badmouthing our president

Originally posted by substrate
binaryDigit, hablis is entitled to say anything he wants, so are the Dixie Chicks, but that doesn't mean there is any responsibility to believe what they say. I agree with the Dixie Chick's statements. A lot of people didn't and considered it ignorant. Because of that some radio stations are boycotting them. Fine. Both sides acted fully within their rights.

My point wasn't that people should "believe" what he has to say, it's just that he was pretty much attacked for his opinion. Which is funny because people were badmouthing him for badmouthing others. Classic pot->kettle->black. Sorta like saying "HEY, she's entitled to her opinion, so SHUT UP you ignorant fool!" ;)

Situations like this always reminds me of one of my favorite Dilbert sayings (actually it's Dogbert that says it):

"It's obvious that you're intolerant of my intolerance".
 
binaryDigit, hablis is entitled to say anything he wants, so are the Dixie Chicks

I don't mean to poke fun, maybe I'm just in a wierd mood, but this line as a stand alone statement is kind of funny. :)

We're actually talking about war and the Dixie Chicks. Regardless of your stance on this issue, you have to find humor in that.
 
A band like the Dixie Chicks is not an official voice of the US. Period. In my opinion most people should be allowed to badmouth a government without consequences. I'm not saying it's always a smart thing to do but as long as they are not representatives of any government they can say anything they want. If, on the other hand, someone is in a government position they better choose their word more carefully. To give an example: Recently, a Canadian politician made a sort of a public statement that she hated Americans, also calling them "stupid bastards". Now, as much as I agree with her as far as the American govt. goes, I don't think she should have said that openly. In fact, this kind of public bashing is pretty stupid for a politician because it could be the end of his/her political carreer.
In that sense: Badmouth whoever you want but be prepared to be judged by you statements.

And again, criticising someone is not badmouthing someone. And I think all your ex-presidents know that difference, even when they're abroad.
 
Wow, it was interesting to see some of twists and turns this post has taken. My basic point was that if your gonna trash talk somebody, you better be able to back it up with fact. The Dixie Chicks, go to another country, trash talk the president, then dodge the questions because evidently, they can't articulate their point. Thats cowardly. And calling somebody stupid is what poeple do who can't articulate.

I'm wondering what it's like to be on the Bush hating side. I mean honestly, are you going to be happy if our economy rebounds? That would mean a gauranteed re-election. Are you going to be happy if the war goes quick (2 weeks or less - and it WILL) with almost 0 casualties on either side and our economy is boosted further? That would mean re-election as well. Are you going to be happy when you see the Iraqi's getting huge bails of food with U.S.A. stamped on it? That must infuriate you, and what a wierd way to be; angry at positivity. Are you going be bitter if there is no new terror attacks? Are you going to be bitter when the Iraqi economy rebounds and the people are free again with no starving children? And what about when we leave Iraq better then we found it, like Afganistan, and we leave without taking millions of barrels of raw crude oil with us? And we leave no occupying force behind (and we won't). Will you be mad to see the Iraqi's happy and prospering agian? Oh, and what about the arrests of the leaders of al Queada? That must bug you too that we're only weeks away from bagging Osama. Just look at the position your hatred for conservatism has put you in. Look, I know you guys don't hate the U.S. so much, it's conservatives and their seeing of black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral that you hate. I know what side I want to be on... Happy, Positive, Upbeat, full of Hope.

It's a shame, we really should have been united in this. Certain European countries are going to look really bad in the history books for being on the wrong side of this.
 
Originally posted by habilis
... Are you going be bitter if there is no new terror attacks? Are you going to be bitter when the Iraqi economy rebounds and the people are free again with no starving children? And what about when we leave Iraq better then we found it, like Afganistan, ... And we leave no occupying force behind (and we won't).

I think that expecting no more terror attacks is a bit unrealistic isn't it? AAMOF we may likely see an increase as any action against Iraq, no matter how "justified" will be viewed in a negative light by most of the Muslim world. And while an action against Iraq may prevent and major attacks from occuring, it certainly can not stop smaller ones.

And no starving children? We have starving children here in the US that we have a hard time dealing with. Again, unrealistic. Things should be better overall though.

