Well, here’s my contribution to that thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=4641637&postcount=34
And please note that the “candy-asses” refer not to any particular nation or people but to the Socialists who wanted to pull out right away. Which might be what happens, BTW, but of course that’s their right now.
Thank you Gaspode. I now have the perfect description of U.S. foreign policy under the Bush administration: The Soprano family. Perfect.
Thanks for this thread Gaspode. You eloquently stated a lot of what I was thinking. Don’t be to hard on Benidorm though, concrete monolith hotels and all the Costa del Sol is still a great place to holiday. That reminds me of this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2119216.stm (sorry for not doing proper link) as this bombed hotel was one that I stayed at and would happily stay at again.
And, as has been repeated again and again in the other thread, the Socialists are only planning to pull out if the US doesn’t cede control of Iraq to the UN. Which is why you, and GoHeels, and the other fifteen people Gaspode called out in his OP so richly deserve to be pitted: you’re fucking morons.
Bravo! Can’t vouch that every single person listed deserves it, but a bouquet of skunk cabbage for anyone calling Spaniards cowards. My two cents is the government fell because it tried to stick the blame to ETA rather than wait for the facts. Let’s hope it isn’t the only government to fall this year for lying to its people this year.
Very well articulated OP. Although I think OBL will make lots of noise over the timing of this vote, I don’t think this shows that the Spaniards are ‘wimps’ or anything like that. Hell, just look at how much they’ve knuckled under to the Basques (i.e. not at all)! On preview–thanks for the info. Miller.
Well, in my defense, the election had just then happened and I didn’t have any details like you did. Sorry.
As for the UN swooping back into Iraq, maybe they won’t be welcomed back with open arms:
Or maybe they will be:
Sorry you feel that way about my opinion. I respect your right to do so. But I was pitted for calling the Spanish people cowards and that is simply something I did not do.
I can accept that. I was surprised to see your name on the list.
Based on your post, you don’t seem to realize that – among what some others like Miller have said about that pesky UN – the Socialists pledged to a June 30 pull-out of Spanish troops from Iraq? I know that date ring a bell with you.
By the way, anyone have a tally on the home country of each of the people in the OP?
On what planet does 3 1/2 months = right away?
[QUOTE=BobLibDem My two cents is the government fell because it tried to stick the blame to ETA rather than wait for the facts.[/QUOTE]
Identical to my two cents (Canadian).
Very good OP, Gaspode.
Mehibatel, the socialists said that they would pull out on June 30th-- the date is the one set **by the US ** for giving over power to the Iraqis. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t hear that they were going to renege on their commitment.
Pardon the sloppy coding. My mouse is fried. Yeah, my mouse. <blush>
No, we’re not. And thanks for the clarification. At the time it was being spun in the US press like the Spanish troops were being packed up as the Socialists were still taking the bunting down.
Brief response to GoHeels, since the hamsters are not to friendly and it’s 2 a.m. my time. I went through 11 pages of posts, read all 500+ and made notes of the posts that stood out. I can’t for the life of me remember it right now, but I just wanted to say, that I’ll check in tomorrow, with a fresher mind and when the board is accessible with less than 2 minutes per click. If I was erring, you’ll get your apology.
Mehitabel - don’t sweat it. I say some poster retracted what they said and some showed more insight as the threads wound down. The thing is, I find it very upsetting that the debates would even come up under such forms. I note that there’s a GD thread about (paraphrased): “When will there be an attack to disturb our elections?” I haven’t got the energy to check it out now, as I spent four hours reading and composing the OP, but the spin this has been given is disgusting and even tthough some of the ‘gang of 17’ never called the Spaniards cowards, I got the direct feeling that these 17 Dopers felt that the Spaniards caved in to terrorist, and quite a few used it to further their partisan agenda.
As for AQ. The purpose is not to kill people in western democracies - they only want to destabilize their own countries. By bombing in our part of the world and creating an enemy, they can keep western influence out, continue with fundamentalist repression. They have no demands that can be met - they only want to destroy to rally supporters for their causes back home. I trust Sam Vimes - follow the money. And that trail leads right back to Saudi-Arabia. There’s an excellent article called “the fall of the House of Saud”, available here.
A note: All the usernames at the end of the OP link to their profiles, not specific posts. Had that been the case, I’d be coding quote-tags on the slowest board in the universe for another week.
Miller, you’re an intolerant buffoon.
The point of the OP was to call out those who called the Spaniards “cowards” because of the way they voted last Sunday.
Fine, I agree, anyone who called Spaniards “cowards” BECAUSE of the way they voted deserves scorn.
AT NO POINT did I ever say, nor even imply, that the Spaniards are cowards because of the results of the election. NEVER, and I fucking proved it by listing every one of my posts on the subject IN THEIR ENTIRETY, you brain-dead nitwit.
No, I am not thrilled with the results of the election. Yes, I am worried that al-Qaeda will be all too encouraged by the result.
But as I said in my third post on this subject,
“Well, I’m sure the Spanish people will see the results of the election the way they want to see it, as is their right. Such is the beauty of democracy and liberty. The people have spoken.”
Are you saying because I’m not thrilled with the results with the Spanish election, I’m a moron? So much for tolerance. What’s wrong with agreeing to disagree, you idiot?
Again, SHOW ME WHERE I SAID THE SPANISH ELECTORATE ARE COWARDS BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY VOTED LAST SUNDAY. Show me, or shut the fuck up, dickhead.
Mercury? I think that 3 1/2 months there would be around 30 days.
This only is true if there could have been a result that would have discouraged them, and there wasn’t.
I probably should learn from Mehitabel’s even-handed response to the OP. Gaspode and Miller, I should not have exploded the way I have, even in the BBQ Pit.
But I stand by the gist of my retort.
I NEVER said, nor even implied, the Spanish were cowards because of the way they voted, and I really, REALLY resent being included in the pitting.
Fine. I respectfully disagree.
This desperately needed to be said.
I too would be dismayed if someone undeserving got caught up in the net here, but I’ve now seen this unbelievably insensitive and ignorant accusation all over the place in the blogosphere. Every single person who makes this accusation deserves to be raked over the coals every time they dare to make another post anywhere, for any reason, for saying this kind of pornographic, self-serving, utterly cowardly bullshit.
They deserve, in short, no respect whatsoever from anyone for any reason forever.
I said you deserved to be pitted because you’re a moron, not because you called the Spaniards cowards. I stand by that assesment.