You are an expert Bratty! An expert at spewing forth meaningless interpretations of undocumented data and using it to draw conclusions unrelated to your argument. You are an expert in attempting to cause and causing confusion with those that you choose to debate.
VIETNAM
Do you know how many Vietnamese were killed both in North and South Vietnam as AMERICA tried to prop up one corrupt regime after another (thieves and murderers they were - but hey they weren't communists). Since you have declared that those evil communists are responsible for more deaths then during the war PLEASE GIVE US THE REAL FIGURES AND YOUR SOURCE OF THE NUMBER OF VIETNAMESE THAT WERE KILLED from the influx of approximately 10,000 American Military Advisors during the Kennedy Administration (prior to that there were a few sent there during the Eisenhower Administration) through the major military buildup of the Johnson presidency of 550,000 troops, until the fall of Saigon in 1975??? PLEASE then do include for comparison the documented figures as to the "untimely" deaths of Vietnamese at the hands of the government that occurred after 1975.
For purposes of satisfying you statements it is not necessary to include the 55,000 Americans who suffered an "untimely" Death due to the actions of their government nor the hundreds of thousands who were wounded and maimed. Those figures have been well documented and be assured the body bags were well counted.
FREE TRADE
The "liberals" ban (trade?) with Vietnam? Is this more of your misinformation or are you truly confused as to meaning of Liberal and Conservative. As it was then-President Bill Clinton (a moderate belonging to the Democratic - or liberal party) who initiated the healing process in 1994 when he lifted a trade embargo against Vietnam. The following year it was Clinton who established diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and it was during his administration in July 2000 that the bilateral trade agreement was signed which went into effect in December 2001.
Meanwhile it is the Bush Administration a VERY conservative administration that is bringing charges that Vietnam is "dumping" frozen catfish fillets (catfish is the second highest fish product consumed in the United States after Tuna). Could this action be because most of the production of Catfish in the United States is in the South a part of the country that supported Bush in his election and whose CATFISH farmers have been screaming loudly because of the competition. Are the Vietnamese really "dumping" their CATFISH in the United States at less then the cost of production, or is simply it cost them less to produce there as they say? Is this action on the part of the current administration, led by BUSH who advocates FREE TRADE at every opportunity truly to protect our CATFISH farmers from unfair subsidized competition or are they merely trying to appease a segment of the voters that he needs for re-election?.
The issue was exacerbated last month and much of the goodwill between Vietnam and the United States that was established during the Clinton years has been reversed when the US Commerce Department, (run by BUSH APPOINTEES and answerable to the PRESIDENT) as part of its investigation into the dumping charges, declared Vietnam a “non-market economy”. The decision could have an impact on the level of any punitive tariffs levied against Vietnamese catfish imports, should the dumping allegations be upheld.
Makes one wonder about the billions of dollars of U.S. farm products that are exported to other countries and the competition that causes with the indigenous farmers. Oh were you not aware of the $180 billion dollar farm subsidy bill that Bush advocated and pushed through the U.S. congress? The new farm subsidies will increase the amount subsidized by some $73 billion dollars over the next 10 years. The recent U.S. agricultural subsidy law is designed to benefit big business (THE U.S. AGRA BUSINESS IS HUGE WERE NOT TALKING ABOUT MOM & POP FARMS TRYING TO COMPETE HERE). It will also further impoverish poor Third World farmers and contradicts advice from global institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
WORLD OPINION
It would seem that dubya's administration has created a set of rules, and one of the rules is that rules will be for who ever they determine they are for, of course they reserve the right to immunity from said rules...
Furthermore, does it not seem to the rest of the world that BUSH with his huge increase in U.S. farm subsidies, coming after his decision to protect the U.S. steel industry from foreign competition, is somewhat hypocritical as he is constantly preaching to others the kind of free-trade measures he seems to be increasingly less prone to adopt at home.
