Where have all the war protestors gone?

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MovingTarget

Diamond Member
Jun 22, 2003
9,002
115
106
Looking for jobs... It is hard to find the will to protest when you can't keep a roof over your head.
 

Patranus

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2007
9,280
0
0
Originally posted by: Mean MrMustard
A timetable has been put in place to leave Iraq. What's the point of protesting anymore?

Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The bloody and brutal war in Afghanistan is now okay as long as the "right person" is in charge.

Uhh... the protesters protested the war in Iraq, not Afghanistan. Bush had the overwhelming majority of the country behind him until the run-up to Iraq.

Um....that "time table" was "put int place" by GWB.
 

cwjerome

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2004
4,346
26
81
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
America is a nation of psychotics who have been trained from birth to feel they have value only in how they compete. Their personal self esteem is calculated by then in how bad they can make others feel. Owing to this psychosis our jails and mental institutions are full, the number of ignorant nobodies and failures that walk our streets living out of garbage cans proliferating. We are a nation filling with angry bitter frightened voters who demand of their leaders that they personify all that is evil, for only in the authoritarian Daddy, hyper-masculine dictator can the mentally ill find respite from the haunting fears they will be beaten in a cold cruel world of ruthless similar psychotics.

This mental illness, this profound competitive drive, this fear that weakness is failure constitutes in the Republican party, the party of the brave and the patriotic who flock together and huddle together in group-think because they are cowards.

It is from these sad little emotional fairies with their hawk feather suits that our insane leaders are chosen, such assholes as George Bush, and it is because of the madness and voting numbers of this very same group, that the tone and culture of the war drum beat is maintained.

Very few Americans can be elected who advocate peace because peace for the psychotic is a time of great danger. Only the psychosis and pressure of intense competition and stress keeps the memories of childhood death out of the consciousness of the insane. War is how the insane maintain their mental health.

A nation of assholes will have their asshole pandered to. The Democrats are not going to allow the largest collection of assholes the world has ever seen to out-Bubba them. If it's war they want it's war they'll get.

Damaged goods...

The worst thing is, the thought that you may be wrong has probably never crossed your mind in who knows how many years. That is scary.
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,816
1,126
126
Originally posted by: Sawyer
Maybe they are still around and I have not noticed them, and maybe they still rally and protest but the media doesn't cover them.

Probably sitting and waiting for the war cheerleading keyboard soldiers to chime in about how great we are doing in Iraq. BTW - this silence happened WELL before the elections of last year but thanks for trying your new bait... same as the old.
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
Actually, the war protest outside city hall here in Seattle is exactly the same as its been the year and a half I've lived here.

Shut your hole, trolls. The protestors are still here.
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,816
1,126
126
Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
Originally posted by: retrospooty
Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The bloody and brutal war in Afghanistan is now okay as long as the "right person" is in charge.

After all this time, it is still to difficult for you to separate one middle east country from another isnt it? Let me help you little boy.

Afganistan: Taliban, Al Qaeda, responsible for attacking the USA

Iraq: A totally different country that did nothing to us and had nothing to do with ANY attacks on the USA - also had no WMD's as Bush lied and told us they did to get us in there. Also had no Al Qaeda, until the US invaded - Al Qaeda came in after that in the chaos that followed. Now, at this point in time, its not even a war - its just a police action, and we have a timetable to leave - can you grasp that?

You see the diffference? Afganistan is not the same place as Iraq... you se how they are different? A dynamic human brain can distinguish the difference. can you say dynamic? Can you say distinguish? I know they are big words, but your going to need to learn them some day when you grow up and go to school.

Hmm...

The left during the Bush years:

"War! What is it good for?! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HUH!"

The left now:

"But Bush..! War is okay now though!"

:confused::roll:

Here's a big word for you: Hypocrisy.

