Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
our "republic" today is mired in collaboration with the arms industry and other corporations, the amount of immorality is staggering because of the corporate-government collusion. the federal government is far too strong and the executive in paticular. there are many parallels between both the rise of Nazisim in germany in the 30's and modern-day America, as well as the Roman Republic and the loss thereof. Yes, life is good, which is why the people are sleeping. No one seems to care these days about our Constitution and our founding ideas. America is supposed to be a beacon of liberty, equality, and justice in the world, the last best hope for mankind. Instead today it is a nation of gluttony, expansionism, and exploitation fo the poor around the world for our own benefit and the wealth of a small handful of men. we must stop our oppression of the downtrodden of the war, and return to the ideas on which we were founded upon philisophically. A nation of goodness and hope, unrestricted ideas and immigration, unfiltered science and literature, a vibrance of the finer nature of mankind.
Instead we are today a nation of hatred, greed, and fearmongering using such broad and hazily defined demons as "illegals" or "terrorists" , but its the same as in past decades where those demons were "communists" or "socialists", Our Great Enemy which keeps the people dumb and afraid.
Its time we woke up, far past time.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
So that is how I can achieve greatness, is by educating the people!
The President has to dissolve the Congress, and that has not occured yet, and probably will not occur.
I suggest everyone read a good book by Card, titled 'Empire'.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by Zaknafien
our "republic" today is mired in collaboration with the arms industry and other corporations, the amount of immorality is staggering because of the corporate-government collusion. the federal government is far too strong and the executive in paticular. there are many parallels between both the rise of Nazisim in germany in the 30's and modern-day America, as well as the Roman Republic and the loss thereof. Yes, life is good, which is why the people are sleeping. No one seems to care these days about our Constitution and our founding ideas. America is supposed to be a beacon of liberty, equality, and justice in the world, the last best hope for mankind. Instead today it is a nation of gluttony, expansionism, and exploitation fo the poor around the world for our own benefit and the wealth of a small handful of men. we must stop our oppression of the downtrodden of the war, and return to the ideas on which we were founded upon philisophically. A nation of goodness and hope, unrestricted ideas and immigration, unfiltered science and literature, a vibrance of the finer nature of mankind.
Instead we are today a nation of hatred, greed, and fearmongering using such broad and hazily defined demons as "illegals" or "terrorists" , but its the same as in past decades where those demons were "communists" or "socialists", Our Great Enemy which keeps the people dumb and afraid.
Its time we woke up, far past time.
Yes but America has rarely lived up to these principals. In the 1850's their was an large anti Irish immigration movement which was several times worse then those today. Last time I checked their were no mobs roaming the streets burning Mexican homes, churches, bussnesus ect. We still have freedom of speach, religion and for the most part (if your not a terrorist) Habes Corpus. Overall rights are good. Yes there is some problems that need to be sorted out such as the censureship of global warming studies and wiretapping. But these can be dealt with in the framework of the system. Now is no the time for a revolution were the blood of countless soliders will flow in the streets, but a time for a Pericles. A person who will lead a series of reforms to bring america closer to her ideals.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
I would prefer a Cimon, but Pericles would work.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
Gee. The conspiracy. :dizzy2:
Zak: America never was what its ideal is, I assure you that. And we didn't do too bad. President Bush is not powerful enough to carry out a coup d'etat anyway, even if for some reason he wants to. Even the Republicans in Congress are distancing themselves from Bush en mass, and the military in general is quite disgusted with the Administration. Bush's problem in finding a war czar is illustrative of that. The things that trouble me are the wiretapping and kidnapping people against their will to hold in Guantanamo or Syria, Gonzalez' practice of partisanship where partisanship ought to be the least of all concerns, the Judicial branch. Many of these have precedents and similar events that happen before. America wasn't a dictatorship back then either.
As I never understood -- and will never understand, I suspect -- the position of "States' Rights," I find the massive increase in Federal power at the expense of State power to be a non-issue. It's a government to government transfer of power, not people to government, mostly, and I don't really find that troubling. True, government at State level can be more of an innovative policy practice ground than Washington, but it can also be the very opposite: Federal intervention was downright necessary to pull the Southern States out of their anti-Civil Rights misery ("white/majority tyranny") in the 50's and 60's after all.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
if Bush was rational I wouldnt be worried..but he's criminally insane. He literally believes Jesus is going to come and rule the world for a thousand years and is trying to make it happen by pushing Armaggeddon. Even aside from all that, he's an imbecile surrounded by very influential fascist nuts..
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by AntiochusIII
As I never understood -- and will never understand, I suspect -- the position of "States' Rights," I find the massive increase in Federal power at the expense of State power to be a non-issue. It's a government to government transfer of power, not people to government, mostly, and I don't really find that troubling.
The problem is the emphasis on bureacratic inertia that such centralization brings. Moreover, since there is less of a sense of "distance" state level representatives tend to be more responsive to their constituencies and somewhat less prone to domination by incumbents (I know, only somewhat).
