Today's DU Visit: Overlooking torture of Iraqis by insurgents
Iraqis Found In Torture House Tell of Brutality of Insurgents (New York Times Registration Required)
There's not a whole lot to say here, other than this is why we are in Iraq. Even those of us who may disagree with war, are quite rightly disturbed by the thought of insurgents torturing innocent Iraqis. All of us that is, except the far leftists at Democratic Underground. Just take a look to see what they had to say about this bit of news here
There is not one posting here showing any compassion for the torture victims nor any criticism of the insurgency. Rather, all the postings either question the story on its face, or else look to compare these heinous acts of torture to Gitmo, Guantanamo, or Abu Grahib. Is this the face of the modern left?
The lonely libertarian will continue to link to post of interests on Democratic Underground. I understand that these postings only reflect the views of the few members who post. However, when ridiculous statements are not challenged by other members, and when ridiculous statements by the far left are not challenged by other leftists, these statements reflect upon the entire group. (As a matter of comparison, the right is very good about distancing itself from statements and individuals they find philosophically indefensible. On a large scale, just remember the Trent Lott debacle, in which after praising the segregationist efforts of Senator Strom Thurmond, the first voices of criticism came from right-wing talk radio.) So the lonely libertarian will look to challenge ridiculous statements on Democratic Underground that go unchallenged as reflections of the general views of the far left.
Going back to this piece of news, the response on DU just disturbs the lonely libertarian to no end. Obviously, much of the reaction comes from unconditional anti-war and anti-Bush viewpoints. But to allow yourself to be so blinded by these views that you are unwilling to see the horrors perpetuated by the terrorists in Iraq is not liberal and is not progressive in any sense of the true meanings of those words.
And the lonely libertarian can understand that a bit of skepticism is healthy, however, when you allow yourself to be skeptical of stories that don't lend support to your positions, and are completely accepting of every story that does lend support to your position, you're being intellectually dishonest. Unfounded claims of manufactured stories do your cause no good.
As the lonely libertarian has noted numerous times before, you cannot view the war in Iraq through a Cold War or a colonial prism. There are plenty of reasons to argue for a U.S. withdrawal. The effectiveness of the Iraq policy in terms of American security, the cost of the war, and the American loss of life are all debatable issues. However, it is ludicrous to suggest that the United States presence is somehow doing more harm than good. The terrorists in Iraq will not just be happy if U.S. troops leave, they will not be happy until an Islamic theocracy is in power. One wonders if these four torture victims who were rescued would be happier with all American troops out of their country.
There's not a whole lot to say here, other than this is why we are in Iraq. Even those of us who may disagree with war, are quite rightly disturbed by the thought of insurgents torturing innocent Iraqis. All of us that is, except the far leftists at Democratic Underground. Just take a look to see what they had to say about this bit of news here
There is not one posting here showing any compassion for the torture victims nor any criticism of the insurgency. Rather, all the postings either question the story on its face, or else look to compare these heinous acts of torture to Gitmo, Guantanamo, or Abu Grahib. Is this the face of the modern left?
The lonely libertarian will continue to link to post of interests on Democratic Underground. I understand that these postings only reflect the views of the few members who post. However, when ridiculous statements are not challenged by other members, and when ridiculous statements by the far left are not challenged by other leftists, these statements reflect upon the entire group. (As a matter of comparison, the right is very good about distancing itself from statements and individuals they find philosophically indefensible. On a large scale, just remember the Trent Lott debacle, in which after praising the segregationist efforts of Senator Strom Thurmond, the first voices of criticism came from right-wing talk radio.) So the lonely libertarian will look to challenge ridiculous statements on Democratic Underground that go unchallenged as reflections of the general views of the far left.
Going back to this piece of news, the response on DU just disturbs the lonely libertarian to no end. Obviously, much of the reaction comes from unconditional anti-war and anti-Bush viewpoints. But to allow yourself to be so blinded by these views that you are unwilling to see the horrors perpetuated by the terrorists in Iraq is not liberal and is not progressive in any sense of the true meanings of those words.
And the lonely libertarian can understand that a bit of skepticism is healthy, however, when you allow yourself to be skeptical of stories that don't lend support to your positions, and are completely accepting of every story that does lend support to your position, you're being intellectually dishonest. Unfounded claims of manufactured stories do your cause no good.
As the lonely libertarian has noted numerous times before, you cannot view the war in Iraq through a Cold War or a colonial prism. There are plenty of reasons to argue for a U.S. withdrawal. The effectiveness of the Iraq policy in terms of American security, the cost of the war, and the American loss of life are all debatable issues. However, it is ludicrous to suggest that the United States presence is somehow doing more harm than good. The terrorists in Iraq will not just be happy if U.S. troops leave, they will not be happy until an Islamic theocracy is in power. One wonders if these four torture victims who were rescued would be happier with all American troops out of their country.
posted by lonely libertarian at 9:29 AM
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