The Future’s Here, Happens Every Year
AUSTIN, Tx. -- "I was independent all my life until I got back from Iraq," says Andrew Horne, who lost a Democratic primary for Senate in Kentucky. "Americans have to stand up and right now, veterans have a unique voice." Along with John Boccieri, Texas' own Rick Noriega and Ashwin Madia, Horne is talking about being a veteran running for federal office. VoteVets, though officially nonpartisan, is out to make sure that the Fighting Dem phenomenon of 2006 is no flash in the pan.
"We have to redefine patriotism," Madia says. "Real patriots sometimes sacrifice a little bit for their country. If we can send 17, 18 year olds" to war "then maybe we can ask millionaires to sacrifice a little." Everyone up there suggests that that the poor equipping of troops in-theater and the poor treatment of veterans after they return was a galvanizing experience. Boccieri appears particularly passionate. Shared sacrifice is yielding a politics of solidarity. Having a veteran's perspective, reminding voters about what this country asks of troops at war "it puts it in perspective when you ask how we use energy in this country," or tax policy, or health care, among other issues, Madia says.
Update: Brandon Friedman from VoteVets makes a really good point: having veterans in Congress means you'll get people who know the right questions to ask about military strategy during hearings. The Jim Webb Experience backs Brandon up.
Update II: Bernard Finel of the American Security Project worries that an implicit thread running through all four candidates' narratives is the "fetishization" of military service. Noriega basically agrees, says he's most proud of being a schoolteacher, and says he thinks "compulsory national service" is an appealing idea.
Madia says he understands, but "I don't think it's a strong as a concern." In 2006, only nine vets ran and two won. This cycle there's only a handful of vets as as well. "I think people get there are many different kinds to serve. Plus, it's a double-edged sword, running as 'the' veteran or 'the Iraq guy,'" since most people are most concerned about the economy. Boccieri adds "we have to understand... that war is politics by another means, and we need elected leaders in congress who understand that war is a derivative of failed politics."
- Original article
- FILED UNDER: Guest Blogger
- July 18, 2008








I certainly hope we see more vets in congress soon
If we did, perhaps we wouldn't see the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed and other VA hospitals. Perhaps we wouldn't see opposition to a new GI Bill. Perhaps we wouldn't see a president insisting they can go to war with another country by using lies. Perhaps we'll be prepared to properly care for the thousands of wounded vets that are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and that will need some level of care for decades to come. Perhaps.......
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By UffdaguyJuly 18, 2008 - 12:54pmBy UffdaguyJuly 18, 2008 - 12:54pm
I agree. More vets (sane ones anyway) and perhaps people with children in the military.
Actually we need republicans to be like this. The dems get it.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:01pmThe new definition of flip flop.
Flip flop means that you do or say what you said you would not more than once.
If I say I will never eat brocolli and only eat it one time after I say that, that means I didn't really eat it.
This means Obama didn't flip flop on FISA, because he only voted for it once.
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By AntillectualJuly 18, 2008 - 6:11pmgive me a break
Now Pelosi wants another stimulus package.
I guess if we have one every month... LOL
The first one didn't do a thing.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 7:45pmLazarus Long says.