And finally, no peace keeping force. Not really a peace keeping force issue, but the question becomes how do we leave the govt when we leave. The biggest problems in all these mucking about with foreign govts is trying to make sure you leave something that is better than what was there. And not better for a year or two, but better long term. That will be the key to a "successful" mission in the long run. Being able to pull out your peace keepers quickly is all fine and dandy, but lets hope they have a clear idea for how to handle things from that point on.

I know you just brought some of them up as generalities, but since you did bring them up, I felt compelled to respond ;)
 
habilis, your point of view really amazes me. You speak as if war is a good thing.

Happy, Positive, Upbeat, full of Hope.

I'm sorry but war is none of these things. You speak as if going to war is going to mean an automatic victory, and acceptance by the people of Iraq, an increase in the economy, the end of starvation in Iraq, and the undisputed respect of the entire world. Also your beliefs that the war will be quick (2 weeks I believe you said), painless and provide all of these added benefits.

As if war is this great thing. habilis, people are going to die. And for what? So we can have a better economy? Does that sound logical?

No thanks, I'll pay the $.50/gal more in gas if it prevents the death of even one more American.

That's what were talking about, an economy, not lives, but dollars and cents.

And one more thing on this one, war does NOT automatically mean a growing economy. The Gulf War did not help the economy. The last war to help the economy was World War II. Vietnam started to help the economy, but I believe -- if memory serves me -- because it dragged on for so long it became more of a burden to the economy then anything else.

The reason war doesn't translate into a proportional increase in the economy is because there are less "working class" people in America. (The population that sees the most increase in jobs during war time).

World War II produced more jobs, because the people who had to leave the country (mostly men) left vacant jobs for women and men that could not serve. Those jobs (mainly factory jobs), were prominent also because the government needed military hardware produced to aide in the war effort.

Sadly some of those jobs were left vacant due to high casualties.

Modern warfare is fought differently. Less typically less ground-troop movement, more missiles and smart bombs, etc. The effects of war are less prominent at the point of war. Impact of war is no longer defined as deaths. With the advent of chemical warfare, even our general population is at risk to exposure.

Don't be so quick to believe the propaganda. Until the war happens, we won't know the effect is will have on Amercia and the rest of the world.
 
**

This would be a direct answer to your insult directed against many people of this board.

The truth is, Bush's policies may lead to a socio-ecnomical disaster very soon. This could be discussed here, if you minded calming down and stop yelling Frenchmen and anti-war people are either anti-semitics or hippies.
 
Originally posted by toast
It seems ignorant people also like to support him, in some cases.

This would be a direct answer to your insult directed against many people of this board.

Well he did say "ignorant people like to insult bush". Emphassis on insult, which is not the same as saying that "ignorant people like to criticize/disagree with bush". A small but important difference. Makes the difference between meaning "anyone who would stoop to personal insults is ignorant" vs "anyone who disagrees with bush is ignorant".

toast, you can help keep this whole thread from degenerating like the other one as well. Many of the same things that I said to kanecorp apply to you as well. If you want to have an intelligent discourse, then keep your remarks intelligent, regardless of how non intelligent you think the other posts may be. (man, I feel like my 2nd grade teacher)
 
kanecorp, you have been warned about attacking others. one more insult to anyone and you're thru with this discussion and all others on this site. understand?

btw - i am neither ignorant nor a hippie. :rolleyes:
 
BinaryDigit, you may feel like your 2nd grade teacher, you're right. I've taken note of your post, believe me. Anyway, I wasn't planning to answer more flame comments after this last one.
 
Originally posted by edX
kanecorp, you have been warned about attacking others. one more insult to anyone and you're thru with this discussion and all others on this site. understand?

btw - i am neither ignorant nor a hippie. :rolleyes:

oh no! A hippie threatening me...doesn't that go against what you believe in...
And how dare i get upset when my leader is unsulted.
 
