No, Both Sides Don't Do it

Occasionally, when I'm with a group of friends, I'll bitch about some mean, nasty thing that Republicans are doing (so many to choose from), and someone will attempt to gloss over my lib-crankiness by saying, "You know, both sides do it."

Not wishing to turn a social setting into an argument (at least, not usually), I'll move on to more pleasant territory.  But now I'd like to go on record:  No, both sides don't do it!  Not today!  In frequency, spirit, purpose, and duration, no, both sides most certainly do not do it.  It's a false equivalency, and an easy out.

For your consideration:

• America maintains embassies and consulate offices in virtually every nation in the world.

• Since 1958, U.S. Embassies around the world have been attacked 42 times (mostly in the Middle East, a continually volatile neighborhood).  Those attacks killed 332 people, including 87 Americans.

• After the 9/11 attacks in 2001 which killed 3000 or more Americans, our government conducted 22 hearings by a joint House/Senate intelligence committee.

• The Benghazi consulate attack in 2012 killed 4 Americans.  There have now been 21 hearings by various GOP-led House and Senate panels, including today's 11-hour Spanish Inquisition of Hillary Clinton in her second testimony to the House Select Committee. 

When our diplomatic offices abroad are attacked, there should be hearings.  But twenty-one for this?  Eleven hours for one person?  (I'm interested and watched a little bit of today's kabuki show, but 11 hours is masochistic!)

This is fair and balanced?  Proportional?  Does 22 hearings on 9/11 compared to 21 on Benghazi strike you as about right?  Equivalent?  If you think so, there is no reasoning with you.  Both sides do it?  Bullshit!  Democrats haven't done anything remotely like this.

The Benghazi Committee is the most obvious political witch hunt/hatchet job since Joe McCarthy's Un-American Activities circus in the 1950's.  The Republicans running it and pushing it are fools.  It's embarrassing, and a colossal waste of our time and money.  And everybody knows it.  


And a footnote question:  Ohio Rep Jim Jordan, above right, is a far-right Tea Bag wing-nut and head of the obstructionist Freedom Caucus.  Why is he so mad all the time?  He has obvious anger issues that just don't quit.  What an asshole.