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Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Offices

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Fri Dec 02, 2005 at 01:40:48 PM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

The Democratic National Committee had a contract for two billboards near both of Rep. Jean Schmidt's offices in the Cincinnati area to criticize her for her comments about Rep. John Murtha for "attack[ing] one of our veterans for cheap political gain."

The graphic on the DNC's website shows the billboard as saying "Shame on you Jean Schmidt."

Lamar, however, inexplicably backed out of the contract just as the billboards were to go up, as discussed in an e-mail from the DNC to contributors to the billboard campaign because of the content of the billboards, already approved by Lamar, was determined to be "inappropriate."

The Democratic Party responded with a weblink to sign a letter to Lamar. The letter to Lamar in .pdf format is here.

Free speech does not exist in the private sector. Does Lamar have any duty if they hold a privilege license and zoning permit for the the signs? As a constitutional lawyer, I'd say no. The DNC is at the mercy of yet another company to boycott for being in bed with those who promote war for political or financial gain.

And so it goes....

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    • Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Offices | 42 comments (42 topical)
    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#1)
    by swingvote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:36 PM EST
    My understanding is that Schmidt passed along the sentiments of some marines in response to Murtha's idiotic proposal to withdrawl the troops from Iraq (a proposal Murtha himself voted against when forced to put up or shut up). How is this a case of Schmidt attacking Murtha? When did the people who constantly fling vitriole at the President and every Republican leader become such wall flowers?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#2)
    by swingvote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:36 PM EST
    Okay, my mistake. Apparently there is some dispute about what she quoted having been somewhat inaccurate, as the person she quoted says that they did not mention Murtha at all and did not intend their sentiments to be portrayed as an attack on him. Nevertheless, when did the Democrats in Congress become so thin skinned that they get all weepy about stuff like this? Murtha's proposal was flat out dumb, and even he knew that. As for Lamar: They are free to choose whatever ads they wish to run on their billboards, and I would wholeheartedly support the Democratic party boycotting this company. With any luck, the Republicans will join them, industry will join them both, the company will go out of of business, and the eyesores will be taken down.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#3)
    by Molly Bloom on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    I don't see whether or not she was passing a message or saying her own words makes a difference. Repeating on the floor that some yahoo Ohio legislature called Representative a Coward was a personal attack. There was no justification for it. She wasn't defending Murtha from the attack. She was repeating the attack. It was even too much for Tom Delay, but you JustPaul would have find it ok? Speaks volumes.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#4)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    From the post:
    one of our veterans for cheap political gain."
    As opposed to attacking
    all
    of themm?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#5)
    by swingvote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Speaks volumes. Indeed it does, Molly. I can't believe that the House is filled with such a bunch of panty-waists that the actually have a rule against mentioning each other by name or saying anything negative about each other on the House floor. That you are offended by this speaks volumes as well. After all, these people have no compunctions about making negative comments about each other off the House floor, nor do they have any compunction against saying negative things about people who are not membes of the House on the floor. Why are the inviolate while on the floor? John Murtha is as much an idiot on the floor as he is off it. Why pretend otherwise?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#6)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    justpaul, and you really believe what was voted on what EXACTLY what Murtha was suggesting? i'd have to quibble quite seriously with your interpretation if that's true. Also, if you think the majority of active military in Iraq think we should stay, well, again we have a disagreement of monumental proportion.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#7)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    et al - Murtha said that "our army is broken." Now let me see. Here I am a terrorist new recruit watching me and my buds getting our butts kicked.. So I'm thinking that just maybe this jihad thing aint what they promised.. and maybe it's time for me to boggie back home and see what's happening in the hood..and then the main dude dashes up and says.. "Defenders of the faith! Be firm. One of their politicans is now saying that the Army of the Great Satan is broke! Now. Would he lie about his own people?" So I say, "Well, maybe I'll fight a little loner."

