Motley Moose – Archive

I initially planned to write a well-thought-out, detailed piece about Buchenwald.  I printed pages of material and copied some pictures.  I was going to include a map of its location in Germany as well as a map of the camp itself.  I guess you would have called it a history lesson.

In the end, however, I decided that a simple video with a transcript of their own words are enough.  We know what Buchenwald stands for; we’ve seen the terrible pictures, we may have been fortunate (if that’s the right word) to have visited that awful place.

Today, Buchenwald had four special visitors.  President Obama, German Chancellor Angela Merkel were accompanied by camp survivors Bertrand Herz (President of the International Buchenwald Committee) and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel.

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) “isn’t sure which side (President Obama) is on” with his “un-American” speech in Cairo.

Listen, jackass, this is our overwhelmingly-elected President you are talking about being “un-American”.  This is our Commander in Chief who you are openly wondering “which side he is on”.  Protecting your precious political career is no excuse for personal and moral cowardice, when you accuse the President of treason you should put your damn money where you fat mouth is.

Two or three sources are betting that Norm Coleman is going to discontinue his campaign to keep Al Franken from getting the Minnesota Senate seat if the State Supreme Court, as it is believed, comes in supporting Franken. Even though John Cornyn and the other Republican Committee types are saying they would support Coleman through the US Supreme Court, Coleman apparently thinks Governor Pawlenty will sign the certification if the State Supremes come in for Al.

Driving to work in Charles Town, WV, this morning I stopped to pick up coffee at the drive-thru window of the Ranson Chic-Fil-A on Route 9. I don’t usually get my coffee at Chic-Fil-A… but there was such traffic at their drive in window I thought it must be pretty good.

Well, it wasn’t any different than the coffee at McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Sheetz, or the counter at Needful Things (which, as it turns out, is all that remains of an old F.W. Woolworth lunch counter).

Due to a Googol Robot destroying Underthelobsterscope.blogspot.com, I’ve had to change the URL. I hope my friends at Motley Moose will change their blogrolls for my little site to “http://underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com”.

Thanks from btchakir.

In a stunning speech, greeted with cries of “I Love You” from the students of Cairo University, President Obama called for…

A new beginning between the United States and Muslims

This is seen as a pivotal moment this side of the Atlantic, and of course throughout the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, and President Obama breaks with the theocon extremities of the Bush era, to appeal to the peace loving instincts of Islam.

The full text of the speech can be found here.

There’s plenty to digest, so consider this an open thread on the Cairo speech and foreign policy.  

 

I will preface this with the fact that I have rarely been a fan of Jeffrey Rosen’s work, and cackle with no small amount of glee at the news from Wonkette…

(cross-posted at kickin it with cg)

On the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the New York Times is reporting that President Obama told Laura Haim on Canal Plus, a French television station, that the “United States also could be considered as ‘one of the largest Muslim countries in the world.'”

This comment, predictably, has set off some controversy. Case in point is Robert Spencer of Jihadwatch, who asks “what planet is he on?” Answers Mark Leon Goldberg,

I’m guessing “earth.” Because according to the Pew Research Center, there are an estimated 2.35 million Muslims in Amerca.  This means that if the United States were a member of the 57 nation Organization of the Islamic Conferences it would rank, in terms of Muslim population, above Albania, Kuwait, Brunei, Benin, Togo, Djbouti, Suriname, Gabon, Gambia, Guyana, Guinea-Bissau, Comoros, Qatar, Lebanon, and the Maldives.

Obama went on to say:

“What I want to do is to create a better dialogue so that the Muslim world understands more effectively how the United States, but also how the West thinks about many of these difficult issues like terrorism, like democracy, to discuss the framework for what’s happened in Iraq and Afghanistan and our outreach to Iran, and also how we view the prospects for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,”

snip

“I think the most important thing I want to tell young people is that, regardless of your faith, those who build as opposed to those who destroy I think leave a lasting legacy, not only for themselves but also for their nations.  And the impulse towards destruction as opposed to how can we study science and mathematics and restore the incredible scientific and knowledge – the output that came about during centuries of Islamic culture.

After 8 years of clumsy buffoonery – I guess this is what real diplomatic efforts look like.

WTF?

WASHINGTON — Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the detainees to prisons on U.S. soil, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds.

By more than 2-1, those surveyed say Guantanamo shouldn’t be closed. By more than 3-1, they oppose moving some of the accused terrorists housed there to prisons in their own states.

The findings underscore the difficult task President Obama faces in convincing those at home that he should follow through on his campaign promise to close the prison in Cuba, especially in the absence of a plan of where the prisoners would go.

It is one of the few subjects on which most Americans side with the views of the Bush administration over its successor.

(Cross-posted at C4O Democrats and My Silver State)

It finally happened. In case you missed last night’s big news, the Nevada Legislature overrode Idiot-in-Chief Jim Gibbons’ veto to make comprehensive domestic partnerships into law. Nevada is the first Mountain West state to offer legal recognition for same-sex couples, and is the first non-coastal state to do so by way of the Legislature. Believe me, I’m quite proud of “my other home state” today.

But hey, our work isn’t over yet.