After losing three straight Congressional elections in districts that used to be solid Republican, the Grand Old Party is in chaos, fretting and worrying about its rapidly dimming prospects not only in the upcoming Presidential election but also in the House and Senate races.
Good. Republicans are finally getting what they have deserved for so long. We can only hope that the punishment is long, torturous and painful.
The fall of the Republican Party is long overdue. No group in this nation has done as much to destroy the foundations that once defined this country. No Islam-spouting terrorist has done as much damage to the Constitution, to our freedoms, to our heritage and to our future.
America’s long-painful march into oblivion started with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, a sad time that gave power to the rabid religious right and empowered the knee-jerk conservatives determined to drag this nation back into a Victorian stupor.
Reagan embraced Bible-thumping demagogues like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell – fundamentalists who twisted the words of the Bible and preached far more hate than a dozen Jeremiah Wrights.
When Republicans seized control of Congress in 1994, they saw the election not as a repudiation of Bill Clinton’s extremism – which it was – but as a mandate to impose their archaic views upon the world.
Then we got George W. Bush, the most corrupt, the most venal, the most anti-American President in the history of the United States. Bush and his right-wing cabal set about to finish what their partners-in-crime had started – the dismantling of the Constitution and the conversion of a Democratic Republic into a dictator-like fascist state.
Under Bush, America became an aggressor nation, invading a country that posed no threat to our freedoms and turning that country into a civil-war torn nightmare where more than 4,000 Americans have died along with hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
He stripped this nation of its dignity, turning it into a police state where freedom no longer exists and the Bill of Rights serves as toilet paper in the Oval Office bathroom.
Bush and his GOP cohorts destroyed a once-robust economy, turning the American middle-class into a homeless, foreclosed class while his fat cat friends profited from an illegal and immoral war.
And when the Republicans had a chance to embrace change, they turned instead to John McCain, an aging GOP chameleon who has trouble remembering his own name but is determined to keep America at war and the nation’s freedoms under siege.
Tom Davis, a Northern Virginia GOP Congressman and former head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, offers this analysis of the party’s prospects this November:
The political atmosphere facing House Republicans this November is the worst since Watergate and is far more toxic than the fall of 2006, when we lost 30 seats (and our majority) and came within a couple of percentage points of losing another 15 seats.
Call it a well-deserved case of good, old-fashioned karma comin’ round.
Of course, this is May and the election is still six months away. A lot can happen in 180 days. But most polls say the nation as a whole is sick and tired of the Grand Old Party.
Is Armageddon comes to Republicans, it couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of crooks, shysters, con-artists and thieves.
(Updated on May 19, 2008 to reflect a change in the headline)
76 thoughts on “Good riddance for the Grand Old Party”
Kent, there is a great movement taking us back into the world of capitalism only this time the government will not interfere. A lot if it was learned by Ron Paul years ago and can curently be found within the Von Mises Institute and writers like Gene Callahan and Henry Hazlitt.
I have ordered the “Corporation” from Netflix and will certainly see it. My mind is only closed when the government takes over the responsibilities that belong to the individuals or at least the state in which they live.
I believe Doug started this home page for people to bring in new ideas as he starts the subject that must be debated. We have many things to discuss and Socialism vs Capitalism is important to many Americans. We have morphed into a little of this and a little of that and we are simply getting weaker in our efforts.
This group is divided about health care and I am offended that it cannot be a choice. We need some hard core correction in our academics and the only way we can ask the government to do anything is for him/her to put it on the shoulders of the Governors. There is a movement coming through the House and Senate requesting that the bible be taught in highschools. This is not their authority but must come from the parents. The Democrats and Republicans think the voters are utterly stupid and the government must fill in religion but not a single word about academics. This pisses me off.
It could be that CHB no longer wants discussions and debates about the problems that we face. To keep asking the corrupt government to fix our problems may be the dumbest damn plan I ever heard.
The history of homosapiens starts when the brains began to use language and combine their problems with making decisions. We seem to be going backwards with language taking a bottom place in our schools and decision making means which party will fix our problems.
I’ve gone over all the agendas of the two-party system and find very little except handing our problem over to the government. Is it because we no long can handle this ourselves or we simply don’t give a damn?
“when we lose our Laissez Faire Capitalism, it will never be able to enter American politcs again.”
Laissez Faire Capitalism has not existed for a hundred years or more, and thank goodness for that. With Laissez Faire Capitalism you have poison in your food supply, unsafe automobiles, totally polluted waterways and air, unsafe electrical systems, unsafe working conditions and I could go on and on.
“I am not a part of any society but an individual who set my own standards and lived by them.”
Nonsense unless you live alone on an uninhabited island.
“The Dems, GOP, Shi-ite, Sunni are all cut from the same cloth and any individual who even talks about stepping out of the mold is criticized.”
The first two are political parties. The next two are branches of Islam, a religion.
