LMAO this was my contribution to conspiracy theory---i thought it was pretty funny--alas, the repubs did not---:eek: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=152435&highlight=opium#post152435
In my humble opinion anyone who admires or has some love for a politician is a FOOL. Look back at history , all the wars all the senseless bloodshed is due to politicians and their "duty" If you go back to 1976 the USA was doing virtually no business with Iraq and Mr Rumsveldt was sent there to beg Saddam Hussein for business . The Europeans were doing big business with Iraq. Where were all these peacenicks when the Kurds were getting slaughtered ? Governments said nothing , they were all doing business with Iraq. I don't think Bush gives a fuck about Iraqis. It's all economics. I have nothing against Georgie but if he gets re-elected I'm afraid the world will end up a disaster.
I forgot something. What about these young men and women Americans and British getting killed over there, the Iraqi on the street doesn't give a damn about them. Mostly these soldiers are from poor families or areas where there is no work so they sign up for a better life. The Iraqi army is no different. Listen to Cnn. We killed 5oo Iraqi military in 2 days. They talk like these Iraqis are nothing , toys. In fact they are also mankind. War is total madness.
This is not quite accurate. While what you say did apply (regarding American soldiers) during times of conscription and even early in the "post draft" military, it is not that way now. I know this first hand. My son is entering the Navy on June 30. (Nuclear Propulsion School). The requirements, (of course depending on the branch of service, and the agreed upon training) are in most cases pretty stringent. Remember, today's military is where tomorrows technology is used now. The enlistees must take a test (The ASVAB is the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Test. Test results determine (1) whether or not one qualifies for military service, and (2) if so, what jobs they qualify for). The kids take the test and qualify for their jobs before their swearing in. This war is being fought by highly trained and highly motivated kids. And all officers are college graduates. All pilots are officers. Even my son, while only getting an associates degree from the Nuke School, won't be coming out of his 6 year commitment without a bachelor's degree. Minimum. It isn't 1968 anymore. Ever been arrested? No military service for you. Didn't graduate high school? No military service. Want to shoot a weapon at someone? No military service. Psychological profiles......MondoTrader can cheerlead all he wants, but no way would they let him in the service. (or the FBI). Same with any bloodthirsty war loving fanatics. Hapaboy asked about the military's laws being more severely enforced than civil laws. Why? Because it is important that while today's soldiers must be smart enough to think their way through situations...to improvise when necessary, they also have to be depended on to follow orders and show restraint. Not to be emotional. Here's MonoBrainCell crying to imprison protestors, and the truth is that his mentality would put him in the brig if he were so narrow minded and fanatic and were actually serving his country rather than just being an armchair warrior. I don't want my son in harm's way. But I want kids like him to represent us on the battlefield when and if necessary. As far as coming from a "poor family", "areas with no work", well my wife and I will be the beneficiaries of Dubya's "tax cuts", (and still thinking it totally unfair). Yet my son chose this Navy route as preferable to him than going to the University of Florida on the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program (a lot of us here from Florida, so I know you guys know about this program...those who don't...look it up). Because he thinks he will get a better education and have more opportunities in "the real world" when he is done with his Navy service. 400 Florida kids applied, and 6 got accepted (or something very close to that...not so easy to get top secret clearance, even when you are only 17...plus of course high school performance in chemistry and math, and a high ASVAB score just to qualify to take the Nuke test). As far as the Iraqi's....obviously a different story. But even conscription can and has worked. American Military in WWII, and Israeli Defense Forces come to mind. Peace, Rs7
Let's see if I can envision the kind of president you lib's would respect: someone with no private sector or military experience, atheist or ashamed of his faith, would abdicate US security to European weenie states, enthusiastic supporter of flawed global warming treaties that would wreck our economy, supporter of ever higher taxes on productive citizens and totally naive in foreign affairs. From what I've seen of the Democrat presidential aspirants, you should have no trouble finding several suitable candidates.
As idiotic as the attacks on Cheney here have been, I think it is obvious that he has chosen to take a low profile. I can see three reasons for this. One, he is acting in the tradition of all prior VP's with the exception of Gore. Gore was front and center a lot, no doubt to add whatever miniscule measure of dignity he could to a President totally bereft of it. Two, the press and democrats have unfairly and inaccurately tried to label Bush as stupid and Cheny as the "real" president. Sensitive to this disgraceful tactic, Cheney bends over backwards to stay out of sight. Three, Cheney has health issues. It would be foolish for him to wear himself out with public appearances. He's not planning on running for another office either, unlike Gore, so he feels no need to be in the public eye constantly.
Yes, we know that Cheney only needs one term to bulldoze Iraq and set up the HAL flag all over Baghdad. And we know that he will most easily accomplish this goal by staying out of the public view. And no, I doubt that Cheney is running the country, as I think that Cheney is a very very smart guy. It's also hilarious that republicans expect consideration for Cheney's poor little heart. I recall Bob Dole starting this assault on Clinton during the 1996 election where he released his own health records, saying "my health is fine, Mr President, how's yours??" Frankly, I'd prefer to have a president that is actually qualified to be president. I don't see how buying a baseball team qualifies one to be president, nor do I see how executing mentally retarded people is a qualification, either. Nor do I see how having your parents buy your way into Yale is a good qualification, either. I don't want an atheist leader -- for all I care, Billy Graham could be president. I just don't want to hear about it. I think it sets a bad example in a country which theoretically prides itself in religious freedom for a president to be openly talking about his faith, which is what Bush has done on several occasions. Ashcroft, too. You see it as a guy who likes his faith and includes it in many aspects of his life. I see it as an unprofessional tactic to earn otherwise undeserved votes. People get annoyed when Bin Laden claims to have god on his side; why do people accept it from Bush?? Totally unprofessional, IMO. Let's not forget also that this constant mentioning of religious faith by Bush really pisses off the Muslims, and makes this war look more and more like a crusade. As for foreign affairs, you have GOT to be kidding me. Foreign policy is the most important aspect of being president. I doubt Bush ever left the US before becoming President. This is a man who is openly ridiculed by other foreign leaders, and has led the US straight into alienation by the rest of the world, including Canada and Mexico, our neighbors, despite strong opposition of this war by Americans and foreigners alike. This is a guy who cares nothing about the UN or the interests of the rest of the world. As for flawed economic policies, I don't want to have to pay for this war, nor do I want to bankrupt social security. I'm going to leave it at that, because I think you and I both know what is happening with this economy, which is the same thing that happened last time with his father.
WHOOAAAA NELLIE.....You've also been doing bong hits from the same glue gun as Mondo....this does prove an earlier point i made to you BuNG......You HATE BUSH and all REPUBLICANS...obviously, you are against anything they stand for, which is ok, but to take this war stance to spite them could prove politically costly ....as much as I hate Bubba Clinton, i never got angry over his stance in Somalia, Serbia and iraq.....there's a time and a place for everything.
great post bung!! TM, what I think you missed is that Bung is not saying anything at all about Republicans. Just singling out extreme circumstances that are anathema to American beliefs (separation of church and state) and that Dubya is just not qualified. If you believe he is, please explain. Peace, Rs7