Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Treacle Worshipper · 03-25-2003, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Martin Buber
Some of them have been arrest in Washington DC. for protesting the war. Go fiqure.

Martin Buber

"We really feel your pain, but we're going to arrest you anyway"???? Isn't protest legal in the US? I thought it was a democracy

TW

Nataraja · 03-25-2003, 09:42 AM

Economic times are bad. Things are not bound to get much better until we have a new administration. I'm afraid we'll just have to hang on, because the propaganda is really paying off for the Bush admin, as is their wartime rhetoric. We'll make it. We have seen this before. Things will be just fine in the end.

BlackSheep · 03-25-2003, 11:06 PM

America - The land of the free and the home of the brave. If that were true, I'd be proud to be an American.

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of worse places in the world to live than the US, but I find it very disturbing that "we" are the most prosperous nation in the world, yet we have homeless people living in the streets and WORKING people who can barely buy food or have a roof over their heads while others own multiple homes and more money than they could possibly ever spend.

I find it disturbing that the rich of this country are given tax cuts while the lower working class is still barely scraping by, giving up 20-30% or more of their income to taxes. Executives are living like kings while the people who work for them are paid less in a month than they make in a day, often without benefits.

A competent man can be denied or dismissed from employment in most parts of this country because of his sexual preference, which has absolutely nothing to do with his work performance.

Let freedom ring!

www.deanforamerica.com

Gurdur · 03-25-2003, 11:11 PM

So far in this poll:

Quote:

I'm not an American, thank goodness .......... 35 [voted] ......... 29.66%

I wish I were an American, you guys are great! .......0 [voted]..........0%

Dearie me.

Celsus · 03-26-2003, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gurdur
So far in this poll:
I'm not an American, thank goodness .......... 35 [voted] ......... 29.66%
I wish I were an American, you guys are great! .......0 [voted]..........0%

Dearie me.

Now now Gurdur, you know damn well that we all secretly wish we were Americans but don't dare to admit it.

Joel

cjack · 03-26-2003, 02:19 AM

I went for "depressed, but we'll muddle through" because it came close (but not too close) to how I feel.

I love this country, but I have a more than nagging fear that we're slowly turning into our own worst nightmare.

On the political front, we're in a scary situation. Republicans currently hold all the political marbles. Now, I consider myself to be conservative, but something worries me about having one party in control of all three branches of government. In addition, Ashcroft scares the living hell out of me! The man seems dedicated to the idea of treating the Bill of Rights like an earnings statement at Enron...shred it and hope no one notices.

Internationally, we've just screwed the pooch in the worst way. I read an article today by Pat Buchanan (of all people), who said that our actions in Iraq have pretty much spelled the end of NATO and the UN as we know them. Neoconservatives are hoping to re-draw the map of the Middle East in a way that will favor the US, despite the fact that many of the problems in the region are the result of just that sort of thinking.
As another poster mentioned, we've totally squandered whatever goodwill we had leftover from 9/11, and have pretty much played into the hands of those who are recruiting martyrs for the next attack.

Religion? Well, it seems like our current political leadership wants to take a wrecking ball to the wall of separation that our founding fathers so wisely and carefully built. Most religious leaders and gawd-fearing Amurikinz are cheering them on, stupefyingly oblivious to the consequences. But what do you expect? The campaign to fool everyone into thinking America is a "Special Christian Nation" that has always been "Under God" has been wildly successful. The number of people who remember a time before "In God We Trust" was our motto is dwindling fast.

Finally, there has been an odd and frightening change in this country that I can't quite put my finger on.

A few years ago, one could say almost anything about the President and nothing would happen. You could call the Commander in Chief a "scumbag," call the First Lady a "bitch," and make jokes about their daughter without much fear of reprisals. Hey, you might even get a laugh!

Now, a country music singer is persona non-grata in parts of the United States. Her crime? She dared to criticize the President!

A celebrated filmmaker is now hated by millions because he dared to speak out against the war!

