Politics, issues. --- .This section is about various political issues. Topics include: ( ) Abortion. ( ) Affirmative action. ( ) Crime. ( ) Death penalty. ( ) Foreign policy. ( ) Immigration. ( ) List. ( ) Military. ( ) Taxes. ( ) Welfare. --- 1/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- (1) Privatization vs. nationalization. (2) Deregulation vs. regulation. --- 1/14/2006
Politics, issues. --- 9-11. (1) The Bush administration was looking for an excuse to invade Iraq. (2) The 9-11 attack could have been prevented. Bush could have heeded CIA reports regarding Osama Bin Laden. Bush could have scrambled fighter planes if he had responded quicker. --- 1/9/2006
Politics, issues. --- 9/11 is not an excuse for conservatives to keep the United States in a constant state of war in order to occupy other countries, control the world oil supply, build the military industrial complex, make more money for corporations, and deny US and world citizens their human rights. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- 9/11 terrorist attack. On 9/11/2001 terrorists flew passenger jets into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing several thousand people. (1) Every country faces terrorist attacks, not only the United States. The way to deal with terrorism is not to invade and occupy other countries. It was wrong for George Bush to use the 9/11 terrorist attack as an excuse to invade Iraq. (2) 9/11 is not the only political issue. Many bad things are happening in the world. The 9/11 attack was attention grabbing because it was instantaneous and visual. But what about the many other bad things that kill thousands of people, events that are not as instantaneous and attention grabbing? There are many other bad things that are just as bad or worse than 9/11. The 9/11 terrorist attack was a bad thing, but it was not the worst thing that ever happened in the world. We should not let the 9/11 attack be the only event that determines how we think about the world, but unfortunately that is what some people have done. --- 4/10/2007
Politics, issues. --- 9/11. The 9/11 attack did not "change everything". The 9/11 attack was a wrong, but two wrongs do not make a right, and so therefore the 9/11 attack does not justify injustices perpetrated by America in response. Abandoning the Geneva convention is wrong. Torture is wrong. Killing innocent civilians is wrong. Pre-emptive war is wrong. Using propaganda and censorship to lie to the American public is wrong. Spying and wiretapping on the American public without warrants is wrong. Using rendition to send people to other countries to be tortured in wrong. Using signing statements to ignore the rule of law is wrong. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Abortion. Lets say abortion is made illegal. How many people will give birth who would ordinarily have had abortions? One million? Who will raise those kids? How many will be raised by mothers who never wanted them (grim)? How many will be adopted, and how soon? How many will be raised in orphanages? Who will support the orphanages? How many accidental pregnancies are there a year? What if the mother doesn't want to be pregnant for nine months? What if being pregnant would make her lose her job? --- 10/30/1996
Politics, issues. --- Abortion. Men could easily get women pregnant by rape, date rape, husbands getting wives drunk, or husbands seducing wives in their sleep, all to get the woman pregnant and keep them down. Barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. (2) Working women and single women must have the right to income and employment uninterrupted by pregnancy. Women must have the right to control their own lives and their own bodies. --- 12/26/1997
Politics, issues. --- Abortion. The right to abortion should be upheld. Its a woman's right to choose. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Affirmative action. (1) Conservatives say, "Hire the best person for the job". However, often there are many equally qualified people (or at least many people who are qualified enough to do the job) who apply for a job. And people who discriminate will consistently not pick a certain group. (2) And aside from being qualified, employers often hire who they think they will get along with. This criteria of amicability is often as strong as the criteria of qualifications. And people who discriminate have a preconceived notion who they will and will not get along with. (3) Even when white people become the minority instead of majority, an argument can still be made for affirmative action for non-whites. This is because it is possible for a minority to unjustly hold power over a majority. For example, the British in India, or even whites over slaves in the old south. If a minority holds the majority of power positions over a majority underclass, then injustice still exists. --- 07/30/1996
Politics, issues. --- Affirmative action. Do you want a just society? Blacks and women have been kept down. Are they as good as white men? Yes. To make society more just, you should put them in proportional to population, to make up for the discrimination, exploitation, oppression, and persecution. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Birth control. The right to birth control should be upheld. --- 1/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Budget. Federal budget: size, sources, composition (expenditures). --- 06/01/1994
Politics, issues. --- Campaign finance reform. Some available options. (1) Caps on election spending. (2) Caps on advertising spending by corporations and lobbies. (3) Equal time in advertising. (4) Equal funding of candidates. --- 8/15/1999
Politics, issues. --- Campaign finance reform. The problem: the rich corporations rule the country by contributing big money to political campaigns. How to level the plain field so that all are represented fairly? --- 9/15/1998
Politics, issues. --- Censorship is wrong. Lack of free press. Denial of freedom of speech. Denial of freedom of assembly. Denial of freedom of association. Denial of freedom of movement; being prevented from leaving the country. Denial of free press. Denial of a free media (newspapers, radio, television, Internet). Government owned and controlled media. Corporate owned and controlled media. --- 5/1/2007
Politics, issues. --- Central America. In El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, the United States government supported right wing death squads over populist leaders, and that is an injustice. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Children's rights abuses. Child labor. Child soldiers. Denial of education for children. Lack of public education. Child abuse. Violence against children. Spanking and other forms of physical abuse against children. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Chile. Augusto Pinochet was a murderous dictator in Chile who was supported by the US, until he disobeyed the US and went against US interests at which point the US decided to punish him. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- China. China suffered under totalitarianism, which produced famine and a massacre of intellectuals. China is undergoing rapid industrialization. China has a poor human rights record. China is becoming the world's manufacturer. China is also becoming the world's polluter. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Cindy Sheehan. Cindy Sheehan's son died fighting in Iraq. Cindy Sheehan decided to camp out in Crawford, Texas to see if she could to talk to Bush. Cindy Sheehan was soon joined by many others. Cindy Sheehan helped bring attention to the American peace movement. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Corporatism. (1) Corporations have too much power. For example (2) Corporations are corrupt. For example, Enron, Worldcomm, Tyco. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Corporatism. Corporate power, stated in increasingly negative terms. Corporations lobby politics. Corporations influence politicians. Corporations pressure politicians. Corporations coerce politicians. Corporations bribe politicians. Corporations threaten politicians. --- 9/13/2005
Politics, issues. --- Corporatism. Corporations are driving small business out of business. For example, corporate farms are forcing family owned farms to go out of business. Corporate retailers are forcing small retailers out of business. Economic power is being taken away from many small business owners and given to a few big business corporations. Power in the hands of the few is a bad idea. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Corporatism. Corporations have too much influence on politics. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Corporatism. The United States should not be a corporatist state. Protect workers, consumers and the public against abuses by corporations. Stop corporate welfare. Stop letting corporations avoid legal and social responsibility. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Corruption. Fraud. Misappropriation. Lack of democracy. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Crime. (1) Crimes never reported (out of fear). Crimes never detected. Crimes never solved. (2) Transgressions, both immoral and not immoral. Examples, hacking into networks, going into off limits places. The thrill of transgressions, both undetected and detected (leaving a message). (3) Game playing (not immoral) vs. crime (immoral). Acting or lying. Manipulation. Prank calls, obscene calls. What people do for fun. Fun as satisfaction vs. fun as excitement, thrills, risk takers, adrenaline rush addicts and junkies. Being bad or naughty is fun for some people, why? --- 11/20/1997
