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The recent Bergdahl swap has got the Republican noise machine claiming that it was illegal and a horrible thing to have done. After-all, they claim, he went awol and may have been the cause of the deaths of a few American fellow soldiers who went looking for him. Maybe our response should be that the Republicans, even now, will not own up to what their "Saint" Raygun did when he traded weapons to Iran for hostages. How many of those weapons were used to kill Americans, eventually? And what about all of the weapons that American corporations have sold to these countries since?
Bergdahl is no traitor...he's a hero! He acted out of conviction when he came to realize that he was lied to about why he was over there and what they were actually doing over there. Killing civilians...lots of them! That's enough to turn any honest man's stomach...any man with a conscience anyway.
But obviously, the men he had to work with, or for, over there were heartless, jingoist murderers. Those murderers in American uniforms are not patriots. They are the psychopathic cowards who deserve to be tried for war crimes right along with the cowardly politicians, military officers, and American xenophobic citizens who go along with the mass murder of civilians in the countries their military have illegally invaded and occupied.
ChicagoMatt ~ Way back when we first wrote the Bill of Rights we decided that it was a good idea for the federal government to be in charge of protecting the civil rights of all of the citizens of our country. If the good people of Mississippi really believe that they should be "left the hell alone" than maybe they should practice what they preach and leave their own gay community "the hell alone."
Not being able to keep their noses out of other peoples business is a perfect example of why we need the federal government to do it.
I would also like to alert everyone that I replied to that reply.
Thom, you should consider cleaning up some of these commentor posts and making a book out of them. "Conversations with real Americans." I volunteer to be the token righty, although I hate the label.
I think a 10% royalty would be fair...
He was elected in 2008. But we all make type-os sometimes.
Anyway, it is easy to find crazies on both sides and think that somehow they represent the thinking of the majority of the people. It's a political tactic both sides use.
This is unrelated, but I wanted to comment on something Thom said on his show today. He was talking about the Taliban, and how they were agrarian people who just wanted to be left the hell alone, not like Al Queda (sp?), who were actively engaging America. He was saying it like the Taliban were in the right. And my comment is, if you believe that, then why not apply that same logic to the rural parts of this country? Isn't that why so many red-staters want less federal control? Particularly when it comes to social issues? The citizens of, say, Mississippi, probably don't give a damn about gay marriage in California. But when that makes it to the federal level, and wins (which it will), now the citizens of Mississippi have a problem. Sort of like the Taliban - they just want to be left the hell alone.
Of course, if our government can play that game, as well as another game they've used to defeat other "repressive" governments from censoring the internet...ie: mobile telephone network in a suitcase...then we may have a chance to fight the injustice and repression in our own country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/world/12internet.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
What the government spent $2 million to create, I suspect the rest of us can spend a few thousand to achieve the same thing. After all, we can now buy little spy drones for a couple of hundred dollars. Maybe we should all have those spy drones to capture videos of police brutality.
You can even get a pair of sun glasses that have a built in "POV ACG50 1080p HD Action Camera Eyewear and Webcam (Black)" for $150 at Amazon
Chuck - you have inspired me to learn more about this "card check" thing you keep talking about. I did a quick search, but I am still a little confused.
I am pro-union in the private sector. Because the management there has a personal, potentially negative stake in any bad union deals it makes. But in the public sector, the politicians who make the deals with the unions don't have to worry about the consequences.
A unionized car company can go out of business, taking the management's jobs with them. A unionized police force still has to find a way to function, and the politicians who created the problem aren't around or don't lose their jobs once the problem comes to a head, like it did in Detroit.
Oh good - more crazy talk to make me feel better about my own sanity. :)
I like reading conspiracy theories for the same reason I like watching shows about morbidly-obese people (My 600 pound life, for example). It makes feel think, "yeah, I may be crazy/overweight, but I'm not THAT bad compared to these people...
I was wondering where you were anarchist cop out. To be honest, I have been on this blog WAY too much this week, since we're winding down for the school year. I have to stop myself from posting 10 things in a row, lest it look like I have no life. This site is rather addicting.
Not to wax all poetical or anything, but I'm glad I found a site full of educated, astute, and politically engaged individuals to chat with.
How is that different than Thom's constant begrudging of millionaires and billionaires? Instead of saying, "They should be paying more", why not say, "Where's mine?" Or, "I should be paying less too."
I heard that on a Conservative talk show once. Someone said that the rich pay 15%, and it's not fair, since the poor pay a higher percentage. The host said, "You're right, it's not fair. Everyone should pay 15%, not just the rich."
I do work with mostly older women. But I know know my employer isn't trying to keep me down on purpose. I've seen the numbers. In fact, they're constantly trying to get me into leadership/principal positions, but I refuse. I enjoy teaching too much.
And it's not like I didn't know this would be the pay when I started. That's something that I don't understand about people who work at a fast-food place and complain about the pay. What did you think when you took the job? If anything, you should be complaining about the cost of everything going up, not the fact that your pay isn't going up as fast.
You want solidarity at the same time when the city of Chicago and the state of IL still have Affirmative Action and contract quotas for minority and women-owned businesses? Good luck. Those things seems contradictory to me. "We're all in this together, but 40% of the contracts are earmarked for women-owned businesses. So if your a guy, and we have our quota of guys, tough. But remember, we're all in this together."
