Happy 4th
2003-07-04 18:34:17.812317+00 by
Dan Lyke
18 comments
Like meuon, I have some issues with being a U.S. citizen. However, every time I get outside the country I realize that whatever our flaws, we seem to be doing a lot of things better than folks elsewhere are. With that in mind, I think I'm going to celebrate the fourth by putting a little energy into supporting the campaign of Howard Dean (check out Lyn's endorsement of Dean, and know that we must unseat Dubya), re-reading The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies, and attending Sam and Kathleen's wedding this afternoon.
(And the bird was soaring over the old lime quarries at Roche Harbor this week.)
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comments in ascending chronological order (reverse):
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 03:43:50.567629+00 by:
ziffle
My gawd - even a cursory reading of Deans issues, brings forth visions of facism. Health care, gun laws, affirmative action, global warming - whats not to hate about this guy?
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 07:22:19.384918+00 by:
Diane Reese
Health care, gun laws, global warming... what's not to like about this guy? ;-) I think we're on opposite ends of the spectrum, here, ziffle. Fiscal conservative, social progressive: I'm with ya, Dan. What's the best way to help?
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 13:15:12.475397+00 by:
Uncorked
On guns: Dean has an 'A' rating from the NRA. I have no idea why you'd call his other positions 'fascism' -- especially if you start comparing his vision for the country with Bush's and Ashcroft's.
Diane - check out his website and his campaign's weblog -- they've got lots of ideas of what people can do and are getting people involved -- many of whom have never been involved in politics before. Also, feel free to contact me directly; I've been following the campaign pretty closely for the last few weeks.
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 16:47:33.195304+00 by:
Uncorked
On guns: Dean has an 'A' rating from the NRA. I have no idea why you'd call his other positions 'fascism' -- especially if you start comparing his vision for the country with Bush's and Ashcroft's.
Diane - check out his website and his campaign's weblog -- they've got lots of ideas of what people can do and are getting people involved -- many of whom have never been involved in politics before. Also, feel free to contact me directly; I've been following the campaign pretty closely for the last few weeks.
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 17:23:27.352464+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Ziffle, I too have pause with him on health care and a few similar issues, but when I compare his platform to the other candidates, and especially when I look at the tactics and policies of our current administration, he's definitely the least of the electable evils, and Dubya has taken from us the luxury of voting our consciences.
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 20:14:12.795193+00 by:
Mars Saxman
In spite of reservations about some of Dean's political ideas (no reduction in the military budget? ok with death penalty for "heinous" crimes?), misgivings about the very notion of electing a president, and the certainty that my opinion is statistically meaningless, I find myself just liking Dean. His entire campaign thus far is structured around respect for and communication with his supporters. He seems to be driven by pragmatism rather than ideology; he has reasons for his opinions, and gives the impression that if one of his plans didn't work out he would drop it and try something else.
I'm sure that as president he would make infuriating compromises, fail to correct injustices, introduce measures I disagree with, and otherwise act as a human being does when handed political power. But he's no radical, and in stark contrast to our current chief executive I don't think that he would create any messes bigger than his own term in office.
#Comment made: 2003-07-05 20:16:32.249081+00 by:
Larry Burton
This far away from election time I'm not ready to commit to any politician but I've got to admit that Dean isn't quite what I expected him to be. His idea that gun control should be a local issue and not a federal one goes exactly with my own beliefs on the issue but I do get a little concerned when I go to his fiscal responsibility plank and get a "let me get back to you on that" response. This is especially disconcerting when he seems to have a full repsonse ready for each of his other issue topics.
#Comment made: 2003-07-06 00:14:00.967575+00 by:
baylink
It's a different problem to solve at the federal level, Larry, when you *aren't* especially a federalist. And
he's only *officially* been a candidate since July 23rd. Give him a month or two and see what you think.
Glad to hear I'm not alone, either. Now, if I can just get the local Albertsons to stock in Maple-Powered
Howard. :-)
Howie for Prexy!
-- j
#Comment made: 2003-07-08 16:25:56.873718+00 by:
ziffle
Howard Dean Attracts First Non-Stoned Supporter
http://www.spectator.org/article.asp?art_id=2003_7_7_22_11_42
#Comment made: 2003-07-08 16:32:47.1516+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Damn. There goes the neighborhood.
#Comment made: 2003-07-09 18:49:58.273394+00 by:
ziffle
MCGOVERN II...
http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/58.htm
#Comment made: 2003-07-09 19:27:51.076596+00 by:
Dan Lyke
So Morris is saying that the best chance to unseat Bush is to field a candidate just like him and hope the voters get confused enough that they vote for the wrong one?
#Comment made: 2003-07-09 19:58:57.276446+00 by:
Dan Lyke
As I think about this a little more, it's funny that someone against gun control and from more fiscally conservative party who supports getting government out of the bedroom has become the "Liberal" candidate. What's really happening in that article is that Dick Morris is pushing the ad hominem label "Liberal" in the hopes that he can make some sort of smear stick.