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#8)
    by swingvote on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Dadler, Did I SAY that what they voted on what EXACTLY what Murtha "suggested" ( I would have said "called for")? As for what the "majority" of the people serving in Iraq think, yeah, I think we do have a difference of opinion. I suppose you have a poll of 10 soldiers you believe is indicative of the position of everyone serving in Iraq? Murtha was wrong to even suggest that we pull out of Iraq. As PPJ notes above, that just supports the jihadists looking to recruit another suicide bomber. I know that most liberals prefer this country to concede defeat so that they can claim some sort of twisted victory, but I do try to think about the people of Iraq who would be totally screwed if we just up and left. We may have been wrong to go in, but having done it, we owe it to them to help them get the country stabilized before we leave. JFK, LBJ, and Nixon may not have understood this, but that doesn't mean you can't.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#9)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Justpaul, There are rules for behavior in the US government just like there are rules for behavior in my workplace. You, like Schmidt, should think more about the consequences of your statements. If there were no guidelines for behavior we'd all end up talking as rudely as the vice president. Dadler, It is readily apparent to you and me that the lopsided vote was obviously the result of political maneuvering by the Republicans. But so many people saw it as a failure (again) by the Dems. The impact would have been even greater except for the fact that the vast majority (wasn't 51% a mandate?) of people are sick of this BS war. Murtha's proposal should have been a joke. But it isn't. Not anymore.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    So I say, "Well, maybe I'll fight a little loner."
    That was very persuasive since I suspect you have a significant inside info on how the fanatical mind works. Tell me, does the increasing public opinion against the war and mounting death toll make you feel like packing it in some days and going to check out what's up in the hood? Guess not, since it isn't your ass on the line.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#11)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Ernesto - I rather suspect my understanding of this matter is several times greater than your's. But then that is probably true of any number of subjects.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#12)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    justpaul, So the ONLY thing that won't help the jihadists is this war? Our disagreement, my friend, stems from a very basic point, a very basic difference of opinion about current situation in Iraq and how to make it better. We (the current US administration, which controls things) seem to be stubbornly clinging to the notion that we HAVE to stay until things get "better"; while Iraqis believe things can't get better UNTIL we leave. Can you not sense that reality? This reality was blared to us loudly and clearly when, not a few days after Murtha's call, a BIPARTISAN (when do the EVER agree on anything) Iraqi delegation that we organized called for a timetable for withdrawal, much to our consternation and excuse-making. The symbolism of that call for a withdrawal timetable can't be missed. They were reading American public opinion and felt confident enough (in the face of their American military occupiers) to make such a call. How can this not be a legitimate and vital point of debate?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#13)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    PPJ, while you are enough of a theoretical jihadist to make a compelling case, I contend that your distinct lack of enthusiasm for personal sacrifice renders your status as an expert of the jihadist mindset dubious at best.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#14)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Dadler, why does the independent government of Iraq have the right to tell the armies occupying it to leave?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#15)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Getting back to the billboard. Why is it "inappropriate" to call out a politician for attacking a veteran.