This reminds me of something I read on a teacher blog a few years ago. Someone posted a story about a teacher who was in her 20s that had a romantic relationship with one of her female students, who was 17. The teacher was, of course, arrested and had her life and career ruined. But the person who posted it on the blog was arguing that the teacher was a hero for "following her heart" and that the real problem is the law the prohibits that kind of love. Their argument was that the age of consent in the USA is too high, and the law needs to be changed. If the age of consent was 16, like it is in some more liberal countries, people would be applauding the lesbian relationship.
There you go, you're catching on.:))
Alice said a similar thing.
If "lots of people want to do it" is an excuse for changing a law, think of the other laws we should change. Speeding, underaged drinking, gun ownership and concealed carry, bigomy or pologamy, prostitution, praying in schools, etc...
I'd like to see statistics for how many people want to do those things as compared to how many people want to do drugs. I suspect some of those things would actually have higher rates.
That having been said, I actually support legalization of marijuana and most other drugs. If people want to do that stuff in their own houses, that's their problem. I lost someone very, very close to me to drugs. It started with weed when she was a teen, and ended with an overdose on morphine in her 30s. And altough I am saddened by her loss, I know that she made all of those choices, and I support other people's rights to make those choices as well.
Legalization is one issue that fits well with both right and left thinking, depending on how you look at it. A righty could see it as a case for individualism - make your own damn choices and live with the consequences. It could also become a literal "opiate of the masses", keeping people from getting to uppity about the status quo. (That does not mean I believe in the elitist conspiracy theories I've read on here, that everything is part of a grand plan to keep people in check.)
Ou812 ~ The new puppet's name is Obama. At least that is what he calls himself. I used to know him as Dwayne Sanchez. He used to be a rocket scientist from the Dominican Republic that helped the government run a secret UFO base at the bottom of a lake near the city of Santiago. I met Dwayne in a secret government program I took part in during the 80's where together we teleported from Andrews Air Force Base back and forth to the underwater UFO base in Santiago while participating in a project called 'Pegasus'. He told me back then that he also used to time travel and knew that someday he would be the President of the United States. I didn't believe his story at the time, but what do you know. I can't prove my story, but you can't disprove it. Some things must be accepted on faith.
A couple more stupid questions. Why did these corporate elitist groups need a puppet? Do these corporate elitist group still need a puppet? If so, who is the puppet now? I can't prove my story, but you can't disprove it. Some things must be accepted on faith.
Palindromedary ~ Well thank you Apple!! All I have to say is where there is a will there is a way; and, with the plethora of todays high tech gadgets I'm sure the kids today will plan ahead if they intend any mischief. If they don't, well, chances are the police will be caught off guard too. Personally, if I was a civil liberties lawyer I'd smell a nice profitable lawsuit.
One way or the other Apple will be made to pay for this outrage. If a lawyer doesn't get them, surely there falling sales will when their potential customers get wind of their intentionally faulty products. Personally, I hope they get hit from both sides. This really pisses me off.
UNC Tarheels ~ Precisely! They are breaking the law. Also, it is because of the law that all the crimes you've mentioned take place. The simple fact of the matter is that lots of people want to take drugs. We, as a country, have tried now for over three decades to make them stop. I call that a failed policy. Continuing to try and make something work repeatedly that always fails is a classic definition of insanity. Since we obviously can't make people stop wanting to take drugs we certainly can change the law. We learned that a long time ago with alcohol prohibition and are learning the lesson again. The real culprit behind the murders of those innocent victims is the law and the people like you who support them. Get over it!
As far as I am concerned when a solution to a bad problem is this blatantly obvious the people who speak out against it--as well as those who actively defy the status quo--are the real heros. The bad laws, the law makers, and those who blindly follow them are the real criminals.
anarchist cop out ~ Well said, Mark!
Ou812 ~ Mr. Raygun was an actor and puppet of the corporate elitist groups that got him elected. His policies continue because the corporate elitist groups who benefit from them continue. Any other stupid questions?
By the way, that was your ridiculous story. If you can't offer anything to support it, don't be surprised that everyone laughs at it.
President Obama conspiracy theories by the right wing are ludacris enough. However, they are really pikers when compared to Stephen Colbert. Watch this if you dare; but, remember...
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING!!
http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/s190yi/this-changes-everything---obama-s-martian-gayness
Raygun enabled the 1%. The 1% are running his policies; just like when he was in the white house.
i JUST CHEERED YOUR ARTICLE ON THE "LABOR GAMES" BLOG. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT
Mr. DAnne Marc, you can't be so naive to believe a secret like the name an picture of a man impersonating an ex president would be available on the Internet. What I've stated is true. If it's not true, give me a better explanation of why 25 years after Reagan left office, and 10 years after his alleged death his policies continue. And please try to refrain from name calling it makes you look foolish!
BRAVO!
DAM -- You also need to read Thom's defense of inefficiency (if you find the link, please let me know).
I have said it before, but I will say it again. When I say raygun, I mean the raygun adminstration. Raygun himself, a really good democrat, was duped by Nancy's father.
Chi Matt -- And to think DAM compared you to OU. He corrected himself by the way.
DAM -- Please quit bowing to the republican playbook. Strong labor unions would bring back reasonable tariffs and a minimum wage. Card check would bring back strong labor unions. Dems were 1 vote short in the senate of passing card check in 2009. Vote DEMOCRATIC.