The Hypocrisy of it all

1. 59

   A.Villarasaposted 10 years ago

   The Obama administration had been advancing the narrative that  terrorists are on the retreat and terrorism on the decline, even labeling the Fort Hood massacre  not an act of terrorism but a work place violence. This storyline have become more entrenched in Obama's  peroration  ever since the assassination of  Osama Bin Laden, even declining to call the Benghazi consulate attack as an act of terrorism  and labeling it (even as the evidence have accumulated to the contrary) a spontaneous demonstration in reaction to an unknown anti-Mohammad you-tube video.
   
   Enter Edward Snowden, the whistleblower (traitor or patriot, depending upon your ideological inclination), who made public the NSA's program of  spying on millions of Americans via their phone lines in the name of fighting terrorism.
   
   The question now needs to be asked: If, as Obama insists, the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden, why has he allowed the continuation of this pernicious  NSA program of spying on ordinary American's in the name of fighting terrorism. Therein lies the hypocrisy. Unless of course he has other reasons for allowing it, not necessarily related to national security.

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      psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      2)The Obama administration had been advancing the narrative that  terrorists are on the retreat and terrorism on the decline
      
      Do you gave a source for this?  I see no such thing
      
      2) even labeling the Fort Hood massacre  not an act of terrorism but a work place violence.
      
      Obama called it terrorism multiple times.  Domestic terrorism has a different legal category, that is all.  So certain medals could not be awarded.
      
      3) even declining to call the Benghazi consulate attack as an act of terrorism  and labeling it (even as the evidence have accumulated to the contrary) a spontaneous demonstration in reaction to an unknown anti-Mohammad you-tube video.
      
      False again.  This was always called terrorism and the false information that it was spontaneous last only a day or two.  It has been openly corrected since the first week.
      
      4) Enter Edward Snowden, the whistleblower (traitor or patriot, depending upon your ideological inclination), who made public the NSA's program of  spying on millions of Americans via their phone lines in the name of fighting terrorism.
      
      Yes, you actually got a fact right here.  This plan has been in place under red and blue presidents and and an indictment of both.
      
      5) The question now needs to be asked: If, as Obama insists, the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden
      
      He never did this.
      
      6) , why has he allowed the continuation of this pernicious  NSA program of spying on ordinary American's in the name of fighting terrorism.
      
      Because terrorism clearly still exists.  As if that is a valid excuse for warrant-less searches.  (It isn't)
      
      7) Therein lies the hypocrisy. Unless of course he has other reasons for allowing it, not necessarily related to national security.
      
      See above.

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      1. 95

         wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Good answer.  Have you considered joining up with Quilligrapher to make a "Debunk Club" in the forums?

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         1. 64

            Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Good idea!

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            1. 78

               Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               It definitely is.
               We could even develop our own scoring system for truthfulness vs. falsity of statements a la Politifact.org.
               Maybe something in honor of Quillographer.
               0 Quills = truthful and defendable, documentable statement
               Full Quill = equivalent of pants on fire lying lie
               
               Example of full Quill
               
               
               

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               1. 73

                  Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  A remarkable resemblance of me. I am flattered. (I think)
                  

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      2. 59

         A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         @Psycheskinner:
         (1) You  might want to review Obama's election-stump  speeches during the 2012 presidential election and therein you will find multiple  golden nuggets of  presidential peroration about terrorism (the fact that he wants to close Guantanamo and try these terrorists on American soil via a non-military court indicates that he approaches this issue not from the perspective of terrorism but from the perspective of simple violent crimes); about how after BinLaden was killed, that Al Quaeda was on the retreat and terrorism on the decline... on his watch nonetheless, subtly implying  to the electorate/voters  that he is tough on these terrorists....ooops sorry criminals.
         
