While I find your Website to be informative and at least superficially "progressive" I'm afraid that, as it stands, it is a failure, as are nearly all other sites of its’ ilk and for the same reason. While it's true that there are many urgent issues that we all must face, unfortunately, none of them has a "snowballs' chance in hell" of even being seriously considered, let alone resolved, as long as George Bush and his criminal, sociopathic administration remain in power. At the very least, even if Bush steps down in 08 (which I very seriously doubt), the precedent has been set to be used by ANY future administration for the continued abuse of power he has so blatantly practiced. The ONLY action that has any chance of putting a damper on the fascist reign America has now been placed under is the IMMEDIATE impeachment, arrest, prosecution and conviction of ALL criminal elements currently RULING the United States. Only this clear and powerful example will be adequate to subdue the unbridled lust for power that currently holds sway over the entire political/corporate spectrum. To this end, all organizations such as yours must bend all their assets, resources and skills to uniting ALL rational people in achieving this absolutely essential goal. UNITY IS OF THE ESSENCE! Unless we make this happen, groups such as yours will soon be non-existent and any hope of a free and open society in America, or anywhere, will be lost for the foreseeable future. This says nothing to the multitude of other catastrophic consequences that will result for the entire human race. With all this in mind I beseech you, on behalf of all decent and good people the world over, to please focus all your efforts on the resolution of the ONLY REAL ISSUE that is an ABSOLUTE PREREQUISITE to any possibility for the salvation of humanity.
With the utmost sincerity and urgency, Richard Posner Rio Rancho, NM coldwarbaby47@msn.com
Richard Posner coldwarbaby47@msn.com
Posts: 3 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: 24 June 2007
Richard, I think you've mistaken this motley and eclectic gathering for an organization. It's a collection of like and not-like minded people ... juz' tryin' to figger it out if you will.
Or to put it another way, if you want to talk to someone you always agree with, spend some time in front of a mirror. Other than that, people will disagree about issues on occasion. It's healthy.
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
Posts: 8264 | Location: Fl | Registered: 05 July 2001
That's not true, Sawdust. I disagree with myself on almost every topic
Me niece put it this way:
"I am of two minds, each objecting to the idea of the other."
All conscious human beings struggle to negotiate the dialectic. If you can nurture that skill, it can be a powerful force for insight. Or you can repress it... and it will sabotage your mind.
In the old days there were cartoons of a devil on your left shoulder whispering in your ear, and an angel on your right shoulder. That was when life was easy, you knew you were normal when you had an internal dialectic going on. Nowadays they would call you schizophrenic and prescribe medication.
What does it mean when you can listen to both sides of an argument, and you have to confess that both sides makes as much sense as the other? Some may call it weak and humanistic. To me it means impartial and objective, like a judge.
I hope.
-- The only time we see the middle of the road is as we run from side to side. R.O.Clark
Posts: 3959 | Location: Santa Fe | Registered: 11 June 2003
That's not true, Sawdust. I disagree with myself on almost every topic
My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts.
A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.
Posts: 8264 | Location: Fl | Registered: 05 July 2001
Relax Richard, the worst is over. Bush and his ilk are on their way out and slowly but surly sanity is returning. You have to keep abreast of the little things that happen, like the recent uproar over lack of proper food testing. it will eventually lead to the Bush appointed idiots in regulatory positions and be corrected. Look at the heat Gonzalez is facing this very day! Most importantly look at the public support for the war. i understand Bush came in like a tornado and tore the government and our budget to shreds, but now the house of cards in tumbling down on top of him. thom's steady message has had an effect. It may not register on the media radar but it is always there, doing its job.
"These things which man purports to admire-the noble, the brilliant, the splendid-these are the very things he cannot tolerate when he finds them."-----Mark Clifton
Posts: 5565 | Location: hoffman estates il | Registered: 01 April 2003
Originally posted by Gnarlodious: That's not true, Sawdust. I disagree with myself on almost every topic
Me niece put it this way:
"I am of two minds, each objecting to the idea of the other."
All conscious human beings struggle to negotiate the dialectic. If you can nurture that skill, it can be a powerful force for insight. Or you can repress it... and it will sabotage your mind.
In the old days there were cartoons of a devil on your left shoulder whispering in your ear, and an angel on your right shoulder. That was when life was easy, you knew you were normal when you had an internal dialectic going on. Nowadays they would call you schizophrenic and prescribe medication.