Of one thing we can be absolutely sure of THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION HAVE BECOME EXPERTS at destroying the goodwill build up over decades between America and most of the world. THIS IS FACT - RECENT POLL'S HAVE INDICATED A HUGE DECLINE IN THE OPINION OF THE UNITED STATES BY THE POPULATIONS OF THE REST OF THE WORLD SINCE BUSH TOOK OFFICE. This latest poll was conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press available here ( POLL ).
Two hundred twenty-six years ago our forefathers, those who were responsible for the founding of the United States of America, realized that World opinion did matter and even felt compelled by that realization to justify their actions by including in the Declaration of Independence, the statement "out of a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind". Unlike the great men who founded this country the impression given by the Bush administration is "Americans, 'yes', the rest of the world, 'we don't care'," as he declares vocally and in deed his administrations independence from World opinion, from international law and the multilateral system that prior American administrations helped create over the past 50 years.
MILITARY SPENDING
If the countries of the world never spend another penny on New Military Hardware, there would still be enough military hardware available not only to terminate the existence of every life form on earth today but those of today's children and their children's children and way beyond that. Mind you that enough military hardware exists to not just kill every human being but to do it 6 or 7 hundred times over again - Heck I sort of figured that if your killed just once that it was usually sufficient to make you DEAD. The reality of today's world is that even "France" has the ability to blow up the world numerous times over again!! - quackers - I must have included that out of some deep seated nationalistic fervor that I haven't been able to dispel yet - or perhaps it is a reaction to the French propensity to view with disdain or condemn anything that is not French - LOL.
Unlike the European Leaders, Bush would rather spend Americas treasure on a variety of new military toys including an Anti-Ballistic Missile-Missile (star wars) system costing hundreds of billions of dollars that has proven to be unreliable and probably unachievable. This ABMM system was discarded as not feasible and unreliable after 10's of billions of dollars had been spent, yet he insist on spending hundreds of billions more on developing and deploying a system that most likely will never be able to perform. Furthermore he unilaterally terminated an arms treaty in order to pursue this goal. Actually he twisted Putin's arm so hard that he had to capitulate and agree to the termination of the treaty. With yesterdays (12/17/02) announcement by the Bush administration to build and deploy this ABMM the Russian government once again stated it's opposition and with the warning that such a decision could once again lead to a new and unnecessary arms race. Those who seem to relegate the Russians to "Has Beens" ought not to forget that they possess nuclear might second only to the United States. Furthermore their current economic plight will have little bearing if the Russians feel they are jeopardized. History has shown that they are an industrious and proud people who will refuse to capitulate regardless of their own human cost.
Apparently Bush learned very little from 9/11. The system he is spending hundreds of billions on over the next few years is suppose to keep America safe from a nuclear attack!! Yet this is a system that even if it were to achieve the highest expectations for it (which it will not) would not defeat even one of the terrorists who took down the World Trade Center and caused severe damage the United States Military Headquarters (the Pentagon). How many "suitcase" bombs smuggled into the U.S. is dubya going to be able to blow up with this Star Wars system?
What country is going to spend hundreds of millions (billions) of dollars developing nuclear weapons and the intercontinental ballistic missiles to reach the United States or ANY member of NATO or SEATO and use them, when WE WOULD KNOW IMMEDIATELY FROM WHERE THEY CAME?
What country would attack us so overtly with weapons of mass destruction with the beforehand knowledge that they would not even have time to clap their hands in celebration before our response and retaliatory action would turn them and their country into radioactive dust - Iraq?? What country would attack us overtly knowing that our response would leave the ground that they claim as theirs uninhabitable for hundreds of years for any life form other then cockroaches?
Why would any country do that when for pocket change of $1053.76 (more or less but not that much more) they can smuggle some ignorant fundamentalist suicide bomber into the United States with a suitcase bomb containing enough radioactive material or biological agents to kill the population of a large U.S. city (MILLIONS), or for even less $276.59 they can ship it by Airborne Express with a built in timer to go off as it is just above a major U.S. city? They could do this with the knowledge that instead of total annihilation for their deeds, they would instead demonstrate the impotence of the United States supposedly the worlds most powerful country into a ranting, raving and blustering inefficient enemy who will run around in circles and just like we have with Al Quaeda will demonstrate that we are an enemy that is dismally inefficient in it's efforts to curtail their wanton indiscriminate killing.
