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But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

Why did Dr. Oz lose? well, according to the exit polls, it’s because Fetterman won.

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if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

Second rate reporter says what?

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

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Everybody saw this coming.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / “Q” Is for Quagmire

“Q” Is for Quagmire

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Early reports say at least one of the terrorists in Paris was a recent Syrian immigrant. The GOP clowns are falling all over themselves to connect terrorism and immigration here. Tailgunner Ted:

“President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s idea that we should bring tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim refugees to America: it is nothing less than lunacy,” the Texas senator said, in an interview with Fox News.

The Democrats will undoubtedly be asked about that at tonight’s debate. What should they say?

Do you think the Paris attacks will drag the US deeper into the Syria morass? The Chairborne Division is sure hot for it.

PS: I’m finding the blog’s back-room buggy as hell, at least when accessed via iThangs. Didn’t want y’all to think I’d attempted another coup. If any FPer has access problems and needs my help, give me a shout in comments. I promise to read it this time!

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56Comments

  2. 2.

    BGinCHI

    Because the guy had a Syrian passport doesn’t mean it’s legit. As the Guardian is reporting, Syrian passport are a “hot commodity” to get into Europe right now, so it’s possible this was used to get entry for nefarious purposes.

    But what’s worse, to my mind, is that on one hand you brag about being free and exceptional while at the same time vowing to curtail freedom and access to it because of conflict.

    Um, how about solving the fucking conflict instead? Or is that too hard, Ted?

  4. 4.

    Derelict

    How should they answer? Perhaps something along the lines of “The United States is deeply sympathetic to the plight of displaced persons everywhere. We pledge to provide as much resources as necessary to any country that will take these people in. We will help with food, medicine, and anything else needed. But, for the time being, we will not be accepting refugees from this region until we can develop safe, effective, and efficient ways to make sure we’re not admitting people intent on doing harm.”

    And, BTW, I find the front page motif of having the same damn graphic at the top of every post to be very annoying. That, however, is somewhat ameliorated by how often the site fails to load or makes my browser freeze solid.

  5. 5.

    Germy

    The Democrats will undoubtedly be asked about that at tonight’s debate. What should they say?

    Whatever they say will be misrepresented tomorrow. RWNJs will make stuff up, and the networks will selectively edit.

  6. 6.

    Corner Stone

    @BGinCHI: It’s not very interesting that so far all responses to this event have been various ways to kill or punish people somewhere else. No one , to my knowledge, has yet to say, “Hey, let’s uh…make things better in minute but measurable/noticeable potential ways?”

  7. 7.

    BGinCHI

    @Corner Stone: Alternatively, it’s also “messing around militarily in the Middle East without a long range plan has consequences. And they are here now.”

    Instead of only blaming the jihadis, which we can certainly do, I’d point a finger at the neo-cons before I’d point it at the poor, starving Syrian refugees.

  8. 8.

    srv

    Qbama.

    I’m sure all those Syrian refugees arriving will be completely vetted and ISIS would not make any attempt to seed jihadis into that population like they have for Europe.

    For those curious, we’re going to let in more Syrians than we’ve let in Iraqis in the last decade.

  9. 9.

    Mike J

    So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

    Some people really hate refugees.

  10. 10.

    SarahT

    I think that any Dem response tonight should include this:

    Neil deGrasse Tyson
    @neiltyson
    Nov 9
    3,400: Americans who died by Terrorism since 2001 3,400: Americans who died by household Firearms since five weeks ago.***

    ***Because at least one American died in Paris last night, guess that makes the terrorism death toll 3401. Anyone know the gun violence death toll since Nov. 9 ?

  12. 12.

    a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)

    @Derelict: If you install More Better Balloon Juice on Stylish – thank you The Other Chuck – you won’t see the same graphic, or the redundancies after Leave a Reply. Other things are much better also, too.

  13. 13.

    Elie

    So much pain and turmoil ahead. These people know how to make us crazy and it will take a lot – a lot to keep even a semblance of balance in the years – yes years ahead. Pray for us

  14. 14.

    Benw

    The terrorists want to sow fear, hatred, and chaos. With every successful attack, the racists and the warmongers give them exactly what they want. And gain power and influence while dragging the rest of us down with them. Why would either side want the other to actually go away?

  16. 16.

    p.a.

    @BGinCHI:

    without a long range plan

    Even with long range plans, you better have a plan B, C, D, E…
    Maybe a Kennan- style containment of ISIS? Support Turkey, the Kurds, Shia Iraq (should we assume the Shiite/Sunni division is a done deal?), Jordan, Lebanon, Iran. Can we support Kurds without pissing off Turkey, Iran, what’s left of Iraq? Can we give support (and I’m not talking arms necessarily) without tainting those governments? Will our support lead to more repression in those nations (the only definite answer I think: yes it will).

    A fraking mess.

  17. 17.

    Amir Khalid

    It’s already been pointed out, but is worth repeating: the vast majority of these Syrian war refugees are trying to get away from the killers. Ted Cruz, that vile grandstanding little shit, is opposing an Obama proposal supported by Hillary because
    — it’s an Obama proposal and Hillary supports it.
    — Ted’s appealing to anti-Muslim prejudice among people whose votes he wants.

    Hillary and Bernie should mention the humanitarian arguments for accepting Syrian refugees. I remember that another commenter here mentioned that potential refugees get the heck vetted out of them before any host country will let them stay. It’s worth pointing that out too. That’s all that needs to be said, really.

  19. 19.

    debbie

    @BGinCHI:

    Um, how about solving the fucking conflict instead? Or is that too hard, Ted?

    No way that can be accomplished with soaring rhetoric, which is all he has.

