Posts Made By: James Brown

In case your wondering about my mental health, I find this story:

* Very disturbing, but compelling in a traffic wreck kind of way.

* Kind of funny, especially the dead-pan last line.

* And quite eye-opening. How could a government sanction this kind of event? I think it is time to acknowledge that I at least am pretty naive when it comes to other cultures. {p.s. and pretty naive about the ability of wiley college students to reel me in for a while... }
- Jim -

Kevin:

Life is a bit more complex than that. This Bush supporter does not categorically support the war. I feel very much the way John Kerry does about the war, based upon his discussion of the war in the debates. i.e. Since we are in there, we better finish the job properly. I am open to the concept that this is a fool's errand. I hope not. I know that we will not know for many years. That being said:

I am OK with incentives which attract poor kids to the all volunteer army. Actually I think it is great. This is a good way for kids to get an education and a leg up in a difficult world. I am very much in favor of taking care of these kids, educating them and making sure that they are rewarded for the risks they take on our behalf.

I do not want my boys (presently ages 9 and 12) to see combat. If they volunteer at the appropriate age I will do my best to support them.

Now for your cutesie pie final line:

"I hope your not just counting on filling the ranks with poor rural and inner city kids with increased incentives, as I'm sure you feel a much greater obligation toward this task than that."

I guess you mean that if I am not actively anti-war, I am a hypocrite for not sacrificing my own sons... So be it.

- Jim -

Dear John:

The initial premise and pretext for your rant is flawed. Bush's approval ratings appear to have been stuck at a level lower than his pre-9/11 numbers for over a year!

http://www.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Approval.htm

Who cares? I doubt W. does, he is not running for re-election you know.

You said: "Now, I'm not about to suggest that 9/11 was orchestrated. For George, it was just dumb luck."

This has to be the most crass statement I have ever read on these forums. No big deal. Pretty much anything goes here. I am glad that you are not about to suggest that 9/11 was orchestrated.

By the way, is that little thing with you and the bottle working out OK?

I'm sure you don't really want an answer to your rhetorical question... especially from one of the sheeple. (Gotta like that, supreme contempt for the President of the United States of America and 1/2 of the voting public all in one post!) Anyway, here is my take. No, W will not stage anything. He has faults, all of which are highlighted by the media spotlight. Staging stunts to distract the national attention is not one of his faults.

- Jim -

Ray Medhurst said:

Oh, excuse me, I have to go back to ignoring the "Today Show" when they talk about Iraq and our dead soldiers. It's just fluff or so I am told.

Ray, the above is a clear reference back to your MSNBC thread of earlier in the week correct?

Did Ronald McDonald actually talk about Iraq and our dead in the interview you watched?

Where do you think the line between fluff entertainment and news is drawn? Do you think it is possible that a morning show presents both? I do.

I am concerned because no one on this forum with the possible exception of you thinks that a discussion of Iraq and our dead is "fluff".

Similarly, no one on this forum with the possible exception of you thinks that an interview with Ronald McDonald is "news"

Is your thread today a grudgingly rendered concession that we were right all along? Do you now see that the Ronald McDonald interview was not news, but was merely entertainment?

Or is your post today just more bait? I find it hard to believe that you don't actually know the difference between news and entertainment. I think an interesting discussion could be had of the blurring of new/entertainment and (as Russell noted) advertisement. We could also throw commentary into the mix. One thing I believe to be clear. In certain instances the distinctions between new/entertainment/commentary/advertisement may be blurred. However the interview with Ronald McDonald is clearly entertainment or advertisement. And the reporting of events from Iraq is news. Please tell me that you see this.

- Jim -

Ray Medhurst said:

I AM a very productive member of this society.

Sensei did not teach me that hippies are unproductive! Where did that evil thought come from? :S

- Jim -

This is quite a different picture of global reserves than is often presented.

A similar "things are not so bad" opinion was recently published in the Rock Mountain News, including this interesting point:

"As philanthropist and oilman Alex Cranberg recently reminded me in an exchange of e-mails, the past 30 years demonstrate that oil consumption is tremendously elastic. "When will the oil run out?" he asks. "Never. That is because oil reserves are an economic and not a physical quantity. One cannot ask the question 'What are the reserves of oil?' without pairing it with the modifier, 'At $x/barrel.' At 50 cents per barrel we have no reserves of oil in the world. At $200/Bbl we have enormous reserves (many times the amounts ever produced) and the consumption of oil would rapidly decline to be replaced by other forms of energy.""

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_3840981,00.html

This stuff is dramatically contrary to some very well reasoned and informative posts on this forum over the past several months. I will look forward to some good counterpoints.

- Jim -

You may be 100% correct about the legs still under the insurgency Rod. No doubt terrorists are flocking to Iraq and honing their skills there.

I am curious though. How the heck do you know what is included in a new "classified" CIA report? Was there a major leak? :S

- Jim -

Sometimes the freeloader has got to go!

And you know how that sort of thing can make you itchy!

- Jim -

I expect Rehnquist's resignation within a few weeks. Sadly, the Chief Justice is dying. Bush can nominate a hard righty to replace Rehnquist and a center righty to replace O'Connor without affecting the philosophical make up of the Court.

It is not impossible however that Ginsberg and/or Stephens will retire during the next few years. That's when the fireworks will be truly launched.

- Jim -