Re: [Gnu-arch-users] [OT] facism gaining ground in US

[Pierce T . Wetter III]

> It would be great to meet for a beer (well a juice would do  for non 
> alcohol
> drinkers like me) May be next time I'm in the states for a conference.

 Sure!

> >    Pierce's Obligatory Foreign Affairs plug
> >
> >     They all agree on a couple of points:
> >
> >       Bush has been a PR disaster for the US, though they expect 
> > Kerry to
> > do the same things, just with a spoonful of sugar. Reading their
> > opinions
> That's your analysis.

 Yes. My analysis is for people too lazy to follow the link. In all 
writing,
it is considered unnecessary to say "I think" because that is presumed 
by the
reader, that they are reading an opinion. This was repeatedly drilled 
into
my head by my English teacher. Feel free to feel that

 In My Arrogant Opinion: IMAO

 Is at the beginning of everything I write.

 Feel free to substitute other words that begin with A above...
> One thing struck me, Mr Bild talked about the US as a 
> "democratic-force". I
> have some problems with putting both words together but what I really 
> wonder
> is where has Mr Bild been the last 50 years?

  We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this. Saying anything 
about the
US is always only partially true, because our government does one set 
of things,
the corporations do another set, and individuals do a third set. Often 
those sets
conflict.

 However, our foreign policy in toto has been towards more democracy. 
No doubt
you'll come up with tons of counterexamples, and I'm not going to argue 
with
you about those, there's no point. There were under 40 democracies 50 
years
ago, there are 140 now. The US deserves some credit for that. I think 
that
is what Mr. Bild is referring to.

> > I kind of realized that Bush has made a practice of talking tough as a
> > strategy to reassure the populace in the wake of 9/11.
> Give us a break, Bush has taken the practice to scare the shit out of 
> you and
> us and steal your money will you're buisy salvaging the little rights 
> he
> leaves you. You have your government taking your for idiots and you 
> all go
> round waving little flags stupidly instead for asking it the right 
> questions.
> Want an example? So rRumsfeld say that he leaving his post is a 
> possibility.
> What happends then, nada, nothing, zero, nil. With all the money that 
> guy has
> been putting in his pocket, I'm sure he'd say whatever you want to 
> hear.

  There are a whole bunch of things you don't understand about the US, 
so
much so that I'm afraid I don't know where to begin. I do know that you 
don't
really understand how 9/11 affected us, and changed our attitudes.

 Here's one though: In my more cynical moments, IMAO, we don't have a 
choice between
Bush and Kerry, we have a choice between whether we want someone who 
makes
bad decisions for the _country_ based on good decisions for his 
_cronies_
or someone who makes bad decisions for the _country_ based on good 
decisions
for his _cronies_. So we really have a choice of cronies.

 Bush's cronies: Energy companies.

 Kerry's cronies: Trade Unions.

 How you feel about these choices depends on how you feel about those 
particular
cronies. In my case, I worry about Kerry's connections to the teachers 
unions,
because I think school vouchers should be at least partially 
implemented.

 The anti-Bush rhetoric you're always spouting is getting tedious, 
however.

 Here, read this: http://www.crossbearer.com/opinion/resume.html for 
some
countervailing opinion.

> IMHO, Bush re-election wouldn't surprise me the least and if Kerry is 
> elected,
> I don't think it would change a damn thing!

  So you're agreeing with me again... Better watch out...
> Cheers and happy votes, Nadim.

 Democratic convention this week, perhaps we'll actually be able to
form an opinion about Kerry other then "he's not Bush".

Pierce