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  deathray1 year, 1 month ago

  "According to the report, which was required by Congress, progress has been "satisfactory" on eight of the benchmarks, "unsatisfactory" on another eight, and mixed on two. At his press conference this morning, President Bush, seeing the glass half full, pronounced the report "a cause for optimism"â;;and for staying on course."

  Staying in course for what, exactly?

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    dandt16121 year, 1 month ago

    OIL. If you notice that everytime Bush or one of his gang members speak they bring up the oil law. You didn't hear about it to often until recently. I believe that Bush & gang are staying the course because of the oil law and the goodies that it will bring. Period.

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      scriblerus11 year, 1 month ago

      You must also include war-profits other than oil. Every time a Hummer gets blown up, we taxpayers have to buy another one, and a company in the military industrial complex makes money. Also, as long as the war continues, we taxpayers get to buy more Coca Cola at $100 per case. When a soldier is on patrol in 120 degree heat in full body armor, he drinks a helluva lot of Coke. I don't think I need to list all the thousands of goods and services we taxpayers supply to this effort for you to get the picture about war-profits.

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        scriblerus11 year, 1 month ago

        When you figure war-profits in with the huge tax-cuts for the wealthy, it becomes clear why your average fat rich white guy believes the war is a fabulous success and we should "stay the course."

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          bubba21 year, 1 month ago

          Profits for the rich at the expense of the middle class and poor in this country, along with the burden of the national debt being planted on the backs of our children and grandchildren.

          Bush has borrowed more money than any other President in the history of this country, COMBINED. Currently, we owe over 1 TRILLION just to foreign countries such as China, Japan, and Mexico (yes, Mexico! 40 billion ...)

          Bush has added more to the national debt than any other President in the history of this country - COMBINED.

          When Clinton left office, the national debt was between 5 and 6 trillion, and there was NO deficit - the last one or two years garnered surpluses.

          The current national debt is now over NINE TRILLION dollars.

          The current corp execs and the Republican cronies are rolling in the dough, and they could CARE LESS about what happens to anyone after they are gone - they only care about what they have and can get RIGHT NOW.

          Bush has

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            tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

            Profits for the rich are your thought because you're not rich.

            In today's dollars WWII cost and debt exceeded Bush's. My debt is $20,000. 50 years ago that would be the debt of a rich man.

            The national debt IS a deficit. The balanced budget was Newt Gingrich's contract with America. It was forced on Clinton and congress by the Republican majority. It has gone by the wayside because of the war and other wasteful spending that continues again.

            I suppose George Soros isn't rolling in the dough.

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            Flash2871 year, 1 month ago

            If you have a congress that votes for war you gotta have some sense that it cost lives and money. This is not a rah-rah football game, where if you lose, you still go back to work the next day. 9/11's will multiply daily and is on the horizon if we lose. Spurned on by weak kneed democrats and the Leftist media, the enemy loves their rhetoric as is encouraging the enemy of their coming victory if we pull out.

            We should build more Draft Resitor prisons (for you Lefties) start the draft, triple the army and win this war. While the Left sits with their sorry heads in the sand; they have no idea how OIL is the buliding block of an economy and how it determines our Standard of Living.

            For every weapon there is a counter weapon. Make the Humvees's tougher and the IED's will have strapped on one more piece of artillary. The solution is not to give each soldier his own tank. The solution is "a national resolve for Victory" (as defined by a self governing, stable Iraq).

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              DoseASpinoza1 year, 1 month ago

              I can't believe anyone still believes this crap.

              Spurred on by weak-brained neocons and the right-wing media, the enemy loves their rhetoric as it is providing a justification for the very attacks you say are threatened and assuring a cold war-style victory of attrition for our enemies.

              As long as we throw good money after bad and more lives into the pit, the real Al Qaeda is winning.

