NT, I think we might be on different planes here... I believe in and will fight for a just cause, and I believe in the right of everyone to stand up for what they believe in.  However, my point here was that the sniping and name calling, etc, is not stating an opinion or standing up for a just cause, but rather that it's dragging the conversation down to gutter level and resolves nothing.  Furthermore, the squabbling serves only to widen the rift between Republicans and democrats, and that to me is defeating the purpose of working together to better and strengthen community/national interests.  Sadly, politicians squabble like children amongst themselves and do not lead by example... so they themselves do nothing to close that rift or foster unity.

Pic, while there maybe those who have shown utter contempt here, I think the majority of comments are tongue in cheek and should not be taken too seriously... often it's a bit of levity to lighten the mood when things start getting too heavy.

I will admit that I don't like what I'm hearing/reading about McCain and Palin, and yeah, I've taken a couple of tongue in cheek shots at Palin regarding lipstick and moose, etc, but I draw the line at taking pot shots, tongue in cheek or otherwise, at McCain's war/POW record, etc.  Something funny can come out of moose and lipstick - especially when put together - but nothing even remotely funny can be taken from war or torture.

Oh well, it'll all be over soon and everyone can get back to sporting team rivalries.

Is that a challenge?

No hard feelings sir Starkers. I just feel very strongly that this is the time for "The People" to scream loudly. We have let the governement rape and pillage our futures enough. I am worried about generations to come. My generation has had it too easy and perhaps it's time for a wake up call...which will happen sometime this week. Historic financial events are about to happen and it won't be the wealthy suffering.

Here's one that has compiled a few: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=a1msL0Eaj96k&refer=home

Watch the video on this one: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/21/fineman-mccain-is-trivial_n_120511.html

Here he is in 2004 saying "We need to get over Vietnam"...but now he's trying to use it as a trump card: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-25-mccain-_x.htm

There are plenty of instances...use your finger, keyboard and brain and type in some keywords.  Listen to the radio, listen/watch tv.  There's audio out there of him defending the number of houses he has because of his time as a POW. 

Messiah, why bother?  People hear only what they want to hear. 

Yer right NT, I'm done here.

Certainly not!  I suppose there are some humorous war stories shared between old war buddies and handed down to families, but for the most part war is ugly, unnecessary and politicians should have no right whatsoever to send the young men/women to fight/sometimes their deaths.  Guess that's why I'm none too keen on McCain... old military men never seem to lose the war mentality.

Nope, no hard feelings, mate. I understand where you're coming from and agree with much of what you are saying... the government, both yours and ours here in Oz, have done everything to feather their own nests while doing very little or nothing for the common good. For the most part, they offer token gestures rather than real solutions/help, none are true to their word and none keep their promises.

Sadly, however, no mater how loud the hue and cry is from the people they're supposed to serve, they have feathered their own nests far too well and have entrenched themselves in an virtually impregnable system that intrinsically protects their futures and interests.  The only way to change that would be to have the constitution amended to change the fabric/make up of the Senate, Congress and the White House. However, those with vested interests would vehemently oppose it and I firmly believe blood would be spilled to enforce the status quo, so afraid they are of losing their grip on power.

Oh, and another thing!  Legislate that large oil, tobacco, hi-tech and drug companies can not make political donations... to any party or politician, period.  Take away the corporate donations... er, bribes and then see how many politicians are willing cowtow to corporate influences and lobbying.

And you're spot on about historic financial events... the US/World is teetering on the edge of probably the biggest financial collapse/disaster in history.  There are too many electronic and paper transactions without any real or actual productivity from domestic manufacturing... not to mention imports far outweighing exports, so yeah, the stock markets will crash big-time... and yes, this time many of the wealthy will also suffer.  It is inevitable because too many of them have little capital/hands-on cash through having invested heavily in stocks, bonds and commodity markets that will not survive the enormous decline.

And we WON'T call it a recession... it'll be much worse!

Well, guys and girls....

Yer trusty mate has been busy consulting with all the upper echelons at Treasury, SEC, Congress, Administration and NYSE, NASDAQ and NASCAR.

