I hate to bring war/politics up on the board.....- Page 6

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 12:49am

I know what you mean, Erik, Bullfrog did the same thing to me. I'd love to know how he acquired his special skill wherein he can read your post and surmise, "The poor guy however sounds like he lives hyperventaling." He reads your text and he "hears" that you live "hyperventaling."

He once told me I would live longer if I weren't so passionate about Angels in America. He made assumptions about my blood pressure. Miss Cleo he ain't. Or IS he?????

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:31am

Yeah Namo. As much as I AM touched by Bulldog's concern for my well being, I can assure him that there is nothing that gets me all warm inside than a good political debate.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 7:47am

Here's another story about the plight of Iraqi women as they try to become part of the new government. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like they are off to a good start.

Click here

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/22/03 at 9:43am

ErikJ, glad to know you don't take everything so seriously. Life is too short.

Merry Christmas & Best wishes for the New Year!

Broadway Bulldog.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 7:56am

Here's an article from the Washington Post. David Kay, the man in charge of finding Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq has announced he is leaving his post. The article states that resources are being taken away from his team to help hunt for Iraqi insurgents and that expectations remain low that anything will be found.
The WMD issue is probably my biggest beef with the Bush Administration. The American people (and the rest of the world) were told by Bush in no uncertain terms that Saddam had a stockpile of WMD's that he was ready and willing to use against the US. Not that he was developing WMD's or looking to aquire them, but that he had them and was able to use them. Bush stated in his interview with Diane Sawyer that he doesn't know what the difference is.
Well the difference is that this lie about WMD's permitted the Bush Administration to drastically change foreign policy and allow a pre-emptive strike on another country. Bush not only lied but he used this fiction to lead our country into war.
So to me it doesn't matter if you think the war in Iraq was just or not. What matters is the Administration lied to the world to get us there.

David Kay resigns

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 9:43am

And yet this has zero moral significance to the folks who STILL bring up the fact that Clinton said he didn't inhale.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 10:25am

I never really understood the defending Bush by attacking Clinton line of thinking. Sorta seems like grasping at straws. It really throws people off when I tell them I wasn't a big fan of Clinton either, but I don't see how that has anything to do with the job Bush is doing now.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 10:38am

I know! I was in a cab the other day and the driver had on a conservative talk radio show (like that's not a redundant construct!) And whoever the blowhard host was kept going on and on about "HOWARD DEAN thinks it's a BAD thing that Hussein was caught! The DEMOCRATS think it's a BAD thing that this dictator..." blah, blah, blah. Even though I have only heard Dean articulate what the Times article said about the US not being any safer with Saddam caught... but, the toadies on the radio say it enough and the listeners believe it.

I believe Elvis Costello put it best back in 1978 when he sang, "Radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools trying to anesthetize the way that you feel."

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 11:59am

now i know it's semantics, but it's a teensy bit disingenuous to use the headline "daniel kay resigns" when the story itself merely gives anonymous reports alleging that he plans to step down. no timetable is given for this alleged resignation in the story and the door is left open for him to not step down at all. plus his name is david, not daniel.

still love me erik?

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 5:46pm

1. Yes Papa of course I still love you! Just don't ever say anything contrary to what I say again.

2. There are two possible explanations for the David/Daniel debacle. Either I typed that post before my morning coffee, or there is a defect in my secret Bush decoder ring.

PS..I've deleted all references to a Daniel Kay in my post...Bush style

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 12/23/03 at 7:24pm

Namo, whenever I get into a cab with a right-wing radio show on. I ask the cabbie to switch the station.

