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Obama's Speech By The Words: Low On Democracy, Heavy On Security
Commented Dec 02, 2009 at 10:28:39 in Politics
“I was a terrible cynic in the Viet Nam debacle. I always thought that war would never be stopped by marching in the streets, even if you had millions of people out there. The war would stop when stopping the war made enough money for the right people. That is what happened. When Obama got elected after two fixed elections I thought there was a good chance he was inserted into the White House as a sharp contrast to Georgie Boy. I read The Prince and it seems to me no group gains power by nefarious means and then gives it back. Not absolute power via the Patriot Acts and massive wealth via the U.S. Treasury. You don't give that up. So Obama should be a ringer who will make wonderful speeches and smooth over some of the rough spots of the Party Platform, but he will not actually DO those campaign promises: repeal discrimination against gays and lesbians, end the illegal War on Terror, regulate the money industry and give us our right to health care. He will do none of these things because his purpose is to put a prettier face and a more eloquent voice on the Federal Figurehead, aka the President. The Party has spoken. "Look, we got you a black President! Don't you feel better?" I would rather have a green President who Progressed our nation into the 21st century with liberty and justice for all.”
Obama's Speech By The Words: Low On Democracy, Heavy On Security
Commented Dec 02, 2009 at 10:13:30 in Politics
“Every President wants to play toy soldier. Even Reagan invaded Grenada. They seem to want to pick an easy target, like when your intelligence tells you the sanctions have bleed the enemy dry, their guns are painted sticks and their air force is an old Cesna 175. But we have already shown we can bomb people all day and night and never win the hearts of the survivors to our Holy Cause: the increasing wealth of the already wealthy.
The system is exactly the same as it always was because the people who could change it are afraid, and rightly so, of a huge standing army and a corrupt government. You remember after 9/11 how Bush came on TV and said, "Don't be afraid to go out and shop."? Well if Obama says words to that effect we will know for sure that the Revolution is over and the People lost. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush will never see prison, will they? All those innocent souls lost by our bombs and bullets will never know peace.”
The system is exactly the same as it always was because the people who could change it are afraid, and rightly so, of a huge standing army and a corrupt government. You remember after 9/11 how Bush came on TV and said, "Don't be afraid to go out and shop."? Well if Obama says words to that effect we will know for sure that the Revolution is over and the People lost. Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Bush will never see prison, will they? All those innocent souls lost by our bombs and bullets will never know peace.”
Selena Jacobs replied on Dec 02, 2009 at 11:33:46
“You are right about Presidents wanting war. War keeps the people in a spin, unable to think of the plundering that is robbing them of their right to live a decent life. I wonder how long it will take for this house of cards to collapse? Because, in the end, it will collapse.”
Palin's Latest Rogue Gaffe
Commented Dec 01, 2009 at 06:12:05 in Books
“It's "rabble rousing" actually, but your point is well made. If we could convince her to become a Catholic and then run for Pope she could end up in Rome amusing the Italians! What a great idea, maybe Sarah thought of it and I read her mind.”
webwriter replied on Dec 01, 2009 at 13:24:42
“Please, don't foist SP on us Catholics -- we have enough of our own troubles!”
tiredofit10 replied on Dec 01, 2009 at 08:07:09
“I can't speak for TessinTX but I think "rebel rousing" is very appropriate.”
The Republican Way: Keeping Everything The Way It Is
Commented Nov 25, 2009 at 06:46:20 in Politics
“Action? From American pols? As in off their butts and into the streets with candles and gas masks to face the security police? Take a risk for freedom and democracy when there's a great Dancing for the Stars on tonight? No, I think Americans are gleefully ignorant, proudly illiterate and happily enslaved by their corporate masters. The Sec of Education gave a talk recently in which the point of our education system was made: create happy workers. I kid you not! Not future CEOs, not President or Senator. Our children are being taught to be happy workers. Does anything piss American parents off except a commercial during their favorite reality show? We are being domesticated! Geez I wish exclamation points made my voice louder... it's real, it's dangerous and it's an American President who is owned by the Party, who works for Halliburton and Blackwater but never for we the people. Hit the streets or drink the koolaid, there are but two choices coming.”
"Daily Show" To Blame For Newsweek Reporter's Imprisonment In Iran?
Commented Nov 24, 2009 at 06:18:53 in Media
“Friend, go back and read the Patriot Acts 1 and 2. In this country we do allow them that kind of power. The President can lock up anybody at any time for as long as he or she wishes, without charges, without contact with friends and family, all on the whim of the President. These "Laws" have not been canceled by our government... yet(?) Obama still insists that Habeas Corpus is a gift from the government, not a basic human right. We still live in a police state. He may be our first African American President, but he's still a professional politician and he has kept all of Bush's illegal powers.”