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#16)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Ernesto - Ah, your standard excuse for everything. "Why don't you serve?" As you know, I served ten years in Naval Aviation. And even though my mental skills could be brought back to the required level, my physical skills could not. Time goes by for all of us, and the grim reaper knows us well. Defense of the country is like a river. It started in the Revolutionary War and has flowed onward since then. People come and go. They are born. They live and they die. Many have served, and many will serve. Forty years from now if we are at war, a new generation will be called to arms. And hopefully, the number of those, like you, who won't serve, will be even smaller than the small number that we have now. John H - I forget. Did you serve? BTW - No one has ever said that being a veteran provides you with a pass for making improper statements and other bad acts. Nor does it insulate you from being told you are wrong. Murtha and Kerry fall into that category. Et al - The "independent" government of Iraq, in its current form, exists because we have shed blood and treasure to create it. It would not exist otherwise. At present it is like a teenager, taking uncertain steps and feeling its way about. In 12 days it will take another step. Other steps will follow and we will watch it grow into an adult. At some point we will deem it an adult, and we will leave. Now is not the time, and to have people such as Murtha, and other Congress people, to demand time tables, say "do so immiediately" and that out Army "is broken," is just plain wrong. Murtha, in particular, should understand this. He is a huge diasappointment.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#17)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Et al - The "independent" government of Iraq, in its current form, exists because we have shed blood and treasure to create it. It would not exist otherwise. At present it is like a teenager, taking uncertain steps and feeling its way about. In 12 days it will take another step. Other steps will follow and we will watch it grow into an adult. W T F? What do you call him? Frankenstein?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#18)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Daumer-stein. He eats children.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#19)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:37 PM EST
    Che and Edgey - I call the country "Iraq." Perhaos you can quit complaining long enough to recognize the process and the time it takes.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#20)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    PPJ, Isn't it intesting that I know of no Republicans that objected to Murtha's quote about the army being "broken" (they objected to other things but none mentioned that). In order to make it seem "inappropriate" you need to invent a fictional scene involving a fictional Iraqi. I guess when dealing with the Iraqi mess its easier to justify our occupation if you play make believe instead of dealing with what real Iraqis are saying and believing. For example, did you know that in the recent Reconciliation Conference in Cairo between representatives of the Sunnis and Shiites (including members of the Iraqi government) it was agreed that killing Iraqi civilians is terrorism but killing Americans is justified as resistance? Did you know that the Iraqi government wants us to withdraw? Getting back to Murtha, if what Schmidt said was justified then why did she take the words back? Why did she have to send Murtha a personal note of apology? She says that when she said "He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message: That cowards cut and run, Marines never do." she "never meant to attack Congressman Murtha personally." Sounds to me like she called Murtha a "coward". Maybe you can explain why this wasn't a personal attack.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#21)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Perhaos you can quit complaining long enough to recognize the process and the time it takes.
    "Iraq is now, and always has been, a quagmire that has turned into a suffocating and inextricable tar pit for American forces, where the inevitable defeat of George Bush’s policy combines with the greatest strategic disaster in American history, where the total miscalculation of war and mismanagement of peace has resulted in the collapse of Middle East stability, making America and the world less safe, not more, where wet dreams of imperial domination, fused with delusions of grandeur have helped build a monolithic wall of bad karma that will take decades to tear down. Iraq, like Vietnam before it, has served to remind us that, like the war on communism, the war on terror is but a charade, a fear engendering escapade, designed to control populations and empower the elite, unleashing fear onto the citizenry while delivering enormous profit to the military-industrial complex. Using Arab men as bogeymen, hidden in the shadows, without faces, countries and, with the help of Hollywood and the corporate media, with a growing brutal reputation, dark skinned Muslims replaced white Soviet Reds as the new American enemy, the new cash cow granting the government and military industrial complex a new generation of destructive war from which to bleed the American taxpayer dry, providing misallocation of resources to the former and enormous profit to the latter." A Cabal of Criminality By Manuel Valenzuela

