"Soldiers dying in Iraq are dying to defend the US against terrorism as a victory in Iraq is a victory in the war on terror. They are dying to defend freedom and democracy in the US and to spread freedom and democracy to Iraq. They are dying for the interests of the US, her allies, and by extension, all Americans (whether they understand it or not). They are not dying for Haliburton, oil, or any other ridiculous shit / slant the anti-war types or conspiracy theorists want to spin. Haliburton is a company (among many others, both US and foreign) that seized a chance to profit in REBUILDING Iraq. There is a big difference between that and war-profiteering. Haliburton did not start the war, terrorists and those that support them did. Putting the chicken before the egg just won’t fly."
-polymath
"[B]efore you [Europeans] write us off as just a bunch of sweaty, hairy-chested, Bible-thumping morons who are more likely to break their fast by dipping a Krispy Kreme into a diet cola than a biscotti into an espresso - and who inexplicably have won more Nobel prizes than all other countries combined,
host 25 or 30 of the world's finest universities and five or six of the world's best symphonies, produce wines that win prizes at your own tasting competitions, have built the world's most vibrant economy, are the world's only military superpower and, so to speak in our spare time, have landed on
the moon and sent our robots to Mars - may I suggest you stop frothing at
the mouth long enough to consider just what are these ideas we hold that you find so silly and repugnant?"
- LynnKramer
"Democracy may have been invented in Greece, but cowardess was invented in France where it lives and thrives to this very day."
- RedTigress
"I'm referring to the Iraqi terrorist bastard fighters. The ones liberals insist are either not in Iraq, or are there by the thousands, depending on which liberal you listen to."
- noguru
"How is it that the Left can believe absolute crazy shit, like the Bush-Saudi Arabian money connection, or the even worse and totally false Bush-bin Laden connection (based on 100% lies) and look at you straight and say there was absolutely no way that Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda had ties?"
- reducto
WASHINGTON Even as plans to celebrate President George W. Bush's inauguration were taking final shape, the capital on Tuesday appeared more like a city under siege.
Hour by hour, the city of grand buildings and marble statues seemed to disappear behind curtains of steel security fences and concrete barriers.
Piece by piece, the massive security plan that officials promised would be the tightest ever in post-9/11 America began taking final shape despite the absence of any specific threat and seemingly without regard to the temporary inconveniences to local residents and visitors.
Utility crews with acetylene torches snarled traffic as they welded shut manhole covers along the route of the inaugural parade.
Fighter jets screamed across the skies, practicing for the pre-inaugural fly-by on Wednesday. Drivers found no-parking signs, temporary street closures and public warnings that 100 blocks of city streets near inaugural events would be restricted.
Pedestrians had it no better. Officials tightened the broad perimeter surrounding the Capitol, the parade route and the presidential reviewing stand near the White House as construction teams added more security fencing that put more of the city's public spaces off limits.
Elsewhere, security teams swept dozens of hotels and office buildings overlooking the parade route. Uniformed officers in cruisers from more than a dozen law enforcement agencies seemed to be everywhere at once.
Standing outside a security fence surrounding Lafayette Park, near the White House, Bonnie McKinney, an advocate for veterans benefits, was clearly annoyed. "We obviously have had a security issue in our country, but this is a bit ridiculous," she said. "As a veteran and the daughter of a veteran who died in service, I don't appreciate being disenfranchised from what I always considered my rights and freedoms."
She was hardly alone among residents asked to alter their routines to accommodate security plans and a long schedule of inaugural events, which began Tuesday afternoon with a program to honor American military forces.
Some tourists ignored the forbidding preparations around them. David Chater, a visitor from London, seemed unfazed. "The physical presence is noticeable," he said, "but it's not unexpected."
Government workers, who already had the day off Thursday, were being encouraged to work from home on Wednesday, a day before the inauguration. Local law enforcement officials warned motorists that many streets in the downtown area would be off-limits to vehicular traffic. Local officials said some bus routes would change and some subway stations would be closed.
"Given the hassle factor and the uncertainties, I'm going to work from home on Thursday," said Mit Spears, a lawyer and Republican whose office is on the fringe of areas restricted to traffic. "Driving in is just not worth it."
Federal aviation authorities prepared to impose a no-fly zone that will be in force for private aircraft from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. Commercial flights will operate as usual, but the authorities are widening the no-fly zone for smaller planes, banning many flights from a radius of about 40 kilometers, or 25 miles, around the region's three airports: Reagan National, Dulles and Baltimore Washington International.
Thousands of federal, state and local law enforcement personnel from around the country poured into Washington all day Tuesday, reporting to command posts responsible for coordinated security, the authorities said.
And as final plans proceeded, meteorologists had bad news. At noon, when Bush raises his hand to take the oath of office, forecasters said, the temperature would be 34 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1 degree Celsius, and snow may be falling.
Maybe the only reason I find this interesting is because I'm a republican and obsessed with firepower and order, or maybe it's because of all these kill bush hits I've been getting lately. I want to be sure this thing is safe. Here's some of the google hits I've gotten:
"i want to kill the president" (U.S.)
"i want to kill president bush" (Canada)
"kill bush" (se, sweden?)
"kill bush" (no, norway?)
"I want to kill the president" (Canada again)
Silly foreigners. I'm suprised Bush has really had that much of an impact on their lives. I've been getting a steady stream of these for a couple weeks, so lets just hope this thing goes off without a hitch.
posted by: ABlain (reply)
post date: 01.19.05 (3:18 am)
I think that there is an underestimation of the intelligence of potential terrorists. You do not pull off a successful attack during events where security is sure to be high. I'm sure Bush and his administration know this and I'm sure the terrorists know this. The only thing that will happen is protesting and hopefully some more egg-throwing. It was funny to watch four years ago, maybe this year they'll get some bigger eggs. Maybe this year the eggs will be shot down by SAMs.
posted by: Defensor (reply)
post date: 01.19.05 (10:55 am)
Reply to: ABlain
But the strength of the security is directly proportionate to the number of high profile people attending. I'm guessing terrorists will be willing to put up with a little bit more if it means a greater reward in the end.
Even though I support Bush, I do like seeing protesters doing crazy things, so maybe they'll come up with something more innovative than eggs.