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          star531 year, 1 month ago

          taxes cuts for the wealthy is what give most worker a job history shows this -for the worker pays all the taxes anyway- just follow the money.countries that tax the wealthy are some of poorest in the world

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            rightfromwrong1 year, 1 month ago

            Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland would of course be the exception and have universal health care. the rich just rape and pillage on the back of the middle class and exploit poor countries where they support a dictator and get their resources !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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              Hamlet1 year, 1 month ago

              Yeah I live in one of those "poorest" Scandinavian countries in the world and we balance our budgets and make sure the elderly are taken care of and our kids get braces. And you know what? Our currency is really strong, our economy is healthy, and at the end of the day I have more money for my daily life than most people with a similar income stateside, even tho I have a higher tax rate. Because my taxes pay for things like education, roads and infrastructure, hospitals, pension fund, cheap public transport, general health care, unemployment insurance (for a lot more than a couple of months) and environmental protection. It ain't perfect and the greying population is a worry, but on the other hand, nobody here is starving and parents get decent safe day care for free, so families can work at all the jobs we have.It IS possible to have a good country without being at war with the whole world.

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                Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                > It IS possible to have a good country without being at war with the whole world.

                Of course. It's these "bad" countries who have to spend trillions of dollars and thousands of lives in order to protect YOU from the Nazis, the Communists and, yes, the Muslim militants.

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                  Sabretooth1 year, 1 month ago

                  Please, you are only claiming to protect so you can make a buck on your military based economy, this crap may be bought easily by Americans but you will have no luck on an actual informed public.

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                    Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                    > ...you will have no luck on an actual informed public.

                    The fact is that without the Americans you would write "Heil Hitler!" at the end of each of your posts today or, alternatively, would describe the wonders of Communism and the benefits of sharing an apartment with another four families. Not all is lost, though. In a couple of years you'll wright "Allah Akbar!" in the beginning and "Inshallah" at the end of every post of yours.

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                      deathray1 year, 1 month ago

                      Canadians fought in the 2nd World War as well, with distinction. To believe that the US did it alone is the height of hubris.

                      The Second World War, by the way, was prosecuted, and won, by a Democratic Administration with the overwhelming support of the American people.

                      Contrary to current Republican belief, this is not the truth of this war.

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                        Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                        > Canadians fought in the 2nd World War as well, with distinction. To believe that the US did it alone is the height of hubris.

                        Of course. Show me the idiot claiming that the US did it ALONE and I'll tell him that he is an idiot. As of now, however, you're the only one here suggesting such possibility.

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                        Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                        > The Second World War, by the way, was prosecuted, and won, by a Democratic Administration with the overwhelming support of the American people.

                        This is also true. Show me the idiot claiming that during WWII the US administration was NOT the Democratic one and I'll tell him that he is an idiot. As of now, however, you're the only one here suggesting such possibility (again).

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                        Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                        > Contrary to current Republican belief, this is not the truth of this war.

                        I'm not sure what the sources of YOUR beliefs are but very few Americans (Democrats or Republicans) believe that the current administration is a Democratic one or that the current war has the overwhelming support of the American people.

                        You should look up the concept of a "straw man" in a discussion. Basically, it's making an outrageous claim and then declaring that it was indeed an outrageous claim.

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                  tamogle1 year, 1 month ago

                  Great comment! When tyrants arise in the world such as those that led us into World War I and World War II someone must stop them. It certainly isn't going to be a Scandinavian country. It has been and always will be the USA and our brave allies around the world. That is, unless the liberals in this country turn us into a second rate nation that would appease tyranny and terrorist nations.

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                    ProudBlueTexan1 year, 1 month ago

                    What allies? Get real.

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                    skeek1 year, 1 month ago

                    The tyrant today IS the USA.

                    What are you going to do? Give yourselves a bloody nose? Or will you ask one of your non-existent allies to do it?

                    Many of you need to get over this misty-eyed mythology of your great glory days. It's like how fat bald middle-aged men still think they're college football heroes and bore everyone to death with these yarns.