"Daily Show" To Blame For Newsweek Reporter's Imprisonment In Iran?
Commented Nov 24, 2009 at 06:12:17 in Media
“I must say that by and large people with broad intelligence and an interest in literature tend to be appreciative of humor, satire, irony, whereas people of limited education, narrow mindedness and perhaps even ignorance tend not to appreciate humor which is not base and pie-in-the-face simple. So, whereas you say you don't believe they are stupid I would disagree and make the point that their inability to understand satire demonstrates their stupidity and ignorance. In our country in the 60's there was a fuss made by Christians over a poster showing Yeshua laughing. He wasn't hung and bleeding from a cross, he was laughing out loud. The Puritans didn't get it. I suppose if somebody had a poster of Mohammad laughing out loud they would be targets for suicide bombers.”
Obama Must Dump The Bums In Treasury, End The Wars And Start Leading
Commented Nov 21, 2009 at 21:39:59 in Politics
“Depends on the nature of the test. I have taken tests where a group was given an question to solve. In that case you certainly would ask your neighbors for help.”
Meltdown: Images of What We Lose When the Glaciers Disappear
Commented Nov 20, 2009 at 15:11:03 in Green
“Well, people who live near the Atlantic shore will have to move to higher ground. Think Florida, 2/3 under the ocean. Would you suggest they learn to swim in their living rooms? Or move to higher ground. They should move to higher ground. You know who else? the American government sits at or near sea level, and if we get a 12' rise in water we lose the Capitol and many of our monuments end up as islands. We should move Washington DC to someplace sensible like Benson Missouri.”
Pillar-of-Autumn replied on Nov 20, 2009 at 15:44:10
“Then the Mormons would win!”
Meltdown: Images of What We Lose When the Glaciers Disappear
Commented Nov 20, 2009 at 15:05:58 in Green
“Your numbers may be good but incomplete. For instance you could describe how many calories it takes to boil a pot of water, but how many does it take when the water is already at 99 degrees? Not so many... Now try to understand that there are many gases in the atmosphere besides CO2, and many of them also tend to hold in heat. Add all those gases up, melt the ice caps, add the pure water to the salty oceans, changing them to less salty and therefor acting differently, flowing at different depths... the caps are darker because they aren't covered with ice so they reflect less heat back... and recall that many countries can't have as much agriculture because the weather is more chaotic and less predictable so the people drive cars in the city to their factory jobs even tho their fathers were farmers. It's very complex, much more than taking somebody's figures on gases in the air and crunching them in a simple formula x-y. What we are getting is more and more energy in the atmosphere creating wild swings of weather plus a slow creep of warmer weather here and there and more cold weather other places. How about this: Siberia becomes a wheat field, Florida disappears under the waves, New York's subways and utilities flood while 2/3 of America get a drought that lasts centuries and Europe gets even colder and wetter, and Africa becomes a dry, dead, continent.”
Palin Confuses Iraq And Iran In Hannity Interview (VIDEO)
Commented Nov 20, 2009 at 06:29:25 in Politics
“Son, you need to look around you, or maybe better move to a better place. There are "hot" women everywhere and many of them, an alarming number are very smart as well as very hot. Nora Jones comes to mind, Angeline Jolie is certainly no dummy... Sarah is not that hot, unless you compare her with Nancy Pelosi, who looks like she and Cheri O'Terri were conjoined twins separated at birth. Seriously, sex appeal should include conversation at some point and could you imagine trying to talk to Sarah and keep a straight face?”
Palin Confuses Iraq And Iran In Hannity Interview (VIDEO)
Commented Nov 20, 2009 at 06:24:51 in Politics
“Just sit down and count how many big names in the GOP can be counted on to say something so wrong, so stupid, that you shake your heads with disbelief. I think that's why Frankin had to run: if politics is so damn funny comedians should run the country. I agree. I found myself debating evolution with a right wing nut, trying to explain that all animals change with their environment over time. I tried to explain that, for instance, poodles look nothing like wolves. Humans have diverse populations, many of which look like they are not related. Let's compare a nordic example with blond hair, blue eyes, six two and pale skin to an Australian native, dark brown skin, brown eyes, black curly hair, five two... they look like they came from two evolutionary lines but people just changed their appearance over a few hundred thousand years. Someday the idiots on the right will look so different from liberals on the left it will be impossible for Liberman to pretend to be a Democrat!”