WHAT WILL BRING RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEMS AND PEACE ON EARTH
MORE BOMBS and MISSILES or SOCIAL PROGRAMS?
Bush would rather spend billions with his friends in the international military industrial energy machine then address the desperate social issues that exist here at home and in the rest of the world. His priorities totally fail to address the social issues which are necessary to overcome ignorance, poverty, starvation, pandemics and the unnecessary death from treatable illnesses. The President of the United States has declared war on terrorism yet he has done nothing to address the issues that cause people to reach such despair that they are willing to strap bombs onto their bodies or carry a suitcase bomb of chemical, biological or radioactive material and destroy themselves and thousands or millions of innocent people. The war on terrorism is one which will be lost unless the root causes are overcome.
The President of the United States (this site adequately expresses my opinion of the current office holder) would rather see our Senior citizens the same one's who helped build this country have to decide whether they want food to eat or the prescription medicines or medical treatments now available so that they can enjoy their later years with an expectation of quality and health. He would rather have shiny new missiles while CHILDREN in this country GO TO SLEEP HUNGRY - YES!! The United States of America the worlds most powerful nation HAS MILLIONS OF CHILDREN THAT ARE UNDERNOURISHED and WHO LIVE IN DISMAL POVERTY.
SCREW THE POOR huh Bratty, the hell with all that money those bleeding heart liberals want to spend on those individuals and the countries that do not have the ability to grab a piece of the pie for themselves!! Why should anyone pay any more of their earnings to support those ungrateful masses when instead we can use the existing dollars to buy shinny new guns and all kinds of new technical goodies designed to kill, and of course let's not forget about that huge defensive moat (the ABMM) that we can surround ourselves with. What did the French (can't seem to get past them lol) call theirs .... oh yea the Maginot Line - did allot of good didn't it?
Perhaps you should formulate your opinions based on some firsthand knowledge. Why don't you come on over to the United States Bratty, skip the tours that the usual tourist makes and (If your brave enough) take a tour of the poor areas of New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago, Spokane, Kansas City, Phoenix, New Orleans, Miami or any small, medium or large city and see HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN DISMAL POVERTY OR ARE HOMELESS AND LIVING ON THE STREETS!!! See the discards of our society many of whom with little hope for a meaningful future end up as Alcoholics or Drug addicts, their only means of escaping the realities of their existence. While your at it (again requires courage) take a tour of the of rest of the world and tour those countries where the MAJORITY of the populace is living in squalor and poverty and starvation. Then take a moment to think about what YOUR response might be if subjugated to such a dismal future or no future at all.
Do you now how we treat these Homeless PEOPLE here including the Alcoholics and Drug addicts amongst them or the significant percentage that have treatable mental illness. The answer to that is WE DON'T TREAT THEM.
Most of the United States is similar but I'll use California as an example which is the most populous state in the U.S. The mental health system was dismantled by A CONSERVATIVE GOVERNOR - and the health system itself (run by the counties) is busting at the seams due to the unemployed and uninsured and is in the process of being DOWNSIZED when it is not even adequate to handle the health crisis already overwhelming it.
Rather then treat the homeless by training them for some sort of trade where they could support or at a minimum with some aid mostly support themselves giving them self-esteem and some hope for the future, rather then treat those who are addicts or suffer from mental illness - we instead have a wonderful system - Our police force arrests them usually for a petty crime sometimes (though much more rare for a serious crime such as burglary or robbery- committed not to get rich but to be able to eat or buy their next fix) the petty crimes are not for being homeless as that is not against the law - but peeing in public is against the law even if they have no restrooms available - as is public intoxication - as is being under the influence of a drug - or sleeping in a doorway - or being in possession of a shopping cart taken from a grocery store to hold their meager belongings - or the list goes on and it is very long) and then since we are so wise and adept at spending the available money where it will do the most good - we spend a small fortune taking them through the justice system with the almost foregone conclusion that we will incarcerate them in our PENAL SYSTEM usually for non-violent drug related offenses at a cost to the taxpayer in California of approximately $25,000 per year per inmate. It has been proven that for approximately half that cost they can be treated in professional rehabilitation facilities that have a proven success rate. AREN'T WE EFFICIENT ?