"No man is an island---" Much as we may feel and act as individuals, our race is a single organism, always growing and branching---which must be pruned regularly to be healthy. This necessity need not be argued; anyone with eyes can see that any organism, which grows without limit always dies in its own poisons. The only rational question is whether pruning is best done before or after birth. Being an incurable sentimentalist, I favor the former of these methods---killing makes me queasy, even when it's a case of "He's dead and I'm alive and that's the way I wanted it to be." But this may be a matter of taste. Some shamans think that it is better to be killed in a war, or to die in childbirth, or to starve in misery, than never to have lived at all. They may be right. But I don't have to like it---and I don't.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 7:48pmAccuracy fixxy
Robert Heinlein wrote all that. Lazarus Long was a character created by Heinlein. If you'd ever bothered actually reading the book you'd know that.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 12:02amHe also says:
There hidden contradictions in the minds of people who "love Nature" while deploring the "artifiicialities" with which "Man has spoiled 'Nature.'" The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of "Nature"---but beavers and their dams are. But the contradictions go deeper than this prima-facie absurdity. In declaring his love for a beaver dam (erected by beavers for beavers' purposes) and his hatred for dams erected by men (for the purpose of men) the "Naturist" reveals his hatred for his own race---i.e., his own self-hatred. In the case of "Naturist" such self-hatred is understandable; they are such a sorry lot. But hatred is too strong an emotion to feel toward them; pity and contempt are the most they rate. As for me, willy-nilly I am a man, not a beaver, and H. sapiens is the only race I have or can have. Fortunately for me, I like being part of a race made up of men and women---it strikes me as a fine arrangement and perfectly "natural." Believe it or not, there were "Naturists" who opposed the first flight to old Earth's Moon as being "unnatural" and a "despoiling of Nature."
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 7:49pmI knew it was too well-wirtten to be yours.
Plagiarized. The author is Robert Heinlein.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 8:40pmThey are from Lazarus Long.
as I so attributed.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:48pmLazarus Long is NOT A REAL
Lazarus Long is NOT A REAL PERSON!!! He is a fictional character invented by Robert Heinlein.
And you didn't attribute the first quote to anyone or give links.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 9:26pmBy MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 9:26pm
LMAO!
hatey is one dumb spammer isn't he?
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 9:45pmNot according to the Bible, and Robert Heinlein.
Lazarus is a real person. Just as real as you or me. Well, actually, he's probably a little more real than you people are.
By the way, didn't I say: Lazarus Long says: in the subject box?
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 11:16pmNo, you put "He also says"
No, you put "He also says" in the subject box I was referring to. I suppose the way I set up the threads showed that one as first when it was second, but you still did not attribute the quote to the author, Robert Heinlein, or give a source.
Lazarus in the Bible may have been a real person, but he is not the person from whom the quote came. Lazarus Long is a fictional character. Robert Heinlein is the author.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 11:54pmI guess you've never actually read Heinlein:
Read JOB: A comedy of Justice, then tell me Mr. Long is not a real person.
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By leftysrsickJuly 19, 2008 - 8:58amIt's a novel. It's a work of
It's a novel. It's a work of fiction. Mr. Long is NOT a real person. The book may have elements that ring true to you, that does not mean the characters are real people.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 19, 2008 - 10:21amBy MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 8:40pm
The spammer is living on borrowed time.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:51pmObviously you don't know the differance between
posting opposition point of views, and spam. To your little mind, they are one and the same. You seem to not like dissent. Why? Does it rattle your marble size brain?
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:56pmYep, It's hatey! His 'Tell' Is Showing..
... he STILL doesn't know how to spell the word after being told dozens of times and even being offered spell check help from progressives on this board! What an ingrate hatey is! The word is spelled D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-C-E, you moron, NOT differAnce. Get it now, stupid?
How do you keep track of so many sock puppets, hatemoron? Does the RVC hire a temp secretary for you?
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By othelloJuly 18, 2008 - 11:02pmHatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey
Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey
Seems as if you got Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey Hatey on the brain.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 11:18pmAnd why shouldn't he?
That IS your "real" persona, isn't it? Or it was, until it got BANNED.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 12:05amBanned?
What did Hatey do to get banned??
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By moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 12:59amYou have multiple-personality disorder, don't you?
1-800-DR-LAURA.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 1:05amIs he
one of those guys that confronts you guys with facts and you have no argument so you banned him? This is why the left wants the fairness doctrine otherwise known as the Hush Rush law. You have no valid counter to the truth so you get mad and sprew hate. Go cry to mama.
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By moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:11amBy moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:11am
I can't believe some troops have gone to Iraq 4 or 5 times while you sit there cowardly cheering for more war.