  21. 21.

    Cervantes

    @Betty Cracker:

    No, you and I may not want to — but in the last twenty years, say, who do you think has done most to “sow fear, hatred, and chaos” in the Middle East?

    Who are your top three candidates?

  26. 26.

    Emma

    According to the news at the Guardian, one of the terrorists was a French national and another came in through Greece on a Syrian passport.

    Not refugees.

  27. 27.

    p.a.

    @Corner Stone:

    Hey, let’s uh…make things better in minute but measurable/noticeable potential ways?”

    Sadly, this begs the question, is the US even competent to do this any more? I’m trying to think; Marshall Plan/Japan, Camp David Accords (more Sadat than US IIRC), Clinton/Balkan intervention, Bretton Woods (yes a vehicle of US domination but also stability), containment/engagement with USSR (and even then, if Gorbachev had decided to use the army the SU could still exist), Nixon/China can be successes for peace. Against that; VietNam, Iran/Shah, longtime support of S. Africa, Cuba ‘policy’, Allende,
    Bush’s Iraq/Palestine/our MidEast (and domestic energy) policy since the first oil embargo.

    Doesn’t fill you with confidence.

  28. 28.

    Gary

    Is there any way to get rid of the “Our most recent posts” section? It just takes up screen real estate without adding anything useful—the recent posts are right there on the page, or would be if they weren’t scrolled off the screen because of the damned “our most recent posts “section..

  32. 32.

    schrodinger's cat

    @Omnes Omnibus: I agree. Living well is the greatest revenge. Going about one’s business as usual. When I was in Mumbai last year I was staying in the area which was hit by the attacks of Nov 2008. Its the nerve center of the city.
    A couple of the sites targeted were in my path, took a train from the station which was hit. People were going about their business as usual. If there was a plaque/s to commemorate the dead at the CST station or Metro Cinema or Cafe Mondegar, I did not see it.

  36. 36.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @schrodinger’s cat: I was living in London at the time if the 1984 Brighton bombing. It made the front pages as it should, but people continued on with their lives. One learns to look a little askance at unattended baggage and things like that, but these are stunningly uncommon events. I hope people are out in restaurants and bars in Paris tonight.

  39. 39.

    Betty Cracker

    @Cervantes: I don’t really know enough about world politics to provide a good answer. GWB would have to be on my list — seems like he was instrumental in enabling Cheney and the Israeli hardliners too, so I’ll let him stand in for them. The Saudi ruling family makes my list also. And maybe whichever corrupt asshole ruler in Africa who has caused the most death and misery.

  40. 40.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    @p.a.:

    I replied back in what is probably now a dead thread but, just as the Vietnamese were the ones who successfully put an end to the killing fields in Cambodia, any lasting solution is going to have to come from Syria’s neighbors. And that means figuring out a way to get Saudi Arabia and Iran (to name just two) on the same page and working together.

    There’s a reason Samantha Powers titled her book about this shit, The Problem From Hell. At this point, there’s really no way to solve it without people dying.

  44. 44.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    I do expect them to get asked about it tonight.

    I just got an e-mail from MO’M about it:

    Today, a country is grieving. And I think it’s fair to say that the world is grieving, as one of the most beautiful cities on our earth was marred by terrorism, tragedy, and violence.

    It’s hard to know what to say at a moment like this—when citizens who only wanted to join together to listen to music on a Friday night, watch soccer, or enjoy dinner with friends, have had their lives forever changed by explosions and gunfire.

    As a former Mayor, I know a small piece of what it is to have to think about the potential of these kinds of horrors—to stand up in the face of tragedy and lead. My heart is with Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with President Hollande, in what is a most impossible time.

    For the days to come we’ll hear speculation, and sweeping generalizations about our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world who largely condemn these acts. We’ll hear words motivated only by fear and ignorance.

    I hope we will turn deaf ears to hatred. Let us instead listen to voices throughout the globe that speak of love, unity and peace. Let us be our best selves in the face of terrorism.

    Excellent sentiments, and I agree with them.

    But what one does beyond that is the question. I would hope we would have learned, and be able to apply, sensible lessons from the early 2000s.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  45. 45.

    askew

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet:

    Thank you for posting that. I would hope to see those same sentiments echoed by Sanders and Hillary.

    I am most curious to see if Hillary continues her run to the right on immigration. She has yet to issue an immigration plan, has skipped multiple immigration forums and bragged about voting multiple times for borders to keep out “illegal immigrants” just last week. For someone who consider refugee and immigration issues among the most important this election cycle, that was troubling language. I would hope she would take tonight to apologize for using that derogatory term and that she would not back away from taking in Syrian refugees.

  53. 53.

    dman

    Anyone else find it odd that one would be carrying a passport with them on a suicide mission?
    Makes about as much sense as finding a passport in the burning rubble of the towers.

    Always need a proper boogeyman

  54. 54.

    Running Squid

    @dman: I don’t find it unusual. Immigrants and people visiting foreign countries are typically supposed to carry these documents (or copies) with them. Its a normal and regular thing.

  55. 55.

    Libarbarian

    @BGinCHI

    JET FUEL CAN’T MELT SYRIAN PASSPORTS!!!

    JET FUEL CAN’T MELT SYRIAN PASSPORTS!!!

    JET FUEL CAN’T MELT SYRIAN PASSPORTS!!!

  56. 56.

    Libarbarian

    Fact 1. Daesh said months ago “we’re going to sneak people in among refugees”

    Fact 2. Attacker has Syrian passport and Greece has record of processing that person through as refugee.

    Only possible conclusion: FALSE FLAG!! JET FUEL CAN’T MELT SYRIAN PASSPORTS!!!

    Smh

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