Today In FreeperLand

[Dr Adequate]

You're right, that stuff is pure crazy, in comparison.. but i still think there's a completely distorted perception of Obama that they're attempting to paint him as, without much of a basis for it.

To be fair, up to now there wasn't much of an argument the other way, either, except that he seemed quite smart, which is what I was relying on.

Obama's a conciliator, he came to national prominence by telling the DNC that the Republicans weren't evil, he used to be a professor of constitutional law and when his students wouldn't argue enough he'd take the right-wing side, he's never served in the armed forces, he was against the war in Iraq, he said he'd talk with Iran "without preconditions" ...

If people who didn't like him anyway thought that he might not have the cojones to give orders to take aggressive action against America's enemies, then they may have been prejudiced but they weren't baselessly wrong --- Obama will take more of a "speak softly and carry a big stick" approach than they would. But not to the point of kowtowing to open criminal aggression, as I hope The Painter just learned.

 

[Dr Adequate]

May I remind you that our Constitution includes a clause to the effect that we are supposed to respond to piracy on the high seas?

It was an on-going problem under the Shrub and he shrugged it off.

Busted.

Ah, you're an idiot. You are familiar with my political views, so you needn't think that I'm saying this out of bias.

So, first off, you say:

How many pirate crews did the Shrub bust?

Zippo.

How many attempts did he make?

Nada.

How many attempts did Obama make to bust a pirate crew?

One.

How many succeded?

All of them.

Well, Bush didn't have this crisis to deal with, did he, 'cos Somali pirates weren't holding a hostage on his watch.

We can praise Obama for dealing with it well, but we can't blame Bush for not having to deal with it.

You continue:

Will you further admit that the Shrub let it come to this in the first palce?

This would be so much more impressive if you could point to any post you'd made during the eight Bush years saying that "the Shrub" ought to crack down hard on Somali pirates.

And then you say:

May I remind you that our Constitution includes a clause to the effect that we are supposed to respond to piracy on the high seas?

It was an on-going problem under the Shrub and he shrugged it off.

OK, now I'm wondering whether when Obama took office, he ordered lots more Navy ships to patrol around Somalia.

---

The crisis arose, and Obama did the right thing. Isn't that nice? Doesn't that make the nutty right want to puke? Isn't this fun? Can't we let it go at that?

---

And please stop calling Bush "the Shrub" over and over again. I can't explain why you should stop doing that without my being extremely offensive, but believe me, you should.

 

[Egil]

The Somalis could be legitimately described as resisting what they took to be a foreign invasiopn. Utterly irrelevant crap thrown in by a defender of the Shrub. It has no bearing on what happened on the high seas. We have the best Navy in the world and one of its purposes has always been to suppress piracy.

(Not that I expect the typical Republican to understand that.)

The UN was an invasion force? And it has bearing, Bill Clinton had he not been a coward could've solved this problem before it spiraled to Piracy on the high seas. Then again, I'd not understand a Democrat to understand that.

What is deranged about saying that an ineffectual wussy boy with no military savvy couldn't deal with a simple problem when it is obviously true? Bush Clinton should have done something years ago, but he was too busy playing Crusader elsewhere and wasted the resources that he needed for this job.

Fixed. Clinton had 7 years to fix it. At least be honest and say Bush passed the buck that Clinton passed to him.

This is a deranged statement. Clinton didn't leave problems for the Shrub. The Shrub screwed up all the efforts that Clinton had made to provide a response to ObL. You do not get to rewrite history.

How hypocritical that you are now rewriting history. OBL was a problem left by Clinton for Bush to deal with. The only thing Clinton did was force Obama to relocate to Afghanistan and blow up an aspirin facility. Clinton even had a chance to have OBL handed over to him for trial but he washed his hands of the matter and shuffled it off to the next President. You really going to stick with the Fiction that Clinton did anything against OBL?

