Posts Made By: Al Gennari

I Almost fell out of my chair when I saw that over 43% of those voting voted for RONALD REAGAN! Roosevelt I could see... Truman perhaps... Kennedy maybe..., but REAGAN????
Nice guy perhaps, but politically I think Reagan's doing a better job for the country drooling on himself in his Depends diaper.

Well, at least it wasn't George Jr. who won, or I think it'd be time to move to give up my citizenship and move to Canada.

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I'll agree with the partisanship part, Paul, but if you're implying Ronny helped the country by breaking down the Soviet Union and with his tax cuts to stimulate the economy - he also amassed the largest deficits in U.S. history. And I have to wonder just how much better off we are without the "Soviet Threat".

Seems we can't be happy unless we have an arch-enemy out there. Now we're spending more in $$$, not to mention lives, invading countries to fight terror, "liberate" the people and convert them to our way. Is that really any better than the Russians were??

I'm glad though that we can write these threads without fear that the Secret Police will come busting through the door... at least for the time being...

Back to astronomy - Just got the Canon 15x50IS. Great binos. Now I just need some clear wx to use them in.

Clear Skies,

AL

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I agree... except I voted for Truman. He was thrown into office with little preparation after Roosevelt died and was forced to make crucial decisions such as dropping the atomic bombs and later firing MacArthur. He handled his term without scandal and I think he and Jimmy Carter were among the most forthright and honest presidents we've had. I think that should count for something.

As to the Republicans, Big Business and Big Religion - you're preaching to the choir (pun intended) on that one, Dwight. I couldn't agree more. This country is in big trouble when we can elect an ultra-rightwing puppet boy idiot like Bush Jr. and have such large numbers of blue collar Americans hang on his every babbling word as if he were a cult leader, not President. (...the very people that are nothing but fodder to him and his piggish, money-grubbing cronies!). We'd better wake up before it's too late.

I allude to what Thurgood Marshall once said - That night never comes all at once. There's twilight during which at first you don't notice anything's different, only to find yourself surrounded by darkness.

I'm sure there's some of you out there who think this missive is dire, unrealistic and absurd. I'm sure that a lot of Germans in 1932 thought that those debunking Herr Hitler and his party were unrealistic and silly, too. And then they made him chancellor...

History can and does repeat itself, and anyone who thinks it couldn't happen to us some day at the rate we're going is foolings themselves. We're not immune just because we're Americans.

Okay, I'm done. rant off...

AL

I'm a staunch democrat and really didn't like Reagan that much. But, even I have to admit that he was amicable, patriotic and stuck to his guns. I don't think much of his domestic policies but he did accelerate the fall of the Soviet Union. As far as his funeral - He was a President of the United States and deserves a state funeral - end of discussion. Even Bush jr... uggghhh... has earned that honor.

I have and do think about it, Rick... We live in a constitutional democracy and we elect presidents, not popes. What one person may value in another, someone else might find contemptable. Bill Clinton I think did an overall good job as president. He had affairs, but I don't see that as anyone's business but his and Hillary's. His opponents saw it as a way to exploit and undermine his presidency. I gather that you support G.W. Bush and our involvement in Iraq, I find him and his policies abhorent. Go figure. Everyone has their own moral barometer. I think we should deal with facts instead of conjecture and not look to others to define our moral standards for us.

We can bark about patriotism and "keeping it in the country" all we want, but the simple fact is that we're a want it fast, want it cheap and want it now society and unskilled workers here aren't willing accept a wages that are even remotely competitive with outsourcing abroad. It says something when it's cheaper for a company to ship raw materials to China, have the product made and then shipped back to the U.S. for less than just having it made here in the first place. Corporate America may be greedy, but there's some greed on the other side of the fence to.

As far as I'm concerned FedEx is the hands down winner over UPS and tops USPS as well. They're reliable, prompt and I've never had problems with them, more than I can say for UPS (pronounced OOOPS).

Never underestimate the power of mass hypnosis and the stupidity of the American electorate. Most republicans in this country are mindless rhethoric spewing robots who vote not as individuals but as a collective pack of howling hyenas. Of what value is a "majority" of brainwashed cultist morons who can't think for themselves? This is the only reason Bush was re-elected!

Anyone who thinks for themselves instead of parroting the popular right wing rhetoric must be a liberal democrat then. I analyze what's happening around me and I form my own conclusions. I know that's something foreign to most conservative republicans, as they're used to having their opinions canned for them.
The repubican party is the master of the well spun lie. By saying something over and over again it becomes the "truth", even when it's contradicted by all empirical observations or the evidence. Perfect case in point - WMD's and the Saddam/Al Queda/911 connection. Or that perennial favorite of mine, the "liberal media". What liberal media? Where are they? What have they influenced? There's no leftist banners flying; college campuses aren't in flames over Iraq as they were over Vietnan; and Bush and his right wing still rules. Yet you continue to cling to this idiotic myth. I have two words for you, "Sinclair Group" or how about "Clear Channel", consortiums of ultra-conservatives who heavily support Bush (financially and ideologically) and regularly reach half the homes in this country. You rale on about Dan Rather, but what about Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'reilly, Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity, to name a few? These ranting right wing demagogues reach more viewers and influence more minds than Dan could ever hope to. I'd go on, but since republicans are programmed to ignore anything that contradicts "The Word", why bother...Heil Bush!!

95 of a 100 most widely circulated papers "endorsed" Kerry? Where do you come by this info? Surely, you don't read all 100 of these liberal rags everyday! Or are you confusing "endorse" with "predict"? As to the discrepancy being morally based - Where is the morality in starting a pointless war, spending billions and getting tens of thousands killed when it in no way increases our security and hasn't helped us find Bin Laden, and then lying about the reasons for it? Yes, calling half the electorate stupid is wrong... I think credulous, tunnel-visioned, gullable, narrow-minded, or blind are all much better descriptions. Besides, even smart people can be brainwashed. And since you mentioned it, any worthy "five-year-old" could see through Bush's BS. On the subject of "dominant voices" - Nothing is dominant if it doesn't significantly effect a process or outcome. Since G.W. has been re-elected and the repubs have an even greater control of congress now, your point is moot. You guys impeached Clinton for lying about sex. Bush gets away with starting wars, questionable dealings with the Saudi's, Halliburton, and a 2.5 trillion dollar and counting deficit with no questions asked. If this had happened under Clinton, Tom Daley would have led a lynch mob to the White House. I HAVE opened my eyes and I see the republicans of today as sanctimonious, holier-than-thou, double-standard-wielding hypocrites!