Dr. K

From Juan Cole, professor of history at U. Michigan: http://www.juancole.com/2004_09_01_juancol...582366638394688 Wednesday, September 22, 2004 If America were Iraq, What would it be Like? President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country. What would America look like if it were in Iraq's current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number. Thus, violence killed 300 Iraqis last week, the equivalent proportionately of 3,300 Americans. What if 3,300 Americans had died in car bombings, grenade and rocket attacks, machine gun spray, and aerial bombardment in the last week? That is a number greater than the deaths on September 11, and if America were Iraq, it would be an ongoing, weekly or monthly toll. And what if those deaths occurred all over the country, including in the capital of Washington, DC, but mainly above the Mason Dixon line, in Boston, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco? What if the grounds of the White House and the government buildings near the Mall were constantly taking mortar fire? What if almost nobody in the State Department at Foggy Bottom, the White House, or the Pentagon dared venture out of their buildings, and considered it dangerous to go over to Crystal City or Alexandria? What if all the reporters for all the major television and print media were trapped in five-star hotels in Washington, DC and New York, unable to move more than a few blocks safely, and dependent on stringers to know what was happening in Oklahoma City and St. Louis? What if the only time they ventured into the Midwest was if they could be embedded in Army or National Guard units? There are estimated to be some 25,000 guerrillas in Iraq engaged in concerted acts of violence. What if there were private armies totalling 275,000 men, armed with machine guns, assault rifles (legal again!), rocket-propelled grenades, and mortar launchers, hiding out in dangerous urban areas of cities all over the country? What if they completely controlled Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Denver and Omaha, such that local police and Federal troops could not go into those cities? What if, during the past year, the Secretary of State (Aqilah Hashemi), the President (Izzedine Salim), and the Attorney General (Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim) had all been assassinated? What if all the cities in the US were wracked by a crime wave, with thousands of murders, kidnappings, burglaries, and carjackings in every major city every year? What if the Air Force routinely (I mean daily or weekly) bombed Billings, Montana, Flint, Michigan, Watts in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Anacostia in Washington, DC, and other urban areas, attempting to target "safe houses" of "criminal gangs", but inevitably killing a lot of children and little old ladies? What if, from time to time, the US Army besieged Virginia Beach, killing hundreds of armed members of the Christian Soldiers? What if entire platoons of the Christian Soldiers militia holed up in Arlington National Cemetery, and were bombarded by US Air Force warplanes daily, destroying thousands of graves and even pulverizing the Vietnam Memorial over on the Mall? What if the National Council of Churches had to call for a popular march of thousands of believers to converge on the National Cathedral to stop the US Army from demolishing it to get at a rogue band of the Timothy McVeigh Memorial Brigades? What if there were virtually no commercial air traffic in the country? What if many roads were highly dangerous, especially Interstate 95 from Richmond to Washington, DC, and I-95 and I-91 up to Boston? If you got on I-95 anywhere along that over 500-mile stretch, you would risk being carjacked, kidnapped, or having your car sprayed with machine gun fire. What if no one had electricity for much more than 10 hours a day, and often less? What if it went off at unpredictable times, causing factories to grind to a halt and air conditioning to fail in the middle of the summer in Houston and Miami? What if the Alaska pipeline were bombed and disabled at least monthly? What if unemployment hovered around 40%? What if veterans of militia actions at Ruby Ridge and the Oklahoma City bombing were brought in to run the government on the theory that you need a tough guy in these times of crisis? What if municipal elections were cancelled and cliques close to the new "president" quietly installed in the statehouses as "governors?" What if several of these governors (especially of Montana and Wyoming) were assassinated soon after taking office or resigned when their children were taken hostage by guerrillas? What if the leader of the European Union maintained that the citizens of the United States are, under these conditions, refuting pessimism and that freedom and democracy are just around the corner? posted by Juan @ 9/22/2004 06:53:26 AM

I'll make a friendly two-dollar bet with you on it. Bills to beat the Pats, straight up. You can buy yourself an ice cream cone to cheer yourself up if you win the bet.

At least you might see how a QB with a different set of skills might work out. Matthews is supposed to like the short passing game. Maybe that might make a difference. I rather doubt it. I don't think the Bills have any quick fixes for their current situation.

You are EXACTLY right. And anyone who said after the Bills won two such ugly games that the Bills were a great team would be just as wrong as those who are saying now, after they lost those two games, that the Bills are hopeless. We DON'T KNOW how good or bad this team is going to be in a month. We know they are 0-2 and have played poorly on offense, but that doesn't tell the whole story. We must wait and see.

You guys all have my official permission to stop watching the team. The bitching here is reaching suicidal proportions. You all act like you have cancer and your hair is on fire. If I were Bledsoe, i would wear kevlar body armor before I took to the streets of Western New York. The Bills offense played like crap and yet the team was still are only a couple of plays away from being 2-0. I'm not guaranteeing they will turn it around, but I'm waiting until mid-season before I throw up my hands and say the team is a total loss. And even then I will still be a Bills fan, watching the games and rooting for them to win.