Politics, issues. --- Crime. (1) Types, causes. (2) Psychological dimensions: of criminal and victim. (3) Social dimensions: economic costs, fear, mistrust. (4) Ways to catch, ways to prevent, ways to detect. (5) Most effective, least costly ways. (6) Rates of incidence. How many, what types, where. In what time period. Number of perpetrators. Number of crimes committed, caught, convicted. (7) Causes and effects. (8) Costs: in dollars, to individual, to society. (9) Crimes: see Law. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Crime. (1) Unethical and illegal vs. (2) unethical and legal vs. (3) ethical and illegal vs. (4) ethical and legal. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Do not turn the United States into a prison state. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Legal status vs. ethical status. Variance between the two. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Organized crime. "Loyalty" to a "family" that demands "favors" with no questions asked and then calls it "honor" is bullshit. --- 5/15/2007
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Organized crime. (1) Organized crime should not be viewed as a form of entertainment. Some people make the mistake of trying to mollify their fears of crime by watching television shows and movies that turn crime into entertainment. (2) Organized crime should not be admired. Some people make the mistake of trying to mollify their fears of crime by trying to kiss up to criminals. (3) Organized crime should not be ignored. Some people make the mistake of thinking that organized crime will go away if it is ignored. Do not be apathetic about crime. (3) Organized crime should be confronted and stopped. The public should take an active interest in stopping organized crime. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Organized crime. (1) What ways, degrees, duration, and frequency. Is an individual under control of organized crime (forced vs. collusion)? (3) X number individuals = power of organized crime. (4) How many criminals vs. how many victims. (5) How they gather information and use it for crime. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Crime. Organized crime. Like some gangs call themselves "clubs", some crime organizations call themselves "families", but their attempts to re-brand themselves is semantic baloney. --- 5/18/2007.
Politics, issues. --- Crime. See also, Psychology, pathological, specific, crime. --- 5/18/2007
Politics, issues. --- Criminals. (1) Smart vs. stupid. (2) Sane vs. crazy. (3) Ethical vs. unethical vs. amoral. (4) Aware of affects on others. (5) Aware of how bad. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Cuba. The US has used unjust repressive economic sanctions against the Cuban people for forty years. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Darfur. Put UN peace keepers into Darfur to stop the genocide. Put Darfur killers on trial for war crimes. --- 5/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Death penalty, arguments against it. (1) Death penalty will not relieve an overcrowded prison system, because only a handful are sentenced to die in the states that do have it. (2) Death penalty will not deter crazed or passion filled killers, who are indifferent to, or actually desire, death. --- 02/10/1994
Politics, issues. --- Death penalty. (1) If a society thinks suicide is wrong, then one would think that society would believe the death penalty is wrong, because people could be using the death penalty to commit suicide. (2) If a society is for the death penalty then one would think that society would be unfazed by crimes of murder-suicide where one person kills another person and then kills themself. After all, they paid for the life of another with their own life. On the other hand, if you think murder-suicide is wrong then you should think the death penalty is wrong. --- 1/1/2001
Politics, issues. --- Death penalty. Why I am against the death penalty. Because it is so easy for unethical people to frame an innocent person for murder. Then a jury convicts an innocent person. --- 12/20/1998
Politics, issues. --- Do not put blind faith in the corporations to do the right thing because corporations act in their own interest and sometimes do the wrong thing, for example, Enron, Tyco, HealthSouth, cigarette companies, etc. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Do not put blind faith in the government because even the United States government often acts out of its own selfish interests and sometimes does the wrong thing, for example, invading other countries in order to exploit natural resources for use by US corporations. The US government sometimes does not act in the best interests of the people. The US government sometimes acts in the interests of big business. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Do not put blind faith in the mainstream media because the mainstream media is a corporate owned and controlled media that bows to the pressures of governments and corporations. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Does industrial policy ruin free market economics? Is the free market unjust? --- 12/30/1996
Politics, issues. --- Domestic policy. (1) Social: education, medicare, unemployment compensation, welfare, workman's compensation, social security. (2) Science and technology: should we have industrial policy? Should we privatize science research? No. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Downing Street Memo is evidence that the Bush administration was waiting for a chance to invade Iraq, looking for an opportunity to invade Iraq, looking for an excuse to invade Iraq. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Drugs. (1) Legalize hemp. Hemp is good for the environment. Its good for making paper. Its good for making clothes. Its a food source. Hemp grows quickly and easily almost everywhere because it is a weed. Cotton requires lots of pesticides and water. Trees for paper is a waste. (2) Legalize pot. Pot is no more a gateway drug than alcohol. (3) Legalize all drugs? What are the arguments pro and con. What happened when its been tried before? --- 9/20/2005
Politics, issues. --- Drugs. Legalize marijuana, because hemp should be used to make clothes and paper. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Economics. (1) Problems: Corporations have too much power. Monopoly is bad. Corporate executives get too high pay. (2) Solutions: Cooperatives. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Economics. Free trade agreements benefit corporations (NAFTA, GAT, WTO). Promote fair trade to help workers. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Economics. It is unjust when corporations renege on pensions for workers, while corporations post increasing profits, and while CEO's get higher and higher pay. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Economy. The US economy is not doing as well as the Bush administration says. (1) Real wages are stagnant (i.e., wages adjusted for inflation). (2) The federal deficit is too high. Bush is bankrupting the government. --- 1/14/2006
Politics, issues. --- Education: Free college should be available to all. --- 2/23/2007
Politics, issues. --- Education. Save public education. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Election 2005. (1) Where was the youth vote? Who knows. The youth probably didn't vote, as usual. (2) Where was the minority vote? African-Americans are approximately 10% of the population. Many Hispanics voted for Bush. (3) Where was the women's vote? Unfortunately, many women voted religion and war instead of choice and education. (4) Where was the labor vote? Labor needs to be rebuilt in this country. (5) People didn't vote their pocket books. People voted religion. What a mistake. (6) The election of Bush in 2005 was a bad thing. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- Environment. (1) Oceans are being fished out. (2) Atmosphere has acid rain. Atmosphere has global warming due to high CO2 levels. Atmosphere has ozone depletion. (3) Land. Soil is being depleted by bad farming methods. Toxic chemicals seeping into land, and getting into tap water. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. America should aim for ecological sustainability. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Global warming. Acid rain. Rain forest depletion. Extinction of species due to humans. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Natural resources. Fresh water is running out. Fresh water shortages are a problem. Clean water shortages are a problem too. Corporations are trying to gain rights to water at the expense of the people. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Natural resources. Oil is running out. Develop alternative sources of energy. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Population levels are too high. The poor are having many kids. The uneducated are having many kids. Educate women and give women access to birth control. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Society needs to be sustainable. Living like the Amish? People need access to information. People need means of communication. People need computers and access to Internet. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Environment. Terminator seeds are unjust. Use seeds that can make more seeds. Do not let corporations own the food supply. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Farming. Organic farming is the way to go. Buy local products to avoid transportation-related pollution. Agribusiness, aka farming monopolies, is bad. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Finances. How much need (budget) vs. how much have. Raising money (taxes) vs. spending money. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Flag burning. Burn all the flags. Nationalism is passe. Countries are acting less and less like nations, and more and more like states in a global federation, and that is a good thing. For example, do most people know or even care what their state flag looks like? No. And so it should be with national flags. --- 5/21/1999