The voters in California finally rebelled last year at the billions (California alone not the U.S.) being spend on our so called Justice system and by ballot referendum demanded that those arrested for simple drug offenses be given the option of an inpatient rehabilitation facility. But the powers have in many circumstances been able to get around the will of the citizens by simply charging those arrested with possession for sale (which is a misnomer in that anything over a miniscule amount is considered possession for sale and that more severe felony charge is usually what is filed) and couple it with a seemingly unending list of other trumped up charges which make them unqualified for the rehabilitation program.
Those that are incarcerated in California's prisons are released after serving their time at the gate of the prison (actually they are driven to the closest town with an inter-states (greyhound) bus facility. They are not even provided a bus ticket home. They are given $200 gate money which is usually adequate after buying a ticket to their city of residence to buy a gun or a fix of dope. Little else has changed, most have not learned an occupation unless they were a very fortunate minority that found work within the prison facility that developed some sort of useful trade, usually though they are returned to society with no new skills, attitudes that now worse and more anti-social then before their incarceration. The recidivism rate (return to Prison) is between 60-80%. The success rate for those that are adequately treated in rehabilitation facilities at a substantially lower cost is extremely high and the recidivism or return to addiction is very small. Keep in mind that this type of such fiscal and social responsibility has little to do with the lobbying efforts of the Prison Construction Industry - or the lobbying efforts of those employed in the Prison Complexes (over 520,000). Were talking about money for Prison Construction alone that exceeds the national budget of most of the countries of the world!! The yearly cost to incarcerate so many is astronomical. (for factual information on this simply use google and type in "Criminal Justice System United States" without the quotes).
Don't worry about dubya becoming a bleeding heart liberal
When dubya was Governor of Texas (1995-2000) the prison population went from approximately 41,000 to about 150,000 when he left the office. Be assured of dubya's Conservative nature - He executed as many of them as he could, 136 inmates were put to death during his reign. Since the resumption of Capitol punishment in Texas in 1982 that state has accounted for approximately 33% of those put to death in the United States. Texas with a population of about 22 million has 453 inmates on death row the highest number of inmates on Death Row in the United States with the single exception of California with about 600, California has a population of approximately 36 million. Georgie didn't discriminate though he put black and white and hispanic, young and old, intelligent and those that could be considered retarded, too death, afterall it wasn't his fault that an inordinate amount of those inmates on death row were black and poor. If their date came HE ZAPPED THEM regardless of race! Oh did I mention that the attorneys representing the condemned inmates of Texas while he was Governor were paid a pittance compared to private practice attorneys some were paid less per day then what private attorneys received per hour. Does it matter that many of the attorneys who SO ADEQUATELY defended the condemned have subsequently been disbarred. Good old dubya even tried to put to death one inmate whose attorney slept through most of the trial - fortunately the Supreme Court put their foot down on that one!
Have you ever questioned the REAL dedication to HUMAN RIGHTS of America considering that
United States of America has over TWO MILLION people in jails and state and federal prisons.
(til just now I hadn't considered the fact that perhaps you don't believe in "human rights" bratty hmmmm)
With more than 2 million people in jail, the United States of America has a higher percentage of its residents incarcerated than any other nation. From what I have been able to gather that figure represents more then 20% of those that are incarcerated in the World. What makes that figure a bit more startling is the fact that the United States only accounts for approximately 5% of the worlds population. Most people behind bars are poor and working-class individuals. A disproportionate number of those in jail are people of color. The United States which hollers the loudest at other countries and their violations of human rights continues to be one of the few countries in the world that still has capitol punishment as a policy and the figures above demonstrate that equality under the law is more a concept than a reality.
