History is a solution...

[Steve Plonk]

History is a solution...just read the Constitution:

“ We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,[note 1] promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. ”

Interesting... huh?!
So get a little copy of the U. S. Constitution and crack it, like I did...You are in
for some funnery. Get with the printed word...Teach yourself the legacy
of the government our founding fathers & mothers left us with. We have
a document handed down in its original form for more than 200 years.
It is worth reading...All our government's laws use it in addition to "English Common Law". More folks should read the Constitution...Before you dump
all over our history, find out the wealth and stories it contains...

I am tired of "rubes and goobs" spouting mess--having never read about the actual times and stories of what happened... Then we have to vote them out again and elect someone intelligent...We were one of the last large powers of
the world to get a "social security system". Medicare and Medicaid were
approved with the sweat and toil of our fathers & grandfathers who really
benefitted from it. We will all be older someday and need to benefit from
our labors. We need to keep the system solvent and the way to do it is
to raise payroll taxes periodically. "You don't get free food unless you rob cheese from a mousetrap..." goes an eastern european saying.

So, you see what I am getting at--if you are not some sort of "rube or goob". Social Security,etc. is money hard-earned and you will need it in the future. So, for goodness sakes, don't vote for idiots who won't safeguard the future security of our social security, medicare, & medicaid system. Remember what they do and vote progressive in 2012. Nine times out of ten, that means
vote Democratic. There are a few good independents out there. One is
named Barney Frank.

There is no sense in negating decades of history
because of some GOP stock market whims. Social Security should NEVER
be backed up by the stock market. You see what may happen in the stock
market since 2007, especially... Our taxes go for great things. There is no
such thing as "sovereign citizenship". All of us must pay taxes for the support
of the government. We obey the laws of the land. We protest the laws we
don't like and get them changed. We tough it out and pay our taxes like good citizens. That is patriotism, in a simple way, when we pay our fair share.

[jimboloco]

I am older right now
sliding down a decline
on social security and food stamps
can't get unemployment
never got it
in exile from my profession
depressed
on government health care from the veterans administration
and reading about Islam
like Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson, Adams

On The Last Word a junior high school student
offered to debate Michele Bachman on
US history, the constitution

Bachman was in New Hampshire
she said that the revolution started there in Concord

No, Concord, New Hampshire is where I bent my Air Farce wings and tossed them down before a large antiwar protest crowd, from the capital building balcony

then we all sat in the hallway
then we all sat in the chambers
voted to stop the war in Vietnam
and to legalize marijuana

now I don't smoke it
my diseased brain
the war lives on inside me
depressed and insane

I can not believe Palin
schmaltzing with the Rolling Thunder bikers on Memorial Day
the commander said that she was not endorsed by them
she just breezed by for a pretty face photo op
and she knows how to stick out her chest, too

she has no idea about the greif some of those guys went thru

i live in a vacuum

i dream of sarah

i once heard a bostonian say at the last republican convention,
"I'd make out with a Republican, but I'd never vote for one!"

[Steve Plonk]

Jimboloco, we continue to require more bumptious Democrats to keep up
the pressure to vote these t-party rubes & goobs back out. Time to take
out the trash.

[short timer]

I dream of Sarah's pubis
such erotic thoughts I suppress when I see her picture, loathing and desire do conflict.
and contra dick

I hardly ever have erotic dreams anymore but I am not complaining cause if not for dreams I would not have any love life at all. I wonder if I can get a chip for not jacking off for the past nine months? the longest time in since my first hand job when I was just a little jackster of two or three

are you mad at me jimbo
I am trying to take your back
in my own crazy jack way

http://studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtopic.p ... ck#p145750

[stilltrucking]

in a room where pundits come and go
speaking of Michelangelo
and being on the right side of history

Sarah say, "I know my history."

[Steve Plonk]

Still Truckin', Mighty tasty and funny posted cartoon on Sarah Palin's "history".
History may be twisted into "bizarro world" in the eyes of the beholder...HA! But there is "hope". I'm a glass half-full kind of guy...

[Steve Plonk]

Those rubes and "pridefully ignorant" folks who ignore history and continue with
supply side voodoo economics should have their noses rubbed in mess...
We should dump the "honey wagon" on half of Congress! Hoo Hah!

We must tax the rich to get some of that "pay dirt" to pay down the national debt and get us closer to black ink for a change...Soak the freaking rich!

Folks especially around these parts are woefully prideful in their ignorance of
the fact that taxing provides jobs. We need to pay attention and get the
President's Jobs bill passed. Once again, social security and medicaid/medicare
should be left alone and be paid for by increased payroll taxes. The rich should
pay their fair share of taxes. Eventually, all folks will need to pay more graduated income taxes...not a popular idea but an idea for the longterm future of OUR entitlements.

It is OUR retirement money and benefits they are talking
about cutting. The rich should pay into it also. Cutting down to the bare bones
in social services is NOT the way to get the economy jump started. Old folks
live on a fixed income and haven't had a cost of living increase in years.

