Sorry Amanda you are wrong - see message

• Another post about health care..... - sm
  • There is no way that you can - sm
    • interesting point - cj
  • sm... - no socialized medicine!
    • Recent article by Bill Mann - Interesting
      • I do find it interesting - deedee
        • what I did find out - deedee
    • Nobody is saying socialized medicine - Amanda
      • Sorry Amanda you are wrong - see message - just me
      • sm... - yes, they are

The messages you are viewing are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select the boards given in left menu

I actually believe troops in the field get even less info.  If you look at it logically, how many satellite links do you think the US wants in enemy territory?  If they did have internet it would almost have to be via satellite as most infrastructure in the region is now wiped out, and a satellite link can be traced, allowing the enemy to pinpoint positions.  Hopefully our military is smarter than that. 

Also, I have watched several documentaries/commentaries/videos of people involved in the torture of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners.  In every case that I've heard of the people dishing out the torture (our guys) were following orders.  When this came out it was all over every news station and the internet, and yet in not one interview did any of these people say anything about seeing any controversy or publicity about it in any form.  They talked about how they personally had problems with it and what they were told to do, but that seems to be the extent of information they drew on.  What's remarkable about this is that this was not exclusive to Afghanistan or Iraq.  There was the same thing happening at Gitmo, supposedly a secure location.

Dear Amanda: 

Your attempts should be applauded, but just take a look at the thread above yours here (about renaming the White House) and really, truly SEE your audience.

Wearing the cloak of "Christianity," they talk about only there being only one perfect man, and he was killed, yet they stir the pot of hatred and lies in a frenzy, leading me to believe  they wouldn't mind at all if another death takes place. 

They take something as benign and American as two parents getting a puppy for their children and try to turn it into something sinister.

Their lives will probably drastically improve under President Obama, but they'll be too full of hate to ever even know it.

You made a valiant attempt, but President Obama will never have a chance with these people, but that's okay.  The good news is that the majority of Americans aren't like this, and they are the ones who voted for someone who may  likely go down in history as one of the best Presidents ever -- if he's given the chance and allowed to live long enough to do so.

it is scary.  I wonder how many transcription companies will close their doors within the next year.  The top 3 transcription companies may be all that are left before long.

If you had really listened closely to Prez Obama's speech earlier, he clearly stated the government is willing to give them a boost up in order to stabilize them and give them a chance to revamp their manufacturing in order to be competative with the global car manufacturers.  I am so glad to hear that one of the plants that will be shut down is Hummer.  We don't need gas guzzlers like that on the road.  They serve no purpose other than to satisfy the egomaniacs who need a huge obnoxious vehicle in order for them to feel superior.  We are not all going to be driving Smart cars.  For pete's sake, be realistic.  There is a solid purpose to keep manufacturing trucks and SUVs, and they can be made more energy efficient.  We desperately need a new mindset in this country, one that insists on less consumption, more cost effectiveness with an eye to achieving freedom from foreign oil.  In other words, we need to adapt a new attitude of learning to live without all the disgusting excess that goes on in this country.  People need to wake up and reprioritize what is really important, which is not more, more, more.  We can be the leaders in the world and set an example to everyone else that our values are more important than the trappings that we have prostituted ourselves for decades.  This is not a bad thing!

"'The truth is that the president is just doing with GM what we, the people elected him to do: manage America’s decline and do it gently, painlessly, without seeming to abandon the old tropes of American Greatness."

They have very short memories I reckon.  They forgot that Bush spent one-third of his presidency at his "ranch".  I guess it was free for him to do all that flying back and forth.  And then there was the 40 million dollars he spent on his SECOND inagural party, just two months after the devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia.  Imagine how far even HALF of that 40 million dollars could have gone toward that effort!!

Yep, a desparate bunch grasping at some pretty flimsy straws!!

There is just no getting through to these narrow-minded people.  They don't want to give him a chance, because their tiny brains have been filled with the BS that has been fed to them by the publicity-seeking egomaniacs that they worship (Lamebaugh, Coultergeist, Beck who I think is a closet Nazi, O'Reilly).  Dittoheads -- what a great name for them -- they are incapable of having an original thought of their own.  One poster on here has the nerve to say "he has had his chance".  Give me a break -- that shows nothing but ignorance.  The man has been in office less than 3 months!! 

