http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/...wn-SC-Bush.wmv

Maybe some have seen it...

It's TOTAL disaster no matter which way...He lies and lies. They're very subtle. "I'm waiting for General Petreaus? " I can't believe that ANYONE thinks that he doesn't talk to him daily. He's waiting? What a bunch of B.S.

P.S. Glad to have found you. Thanks!

Originally Posted by HomerJS49

http://www.crooksandliars.com/Media/...wn-SC-Bush.wmv

Maybe some have seen it...

It's TOTAL disaster no matter which way...He lies and lies. They're very subtle. "I'm waiting for General Petreaus? " I can't believe that ANYONE thinks that he doesn't talk to him daily. He's waiting? What a bunch of B.S.

P.S. Glad to have found you. Thanks!

Thank you for the input and welcome to the forum.

Today, I've been thinking about what a strange point in history we've reached. Almost everything is in awful shape and on the political front, everything is almost guarenteed to remain on autopilot (or in the case of Iran possibly get much worse) until January, 2009.

Yea, it seems things are degrading on all fronts. The White House and Congress, appear to be as Herbal Tee puts it, "on auto pilot" for some time to come. That's what makes me think we've about reached the 4T corner. It's a lot like the dead calm you get before a hellish storm.

~It appears the whole Bush admin structure, save GWB and DICK will have been mustered out in one way or another by the end of the admin. Those that leave with him will be mostly new faces.

~Congress seems to be headed for a sea change to the left, or at least more to the center in the next round of elections. If state elections are any indicator, I'd guess a Dem majority in both houses with the next elections.

~The Subprime issue is continuing to morph and showing its effects in commercial real estate markets. There has been a virtual hold on commercial lending for new office, retail and light industrial projects in many markets on both coasts and in the midwest. What happens there with "bail outs" for homeowners, lenders and speculators will be tell tale.

~Recent bust of terror cell in GDR demonstrates that the Jihadi are still around and working over time to pull off another bloody stunt. Should they pull one off in North America, America's "fear factor" could again be elevated to a point where they'd go along with even more tightened security and even more suspension of civil liberties. We could find ourselves living in a police state.

All of the above make me feel as if we are truly on the cusp. Knowing this mood could last for several more years is annoying. ON WITH IT THEN!

I look at the presidential field and want to just crawl into a bed and sleep until its all over. I see nobody on either end of the spectrum that truly moves me to action. All make some good points, but none seem to have it all together. My feeling is they're all still locked into the 3T mindset, proposing 3T solutions and betting on 3T poll results. I keep thinking a dark horse is in order.

And we just had a bridge collapse in New Mexico, with a car on it. The car was totalled. One of the women in it is in the hospital in good condition; the whereabouts of the other is unknown, which is surprising. Right under the bridge, that's about a 15-foot drop - that slopes off on either side quite steeply to about a 50-foot drop. Luckily it's a soft-sand arroyo.

An inspection a while ago said the bridge had problems, but that that it was on the verge of collapse.

It feels in many ways as if we are still 3T and that the frenzy of this turning is as stong as ever if not more do. Moving with the times continues as the current tone. It could feel like a case of now or never, as gaps and opportunites are filled as fast as they open up. Digesting fast-paced information is part of the challenge in keeping up to speed. This has just about reach cult status in today's society. Folks are constantly being brainwashed to use their knowledge and education as a leverage over those we're competing with. Companies continue to buy out their competitors, having created a state of oligopoly. We are constantly told that advantageous contacts and new directions result from being open, flexible and mobile.

I have questioned whether this really such a good thing, but we seem to be told that it's this way or the highway. In the mid-80's we first noticed the pace of life speeding up, and it hasn't slowed down since. But is this the sunset principle at work, with a mentality of get-it-while-you-can. We all know that the sun looks bigger in the sky as it is getting ready to set.

Originally Posted by Odin

My main concern is that all that military spending is a very strong Keynesian economic stimulus, just cutting it and not somehow finding another way of pumping it into the economy would lead to an economic disaster. Put the money into public works (like a national rail system) and a national service for young adults, perhaps?

We have plenty to do, and most of it can't be done OCONUS, as the DoD refers to everywhere but here. There's an immense amount of infrastructure that' needs repair, replacement or supercession. Where is our high-speed passenger rail service? Why is everything on its last legs?

The trick here will be to move the spending away from the "usual suspects", and begin to get the work done at a reasonable cost and on a sensible schedule. Asking for things in a huge hurry adds massively to their cost. Allowing favored contractors to have no-bid contracts is even worse. Sadly, the Feds no longer have the internal skill-set or the people to contract and manage large projects. It's all been privatized.

So now, one contractor writes the bid-spec, another evaluates the responses, and a third acts as the program office overseer. One of my neighbors, who is an SES-level auditor, told me that one major weapons-system program office he audited had a total of 5 military and fewer than than 20 Federal civilians assigned. The contractor, on the other hand, had over 150. Does this sound like a prescription for corruption?

Originally Posted by Brian Beecher

It feels in many ways as if we are still 3T and that the frenzy of this turning is as stong as ever if not more do. Moving with the times continues as the current tone. It could feel like a case of now or never, as gaps and opportunites are filled as fast as they open up. Digesting fast-paced information is part of the challenge in keeping up to speed. This has just about reach cult status in today's society. Folks are constantly being brainwashed to use their knowledge and education as a leverage over those we're competing with. Companies continue to buy out their competitors, having created a state of oligopoly. We are constantly told that advantageous contacts and new directions result from being open, flexible and mobile.

I have questioned whether this really such a good thing, but we seem to be told that it's this way or the highway. In the mid-80's we first noticed the pace of life speeding up, and it hasn't slowed down since. But is this the sunset principle at work, with a mentality of get-it-while-you-can. We all know that the sun looks bigger in the sky as it is getting ready to set.

