Blackshirt (anonymous) says...

Nicely said!

May 7, 2009 at 1:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

I concur.

May 7, 2009 at 2:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

"1. If it limits your freedoms under the Bill of Rights, don’t vote for it."

I take it from your points of view you are a staunch republican, so where was this "Don't give in speech" when the Patriot Act was on the floor? I would also like to point out that the constitution guarantees each citizen of this country the pursuit or life, liberty, happiness, and even though I don't think it morally right I fail to see how anyone could deny people that are gay the right to marry, based on your own personal religious views.

" If it involves nationalizing an industry, don’t vote for it."

Concerning nationalization, see the post office, railroads, and airport security, it’s been around awhile in the US.

"If it degrades family values, don’t vote for it."

This can be a very subjective and individual point of view, how about everyone polices their own families as they see fit?

" If your representatives at the local, state or federal level are politicians and not statesmen, vote them out."

Again, this is totally relative from your point of view, a statesman is defined by: A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. Is this what you mean?

Just what exactly does this attack consist of? I have a feeling you have been listening to a certain pill popping radio personality that is delusional.

May 7, 2009 at 3:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bjnemp (anonymous) says...

Goodoleboy: If you can't see that our nation, heritage, freedoms, and very way of life are being attacked then it is you that is delusional.

Capitalism, freedom of speech, second amendment rights, the constitution, our economy, sovereignty, security, morals, ethics, and integrity are all being subjected to intepretation and arbitrary change by a radical left-wing administration with a dangerously liberal agenda.

You must be thirsty, Goodoleboy. It appears you have been drinking a lot of liberal Kool-Aid.

Well said, Mr. Farthilng: and I am NOT a "staunch Republican"---just a very concerned American, like you.

May 7, 2009 at 3:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Fire departments, police departments, libraries, postal service, roads and highways, sewers, trash collection, social security...

May 7, 2009 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Hasasnak (anonymous) says...

Ah, Mr. Fathering, you state that you pay respect to the flag at sporting events. I, on the other hand, am a below knee amputee having served in the milatary from 1964-1968. That,if you recall, is during the time we were involved in viet-Nam. Nowhere in do you mention any service.

On your first point, limits on your rights. Are you not aware that In the past 8 years, your right to uabius corpus was taken away. Also, your right to privacy in telecommunications was stripped. Your right to assemble with groups that were not in favor with the administration were infiltrated.

On point 2, so far, no industries have been nationalized. The present gov. Is just trying to clean up the mess left by the past administration.

On point 3. Family values. In the past 8 years we were told Iraq had WMD's. Lie. The war would be short, "a slam-dunk". Lie. Iraq had direct ties to Al-quida. Lie. Anyone who "outted" CIA agent would be fired and punished. Lie. These are not what I consider to be "family values".

Point 4. I agree.

So, Mr. fathering, you think we are under attack today more than any time in our lives. Where have you been for the past 8 years??

May 7, 2009 at 3:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Family values. An extremely subjective point. What shall we use as the basis of setting a standard for what is and is not acceptable family values? The Bible? Which one? Which denomination will receive the approving nod from the majority of voeters? What about atheists? Will they be required to participate?

May 7, 2009 at 3:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

goodoleboy (anonymous) says...

To: Bjinemp
RE: Please backup your statements
Message:
I see a lot of labels and notions thrown around. I see nothing specific mentioned. Again you fail to backup anything you say and just label people. Explain how said attacks are happening, can you do that? Or spout more nonsense. I am sure Openeyes will be along after awhile and I actaully debate a more conservative minded fellow with a brain.

Protip: I tend to side more with conservatives on a host of issues, people like you is what get the ultra liberals in office, think about that.

May 7, 2009 at 4:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Bjnemp (anonymous) says...

Typical Kool-aid drinking liberal, Goodoleboy. You are rude and intolerate to any real facts except those you choose to believe. You feel anyone who disgrees with you is stupid or uneducated. Typical ACLU-supporting left-wing PC liberal behavior. You must be blind to not see what is going on in Washington and across the nation.