         (2) If Obama has labeled the Fort Hood massacre an act of terrorism, how come he has not directed the military to label the slain and the survivors , to be victims of an act of terrorism  so that they could be  fully and aptly recompensed (financially at least) as the law requires to recompense victims of terrorism? Meanwhile, the terrorist....ooops  the criminal (Major Hassan) continues to receive his salary from the military, and the victims...nothing.
         (3) If the Benghazi consulate attack  was openly corrected  an act of terrorism just several days later . how come President Obama, in his speech to the United Nations several weeks later, still mentioned that damn you tube video as the reason for the spontaneous demonstration?

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         1. 64

            Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            if I'm not mistaken in recent years there have been more terrorist acts committed by natural born, red blooded Americans than by Islamic terrorists. For example, the Oklahoma City bombing, killing 168 and injuring 680 people, which was committed by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols--
            
            "McVeigh, an American militia movement sympathizer who was a Gulf War veteran, had detonated an explosive-filled Ryder rental truck parked in front of the building. McVeigh's co-conspirator, Terry Nichols, had assisted in the bomb preparation. Motivated by his hatred of the federal government and angered by what he perceived as its mishandling of the 1993 Waco siege and the Ruby Ridge incident in 1992, McVeigh timed his attack to coincide with the second anniversary of the deadly fire that ended the siege at Waco.[11][12]" (Wikipedia)
            
            And the uni-bomber was a brilliant mathematician with a PhD from University of Michigan.
            
            There are others too numerous to mention, all committed by Americans.

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               Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               Another one just hit the airwaves today.
               Two former GE employees from New York (upstate, not NYC) plotting
               to create a device to harm "enemies of Israel" with X-rays. The plan was to drive down the street aiming X-rays at people they perceive to be Muslims or whatever.
               They went to some synagogue (in Brooklyn I think it was) looking for money/support
               for their plot.
               They did not succeed.
               

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            2. 59

               A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               @Ralph:
               
               The horrendous terrorist attack perpetuated by Islamic jihadist on  Sept 11, 200l must have faded  totally from your memory bank, for you to post this absurd  apologetics for jihadist terrorists.

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               1. 73

                  Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Good evening again, Mr. Villarasa.
                  
                  I hope you do not mind if I insert my two cents on Ralph’s behalf. It is not that Ralph can not speak for himself just that I do not regard his statement of facts as “absurd apologetics for jihadist terrorists.” To put this issue in perspective, this country has made scores of enemies in the world and radical Muslims are but one group among many.
                  
                  Americans need to remind themselves from time to time how many “home grown” US organizations are classified by the FBI and DOJ as non-Islamic US domestic terrorism groups: 
                  Animal Liberation Front
                  Earth Liberation Front
                  Jewish Defense League
                  Ku Klux Klan
                  May 19th Communist Organization
                  The Order
                  Phineas Priesthood
                  Symbionese Liberation Army
                  United Freedom Front
                  Weathermen
                  Alpha 66 and Omega 7
                  Army of God
                  Aryan Nation
                  Black Liberation Army
                  The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord
                  
                  Most are right-wing (gulp!) extremists including militiamen, white supremacists, constitutionalists, tax protestors, and anti-abortion advocates. In addition to their American roots, terrorism is the common characteristic of all of these groups.
                  
                  Sorry to impose reality on your thread, Mr. Villarasa. 
                  

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                     Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks, Quill.
                     Terry Nichols, survivalist, Michigan Militia, All American Loser:
                     
                     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Nichols

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                  2. 52

                     Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     You didn't impose reality, you just had an opinion. The information is easy to get and you will find that in the last 20 years Islamic terror attacks have dwarfed any domestic terror attempts.
                     
                     That is the reality.
                     
