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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 20, 2004 21:27:36 GMT -5
I haven't been around as much as I used to be. I have been paying close attention to what is happening in America these days. I'll be honest, I find much of what is happening very disturbing. How about you?
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Post by Travelinman on Jan 20, 2004 22:26:48 GMT -5
Hi Alice, I think it's a coin toss between what's going on here and over in Iraq. Both are some what disturbing. I'm looking forward to see how the race for the White House turns out and see who will win the election.
I'm ready for a change, that I can tell you. ;D
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Post by Roughneck on Jan 20, 2004 23:10:27 GMT -5
Hey, only ONE MORE YEAR LEFT! ;D 365 days and counting! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 20, 2004 23:25:37 GMT -5
Travelinman - I agree with you. What is going on in America and in Iraq are disturbing scenarios. I'm ready for a change too. I would like to hear more politicians talk about abiding by the Constitution. Many problems could be solved if they followed the Constitution. I am probably going to be writing in my own name on the ballot in November because I don't care for the sitting prez and I don't care for the guys who are running for office.
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Post by Mr._Shooter on Jan 21, 2004 17:00:07 GMT -5
Greetings, Alice. Yes, it's often difficult to focus on anything other than, well, the state of the union. We're supposed to be pulling out of the economic doldrums, but as was pointedly noted in another thread, most Americans haven't noticed any fiscal improvement. Beyond the tepid economy, we're trying to fight a war that simply can't be won (there no such thing as "victory" in the Middle East...just ask the Israelis), the health crisis continues, the schools are a mess and (hee hee!) ridiculous legal "battles" (e.g., those involving Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart and Scott Peterson) conspire to divert our attention from it all. So, yes, I can see why you haven't been around much, Alice. All I can say is, keep the faith.
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Post by LS on Jan 21, 2004 21:38:22 GMT -5
Hey Alice, good to see you again. Yeah, I guess the same here too- I've been pretty much pre-occupied with everything going on and tryin' to scrape by. Following the Constitution...gee, what a novel idea. Yep we definitely need that and I'd say it's about time we got people who aren't rich in there...What do people who never had to worry about getting and keeping a job, paying the mortgage or worrying about doctor bills and not being able to afford medicine know or care?? That's the problem...our government's politicians are totally out of touch with reality. And after reading the State of The Union Address, I see DuHbya's still as clueless as ever...
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Post by SanAntonioMike on Jan 22, 2004 9:50:33 GMT -5
Howdy, Alice, good to see ya. Well, folks know about my general despondancy with the man they appointed to the presidency, and every @#$@%! stupid thing he's done to my country since he took office (to the point where I'm actively embarrassed to wear my flag pin on my vest, damn it). As for what's happening right NOW... Yesterday Duhbya came through Phoenix. They blocked of traffic for miles and miles around so his motorcade could go through. This required everyone who was trying to go four different ways to get out off Tempe to be funneled in one direction (which included me). I was shuffled almost fifteen miles out of my way and had to crawl through surface traffic to get home about twenty minutes later than usual -- not too horrible. Until I get home and start my usual routine and they preempt "Ellen" for Bush yammering over at the Community College -- not to students, mind you, but at them... and it was the only local station to alter its afternoon programming. (There's a good column about it in today's Republic, which you can read at www.azcentral.com ) Okay, that's just personal. On a more national level, I noticed that now that Saddam's Sunni government has been overthrown, the Shiites are taking control again. Which means women are being molested in the streets for not wearing head scarves and men are being shot for selling liquor -- even Christians. Quite aside from the ridiculous "reasons" for going to war, I can't see that there is ever going to be an "end" to it, and while it may not be another Vietnam, there is no way we're going to be able to leave any more gracefully than we left Saigon. Osama bin Laden is still at large, and any time he wants to make Americans lose another civil right, all he has to do is let leak something about another attack, and bingo bango bongo, young Americans gladly give up their rights for Bush's rhetoric-laden "safety." I read that young Americans, who never lived during the Cold War, think "Big Brother is Watching" is "cool" and are all the more willing to trade up their rights so they can be on camera all the time. My country is dying by little steps, and I can't see a way to stop the slow decay unless we get that man out of the White House, NOW. Because I can't help but feel that if Bush wins another term, he's going to make some changes that could be even more detrimental to our society as a whole, and the "American Imperium" or " Dark Empire" is just around the corner. How long before "grateful Americans" offer their "savior" a status of "President-for-Life"?