“I am far more accepted at the Secular forums ”
Is CHB a religious forum?
“Do you have anything to offer or will you continue to criticize others?”
I would as the same of you.
“They are losers who will never be able to live without Socialism.”
Needless provocative invective.
I implore you to watch “The Corporation”. But you will not, as your mind is closed.
— Kent Shaw
Ted,
I am NOT advocating “socialism” or “capitalism”. There are people here who consider any money spent by government to be “socialism” — like Medicare or a possible single-payer health care system. These people seem to believe that our government is way to socialistic already; they are in fact advocates for Libertarianism which believes in NO government whatsoever and an ALL market driven and ONLY market driven financial and “governmental” system. As to whether my OPINION defines socialism I will leave that up to you. I am NOT advocating police, fire, rescue or any other current government services be provided throught the marketplace but that IS the advocacy of “libertarians” and other “anti-socialists”. I am merely pointing out that SOME “social” spending is necessary. There are people here who throw “socialism” around like its a dirty word and it is NOT.
As for the 18 billion tax dollars given to BIG OIL, it has been given in the form of TAX CREDITS which are way different from tax deductions. A tax credit is money in your pocket, lopped off your tax bill, and it is no different than if you had paid your taxes and the government has later issued you an “economic stimulus” check.
My argument boils down to this. These staunch “capitalists” are quite happy to receive government largesse when it bails out their asses, but when it comes time to pay for government services, many of which aided them in the acquisition of their profits, they are not so quick to share their wealth.
There are people here who praise to high heaven “our corporations” and I’m saying that corporations have done some good things but they do a LOT of things at the expense of others and do not expect to have to pay for their true costs of doing business. Clean air and water may be considered a RIGHT of the people owned in COMMON, hence the term “the commons”. If a corporation pollutes it should pay to clean up the pollution. A government agency that forces them to keep their enviromnemt clean is considered by some to be “socialism.” Well maybe it IS, but it is NECESSARY because no individual nor any corporation has the right to dump sewage or industrial chemicals into THE COMMONS.
The following paragraph from Think First, below, nicely and in a more articulate fashion, sums up my thoughts quite nicely:
“I am a convinced believer in the merits of free enterprise and an open market system but the same rules ought to apply to everyone and yes, even – the by many conservatives dreaded term – regulation is necessary. Socialism ought to have defined borders to prevent personal responsibility from falling to the wayside, on the other hand capitalist organizations and individuals need to be burdened with a hefty dose of social responsibility to keep the system from running out of kilter. Without rules any societal system we can devise is doomed due to inborn human foibles such as greed, lust for power and lack of responsibility. This is my view of our world and I do not want to impose it on anyone, I just would like to be able to voice it and be accepted for it. I think that is what freedom of expression is all about.”
— Kent Shaw
Kent:
Two generic definition of socialism:
noun: a political theory advocating state ownership of industry
noun: an economic system based on state ownership of capital
Your definition of socialism seems to be government in all its forms.
Government is not equivalent with socialism. Saying, for example, that the provision of necessary courts, police, civil defense, national defense are forms of socialism is in my opinion incorrect. Are you advocating seriously that police, fire, rescue services be provided strictly through the marketplace? National defense to be handled by some private company?
One last thing: What is this about “the 18 billion tax dollars recently given to ‘Big Oil’?” I must have missed that.
Ted
I wonder who will catch what you were really saying here…
“The Dems, GOP, Shi-ite, Sunni are all cut from the same cloth …”
Bro Skeet
“4. I shall consider no one other than myself to be bound by these conditions, either explicitly or implicitly.” … extract from your post.
Doug is a fair-minded person and has given you both a “shot across the bow” concerning this ongoing “pissing match” between yourself and Sandra Price.
I’ve posted many times to the effect of how I enjoy your erudition on so many subjects. : )
After a bit, this ongoing intellectual animosity between yourself and Sandra has become an anchor to CHB.
I don’t want to see either of you expulsed from his fine site because I enjoy both your commentary everso much! 🙂
With your above #4 “conditional” comment you seem to me as a being quite lawyerly and if so, no doubt a successful one that hails from Texas if I recall your roots correctly. ; )
This site is no place for a continuing exchange of personal animosity between any CHB posters as far as I’m concerned.
Hopefully we all have a common enemy upon which to focus; ie., planned “tyranny” against “we the people” not only of this nation, but “citizens of the earth” for all time and all places…!
Your friend in thought,
Carl Nemo **==
Duly noted, Mr. Thompson.
In order not to give her an opening, and to forestall any pretext on your part for claiming a personal exchange or so-called “pissing contest” is being conducted in violation of your stated policy, I shall, effective immediately, do the following:
1. I shall under no circumstances respond directly to any post she makes, either an original or a response to others, whether here, at RR, or at the blogs.
