I've been thinking!

[Travelinman]

Over the last 3 to 4 weeks, I've done alot of thinking. I reflected on the last year and a half. Where we've been, where we are, and the most frightening...where we are headed.

Where we've been:

I have thought about the events that have started the ripple in the water that is now becoming a tidal wave. After the attacks, I did not personally blame the present administration. I blamed the administrations of the last thirty years. With that said.....in light of information that is now coming out about what the present administration really did know, I may have to re-think where my blame should be directed. I'm not saying that they could have stopped it, but I think they could have minimized the scope. I also feel that we should have seen a member of the adminstration in the first or second hour after the fact, to show us that there was a person in control.

Where we are:

We have been through a year of turmoil. The war on terrorism or the policing of terrorism. This is a police action. Our military forces are selectively searching for individuals, not an army. We are not being keep up to date with the efforts over there, but that's OK. The military does not have an easy job. They are looking for indivduals, just think how hard it is for you to find your keys if you misplace them. Now we are finding suspects here, with the arrest of the 6 people in upstate NY. I think we should be concentrating our searches for the terrorists here at home as diligently as we are overseas.

Then we have the corporate accounting nightmare. Now this is wonderful, seniors that are already retired are going back to work so they can survive. People that are close to retirement, SURPRISE....keep working. Their retirements all lost, but the CEO of the companies are doing well with their severance packages. Our vice president when asked about his involvement with one of the companies claims executive privilage, how low is that. The solution is easy, make the CEO's sell all of their personal belongings and replace the money in the funds for the people who were infested, so they can enjoy their lifes.

The aftermath of the corp. accounting trouble is layoffs, pushing our unemployment totals ever higher. This then drives our economy into a deeper state of recession. All things combined are turning the stock market upside down. This is not good for the companies that use the invested money to operate. Then look at the government....the National Debit is now $6,216,715,617,539.35, SAY THAT 3 TIMES FAST. Since Sept. 28 the debit has been rising by 1.1 MILLION a day. To pay the debit off each of us have a financial responsibility of $21,556.16.

Which brings us to our president and Iraq. I thought about previous administrations, economy is down the drain, unemployment is up, go to war. We are being told the Iraq is a danger to us, Saddam must be removed. We are told they have weapons of mass destruction....well MAYBE. We do not know for sure what they have. BUT we do know the India and Pakistan DO HAVE nukes.....so maybe George will make them next. Who are we (The United States) to decide who is to be in power and who is not. It seems to me this concept has been acted upon previously in history by some other leaders, Castro, Hitler, Stalin. WELL GEORGY BOY that puts you in some fine company. The rest of the world does not have a problem with putting weapons inspectors back in Iraq, BUT they do have a problem with the U.S.'s plans to remove Saddam.

I read an article in the paper this weekend, that president Bush wants absolute power to decide if another nation is a thread he can choose to take action, WITHOUT any other approval. Our arrogance is only over shadowed by our ignorance. Since when are we the perfect all knowing people. Do we not have homeless people living under overpasses, seniors making choices between medicine, food, or oil. Families that can not afford medical care. We have children going into schools with guns. We have more then our share of problems right here at home.
Mr. president why don't you try projecting us to the world as a country and power that can help not impose. We can OFFER assistance to anyone that needs it. Assist with the moderizing of hospitals, roads, their infrastructure, or leaving them alone if that is what they want.

Where are we head........
This is the most frightening, simply because it is unknown. If Congress does the right thing we should be OK. We can only wait and see.

I'm sorry if I have been ranting, but I just needed to get it off my chest.

[SanAntonioMike]

Some interesting thoughts, Travelinman. I've been following all this with a worried eye -- worried about my family, the future, everything that it means. My wife's company is talking about transferring her (and a number of others in her department) and closing the San Antonio branch, which would mean we'd have to leave Texas, because she doesn't want to lose this job. Not now, the way things are.