                    That time is over. World War Two was literally a lifetime ago.

                    There's been a lot of changes and lot of wars going on since then. Most of them either yours or because of you.

                    To paraphrase, you're only as good as your last war.

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                      Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                      > There's been a lot of changes and lot of wars going on since then. Most of them either yours or because of you.

                      This is correct. Nazism and Communism today is mostly history and this is because of US. Germany and Japan became peaceful economic superpowers and this is also because of US.

                      There is another global threat that replaced Nazism and Communism on the world stage. It's called Militant Islam and this is NOT because of US.

                      One thing did not change, however. It's the willingness of the prostitute named Europe to surrender to and embrace the Islamists just like it did it to the Nazis and the Communists.

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                        kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                        Militant Islam is NOT because of US??? Who was responsible for creating and arming Al-Qaida in the first place?

                        I think I could find a song about that if you'd like me to.

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                          tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                          Yes, I think I remember the Al-Qaeda Creation Act of 1979. And I think there's a Corporation in the U.S. they buy all their military equipment from, a sort of large war surplus store in L.A.

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                            deathray1 year, 1 month ago

                            Your irony belies the fact that the CIA, in the Reagan Administration, financed the precrsor of al Qaeda and the Taliban to fight the Soviets.

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                              tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                              So? What's that got to do with today?

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                                anewperspective1 year, 1 month ago

                                n o t h i n g

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                          Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                          Well, I have some news for you. Al Qaeda and militant Islamist organizations in general are just that, militant Islamist organizations. They're based in Islamic countries in the Middle East and Asia and were created and supported by the local Islamic states and people.

                          Claiming that the US is responsible for militant Islam is even more ridiculous than declaring that the US was responsible for Nazism because Ford sold something to Germany.

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                  kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                  ~Henry Ford Was A Fascist~

                  Ford built tanks for the Nazis

                  And the Nazis used those tanks

                  To kill off lots of soldiers

                  In the U.S. Army ranks

                  Yes, Henry Ford was a fascist

                  And a nasty one was he

                  He'd build tanks for anyone

                  For the proper fee

                  Henry Ford spoke to his lackeys

                  And he said, "isn't this great?

                  "We'll attack our enemies

                  "And we'll retaliate!"

                  Henry Ford was a fascist

                  And a cunning liar, too

                  A brownshirt with a swastika

                  Draped in red, white and blue

                  Henry Ford spoke to his workers

                  And he said, "you dare not strike!

                  "You must be patriotic

                  "And take on my Third Reich!"

                  Yes, Henry Ford was a fascist

                  And he had not a care

                  About the dying soldiers

                  That made him a billionaire

                  Ford built tanks for the Nazis

                  And he built many more

                  To kill off lots of peasants

                  In Peru and Salvador

                  Yes, Henry Ford was a fascist

                  I heard that when he died

                  The last words to leave his lips

                  Was "arbeit macht frei"

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                  kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                  The dollar was his icon

                  On whichever shore

                  And Henry's only motto

                  Was "make money and make war"

                  Yes, Henry Ford was a fascist

                  That's all I have to say

                  I will spit on Henry's rotting grave

                  Until my dying day

                  by David Rovics

                  Created December, 1998

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                    Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                    Hey, brother, Stalin gave to Hitler a lot (thousands of times!) more than Ford did. Please find a respective poem.

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                      kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                      You do realize that makes American corporate fascism pretty similar with Stalinism of the time then, right?

                      Though just for grins, could you list the transactions from Stalin to Hitler? How much and when?

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                        tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                        Why don't you go back to your commie concentration camp country and suck up to your KGB assassin Putin?

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                          deathray1 year, 1 month ago

                          That's an argument usually trotted out when the person saying it has nothing relevant to say.

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                            tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                            Ditto to you deathray.

