[Bas]

though more and more people get their info from the web. Using the web it could be easy to accomplish a good lobby to get corparations out of politics. It should be an effort by moderate republicans and democrats for the best chance of succeeding I guess.

Anyway, I'm not gonna do it, I'm not American.

[PlanComplete]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marko', ' ') However, realistically I am preparing for life in the fascist police state that has been built up for the past 5 years.

[PlanComplete]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Bas', 't')hough more and more people get their info from the web. Using the web it could be easy to accomplish a good lobby to get corparations out of politics. It should be an effort by moderate republicans and democrats for the best chance of succeeding I guess.

Anyway, I'm not gonna do it, I'm not American.

[EnemyCombatant]

Clinton is responsible for more Iraqi deaths than GWB.

However, GWB is catching up fast.

Now the old man considers Bill Clinton as a son. And I just recently learned that the old man and Clinton had many meetings during the Clinton administration.

[Leanan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'L')eanan-- I hope your vision of decentralized economy comes to pass. But here's an alternative, albeit a bleak one.

Right now, there are (theoretically speaking) 4 or 5 industry leaders in any one industry, where there used to be 100, (due to mergers and acquisitions in the last 20 years.) When the shtf, maybe true monopolies, not just oligopolies emerge and instead of the current 4 or 5 industry leaders, there's just one. All small businesses have been assimilated or driven under, as well, * Borg like. *See Star Trek.

What's to prevent this from happening? And could these monopolies not survive even taking peak oil into account?

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('highlander', 'T')his whole "Red state-Blue state" schism is really devisive. Look at the demographics. It has very little to do with states. It's cities. The bastion of those needing to be cared for by the gov't. Where will the blue leaning folk go when the gov't can no longer afford to take care of them? Maybe we can implement Phase one of Monte's powerdown scenerio on the cities
OK, I'm just kidding.......I hope

[marko]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PlanComplete', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marko', ' ') However, realistically I am preparing for life in the fascist police state that has been built up for the past 5 years.

[marko]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PlanComplete', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marko', ' ') However, realistically I am preparing for life in the fascist police state that has been built up for the past 5 years.

[oowolf]

I know many people out here who drive 10 or more miles to town several times a day. This is one of my favorite rants. Automobile culture and cheap fuel have rendered many Amerikans incapable of PLANNING AHEAD.
In the 1970's I talked to old homesteaders who went to town (Missoula) to shop once a YEAR. They could walk down to the railroad, flag a train to Missoula, have the mercantile deliver the goods to the depot where the train would haul it back. They would actually STOP the train so you could unload your goods anywhere YOU wanted.
Another example of debunking the "illusion of progress".

[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('I_Like_Plants', 'I')t died when Hamilton and his cronies won out over Jefferson. The final nail was in the coffin when Lincoln was elected.

All we're experiencing now is rigor mortis.

[Bas]

I don't believe America is dead

[LeonDion]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MacG', 'M')e think the key is very, very simple: Nobody, absolutely NOBODY have any rights over another human beeing. This has to be set in stone. Any slight tendency to take power over other humans has to be quashed in its infancy. A tiny 0.1% tax is a one way ticket to hell, because if the general principle is established, it will only increase.

[TheSupplyGuy]

As has been pointed out already, I don't think people in this country(USA) aren't too stupid to see what's going on, it's just that corporate media tries to focus attention away when possible(just look at the Downing Street Memo, and how they've suddenly stopped covering the Plame case, and the sudden resurgence of Natalie Halloway), divide and conquer(as Jesse Ventura has pointed out, by dividing every issue into two extreme sides, you can make it into more of a simplistic battle in order to sell more ads such as blue/red, dem/rep/other), and just twist and mislead. Our media in the past few decades has done a horrible job informing us. However, if you're into entertainment, the news is getting more and more into that.

I more and more rely on non-traditional sources of entertainment and information, as it is ridiculous our current state of affairs. However, when choosing news outlets, it's important imo to choose material from opposing viewpoints, or one risks wearing blinders.