If Morris thinks that "gay marriage" will be the determining factor in this next race, then I'm ready to push that as the choice, because as much as I hate Dubya's theiving "make my friends rich" ways and his policies about lying to the electorate, what this country really needs is a wake-up call that we really are that divided, that the mid-west and deep south are out of touch with the northeastern and western states, and we need to restructure things in a way that keeps those states which want to export their fundamentalist oppression to the rest of us from doing so.
(Okay, maybe he wasn't lying this time. Maybe the CIA and the DIA and all those TLAs really did have a breakdown in communication that had them publicly saying the "yellow cake from Nigeria" was a hoax while they were still telling the Whitehouse that it was for real. Watch for falling pig shit.)
#Comment made: 2003-07-09 20:27:36.855803+00 by:
Dan Lyke
Just to get this rant totally out of my system: A third of the American public believes U.S. forces have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq:
Before the war, half of those polled in a survey said Iraqis were among
the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11, 2001. But most of the Sept. 11 terrorists
were Saudis; none was an Iraqi.
And the U.S. administration has done everything it can to encourage these falsehoods. Now maybe these people are the ones who will choose the next president, but I think I've got a little more faith in humanity than that, and if I don't then it's time to split the center out of this country and turn the "red voting" states into our own little English speaking Mexico. Let 'em do whatever the hell they want with their politics as long as they give us cheap labor and produce, and button down the borders and deport anyone who tries to get across and be politically active.
#Comment made: 2003-07-09 22:06:47.652531+00 by:
Larry Burton
>> and turn the "red voting" states into our own little English speaking Mexico.
Uh, Dan, it's getting close to 50/50 people speaking Mexican-style spanish down here.
#Comment made: 2003-07-10 15:08:55.642172+00 by:
ziffle
Lets see, On gun Control:
"I believe we should keep and enforce the federal gun laws we have - including the assault weapons ban and the Brady Bill - and close the gun show loophole using Insta-check"
This is not consistent with freedom and the constitution is it? Close the gun show loop hole? Basically it stops freedom of action between citizens.
Health Care:
"We need to modernize the system so employers will have an option beyond passing rising costs on to workers or bailing out of the system entirely. Fortunately, we have a model of efficient, affordable and user-friendly healthcare coverage: the federal employee health system."
Federal system as template? This is facism on the installment plan. Since the government got involved in health care the 1970's the costs continue to jump and quality drops. Look at Canada - like waiting a year for an MRI? No Dean is dead wrong, again.
Equality of Opportunity:
"I am delighted that the Supreme Court has upheld the principle of affirmative action in education. This was a victory for the civil rights of all Americans. "
Huh? Racial quotas are just that.
This guys views are just another in a long line of ideas that inch us toward the final goal of total government contorl of everything. Awful.
I do think a lot of Americans agree with you that California should be set free as a seprate country. Lex Luthor was right.
Of course there are few things about CA that are right: drug laws, personal sexual choice etc.
To be clear, Dubya doesn't do much for me, other than I like his war plans.
Down with Conservatives! Down with Lberals!
aahhhhh....
Ziffle of Mayberry
#Comment made: 2003-07-10 17:39:03.905893+00 by:
Dan Lyke
So I've been reading a few Ari Fleischer press briefings to try to clarify some of my thoughts on this, and I've just gotta say that that guy is the worst weasel and user of the English language to say absolutely nothing that I've ever run across. For instance:
MR. FLEISCHER: We emphasized to the Congressman as well as to others
that the President deserves his chance to put forward a patients' bill
of rights that is going to be strong and bipartisan, and we expressed
to the Congressman our desire to work with him on it; and he was
pleased to work with us on it.
Q So, in other words, we would appreciate it if you don't get in
our way?
MR. FLEISCHER: No, I think -- it's not a question of getting in the
way. It's early in the President's term, and he is entitled to make
his proposals on patients' bill of rights and to work with the
appropriate leaders who can help get it done.
Q I have a hard time, though, telling any difference between what was
proposed today and the principles laid out by the President. Can you give
me a couple of examples of where there's any light between the two
proposals? It seems like something he would embrace right off the bat.
MR. FLEISCHER: And I think that's an encouraging sign. I think that we
are very hopeful that this year will finally be the year that we can
enact a patients' bill of rights into law.
Q On this bill specifically -- does he support it, and if not, what
are the differences between them --
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, we're going to wait to see --
Complete side to the discussion at hand, just had to share my pain.
#Comment made: 2003-07-10 18:15:40.31418+00 by:
ziffle
[edit history]
I have a hard time understanding why anyone would have the time to read a press secretary's book. The way he speaks - why he could be a politician!
ni zuo ba!
Ziffle of Mayberry