You cannot have a reasonable conversation with these types of people.  Thank you for trying, though.  You had to know you would get flamed on this one, just as I'm sure I will.  C'est LA vie.

It *seems* to her the veteran showed disrespect to the flag, but I doubt she can come up with a concrete alternative way for him to have removed that flag, managed it single-handed, while being able to defend himself. 

I think when our embassies have been under attack, the folks who took down those flags were probably in as much of a hurry, and I doubt they did anything differently. 

Good analogy, by the way, about the grandfather.  First you protect the kid, then you dust him off and see whether he's hurt. 

As to stomping on the Mexican flag, no, I would not have.  The store owners may have flown the two flags as they did out of ignorance, not to show deliberate disrespect.  They may not have bothered to familiarize themselves with the law.  They may not even speak English, but have now received a valuable lesson, which I hope someone will explain to them.  If they are wise, they will learn from it.  If not, they will get together several hundred of their closest friends, petition Obama, march, riot, demand ''equality'' now, and be a general pain in the patootie.  I would love to see the followup on this....

I live in a rural area, have three dogs and do weight training also!!!

Actually it is said by the experts that if you are inexperienced with a gun you're better off not having one.  It's kind of complex, but check out the info if you're interested. 

I used to have military mace (actually from when I lived in a big city) - not sure if it's available to the public - probably easier to use than a gun and just as effective.  Otherwise, not sure who we're supposed to be afraid of here.....I generally am not afraid of intruders and I don't have any weapons in my house other than my dogs and my mouth!!!

I can't wait to see what Fitzgerald's investigation unfolds.

Libby and Rove both were sources for the leak of Plame's occupation.

This was after Joe Wilson made public that Bush's claim that Saddam Hussein was purchasing uranium to make nukes was FALSE.  The administration KNEW it was false, yet Bush used this fake threat of nukes in his State of the Union address to scare the heebie-jeebies out of the American public so they would support this bogus war.

That's how Bushies handle people who cross them.  Don't DARE tell the truth or expose the administration for what it truly is.  If you do, they'll not only put the life of a CIA agent in danger, but every single person she worked with around the globe pertaining to WMD.  Why isn't this treason?  It's the Bush way of doing things, and Karl Rove is an expert and accomplished thug.

I hope this goes beyond Rove and Libby and goes straight to Bush and Cheney.  This is definitely an illegal war, brought on totally false premises, and Bush and Cheney should be personally held accountable for all the deaths (American and Iraqi) that have resulted from their lies.

It's truly sad when the only man on earth who can make Saddam look not so bad is GEORGE W. BUSH.  I'm very ashamed of my government.

I'm writing to my Congressman and Senator and see if this is true, express my objection and see if they can BOUNCE the *blank check* they gave him regarding Iraq and require Congressional approval for air strikes.

The article you posted included the following: 

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the former official said, he was told that Bush felt that “God put me here” to deal with the war on terror. The President’s belief was fortified by the Republican sweep in the 2002 congressional elections; Bush saw the victory as a purposeful message from God that “he’s the man,” the former official said. Publicly, Bush depicted his reëlection as a referendum on the war; privately, he spoke of it as another manifestation of divine purpose.

Someone needs to tell Bush that God thinks Bush is too engulfed in his own ego to fully understand God's REAL message to him, and that's why God gave us POLLS.

I don't believe religious symbols of ANY kind belong in schools (unless they're religious schools) or government buildings.  If Walmart or Target wish to be inclusive to all religious beliefs, more power to them.  Private businesses should be free to do as they wish.  If they want to limit it to the religious Christmas and exclude the secular *Christmas,* some people might not want to shop in that kind of *exclusive* shop.  You can bet their profit margin is the bottom line for them.

For every religion out there, there are buildings:  churches, mosques, temples, etc. where like-minded people gather to worship.  Trying to control the very WORDS people say isn't going to work unless and until you guys figure out a way to implant a chip in every American that will force them to speak, think, believe and worship just like you do.  Maybe some of us think you'd do that if you had the ability, and maybe THAT'S the underlying thing that people are fighting.

