This is what blowback looks like...

Unrest spread to Yemen today – as an angry mob stormed the U.S. embassy in Sanaa – tearing down the American flag, burning it, pelting the building with rocks, and smashing windows. So far reports indicate that no one inside the embassy was injured. Just like the attacks on the U.S. embassy in Egypt and U.S. consulate in Libya on Tuesday, officials believe this attack in Yemen was prompted by the anti-Muslim film made here in the United States insulting the prophet Muhammad. However, new reports are suggesting that the attack in Libya that claimed the life of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other diplomats may have been pre-planned for 9/11 by a terrorist organization. These recent attacks against American diplomatic interests are straining ties between the United States and foreign leaders.

In an interview with Telemundo on Wednesday, President Obama said that he doesn’t consider the current government in Egypt an “ally.” And the U.S. military is deploying two warships, marines, and drones to Libya in response to the attack on the consulate. Egypt, Libya, and Yemen are all nations that got swept up in the Arab Spring and today are in the midst of revolution, which is never easy.

And decades of U.S. meddling in those nations – propping up kleptocrats, conducting military operations, and syphoning off resources – leaves our interests in the area vulnerable to these sorts of attacks. Let’s hope we as a nation don’t fall into the same trap of overreaction and military misadventure that characterized the Bush administration, and which Mitt Romney and his Neo-Con advisers are calling for today.

Comments

TreyGreene's picture
TreyGreene 11 years 45 weeks ago
#1

I'm surprised Thom didn't continue the litany of the

successive Republican campaign organizations'

near (at least) treasonous engagement with the

enemy to include their negotiations with the Afghan

Taliban in 2000 as well as during the first months of

the Bush Administration. What we know is that OBL's

July 2001 orders to attack were his reaction to

Cheney's threat to remove the Taliban if they didn't

award Occidental the gas pipeline contract!

DFMM's picture
DFMM 11 years 45 weeks ago
#2

Terry Jones the Koran buring pastor has cropped up again. We should keep in mind that the only reason that we even know who he is, is because the media gave the planned Koran burning 24/7 coverage for several days. Absent an irresponsible media; Jones, and the Koran-burning, would have been unheard of by the overwhelming majority of the people.

Martha Maroney 11 years 45 weeks ago
#3


Thom, I love you, I have listened to you regularly, routinely, faithfully, for years.

But today you broke my heart in a discussion with a caller lamenting this week's atrocity (not "tragedy") in Libya and reflecting on the *many* such occasions when hooligans used the excuse of someone else, thousands of miles away, "insulting" their religion, to murder innocent people:

Caller: And remember that fellow who wrote the book ...

Thom: Salmon Rushdie.

Caller: He was in hiding ...

Thom (interrupting): He's not in hiding now.

Caller: But he was in hiding in the beginning ...

Thom (interrupting): He CHOSE to go into hiding ...

At which point I turned off my radio and vowed to never listen to your show again.

gregcreal's picture
gregcreal 11 years 45 weeks ago
#4

Some people are saying that if it cost 3000+ American lives for Bush's neo-cons to start the Iraq war, Willard's same neo-con advisers got a bargain this time at only 4 (so far).

dowdotica's picture
dowdotica 11 years 45 weeks ago
#5

uh, the timing is to coincidental, 911 anniversary, election just around the corner, obama gaining a few yards as mittens keeps looking the fool! the fact that the GOP are all a bunch of letches and thwarting any good of the Obama it would not surprise me one bit that the whole thing was planned! And if not? The boob that posted the video needs to be brought to justice and made an example of. Sure i dig some freedom of speech as well as artistic expression but i am not about ready walk into the middle of south central Los Angeles and start shooting my mouth off with racial slurs without knowing that i could just as easily get a bullet in the back. Nor would i walk into a mormom temple and start bad mouthing moronism. Freedom of speech? Hel yeah! but beware of the blow back...the man was a fool

TimFromLA 11 years 45 weeks ago
#6

Mike Malloy said that Stevens spoke Arabic fluently, and wanted peace between Iran and the U.S. Well imagine the intelligence agencies: CIA, ISI, Mossad, NSA as well as the corporate warmongers like the Koch Brothers, Halliburton, Erik Prince and Sheldon Adelson stood to make billions, but Stevens' desire to have peace was not in their tea leaves? So they send in a bunch of nuts-cases, blend in with the protesters, enter into the embassy and kill Stevens and the rest of the staff? Just like JFK. Hell, maybe 9/11?

Just a thought

leighmf's picture
leighmf 11 years 45 weeks ago
#7

Um, isn't this what the arms manufacturers and defense werks are waiting for? Um, does everyone get who these people are?

