Shenonymous, if a Republican was president you’d be freaking out that we’re not out of Afghanistan. It’s amazing to hear Obama supporters suddenly saying… ‘oh, we just can’t leave… the poor Afghans and Iraqis’ as if that wasn’t what the Bush supporters were saying, and as if that’s what they were saying in 2006. It’s really pathetic.

Hey, look we have FEMA… too bad all our cash got sent to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, GE, and Raytheon. Yeah, a bankrupt nation is really good for the poor and suffering… yeah, you can have an abortion but not a job. Great priorities.

And by the way, if I were making a lot of money off blowing people up, or bailouts, or polluting / destroying our national resources I probably would have a chance and advising Mr Obama.

Being free from the abominable domination by men since
the cave, owning their own bodies is the ONLY issue for
women in the election.  Ron Paul is not an acceptable
candidate for President.  His other policies are not all that
stellar either.

It doesn’t matter one stinky toot if he was against the war. 
Many more liberal Democrats were against it.  So what?  That
there was a war is no longer an issue, it is now a historical
fact.  The war is what it is and the only thing left is to get out
of there as soon as it is feasible.  What most shrunken minds
don’t understand, hard leftists included, is that there is a
morbid profusion of consequences and complications that
prevents an immediate withdrawal.  This is not like the
playground games you play where you can just take your toy
cars and go home and mamma has your suppah ready f’ya. 
Thousands of troops are involved as well as the relative
vulnerability of the Afghanis who want the Americans to stay! 
They are subject to assassination.  It is not a black and white
problem.  If you think you know the answers then you ought
to be advising the President instead of blowing your ego on a
blog.

By the way, I voted for Ralph Nader twice, and Cobbs in 2008.
Give me socialism or give me libertarianism - but this current system of using government to steal from the masses to give to the minority under the guise of providing a poorly executed benefit… no thanks.

“Letting Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil, Peabody Energy ( largest coal miner in the world), British Petroleum, oops BP, et all have free reign”

They don’t have free reign now? Did you notice that Obama us a Goldman Sachs administration? Did you notice that BP destroyed the Mexican Gulf and effectively suffered through ZERO repercussions?

Don’t you guys get it? Government is OWNED by industry. Why on earth would you want to empower government?

Also, did Paul vote against the Bailouts of Wall Street… yeah. Did he vote against the Iraq War… the USA PATRIOT ACT…

And also, on abortion, I don’t agree with Paul on that issue… but you know what, I’m sure he wouldn’t make it his number one priority. Also, he’s said that ending social security is not a priority of his either, that first and foremost he wants to end the national security state and use the savings to keep the social welfare going because so many people are dependent on it.
Guess what, if the militarism doesn’t go the social welfare programs will, regardless of what anyone wants. Endings the wars, and crippling the Pentagon is step one in national reform. Why is that so hard for people to understand? We spend roughly 1 trillion dollars a year for our empire - most of that money gets funneled to real scumbags in the military industrial complex who then use their wealth (stolen from you and me) to lobby congress. Perhaps this is the general welfare mentioned in the constitution - the right of corporations to use government to suck up the wealth of the poor.
Incidentally, the US government is bigger than ever before, and what a coincidence the division of wealth is greater than ever before. Must be a coincidence, right?

Having a medieval brain, Ron Paul would prevent women
from owning their own bodies.

By charliedontserf, September 3 at 11:44 am Link to this comment

Ardee,

Let me define liberal - a liberal is anyone who automatically sides with government.

We are all free to define anything we wish as anything we think it is. I happen to disagree with your own definition but agree you are within your rights to hold such.

Myself, I have seen liberals become progressives , been called socialists,etc. ad nauseum. Whats in a name? A rose by any other name wouldst smell as sweet (with apologies to Bill Shakespeare). Never heard them called republicans before though, that is a new one.

As to Ron Paul, once more into the breach. Paul’s one defining quality for “liberals” is his desire to end wars, all wars. That his reasons are pretty far from my own reasons is moot frankly. Yes Paul advocates for an end to war, and foreign entanglements, praises isolationism in fact.

Paul also believes in ending welfare, social security, regulatory power of government towards industry, my isn’t that a noxious thought. Letting Goldman Sachs, Exxon Mobil, Peabody Energy ( largest coal miner in the world), British Petroleum, oops BP, et all have free reign. Where oh where do I sign up for this utopia?

I would guess that, from now until the votes are cast in the GOP primary, new posters will appear, perhaps from a mysterious light from above, calling Paul the second coming of the liberal messiah. I guess I should save this post for reuse….

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liberal

I didn’t call you any names there Sheno, just pointed out the hypocrisy of your argument.  Threatening to report me?  That’s a little uncalled for, all things considered; were you a hall moniter in school? 

And you continue to posit Repubs vs Public.. overlooking that clearly much of the public would identify as Repub.

Ardee,

Let me define liberal - a liberal is anyone who automatically sides with government. A lot of Republicans are liberals when it comes to government officials who have, or are in charge of guns. The Republican line is that if a government official comes to your door with a clip board you should show him disrespect, but if he comes with a gun and a clip board you should honor him as a decent patriotic American. Funny how that works.