That mental image HURTS.

I am so SICK of this man's lies.  Bush needs to get them straight.  When he said the following in 2004, he was clearly lying and KNEW IT, as we now all know.  I just wonder if there's ever been just ONE TIME in the last 5 years when he's actually told the truth.  Have you seen this?

Any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap, it requires -- a wiretap requires a court order, he said on April 20, 2004 in Buffalo, New York.

Nothing has changed, by the way. When we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so, he added.

On April 19, 2004, Bush said the Patriot Act enabled law-enforcement officials to use roving wiretaps, which are not fixed to a particular telephone, against terrorism, as they had been against organized crime.

You see, what that meant is if you got a wiretap by court order -- and by the way, everything you hear about requires court order, requires there to be permission from a FISA court, for example, he said in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

I totally agree this absolutely reaches across the board.  This monster repeatedly raped this child for 3 years, but the damage he's done to her is going to affect her entire life.  How about putting him in jail FOREVER so he can't hurt anyone else???  I also wouldn't have a problem with the death penalty for animals such as this.

I've recently seen this judge on TV, actually defending his actions, as if there is a defense for them.  Thank God for Bill O'Reilly (I don't usually care for him) and Joe Scarborough and Dan Abrams (and others, I'm sure) who are publicizing this.  Hopefully, this judge will be removed soon so maybe more children won't suffer.  This judge, in my opinion, is just as guilty as the molester himself.

I sat here, trying to put myself in the parents' shoes, and I wonder how many parents will begin to feel that taking the law into their own hands and killing these rabid animals is the only way to keep their children safe in lieu of a judge that cares more about the criminals than their victims.  If and when that happens, I'm not sure I could blame them.

I've written to Vermont's governor, as well.  I'm glad so many people are writing and publicizing this issue.  It's the only way things will change.

Number one, despite what is so *obvious* to you, I do not hate my country.  In fact, I miss it very much.  And I don't hate Bush because I don't *hate* anyone.  When he took over the Presidency, I began my impressions of him on an even keel.  Slowly, bit by bit, he has corroded any good impressions I ever may have had of him with his constant lying, dirty tricks, contempt for the Constitution, total and complete refusal to admit that he is NOT PERFECT, blatant disregard for the security of our borders, presiding over an econmy where people can barely afford gas but oil company executives get richer and richer, etc., etc.  I truly and sincerely believe he poses a HUGE threat to the security of every American citizen.

Regardless of what the Iranian President (his name is Ahmadinejad, by the way) claims to have, they don't have the capacity to nuke anyone, but the USA does, and Bush has a ZERO record when it comes to diplomacy.  Again, both Bush and Ahmadinejad are whack jobs, and neither can be reasoned with.  I believe this is a very dangerous combination of two out-of-control egos, and the end of humanity could very well be imminent.  I'm not going to apologize for caring if my grandchildren might not have the opportunity to reach voting age in this country because of a president who doesn't care about his legacy because, when asked, he said Who cares?  We'll all be dead, anyway.  That statement, combined with his love of war, I find to be quite chilling.

As far as being *lost in my world,* I can see very clearly a President who is losing more and more credibility, not on a daily basis any more but on an HOURLY basis.  I have ZERO faith or trust in this man.  Again, contrary to your implied intimate knowledge of me, my brain, my heart and my soul, these aren't because of any preconceived notions I might have about Bush.  These are because the actions of Bush himself.  As polls are evidencing more and more each day, I'm not alone in my skepticism of him.

Regarding where I got the quotes, if you are genuinely interested, I would suggest you Google them.  You've already indicated an inclination to not believe them, so I'm not going to waste my time by going back to the multiple sources I found, simply to provide you with a link that you've already decided not to believe.  If your interest is sincere, you'll look it up. 

Regarding your response to my *shopping spree* statement, I'm sorry, but it didn't come across as a joke to me.  It sounded like a negative character judgment regarding someone who doesn't agree with you, which is a common Neocon MO from Bush and his cronies all the way down to the lowest peon on the totem pole who is convinced Bush is on his or her side. 