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy choices. (1) Isolationism vs. getting involved. (2) If you get involved you should not be involved as a bully and act exploitive, destructive, and unjust. You should be a helpful, constructive, force of justice. (3) Have a multi-level, multi-type system of rewards and punishments. Words, actions, economic, military, etc. (4) Your relation to other nations is not determined merely by their actions toward your nation, but also by their actions toward other nations, and also toward people within their own nation. (5) Foreign policy does not have to be only at the national level. You can have a policy for any group or individual. --- 4/17/2001
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy communications. Inquiries, answers, declarations. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy principles. (1) Know what is going on in the other country. Views of the other country's powerholders. Views of the other country's masses. Strengths and problems. Injustices. Political, economic and social situation. Environmental situation. (2) Decide what views and actions of the other country you are going to reward, praise, condone, admonish, or sanction. (3) Foreign policy goals, strategy, tactics and reasons. --- 1/16/2000
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy should be practical, effective, and ethical. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy: international relations, foreign affairs. Political: diplomacy, cia. Economic: trade, finance. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. (1) Figure out what your values are. (2) Determine who is friend and foe, based on their values. (3) Communications. Try to persuade through rational and emotional appeals to power holders and masses. (4) Actions. Economic and military rewards and sanctions toward governments. --- 5/1/2002
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. (1) History vs. current situation. (2) Who has the power? What is the source of power? (3) What are they doing with it? (4) Behavior: Ethical vs. unethical. Active vs. inactive. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. (1) How strong or weak are they vs. are we? (2) What's their agenda (goals, strategies and tactics, and reasons) vs. what's ours? (3) If we do x, what will they do? (4) How good is the communication between us? (5) How and how much do we affect each other? --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. (1) Type of action (violent, aggressive, cooperative, etc.). (2) Area of action (economic, military, etc.). (3) With who, how, why. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. (1) Type of relationship: friend, neutral, enemy, stranger. (2) Type of action: cooperation vs. opposition. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. % foreign policy determined by law vs. % formed by executives. Formation procedures. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Communications and actions. (1) By others, and by you. (2) Helpful to you vs. hurtful to you. (3) Intentional vs. accidental. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Factors affecting foreign policy: arms race, business trade, borders and possessions. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Information gathering systems: spies, monitor media, etc. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Information is key. Find out what they are thinking, saying and doing, aware that these three may not correspond with each other. This task is made difficult by the lack of free press in many countries. --- 5/1/2002
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Isolationism vs. interventionism. (1) Isolationism of nations, like solitude in individuals, hurts those who adopt it as a policy. (2) Isolationism amounts to looking the other way. Isolationism ignores other nations who we could help. (3) Isolationism is increasingly untenable in today's global world. --- 5/1/2002
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Objectives. (1) What is the situation? (2) What do you want? (3) How to get it? (4) How to act towards others? (5) How to react to x action by y group? --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. U.S.A. history with any foreign individual, group, company, nation, regional bloc. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. What's happening over there, and how does it affect us? --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Foreign policy. Who sets foreign policy? How is it determined? Who to recognize? --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Gasoline. (1) Price of gas is rising, while big oil companies report the highest profits ever. (2) Meanwhile, the Bush administration, an administration by and for the oil companies, fails to do enough to promote alternative energy sources like solar power, wind power, etc. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Gay weddings. If the gays want to marry then let them marry. I'm against marriage as a religious and civil institution in general for anyone. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- Genocide. State sponsored murder is wrong. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Why does the US military have a base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? The US does not even have economic relations with Cuba. I'm sure the Cuban government does not want the US in Guantanamo Bay. The US military should get out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The US should either get out of Cuba or resume political and economic relations with Cuba. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Guns. Have a ban on assault weapons. Require a license and a waiting period for the purchase of guns. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Haiti. "Baby Doc" Duvalier was a brutal dictator in Haiti supported by the US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Hazing and bullying are unjust. Make hazing and bullying illegal. Prosecute those who haze and bully. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Health care. Gain universal health care. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Human rights abuses: Persecution of human rights defenders. Attacks on humanitarian aid workers. Attacks on journalists. Attacks on anyone who criticizes the government. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Bush wants to reduce government. Bush wants to reduce taxes. Bush wants to privatize disaster relief. Bush wants the National Guard to fight foreign wars instead of responding to national disasters. Bush wants to spend money on the military instead of the national infrastructure. If a disaster occurs in America then Bush's view seems to be that the government should do nothing. Bush's actions say, "Let the public take care of themselves." That is an abysmal view on Bush's part. Bush is on vacation. Bush is out to lunch. Bush says you are on your own. The Bush administration, and conservatives in general, think its not the governments job to provide disaster relief. Bush thinks its not the governments job to protect its citizens. The conservative view is to let people die because dying thins out the herd. Conservatives are social Darwinists. That is a fascist view. That is a reprehensible view. --- 9/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina. (1) Everyone knew that if a category 4 or 5 hurricane hit New Orleans then the levees either would overflow with water or would actually give way. What could be done to avoid this? (2) How many people killed? How many people injured? How many people made homeless? What will be done to help the people made homeless by Katrina? How many homes destroyed? What will be done with the real estate? --- 1/1/2006