                     
                     1/31/1990     USA     Tuscon, AZ     1     0     A Sunni cleric is assassinated in front of a Tuscon mosque after declaring that two verses of the Qur'an were invalid.
                     11/5/1990     USA     New York City, NY     1     0     An Israeli rabbi is shot to death by a Muslim attacker at a hotel.
                     1/25/1993     USA     Langley, VA     2     3     A Pakistani with Mujahideen ties guns down two CIA agents outside of the headquarters.
                     2/26/1993     USA     New York, NY     6     1040     Islamic terrorists detonate a massive truck bomb under the World Trade Center, killing six people and injuring over 1,000 in an effort to collapse the towers.
                     3/1/1994     USA     Brooklyn, NY     1     0     A Muslim gunman targets a van packed with Jewish boys, killing a 16-year-old.
                     3/23/1997     USA     New York, NY     1     6     A Palestinian leaves an anti-Jewish suicide note behind and travels to the top of the Empire State building where he shoot seven people in a Fedayeen attack.
                     4/3/1997     USA     Lompoc, CA     1     0     A prison guard is stabbed to death by a radical Muslim.
                     3/17/2000     USA     Atlanta, GA     1     1     A local imam and Muslim spiritual leader guns down a deputy sheriff and injures his partner.
                     9/11/2001     USA     New York, NY     2752     251     Islamic hijackers steer two planes packed with fuel and passengers into the World Trade Center, killing hundreds on impact and eventually killing thousands when the towers collapsed. At least 200 are seriously injured.
                     9/11/2001     USA     Washington, DC     184     53     Nearly 200 people are killed when Islamic hijackers steer a plane full of people into the Pentagon.
                     9/11/2001     USA     Shanksville, PA     40     0     Forty passengers are killed after Islamic radicals hijack the plane in an attempt to steer it into the U.S. Capitol building.
                     3/19/2002     USA     Tuscon, AZ     1     0     A 60-year-old man is gunned down by Muslim snipers on a golf course.
                     5/27/2002     USA     Denton, TX     1     0     Muslim snipers kill a man as he works in his yard.
                     7/4/2002     USA     Los Angeles, CA     2     0     Muslim man pulls out a gun at the counter of an Israeli airline and kills two people.
                     9/5/2002     USA     Clinton, MD     1     0     A 55-year-old pizzaria owner is shot six times in the back by Muslims at close range.
                     9/21/2002     USA     Montgomery, AL     1     1     Muslim snipers shoot two women, killing one.
                     9/23/2002     USA     Baton Rouge, LA     1     0     A Korean mother is shot in the back by Muslim snipers.
                     10/2/2002     USA     Wheaton, MD     1     0     Muslim snipers gun down a program analyst in a store parking lot.
                     10/3/2002     USA     Montgomery County, MD     5     0     Muslim snipers kill three men and two women in separate attacks over a 15-hour period.
                     10/9/2002     USA     Manassas, VA     1     1     A man is killed by Muslim snipers while pumping gas two days after a 13-year-old is wounded by the same team.
                     10/11/2002     USA     Fredericksburg, VA     1     0     Another man is killed by Muslim snipers while pumping gas.
                     10/14/2002     USA     Arlington, VA     1     0     A woman is killed by Muslim snipers in a Home Depot parking lot.
                     10/22/2002     USA     Aspen Hill, MD     1     0     A bus driver is killed by Muslim snipers.
                     8/6/2003     USA     Houston, TX     1     0     After undergoing a 'religious revival', a Saudi college student slashes the throat of a Jewish student with a 4" butterfly knife, nearly decapitating the young man.
