Saddam Is Dead

[Tao_Equus]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Wow, you don't think much of the American public's mind, do you....

Wow!! amazed to see you collectivise such a plural!!

[Tao_Equus]

removed duplicate post

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

Wow!! amazed to see you collectivise such a plural!!

guess you don't know me that well.

oh I'll remove that extra post if it is not problem with you...?

[wil]

Originally Posted by Pathless

I'm not sure our votes and voices count quite the way that they're trumped up to.

The Maryland House of Representatives vote to actually give away our presidential votes. Yes those elected officials we voted into office decided that Maryland will be best served by its electoral college votes not going the way the voters of the state choose, but the majority votes of the nation....go figure.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by wil

The Maryland House of Representatives vote to actually give away our presidential votes. Yes those elected officials we voted into office decided that Maryland will be best served by its electoral college votes not going the way the voters of the state choose, but the majority votes of the nation....go figure.

majority rules within a state...

[wil]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

majority rules within a state...

yes once again that pesky constitutional question...didn't stop our elected representatives from voting in the change thou...

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by wil

yes once again that pesky constitutional question...didn't stop our elected representatives from voting in the change thou...

You didn't stop them either (I'm not a citizen of your state).

[Pathless]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

You didn't stop them either (I'm not a citizen of your state).

Hi Q. Okay, wil and his fellow Marylandians didn't stop this law from going through. So damn them, right? Yet in all of your reverence and deference for the laws and workings for this country, it amazes me that you are not outraged about something as crucial as people's voices being stifled.

Sure you can say, "Oh Maryland, you were asleep on the job. Dammit, you had your chance, now give up your right to representation." But damn man, where do you draw the line?? It just seems to me that you follow a certain set of rigid rules and rigid lines of thinking, never deviating, always rationalizing and always pointing to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and those that came before, and where does that get you? From my perspective, in a militarized prison!!

What about the wisdom of those who are here now? What about our own wisdom? Are we sheep penned into the great aging framework of the government of the great white fathers, complacently bleeting while the infrastructure crumbles around us and is then reinforced by post-industrial beams of rigid titanium, reinforced with barbed wire, electric fences, and all other threats of violence? How do you keep it together man, your cool reverence for what came before, in the face of so much hypocrisy and violence?

Just wondering

cos

I
don't
get it.

Peace,
P

[wil]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

You didn't stop them either (I'm not a citizen of your state).

It wasn't as sneaky as when the US Congress created the Federal Reserve (private corporation) ...but almost as bad. It was a democrat sponsored and voted bill, railroaded across in front of the republicans with no way to stop it (a few democrats did vote against it) the last week of session and the Governor (the newly elected democratic governor) signed it after both houses had adjourned for the year.

So no, I didn't and couldn't stop it, I did send emails and my discontent when I found the power play was afoot...however it was set into motion in such a way that it was a slam dunk. Now I am not dissing the Democrats in this regard....just stating facts, they waited until they had a democratic governor to make their move and utilized their ample majorities to push this agenda piece....it is payback for when Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral college...the weird thing is, while Maryland as a whole votes democratic and their 10 electoral college votes always go democrat....they wouldn't have for the first time in years if this was in force during 2004 when Bush won the popular vote.

I somehow temporarily forgot your military background, which means despite your living in Maryland you may not be a citizen...Sort of like our President and his father...they aren't citizens of DC or Maine where they live...they keep their citizenship in Texas so as to avoid having to pay state and local taxes.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by wil

It wasn't as sneaky as when the US Congress created the Federal Reserve (private corporation) ...but almost as bad. It was a democrat sponsored and voted bill, railroaded across in front of the republicans with no way to stop it (a few democrats did vote against it) the last week of session and the Governor (the newly elected democratic governor) signed it after both houses had adjourned for the year.

So no, I didn't and couldn't stop it, I did send emails and my discontent when I found the power play was afoot...however it was set into motion in such a way that it was a slam dunk. Now I am not dissing the Democrats in this regard....just stating facts, they waited until they had a democratic governor to make their move and utilized their ample majorities to push this agenda piece....it is payback for when Gore won the popular vote but lost the electoral college...the weird thing is, while Maryland as a whole votes democratic and their 10 electoral college votes always go democrat....they wouldn't have for the first time in years if this was in force during 2004 when Bush won the popular vote.

I somehow temporarily forgot your military background, which means despite your living in Maryland you may not be a citizen...Sort of like our President and his father...they aren't citizens of DC or Maine where they live...they keep their citizenship in Texas so as to avoid having to pay state and local taxes.

Well then a grass roots lobby should be developed, to counter what representatives do behind the backs of citizenry. You have the right idea, just need more people pushing for it. And awareness is the first step.

As far as my not being a citizen of Maryland, well I was ordered to serve my tour of duty here. And technically I'm supposed to maintain my home of record as my residential status. Imagine the night mare of military personnel suffering from having to change residential status every two to four years...

