Iraq

[mrsl]

Movieman 1957:

I never blamed Bush for global warming, I blame him for making a joke of it. Any normal person can see without any scientific proof that the weather is changing season by season. For years Las Vegas never had rain, then suddenly they get rain showers just like the midwest, although not yet as severe. The midwest at one time had 4 seasons, now we have two, Winter and Summer. We go from wool coats and mufflers to breezy summer wear within less than a two week span, and back again in October. The South always had thunder storms and hurricanes but only occasionally the likes of the ones they've had in recent years. And snowstorms in the East are far more severe than before. Vegetables and fruits have a shelf life of less than a week. Buy 5 bananas and eat one a day, and by the time you get to the 5th, it's already brown and nearly inedible. The same goes for lettuce, tomatoes and others.


Pktrekgirl has already proven my point about the murderous aspect, and BTW, as governor of Texas, he was one of the few who still approved, and observed the death penalty.

As for China and Japan - what more can they do? Most of their cars are hybrids, and they export the gasoline burners. China, although a little cruel to my way of thinking, has imposed the one child per family rule in an effort to cut down on their population growth since WWII. China and Japan are leaders in industry and computerization, while our HS graduates are still trying to solve simple equations. It's a proven fact that many 8th grade grads still cannot read or comprehend what they do read.

We have to face the fact, although we don't like it, but our youth is suffering from our mistakes. Notice I said 'our' - WE're the ones who voted these parasites into office.

I know a lot of people don't like the things I say, but it is the truth. If I were younger and working, where I might have a network to work from, I might try to make these things known in a more widespread manner. As it is, although I spend much of my time watching classic movies and TV, at least I keep my nose into the political scene as much as I can. A lot of things go over my head, but at least I try, many cannot say that. i.e., I'm not lost in my own little world of cinema.

Anne

[jdb1]

Anne, there are many things you can do if you feel strongly that changes have to be made. Here are some of the things I do:

-- I write to my legislators. I set forth my opinions and I let them know what I agree with and disagree with in terms of what they are doing. This follows the same principle as voting in elections even if you don't like the choices. I don't want to be a passive bystander while things go to heck.

--When politicians make local appearances, I attend, and I either ask questions at Q&A time, or I try to corner them when they are "pressing the flesh," to get them to say something substantive in front of other constituents. If there is a Q&A, and I don't feel the answer I've been given is satisfactory, I try to pin them down to an answer that is more than just the usual political claptrap. If they won't do it, I summarize our little exchange by saying "So, in other words, you are saying that you are powerless to help us" or "So you are saying you don't think this is important enough to give it your consideration" -- things like that, to signal to the audience that we are being given a snowjob and they should not stand for it. I've gotten quite aggressive and forceful about it in my old age. Lord knows, we've heard enough crap from these people, haven't we?

-- I have, in the past, volunteered during policital campaigns. These days I have long day at work and commuting, so I don't participate as much as I used to. Also, I'm not too thrilled with what's passing for political candidates on the local level. All to many times it's a case of the lesser of two evils, and especially in places like NYC, the political machine is still very much alive and well, and political clubs aren't really for the people; they are more like Mafia-style social clubs, and even being allowed to volunteer is passed out like a political favor. (One of the reasons that there are still far too few women in local NYC politics.) That needs to change, and I try to support the female candidates when I can (with $$$) as long as I don't find them or their platforms entirely objectionable. Even if I don't completely agree with what they are spouting, they still have the right to run.

[pktrekgirl]

^ I have done all of those things too. And I agree with doing them. I was once very active in the anti-death-penalty/prison reform movement (which is how I know about Dubya's ghastly record in Texas), and have participated in many protests, have written many letters, etc.

However, the problem is that many politicians - particularly in the South, can now count on a factor they never could in the past (or at least not the recent past): political polarization.

More and more, we are seeing this phenomenon where the concept of Right v. Left is more important then the concept of Right v. Wrong.

I mean, how else could you explain a situation where you have the Republicans going after Clinton full-tilt for 8 years, eventually impeaching him for...wait for it.....lying about his PERSONAL SEX LIFE (which was no one's business to begin with, except maybe Hillary's). And these very SAME Republicans defending Dubya for LYING to the American public about WMD in Iraq - a lie that has cost 3,200+ young Americans their LIVES. Not to mention the lives of a few hundred thousand innocent Iraqi citizens (who last I checked, were just as human as we are)...and hundreds of millions of dollars of our money - money that could easily have been spent on Katrina cleanup and relief, or any number of other critical projects.