2. I shall under no circumstances make any direct inquiry of her on any matter whatsoever.
3. I shall neither ask nor expect you or any other moderator here or at any other CHB forum to intervene against any verbal assault that she may make in future against me or any other person posting here.
4. I shall consider no one other than myself to be bound by these conditions, either explicitly or implicitly.
If these conditions for my continued posting here are not acceptable to you, then please notify me so that I can discontinue posting forthwith.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Think First. Thank you for your comments but the problem is that when we lose our Laissez Faire Capitalism, it will never be able to enter American politcs again. We will all be products of what the government give us. We will all be allocated a place to live, a job to make money for the government and if we obey Big Daddy we will find our future secure. That may sound good to you but it would be hell on earth for me.
I am not a part of any society but an individual who set my own standards and lived by them. I drop kicked God out of my life at 9 years old and made up my own rules. In those days our society was made up of individuals and today we are clones of some political party designed poorly by some dead politician. The Dems, GOP, Shi-ite, Sunni are all cut from the same cloth and any individual who even talks about stepping out of the mold is criticized.
This comes from us and to us in waves. If you have really been at CHB then you should remember the threats of hell and damnation that showed up at the end of Clinton’s terms. But when Doug returned from his illness the site began to be reaonable. I am far more accepted at the Secular forums and they love my commentaries because I tell the truth about what is destroying America. Do you have anything to offer or will you continue to criticize others?
It stuns me when people wander in with nothing but criticism and offer zero of their own opinions. I am an outsider here and most of the political sites because I know right from wrong and will not tolerate any political pressure, whether GOP or Dems, to tell me my Capitalism is simply a sign of greed. It shows me the inability of people who have no intentions of adding any form of profit making plans or merchandise. They are losers who will never be able to live without Socialism. I never took the middle road ever and would work to make my road the good one.
I’m at the very end of my endeavors but I raised 3 Capitalists in my home and as long as the Von Mises Institution is still in business, there will always be Capitalism; probably not in America but somewhere. America has been hit by people who despise profits and successful endeavors and they will make the nation third rate all the way. I mourn the loss of free enterprise and know the America I grew up in is dead.
Think-first: In response to Sandra Price.
I would like to address some of the concerns you frequently voice in your posts. By reading CHB I learned that you are a strong individual with fervent convictions that I find commendable. Other individuals are writing posts based on equally strong convictions but of alternate political opinion. I probably belong to this latter group.
I feel our present political situation to be so serious that we can ill afford divisive discussions while serious productive discussions are of utmost importance. Sandra, I am a member of your generation and in my life I have learned the importance of listening and to carefully evaluate the opinion of others even when I cannot accept them in their entirety. I share many of your concerns like the misdirected development of the GOP, the misappropriated power to fundamentalist religious groups, the dismal situation of our public education system etc. However, I do not have the same gut reaction you seem to associate with the term socialism, I am more likely to react negatively to the term capitalism. We all just have to accept that each of us forms our political and social outlook based on personal experiences.
I am a convinced believer in the merits of free enterprise and an open market system but the same rules ought to apply to everyone and yes, even – the by many conservatives dreaded term – regulation is necessary. Socialism ought to have defined borders to prevent personal responsibility from falling to the wayside, on the other hand capitalist organizations and individuals need to be burdened with a hefty dose of social responsibility to keep the system from running out of kilter. Without rules any societal system we can devise is doomed due to inborn human foibles such as greed, lust for power and lack of responsibility. This is my view of our world and I do not want to impose it on anyone, I just would like to be able to voice it and be accepted for it. I think that is what freedom of expression is all about.
Also, I just read Kent Shaw’s post: Every cent spent … and I fully agree with him. Without some social contracts – after all that’s what socialism is all about – no human society can prevail.
Sandra, I think you take unnecessary dread – and personal offense when none is intended – whenever the capitalist system is criticized. May I suggest that you take it as an impetus to an intellectual exercise so that together we can tackle the formidable problems facing our society? I am almost certain that no one begrudges you your nest egg that you accumulated with hard work to assure your independence. So please, leave your hurt feelings behind and keep on posting your opinion so that all of us have an opportunity to rethink our own. If all of us try to focus on our common denominator that gets us to read CHB to start with, namely the lack of reliable information in the MSM, we might have a chance to solve some of the problems that face us.
Think-first
Every cent spent by the government is in support of socialism by definition. Government control by way of government spending. How much is enough? How much is too little? Who decides how much to spend and for what purposes? Its all socialism. Those roads you drive on are a socialist endeavor. Same with your military that you are paying for, a socialist organization. Yes with a specific purpose but a socialist endeavor supported by tax dollars none the less. Government owned ports? Socialism. Police departments? Socialism. Fire Departments? Socialism. Every cent spent by every government entity constitutes financial support of some form of socialism by definition. You can’t pick and choose your programs and say “OH, that one is socialism and that one is not.” You can’t complain about a socialist medicare system and refuse to acknowledge the 18 billion tax dollars recently given to “Big Oil” is an act of socialism.