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                            tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                            This thread has turned into an irrelevant and anti corporate U.S. bashing fest. So out comes the sarcism and nastiness. What else is there to do? I'm having fun. How about you? You defending the obviously irrelevant Ford, American wrongs or ineffectiveness? in WWII. Then saying we (Reagan)originally nurtured the seed of Al Qaeda. Well, then when a seed turns into poison ivy you pull it out and kill it. Nobody created them except themselves. If we helped them originally by supplying weapons, etc. who kept them going with same after we realized they had grown into a monster? That's what that bit of sarcasm was all about.

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                          Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                          Accuracy of the Soviet Union in performing the Commercial Agreement was simply

                          amazing. 2.5 months before the attack on the USSR Germany had stopped supplies

                          under this agreement, but the Soviet side thoroughly carried out its obligations. J.

                          Göbbels writes in his diary (notation dated July, 27, 1940): "Russians supply us with

                          even more than we want to have. Stalin does all the best to make us like him"125. Last

                          echelon with the foodstuffs and raw materials had been accepted by the German

                          railway men from Brest-Litovsk station some few minutes before the attack on the

                          USSR began.

                          http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn...

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                        Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                        > could you list the transactions from Stalin to Hitler? How much and when?

                        Sure:

                        In compliance with the

                        German-Soviet Commercial Agreement, "Germany received 1.5 million tones of

                        grains, 101 thousand tones of cotton, 1 million tones of wood products, 238 thousand

                        tones of gasoline, 14 thousand tones of copper, 140 thousand tones of manganese ore,

                        55

                        8 million tones of mineral oil, tens of thousand tons of strategic raw materials â;;

                        nickel, aluminum, gold, even platinum (900 kg!) from the USSR"124.

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                          kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                          The Ribbentrop-Molotov Non-Aggression Pact was in force less than for 2 years, while Wall Street corporations helped Hitler out not only before and during his rise to power, but throughout duration of the war.

                          I bet the cooperation for the length of over 20 years by fascist corporate elites in America was thousands of times more important to Nazi party and greater in amount then short-lived cooperation by Stalin. Though, it's nice to know that you don't find the traitorous actions of upper echelons of American corporate empire nearly as concerning as traitorous actions of Soviet leadership against its people. Well bless your little heart for loving Soviet people so much! Do you know that Stalin was responsible for deaths of tens of millions of Soviet citizens? Would it bother you if US corporations were responsible for deaths of just as many Americans, assuming that they made money while at it? It would be good for US economy, so you gotta factor that in.

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                            HannibalBarca1 year, 1 month ago

                            Henry Ford was one of four non Germans to receive the Iron Cross

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                            Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                            > I bet the cooperation for the length of over 20 years by fascist corporate elites in America was thousands of times more important to Nazi party and greater in amount then short-lived cooperation by Stalin.

                            You'll lose your bet. First, if you bothered to read the article from the link in my earlier post you would discover that the Soviet-German co-operation lasted many years BEFORE the non-aggression pact.

                            Second, way more important is the fact that Mr. Ford was A PRIVATE CITIZEN while Stalin was a sole dictatorial leader of the largest country in the world with almost unlimited resources.

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                              kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                              We're not discussing Soviet-German cooperation; you're discussing Soviet-Nazi cooperation, which has nothing to do with the article, my post about complicity of US corporations to rise and their support of Nazi party, or the earlier point you brought up, which was a straw man. So you're defending a straw man with a propped up two-wrongs-make-a-right straw man and constructing a new straw man to do so. Are you planning to perform an infinite straw man regression?

                              So to make your last straw man relevant you need to either show Soviet contributions to Nazi party before it took over Germany or to it after Hitler's party gained control over Germany, but before the non-aggression pact.

                              And it doesn't matter how much resources Soviet Union had or that Stalin was its dictator. Stalin contributed only a limited number of resources to Nazis per the pact. It also doesn't matter that Ford and other corporate honchos weren't part of US government. All of these are straw men.

