count me in and for the record, in new england its not manditory to eat chowder.....just strictly enforced :wink:
It's much too early to be picking anybody. This crap starts earlier every election cycle. And this coming from me when I work in the business. I don't even want to deal with this yet
soccerscott15 you make some really good points but surely you must realise that if there wasn't Bush/Blair or if Clinton hadn't started the 1st Gulf war just for oil then you might not have had a 9/11. So many innocent people died that day but we all forget, Clinton killed many more several years earlier. Why can't everyone just live and let live? America and Britain has enough home grown problems so why do they want to rule the world?
OH........and I forgot another very important reason why I am voting for Rudy and everyone one else should as well...........he's a YANKEE FAN!!!!!!!!!! hahaha ( oops!!!!! I think I might have just lost Rudy some votes by stating that!!! LOL)
us2933- I understand your concern, really. With the 1st GWar, though, the US did not initiate it- Saddam was the one that marched into Kuwait; and George Bush the elder was in office, not Clinton. You have to remember that Islamic Fundamentalists have been attacking/killing/murdering peoples of all shapes and sizes for more than 30 years- before the oil issue was even a question. I do agree with you though about the US/GB wanting to rule the world- I think we have a Doctor Evil complex!!!
I gotta find that darn article I read...a column, I guess...in the Dallas Morning News a couple months ago. It stated the mentality for me very clearly. I realize I don't recall the exact rationale outlined in the article, just the gist: More or less, it's the ideology that Democracy and human rights as defined by the powers is something that all persons worldwide share. With great power comes great responsibility. Therefore, it is a "duty" of the powers to nurture or intervene in other countries' affairs to help the people obtain full rights and "freedom" by this definition. It's pretty obvious to me that as diverse as the world is culturally, historically, and with a myriad of faiths, there is no way that all persons on Earth have the same pursuits as those leading this country. Many want change in their society, and when they for some reason can't do it on their own, they turn to outsiders to help them do the job...mainly the powers, who have no real clue about what they should or should not do with/for/about this foriegn nation. As a result, the powers have become to many the "big bully" due to heavy-handed foreign policy measures. Check out the mistaken post-Saddam predictions by the current powers that be: Everyone is supposed to celebrate the overthrow of a ruthless dictator and then after a couple years of band together in joyful brotherhood, work out all differences and merge into a model Democracy. Not! I gotta find that darned article...
Yeah. Unfortunately, Democracy in Russian seems to be slipping away. They "got democracy" suddenly. Sometimes I think it's better to ease people into these sorts of things. One other thing that helps a democracy is seperation of church and state. They used to have that in Iraq, but no more, unfortunately. Some other countries appear to be going down that slippery slope, with many of their citizens seemingly cheering it on. Bizarre.
drew- I totally agree with you on the Russian thing- the church and state thing, well let's just say that organized religion is not what it seems; some governments/groups want to give their people the option of freedom, and some don't (cannot believe that Hugo Chavez assumed so much power so quickly). On a side note: I went out to get something out of my car, and since we are in the midst of an ice storm on LI, there was a tree that fell kind of close to my car; as I was trying to remove it from the road I nearly broke my neck- god I love winter!!! :lol:
Another unfortunate thing is that other nations also have...aggressive... foreign policies that are alien to our own ideals and values. When these collide on the world stage, the deciding factor (in my own estimation) is the stage or setting for the conflict. Iraq, for instance. Never was a real democracy, was actually ruled by a ruthless dictator, had an ideology based on a non-Christian faith, had major sects within society that had a history of conflict just barely under control by an authoritarian regime (by depressing a majority of the parties). Who wins the hearts and minds of a majority of the people there if it comes to a contest between the West and Iran? Also unfortunately, the broader movement originating in that part of the world is to wrench control over entire nations and place them on a specific rule of law as defined by the Islamic faith. Of course, this means either depressing or eliminating anyone that disagrees. Anything from "death to whomever" demonstrations to suicide bombings are the means. Ultimately, it appears church and state are one in that arena. Chavez looks to be the next Castro, or at least aspires to be. Unless there is a popular vote (or revolt) in Venezuela, he will probably enjoy more power and influence than Cuba ever did...thanks to its OPEC membership and the general growth of worldwide animousity towards the USA (which can blame its own clumsiness for it).