Why should stockholders, the owners of the companies, benefit from such a transfer of taxpayer (socialist) dollars? They are reluctant to share their profits via larger capital gains taxes for socialist endeavors like roads and county hospitals, but they expect a socialist bail out with tax dollars when their capitalist endeavors fail? Why were taxpayers required to bail out Long Term Capital Management a few years back? OH. The socialist government declared that LTM was “too large to fail” so in an act of “compassionate socialism” bailed them out. Did you enjoy paying?
Socialism brought electricity to rural areas by way of the socialist Rural Electrification Administration. This infrastructure was later used, and rightly so, by capitalist industry expanding into the South for cheaper labor. And I wonder how much you’d enjoy flying in a free market economy without those socialist financed air traffic controllers. How about your border patrol, your coast guard, your Department of Homeland Security. All socialist endeavors. How about that local cop that stopped an abusive husband from beating his wife? Socialism.
These are not black and white issues, folks.
— Kent Shaw
Think-first
I’ve been reading CHB since many years. Occasionally I felt tempted to post but then I never got around to it. Today I finally registered and want to put in my 2 cents worth.
DejaVuAllOver, I can reconfirm Flapsaddles assessment that the spelling of the German words in your post is correct – my native language is German. However, the historical context of your post is incorrect. Karl Marx lived from 1818 until 1883 and the “Weimarer Republik” did not exist until the interwar years (1919-1933). One of his major works “Das Kapital” was indeed published about 140 years ago (first edition 1867). From Marx’s vantage point he could not have possibly watched, as you write, the rise and fall of a political system that lay 52-66 years (2-3 generations!) in the future. I claim that even at his life’s end he could not have predicted it and the subsequent disastrous rise of the Nazi dictatorship.
You are also mistaken when you are trying to characterize the “Weimarer Republik” as an empire, albeit in brackets. While the Weimar government had many shortfalls that eventually led to it’s downfall, the plan and desire to reestablish a German empire were not part of that. I do not want to get into detail of German or European history, but I would like to emphasize that “Weimarer Republik” was Germany’s first serious attempt after the failed 1848 revolution to establish a true democratic system. The empires of the Weimar era were the British and the French empires. My intention is not to start an argument I just want to clarify the historical record. I hope this finds the approval of the site administrator.
Sandra?
I have read this site for years, and all of the threads here, but today is the first time I felt compelled to register to comment.
You have my admiration for this…
“I am not a part of any society but an individual who set my own standards and lived by them. I drop kicked God out of my life at 9 years old and made up my own rules. In those days our society was made up of individuals and today we are clones of some political party designed poorly by some dead politician. The Dems, GOP, Shi-ite, Sunni are all cut from the same cloth and any individual who even talks about stepping out of the mold is criticized.”
You rock! We need you in Congress…. no… You need to be in Hillary’s shoes right now!
You are the sister of Davy Crockett, of the pioneers that made this land what it is…Free, independent, thinking Americans…the immigrants who have made this land their home and prospered.
You have my vote and recognition as a kindred spirit. There aren’t that many of us unfortunately.
Chin up and live as free as we can manage to be…we won’t stop trying….
Bro Skeet
Do we have to go into Socialism just to slam the GOP? It is the GOP who took advantage of a good economic system and put it under the authority of the gocvernment. You are right Pollchecker adding fascism to Capitalism has been the problem. The GOP trying for a complete change in our Constitution through social issues (note, I did not say Christian issues; although that is what they are) to change the culture of the American people.) It was the only way the GOP had left to use for their continued control over the government.
The GOP is no longer promoting Capitalism and of course the Democrats what more government control over our corporations. This is the pressure that knocked a hole in our American corporations and many went overseas. But apparently CHB wants the rest of our American products to go to China, India, Taiwan and Mexico.
Where will your children work? All that will be left is the Government. It always comes down to how much socialism will this site accept before it dawns on anyone that we lost the core of our worth?
I will have to get back to the Libertarian Party as they are 100% in favor of Capitalism including ridding the people of the IRS LEGALLY! I’m looking for a way to free the American people from this government of control but apparently few here want the same thing. I keep running into game players, not active political people.
I am far too serious in my changes and desires to ever be accepted here. This denial of Capitalism got me permanently banned from Reader Rant and now I understand that I am way off course in my desire for economics to be for the American people, not the government.
In the beginning of this site, I was years ahead of the ranters here and most things that I warned of have happened including an illegal war. I am beating my head against the CHB cement wall.
deja. Why would investing in any stock market corporation be something not to be proud of? I have taken stock options for years and made a profit! I think making a profit is what bothers you. I worked a 50 to 60 hour week to be able to invest in these corporations because I did not have the academic background to work for them much more than as a Secretary. My husband left the state and I had full responsibility for the kids. Would you rather I go on welfare? Is this the economics that you are supporting?
