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Thom Hartmann has written a dozen books covering ADD / ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
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"You may see me tonight with an illegal smile; it don't cost a whole lot, and it lasts a long while.
Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone; I'm just trying to have me some fun." - John Prine
Someone save me from the people trying to save me.
Did Chabot have any reasonable argument as to why marijuana is bad for you? So bad you shouldn't smoke it at all? I didn't hear one, all I heard is that people are abusing the medical marijuana laws... if it become legal though, wouldn't the abuse stop by default? Seemed to me that he was caught the endless death spiral of a circular argument.
N
Why do pro-prohibition freaks want to screw with my religion? My people sign praises to our deity for making holy the drinking of the fruit of the vine.
When my wife was dying of cancer, I demanded that the doctors give her marihuana for her pain, hyperemisis, and other symptoms. The doctors prescribed Marinol and then she was able to keep down a drink of water.
I had to find the stuff in hospital pharmacies, and it sometimes took an entire day to find because of the federal hurdles. Marihuana is is defined as a dangerous narcotic because Harry Anslinger needed to find another gig when it was obvious that the prohibition of alcohol was going to be repealed.
Ron White commented that he needed marijuana because he got really depressed every time he ran out.
So, Chabot thinks we can "control" people who want drugs by cutting off the supply?
The idea of prohibition is fantasy. Prohibition is the best way to turn criminals into billionaires.
Speilberg/Kubrick's 2002 film 'Minority Report' explores the concept of personal scanning in an interesting way.
Initially, John Atherton (Tom Cruise) walks through a mall and is assailed on all sides by automated pitchfolk who have identified him via retinal scan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBaiKsYUdvg
Later, in order to elude The Authorities, he has an eye transplant and as he walks into a GAP store is greeted by a hologram as "Mr. Yakamoto" and asked "How did those assorted tank tops work out for you?":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITjsb22-EwQ
Of course the film riffs on a number of more serious privacy issues. The basis of the film was a 1956 short story by Philip K. Dick.
The basis of foreign aid is to produce goods in the USA, pay the workers in the USA, and then ship the goods to other countries. Over 70% of foreign aid is spent in the USA.
A serious problem with this operation is that weapons are given to countries whose governments use the weapons against their own people. This is illegal in the USA, but it's not illegal to send weapons to a "favorable" country and then have the "favorable" country slap a hand on the shipment and then send the weapons to the "sanctioned" countries to use against their own population.
To the Libertarian who paradoxically sees no harm in the loss of our individual privacy, I am reminded of John Lennon singing "You don't know whatcha got until ya lose it." I think comedian Steven Wright said it this way..."They say you don't know what you have until you lose it. So I got rid of everything!"
Years ago I heard Noam Chompsky refer to the U.S.A. as the United States of Amnesia -
What about the other side of the coin. What's going to happen when the citizens of these industrializing countries want their share too. History repeats itself. How long will the down trodden masses of China, India, etc... are going to be content when the world around them is improving. (How are you going to keep them down on the farm when they've seen Paris?) Listening to a Pacifica Radio show yesterday, they were talking about citizens in these industrializing countries commiting suicide in increasing numbers. There is are Maoist movements growing over there. Western Civilizations went through a lot of internal wars as it industrialized, will we see the same kind of civil wars and wars with industrializing neighbors as these countries grow? I don't see why not.
America hasn't been able to keep itself out of such wars since the Spanish American War either. :-(
N
I look at our jobs being outsourced to a foreign country as evil. That is right. Our government is screwing Americans.
@Maxrot, you make a good point. My aim is to offer operant conditioning for the masses. The masses must be conditioned that the United States of Numb Nuts is not a good, holy, and saintly nation. Americans must come to grips with the fact that the United States of Where Shit Rises to the Top is an evil, vile, and wicked nation.
http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2010/08/03/a-warning-to-the-president/
@gerald, why don't you try to make at least a sensible acronym substitution? Like how about the United States of Anguish, the United States of Assholes, the United States of Anger, the United States of the Apocalypse, the United States of Ashes, the United States of Animosity, the United States of Antipathy, the United States of Antagonism, the United States of Abusiveness, the United States of Abhorrence, the United States of Abominations... heck you were so close in your line, the United States of the Abyss, so close, so close.
Just saying, pick up a thesaurus, you can express your (would be) zingers with more poignancy.
