Falling for Fallacies

Over at View From the Right, commenter Tom S. really displays his ignorance, and his ability to fall for neocon fallacies. Assuming that he is "tommy," he also makes an ass of himself at Rnadall Parker's site.

Now, I agree with both Lawrence Auster and Randall Parker that it would be folly to let Iraqi refugees come into the U.S. We'd be inundated with unassimilable Arabs of various stripes (and perhaps a few Kurds) who would likely bring a lot of their resentments and rivalries with them.

But Tom, however, needs to get in little digs to emphasize how pure U.S. motives were and how much the entire problem was in the Iraqis for not living up to our goodness.

The Iraqis had every chance to make a better life for themselves. We've spent billions on them. All the major factions in Iraq have chosen to fight with one another.

The U.S. did not destroy Iraq, the Iraqis did. The U.S. got rid of a monsterous tyrant, poured billions of dollars of aid into the country, and gave the Iraqi people every opportunity to build a peaceful, prosperous society--and they decided that their ancient ethnic and religious hatreds came first, and proceeded to rip their "country" to pieces.

Apparently we had no obligation to learn the culture of the country we were invading and to base our plans on who the Iraqis actually were. No, we should assume that they are New Hampshire-ites, and then when they're not, put all the blame for our ignorance and the resulting mishandling on them for not being whom we wanted them to be.

Then he hits us with this gem:

Besides, haven't people like Bacevich been telling us that if we pull out of Iraq, Al Quaeda WON'T take over? If this is true, why should there be any refugees at all?

WHAT THE HELL?

IS THIS GUY STUPID ENOUGH TO THINK THAT AL QAEDA IS THE ONLY FORCE CAPABLE OF MAKING IRAQIS LIVES MISERABLE?

Is he stupid enough to think that for there to be a threat to Iraqis that would compel them to leave there would necessarily need to be somethign that would threaten the U.S.? Or does he just lump in all Muslims who behave badly as part of Al Qaeda?

Some assertions are so stupid that they need to be answered. These were two of them.

That is all.