I was born in the early 1930s and any form of welfare was considered a peronal failure. For the first years of my being a single mother showed me that investing in real estate was the way to stay off of welfare. I worked a 40 hour week for Scott Paper and spent my evenings and weekends designing and constructing costumes.
I retired in the mid 90s and sold out most of my property and turned it all over to my financial planner who was my youngest daughter. I am comfortable…..No one I know has worked the number of hours and tended a home in the mountains more than I have. I cut our expenses, including my smoking, down to practically zero so I could keep the kids in a college prep to guarantee that they would be able to work, with a degree, making me their role model. Nobody needs to do what I did if they get the proper academics.
Somehow you want me to feel guilty for investing in American businesses and American real estate. I worked my ass off for this American capitalism. You destroy our American Corporations and yet you have no idea who will pay our salaries….The government? Will that restore your pride?
You mean there’s godless capitalists posting here?
Oh, the HORROR…
BTW, capitalism hasn’t been practiced in this nation since the first time a business donated money to a candidate or got a tax break. I think that was back in the 1700s.
-Wexler
If we were to be truly blessed, we would wake up on the morning after the general election and find that both major parties had suffered catastrophic defeat. A country where neither the braying jackass nor the pompous pachyderm held power, what a thought!
Were these two truly loathsome teratomas to be excised from the American body politick, we could probably get back to indeed being that “shining city on the hill” and indeed “the last, best hope of mankind.”
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Do our elected officials control the CIA or does the CIA control our elected officials?
Thinking that MI6 would have some insite into what is going on in our CIA, I came across the following: https://www.brugerforeningen.dk/bfny.nsf/pagesuk/FE7BF1E76030F7A2C12571E8004A4713?OpenDocument&S=UK
Not wanting to get off topic, yes, the Republicans do suck.
there is nothing wrong with capitalism. It’s that psuedo-fascist capitalism that’s the problem.
This post has been edited by the site administrator because it engaged in a personal debate with another poster and responded to something that was removed from an earlier post.
Flapsaddle, the warning that goes to Sandy Price also applies to you. You two WILL NOT continue to use this site to fight your personal little war. Do it elsewhere. It will not be tolerated here.
Your German is fine, Deja! It’s my foreign language and – though it’s rather rusty from lack of use – I see nothing wrong in any of small number of German words you have used.
Karl Marx, Das Kapital and Weimar are all correct, and nothing you have written requires an umlaut or an estet.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
I was pursuing a lead on a CIA operative named Jacobi that had prior knowledge of the Kennedy assassination and came across the following link that has nothing to do with the assassination but has great information on CIA drug running and money laundering,
https://books.google.com/books?id=5hc92BgCmLkC&pg=PA411&lpg=PA411&dq=+jacobi+cia&source=web&ots=nIjODNAPjj&sig=WGKEX6IDDc57t5ppHavNPwfPCkM&hl=en
Why are substantiated facts being refered to as theories?
https://tomflocco.com/fs/FbiMemoPhotoLinkBushJfk.htm
“America’s long-painful march into oblivion started with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980”
Nope. It was Richard Nixon. He should have been impeached and jailed, along with who knows how many of his cohorts. It would have put some teeth into the impeachment process that those who followed would need to consider before their completely brain damaged, demented ideas bore fruition.
Unfortunately, brain damage doesn’t always translate to stupidity: These golems and grendels knew that when they chose not to impeach him. I won’t even get into the conspiracy theories surrounding Nixon and JFK, et.al…
Oldernwiser
Earned income, that is, hourly labor is taxed at up to 28% or more. Capital gains, by definition unearned income, taxed at 15%. I wonder how THAT became law. Why should anyone’s labor be taxed? Huge tax breaks for the 1% of the population holding 90 PERCENT of the capital gains, and a “graduated income tax” on hourly labor. Y’all better hope Joe Sixpack and Donna Camaro don’t wake up.
— Kent Shaw
Sandra, the opposite of capitalism is communism, of the form practiced by Indigenous Peoples like the American Indians, for example. Socialism is somewhere in between, or equivalently, any form of regulated capitalism can be (and usually is) considered socialism. Particularly by Reich Wingers who view ANY restrictions on their ability to exploit others as the Ultimate Evil.
And yes, you’re right. Anyone who has lived in this country over the past 80 years MUST learn to speculate, or they will be living on the street, since honest labor doesn’t pay enough to compete with speculators. I’ve had to speculate, as well, though I’m not proud of it. Wall St. is nothing more than a legal casino for the “management” classes, i.e. those who won’t (or can’t) do anything useful, commonly called “work”.
