[Osx-nutters] AHMADINEJAD

[Patrick Coskren]

On Sep 27, 2006, at 11:28 AM, Jeffrey Hergan wrote:
>>
>> That sentence is so broadly phrased that I don't know what you  
>> mean.  Generally what I hear on the left is "don't hate them just  
>> because they're Muslim".  That doesn't mean that criticisms of  
>> specific acts, or of specific trends in Islam, are out of place.   
>> It's entirely consistent to say, "beheading as a punishment for  
>> marital infidelity is wrong" and, "a lot of these right-wingers  
>> are just expressing their own religious bigotry".
>
> OK.  I think I can be more clear.  There is nothing that Muslims  
> could do to each other that left end liberals think would justify  
> US intervention.

Well, that wouldn't explain Clinton's interventions in Somalia or  
Bosnia, would it?

It sounds like you're defining "liberals" as people mightily to the  
left of Clinton.  Okay, that's fine, and you're probably right about  
them, but I'd argue that such people are far enough out of the  
mainstream that they aren't really relevant to much of anything.

> I don't think that's what the left says, though.  I hear arguments  
> like: "The US is the worst offender with regard to nuclear arms, so  
> we have no right to say anything to Iran or N Korea."  And "We  
> should treat nations like Iran and N Korea as soveriegn countries  
> worthy of respect, even if they plainly say that we are evil and  
> should be eradicated like the infidel scum we are."
>
>>   To even argue that liberals have a fondness for those countries  
>> makes it sound like you're not listening to any actual liberals  
>> (although I'm sure you can find a few extremists somewhere who'll  
>> say anything).
>
> And maybe this is exactly the problem.  The political list I  
> frequent is pretty radically left.  Bush blew up the trade center,  
> etc.

Yeah, I think you've put your finger on it.

> I think that may be true of some liberals.  But liberal liberals  
> are a little more liberal with their non-judgmentalism than you  
> judge them to be.

:-D

-Patrick