But… but… but… the surge is WORKING! (Part leventy-zillion and seven)

August 15, 2008 in Political Animals | 17 comments

An Iraqi staffer for the BBC provides some graphic examples of the wonderful success that is “the surge”:

All these feelings of fear, sadness and frustration burst out of me one morning last week when I lost Marwan, a relative of mine.

Marwan’s day began as usual. He got into his car and started the engine. But rather than driving off, his car blew up when the engine warmed up. He died instantly.

Marwan was a police officer. I suppose that it is why he was targeted.

The tragedy didn’t end there. A few minutes later, his wife Wafa shot herself when she realised her husband was dead. The couple left behind a baby boy Ahmad who is only 11 months old.

…

Mourning events have replaced birthdays and wedding parties. You are always surrounded by death. The unwanted guest will visit you at any moment.

You will see it on TV, you will hear it on the radio, and you’ll read about it in the newspapers. Even when you think that it is hundreds of miles away from you, it will touch you in some way.

  1. Orion on August 16, 2008 at 5:02 am

    Meaty, you’re not doing yourself any favors by continually denying something even the BBC, Times of London, NY Times and LA Times all admit is working…

    It’s like standing up with a megaphone and shouting “I’M A COMPLETE TOOL! COME SEE HOW MUCH OF A TOOL I AM!” over and over again…

    Orion

  2. meatbrain on August 16, 2008 at 7:38 am

    Jeff Burhans (aka “Orion”) neglects to state precisely what it is I am allegedly denying. Vague, fact-free assertions are his stock in trade.

  3. Orion on August 16, 2008 at 3:51 pm

    In an article titled but the Surge is WORKING! with heavy, heavy snark, I didn’t think I had to.

    See, meaty, most Americans can understand English. Put the megaphone DOWN, meaty, and step away from the table…

    Orion

  4. meatbrain on August 16, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    In an article titled but the Surge is WORKING! with heavy, heavy snark, I didn’t think I had to.

    And so we see that Jeff Burhans is skilled at finding things to be wrong about.

    Burhans accuses me of denying something, but is afraid to state just precisely what it is I am allegedly denying. There seems to be no end to the ways in which Burhans can display his intellectual cowardice.

  5. Orion on August 16, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    *laughing and pounding on the table* Stop! Stop! It hurts too much! My sides! You’re like the gift that keeps on giving (in a humor way, not the STD way…although there’s some scary similarities there too…)

    Orion

  6. meatbrain on August 16, 2008 at 5:14 pm

    Burhans accuses me of denying something, but is afraid to state just precisely what it is I am allegedly denying. There seems to be no end to the ways in which Burhans can display his intellectual cowardice.

    Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

  7. Orion on August 16, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    Well, as we’ve already established, there’s a very QUICK end to your ‘debate’ tactics, so ONE of us has to hold up their end.

    You follow the same several steps, over and over and over again – none of which do anything for your reputation – unless you LIKE being known as a slavering twit. shrugs Each to his own, I suppose.

    As I’ve said – and shown – several times before Meaty, ‘debate’ with you is as pointless as holding an in-depth discussion of technical issues with a four-year-old child. They – like you – simply lack the education, comprehension, language skills, and understanding of logic to do anything other than continually ask “But why?”. You don’t DEBATE, Meaty. All you do is repeat the same boring steps. You ask for links. When they’re provided, you complain about having to follow them and ask for quotes. When they’re provided, you complain that they’re not original thoughts. When those are provided, you complain that the person isn’t a recognized expert and ask for links – repeat ad infinitum, ad nauseum. Either that, or you just scream “liar! liar! liar!” and call people names.

    But, much as it can be fun to tease a child in good fun, it’s fun to torment you. I’ll repeat one of my earlier statements for the benefit of those just coming to the show late:
    “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” (RAH) – Except some of us DO enjoy annoying pigs so from a purely entertainment standpoint, it’s not a waste of time.

    Care to try another verse, Meaty?

