, is that Arab religious zealots are driven to kill over something as trivial as comic strips and shitty internet movies. Until they can severely moderate their responses, I have great difficulty having an "adult discussion" about social and cultural change with them.
8
@6, do you feel the same about white male american christians after they shot up that Sikh temple?
9
@6 "Arab religious zealots" are small factions. Just like Christian religious zealots are here. You know them. They shoot up Sikh temples. Or make inflammatory bigoted films. How's that for adult?
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@9
Exactly.
Terry Jones wants some more sweet, sweet publicity so he makes a stupid film INTENDED to piss off the radical factions.
Part of being the POTUS is handling issues such as this WITHOUT making them worse.
Romney is trying to make the situation worse in the hopes that Obama will lose political points.
Romney is playing to his base.
Romney is NOT handling the situation as the POTUS should.
Exactly.
Terry Jones wants some more sweet, sweet publicity so he makes a stupid film INTENDED to piss off the radical factions.
Part of being the POTUS is handling issues such as this WITHOUT making them worse.
Romney is trying to make the situation worse in the hopes that Obama will lose political points.
Romney is playing to his base.
Romney is NOT handling the situation as the POTUS should.
11
It is important to note that the film which began this clusterfuck was produced, directed and financed by Israeli Jews.
12
@8, 9, 10, et al
Ok, I should have included all religious zealots then.
I also think that in our country the greater threat is posed by our own homegrown zealots. But in this case it was indeed Arab religious zealots that killed diplomats.
That's why I feel that religion in general is the greatest threat to mankind. It is the root of some of the worst things that are happening in our world today, and is often used as justification by many, including Israel, Iran, fundamentalists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and here at home from the "Christian" white supremacist groups, for hurting others in the name of their invisible man in the sky.
Ok, I should have included all religious zealots then.
I also think that in our country the greater threat is posed by our own homegrown zealots. But in this case it was indeed Arab religious zealots that killed diplomats.
That's why I feel that religion in general is the greatest threat to mankind. It is the root of some of the worst things that are happening in our world today, and is often used as justification by many, including Israel, Iran, fundamentalists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and here at home from the "Christian" white supremacist groups, for hurting others in the name of their invisible man in the sky.
13
@12
However, I do have to still defend the rights of people to freely voice their opinions, not violent actions, even if they are bigoted and uninformed, so as to protect my own rights for free speech. I believe that is a basic human right, though not legally enforceable by our will in countries where it is not legal, hence the diplomatic efforts in new democracies like Libya where we can hopefully help the development of such rights for their people.
However, I do have to still defend the rights of people to freely voice their opinions, not violent actions, even if they are bigoted and uninformed, so as to protect my own rights for free speech. I believe that is a basic human right, though not legally enforceable by our will in countries where it is not legal, hence the diplomatic efforts in new democracies like Libya where we can hopefully help the development of such rights for their people.
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@16
That shouldn't be very difficult.
The actors should be easy to identify.
I'm expecting to see them or their friends on the talk show circuit any day now.
Once the actors are identified it should be easy to find the people behind it.
That shouldn't be very difficult.
The actors should be easy to identify.
I'm expecting to see them or their friends on the talk show circuit any day now.
Once the actors are identified it should be easy to find the people behind it.
18
@1: The more people talk about Romney, the worse he looks. Notice how he seems to be allergic to giving any sort of details on, well, anything?
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