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By f u bush2July 19, 2008 - 2:14amBy moneyHos July 19, 2008 - 1:11am
Wrong, shit head; hatey was banned for continually violating the legal terms of use he agreed to when he signed on to this blog. Any more stupid questions, moron?
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By othelloJuly 19, 2008 - 8:59amBy othelloJuly 18, 2008 - 11:02pm
LOL
I remember hatey once discussing the automan empire.
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By f u bush2July 19, 2008 - 12:02amPlagiarized.
You are a thief of other people's creative works.
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 18, 2008 - 8:41pmlazazus says:
Sex should be friendly. Otherwise, stick to mechanical toys; it's more sanitary.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:52pmBy fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:52pm
Too funny!
Now you can't even spell the name fo the fictional character you thought was real.
hatey, unlike good wine or cheese you get worse with age.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 9:49pmVotevets is a good organization
They helped expose how Rush hates the troops.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:02pmRush Sets Record Straight: "Phony Soldiers" Is a Phony Story
RUSH: I want to apologize to all of the members of the United States Military, both in uniform and out, active duty and retired, for Media Matters for America. They will not apologize to you, and they will not apologize to me. I want to apologize to you on behalf of them. As all of you military personnel know, I, since of beginning of time and since the beginning of this program, certainly 19 years ago, have been one of the most ardent, loyal, in-awe supporters of any and all who wear the uniform -- including those who disagree with the mission. I found a couple of them when I was in Afghanistan on a troop visit. I went over to five base visits in Afghanistan, and did Q&A, sometimes for two hours with assembled troops at the various bases. Not all of them were happy with me in terms of my politics and so forth, but I told every damn one of them that I was in awe of them and that I wanted to come speak to them, and I purposely asked to go on this trip, and I'd been asking for a long time. This is the first time I've been granted permission. But I wanted to go on this trip because at the time this was all happening, Afghanistan had sort of cooled off and there wasn't much news coming out of there, but Iraq was roiling, and the news out of Iraq was -- well, you know what it was.
It was bad. "We can't win. We're losing, too many deaths," and all this sort of thing. I wanted to go tell them personally, as an American, how small of a minority those thoughts about them were, that there was love and respect and adoration for all who wear the uniform in this country, active duty or not, but I was specifically referring to people in combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan. I stood up before them, and I said -- even to the ones who let it be known that they disagreed with me politically, not on the war, but politically -- they all wanted victory, and they all were doing their victory, and they all said they were there to protect their country. This is what they chose to do after 9/11 happened, and I stood before them and I said -- and there are a lot of people, by the way, who were thanking me and all of that. It ran the gamut. I said, "I don't care who you are. I stand before you, and I feel six inches tall. Compared to what you're doing, I'm just, you know, uttering words here. I just wanted to come convey support because you're not getting a whole lot of it in the mainstream media in our country, and the attitudes toward you of the American people are being misrepresented to you in droves."
I said, "When you get back and walk into most airports in this country, you are going to be given standing ovations and applause." Of course, the story coming out of Oakland -- and I guess there's some controversy about it, but -- apparently some Marines getting home, landing at Oakland, were spit on by people in the Oakland airport. Now, I haven't been able to confirm it, but it's on a couple blogs and apparently there are some witnesses that say that they did see it. The bottom line to all this... I've described to you that the visit I took to Washington to Walter Reed Army Hospital and the amputee rehabilitation unit. So many of these men and their wives were thanking me for what I'm doing. That makes me feel six inches tall as well. (In fact, Justice Thomas and I discussed this in the interview coming up that you will hear.) I said, "I'm just uttering words. You guys, look at you." No, no, no. They were upbeat and happy. One guy had lost both arms. He couldn't wait to get married six months down the road. He said, "Look, we all have our roles, man, and you keep doing what you're doing." The bottom line to all this is that last week, with this smear and this phony accusation regarding something I had not said about active duty military personnel, or even those who opposed the war, was that once again the integrity of the US Military was brought into question when the integrity of the sourcing group, Media Matters for America, should have been brought into question.
