Jonathan Schanzer Takes IC By Storm. Almost.

A good turnout at the latest College Republican event – Jonathan Schanzer trying to sell us the war. Maybe I’m just thick, but I still don’t buy it.

Sponsored by the Young America’s Foundation. Now there’s a group of anti-Christs if I’ve ever seen one.

I first walk in, with about five minutes to spare (if only I could get to my classes as early as that), and find a decent-sized crowd.

Right off the bat, I get a great quote by some old conservative windbags that were seated next to me. Well, I heard the last part of the dull old man’s tirade anyway:
“…these communist hippies running this place.”

(This place being Tompkins County)

I probably didn’t miss too much before that. I just found it unbelievable that people do still use the terms ‘commie’ and ‘hippy’ in a derogatory sense. I mean – I do it too, but I’m kidding! Anyways, these two were a lot of fun to listen to. It’s entertaining to listen to people complain about how liberal Ithaca has become, from it’s deeply conservative roots scarcely fifty years ago.

The Republicans were out in full force at this event – I didn’t know the College Republicans even had that many members! All whiter than can be, except for the token minority – this one asian kid. Actually we chit-chatted alittle while waiting for the bus a week ago – I didn’t know he was in ICR (and I’m not necessarily holding it against him). He seemed nice enough, although he had this ‘salesman’ type quality to him at first, where he had to bring up some business venture he was in, and did I “ever think about running a business?”

“Not particularly.”

Speaking of salesmen – thats exactly how the speaker Jonathan Schanzer came off as. A used car salesman.

Trying to sell us the war.

I neglected to ask a question – typically – although I was curious with what he found as progress.

He spent the bulk of his time using empirical evidence from his last trip to Iraq. Actually, all of his evidence came from some supposed interviews with POW’s and some ‘secret government documents’.

I didn’t know being a talking-head on Fox News got you special access to CIA files.

But regardless – he had glowing praise for the north of Iraq, with the Kurds. How he illustrated the development there?

“There’s an internet cafe on every street corner and rock music was blaring from the mosque speakers.”

But he lamented over the lack of any McDonalds in Iraq. The first thing he reportedly did after entering Kuwait after Iraq? Eating a cheeseburger at a McDonalds.

The College Republicans had a good laugh at this.

I found it a bit less hysterical.

I found it rather telling of what Iraq will look like in five years.

An internet cafe on one corner, a McDonalds on the next, and rock music blaring from the mosque speakers.

Currently Listening To: Blondie — No Exit