    As for ‘gutless’, well, I’ve been involved in several political debates (e.g. incorporation effort in AZ – I was on the incorporation committee), I regularly participate in debates on a number of sites, and I’ve even attempted to debate with you. But again, you don’t debate facts, interpretations of data, positions, logic, or anything else. You follow the same steps I pointed out above.

    Were you to actually ENGAGE in a debate, it’s be fun. But this silly little insult game is fun too, for now. shrugs It’s fun to tease you and people like BJ and it helps my positions out a lot as I can refer people to just WHY I consider liberals – on the whole – to be ignorant, aggressive, hypocritical, and incapable of following the simplest logic.

    Orion

  8. meatbrain on August 17, 2008 at 12:31 pm

    Has anyone seen Jeff Burhans state exactly what it is he claims I am denying in this thread?

    Nope. Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

    ...I’ve even attempted to debate with you.

    Jeff Burhans has, of course, never attempted to debate me. Each and every time I have attempted to engage him in debate, he has immediately unleashed a flurry of ad hominem attacks and straw man arguments.

  9. Orion on August 17, 2008 at 2:43 pm

    What color is the sky on the planet where you live, Meaty? I’d love to go visit there some day.

    As I say, you provide a wonderful example of the ‘moonbat’.

    Thank you for, yet again, saying “But why?”

    Orion

  10. meatbrain on August 17, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    Has anyone seen Jeff Burhans state exactly what it is he claims I am denying in this thread?

    Nope. Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

    Run away again, coward.

  11. Orion on August 18, 2008 at 12:49 am

    Well, I DO need to get my 2-mile time down, so I’ll go run for a bit.

    Ah, I’m so cowardly. I’ll keep that in mind as I deploy with my unit, or perhaps at the next house fire I’m in. Or maybe during my next rugby game…My cowardice knows no bounds, you know…chuckles I can only hope to live up the example of your boundless courage! You getting all fired up for your Jr High to start up again?

    See, Meaty, most people really don’t NEED it stated flat out in a comment to an article titled “But… but… but… the surge is WORKING! (Part leventy-zillion and seven)” and containing a story about a car bomb in Iraq.

    But I forget, you’re the one with dreams of one day selling used cars or insurance.

    But…I’ll state it flat out for you, Meaty: YOU ARE DENYING THAT THE MOON LANDINGS EVER TOOK PLACE! Muahahaha! That seems clear from the article title…

    Orion

  12. meatbrain on August 18, 2008 at 6:49 am

    My cowardice knows no bounds, you know…

    Yes, I do know. Burhans has demonstrated his cowardice numerous times, and will continue to do so.

    Has anyone seen Jeff Burhans state exactly what it is he claims I am denying in this thread? No. He lacks the courage to make a specific accusation, because he knows that he will then be challenged to back up that accusation with facts.

    Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

    Run away again, coward.

  13. Orion on August 18, 2008 at 3:08 pm

    running screaming! Oh! Help! Help! Meaty has me in the crushing grip of reason! Oh, where is my hero?!

    Say, meaty, demonstrate for us your valor – what do YOU do that’s brave? I’m curious…In fact, I’m also curious as to what you do that’s helpful to your community…Volunteer at a soup kitchen? Help with Habitat for Humanity (If you haven’t, it’s a lot of fun – they’re good people) Help the Homeless? Work at a free clinic? Anything? I’ve noticed that most liberals seem to talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk, if you know what I mean.

    And I just said what it is that you are denying in the post above! I’ll repeat it for you:

    But…I’ll state it flat out for you, Meaty: YOU ARE DENYING THAT THE MOON LANDINGS EVER TOOK PLACE! Muahahaha! That seems clear from the article title…

    See everyone?! Meatbrain CONTINUES TO LIE!! That’s all he does is LIE! Meatbrain is a LIAR!