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#22)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    John H - I really don't know why she said what, nor do I care. I speak for me. And I find Murtha's comments unacceptable. As for Repubs and his "broken" statement, I confess that one of the things I don't do is worry about what Repubs say and/or think. edgey - OK. Now, who the hell is the author and who the hell cares? Wait! There's a link. And what do you find? Someone writing for a a blog. Okay. But please, don't act like this guy has any special knowledge, qualification, or for that matter, anything that says we should take him seriously.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#23)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Now, who the hell is the author and who the hell cares? Manuel Valenzuela is an attorney, consultant, freelance writer and social critic and commentator, activist, writer and author of Echoes in the Wind, a novel published in 2004. He welcomes comments, and can be reached at manuel@valenzuelas.net

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#24)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    PPJ...what does it matter to you who served? You are defending the attacks launched against a veteran with two purple hearts from people who never served. So service is obviously irrelevant to you. And your little independent country of Iraq can't even tell its occupiers when to leave. What a disgusting joke! And once again, if you had one iota of credibility left in you, you would follow the example of the Hero of Gettysburg. 'Twas but a moment, for that respect Which clothes all courage their voices checked; And something the wildest could understand Spake in the old man's strong right hand, And his corded throat, and the lurking frown Of his eyebrows under his old bell-crown; Until, as they gazed, there crept an awe Through the ranks in whispers, and some men saw, In the antique vestments and long white hair, The Past of the Nation in battle there; And some of the soldiers since declare That the gleam of his old white hat afar, Like the crested plume of the brave Navarre, That day was their oriflamme of war. Go to Iraq and lead by example. Don't be another Dick, looking for deferments or another Bush, deserting the troops, hiding out stateside, and going AWOL.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#25)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    I really don't understand this. For in your mind PPJ, this is a battle for the very future of humanity. And you are content to sit on the sidelines, typing away at your keyboard instead of fighting in the battle to preserve your way of life? What kind of man are you?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#26)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    "We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together." ---Dwight D. Eisenhower "Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need, not as a call to battle, though embattled we are. But a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyrrany, poverty, disease, and war itself." --John F. Kennedy (.wav audio file)


    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#28)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    At present it is like a teenager, taking uncertain steps and feeling its way about. In 12 days it will take another step. Other steps will follow and we will watch it grow into an adult. "Iraqis see America as the enemy, yet one more imperial invading army thinking itself blessed by providence to claim the lands of the Fertile Crescent. A guerilla army cannot function without the support of the citizenry, and neither can the success the resistance is having against American forces. With every Iraqi death a dozen more resistance fighters join the battle, with every Iraqi death or American crime the hatred grows and calls for vengeance beckon. Trapped inside a vicious cycle of violence begetting violence, American forces have been their own worst enemy. Each year the resistance grows stronger, more sophisticated, more dangerous, learning, improving, evolving, and becoming ever more destructive. America’s presence and prolonged occupation of Iraq will only exacerbate an already volatile vortex of violence."

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#29)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Ernesto - I am defending no one. He said what he said. She said what she said. I believe the Congressman is wrong. Very wrong. Totally wrong. Dead wrong. Past medals and other activities bring nothing nothing to the table. He should retire as an apology for what he has said. And Ernie, give it up. An intelligent person knows when they would be in the way in a fight, and just step aside. Really Ernie. Your comments are just so funny. You are a one note band. Sing some more. BTW - I think you did serve, although you wouldn't serve now. True? Can you share the service and time? Edgey - Okay, so he writes comments from the Left side of the world. Now. What qualifications does he bring to the table besides his "opinions." And the answer is.....? So why do you keep quoting him? Oh, I know. You agree with him. Wow. That is a real recommendation. Remember. I'm the guy standing at the back of the room grinning as you try to sell your BS. Darkly - If you don't like the article, don't read it. I mean, why educate yourself??

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#30)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    PPJ...youre already deep in the coward/hypocrite hole. Please stop digging.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#32)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    What qualifications does he bring to the table besides his "opinions." Oh, I know. You agree with him. Wow. That is a real recommendation.
    Iraqis see America as the enemy, yet one more imperial invading army thinking itself blessed by providence to claim the lands of the Fertile Crescent. A guerilla army cannot function without the support of the citizenry
    • Forty-five per cent of Iraqis believe attacks against British and American troops are justified - rising to 65 per cent in the British-controlled Maysan province; • 82 per cent are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops; • less than one per cent of the population believes coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security; The poll, undertaken for the Ministry of Defence and seen by The Sunday Telegraph, shows that up to 65 per cent of Iraqi citizens support attacks and fewer than one per cent think Allied military involvement is helping to improve security in their country. It demonstrates for the first time the true strength of anti-Western feeling in Iraq after more than two and a half years of bloody occupation. The nationwide survey also suggests that the coalition has lost the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#33)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    US Army admits Iraqis outnumber foreign fighters as its main enemy - 04/12/2005 "Iraqis, rather than foreign fighters, now form the vast majority of the insurgents who are waging a ferocious guerrilla war against United States forces in Sunni western Iraq, American commanders have revealed. Their conclusion, disclosed to the Sunday Telegraph in interviews over 10 days in battle-torn Anbar province, contradicts the White House message that outsiders are the principal enemy in Iraq."

