You know what I love about DAMN?

[kami]

Well I'd say that racism is already diminishing at a pretty fast rate, the big problem imo is over-nationalism.

[c|"Sixhits"]

Heheh, and while we're on the topic of republicans....

so yah like Bush (go right ahead and vote of bigoted morons; its cool). And dude, thats the beauty of the US.

But what do you think of that Fascist Ashcroft (Bush's main man), the one who would have our civil liberties carefully managed by federal employees? Using our credit, our email, and our online/offline purchases to "find the terrorists" who like to read naughty books?

I always thought repubs stood for family values, civil liberties (not rights; things like gun control and tax releaf), small government, and financial responsiblity?

Am I incorrect in remarking that Bushian policies, and dare I say his idol Reagan's policies, have pushed American government towards gigantic comglomorate organizations that destroy families, coupled with federal rights increases at the harsh expense of individual and states rights, hugh government increases in spending and size, particularly in defense, and massed, untargeted tax cuts during a recession, linked with increased spending in general? This and under the watchful eye of a weekend president 3000 our our kin were murdered and our country held to terror, not just from terrorists, but also from our leaders? Leaders who choose their roles to be ones of violence and repercussion, rather than ones who used our generous goodwill to united the world behind them?

CONTINUED

[c|"Sixhits"]

Further, the erosion of civil liberties is a cornerstone of our current "war on terror". Immense power over the individual (with a noted desire for longterm increase in oversight of civil liberties via the attempted perminance of The PATRIOT Act), coupled with a larger grant of federal rights in the new PATRIOT II, which among other nasties seeks a right to revoke citizenship if that citizen is DEEMED (note not proven nor tried for a crime) to be involved in terrorist or terrorist related activities. That lil nugget of happy-joy alone could be used to ex-patriate drug offenders, for example. You've seen the ads, I'm sure, linking drug use to terrorism? Ever smoke pot, kid? No longer are ya going to court. If that bugger gets pushed through you might just be locked up, without trial, after they yank the passport and toss you, without a hearing, nor representation, nor a trial by your peers.

In a nutshell, the current adminisration has done much, either delibrately or unconsonabley through misguided attempts at the greater good, undercut democracy as we know it.

These things and more make republicans fugging idiots noobs, since those that lead them are in direct conflict with the core foundation of the party, I'm sure, the core of the pary itself. I myself am more conservative a man than liberal, but at this junction in history could not in good conscious vote repub because the party itself has be coopted for interests other than its members, other than this country's. The VALUES of the party as a whole are good, strong, meaningful values. They are not, even, in conflict with Democract values. The goals have been the same - the exicution is different. However, as I stated, this administration as lead its party astray, and in doing so embraced fundamentalism, fascist policies, and warmongering. Great group of guys you helped put in office (or was that the repub leaning Sumpreme Court?)

The action of this current administration are undeniablyy familiar to anyone who lived through World War II, particularly so for German Jews. The increase in federal rights over the individual is a key element - it allows the government, not your peers, to prosecute you for crimes uncommited, associations, friends, and beliefs. It lets the federal government look into you records without warrent. Please note that. Such actions were akin to the reasons this country was formed, among the reasons they hated kings and labeled them dictators. The American system of government exists to balance itself and please the people. As it is currently, efforts are being made to undercut it's divine balance and ignore the people's rights, under the pretense fo foreign, invasive and immersed threat.

[c|"Sixhits"]

In closing, it is one thing to wage war with an enemy nation such as Iraq, and for me to dissagree with it. That's healthy, democratic, and American. However, it is another thing to label my dissent as unpatriotic. Particuarlly when dessent was what formed this grand experiment of a country, what has shaped us, and what has saved us. What is going on today is the end of American historical democracy. People, likely like you, are part of a willfull minority (tho, so hard to tell these days who's got more backing - all sides are becoming to homoginized polically, and managed so carefully socially by the same media....) who would help through no intent but through blind obediance to your leaders, or perhaps even only to certain issues (like gun control and abortion), instead of demanding responsiblity from those in charge. Bombing is not good leadership, ever. It represents the failure of leaders to resolve conflict. Invasive federal powers is not good leadship; its the sort of things that lets bad leaders stay in power, because good citizens are afraid to tell it like they feel, because you never know who's watching and how easy it might be to have them dissappear. Have any middle eastern friends? Ask them how it felt to hear that INS agents (or was it FBI) were calling them in for questioning, and thousands of them were being held without bail, laywers, or accused of any crime, or - believe it or not - their own families being told they were being held. IMAGINE what could be done with such power, if applied with a direct purpose to the greater American populace. And do not bullshit yourself into believing the people would rise up and stop such things. They haven't yet.
 
Remember that old quote from a Catholic Priest inn Nazi Germany: it went something like this;
"First they came for the other polical parties, and I said nothing; then they came for the Jews, and I did nothing; then they came for my neigherbors, and I did nothing; then one day they came for me, and there was no one left to stop them."

SO FUCK REPUBLICANS, cause I'm not gonna let my country, my rights, be stolen by a fascist, unelected bigot who's idea of leadership is imprisioning foreigners and citizens without trail (even going so far as reserving the right to kill them through military tribunals), and bombing and nvading other countries, unlinked to any of the horrid crimes commited on my fellow Americans.

But for you, Snipey, I reserve praise. Cause like a good American should you have asserted your point of view.


six

[c|"Sixhits"]

BAH! I need a bloody speel checker.......

[kami]

You get be-headed for saying things like that on these forums Six, I agree with ya though, but it's not my country, not my debate. But a heads up from me, what you're describing is a somewhat paranoid opinion but it deserves a thinking-through, I wouldn't dismiss it in a blink.

[jn.loudnotes]

It was a long post and I had to bookmark it and come back to it.  But resurrecting this thread - I agree to a great extent Sixhits.  A lot of those things have been said before, and I find it a wonder that more people don't feel any sort of alarm at this administration's leadership.

How ironic that Hussein was compared to Hitler when Bush's policies make him a closer match. . .