RAzOR

That is horrific. That guy should be taken out. If I got the chance, I'd love to kill him slowly with something like, say, a teaspoon or a paperclip. Probably take days.

Wow, this is kin ...

The idea of invading another country in order to stop terrorism is a poor strategy ...

writing, and I know people are tired of reading if they still are. Maybe I'll get inspired tomorrow and come back with another installment and more commentary on International Relations.

An excellent analysis and I thank you for your compliment. Your scale rating (for myself anyway) is perfect. Interestingly, for my entire life, I have been moving slowly to the lower numbers (which runs counter to the trend).

I would like reply by simply saying I think that the decision to invade Iraq was not directly to fight terrorism but indirectly. The risk of Saddam passing a WMD to a terrorist organization was simply too great. There is a lot of evidence that he had them and now new evidence in a new book from one of his generals, Georges Sada (which is coming up next for my reads!). The situation in Iraq even today is still murky and volatile. And a loss would be very invigorating to the enemy. We ALL, like it or not, need to stick this one out and give it our best shot as unified American citizens of all religeons (yes, Atheism is a religeon, just as the number zero has a definite value!).

Truth!

I'll agree emphasis on dumb and bitch, but the 'conservative' Republican haven't been too conservative with anything except brokeback bashing and moving toward making pregnancy a political decision not a womans decision.

Since when did a woman's pregnancy become a poltical decision? Since its entirely her decision in the first place to risk getting pregnant- THAT'S HOW!.

Once she IS pregnant, it cannot be her decision alone unless the unborn baby is asked their opinion as well and we all know what the h3ll that would be!

Here we go............. .

The fact that the US federal government isn't resolute on fixing issues such as education, health care and social security is still not enough. Those are much bigger priorities to the American people than the 1/2 trillion dollar effort in Iraq.

As for china and indias growth rates. True the rates aren't comparable, but let me tell you if i had anything to sell or make right now I'd want to be doing so in China. They have a population that is mobilizing to and past the wal-mart style consumer, while domestically more and more noth americans are being forced into wal-marts.

North Americans (moreso Americans than Canadians, but we're still behind the 8 ball) have lost the competitive edge, and wasting money the way the Bush administration does isn't helping to rectify that problem.

Not sure I agree with you on the more Americans forced into Wal Mart but overall agreed!

Viva la Revolucion! <spelling!>

I'm not that stupid to be against handguns, but if you think i'm stupid for being against casual ownership of handguns, then i think you're stupid for carrying one 90% of the time.

Razor, at least from your last post i have to assume you're more politically enfranchised than most Americans, even most 'educated' Americans. But things are not all good.

Here's a few things that are of SERIOUS concern:

1) Oil - currently the US is a huge consumer of oil, most of which comes from Canada or the Middle east. China and India are becomming huge consumers of oil, with greater economic growth prospects. If I was OPEC I'd be looking at solidifying supply contracts with China and India and worrying less about America - in part cause OPEC is mostly mid. easter nations that hate America.

2) Health Care - The single greatest cost for manufacturing a vehicle in the US is health care related costs. The Pharmacuetical lobby in the US is so strong that the US government has been rendered incapable of passing price controls on drugs, or getting anywhere close to a universal system as it exists throughout the developed world. In fact American health care economics continue to get worse as more and more Americans fall into the target market for Wal-Mart where they are looking to save $0.60 on underwear, god forbid having to buy brand name drugs.

3) The economy - The American economy is not all that great. You're looking at 3% GDP growth in 2006 vs. 7 - 9% in China and India. You are setting new trade deficit records every month as more and more of the consumable goods come from abroad.

4) Education - not that America has been near the top in at least a decade, but you continue to slip further down the rankings. More and more high level scholarships from Ivy schools are going to Chinese and Indian kids who want to learn the science and math that will drive innovation, and then upon graduation can't get jobs in the US because Homeland Security makes it almost impossible to get a Green Card.

