BillN's Comments (1898)

“Blackwater mercenaries are neither American soldiers or CIA officers.

They were hired guns paid by the US State Department to provide security for diplomats. Paid much better than any American soldier, I might add. For the money, I would expect them to act professionally, and do the job we paid them to do.

Who were they "protecting" while firing indiscriminately into a crowd of civilians?

I know it's inconvenient for you to hear this, but "lefties" also serve in the military (probably moreso than the "righties), and "leftie" families also lost loved ones in the Iraq war. But you choose to politicize a situation where laws (International laws, Iraqi laws, laws governed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Geneva Conventions and US justice system) were clearly violated.

Your attempt to be an apologist for warmongers and murderers is pretty pathetic.”

“I wonder how many Iraqi witnesses were interviewed before the judge made his "decision."

Extradite these creeps.”

“The Blackwater goons violated Iraqi law, in Iraq (a sovereign country) by killing Iraqi civilians. Saddam killed Iraqi civilians, was tried under Iraqi law, and put to death... even as a former head of state.

Why should these guys get special treatment?

By your logic, extradition to the Iraqi justice system is warranted here. With Iraq now being a new democracy (thanks to the U.S. invasion), this should be no problem.

They should get a fair trial, right?”

“I bet you are very disappointed with the New Zealand Health System - given the fact that they provide such socially-unacceptable services like providing free dental care for all children up to the age of 18 years. How revolting.

How well do the death panels work in New Zealand?

Of course, I say this tongue-in-cheek.

Honestly, we are very envious of every other country in the world who has a better health insurance system than what we have here in the U.S.... and that includes Cuba.

Posts like yours, from any of those countries where nationalized health care works, are very valuable as they contradict all of the negative, manufactured propaganda flying around here from the opposition conservatives. These are the people (well-funded by corporations) who would rather see us all simply go away barefoot with our bowl of gruel.”

“Nexium - one year supply from a pharmacist in the U.S.: $400.00

Nexium - one year supply imported from a pharmacist in Canada: $40.00

Numbers are approximations, but I think you get my drift.

Sorry if the facts confuse you, as I'm sure you want this kind of corporate-controlled disparity to continue unabated... right?”

“Those who can't afford health insurance have no access to health care... other than the emergency room. Hopefully that provides some perspective.”

“Airport confusion = distracted security personnel.”

“Nice to know our president has a heart and didn't give the injured child the "Katrina treatment." After all, human compassion is more important than a golf game.”

“You're painting everyone in the region with the same brush - which shows your lack of knowledge of the area and its cultures.

Don't forget - Israel sits right in the middle of it all, as does Turkey, Jordan, and thousands of US troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Qatar, and a number of other places.

Be careful what you wish for.

Besides, where would you get the fuel for your SUV?”

“I don't think they make a kevlar helmet big enough for his head. But I agree - he should be in a uniform and first on the beach if he's so gung-ho to get us into another war.”

“None. They outsource it to Halliburton, then send the bill to our grandkids.”

“Despite total GOP obstruction, I think he's accomplished a lot in his first year as president. But, as you say, imagine how much he COULD have accomplished if he didn't have to fight his way through the legislative process - even against members of his own party.”

“Why did Barbara Boxer and Bill Clinton support him for re-election in 2006? Therein lies the problem. Too many Democratic friends giving him cover.”

“The Democratic leaders could stomp the GOP into a greasy spot on the floor anytime they wanted to. They just don't have the brass to do it. They want to "make nice", naively believing that the GOP will eventually come around. All the Democrats need to do is a bit of homework to see what the GOP, their corporate overlords, and their media shills have arrayed against them. Hopefully they will wake up from their coma.

You fight fire with fire.. or at the very least, use the exact same tactics on them that they used on Democrats for eight years.

Then remind the GOP that their "Contract with America" didn't work, and resulted in the worst financial disaster since the Great Depression.”

“Guess it's time for some recess appointments. Isn't that how the republicans handled it? Sometimes the only way to deal with obstructionists is to knock 'em on their @$$es.”

“How refreshing. A DHS secretary that admits a flaw in the security apparatus instead of trying to cover it up for political purposes.