By the way; I am a registered Democrat and have been for 40 years, but I am smart enough to recognize a left-wing socialist who is an extreme danger to our nation, and that is Barack Hussein Obama, our new Commander and Thief. His puppet-master, Nancy Pelosi, is even worse. Obama is the first Democratic presidential candidate I haven't supported in over 30 years. Loving America as I do, I just couldn't. He is miserably unqualified, dishonest, arrogant, and in WAY over his head.

I'm not here to debate closed-minded kool-aid chuggers, Goodoleboy. I am just stating my opinion; which I am free to do, at least until Obama pushes through his "fairness doctrine" and destroys the fifth amendment. I also own firearms, until Obama and Holder ban guns and destroy the second amendment, and I don't believe in open borders and amnesty for criminal illegal aliens, which Obama very much favors.

If you want to debate, Goodoleboy, rent a hall. I am just stating my opinion, which obviously causes you to have more anger issues than your medication can neutralize.

May 7, 2009 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

When did political party get brought into this? Lighten up and don't burgle!

May 7, 2009 at 5:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

"I'm against burglary." seriouslyfolks May 6, 2009

May 7, 2009 at 6:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Hasasnak, first of all I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for you service and sacrifice. Thank You.

And you do have valid points...... but lets compare them to former administrations, and our current one. Habeus Corpus stripped.... Bush wasn't the first prez to do that......privacy in telecommunications....... are you aware Obama's admin has defended it even further than Bush did? Right to assemble in groups not in favor with the administration.... you're referring to our current Homeland Security document labeling Veterans as possible extremists? Be careful, you might be on Obama's new list......
I'm not sure about at what point an industry becomes "nationalized". Is it when the government owns 51% of it? 70%? 80%? Or does it have to be a full 100%? I did get a kick out of Sundance's statement about fire departments, police, postal service, etc..... I wasn't aware that in general these were all once private enterprises that were only taken over by the government after they got in financial trouble - LOL.
Family values - I wouldn't consider "MonicaGate" to be "family values". Nor Edwards affair, etc... plenty of Congressmen/women on both sides. And I'm assuming you are also accusing both Clinton's of "lying", as well as Pelosi, Kerry, Reid....all those that saw the same intelligence & believed there were WMD's. As well as the other world governments that concurred. Nor would I consider "no more lobbyists" to be the honest truth either. So I guess.... what is your point exactly? That the last 8 years had alot of the same failings as every administration before them, and also with the current one? Or is this yet another view that as long as Bush did it, its bad, but if Obama does it, its somehow suddenly good?
I think family values in this country have been under attack for a long, long time. What used to be considered moral and ethical is now being labeled "an extreme far right view". Why? Did the right change, move farther right, or did everyone else just shift farther left?

I guess what I'm trying to say is I agree in part with both sides here - things have been degrading for a long time, (not JUST under Bush) - but I also feel there are certain areas that have been and are being accelererated & attacked anew now. Time will tell..... but I am wary. Very wary. I don't like alot of what I'm seeing and its making me pretty darn nervous. I hope I'm getting all worked up for nothing but I have serious doubts.

Goodoleboy, is there really anyone who has had a "long and respected career in politics or government"? LOL - I think that's half our problem these days..... lifetime congressment/women..... constantly re-elected on name recognition alone...... Barney F. is my favorite example...... what has he done to deserve continued re-election?

May 7, 2009 at 7:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Crackinsack........ have you "supported the home team" the last 8 years?

And what exactly does "go back to tending your cattle" mean? Racist or stereotyping? Or should you go back to sipping tea with your pinkie held high in the air in your ivory tower looking down your nose at all the poor, common, ignorant conservatives who just can't come anywhere close to your IQ? (Hey, just trying to reply in kind :)

YES!!!!! I got in the FIRST "Racist" accusation for once!!! LOLOLOL :)

May 7, 2009 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

The original Fairness Doctrine was instituted in 1949 and abolished in 1987. Even though I don't believe it should be re-instituted, I have a feeling it may backfire on those who are pushing for it - if they are truly "fair" about it..... :)

We've discussed gun control before, but again, what makes me nervous is that the 2nd amendment was only upheld by a 5-4 vote last time. And with a liberal judge being appointed by October.... (don't tell me anyone will be able to block it).... Obama voted against BOTH Roberts and Alito.....