I believe that corporate special interests have too much influence over the federal government. For example, why should taxpayers have to bail out a Bear Stearns? Aren’t Capitalists supposed to bear risk of loss in return for possibility of profit? Why should corporate losses be the responsibility of taxpayers? Corporations are paying the lowest tax rates in history, and yet, in the case of Oil Companies are receiving tens of billions of dollars in federal tax CREDITS, not deductions. I’m sorry but this is literally social welfare for capitalist corporations, a huge distortion in a supposed free market economy.
I’d start by asking anyone to view a copy of “The Corporation”, a video available for free on the ‘net.
— Kent Shaw
I deleted a duplicate message.
KS
Ted,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_and_German_POWs
Yes, ANYONE can edit Wikipedia. I will try to dig deeper and give you an update.
— Kent
‘ The only opposing party candidate they can stomach is their fair-haired quisling sycophant; ie., Hillary. Only she or McCain are acceptable to them, she even moreso for being the next occupant in the Whitehouse.
.
.
.
Obama is an outsider because he’s rallying “we the people” which frightens the bejesus out of them especially their corporatist sponsors who fear their obscene war profit pipeline might be interrupted.” ‘
By now the standard & expected Carl Nemo cut to the quick logic, useful in debates with those almost about to awaken.
Hillary Clinton would be a TOTALLY acceptable electee to the neoconservatives. I believe that she is a “closeted” evangelical, based on nothing other than my own probably limited and defective deductive abilities, plus a link I listed in another comment somewhere — its been a long day.
I think that “Davos” decided years ago its Ms. Clinton’s turn. Stranger things have happened. (Umm … like what, you ask? How about 911?)
It will all play out upon the world stage, and we will each play our roles in small or large ways.
— Kent Shaw
We saw training films before 9/11 of the Taliban going through their exercises. They admitted sending those planes into our building and we heard from OBL that they were going to send planes into buildings.
Deju, we did not fall from Capitalism but from a growing dictatorship that managed to destroy the controls over the corporations. There are two sides to this argument but the opposite of Capitalism is Socialism which would destroy everything, handing the Dictator full control over our ecnomics. The one appealing thing about the Libertarian party was their link to their backers which stood for the Austian School of economics. Many of us feel this new version of capitalism was found in the founders desire for a limited government.
I will always be a capitalist as following this agenda allowed me to be guided in my investments. I took advantage of the Corporations who offered their stocks and stock options. But I come from many generations of capitlists. How else could a high school grad who gave up training for a decent job to have a family, could ever plan on a retirement?
(NOTE: This comment has been edited by the site administrator. Sandy, this is your LAST WARNING! Do not use this site to carry on your personal wars with other posters)
You said:
‘ . . .(oh, like American forces deliberately starving and allowing to die from thirst hundreds of thousands if not millions of Germans, both soldiers and civilians, in fenced-in fields without shelter from the elements at the end of WW2 by orders of Dwight Eisenhower) . . ..”
Would you be so kind as to cite an authority for this statement?
Ted
I know this is blasphemy, but America is nowhere near the first country to fall from the built-in cancer of capitalism. Wars to preserve markets, the rise of a fascist ruling class and the rise of rabid religious fundamentalism are all characteristics of the latter stages of self-destruction in capitalist empires. Karl Marx nailed it in “Das Kapital” 140 years ago, as he watched the implosion of the Weimar Republic (empire) in Germany. Most European countries have dealt with it, which is why they have evolved into managed-capitalist (or some form of socialist) cultures. Anyway, we can survive this thing, except perhaps for the one BIG x-factor: the atom bomb and our filthy foreign policy (fight Israel’s Holy Wars first, ask questions later) in the Middle East.
Please forgive my German (non) spelling.
As a result of having served in the U.S. Navy, I acquired a rather large vocabulary of swear words. I have exhausted my “Sailor’s vocabulary” on this administration and GWB. Frankly, the Republicans should all gather together in one place and commit Hara-kiri–and least they might die with some degree of honor for having ruined our nation. But these jaundiced skinned hammer heads will do nothing of the sort. We will have to get tar and feathers, and some rails, and go after them!
I don’t care what anyone has to say about the Democrats running for president this Nov….I will be voting for one of them regardless…its my protest against the Reps. in general, for supporting the Bush/Cheney lie & deception festival of the past 8 yrs.!
Strat provides an EXCELLENT article, a very worthwhile history lesson, ten pages printed and document saved to the desktop. I’ve read and re-read these kinds of historical accounts and more (oh, like American forces deliberately starving and allowing to die from thirst hundreds of thousands if not millions of Germans, both soldiers and civilians, in fenced-in fields without shelter from the elements at the end of WW2 by orders of Dwight Eisenhower), and I try to argue and educate on the “American Street” — mostly to deaf ears and annoying or fearful glances.
Ya know, when us old folks are gone, history students will be reading the neoconservative edit. Get ready to live in a safe and secure, serene, blissful utopia. Trust your leaders and all will be well.
— Kent Shaw
Thank you, George Orwell (grin).