You could have saved yourself the keystrokes and just looked in the mirror :roll:
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,904
6,787
126
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
America is a nation of psychotics who have been trained from birth to feel they have value only in how they compete. Their personal self esteem is calculated by then in how bad they can make others feel. Owing to this psychosis our jails and mental institutions are full, the number of ignorant nobodies and failures that walk our streets living out of garbage cans proliferating. We are a nation filling with angry bitter frightened voters who demand of their leaders that they personify all that is evil, for only in the authoritarian Daddy, hyper-masculine dictator can the mentally ill find respite from the haunting fears they will be beaten in a cold cruel world of ruthless similar psychotics.

This mental illness, this profound competitive drive, this fear that weakness is failure constitutes in the Republican party, the party of the brave and the patriotic who flock together and huddle together in group-think because they are cowards.

It is from these sad little emotional fairies with their hawk feather suits that our insane leaders are chosen, such assholes as George Bush, and it is because of the madness and voting numbers of this very same group, that the tone and culture of the war drum beat is maintained.

Very few Americans can be elected who advocate peace because peace for the psychotic is a time of great danger. Only the psychosis and pressure of intense competition and stress keeps the memories of childhood death out of the consciousness of the insane. War is how the insane maintain their mental health.

A nation of assholes will have their asshole pandered to. The Democrats are not going to allow the largest collection of assholes the world has ever seen to out-Bubba them. If it's war they want it's war they'll get.

Damaged goods...

The worst thing is, the thought that you may be wrong has probably never crossed your mind in who knows how many years. That is scary.

Interestingly enough, I can't make the same claim about you although the probability is very high that you are projecting, because, unlike you, I am not able to actually read your thoughts and tell how often you consider that possibility. I do believe, however, that people can't read minds, at least in the way you pretend you've read mine, and I am reasonably sure of it to the point that on that subject I don't question. The conclusion that I must inevitably draw, therefore, that you are full of shit. It was because I couldn't stop questioning everything I believed, in fact, that I arrived at the understanding that I know nothing and I am also pretty damn sure of that.

The problem you are having with what I said, I think, is that you don't know honesty when you see it. I can see into what is darkness for you because I don't have your ego. It died under intense examination as to whether I was real. I discovered that everything I believed and held sacred was a lie and it killed me. I died in grief. I don't think you have the dedication to being honest that I did. It's why you still believe things that comfort you.

Damaged goods is what you are afraid to become. Been there and done that, my friend.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
Originally posted by: evident
Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer
The bloody and brutal war in Afghanistan is now okay as long as the "right person" is in charge.

there's nothing wrong w/ the war in afghanistan, they supported the assholes who started 9/11.

iraq had nothing to do w/ 9/11 and is a worthless war and a timetable has already been set


/thread

So you support Obama doubling the number of troops in Afghanistan and the number of military and civilian casualties increasing rapidly?

Are you a war-monger?
So because we didn't support an unjustified war and spoke out against it we are hypocrites for supporting a justified war?
 

PJABBER

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
4,822
0
0
Originally posted by: Deeko
Actually, the war protest outside city hall here in Seattle is exactly the same as its been the year and a half I've lived here.

Shut your hole, trolls. The protestors are still here.

Some people never learn.

Government is like the Titanic - slow to recognize the icebergs, too bloated and navel gazing to avoid them, and unprepared for the consequences. War is Government's way of demonstrating this over and over again.

The propagandists of the left needed to hit out at every program of the Bush Administration in order to gain power. It worked, didn't it? Did it matter to them that war in Iraq has resulted in a fledgling democracy in the middle of a sea of totalitarian states? Hell, no! Democracy is reserved for the comfortable trolls sitting at home and watching the latest rerun of the Madoff and Olbermann sitcom.

Afghanistan is the Democrats' War, Charlie Wilson's war. The "good" war, the war that must be won at all costs, the war that allows the Democrats to show that they have cojones as big as the truly massive ones sported by Bush and Cheney.

