BBC Blog Network

User Profile

Jeebers76

Listed below are comments made by Jeebers76 between Monday, 30th March 2009 and Wednesday, 29th July 2009.

«Newer
Older»

Too European? 00:17am on 29 Jul 2009 Uhm, Mr. Webb? I figure you need to understand something. Europe is nice and all, but the folks there have had thousands of years to establish a status quo and learn how to get along with each other. The US hasn't, and so we have a tendency to sort ourselves out according to personal taste. Wherever you go in this country, it will be a VERY different experience depending on location. That is, if you don't like the prevailing attitude of one area, try another. I guarantee it will be wildly different from previous experiences.

Then again, I kinda doubt he'll notice this post. It's way down on the bottom of the list. Sure wish there was an indicator that would state if a given post had been noticed.
Why America deserves three cheers 2:42pm on 20 Jul 2009 I dunno, magickirin. I think much of our current economic and international woes are due to Reagan's policies. Worse, the GOP worships Reagan something fierce even today.

Funny thing is, both the GOP and the Dems like big govt, it's just that they like to spend in different areas. The Dems spend on domestic policy, and the Republicans like to spend on the Pentagon (and if you've got guns, what good are they if you don't use them? See Iraq).

Moreover, Reagan was very big on deregulation and tax breaks for the rich. "Trickle Down Economics", remember?

Guess what? Lack of regulation is what got us into this whole Wall Street/bank fiasco. That is universally accepted by economists and most of the general public.

And, as time goes on, wealth is steadily being concentrated into a progressively smaller percentage of the populace. We give FAR more money via tax breaks and such to the rich than we ever did to the poor. The wealthy were supposed to reinvest in the USA, but what happened? They moved the corporations and factories to foreign countries where they could get away with not paying environmental and health benefits (since most 3rd world countries don't give a damn about anything but dough). Meantime, the jobs in the USA dried up and we no longer had the money to buy the products being cheaply made elsewhere in the world and marketed back to the USA.

The national deficit has EXPLODED under GOP Presidents, and been somewhat reduced under Democratic ones. THAT is a running pattern, if you care to check it out. I used to have faith in the Republicans, but I lost that about 3 years ago.

All of this is because the rich got away with making MORE dough, but having less responsibility. Still think the GOP and Reagan's ideas are good ones? I'm curious.
Why America deserves three cheers 1:03pm on 20 Jul 2009 saintdominick,

I haven't seen nor heard of any "moderate" Republicans lately. In fact, I haven't heard a breath of sanity nor reasonableness from them in a very long time now.

You know something funny? The same prize winning economist who predicted the economic crash a long time ago recently (in the past week or so) appeared on the Daily Show. He said that the stimulus packages were a good idea, but that they weren't big enough. All they have done is merely slow our descent, he said.

Ayup, I know about people like AIPAC and the HMO's sending in reps to control Congress. And, the public has been telling Obama through the net that we don't like it. He listened, I think.

I don't have blind faith in my govt at all, and I don't know anyone who does. Right now, I just hope that these guys can fix things without getting too greedy. I'm willing to bet that the rest of the country feels the same way. At any rate, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. If the economy, health care system, and international relations improve, we will reelect Obama, Congress, and the House (fill them with Democrats). If not, we are gonna get ticked.

While Obama has been optimistic, NOBODY has been withholding the truth from us, as far as we know. Those that have, like the scandal making hypocritical types, we note and refuse to vote for. The more honest and frank Obama becomes and remains, the more likely he will be reelected.

The US public knows darned well that our media wildly exaggerates things, and feeds off bad news of any kind. So, watch and see. Don't necessarily trust what our media says until the elections are in. I bet the results will surprise you. No matter how negative the media and the opposition becomes, we will reelect winners. That is my countrymen's way. Screw up and admit it while trying to make amends, and we both respect and admire you, enough to reelect and have faith in your butt.

Why do you think we put a relatively inexperienced BLACK man in office? We thought he had something sane and intelligent to say, and we wanted something radically different from the standard, experienced, twit we had elected before. Meanwhile, his opponent became increasingly irrational as the election wore on. McCain lost because he repeatedly lied to us, and didn't admit his mistakes even those honestly made.

Have faith in the elected officials we Americans put into office, please. Give them time for a decent attempt. The rest of the country sure will. Mark my words, if nothing improves they are out on their butts.
Why America deserves three cheers 12:13pm on 20 Jul 2009 I forgot to add this: I had also suggested in that same Democratic platform of 08 that if our elected leaders didn't know the answer to a question or a problem, they should admit it. That simple act wins a lot of respect in my country, because while the press and the dedicated opposition will make a lot of your mistakes, the rest of the country will admire the honesty and humility such an act takes. We will even reelect such an individual.

So far, the USA public continues to forgive slip-ups of Obama's, and by extension the Democrats as long as they admit it freely and try to make amends (being ignorant is also a mistake, remember). The whole country, aside from the die-hard Republicans apparently, is engaged in fixing things and admitting our faults on a daily basis, in a way, by trying something different than what we have in the past.
Why America deserves three cheers 11:51am on 20 Jul 2009 I read Mr. Webb's post. If what he says really is the USA's strength, this ability to bounce back from mistakes, then I think he is perhaps missing something critical: For the longest time now, American leaders in business and in politics have had a fatal flaw. They won't admit it when they screw up. They continually insist that they were right, even with outright failure and disaster is the result of their actions. Bush Jr was only the most extreme example of this assessment, he and his crew. Better to tell us the truth when the situation is grim, and admit that our leaders don't know what to do. Saying "I don't know" takes strength, and that's the first step towards fixing the problem.