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina. (1) The corporations are bulldozing the houses of the poor and minorities to make way for hotels for the rich. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina. Eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded. Bush made his campaigners the head of FEMA, even though they had no emergency management experience. Hundreds of people died needlessly as a result of the poor response of the Bush administration to Hurricane Katrina and its subsequent floods. Why were rescue workers kept away? Why were aid and supply trucks denied access? Why was not food and water brought to the Superdome where thousands of people were suffering? Why where people kept in the Superdome for days with little to no food and water? Why weren't people evacuated sooner? Why were the evacuation buses days late? The National Guard was sent to fight in Iraq instead of staying to help in a national emergency. Bush spent money on the war in Iraq instead of on US infrastructure. Bush had plenty of warning that a category five hurricane was headed toward a major US city and he did nothing. Many people in major cities like New Orleans do not own cars and so could not evacuate by car. Also, the sick, elderly and poor could not evacuate. New Orleans had many poor and they were abandoned by Bush. The Hurricane Katrina exposes issues of race and class in America. If it was rich white people in peril the Bush administration would have had a much quicker response. Bush's response to Katrina was too little, too late. FEMA's response was feeble. Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were hit hard by Katrina. Hundreds of people were killed and injured. Hundreds of thousands were made homeless or jobless. --- 9/8/2005
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina. The Bush administration's ineptness in handling Katrina makes one pause and wonder if 9-11 was avoidable. Had a more adept administration been in office the outcome of 9-11 could have been much less tragic. --- 9/12/2005
Politics, issues. --- Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans flood is evidence of the ineptness and callousness of the Bush administration. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Immigration. (1) Legal: what number of immigrants from what countries. Illegal: what number of immigrants from what countries. (2) Political refugees. (3) In good economic times we need foreign workers. In bad economic times we get angry at foreigners for taking our jobs. --- 12/20/1998
Politics, issues. --- Immigration. (1) The Republicans want to make being an illegal immigrant a felony. (2) The Republicans want razor-wire walls surrounding the country. Who's in prison now? (3) America is a country of immigrants. (4) National borders are geographic abstractions. Nations are abstractions. People who live on the borders understand the absurdity that their next door neighbor is living in another country. (5) Nations are abstractions. There should be a world government. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Immigration. (1) Types of immigration. Legal immigration. Illegal immigration. (2) Types of immigration policies. Extreme open borders does not work. Extreme closed borders does not work. Both extremes are bad. (3) Types of reasons for various immigration policies. Practical reasons like money. Principled reasons like justice. --- 5/29/2007
Politics, issues. --- Immigration. Views, arguments, and policies. Totally closed border vs. totally open border. Accept political refugees, quotas. --- 04/10/1993
Politics, issues. --- India. India, which is mostly Hindu, has a long running border dispute with Pakistan which is mostly Muslim. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Indonesia. Suharto was a brutal dictator in Indonesia supported by the US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Information. Keep the Internet free from corporate ownership. Provide access to information, for example, through public libraries. Internet access should be a right. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- International law. (1) War. When is war justified? In self defense of a nation? (2) Treaties. Is a treaty a form of contract? If so, when is a treaty binding and when is it breakable? (3) Revolution. When is revolution justified? --- 7/18/2002
Politics, issues. --- Iraq II war. (1) The US is ignoring the Geneva convention. The US is using torture. The US is ignoring international law. (2) Saddam had no weapons of mass destruction (WMD's). (3) 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, not Iraq. (4) Osama Bin Laden is still on the lam. (5) The US government is spying on US citizens. (6) The US government is censoring the media and planting propaganda stories in the press. (7) The US is holding citizens and foreigners without a trial. (8) The US military prison at Guantanamo Bay should be closed. The US should get out of Cuba. (9) Abu Gharib prison is yet another example of human rights abuses by the United States. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq II war. (1) US invaded Iraq for oil, and that was unjust. (2) US is building permanent military bases in Iraq, and that is unjust. (3) US invaded Iraq so that US military contractors like Haliburton and Bechtel could make a lot of money on no-bid contracts, and that is unjust. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq II war. The "war on terror" is an lame excuse used by the Bush administration to try to mollify the public into accepting the injustices of torture, greed, militarism, and abuse of power. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq II war. The US has lost the moral high ground by occupying Iraq to gain control of oil, and by torturing people. The US has lost the support of the international community. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq II war. You can't have a war on "terrorism". You don't invade countries to find criminals. Terrorists should be caught by police and prosecuted in courts. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq war. The US is in Iraq for the oil. The US is building long term military bases in Iraq. The US has military bases all over the world. Why? --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Iraq. (1) Its wrong to create permanent US military bases in Iraq. (2) The pictures of the faces of dead Iraqi civilians should be on the front pages of our newspapers. (3) The injured US soldiers. PTSD. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator in Iraq supported by the US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq. The United States should get out of Iraq. The United States should abandon all its permanent and non-permanent military bases in Iraq. The United States should desist in its imperialist policies. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Iraq. US out of Iraq now. --- 5/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Israel. (1) Does thousands of years of persecution entitle a people to a country or a homeland? (2) Does genocide of millions of people entitle a people to a country or a homeland? Six million deaths during the holocaust is a unimaginable horror. Twenty million Russians died under Stalin. (3) Is there such a thing as a "people" based on either religion or race? (4) Before the state of Israel was created, how many Jews, Christians and Arabs were on the land that was to become Israel? Which people lived on the land that was to become Israel? Today, how many Jews, Christians and Arabs are on the land that is Israel? Before the state of Israel was created, what nation owned the land that was to become the state of Israel? Was there any modern state there? (5) What about the argument that Israel was created to provide a beach head for US and British interests in the Middle East? (6) Do victors in wars, for example, the Americans and British in WWII, have the right to create countries? (7) Do the Palestinians deserve their own country? (8) Is a state based on religion wise? Not recommended. (9) Is a state based on "race" wise? Not recommended. --- 1/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- Issues major/minor that affect you directly/indirectly. Positions on the issues. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- It is a mistake for the US to act unilaterally against perceived threats instead of using multilateral systems of justice like the World Court. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- It is unjust that the developed countries exploit third world countries by keeping third world countries in debt. --- 4/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- Labor problems. Sweatshops. Slavery. Human trafficking. Forced labor. Lack of minimum wage. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Labor. Make the labor unions strong in order to battle corporatism. Root out corruption of labor unions by organized crime. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Left now. Now is the time for the Left to speak up. Protest. Get active Make those t-shirts and bumper stickers. Vote in every election. Speak out. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- LGBT rights abuses: homosexuals arrested for their sexual orientation. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- List of issues. Campaign finance reform. Daycare for children and the aged. Limiting hate groups and hate crimes. Gay rights. Affirmative action. PBS. Funding the arts. Social Security. Minimum wage. Universal health care. Gun ownership, gun locks, gun registration, gun waiting periods. Mass transit. Shorter work week. Environment. Abortion. Military spending. Nukes. Immigration. Drugs. Crime. Death penalty. Juvenile offenders. Euthanasia. Retirement age. Income tax, sales tax, estate tax. College required. National standards for school testing. Internet schooling, home schooling. Bogus creationism. --- 7/26/2000