What's wrong with competition? It's the cornerstone of a free society. When you do not have it, you get a totalitarian society.

Originally Posted by Marx & Lennon

So now, one contractor writes the bid-spec, another evaluates the responses, and a third acts as the program office overseer. One of my neighbors, who is an SES-level auditor, told me that one major weapons-system program office he audited had a total of 5 military and fewer than than 20 Federal civilians assigned. The contractor, on the other hand, had over 150. Does this sound like a prescription for corruption?

Oh yuck. That's definitely a prescription for corruption.

Originally Posted by sean '90

What's wrong with competition? It's the cornerstone of a free society. When you do not have it, you get a totalitarian society.

There's nothing wrong with competition in and of itself. The problem is when it degenerates into a perverse, sociopathic "I've got mine, fuck you" mentality.

Originally Posted by Odin

There's nothing wrong with competition in and of itself. The problem is when it degenerates into a perverse, sociopathic "I've got mine, fuck you" mentality.

I agree with this, I don't agree with Brian Beecher.

Originally Posted by sean '90

Originally Posted by Odin

There's nothing wrong with competition in and of itself. The problem is when it degenerates into a perverse, sociopathic "I've got mine, fuck you" mentality.

I agree with this, I don't agree with Brian Beecher.

Maybe you need to reread Brian's post, then. Brian's point is simple, there is no competition, only those in charge and those who do the work. The oligarchs have been granted the right to manipuate the economy for their benefit, and no one seems to object. Soon, the option to object may be withdrawn. Then, it's fascism in full.

Originally Posted by sean '90

What's wrong with competition? It's the cornerstone of a free society. When you do not have it, you get a totalitarian society.

Care to support your claim?

Originally Posted by Mr. Reed

Care to support your claim?

Look at America versus the Soviet Union. Competition is clearly better.

Originally Posted by sean '90

Look at America versus the Soviet Union. Competition is clearly better.

Why does lack of competition imply that a society will end up like the Soviet Union? The fact that Linux is a growing operating system is due to a collaborative rather than merely competitive model for development. The fact that most of the Internet runs on Open Source Software (Apache) and that Linux is far more secure than Windows and the fact that communities of free software producers tend to be some of the most democratic places of interaction removes support from your claim that removing competition necessarily implies totalitarianism.

Originally Posted by Mr. Reed

Why does lack of competition imply that a society will end up like the Soviet Union? The fact that Linux is a growing operating system is due to a collaborative rather than merely competitive model for development. The fact that most of the Internet runs on Open Source Software (Apache) and that Linux is far more secure than Windows and the fact that communities of free software producers tend to be some of the most democratic places of interaction removes support from your claim that removing competition necessarily implies totalitarianism.

And I have no problem with collaborative efforts, but they aren't the way most people prefer to end competition. They think gobt. control still works. Communism is dead, people. Don't cry for it.

Originally Posted by sean '90

And I have no problem with collaborative efforts, but they aren't the way most people prefer to end competition. They think gobt. control still works. Communism is dead, people. Don't cry for it.

A single fascist party, a single commuist party, or a single royal family monopolizing power doesn't work. One needs competition of at least two viable parties and a means short of violence to get the worse one out of power.

Originally Posted by Bob Butler 54

A single fascist party, a single commuist party, or a single royal family monopolizing power doesn't work. One needs competition of at least two viable parties and a means short of violence to get the worse one out of power.

Since when has any royal family been able to completely monopolize power? There has always been a nobility, and then there's the Church and the common folk able to check the monarch's power. And if you get stuck with a bad monarch, don't revolt. Get him to abdicate, then there won't be endless streams of blood running down the streets of the capital.

Originally Posted by Bob Butler 54

A single fascist party, a single commuist party, or a single royal family monopolizing power doesn't work. One needs competition of at least two viable parties and a means short of violence to get the worse one out of power.

Well, there always seem to be pretenders to the throne in monarchies.

Originally Posted by sean '90

Since when has any royal family been able to completely monopolize power? There has always been a nobility, and then there's the Church and the common folk able to check the monarch's power. And if you get stuck with a bad monarch, don't revolt. Get him to abdicate, then there won't be endless streams of blood running down the streets of the capital.

Right. [irony] History is just chock full of abdictating autocrats who quietly left power when the People didn't like what they are doing. [/irony] The nobility, communist party, fascist parties and the Church could check an autocratic ruler somewhat, but they checked power to their own interests, not the People's. Blood in the streets was generally required, though it failed more often than succeeed.

Originally Posted by Bob Butler 54

Right. [irony] History is just chock full of abdictating autocrats who quietly left power when the People didn't like what they are doing. [/irony] The nobility, communist party, fascist parties and the Church could check an autocratic ruler somewhat, but they checked power to their own interests, not the People's. Blood in the streets was generally required, though it failed more often than succeeed.

Revolutions are evil as they go against the order as set down by God.

Originally Posted by The Pervert

Well, there always seem to be pretenders to the throne in monarchies.

And they are either the monarchs or rival claimants. Pretenders to the throne should be restored if the people in those former monarchies ever want to be great again.

Originally Posted by sean '90

Revolutions are evil as they go against the order as set down by God.

What if the post-Revolution period is the order set down by God?

Originally Posted by MichaelEaston

What if the post-Revolution period is the order set down by God?

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE THAT's EVER GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by sean '90

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE THAT's EVER GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did you know all the secrets to the world?

Originally Posted by sean '90

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!! LIKE THAT's EVER GONNA HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell you what, Sean. Let's bring back Henry VIII and you can live in his regime from beginning to end. Don't lose your head!