2950-10K's picture
2950-10K 11 years 45 weeks ago
#8

Well we know about 50% of the voting population will buy into any old right wing extremist lie including the trap of overreaction which will be set in place by those looking to make a killing off killing. But one thing you can count on, their own offspring won't be getting blown to bits, nope, that's just for the expendable offspring of working people....the fortunate sons have more important things to do, like being drunk off their asses at a frat party. Mitt Romoney has already pledged to bend over for the military industrial complex...my advice....buy a chainsaw, stock up on canned goods and keep some water jugs filled.

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 45 weeks ago
#9

Blowback sucks! Huh?

And after murdering all of those civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan...buckle up...it's going to be a rough ride for the future.

Beware of covert psyops used to manipulate us...that stirs up xenophobic and jingoist hatreds..que bono!

HalFonts's picture
HalFonts 11 years 45 weeks ago
#10

I'm finally beginning to make sense out of the global-CHAOS erupting everywhere on every issue, since the 2001 US attacks, the US mid-east invasions and the 2008 global financial crash. Nothing makes sense anymore? -- or does it?

DESTABILIZATION. Keep the peasants fighting amongst themselves, while the neo-Colonialists export the loot. Society's oldest game. Better yet, have the peasants pay for their own depowerment.

The Middle-East is already the future base of operations for the New American Century -- as proposed in the late-1990s Conservative PNAC document: "Project for the New American Century." (signed by all the key playas). They had their "2nd Pearl Harbor" in 2001, and now have well-established bases throughout the Middle-East, including control of rich local economic reserves. Resource development continues for example in Afganistan, with the middle Bamayan Valley road to long-term mineral reserves. And it was all achieved using US military and economic resources.

Last week Romney at a Legion talk reportedly used the strange term: "For the American Century, we will need the world's mightiest military" or somesuch. Sound like PNAC? Where'd he get that terminology?

When you're in the global 1%, supra-national and above it all, the world can be tearing itself apart, and it's all to your good. You exploit the fools, while they're consuming your munitions keeping each other down. It's win-win-win, all the way to your off-shore tax-free banks.

It all makes sense: Religious-wars? Gotta love it; the gift that keeps on giving.

js121's picture
js121 11 years 45 weeks ago
#11

In 3 days, the TPP will have unwielding power -- even if we can stop corporations (& the theocrats) from taking over the US...We can't stop the TPP from the corporate global takeover. The G8 and their coherts - Bilderberg Group's -Austerity Agenda is wrecking the World including the US. History in the making to be sure; but, can we even hope anymore for a Happy Ending? As long as we have people who are illiterate, racists, isolated from unbiased communications; we will have "blind faith" followers of the New Right (formerly Republicans). We cannot continue to support the wars...how many years have we been free of war? Between WWII and the Korean War? Back-to-back and a couple at the same time for corporate and billionaires greed? I'm sure they expect us to voice out and express our disappointment and that we will resign ourselves to this "New World Order". Sad; but, true.

ken ware's picture
ken ware 11 years 45 weeks ago
#12

When the time comes that we have to bow down to the belief of those in the radical arm of Muslims of this world, is the day free speech dies in America. I will be damned if I will not say what I think, regardless of what others believe in their form of religion. I will not stop speaking what I believe for the right or the left wing of the government of America and I will not bow to the religious fanatics of some Middle East country, for the sake of not offending their beliefs. I will not curtail my thoughts for the F.B.I., C.I.A. or for the sake of not offending a small group of radicals under any religious sect they belong too. My freedom of speech has been fought for by many of Americans through the centuries. I will not give up my freedom of speech to appease some asshole anywhere in the world. This is America, and it stops being the land of the free the minute any of you cowards gives up the right of free speech to any group or nation. These people are cowards hiding behind religious masks, that they think allows them the right to do whatever they please in the name of God, yes I said God not Allah! Excuse me for being an American, but that is what I am, not a dog with his tail wagging behind his ass. Whatever you think America has done in the past that warrants the killing of Americans anywhere in the world, based on angry mobs ranting’s about insults to their religious beliefs is cowardice and sickening to me. I show my face on my comments because I am not afraid to speak my mind in America. Thom, to infer America has something to be ashamed of because one of its citizens made a movie, book or comments that offended someone is UN-AMERICAN and disgusting. Your form of liberalism is an insult to the free speech you enjoy each day on the air. I am not stranding up for the ignorant remarks of a few, I am standing up for the freedom of speech they are guaranteed here in America, something you seem to take for granted. As far as other countries, I could care less; this is not the Middle East, if you have forgotten this is the land of free speech for everyone. And for those of you who think every act against America is a conspiracy from elements within our country, you are sicker than anyone could fathom. Long live the Republic.....