They're a Hillary Clinton front group. They will continue to be used as an accredited source by the Drive-By Media, despite the fact that they have now been demonstrated to make things up, take things out of context, and embarrass those who report what they say. They will continue to be a source, because this is the '08 playbook that we saw break down last week, and the Democrats may still introduce their resolution in the House castigating me. I don't know. The House doesn't go into session 'til two o'clock. We'll have to wait and see. I don't know if they will do that or not. If they do it, it is just an effort to try to portray themselves as pro-military because they know they have to because they know the impression they have accurately created is that they're not pro-military, from Jack Murtha to Harry Reid claiming defeat, to John Kerry's lifetime of criticism of the soldiers. So they're going to try to deflect the criticism away from their pet organization, MoveOn.org, whose "Betray Us" ad backfired totally on them. It was a Wellstone moment for them, as this will be. But since you will never get an apology from Jack Murtha for mischaracterizing you as murderers, since you'll never get an apology from John Kerry, since you won't get an apology from Media Matters for America or anybody that works there, to all of you in the US Military, I want to apologize to you for them for the, again, firestorm over something that did not happen regarding your valor and your commitment to freedom and democracy last week on this program. I really regret that it happened, and I apologize to you on their behalf since they won't.
END TRANSCRIPT
*Note: Links to content outside RushLimbaugh.com usually become inactive over time.
Friday's Rush Transcript...
Rush Sets Record Straight: "Phony Soldiers" Is a Phony Story
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:46pmScrolled.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 12:00amhttp://www.michaelyon-online.com/
4 July 2008
The war continues to abate in Iraq. Violence is still present, but, of course, Iraq was a relatively violent place long before Coalition forces moved in. I would go so far as to say that barring any major and unexpected developments (like an Israeli air strike on Iran and the retaliations that would follow), a fair-minded person could say with reasonable certainty that the war has ended. A new and better nation is growing legs. What's left is messy politics that likely will be punctuated by low-level violence and the occasional spectacular attack. Yet, the will of the Iraqi people has changed, and the Iraqi military has dramatically improved, so those spectacular attacks are diminishing along with the regular violence. Now it's time to rebuild the country, and create a pluralistic, stable and peaceful Iraq. That will be long, hard work. But by my estimation, the Iraq War is over. We won. Which means the Iraqi people won.
I wish I could say the same for Afghanistan. But that war we clearly are losing: I am preparing to go there and see the situation for myself. My friends and contacts who have a good understanding of Afghanistan are, to a man, pessimistic about the current situation. Interestingly, however, every one of them believes that Afghanistan can be turned into a success. They all say we need to change our approach, but in the long-term Afghanistan can stand on its own. The sources range from four-stars to civilians from the United States, Great Britain and other places. A couple years ago, some of these sources believed that defeat was imminent in Iraq. They were nearly right about Iraq, although some of them knew far less about Iraq than they do about Afghanistan. But it's clear that hard days are ahead in Afghanistan. We just lost nine of our soldiers in a single firefight, where the enemy entered a base and nearly overran it.
The news from Afghanistan is reason for pessimism. For some more optimistic news, please look at these statistics from Iraq, and remember that if we could turn things around in that country, we might be able to do the same in Afghanistan.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 8:44pmScrolled.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 18, 2008 - 11:59pmScrolled?
Nice job ignoring the truth...
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By moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:19amAccuracy fixxy
No need to thank me.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 4:46pmI can't understand why Rush hates the troops so?
I mean it was clear he was speaking about the soldiers.
He called them phony. According to Rush they have to agree with him or else they are phony. What an ass.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:52pmHe doesn't hate the troops
like Harry Reid, Dick Durbin and John Kerry....
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By moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:06amNice Flame Bait, Troll...
... why don't you go enlist and show YOUR support? You're a moron, but the Army has lowered it's standards so drastically, even an Alfred E. Newman look alike such as yourself can get in and kill terrists!
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By othelloJuly 19, 2008 - 1:11amBeen there
and it's spelled T-E-R-R-O-R-I-S-T-S. Dumb ass....