5) Social Security - It's toast. The numbers of 50 year old without and retirement savings in the US are staggering. The failure of that system will result in an old age poverty pandemic, and extreme resentment toward older people.

There's the short list of ideas bouncing around in my head - and i didn't even mention the wasteful wars that are waging

So, what does America have going for it right now?

1) Lazy disenfranchised work force. I love when commentators talk about how all these Mexicans do jobs 'no American would do'. That makes me laugh, because soon, primary service jobs are going to make up a significantly larger part of the labour market as the once good blue collar jobs go away through outsourcing or productivity gains.

2) The 30-year bond. This will probably prove to be the 'saviour' of forseeable funding issues - MORE DEBT, which ironically will be owned mostly by.. the Chinese Central Bank, the BOJ, etc.

That's about it. It's great that the US still holds on to the real innovation centres (google campus, microsoft HQ, Texas Instruments, etc., etc.) but high tech, highly innovative companies are finding a lot more passion for innovation on the other side of the world than they can find domestically.

My inital point here was that GWB is a nice guy, and is as responsible for a number of sensless deaths as Ken Lay is for financially devastating a few thousand people. Death is worse than lost money last time i checked, and i think the punishment should fit the crime, but am continually angered by the absolute lack of punishment.

My point now is that the US just rides on what we have or what we had, and is blind to the massive changes that are occuring in the global economy.

I have purposly thrown in a lot of "we" or "our" because Canada is plauged with a lot of the same social opinions of "best place to live", and while I'd agree that Canada is still the best place to live in the world, I don't think i could objectivly hold on to that opinion in say 10 years becasue there are 2.5 billion people that want to live as well as we do, even if it means we don't get to live as well as we do!

Wow.. i'm definitly over capacity on ranting today!

You ARE on fire!

Let me go by each.

1. The Mid east hates "The West" Canada included. You are speakng very broadly. I agree there must be a serious effort to get "THE WEST"- Canada included off oil. Government billions and letting the free-market develop it has proven to be a dud at bringing an alternate source of energy. The higher gas prices will definitely help push now.

2. I agree Health Care System needs a major fix. I'm not sure price controls are gonna do it. It's far more complex than that. The current system is expensive but its the most capable in the world. It is a victim of governmental neglect and lack of resolve.

3. You are comparing Apples to Oranges. Compare the US Economic Growth Rate with its past performance and against that of Europe and Japan (the closest in model), China and India are developing and not comparable. From your perspective might as well include Mexico and Indonesia.

4. America has a broad and open education system that is bloated, innefficient and impotent and needs a major overhaul. See 2.

5. I have increasing resentment to older people as I get older! Social Security isn't broke yet but it will be. For the reason See 2.

Saddam Hussein, Al Qaida et al are responsible for the deaths, not W. He is just doing what he thinks is best protecting his country. I agree it is sloppy and ugly but this kind of war is new and tough. But don't mix the blame, that is crazy.

Fellas,

Our economy is in great shape, and I think our US "organizations" are just doing what they do.

Our gov't is going after some bad dudes.

But there are sooo many things that really need a direction and haven't gotten it because it's too tough for the current set of weenies.

White collar crime is one.

Handgun ownership is NOT.

Guns do not kill people. Bad people kill people.

Make good people and they can all own guns.

I think the "system" is continuing to move in a direction towards an impotent mixture of bureaucracy and elitism.

While I agree with Republicans on most issues and voted for W twice I am not sure that W has much to do with the problems we face today.

1. Governments at all levels are run by "opportunists" working together to form a circle. They make very weak leaders and back off when any special interest challenges any policy- meaning most-nothing gets done. The ultimate fault lies with the public who keeps electing these professional political "used car salesmen". The California Legislature is case and point.

2. The US economy is in grave danger in the face of union power, tough competition, over protective environemental regulations, a hostile legal environment (lawsuits), and horrible/dishonest managment. This will continue, due to 1.