N
oops posted here by mistake.. moved post to Daily Topics
Enthusiasm Gap!
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/2010_elections/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/08/03/enthusiasm_gap_obama&source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%20Newsletter%20%28Not%20Premium%29_7_30_110
Louise, the reasons are that our federal government considers average Americans as cannon fodder and mushrooms.
War, war, war!!! The glory of killing and the glory of murdering God's children that is the American way and the way of the United States of Damned Souls!!!!!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/07/the-drumbeats-of-war-with-iran-are-getting-louder.html
I have dropped America from the United States and replaced it with either Hell, Numb Nuts, Sodom and Gomorrah, Where Shit Rises to the Top, Devil's Disciples, or Damned Souls, such as the United States of DAMNED SOULS.
The destiny of the United States of Hell is the eternal abyss of hell. Now, that is the American way!!!!!
Obama has found his true calling in life and calling is to play with expensive toys, like drone missiles. He seems also to enjoy war games. The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys. The most expensive toys are in war games. Obama’s DNA is closely linked to Bush’s DNA. Birds of a feather flock together.
When we hear Obama Care, we linked these words with health care. Obama Care is more than health care. As president, Obama Care is also the continuation of wars and war games, deceptive rhetoric, a solidified police state, the protecting of banks and its gangsters, and the protecting of Wall Street and its crooks and thieves. There is more but why belabor the point. Obama Care is also the continuation of BOHICA Days, such as bend over here it comes again.
**Reflection of the Week**
"A good motivation is what is needed: compassion without dogmatism, without complicated philosophy; just understanding that others are human brothers and sisters and respecting their human rights and dignities. That we humans can help each other is one of our unique human capacities."
- Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
How Do We Rescue the Middle Class?
1. Regulate ALL employers (especially high tech) to pay overtime for hours worked over 40 hours per week. Virtually all middle class high tech workers work 50 - 70 hours a week regularly for 40 hours of pay.
2. End H1B and all Visa programs that allow foreign workers (including Canadians) from taking American jobs. Phase out slowly (and humanely) the Visa's for guest workers currently residing in America.
3. Fine companies that outsource any jobs.
4. End all government contracts today whose companies (or subsidiaries) are based in the Caymen Islands or Dubai.
5. Add Tariffs to all imported manufactured goods, and use those tariff revenues to jump start our own Manufacturing Businesses.
It's not so hard, our elected officials just lack political will to do the correct thing for America's citizens!
The god complex is alive and well. The only problem is who gets to be god? Who gets to be Santa checking his list?
@gerald, why don't you try to make at least a sensible acronym substitution? Like how about the United States of Anguish, the United States of Assholes, the United States of Anger, the United States of the Apocalypse, the United States of Ashes, the United States of Animosity, the United States of Antipathy, the United States of Antagonism, the United States of Abusiveness, the United States of Abhorrence, the United States of Abominations... heck you were so close in your last line, the United States of the Abyss, so close, so close.
Just saying, pick up a thesaurus, you can express your zingers with more poignancy.
N
War, war, war!!! The glory of killing and the glory of murdering God's children that is the American way and the way of the United States of Damned Souls!!!!!
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2010/07/the-drumbeats-of-war-with-iran-are-getting-louder.html
I have dropped America from the United States and replaced it with either Hell, Numb Nuts, Sodom and Gomorrah, Where Shit Rises to the Top, Devil's Disciples, or Damned Souls, such as the United States of DAMNED SOULS.
The destiny of the United States of Hell is the eternal abyss of hell. Now, that is the American way!!!!!
We better watch out!! The corporate giants are out to finish off the middle class once and for all. With all their money pouring into Republican campaigns they are lining up their congress. And where will the middle class be? Outside with nothing... We better step up and support Democratic candidates who will watch out for us. Who in their right mind wants to go back to the same Republicans who got this economy into such a mess. There is no other choice. We have to keep the Democrats in charge or we will continue to see the Corporate bigwigs getting all the tax breaks besides the corporate welfare they already get and leave the people to scratch out a living. Remember, we are still the people and we are the people who can get them to do what we want. It took a lot of purpose and dedication to get Pres. Obama elected and we need that now to keep the giant corporations from dictating our future...
Thom,
What about children of legal immigrants to the US, born in the United States. Many legal immigrants never become naturalized citizens - should that bar citizenship to their children?