The macho posturing is ridiculous and the claim to reasonableness is ludicrous coming from a political fringe that knows not why war exists and who fail to recognize the part they play in their leader's own adventurism.

There have been no massive anti-war demonstrations because the change in government now makes war an All-Democrat affair.
 

SAWYER

Lifer
Apr 27, 2000
16,742
42
91
What happened to the frequent troop causality/negative news threads that used to happen all the time?
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,529
3
0
Originally posted by: Sawyer
What happened to the frequent troop causality/negative news threads that used to happen all the time?
Bush is out of office, what's the use of keeping on him for his major fuck up by invading Iraq?
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,904
6,787
126
Bush spent most of his two terms in office trying to kick his stupid war in Iraq down the road to the next administration because he didn't have the balls to say what a dunce he had been.

There was good cause for folk to scream about that. The little fucking weasel wouldn't face the truth.

Now it's Obama's war, one he didn't want to go in. What would be the purpose of protest. We are fucked, we have all the bills, our international reputation is ruined.

All that can be done now is try to find the least damaging way out of a fucking absurd situation. We demonstrated at the ballot box and threw the Republican idiots out. Now we have to eat the shit those asshole dealt us. And there are also one or two other minor issues we also have to attend to. If you had an ounce of brains you wouldn't post this shit.
 

umbrella39

Lifer
Jun 11, 2004
13,816
1,126
126
Originally posted by: Sawyer
What happened to the frequent troop causality/negative news threads that used to happen all the time?

As stated, they fell off around 18 months ago while Bush was still in office. Why are you just realizing this now? Ah yes, you are still trying to bait your inane OP with more obtuseness.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
The way I look at it, we are in Afganistan now because GWB dropped the ball and didn't get the job done properly the first time. Of course, this time around it will be far more dificult, expensive and costly in lives.

Charlie Wilson and the Afgan-USSR war 25 years ago was a totally different situation and relevant only to a feeble attempt to score political points. Under President Reagan (the god) we were engaged in a proxy war against the USSR in Afganistan. We supported some scummy characters because (at the time) we felt the USSR was worse.

Whether you want to play the silly games and claim this is now the Democrats war is totally up to you. The efforts of various GOP senators to so claim sicken me with their absurd partisanship.

To me it is in the USA's vital interests to properly resolve the Afgan situation and get that country on a stable, nonbelligerent footing. If the GOP disagrees then they should oppose the war. The modus operandi of the GOP seems to be accept no responsibility in addition to being the party of "NO."

 

cwjerome

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2004
4,346
26
81
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Damaged goods...

The worst thing is, the thought that you may be wrong has probably never crossed your mind in who knows how many years. That is scary.

Interestingly enough, I can't make the same claim about you although the probability is very high that you are projecting, because, unlike you, I am not able to actually read your thoughts and tell how often you consider that possibility. I do believe, however, that people can't read minds, at least in the way you pretend you've read mine, and I am reasonably sure of it to the point that on that subject I don't question. The conclusion that I must inevitably draw, therefore, that you are full of shit. It was because I couldn't stop questioning everything I believed, in fact, that I arrived at the understanding that I know nothing and I am also pretty damn sure of that.

The problem you are having with what I said, I think, is that you don't know honesty when you see it. I can see into what is darkness for you because I don't have your ego. It died under intense examination as to whether I was real. I discovered that everything I believed and held sacred was a lie and it killed me. I died in grief. I don't think you have the dedication to being honest that I did. It's why you still believe things that comfort you.

Damaged goods is what you are afraid to become. Been there and done that, my friend.

Well I said "probably" which implies it's just an impression I get. You know, the very human act of forming notions about people based on what they say? Because you don't sprinkle your words with such admissions like "I believe" or "might" or "possibly," nope, you are the most certain person on the internet, maybe the universe. And isn't it funny you bring up reading minds, you of all people, since you had that godlike epiphany and acquired that uncanny ability to know the innermost thoughts and desires of all people.

