Comments on: Getting To The Heart Of Things http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/ Firedoglake weblog Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:43:03 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Lexie http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-341113 Lexie Thu, 19 Oct 2006 05:04:50 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-341113 <p>Why would you not advocate a modest redistribution of wealth? That is what taxing the very wealthy does, and it is exactly what it should do. Capitalism is structurally prediposed to become monopoly capitalism. The way that democratic governments remedy that is to break up monopolies, protect competition, create and enforce fair employment standards and labor laws, create rational regulations, and uses taxes as a method of paying for the social infrastructure. Why is everyone so afraid to redistribute wealth? The system is currently skewed to concentrate wealth. Do you think that is good for democracy?</p> Why would you not advocate a modest redistribution of wealth? That is what taxing the very wealthy does, and it is exactly what it should do. Capitalism is structurally prediposed to become monopoly capitalism. The way that democratic governments remedy that is to break up monopolies, protect competition, create and enforce fair employment standards and labor laws, create rational regulations, and uses taxes as a method of paying for the social infrastructure. Why is everyone so afraid to redistribute wealth? The system is currently skewed to concentrate wealth. Do you think that is good for democracy?

]]> By: Sandman http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340631 Sandman Thu, 19 Oct 2006 00:10:09 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340631 <blockquote><p>While I was finishing this post, Noron cut away from the speech coverage on MSNBC to talk with two members of Congress, and asked the Democratic member to pledge that the Dems would do no investigation of the Bush Administration if they re-gained control of the House because, as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.”</p></blockquote> <p>I think another short, correct answer is:</p> <p>Two years? Hell– try <em>eight</em> years! Do you think we’ve forgotten the Clinton administration? Or your two-year war against Gore? They’d just better pray that they’re not shown the same mercy that they’ve shown <em>us!</em></p>

While I was finishing this post, Noron cut away from the speech coverage on MSNBC to talk with two members of Congress, and asked the Democratic member to pledge that the Dems would do no investigation of the Bush Administration if they re-gained control of the House because, as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.”

I think another short, correct answer is:

Two years? Hell– try eight years! Do you think we’ve forgotten the Clinton administration? Or your two-year war against Gore? They’d just better pray that they’re not shown the same mercy that they’ve shown us!

]]> By: DamonO http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340534 DamonO Wed, 18 Oct 2006 23:07:35 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340534 <p>The question I have is, why is a supposedly objective, non-partisan JOURNALIST acting as an advocate on behalf on the White House?</p> The question I have is, why is a supposedly objective, non-partisan JOURNALIST acting as an advocate on behalf on the White House?

]]> By: justfred http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340505 justfred Wed, 18 Oct 2006 22:50:23 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340505 <p>“There are fundamental differences between conservative and liberal philosophies, but a lot of the end goals tend to intersect”</p> <p>Fuck! Name one!</p> <p>Don’t be a sucker. There are no conservative philosophies or goals that intersect with liberalism – that’s just the marketing plan hiding their true nature. Conservativism is founded on fear and insecurity. It is all about…ALL ABOUT assuaging the individual’s fear of…EVERYTHING; fear of: sex, technology, death, anything dissimilar to them. It is 100% about self – there is no community, no humanity in conservativism. </p> <p>** “Tough Love” – that’s an excuse, not a solution to help anyone<br /> ** “Compassionate Conservativism” – yea where? Name one thing compassionate that has occurred under conservativism.<br /> ** “Trickle down economics” – another excuse not to help.<br /> ** ‘unregulated capitalism and privatization’ – a policy of mass corruption and corporate ripoffs; a health and environmental disaster; devastation of the working class and the disadvantaged.<br /> ** ‘smaller government’ – a big fat lie to mask shifting wealth from the middleclass to the wealthy.<br /> ** ‘faith-based initiative’ – government funded proselytizing<br /> ** ‘strong on security’ – nothing but taxpayer funding of fat cat robber barons, i.e., the lords of the military industrial complex. Wasting wealth for little or no return. They cut soldier benefits at every opportunity. The lost opportunity cost of wasting the earth’s wealth on destructive military hardware instead of improving people’s lives the world over is staggering. </p> <p>Intersecting goals my ass – nothing could be further from the truth. Conservatives are all lies all the time. They are power mad and live by might makes right. They twist and distort reality and truth to fit their purpose. They know nothing of what Jesus taught – they live exactly the opposite. Their ignorance and venality are manifest. They are the embodiment of hypocrisy. </p> <p>Liberalism (true liberalism not some bullshit non-existent, twisted liberal-hawk crap) and liberal goals are exactly the opposite of conservatives and conservatism.<br /> .</p> “There are fundamental differences between conservative and liberal philosophies, but a lot of the end goals tend to intersect”

Fuck! Name one!