— Kent Shaw
“”post-surreal” nightmarish world” = Wonderland
Sandra – It was Al Queda, not the Taliban who attacked us on 9/11. Even though they are aligned, they are 2 separate groups.
I just hope that Bush/Cheney don’t start a war with Iran before November, declare martial law and then stop the election from taking place. I don’t put ANYTHING past them.
Sandra, and please you or anyone correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe it was the Taliban that struck on 911.
The US had up til then been supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan to the tune of some $300 million or more. Afghanistan had become a no man’s land ruled by competing and skirmishing warlords with the population living in constant fear and danger. The Taliban had begun to bring order to a chaotic situation and the US supported that in spite of the fact that they were ndamentalist “Islamists”, a term I’m not sure even existed prior to 911.
The reason for the US fighting the Taliban is that they had been providing asylum for bin Laden and “Al Qaeda” (originally a CIA funded operator and organization of ‘mujahideen’ fighters during the Russian invasion but thats a whole other story including abandonment of Afghanistan and bin Laden after the Soviets left, a blunder typical of US foreign policy — a totally missed opportunity to bring real peace and prosperity to that country…).
Anyway, it was said that Saudi native and Wahabi Muslim Osama bin Laden organized the 911 incident through the Al Qaeda network, ultimately resulting in attack by 19 Arab terrorists — 15 of whom were fundamentalist Wahabi Saudis.
But, then, if in the sense that an accomplice who did not kill anyone can be held as responsible for a murder as the actual killer, I suppose one could say that the Taliban attacked us.
MOSTLY concur with your second paragraph.
— Kent Shaw
It is beyond surreal. We need to coin a new word for this essentially “post-surreal” nightmarish world. We don’t yet physically feel much of the nightmare, but a lot of dark-skinned people do, starving, dying of thirst or easily preventible diseases, sudden rocket and bomb bursts, sleeping and living in raw sewage, much of it at our own hand, yes “our” because we continue to pay for it. Logically, then, we must support it. Trillions for war. Nothing for humanity. Mass psychosis on earth.
As Kurt V. said, “So it goes.”
— Kent Shaw
Sadly, I have to pretty much agree with uncledave, above, although there may be a few bright spots. For example, in an awake and aware world Cindy Sheehan will unseat billionaire by marriage to a real estate developer and daughter of one of Baltimore’s most notoriously corrupt politicians (google it) Nancy Pelosi, not that the daughter should bear the sins of the father. On the other hand, how far does the acorn fall from the tree? That would be one small step in the right direction.
We need to organize at the grass roots level to find the funds to elect real people to office at the house and senate level, people like firemen, carpenters, librarians, (eespecially) historians, family farm owners, artists, small business owners, school teachers, truck drivers, you name it, ANYONE but more corporate representatives and attorneys and bankers and lobbyists and one-world corporate globalists like the Clintons and the Bushes.
There are brilliant people to found in all of those professions and many more among the working and true middle classes (the local small dry cleaner chain owner for example, the local three bowling alley owner small business types, the local three-doctor general purpose family practice) which make up the vast majority of the population. We vastly outnumber the corporate special interests but we have not yet decided to overcome their divide and conquer tactics like one-issue “family values” political interests such as guns, abortions and gods. Its all we can do short of violence to turn things around.
You’re nobody without money in politics. Money talks with politicians. Nobody walks. Money writes the bills, politicians rubber-stamp them often without reading them and foreward them to a President who attaches signing statements and also makes law by decree in the form of Executive Orders, originally meant only for such mundane window dressings as declarations of national holidays, naming monuments and highways, etc. Earlier presidents stepped over the line with EO’s but Bush has issued hundreds of them, vastly more than all of his predecessors combined, each carrying the full force of law to be enforced by the executive branch. We already have a dictatorship in America but we continue in blissful denial.
Signing statements must be abolished. It is the Supreme Court’s job to interpret law, not the president’s. Bush once said that it is the executive’s job to interpret the law, and no one blinked an eye in the press or the populace. Executive Orders must be rescinded and abolished. Any of them that might truly be of value should be considered by congress and if they have merit be placed into the form of a bill to be forwarded to the president for veto or approval. EO’s carry the power of law and are simply dictated, and are absolutely and unequivocally unconstitutional.
We need to finance and work to elect people who realize all of this and will work to make needed changes, including repealing such abominations as The Patriot Act(s), NSPD-51 and that ilk. Habeas Corpus, due legal process, and speedy trial by jury must be restored.
OH! LOOK! A pig just flew by my window.
— Kent Shaw
PS — Also agree with Bill Jones. Everyone should read “A Peoples’ History of the United States” by Howard Zinn. Its an eye-opener.
The claim that
“Under Bush, America became an aggressor nation”
is a bit of a reach. The US has been an aggressor nation for centuries: Ask the Mexicans about Polk’s aggression and the theft of half their country. In the last 20 odd years the U.S. has bombed and murdered and terrorized people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia,Sudan,Serbia,Bosnia,Panama,Grenada,Haiti,El Salvador and that’s off the top of my head. The US Govt. is in the hands of a bunch of murderous psychopaths and has been for decades.
