I just had to get that off my chest.  I truly and wholeheartedly believe that the grace and mercy of god has been lifted from this most beloved nation of ours.  I'm simply at a loss to find any other explanation for our current state of existance.  
  It hurts, it really, really, hurts!!  I can't help but think that just like all other good things, we are nearing our end.  I truly weep for this great nation of ours.  
  Honestly, my spirit is broken after seeing a W, Gore, and Kerry in contention for the highest office of this land and the world.  I see no end to this slide!!  
   

There is noone I can see at this time capable of truly correcting the malevolent direction our country is heading into.
There are very few politicians today I personally respect, and the one I do have genuine respect for, Howard Waxman, as good honest and hard working for his constituency as he has been, is simply not Presidential material.
The Democrats will have to go outside the box and find a successful and respected businessman capable of understanding the vast complexities of Economics as well as foreign intrigue. Certainly someone outside the mainstream of the political game but with solid political cachet.
George Soros is almost as polarizing as Hillary due to his activity and funding of moveon.org.
Bill Gates is far too nerdy and disliked by the East Cost blueblood elite.
Someone with unquestioned integrity and true patriotism; someone like Steve Jobs. Or Walter Cronkite.

It will have to be someone who is immune to the virulent poison of the right wing hate machine and its media minions. Oh wait, that wouldnt stop them from lying through their talking points anyway.

Your thoughts?

but he's to smart to run.

the democratic governor of PA......He took over as Philadelphia mayor in the early 1990's when the city was swimming in red ink to the tune of about a $250 million deficit......He helped turn things around by slashing spending & also by instituting a competitive contracting program for various city services.....

I think governors generally (except in case of GW of course) make better presdiential candiates than senators.......I mean, it's alot easier to quantify results of what someone did as a governor than as a senator....Governors basically are the CEO's of an entire state; doing such work as appointing cabinets, setting budgets, negotiating with legislatures, vetoing legislation, etc....

Furthermore, Rendell isn't as polorizing a figure as Hilary Clinton is......

I think the problem is so deeply systemic that it's hard to imagine a shift.  We can't even get a good problem statement out of the political process, let alone a good candidate or solutions.  

In my more optimistic days, I think it is the result of rapid change that social institutions like the press can't keep up with; on my more discouraged days, I think there is just so much bullshit in the pubilc arena with so much money riding on the status quo that we're fucked.  

The real troubling thing is how do we address issues that take decades of focus, like energy and global warming, or China's (and India and ...) emerging economic clout in such an environment?

"...Rain on the scarecrow, blood on the plow
This land fed a nation this land made me so proud
And son I’m just sorry they’re just memories for you now..."


-- Modified on 6/19/2005 7:43:05 AM

-- Modified on 6/19/2005 7:49:51 AM

I am not even sure how to correct this slide.

believe that the times in which they live are (in one way or another) the worst ever. That they are doomed. There is no hope, no use. You guys are just in the political doldrum equivalent.

Cheer up. Go read (no correct that, study) some history. Go start a third party. Whatever you believe is going on, it's already happened before in one way or another. We got through it, but no thanks to those that were just whiny about it.

-- Modified on 6/19/2005 10:51:46 AM

"Called my old friend Schepman up to auction off the land
He said John it's just my job and I hope you understand
Hey calling it your job ol' hoss sure don't make it right
But if you want me to I'll say a prayer for your soul tonight"

Actually, he'll always be 'John Cougar' to me.

That last verse is a good metaphor for that new 'bankruptcy' bill, otherwise known as the "credit-card issuer protection" act of 2005.

One take on that bankruptcy bill is that the banks are busy hedging themselves for the time when the real estate bubble bursts. In our march back to the 17th century, we're only one step away from setting up debtor's prisons.

By the way, went to 5th & Hawthorn the other night. Still good as ever, although they are moving (didn't say exactly where or when). I'm wondering if some developer (John Moores?) is buying up the land for another of those condo towers that are sprouting like weeds in San Diego downtown. One gets the impression they're trying to change it to New York west. There's suppose to be a lot of hot global money coming in to subsidize those 1/2 million, 1 bedroom condos. Probably we'll have a lot of vacant condo boxes when the real estate bubble bursts.

-- Modified on 6/20/2005 2:44:27 PM

Turn your back on God, and he is liable to turn his back on you...

Prayer in schools, never understood what was so wrong with that?? (Just one example)

-- Modified on 6/20/2005 9:52:04 AM

I hope David or Ed was there when you went in.  I would have loved to see them.  We really should do that stop sometime.  I bet I could convince a mutual friend to come join us, as well.

the cynic in me says that g'd helps the ones who help themselves...

when i look at history, i cannot help but conclude that 'organized religion,' whatever that means and with few exceptions, perhaps, is a culprit in steering humanity to the edge of the abyss on which we seem to teether....

maybe we should forget a bit of Ziggi and read Carl Jung again?....., and find 'faith within, and manifest our religiosity through our actions and inactions, and not through rites, rituals and nice words?....

As I understand it, devout Muslims are required to pray seven times during the day at specific intervals.

Would you deny a Muslim his right to free religious expression merely be cause he was attending school?

Compulsory prayer originated by public schools that are not religious in nature (i.e. the typical public school, not a Catholic/Jesuit/Hebrew Academy/Islamic facility/etc.) would be inappropriate, however, recognizing that religious beliefs play a role in students lives and trying to accomodate those beliefs would seem EXCEPTIONALLY appropriate.

The exposure to varied religious beleifs that would arise should prove valuable in a number of ways, from teaching that there are varied religious viewpoints within society and perhaps opening a dialogue between the differnet practitioners to teaching a tolerance for allowing others to freely exercie and express their beliefs without fear of recrimination.