Not to change the subject, but as long as we're talking about "lies", such as Obama had nothing to do with ACORN, and he had no idea what Wright preached for 20 years.... LOL...here's another good one that doesn't seem to get much traction in the news...

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,...

May 7, 2009 at 8:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Observation, I concur. Being taken down irreversable roads is a little different from just a shift in policy. Maybe most hated the Iraq war here, but at any time we could have just turned tail and pulled out, and sat by and watched the slaughter, like what happened in Cambodia when we left. It may not have been the right thing to do but it was physically possible, within a few months. I don't see where we will be able to reverse easily courses we are being set on here, even if we wanted to. If I see a train running off a cliff, I will gladly accept the label of being a "no" person, and refusing to "go along and work in the spirit of bi-partisanship". HOW MANY liberals here wish that the Dems had not "gone along" with the administration to go to war in Iraq?

Except, I have a plan to erase our deficit. Just get all of Obama's cabinet appointee's to pay their taxes on time - LOL

May 7, 2009 at 8:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

Bjnemp.....

If you are really a registered democrat it must be in name only.You must be one of those guys that register with the other party so you con vote for yokels and mis-fits in the primary to help your real party in the general. That being the case please stop trying to convice anybody that a real democrat would think like that.

Mr Farthing.....I assume when you are talking about the government's role is not to take our freedoms away you are thinking specifically about your freedoms. From the tone of your letter I doubt that you have much concern for the loss of freedoms incurred by anybody that disagrees with your narrow view of the world.

May 7, 2009 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

1) Although I don't like any of our freedoms taken away any more than the next person, I recognize in today's world that is it at times prudent if not necessary at times. I think it was Ben Franklin that said something along the lines of "Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither". Nice quote, but....... Ben didn't live in an age where nuclear bombs and other WMD's existed. Nobody dreamed in his time that people could willingly spread biological weapons that could wipe out entire populations indiscriminately. Warfare itself was even fought quite differently back then..... I think, that, if Ben was alive in today's world, he would modify that statement a bit.
Personally I don't have a problem with the Patriot Act. If I'm holding regular conversations with a known terrorist overseas, then I deserve to be eavesdropped on. I don't, so I don't worry about it. Can't say it has affected my life one whit, except to say that possibly I am still alive and breathing because of it (but I have no way of knowing if that is directly as a result). The only thing I have a problem with are people who scream about it under Bush but fall silent when Obama extends it. Never believed in the Fairness Doctrine but IF it is instituted..... I think it will have unintended consequences for those pushing it..... especially if it is instituted "Fairly" :) Gun control I've previously stated my views here and on other threads. Not worried about a bill, more worried about the Supreme Court.
2) Bush started this ball rolling with the first half of TARP, but he already admits it was a mistake and he turned against party values. But it seems to me that nowadays we are going more from doing it grudgingly to WANTING to be able to do it. The lawyer claiming how Chrysler was threatened... trying to force stimulus money on states, industries....these "stress tests", even on banks that did not ask for or receive any bailout money....... the "tone" seems to have shifted since Jan 20...
3) Family values have been being degraded for decades. The right gets farther and farther right just by staying where they are and not moving at all.
4) Yeah, well, good luck with that. Barney & Nancy will be in until 2050, longer if they can get amnesty passed....

My 5 cents worth. (2 cents worth, but I had 3 cents stimulus money forced on me :)

May 7, 2009 at 9:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

LOL Observation. Maybe he meant the extra loose CHANGE in their pockets as a result of skipping on their taxes..... LOL

May 7, 2009 at 9:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Hasasnak (anonymous) says...

Open-eyes

First, I would like to point out that I am in no way threatened by being investigated by this administration. My entrence in theservice was delayed for over two weeks for the fact that on an entrance questionair I was asked to reveal any organizations that I had been amember of. In answering truthfully, I related that as a teenager, I belonged to a religious group for youth. Now, I do not know how old you are, but this group had been investigated by H.U.A.C., the House Un-amarican Activiies
committee.

