9/11 Obama

You don't have to look far to find the "real" Barack Obama. Atlas Reader Don Fredrick (of Colony14) fisked an op-ed piece Hussein Obama wrote for the Hyde Park Herald after the 9/11 attacks (comments in red are his):

"Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families," Obama wrote, "I must also hope that we as a nation draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy.  (Okay...)  Certain immediate lessons are clear (i.e., Al Qaeda was responsible?), and we must act upon those lessons decisively.  (Yes, we must attack Al Qaeda...)   We need to step up security at our airports. (Yes, let's frisk all suspicious-looking men with beards...)   We must reexamine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks.  (Keep going....)  And we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction.  (Paragraph one, no problemo.)

"We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. (Uh-oh, here comes the "blame America first" arguments...)  The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers  (What? 9/11 was caused by the terrorists' "lack of empathy?") : an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity and suffering of others.  (Excuse me, but I'm quite sure the terrorists were vividly imagining the suffering of others...)   Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent, is not innate; (Sure, tell the mother of a newborn baby that she is "numb" to her child's pain and crying and that she must be "taught" how to be empathic because she has no "innate" ability to care for her child...)  nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion, or ethnicity.  (There it is: "America is no better than any other country." We had to be "taught" to be the most generous and helpful nation on earth, we're not innately nice.)   It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, and may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. (Okay, some truth there, that those who aren't "innately" empathic may be probe to violence.)   Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair. (Ah, of course: rich, greedy Americans must give their money to the rest of the world to stop attacks from those radical Islamist terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center because they're poor!  Oh, wait a minute, Osama bin Laden is incredibly wealthy, having inherited money from his father, who made a fortune in the construction business in the Middle East.)

"We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. (Our military bent over backwards to not harm innocent bystanders, although that is regrettably not always possible in war; but any mistakes made by American soldiers will no doubt immediately be pounced on by liberals and the media as proof of the evil of America.)  We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle Eastern descent. (Um, it would be easier to separate the good Muslims from the bad Muslims if only the good Muslims would publicly condemn the bad ones, instead of letting them hide in their mosques.)   Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe—children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe (What? No embittered children in Western Europe or Australia?)  and within our own shores."  (It's always those damned embittered children causing the problems - no wonder Obama supports abortion even in the 9th month of pregnancy!)

*****************************************************************

Frederick opines,:

What a crock of sophomoric manure, written by someone who lacks common sense but who was exposed to extreme leftist professors throughout his education.  (Umm, that would be the expensive Harvard education paid for by Obama's mean, Christian, racist, white grandparents - in contrast to his alcoholic, bigamist, Muslim father.)

We're attacked by terrorists who kill 3,000 innocent American ciovilians, and Obama's biggest concern is the lives of innocents abroad after we retaliate?  Why was this sentence number one in his third paragraph?  Was scolding the U.S. military primary in his mind?  Wouldn't the average American assume our military would not engage in random destruction but would plan its targets carefully?  Or was he laying the groundwork for the time when a mistake was made (which always happens in war) so he could self-righteously say, "I told you so?"

Certainly the United States has a ton of foreign policy mistakes under its belt, but America did not cause 9/11.  Nor did a "lack of empathy" among radical Islamist terrorists.  Nor did poverty.  (It isn't our fault some people are too stupid to install flush toilets.)  Note to Obama: America has welcomed tens of millions of  poor, ignorant, helpless immigrants to its shores, and they managed to go to school, work hard, and prosper - without demonstrating any "lack of empathy" by murdering 3,000 innocent people.

Islamic terrorists hate and want to destroy Israel and Western Civilization, period.  They have no tolerance for the viewpoints of others; they mutilate their daughters; they torture gays; they murder women accused of rape; they force young girls into marriages with strangers; they are polygamists; they kill anyone who leaves Islam; and they don't care who they hurt or kill in their quest for world domination.  Obama may want to psychoanalyze their motives, but I'd rather we leave that until after they're all safely behind bars.

