| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
03 Sep 2006 09:32:38 AM |
| Object: |
Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
From The Joplin Globe, 9/3/06:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/editorial/local_story_246022044
Questioning the mysterious minority
By Elliott Denniston
The political news this summer has been about President Bush's very
low approval ratings and about the very real possibility that the
House or Senate (or both) may gain a Democrat majority.
This shift in opinion has come about gradually after the 2004
elections.
Last year, the president's campaign to privatize Social Security
failed completely to protect our retirement years, and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency disaster with Hurricane Katrina revealed
incredible federal incompetence caused largely by the administration's
practice of appointing cronies instead of well-trained personnel.
This year, the violence in Iraq has actually gotten worse, and Iraqi
forces have shown even less capacity than before to protect their own
people.
Americans no longer believe that the war helps against the real enemy.
In a recent CBS poll, only 9 percent of Americans believe that our
fighting in Iraq has helped decrease terrorism.
And torture and brutality continue to be consequences of a war
conducted without enough troops, with troops inadequately protected
and with troops forced to serve too long.
Thus far, President Bush has made no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea;
a resurgence of Taliban-led violence is undoing the American "victory"
in Afghanistan;
and the anti-American feeling he has aroused in most parts of the
world is hardening.
Congress has been trying to show the electorate that it has done
something; so far it has not.
A decent immigration bill seemed ready for approval but the most
xenophobic conservatives killed it.
The majority party tried to eliminate the inheritance tax, but even
after they combined it with a raise in the minimum wage, the Democrats
stood firm.
Meanwhile, the agenda of many Americans remains unsolved:
unaffordable health care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices,
increased poverty.
So why is it that even a minority of voters still approve of President
Bush?
(Many fewer "approve of" Congress.)
Are they single-issue voters so obsessed with abortion or gun control,
for example, that they dismiss all the rest of the government's vast
work as irrelevant?
Are they so focused on the war that their whole political outlook is,
"It would be unpatriotic to say that our troops cannot bring stability
to Iraq; therefore, they must stay there indefinitely?"
Or are they Republicans because they have always been Republicans, so
they simply cannot say, "My vote was a mistake?"
Or, perhaps most dangerously, does their information come solely from
biased and often erroneous sources such as FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh?
They resemble an audience that keeps watching a mediocre magician's
act, mesmerized long after the mechanics of the sleight-of-hand have
been revealed.
They need to realize that it's not magic; it's fraud.
_______________________________________________________
That would be giving them credit for intelligence that is sorely
lacking.
Harry
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| User: "D. Melonagaster" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 12:53:48 PM |
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In article <g5qlf2pao4hfvmaihman270phapnqa032u@4ax.com>, Harry Hope
<rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
From The Joplin Globe, 9/3/06:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/editorial/local_story_246022044
Questioning the mysterious minority
By Elliott Denniston
The political news this summer has been about President Bush's very
low approval ratings and about the very real possibility that the
House or Senate (or both) may gain a Democrat majority.
This shift in opinion has come about gradually after the 2004
elections.
Last year, the president's campaign to privatize Social Security
failed completely to protect our retirement years, and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency disaster with Hurricane Katrina revealed
incredible federal incompetence caused largely by the administration's
practice of appointing cronies instead of well-trained personnel.
This year, the violence in Iraq has actually gotten worse, and Iraqi
forces have shown even less capacity than before to protect their own
people.
Americans no longer believe that the war helps against the real enemy.
In a recent CBS poll, only 9 percent of Americans believe that our
fighting in Iraq has helped decrease terrorism.
And torture and brutality continue to be consequences of a war
conducted without enough troops, with troops inadequately protected
and with troops forced to serve too long.
Thus far, President Bush has made no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea;
a resurgence of Taliban-led violence is undoing the American "victory"
in Afghanistan;
and the anti-American feeling he has aroused in most parts of the
world is hardening.
Congress has been trying to show the electorate that it has done
something; so far it has not.