As far as Monica Gate. You are right, this would not be in my family values, but you must admit, it did not lead to the deaths of over 4,000 brave American men and women, not to mention the millions of Iraqi people killed or displaced.

The "same intellignce" the congress and the other nations received was the hand picked info put out by the Bush admin. This is not conjecture, it is FACT.

In regards to Habeus Corpus, you are right. It was done in the Civil War. Prior to that, slavery was legal. Ergo, are you suggesting we should go back to that era even though there is a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery?

I am not going to blame Bush for everything, just those he is giilty of. I didn't even get into the area of torture. Waterboarding is a crime. In no way can you or anyone else justify his action. It is a War Crime. Those who codoned it should be punished. I do not care he was President. He broke the law. If we do not uphold the laws of this land, than I too am cocerned for the future of this country.

May 7, 2009 at 9:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Hasasnak, my point was that throughout our history groups that were not "in favor" with the current administration have always been scrutinized. Nothing new in the last admin, or the current one.
No, Monica-gate did not lead directly to the deaths of thousands, (unless you propose if Bill had paid a little more attention when Al-Qaeda declared war on us and less to Monica maybe 3,000 wouldn't have died in the trade centers). But we were talking about family values, and lying, and if you are going to point out specific lies of one administration, as if to single them out as being somehow different from the others, than maybe we should include others in that. "Millions" of Iraqis have not been killed since the war, (displaced, yes) - but if you are going to claim that as a singular number than lets look at the alternatives - Saddam killed between 500,000 and a million of his own people, along with the millions killed in the Iran/Iraq war, and Kuwait invasion. And people (Shiites) were still starving becasue the Oil-For-Food money which was intended to help them was all going into Sadaam's personal coffers. 17 UN Resolutions did nothing but create the worlds largest scandal (OilForFood) - while he continued to brutalize, torture, and steal from his own people. How many Iraqi's (the good ones, also) would be dead if things had continued? Is it as simple as comparing numbers and saying this or that is better because it is 1,000 less? We're finding out in Pakistan right now how "diplomacy" works with those who laugh as soon as you sign and turn your back. I don't have the answers, but your choice is obvious, mine is not so clear-cut.
I also don't believe, as you do, that the Bush admin "put out" intelligence by other countries. I'll agree that they pushed forward the intelligence they liked, and did NOT pay enough attention to the opposition view of same. But can you show me and prove where any of it was made up out of thin air? What you claim as "FACT", I would say many disagree with. For instance,
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/ve...
But hey, neither of us can prove the other. I do know one thing I can prove, however - Libya had a WMD program that not only did nobody know about, but was far advanced past anyone imagined. And that, IS, "fact", given that they came clean about it. So... WMD's DID turn up... not where we were expecting them.....

May 7, 2009 at 10:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

sorry, I get long-winded at times...... (and I don't even have a teleprompter! - LOL)

Habeas Corpus. I was just pointing out he is not the first. Grant also suspended it after the war for a time. Adams actually used it to jail newspaper editors that were critical of his administration. (Clearly illegally.) FDR used it to imprison Japanese-Americans during WWII. What all this has to do with reinstating slavery escapes me.

Personally, we will disagree on waterboarding, and the legality of it at the time. Half the people say it was legally done, half say it was not. Personally, I think any act of war itself should be "illegal". I can't shoot my neighbor down the street, but "declare war" and suddenly it is ok. But that's the reality of the world we live in. We just accidentally killed some innocent civilians in Afghanistan, so I assume we will now start calling Obama a war criminal. I mean, thats illegal, right? I know this much: If I watched a video of, say, a family member of mine being beheaded aka Daniel Pearl, and I had someone in custody who knew where another family member was being held, and was scheduled to be beheaded in 24 hours........... I would do a whole lot worse than waterboarding to that person.......and I wouldn't care if on that particular Tuesday someone in a court of law switched for the 4th time and declared it illegal..... but that's just me. War is Hell.