3. The American citizen needs to take a far greeater interest in issues and to spend far more time researching their information. This will help them make solid, better informed decisions. They will also have a clearer undertsanding of what is going on and therefore will make better and more meaningful decisions in the voting booth.

IMHO "W" has nothing to do with any of this other than not really doing anything about it. If anything, I think he has been more of a leader than the past President, sticking to his policies in the face of loud and persistent opposition. Right or Wrong- he is leading.

The root problem is huge. Start with a better educated and better self-regulated citizens the rest should just happen. Take away education and self-regulation and you get what has been occuring since the 60's.

negative and NEGATIVE.

i wouldn't let you touch a gun anywhere near me. It is the SOLE responsibility of the shooter to identify his background before he fires. If you are firing in a reactionary manner without doing your checks, you are UNSAFE.

IMHO: Incorrect. When bird hunting it is first and foremost to know the whereabouts of your fellow hunters which means that anyone seeking to exit the area (such as this case), THEY must notify the others that they are moving out. From what I have heard, the victim did not do this, had left the area and was returning to the party while the VP did not know, hence the accident.

Evidentally, this is a very common accident in this type of hunting.

This is such a NON-ISSUE!

LOL Yeah I think we can get you there. And Blockhead. Actually a lot of people here could use the trip. Beautiful country and I always encourage hippies to see how the world really works. Sadly a lot of you would not come back

I don't think it would be so sad if the hippies never came back

And who's Blockhead?

Seriously for just a sec: My wife is from Tehran. Her uncle and his family (who still live there) as is most of the younger gen are significantly westernized, decent people. There's just this lunatic death cult running the country is all. It's a tough spot to be in. Add nukes- hillarity ensues.

How do I get to Iran?

Sorry but 70 years old, drinking and guns- sounds like he's still after a fun time. Must beat the yeast out of hangin' out with Hillary and Barbie Boxer.

no, biggest non issue since stupid poking cartoons cause goofy muslims to riot.......

FoS

And I am increasingly disgusted as the saga unfolds. Now the top Saudi cleric calling for trials and punishment of the persons responsible. Right. Perhaps the punishment would be stoning- fitting of such a progressive and tolerant religion, or maybe just typical of them and their bronze age system of justice. And the president of Iran, what a jerkoff. There is only one thing worse than a tyrant, and that's a loud mouthed, inflammatory, and ignorant tyrant. God this is pathetic. Oh no! Blasphemy! Somebody throw a rock at me and burn my house down. Goons.

That vein on your forehead is popping out again.

Has to be the biggest non-issue since Abu-Ghraib.

B)-->

Fo Shizzle

O'Reilly ended up pounding him. I'm always amazed when the Hollywood set thinks they know foreign policy.

What was stunning though was that Letterman told O'Reilly that he was all wrong but then admitted he had never, ever listened to one second of his shows.

The worst part of this is that none of our allegedly "fearless" old media (newspapers, TV news) except for FoxNews will show us what the cartoons look like so we can each make our own decisions. Not even CNN. Not even on their websites. They won't even LINK to them. This is an outrage to me considering they will publish pics of crosses in urine and the Virgin Mary with elephant dung on her. This is our defenders of freedom of speech BOWING to these idiots. It makes me sick. It makes me wonder what else they decide not to show us.

I'll post a link to the toons a little later. They are amazingly mild.

wait are you kidding me?!

freedom of expression is granted within the 1st amendment

1st amendment doesnt stop at freedom of speech, or religion

it protects non vocal freedom of speech...now if you are a textualist to the constitution..then you would still believe in this right

Sit-Ins were nonvocal means of speech that were interpreted later as freedom of speech which has been called freedom of expression...just to let you know

have you read the 1st amendment recently?

haha im not actually mad...its right in there

and there are 2 precident cases

tinker v. des moine and hazlewood v. (i forget which state) school district

You are not free to go to school naked. You are not free to walk down the street naked. And I disagree it is implied. It is an extension of FoS. By not allowing you to go to the movies naked, your freedom of speech is not impuned, that is why Freedom of Expression is not carte-blanche(?)