[Roughneck]

I saw an article on Bush's official foreign policy. Basically said we would never let another nation challange our supremacy the way the USSR did and gave us the responsability to turn tyranical states into democracies. Nice thought in a Utopian world, but in practice...now he's really beginning to scare me.

[Travelinman]

SAM I'm sorry to hear about your wife's companies thoughts of relocating. It is tough to leave a place you love and have lived in your whole life. I have 2 friends that had to change jobs due to recent events, it is very difficult. I really don't see things (economically speaking) getting better any time soon.

SanAntonioMike said:

Some interesting thoughts, Travelinman. I've been following all this with a worried eye -- worried about my family, the future, everything that it means. My wife's company is talking about transferring her (and a number of others in her department) and closing the San Antonio branch, which would mean we'd have to leave Texas, because she doesn't want to lose this job. Not now, the way things are.

[Travelinman]

Hey Roughneck, I wasn't aware he had a foreign policy after his statement "This foreign policy stuff is really confusing". Yesterday I was watching the news before I went to work and saw a clip of the president speaking at a fund raiser "Remember this man (Saddam) tried to kill my daddy". Now I'm sorry, but am I the only one that sees he is making this personal. This is not the composed demeanor you would expect from our commander and cheif.
Then he acsuses Senate of "Not caring about the safety of the American people" Someone better stop him.

Roughneck said:

I saw an article on Bush's official foreign policy. Basically said we would never let another nation challange our supremacy the way the USSR did and gave us the responsability to turn tyranical states into democracies. Nice thought in a Utopian world, but in practice...now he's really beginning to scare me.

[SanAntonioMike]

Travelinman said:

SAM I'm sorry to hear about your wife's companies thoughts of relocating. It is tough to leave a place you love and have lived in your whole life. I have 2 friends that had to change jobs due to recent events, it is very difficult. I really don't see things (economically speaking) getting better any time soon.

Yeah, it's just about set. I'm not ready to face it, though. Will I be allowed to still be "SanAntonio" Mike? We want to put it off until after the holidays, if that's at all possible -- too much family here to uproot that hastily.

Yeah, someone better stop the maniac we somehow put into office. I watched him do it to Texas and now he's doing it to America on a GRAND scale. He's not doing this for "The American People," he's doing it out of a confused sense of misplaced vengeance. He can't get Bin Laden, so he's shifted the crosshairs to the next available target, whether it's the right one or not.

[Roughneck]

SanAntonioMike said:

Yeah, someone better stop the maniac we somehow put into office. I watched him do it to Texas and now he's doing it to America on a GRAND scale. He's not doing this for "The American People," he's doing it out of a confused sense of misplaced vengeance. He can't get Bin Laden, so he's shifted the crosshairs to the next available target, whether it's the right one or not.

SAM, let me put it this way; I am usually a hawk, love seeing our boys do good, but even I'M scared of how he's doing this! I never thought I'd be advocating NOT going to war! It's a pretty sad day when Saddam is beginning to look like a victim of aggression!

[LS]

SanAntonioMike said:

Yeah, it's just about set. I'm not ready to face it, though. Will I be allowed to still be "SanAntonio" Mike? We want to put it off until after the holidays, if that's at all possible -- too much family here to uproot that hastily.

That's awful SAM!!
But hey- you can take the man out of Texas- but you can't take Texas out of the man right?? Besides, like that song goes- Texas is a state of mind... So even if you wind up being a dang yankee... ;D you'll always be "SAM"...

Yeah, someone better stop the maniac we somehow put into office. I watched him do it to Texas and now he's doing it to America on a GRAND scale. He's not doing this for "The American People," he's doing it out of a confused sense of misplaced vengeance. He can't get Bin Laden, so he's shifted the crosshairs to the next available target, whether it's the right one or not.