Originally posted by habilis
I'm wondering what it's like to be on the Bush hating side. I mean honestly, are you going to be happy if our economy rebounds? That would mean a gauranteed re-election. Are you going to be happy if the war goes quick (2 weeks or less - and it WILL) with almost 0 casualties on either side and our economy is boosted further? That would mean re-election as well. Are you going to be happy when you see the Iraqi's getting huge bails of food with U.S.A. stamped on it? That must infuriate you, and what a wierd way to be; angry at positivity. Are you going be bitter if there is no new terror attacks? Are you going to be bitter when the Iraqi economy rebounds and the people are free again with no starving children? And what about when we leave Iraq better then we found it, like Afganistan, and we leave without taking millions of barrels of raw crude oil with us? And we leave no occupying force behind (and we won't). Will you be mad to see the Iraqi's happy and prospering agian? Oh, and what about the arrests of the leaders of al Queada? That must bug you too that we're only weeks away from bagging Osama.

i wish i had your crystal ball and could see the future so clearly. it sounds a lot like what the supporters of the civil war, the ww's and vietnam all had to say. it was the attitude the USSR took when invading afgahnistan. it's a really rose colored way to look at war. it defends one against the harsh realities that ARE war. Ever talk to a vet that was expeosed to agent orange? ever talked to a vietnam vet who watched his best friends die in the name of 'liberation'? have you ever talked to anyone who has had to live with knowing they killed others? have you ever seen pictures of real people dying? of bodies that were exposed to chemical warfare? in short, do you have any concept of war and death outside of movies, tv and video games? and when is the last time there was a war that only lasted 2 weeks? skirmishs and border disputes last 2 weeks. war lasts much longer, it's effects/affects last for a lifetime for those involved.
Just look at the position your hatred for conservatism has put you in. Look, I know you guys don't hate the U.S. so much, it's conservatives and their seeing of black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral that you hate.

i have no hate for conservatives nor conservativism. i hate LBJ ( a liberal democrat) for vietnam as much as i hate bush for what he is doing to our country right now. i'm just glad you're able to see the war/world in black and white right now, because i'm sure when somebody close to you dies, it won't look that way any longer.

I know what side I want to be on... Happy, Positive, Upbeat, full of Hope.

It's a shame, we really should have been united in this. Certain European countries are going to look really bad in the history books for being on the wrong side of this.

not once has history ever treated the first agressors with any respect. and history shows us that most of them are the ones who lose. i find this all very scary coming from a man who announced to us all that macs suck and then found out how much he missed them after just a brief while. i just wish that people didn't have to die for you to learn this lesson as well.
 
Originally posted by kanecorp
**

Even I haven't been insulted this deep... :rolleyes:

Anyway, does anyone know how I can watch FOX or CNN (or equivalent) on my iMac ? Or how I can connect to US radios ? French radios will also transmit Bush's speech, but I'd like it in English, please, and I don't have TV... Can anyone help ? :)
 
Originally posted by kanecorp
oh no! A hippie threatening me...doesn't that go against what you believe in...
And how dare i get upset when my leader is unsulted.

lol :p

i suppose you think you've insulted me again. lucky for you i consider it a compliment, even if i'm not one. :D

you can get upset and present your arguement without calling other people names. this is not something i just made up today. it has been site policy for some time now. like everybody else here, myself included, you play by the rules or you don't play at all.
 
Originally posted by edX
lol :p

i suppose you think you've insulted me again. lucky for you i consider it a compliment, even if i'm not one. :D

you can get upset and present your arguement without calling other people names. this is not something i just made up today. it has been site policy for some time now. like everybody else here, myself included, you play by the rules or you don't play at all.

no i sure hope i didn't insult you.
Just like i wouldn't be insulted if someone called me an American. I'm not insulted, cause thats what i am, its just a fact.
By me calling you a hippie, its not an insult, and just what you are. I"m sorry if you take offence or think that i want to me rude.
 
by habilis
The Dixie Chicks, go to another country, trash talk the president, then dodge the questions because evidently, they can't articulate their point. Thats cowardly. And calling somebody stupid is what poeple do who can't articulate.

I live in a free country who's citizens are not required to provide justification for how they feel in order to have or speak those feelings. The fact that you seem to think that your feelings are in any way superior to thiers means that you do not stand for what makes this country great.

