"Because let us not mince any words, if they genuinely believe what they say, then they are deliberately inciting others to violence. This is after all, a war, and they are accusing an entire political party of treason.

That's treason. "

No. That's pumped up BS.

It looks like you're no better than what you accuse others of doing. You're being a propoganda machinist.

Way to go, Stirling.

The voices abound.  Here is Thomas Frank, guest columnist for NYTimes, today: (requires access)

“President Bush operates in Washington like the head of a small occupying army of insurgents,” the pundit Fred Barnes writes in his recent book, “Rebel-in-Chief.” “He’s an alien in the realm of the governing class, given a green card by voters.”

Let’s see: These insurgents today control all three branches of government; they are underwritten by the biggest of businesses; they are backed by a robust social movement with chapters across the radio dial. The insurgency spreads before its talented young recruits all the appurtenances of power — a view from the upper stories of the Heritage Foundation, a few years at a conquered government agency where expertise is not an issue, then a quick transition to K Street, to a château in Rehoboth and a suite at the Ritz. For the truly rebellious, princely tribute waits to be extracted from a long queue of defense contractors, sweatshop owners and Indian casinos eager to remain in the good graces of the party of values.

What a splendid little enterprise American conservatism has turned out to be.

I would copy the whole thing but I'd get into trouble.

It is about time that the left near and far finally speaks out against the tyranny of the very small majority (not in 2000) that rules with such disreputable arrogance and without conscience.

The Administration is desperate. They are using ad hominem attacks. Emotion over reason because they have no credible reasoned arguments on why we should vote Republican. But have you seen the latest polls taken August 3-6 ? Media Matters reports that the Washington Post’s most recent three polls show that the American people now trust the Democrats more than the Republicans on the war against terrorism. No, this is not a typo. Check it out for yourself: item 2.b. in the polls --- But not so fast on the rejoicing. We MUST do everything to see that the electronic voting machines are not used or, at the least, that there is a verifiable paper trail of ballots that can be hand counted. The people and organizations out in the trenches working to see that our votes count are the ones, if successful, that will save--or restore -- democracy in America.

The Republicans/Lieberman implicitly and in some cases explicitly accuse those who oppose their war in Iraq of being traitors. Their message is unmistakable.

Yet, as I pointed out in another discussion, they do this at a time when a growing majority of the U.S. population wants the U.S. out of Iraq, and soon.

Not only are they accusing the Democratic party of treason, but they are also accusing a majority of the U.S. population of treason. I do not think that the majority of the U.S. population in favor of leaving Iraq will look kindly on the Republicans/Lieberman if they realize that the Republicans/Lieberman are accusing them of treason.

Right now is the time to turn this GOP/Lieberman attack back on the GOP/Lieberman, to beat them with their own cudgel. Make it clear that the GOP/Lieberman think a majority of the U.S. population are traitors, then point out how the GOP/Lieberman policies are breeding more terrorists around the world, how the GOP/Lieberman war against terror had nothing to do with uncovering or stopping the latest terror plot, how Osama is still free, and then point out the Democratic proposals for real security, redeploying troops to focus on Al Qaeda and not Iraq, improving port security, etc, etc.

As you note, there is a real danger of GOP incitement to violence here in the U.S. History shows that war hysteria can lead to heinous acts right here in the U.S., even under a Democratic Administration. For example, remember the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act in 1917 and 1918 and quasi-official vigilante mobs such as the American Protective League operating hand in glove with the Justice Department that engaged in lynchings, wiretapping, tarring and feathering, etc.

Right now is the time to stop the treason-smearing by the GOP/Lieberman. Majority opinion against the Iraq war makes the GOP/Lieberman very vulnerable in their latest attempt to catapult the propaganda.

Oh criminy. What a pot calling the kettle black. A friend of mine just sent me a lavishly done painting of Bush in SS uniform with a Hitler mustache. Both sides have said lavishly stupid and juvenile things, the only thing more juvenile is claiming they're the property of one side and not the other.

because some unknown person making a claim about an unseen email from an unknown friend is EXACTLY THE SAME as a candidate for the US senate and a syndicated author read by millions calling more than half country traitors deserving of death.

right.

All feuding is reactive. For example the comment from me you are replying to was:

Take a good look at the language used in this web site about Republicans and Bush.

Then take a guess which party Lieberman comes from and where he learned to talk like that.

Untrusted users won't be able to see it because "Progressive Ploughman" gave it a troll rating of 0.

Then he proceeded to illustrate my point with a rant about:

Bushco, the right wing noise machine, Lieberman and his ilk--are indeed leading us down the road to fascism

I am sufficiently annoyed by the arrogance to give it a 0 rating though in a more objective mood I would not have rated it at all or at worst given it a 1 for being "unproductive".

Nope this kind of feuding isn't a good idea, regardless of who starts it.

The trick is to be able to stop it.

Turning the other cheek doesn't appeal to me.

Tit for tat does.

Tit-tat-tit-tat... gets really boring and that strikes me as EXACTLY what Stirling's post is openly advocating.

Tit for tat is the winning strategy for the Prisoner's Dilemma.

The Tat in this case belongs to conservatives that began a hate campaign against Clinton. As I pointed out, the vitriol was all on the GOP side in the 90's, and when they came to power and continued it, we decided enough was enough.

Who said "Treason" first? Coulter, et al. Where's that "Uniter, not a Divider"? Turning the other cheek doesn't appeal to me anymore, either.

Enjoy the Tit.

Tit-tat-tit-tat... gets really boring and that strikes me as EXACTLY what Stirling's post is openly advocating.

that would be consistent with his behavior..he is a tit for tat type guy. He uses the attack style of the right like Hannity, O'Rielly, and the bombastic Limbaugh...he thinks it is effective. He abuses the rating system by giving posts 'zero' as well.

began the war of rhetoric with a scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners philosophy very reminiscent of Saruman's call to arms to the Orks in Two Towers.

Uh, try not to end your arguments with something that makes people giggle.