The man's got a few "problems"- saw that long before that "election"- and "power tripper" is just one of them. Put someone like that (not to mention incompetent and unqualified) in charge- and it's bound to spell nothing but disaster.
I knew if he got in there- Iraq was bound to come up sooner or later...this was on his agenda long before 9/11, and ain't nobody gonna convince me otherwise. This is a personal thing with him- and he's putting the entire country in jeopardy, and that ain't right.
He hasn't offered up anything credible...Hussein killed his own people- over a decade ago. Far as anyone knows- it hasn't happened since. He has chemical weapons. He had 'em back during the Gulf War- so why didn't he use 'em on anyone back then?? No one's provided even a remote link between Hussein and al-Qaeda. And like I've heard quite a few other people mention- there are countries that have broken far more UN resolutions, and they are far worse than any Hussein has broken. So where's the "immediate" danger to us or anyone else??
Sorry, we're supposed to be there to round up and take out terrorists- and catch the ringleaders behind 9/11...not to depose the leaders of other countries because of personal vendettas. And the way I see it- there are places that pose way more of an immediate threat- like Yemin, Syria, Pakistan...(Like how many of the al-Qaeda that they've rounded up so far are actually Afghanis?? )

You know, when Lott stood up and asked who was the enemy here, our president or Hussein...now there's one to really ponder.
And yep Roughneck, it's a pretty sad state of affairs when Hussein is coming off looking like the victim.

But I tell you what. Just as soon as the DuHbya lets us know his spoiled ditzy twins, his fashion model niece, and all the rest of the Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rice, nieces and nephews are all signed up and headed over to fight side by side with the rest of our men & women in the military- maybe then I'll support this idiotic scheme that's going to lead us nowhere but into disaster.

[SanAntonioMike]

Thanks, Sis! They're gonna have to drag me kickin' and screamin' outta here, I tell you what. But money talks big, and unless something lands on us outta the "blue clear," it's off to Arizona for us. And it's not that I fear Arizona, just everything Wildrider's told us about it! I have to trade good Texas country music, but at least there's no hurricanes in Arizona... (Not sure if that's a good trade or not...)

"Duhbya." I like it. Man actively ruined Texas financially and it's just barely recovering. Lord above, where is Ann Richards when we need her? But he seems sure and certain to establish us in the world's eyes as the biggest bullies on the playground, and while in general I don't CARE what people think about us, I do worry when it's actually TRUE. It's rare when I want to go to other countries and beg them to not judge us all by our president.

[Roughneck]

Sis, I think you mentioned, looka the service records of the hawks and of the doves. People who have seen it are urging caution. They're not saying DON"T go to war, just that it be the last option. Isn't that how it's suppossed to be? I kinda miss the days when Bush thought there was no world beyond the Atlantic and Pacific instead of involved in it.

[LS]

SanAntonioMike said:

Thanks, Sis! They're gonna have to drag me kickin' and screamin' outta here, I tell you what. But money talks big, and unless something lands on us outta the "blue clear," it's off to Arizona for us. And it's not that I fear Arizona, just everything Wildrider's told us about it! I have to trade good Texas country music, but at least there's no hurricanes in Arizona... (Not sure if that's a good trade or not...)

Well if things come down to it SAM , least it's not that drastic a change...like Minnesota or Maine or someplace like that would be.

"Duhbya." I like it.

It is the proper spelling... The media was driving me nuts constantly misspelling it all the time. ;D

Man actively ruined Texas financially and it's just barely recovering. Lord above, where is Ann Richards when we need her? But he seems sure and certain to establish us in the world's eyes as the biggest bullies on the playground, and while in general I don't CARE what people think about us, I do worry when it's actually TRUE. It's rare when I want to go to other countries and beg them to not judge us all by our president.

I agree with ya SAM, and as far as the "bullying" aspect, Pete Hamill wrote an excellent piece in today's paper, and a standing "O" to him ...I wonder if just one of them have given this one a lick of thought...
Just what kind of message IS he sending our youth?? In my book, The DuHbya and his henchmen don't even come close to being any kind of "role models" for anyone- let alone our youth.