The fact that you would deny someone their relgious practices demonstrates a narrow minded, bigoted prejudice against all relgion that rivals the extremist religious conservatives that I've heard others criticize.

If you are an atheist, then you have no belief in the existance of God, That is yoru right. Just as it is my right to worship the small ball of navel lint I found this morning when I awoke.

Lighten up with this ACLU crap about the evils of organized religion. If you don't believe, fine-but others have civil liberties and rights as well, and you're trying to stomp on them.

Nice Rant.  "The right wing hate machine"?  You really need to try decaf.  If you review the bidding, you will find that most of the venom that spews is from the left.  The reason that the Democrats are marginalized is because of WHO THEY ARE.  They are on the losing side of just about every issue out there. You pick it.

The war on terror?  They have used Iraq and Afghanistan as a stick to try to beat President Bush with and have yet to offer anything of substance.  

Social Security?  No one from the left has offered anything except a condemnation of privatization with regard to that mess (by the way, the original promise of social security was for people to get a retirement income at age 65, what they did not sell was that the median lifespan in the US when the program was instituted was 59.  The end result was that even back then, far less than 1/2 of the people would ever live long enough to collect.  Sounds like a Ponzi scam to me)  To restore the promise of Social security, the age to collect benefits would have to be moved to age 81 (current median life span is 76 plus 5 years just as it was originally set up)  No takers on that one either.

Health care?  Apart from a socialist single payer system, no one has proposed anything like free market reforms there either.  The socialized medicine programs in Canada and Europe are failing and no one from the US goes over there to receive medical care. They do, however, come here for treatments.

In short, until the Democrats move back toward the center and get a grip, they will continue to lose elections and support from most of America.

Just when I thought we might see eye to eye on something, you go ahead and insult me Birdman.

When I say that prayer in public schools is inappropriate, I am specifically referring to the organized prayers led by school officials where all students are expected to attend.

If Muslim students attending a public school wish to hold their prayer services, thats fine. There are student organizations that will do exactly that.

If the Christian students wish to hold their church services on campus, fine. Let them make arrangements for as room or hall with which to have their membership come and pray.

But you said exactly what I was referring to when you said
"Compulsory prayer originated by public schools that are not religious in nature (i.e. the typical public school, not a Catholic/Jesuit/Hebrew Academy/Islamic facility/etc.) would be inappropriate"

NOWHERE have I ever said I would deny someone their religious practices Birdman. You are putting words in my mouth and attributing meaning to things I have said by taking them completely out of context.

By the way, I'm not an atheist. I'm Jewish. Raised Orthodox Chassidic, in fact, and although I chose a secular path later in life, I studied the Torah and the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament Gospels in their original languages, written way  before the King James bastardized translations of the New Testament became the "Bible". Would you like to know how many times since I graduated Rabbinical College I have been insulted by Christian Evangelists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Moonies and Mormons telling me my faith is innacurate and will not be complete unless I accept Jesus into my life? And try to do so by quoting "Scripture" to me? Wottabuncharot.

I resent and take very personally your statement accusing me of stomping on other peoples rights. Quite the opposite. I have fought on the front lines and bled real blood in order to insure freedom of expression and the freedom to worship as one chooses. In my younger years, I was a public speaker for Jewish groups promoting dialog between religious groups to foster a better understanding and peaceful co-existence.
That all falls by the wayside when hard line evangelicals start spouting their "my way or the highway" arrogant bullshit.

But to use public facilities and taxpayer dollars to formally and officially promote one belief system over another is wrong.

ACLU be damned. I will lighten up when hypocritical Christian zealots stop proselytizing and telling me my belief system needs fixing.

In the end, Jbird, we are actually in agreement on much. But you flipped a bad switch with me, and need to recognize the difference I make between voluntary BOAF (birds of a feather) prayer meetings, which I have no problem with and compulsory prayer favoring one belief system over another, regardless of whether that belief system works for me or not.

Now see there? You've got me so worked up, I lost my morning buzz. Fortunately, its 4:20 in Rejkyavik, and almost time for lunch. Fly safe, Birdman.

They were then treated to unfit leader after unfit leader.  Similar to where the Catholic Church was in the Renaissance.

It seems to be part of the cycle of a nation-state.  It creates conditions from which good leadership is impossible to develop.   Discipline and a drive for knowledge is hard to gain in the face of overwhelming success, and the US has had overwhelming success for a very long time.    

Strange about that Pax Americana; unlike the Roman Pax, it seems to have come to an end as soon as somebody thought of it.

I do not see a problem with allowing a few moments for silent prayer. Pray to the God you believe in and if agnostic, pray to yourself

the notion of nation-state is dead! it died 3-times already: when gwb stole the election in when the u.n. became obsolete, in 2000, and on 9-11. since then the dead nation-state notion has been further mutilated.

what makes a nation-state if not xenophobia, collective biases and prejudices, ill-gotten military adventurism, colonial or economic conquests (and their sordid aftermaths)....

to those who still repeat the mantra of "g'd bless amerika" and "i luv amerika" i say that there are many countries more deserving of divine grace and that are much more luvable than the old u.s. of a.

because my decision to give up on this country only began to evolve over the last decade or two;
and because it wasn't an easy position to come to;
and because, some times, it may be more prudent to recognize defeat, futility, strong and persistent negative trends;
and, maybe there are 27 other reasons that you may or may not want to hear....

But you probably want to tell us about it anyway!

-- Modified on 6/23/2005 9:45:09 AM

lied through his teeth in front of the U.N. to get us into this godforsaken war--and then ran away. He has no credibility and blood is on his hands.

do some research. While Kerry was not a great choice, Al Gore was the most qualified, intelligent candidate in quite a long time and probably would have been the best president in the last 50 years. And he actually WON the fricken' election.