Likewise, you can't possibly know the extent of my intelligence since you don't know me, have never met me and aren't qualified to offer such an opinion.  Inherent in your assessment that I'm *not that stupid* is the notion that you feel I do possess a certain degree of stupidity, which leads me to your comment that I feel I have to *label everyone who disagrees* with me as *uninformed and unthinking.*  I respectfully point out that these *labels* are YOUR words, not mine, and I would challenge you to point to those words in my above post to you. 

Have a very pleasant day.

I try to get my information from a variety of sources.  These days, it's hard to find a completely neutral source.

The main thing I'm interested in is finding the truth, and it seems that the party with the most to hide is the least likely to provide it.

When Clinton was President, I listened to a lot of right-leaning news sources for the very same reason.  I thought the lack of respect Clinton showed in the Oval Office was terrible, and I was actually in favor of impeaching him for that.  I didn't buy into and agree with the notion that what he did in his private life was his business.  In my opinion, the Oval Office doesn't belong to the President; it belongs to every American tax-paying citizen. 

I voted for Ronald Reagan, and to this day, I still think of him as a wonderful President.  Historians may disagree with me on that point, and they may be right, because I'm obviously no expert in that field.  I even voted for George Herbert Walker Bush, so I'm not some hardline lefty who hates the United States, is godless and has no moral values.

(I just wanted to share a thumbprint of who I really am because some people want to crucify me on this board simply because they see my name and couldn't care less what I have to say.  You, on the other hand, have been posting here in a very respectful, intelligent manner, and I'm very appreciative of that and hope you continue to do so.  I'm beginning to look forward to reading your posts after the last day or so.)

I believe that many people were looking for a big change in the White House when they voted for George W. Bush.  I believe they wanted some sense of decency and honor restored to it.  I was one of those people.

When I look back at the thing Clinton did that I thought was so terrible, and I look at what Bush has done, I guess the only thing I can say to sum it up is what Jay Leno said in his monologue the other night:  At least Clinton only screwed one American at a time (I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist of it).

What amazes me the most about (what seems like) blind loyalty to Bush is that I wonder what they thought they were voting for, compared to what they got.  I thought Republicans (conservatives) were supposed to beiin favor of less spending, smaller federal government and fiscal responsibility.  After really disliking President Clinton, I actually feel that when it came to things important to the everyday lives of Americans, Clinton was a far better President.

I feel no sense of trust for President Bush.  I don't feel he is on the side of the average American.  I truly believe he wants to get rid of the middle class altogether, so the only ones left are the rich (who he referred to as his *base*) and the poor.

Whether he made the pejorative comment about the Constitution or not, he ACTS like he has no respect for it (as was also mentioned in the article).  There is truly no need any more for Congress, regardless of whether it's a Republican or Democratic Congress because it doesn't matter what laws they write, if Bush doesn't like it, he will simply issue a *signing statement* expressing that he will do what he wants, anyway.

We have a system of checks and balances for a reason, and he seems to totally disregard it.  To me, it's ironic that he seeks to search and destroy all dictatorships -- except the one that is of his own creation here in the United States.

There's a growing history of how he treats those who either tell the truth or simply don't agree with his policies.  He *Swiftboats* them.

There are many stories out there about the Diebold machines being rigged so that a certain political party wins.  I have a friend who voted on a Diebold machine that produced a paper receipt.  Sure enough, it reflected that she voted for the other party, when, in fact, she did NOT.

I'm completely against his views on immigration.  I believe we should have immediately tightened and secured ALL our borders after 9/11 and, at least for the time being, not allow ANYONE in.  Instead, we used that money to go to war with Iraq, not because Saddam Hussein was a threat but because Bush needed a war to insure a *successful Presidency.*  Did you know that the President's itinery was found by an ex-con in a trash can last week?  Why was that allowed to happen?

Did you know that part of his Iraq war spending includes a comphrehensive healthcare plan for every Iraqi?  Look at the healthcare system in the United States.  Shouldn't the healthcare for Americans take precedence over the healthcare of Iraqis?

Do I want our troops to come home?  You bet I do.  I believe the best way we can support them is to get them out of there. 