Politics, issues. --- List of political issues. (1) Environment: pure freedom vs. total control. (2) Economic: fiscal vs. monetary controls. Taxes: raise/lower; more for poor vs. more for rich; more income tax, vat, or other types of taxes. Spending: deficit. (3) Business: regulate vs. deregulate; subsidize or not. (4) Education: federal control vs. state or local control. Mandatory attendance. Public schools: school prayer, uniforms. (5) Foreign policy: trade, war. (6) Civil rights: minority rights, women's rights. (7) Abortion: ethical side, medical side, legal side. (8) Drugs: legalization vs. reduce penalties. Go after suppliers or users. Preventive education vs. penalties. (9) Military: cut vs. grow. (10) Crime: death penalty. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- List. (1) Minimum wage. Conservative say free market would keep wages up. Liberals say free market exploits many unskilled workers and pays them too little. (2) Public television. Liberals say it is good and deserves our money. Conservatives say not any more. Cable offers everything PBS does. (3) Public Libraries. Liberals say they are important. Conservatives say bookstores now offer the same thing and more. --- 12/30/1996
Politics, issues. --- List. Things the federal government does or could do. (1) Environment needs to be monitored. (2) Welfare. Should we have workfare? Does the current system reward unwed mothers for having more kids? (3) Unemployment. We operate at 5% unemployment. The rich can handle being unemployed for a while, but the poor can't handle it. (4) National health care. Can it be done efficiently? Should we have it even if we could do it efficiently? Medicare. (5) Social security: was it a flawed idea? Is it possible to run a social security system without it growing broke when the demographics shift to more old than young people? (6) Highways. Should it be privatized? (7) Post office. Should it be privatized? (8) Education. Public school systems. Efforts to privatize them have not be very successful. (9) FCC, SEC, and all other agencies to monitor and make sure laws are obeyed. (10) Taxes: flat tax? No. (11) Gun control. (12) Drug war. Should we go after foreign sources, or the sellers in the U.S., or the users in the U.S., or should we educate potential users? (13) Military: size and power. Does a strong military prevent other countries from trying stupid moves? Should we maintain the ability to fight two wars at once? Is nuclear weapons freeze possible. Is the B2 bomber, and star wars a waste of money? Should the army be privatized? --- 12/30/1996
Politics, issues. --- Major media malfunction. Big media, the corporate media, is rolling over for Bush. And the government is planting stories in the press. Propaganda is ongoing. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Mexico. The Zapatistas are struggling for the poor indigenous peoples in Mexico. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military industrial complex. (1) Corporations that produce and sell arms for profit realize they will make more profit if the sell more arms. They will sell more arms if there is more war. They will sell more arms if there is even the fear of a war. Keeping people scared sells more arms. (2) Corporations that sell arms for profit make no money in times of peace. Corporations that sell arms for profit are very large, rich, powerful, and have much political influence in Washington. (3) The military is an institution that has a tendency to seek to increase its own budget and power. War is good for the military leaders and for the arms suppliers and for the right wing politicians. War hurts front line soldiers, civilians and the environment. --- 11/20/2005
Politics, issues. --- Military industrial complex. (1) The arms merchants. Merchants of war. Merchants of death. The arms merchants are interested in selling war. The arms merchants are interested in selling death. The arms merchants are interested in selling arms. (2) The arms merchants claim that making and selling arms is saving lives. The arms merchants claim that making and selling arms is contributing to peace. The arms merchants claim that making and selling arms is good for the economy. The arms merchants claim war means jobs. The arms merchants claim that death means more money for everyone. The arms merchants claim to want only a strong defense. The arms merchant's promotion of arms leads to a global arms race. The arms merchants sell to whoever can buy. No one can keep track of all those weapons. Eventually their nuclear arms get into the hands of terrorists who use weapons against us. (3) The corporations that make money from making and selling weapons try to sell the idea of arms production to the politicians. Then the politicians try to sell the idea of arms production to the people. The people buy into the idea of arms production only when the people are half aware. (4) Blood money. Giving arms to right wing South American dictators who cater to US business interests but who also brutally oppress and exploit their own people is wrong. Fighting communism is not an excuse for supporting fascists. (5) How does the military industrial complex function? The politicians, military leaders and business leaders decide to try to find an excuse why they need a large, well armed military. The excuse they try to use is US expansionism and imperialism. It adds up to more money for US corporations. How do politicians try to justify the expense of a huge military? How do politicians respond to complaints and accusations of overspending on the military? (A) Politicians, military leaders and business leaders decide to create a threat. They create a scare. For example, they exaggerate the desire of the Russians to attack us. (B) Politicians, military leaders and business leaders decide to get involved in minor wars and "actions" that act as military exercises. For example, Panama, Grenada, Haiti, etc. (3) Imperialism and expansionism. Politicians, military leaders and business leaders claim that the US should have a large military base in almost every country, including our supposed enemies, like Cuba. --- 11/21/2005
Politics, issues. --- Military problems. Privatization of military is bad. Corporate military is bad. Military unaccountable to any law is bad. War crimes are bad. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military-industrial complex. Corporate CEO's. Military Generals. Politicians. These privileged types are out of touch with the masses. They are out for themselves. They are not interested in helping the public. --- 11/22/2005
Politics, issues. --- Military. (1) How big is the military budget? What percent of government spending (federal only, or federal state and local budget) should we spend on the military? How big should the military budget be? (2) How many people in the military? How big should the military be? What percentage of the population? --- 9/15/1998
Politics, issues. --- Military. (1) Less military spending. (2) No war. Anti-war. No draft. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military. Criticisms of the military. (1) The military turns humans into blind automatons. (2) The military turns humans into killing machines. (3) The military is a self perpetuating bureaucracy. (4) The military does not care much if front line grunts are killed. (5) The military is run by and for the generals. (6) War is hell. The conservative leaning, military industrial complex profits when there is war. (7) The military teaches soldiers to following wrong attitudes, "Hate the enemy.", "Kill or be killed.", and "Killing is good, war is good." (8) People who join the military for money, or to make a living, or because they think there is no alternative, are selling themselves short. --- 1/10/2006
Politics, issues. --- Military. Permanent US military bases in other countries are bullshit. --- 3/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military. Private armies are bad. The privatization of the military and police is a bad idea because it decreases the level of accountability of both the military and the police. --- 3/8/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military. Private armies are bad. Use of Blackwater corporation as a private army is bullshit. --- 3/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military. Quantity and quality, power and endurance. Structure and mechanism. Powers: granted, limited. Set by who? Who declares war? --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Military. The argument that war produces useful technology is bullshit because useful technology can be produced without war. --- 11/20/2005