In California alone there are approximately 155,000 inmates in the state prison system, and this does not include the tens of thousands who are in county facilities either sentenced and doing time or awaiting trial. Between 35% to 50% of those who are incarcerated or awaiting trial are behind bars for NON VIOLENT drug offenses, usually possession or possession for sale.
YEP BRATTY I'M A SOCIAL BLEEDING HEART LIBERAL WHO THINKS THAT FOR THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD TO EXIST IN HARMONY AND FOR THE CITIZENS OF A COUNTRY TO EXIST IN HARMONY THAT SOCIETY MUST HAVE PROGRAMS FOR ALL TO PARTICIPATE AND TO TREAT THOSE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO SUFFER FROM MENTAL DISEASE AND ADDICTION. I'M ABSOLUTELY AGAINST THE KIND OF TAX REDUCTIONS THAT CAUSE THE REDUCTION OF SOCIAL PROGRAMS WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED THE MOST. I AM AGAINST TAX REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE CAUSED OUR COUNTRY TO ONCE AGAIN HAVE IT'S BALANCE SHEETS INUNDATED IN RED INK. IT'S RATHER INTERESTING THAT CONSERVATIVES WHO ONCE UPON A TIME WERE THE MOST VOCAL IN THEIR ABHORRENCE OF BUDGET DEFICITS NOW HAVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE A CONSERVATIVE PRESIDENT WHO INHERITED FROM HIS LIBERAL PREDECESSOR PRESIDENT CLINTON A HUGE SURPLUS THAT HE HAS SINCE SQUANDERED. I DON'T FIND IT TO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND THAT, AFTER ALL ALMOST 90% OF HIS MULTI TRILLION DOLLAR TAX REDUCTION WILL BENEFIT THOSE IN THE UPPER 1% OF THE INCOME BRACKET. WHAT'S FAIR IS FAIR RIGHT??
It hasn't been since dubya's HERO the very conservative president Ronald Regan was in office has this nation seen such huge budget deficits. Oh his daddy President older Bush had them also but not nearly as large. No doubt you will be thrilled to hear that just like Regan his deficit spending is not being utilized to help the people of the country or the world - NO - it's going to additional MILITARY SPENDING when the military budget of the United States already exceeded that of the REST OF THE WORLD COMBINED!. He gives the rich a tax break, his budget is drowning in red ink and because of his propensity for shiny new military toys the federal government is actually reducing on a per patient basis the amount of money the states receive for health care and doing so at a time of economic downturn when the demand has been ever increasing. SCREW THEM HUH BRATTY - IF THEY CAN'T AFFORD A DOCTOR OR A HOSPITAL THEN LET THEM CROAK!
I HAIL THOSE EUROPEAN LEADERS WHO RESIST OUR COWBOY PRESIDENT AND CONTINUE TO CHANNEL AVAILABLE FUNDS INTO MEANINGFUL PROGRAMS THAT WILL BENEFIT THEIR CITIZENS INSTEAD OF BUYING SHINNY NEW GUNS!!!
I DO HOWEVER CONDEMN THOSE SAME EUROPEAN LEADERS WHO SAT BACK AND DID NOTHING WHILE THE REST OF THE WORLD WATCHED ON IN HORROR AS THEY ONCE AGAIN ALLOWED ANOTHER HOLOCAUST, GENOCIDE TO HAPPEN ON EUROPEAN SOIL.
THE LEADERS OF THE EUROPEAN NATIONS FAILED IN THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO THE CITIZENS OF YUGOSLAVIA, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, KOSOVO, EUROPE AND THE WORLD AS THE "ETHNIC CLEANSING" IN BOSNIA and then KOSOVO OF MEN, WOMEN and CHILDREN TOOK PLACE. ONCE AGAIN THEY WAITED UNTIL THE UNITED STATES HAD TO LEAD THE FORCES IN EUROPE TO DEFEAT EVIL. AS THEY DID WITH HITLER PRIOR TO 1939 THEY DEBATED AND STUDIED AND HAD COMMISSIONS AND MEETINGS AND WRUNG THEIR HANDS ALL THE WHILE AVOIDING THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO THEIR REGION AND TO MANKIND, AND THEY DID SO WHILE WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE BEING BLOWN TO BITS OR METHODICALLY EXTERMINATED!!! DIDN'T SOMEONE ONCE SAY THAT WE LEARN FROM HISTORY - WELL HE WAS A LIAR AND A SCHMUCK!!