“The question is what evil will these men do between now and January 2009.”
“We would all be foolish to trust the election process and assume everything is going to be OK now that George is moving towards the exit.”
I believe we are approaching the most dangerous part of Bush’s two terms. Our only hope is sanity at the Pentagon, and I’m not sure there’s a large supply available there.
— Kent Shaw
Comment deleted here, expanded below.
Kent
Yep, we must watch carefully for another Cheney action against America. I firmly believe he and Bush knew all along that the Taliban would strike us on 9/11. It was Cheney who brought that test that warned our airports and NORAD to ignore the events.
Can we actually keep an eye on the next 6 months or do we rely on the MSM? It seems to me that more trouble with Iran will bring about another false Iraq that they have WMDs just waiting to aim at us or Israel. Our CIA and Pentagon cannot be trusted to give any warnings to any of us. If any of us come in contact with any inside information the CIA will be the first to know about it. The Patriot’s Bill has been working against all of us and yet little action came from the people to stop it’s extension. Even today, the House has passed the Amnesty bill and the Senate has put off voting on it for a week. Many of us have acted on this but only because we receive emails from those we respect. One after the other our sources have stopped reporting and to me that is a hint of something really nasty and bad is coming before November.
“We would all be foolish to trust the election process and assume everything is going to be OK now that George is moving towards the exit. ”
A point that we should NEVER take for granted after the past 2 Presidential elections.
Truly a solid, spot-on rant Doug Thompson, but it seems the Republicans are spring-loaded in the stupid position when it comes to business as usual politics.
With Bush’s speech in Israel insinuating that Obama will negotiate with Hamas and John McCain’s corroborating comments of the same it seems that these perennial gangsters are going to use the “fear factor” again in order to maintain their grip on the Whitehouse.
George Bush isn’t out of office yet and to me he looks nuttier than the proverbial “sh*thouse rat”…!
The question is what evil will these men do between now and January 2009. Even if Obama becomes President elect it still doesn’t stop Bushco from creating some nightmare that would allow them to declare martial law and to suspend the Constitution up to an including the arrest of Obama along with millions of others that they’ve been documenting during the past 7.5 years. The only opposing party candidate they can stomach is their fair-haired quisling sycophant; ie., Hillary. Only she or McCain are acceptable to them, she even moreso for being the next occupant in the Whitehouse.
Obama is an outsider because he’s rallying “we the people” which frightens the bejesus out of them especially their corporatist sponsors who fear their obscene war profit pipeline might be interrupted.
We would all be foolish to trust the election process and assume everything is going to be OK now that George is moving towards the exit.
Carl Nemo **==
I’m trying to make sense of what’s happened in these past two terms where we seem to have entered a hostile universe under “compassionate conservativism.” It is so eerie, it’s as though it’s from some dark or absurd commedy.
Before visiting this page, I just visited youtube, and watched a film clip from Monty Python’s scene of King arthur explaining how the Lady of the Lake held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the lake thus proclaiming his right to rule, I sometimes think that the angry, soggy spirit of Mary Jo Kopechne has become the new “Lady of the Port,” Kennebunkport that is. The vengeful spirit vacated Poucha Pond spanned by Dike Bridge, and seeking revenge on lying, oversexed, treacherous Democrats, settled in the Port of Kennebunk, where she acquired the supernatural power to bestow the right to rule on Republicans, whether worthy or not (though G.H.W. Bush knew of such power from his old, Masonic based Skull and Bones’ days, George the Lesser, simply dismissed the passage of power as a mere whiskey and cocaine concocted fantasy.
Be that is may, and by whatever questionable means, GW does sit on the throne today, and has even said “God wanted me to be president.” Instead of a sword or scepter, King George has his Dick (V.P.) from which he draws his real power and inspiration.
Perhaps I can say it best in “Erse Verse:”
BUSH AND HIS EVIL DICK
Neo-Conservatism
feeds off misfortune and schism
individual’s need
can’t match Abramoff’s greed
We’ve bent over for Dick Cheneyism
Karl K. 8/16/08
Likely the GOP will lose, but don’t get your hopes up about substantial change for the better.
If the Democrats win by a landslide, they will be smug, thinking they have a mandate to do what they please, which would be politics as usual. After all, it will be their real constituents, corporate America, who actually brought them back in.
If they win by a slim margin, they will be just as ineffective as they have been since 2006.
And don’t expect any president to give up any of the power that has already accrued to the office.
We desperately need a Gorbachev, someone who can come up through the system, yet have the integrity and strength to try to change that very system for the better, rather than reveling in its charms and blandishments.
Instead, I fear that we will see a continued slide into deep corporate fascism, more oppressive and violent than ever.
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