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                          kobzikov1 year, 1 month ago

                          And just so you know, Ford actually got compensation from US government for his tank factories built in Nazi empire, which were destroyed by Allied troops. It helped US economy so it all evens out, right?

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                            Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                            First, you'll lose your bet. Soviet Union had extensive relations with Germany many years prior to the Non-Aggression Pact (read the article attached to my earlier post).

                            Second, and way more important is the fact that Mr. Ford was a PRIVATE CICIZEN

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                tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                Hamlet: The Scandinavian countries are among the highest standard of living countries in the world. Sweden has always been neutral and doesn't fight in any wars. They do have UN peacekeeping forces. Might be a good idea for the U.S. to adopt neutrality as a new policy.

                You have the advantage of having a big majority of Scandinavians in your country. Their culture, education and personality seems to be conducive to a smooth running country. My Grandfather came to the U.S. in 1902. He and all my relatives from the Swedish side are good, hard working, intelligent, educated, thrifty and honest people. I have been to Minnesota and North Dakota where there's a lot of Swedish Americans. They almost all seem to be that way. Why is that? Maybe we need more Swedes here.

                In the U.S. there's a tremendous variety of nationalities and cultures. I suspect your politicians are more concerned with the welfare of the people and spending wisely, rather than getting elected and making money.

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                  dissent1 year, 1 month ago

                  You're right. Scandanvians are some of the most enlightened people in the world. But there's more to Scandanavia than the Swedes.

                  Hamlet was a Dane. The Melancholic Dane. Just a hunch.

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                    tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                    Yes Danes and Norwegians too. My father was born in Norway of Swedish descent. All very similar people.

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                MajJohn1 year, 1 month ago

                All while you live under our protective umbrella. If you had to pay for the full cost of your defense all these years, I wonder how much spending money you'd have then?

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                tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

                Hamlet: Do you have any rich people in your country? What do they think of them there? Are they considered greedy and living off the backs of the workers? Is it not work to become rich (normally)?

                Also, is everyone happy with the high taxes and government taking care of everyone? (Same as the people taking care of themselves because its the people who support the government with taxes). What is the tax rate for poor, middle income and rich there? What country are you from?

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            Dave591 year, 1 month ago

            It does not give workers a "job history". That is a crock of crap. And you are either stupid or a liar for saying so.

            The people that work do pay taxes as a group. And yes they are in a larger number than wealthy folks. How ever if taxes were assessed on a straight percentage basis rather than wage and income brackets we would see the wealthy pay more as is proper as they derive more income.

            I'm talking a flat rate tax here no loop holes. No special interest deductions. No nothing, flat rate and everybody pays that percentage. If you make a million and it's a 10% tax then you pay 100,000. If you make 25,000 then you pay 2500. End of conversation. This would apply to all business entities or trust funds or anything else that made a profit.

            This would eliminate much of the class distinction that is currently dividing this nation.

            It would also have the desired effect of reducing the IRS and putting tax lawyers out of business.

            I think it would be a winner.

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              deathray1 year, 1 month ago

              There are those who believe that a flat tax is a regressive tax, but this isn't the forum to have that argument.

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                StarLord1 year, 1 month ago

                There are those who believe that the Earth is flat...but this is also the wrong place for that argument too.

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              Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

              > I think it would be a winner.

              Hardly.

              First, it will not be a 10% tax but something in excess of 20%.

              Second, I DON'T want to pay $200,000 a year in taxes and continue working as a neurosurgeon. I'd rather invest my money abroad and pay nothing.

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                deathray1 year, 1 month ago

                That's what most wealthy people do in any event. It's a primary motivation for capital flight out of the US.

                So much for the patriotism of the very wealthy.

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              tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

              I like your idea. I just don't get the first paragraph. What star was saying is wealthy often create jobs and most of the taxes paid are through the majority consumers through all the hidden or not publicized taxes and corporate and business taxes. Income tax is only a small percent of Federal tax receipts.