You know, maybe the problem with the American government is the amount of militant people in it. Perhaps we would all do better to end our governments enabling of the military industrial complex before we ask for health care, and free solar panels.

But you know who the only guy saying that is? Ron Paul. He’s the only politician of credibility and potential saying that we need to put an end the the national security state. So, why take a dump on him? For FEMA and their toxic trailers? Really?
I just wonder if a lot of liberals (people who support the government) aren’t a little upset that it’s libertarians who are leading the charge to end the national security state.

You know, I was involved a bit with the anti-war movement, and what I saw was liberals constantly trying to make the movement theirs. They wanted to dominate it by saying that if you believed any differently about any number of issues not related to the wars (the point of our meetings) than you weren’t welcome. What did they do with that fledgling anti-war movement as soon as their dream president was elected and expanded one war, started 2 more, and didn’t end the larges one? They drove it into the ground!

Thanks so much, guys.

That’s what this article reminds me of. It’s liberals demanding that you can’t support anti-war libertarians because… look, they support poor people dying, and they hate whales, or what ever it is. But it’s just an effort to demonize a legitimate movement to end the forces that are so very socially, politically, spiritually, and culturally corrupting.

When Obama was inaugurated I watched everyone at UT Austin patting themselves on the back, and waving their flags, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the guy was full of it. I knew it because he always left wiggle room in everyone of his promises. Well, Ron Paul doesn’t leave wiggle room. He’s been very direct and straight forward in describing his beliefs (the Audacity of Hope… what a declaration of convictions that was!).
End the wars, bring the troops home. F*ck FEMA.

If you call me names or denigrate me in anyway, cpb, you
will be reported.  I take issue with tyrants and tyrannical
actions, not individual truthdippers.  There is no reasonable
discourse with the corporatocrat Republicans.  That time
is over and it is clear they need to be gotten rid of.  The
current self-serving stormtroopers do not have a shred of
decency.  It now is simply a struggle to the death between
the Republicans and the American people.

So they feel that government should have no role in anything. Then how do the Repugs explain that they are in politics. Doesn’t a position in politics make them part of the government they want to eliminate and therefore make themselves unemployed?

Sine they want to defy the part of the Constitution that talks of the general welfare of the people, they feel it is not worthy of keeping might just explain also why they defy the part that instructs the country to NOT to involve itself in the running of other countries governments or involving ourselves into their wars. Seems that is all America does is meddle with other peoples business while ignoring the problems at home.

Time to put them all out to pasture along with their sheeple following.

@ Shenonymous,

“...get rid of the Republican Party.  There is not one member of that Party who is interested in society, not one member who cares about the American people, not one member who cares about the well-being of the American people.  They care about
annihilating the America people…”

Whoa there - whatchya been smokin Sheno?  Or was your dog run over by a Repub recently?  This may be true of some at the top end, the corrupted, but you are lumping in an awful lot of people there, and doing so with extraordinary harshness.  Most card carrying party members are not interested in their own annihilation.

The (c)onservative movement was hijacked by special interests long ago, and they continue to strengthen their grip on the ‘hearts and minds’ of the peeps down below. 

Such broad generalizations are entirely inappropriate and contribute nothing to reasonable or productive discourse.

“This nation is the nation of the people, it is not the nation of the privileged few.”

Damn! that must be some good ditch-weed…

These right-wing types may seem laughable on the surface, but what they’re proposing is a disassembling of government elected by the people and replacing it with government elected by capital—that’s right, the raw, naked dollar. To them, the primary right of the archetypal American is the right to make as much money as conceivably possible, regardless of the harm their exploitation of others and the environment might cause. Eventually, politicians can be shelved, too. After all, they’ll only be trustees in a high-security prison in this bold new world the money people have planned for us and our children. It will be a long and torturous trek back into feudalism, though. More wars, more lies, more “us” vs. “them”, more misdirected blame. Children, run to your history books before they change them—then you may recognize the slouching, hateful outlines of fascism on your TV news tonight. Watch closely!

charliedontserf, September 2 at 3:41 am

I actually read your post twice attempting to find something of relevance within it. Blaming “liberals” for acts and actions actually committed by a conservative government seems knee jerk mesmerized and misplaced loyalty.

Michael, September 1 at 5:54 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

ardee, you seem to want to indemnify people for not thinking, and prefer to blame the people who lie to them.I blame the people.

You are as free to assign blame as am I. But do you also blame the victim in cases of rape, burglary, assault etc.?

It is everyone’s responsibility to become informed and act accordingly.
The slackers who don’t, who are swayed by lies they
don’t examine, THEY are to blame for the situation
we’re in, not the liars.

You show a typical liberals contempt for the masses. As you are not one of us I guess my words were not for you.

I seem to remember the people of Florida telling FEMA to leave after a hurricane in the late 90’s - was it Augustos? - because FEMA was mucking everything up and the locals felt they were better equipped to deal with the situation.

