Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Truth and Logic

So how has being married to a Lawyer changed me? Well, for one I am becoming a very strong lover of truth and logic. Which is a big step for a girl who dramatizes the loss every misplaced set of keys. A big step for an English major who uses hyperbole cause it is much simpler than metaphor. For example, I'm really trying to come up with a perfect metaphor for Obama's role in the death of bin Laden. But I can't. Metaphors are so hard.

So I'll try to explain it in pure truth and logic.

Why am I even bothering with this you ask? Well, my errands are done, laundry is started, and baby is still asleep. It's blog about Obama's pivotal role in the capture of a world class enemy or do the dishes. Which would you choose?

Then please, come on over and do my dishes.

For the two people who are still reading (hi mom and dad!), I should say this is my attempt to avoid contention on Facebook, where a slew of "repost this" threads claim Obama was not the man who killed bin Laden.

Now, to the point. Yes, Obama is not the man who shot the bullet. Truth and logic #1. Which is the level of logic I use to stop at. So I don't judge anyone for stopping there.

However, since I don't want to get my butt kicked in another intellectual conversation with the hubby I've done some research on the Navy Seal team 6, known as DevGru who according to Wikipedia, doesn't exist. That's how secretive they are. They cannot tell anyone what they do. They are hand picked by the President himself from among the other 14 or so Navy Seal groups. They are what you'd call elite of the elite. And they only act on orders from the President.

Which is why a Sports analogy won't work here. Sure Phil Jackson taught the plays and told Michael which ones to run, but you'd be fooling yourself if you gave Jackson more credit than Jordan in beating the Jazz two years in a row during those late 90s championships (which for the record, I'm still bitter about).

No, no Obama deserves much more credit than Jackson. He literally demands the Team of Six's every move. It'd be like giving credit to your Risk army for winning the game, and not yourself. Yes, those taws moved mightily across the battle field, all on their own while you took a nap. Absurd right?

So that's how I feel every time I see someone repost that nonsense about a soldier being the one who killed Osama, only to end with the idea that it was an American victory, not an Obama one. Well, it wasn't a soldier. It was a Seal. And no, I don't think I had anything to do with it. So saying it was an American victory is just cliche, this retired English teacher's least favorite figure of speech.

Whether you like him or not, denying Obama this success is plain ridiculous. And for the record, I don't really love Obama. There's a lot about his tenure I'm displeased with, but let's give credit where credit is due. Osama's death is one more campaign promise fulfilled. It's just plain truth and logic, that even Fox News should have a hard time denying. Unless of course they come up with some outrageous conspiracy theory, born out of fear and sewn into the hearts of America. I almost want to tune them in, just for a good laugh.

Well, shoot, I have nothing more to say on the matter. Guess I'll go tackle those dishes. But once they are finally clean I really should just give all the credit to water itself. Even the water in the ocean.

See, metaphors are hard!

13 comments:

Polly Blevins said...

I am with you. Although I can't stand Obama, I do give him a huge thumbs up on this one. I give him most credit but of course, it was a very elite team effort. I am not one to take someone's victory, I would rather celebrate with them. Good job President and seals!

Polly Blevins said...

By the way, Bill O'Reily gives the credit to Obama.

Liz Szilagyi said...

That is good to know. I've heard jokes about Fox being crazy about the whole issue, but I didn't know for sure if they really were. I figured it was probably split. Good for O'Reily.

Kelli said...

Good points. And you know that if the mission had gone awry it would have been all Obama's fault.

Kelli said...

Have you seen the documentary "Waiting for Superman"? We rented it the other day. I thought about you while we watched it. It made me want to teach again. In fact, after the movie my husband said, I should drop out of med school and teach. I wish I could've seen you in the classroom. While we were student teaching together I could tell you were an amazing teacher. Ya know? Some people just have the vibe.

Claudia said...

Loved your post sis! Yes, as commander-in-chief of the United States of America armed forces Pres. Obama does play a significant role. Funny thing is I never heard him taking credit for killing Osama Bin Laden. So why are people so upset over something he did not say. I suppose it is because he is a democrat and a black one at that. He did give credit where credit is due, to a team that worked together beautifully. And it is a victory for America and the American people. Also glad to hear you did get around to washing the dishes!

Liz Szilagyi said...

I did three loads today! It was exhausting to say the least.

Thaddacious said...

Facebook drives me crazy sometimes. It's a peanut gallery of conspiracy theories and I have to bite my tongue (or I guess my fingers in this case) not to say anything because I don't want to start a political war of words. I'm with you. :)

Thaddacious said...

Just so you know, this really is Jen. I didn't realize that TJ was logged in to Google. Besides, we both know that post was far too liberal to be him. :)

Claudia said...

A Navy Seal is a soldier sis. MOM
Navy Seals: The Elite of the U.S. Military Special Forces
The United States Navy SEALS is a fighting power unlike any other fighting force in the world. SEAL standing for "Sea, Air and Land" is a branch under the United States Navy and the United States Armed Forces. The SEALS are called on for unconventional warfare and fighting. The U.S. Navy SEALS is comprised of the most elite soldiers in all of the U.S. Armed Forces. navyseal.com

Liz Szilagyi said...

You're right, but the point I'm trying to make is that this wasn't just any ol' soldier (which is what I think people are trying to imply) it was a SEAL. SEALs don't act under the same chain of command that soldiers, say like your sons or father, act under. Obama has no idea where every military unit (soldier) is at any given time. He does know where every SEAL team is based. Yes, he is the commander over the entire armed forces, but he delegates the command of "soldiers" to other captains. He is not as loose in his delegation over the SEALs. That's the distinction that needs to be made.

When a SEAL team completes a mission the President is the one who should be thanked (recognized as coach, if you will). When an army unit completes a mission their captain, luitent, general and a long line of people (even the Secretary of Defense) should be thanked before you get to the President. Writing this off as a "soldier" instead of a SEAL is just one more way to diminish the President's role.

Anyway, I should stop talking about it because I've been accused of having poor manners. People misunderstand my attempts to discuss politics. If anything I'm just disappointed in the American people. I really would have thought we (as a country) could have put political opinions and differences behind us as we celebrate the justice served for the thousands of lives lost in bin Laden led attacks. It was just really heartbreaking to see that such a success would still be one to cause petty disrespect and discourse. I thought are our ability to unite as a nation was stronger than that.

Anonymous said...

I see where you are coming from. The people with bad manners are the people who are accusing you. What we see in others is a mirror reflection of ourselves. I, who do not get as politically involved as my daughter and hubby, was very put out by those posts on facebook that tried to leave President Obama out of the picture. Especially when he gave credit where credit was due. Love ya, Momf

Utah Youngs said...

I agree with all of these great comments! I was going to mention o'reilly too but Polly beat me to it :) I liked that the president mentioned the efforts of President Bush as well...after all, he did have a hand in it. and no, Fox isn't really crazy! just like the other channels, they have some anchors that are a little "extreme" (i use that term loosely) in their views :) yay for one less terrorist in world, now on to the next one...btw, Liz--i'm curious to know your thoughts on the pres' decision not to release the "kill" photos...lot's of talking heads screaming about that the last couple of days!! I'm neutral on that...I understand the pres not wanting to ignite more hate for america in the middle east by flaunting the pictures all over the place but by the same token, many of us would like to see it with our own eyes...i think the pres made the right decision though (whoa, i just agreed with the pres, i think there is something wrong with me:)!

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