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          Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

          Did it happen to you that most companies and corporations make profits without a war, too? Those that don't make profit disappear.

          Further, did it happen to you that it's us, the taxpayers and the consumers, who pay for all these profits.

          If you don't like it you may prefer not to buy anything and not have a job in order to not pay taxes. If we all do that the companies and corporations will all disappear and the government will follow shortly thereafter. We'll all fight each other for a piece of meat from a wild cat or rat one of us will be able to catch. There will be no wealthy, no poor and no taxes.

          Then, several hundreds or thousands years later someone will invent money...

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            deathray1 year, 1 month ago

            It's a matter of degree.

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          tiredofwhiners1 year, 1 month ago

          Scriblerust: I think we need congress to pass a new law outlawing the rich, and make the Republican party illegal too. They will all be rounded up and spend hard time in prison. Anybody caught becoming rich or Republican will be imprisoned until their money disappears then they will be let out on probation. Lottery winners will be included in this category. No exceptions.

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        CrazyRay1 year, 1 month ago

        I doubt the troops are sustaining themselves on Coca Cola

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          sumptuousdigs1 year, 1 month ago

          Well...things go better with coca cola, things go better with coke. Thats an old coke jingle. In Viet Nam, coca cola made a killing.

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            Hamlet1 year, 1 month ago

            No, they are drinking cola lite which is poison in a can. The aspartame sweetener breaks down to wood alcohol, formaldahyde and aspartic acid at 80F, and those poisons increase as the temp goes up. Aspartame poisoning symptoms include hallucinations, aggressive and violent behavior, vision and distance judgement issues, sudden death from stroke and heart attack, and nerve damage similar to Alzheimers and MS. Also muscle pain and deterioration, depression, and immune system disfunction. Its all in the Congressional Record and the FDA hearings held in the early 80s, when over 30,000 doctors and researchers tried to prevent legalisation of the sweetener. But Rummy was Sec for Health then and on the board of Searle (makes aspartame) and that was that. First big test was Desert Storm. Now add those side effects to untested vaccines the troops were given...about 10,000 Desert Storm troops died untimely and thousands more are crippled and kids w/defects.

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              Bkumm1 year, 1 month ago

              As much as I appreciate what you have to say AND where you stand on many issues, I don't think Rummy (standard moniker for Donald Rumsfeld) was ever Sec of Health.

              Aspartame is poison.

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                joeeddie1 year, 1 month ago

                Equal = Death

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                  Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

                  Actually, Pickles = Death.

                  Everyone who ate pickles died. 100% of them.

                  It's a perfect record.

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                    deathray1 year, 1 month ago

                    Membershiop in the Republican Party = Death?

                    100% of Republicans die, too.

                    Specious argument.

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                      dissent1 year, 1 month ago

                      Oxygen = Death.

                      Oxygen is toxic and caustic.

                      Unfortunately we need it to live.

                      But it's what kills us all.

                      No kidding.

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              MajJohn1 year, 1 month ago

              Finally, a comment about the aspartame poison which is found in so many of our food products. I've remarked before about this w/ little to show for it. Funny how it shows up here in a post about the interim progress in Iraq. Way off topic but important to know never the less how we are all being poisoned. Check out Pepsi Free. That crap has debilitated my wife.

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        jovial1 year, 1 month ago

        There was a report I read recently that said that some of the APC's and Hummers that were trying to be shipped out, were sent back. The reason being that they were contaminated with uranium 235. They were turned away from being unloaded from the cargo aircraft in Germany. Uranium 235 (aka depleted uranium) contamination came from the shielding and rounds they use.

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        Theo_ll1 year, 1 month ago

        hate to have to say it but I agree with you

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        injest1 year, 1 month ago

        scriblerus1 said:

        "Also, as long as the war continues, we taxpayers get to buy more Coca Cola at $100 per case. When a soldier is on patrol in 120 degree heat in full body armor, he drinks a helluva lot of Coke."