It seems zealots never see their own extremism, and the fact that you're about one inch ideologically from the radical fundamentalist bible-thumper (or Taliban) probably scares the shit out your subconscious. Because we have the same conversation a few times a year... where I say you're full of hot air, you say that you 'know nothing' which in effect means you found the secret of life and you know everything, then I again say you're full of hot air, and then you say I just don't know what you know. Such is mysticism.

However, even though you had your miraculous transformation, you still have the same rationalizations, contrivances, logical fallacies, and emotional bandwidth as everyone else. It's the easiest thing to lie to yourself but the lie is difficult to maintain when exposed publicly for all to see. But the zealous do not notice this...
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,904
6,787
126
Originally posted by: PJABBER
Originally posted by: Deeko
Actually, the war protest outside city hall here in Seattle is exactly the same as its been the year and a half I've lived here.

Shut your hole, trolls. The protestors are still here.

Some people never learn.

Government is like the Titanic - slow to recognize the icebergs, too bloated and navel gazing to avoid them, and unprepared for the consequences. War is Government's way of demonstrating this over and over again.

The propagandists of the left needed to hit out at every program of the Bush Administration in order to gain power. It worked, didn't it? Did it matter to them that war in Iraq has resulted in a fledgling democracy in the middle of a sea of totalitarian states? Hell, no! Democracy is reserved for the comfortable trolls sitting at home and watching the latest rerun of the Madoff and Olbermann sitcom.

Afghanistan is the Democrats' War, Charlie Wilson's war. The "good" war, the war that must be won at all costs, the war that allows the Democrats to show that they have cojones as big as the truly massive ones sported by Bush and Cheney.

The macho posturing is ridiculous and the claim to reasonableness is ludicrous coming from a political fringe that knows not why war exists and who fail to recognize the part they play in their leader's own adventurism.

There have been no massive anti-war demonstrations because the change in government now makes war an All-Democrat affair.

I think I'm beginning to like your ideas. If we can bring democracy to the Middle East at the barrel of a gun, I should be able to get my baseball bat out of the closet and head over to your house and make an honest liberal out of you without going into extra innings. Yes, I can see it now, a much improved democracy right here at home.

And I'm going to need to write a book,,,,,let me see......Born on Third and Thought They Hit a Triple A Guide to Turning the Off Base into Home Runs.

Yes we can, yes we can, you beat we can bat republicans. Take me out to the ball game, I've cajones the size of the moon. Take me out to the ball game, I want to become a goon, and it can't, no it can't ha ha happen too soon.
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,904
6,787
126
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Damaged goods...

The worst thing is, the thought that you may be wrong has probably never crossed your mind in who knows how many years. That is scary.

Interestingly enough, I can't make the same claim about you although the probability is very high that you are projecting, because, unlike you, I am not able to actually read your thoughts and tell how often you consider that possibility. I do believe, however, that people can't read minds, at least in the way you pretend you've read mine, and I am reasonably sure of it to the point that on that subject I don't question. The conclusion that I must inevitably draw, therefore, that you are full of shit. It was because I couldn't stop questioning everything I believed, in fact, that I arrived at the understanding that I know nothing and I am also pretty damn sure of that.

The problem you are having with what I said, I think, is that you don't know honesty when you see it. I can see into what is darkness for you because I don't have your ego. It died under intense examination as to whether I was real. I discovered that everything I believed and held sacred was a lie and it killed me. I died in grief. I don't think you have the dedication to being honest that I did. It's why you still believe things that comfort you.

Damaged goods is what you are afraid to become. Been there and done that, my friend.

Well I said "probably" which implies it's just an impression I get. You know, the very human act of forming notions about people based on what they say? Because you don't sprinkle your words with such admissions like "I believe" or "might" or "possibly," nope, you are the most certain person on the internet, maybe the universe. And isn't it funny you bring up reading minds, you of all people, since you had that godlike epiphany and acquired that uncanny ability to know the innermost thoughts and desires of all people.