And how can anyone say that humans have no "innate" empathy for suffering, when that is one of the human traits that separates us from the rest of the animal world?  Maybe the crowd Obama hangs around with (like 1960s Weather Underground bomb-throwers William Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn) have no empathy for the pain and suffering of others, but the people I have known all my life (who, unlike many of Obama's friends, do not have criminal records or FBI files) display the best of human traits.

And this guy wants to be President?

Comments

[jusa]

He actually wrote this? even his opt-eds sound like plagiarized talking points. I've heard all these lines before. times one million! and they still don't make sense, as the comments in red demonstrate.
Yes, let's learn humanity and empathy from Saudi Arabia, right? maybe the Iranian gov't.

[Barbara]

Poverty causes terrorism?
WTF ..ever seen any art students screaming Allah Akbar?
Just because someone is nutmeg color and has huge teeth, this is reason to vote him into the White House?

Yeah poverty....only one diamond studded Mercedes..hope the Saudi Prince's food stamps last until the end of the month.
And the 911 highjackers...not just middle class, but upper middle class.
Osama..guess he's pissed off because how can a terrorist figure head get by on 5 Billion..?
Isn't America concerned ?
Please everyone start singing the praises of McCain.

[laura]

I hate to tell both of you this, but you misread the text of Obama's speech. He states that "such a failure of empathy, such numbness..., is not innate". Nor is it (that NUMBNESS) unique to any country, culture, religion, etc. He's saying that babies aren't born without empathy; they aren't born numb. In his view, people have to be trained or taught by education or experience to lack empathy for others. Do you disagree with that?

[RISE_UP]

Obama's speeches are words which would make Orcha Winfrey proud. But in the real world they don't make sense.In the real world people that spout that bs have to be protected by those who understand that appeasement is bs that gets our troops murdered. Unicorns and rainbows..keep Obama in the dream world and not in the white house. We still suffering from another idiot named Jimmah Carter.
PS: Maybe the reason people misread Obama is because he disagrees with his OWN SELF in the same sentence.

[shirtsbyeric]

Bin Ladin was poor?

[laura]

Rise_Up, where did Obama disagree with himself?

[laura]

Bin Laden was not born poor, but many of his followers have been and are. Do you think it is a coincidence, that desperate people might find Bin Laden's message of assigning blame to the West encouraging?

[RISE_UP]

Stay tuned. I ll even give you a video of it.
WTF.So being desperate gives you a damm pass?
Sane people, no matter how poor they might be...don't find hope and inspiration in blood and gore.And murder of people they don't even know. It simply has to do with ISLAM!!
You might want to ask yourself if ISLAM is a genetic flaw and it is one of those Obama baby things.

[Hev]

Luara, I totally disagree with you. He is saying that the attackers lacked empathy BECAUSE they were poor and stupid:

"Most often, though, it grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair."

IT being " a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers."

I would say my relatives came to America with nothing and knew very little and not only did not attack other people, but worked hard and made a better life for themselves. Do you understand that? You, like Obama, are trying to make this a case of moral equivalency. It is not.

[Hev]

And I must alo ask:

"Do you think it is a coincidence, that desperate people might find Bin Laden's message of assigning blame to the West encouraging?"

What about Obama's message of assigning blame to the West and encouraging people...to what, come kill us?

[laura]

Rise_Up, you and I agree with each other about the reason for the attackers' lack of empathy. My ancestors, like yours, were lucky enough to have the opportunity to come here and were able to work hard to "better" themselves, although I'm sure they faced many obstacles. I think all Obama is suggesting is that it is worth our while (you might even say beneficial to us) to try to offer poor children an alternative to desperation and ignorance, at the same time as we are trying to root out evil at home and abroad. This is already happening in Iraq, where American soldiers build schools, hospitals, and provide aid to those in need. Right?!

Obama is not encouraging people to blame the West; I would agree with him that we should be tough but also compassionate when we can be.

[RISE_UP]

Here is the video I promised, straight from the lips of the ultimate jew jackie mason

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BckykC3NrHw&feature=user

[I_am_me]

Why isn't McCain running the Hyde Park Herald op-ed front and center in one of his campaign ads?