A decent immigration bill seemed ready for approval but the most
xenophobic conservatives killed it.
The majority party tried to eliminate the inheritance tax, but even
after they combined it with a raise in the minimum wage, the Democrats
stood firm.
Meanwhile, the agenda of many Americans remains unsolved:
unaffordable health care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices,
increased poverty.
So why is it that even a minority of voters still approve of President
Bush?
(Many fewer "approve of" Congress.)
Are they single-issue voters so obsessed with abortion or gun control,
for example, that they dismiss all the rest of the government's vast
work as irrelevant?
Are they so focused on the war that their whole political outlook is,
"It would be unpatriotic to say that our troops cannot bring stability
to Iraq; therefore, they must stay there indefinitely?"
Or are they Republicans because they have always been Republicans, so
they simply cannot say, "My vote was a mistake?"
Or, perhaps most dangerously, does their information come solely from
biased and often erroneous sources such as FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh?
They resemble an audience that keeps watching a mediocre magician's
act, mesmerized long after the mechanics of the sleight-of-hand have
been revealed.
They need to realize that it's not magic; it's fraud.
_______________________________________________________
That would be giving them credit for intelligence that is sorely
lacking.
Harry
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The "sore lack of which" is the very point:
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can
shield the people from the political, economic and/or military
consequences
of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all
of
its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the
lie,
and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the
State."
-- Dr.Joseph Goebbels
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| User: "Paul Revere" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 12:29:55 PM |
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On Sun, 3 Sep 2006 07:32:38 -0700, Harry Hope wrote
(in article <g5qlf2pao4hfvmaihman270phapnqa032u@4ax.com>):
From The Joplin Globe, 9/3/06:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/editorial/local_story_246022044
Questioning the mysterious minority
By Elliott Denniston
The political news this summer has been about President Bush's very
low approval ratings and about the very real possibility that the
House or Senate (or both) may gain a Democrat majority.
This shift in opinion has come about gradually after the 2004
elections.
Last year, the president's campaign to privatize Social Security
failed completely to protect our retirement years, and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency disaster with Hurricane Katrina revealed
incredible federal incompetence caused largely by the administration's
practice of appointing cronies instead of well-trained personnel.
This year, the violence in Iraq has actually gotten worse, and Iraqi
forces have shown even less capacity than before to protect their own
people.
Americans no longer believe that the war helps against the real enemy.
In a recent CBS poll, only 9 percent of Americans believe that our
fighting in Iraq has helped decrease terrorism.
And torture and brutality continue to be consequences of a war
conducted without enough troops, with troops inadequately protected
and with troops forced to serve too long.
Thus far, President Bush has made no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea;
a resurgence of Taliban-led violence is undoing the American "victory"
in Afghanistan;
and the anti-American feeling he has aroused in most parts of the
world is hardening.
Congress has been trying to show the electorate that it has done
something; so far it has not.
A decent immigration bill seemed ready for approval but the most
xenophobic conservatives killed it.
The majority party tried to eliminate the inheritance tax, but even
after they combined it with a raise in the minimum wage, the Democrats
stood firm.
Meanwhile, the agenda of many Americans remains unsolved:
unaffordable health care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices,
increased poverty.
So why is it that even a minority of voters still approve of President
Bush?
(Many fewer "approve of" Congress.)
Are they single-issue voters so obsessed with abortion or gun control,
for example, that they dismiss all the rest of the government's vast
work as irrelevant?
Are they so focused on the war that their whole political outlook is,
"It would be unpatriotic to say that our troops cannot bring stability
to Iraq; therefore, they must stay there indefinitely?"
Or are they Republicans because they have always been Republicans, so
they simply cannot say, "My vote was a mistake?"
Or, perhaps most dangerously, does their information come solely from
biased and often erroneous sources such as FoxNews and Rush Limbaugh?
They resemble an audience that keeps watching a mediocre magician's
act, mesmerized long after the mechanics of the sleight-of-hand have
been revealed.
They need to realize that it's not magic; it's fraud.
