Open Mic for October 28, 2011

Good Friday to everyone. I know that the last few weeks have been rough as I haven’t been around much to post articles or offer my thoughts. Work certainly hasn’t slowed down any but I am making an effort to at least get some stuff posted. I will also work with the other authors here at SUFA so that they can make things happen when I can’t. Thank you to LOI and G-Man who both took time to make SUFA work over the last few weeks. I will offer up a few topics for open mic this morning. Not a ton of time to comment on them but I will offer my quick thoughts…

The Mindless Voice of Islam

Like many of you, I have spent the last few weeks watching the events unfold in Egypt. The people rallied to a cause and got to the point where they were able to cause a man who had wielded power for over 30 years to step down. And as many predicted (including that “nut job” Glenn Beck), the spirit of revolution has continued to expand throughout the Middle East. We have watched as protests erupted in Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, Kuwait, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Tunisia. As I watched all of these events unfold over the last couple of weeks, I found myself thinking about some of the discussions that have taken place here at SUFA. Because I believe that what the events of the last few weeks have shown is the fallacy behind some of the more prevalent sentiments espoused during those discussions. So I will put forth what I think these protests mean to us.

The Death of Honesty… and Hopefully NPR

So I have a confession to make. I am not a bigot. You know the kind of articles I have written here about idiotic Republicans. But I gotta tell you, when I go out into public and I see people with Obama T-shirts or bumper stickers or hats, I think to myself that they are identifying themselves first and foremost as liberals. I get worried, I get nervous. Now I remember listening to Rahm Emanuel talking about this and stating that the rise of a new, more fair, America is just beginning. That 2008 was just the first drop of blood. I don’t think there is any way to get away from these facts. But we have people who want to remind us that liberals are Americans too and this isn’t a war against liberals, it is a war against radical liberalism in the form of socialist or fascist policies. Alrighty then. Now that I have given my comedic version of Juan Williams remarks on O’Reilly’s program last week, we can simply laugh at how ridiculous it is that someone would have too strong a reaction to them. Yet the reaction from NPR was more than strong, it was conclusive and final. Juan Williams lost his job over what he said on Fox News. And that really bothers me. Maybe more than it should.

Why The Mosque Doesn’t Bother Me

I have arrive back home and can now commence a fairly regular writing schedule again. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I can only say that I am happy to be spending time with Canine Weapon again (I had only gotten to see him for one day during the last two weeks) and I am even happier to be back in my own bed (Tempurpedic, which I also only saw for one night in the last two weeks). Traveling is fine and vacation was absolutely wonderful. I always cherish the time I get to spend with family, and last week with Mrs. Weapon’s family was awesome. But I am happy to be home and returning to some sort of normalcy. Finally having a good internet connection has led me to see a lot of coverage around the mosque that is planned for a site two blocks from where the WTC buildings were located. It seems that the Republicans are attempting to hammer this subject home as a campaign issue while the Democrats tend to, for the most part, simply blow it off. Personally, I am a little annoyed at the coverage and a little baffled by the outrage.

The Looming Threat of Iran

I promised Black Flag that I would make this the topic for this evening. And it is about time that I addressed it. We have watched Iran for years and seen their rhetoric, their realities, their revolution. The western media has, no doubt, contributed to the negative image that Iran has in so many minds. I will have plenty to say here on the subject of Iran. I have studied that country for most of my adult life. I have been there. I know the people, the structure of their government, and their position relative to the United States. I find it a fascinating country. I also find them a scary country, and for some very good reasons. We are now in the midst of a Presidency that is interested in discussing things with them on a diplomatic level, and I have no issue with that. However, Obama should be aware that he cannot rely on those diplomatic measures to sway the opinion of a government that is quite radical at its heart. So tonight I open the discussion on Iran. The one request that I have for everyone is to please refrain from ranting against them merely because they are a muslim country. The fact that they are muslim has relevance. Treating being muslim as a general slur does not.

Well Then…. Let’s Just Get it All Out There Part 1

Tonight I was able to catch back up and read a lot of the comments of the last couple of days. I was not surprised to find that there were quite a few that disagreed with me on several different areas. D13 took me to task a bit (at least I think so, he didn’t say my name, but I got the distinct impression that he was talking about me along with others). I was also accused of felony possession of kool-aid with intent to distribute by TexasChem. Finally, I was under fire from G.A. Rowe, but then again, he and I often disagree on minor things while agreeing on major ones. All three offered up that I was wrong. And I will take that criticism. I don’t mind a bit. For goodness sake that is what I am here for! Now let me say up front that I don’t take offense to a single one of these attacks on my positions…

Assessing the Rock Star’s World Tour

I have heard all of the hoo ha about the fact that President Obama bowed to the Saudi King during his “World Tour”. I have some thoughts on that particular moment. But I want to at least get a dialogue started about O’prompter’s overall performance on the international escapade he just undertook. I know conservatives have been fairly disgusted with his overall performance and the tone that he took with the world. Some of that was warranted, although I don’t know that all of it was. So I figure to throw my opinion out there for people to discuss and we can see where all of you fall. 

Silencing Christianity

As many of you may recall, I recently wrote a post suggesting that the religious right be minimized in the Republican platform and stripped of power in setting the agenda. I laid out my reasoning. Some agreed and some disagreed. I was asked yesterday about a current trend in discrimination against christians in America. I offered to write a post about it because there were certainly a few different religious discussions threatening to break out. Couple this with the recent discussion I saw about Muslims and I feel like perhaps the time has come for a bit of a religious discussion. I enter into the territory with trepidation, however….

Gun Control on an International Level

I have long held the belief that we, the United States of America, as the preeminent world super-power, must do our best to protect the world. There is a certain honor in the biggest guy on the block protecting the 99 pound weakling from the bad kids. I served my country for ten years, and I wasn’t a pencil pusher. I did a job where I literally put my life on the line for our country and our way of life. I am still proud of that service. I will always remain that way because I also think there is honor in serving something greater than yourself that you believe in. I believe in America, and that she is a great country. I fought for you, not for the Presidents that I served. And I would do it again.