                     12/2/2003     USA     Chicago, IL     1     0     A Muslim doctor deliberately allows a Jewish patient to die from an easily treatable condition.
                     4/13/2004     USA     Raleigh, NC     1     4     An angry Muslim runs down five strangers with a car.
                     4/15/2004     USA     Scottsville, NY     1     2     In an honor killing, a Muslim father kills his wife and attacks his two daughters with a knife and hammer because he feared that they had been sexually molested.
                     6/16/2006     USA     Baltimore, MD     1     0     A 62-year-old Jewish moviegoer is shot to death by a Muslim gunman in an unprovoked terror attack.
                     6/25/2006     USA     Denver, CO     1     5     Saying that it was 'Allah's choice', a Muslim shoots four of his co-workers and a police officer.
                     7/28/2006     USA     Seattle, WA     1     5     An 'angry' Muslim-American uses a young girl as hostage to enter a local Jewish center, where he shoots six women, one of whom dies.
                     2/13/2007     USA     Salt Lake City, UT     5     4     A Muslim immigrant goes on a shooting rampage at a mall, targeting people buying Valentine's Day cards at a gift shop and killing five.
                     1/1/2008     USA     Irving, TX     2     0     A Muslim immigrant shoots his two daughters to death on concerns about their 'Western' lifestyle.
                     7/6/2008     USA     Jonesboro, GA     1     0     A devout Muslim strangles his 25-year-old daughter in an honor killing.
                     2/12/2009     USA     Buffalo, NY     1     0     The founder of a Muslim TV station beheads his wife in the hallway for seeking a divorce.
                     4/12/2009     USA     Phoenix, AZ     2     0     A man shoots his brother-in-law and another man to death after finding out that they visited a strip club, in contradiction to Islamic values.
                     6/1/2009     USA     Little Rock, AR     1     1     A Muslim shoots a local soldier to death inside a recruiting center explicitly in the name of Allah.
                     11/2/2009     USA     Glendale, AZ     1     1     A woman dies from injuries suffered when her father runs her down with a car for being too 'Westernized.' (10-20-09)
                     11/5/2009     USA     Ft. Hood, TX     13     31     A Muslim psychiatrist guns down thirteen unarmed soldiers while yelling praises to Allah.
                     12/4/2009     USA     Binghamton, NY     1     0     A non-Muslim Islamic studies professor is stabbed to death by a Muslim grad student in revenge for 'persecuted' Muslims.
                     4/14/2010     USA     Marquette Park, IL     5     2     After quarrelling with his wife over Islamic dress, a Muslim convert shoots his family members to 'take them back to Allah' and out of the 'world of sinners'.
                     4/30/2011     USA     Warren, MI     1     0     A 20-year-old woman is shot in the head by her stepfather for not adhering to Islamic practices.
                     2/7/2013     USA     Buena Vista, NJ     2     0     A Muslim targets and beheads two Christian Coptic immigrants.
                     3/24/2013     USA     Ashtabula, OH     1     0     A Muslim convert walks into a church service with a Quran and guns down his Christian father while praising Allah.
                     4/15/2013     USA     Boston, MA     3     170     Foreign-born Muslims describing themselves as 'very religious' detonate two bombs packed with ball bearings at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and causing several more to lose limbs.
                     4/19/2013     USA     Boston, MA     1     1     Jihadists gun down a university police officer sitting in his car.
                     