Don’t be a sucker. There are no conservative philosophies or goals that intersect with liberalism – that’s just the marketing plan hiding their true nature. Conservativism is founded on fear and insecurity. It is all about…ALL ABOUT assuaging the individual’s fear of…EVERYTHING; fear of: sex, technology, death, anything dissimilar to them. It is 100% about self – there is no community, no humanity in conservativism.

** “Tough Love” – that’s an excuse, not a solution to help anyone
** “Compassionate Conservativism” – yea where? Name one thing compassionate that has occurred under conservativism.
** “Trickle down economics” – another excuse not to help.
** ‘unregulated capitalism and privatization’ – a policy of mass corruption and corporate ripoffs; a health and environmental disaster; devastation of the working class and the disadvantaged.
** ‘smaller government’ – a big fat lie to mask shifting wealth from the middleclass to the wealthy.
** ‘faith-based initiative’ – government funded proselytizing
** ‘strong on security’ – nothing but taxpayer funding of fat cat robber barons, i.e., the lords of the military industrial complex. Wasting wealth for little or no return. They cut soldier benefits at every opportunity. The lost opportunity cost of wasting the earth’s wealth on destructive military hardware instead of improving people’s lives the world over is staggering.

Intersecting goals my ass – nothing could be further from the truth. Conservatives are all lies all the time. They are power mad and live by might makes right. They twist and distort reality and truth to fit their purpose. They know nothing of what Jesus taught – they live exactly the opposite. Their ignorance and venality are manifest. They are the embodiment of hypocrisy.

Liberalism (true liberalism not some bullshit non-existent, twisted liberal-hawk crap) and liberal goals are exactly the opposite of conservatives and conservatism.
.

]]> By: ASurvivorInUtah http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340445 ASurvivorInUtah Wed, 18 Oct 2006 22:04:57 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340445 <p>I’m a progressive because I respect all people, value the differences among them and deal with them in the way we want to be dealt with. I’m a progressive because of my core moral values: I believe in personal responsibility, fairness and equality, freedom and courage, fulfillment in life, opportunity, community cooperation and trust, honesty and openness. I’m also committed to the ideals on which America was founded and believe in the core principle of equality, that if you work for a living, you should be able to support yourself and your family and in government for the people–ALL PEOPLE. I want my children to have fair and equal treatment and fulfillment in life. Fulfillment requires freedom, freedom requires opportunity and opportunity requires equality.<br /> The current conservative ideals appear to be based on the strictest authority which decrees that life is difficult; that there are winners and losers; and that children are born bad–they want to do what feels good, not what’s right–and have to be made good. A strict father is needed to protect and support his family, and to teach his kids right from wrong through painful punishment for children so they learn the internal discipline necessary to be moral. Discipline will make them prosperous if they act on their self-interests and no one interferes. If you apply this observation to our nation then you have the conservative notion of a strong authoritarian president who is the only one who can defend our nation. Under this model social programs are immoral because they give people things they haven’t earned, makes them dependent and less able to function morally. Prosperous people are the good people vs. people who aren’t prosperous deserve their poverty. Taxes take away the rightful rewards of the prosperous. Wrongdoers should be punished severely. Government should get out of the way of people seeking their self-interest. You must obey the president since he is the ultimate authority on what is right or wrong, his authority should never be questioned. In foreign policy, he has absolute moral authority and needs no advice from lesser countries.<br /> The so-called “moral issues” raised by the progressives are affronts to strict-father morality. Strict-father marriage cannot be gay; it must be between a man and a woman. For the women in his family,if the wife and daughter seeksan abortion its an attack on the control of the strict-father. These issues are symbolic of the entire strict-father identity as applied to all spheres of life. That’s why they are so powerful for conservatives.<br /> I believe by exercising my core values contributes to my family, my community and my country and are acts of patriotism and it seems to me that when I share my values with others, it forges a connection between us and makes me believe that there are more progressives than conservatives, which gives me hope that we can take back our country and undo most of the damage that has been wrought by the current corrupt regime.</p> I’m a progressive because I respect all people, value the differences among them and deal with them in the way we want to be dealt with. I’m a progressive because of my core moral values: I believe in personal responsibility, fairness and equality, freedom and courage, fulfillment in life, opportunity, community cooperation and trust, honesty and openness. I’m also committed to the ideals on which America was founded and believe in the core principle of equality, that if you work for a living, you should be able to support yourself and your family and in government for the people–ALL PEOPLE. I want my children to have fair and equal treatment and fulfillment in life. Fulfillment requires freedom, freedom requires opportunity and opportunity requires equality.
The current conservative ideals appear to be based on the strictest authority which decrees that life is difficult; that there are winners and losers; and that children are born bad–they want to do what feels good, not what’s right–and have to be made good. A strict father is needed to protect and support his family, and to teach his kids right from wrong through painful punishment for children so they learn the internal discipline necessary to be moral. Discipline will make them prosperous if they act on their self-interests and no one interferes. If you apply this observation to our nation then you have the conservative notion of a strong authoritarian president who is the only one who can defend our nation. Under this model social programs are immoral because they give people things they haven’t earned, makes them dependent and less able to function morally. Prosperous people are the good people vs. people who aren’t prosperous deserve their poverty. Taxes take away the rightful rewards of the prosperous. Wrongdoers should be punished severely. Government should get out of the way of people seeking their self-interest. You must obey the president since he is the ultimate authority on what is right or wrong, his authority should never be questioned. In foreign policy, he has absolute moral authority and needs no advice from lesser countries.
The so-called “moral issues” raised by the progressives are affronts to strict-father morality. Strict-father marriage cannot be gay; it must be between a man and a woman. For the women in his family,if the wife and daughter seeksan abortion its an attack on the control of the strict-father. These issues are symbolic of the entire strict-father identity as applied to all spheres of life. That’s why they are so powerful for conservatives.
I believe by exercising my core values contributes to my family, my community and my country and are acts of patriotism and it seems to me that when I share my values with others, it forges a connection between us and makes me believe that there are more progressives than conservatives, which gives me hope that we can take back our country and undo most of the damage that has been wrought by the current corrupt regime.

