Ready Fire Aim

Heard about that posting on Twitter. Don't do it myself, but it's just the comment for "Open-Mouth-Insert-Mitt".

Used to be, when there was some kind of international crisis, the politicking stopped and everyone rallied around the President in support until the crisis passed. Criticism came later, to your heart's content. Just back off while tricky stuff got handled. Imagine, if people are rioting in reaction to some piece-of-shit movie, how more incensed they could get in reaction to some unwise comments in the middle of a campaign. To the unknowing, it looks as if nobody is in control, and no consequences will arise for their behavior. Or worse, there goes the hated USA (by the rioters) again, throwing it's weight around and giving even more reason to hate them and act this way.

Not helpful.

But "Open-Mouth-Insert-Mitt" just couldn't wait. No calming statement to his roiling base about now is not the time, we need more information, let the President do his job just like I hope you'll let me do mine in similar circumstances. No waiting with a press conference until the person who has more actual facts about the situation on the ground and the players in motion can make a measured response.

Nothing like wisdom coming from his mouth.

Just another lie, and sticking to it loudly even after it's pointed out to him. The Egyptian comment happened before the rioting and deaths began, and in no way does it apologize for American values, nor fail to criticize violence. But Romney shot off his mouth, and unlike everything else he's ever said, refuses to flip-flop on his interperate and innacurate words.

In reaction, I've heard everything from "pushed by his base" (who leads, who follows there?), to "not suited to command", "not qualified to be President", and even "treason."

Don't get me wrong here. I heartily wish the idiot who found it necessary to make the offensive movie had never done so. But it was done last May, and only recently was it deemed necessary for someone to translate it into an Arabic language. Somebody somewhere in the world wanted to actively stir up trouble. Now. Someday we'll maybe find out who that is.

Yes of course we have freedom of speech here. The way some folks think and act, you'd think we forgot the freedom of religion part that goes along with it. And we don't need a constitution to get freedom of (not from!) consequences. People react. People die. For anybody who is awake in the world, the consequences are predictable. How would Christians feel if somebody made a movie depicting Jesus as a fake, philanderer and pedophile? And if the news sources commented on it as being "perceived to be offensive," as if it takes somebody highly oversensitized to find fault with it?

As for the "not planned" part of the rioting? Perhaps. But the storming of the embassy was definitely planned, long in advance. Opportunistic, perhaps. They were ready for whatever happened. Might have pushed things along. But nobody "accidentally" picked up their RPG launcher on the way to see what the fuss was all about, nor did they "accidentally" shoot them off. And those folks are no more representative of their population that the idiot making that piece-of-shit movie is representative of ours.

Just equally destructive.