Politics, issues. --- Military. There is too much war waging by America. The American military is too big. There is too much spending in America on war. The United States should not have permanent military bases all over the world. The United States is imperialist and that is a bad thing. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Military. Three alternative forms of military. (1) Is is possible for a nation to have no military? Yes, Costa Rica. (2) Is it possible to have a completely robotic military? (3) Is it possible to have a military that uses only non-lethal weapons? --- 9/1/2004
Politics, issues. --- Military. War. The temptations facing warriors. In times of peace, the warrior has less glory and sometimes suffers from low self esteem and low self worth. The warriors need wars to stay employed and to achieve glory. Some warriors want war. A psychologically disconnected high-level warrior could even start a war, much like a wacky fireman who may start a fire in order to have the glory of extinguishing it. Only worse. --- 2/19/2000
Politics, issues. --- Nicaragua. US backed Somoza dictatorship was overthrown. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- North Korea is run by a brutal dictator, Kim Jong Ill. The US does not attack North Korea because North Korea has nukes. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Nuclear power. No nuclear power. Nuclear power produces poisonous wastes. --- 1/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Nuclear weapons. No nuclear weapons. Or, if the US has nuclear weapons, then other countries can have nuclear weapons. --- 1/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Nukes. (1) Only the United States can have nuclear weapons? No. (2) Only the United States can say who can have nuclear weapons? No. (3) Then why does the United States try to say which countries can and cannot have nuclear weapons? (4)(A) The United States is the best nation in the world? No. (B) The United States is the most ethically good nation in the world? No. (C) The United States is the richest, most powerful nation in the world? Yes. (D) Do we want a world run by the rich and powerful? No. --- 9/13/2005
Politics, issues. --- Pale male domination. Ways how it has been built into system. Ways how it is being recognized and undone. The feminist attack, and the minority attack. --- 04/01/1993
Politics, issues. --- Panama. Manuel Noriega was a brutal dictator in Panama supported by US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Philippines. Ferdinand Marcos was a brutal dictator in the Philippines supported by the US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Police and law enforcement. Structure and mechanism. Power granted and limited. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Police brutality. Death squads. Illegal detention. Arbitrary detention. Torture. Psychological torture. Torture for interrogation. Torture of those in police custody. Disappearances. Secret jails. Secret police. Extra-judicial "renderings". Being held without being charged with a crime. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Prison problems. Prison overcrowding. Lack of due process. Prison gangs. Prison rape. Death penalty. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Prisons. Prisons as a business. Economically depressed communities want prisons because prisons mean jobs. So prisons are built. Prisoners are needed to fill the prisons. So more prisoners are gathered by criminalizing increasingly lesser acts. The United States has more prisoners per capita than almost any other country. --- 9/13/2005
Politics, issues. --- Progressive activism. PART ONE. Get informed. (1) Read Progressive information sources. The Nation magazine and web site. Z Magazine and web site. Air America Radio and web site. Democracy Now television. Alternet.org web site. Moveon.org web site. Read Progressive books. PART TWO. Speak out. (1) Talk to friends and family about Progressive issues. Talk to everyone you meet about Progressive issues. (2) Write a journal or diary. Write a blog or web site. Email politicians. PART THREE. Change your lifestyle to live your Progressive values. Be more Progressive. Live in an environmentally sustainable way. Buy Fair Trade products. Get a Progressive job. Pursue social justice. --- 5/22/2007
Politics, issues. --- Public works and public enterprises. Approve and manage projects and polices. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Refugees. Migrant domestic workers. Immigrants. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Religion. Lack of freedom of religion. Creation of official state religions. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Religion. Maintain the separation of church and state. Religious fundamentalists, especially Christian fundamentalists, who want to make government a theocracy, are unjust. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Rights. Uphold rights. (1) Women's rights. Women should make as much as men. (2) Minority rights. Uphold minority rights. (3) Gay rights. Uphold gay rights. --- 4/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Romania. Nicholas Ceausescu was a brutal dictator in Romania supported by the US until he disobeyed the US. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Rwanda. The international community did not act quickly enough to stop the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990's. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Saudi Arabia has a very repressive government, but the US wants their oil. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Schools. Teach evolution. Do not teach creationism. --- 1/4/2007
Politics, issues. --- Secret police. CIA should not function as America's version of the secret police. --- 3/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Secret police. The CIA is willing to admit wrongs it committed thirty years ago, but it is unwilling to admit wrongs it committed in the last several years. The US government enables the CIA to continue to commit injustices. --- 6/24/2007
Politics, issues. --- Security. (1) External: military. (2) Internal: police, fbi. --- 12/30/1992
Politics, issues. --- Signing statements. Bush's use of signing statements is bushshit. Bush uses signing statements to ignore congress, ignore the constitution, ignore law, and impose a dictatorship, on the pretense of a war that he started to try to justify dictatorship. --- 3/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Solutions: Need for rule of law to protect rights, including children's rights, women's rights, worker's rights, right to education, right to information, LGBT rights, ethnic minority rights, and other minority rights. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- South Africa. South Africa had a racist apartheid policy. Racism and apartheid are unjust. The United States failed to take a stance against South African apartheid from the 1950's to the 1980's. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- South America. In many central and south american countries there are a few, rich, well armed, land owners who brutally repress and exploit many poor people. The US government over the last 50 years has supported right-wing death squads, military dictators, big business, and wealthy landowners. The US government is on the wrong side in South America. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Surveillance. Physical surveillance using digital video cameras and parabolic mics. Internet surveillance of web surfing habits. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Taxes: Proportional tax rates. Not flat tax rate. --- 2/23/2007
Politics, issues. --- Taxes. How much does the individual get back for every $100 in taxes? Does the individual get back in services less or more than the taxes paid? --- 11/20/2005
Politics, issues. --- Taxes. Its easy, too easy, for people to say they don't want to pay any taxes. And yet they want to enjoy living in a society. --- 9/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- Taxes. Percent individual pays vs. percent corporations pay. As compared to $ earned by individuals vs. $ earned by corporations. --- 9/18/1998
Politics, issues. --- Taxes. There should really be a world tax. You would pay local, state, national and world taxes. The world tax would help pay for world projects and world disaster relief. A world tax would force us all to communicate and it would help to unite the inhabitants of the world. --- 8/26/1999
Politics, issues. --- Taxes. We must pay some taxes. You cannot expect a live in a society for free. What percent of income should we pay tax on? We should not tax people into poverty. How much of government functions can we successfully privatize? --- 11/20/1998
Politics, issues. --- Terrorism. Terrorism is not the same thing as war. War is between countries. Terrorism is by individuals. --- 2/23/2007
Politics, issues. --- Terry Shiavo. Terry Shiavo was brain dead, a vegetable. Terry Shiavo's husband wanted to pull her feeding tubes. Terry Shiavo's parents did not want the feeding tubes pulled. The Terry Shiavo case was politicized by the Republicans. Pandering to the religious right. People have a right to determine how they will die. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Tibet. Free Tibet from Chinese occupation. --- 5/5/2007
