posted on June 15, 2004 04:56:28 PM new
I know this is an inflammatory post, and I'm ducking already. Some of you may have seen this list already. What I'd ask is that our Republican supporters here deal with any one of the items on this list, by number, explaining why the items listed are wrong.
It is very tough to be a Republican in 2004, because somehow you have to believe concurrently that:
1. Jesus loves you, but shares your deep hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
2. The United States should get out of the United Nations, but our highest national priority is enforcing U. N. resolutions against Iraq.
3."Standing Tall for America" means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India.
4. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all humankind without regulation.
5. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
6. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.
7. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins, unless you someday run for governor of Cal ifornia as a Republican.
8. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.
9. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, but then demand their cooperation and money.
10. HMOs and insurance companies make profits and have the interest of the public at heart.
11. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.
12. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.
13. It is okay that the Bush family's "Carlisle Group" has done millions of business with the Bin Laden family.
14. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him and Rumsfeld reassured him he was our buddy, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy
when Cheney did business with him, but then a bad guy again when Bush junior needed a prop for his re-election campaign as the "war president"
15. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying about WMD existence, to enlist support for an unprovoked, undeclared war and occupation, in which thousands soldiers and civilians die, is, somehow, solid "defense" policy in a "War against Terrorism".
16. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which should include "banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet".
17. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's Harken Oil stock trade should be sealed in his Daddy's library, and is none of our business.
18. What Bill Clinton or John Kerry did in the 1960s was of vital national interest but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.
19. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a "spirit of international harmony".
20. Affirmative Action is wrong, but that it is OK for your Daddy and his friends (here and in Saudi Arabia) to get you to graduate from Yale without studying much, to dodge the draft in the Texas Air National Guard, to bail out your company Harken Oil and the Texas Rangers, to get the Governorship of Texas and then to have the Supreme Court appoint you President of the USA.
21. You are a conservative, but it is OK to spend like there is no tomorrow and run up deficits that your grandchildren while at the samtime refunding as much tax money as possible to rich people who do not need it.
This illogical behavior can take a toll on a healthy mind.
So if a friend of yours has been acting a bit dazed and confused lately, be nice: he or she may be a Republican!
___________________________________
As I've matured, I've learned . .
#2. . . that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.
posted on June 15, 2004 05:44:31 PM new
Well....we each have our own 'want' list, don't we?
I'd like to see a list from all the lefties here about what they see in kerry that they'd rather have this ultra-liberal, flip-flopper, won't-answer-a-direct-question-on-most-hot issues - who also has been in the Senate for 20 years and accomplished almost NOTHING [I think he's been credited with being responsible for THREE pieces of legislation passing in all that time]- be so kind as to inform us just exactly WHAT they see in him besides the fact that he's NOT Bush.
Many members of his own party are worried and stating he needs to start acting like he's alive and asking why he's not far out shining Bush at this point in time....especially with all the tough issues Bush has had thrown at him lately. They say he should be 20 or more points ahead by now....and they're worried why he's not.
His current platform is VERY much like this President's....varying on only a few of the top issues. Almost all the issues the lefties complain about.....kerry has also supported. The Patriot Act....corporate special interest groups....the Iraq War...keeping troops there....sending more troops there. Fighting and hunting them down terrorists whatever country they're in. Against gay marriage. The list goes on. It's just that one can't count on kerry to hold any position more than a few minutes.
He's a very poor example to represent the democratic party.....but he's all you have.
posted on June 15, 2004 06:23:31 PM new
Well if you consider making rational decision based on fact rather than emotion, I guess it is more difficult...
Especially when digging the facts from the BS issued by the LEFT media.
"The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why — with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." —Jay Leno
posted on June 15, 2004 06:56:16 PM new
You mean like John Kerry? MIA from the senate while campaigning for president & not representing the state that elected him to the senate.
I'd fire his loser azz in a minute.
"The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why — with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." —Jay Leno
posted on June 15, 2004 07:01:07 PM new
I'd not only fire him....I'd demand he pay back his salary, as is required by law, for all the time he wasn't preforming on the job.
posted on June 15, 2004 09:01:11 PM newWhat I'd ask is that our Republican supporters here deal with any one of the items on this list, by number, explaining why the items listed are wrong.
Looks like that ain't gonna happen, Roadsmith. All they can do is beef about Kerry. They'll start in on Clinton next, watch.....