May 7, 2009 at 10:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

alfalfa (anonymous) says...

I can't see anything in this editorial to argue with, but then I am not trying to see this as an issue of Obama versus Bush. With regard to Mr. Farthing's military service, if memory serves me unfortunately for him he managed to be the wrong age to fight in any war, too young for Vietnam and too old for anything else. While I admire and respect all veterans of this nation, and thank God for their sacrifice, you do not have to be a veteran to be a good American. Family values don't have to be about religion although it seems the far left always want to make it about religion. Take care of your kids, be faithful to your wife...seems straight forward and easy to understand. There are all kinds of family situations, lots of single parents who do a great job. There are plenty of examples of how this society is not very family friendly, it can be about common sense and not religion if you like.

I agree with David that the America I love is under attack, and I hope he is right that we will come through this.

May 7, 2009 at 10:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

I hate War in all its shapes and forms. I really do. I wish we lived in a world where the words military and army didn't even exist in the dictionary, because there was no need for them. But I live in the real world. Sadly, they are necessary. And I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who choose that service and sacrifice. You included. And yes, we have to be morally responsible, and hold ourselves to a code of conduct. But I also do not believe in carrying it so far and shackling our military to the point that they are paralyzed. We can never know the future for sure, how many more lives might have been lost by using overwhelming military force, or how many innocent lives might have been saved in the long run. We dropped the bomb on Japan - many, many, innocent lives lost - but how many more saved? Pakistan tried to play nice with the Taliban and signed an agreement. Now look how many more lives are being lost.
I don't believe we should pull fingernails, cut fingers off, electric shock, etc..... that is MY definition of torture. But I also believe that at times we need stronger interrogation methods than withholding dessert and forcing a detainee to watch MSNBC. Or reading these blogs out loud to them. Waterboarding, under a watchful eye, medical overseer - I think that in some circumstances the Prez deserves the authority to give the nod. We have those claiming we got vital information from it, and those claiming we didn't. In some cases, they admit we did, but claim we would have gotten it anyway with other methods. Well, when the clock is ticking, sometimes our options become limited.
That's my opinion. If it helps me win the war quicker and save innocent lives, then I'll accept the trade-off. Like I said. War is Hell.

May 7, 2009 at 10:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

alfalfa (anonymous) says...

And, by the way, just because someone is unhappy with the direction things are going now does not mean they were happy under Bush. Very few of us knew what terrible shape the economy was in until the final months of the last administration. The overriding concern I have is the national debt that seems to be unstoppable. I cannot fathom why Obama supporters seem to think if you show concern about that for some reason you are crazy. To ask, "how can we manage a debt that could top $20 trillion in 2012" is not racist, religious, far right, crazy, delusional or anti-Obama.....it is a very valid question.

May 7, 2009 at 10:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

josiesbar (anonymous) says...

David, you forgot to mention for people to vote Libertarian. Other than that, great article!

Matt

May 7, 2009 at 10:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Alfalfa, I totally agree, I never started out with this as a Bush vs Obama, Lord knows Bush has some guilt to share in this too, but, of course, someone always twists it in that direction. And I think you've put your finger on something that applies to quite a bit these days, not just family values having to do with religion. The far left is trying very hard to skew our perception of everything to fit theirs. Are they any different from the other extremes in the past? No - except - this time - they have gotten so much of the media on their side. A Very Powerful Ally. Like I said, you can hold the EXACT same views today you've held for 30 years. And somehow you've went from middle-to-conservative to extreme crazy far right. Go figure.

May 7, 2009 at 11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

alfalfa (anonymous) says...

open_eyes, I think Mr. Farthings number 4 point is the most important. Overwhelmingly I believe career politicians are our problem from both sides of the aisle. The idea our founders had, I think, was for the people who run this nation to be public servants, not people concerned with how best to win the next election. The left just wants to continue to harp about Bush, I have to wonder how many years they can milk the "Bush was worse" line. The things that are happening in our nation right now should concern every single person. Little things like where exactly is this money coming from? Is it coming from China as many say, is it being printed, how much interest is it costing? Then there is the whole concept of companies that are too big to fail, what exactly does that mean, does it mean they can lose money forever, and the US taxpayer will just have to keep dumping money into them? Most of the media is so much in Obama's corner they won't ask any tough questions. It is too bad we have come to the point that it is more important for some people to support one man without question and keep on blinders to what is going on in the world around them than it is to take a realistic view of where his policies, AND the policies of the last administration will leave this nation in 10, 20 and 50 years.