        Please get your facts straight, its not that hard look it up.

        From Sen. Schumer, the one who brought this up, its $45.00 per case Ice (30 cans per case, odd but that's what he says).

        As a comparison I included an ad from the PI (Philippines) for a case of Coca-Cola (24 cans per case)

        Its $24.99 per case plus $3.00 per case for delivery (In USA Dollars) = $27.99 per case

        NO ICE. In the PI

        http://www.senate.gov/~schumer/SchumerWebsite/p...

        http://wowphilippines.com/catalog/product_info....

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          injest1 year, 1 month ago

          $1.50 per can WITH ICE in Iraq vice $1.17 per can NO ICE in the PI. A difference of $.33 per can, but we don't know what the ICE cost, dang.

          Don't ya think your complaint about the cost of a can of Coca-Cola in Iraq is just a little petty?

          $45 cases of Coke: Halliburton subcontracted with La Nouvelle, a Kuwaiti company, to provide 37,200 cases of soda and ice per month for the remarkable price of $45 for a 30 can case.

          http://www.senate.gov/~schumer/SchumerWebsite/p...

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          For Delivery Nationwide

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          http://wowphilippines.com/catalog/product_info....

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            Thinker221 year, 1 month ago

            Did you guys visit a local US restaurant or gas station recently? Did you check the price of a Coca-Cola (with or without ice) there?

            You might be surprised...

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              injest1 year, 1 month ago

              Did you guys visit a local US restaurant or gas station recently? Did you check the price of a Coca-Cola (with or without ice) there?

              You might be surprised...

              16 oz Pepsi (I don't drink Coke) in plastic bottle $1.75

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      MajJohn1 year, 1 month ago

      AMAZING, you're off topic by remark 2. And you have all the lemmings following you. Why no comment on whether or not significant progress has been made toward meeting bench marks by September? It appears the President may be overly optimistic, but I'm reserving judgment until September.. The rest of you can rant and rave if you want about the rich and poor and profiteering. If you think about it, this type of thing happens any any war if you invest your resources toward the war effort.

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    gamahuche1 year, 1 month ago

    I listened to Bush talking on the radio about this. He was 100%unconvincing, basically sounded like one of those wind-up kids stuffed toys.

    He's not charisma personified at the best of times but this was so pitiful that one had to experience some kind of pity for the man.

    As many people have commented the 8/18 was hardly a passing mark and with all the caveats figured in and as the Slate story clearly laid out that the [usually partial] "successes" - all in the less important categories - were also defined extremely "creatively". Any halfway competent lawyer would rip this "evidence" into little pieces.

    How much longer will this black comedy continue and however will someone find a way to draw the curtain on it? And how long will the nation need to heal and recover?

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      dandt16121 year, 1 month ago

      Unconvincing? I think even Bush is tired of shoveling this same old s@#t. But he will keep shoveling to try to save face.

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        bigG1 year, 1 month ago

        Clearly. He won't ever admit that this was a monumental mistake which has been further exacerbated by the neolithic incompetence with which it has been executed.

        I lost all faith in this Administration doing what is right for the American people a long time ago.

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          ciera-marie1 year, 1 month ago

          bigG:

          You said it right there in a nutshell. We have a President who can not admit he is wrong and can not hear ever that he is wrong.

          This war is about oil and war profits. War profits for the Private contractor group that is in the process of buying Hilton Hotels, Haliburton and KBR.

          I for one am tired of being screwed. Our tax payer dollars are already paying for the military. We have to pay Haliburton to do the jobs that our military has been trained to do and until recently has been providing? There are some things in the military that SHOULD NOT be privatized ever.

          Good find and submission DR.