To me, this contrast alone illustrates quite clearly just how polarized we are. The Republicans don't CARE that Newt Gingrich was participating in the very actions he was going after Clinton for - at the very same time. They don't CARE that 3,200 American citizens have died for Dubya's lies. All they care about is that he is their side's 'guy'. And they will continue to defend his lies, no matter how gross and horrific. And they will continue to rage on and on about how horrible a PRESIDENT Clinton was...because he lied about his personal, private sex life in which no lives were lost, and no one was even impacted at all except for Hillary and Monica, neither of whom seem to have minded the situation too much.

The contrast here is really quite mind-boggling in scope. I mean, you have to do a whole HEAP of rationalization to get to where these guys are.

And yet....here in the State of Georgia, they are all over the place. They are Right Wing...and by God they will STAY right wing, right or wrong.

Even if one of the main planks of the Republican party, supposedly, is morality.

And so...when you are confronted with a political landscape like that, protests or Q&A's at candidate discussions just don't matter. People are NOT informed - in fact, they make every effort to stay UN-informed by only listening to FOX News - AKA, 'what they want to hear'. And even if they WERE informed, it wouldn't matter in the slightest. And the politicians know that. They bank on it in the South.

I am fully convinced that half the people of the State of Georgia would vote for ANYONE who said they were a Republican. You could go to a Q&A and get a candidate to admit he was head of the KKK and a card-carrying member of the Georgia Militia with an arsenal in his basement awaiting the end of the world. And if the only other choice was a Democrat, these people would vote for the KKK Militiaman.

And no - I am not exaggerating. I am fully convinced this is what would happen.

Right and Wrong are almost completely irrelevant in politics today. There is only Right and Left.

[ken123]

A Pre - Iraq invasion report, from the CIA, released by the Senate Intelligence Committee today, told the Admistration that violence , internal strife,and general mayhem would break out after Saddam was overthrown. Bush is looking more like Col. Thursday every day. The President is also looking more like the " horned angel " every day.

[mrsl]

Thanks for the name of Sheehan, I can never recall it. I know my phone calls are safe, but just the thought that someone could listen in if they so choose irks me to no end.

As for global warming, many other countries are waking up to the knowledge of it and are making strides to correct it. Our pres. and congress jokes about it, just like the folks did about trains, cars, airplanes, the polio vaccine and countless other scientific finds, until they were finally proven. One of the major industrial crimes was that of the automobile manufacturers all getting together to laugh Tucker out of business. The man had fantastic ideas that are now government ordered law enforced - seat belts, electric powered cars, built in speed limits on cars, etc. His ideas also included movable head lights for turns, and tail lights that included white brake lights. His engineers were a marvel, yet it took over 50 years to accept his theorys and put them to work. Imagine how global warming might have been slowed down considerably if his electric car had been approved instead of fought down in court. Another case of government covering for the big guy, and letting the little guy down.

Although to my way of thinking, science is often pretty slow in approval, at least they are mentally aware that things have to be proven before they make it generally known, but when big business stops the progress of enlightenment for personal gain, what is one to do?

Over 30 years ago, I got hold of a medical journal which gave proven information that a full sized 6 foot gorilla had been injected in his lungs and lymph nodes with cancer, and with some non-pervasive treatment (such as chemotherapy and radiation), but with drugs, the gorilla having had a full blown case of cancer in two vital areas, was cured completely, and was still alive 10 years after the fact. Believe me, losing my husband to lymph node cancer and knowing there was a cure for it somewhere out there did nothing to assuage my anger and frustration. But hospitals, pharmacuetical companies, insurance firms, doctors, and veterinarians would lose too much if there was a universal cure for cancer. BTW, several months after reading the report in the AMA journal, there was an article on the front page of the Chicago Tribune. This happened sometime in the mid-80's. Where is that cure now?

Oh, well, since our much anticipated Democratic congress has now voted, I hope they enjoy their Memorial Day weekends in their plush summer homes, after making it possible for us to send more of our young men and women across the world to fend for themselves in the dust and sand of a foreign country where nobody wants them.

Anne