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By moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:14amBy moneyosJuly 19, 2008 - 1:14am
Like a true right winger you can't comprehend sarcasm or mimicking of others. Everyone gets his spelling of the word except you moron. You should feel really stupid now. If you don't then you are even dumber than I thought.
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By f u bush2July 19, 2008 - 2:17amLike someone else pointed out...
...such things allude them.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 4:45pmBy moneyHo July 19, 2008 - 1:14am
"Been there"...
YOU'VE "been there"?!?!?!?!?
See!!! I told you, I told you! The military has lowered it's standards SO much that moneyHo was able to wash out of boot camp!
You're not very bright, are you money ho? ( rhetorical question )
By the way, douche bag, when I spell the word, "terrists", I am mocking your god, GW. Everyone else got it, why not you?
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By othelloJuly 19, 2008 - 9:08amBetter tell Cowboy-hat Oathbreaker that
...and while you're at it, tell him it's spelled n-u-c-l-e-a-r.
01/20/2009...the end of an eror.
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By nonexistent manJuly 19, 2008 - 4:44pmLOL - Gramm quit McCain's campaign.
People didn't like the whiner comment. Now he can go back to making porn.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:54pmWhy is Bush talking to Iran now?
When Obama said we needed to the talk was all about appeasement.
These republicans are filthy bastards is all there is to it. They lie to make the opponent look bad and then they steal his ideas. Bush has been looking for someone with a clue to tell him what to do. Now he found someone in Obama. The way he does it is to listen to Obama, criticize it and then a month later do what Obama said to do.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 8:58pmRemember when it comes to spammer hatey
Document the thread he has spammed. Note the following:
1. Was it an over long paste?
2. Was there plagiarism?
3. The url to the thread
Send all of this information to Sam. I'd let it build up and send all at once so Sam isn't bombarded. Point out the multitude of sock puppets he is using and ask if the IP address can be checked to see how many sock puppets he is using and ban them all. Also point out that he has been banned for these reasons before.
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By f u bush2July 18, 2008 - 9:03pmYou should see what I sent to Sam about you, fool.
I've sent over 10 different emails about you alone. Documented.
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By fu bush3July 18, 2008 - 11:20pmAccuracy fixxy
No need to thank me.
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error. ~~~John Kenneth Galbraith
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By nonexistent manJuly 18, 2008 - 11:58pm1. Was it an over long
1. Was it an over long paste? (that defines all of your anti-american spam bombs)
2. Was there plagiarism? (No) You just want more than the author's name.
3. The url to the thread Yada Yada Yada.
Face it, asshole. You just want to ban anything that puts the spotlight on your anti-american rants. Typical Little Hitler move, asshole.
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By fu bush3July 19, 2008 - 9:49amBy fu bush3July 19, 2008 - 9:49am
hatey
I know it's your quest to get back at me. I helped to get you banned several times by kicking your ass around the board and causing you to respond with spam and plagiarism. It's not your fault. You have no original thoughts in that head of yours.
Face it. You will ever get even. You are too stupid.
This is something you are not good at. Find another hobby and start enjoying life.
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By f u bush2July 19, 2008 - 1:01pmhttp://www.nypost.com/seven/07192008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/
IF you think the US markets have problems, look at the value of al Qaeda shares throughout the Muslim world: A high-flying political equity just a few years ago, its stock has tanked. It made the wrong strategic investments and squandered its moral capital.
In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, Osama bin Laden was the darling of the Arab street, seen as the most successful Muslim in centuries. The Saudi royal family paid him protection money, while individual princes handed over cash willingly: Al Qaeda seemed like the greatest thing since the right to abuse multiple wives.
Osama appeared on T-shirts and his taped utterances were awaited with fervent excitement. Recruits flocked to al Qaeda not because of "American aggression," but because, after countless failures, it looked like the Arabs had finally produced a winner.
What a difference a war makes.