[mnaz]

the constitution is all well and good-- except when it gets in the way of big business, especially the oil and war and "security" industries-- and then it is to be ignored when deemed necessary.

and yes, it can be said that history "instructs" us. the problem is that it also indoctrinates us. how valuable is a long history of near-continual covert and overt foreign war, for example? even our national anthem is about war . . .

[Steve Plonk]

Our national anthem is mainly about HOPE. When Francis Scott Key wrote it,
the War of 1812 had not been decided. It ended in a draw...We got generous
terms in the treaty which ended that war.

After that war, there began an "era of good feeling" under President Monroe.
We started repairing relations with Great Britain and eventually our countries
became friends & allies. We established our new "sphere of influence" in the
Americas which has continued to this day.

[mnaz]

yes, "sphere of influence." we've certainly done that. (part of the problem i'm talking about).

[Steve Plonk]

Mnaz, What is wrong with our country looking after our hemispheric & national interests? Sure, our country has made blunders, etc. Is it the way we do it, which is the "problem"? Speak to me, my friend, clue me in...

[mnaz]

steve, the problem is that it has been too exploitative-- such as overthrowing democratically-elected governments in iran (1953) and chile (1973) for example. i'd prefer not to go into a long-winded explanation here, but my "humanitarian imperialism" thread (re: chomsky's article) covers these problems pretty well.

some folks have a tendency to view all of our warring and covert cia aggression between 1950-1990 as justifiable because of the cold war, and i suppose there's some truth in this (especially between 1950-1962ish), but i think we've taken things way too far at times. and our behavior arguably has not improved much even after "winning" the cold war. anyway-- my basic take on it ...

[Steve Plonk]

Yeah, Mnaz, I see what you mean, on Chile, and I remember the several Nicaragua interventions--most recently by Reagan. But, I think here lately, that we've learned from history--at least in South America--and are improving.

Venezuela is becoming quite militant lately, but we have good relations with
Brazil, at least so far. Even relations with Argentina have improved-- as their
government has moderated. In Central America, I think our relations have
gotten better also--especially in Costa Rica. Cuba has even cooperated
with some of our efforts on the terrorist situation...

The Iraq War was a blunder, in my opinion, but that is not in the Western Hemisphere. Our problems with Iran are ongoing, but they have been enemies since at least 1979... Also, not in our hemisphere. That would be another thread discussion. We'll try to get into that later...

In recent history, the U. S. has done many drug interdiction programs with Mexico, Columbia & Peru. I think those have gone well for the most part... Except for the gun running problems...Yeah, It's a mixed bag...I am optimistic, at least about most of this hemisphere. We need to somehow get improved relations with Venezuela...

[mnaz]

but how can you just pick and choose hemispheres? it's all part of our foreign policy, and it's (primarily) our military or para-military / special ops in each case.

and listen to your language here-- "venezuela is militant." "iran is our enemy." as chomsky's article astutely notes, in almost every case you'll find find that these "militant enemies" are nations that "won't play ball" with our corporate juggernaut of a government. big oil cannot stand socialistic governments with any hint of a nationalized oil industry (venezuela, iraq, iran, in '53), or a semi-nationalized oil industry with fees tacked onto oil leases (libya).

and this constant vilification of iran . . . iran hasn't attacked anyone (with its military) in over a century. we overthrew their government for godssake, and installed a capitalist-crony autocrat (shah) with a ruthless secret police force, and more recently we invaded the country on either side of of iran. of course relations are going to be frosty, and radicals given fuel for their fire.

and perhaps we are "improving" in south (and central) america-- it would be hard to do much worse than the reagon and bush eras. but don't forget-- there is some evidence that the u.s. participated in a 2002 coup attempt in venezuela, so the ambitions at least remain the same, or similar to the past.

bigger picture, man. bigger picture . . .

[Steve Plonk]

Mnaz, Remember Iran & Iraq fought a war in the nineteen eighties? The U.S. was on the side of Iraq...Also, see the clip on youtube forum: "Mr. Peabody's History..."

Iran now has "designs" to interfere with Iraqi politics much the way we do...
No, even though we deposed the Iranian elected government way back when,
Iran is not blameless in the way they have behaved in recent times...
Iran is one of the few countries on the side of the Syrian regime... I ceased
feeling sorry for Iran back in 1979. No country should be allowed to block
the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Many countries, including Japan & China depend on the oil in the Persian Gulf region. So, which country is the
aggressor today?

I'm with President Obama on the above situation. We may still be able to solve the possible problem of the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz peacefully. The Iranians are feeling the pinch of sanctions in regard to development of nuclear arms. Something is going to have to give in order for us to have a long sought for peace in that region...

In addition, if that is not enough, Iran has been an "enemy" of Israel for years.
Our country is a friend of Israel... Another stumbling block to peace...
I hope all this is just saber rattling. We can ill afford another war in the
Middle East or in South Asia...

Within the past weeks our country has rescued Iranians stranded on fishing vessels in the Persian Gulf. We haven't taken Iranians prisoners like they have our citizens. Some of our citizens have been released while others are still captives. The holding of our citizens, by Iran, without legal provocation, is just not right.