May 7, 2009 at 11:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Well, China has slowed their buying of US bonds - so much that Clinton apparenty begged them to keep buying...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/13/bus...

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/...

Where is the money coming from? It grows on trees! LOL - we are printing it....... and sooner or later..... that is going to catch up with us in the form of inflation...... we just printed over a trillion $$...

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008...

I mentioned before the sharp knife cuts the quickest, but heals the fastest, or something to that effect - someone (don't remember who) countered with not wanting to put our children thru a depression now (a valid point). I did not mean that to say that we would necessarily go into a depression had measures not been taken (whether we end up in one Because of these measures eventually remains to be seen). I was looking more at what good the bailout money has done. 1 company got money then loaned something like $8 billion to Dubai (instead of easing credit in the US). Bank Of America got bailout money, and then bought Countrywide. AIG.......... That is what I meant by let them fail.
No, we're not socialist yet. But sometimes I get the feeling that we're setting ourselves up for making that the only course out and grooming people to accept it.

May 7, 2009 at 11:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Alfalfa, I have a Tough Question for you:

"What has enchanted you the most about blogging here?"

LOL :)

May 7, 2009 at 11:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

It seems to me as if we are spending a lot of time here kicking a dead horse....your side is worse than my side.....my side is worse than your side....

...And open_eyes you are right about the shifting baseline to the left. Things change and attitudes at the moment are shifting left in most of the country.....but attitudes change all the time(look at attidudes toward smoking from thirty years ago until today).....and besides.....for much of the time since WW II attidudes have generally been shifting right.

The problem the right seems to be having right now is they thought it would last forever.....Well guess what...it didn't. You had your time in the sun and now its the left's turn for a while....but the only real certainty is that nothing last forever and the pendulum will eventually swing back right.

But without making value judgements about right or wrong.....the right that Mr Farthing and others seem to be pineing for may be gone forever just like the left of the Woodrow Wilson era. The old world doesn't exist anymore....you adapt to the new one or you get left by the side of the road.

....the left of today looks much different than the left of fifty or one hundred years ago,.....the new right......when it returns to power (and it will).....will look much different than the right many of you are looking so hard for today.

May 8, 2009 at 5:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

You are right there, biscuitboy - nothing lasts forever. Sometimes you adapt to it or go the way of the dinosaur. And then other times you don't run with the lemmings over the cliff and survive by getting left by the side of the road.

Observation, I think you put it extremely well with your concerns to Hasasnak. I too am worried about weakening our abilities but I also believe that Obama will do the right thing should the need arise. I just hope the need does not arise.

Now that I think of it....... gee....... under what authority did he have the Somalian pirates killed.... Congress hadn't declared war on Somalia..... those particular pirates hadn't killed anyone...... international waters..... is Obama now a War Criminal?

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/an...
-------------------------------------
European Union and U.S. naval forces have captured dozens of presumed brigands in recent months after beefing up their presence in the Gulf of Aden, the world’s most dangerous waters. Most have been let go or dumped on the shores of neighboring Somalia because of a lack of evidence or confusion over what jurisdiction can prosecute them.

“International law is very clear about giving any warship from any sovereign nation the right to suppress piracy in international waters,” said John Kimball, a maritime expert at law firm Blank Rome LLP in New York. “But it’s a messy burden. They need to be processed and given trials. Not many governments are willing to do this.”

Human rights law is so tricky that...:

THE Royal Navy, once the scourge of brigands on the high seas, has been told by the Foreign Office not to detain pirates because doing so may breach their human rights.
-----------------------------

OOOH!!! Gray area! Gray area! As soon as the GOP returns to power, lets spend about $10 billion of the taxpayers money and endlessly investigate Obama's right to take this action! Prosecute all involved!