Apparently, what is good for the goose is strictly off-limits for the gander!

I only hope that in the next election cycle, the people who are unhappy with the direction this country is headed will show up and make their wishes known.

View Poll Results: How do you feel about being American today?
Better than ever, this is our finest hour!	5	3.79%
Pretty good, we are doing well	13	9.85%
Ho hum, gotta go fill up the SUV	3	2.27%
Kinda depressed, but we will muddle through	31	23.48%
Ashamed to be an American	41	31.06%
I'm not an American, thank goodness	39	29.55%
I wish I were an American, you guys are great!	0	0%
Voters: 132. You may not vote on this poll

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03-25-2003, 09:42 AM	#22
Nataraja Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NC Posts: 433	Economic times are bad. Things are not bound to get much better until we have a new administration. I'm afraid we'll just have to hang on, because the propaganda is really paying off for the Bush admin, as is their wartime rhetoric. We'll make it. We have seen this before. Things will be just fine in the end.

03-25-2003, 11:06 PM	#23
BlackSheep Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South Carolina Posts: 9	America - The land of the free and the home of the brave. If that were true, I'd be proud to be an American. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of worse places in the world to live than the US, but I find it very disturbing that "we" are the most prosperous nation in the world, yet we have homeless people living in the streets and WORKING people who can barely buy food or have a roof over their heads while others own multiple homes and more money than they could possibly ever spend. I find it disturbing that the rich of this country are given tax cuts while the lower working class is still barely scraping by, giving up 20-30% or more of their income to taxes. Executives are living like kings while the people who work for them are paid less in a month than they make in a day, often without benefits. A competent man can be denied or dismissed from employment in most parts of this country because of his sexual preference, which has absolutely nothing to do with his work performance. Let freedom ring! www.deanforamerica.com

03-26-2003, 02:19 AM	#26
cjack Banned Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Arizona Posts: 4,294	I went for "depressed, but we'll muddle through" because it came close (but not too close) to how I feel. I love this country, but I have a more than nagging fear that we're slowly turning into our own worst nightmare. On the political front, we're in a scary situation. Republicans currently hold all the political marbles. Now, I consider myself to be conservative, but something worries me about having one party in control of all three branches of government. In addition, Ashcroft scares the living hell out of me! The man seems dedicated to the idea of treating the Bill of Rights like an earnings statement at Enron...shred it and hope no one notices. Internationally, we've just screwed the pooch in the worst way. I read an article today by Pat Buchanan (of all people), who said that our actions in Iraq have pretty much spelled the end of NATO and the UN as we know them. Neoconservatives are hoping to re-draw the map of the Middle East in a way that will favor the US, despite the fact that many of the problems in the region are the result of just that sort of thinking. As another poster mentioned, we've totally squandered whatever goodwill we had leftover from 9/11, and have pretty much played into the hands of those who are recruiting martyrs for the next attack. Religion? Well, it seems like our current political leadership wants to take a wrecking ball to the wall of separation that our founding fathers so wisely and carefully built. Most religious leaders and gawd-fearing Amurikinz are cheering them on, stupefyingly oblivious to the consequences. But what do you expect? The campaign to fool everyone into thinking America is a "Special Christian Nation" that has always been "Under God" has been wildly successful. The number of people who remember a time before "In God We Trust" was our motto is dwindling fast. Finally, there has been an odd and frightening change in this country that I can't quite put my finger on. A few years ago, one could say almost anything about the President and nothing would happen. You could call the Commander in Chief a "scumbag," call the First Lady a "bitch," and make jokes about their daughter without much fear of reprisals. Hey, you might even get a laugh! Now, a country music singer is persona non-grata in parts of the United States. Her crime? She dared to criticize the President! A celebrated filmmaker is now hated by millions because he dared to speak out against the war! Apparently, what is good for the goose is strictly off-limits for the gander! I only hope that in the next election cycle, the people who are unhappy with the direction this country is headed will show up and make their wishes known.

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