From A Glass House, Rummy Throws Stones

Once again the leadership of our country has shown us the very definition of the word - 'chutzpah'. On Tuesday August 29th, the Washington Post ran a story about Donald Rumsfeld's speech to an audience of Navy personnel. Apparently our beloved and so-very-competent Secretary of Defense is frustrated with the cleverness of "... our enemy...".

Here are a few jewels from that speech (quoted in this article):

• "They [the enemy] are actively manipulating the media in this country..."
• "The enemy lies constantly - almost totally without penalty..."
• "The enemy is so much better at communicating...{snip}... I wish we were better at countering that because the constant drumbeat of things they say - all of which are not true - is harmful. It's cumulative. And it does weaken people's will and lessen their determination, and raise questions in their minds as to whether the cost is worth it..."

First of all Donny, if you had read my last blog entry, you'd know that continuously calling them "...the enemy..." is part & parcel of the problem. You've never made the effort to take a step back and even attempt to figure out WHY these people are our adversaries. Instead, you just keep labeling them "... the enemy..." and that just keeps perpetuating the cycle of hate. But let's face it - that's been your objective all along, hasn't it? Fuel perpetual, permanent conflict and keep the Military-Industrial-Complex fat, dumb & happy?

Oy, The Hypocrisy!

What really disgusts me in your speech is the blatant & utter hypocrisy in your comments. Has not the Bush Administration manipulated the media to the fullest extent? How many of those MSM (Mainstream Media) outlets covered in detail the theft of the 2004 election? Or the Downing Street Memos and subsequent John Murtha hearings?

Have you read "The Book on Bush: How George W. (Mis)leads America" or "Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush" or "Fraud: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You" or "All the President's Spin: George W. Bush, the Media, and the Truth"? How can you stand there, in good conscience, point your finger at other people, and accuse THEM of not telling the truth? Didn't you say:

"We know where they [WMD's] are. They're right up here in the area around Tikrit."

That one was a whopper, Rummy. You helped Darth & Dubya launch the most costly & catastrophic blunder in the history of the United States. So, If you reeeeelllly want to point your finger at a liar, you need only look in a mirror.

Attention diverted

Finally, your pathetic attempt to divert attention away from your own incompetence, is beyond reproach. Was it really "our enemies" who tortured our detainees in Abu Ghraib & Guantanamo Bay? Was it really "our enemies" who slaughtered innocent civilians in Haditha and Ishaqi? Was it really our enemies who raped and killed a young woman and her family in Mahmoudiya?

I could go on endlessly about the atrocities alleged by our military in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. But, that's not the purpose of my message today. Nor is the purpose of my message a condemnation of our men & women in uniform. I have no doubt that these atrocities are the exception and not the norm, and that the vast majority of our soldiers behave within the 'rules of engagement' (a great movie, btw).

I do however take issue with your claim that it's "the enemy's" manipulation of the media and their lies which have shaped American's public opinion against your war effort. While it is true that the American public is squarely against your campaign in Iraq, is it really "the enemy's" lies that have caused that? I don't think so. In fact, can you tell me anything at all "the enemy" has lied about? Did Sadaam lie about not having weapons of mass destruction?

Better yet - can you even tell me WHO "our enemies" are? Is it the "Islamo Fascists"? Is it anyone with brown skin and a lot of consonants in their name? Or, perhaps it's anyone who has the chutzpah to resist as we rape & pillage their people & homeland?

And the chutzpah continues...

Ya know... if I had an extra $20m sitting around that needed a home, I could probably find some worthy causes. Perhaps I'm security conscious and I want to put a little extra into strengthening our borders. Or perhaps I'm sensitive to the millions of Americans without adequate health care, homes to live in, or access to quality education. Or perhaps I'm concerned about climate change and want to do something about carbon dioxide emissions or alternative, renewable energy sources. Or perhaps I use it to help prevent the spread of cancer or other debilitating diseases.

One thing I WOULDN'T waste my money on is ensuring positive press coverage for our debacle/quagmire in Iraq. Once again we're shown the difference between the unconscionable Republicans and the rest of us. See.... us Michael-Moore-loving, Cindy-Sheehan-supporting, mainstream liberals would rather see $20m put to good use providing help where help is needed, instead of fueling the Bush crime family's propaganda machine.

But then again, "the enemy" manipulates the media with lies so cleverly, why shouldn't we?