_______________________________________________________
That would be giving them credit for intelligence that is sorely
lacking.
Harry
I agree with the perspective presented here concerning "unaffordable health
care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices, increased poverty", "no
progress in disarming Iran or North Korea", "no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea", "a war conducted without enough troops, with troops
inadequately protected and with troops forced to serve too long", and
increased terrorism.
I could add the problems associated with year after year of record deficit
spending and dishonest accounting methods used by the federal government such
as not counting the expenses involved with Bush's war in Iraq in the
"budget".
The one issue I can't understand that is supported by many on the left is
ILLEGAL immigration.
On this one issue, many seem to prefer to indulge in self deception.
Xenophobia is a term frequently used to depict those who are concerned about
border security and the ability of the US to exercise control over its
immigration policy
It is difficult to understand how intelligent people who are aware of the
issues and the damage the Bush administration has done to the country can be
blind to the facts concerning this issue.
Bush is among those who support illegal immigration.
Bush does so because the corporations who bought him want a cheap labor force
for those jobs they are unable to send overseas, and they are unconcerned
with the problems created in the US health care industry and in US schools by
ILLEGAL immigrants.
They are unconcerned with the epidemic of identify fraud fueled in large part
by tens of millions of ILLEGAL immigrants who need a false id to get jobs or
government benefits.
They are unconcerned with the possibility of terrorist entering the country
at will.
Their ONLY concern is profits.
But what do the others who support illegal immigration get?
What part of ILLEGAL do these people fail to understand?
Why, on this one issue, do these people insist on sticking their heads in the
sand and calling the opposition names?
Is ANYONE complaining about LEGAL immigration? Not that I've heard.
Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners.
Legal immigrants are both strangers and foreigners, but I have heard no calls
for sending legal immigrants back to their homelands.
I have traveled in Central America, South America and Europe to experience a
variety of cultures and peoples, and I have enjoyed meeting the people of the
countries I visited.
I have no fear or hatred for stranger or foreigners.
I welcome a diversity of people from foreign lands to immigrate to the US and
contribute to our society.
I just want them to do so LEGALLY.
When a person violates US law for their own personal financial gain with
their first step on US soil, my feeling is that this is not the type of
person I want to welcome to the US.
We already have more than enough US citizens willing to violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
We don't need any more.
I sympathize with anyone whose own country can't or won't allow them to
provide a decent living for their families, but I can't condone wholesale
violation of US law.
I can't bring myself to support or defend illegal actions in order to make
more money.
If you believe in equal rights, you must believe in equal consequences.
If you are willing to ignore violations of the law by illegal immigrants for
their own personal financial gain you must be willing to ignore violations of
the law by US citizens for their own personal financial gain.
If you support amnesty for people who sneak into the US for financial gain
you must support amnesty for non-violent US citizens who violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
Yet I hear no calls for amnesty for identify thieves, embezzlers, burglars,
car thieves, and other non-violent criminals.
I saw a TV story featuring an illegal immigrant who claimed, "I am not a
criminal".
A "criminal" is one who engages in crime.
Crime:
"an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a
duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to
punishment by that law"
If you are in the US ILLEGALLY you are a CRIMINAL.
I support immigration AND the Law.
.
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| User: "Chuck Feney" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 05:30:09 PM |
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Paul Revere <Zero@nowhere.com> wrote:
I agree with the perspective presented here concerning "unaffordable health
care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices, increased poverty", "no
progress in disarming Iran or North Korea", "no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea", "a war conducted without enough troops, with troops
inadequately protected and with troops forced to serve too long", and
increased terrorism.
I could add the problems associated with year after year of record deficit
spending and dishonest accounting methods used by the federal government such
as not counting the expenses involved with Bush's war in Iraq in the
"budget".
The one issue I can't understand that is supported by many on the left is
ILLEGAL immigration.
On this one issue, many seem to prefer to indulge in self deception.