Let’s take you’re China invading Alaska on it’s head. If Washington D.C. decides to invade Iraq without a congressional declaration of war, why should the people of Pennsylvania have to pay in blood and tressure, let alone send their National Guard Units? When Washington decides to levy national taxes and hand them over to their Ivy League friends why should Alabama have to pay? When lobbyists in Washington D.C. get congress to send 3 billion annually to Israel - a country with a high per capita living standard than many American states, why should we have to pay?
The idea was that, in fact, you shouldn’t have to pay, because D.C. doesn’t have the authority to do these things.

The logical conclusion to liberal thought would have Dick Cheney in charge of our health care. Genius idea.

The logical conclusion to Liberal thought would have the ATF sending high powered rifles to Mexican drug cartels.

An government with limitless power will ultimately know limitless corruption.

It does boil down to the “I, me, my, and mine” people
versus the “we” peoplel.  This individual versus the
community goes all the way back to Cain and Abel.
When God ask Cain, “Where is Able your brother?”
Cain responded with the classic question, “Am I my
brother’s keeper?”  If we look at the way humans
have been designed it will help us answer this
question.  Humans are born helpless infants for a
long period of time.  I have read that human infants
are helpless longer than any other animal species.
While the infant is helpless it DEPENDS UPON OTHERS
to provide their survival conditions, e.g., food,
shelter, safety, language, etc.  So, just by the
way we are designed as a species, we depend upon one
another for survival.  We are our brother’s keepers.
Somebody tell those greedy self-centered politicans
about that.

Powerful observations by Reeves. It is the responsibility
of those who do see and understand what a life and death
struggle between the Republican Party and the people is
the present circumstance and to take the time to help the
naive people come to understand as well and show them
what having a society really means,

Jagannath is an idol of Krishna where at Puri in Orissa, India,
it is annually drawn on an enormous cart under whose wheels
devotees are said to throw themselves to be crushed.  This is
what devoted Tea Baggers do to show the primary candidates
their imbecilic affection. 

The most ominous development for the well-being of the
people of America is the Republican Party and the juggernaut
it has turned into. 

The Republican Party is the Party Against the People. 

To generate the well-being of the American people is to get
rid of the Republican Party.  There is not one member of that
Party who is interested in society, not one member who cares
about the American people, not one member who cares about
the well-being of the American people.  They care about
annihilating the America people.  They care about only
steamrolling the people so that their interests are advanced.
They must be defeated for every elected office from the local
councils to the state level to the national level.  This nation is
the nation of the people, it is not the nation of the privileged
few.

“I blame the people. It is everyone’s responsibility to
become informed and act accordingly. The slackers who
don’t, who are swayed by lies they don’t examine, THEY
are to blame for the situation we’re in, not the liars.”

- Michael

Blaming the people is just what the liars want, is one
of the key messages they promote, and you have eaten it
up.  That the citizenry has become largely disengaged is
a fact.  They’ve been intentionally converted into
consumers after all (Don’t worry, go shopping). 

The extent to which those with power have been gaming
the system, for decades and decades, is hard to
overstate.  Such cannot be dismissed in a shallow
argument about how the man on the street ought to know
better.  If you believe what you say then it is you who
need to become better informed. 

A large fraction of middle/upper middle class folk cling
to this idea because it is comforting for them.  So long
as they are doing ok the suffering of others is the
fault of the other and ipso facto they don’t have to
think about it much.  They don’t perceive a real problem
and if someone presents them with the facts they can
dismiss it and blame the people; those ‘other’ people,
of course.

...“Government is force, not community.”

To the degree that that statement is now true, we must all wake up and get together as quickly as possible in order to re-establish our most precious heritage:  “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

Woo.  Didn’t have time to read all of this. Will come
back and read all later.  But I did get to this quote:

“Neanderthal gentleman from Texas, Rep. Ron Paul…”

Owch.  Richard Reeves, me thinks you’re gonna get some
TruthDig responses with that one. 

Good luck with that.

The first impression is the right impression for what republicans are doing, to try and think as they do is just diluting yourself. During a time of multi-front wars, natural disasters, and a poisoned economy its time for a house cleaning? and to cut cut cut? The answer should be a resounding NO, this is precisely when government is needed.

Well deity references notwithstanding the subject is certainly worth exploring. Today we are finding more and more of our citizens decrying the uselessness of government, seeing corruption and concluding that no governance is better than what we have.

I do disagree, and rise to say so. The purpose of government is, at least to me, seemingly obvious, as are its failures. I believe that a Federal Govt. is charged with ensuring the welfare of those most in need, in restraining the powerful from trampling on the rights of the weaker, as well as the usual defense, infrastructure et al.

I believe that those who call for the strangling of govt. do not rise above taking what they themselves feel is their rightful due but see in others a weakness for doing the same. I believe further that we have been propagandized to believe that govt can do nothing right, propagandized for the purpose of bringing ever more wealth into the hands of fewer and fewer.

Even arguably the most successful program in our nations history, social security, has been demonized as “bankrupt” and now even called a “Ponzi scheme”. Inaccurate considering its viability until 2034 even without the minor changes necessary to its continuance.

We the people are being lied to in an amazing torrent of manipulation and we are, for the most part, ignorant that this is taking place. Far too many are drinking the kool aid without a thought.

It is past time to begin to think.