However, my wife and sons are citizens of Maryland. And if I work a second job (not related to the military), then I pay state and local taxes. I also pay property taxes, so I do have a vested interest in the body politic of Maryland. I just can't vote here.

Once I retire though, I will become a citizen of Maryland...so it all evens out in the long run.

v/r

Joshua

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Pathless

Hi Q. Okay, wil and his fellow Marylandians didn't stop this law from going through. So damn them, right? Yet in all of your reverence and deference for the laws and workings for this country, it amazes me that you are not outraged about something as crucial as people's voices being stifled.

Sure you can say, "Oh Maryland, you were asleep on the job. Dammit, you had your chance, now give up your right to representation." But damn man, where do you draw the line?? It just seems to me that you follow a certain set of rigid rules and rigid lines of thinking, never deviating, always rationalizing and always pointing to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and those that came before, and where does that get you? From my perspective, in a militarized prison!!

What about the wisdom of those who are here now? What about our own wisdom? Are we sheep penned into the great aging framework of the government of the great white fathers, complacently bleeting while the infrastructure crumbles around us and is then reinforced by post-industrial beams of rigid titanium, reinforced with barbed wire, electric fences, and all other threats of violence? How do you keep it together man, your cool reverence for what came before, in the face of so much hypocrisy and violence?

Just wondering

cos

I
don't
get it.

Peace,
P

I am irritated at the antics of the politicians. Unfortunately I do not have voting voice here.

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by flowperson

Yes, but only if their leaders up the entire chain of command have their heads screwed on straight.
That doesn't appear to be the case these days...my 2 cents.

flow....

On the field the leader behind his desk, doesn't really count...

[Pathless]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

I am irritated at the antics of the politicians. Unfortunately I do not have voting voice here.

Fair enough.

[Pathless]

Originally Posted by Pathless

Patriotism. The way "Patriotism" has been spun in the years since 9/11 is a lot of Fascist Malarkey.

Speaking of Fascism, anyone concerned about the deteriorating state of the US Constitution should read this article.

Here's a choice excerpt (one of many, had a hard time choosing ) to get your taste buds fired up:

The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president new powers over the national guard. This means that in a national emergency -- which the president now has enhanced powers to declare -- he can send Michigan's militia to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Oregon, over the objections of the state's governor and its citizens.

Even as Americans were focused on Britney Spears's meltdown and the question of who fathered Anna Nicole's baby, the New York Times editorialized about this shift: "A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night … Beyond actual insurrection, the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any 'other condition.'"

Critics see this as a clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which was meant to restrain the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement. The Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy says the bill encourages a president to declare federal martial law. It also violates the very reason the founders set up our system of government as they did: Having seen citizens bullied by a monarch's soldiers, the founders were terrified of exactly this kind of concentration of militia power over American people in the hands of an oppressive executive or faction.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by Pathless

Speaking of Fascism, anyone concerned about the deteriorating state of the US Constitution should read this article.

Here's a choice excerpt (one of many, had a hard time choosing ) to get your taste buds fired up:

The John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gave the president new powers over the national guard. This means that in a national emergency -- which the president now has enhanced powers to declare -- he can send Michigan's militia to enforce a state of emergency that he has declared in Oregon, over the objections of the state's governor and its citizens.

Even as Americans were focused on Britney Spears's meltdown and the question of who fathered Anna Nicole's baby, the New York Times editorialized about this shift: "A disturbing recent phenomenon in Washington is that laws that strike to the heart of American democracy have been passed in the dead of night … Beyond actual insurrection, the president may now use military troops as a domestic police force in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any 'other condition.'"

Critics see this as a clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, which was meant to restrain the federal government from using the military for domestic law enforcement. The Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy says the bill encourages a president to declare federal martial law. It also violates the very reason the founders set up our system of government as they did: Having seen citizens bullied by a monarch's soldiers, the founders were terrified of exactly this kind of concentration of militia power over American people in the hands of an oppressive executive or faction.

"Of course, the United States is not vulnerable to the violent, total closing down of the system that followed Mussolini's march on Rome or Hitler's roundup of political prisoners. Our democratic habits are too resilient, and our military and judiciary too independent, for any kind of scenario like that.
Rather, as other critics are noting, our experiment in democracy could be closed down by a process of erosion."

Education begins in the home and in the schools. With fifty percent of American homes divorced and or dysfunctional, and the shool systems being run by a union clearly counter to any studies of constitutional, or historical merit, nor of a willingness to instill a basic semblance of moral principles, I'm not suprised. The problem goes much deeper than the actual government, but it is easier to blame than society as a whole.

In short, the populace is giving away their freedoms and don't even know it, because they haven't been taught what it is they are supposed to have.

How to boil a frog in water without him knowing it...? Put him in a pot of cool water and slowly turn up the heat...