It seems zealots never see their own extremism, and the fact that you're about one inch ideologically from the radical fundamentalist bible-thumper (or Taliban) probably scares the shit out your subconscious. Because we have the same conversation a few times a year... where I say you're full of hot air, you say that you 'know nothing' which in effect means you found the secret of life and you know everything, then I again say you're full of hot air, and then you say I just don't know what you know. Such is mysticism.

However, even though you had your miraculous transformation, you still have the same rationalizations, contrivances, logical fallacies, and emotional bandwidth as everyone else. It's the easiest thing to lie to yourself but the lie is difficult to maintain when exposed publicly for all to see. But the zealous do not notice this...

I sprinkle my posts with those words so often it becomes exhausting. Also, what self effacing modesty did you see in PJABBER's post?
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
Originally posted by: Sawyer
What happened to the frequent troop causality/negative news threads that used to happen all the time?

Again - a front page article in the Seattle Times yesterday was about troops that just died in Afghanistan.

The news/protestors/etc on the war has NOT gone away, you're just choosing to ignore it.
 

PJABBER

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
4,822
0
0
moonie sez,
I sprinkle my posts with those words so often it becomes exhausting. Also, what self effacing modesty did you see in PJABBER's post?

Hey, I've go my own battles to fight, I don't want to get in the middle of you two!
 

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,904
6,787
126
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Originally posted by: cwjerome
Damaged goods...

The worst thing is, the thought that you may be wrong has probably never crossed your mind in who knows how many years. That is scary.

Interestingly enough, I can't make the same claim about you although the probability is very high that you are projecting, because, unlike you, I am not able to actually read your thoughts and tell how often you consider that possibility. I do believe, however, that people can't read minds, at least in the way you pretend you've read mine, and I am reasonably sure of it to the point that on that subject I don't question. The conclusion that I must inevitably draw, therefore, that you are full of shit. It was because I couldn't stop questioning everything I believed, in fact, that I arrived at the understanding that I know nothing and I am also pretty damn sure of that.

The problem you are having with what I said, I think, is that you don't know honesty when you see it. I can see into what is darkness for you because I don't have your ego. It died under intense examination as to whether I was real. I discovered that everything I believed and held sacred was a lie and it killed me. I died in grief. I don't think you have the dedication to being honest that I did. It's why you still believe things that comfort you.

Damaged goods is what you are afraid to become. Been there and done that, my friend.

Well I said "probably" which implies it's just an impression I get. You know, the very human act of forming notions about people based on what they say? Because you don't sprinkle your words with such admissions like "I believe" or "might" or "possibly," nope, you are the most certain person on the internet, maybe the universe. And isn't it funny you bring up reading minds, you of all people, since you had that godlike epiphany and acquired that uncanny ability to know the innermost thoughts and desires of all people.

It seems zealots never see their own extremism, and the fact that you're about one inch ideologically from the radical fundamentalist bible-thumper (or Taliban) probably scares the shit out your subconscious. Because we have the same conversation a few times a year... where I say you're full of hot air, you say that you 'know nothing' which in effect means you found the secret of life and you know everything, then I again say you're full of hot air, and then you say I just don't know what you know. Such is mysticism.

However, even though you had your miraculous transformation, you still have the same rationalizations, contrivances, logical fallacies, and emotional bandwidth as everyone else. It's the easiest thing to lie to yourself but the lie is difficult to maintain when exposed publicly for all to see. But the zealous do not notice this...

I sprinkle my posts with those words so often it becomes exhausting. Also, what self effacing modesty did you see in PJABBER's post?

Edit: And you make a huge mistake in thinking I am censoring myself in the fear of appearing crazy or irrational or worried about what somebody will think. My aim is to make people think and feel. I don't care if I have to be a donkey to do it. I don't care a shit about myself. I care about you. It's just how us mystics are, operating at a level that completely confounds rational people, jabbing folk from out of the dark and all. ;)

I do appreciate you mentioning you said 'probably'.