Politics, issues. --- To give everyone in the country minimal food, clothing, shelter and information for a year. Could it be done for 10K per person? If there are approximately 300 million people in the USA then that would cost 3 trillion dollars. Do we have that money? --- 4/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- Torturers. Abu Gharib, Iraq. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Bush administration condones torture. The Bush administration is using unjust tactics in the war on terror. The unjust Bush administration abandoned the Geneva convention. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Unionize. Unionize Walmart. Unionize Starbucks. Unionize Microsoft. --- 5/21/2006
Politics, issues. --- United Nations. (1) The United Nations. World government. World law. World cooperation. World peace. World justice. (2) The United Nations is a good idea. Why is the United States opposed to the United Nations? Because the United States is like a bully that does not want to be reigned in. Because the United States is like a rich kid who does not want to be told what to do. --- 9/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- United Nations. The United Nations is a good idea. The United Nations is a challenge to the United State's global hegemony. Therefore, some people in the United States oppose the United Nations. The United States should not try to be the dictator of the world. The United States is part of global community. --- 9/13/2005
Politics, issues. --- United States. American foreign policy. (1) America's power is waning. China and India are gaining power. (2) It was largely luck that made America a superpower amongst other democracies. (3) Most Americans are willfully ignorant of the rest of the world, and have an over-inflated sense of self. --- 3/30/2007
Politics, issues. --- United States. The United States is not the benevolent dictator of the world. Not everything the United States does is good. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- United States. The United States seems to think it can do whatever it wants to do. The United States claims to act justly in the name of "freedom" but the United States often acts unjustly in the interests of its own power and riches. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- US foreign policy. The US tries to act like everything the US does is good, and that is not so. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- US foreign policy. There are several attitudes about US foreign policy that are commonly held by the American public. (1) One attitude is that of complete ignorance. Many Americans neither know nor care what the US government is doing around the world. Complete ignorance about foreign policy is a bad attitude to hold. (2) A second attitude is that of uncritical acceptance. Some people think that whatever the US government does abroad is fine. Uncritical acceptance is a bad attitude to hold. (3) A third attitude that some people hold is when they don't care how many people the US kills as long as the US remains rich and powerful. Using realpolitik as a lame excuse is a bad attitude to hold about foreign policy. (4) A fourth attitude that some people hold is a commitment to truth and justice, even when it means identifying and acknowledging when the United States is falling short of those goals. A commitment to truth and justice is a good attitude. A commitment to truth and justice is an attitude that more people are holding now that the peoples of the world are becoming more literate, educated, and informed. Doubtless, access to the Internet in order to read the ideas of Noam Chomsky is having a positive effect. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- US Imperialism. US Imperialism is primarily to extend US power and make US money. US is not primarily about spreading freedom and democracy. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Vietnam. The Vietnam war killed millions of innocent civilians. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Voting problems. (1) Rigged elections. Destruction of ballots. Failure to count the vote accurately. (2) Suppression of the vote. Trying to scare people out of voting. Denying the vote to people. --- 6/24/2007
Politics, issues. --- VP draws a bead. Cheney shoots his buddy in the face. When he gets drunk he shoots the country in the face. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- War dictator. War imperialist. George Bush uses the excuse of war to do whatever he wants. George Bush uses signing statements to ignore the Congress. Dictator and Empire. Hey, he's at war, so he can do whatever he wants. Bush says, screw the law. Bush says, screw the constitution. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. (1) Pre-emptive war is a bad idea. (2) Perpetual war is a bad idea. (3) War on "isms" is a bad idea. --- 6/15/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. (1) There were no WMD. The Bush administration lied when they said there were WMD's. (2) Why didn't the US let the UN inspectors do their job? Why didn't the US listen when the UN inspectors said there were no WMD's found in Iraq? (3) The US went in unilaterally, without getting world support. (4) The cost in dollars. (5) The cost in lives of innocent Iraqi civilians killed. (6) The cost in lives of US soldiers killed. (7) Saddam Hussein was a dictator, but there are other dictators who the US does not attack. The war in Iraq was motivated primarily by oil and money. (8) Censorship of the media. The media does not show the dead. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. (1) Why couldn't the US get a substantial UN coalition together? Many nations voting for invasion. Many nations supplying money, troops and equipment. (2) Why invade Iraq when there are dozens of other dictators in the world? (3) Why invade Iraq when the UN inspectors found no WMD? (4) Why invade Iraq when the US has WMD. The US has nuclear weapons. The US has biological weapons. The US has chemical weapons. (5) Why engage in pre-emptive war? Pre-emptive war is a bad idea. (6) Why engage in perpetual war? Perpetual war is a bad idea. (7) Why torture? Torture is a bad idea. (5) The war in Iraq is a bad idea. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. Abu Gharab. Abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US personnel at Abu Gharab prison. And at Guantanamo Bay. Torture goes against the Geneva convention. Sexual torture is even more disgusting. Many of the detainees tortured were innocent civilians. The torture was not an isolated incident. The torture was done by both military and non-military personnel. Torture is wrong. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. Four related questions and four related answers. (Question 1) There was never adequate proof provided of a link between Osama Bin Laden and Sadam Husein. So why did the US invade Iraq? (Question 2) The world is full of dictators doing evil things. For example, North Korea posses more of a nuclear threat than Iraq. So why did the US invade Iraq? (Question 3) Weapons of mass destruction were never found. The UN investigators found no credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction and said as much. So why did the US invade Iraq? (Question 4) The US was never able to convince the UN to vote to invade Iraq. The US was never able to get an sizable international coalition together to invade Iraq. So why did the US invade Iraq? (Answer 1) The US invaded Iraq for oil. Some Republicans feel a war gives a president an excuse to seize control of oil reserves in the middle east. (Answer 2) The US invaded Iraq for money. Some Republicans feel that a war in the Middle East is a good way to funnel money to Haliburton and other US oil companies. (Answer 3) The US invaded Iraq because republican presidents like to have a war. Some Republicans feel that a war is good for the US economy. Some Republicans feel a war gives the president more free reign to pursue his right-wing agenda. (Answer 4) The US invaded Iraq, needlessly killing US soldiers, isolating the US from the world community, and inciting more terrorists against the US, because of a hapless and greedy administration. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. Guantanamo Bay. (1) People being held without being charged. (2) People being denied a speedy trial. Held for three years and then released without explanation. (3) People being tortured. US breaks Geneva Convention. (4) People being sent to other countries to be tortured. Rendition. --- 8/30/2005
Politics, issues. --- War in Iraq. Media censorship of the war. (1) Why does the government censor media coverage of war? Because Vietnam shows that when people see the reality of war they fail to support it. (2) What lame excuses do they make for censorship? Reporters expose military information. Reporters are a danger to themselves. (3) Why won't they show the US dead? (4) Why won't they report the estimates of Iraq casualties? (5) How is censorship of war and other military actions related to censorship in general (government censorship, corporate censorship; social censorship, etc.) (6) Types of censorship. Passive censorship: economic coercion. Active censorship: threatening people, beating up people, killing people. --- 9/1/2005
