Ameri-Qaeda!

Read a couple of great posts today on the subject of Osama bin-Merica. How the Fundie-wing points the finger at Democrats as being terrorist sympathisers when they - correctly - point out that the Bush Administration War Of Terror policies are a completely failure... yet when you actually look at the backbone of Bush's support, they seem eerily similar to someone else we all know and loath.

From Media Matters.

Several media figures have seized on Osama bin Laden's newly released audiotape to denounce critics of the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq. Explicitly asserting comparisons between bin Laden and prominent war critics, including filmmaker Michael Moore and Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Howard Dean, MSNBC's Hardball host Chris Matthews and others are condemning legitimate dissent over the merits of the Iraq war and President Bush's actions in its prosecution. That dissent is now shared not just by such favorite conservative targets as Moore and Dean, but, now, by a plurality -- or even a majority -- of the American people. As Daou Report founder and editor Peter Daou wrote, in a January 19 entry at The Huffington Post weblog, in response to Matthews's comments linking bin Laden's statements to Moore:"[T]his is not just about Chris Matthews or Michael Moore or Osama Bin Laden, it's about the willingness of a prominent media figure to slander an opponent of the war."

From the January 19 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

GINGRICH: I think it's quite clear as you point out, Sean, that from this tape, that bin Laden and his lieutenants are monitoring the American news media, they're monitoring public opinion polling, and I suspect they take a great deal of comfort when they see people attacking United States policies. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be a free society and have open debate, but we should recognize, when some of our politicians use very extreme language or some of our celebrities -- like Michael Moore -- use very extreme language, that the enemy does, in fact, take great comfort from that.

HANNITY: It's more than that. I think it's also the leaders in the Democratic Party that, from the very beginning, have undermined this war. If I were to give you a quiz, Mr. Speaker, and if I would say to you, "You know, was it [Sen.] Ted Kennedy [D-MA], [House Democratic Leader] Nancy Pelosi [D-CA], [Rep.] John Murtha [D-PA] who said, 'George Bush gives continuous, deliberate misinformation. Polls reveal that we want to withdraw from Iraq.' " You would have guessed either of -- any of those. Well, it was bin Laden who said that.

So you wanna play Hardball, eh? by DarkSyde

They are vehemently against abortion, they resist progressive woman's rights. They view homosexuality as a crime against nature and God, some advocate the death penalty as an option for it. Separation of Church and State is despised by these folks; they insist the nation is founded on the principles of their religion, and they work hard to bring that de facto theocracy about. They deplore strong language, gay characters, and sexual content on TV and in the media. And they ignore the Geneva Convention when it suits their ideological purposes, including provisions against torture or due process. They're anti-stem cell research, pro-creationism, and generally distrustful of science. These folks are easily whipped into a state of frenzy with ideological manipulation to the point where they will commit violence, or at least tacitly endorse that violence is acceptable, if it advances their Divine agenda. They then take great pains to justify that violence, including unprovoked attack of civilian areas, under certain conditions, with convoluted theological gymnastics. They are almost to the man pro-death penalty ... Am I railing against the religious right again?

Could be, but my target here is actually Al Qaeda and related fundamentalist Wahhabism; the source of terrorism, the scourge of our planet, the Axis of Evil.

Continued...

The modern GOP is a precarious alliance between moderate, sane, conservatives, corporate interests understandably focused on short term profits, and a fundamentalist mob whose social policies poll anywhere between unpopular to repugnant among the majority of Americans.

The moderates are the official face set forth in PR efforts, the corporate interests drive the money, and like in any feudal system, the cultish masses provide the votes and do the grassroots work. But there's a glaring weakness: Expose that extremist base for what it is, flip that rock over to illuminate the ugly squatting trolls hiding underneath, and it's game over folks. Here's one way to go about doing that, and in all fairness we should thank the GOP shills on Cable News and all across the blogosphere for bringing it our attention and warming up the soundbite for us so nicely.

Osama bin Laden:

The religion of the Unification of God; of freedom from associating partners with Him, and rejection of this; of complete love of Him, the Exalted; of complete submission to His Laws

Osama bin Laden calling for 'morality':

We call you to be a people of manners, principles, honour, and purity; to reject the immoral acts of fornication, homosexuality, intoxicants, gambling's, and trading with interest.

Osama bin Laden on Bill Clinton:

Who can forget your President Clinton's immoral acts committed in the official Oval office?

Osama bin Laden on women in the workplace:

You are a nation that exploits women like consumer products or advertising tools calling upon customers to purchase them. You use women to serve passengers, visitors, and strangers to increase your profit margins.

Osama bin Laden on AIDS:

[Y]ou have been described in history as a nation that spreads diseases that were unknown to man in the past. Go ahead and boast to the nations of man, that you brought them AIDS as a Satanic American Invention

Osama bin Laden on gambling:

You are a nation that permits gambling in its all forms. The companies practice this as well, resulting in the investments becoming active and the criminals becoming rich.

And that's just from one of Osama's barking at the moon bat shit crazy religious screeds. I don't know about you folks, but that doesn't sound very liberal to me. But it sure sounds like something I might hear on the GOP/fundie talk radio ...

So, when the extremist nutcases in our country start comparing patriotic Democrats and Progressives with Osama bin Laden, welcome the opportunity to point out that the present incarnation of the GOP is controlled by the religious right, the Theocons, who bear disturbing parallels to the most wanted man in the world. And you don't have to be able to whip out a bunch of quotes, all you need to remember is a simple soundbite and they will open the door for you.

The religious right is Osama bin Laden light.

Amen to that, brother - Amen.

Vyan