Xenophobia is a term frequently used to depict those who are concerned about
border security and the ability of the US to exercise control over its
immigration policy
It is difficult to understand how intelligent people who are aware of the
issues and the damage the Bush administration has done to the country can be
blind to the facts concerning this issue.
Bush is among those who support illegal immigration.
Bush does so because the corporations who bought him want a cheap labor force
for those jobs they are unable to send overseas, and they are unconcerned
with the problems created in the US health care industry and in US schools by
ILLEGAL immigrants.
They are unconcerned with the epidemic of identify fraud fueled in large part
by tens of millions of ILLEGAL immigrants who need a false id to get jobs or
government benefits.
They are unconcerned with the possibility of terrorist entering the country
at will.
Their ONLY concern is profits.
But what do the others who support illegal immigration get?
What part of ILLEGAL do these people fail to understand?
Why, on this one issue, do these people insist on sticking their heads in the
sand and calling the opposition names?
Is ANYONE complaining about LEGAL immigration? Not that I've heard.
Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners.
Legal immigrants are both strangers and foreigners, but I have heard no calls
for sending legal immigrants back to their homelands.
I have traveled in Central America, South America and Europe to experience a
variety of cultures and peoples, and I have enjoyed meeting the people of the
countries I visited.
I have no fear or hatred for stranger or foreigners.
I welcome a diversity of people from foreign lands to immigrate to the US and
contribute to our society.
I just want them to do so LEGALLY.
When a person violates US law for their own personal financial gain with
their first step on US soil, my feeling is that this is not the type of
person I want to welcome to the US.
We already have more than enough US citizens willing to violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
We don't need any more.
I sympathize with anyone whose own country can't or won't allow them to
provide a decent living for their families, but I can't condone wholesale
violation of US law.
I can't bring myself to support or defend illegal actions in order to make
more money.
If you believe in equal rights, you must believe in equal consequences.
If you are willing to ignore violations of the law by illegal immigrants for
their own personal financial gain you must be willing to ignore violations of
the law by US citizens for their own personal financial gain.
If you support amnesty for people who sneak into the US for financial gain
you must support amnesty for non-violent US citizens who violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
Yet I hear no calls for amnesty for identify thieves, embezzlers, burglars,
car thieves, and other non-violent criminals.
I saw a TV story featuring an illegal immigrant who claimed, "I am not a
criminal".
A "criminal" is one who engages in crime.
Crime:
"an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a
duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to
punishment by that law"
If you are in the US ILLEGALLY you are a CRIMINAL.
I support immigration AND the Law.
.
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| User: "Chuck Feney" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 05:35:06 PM |
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I was just trying to say, "Nicely put, Paul Revere" when I bumped a
key and sent your post without comment.
So, trying again...Good Post.
Couldn't agree more.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 06:28:21 PM |
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Paul Revere wrote:
I agree with the perspective presented here concerning "unaffordable health
care, a low minimum wage, soaring gas prices, increased poverty", "no
progress in disarming Iran or North Korea", "no progress in disarming Iran or
North Korea", "a war conducted without enough troops, with troops
inadequately protected and with troops forced to serve too long", and
increased terrorism.
I could add the problems associated with year after year of record deficit
spending and dishonest accounting methods used by the federal government such
as not counting the expenses involved with Bush's war in Iraq in the
"budget".
The one issue I can't understand that is supported by many on the left is
ILLEGAL immigration.
On this one issue, many seem to prefer to indulge in self deception.
Xenophobia is a term frequently used to depict those who are concerned about
border security and the ability of the US to exercise control over its
immigration policy
It is difficult to understand how intelligent people who are aware of the
issues and the damage the Bush administration has done to the country can be
blind to the facts concerning this issue.
Bush is among those who support illegal immigration.
Bush does so because the corporations who bought him want a cheap labor force
for those jobs they are unable to send overseas, and they are unconcerned
with the problems created in the US health care industry and in US schools by
ILLEGAL immigrants.