I DOUBT YOU WILL ACCEPT THE FACT BRATTY THAT THE FAILURE WAS ON THAT OF EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP NOT DUE TO A LACK OF SHINY NEW MILITARY HARDWARE. I THINK THAT ITALY ALONE or (even) FRANCE COULD HAVE DEFEATED MILOSEVIC AND HIS SERBIAN CRIMINALS. THE LEADERS OF THE EUROPEAN NATIONS COULD HAVE ACTED COURAGEOUSLY AND IMMEDIATELY PUT A STOP TO THE PILLAGE AND HUMAN SUFFERING THAT OCCURRED IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA and KOSOVO.
Although I'm sure that many will disagree I personally believe that EVERY EUROPEAN LEADER IN POWER AT THE TIME SHOULD BE STANDING TRIAL IN THE HAGUE WITH MILOSEVIC AS CO-CONSPIRATORS FOR ALLOWING GENOCIDE AND OTHER CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES TO HAPPEN IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES WHILE THEY SIMPLY TURNED THEIR BACKS AND ALLOWED IT TO CONTINUE.
YES OUR CONSERVATIVES WANT A BIGGER MILITARY BUDGET AND AS MANY TOYS AS THEY CAN GET
THEY ARE ALSO OBSTRUCTING ANOTHER AGREEMENT WHICH ULTIMATELY MAY JUST KILL MILLIONS!!!!
WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS IS MORE OF IT'S WEALTH SPENT ON NEW WEAPONS SYSTEMS DESIGNED TO TARGET SOME UNKNOWN ENEMY - HISTORICALLY THE CONSERVATIVES ANSWER TO PROBLEMS - AT THE SAME TIME THEY ARE REFUSING TO COME UP WITH ADEQUATE DOLLARS TO SAFEGUARD AND DESTROY THE NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN THE FORMER U.S.S.R. - ENOUGH WAR HEADS AND BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL AGENTS TO KILL THE WORLDS P0PULATION MANY HUNDREDS OF TIMES OVER AGAIN!!
Treaties to accomplish the adequate storage, guarding and destruction of these materials exist between the United States and Russia, the United States having pledged sufficient funds to accomplish this. However the necessary funds are not available they are and have been held up for quite some time by the legislative maneuvers of a few VERY CONSERVATIVE members of the U.S. Congress and so far dubya has not made it a priority to stop the interference of these few members of his own CONSERVATIVE party in order to accomplish what is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT ACTION THAT THIS COUNTRY CAN TAKE TO AVOID THE POTENTIAL OF MASS DESTRUCTION OF IT'S POPULATION CENTERS BY TERRORISTS!!
It will be rather ironic if millions die in the United States or other countries because dubya was distracted with IRAQ while the terrorists manage to get their hands on just a miniscule drop of the existing inventory of weapons of mass destruction in Russia because he couldn't rein in a few of his own parties ultra conservative cowboys!
Oh did I forget to state that the reason these few CONSERVATIVE Congressmen and Senators of the presidents party have been so dedicated to stopping this bill which allocates the funds for this program is because THEY DON'T WANT THE MONEY TAKEN OUT OF THE DEFENSE BUDGET!! REALLY MAKES SO MUCH SENSE (WELL IT DOES TO OUR CONSERVATIVES) THAT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THE USE OF RUSSIA'S EXISTING INVENTORY OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION COULD HAVE ANY MEANINGFUL NEGATIVE IMPACT ON A MILITARY BUDGET THAT IS WAY OVER THREE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS AND GROWING! THEIR ATTITUDE TAKE IT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND EDUCATION, TAKE IT OUT OF SOCIAL SECURITY MONEY - BASICALLY TAKE IT FROM ANYWHERE BUT NOT OUT OF THEIR INFLATED PORK BARREL MILITARY BUDGETS.
