I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

Older material here, but still quite interesting to me.

https://plus.google.com/share?url=http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/news/2012/08/31/35920/about-the-middle-class-series-at-the-center-for-american-progress/

Jackie

I'm so conflicted on Syria. Could Assad aspire to a Hitler type action. When Hitler began expanding his base the US resisted getting involved. Is that part of the world moving in that kind of direction where one or more tyrants thinks they can take over the world.



It would be wonderful if the worlds nations would collectively decide to stand up against the evil be fomented by the few megalomaniacs of the world.



I just don't know what should be done but nothing seems wrong.

I do NOT want the US to do anything alone - and for sure and certain, not before the UN inspectors issue their report.  I don't give a rip about how great their (the US) intelligence is.  It can be wrong.  It was before.  It's easy to say, that it was wrong because that administration pushed it to be wrong (and I personally believe that is true), but wrong is wrong.  If we didn't learn ANYTHING else from the Iraq war, I would have hoped that we learned not be so @#$%^ pushy. 

I've heard some people say that they don't want to see Russia or China take over the role of policing either.  I agree.  It should not be ANY one nation.  That's what the United Nations was supposed to be about.  If it doesn't do that job, the job it was designed to do, then it shouldn't exist.

what a great picture.  It makes me smile.  (I mean the ducks... or are they chicks? and kitty 

OK - I'm going to rant a bit - if you're not in the mood, just turn away... 

I listened to a VERY interesting talk today concerning security in our society.  I'd like to note that this talk was led by some people quite high in DHS, and much of it I cannot talk about.  However, what was discussed the most were the fact that critical thinking has basically disappeared and that there is no discourse or reasoned debate any longer in our country.  This is of real concern.  People "tune into" the things they agree with.  They don't ever (or at most, rarely) hear opposing viewpoints, and so in the course of their discussions with others, when there is disagreement - each "side" (having never heard a differing opinion for the most part) will simply consider the other person to be stupid.  There is no conversation.  Rather than speaking with an acquaintance or colleague people today have the tendency to speak to the other person.

That, unfortunately, brings me to my frustration with BCO.  First, I'll say I'm not going to leave (unless this posting gets me kicked off), but I do not like the fact that we have all agreed to not ever disagree.  Don't like, don't read will keep the peace, but it will not, in the long run, do anything to help resolve or even address the lives we all live that are not just Breast Cancer.  Don't get me wrong - I like peace and quiet.  I like conversing with like minded people.  But just sticking in my comfort zone doesn't really feel like a good thing.

I think of Rodney King and his famous "Can't we all just get along?" line.  Well, the answer is and always will be - uh, no.  We can't.  We aren't built that way.  But we can disagree without being disagreeable.  Each "side" has said the other side is rude - and, though I may not want to see it when I am the one being rude - I should be able to hear someone tell me that - stop and think - and see what I have said (or typed) from another point of view.  AND I would expect those on the other "side" to do the same.

I don't like what I see happening to my country.  I don't like the pettiness, the bitterness, the anger.  I don't see any good coming from the attitude that only "my" side is right, that only I (and others who agree with me) have the right answers.  Cuz, ya know something?  We don't.  Our country has worked, and worked well, for a couple hundred years based not on agreement, but on disagreement.  The founding fathers, for the most part, didn't give a flying fig about religion - but they put a lot of thought into governing.  Good government - government by the people and for the people is by and for ALL people, not just the ones we agree with.  That means there MUST be discussion.  There must be REASONED discourse.  There must be critical thinking. 

What is the matter with us that we cannot - even on a discussion board such as this - have discussion without name calling.  I think we have become a sorry excuse for a country - especially a country that claims the high horse so often.  OK.  I'm done.  Like I say, I'll be back, but I'm feeling pretty blue about things right now.

Something to ponder about.....I have almost always tried to keep an open mind.....but I guess I see it as a deep rift some time back, and in many cases it has little to do with any ONE group here.  I also have to say that most divides are of a strong political nature so in order to get truly meaningful.....there would have to be a whole lot less extremism.  I can't really see that happening, at least any time soon. 

Yes, we should each be able to have a view point, but as well......there again, we are divided by many, many things.  At my age, truth is, even with what I feel is huge flexibility on a whole lot of things, I won't change much.  It may be tiresome for us now.....to know there is much dis-agreement, but just be able to say so and not get beat to pieces over it, I really don't see much changing. 

it seems if you dis-agree enough -- unless you are already a really good friend, you may not really get so very far....albeit, polite where ever it is that you do get to.

Well, I think I likely stopped making any sense some time back.

Jackie

Found this in my quote box the monring.  I looked at the date on it andd thought it interesting for a number of reasons.  Have to admit Barney Frank is one of the people I feel has good strong commom sense.