Nothing like seeing a culture hit the bottom and then start digging.

Well then you might as well close your mouth now since accoriding to you you dont have a right to express yourself. So, please, take your advise, STOP TYPING THIS CRAP, thank you, have a nice day

HHHHHIIIIIII Kuzia! Just as my life was getting sensible again.

It's called Freedom of Speech, barbarian. I am asking about the alleged Freedom of Expression.

Give it a try!

YOU CANNOT SAY THE "M" WORD! I WILL BOMB YOU FOR TALKING ABOUT BIG MO! DON'T EVEN LOOK AT HIM!

It is crazy, my only solace is that this is a small fraction of Muslims. Maybe most stayed home and read the cartoon page?

I wonder if Al Jazerra printed them? They show beheadings, charred bodies, etc? Why not a few 'toons?

Ken, remember the riots? Tons of South Central folks torching their own houses and neighborhoods to protest the Rodney King verdicts. I wonder if they they've sat down and thought about that since then.

yea, except that freedom of expression applies everywhere, including school, and to everyone. the ONLY reasonable restrictions are profanity, sexual content, racist content, and drug/alcohol content. and what the hell is up with you? why do you care so much? here, let me fix you post:

No, it doesn't. Where in the Constitution does it grant 'Freedom of Expression"?

Ever stop to wonder WHY so much of the world hates america?

Now I know this is going to be viewed as an attack on the USA, but it's not. I am just emphasising the perceived negatives to make a point. I am not anti america...

Right - US foreign policy - you stick your noses in where they're not welcome - eg Israel. The Muslims have as much of a religious claim on Jerusalem as the Jews and Christians do, yet you support a regime that seeks to keep Jerusalem for themselves. Never mind the similarities between Israel in the West Bank and China in Tiananmen Square (Using military force to squash protest)...

Hypocrisy - your government was instrumental in trying to cripple MY country via economic sanctions. I KNOW apartheid was wrong, but we were getting bitchslapped by a country with a brutal history of slavery, CURRENT race problems (Rodney King riots anyone?), not to mention the forced relocation of Native American Indians into "reservations" (How is that different to Apartheid's bantustans?)

More hypocrisy - On the plaque on the Statue of Liberty is engraved

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Reconcile that with your border policy with Mexico, and your problems with "Illegal Immigrants".

Selfishness - Refusal to sign the Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gases - The crap your gas guzzling monster trucks spew out affects the globe.

So yeah. I am wearing my flame proof suit. I am NOT ATTACKING AMERICA! I am playing Devil's Advocate here, hoping to give you an ...insight into why some people in the world DON'T believe that the USA is the greatest nation on earth

And no, I'm not anti Israel either. I just have the ability to see both sides...

Jerusalem is open to all visitors and worship from all three religeons goes on daily. Of the three, Islam is the only one that is constantly threatening the destruction of the sites of Christianity and Judaism and has in fact acted on it on occassion. Luckily Israel runs the show there and keeps it open and protected.

no way i can agree w. u on that one. theres no way bum rushing other countries and forcing our ways on them will ever be accepted. think about it this way. if we started that a hundred years ago...we'd pretty much b pushing the idea that slavery was the right thing to do n everyone needs to do it cuz we're doing it. how long do u think it would of taken civil right leaders to break through that barrier? plus, the roman empire fell...sooner or later so will our society. probably not in our life time but in the next century or 2 it will. empires don't last more then several hundred years.

Good point. Slavery was the hardest issue ever faced by our country. It nearly destroyed us. However, that correction did succeed and the country did survive. More recently we have worked hard to remove racism, sexism, etc all without violence (of any significant military magnitiude). To me that says we have a good system. And again, I am not purporting Imperialism, just thinking. Sometimes I think the children of Africa would be far better off if we ran the show over there. Wouldn't you agree?