Having said that, I also believe we simply cannot *cut and run.*  We simply cannot go into a country and completely destroy and then leave without fixing what we broke.  I believe we morally owe it to the people of Iraq to leave their country in a better place than when we found it.  I wish democracy would have worked in Iraq INSTANTLY.  Then maybe Bush would have hopefully begun to worry about fixing the massive problems in his own country.  Having said that, I have serious doubts that a long-lasting democracy will survive in that region.  I believe that many of them view us as being evil and having no morals.  (I can't really disagree with this view, considering some of the things that go on in this country.)  I think Joe Biden had an excellent idea of dividing Iraq into three provinces (which is supported in the Iraqi Constitution). 

Instead, I believe this war was a whim, based on his own personal goals, without regard for one single soldier he sent to die.  To me, that is unforgiveable.

Should he be allowed to spy on innocent Americans during wartime?  I guess that depends on the definition of *innocent.*  I sure don't know any terrorists.  Heck, I don't even know my own neighbors.  But I have repeatedly expressed my disagreement with his policies, and I've read how innocent Americans whose only *sin* is disagreeing with this President, so I have no reason to believe that I won't find myself being *investigated* by some agency eventually, maybe even the IRS in the form of an audit or some other intimidating tactic that this President is so fond of using.

As far as the Democrats are concerned, I personally can't stand Hillary Clinton and would never vote for her (even if I DID live in a country where my vote actually counted).  I'm as disgusted with the Democrats as I am with the President. 

I'm not some Godless heathen without morals simply because I don't agree with Bush.  I very much believe in God.  In fact, I believe God has been sending Bush a series of *signs* that he has chosen to ignore.  What I don't believe is pushing my religion down everyone else's throats.  What I believe in most of all is tolerance and respect for everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs.  When one religion acts as if it is superior to all others, that concerns me and automatically forces me further to the left.  Freedom of religion in this country is a wonderful thing, and nobody's religion is better than someone else's (including those who simply don't believe at all).  Yet, the fallacy that all Democrats (or anyone else who doesn't believe in Bush) are godless heathens is alive and well.  Ann Coulter, who can't seem to remember her address and is under investigation for voter fraud (see http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002807.htm, complete with the complaining document) plans on releasing a book outlining evil devils (such as myself and other millions of Americans she's never met) on none other than 6/6/06.  I believe that one particular religion has no place in government.  Do I have a problem with *In God We Trust* on our money?  Of course not.  When the word *God* is used in a generic term, it's INCLUSIVE, not EXCLUSIVE.  But whether or not I can read it as I purchase a newspaper is irrelevant to what I feel in my soul and my heart.  I can assure you my morals are very high, and it truly hurts (thus turning to anger) when certain conservatives accuse people like me of being evil and Godless.  They say that most anger is the result of fear.  The times I'm most angry is truly when I'm the most frightened.  It's really hard to carry on a dialogue with someone who has labeled you so negatively, a sense of self-defense kicks in, and often arguments and more name-calling ensues, none of which is productive and all of which is hurtful and fruitless.

I'm sorry this is so long, but as I said, I enjoy reading your posts.  Although I don't know you or your political beliefs, you seem to be conservative.  You also seem to be intelligent and respectful and don't resort to personal attacks on posters, which is very refreshing on these boards.  I was just trying to give you some insight into who I am and the reason I don't like Bush.  In fact, I'm very frightened of him.

As I've said before, if I felt my President was honest, trustworthy, ethical and truly had the interests of ALL Americans foremost in his mind, I would have no problem at all with his obtaining lists of my telephone calls because I truly have nothing to hide, and if it saved one life, to me, it would be worth it.  I just don't trust him to do the right thing, and that isn't based on anything I've heard or read from any left-leaning media.  It's based solely on his own actions in the last six years.

I'm no far left-leaning whacko.  In fact, I'm truly a middle-of-the road kind of thinker.  I think there are a lot of us out there.  Speaking personally, it's just that the *righter* he goes, the *lefter* I automatically wind up, not because I voluntarily choose to, but because in order to maintain my original thoughts, that's where he pushes me.

I don't expect you to agree with me.  In fact, I fully expect you not to agree with me, and I hope you respond because I am very interested in hearing your views.  Again, I thank you for being respectful and not resorting to name calling.  You have opened the door to serious, honest and intelligent debate, and for that, I thank you.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.