    But wait…perhaps you’ve been out reading and now you believe the Surge IS working! Could it be?! Could Meaty have actually EDUCATED himself and stopped his knee-jerk-ultra-liberal-loon reactionary behavior? IS IT THE APOCALYPSE?!

    Naww. He’s just playing ‘Lawyer’ again. sighs

    And as I’ve said Meaty, I love taking part in fact-driven debates. You should try one sometime. They’re fun. Sadly, I don’t believe you’ve ever been in one. I’ve tried to coax you into one, but you steadfastly refused, sticking to your usual ‘but why?!’ methodology.

    Orion

  14. meatbrain on August 18, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Has anyone seen Jeff Burhans state exactly what it is he claims I am denying in this thread? No. He lacks the courage to make a specific accusation, because he knows that he will then be challenged to back up that accusation with facts.

    Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

    What exactly am I denying? Burhans is afraid to say.

    Run away again, coward.

  15. Orion on August 19, 2008 at 3:00 am

    Not gonna bother answering that question on your courage or community service, hunh? No surprise there. In this instance, I’ll take a lack of evidence as a likely indicator of a fact. (See how I’m using implication and insinuation again? Evil of me, isn’t it? Avoiding an exact statement! Oooo! I’m so naughty!)

    Let’s ask the audience – How many of you feel that I NEED to exactly state the point of Meaty’s article? Admittedly, he hasn’t written a specific thesis statement, but for anyone with a reading comprehension level above the third grade…
    1: A title of:
    “But… but… but… the surge is WORKING! (Part leventy-zillion and seven)”
    2: With a lede of:
    “An Iraqi staffer for the BBC provides some graphic examples of the wonderful success that is “the surge”:”
    3: Followed by a story quote relating to an assassination in Iraq

    pretty much identifies your feelings on the success of the surge without having to state it exactly.

    How many of you following along in the peanut gallery need it stated outright? Bueller? Anyone? Ferris Bueller?

    I imagine that once you go through drivers’ training and get your own car, you’ll have a sticker put on your folks’ car. A silhouette of a man in a 3-piece suit astride a briefcase with the slogan “LAWYER UP!” on it.

    Orion

    Thinking on this a bit more, I imagine Meaty re-writing some classic nursery rhymes. Ring Around The Rosie becomes:
    Exactly 75 million people had black plague, a disease caused by the plague bacillus..yada yada yada…(fourteen hundred pages of specific descriptions of bubonic and pneumonic plague, rodent and flea vectors, bloodborne pathogens, social structures of the time as well as a brief overview of rhyming later) and they died. The end.

    Not quite as much fun. But remember! Everything must be stated overtly!

  16. Orion on August 19, 2008 at 3:04 am

    Oh, and Meatbrain, what is with this bizarre idea that there is some sort of courage involved in participating in an online discussion? “Run away again, coward”, and so on?

    I’m afraid debating with you – excuse me, that’s not accurate. I’ve attempted to debate but with you it appears to be impossible. I’m afraid teasing you doesn’t require courage. Debate with ANYONE doesn’t require courage.

    Not physical courage, not intellectual courage, none. It’s rather more silly than most of your comments. May I suggest you try something else so that you look somewhat less foolish? I kinda feel bad for you.

    Orion

  17. meatbrain on August 20, 2008 at 8:05 am

    See how I’m using implication and insinuation again? Evil of me, isn’t it? Avoiding an exact statement! Oooo! I’m so naughty!

    Intellectual dishonesty is a hallmark of Jeff Burhans’ discussion tactics. That he admits to using dishonest tactics does not in any way mitigate or excuse his actions.

    Has anyone seen Jeff Burhans state exactly what it is he claims I am denying in this thread? No. He lacks the courage to make a specific accusation, because he knows that he will then be challenged to back up that accusation with facts.

    Whenever Burhans is challenged to discuss specific facts, he runs away. That has been his pattern to date, and it will continue to be his practice in the future. He is simply too gutless to take part in a fact-driven debate.

    What exactly am I denying? Burhans is afraid to say.

    Run away again, coward.