___________________________________
When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on June 15, 2004 09:27:46 PM new
Profe: I'm afraid that you're right. I think the other side's sole tactic is--when in doubt, attack Clinton or Hillary Clinton or . . . Jane Fonda.
___________________________________
As I've matured, I've learned . .
#2. . . that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.
posted on June 15, 2004 09:29:21 PM new
Linda says,
I'd like to see a list from all the lefties here about what they see in Kerry that they'd rather have this ultra-liberal, flip-flopper, won't-answer-a-direct-question-on-most-hot issues
Isn't that the same game that you play? Several times in the pro gay rights threads on this forum, I have asked you the simple question...... Did you choose to be straight?
And NEVER ONCE did you answer that direct question. Why would that be? Would it be fair to say that you would lessen your position on gay marriage if you answer?
True Americans do not exclude anybody. They recognize that everyone should have the same rights. Bigotry, intolerance and hatred are cancers of the mind.
posted on June 15, 2004 10:57:00 PM new
[i]Did you choose to be straight?
And NEVER ONCE did you answer that direct question. Why would that be?
Because it is a VERY RUDE question to ask anyone. And because it's NONE of your business what someone's sexual preference is. If they freely speak about it that's their choice.
posted on June 15, 2004 11:00:49 PM new
I didn't answer roadsmith's questions out of not wanting to embarass her for her total lack of knowledge.
Just like her question #6 totally false. There has been NO slashing or cutbacks in funding or pay....ONLY a 27% increase for them under the Bush administration.
All foolishness that the left seem so prone to enjoy.
No one has said that keeping condoms out of school will stop adolescents from having sex, however without them being readily available, maybe just maybe they will think about it first... if they taught all sides in sex education classes...
posted on June 16, 2004 08:38:51 AM new
For me, and I'm sure a lot of others your #1 isn't true
Jesus loves you, but shares your deep hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
I have no deep hatred of homosexuals. I may disagree with things, but no hatred.
Now Hillary
No, I don't hate her
And you know that is just plain wrong, about Jesus Christ. As He loved everyone, sinners too, did He not? Remember the scriptures about the stoning of the prostitute, and how about Mary Magedalene (sp?)
posted on June 16, 2004 08:41:36 AM new
5. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.
I could give a flip what Rush does, as I've said, I don't listen to him. I think the same can be said for a lot of Republicans or Conservatives, that NOT all listen to him. He was wrong.
posted on June 16, 2004 09:05:43 AM new
1. Jesus loves you, but shares your deep hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.
Yes Jesus loves me and all the little children of the world. Red and yellow black and white. I have no hatred of homosexuals as I don't hate anyone it is that I don't like the life style. I would not disown a child because they were homosexual and for Hillary Clinton she was once a Republican.
You use the word hate a lot, but only speaking for myself I hate nobody. Hate is not a word that I use.
posted on June 16, 2004 09:16:47 AM new
Linda, you know how BOTH candidates use that on their TV ads, thought I'd run for HALL MONITOR here
Need more coffee, but I'm sure I can respond to a lot more of those statements.
I can only speak for myself Roadsmith, I don't think you can group ALL Republicans and say they think all those things.
posted on June 16, 2004 09:18:11 AM new
It's obvious that the Republicans are in denial.
I'm a Democrat who once voted for a Republican who ran for comptroller in the state of Florida. He did such a good job they did away with the office of comptroller.
posted on June 16, 2004 09:19:47 AM new
Dear Linda, Regarding #6 as being not true:
Support the Warrior Not the War: Give Them Their Benefits!
by Ashley L Decker
The recent rally cry "Support Our Troops" seems to me little more than a perverted, propaganda ploy to "Support the War." But we can support our troops, without supporting the war, by rectifying some of the following conditions.
The House of Representatives have recently voted on the 2004 budget which will cut funding for veteran's health care and benefit programs by nearly $25 billion over the next ten years. It narrowly passed by a vote of 215 to 212, and came just a day after Congress passed a resolution to "Support Our Troops." How exactly does this vote support our troops? Does leaving our current and future veterans veterans without access to health care and compensation qualify as supporting them?
The Veteran's Administration, plagued by recent budget cuts, has had to resort to charging new veterans entering into its system a yearly fee of $250 in order for them to receive treatment. It is a sad irony that the very people being sent to fight the war are going to have to pay to treat the effects of it.