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Post by whiskeyandaprayer on Jan 22, 2004 12:23:35 GMT -5
I was depressed. I was afraid I was going to have to follow Dean by default. However, now it looks like Kerry may take this thing. Woo-hooo! Someone I can actually respect, and, the man sort of responsible for my favorite response to bush's cronnies attacks on patriotism.
I can't remember exactly how it went, but it was something to the effect of The Senator served in Vietnam and was awarded medals--he doesn't feel like answering questions about his patriotism today.
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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 22, 2004 20:32:30 GMT -5
Greetings, Alice. Yes, it's often difficult to focus on anything other than, well, the state of the union. We're supposed to be pulling out of the economic doldrums, but as was pointedly noted in another thread, most Americans haven't noticed any fiscal improvement. Beyond the tepid economy, we're trying to fight a war that simply can't be won (there no such thing as "victory" in the Middle East...just ask the Israelis), the health crisis continues, the schools are a mess and (hee hee!) ridiculous legal "battles" (e.g., those involving Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart and Scott Peterson) conspire to divert our attention from it all. So, yes, I can see why you haven't been around much, Alice. All I can say is, keep the faith. Agreed about the Middle East. Iraq will never be developed into a Republic, excuse me, Bush words - a democracy. IMO, he uses our Constitution as an a$$ wipe. There is way too much concern on his part for creating a constitution in Iraq. We were at peace with Iraq. Jacko, Martha Stewart, and Scott Peterson...I am sick of hearing about them. IMO, if they are found guilty, they deserve to go to jail. I think Rush Limbaugh should have been arrested a long time ago. If I had been doing what Rush was doing, I would have been arrested. The rich and well-knowns are no better than the unknowns. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. BTW, I never liked Rush Limbaugh. I had made-up my mind he was a hypocrite back in 1993. He talked so much about class-envy while trying to keep-up with the Kennedy's. The public school system is a mess. The health crisis is a cost crisis in my opinion.
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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 22, 2004 21:10:50 GMT -5
My country is dying by little steps, and I can't see a way to stop the slow decay unless we get that man out of the White House, NOW. Because I can't help but feel that if Bush wins another term, he's going to make some changes that could be even more detrimental to our society as a whole, and the "American Imperium" or " Dark Empire" is just around the corner. How long before "grateful Americans" offer their "savior" a status of "President-for-Life"? SAM - I have observed many people who don't mind giving up their rights all due to blind devotion for a man who is totally disregarding the Constitution and instilling fear into people. Frightening!
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Post by SanAntonioMike on Jan 22, 2004 22:08:39 GMT -5
SAM - I have observed many people who don't mind giving up their rights all due to blind devotion for a man who is totally disregarding the Constitution and instilling fear into people. Frightening! It absolutely terrifies me, Alice. I swear to God, I don't know what these people were raised on, but more of 'em needed to be reared by WWII vets or something... something.
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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 22, 2004 22:24:22 GMT -5
It absolutely terrifies me, Alice. I swear to God, I don't know what these people were raised on, but more of 'em needed to be reared by WWII vets or something... something. Terrifies me too SAM. I think most of it is apathy. So many people do not give a damn. They are interested in what is playing at the theater this week-end and who is the next contestant on American Idol. Sorry, but, I like my freedom. By golly, I believe in the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights. What has worked since 1776 can still work today.
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Post by SanAntonioMike on Jan 22, 2004 22:34:36 GMT -5
I think those of us who are older and faced the "real" possibility (if only in the minds of our elders) of actually LOSING those freedoms -- kids today don't know what it was like to grow up during the Cold War, or to have parents who fought on foreign soil not for a few weeks, but for years and years; not to down an "evil dictator" who was more or less peacefully confined to one country, but two who were actively trying to conquer the world. They don't remember Vietnam or the Iron Curtain. They think having a Web Cam watching their every move is "Cool" or just plain "reality" TV. They've never read "1984" (that's the past now); they don't understand what these things really mean.
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Post by SweetNadine on Jan 22, 2004 22:47:01 GMT -5
SAM -
I watched the movie "Band Of Brothers" about a month ago. The movie is a true story. I think about one of the Soldier's words everyday. He stated that he tells his wife every night, "I'm glad I'm not in Bastone." I will never forget this movie.
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Post by Wildrider on Jan 25, 2004 20:58:37 GMT -5
Word. Wordy McWord Word. Pretty much to everything everyone's said. I hope Roughneck's right. I think I might, just MIGHT, be able to make it until November. Someone or anyone, doesn't matter. A friend of mine is often saying she'll vote for a log if it wins the Democratic nomination.
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