LETS SPEND MORE MONEY ON MORE MILITARY MACHINES INSTEAD OF THE TINY FRACTION OF MONEY IT WOULD TAKE TO SAFEGUARD THE U.S.S.R.'s DUMPING GROUNDS OF MUNITIONS -
READ ABOUT IT BRATTY - HECK EVERY TERRORIST IN THE WORLD HAS, THEY ARE AWARE OF THE RAMSHACKLE WAREHOUSES WITHOUT ADEQUATE GUARDS THAT SOME OF THE WORLDS MOST DEADLY CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL AGENTS ARE STORED IN. DUE TO LACK OF ACCOUNTING WE ARE NOT EVEN AWARE WHETHER ANY OF THE TERRORISTS OR REGIMES THAT SUPPORT THEM HAVE SUCCEEDED IN THEIR EFFORTS TO GET SOME OF THESE MATERIALS. BE ASSURED THOUGH THAT EVERY TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN THE WORLD IS TRYING TO GET THEIR HANDS ON THESE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION EITHER BY STEALING THEM OR BRIBING THOSE GUARDING THEM WHO ARE LIVING IN ABJECT POVERTY.
LETS NOT SPEND THE PITTANCE OF DOLLARS REQUIRED TO EMPLOY THE HIGHLY EDUCATED SOVIET SCIENTISTS IN R&D FOR TECHNOLOGICAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT COULD BENEFIT THE WORLD, INSTEAD LET'S LEAVE THEM UNEMPLOYED OR UNDEREMPLOYED, LIVING IN POVERTY WITH THE POTENTIAL THAT THEY WILL JUST GIVE UP WHATEVER IDEALS THEY MAY HAVE HAD AND IN ORDER TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES WILL SELL THEMSELVES TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER (Al Quaeda - Hamas - name your terrorist organization here).
LIBERALS (BLEEDING HEARTS) ??
Bratty you actually believe that it's us bleeding heart liberals that tried to bomb the communists out of existence in Vietnam and then subjugated the country to a debilitating embargo - TALK ABOUT CONFUSED !!!
If you truly believe in the Capitalist system Bratty and believe that Communism is a system that cannot work then you should realize ultimately it will fail from within - without any external action on the part of Capitalistic orientated countries. It was an is a social/economic experiment that was and is doomed to failure -BECAUSE MANKIND by nature has a greedy heart.
WHILE YOU CONDEMN ALL THE LIBERALS AS BLEEDING HEARTS, REMEMBER ONE THING BRATTY -
IF A COUNTRIES ECONOMIC SYSTEM DOES NOT BENEFIT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE CITIZENS - IF A MAJOR PERCENTAGE OF A COUNTRIES POPULATION IS RELEGATED TO POVERTY BECAUSE OF LACK OF EDUCATION OR ADDICTION OR ILLNESS OR FOR ANY REASON OTHER THEN LACK OF DESIRE TO PARTICIPATE, IF THEY ARE EXCLUDED FROM EARNING A LIVING WAGE AND SOCIETY FAILS TO PROVIDE SOME KIND OF SAFETY NET FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS, WHAT WILL EXIST IS A COUNTRY THAT IS DIVIDED BY THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS. COUNTRIES OF THIS NATURE ARE NOT KNOWN FOR THEIR POLITICAL STABILITY.