(Or not, I'd rather not).

May 8, 2009 at 8:08 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

On point 2 - nationalization. All this was originally supposed to be a loan - to be payed back. THINGS have changed..... stock conversion..... giving the government major voting power in how the banks conduct business..... meaning it will be driven by whatever agenda the current administration/congress wants.......I'm sure they'll handle it the best way........ just like they have with Fannie & Freddie....

http://www.openmarket.org/2009/04/20/...

---------------------------------------------

I think "the ice queen" (as she's been referred to on here) - Ann Coulter - made a good point the other night about waterboarding. Many of the same people who consider waterboarding morally & ethically wrong have no problem killing innocent unborn children. Who's got the ice in their veins there?

May 8, 2009 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

driveonby (anonymous) says...

I am more worried about the "freedom of the press" lately. I've given up on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness".
I used to believe in newspapers. I never thought, before lately, that they were paid influence peddlers. I guess it's just a business, and they take care of their customers who have lots of money. When front page stories are just advertising, and the papers will not do ANY investigating of facts, and report them, it is OVER for America. Where are the reporters of old, who went out and dug up facts, did hard hitting interviews, and we could believe in them?

May 8, 2009 at 9:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

deluvly1 (anonymous) says...

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The 10th Amendment

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are available for anyone & everyone. For cripe’s sake, read them! Educate yourself. They hold the solution(s) to just about every problem we have as well as solutions for the ones the current administration are hoping to inflict up on us in the not-too-distant future.

There is time to turn this nonsense around. Know your rights and, perhaps more importantly, demand them from your local and state reps.

May 8, 2009 at 11:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

I am assuming that, since the dollar is only worth about 3.6 cents nowadays, that means that there has been so much money printed over the years that there, either needs to be more gold put into Fort Knox to bring the dollar back to being worth a dollar or money will have to stop being printed !
It seems to me that printing more money only worsens the problem !
And what happens when the money being printed, out strips the worth of the gold presently in Fort Knox ?
And if and when the money printed, out strips the gold in Fort Knox, will we all have to return to a barter system of free enterprise and free trade ?

May 8, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

deluvly 1

Greed is the largest problem of the world, especially the U.S. today ! It is even the problem in third world countries ! I am talking about personal greed, professional greed, political greed, etc. and with the amount of greed in todays world and U.S., the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc., have become secondary to amassing as much material wealth as possible, all or most of the politicians are driven and influenced by money and greed !
So complaining to your elected officials, whether they be local, state or federal will, most of the time, fall upon deaf ears, unless you have enough money to get their attention !
And sadly, thats just they way it is in most of the countries in the world and has been that way for sometime and sadly it just continues to get worse !

May 8, 2009 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Margaret Cho had an amusing, yet accurate, observation between the two primary political parties in this country...

While democrats are pro-choice and do not support the death penalty, republicans are anti-abortion and advocate for the death penalty. This proves one thing; Republicans love to procrastinate.

May 8, 2009 at 12:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

Greed is the leading cause of burglary. True story.

May 8, 2009 at 12:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Now that more and more evidence is coming out that Pelosi was briefed in detail about waterboarding as early as 2002, looks like she & others are just as guilty. Maybe we'll end up with about 75% of Congress behind bars if we really push this.

Wait......... now I'm starting to like the idea...... :)

Utah & Texas are among states considering passing legislation akin to Montana's regarding gun control, which basically says that their state law will trump any federal gun-registration or control laws....

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/20...

May 8, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

Why would states feel they need such laws?

May 8, 2009 at 1:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

I think it was YY4U who quoted Ben Franklin awhile back with ""At 20 years of age the will reigns, at 30 the wit, at 40 the judgment."

I wonder...... is that why the average age of Republicans is older than the average of Democrats?

(Being an Independent I guess I'm trying to live "by my wits" from above........and not doing a very good job of it either, I'm afraid - LOL)

Wikipedia has a nice chart from surveys conducted by the National Election Studies, supported by the National Science Foundation, regarding percentages of Dem vs Repub with at least 4-year degrees..... GOP consistently leads by more than 10%....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democrat...