                     Right wing terror
                     1993 March 10: David Gunn was murdered by anti-abortion activist Michael F. Griffin.
                     1994 July 29: Abortion provider John Britton and James Barrett became victims of Reverend Paul Jennings Hill.
                     2003 Ohio highway sniper attacks A series of over 24 sniper attacks concentrated along the Cap-City Beltway I-270 in the Columbus Metropolitan Area causing widespread fear across Ohio and leaving one dead.
                     2009 May 31: Assassination of George Tiller
                     2010 September 1: Discovery Communications headquarters hostage crisis: James J. Lee
                     2012 August 5 Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting

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                     1. 64

                        Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        You left off quite a few, e.g. the Gabby Gifford shooting and many others.

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                     2. 73

                        Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        
                        Hello, Lie Detector. I truly appreciate your trying to correct my perception of reality by listing 45 terrorist attacks performed by Muslims or by others with Muslim sounding names and only 6 attacks by identified right-wing groups. I applaud the attempt at being factual as well.
                        
                        You even suggest, “the information is easy to get and you will find that in the last 20 years Islamic terror attacks have dwarfed any domestic terror attempts…That is the reality.” I already know how available the information is, Lie Detector. I have posted on this subject in the past. The claim that domestic terror attacks are dwarfed by Islamic attacks is blatantly false. You claim the information is easy to find, yet you still post lame data that clearly indicates you made very little effort to arrive at the truth.  BTW, you neglected to show us your sources which leaves us guessing where you came by this information and if it can it be verified. Please provide us with your source!
                        
                        Selective blindness when accepting data without making any effort to determine if the lists are complete and accurate seems grossly disengenuous. Did you bother to read your lists at all, LD? Surely you do not believe all crimes committed by Muslims are acts of terrorism?  Actually, the lists you offer are inflated by errors that make the Muslim numbers appear to be larger when, in fact, the opposite is true. That is why I look forward to checking your sourses for accuracy.
                        
                        Please allow me to correct your perception of reality with real facts you can and should verify for yourself.
                        
                        Firstly, terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives” {1}
                        
                        It is easy to see from this that revenge, shame, family disputes, interpretation of the Qur’an, and prison violence are not acts of terrorism. Not all acts of violence by Muslims are  acts of terrorism. So it appears you did not read these two lists very carefully. Eliminating the following strictly violent acts reduces the Islamic acts of terrorism in your list by almost 25% from 45 to only 35:
                        1/31/1990 USA Tuscon, AZ 1 0 A Sunni cleric is assassinated in front of a Tuscon mosque after declaring that two verses of the Qur'an were invalid.
                        4/3/1997 USA Lompoc, CA : A prison guard is stabbed to death by a radical Muslim.
                        4/15/2004 USA Scottsville, NY: In an honor killing, a Muslim father kills his wife and attacks his two daughters with a knife and hammer because he feared that they had been sexually molested.
                        1/1/2008 USA Irving, TX: A Muslim immigrant shoots his two daughters to death on concerns about their 'Western' lifestyle.
                        7/6/2008 USA Jonesboro, GA: A devout Muslim strangles his 25-year-old daughter in an honor killing.
                        2/12/2009 USA Buffalo, NY: The founder of a Muslim TV station beheads his wife in the hallway for seeking a divorce.
                        4/12/2009 USA Phoenix, AZ: A man shoots his brother-in-law and another man to death after finding out that they visited a strip club, in contradiction to Islamic values.
                        11/2/2009 USA Glendale, AZ: A woman dies from injuries suffered when her father runs her down with a car for being too 'Westernized.'
                        4/14/2010 USA Marquette Park, IL: After quarrelling with his wife over Islamic dress, a Muslim convert shoots his family members to 'take them back to Allah' and out of the 'world of sinners'.
                        4/30/2011 USA Warren, MI: A 20-year-old woman is shot in the head by her stepfather for not adhering to Islamic practices.
                        
                        Similarly, it is quite possible that many of the other one-on-one attacks listed may not actually be acts of terrorism either. Neither you nor I can really know for sure without closely studying each case.
                        
                        In contrast, providing only 6 non-Islamic domestic incidents is absurd. Even McVey is not on this list. Once again, I feel you are not conducting your own research but simply copying from an unreliable source.  You, or your source, have conveniently ignored more than three dozen cases of domestic terrorism found in Wikipedia. {2}
                        
                        In addition, if one is honestly interested in the truth about domestic terrorism, only a lazy researcher would overlook the more than 50 acts of domestic terrorism not motivated by radical Islam found in a FBI report covering just the years 2000 through 2005. {1} All are connected to right and left-wing extremism, and include plots by individuals involved with militia groups, white supremacist, constitutionalist, tax protestors, and anti-abortion movements.
                        
                        While I welcome corrections when my facts are wrong, I see no value in baseless, flawed, and unsupported criticism. Otherwise, I am happy to exchange facts with you at any time.
                        
                        {1} http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publi … error02_05
                        {2} http://en.wikipeYdia.org/wiki/Terrorism … _terrorism

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                        1. 52

                           Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           I'm sorry your facts were wrong.