The issue is not that morals be applied to public policy, it's that conservatives bring public policy to spheres of our lives where it should not enter.
Barney Frank, 2005

Jackie

notself, that is something that I have read in the past and it can offer clarifications.  Just this morning I read what I am putting in here and it is how muddy and difficult things can be.  No wonder it is hard to agree on things.

Daily Meme: The Stupidest Things Said on Syria This Week

It's been quite a week for talking about Syria, which means that politicians and pundits have taken advantage, as they always do, of the ample opportunity to say the wrong thing. 

Senator John McCain gets a special award for saying so many conflicting and confusing things about his position on the airstrikes and the resolution that would authorize them that Congress will consider next week.

However, McCain did get to earn back some brownie points after slamming the remarks of someone prone to far stupider statements than him, Brian Kilmeade. The Fox News host expressed reticence to support rebels yelling "Allahu Akbar." To which the senator was like (and we paraphrase), Yeah, shut up. 

New York Representative Michael Grim supported the airstrike earlier this week. And then he didn't. And then he decided it would be a good idea to try and fundraise off of his opposition to Obama.

Several legislators have seized the opportunity to try and bring back their favorite topic, impeachment! Too bad their knowledge of the Constitution is a bit fuzzy.

McCain also joined in the impeachment fun. 

Another representative got to bring up another crowd favorite, the Ronald Reagan reference. Unfortunately, their deployment of the WWRRD card, like most deployments of the WWRRD card, was a bit ... wrong. 

It's not just politicians who've garbled their words on Syria. Fashion designer Kenneth Cole sent the unfortunate tweet, "Boots on the ground' or not, let's not forget about sandals, pumps and loafers. #Footwear"

Nick Taranto, Goldman Sachs bro, wrote a column in the Huffington Post about his meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2008. Gawker sums up his argument thusly, "Holy fucking shit! Assad was awesome. DUDE."

Not all of the things said about Syria this week were stupid. There were a fair share of odd statements though. At McCain's town hall in Arizona today, one constituent held up a bag of marshmallows and told the senator, "This is what I think of Congress. They are a bunch of marshmallows. That's what they are. That's what they've become."

Plenty of other constituents have done gloriously in making stupid and sweeping statements about foreign policy department.

In the end, The Onion headline, "Poll: Majority Of Americans Approve Of Sending Congress To Syria" doesn't sound too far from the truth.

Jackie

Saw Obama on the news talking about the 2000 people killed by gas in Syria - sorry - what about the 100,000 killed before them?

Great news - we have a new Prime Minister as expected. Now he has a huge job ahead to get rid of the debt left by the other mob.

Suzieq....hope the new PM will be able to forge ahead and get things cleaned up.  So hard when people can't have confidence in their elected officials....hope  A's is back soon.

Jackie

This "touching" story of a new GOP Congresswoman and the very early birth of her daughter was featured on This Week today.  The daughter was born without kidneys and under-developed lungs caused by a shortage of amniotic fluid.   The baby suffered from Potters Syndrome, considered fatal, until now....

In a September press release, Rep Herrera Beutler announced that Abigail was getting healthier. "I'm pleased to report that her doctors are happy with her progress and optimistic about her future," Herrera Beutler said in a press release. "Dan and I continue learning how to manage her day-to-day care while she gets healthier and overcomes her health challenges."  She added that she would have to spend a lot of personal time taking care of her daughter, who is expected to be the first person in medical history to survive Potter's syndrome, but is hoping to return to the House Floor for key votes. 

The multi-million dollar medical costs for these admittedly "experimental procedures" for Abigail, who will later require a kidney transplant along with lifelong immuno-suppressant drugs, is being covered by Medicare and the mother's congressional medical coverage.  Despite this, Herrera Beutler has not changed her views on healthcare reform affecting others.

So, let's see.  My tax dollars, millions of them, went to save this one baby's life.  Isn't this one of the complaints of those who rail against Obamacare or food stamps or welfare or any thing that "gives" money for health and welfare reasons, to those who can't afford it themselves?  Wouldn't this Congresswoman technically be a "freeloader" in their eyes?  Can someone explain away this apparent hypocrisy to me?

He's extremely scary and as well one of the biggest reasons why we don't need assault weapons in the hands of ordinary people.  So many of them are not ordinary at all.   They are lunatics in the 'guise' of ordinary people and the damage they do can easily become irreparable. 

Kam, I too am very glad the baby lived, but still tired to the nth. degree about the number of Congressional freeloaders who cannot seem to draw the comparisons needed to offer the same hope of health and food on the table to the very people who maker her and her job possible.........so that she can suck up the great resources.

Jackie