According to the Veteran's Administration, 28 million veterans are currently using VA benefits. Another 70 million Americans are potential candidates for such programs. This amounts to a quarter of the country's population. Veterans and their families will sadly begin finding that they have no place to turn for their medical treatment as V.A. hospitals across the country face closing their doors. With the budget shrinking, staff will be let go. This could mean the loss of over 19,000 nurses. Without these nurses, this leads to the loss of over 6.6 million outpatient visits. Approximately one out of every two veterans could lose their only source of medical care. That is, if they even realize help is available to them. The Bush Administration recently ordered V.A. medical centers to stop publicizing available benefits to veterans seeking assistance. This follows discontinued enrollments of some eligible veterans for healthcare benefits as of January, 2003.
Bush Administration funding cuts will also prevent veterans from receiving their disability pensions. My father was granted 100% disability six years ago for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder associated with the Vietnam War. He deserves every cent of it. As do all soldiers who are willing to go to war. Under the Bush administration, being granted the ability to receive war related compensation has become a rare privilege, not a right as it should be. Nearly a third of Gulf War veterans, about 209,000 veterans, have submitted claims to to the VA for disability. The backlog of unprocessed claims has reached the astronomical count of 489,297, a number which is unfortunately increasing all of time. There are also currently 500,000 Compensation and Pension cases still pending.
Making matters worse, forty percent of Vietnam Veterans are homeless. They went from the jungles of the war to the jungles of the street. Before President Bush decided to declare war, maybe he ought to have considered correcting this situation first. How many current veterans will return home, only to find themselves in the same situation?
I have seen the effects of war written upon the face of a man who grew old at 17. I have seen it in the way he awakes from yet another night terror. I have seen it in the countless pills he has to take. They have only succeeded in erasing his memory, but the images of the war he fought are so graphic that they will never be able to stop playing themselves upon his mind.
Even I, his daughter, have not escaped unscathed. Exposure to the chemical Agent Orange has left me with several genetic problems, including growth problems and digestive ones. I fear that these current soldiers will be exposed to toxins that will not only affect them, but their future offspring as well.
And today we are told that we must "Support Our Troops." "Wear a yellow ribbon, wave your flag, support the Bush Administration's War on Terror and War on Iraq." Questioning the war is equated with deserting our troops or treason. And yet how are the warmongers supporting our troops? By eliminating their healthcare and slashing their pensions. Let us support the warrior without supporting the war.
Ashley L Decker is a student at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
posted on June 16, 2004 09:31:29 AM new
factcheck.org takes the ads, statements of each party and states if they're true or false....or if they fall somewhere in between. There still will be disagreements....but it helps a little to keep balance. Remember....politicians aren't required, under law, to tell the truth. So we're each left to decide from the information we can get.
posted on June 16, 2004 10:05:26 AM new
Roadsmith here. I posted this list seeking comments on specific items and I knew it would draw out the politically minded folks here. The list was NOT written by me; it was forwarded to me from a friend in another state.
The comments since I posted it have been interesting, to say the least. As a retired English teacher, I have to say that our friends on the right need to use their spell checkers and need to check out a good punctuation guide, too. I've mentally marked up a lot of posts here with red ink. . . .
___________________________________
As I've matured, I've learned . .
#2. . . that the people you care most about in life are taken from you too soon and all the less important ones just never go away. And the real pains in the butt are permanent.
posted on June 16, 2004 11:32:54 AM new
Since Kerry's voting on war funding was a mjor topic a while back why not post some of the facts regarding Bush's campaign ad
Re-defeat Bush
------------------------------
June is Gay Pride Month
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All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others.
Change is constant. The history of mankind is about change. One set of beliefs is pushed aside by a new set. The old order is swept away by the new. If people become attached to the old order, they see their best interest in defending it. They become the losers. They become the old order and in turn are vulnerable. People who belong to the new order are winners.
James A Belaco & Ralph C. Stayer
posted on June 16, 2004 11:56:54 AM new
NearTheSea - Oh...okay...sorry...I was jumping the gun there. Nov huh? You'll have my vote.
The Vendio spell checker doesn't function on my unit....and when I use my little hand-held spell checker...it keeps saying 'word not recognized'. LOL [As sometimes I don't even get close enough for it to recognize my phonic entry.]