David Brooks: Palin's A 'Joke,' A 'Potential Talk Show Host' (VIDEO)
Commented Nov 16, 2009 at 06:29:27 in Politics
“Free pot? Somebody say free pot?”
The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue
Commented Nov 15, 2009 at 09:32:38 in Books
“Sarah didn't want to be VP. Like everyone with two working eyes she saw McCain was fading fast. She wanted the White House! AND all those unlimited powers Congress gave George Bush: the ability to do anything anywhere to anyone in the world if the President says so. In a historical sense this is called converting a Republic into a rotating dictatorship. Very typical of a fading empire. Sarah herself is also very typical, not unlike Caligula in Rome. If she had the WH we would see concentration camps for queers, forced religious conversion and school books being replaced by her book and the Bible. Yes, I believe she is capable of great evil. Instead of laughing at her we should fear her and her followers.”
The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue
Commented Nov 15, 2009 at 09:25:06 in Books
“You sad, ignorant puppet. George Bush tripled the debt, Obama inherited the debt. George sent us into two wars at once, borrowing from the Chinese like a drunk at happy hour... actually exactly like a drunk with a new credit card. It was George who abandoned New Orleans, George who sent men into battle without adequate armor and weapons. George bankrupted America and now Obama is simply trying to mop up the blood. Sarah is a lying fool who sees a way to make a pile of money by doing exactly what she does best: NOTHING BUT SPEAKING LIES. I just cannot understand how you can listen to drivel, incomprehensible prattle and see intellect there! She has no concept what the world looks like, where the countries are, what cultures exist outside Alaska. But she is greedy and has always managed to show some skin and get her way, you becha. Well I am not impressed by a stupid broad speaking a mashup of the English language, especially when rich men want to put her in power. It stinks like a 3 day old dead moose.”
madcat007 replied on Nov 15, 2009 at 21:14:23
“I love your post! By this time next week, her entire book will be debunked as lie after lie after lie. Conservatives love her because they find her attractive. Her gaffe filled existence didn't make them flinch even once. Our side is quite a bit more evolved. A few years ago there was a movie entitled "Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen". Thankfully last November, life didn't imitate art!”
The First Ten Lies from Going Rogue
Commented Nov 15, 2009 at 09:16:01 in Books
“I refer you to the essays of Mussolini in which he explains "fascism" and points out that it should be called "corporatism" because it consists of a merging of big government with corporations and then he combines this with religious zeal. Big religion, big business, big government: exactly what the Republicans are promoting. They claim to want small to no government but when you examine their literature you find that they simply reassign governmental functions to corporations. That's why there are/were more mercenaries in Iraq than American troops. Halliburton thugs had better armor than the Army. Now please note that the Democrats are also all for Corporatism, as long as we don't call it Fascism. Thus it is that we live in a country run by fascists, only fascists and only one political Party. Freaking great.”
isaidit replied on Nov 15, 2009 at 18:19:01
“Well said. And duly fanned. I cannot avert my eyes from the fact that the two party systerm is more about promoting an illusion of choice rather than substantive policy differences. There are differences, no doubt, but they are more trivial than people allow themselves to acknowledge.”
SomaMinneapolis replied on Nov 15, 2009 at 13:49:50
“Paraphrasing Upton Sinclair "Fascism is Capitalism with teeth." I saw that on a tee shirt many years ago.”
Sean Hannity's Act of Neo-Contrition
Commented Nov 13, 2009 at 06:33:42 in Media
“How hard would it be to require "news" shows that advertise themselves as broadcasting actual news but actually put out lies and distortions of reality to have large disclaimers at the beginning of the show and at the beginning of segments following commercials that the show is not reality, but political satire or propaganda (call it what it is)? Free speech is not free. If you are lying about the President you threaten national security and under the Patriot Acts Obama has unlimited power to do anything to anybody anywhere to fight terrorism and keep America safe (strike up the band). Use those powers to keep America safe from lying jerks who keep insulting our intelligence. Stewart has actually been, by and large, far more a news show than Hannity and Beck and he calls it a comedy show. Force them to actually label their lies as such, or get off the air, which as I understand the FCC's powers belongs to the government now. With all due respect to our darker brethren, call a spade a spade!”