They are unconcerned with the epidemic of identify fraud fueled in large part
by tens of millions of ILLEGAL immigrants who need a false id to get jobs or
government benefits.
They are unconcerned with the possibility of terrorist entering the country
at will.
Their ONLY concern is profits.
But what do the others who support illegal immigration get?
What part of ILLEGAL do these people fail to understand?
Why, on this one issue, do these people insist on sticking their heads in the
sand and calling the opposition names?
Is ANYONE complaining about LEGAL immigration? Not that I've heard.
Xenophobia is a fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners.
Legal immigrants are both strangers and foreigners, but I have heard no calls
for sending legal immigrants back to their homelands.
I have traveled in Central America, South America and Europe to experience a
variety of cultures and peoples, and I have enjoyed meeting the people of the
countries I visited.
I have no fear or hatred for stranger or foreigners.
I welcome a diversity of people from foreign lands to immigrate to the US and
contribute to our society.
I just want them to do so LEGALLY.
When a person violates US law for their own personal financial gain with
their first step on US soil, my feeling is that this is not the type of
person I want to welcome to the US.
We already have more than enough US citizens willing to violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
We don't need any more.
I sympathize with anyone whose own country can't or won't allow them to
provide a decent living for their families, but I can't condone wholesale
violation of US law.
I can't bring myself to support or defend illegal actions in order to make
more money.
If you believe in equal rights, you must believe in equal consequences.
If you are willing to ignore violations of the law by illegal immigrants for
their own personal financial gain you must be willing to ignore violations of
the law by US citizens for their own personal financial gain.
If you support amnesty for people who sneak into the US for financial gain
you must support amnesty for non-violent US citizens who violate US law for
their own personal financial gain.
Yet I hear no calls for amnesty for identify thieves, embezzlers, burglars,
car thieves, and other non-violent criminals.
I saw a TV story featuring an illegal immigrant who claimed, "I am not a
criminal".
A "criminal" is one who engages in crime.
Crime:
"an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a
duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to
punishment by that law"
If you are in the US ILLEGALLY you are a CRIMINAL.
I support immigration AND the Law.
...
Thanks dude..
I've been tring to raise the issue myself on a number of occassions -
but all I get from the demos is total silence.
Will just have to ask each candidate in a public forum their position
on illegal immigration.. and the one with the best answer will get my
vote and support...neocon or no neocon.. it is *that* important.
.
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| User: "somefool" |
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| Title: Re: Questioning the mysterious right-wing minority |
03 Sep 2006 10:16:08 PM |
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wrote in
news:1157326101.012358.306030@e3g2000cwe.googlegroups.com:
[on immigration] I've been tring to raise the issue myself on a number
of occassions -
but all I get from the demos is total silence.
Why do the right insist on milking this non-issue? It is dividing the
right more than hurting the left.
Will just have to ask each candidate in a public forum their position
on illegal immigration.. and the one with the best answer will get my
vote and support...neocon or no neocon.. it is *that* important.
So you will vote for a "D" if they have the right answer for you on this
non-issue.
What do you want to hear?
That we will deport all illegal aliens? Too expensive
Built an illegal proof wall across 1800 miles of desert? Too expensive,
and what about Canada?
Issue them all ID cards? Maybe something here as long it's not like
tattooing a number on their forearm.
That we are going to pay them all MIN wage? Your business people will
have a heart attack and fruit will be even more expensive.
How about recognizing that we can never be completely safe, even within
our own boarders and the workers from outside our boarders will always
want to come here and work as long there are employers to pay them.
What we should be doing is collaborating with these workers in the fight
against terrorists and using their ability to spot the outsider as a
weapon. They are in the best position to point out the terrorist in their
midst. But to accomplish that, we first have to stop talking about them
like THEY are the terrorists.
They just want to work. They pay sales taxes on what they buy when
they're here. They pay rent which helps pay the property taxes. If given
a path to citizenship they will pay income taxes and may even vote or
contribute to the community in other ways. Kinda like your ancestors did
when they came here. What's wrong with that?
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