[MacG]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheSupplyGuy', 'A')s has been pointed out already, I don't think people in this country(USA) aren't too stupid to see what's going on, it's just that corporate media tries to focus attention away when possible(just look at the Downing Street Memo, and how they've suddenly stopped covering the Plame case, and the sudden resurgence of Natalie Halloway), divide and conquer(as Jesse Ventura has pointed out, by dividing every issue into two extreme sides, you can make it into more of a simplistic battle in order to sell more ads such as blue/red, dem/rep/other), and just twist and mislead. Our media in the past few decades has done a horrible job informing us. However, if you're into entertainment, the news is getting more and more into that.

I more and more rely on non-traditional sources of entertainment and information, as it is ridiculous our current state of affairs. However, when choosing news outlets, it's important imo to choose material from opposing viewpoints, or one risks wearing blinders.

[dmtu]

Caution this turned into a rant

Straight ticket voters and those who think one party is more evil than the other are fooling themselves, and I have seen so much of this in the forums that it spins my head. The fact of the matter seems to be that both parties are so close to each other that both glass houses are full of shards. The system is set up in a way that turnover is next to impossible. Once an asshole gets into office he/she immediately sets out to move district lines in a way that will assure a comfy job for the rest of their days. I have little doubt that they spend more sleepless nights staring at the purple map dreaming up some Rorschach test looking district than they spend thinking about real issues like PO. Even if an honest person gets elected they find themselves in a shitstorm of seniority speeches that go something like this.
"If you really want to be on the Energy Committee then you will have to dance to my tune and vote the way I tell you, freshman"
Thus the freshman senator ends up doing as told and not making waves.
In the end the corrupt broken system continues and as the freshman senator ages he becomes accustomed to being a greedhead sack of shit and completely forgets why he ran in the first place.

"Oh yeah it's that psycho nut dmtu"

Look at the idiots you have backed in the previous election. GWB an obviously easy man to lead about, hell you can almost see the nose ring they use. John Frankenstein Kerry, the dolt who could only talk about his Purple Heart, the medal that probably wasn't legit. Out of a population of 300 million don't you think we could go out when the short bus goes by and pick a couple of better candidates? Please! Now the assholes are about to go into their recess.... You know what I do with my vacation? I use it for sick days because the company I work for doesn't provide sick days. Your servants, yeah you pay them, are going out to recess. You're their boss why do you let those assholes have so much time off when there is so much work to do?

We the people own the airwaves of this country, Not CBS or FOX or CNN. There is absolutely no reason why the candidates have to raise (be bought and paid for) so much money. As a matter of fact I think that elected officials are underpaid. I wouldn't mind one bit if we paid the President 2 million a year if he was capable of being a leader without lying and stumbling over "nucular" or his untied shoe lace.

If you're still with me and you vote straight ticket over the same old shit that the parties claim are issues, isn't it about time you re-evaluated your position. Isn't this whole republic thing about a country, or is it about a hideous pack of thieves known as a party? Are you aware that in most states, if not all, that if you register as anything other than D or R you are listed as an independent? Are these two parties really so great that everyone else is an independent. Why were the Greens and the Libertarians kept out of the presidential debates again? I bet they could follow the rules better than Bush. Oh well, it doesn’t matter until we can get rid of campaign contributions and that won’t happen until there is nothing to contribute.

Yep the U.S. is dead, so is this rant, but it sure is good to see that I'm not the only one who is fed up with the two party BS.

[Bas]

that was a strong rant, dmtu. Sorry to hear about your holidays...

[dmtu]

Eh, I'm currently working at a substandard company, I'm rarely sick but have a boy who I raise on my own so I collect my vacation in case he gets sick. This particular portion of Rio Tinto is a joke.

[LeonDion]

Nice rant. You're right on the money. So was the cartoon that MacG posted.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dmtu', 'T')hus the freshman senator ends up doing as told and not making waves. In the end the corrupt broken system continues and as the freshman senator ages he becomes accustomed to being a greedhead sack of shit and completely forgets why he ran in the first place.