The Delusions of Alessandra Stanley
Commented Nov 11, 2009 at 06:56:56 in Media
“I miss Jennings and Cronkite both, and most of all I miss the news. The infotainment we get now is not the news. Now to get the news I have to get online, read several international newspapers and HuffPost, McClatchy, Znet etc etc just to be sure I'm not being fed bullpoop and lies. I didn't used to scream at the news, Cronkite made the room go silent as we listened. The news made sense when those men said it.”
studioh! replied on Nov 11, 2009 at 17:11:59
“You can still get quality journalism at PBS - the Newshour is as "fair and balanced" as it comes...”
Leadership, Obama Style
Commented Nov 02, 2009 at 15:08:26 in Politics
“Error of his ways? No, not when he's the President of the United States! It ain't "his" way any more, not for four years. It's all of us in the same basket and this very nice man is skipping through the forest on his way to Grandma's house. This is not good. A large number of wealthy, well placed neo-nazi types are using the Party to destroy a Presidency. They even have said it out loud on TV and in print, and he still wants to ask them for directions. No, he's not worthy of the position we find him in. He might make a good cabinet member. BUT we also need to recall that they only allow us two political parties, two candidates now and the other people we could have chosen were actually far worse than Obama in so many ways. One word: Liberman. he's not the only traitor in America.”
Police: People Watched Gang Rape Of Teen And Did Nothing To Help
Commented Oct 31, 2009 at 08:06:03 in Home
“Yeah I been busted on this one... the early cell phones clearly had all nine numbers and a zero, but the system that took care of those phones did not connect to the local 911 emergency system. Dialing 911 did not connect you with your local police. For instance my daughter lives in NYC and bought her phone locally. Dialing 911 would carry with it the area code of the number assigned to the phone. Thus if she dialed 911 in her home town the police would get her number as having a NYC area code and not know where the call came from. It seems this is no longer a problem. But the folks who let the little drunk girl get gang raped wouldn't have told a cop if they met one a few feet away. Americans are mostly cowards.”
A New Wrinkle in the JFK Assassination Story
Commented Oct 31, 2009 at 07:57:26 in Books
“"responsibility is in God's hands." You mean you think God killed Kennedy? I mean that is a huge cop-out! In theory every single conspiracy in history is God's responsibility, as is the Universe and life and light.... But your first sentence presents a major premise with no evidence to back it up. Were it "certainly evident" there would be no discussion today. "Only the government bureaucracy..." the single most inefficient way to get anything done: a committee. And you think that method kept a valuable secret all these years. No conspirator in America would pass up a million dollar book deal with Oprah if they had any evidence! Hell, they would make evidence up! Which they have, many times and it all falls apart. I guess you people just have never known a real psychotic. Oswald was psychotic. That's all it took. One psychotic, one rifle and a handful of bullets. Oh, and a President who thought he could deflect bullets with a smile, thus eliminating being careful.”
A New Wrinkle in the JFK Assassination Story
Commented Oct 31, 2009 at 07:48:56 in Books
“"with no apparent motive..." ummm you don't think some extreme thinking newspaper-clipping fruitcake might not want to kill somebody important in order to bring meaning to their sad little lives? Maybe they felt betrayed, even persecuted. If Oswald had a gang of true believers he might have robbed banks like Patty Hearst instead of going after the President. Look at our situation today: and entire political party is willing to destroy America in order to bring down a Presidency and take over power. Who could believe that Lincoln's party would spread lies, stir up hatred against our President and risk assassination attempts just to seize power for a few years? Unless they plan to kill Obama and then suspend elections for a few generations to protect the voters.....bring in Cheney....”
Quinny replied on Nov 03, 2009 at 03:48:18
“If Oswald did it, why didn't he bask in the glory of his great
accomplishment and proclaim to all the world his guilt?
Let's see...what did he say again?
"I'm just a patsy."
Lee Harvey Oswald
We all are Lee..we all are.
Johnny we hardly knew ye...”
accomplishment and proclaim to all the world his guilt?
Let's see...what did he say again?
"I'm just a patsy."
Lee Harvey Oswald
We all are Lee..we all are.
Johnny we hardly knew ye...”
NikkiT replied on Oct 31, 2009 at 11:52:44
“no. i don't believe that there were 2 lone gunman that took out the Kennedy brothers 4 years apart. Oswald was certainly part of something bigger (that's why Ruby was shot) and Sirhan was too in my opinion. It was all about getting Nixon into the whitehouse so the Bush clan could do whatever it was they did during those days in the CIA.”