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                              PrettyPantherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              

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                           2. 73

                              Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              Hi again, Lie Detector. I am trying to understand your reply. It appears my pointing out a false statement in your initial post has made you uncomfortable.
                              
                              I think no reply would have been better than posting another false statement. I am fine with your thinking my facts are wrong but you should be able make a case as to why they are wrong. Otherwise, some might conclude you intended to mislead.   
                              

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   2. 78

      Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Find one single source where Barack Obama uses the term "The WAR on TERRORISM."
      You will not find it.
      That is a Bush/Cheney construction.
      
      Tom Brokaw put it very well this morning in a segment citing Reagan on June 12, 1987 demanding Gorbachev "Tear down this wall." (obviously the Berlin Wall).
      
      Brokaw said, "That was state to state. Things were simpler then. Now the landscape is fractured."
      And so it is.

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   3. 73

      Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Greetings, Mr. Villarasa. I hope you have been well.
      
      Let me begin by clarifying another distortion of facts: “Obama insists, the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden.” Mr. Villarasa, President Obama has never, I repeat, never suggested, much less insisted, that “the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden.” This is a lie and you have attached your name to it. If you did not create the lie yourself then you parrot an unreliable source that did.
      
      Rather than fabricating lies, one only needs to listen to the president’s address at the National Defense University in Washington on May 23, 2013. In clear, precise English, he said, “And make no mistake, our nation is still threatened by terrorists. From Benghazi to Boston, we have been tragically reminded of that truth.” {1} It should be obvious to all that he did not declare “Mission Accomplished.”
      
      Never the less, in this very important speech, the president becomes the first to outline a strategy to end this country’s longest war, a war declared by George W. Bush when al Qaeda destroyed the World Trade Center and a wing of the Pentagon 12 years ago. 
      
      President Obama made a sound and rational case to cut back on our "perpetual wartime footing" and a "boundless war on terror" that has been a heavy burden since 9/11/2001. The president did not insist that the war had ended with the raid on that compound in Abbottabad like you would have us believe. Just listen to his words and you will hear him say that the time has come to redefine the kind of conflict that the United States faces in the future. “We must define the nature and scope of this struggle, or else it will define us."
      
      In concise terms, the president insists the terrorist threat today is still significant and persistent but nothing like the formidable al Qaeda organization that pulled off the WTC and Pentagon operations in 2001. Instead, he accurately points out that the enemy consists of "less capable al Qaeda affiliates, threats to diplomatic facilities and businesses abroad, [and] homegrown extremists." He reminds us there are still extremists here at home but there is no longer a need for a broader war on terror.
      
      Clearly, our president is working toward a public consensus and legal framework that will prevent the United States from being "drawn into more wars we don't need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states." He spoke about measures to impose greater constraints on CIA drone strikes and to try to hasten the eventual closing of Guantanamo.
      
      More importantly, in my opinion, the president expressed his opposition to efforts by Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, ranking member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to expand the Use of Military Force Act. This amendment could prolong America's wars indefinitely and add additional terrorist groups to the United States' list of enemies. President Obama clearly indicated his desire to "ultimately repeal the AUMF's mandate. And I will not sign laws designed to expand this mandate further." Then, and only then, will we see the end of the global war on terror. It will be interesting to watch how his opponents in Congress respond to this initiative toward peace.
      
      No, there is no hypocrisy after all, Mr. Villarasa, only the gross misrepresentation of facts.
      
      {1}  http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/opinion/b … terror-war

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         Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         "Let me begin by clarifying another distortion of facts: “Obama insists, the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden.” Mr. Villarasa, President Obama has never, I repeat, never suggested, much less insisted, that “the war on terror has been concluded with the assassination of BinLaden.” This is a lie and you have attached your name to it. If you did not create the lie yourself then you parrot an unreliable source that did."
         
         Barack Obama
         “Al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama Bin Laden is dead.”
         I agree Obama is an unreliable source!