How would that Dubya doctrine play in school?
www.nydailynews.com/news/col/phamill/story/23835p-22526c.html

[LS]

Roughneck said:

Sis, I think you mentioned, looka the service records of the hawks and of the doves. People who have seen it are urging caution. They're not saying DON"T go to war, just that it be the last option. Isn't that how it's suppossed to be?

Yep- that's the way it's supposed to be...it ain't the movies, where the "good guys" always win, nobody get killed and everybody comes home and lives happily ever after... And the guys that have "been there" know that better than anyone.

But then what does this administration care- they're not putting themselves or their family members in harms way...I do like the Iraqi VP's idea though...Just let DuHbya and Hussein have a duel- not only will it save time and money- it'll save the lives of American and Iraqi people.

I kinda miss the days when Bush thought there was no world beyond the Atlantic and Pacific instead of involved in it.

Well, we can all blame Bud Selig for this.
If he'd a just let DuHbya be baseball commissioner like he wanted, instead of taking the job himself, DuHbya woulda never even gone into politics, and we wouldn't be in this mess.

[Travelinman]

SanAntonioMike said:

Yeah, it's just about set. I'm not ready to face it, though. Will I be allowed to still be "SanAntonio" Mike? We want to put it off until after the holidays, if that's at all possible -- too much family here to uproot that hastily.

No matter where you go you wil always be SAM to us. My mom always said "Things happen for a reason" maybe something will come up and you'll be able to stay in Texas.

Yeah, someone better stop the maniac we somehow put into office. I watched him do it to Texas and now he's doing it to America on a GRAND scale. He's not doing this for "The American People," he's doing it out of a confused sense of misplaced vengeance. He can't get Bin Laden, so he's shifted the crosshairs to the next available target, whether it's the right one or not.

As for his state of mind, one of the people I work with saw the pres when he was on the Tonight show. Jay asked him if he exercised, his response "When I was governor of Texas I got alot pulling the lever" making a jesture of pulling the lever for the electric chair. I later heard this from a few other people. This is not misplaced vengence, this is a mental issue. THAT NEEDS ATTENTION NOW.

[Travelinman]

Roughneck I learned when I was in the service, not to believe everything we hear from the media. When I spent time overseas and met the people of that country, yes the original perception of us was from seeing our politicians. Some of that changed when they met regular people and saw how much we had in common. I do not trust our media, according to them we support the president. OK check this out

observer.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,801073,00.html

I check news from overseas constantly to see the rest of the worlds reaction.

[SanAntonioMike]

LS said:

Well if things come down to it SAM , least it's not that drastic a change...like Minnesota or Maine or someplace like that would be.

That's true, that's true. But the climate's going to be a shocker -- we're hot here, but it's almost a tropical heat (San Antonio is just this side of being considered tropics); water everywhere. Moving to the desert is going to warp my tiny mind. I'm coming to grips with it at this point, and it's actually, in a way, nice to have something immediately important to me and mine to keep my mind of the REST of the topics discussed in this thread...

I agree with ya SAM, and as far as the "bullying" aspect, Pete Hamill wrote an excellent piece in today's paper, and a standing "O" to him ...I wonder if just one of them have given this one a lick of thought...
Just what kind of message IS he sending our youth?? In my book, The DuHbya and his henchmen don't even come close to being any kind of "role models" for anyone- let alone our youth.

That's a hell of an article, and says pretty much what I've been trying to get across to my own kids, why I don't like what Duhbya's been doing and why I didn't like Toby Keith's song. I don't mind my boy being strong and proud, but I don't want him being a bully. I took a lot of crap growing up half Mexican, and I learned to stand my ground but never went out LOOKING for a fight. Texans love to finish fights, but I've never known us to go out starting them (well, okay, ignore Brownville and range wars and internal fracases... )...

It constantly embarrasses me that Dubya is Texan.