agreed

you assume that because I can vote all of my civil liberties are in tact. this is about as reductionistic as possible.

well since you know best, lets just impose our will on everyone.

if its happening there, eventually its going to happen here...

if we would just stay the fuck out of other countries problems, wed be fine. (with the exception of major human rights violation - in which case the UN should be in charge of the dealing with this issue)

Define "major". By any definition I can think of, both Iraq and Afghanistan were witness to major violations of human rights. And the UN is both ineffective and in large part controlled by those doing the abusing. America is evil for staying out of bad shit when it goes down, as in Rwanda, and evil when it interferes. What is to be done? Where is a real solution?

when did it become our responsibility?
who made us the worlds police?

let these dictators run themselves out of power, it happens eventually. and when a country rises up against its leadership they are able to better form their own style of government.

the countries that are still strong today, have had to struggle through all kinds of oppression before they were able to establish the type of govmt. that was right for them.

the french did it, the russians do it ever 50 years or so, the americans did it (twice)....

Apparently you're too fucking stupid to realize that the world is a smaller place now. Problems in another country (saaaay Afghanistan) can quickly become problems in OUR country (saaaaay 9/11/01).

The world is too damn small to be isolationist.

You know what I'm sick of hearing?

The Holocaust.

Seriously guys, we know it was a horrible event in history and it was very brutal. But for the love of all that is holy SHUT UP. Jews were NOT the only people who were brutally murdered. Just look at Stalin and Lenin and we can then argue about that.

Hello left field!

i can agree with this, but the government should still focus on improving america rather than sending all our resources to rebuild countries that really don't want our help.

my problem isn't with helping countries that can't help themselves, but that america is falling apart at the seams and the government now in power demonstrates more concern for those overseas, than resolving the issues that are affecting american's; well those that are in the lower end of the tax bracket anyhow.

I'm gonna add my two cents here. #1 I do think Bush is an idiot. I also think he is just a puppet, both to Cheney, and Daddy Bush.
#2 I think our government is walking a very fine line here. They haven't really stepped over it, but they are getting damn close. The whole Gonzogate thing is proof of that. I think the U.S. Supreme Court needs to start doing its job in protecting the law of the land at this point and start reviewing some of the recent laws that have been past, such as the Military Commisions Act, which essentially revoked Habeus Corpus.
#3 I think we need some serious governmental reform. Yes the way things are now work to an extent, and could continue to work if there were such a thing as an honest politician, with one big problem: Its outdated. It was created in a time when the american people did not have access to information as readily and easily as we do now. It was designed so that our government could keep the people from royally fucking up the country. And at that time, they were right in doing so. Now that same thing is preventing us from having much say in what the government does. It has gotten to a time where we need to take some more power away from the government and give it to the people. We need a more represenative system of government. One that takes the power out of the hands of the lobbyists, and puts it into the hands of the people, which would also start doing away with the two party system(especially since the two parties don't want to share the stage, and give the independants a chance.) Now I am not saying we need to change the constitution mind you. That still works, it works very well, and it is becoming even more necesary in this day and age. But shit needs to change. Our government is rapidly becoming defunct, and left to their own devices may very well become a very bad thing. Every scandal that has involved the administration as of late should be evidence of that. Its gone past republicans, and democrats, party lines, and all that happy horse shit. Its about a small group of people who are ready willing, and almost able to fuck over whom ever they so please to get what they want. And sadly what happened 6 years ago helped to facilitate that venture.

Americans are fat and spoiled. We are fine. "Help" just means socialism. We don't need it. We don't want it.

Gonzogate? You joking? The biggest JOKE of a fucking "gate" ever. Oh noes, Bush is having his AG fire people who serve at his leisure because they don't mesh with his policies! OH NOOOO!!!!

it goes beyond socialism and hand outs to the poor and lazy; we have oodles of jobs, but no one can afford to work them for the wages offered, and small business can't keep up with the big businesses, the housing market is atrocious, many places have houses way too expensive for those who live and work there to afford, and those who at one time could afford them and had them built, no longer can and never lived there. people who don't need help are able to abuse what's offered, using up resources to help to people who really need it, and those who really need it, can't get it...

i really don't think our borders or country are any more safe from an attack than it was before 9/11, the only people getting screwed by the enhanced border measures in the north, are those who want to be legal about it, there's miles of forests here that are impossible to monitor...on some level you are right about socialism(you sound a lot like my dad ) but i don't believe the current government is doing everything it can to put america back where it was once upon ago, instead of the chaos we're living in now...how did america come to such a decline?

i personally just don't see america as American as it once was, most americans are phenomenal people, including the immigrants who genuinely wanted to be american, and especially those who have and are willing to die for it, but there's so many non american anti americans here, that are now being chased from the south to more northern areas...we can barely sustain our locals...and nothing is being done about their illegal status, they're just being herded into another state's problems, insisting we speak and understand their language, so it's easier for them to live in america, rather than learning how to speak our language, they came here, it's not like they were invited here, how would they treat me if i went to their country and insisted they speak english?

i'd probably end up in one of their boys towns...

i do like guilliani's stance on that idea...what's the name of that restaraunt that put up a sign that customers must speak english, i imagine they'd have an amazing philly cheese steak sandwich, but i suppose they'll have to change that name to a queso and carna sandwich.

see what happens when i start watching news.

English isn't America's official language. America doesn't have an official language. Its a representation of our mix of cultures, or "melting pot" if you will. This is a good thing. Spanish speakers are making up an increasingly larger population in the States, perhaps its time we started learning their language.

i have no issues learning another language, unless their intent is to wipe out the culture of the people they're invading.

Texas Town Adopts Spanish As Official Language

they came to america, to be american, why expect us to yield to their refusal to accept the fact that they're no longer in mexico; why is it okay for them to not learn english, or not have to take steps to become legal, yet we're expected to learn mexican to make their illegal existance here, easier?

Because, as I pretty clearly stated in my previous post, American does not equal english.

And honestly, I think most of the are ignorant of the incredibly complex and time consuming process of becoming a legal citizen. Most of them don't have 7 years to wait to start making decent pay and living like civilized humans. They need to feed their families now, so they come to the States where the pay is better. Its a very simple concept.

it's nice to know someone can make decent pay to feed their families in the united states.

I've had no problems. Then again I'm actually motivated and want to better myself, rather than whining that I got a bad lot in life.

i didn't get a bad lot in life, just chose to live in an area that has more outside money coming in, than is actually living here, and your a single man with no children...big difference than a divorced single mother.

but your statement doesn't eliminate the fact that there's a lot in america that is screwed up.

honestly i'm doing fine, excellent credit history, good refrences, a strong support structure and known as a local...but having mexicans coming here and treating me like crap because i don't speak perfect mexican or a piece of meat they want to shag, doesn't help their case any.

i don't even shag local boys anymore and they're more polite about it.

I actually wasn't aiming my last post at you specifically, just people in general who do whine rather than take action.

i know, but i used to whine a lot...but now that i have no one to whine to, i'm getting out of the habit.

i'm currently more upset over the fact that our school district can't afford to have a nurse at each school, but has one that has to rotate between two high schools, four elementry schools and two middle schools; i'll see what bites my butt tomarrow.