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#34)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    "I firmly believed we should not march into Baghdad ...To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us and make a broken tyrant, into a latter-day Arab hero ... assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight in what would be an unwinnable urban guerrilla war." --George H.W. Bush, "A World Transformed"

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#35)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    "Well, you walk into the room Like a camel and then you frown You put your eyes in your pocket And your nose on the ground There ought to be a law Against you comin' around You should be made To wear earphones Because something is happening here But you don't know what it is Do you, Mister Jones?"

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#36)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    edgey - Looks like they dislike us so much they're helping us kill the terrorists.
    Two weeks ago, in Operation Clean Sweep, Iraq and coalition forces raided 350 houses south of Baghdad, capturing more than 40 of the terrorist killers. Acting on tips from local citizens, our forces have recently launched air strikes against terrorist safe houses in and around the towns of Ubaydi and Husaybah. We brought to justice two key senior al-Qaeda terrorist leaders. And in Mosul, coalition forces killed an al-Qaeda cell leader named Muslet, who was personally involved in at least three videotaped beheadings. We’re on the hunt. We’re keeping pressure on the enemy.”
    Link BTW - Insurgents don't use car bombs to kill civilians or give booby trapped dolls to children. That is terrorist work, edgey.
    “Some observers look at the job ahead and adopt a self-defeating pessimism. It is not justified. With every random bombing, with every funeral of a child, it becomes more clear that the extremists are not patriots or resistance fighters — they’re murderers at war with the Iraqi people themselves.
    And many of us think that Bush1's decision to leave Iraq with the job half done was absolutely terrible. I would guess the hundred thousand or so Kurds and Iraqis Saddam promptly killed would agree with that. Of course to be fair:
    “. . . we were not in Iraq on September the 11th . . . The hatred of the radicals existed before Iraq was an issue, and it will exist after Iraq is no longer an excuse.”
    Darkly - My point was that the quote was from a blog with an opinion piece. Now you tell us that Powerline is - Gasp! - a news site with opinion. I mean, who knew? I mean outside the millions who read the Internet. Of course, the link you used does show two stories from the MSM. Ernie - So, how long and what branch did you serve? Or did you serve at all? Come on Ernie, inquiring minds want to know.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#37)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Insurgents don't use car bombs to kill civilians or give booby trapped dolls to children. That is terrorist work, edgey. That is not "terrorist work" in the way you try to twist it to mean, at all. It is the work of the Iraqi people - the very people BushCo thought would throw flowers - fighting to kick the US out of Iraq": "Of 1,300 suspected insurgents arrested over the past five months in and around Ramadi, none has been a foreigner. Col John Gronski, senior officer in the town, Anbar's provincial capital, said that almost all insurgent fighting there was by Iraqis. Foreigners provided only money and logistical support. The insurgents have the support of most locals. "They have the ability to move freely around the city," said Capt Twain Hickman, the commander of India Company of the 3/7 US Marines battalion. "That means they can attack at a time of their choosing."

