Saturday, May 07, 2011

Will the bin Laden execution anger Obama's base?

Yes and No. Actually there are two left-wing bases we're talking about here, there's the base and then there's the base-base. The first base, maybe the majority are what I call the liberal pragmatists despite their various moral intonations from time to time and I include several prominent bloggers here. So long as Obama supports gay marriage or rights, health care reform, economic and social justice, whatever their issues are then the dubious and murky events in that compound in Abbottabad don't bother them in the least. In fact they're happy about it, will use it to their advantage and will quite joyfully point out that it was their man Obama and not the hated Bush who finally got the bastard and meted out justice. I used to think most liberals were alike but many of them will show the same bloodthirstiness they often bemoan conservatives as having. Conservatives may be pro-war but the more traditional ones from the Old School anyway are also pro-the laws of war meaning you don't kill an unarmed man no matter how bad. It's just the way it is as my Dad who served in the Navy during WW2 and who is as far from a liberal as you can get explained to me. Now the base-base, I think they're smaller than the pragmatists but they do take their principles very seriously and while they are all for the gay marriage, health care reform, economic and social justice and all the rest of the first group with which you can agree or disagree to your heart's content but they also have a certain moral compass that doesn't waver, one that eschews violence whenever possible and may even tend strongly towards pacifism re war and foreign policy in general. I know how we all feel about Michael Moore but he's mad about what Obama did. Say what you will he's consistent. Finally about the Event itself I've come to this conclusion: the government is probably telling the truth that bin Laden was killed, is dead. I choose to believe it and yet I can't fault those who don't or who at least question it and here's why. They got rid of the body so damn quickly, put it on the USS Carl Vinson, said something in Arabic we're told after wrapping him in a white sheet and then dumping him overboard. Basically what we have here is the government or those acting on the government's behalf telling us that bin Laden was shot to death but the evidence, namely the cadaver is gone so that no independent entity or more objective group of observers can verify that this is indeed what happened. You can make fun all you want, knock yourself out with your pejorative of choice and be clever but in the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of truth this is no small problem. Surprised nobody foresaw this. So who's on first?:)

9 comments:

  1. RE: Killing unarmed men in combat- We recall the massacre of 84 captured US soldiers by SS troops of the 1st SS Panzer Division
    at Malmedy; subsequently
    "No SS troops or paratroopers will be taken prisoner but will be shot on sight." -HQ, 328 US Army Inf Regt
    ..the rules of warfare are flexible. In this instance,
    Hitler had ordered extra brutality to 'demoralize the enemy'. The rules of linguistics permit replacing 'demoralize' with
    'enrage'. Live by the sword... BTW, I enjoy talking with old WWII combat guys, bet your dad
    has good tales.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 'Will the bin Laden execution anger Obama's base?' ... Apparently ...

    ReplyDelete
  3. BB it happens of course but it's not supposed to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Instantly shooting bin Laden in self-defense might be justified, considering that he's just the type of tricky bastard, whom given a spare minute, might trigger something to blow up the entire building and kill innocent SEALS.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I never thought of Osama as having it in him to he blowed himself up real good. Just my take, he always had others do it. Thing is if they were only 60-80% sure Osama was even there the tall lanky Arab look is kinda common in the Middle East ya know. Let's just say some Saudi prince wanted to get away from it all and had a compound built there to become a kind of recluse. Just sayin'

    ReplyDelete
  6. Omigosh!
    We gunned down Omar Sharif?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I shot the Sharif... but I did not shoot the deputy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Didn't know he was still alive. 60-80% chance, much room for error in shooting somebody who looks like bin Laden. Not saying it happened but if it did would they cover it up? Think of the consequences of coming clean with a country that has nuclear weapons. The anti-conspiracy bias, what motivates it besides fear of the pejorative?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I think in light of this the U.S. and many nations around the world need to be more diligent when it comes to terrorism.

    ReplyDelete