HISTORY HAS PROVEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT ULTIMATELY THE HAVE-NOTS WITH NOTHING TO LOOSE WILL RISE UP AND USUALLY AFTER GREAT ECONOMIC AND HUMAN COST TO BOTH SIDES THEY WILL LIKELY SUCCEED AND CHANGE THE SYSTEM. SOMETIMES THOSE CHANGES ARE FOR THE BETTER SOMETIMES THEY ENDING UP MIMICING THOSE WHO THEY HAVE REPLACED OR WORSE CAN HAPPEN - PERHAPS THEY MIGHT EVEN TRY ECONOMIC SYSTEMS THAT HAVE FAILED (SUBJUGATE THE MASSES TO POVERTY AND COMMUNISM COULD RAISE IT'S UGLY HEAD AGAIN) WHATEVER THEY DO THOUGH THEY WILL SOONER OR LATER DO SOMETHING - WHAT'S TO LOOSE, HOW MANY TIMES CAN THEY STARVE TO DEATH!.
WHAT WERE THOSE FAMOUS WORDS ATTRIBUTED TO MARIE ANTOINETTE? ... OH YES WASN'T IT SOMETHING LIKE
"THEY HAVE NO BREAD WELL LET THEM EAT CAKE". I'M SURE YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED NOT LONG AFTERWARDS - I WONDER IF MARIE WAS THINKING THAT MAYBE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WISER TO HAVE USED A SMALL PORTION OF THE ROYAL BOOTY TO FEED THE MASSES AS THE STARVING MOBS CHOPPED HER HEAD OFF!
Bratty this has been an essay which no doubt will accomplish little. It won't change your CONSERVATIVE anti-SOCIAL economic attitudes and furthermore as you dedicate yourself to writing a response using your usual UNRELATED AND UNDOCUMENTED ARGUMENTS AND THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE FRINGE ELEMENTS OF THE FANATICAL FAR RIGHT, REALIZE THAT THEY WILL NOT CHANGE MY OPINIONS EVEN ONE IOTA - SO JUST AS I WAS AWARE THAT WRITING THIS WAS AN EXERCISE IN FUTILITY SO WILL BE YOUR RESPONSE, SHOULD YOU MAKE ONE!! I have little doubt that ultimately and probably with indignance you will respond - be rest assured in advance though that there is little possibility that I shall respond to your response.
If I have mistakingly attributed any of the arguments contained herein to positions that you have not taken, what can I say
OH WELL
CONSIDER YOURSELF A SCAPEGOAT!!
BESIDES THAT (history has proven lol) that you will take an opposite position just to be contrary!
hey ducks can be contrary too!
and just one more thing I have to say
qUaCk QUACK quuAacKk quuaaack QUACK
(5 more things - whose counting)
DISCLAIMER:
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE.
IT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED WHO (I) AM THEREFORE I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR WHOEVER THAT MAY BE.
I DENY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY OF THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ABOVE.
I DO NOT CLAIM THAT I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ABOVE
I DO NOT ADVOCATE NOR AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH ANY OF WHAT IS CONTAINED ABOVE.
I AM NOT ADVOCATING NOT TAKING ACTION IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT IS ABOVE.
I AM NOT, NOT TAKING ACTION TO ACCOMPLISH THE ABOVE BUT IF I WERE I AM DENYING RESPONSIBILITY.
I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY HOPE THAT I MAY OR MAY NOT HARBOR WITH REGARDS TO MANKINDS ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION AND/OR SUCCESS AS A SPECIE.
I DENY ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY FEELINGS THAT I DENY
I DENY HARBORING ANY ATTITUDES ABOUT THE ABOVE INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
LOOKING FORWARD TO AN ERA WHEN THE DUCKS SHALL INHERIT THIS SPEC OF DUST IN THE COSMOS.
I DENY THAT I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE CONTENT.
I DENY THAT I CARE ABOUT ANY OF THE ABOVE.
FINALLY I DENY ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DISCLAIMER.
Feedback: 
Walter Cronkite and respect him even more.
What's up, Duck?
I have been on vacation...
Hey
I would never kick a man's ass, NEVER! I have some knowledge of human anatomy and I know better places to kick.
OH MY GOD! GO IEN GO!!!!!
Sorry I kept pushing the discussion, Justin, I didn't mean to contribute to you being banned.
250.000 see Mardi Gras
AFTER a year of uncertainty, Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras continued to shine with a quarter of a million onlookers witnessing a parade with strong political undercurrents.
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