If only that was you last comment...

I'm wondering what it's like to be on the Bush hating side. I mean honestly, are you going to be happy if our economy rebounds?

It should have never taken this hit to begin with. I would be very happy with a rebound. I would be very happy if Bush would be half the man his father was and did something to help fix the problem. Bush serves only those who can fund his interests. The fate of the common man is not his concern. In the words of his father, Bush is practicing VooDoo-economics. This war is smoke-and-mirrors to keep our minds off the economy. We (the United States) don't need this war for any reason. We (the United States) are in no way threatened by Iraq. And if we (the United States) were actually willing to act in a noble venture, we would be centering our efforts on North Korea.

Are you going to be happy if the war goes quick (2 weeks or less - and it WILL) with almost 0 casualties on either side and our economy is boosted further?

Of course I would, but I don't think that is how it is going to happen. Why try to stop the war? Because we are destroying years of work. We had a New World Order under the original Bush. We were the ones that stood up shoulder to shoulder with other countries of the world to stop those who invaded smaller countries for personal gain. Now we are the invaders.


Are you going to be happy when you see the Iraqi's getting huge bails of food with U.S.A. stamped on it? That must infuriate you, and what a wierd way to be; angry at positivity.

Why do you think we would be angry at a positive result? It is all the negative results that we are upset with. We are becoming a rogue nation blind with military power (because we don't have any economic power at the moment). None of that had to come to pass. After this is over, USA stamps on food aren't going to keep the rest of the world from seeing us as power drunk. We are creating more fear than any of the evil states we are going after.

Are you going be bitter if there is no new terror attacks?

There should never have been a first attack! The Clinton administration had al Qaeda and the middle east as the main priorities. What did the Bush administration do when they entered office? Dismissed them as Clinton's projects. All the work that had been done on al Qaeda up to that point was dropped... completely! 3000+ people died because Bush didn't want to follow in Clinton's foot steps. Bush has their blood on his hands. He turned his back when the Clinton administration try to warn the incoming Bush administration of the dangers.

Oh, and what about the arrests of the leaders of al Queada? That must bug you too that we're only weeks away from bagging Osama. Just look at the position your hatred for conservatism has put you in.

Look at the price to get Bush to finally take action.

Look, I know you guys don't hate the U.S. so much, it's conservatives and their seeing of black and white, right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral that you hate. I know what side I want to be on... Happy, Positive, Upbeat, full of Hope.

Happy? Positive? Upbeat? Are you kidding? Conservatives are the most angry people I've seen. The constant attacks are not the characteristics of someone who is Upbeat. The fearing for your daughter is not a sign of being Positive and full of Hope.

Let me ask you a question (I think I asked before): why didn't we have as much panic after Oklahoma City? Why didn't we start wars and getting people to buy supplies for emergencies? What was different? And the first World Trade Center bombings, why didn't those spark the same type of panic? Was it because they used trucks and not planes? Why didn't security on rental trucks increase to the same point that it has for airlines?

Stop taking what they are feeding you for 24 hours. Look into what is actually happening with open eyes. Think about the future you are helping to create for your daughter. Just for one day. People whom you love are really in the balance here.
 
I have self-cleaned [**] my own sayings, aiming at making this place more enjoyable. I hope some more intelligent discussion like we have had many times here before will continue.

BTW, I'm on AIM: brat270783. Could we all possibly join on the macosxcom iChat room or on the macosx.com URC ? Tell me, :)
 
Racer, it not possible that I can be concerned greatly for my daughters safety and be positive and upbeat at the same time about where our president is going to take us in the future? About conservatives being "The most angry people" you've seen, you must not be friends with too many conservatives because that's pure myth and you've fallen for it. And I'm not attacking. I'm defending.

Ed, of course I've seen the real brutalities of war and it turns my stomach. War in its purest state, which is simple ruthless bloody murder, is the worst thing in the world, the scurge of mankind. Thats why we have to remove the people in the world that create it.

And tell me that this following person sounds "stupid"
He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University in 1968, then served as an F-102 fighter pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. Then earned a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1975.

guess who
 
Back
Top