Somalia, left by Clinton. Clinton had years to fix it. We had troops in Somalia when he took office and because he ran, Somalia is worse. If Clinton didn't fix it when he had a golden opportunity to, it becomes the next President's problem.

At least be honest instead of a left-wing shill suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome.

 

[leftysergeant]

Well, Bush didn't have this crisis to deal with, did he, 'cos Somali pirates weren't holding a hostage on his watch.

We can praise Obama for dealing with it well, but we can't blame Bush for not having to deal with it.

We had military operations going on that could have been hampered by pirate attacks in the region. He didn't bother to secure his perimeter. The pirates probably also realized that the commander in chief of the most significant naval power in the region was too much an idiot to do anything about them. That sort of thing has an effect on the morale of guerillas or people who picture themselves as such.

 

[Tricky]

We had military operations going on that could have been hampered by pirate attacks in the region. He didn't bother to secure his perimeter. The pirates probably also realized that the commander in chief of the most significant naval power in the region was too much an idiot to do anything about them. That sort of thing has an effect on the morale of guerillas or people who picture themselves as such.

That's just ludicrous, LS. You're essentially saying, "We had a big navy, so how could he allow bad guys to exist?". Like Dr Adequate, I have no love for GW Bush, but let's not set out to show that the Freepers are equally matched by the extreme left, eh?

 

[Alferd_Packer]

Call me twisted, but I can't wait for the video of the takedown to be released.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

I may be missing something here, but why did they try to board the hijacked vessel? As far as I see it, the survival of the hostages is paramount, and as such the usual procedure is to pay the ransom money and see them released. Why risk their lives (see the man killed in firefight recently), and the lives of NATO servicemen, by attempting boarding?

ETA: Oh, and yes, those are some stunningly stupid statements you've got listed there:

* "Obama: making the US look like limp-wristed weaklings"

Forgetting that unlike Freepers, 'the rest of the world', and indeed America, has its fair share of people who can look at problem solving in other words than "OMG BOMBSHOOTNUKEKILLDESTROY RAWR!".

* "This is why the POTUS needs to born in the USA. 0bama has no idea whose side he’s on. He’s a citizen of the earth as the liberals like to say. We are under occupation."

I find it more than incredible that people still believe the President isn't born in the US.

* "I seem to recall Klintoon

That made me laugh out loud.

* "I am suprised not one of you get what is going on. On Wednesday America will be holding an historic event in these Tea Parties. It will make a huge difference in the 2010 elections and beyond. So what do you think the White House will do? They are waiting for the timing to be right to go after the hostages and marginalize the Tea Parties."

wuhwehwhat?

* "What the NAVY “wants” is not at all at issue here. Obama is calling the shots, and Obama is a panty waiste coward."

Why is 'navy' in capital letters? Does he think the recruitment posters denote required grammar?

* "If this doesn’t make you mad; nothing will.

But these people are already mad, so it doesn't matter.

* "The possibility of the birthplace issue being used against us is one of my concerns. Lord knows how many Lord Zero would allow to die to keep his secret."

:stunned silence:

* "It’s such a “coincidence” that the pirates are rowing to Hussein’s homeland. Of all the ports in the world — Kenya? C’mon."

Rowing?

* "We lost, folks. It’s all over except the bloodshed part."

Cue "we're being oppressed" pie chart.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Bill Clinton had he not been a coward could've solved this problem before it spiraled to Piracy on the high seas. Then again, I'd not understand a Democrat to understand that.

Clinton had 7 years to fix it.

Thank you for reminding us all that the nutty right is still a hundred times nuttier than the nutty left.

 

[Dr Adequate]

I may be missing something here, but why did they try to board the hijacked vessel? As far as I see it, the survival of the hostages is paramount, and as such the usual procedure is to pay the ransom money and see them released. Why risk their lives (see the man killed in firefight recently), and the lives of NATO servicemen, by attempting boarding?

I understood that the pirates were taken out by snipers, without any boarding whatsoever.