I agree that this shift has not been to withdraw power from the people, but by concentrating it all in the hands of a few thousand it serves to reinforce the "distancing" of the typical voter.
Zak, you are incorrect. Bush 43 will quietly transfer power at Noon EST on 20 January 2009. Whoever succeeds him -- quite possibly a democrat -- will thank him and then give a speech that repudiates a goodly percentage of everything Bush has tried to accomplish (bordering on 90% if a dem). Bush will quietly sit there and then fly back to Crawford. You're free to bet on the dictatorship if you wish, but I'll take that bet and give you reasonable odds.
Since our ex-presidents are getting more involved of late, Bush may (at last after his father passes) make nasty comments about his successor thus confirming Carter's break with tradition. That's about as far as it will go.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by Zaknafien
if Bush was rational I wouldnt be worried..but he's criminally insane. He literally believes Jesus is going to come and rule the world for a thousand years and is trying to make it happen by pushing Armaggeddon. Even aside from all that, he's an imbecile surrounded by very influential fascist nuts..
:inquisitive:
I hate Bush too, but...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
The problem is the emphasis on bureacratic inertia that such centralization brings. Moreover, since there is less of a sense of "distance" state level representatives tend to be more responsive to their constituencies and somewhat less prone to domination by incumbents (I know, only somewhat).
I agree that this shift has not been to withdraw power from the people, but by concentrating it all in the hands of a few thousand it serves to reinforce the "distancing" of the typical voter.
Good arguments. However, I think this change is also, to a point, a necessity. America is too big to be responding to the hundreds or even thousands of constituencies that constitute local interests. At the very least it would've been fifty -- far too large for America to remain as united culturally and politically as it is today. It is also driven by the increased power of the Executive -- in itself a necessity, I think, as foreign policy usually demands a decisiveness and cohesion not usually afforded on Congress' debate floor or, worse yet, the State representatives.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
Quote:
Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
The problem is the emphasis on bureacratic inertia that such centralization brings. Moreover, since there is less of a sense of "distance" state level representatives tend to be more responsive to their constituencies and somewhat less prone to domination by incumbents (I know, only somewhat).
I agree that this shift has not been to withdraw power from the people, but by concentrating it all in the hands of a few thousand it serves to reinforce the "distancing" of the typical voter.
Zak, you are incorrect. Bush 43 will quietly transfer power at Noon EST on 20 January 2009. Whoever succeeds him -- quite possibly a democrat -- will thank him and then give a speech that repudiates a goodly percentage of everything Bush has tried to accomplish (bordering on 90% if a dem). Bush will quietly sit there and then fly back to Crawford. You're free to bet on the dictatorship if you wish, but I'll take that bet and give you reasonable odds.
Since our ex-presidents are getting more involved of late, Bush may (at last after his father passes) make nasty comments about his successor thus confirming Carter's break with tradition. That's about as far as it will go.
I'm not saying it will happen, just that it could happen, and that's bad enough. Americans need to be more on guard with this sort of thing. Games and bread while we lose our freedom, you know.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
Games and Bread didn't lose Rome. They kept Rome under control. The Romans lost their freedom when they loved the dictator Caesar.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by Zaknafien
I'm not saying it will happen, just that it could happen, and that's bad enough. Americans need to be more on guard with this sort of thing. Games and bread while we lose our freedom, you know.
Well, you and I are in complete agreement as to the stupidity of the tacit decision of many (most?) of our fellow citizens to choose ignorance of things political, historic, or economic. We share some agreement about the "drift" away from the original form of our constitutional republic. We diverge a lot after that, but that's healthy for a republic as well.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
Thanks I know a little bit about Rome :book: I'm just making an analogy to get people thinking. LOL
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by Marshal Murat
Games and Bread didn't lose Rome. They kept Rome under control. The Romans lost their freedom when they loved the dictator Caesar.
They never had the Freedom...
The Roman Senate was a bunch of rich old powerful men; that is to say, the Aristocracy. They were never in any real meaning Representatives of the people of Rome. Caesar oppressed the aristocrats, not the people -- at least, not any more than other leaders. His murderers were Senators after all...
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
That's true in some regard but the Republic had a history of public involvement, political consciousness, and public dissent as old as the casus romuli itself. There was a suprising amount of social mobility and there were broad freedoms for Roman citizens (men anyway) and many chances to partake in public life and policy decisions. It wasnt until the rise of Octavian that most of these discourses were irrevocably changed.
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
Ut OH here we go OFF TOPIC
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Yes there is some problems that need to be sorted out such as the censureship of global warming studies
Those studies for or against? :inquisitive:
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
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Originally Posted by Gawain of Orkeny
Those studies for or against? :inquisitive:
How about both? ~;)
I'm not sure there was a ban though...?
Re: Bush Makes Power Grab