Politics, issues. --- War is a waste of human life. War is a waste of money. War is destruction of culture. War is not necessary, nor inevitable, nor good. Stop making war. Pre-emptive wars are especially bad. Wars of choice are especially bad. Wars of aggression are especially bad. --- 4/10/2007
Politics, issues. --- War liar. The Bush administration lied the US public into war. There were not any weapons of mass destruction (WMD's) in Iraq. The Bush administration would not let the UN weapons inspectors do their job. The Bush administration would not listen to the UN weapons inspectors. The Bush administration rushed to war. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- War on Terror. (1) Terrorists are all over the world. Before the US invasion of Iraq, Iraq was not a center of terrorism. (2) How exactly does the US determine who is a terrorist? How exactly does the US determine how to treat suspected terrorists? Does the US shoot on sight anyone who looks like a terrorist? That is unethical. (3) Does the US intend to invade every country that contains terrorists, that is, every country in the world? (4) There are many, many terrorist organizations containing many, many terrorists. How does the US choose who to attack and kill? (5) Why was Timothy McVeigh treated using criminal procedure, while other people are treated as enemy combatants in war? (6) War is usually declared by one nation against another nation. How does one declare war on an "ism"? It does not make sense to declare war on an idea. --- 1/9/2006
Politics, issues. --- War. It is unjust to use war as an excuse to try to justify any action. --- 3/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- Welfare issues. (1) Free health care for all. Who pays? How much money spent on each person. (2) Free education for all. Kindergarten through college. (3) Free housing for all. Not just shelters. Who pays? (4) Free food for all. Food stamps. End hunger. Head start. (5) Employment for all. Guaranteed jobs. (6) Wipeout poverty and crime. (7) Conservatives oppose all of the above. --- 9/18/1998
Politics, issues. --- Welfare. (1) How many people are on it? (2) How long is the average stay on it? (3) How much money does the average stay get? --- 12/15/1994
Politics, issues. --- Welfare. Does a society (nation, state, community, etc.) have a moral responsibility to aid and help, to some degree, the weaker and less fortunate members of the society. Is this moral responsibility altruistic in nature, and based on human rights? Or is this moral responsibility egoistic in nature? For example, should we get the poor on their feet so that they will be less of a burden on us in the long run. Some conservatives say we have a moral responsibility to let the weak and infirm die ala social Darwinism. I think that is wrong and a waste. How much should we help others? Only enough to let them help themselves? --- 11/28/1998
Politics, issues. --- Welfare. The problem with dismantling government social programs and relying on private donations to private charity organizations is that nothing guarantees that they will be there when needed. The way to guarantee that no one starves in this country is to make it a law, backed up by government agencies. And that is also the only way to guarantee that every child gets a grade school education. Plus, it is our nation's self interest to educate its youth and feed the starving. --- 9/10/1999
Politics, issues. --- Wiretapping. The NSA has the phone records of ordinary Americans. The NSA is listening to the phone calls of ordinary Americans. The NSA is wiretapping without court approval. --- 5/24/2006
Politics, issues. --- Women's rights abuses: Women denied vote. Women denied jobs and equal pay. Women forced to wear veils. Women forced into prostitution. Rape. Violence against women. Domestic violence. Denial of access to birth control. Denial of access to abortion. Denial of education to women. --- 4/27/2007
Politics, issues. --- World. The security of first world countries depends on the development of third world countries. The first world countries should be spending more money on helping third world countries develop. How to deter violence. How to reduce poverty. How to get people educated. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- World. The world seemingly swings wildly between right-wing extremism of fascism and left-wing extremism of totalitarianism. Really its a struggle between the haves and have-nots, a struggle between the rich and the poor, a struggle between the powerful and the powerless. I am working to help the poor and the powerless. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- World. The world seemingly will end in religious world war between Islamic fundamentalist extremists and Christian fundamentalist extremists. Religion produces fanatics. I am against religion. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- World. United Nations needs to be strengthened. International law needs to be strengthened. --- 5/17/2007
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. (1) Holding prisoners without trial. (2) Torturing prisoners. (3) Monitoring phone calls. (4) Searching your house without your knowledge or consent. (5) Reading records of bookstore purchases. (6) No-bid business contracts go straight to Haliburton. (6) Using a "war on terror" as an excuse to consolidate power and make money. --- 9/16/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Bush administration imperialism and expansionism is a bad idea. The US should not hasten to build permanent military bases in other countries. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Depleted uranium is a bad idea. Use of depleted uranium tank shells is a bad thing. If the US cannot wage war without causing radioactive contamination of the natural environment then the US should not be waging war. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Killing innocent Iraqi's is a bad idea. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi's have been killed by the Americans. This is a major injustice. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Perpetual war is a bad idea. Not having an exit strategy is a bad idea. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Pre-emptive war is a bad idea. A country should not wage war based on a suspicion that another country is thinking of doing something wrong. It is wrong for the US to invade other countries on the suspicion that the US thinks that the other country is thinking of building labs that could possibly be used to make weapons. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Support the US troops by getting the troops out of Iraq now. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. The Bush administration has made a series of wrong policy decisions, for ulterior motives, and misrepresented their actions to the American people. The Bush administration is not trustworthy. The Bush administration does not represent the best interests of the American people. Bush administration policies are unjust. Bush administration policies are making the world insecure, unequal and unfree. Vote the Bush administration out of office. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. The Iraq war is not the same as WWII. Sadamm Hussein is not the same as Hitler. Arguments by some right wingers that the Iraq war is the same as WWII are false. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. The US is currently acting like a rogue state. US out of Iraq now. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The WMD argument is false. Declaring war when there were no weapons of mass destruction found is a bad idea. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. Unilateral war, without the support of the international community, is a bad idea. The US did not have sufficient support from the international community to invade Iraq. Incidentally, the current strain of anti-French sentiment on the part of some Americans is wrong. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. War against an ideology, with no definite opponent, is a bad idea. One cannot wage a war against an "ism". A war on "terrorism" is a bad idea because a war on terrorism can be used as an excuse to arbitrarily invade whatever country the US sees fit, for example, for business interests. One should not invade countries because of terrorists, because terrorists exist in every country. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. War for oil is a bad idea. The Iraqi war is about oil. The United States should be reducing its dependence on oil instead of invading countries for oil. The US should not be hastening to build oil pipelines across the Middle East. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. War to support the economy is a bad idea. War to support arms builders is a bad idea. Corporatism is a bad idea. War as a means to make Haliburton money is a bad idea. War to get rich is a bad idea. --- 11/14/2005
Politics, issues. --- Wrong Bush administration policies. War with a censored media is a bad idea. The Bush administration is wrongly censoring the media. War with a media that is unable to show American dead is a bad idea. Militarists argue that showing the American dead was what caused protests that ended the Vietnam war. The Vietnam war should have been ended. The anti-war protesters were right. The militarists are wrong. --- 11/14/2005