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Donald Ian Rankin

(13,598 posts)

4. Yes, I agree with that, but I think they shouldn't.

Reply to Erich Bloodaxe BSN (Reply #3)

Sat Dec 13, 2014, 10:36 AM

Dec 2014

I think that Obama was probably using "patriots" to imply "good".

I think that he was wrong to imply that (although I can understand why he did; I think that blaming CIA operatives rather than senior administration members for torture is unfair).

A lot of people have responded by saying "no, they're not patriots".

I think that this is obviously wrong.

I think that the correct criticism of Obama's comments is to focus on the implication, not on what he actually said, and that - as you say - that he's far from unique in using "patriot" to imply "good", and that anyone who does so should be challenged.

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Of course most of the people who tortured for the CIA are patriots. So what? [View all] Donald Ian Rankin Dec 2014 OP

They were only following orders. Katashi_itto Dec 2014 #1

Words have multiple meanings...some formal some not. Parsers parse. HereSince1628 Dec 2014 #2

From a purely logical and technical standpoint, you're correct. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Dec 2014 #3

Yes, I agree with that, but I think they shouldn't. Donald Ian Rankin Dec 2014 #4