When I first saw the news headlines and the words "Navy SEALs", I envisaged them storming the boat at dead of night, and was puzzled, but it seems that they didn't. I didn't think that that would work.

They picked 'em off.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

Bill Clinton had he not been a coward could've solved this problem before it spiraled to Piracy on the high seas. Then again, I'd not understand a Democrat to understand that.

Clinton had 7 years to fix it.

Bush had eight.

When I first saw the news headlines and the words "Navy SEALs", I envisaged them storming the boat at dead of night, and was puzzled, but it seems that they didn't. I didn't think that that would work.

But it worked in Call of Duty 4...

 

[Tumblehome]

<...vomitous expressions of insecurity...>

Is there a word for something that makes you laugh and scream at the same time?

That reminded me of the first white supremicist I met a few months ago. Supremely unpleasant scuzzbag who sounded like the posters on that site.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Is there a word for something that makes you laugh and scream at the same time?

Yes, but I invented it.

Freudenschade.

 

[Dr Adequate]

Great job by all concerned. Obama would certainly take criticism for authorizing the force if it had failed, so it's only fair to give him praise when it works out.

Curiously, I can't find that sentiment on your blog.

I dares ya. Quote some of the more egregiously racist/insane Freepers or other wingnuts, then say that Obama did, in fact, do the right thing.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

The Somalis could be legitimately described as resisting what they took to be a foreign invasiopn. Utterly irrelevant crap thrown in by a defender of the Shrub. It has no bearing on what happened on the high seas. We have the best Navy in the world and one of its purposes has always been to suppress piracy.

(Not that I expect the typical Republican to understand that.)

I've read through some of his posts using the "Find more posts by..." feature, particularly in the "what will it take for rape to be taken seriously" thread. They are... interesting.

 

[Dr Adequate]

"Obama is totally screwed now. How can he come out and praise our NAVY’s admirable handling of this situation and the Captain’s unbelievable bravery, when three of his “skinny” homeboys are gone to Davey Jones’ Locker?"

This reminds me of the first time I got a good look at right-wing forums. It was when that imaginary Big Black Evil Hussein Supporter carved a "B" in an innocent white girl's face with a knife. Which didn't happen.

Now what I saw again and again on the right-wing forums was people saying that Obama would never condemn it. He did so almost instantly, but they went on and on and on saying that he'd never say a word against the carver of faces, even when he had, even when the evidence showed that there was no such person.

And I thought ... hang on. You people believe that Obama is a slick clever liar deceiving the American people ... well then, he'd publicly condemn this even if he slashed her face himself.

And this bit of nuttiness is similar. Even if these pirates were Obama's "homeboys", then surely the Freepers also believe that he's a slick deceptive liar grubbing for votes.

So he will, in fact, praise the Navy SEALs. Why would that be a problem for such a deceitful charlatan as they believe he is?

 

[Jeff Corey]

Egil said, " Clinton even had a chance to have OBL handed over to him for trial but he washed his hands of the matter and shuffled it off to the next President."
I must have been in a coma when that happened. Egil, wanna tell me the details there? Dates and stuff?

 

[Minadin]

This was an excellent job by the US Navy and everyone else involved.

 

[Brainster]

Curiously, I can't find that sentiment on your blog.

I dares ya. Quote some of the more egregiously racist/insane Freepers or other wingnuts, then say that Obama did, in fact, do the right thing.

I am taking too much crap over there already with denouncing Beck and Bachmann. I have no room to praise Obama.

Like everybody else I pick my battles.

 

[Tricky]

I am taking too much crap over there already with denouncing Beck and Bachmann. I have no room to praise Obama.

Like everybody else I pick my battles.

LOL. Welcome to Centerville, where you have no friends.

 

[Tumblehome]

Yes, but I invented it.

Freudenschade.

I don't know Deutsche at all, but if that translates as "afraid of shadows", it fits those chimps perfectly.