You have to admit there is a problem before you can fix it.”

“Except EVERYBODY gets screened 17 times before stepping on an El Al flight - not just people with middle eastern names.”

“I seem to remember a millennium bombing of LAX airport being prevented under the Clinton administration, as well as the capture and conviction of the terrorists responsible for the first World Trade Center attack.

I also seem to remember George W. Bush receiving a Presidential Daily Briefing in August, 2001 warning him directly of an impending attack... a briefing which he chose to ignore (probably had to take some vacation time clearing brush on the ranch).

Of course, when right-wing "convenient amnesia" sets in, these things miraculously fade away into memories too distant to recall.

More Americans died as a result of terrorism under George W. Bush than during any other administration in our history. Add to that the thousands of American troops who were killed and/or maimed in Iraq - which had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. I hope the American people remember THAT at election time. I believe they will.

I, for one, will not let them forget it.”

“Read and learn.

http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/terrorism/usreid1002ind.pdf

http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/868.pdf

Please note the year, and who was president at the time.

Torture doesn't work under any circumstances... and it opens that option up to our enemies when OUR troops are captured.

You DO support the troops, don't you?”

“How about explosive-sniffing scanners instead? The technology is available.

Here's a thought. They could be American-made, and even create jobs here in America!”

“The airport security system failed? You mean the same airport security system the Obama administration inherited from the previous republican administration that set it all up to begin with?

Should Mrs. Napolitano have "beefed up" this security system? That implies that it was BROKEN when the Obama administration inherited it.

My God, I thought we were SAFE under the republicans. Guess I was wrong.

Now we know that all of the republican reassurances were (once again) a politically-motivated LIE.

Once again the Democrats will have the task before them of cleaning up yet another republican mess.

To top it all off, now all of the pathetic republican armchair quarterbacks are blathering on TV about Obama "not moving fast enough", implying he is indecisive on terrorism. To them, I can only say this. Eight and a half years later, we are still waiting for the capture of Osama Bin Laden. If we can wait that long, then they can wait a couple of days for an intelligent decision - not a Bush style knee-jerk reaction.

Cheney should be showing his smug face on Fox News any minute now.... three... two... one...”

“You're right - having nothing at all would be worse than anything. Most people don't realize that when Social Security first passed in 1935, that only widows and orphans were eligible for benefits. It didn't even cover retirees like it does today. Medicare and Medicaid - likewise, only covered limited expenses like hospitalization for a very narrow group of people.

I say let's get this thing on the books and into law first. Then we can enhance it once we discover that the private insurers are still up to their old tricks (which we undoubtedly will).”

“It ain't over yet.”

“As was already stated, most Americans don't support this bill IN ITS CURRENT FORM (without the public option) because it's business as usual with the health insurers and their profit motive. Prior to the removal of the public option, it was a different story.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902451.html

I doubt these same people would support repeal, so I would say to the GOP - go for it. It's their funeral.

If you really want to make it a fair fight, then let's put it to a national referendum. Those numbers don't lie.

Assuming your assumptions about how things are supposed to work are correct (based on the rule of law), then even if only 40% of Americans want this bill to pass, where are the 40% of republicans who are representing those constituencies, if they are expected to listen to the will of the people? Ten republicans? One republican?

These excuses don't fly anymore.”

“While we're at it Senator McConnell, let's consider repealing the health insurance and pharmaceutical giveaways instituted by the Bush administration - namely "Medicare" Parts B and D. Perhaps the pasty-white, overweight Medicare recipient retirees who showed up at all of the townhall meetings and teabagger conventions barking like hyenas, will start to see the value of a public option when their coverage is no longer available.

Despite the deliberately misleading name, these plans ("Medicare Advantage", etc.) are PRIVATE insurance plans with taxpayer subsidies - most of which are paid for with deductions out of your paycheck... but you don't see the wingnuts going ballistic over that. There are still premiums to be paid to the private insurers, even though reduced by these subsidies.

There is no one on the right who can explain the difference between these plans, and the health care reform we are trying to get passed for the rest of Americans. No one. But you can bet that when it DOES pass, they will be the first hogs to show up at the trough.”