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Kend -- What kind of investments have you made in our country? I hope you do not count gambling on wall st as an investment.
This discussion seems like a distraction from Snowden's main message. I thought that message was a private corporation could look at every detail of our communications. The documentary "Client 9" illustrates how destructive that can be. I almost feel relieved that the government can look at my private life because we have checks and balances on them. Remember I said "almost".
Those fascist snoops will see that I recently ordered a copy of Jeremy Scahill's Dirty Wars documentary from Amazon. (I highly recommend it, folks.) As to the rest of my "metadata" getting scrutinized, I'm not happy about that. But I refuse to live my life in fear of what "they" might think or do. Like I wrote in one of my journals years ago: I know this isn't a "free" country, but I intend to live as though it were. - AIW
That seems rather strange that someone who hates poor people would have a Unicef card in the middle of the table yet hates poor people. Unicef, was supposed to be about helping poor people...unless it was put there as a gag..or knowing Elioflight's differing views perhaps a way of provoking an argument? Anyway, it seems to me that those kinds of reich wing attitudes are what leads to things like setting homeless people on fire* or punching people out on the sidewalks...or any of the other violent things that kids do for fun.
I remember, when I was a boy, how some of the pious women of the community went around trying to convince people that Unicef was a communist organization that was trying to fund raise on Halloween and trying to convince people not to donate when the little kiddies came around with Unicef donor cards. I really don't know much about Unicef, maybe they are now raising funds for Al Qaida or Satan(in the minds of some people)?
*I notice some homeless people are possibly trying to protect themselves (if that's what they are trying to do) by having one or two really big dogs...like Rottweilers or Pit Bulls as companions. I don't blame them...there are a lot of crazies out there!
That's actually frightening; what are kids being taught today?
Stecoop01's comment reminds me of a true story. My in-laws are the typical hardline Rush Limbaugh-listening/repeating conservative catholic voting republicans. We were visiting this family during Halloween. While we were sitting around the table talking, I noticed that there was a UNICEF donation carton in the center of the table. I asked my young, grade-school nephew about the carton. His reply was, "I hate poor people." I asked him why he hated poor people. He said, "because they are poor." I told him that they probably wish they weren't poor either and could have all the things he, as an upper-middle class boy, has. He got up and left the table.
Kend, nobody held a gun to your head and made you "invest" in our countrty. That was your choice. It doesn't give you any special authority, nor does it give legitimacy to your condescending rant. What gives you the right to talk down to us "liberals" like that anyway? Who do you think you're chastising; a bunch of whiny, spoiled five-year-olds? Pllleeeeeez.
As always, your silly screed is delivered with disjointed logic and muddy thinking. You're like a "one-note charlie", always harping about jobs jobs jobs. You think we don't know there's a shortage of jobs? So what do you suggest, then? Shall I don a tu-tu, climb up on my roof and wave a magic wand? Maybe it's time to consult my friend the hookah-smoking caterpillar again. Hey that's the ticket. But seriously, I get very weary of your repititious yammering about jobsdebtmoneydebtjobsmoneyjobsjobsjobsjobs$$$$$$ $$jobsGOODdebtBADgottacreatejobsgottagottagotta; blah-blah-blah. You offer no insight, no viable, coherant solutions, just a lot of repititious yammering. Today I just wasn't in the mood for it. You and that snippy little punk, Mister Valentine... - Aliceinwonderland
Agreed.
I must say that I am just amazed at the maze of oil wells or fracking sites in those green areas in Central Alberta north of Edmonton. You can see them if you zoom down on them using Google Earth. All those networks of roads and pads...none of which have homes on them...so I suspect that they are petroleum related. You can see the same thing in Texas as well. I actually saw the ones in Texas from the plane when I flew over a number of times. I think Canada has Texas beat though. Look at the area around Swan Hills about 110 miles NW of Edmondton and north of High Prairie which is another 65 miles NW of Swan Hills. Further north past Lesser Slave Lake to the western edge of Utikuma Lake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl6K1slhXqc
Just Who Has Bailed On The Heartland Institute?
http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2012/05/just-who-has-bailed-on-heartland....
DAnneMarc: Yes, that thought also crossed my mind as well..that someone could have used that photo and name and is posing as someone he is not. I sure wasn't very impressed at the level of indignity that was being expressed as having come from someone with anything above a high school...maybe even only a grade school education. But, who knows....if you consider that many on the right, no matter what their education level is, sound like they haven't even graduated from grade school. Of course some people have been able to skate through institutes of higher learning by money and influence.
I suppose that only those in charge of this web site would know just who this guy really is....not that they would tell us, of course. But, I wonder what Thom Hartmann would think about this possible "spokesman" for that right wing organization actually participating in his blogs and sounding so uneducated...hurling unprovoked epithets like that. On the other hand maybe he just had too much to drink...who knows? I wonder if Thom would like to have this guy on his show sometime. I'm sure he would embarrass himself...but then they just don't seem to be embarrassed by any of the foolish positions they take or things they say. I urge everyone to go to that link and I'm sure the organization will be quite familiar to many people. Also, it was interesting checking out all the endorsements..click on About then Endorsements where you will find what looks like all Republicans or Libertarians..including Grover Norquist.
"ptg0", your posts had me howling. Thanks for making my day. - AIW
DAnne. Good point about the defence spending. I agree way too much is spent on it. I also agree with corporations getting government cheese, no business should get government money. You make it or not. so yes you did answer my question but we still need to create jobs. Non government ones. That is the perfect solution to all of our problems.