Yes, al Qaeda had little or no connection to Saddam Hussein's Iraq - but the terrorists chose to declare that country the main front in their struggle with the Great Satan. Bad investment: Their behavior there was so breathtakingly brutal that they alienated their fellow Muslims in record time.
Fighting enthusiastically beside the once-hated Americans, Iraq's Sunni Muslims turned on the terrorists with a vengeance. Al Qaeda's response? It kept on butchering innocent Muslims, Sunni and Shia alike. Iraq exposed al Qaeda as a fraud.
Where do Osama & Co. stand today? They're not welcome in a single Arab country. The Saudi royals not only cut off their funding, but cracked down hard within the kingdom. A few countries, such as Yemen, tolerate radicals out in the boonies - but they won't let al Qaeda in. Osama's reps couldn't even get extended-stay rooms in Somalia, beyond the borders of the Arab world.
And the Arab in the (dirty) street is chastened. Instead of delivering a triumph, al Qaeda brought disaster, killing far more Arabs through violence and strife than Israel has killed in all its wars. Nobody in the Arab world's buying al Qaeda shares at yesterday's premium - and only a last few suckers are buying at all.
Guess what? We won.
The partisan hacks who insisted that Iraq was a distraction from fighting al Qaeda have missed the situation's irony: Things are getting worse in Afghanistan and Pakistan not because our attention was elsewhere, but because al Qaeda has been driven from the Arab world, with nowhere else to go.
Al Qaeda isn't fighting to revive the Caliphate these days. It's fighting for its life.
Unwelcome even in Sudan or Syria, the Islamist fanatics have retreated to remote mountain villages and compounds on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border. That means Afghanistan's going to remain a difficult challenge for years to come - not a mission-impossible, but an aggravating one.
But we all need to stand back and consider how much we've achieved: A terrorist organization that less than a decade ago had global appeal and reach has been discredited in the eyes of most of the world's billion-plus Muslims.
No one of consequence in the Arab world sees al Qaeda as a winner anymore. Even fundamentalist clerics denounce it. For all of our missteps, Iraq's been worth it.
How is it that the media missed this stunning victory? Will they start to admit it after Nov. 4?
Yes, al Qaeda remains dangerous. It's a wounded hog still grunting down in the canebrake: More innocent people will be gored - and it's going to take a lot of pig-sticking to finish it off.
But I'm proud of one call I made last year: The prediction that the "Sunni flip" in Iraq's Anbar Province marked the high-water mark for al Qaeda. Increasingly, that call looks correct.
Democrats make a great fuss over the Bush administration's failure to capture Osama (although they themselves have no idea how to do so). But it now looks like the judgment of history - after the political rancor has settled into the graves of today's demagogues - will be that the administration of George W. Bush defeated al Qaeda.
There's plenty of work still to be done. Al Qaeda will behave viciously in its death throes. Other terrorist groups await their turn to appall the world.
But the second-greatest irony of our time is that, fumbling all the way, the Bush administration did what it set out to do after 9/11: It exacted vengeance on those who attacked us and toppled their towers - al Qaeda's fantastic dreams of global jihad.
So what's the greatest irony? The president's oft-mocked declaration of "Mission Accomplished" wasn't wrong, after all - just premature.
Ralph Peters' new book is "Looking For Trouble: Adventures in a Broken World."
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By fu bush3July 19, 2008 - 9:45amBy fu mcbush3July 19, 2008 - 9:45am
Do you think that anybody actually reads your little cut & paste jobs? We understand that you're not capable of having original thoughts & are unable to distinguish fact from fiction. You've made this abundantly clear.
George W. & George H.W. Bush - Living proof that the dumbshit doesn't fall far from the dumbass.
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By Guy FawkesJuly 19, 2008 - 11:57amFU McCain
"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." Dwight Eisenhower
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By MichtouJuly 19, 2008 - 12:17pmGood picture of you, Michtou
Did you know you can get help for that drooling problem, you seem to have?
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By fu bush3July 19, 2008 - 12:43pm