What does it mean when you can listen to both sides of an argument, and you have to confess that both sides makes as much sense as the other? Some may call it weak and humanistic. To me it means impartial and objective, like a judge.
I hope.
Having opposing points of view is a good thing. It gives you more choices; more options. Absorb as many points of view as you can about everything! The trick is figuring out which one to apply in a given situation. Retired Monk "Ideology is a disease"
Posts: 3412 | Location: denver co | Registered: 17 April 2007
With the utmost sincerity and urgency, Richard Posner Rio Rancho, NM coldwarbaby47@msn.com
I would say after reading Richard's plea for unity in shedding and more importantly punishing the criminals who are leading the nation and by fiat the world towards… Then reading everybody's replies… Then looking at Richards picture again… Richard won’t have to worry about pulling his hair out.
Richard it's like this whole country doesn’t understand that things aren’t so bad that they can’t get worse, and when they do… They are going to whish they had it to do over again.
Posts: 141 | Location: allover | Registered: 20 September 2006
I agree with Bill, Bush is at 29% approval, with nowhere to go but down. He's alienating everyone in sight. The governor's election in Ohio was so lopsided, the secratary of state, who's cheating reappointed Bush, couldn't steal the governor's job. It was so bad for the Repugs that the new governor of Florida got rid of touch screen machines.
Germany has had some of the most passionate peacemakers as leaders since WWII. Germany and Japan have been among the most pro-Solar countries in the world. When the war ended, Eisenhower forced Germans to go see concentration camps. In our case, while force is inapproprate, we can calmly continue to tell the truth about the problems. It' frustrating as hell sometimes, but part of making a better world is learning to communicate even in difficult circumstances.
"No one ever went broke underestimating the American people."
PT Barnum
Posts: 1148 | Location: Repentant States of America | Registered: 28 November 2003
Well, some of the members of this forum believe the approval ratings mean nothing in a democratic republic. I think the emphasis is on the word "republic."
On the other hand, I wonder why some of our members bother posting in forums, if public opinion means nothing.
--------------------------------------------------------------- "if you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got." ---------------------------------------------------------------
Posts: 6804 | Location: usa | Registered: 09 February 2006
The Bush administration is the symptom not the disease. Kerry is at least an honorary member of the BFEE. Slick and Hillary are full, life members. All of them are merely a visible manifestation of something far more evil holding the puppet strings. Bush didn't sit in Emma E. Booker Elementary School reading about a pet goat because he thought it looked presidential. He did it because someone has him by the nads and he knows it.
Sure, we have to turn the corner on population, consumption, deforestation, species extermination, police state monitoring, militarization of our police forces, dependency on non-renewable fuels, etc., etc. OTOH, those who are responsible for preventing us from addressing these issues are just waiting for us to panic and demand drastic action to protect us from the myriad of threats.
I've been screaming bloody murder for decades now regarding many of these issues. The oligarchy knows what's going on, they do not want the mechanisms of democracy to function in order to address the looming threats. They would rather see societal meltdown and global ecological disaster than to abandon their plan for the enslavement of the rest of humanity.
I have only recently come to hold such a pessimistic and extreme view toward the super rich, but the events we've observed over the past decade, and revelations about events of the past century have convinced me that Alex Jones is a lot closer to telling us the truth than are O'Reilly or Obermann.
Originally posted by Sawdust: Or to put it another way, if you want to talk to someone you always agree with, spend some time in front of a mirror. Other than that, people will disagree about issues on occasion. It's healthy.
I tried that this morning. I disagree with myself and ended up giving myself a 1 day suspension for gross insabordination.
"Fine, if the a-hole wants to be that way, I'll just sleep in!"
"OK, you're confined to the shooting range for the rest of the day!"
"Great, I'll get paid my salery no matter what you do to me!"
"Ha!, no margaritas until after lunch!, take that!!"
....jerk!....
...............Idiot!!..........
.........NEOCON!..........
.....Hey now!!!!!!, thats gettin nasty........
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."
Theodore Roosevelt, 1913
Posts: 2404 | Location: Redmond WA | Registered: 04 September 2006
Individuals are legally responsible for their views. Messages or parts of messages may be quoted or read on the radio, or reprinted in Thom's books and other materials.