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         A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         @Quill:
         Qaueda
         I have to agree with you that Obama's mantra of "no more endless wars" tugs to the heart and mind of the majority of the American people. And his idea of talking to the terrorists i.e. Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Quaeda  spread out in most countries of the Middle East and Northern Africa (with the obvious exception of Israel) is to be commended.... if only these folks are amenable to having a conversation  first and foremost regarding their obvious disdain/hatred of Western ideals and ideologies i.e. the infidels. Now one would hope that  they would come to the debating/conference  table with at least an open mind about being able to co-exist with these infidels, then one would also hope that Obama would not be so messianically naïve or worse delusional as to think  that one halleluiah pronouncement from him would move them towards rapid rapproachmet.

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            Quilligrapherposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            G'day, Mr. Villarasa. I appreciate your sharing your viewpoint. There are many other perspectives as well and among them is one that I hold.
            
            I have observed President Obama's tenure and he has never once shown himself to be "messianically naïve" or "delusional." In fact, I found the reference to "hallelujah" pronouncements unnecessarily colorful.
            
            My view is aligned with CNN's National Security Analyst Peter Bergen's summary of the president's address of May 23, 2013. "No speech has made such an expansive examination of the war against al Qaeda," he mused, "and its allies in all its manifestations, from drone strikes to detention policies to a clear-eyed assessment of the scope of the threats posed by al Qaeda and its affiliates, as well as by those 'homegrown' extremists who attacked the Boston Marathon in April." {1}
            
            I hope you had the opportunity to listen to that speech, Mr. Villarasa, and you took notice when the president quoted James Madison, "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." The time is at hand when we must step away from the continuous wartime footing that has been the nation's burden for more than a decade. This country is faced with daunting economic challenges that will not be met until we significantly reduce our defense spending and entitlement programs.
            
            I find President Obama's vision to be honest, pragmatic, and achievable. Our enemies have been scorched by the white-hot mettle of our national resolve. Splintered and disjointed, they will come to the conference table with vivid memories and a hard-earned respect for our capabilities and our determination. While we will never be beyond the reach of terrorism, our enemies have not forgotten the high price they had to pay for short-lived successes.
            
            I hope, Mr. Villarasa, you have a very pleasant evening.
            
            {1} http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/24/opinion/b … terror-war

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   Marquisposted 10 years ago

   That guy will never learn. People on the Left, why are they so not into protecting their nation and people?

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3. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   1) Do you have a source for that?  I am sure Obama knows the world is full of 100s of terrorist groups, and that BL hasn't be a major leader of Al Qaeda for years. I haven't heard him say otherwise to my recollection.
   
   2) I already explained that in my previous post.
   
   3) The demonstration did occur.  But it was part of a planned attack. Obama called it an "act of terror" three times on the 12th.

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      Superkevposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      And Susan Rice said it was because of the You Tube video on 5 separate shows on that following Sunday. A narrative she was sent out by the WH to push.
      
      Hillary told the family members at Andrews AFB directly that they were going to make sure the guy who made the VIDEO was arrested and prosecuted. Obama was standing right next to her you will recall.
      
      You should really try to be better informed.

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         Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         On Benghazi you're beating a dead horse.

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            Superkevposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I don't believe I am. There is more to come on that particular travesty from DC I suspect in the not too distant future.
            
            Regardless, the above are facts and they are undisputed.

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               Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               As I recall, four or five people were killed in the unfortunate Benghazi terrorist incident. The ambassador was foolhardy to go to Benghazi where security was inadequate. How do you feel about the 3,000+ Americans and 100,000 Iraqis killed as a result of Bush-Cheney-Tenet-Rice-Powell's lying us into a foolish, unnecessary costly invasion? Not to mention the even more costly and unnecessary invasion of Afghanistan?