We've come up with (YES!) A COMPLETE SOLUTION!!! Your savings, investments, IRA's etc. have been saved by good old Dr.J. in conjunction with those (above mentioned) lesser talents.

Here's your new currency. Please use it wisely!

Humbly,

Dr.J.

Amazed to see the foreigners weighing in on American politics.

and having a better grasp on things than most Americans.   oh wait, I meant..

no editing I guess...

Something to think about...

As the Bush Administration asks for close to a trillion dollars to prevent a worldwide financial cataclysm, here are some numbers you might find interesting -- courtesy of the ABC News Research Center and ABC News' Barbara Paulson.

In 2007, Wall Street's five biggest firms -- Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley -- paid a record $39 billion in bonuses to themselves.

That's $10 billion more than the $29 billion loan taxpayers are making to J.P. Morgan to save Bear Stearns.

Those 2007 bonuses were paid, even though the shareholders in those firms last year collectively lost about $74 billion in stock declines -- their worst year since 2002.

If split equally among the approximately 186,000 workers at the former Big Five Houses, that bonus money means an average of $201,500 per person -- more than four times the $48,201 median household income in the U.S. last year.

That used to be the case.. but from experience ive learned different.

As my Xstep dad once told me..."it dont mater if you are right, if you yell louder than the opposition, people will believe you are right" or atleast concede to stop the yelling.

He felt bullying those around him made him superior. But he was the most wishy washy person in his beliefs id ever met. Constantly changing his views to what ever was the most popular. So he could be MR big, fighting for the winning team.

NT: Too darned right! Those spoils (what's better than money? Other people's money!) say to me that the Gov't. should be going after them as well. The Dems want to do that but no! "The emergency is too urgent". Un-freakin'-believable! No sense of justice nor decency whatever! Why can't both be dealt with swiftly by Presidential Order?

LOL...forgot...cronies and all that! Presidential Orders were used only when Congress had to be circumvented.

HGE: I think both views have a good deal of legitimacy. "The straw that broke the Camel's back", don't you know. But you are correct as well: Bullies are at their base cowards...so your view is equally valid in my eyes.

As for Starkers? He's just pretending to be a foreigner. He's actually one of the most egalitarian WC-ers around! Oh yes, and Pirates have no nationality...

HG... I figured we were talking apples and oranges after a bit. The only way to deal with characters like that is to walk out or shoot em. 

Sorry....no Edit button, yet.

I wanted to add one thing: A real caveat. Parts of this info came from The American Freedom Campaign.

If we have learned one thing over the past seven years, it is this:  Do not EVER trust the Bush administration when the question of executive power is at issue! The administration is always saying some kind of crisis necessitates urgent action, which inevitably leads to the administration being given -- and abusing -- unprecedented power. This is hardly a "new discovery". Naomi Klein has written about this (a good read), "The Shock Doctrine".

With the specter of a complete Wall Street collapse hanging over our heads (with multiple guilty parties...I am NOT assigning blame), Treasury Secretary Paulson is seeking 700 billion taxpayer dollars to bail out the financial industry.  While I can't take a position on the financial details contained in the administration legislative proposal (I really don't know enough yet), I am outraged by one specific section related to executive branch accountability. (as usual....the "plausible deniability" and "Get Out of Jail" Monopoly Card):

Section 8 of the legislation provides, "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." (I am deliberately not saying what I really wanna say!):

WHAT?!?!

Yup! The administration is asking Congress to give the Secretary of the Treasury the authority to spend $700 billion as he wishes, without any real oversight or accountability! 

With respect to Congress, the proposed legislation requires the Secretary to merely submit reports about his activities starting three months after the first purchase of mortgage-related assets and semi-annually thereafter. That's sort of like giving a gambling addict your life savings and asking him to send you a postcard from Las Vegas every once in a while!

Emergency action is required. I agree: But so is protection from abuse, protection of "the little guy" who may have been duped into the wrong type of mortgage or the guy who has been screwed due to race, etc. all his life and has nothing but was trying to get somewhere. Not the speculators!

I know this isn't what some others feel about this terrible situation and we all have the right to believe as we do, but please keep all remarks civil...as I try to do as well.

Dr.J.

lucky for him I chose to walk