A New Wrinkle in the JFK Assassination Story
Commented Oct 31, 2009 at 07:40:53 in Books
“Chopin, I really like your music but your logic is "funny". There must be a major premise I'm missing. Looks like you're saying it's impossible to be in a powerful position without making enemies. But the "has no reasons..." I can't follow. If you can't make powerful enemies you shouldn't be president? But what if a person wants to be president to serve the people, all the people, and that is their reason for wanting the WH, enemies have nothing to do with it? It just sounds like you're suggesting people run in order to have those powerful enemies, and I can't get my head around that.”
Chopin replied on Oct 31, 2009 at 14:37:21
“You have a point. Maybe my explanation was not too clear.
Being President of a large country with powerful competing interests is about the exercise of power --- the power to change things, to butt heads against VERY VERY entrenched money interests, or cultural attitudes, who want to make things fit their own PRIVATE agenda, at whatever the costs to the public.
Take for example what's happening today. Can you imagine if President Obama is determined to serve interests of the vast majority of American people, to muscle through a strong public option or single-payer national healthcare system (that logically would deprive the insurance cartel of literally trillion dollars worth of long-term profits that are being syphoned out of the public sector into private hands) would not make deadly mortal enemies? That's just one example.
All powerful presidents are keenly aware that they are mortal. But to carry out a people's mandate to defend and promote the public interests against powerful determined private interests would inevitably focus that courageous struggle within the mind, heart and soul of one man (or one woman someday). Powerful enemies come with the territory.
A president more oftentimes than not have to decide in the deepest part of his being whether to go with the flow and let powerful forces shape him, or to go against the flow of powerful forces to shape history. That's what it's all about.”
Being President of a large country with powerful competing interests is about the exercise of power --- the power to change things, to butt heads against VERY VERY entrenched money interests, or cultural attitudes, who want to make things fit their own PRIVATE agenda, at whatever the costs to the public.
Take for example what's happening today. Can you imagine if President Obama is determined to serve interests of the vast majority of American people, to muscle through a strong public option or single-payer national healthcare system (that logically would deprive the insurance cartel of literally trillion dollars worth of long-term profits that are being syphoned out of the public sector into private hands) would not make deadly mortal enemies? That's just one example.
All powerful presidents are keenly aware that they are mortal. But to carry out a people's mandate to defend and promote the public interests against powerful determined private interests would inevitably focus that courageous struggle within the mind, heart and soul of one man (or one woman someday). Powerful enemies come with the territory.
A president more oftentimes than not have to decide in the deepest part of his being whether to go with the flow and let powerful forces shape him, or to go against the flow of powerful forces to shape history. That's what it's all about.”
Frank Says "Too Big To Fail" Bill Will Be Changed
Commented Oct 30, 2009 at 06:33:30 in Business
“No doubt the middle class businessmen in Medieval European cities were just as surprised and angry to find that the city fathers had left during the night with all the gold in the city treasury. It's not the first time in history a country was gutted by greedy nobility, not even the first time it's happened to us. As long as we are willing to look forward, never looking back... and never prosecuting the criminals, we can expect this to happen on a regular basis, any time we have goods to steal.”
CNN Falls To Last Place In Primetime Demo
Commented Oct 29, 2009 at 16:52:25 in Media
“Absolutely. Nothing is all this or that. Through the last 60 years or so I've seen many wonderful things on that box, Ernie Kovacs stands out, but lately, like Cronkite and others, I feel the overall quality has dropped significantly, even precipitously, to an average level of pre-pubescent brats. The subtle cultural messages are: disdain for any kind of authority or regulation except where it adds to the wealth of the wealthy. We are encouraged on every channel, on every day, the strident message of "consume, discard" and the lack of ethics, of cohesion, logic or empathy that is thrust upon us will in time mark enough of us that we become a 21st century sit-com. And the world laughs at us. They can handle running a country without going to war every four years. They can do that and offer health care and public education. We are told it's impossible. Yet television has educated all of us to spend more than we can possibly make and then plead the 5th. or something. we are not shown by example to live sustainably, even to the point of keeping our minds healthy.”
Police: People Watched Gang Rape Of Teen And Did Nothing To Help
Commented Oct 27, 2009 at 23:14:31 in Home
“It's all part of the domestication of the American consumer. Strip them of their humanity. Subject them to hours of pure crap as entertainment. Pull every ounce of empathy from their marrow by sending them movies filled with blood and fire. Vampires, yay! Young men in fast cars and young girls who put out instantly. And you continue to vote for your party candidate and expect them to change things for the better. Why should they make us more civilized? We are easier to control when all we think about is sex and violence, buying, eating and crapping on the Earth. Half the idiots in this forum can't even spell simple one syllable words. Pathetic.”
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