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                  A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  @Ralph:
                  To characterize a terrorist attack on a consular facility that resulted in the death of the Ambassador and  3 other Americans as "unfortunate" is stunningly inexplicable.... and to blame the Ambassador for doing his job and getting killed for it is insensitive to the point of cruelty. The invasion of Afghanistan was mandated by the fact that Al Quaeda was  running rampant in that country in consort/cohort  with the Taliban. Even your much beloved Pres. Obama agreed that the invasion was justified. Now the invasion of Iraq, I totally agree, was unnecessary as it was based  an invalid premise  tethered on bad intelligence evaluation  of Sadam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction stockpile. The occupation  was so thoroughly bungled after the initial  military victory, it will be a permanent stain on George W. Bush's  presidential legacy.

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                  Superkevposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  @RalphDeeds So your response to the corruption, lying and cover ups of the Obama administration is "what about Bush"???
                  
                  I keep waiting for Obama to someday become president with all the inherent accountability that goes with it. Perhaps someday.
                  
                  What say you Ralph? Does Obama actually get to be president soon?

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                  Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  "The ambassador was foolhardy to go to Benghazi where security was inadequate"
                  
                  Inadequate because the administration did not do its job!
                  
                  You really are a piece of work.

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                     Ralph Deedsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Stevens was our head man in Libya. The GOP turned down a request from the State Department for an increase in the budget for security.

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                        Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        This didn't have anything to do with a lack of money.

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I am not sure how what you said invalidates anything I stated.  Mistakes were made in the first few days, and then corrected.  Within days it was correctly identified as a terrorist attack and is characterized that way now.
         
         None of which has anything at all to do with the NSA stupidity.  At all.

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      A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      @psycheskinner:
      
      The above post just re-enforced for me the fact that if one relied  soley on the co-morbid mainstream media to inform one of the consequential events in Obama's presidency, one would get a tilted  perspective, mostly towards rabid adoration, of that presidency.
      
      I would suggest to you that perhaps once in a while, you might want to take a glance at other less adoring sources of your news and information, just to get  the scale balanced.

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         psycheskinnerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I am referencing primary sources such as the Rose Garden speech.  Unless it was a reptoid clone, he said what he said.
         
         If anyone wants to debate specific facts.  I am up for it.  Best and most primary source wins.

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            A.Villarasaposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            @Psycheskinner:
            
            At that White house Rose Garden speech (with Hilary Clinton by his side), Obama was  referencing  generic acts of  terrorism  i.e. the 9/11/ 2001 attack on the Twin Towers, and  not  referencing specifically or directly  the Benghazi  consulate attack. You might want to review that speech again. A lot of folks did not get the impression that when he said "terrorism" he was directly referencing the Benghazi attack. He aws referring to "generic" acts of terrorism.

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               Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               So he just randomly decided to host a press conference in the Rose Garden
               on September 12, 2013 to discuss in general terms acts of terrorism that pointedly
               did NOT include the events of the previous night in Benghazi?
               That makes no sense.
               
               Why is the label "terrorism" so all-consuming important to you and others who are resurrecting this yet AGAIN?
               The emphasis should be on the act -- which was an act of TERROR and a TERRIBLE
               tragedy.
               
               I think we all would like to see documentation of where Obama declared TERRORISM
               vanquished because the US finally got bin Laden.
               Al Quaeda weakened, yes. But  Obama's smart enough not to declare "mission accomplished."
               As we continue to see, there are misguided, crazy idealgues both here in the US as well as abroad willing to commit heinous acts in the name of whatever wrongs they perceive us guilty of.

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                  Lie Detectorposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Barack Obama
                  “Al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat and Osama Bin Laden is dead.”
                  
                  When was Al-Qaeda ever on the path to defeat?

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                     Mighty Momposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     ...."on the path to" is not the same as claiming complete defeat of al Quaeda.
                     I think relocated and weakened is the more accurate term.
                     Interesting how US invasion of Iraq strengthened al Quaeda.
                     How America's "tough on terror" stance only reinforces their certainty that they are
                     right about us.
                     
                     
                     http://www.brookings.edu/research/opini … tory-byman

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