"If you were going to be locked in a room with one person and that person were going to be armed, would you rather it be George Bush, or one of the men who killed your son?"

Why bother? No question or laundry list of logic will change the man's mind. He hates Bush. He hates Republicans. The hate he feels is the same hate those who killed his son feel. It doesn't surprise me that he identifies with them.

If a question was given to me, I guess it would be somewhere along the lines of "Do you realize that by stating that Bush is more evil than those who killed your son that most people label you a Grade-A assclown? That when you make such asinine statements, nobody will listen to you and that you are doing more harm to your cause than good? Do you also realize how you belittle your son's tragic death with cheap political potshots?"

Then I'd kick him in the groin , just in case he wasn't paying enough attention.

But seriously, regardless of the question, the man already has his mind made up and will move goalposts accordingly.

Certainly, but the appropriate question might be helpful in pointing this out.

The one I'd most like to ask (that isn't particularly polite) is: "How long do you intend on using the death of your son to advance your political agenda?"

The one I was actually ask him would be, "If you have evidence that the President intentionally defrauded the UNited States and entered into a conspiracy with other nations around the world and the UN in order to invade Iraq, when will you attempt to bring charges against him?"

"It's obvious from your remarks that you think the American response to 9/11 was the wrong thing to do. What would you have done instead, if it'd been up to you?"

"If you had Zarqawi at your mercy right now, what would you do?"

It's a little along the lines of the 1988 Kitty Dukakis rape question, but I would like to see his answer.

That one's not bad - not bad at ALL!

Jeff, I can answer that one. He wanted us to bend over and take a few more. From his comments in al-Guardian, we should have given up. We should have spent the money we used in attacking Al Queso to fund a study to find out why they hate us so much and then use that knowledge to repair all the world's problems.

Plus, he would have had GWB tried for war crimes (preemptively) and made conservatism illegal.

"How did your son feel about Zen Buddhism?"

"BECAUSE I CAN'T ASK HIM, YOU GOD-DAMNED APOLOGIST!"

Err... both the quoted text would have been coming from me, with his response in the middle.

Were your views of America and the "War On Terrorism" any different before your son was murdered?

"Why did you let your son go to Iraq?"

"Did your son share your same views and if so, why did he go to Iraq?"

"You think that it is immoral for the United States military to be in Iraq. Do you also think that your son was immoral for having gone to Iraq as well?"

From the man you're busy trashing:

"So what were we to do when we in America were attacked on September 11, that infamous day? I say we should have done then what we never did before: stop speaking to the people we labeled our enemies and start listening to them. Stop giving preconditions to our peaceful coexistence on this small planet, and start honoring and respecting every human's need to live free and autonomously, to truly respect the sovereignty of every state. To stop making up rules by which others must live and then separate rules for ourselves."

mr. berg, after raising your son in the liberal traidition of non-violence only to watch him sit passively by as 5 asshat terrorists cut off his head, how can you begin to espouse this course of behavior to other mothers and fathers in the US?

Damon,

I'm not busy at all, it's actually only a bit of my time. And what kind of horseshit answer is that? Hey, you just murdered 3,000 innocents! Boy, that got our attention, now how can we help you?

Don't be an ass. He dishonors the memory of his son by imparting a sense of nobility to the psychotic murderers that hacked the kid's head off. He regarded them as human beings of greater virtue than Bush - I don't care if you dislike Bush, or even hate him, the comparison is obscene.

Damon, and while we're all busy holding hands and singing Kumbaya, the people who want to kill us would keep on doing it, with no change to their evil ways or lobbying methods. And as pointed out by the excellent Jeff Harrell:

"A successful act of terrorism isn't any one in which people die. It's one in which the status quo changes as a result of those deaths. If we make sweeping changes to our foreign policy that benefit those who carried out that attack against us, then the attack has been successful.

If Michael Berg had been in charge on the morning of 9/11, it would have been the most spectacularly successful act of terrorism ever perpetrated in the history of the world."

So sorry buddy. The point of 9-11 wasn't to kill a bunch of Americans, and it wasn't a bunch of misunderstood Joes acting out. The point was to bring about a change in either American policy or society, your pick. And Berg's response would play right into their hands.

And even though I'm sorry for Berg's loss, I'm not prepared to set into motion his prescription that would end up with my son growing up with a crescent-mooned jackboot in his face...assuming he's allowed to grow up at all.

When Zarqawi is captured, would you prefer he be sentenced to easy time and a short sentence due to your conclusion of the Presidents guilt for your sons death?

While only native-born U.S. citizens are eligible for the Presidency, I would like to pose a hypothetical:

If Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi were to replace John F. Kerry on the Democratic Presidential ticket for this November's election and if George W. Bush were the only other candidate on the ballot, for whom would you vote and why?

Mr. Berg, if your son is watching you from heaven, what do you think he wants you to say?

If the situation was reversed, what would have been his position?

Mr. Berg, you recently said: "So what were we to do when we in America were attacked on September 11, that infamous day? I say we should have done then what we never did before: stop speaking to the people we labeled our enemies and start listening to them. Stop giving preconditions to our peaceful coexistence on this small planet, and start honoring and respecting every human's need to live free and autonomously, to truly respect the sovereignty of every state. To stop making up rules by which others must live and then separate rules for ourselves."