ken ware's picture
ken ware 11 years 45 weeks ago
#13

One last item, you who are always complaining about how the corporations have taken over our lives and freedoms, who the hell do you think let the politicians give them such power, it was and still is the American voter who falls for all the garbage the politicians feed us on a daily basis. The politicians did not just show up in Washington, we elected them. In America it is up to the citizens to run the politicians not the other way around, as it is now. So when you feel like blaming someone for the state of the union, just look in the mirror or at your neighbor who bought into the B.S. the politicians have feed us election after election. So this year get off you backside and do something to change the mess we are in. But personally I believe we have sold our souls to the devils in Washington and it is too late to make any real changes in our situation, good luck America we will need lots of it to survive this century as a Republic. How many of us have followed the TPP free trade agreement the President has pushed for that gives away our future, jobs and rights?

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 45 weeks ago
#14

And just like they do during demonstrations...they send in infiltrators to blend in with the crowds and then they ignite violence, like throw a bottle, so that the police can use that as an excuse to get more violent themselves. Peaceful protests can't stay peaceful when these infiltrators are sent in by those opposed to the protests. Then the media prints or broadcasts that the protesters were violent necessitating police action. And readers or viewers formulate in their minds that these protestors are bad and deserve being cracked over the head or tear gassed.

Same thing happens in international machinations. People are often set up to take the bait using very elaborate ruses...and they fall for it. Over emotional people are often suckered into falling for that bait and may even have been infiltrated by instigators egging them on or making suggestions to put feelings into actions. Knowing how emotional some people are in their belief system, an instigator can purposely trigger events, using very little effort..

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 45 weeks ago
#15

"Did I ever tell ya that this here snake skin jacket is a symbol of my individuality, and my belief in personal freedom?" --Sailor Ripley--Wild At Heart

ken ware's picture
ken ware 11 years 45 weeks ago
#16

There has always been that element in our society that will infiltrate and manifest itself as part of the movement too create disharmony, but that does not mean every element in our goverment is out there conspiring to do us in. Of course the wealthy and the corrupt politicians will do what they can to profit off others, so your advise is to give up and roll over because someone has infiltrated our ranks? During the Vietnam demonstrations there were infiltrators from the F.B.I. causing problems as well as in the civil rights marches, but that was not a reason to quit or we would still have bases in Vietnam and blacks in the back of the bus! People have to do something regardless of the opposition. That is why it is important never to give up our free speech and ability to voice our opinion no matter what the cost. Even though it seems we have lost in Washington, it does not mean we have lost the whole war for all of time. When we begin to cave into the demands and not speak our truths, we have lost the war of freedom for ourselves and for our children that will come.....

ken ware's picture
ken ware 11 years 45 weeks ago
#17

I have tried to delete this message but I can't it was duplicated by mistake!

ken ware's picture
ken ware 11 years 45 weeks ago
#18

Again I have tried to delete this comment, it was a duplicate by mistake!

Palindromedary's picture
Palindromedary 11 years 45 weeks ago
#19

Why do you think Obama is so tough on whistle blowers? He has already made it known that he wasn't going to bother with investigating 911 or the Bush administration. I believe that there are lots of potential whistle blowers that would blow the top off of what happened on 911. It would be devastating! Why do you think no one in Congress or the media wants to let up on whistle blowers...because they scare the crud out of the treasonous war criminals who did 911 and all the people who has covered up for them? And, it would look really, really bad to the rest of the world...who already know 911 official conspiracy theory was a cover up.

High Level Officials are eager to spill the beans about what really happened on 911 but no one in Washington or the media wants to hear!

Even Dennis Kucinich hinted that we are not being told the truth about 911.

Sibel Edmonds has information that would incriminate these people but they have threatened her and she won't come right out and risk being sent to prison or assassinated.

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2011/09/high-level-officials-eager-to-spi...

fatfax's picture
fatfax 11 years 45 weeks ago
#20

Gordon Gekko & Eddie Munster

VS

OBAMA & BIDEN

J David Auner's picture
J David Auner 11 years 45 weeks ago
#21

Greetings Thom,

Nation building has not worked well in Iraq or Afghanistan. The "Hartmann" plan for north africa and the Middle East probably needs to be done by a country not tied to 80 years of destructive meddling - those people whose relatives were tortured, murdered and violated still remember. Good idea under a better leadership/administrative country. Refer back to John Perkins and the economic hitmen - we need to get a better act together reigning in corporations' excesses and not using our military to promote American business - that really went out with the opium wars in efficiacy.

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