Mark those numbers are staggering. But they prove my point all this spending and nothing is getting better. talking about the past isn't going to fix anything though we have to look forward.
Alice, i do have skin in the game. I have invested a lot in YOUR country. It is funny how the left thinks. if I came into your country illegally worked here without paying taxes. had you pay for my children's school and health care I am a hero but if I help your economy by investing in it I should just "just the hell up". If they all just shut up we would still think the world is flat. What's wrong with a little debate. maybe I should just shut up. I'll think about it. It would be a first for me Though.
Palindromedary ~ Are you kidding me? Someone with those credentials can't even support their own argument? If so we're all doomed. If you ask me though, I think you're on to something. But I don't think it's the same person. I think some dumb kid got the photo and the name off the web and is posing as such in order to boost his credibility; or, perhaps damage the credibility of the real person. Obviously he is void of credibility, or knowledge in.any other way. Perhaps Mark Saulys was right in his first suspicion that it is nothing other than another big oil shill. A sock puppet using the name of a government official. You might want to email the real Brian Valentine and let him know someone is masquerading in his name. It might just be a felony offense.
Good work!
Yes but obama has been giving the banksters 85 BILLION PER MONTH FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS.
Thats very difficult to defend as a"democrat".
the democrats claim they are for the working man. Where were they when nixon burgled the watergate? where were they when the senile actor fired the air traffic controllers? where were they when the senile actor forced "for profit' health care on us? where were they when the senile actor was starting wars, trading arms for coke and selling weapons to saddam? where were they during "trickle down economics"? they signed NAFTA, how did that protect american jobs? They all voted to invade Iraq. they all capitulated any time the awol coke head wanted anything. The problems with this country are 50% caused by democrats. I am disgusted with myself for voting the straight dem party ticket sinc McGovern.. McGovern would be disgusted with the democrat party.
clinton, shumer baucus and obama are no democrats. they are republicons in sheep clothing. Its time to flush the toilet.
Health care in Canada is $50.00 per person per month. We get the ACA. What the fk? And this is the democrat solution?
By the way, the record debt of 11.3 trillion under G.W. Bush did not even include the two unfunded wars.
Amazing. They are arguing over 6 BILLION dollars. or, a little over 1/12 what they are paying monthly as extortion to the wall street banksters that crashed and ruined the economy. democrats have no balls. they should have stopped this extortion payout 5 years ago but did nothing. instead they are all in bed with each other, worried about what going to happen once they quit paying out 85 BILLION PER MONTH. Here is what is going to happen when they quit. The economy is going to crash. its that simple. Its like sneaking out when your parents ground you. it doesnt matter how long you stay away, when you get home you are going to get your ass kicked. Both parties are in the same position now. when they stop the "QE" BS, they are going to get their asses kicked.
Then what jefferson said should happen every 20 years will happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT3K0_jEX7s
https://heartland.org/brian-valentine ???
Now, now. If Valentine wants to be an ass he has a right. We musn't try to be Big Brother.
The Republicans used to claim that the reason they should be in power is bc they are the "job creators"; heads of big industry, so they knew how to run things (yah, into the ground.) Then they moved all US manufacturing out of the country and created jobs in China and India. Before you go blaming people for not having jobs, you need to look at your own Right-wing leaders and their industrial employers who took all the jobs away. And this al got started under Rotten Ronald Reagan who was schooled by the Wicked Witch of the West, Margaret Thatcher (just look what she did to England; you can see it on Netflix: The Iron Lady. She had the English rioting in the streets for all the job and tax cutting she did.)
And if Obama doesn't work, it may be for two reasons: (1) he doesn't control the purse strings; the Congress does (and there again, the Republicans have failed to meet the needs of the people; in fact, they have attacked the people using their position of trust), and (2) Obama is a so-called 'Corporate Democrat' aka Moderate, aka Centrist, aka DINO (Democrat in name only). Instead of bailing out the banksters, Obama should have bailed out We, the People. He's no real Democrat; he believes in 'Trickle down economics' and true Democrats believe in Bubble-up economics or consumer driven economics. Obama's greatest fault is thinking that caving to the Right would deliver bi-partisanship in the running of this country. But the lesson is, takers are not givers and the more Obama gave to the Right, the more they insisted on taking bc that's what they do. Takers are never givers.
Kend, with all due respect, just shut the hell up. You don't know what you're talking about and it is so irritating. If you think a Republican "war on poverty' amounts to anything more than false pretense, you're even dimmer than I thought. How about directing your attention to the affairs of your own country? None of this should even concern you, as you've no skin in the game. - AIW
Aliceinwonderland ~ You're so sweet. But, please don't let me stand in your way. I didn't think that making a fool out of yourself qualified as being offensive. But then offensiveness is in the eye of the offended. So, if you see fit, please, flag away. It's fine by me.
He certainly is a know-nothing troll, and as such, certainly won't be missed. I get more than enough "kicks" out of Kend.
I came within a hair's breadth of flagging Mr. V. He's just a know-nothing troll, the perfect example to illustrate why I avoid so many blogs! I've had my fill of his ilk. They've nothing better to do than sling lame, sophomoric insults at each other and engage in pissing contests. I've got very little tolerance for that. The only thing that stopped me from flagging his ass was Marc saying he got a "kick" out of it. I figured it wasn't worth depriving Marc of a little entertainment. - AIW