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    deathray1 year, 1 month ago

    Ultimately, this report, providing the DC establishment and the punditocracy with something to debate, is strictly an obfuscation, designed to blur the lines between success and failure, to give the Administration more time.

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    UBCONFUSE1 year, 1 month ago

    Deathray-

    You obviously tune out the words when Bush speaks. Bush has turned the corner on Iraq. This report is exactly the cover Bush needs to start the pull out. The next report will also be bad as The Shiia majority are not going to vote to share oil equally. The other issues involve bringing former Bathist managers back to run the infrastructure of Iraq. This is not going to happen, but needs to. Then you have the Sadr issue and the Shiia refuse to let the US kill this freak of Islam.

    Currently, the US is getting help from the Sunni and Kurdish tribes with great success. The Shiia are the problem and Saddam had the exact same problems with them.

    I still say Bush will pull back to Kuwait or to remote border areas and run interdiction operation to slow down Iran, Syria and the Saudi extremist pouring across the borders. The US will remain close by but out of sight. However, watch out if Hillary or Obama is elected as Iran will likely attack US troops to test waters.

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      deathray1 year, 1 month ago

      LOL, UB, I never claimed that the President wasn't feeling the pressure, or that he wasn't looking for a way out; I merely claim that the interim report is being used as a device to extend the debate while Republicans attempt to find a way out of Iraq. and somehow save the party from self immolation. It's a delaying tactic.

      I think the President is looking for something he can use to adopt the Baker Hamilton/ISG recommendations and still save face, something the Democrats have been advocating for some time.

      One can only hope that Prsident Bush is coming to see the errors in the prosecution of this war. In the meantime, his delaying tactics are getting US troopers killed and injured, and only demonstrating tactical, and not strategic, successes.

      I agree that we need to be mindful of Iran.

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        djrevelky1 year, 1 month ago

        "I agree that we need to be mindful of Iran."

        That might be the most intelligent thing you've ever said.

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        jovial1 year, 1 month ago

        This all sounds so eerily familiar?!?!

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDSc_qqCHS0

        See the similarities?

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      simonsez1 year, 1 month ago

      You're right on UB ... Saudi wants us there to balance out Iran.

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        deathray1 year, 1 month ago

        The Saudis should try to balance out Iran on their own, to some extent, instead of using their oil as a carrot to get the US to jump through those hoops for them.

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      deathray1 year, 1 month ago

      I made my position clear; I don't believe that this report is an accurate portrayal by the White House, and if you read the article, you'd see part of the rationale.

      If you want to engage me in a dicussion on the topic of alternatives to the current strategy in Iraq, I'd love to hear your ideas as well.

      Do Senators Warner and Luger believe the glass is half empty? Their new amendment to the Senate Defense Authorization bill tells me that they do.

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  kriicket1 year, 1 month ago

  You know, we have so many people who are conflicted on what they think about the war....and the media doesn't help any...there are conflicting reports on who wants us to stay and who wants us to go. We hear stories of soldiers who have become friends with some of the Iraqi people...and those who want us to stay...then we have reports that they want us to leave. I think some of the Iraqi people are divided about this war as much as we are.

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    lvrofwolves1 year, 1 month ago

    Just killed me last night when I heard Bush say 'the same people who attacked us on 9/11 are the same people we are fighting in Iraq today'. then a minute later, 'of course those who attacked us are dead'.

    I don't know...Bush seems to be having some problems getting his thoughts/stories straight lately, and the way he stays on course? I call it stubborness. The way he thinks we can and are winning the war, sounds like the insane ideas that Hitler had. He wanted to stay the course no matter the cost, even when it was blatantly evident he was losing. Pure delusional stubborness.

    I'd really love to see some real facts that we have made any progress, any at all. Seems to me we are worse off now plus billions in debt and more importantly almost 4,000 Americans killed in war, countless injured. Are we safer now???? noooooooooo and who really do we need more protection from exactly? terrorists? or our Government right now?

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