And I always tip a litle better if the cabbie is tuned to WBAI.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/24/03 at 7:23am

We've all heard Bush telling us how he's behind our troops. We've seen the images of him in Iraq with a stunt turkey. And we know he's spending billions of dollars in Iraq. But he doesn't seem to be treating Veterans too well.
He's opposed to giving National Guard Reserve members access to the Pentagon's health insurance system. He has also cut 1.5 billion out of funding for military family housing/medical facilities. He has also proposed cutting 164,000 vets from the VA's prescription drug program.
Meanwhile 1 out of 5 National Guard members have no health insurance at all. And many veterans have to wait six months our more for an initial appointment with a doctor. And most disturbing, according to a CBS news report, many soldiers say they are seeing their pay and health benefits severely reduced after they are badly wounded.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/24/03 at 4:16pm

My (still active) friend the Lt. Col sent around an email to all the people who were constantly sending him emails telling him how much they were "praying" that he wouldn't be "sent over there." So he sent them all a reply asking them to contact their congresspeople to restore the cuts and to lower the age at which reservists may start receiving their pensions. Almost every single person who had told him they were "praying" for him were fairly strongly right wing people with "Support Our Troops" bumper stickers and the like on their SUV's. A quick survey a month later revealed that except for me, NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE ACTUALLY CONTACTED THEIR REPRESENTATIVES! Bumper stickers are nice and all... but really. FYI, the Lt. Col thinks the whole endeavor is folly and can't quite believe how often the commander in chief has changed his tune about just what the mission has been.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/29/03 at 10:06am

Remember that Saturday morning not too long ago when all of America was watching Saddam being probed and getting a dental exam? Guess what Bush was doing. Further abolishing the safeguard of judicial oversight and undoing the 4th ammendment! He quietly signed into law pieces of the Patriot Act II that allow for the FBI to look at financial records without proving probable cause, or even reporting to anyone how often they do it.
Now I know some might say "well I'm not a terrorist so I have nothing to hide". Well that's not really the point. Bush is giving these agencies more power with less checks and balances. I'm sure with in no time the FBI will be abusing this power, as large institutions with unchecked power tend to do. See the link below for more info:

Bush signs parts of Patriot Act II into law — stealthily

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/29/03 at 10:11am

Surely in this "Bush Hating" climate this should be on the news every five minutes!
Leaks Probe Is Gathering Momentum from the Washington Post

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/29/03 at 10:20am

OK..This will be my last attack on the Bush administration...for today. But I read this and couldn't resist posting it.
Apparently Tony Blair made a comment saying that there is "massive evidence" of labs for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. This comment was later called a "red herring". But the head slapping thing is...it was Paul Bremer, the US appointed head of the "Coalition", that made the red herring remark. When it was pointed out to Bremer that it was Blair who made the remark he back pedaled.
So now we have US officials contradicting Blair and saying there is NO evidence of WMD's in Iraq. When that's why we were told we went over there in the first place. Of course you can click on the link below and read the story yourself.

Bremer 'rejects' Blair WMD claims

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/1/04 at 10:55pm

In light of recent events, does anyone else find this story somewhat disturbing?

US ready to seize Gulf oil in 1973

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 1/2/04 at 8:32pm

everything involving Bush and/or Republicans is disturbing

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 1/2/04 at 9:00pm

I find politics disturbing overall. We have to vote for the lesser of two evils instead of someone we think will do a good job of running the country. I don't claim a party affiliation either. Oh well. C'est la vie. We have to be realistic sometimes.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 1/2/04 at 9:10pm

agree... but overall , republicans frighten me......


ecpecially ones who have bigoted views and just say it is the right way to see things..

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/3/04 at 8:12pm

Don't get caught driving around with your almanac!
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,106890,00.html

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/3/04 at 8:33pm

Hi Erik, in the spirit of equal time, perhaps you might want to add to your tag line: "Bill Clinton was then."

Just a thought.

Cheers! Bulldog

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 1/3/04 at 8:48pm

Why does everyone keep bringing up Clinton? I didn't like him either

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/3/04 at 11:58pm

Me neither. Roxy made the same assumption about me. "You thought Clinton could do no wrong," he once wrote to me, as if he knew me then. Fact is, don't ask, don't tell resulted in more discharges from the military than pre-Clinton's expedient political move. Largely lesbians of color, of course, which barely registers with the mainstream groups like HRC who woulda sold their grandmothers for an audience with Bill. Hell, who can BLAME anybody for wearing leather to that little shindig?

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/4/04 at 6:12am

Is Rupert Murdoch's "little" aquisition of last week.