The Real Danger

[Barbara Branden]

The real danger we face today is not from terrorists. It is from the method of thinking that permits such statements as this:

"You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks different than you and trying to convert them to your way of thinking," O'Donnell said during the Nov. 9, 2006, taping of "The View." "Get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers."

We are told she is entitled to her opinion. Legally, of course. Morally, no.

Barbara

[PalePower]

Well, regardless of how many bundling kids they may have, they're still fully capable of blowing up my face, so, yeah, I think I will be a little bit, aaaah...apprehensive, to say the least.

~Elizabeth

[Rodney]

They're mothers and fathers.

Well ... they're mothers, anyway (to use the current street vernacular).

[Richard Uhler]

...O'Donnell said during the Nov. 9, 2006, taping of "The View." "Get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers."

Yes, but they are mothers and fathers who are willing to use their own children as weapons and as shields. Surely Rosie O'Donnell knows this as well as anyone else who consumes the news; I fear the ability of O'Donnell and many others like her to willingly ignore facts in plain sight as much as I fear the folks with the bomb-vests.

But I did not come this far in life to live in fear. I can't think of any way to fight back other than to continue to live my life undeterred; maybe that's enough...?

Edited April 4, 2007 by Richard Uhler

[Chris Grieb]

I suspect Rosie O'Donnell would not be impressed it the defense offered for someone who blew up an abortion clinic was he or she was a mother or father.

[Rodney]

When 9/11 happened, Rosie said she felt as though all her former beliefs had been shaken up like a snow globe. I guess the flakes have long since settled back to their former positions.

[Alfonso Jones]

The real danger we face today is not from terrorists. It is from the method of thinking that permits such statements as this:

"You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks different than you and trying to convert them to your way of thinking," O'Donnell said during the Nov. 9, 2006, taping of "The View." "Get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers."

We are told she is entitled to her opinion. Legally, of course. Morally, no.

Barbara

Barbara -

Thanks for pointing out this statement. O'Donnell's statement must be condemned as immoral. To fail to recognize terrorism for what is, to fail to recognize the deliverate slaughter as what it is --- this is the sort of thing which use to merit mention in "The Horror File."

Alfonso

[Chris Grieb]

Rosie; It is interesting that now Rosie thinks the Bush administration arranged for 9=11.

It is also worth mentioning that the 9=11 hijackers were I believe single men. That means that group was not fathers.

Edited September 16, 2007 by Chris Grieb

[Alfonso Jones]

When 9/11 happened, Rosie said she felt as though all her former beliefs had been shaken up like a snow globe. I guess the flakes have long since settled back to their former positions.

Yes - all the flakes, including Rosie.

Alfonso

[BaalChatzaf]

The real danger we face today is not from terrorists. It is from the method of thinking that permits such statements as this:

"You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks different than you and trying to convert them to your way of thinking," O'Donnell said during the Nov. 9, 2006, taping of "The View." "Get away from the fear. Don't fear the terrorists. They're mothers and fathers."

We are told she is entitled to her opinion. Legally, of course. Morally, no.

Barbara

She is morally entitled to any opinion she has. That does not mean are opinions are worth shit, though. I don't fear the terrorist. I just want to kill them and their social support group along with them. Kill them all and let Allah sort out the bodies.

Ba'al Chatzaf

Edited September 17, 2007 by BaalChatzaf

[Roger Bissell]

It's interesting to observe that Monart Pons, the same guy who is peddling to Objectivists a mediocre collection of New Age-ish pieces as "The Concerto of Deliverance," is four-square behind the idea that 9-11 was a "planned demolition" and not a terrorist attack.

Gee, were London, Madrid, Bali, etc. ~also~ planned by Bush et al? If so, then no wonder government spending is out of control! <sigh>

REB

[C. Jordan]

"You can walk through life believing in the goodness of the world or walk through life afraid of anyone who thinks different than you and trying to convert them to your way of thinking..."

O'Donnell suggests that we have only 2 choices; either we assume that everyone is basically good, which gives us a choice between sticking our heads in the sand, like O'Donnell. Alternately, we can try to change others to think like we do. I interpret this as saying we, meaning Americans/Europeans in general, are doing the second but we should instead do the first.

Then she told us not to fear the terrorists. They're human beings like us.

True. So was Ioseb Stalin. So is Charles Taylor. So was Pol Pot. So is Mugabe. So is Kim Jong-il.

It would have helped if O'Donnell had told us who precisely are the terrorists she urges us not to fear. I will assume for this record she means al-Qaeda. If she does, her statement is ironic.

Which groups insists that their interpretation of 'Islam is 'Islam? All WaHHabist groups do that. All Sâlâfîy groups do that. The Taliban in particular did that. And al-Qaeda is such a group.

These are the groups that do not tolerate their brother Muslims, if their brother Muslims do not agree with them. These groups have less tolerance for Ahl-al Kitaab (in effect, these are Christians and Jews) and God forbid you should be an atheist.

Who is it trying to change others to their way of thinking?

Would Ms. O'Donnell say these things in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia? Would she say these things to a meeting of Hizbollah in Lebanon? Would she say these things to a Pakistani mullah?

But let me congratulate Ms. O'Donnell on her contortionist's technique. Very rarely have I seen someone putting their foot in their mouth and their head up their butt, at the same time.

[John Dailey]

~ Rosie's 'thought's are really not worth commenting upon (any more than most other 'celebrities')...unless one wants to give her the attention she obviously craves with 'controversial' pronouncements (akin to Spike Lee's, but, he knows how to temporally 'parse' [pace?] his attention-getting 'controversial' idiocies)...which is what she now really makes her money (ie: 'appearances' wherever) off of.

~ Wait'll Paris Hilton opens HER mouth on TV/YouTube (I mean, for actual 'opining' that is). Man, will THAT (whatever she says) make 'news'...and thread discussions!

~ Can't wait for what Britney or Hannity...whoever...says next; to ignore, that is.

LLAP

J:D

[Chris Grieb]

The first lecture of Branden's Basic course has a great discussion Branden had with a man on a flight where Branden goes through all the philosophers who had taught this fellow passenger. Branden ends with the point that the man had gotten his ideas from the comic pages.

Roger; I do have noted Pon's statements about 9-11.

I am grateful for your recommendation about his music which I have not listened to.

To the others I pay little attention to people like Rosie O'Donnell and others. I would emphasise that these ideas are coming from others. Other philosophers.