I probably especially focus on you because you remind me of myself in many ways. I used to believe in absolute truth and the ability of reason to lay it bare. But in my case my reason laid me bare. I got stripped to the skin and it was only then that mysticism butted in, those nasty Zen masters and their Koans, crap about strawberries that taste so good and no tiles anywhere to walk on. The bastards made me lose my mine.
 

bamacre

Lifer
Jul 1, 2004
21,029
2
81
The people did support going into Afghanistan after 9/11, but we aren't doing now what we went there to do. History shows that Afghanistan isn't a winnable war, but politicians aren't there to teach history, especially when it disagrees with them.

I think the overall sentiment in the OP has merit. Our policy on Iraq has not changed, and regardless of Obama's promise of no permanent bases in Iraq, we'll see them. Of course, a one or two term president doesn't need to call them "permanent," and can thus easily keep his promise. Beyond Iraq, our overall foreign policy hasn't changed either. We continue the nation-building in Iraq, and Afghanistan. We continue our aggressive policies toward Iran, and NK, and we continue to hand over taxpayer money to Israel, and Egypt, and Georgia, and a host of others. We still continue to spend hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, while we go broke at home.

It should be obvious that yesterday's opposition to the wars, and our foreign policy, was not what it seemed to be. It was only pure from a small minority, while to the vast majority, it was essentially about who was in power, who was doing the deed. Not the deed itself.

And when one begins to understand this "process," and lose his own party bias, one should then be able to see it is not exclusive to foreign policy, although it is more obvious here. I would continue on, but I would be getting off topic.
 

cwjerome

Diamond Member
Sep 30, 2004
4,346
26
81
Originally posted by: Moonbeam

I sprinkle my posts with those words so often it becomes exhausting. Also, what self effacing modesty did you see in PJABBER's post?

Not much I suppose. But who is he?

You have been the P&N equivalent of my 'crazy uncle' for 5 years now. We're like family ;)
 

retrospooty

Platinum Member
Apr 3, 2002
2,031
74
86
Originally posted by: RyanPaulShaffer

Ah...might want to check the post history there, Skippy. I believe it was you who started the bashing with calling me an idiot, moron, etc.

But nice try.

Yes, and I fully stand behind that statement I made for reason fully outlined in my posts above...
 

PJABBER

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2001
4,822
0
0
Originally posted by: Moonbeam
Originally posted by: PJABBER
Originally posted by: Deeko
Actually, the war protest outside city hall here in Seattle is exactly the same as its been the year and a half I've lived here.

Shut your hole, trolls. The protestors are still here.

Some people never learn.

I think I'm beginning to like your ideas. If we can bring democracy to the Middle East at the barrel of a gun, I should be able to get my baseball bat out of the closet and head over to your house and make an honest liberal out of you without going into extra innings. Yes, I can see it now, a much improved democracy right here at home.

Well, you can try, I guess. As I am already an honest Classical Liberal, you are going to be wasting your time. You know, preaching to the faithful and all that.

But, any time you get that urge to pick up a bat you should be aware that the arming of America since the election of Obama means that you are likely to encounter pissed off homeowners holding, say, a Benelli M4 Super 90 Combat 12 gauge shotgun backed up by a couple of kids lock and loading matching pairs of Les Baer AR M4 Ultimate 5.56mm carbines. It could also be that the wifey shows up silent and deadly behind you with her brand new .45 caliber KRISS Super V Vector SBR/SO ready to direct your proselytizing back to SF.

Just sayin. Don't come to a gunfight with a bat. :lips:

Same goes with going to war. Know what you are going there for, dedicate the means required to achieve your goals, have an exit strategy. Now, let's see if you can succinctly identify those three for Afghanistan.