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#38)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    "Bush is obviously open to leaving Iraq as quickly as possible. As the administration complains it cannot get good press about the war in this country, the Pentagon can buy it in Iraq. It has been paying to place upbeat stories in the local media. That is a heck of an example for a budding, open and democratic society. The president belatedly admitted most of the insurgency in Iraq is home-grown." The Seattle Times Sunday, December 4, 2005

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#39)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    edgey - If blowing up innocent people with car bombs, giving out booby-trapped dolls to children isn't "terrorist work" then I ask you. What is? Oh, wait! I see it now. Probably 99% of the dolls are given to girls, and we know girls don't count to the terrorists. The boys? Ah, they most likely will turn out gay, so might as well get'em young. The car bombs? Hey, just a little disagreement.
    Many teach that saying someone is evil is prejudiced thinking. It’s a way of belittling someone already in pain for some reason. Such people must be embraced and taught to shed their fears of their fellow man and then they will not strike out in violent ways. They are dangerous to everyone because they embrace evil with their teachings. In so doing, in trying to be kind, to be unselfish, in trying to be nonjudgmental, you allow evil to become far more powerful than it otherwise would. You refuse to see evil, and so you welcome it among you. You allow it to exist. you give it power over you. You are a people who have welcomed death and refused to denounce it.
    Link Edgey. That is a very sad position you adopt.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#42)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    DA: You have to stop using all that MSM leftist terrorist-hugging anti-American propaganda...unless it happens to support your point of view Well, jeeze DA... Okay... But only because we know that PowerLine probably has incontrovertible and unassailable evidence that "we know girls don't count to the terrorists". That's why there were NO women and children in Fallujah, right?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#43)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Darkly - You can argue with someone else about what a blog us. Wanna discuss how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? Edgey - Ah, the old moral equivalency trick. On one hand we have the US trying to catch the terrorists and taking pains to do as little damage as possible. On the other side we have car bombers and booby trapped dolls. Yes indeed. I just love it.
    Posted by edger at December 4, 2005 08:12 AM That is not "terrorist work"
    And how do I twist it? That is a sad position for anyone to take, edgey. Would you like to change it?

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#44)
    by jimakaPPJ on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:38 PM EST
    Darkly - Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. And even the MSM is only 85% biased. And why not provide a link to the quote? Duhhh. Now. Care to join the WOT discussion? Or just bang away at me. Have fun. BTW - You forgot to call me a bully. I am so disapointed.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#46)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:39 PM EST
    Booby trapping dolls is a horrible, stomach turning, inhuman thing to do, if true. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the worldview one is trying to sell, the ONLY source available on the net is ONE often reprinted and repetitively quoted article, ostensibly from a South African news page in which ONE person, Leith Kubba, is quoted as saying "This is the same type of doll as that handed out on several occasions by US soldiers to children,". There is, curiously, not even an originating newspaper or author named in any copies of the story that I have been able to find. The byline on the article is: "Iraq seizes booby-trapped toys" 24/11/2005 17:13 - (SA), Baghdad". Here is a copy of the article. Suspiciously, unlike virtually all other Iraq war stories that are covered in extreme depth by multiple reporters, quoting multiple sources, published in multiple media, this article stands absolutely alone as the source of this story, with absolutely no corroboration from any other sources. Google Kubba and you find that he is one of Ahmed Chalabi's old buddies from the INC. The INC gang hasn't exactly turned out to be reliable. Anyone remember the lie from Gulf War I about dead babies dumped form incubators? The story cannot be disproved, as no negative can ever be disproved. The burden of proof to supply substantiating evidence and corroborating sources that would support the story lies with those who would promote this story as a true description of reality. In the absence of substantiating evidence and corroborating sources, the story must be considered as most probably a venal and deceitful lie, in the same vein as dead babies dumped form incubators, and those who would refer to it to support a position considered to be self servingly furthering and promoting the lie.

    Re: Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Off (none / 0) (#47)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:06:39 PM EST
    PPJ...For the umpteenth time, I was 3 years and 3 months in the army. You were 10 years in naval aviation. You believe that the Iraq fiasco is part of a noble "War on Global Extremism". I believe it is another sordid Dick Cheney-inspired business scam. I will not fight in it and I will do what I can to get our troops back here ASAP, or before next hurricane season, at the very least. You will do nothing for them. And so it goes.

    Lamar Nixes Billboards Near Rep. Schmidt's Offices | 42 comments (42 topical)