Why did I bring this up? Growing up on a farm, even though I'm not GOP (but conservative)..... ignorant statements like "You Republicans .........go back to tending to your cattle"....... kinda shows me not everyone is as smart as they think they are.......

Everyone has a right to question and disagree (and complain) about this administration just as much as we all had the right (respectfully) to do the same about the prior one, and the one prior to that, and prior to that, etc.....

Don't know where this quote originally came from, but I like it:

"Ask a question, fool for once. Never ask, fool forever."

May 8, 2009 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

Indeed, seriouslyfolks. Why? Must be more than we are being let in on going on........???

May 8, 2009 at 1:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

sundancekid wrote: "Margaret Cho had an amusing, yet accurate, observation between the two primary political parties in this country... While democrats are pro-choice and do not support the death penalty, republicans are anti-abortion and advocate for the death penalty. This proves one thing; Republicans love to procrastinate."

YY4U asked: "sundancekid, If an 18 year old Soldier is killed in action while searching for WMD, would that be considered a "Late Term Abortion"?"

sundancekids responds: "Of course not! Furthermore, I find it disrespectful to belittle the bravery of those who serve in the armed forces."

May 8, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Like most Americans, I have a high amount of respect for our military.

In regards to the military, what I do not agree with is the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. I have several gay and lesbian friends who are serving this country in silence. These are well-disciplined and strong professionals (i.e. I wouldn't dare want to see their bad side) who have the courage to put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. Considering the number of Americans who would never consider serving in the armed forces, they should not be subjected to such an intolerable and discriminating rule.

May 8, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_as...

May 8, 2009 at 5:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

Why should gay and lesbian Americans not be allowed to serve in the military? If they are willing to put their life on the line for your freedoms, why shouldn't they be allowed to wear our country's uniform?

May 8, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

open_eyes (anonymous) says...

sundance, I would agree with you there. I personally have no problem, but (this is just my opinion) I'm GUESSING that there have been or would be problems among other military personnel. They may be uncomfortable showering, living in close quarters, etc, possibly ostracized by others within their own unit. NOT saying that is right - just my speculation that may be part of "why".....

driveonby, regarding neutrality/freedom of the press/speech...... in the 1930's Churchill was banned by the BBC for several years for speaking out against Hitler and Chamberlain's policy of appeasement (which worked out SO well as history has shown).

Speaking of Britain..... Sharia law & so forth.... biscuitboy, you're right, things will be alot different years from now. We won't even be able to recognize Europe. Is this part of the unavoidable change you are referring to that we are all just supposed to go along with? (I know you're talking about the US political system, but history is full of the famous last words "but it can't ever happen here"....)

http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=6-3...

May 8, 2009 at 6 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

biscuitboy (anonymous) says...

open_eyes

...I too have no problems personally with gays in the military.....as to your speculation as to why there might be resistence in the military ".....uncomfortable showering, living in close quarters.......ostrasized with others within their own unit...." the same thing could have, and in fact was, used to keep the military white or segregated for years. And that produced one of the sorriest chapters in the history of our proud military.

May 8, 2009 at 6:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

sundancekid (anonymous) says...

The Right to Serve Campaign
http://www.soulforce.org/righttoserve

May 8, 2009 at 6:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

I was the last person in Emporia to be asked by the Army recruiter if I was gay when I signed up in 93. My best friend was the first to not be asked. Just a bit of history for ya.

Oh yeah, I'm against burglary!

May 8, 2009 at 6:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

Unless all their weapons have been burgled.

May 8, 2009 at 9:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

seriouslyfolks (anonymous) says...

When I was in Germany there was a fire in our barracks that was apparently caused by some drunk soldiers(if you can imagine that). The 1st Sgt's wife had read some book about how certain colors had a calming affect on people so he made us paint the halls pastel colors. The CO stopped it before we got to my floor so we got to keep the violent behavior causing tan color. The first floor was baby blue and the second floor was pink or the other way around, I don't recall for sure. We thought it was funny on the third floor.

May 8, 2009 at 10:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )