Posts Made By: George Blahun

Doug:
You can legitimately argue about whether the Democrats' policies are the right ones or not, but to suggest they don't care about the country is the same nonsense I hear from people like Rush Limbaugh. I may not agree with McCain often but most of the people who espouse his policies care for this country as much as I do, or you or the democrats. There are a lot of decent arguments on both sides of this issue, but your assessment as to motivation is not one of them.

George

I mean this sincerely, I'd like researchers to give serious thought to dumping chemical rockets and start an intense search for alternative, futuristic propulsion systems. Warp Drive, Anti Gravity all the stuff which physicists now say is feasible given the current views of the universe and its most basic laws. I'm sure that some of this is now going on, but it would be nice to come up with a method for getting us to the stars without having to rely on time dilation and its myriad issues. In the book The Hunt For Zero Point by Nick Cook, he postulates some of this research is and has been going on. Unfortunately, it is in the Black Programs and is not out in the open with collaboration of ideas and results. If you aren't familiar with Nick Cook, he writes for Jane's, and is a well respected researcher. Chemical rockets are not going to get us where we really want to go, the stars and beyond. You might find it surprising that I voted for reducing funding for manned flight, but it's not because I want to see us stuck here on earth. I'd like for us to really have a chance to go somewhere interesting and to get there money is needed. Using chemical rockets to get us off the earth is like using a bicycle to get to the North Pole. It can be done, but unless you're doing it for the fun and exciting experience, it's not the most efficient way to travel.

I think they are all funny in varying degrees, but none of them is as funny and entertaining as was amateur astronomer Johnny Carson.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was unable to vote given the choices. I do think anyone who cares about this country certainly has some fear about the outcome, regardless of political affiliation. For me, real fear for this country was during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I lived less than one mile across the Thames River from the US Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT. At the time it was considered ground zero for the number 2 Soviet target in a Nuke War. I came home from school, watched a live feed from the UN and then loaded my 22 rifle and sat out on a rock over looking the Sub Base waiting for Missiles and MIGs. I can chuckle about that now, but that was real fear. Obviously, had an actual attack occurred my rifle and I would have been atoms before I realized anything was going down. If nothing else, that point in history gives me a frame of reference for fear. The current situation doesn't rise close to that level.

Well put, Kevin. I haven't been able to vote in the last two surveys because I really didn't feel the available choices accurately represented how I felt.
George

Hello Don, not to get bogged down in semantics, but the wording was not simply "I am proud" but "I have NEVER been MORE...". You alluded to feeling "better" under W and maybe that doesn't equate to "more proud". Perhaps I am focusing too much on semantics, but I think most of us feel pride in this country. For me, however, it does wax and wane with the policies each administration puts forth, I just can't say there has ever been a point at which I have never felt more proud.

George

Firstly, I voted for negotiate and it would taker an extreme situation before I would ever consider supporting a nuclear strike. That said, I think it's time to reconsider using neutron bombs in our arsenal to make the point to small rogue nations, they can be wiped out and their neighbors spared. I'm sure Iran and Korea, for instance, know they are relatively safe because all the long lived radiation from a nuclear detonation would hurt surrounding nations and the planet in general. Knowing that it might be possible to deploy a neutron bomb and not have the wide ranging devastation associated with other nuclear devices may give them something to actually worry about. During the cold war it may have been a good idea to ban the neutron bomb, although it prevented some interesting development of nuclear based rocket propulsion, but it's at least time to review this position.

While I disagree with you almost entirely, I just don't understand this intolerant rhetoric. It would never occur to me to suggest someone I disagree with should leave the country. Your position is why very little is getting done. Unless you can speak with civility and respect there is absolutely no hope for compromise. The one thing both sides in this or any debate need to recognize is both sides care about this country, they only differ in what they feel is best. In the 60's the intolerant cry was "My country, love it or leave it" but my mantra has always been, "My country, love it or change it".
As much as I empathize with your loss, there are many people on both sides who have suffered first hand and second hand due to this crisis. Reacting emotionally will never accomplish anything worthwhile.
George

David:
I actually took your advice and read your post again. Maybe you should read it too. When you said "don't you DARE..." That is emotional, ipso facto. Telling someone to leave this country because you disagree with them is inherently disrespectful. You have disregarded how significant historical changes occurred in this country. Issues like slavery, a woman's right to vote, decisions to go to war etc. all had strong proponents and opponents. The nature of this country is that it is changeable and not locked into one point of view forever.
BTW, the government did not cause this crisis, the insurance companies who live off the suffering and pain of others are primarily responsible. Yes, I agree it's is more complex than that, but when we have a system based on profit it will always the least powerful who will be hurt. If you are so comfortable with private control why not turn over the police, fire and military to corporations as well?
I'm sure you'd prefer people like me to leave the country, but I'm going to stick around and do what I can to change this corrupt system. I will continue to support a single payer option regardless of the emotional and patronizing rhetoric.

While looking at how this poll is evolving I started to think how Bush Sr. might feel pretty good about the results if he saw them. Then it occurred to me that mediocrity is no way to leave the presidency. If you want to have a chance at being the greatest, you have to risk being the worst.