You read it here first.

You guys need to chill. It didn't "all go wrong." There is cause for frustration and worry and more work. Some things have gone wrong, some things aren't going right yet. But even so, we are two dumb plays from being 2-0 right now. I think prescriptions of prozac ought to be handed out with Bills' season tickets.

I don't have any answers, and 10 points a game on offense isn't going to make it, but I still think this team is only a step away from winning most of its games. If it weren't for one or two crucial mistakes they would be 2-0 right now, despite the less-than-mediocre offensive play. Don't get me wrong, watching their current ineptness is killing me, but I am not drawing any conclusions about this version of the Bills until at least half the season is over.

Wow. This is true bravery, and sacrifice.

Bills 21 Raiders 20

You are absolutely right. I couldn't believe he didn't swat it away.

Sure we all feel down right now, but if the Bills suck it up and beat the Raiders in Oakland next week, it will be an entirely new season. And despite the screw-ups this week, I think we have a much better chance of beating them than last year's Bills. The offense didn't score much against the Jags, but they did a lot of things right. In this new system, Bledsoe looks like a new QB. The o-line looks much better. We can run the ball. The D played well, except for the last series, and even there if Clements bats down the pass to Smith the game is over. Get the receivers catching the ball, go deep a couple of times (successful or not) and this is a new team. I think the o-line will get better, and this was the thing we were all moaning about before today's game. This offense will come around if they keep to the plan. This week and next Sunday's game will be a good test for Mularkey and the coaching staff. If they can get the team over this loss and ready to play, then the season is far from lost.

My sentiments exactly. I've been rooting for them for FORTY YEARS! How many times have they ripped my guts out like this? Yet I'll be back there next Sunday. I still think they can play well. My wife says loyalty is my strongest trait. Or maybe it's stupidity.

Brady has been the best in the AFC for a couple of years already. It's not about physical tools, it's headiness and efficiency. Montana had an adequate arm at best, his brain was way ahead of his contemporaries. I still think the Bills can beat the Pats. The Niners under Montana were not invincible.

If you'll trust the word of a leftie..... I just bought a 34" widescreen HDTV this summer. Did a lot of research and ended up buying a Sony. I am very happy with it, but you will need a strong stand--it weighs about 200 pounds! Moving it is a two-man job. Picture is excellent, no glare problems I can see. For the price, a conventional tube is the best bargain right now, though I suppose if you have thousands to spend a plasma makes sense.

Thinking it over, I've decided the worst thing that happened to the Bills in the last four seasons was the fact that Gregg Williams gave a dynamite interview to TD when he was looking for a coach after Wade Phillips was fired. Gregg Williams was a long-shot; he had no relationship with Donohoe. John Fox and Ted Cottrell and Marvin Lewis were the names most frequently mentioned as likely replacements for Phillips. But TD was dazzled by Williams and took a fatal chance. Donohoe has taken a lot of heat for bad decisions he has made as Bills' GM, but this descision was his first and by far his worst mistake. The others have been pretty sound, but rolling the dice on Williams was a gutsy call that filed miserably, cost the team three wasted years, and which may end up costing TD his job. If Mularkey doesn't turn the ship around this season, the pressure on Wilson to fire TD will be great. Hindsight is 20-20, but the minute Gregg showed up with his lists of inexperienced assistant coaches and his air horn, TD should have started second guessing himself--like a guy who went to the bar last night and wakes up the next morning in a strange bed wondering who this woman is next to him. Must have been the dim light and after six gin-and-tonics.

I absolutely hate it. Very bad idea. I'd rather see McGee or this new kid Williams or Reed or some other less essential player. Sehorn wrecked his career by insisting on returning kickoffs. I will be crossing my fingers every time Clements returns a punt this season.

Might want to see some more, but I say Matthews is an upgrade.

...except for the penalties. I have reasonable hopes for the regular season. They may start slow, but I think, barring injuries, they will be playing good ball by the end of the first month. I like the play calling, the emphasis on running, the fact that the O-line may be coming around, Bledsoe's getting rid of the ball quicker. Shane Matthews, though he looked rusty at first, is oging to be a good insurance policy. he does nothing spectacular, but he is quick, moves in the pocket, gets rid of the ball, and handles the short passing game okay. For a run-first offense, he may be just the ticket.

They've got to keep him. They guy is quick AND fast, like a water bug. I love the way he runs.

local paper says 7 pm; Bills schedule says 8 pm. Can you help asap? Thanks.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2105914/

And please don't anyone think for a minute that I support either side on this BS issue. Personally, I think all parties involved in this stupid argument should be given a spanking and sent to bed without their supper. No matter how thin you slice it, it's still baloney. 7805[/snapback] Pardon me, but for days you ahve been bending over backwards to give credence to the SBVT when they have contradicted themselves repeatedly, been caught in more than one lie, and presented no evidence other than hearsay for their accusations. Now you're backpedaling and saying you're neutral. Right.