]]> By: Mommybrain http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340331 Mommybrain Wed, 18 Oct 2006 20:48:26 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340331 <p>“…as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.”</p> <p>About six months ago, I told daddybrain to write this down, date it and put it in an envelope.</p> <p>I think Bush is fragile. You say maybe not. I say if the investigations get going, they’re going to dig up some pretty bad stuff and Georgie Peorgie’s rats will desert the stinking ship. Georgie will not let himself live to see the outcome (or shortly thereafter). (Is that put it delicately enough without attraction NSA attention?)</p> “…as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.”

About six months ago, I told daddybrain to write this down, date it and put it in an envelope.

I think Bush is fragile. You say maybe not. I say if the investigations get going, they’re going to dig up some pretty bad stuff and Georgie Peorgie’s rats will desert the stinking ship. Georgie will not let himself live to see the outcome (or shortly thereafter). (Is that put it delicately enough without attraction NSA attention?)

]]> By: StealthBadger.net » Blog Archive » Oh HELL no. http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340180 StealthBadger.net » Blog Archive » Oh HELL no. Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:45:52 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340180 <p>[…] I can’t believe my fucking eyes. I’m looking for any confirmation of this. From Firedoglake: PS — Here’s something amusing (not!) for you. While I was finishing this post, Noron cut away from the speech coverage on MSNBC to talk with two members of Congress, and asked the Democratic member to pledge that the Dems would do no investigation of the Bush Administration if they re-gained control of the House because, as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.” Jeebus. Talk about a weird juxtaposition as I’m adding in the Digby quote. […]</p> […] I can’t believe my fucking eyes. I’m looking for any confirmation of this. From Firedoglake: PS — Here’s something amusing (not!) for you. While I was finishing this post, Noron cut away from the speech coverage on MSNBC to talk with two members of Congress, and asked the Democratic member to pledge that the Dems would do no investigation of the Bush Administration if they re-gained control of the House because, as Noron characterized it, it would make the last two years of the Bush presidency “a living hell, so to speak.” Jeebus. Talk about a weird juxtaposition as I’m adding in the Digby quote. […]

]]> By: pbg http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340176 pbg Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:44:06 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340176 <p>“No, Norah, we’re going to spend the next two years investigating YOU….”</p> “No, Norah, we’re going to spend the next two years investigating YOU….”

]]> By: darkblack http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340151 darkblack Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:16:42 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340151 <p><a href="http://www.jihadunspun.com/newsarchive/article_external.php?article=106566&list=/newsarchive/index.php&">This</a> video is purported to be also from the Camp Falcon explosion.</p> <p>Again, I would caution prudence regarding source and content.</p> This video is purported to be also from the Camp Falcon explosion.

Again, I would caution prudence regarding source and content.

]]> By: Jim Clausen http://firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340149 Jim Clausen Wed, 18 Oct 2006 18:15:07 +0000 http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/10/18/getting-to-the-heart-of-things/#comment-340149 <p><a href="#comment-340084"><em>John Casper @ 83 </em></a></p> <blockquote><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War_casualties">U.S. Soldiers 58,239 KIA, Vietnam</a></p> <p>3,019 = 5.2% of 58,239</p></blockquote> <p>If you factor in such things as the 8:1 survival rate with 50% total disability versus the 3:1 ratio of Vietnam and I would venture to say the 5% is a bit too low.</p> John Casper @ 83

U.S. Soldiers 58,239 KIA, Vietnam

3,019 = 5.2% of 58,239

If you factor in such things as the 8:1 survival rate with 50% total disability versus the 3:1 ratio of Vietnam and I would venture to say the 5% is a bit too low.

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