In attempting to apply your logic to the kind of people that murdered 3,000 innocents on September, that filled several mass graves with several towns' worth of innocents in Iraq, that strap on explosive vests and enter Israel for the specific purpose of killing Jews (such as yourself), and who, in fact, cut off your son's head after reading a statement calling for a more zealous committment to jihad against the West (which in itself contradicts your belief in how peoples should behave towards one another), I find myself wondering: Are you familiar with the concept of irony?

1.Sir, you've said we should talk to them and find what they want.
If their only demand would be to behead your other son and rape your wife, would you acquiesce?
2. Are you actually a member of ANSWER, or did you put the sign up on your lawn on your own?
3. What kind of influence did your left-wing views have on your son's decision to go to Iraq to help a conservative administration's efforts?

Bill -

One of your readers, Jeff Harrell wrote:

"It's obvious from your remarks that you think the American response to 9/11 was the wrong thing to do. What would you have done instead, if it'd been up to you?"

I posted Mr. Berg's statement in reply. If that makes me an ass in your book then so be it.

I realized why you posted it, and that wasn't why I labeled you an ass; it was this:

"From the man you're busy trashing:"

If there isn't some connotation entrenched in your tone, I'm a monkey's uncle.

Would you rather see Saddam Hussein tried by Iraqis or at the Hague, and why?

If your son had been armed, do you think he could have prevented the terrorists from abducting him?

Do you think that the war in Iraq is largely based on racism, as the Marxist front group International ANSWER would have us believe?

In your opinion, does the state of Israel have the right to defend its own existence?

I know this is a little bit heartless, but after living in a moonbat household like that for so many years, I can see why Nick wanted to get out and do something in the world. We know he supported Bush. It's a perfect example of my entire generation. Our parents' generation rebelled against "the man" but now they are "the man." It's just gone in a cycle.

Bill-
If possible, you should set up a line of questions where you ask him the causes of several events and who we should blame, i.e:
- USS Cole - Yemeni Terrorists or Dumbass Sailors?
- Khobar - AQ or American foreign policy?
- WTC '93 - AQ or Amer. for. policy?...or Clinton?
- WTC '01 - AQ or Donald Rumsfeld?
It's all in line with him blaming Bush and Rummy for his son's death. I'm sure if you meet him in person, you could feel out his demeanor to see if you can do that. do a brain-terminal.com like interview...that's what we're talking about here, right?

Not necessarily, I may only get one or two questions.

I'll give you the monkey part, Bill.

Don't bullshit me Damon, your intent was as transparent as the wind blowing softly through your ears ...

How would you characterize the passion which inspired your son to travel to Iraq, and how do you honor the legacy of this passion?

Real One:

Mr Berg, your article in the Guardian contains these words:

"My son's work still goes on. Where there was one peacemaker before, I now see and have heard from thousands of peacemakers. Nick was a man who acted on his beliefs."

What "work" are you referring to?

Snide One:

How does it feel knowing that your son's death may lead to the reelection of George W. Bush?

Oooh, me likey. But don't expect it in any campaign commercials anytime soon. I think even Karl Rove has at least some respect for the dignity of human life when it comes to politics.

Bill, Damon was obviously unaware that I had already read Mr. Berg's answer to my own question, as you well know. (Thanks for the kind words, John.)

My point was that he didn't actually say what he would have done in the President's place. "We should start listening to them" is too vague. Specifics! If an invasion of Afghanistan is the wrong thing, what's the right thing? Establish an embassy in Kabul and send an ambassador to shore up relations with the Taliban? Establish diplomatic relations with Osama bin Laden himself? Or just start sending military aid to the Palestinian Authority?

If what the President did was wrong, what would have been right?

It's all part of this kick I've been on lately. Whenever somebody says anything negative about the administration or the war or what have you, I ask for an alternative suggestion instead. If X is bad, what would be good? If X is wrong, what would be right?

To date, nobody has given me an answer that doesn't involve some form of sitting in a circle and singing Kumbaya.

Aren't there any smart, resourceful, ambitious radical leftists? Aren't there any radical leftists with, you know, ideas? Or are they all just complaining?

(A chilling thought comes: maybe all the smart, resourceful, ambitious radical leftists are out there doing something instead of posting on their web sites. Note to self: join a campaign soonest.)

Serious: Have you read OBL's declaration of war, both in 1996, and 1998? Your reactions Mr. Berg....

No so serious: If an ass could wear a hat, what size would it be?

"Does the rest of your family share your feelings?"

Jeff,
I appreciate your thoughful call to the Left to think.

(A chilling thought comes: maybe all the smart, resourceful, ambitious radical leftists are out there doing something instead of posting on their web sites. Note to self: join a campaign soonest.)

Per your chilling thought ;-), I seriously fear action from the radical left.

Laughable as their misguided idealism is, whenever they had a chance to try out their ideas, millions have died. (See Cultural Revolution, Khmer Rouge, Soviet Union, etc.)

Thank God we have rule of law. I seriously believe that without it, "Peace rallys" would soon devolve to Krystalnacht.

Marc,
The ass is their hat. The source is what is unkown. Mr. Berg was last seen shopping in the Islamofascict department for headwear. Although, since we aren't at Rachel Lucas', and Mr. Berg seems to fit this mold a little better, we'll call him a moonbat...of the old school.