Following us home

Somewhere in Washington, there's a catchphrase factory pumping out dumb new words and slogans that become the neocon mantra. "Islamofascists" and "global terrorism" are the de rigeur bon mots in any self-respecting neocon scare speech. One oft-repeated argument I have heard way too many times is this notion that if we "just leave" the terrorists in Iraq, then they will "follow us home".

It's a stupid argument, partly because it is often presented with no facts to back it up—just the kind of stubborn assurance that got us into this war. It also makes no sense, because it presumes that these guys have war planes or war ships that will attack us as we are attacking them. Or else, it presumes that it's just as easy for them to come here and kill us as it is for them to kill us over there. That is patently false. They like us over there, because we are saving them all of that transportation cost they'd have to incur to kill us in the U.S.

Thinkprogress.org did a great piece on all of this. Follow this link to its home. ;-)