Here's the odd thing... A while back, before Obama was elected, I suggested something to the Democratic platform. It's summed up as this: If you make a mistake, publicly apologize and try to make amends. If you do, we the American public will forgive you just about anything. None of us are perfect, but it takes a honorable and strong man to admit that he royally screwed up. Guess what? Shortly after Obama's election, he admitted that he made a mistake on television no less, AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC FORGAVE HIM ALMOST INSTANTLY. Shortly after that, he began asking the people what their ideas were on how to fix things. I know this because I was asked myself.

You know why we forgave him, and why we continued to respect the man even though he admitted he was clueless? Because for decades now, our leaders had so much pride that they wouldn't admit it when they screwed up, instead they pretended that the results were exactly what they wanted all along. We all knew they were full of bull, and that they were lying on a regular basis. Remember Vietnam and Korea, my fellow humans? Those were big mistakes, and so was Iraq (and the whole country knew it, along with understanding the total arrogance of our elected leaders and despising that trait).

We never got rid of our nobility; they just changed their names. Difference is, now they are much more accountable when elected. The peanut gallery can only be deceived for so long before we finally get ticked off, no matter how charismatic you are or how much dough the perpetrators have.

I just hope that the Democrats can put aside their personal desires and vote for the good of the poor citizens that make up the bulk of my countrymen. I also hope that the rest of the globe can forgive us. We really DID try to do good, and we are sorry that we screwed up. So, we got rid of the old regime as soon as we could.
More thoughts on my Obama interview 05:05am on 04 Jun 2009 I saw this article online, and I think it's something as many people as possible need to read.

" Wed Jun 3, 10:22 am ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) An owner of a New York store thwarted a robbery only to take pity on the perpetrator, who claimed he could not feed his family, and gave the man $40 and a loaf of bread, a video of the incident showed.

A video posted on Tuesday by the Newsday newspaper on its website www.newsday.com showed a masked man wielding a bat as he entered a convenience store in Shirley, Long Island, just after midnight on May 21 and demanded money.

But when the store's owner, identified by the local Channel 12 TV station as Mohammad Sohail, pulled out a rifle, the masked man dropped to his knees and appeared to beg for forgiveness.

"He said 'I am sorry, I have no money, no job, my family is hungry,'" Sohail told the TV station. "Then I feel bad for him ... I take $40 for him."

Sohail said he was not planning to press charges.

(Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Michelle Nichols and John O'Callaghan)"
Obama the strategician 04:03am on 05 Apr 2009 I've been doing some thinking.

It is a VERY remarkable thing that Europe and America, through the G20 summit, have agreed to work together. One of the things that my American history prof has said about the Depression is that it was a global catastrophe, and the only way to really deal with it is globally.

A single country trying to spend itself into prosperity and restart it's economy will have limited results at best. Turns out that the US New Deal was actually effective at stimulating the economy, but the govt didn't go far enough, and indeed they backed off on spending. This caused a sudden dip in the economy where before it had been steadily improving in the late 30's. What really got the USA out of the Depression was truly massive govt spending in gearing up for WWII. What would life had been like had we instead spent that much on public works? Pretty amazing I'll bet, but Hitler and Japan needed to be stopped.

This time around, there is no great global war. How about we work on civic improvements instead of war machinery?
A great roadshow 08:47am on 04 Apr 2009 cadrolls1,

I caution you against placing words in my mouth (212). I never once said that gay men carry menstruation gear. You confuse the heck out of me.

MagicKirin,

Please, tell me where you get the acid you seem to be dropping, I want some! Must be pretty potent stuff. Keith Olbermann a hate-monger? I've watched the man. He's overly serious sometimes, but after watching I believe the man to have a good heart. Every time he has a criticism of someone, he backs it up with ACTUAL CLIPS FROM THEIR OWN SHOWS.

If anything, people like Coulter, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity etc condemn themselves with every kooky word they utter. Heck, when O'Reilly attacked paparrazzi (spelling?) for chasing after the press, I accepted it. Then he began doing it to people with his own reporters! When called on it, he accused his opponents with a grand conspiracy. That is more than a little paranoid, that is right out there past the bleachers!

As for the military discussion, it's become plain that I'm being censored, despite not being even remotely hostile to anyone. I can't answer the questions given to me, though I want to. I'm nowhere near the bigot that seems implied in the responses, especially since words are being placed in my mouth (or on my fingers, as the case may be) that I never wrote.
What they don't want to hear 08:26am on 04 Apr 2009 Hello all, it's been awhile since my last post.

First, I have to say I am stunned. I read about how the international press gave Obama, my President, a standing ovation! Wow! I didn't think that kind of reaction was possible these days.

Second, I have to say that I am impressed that so many countries agreed to be more open about their banking records to prevent tax havens. A step like this actually acknowledges that the world economy is hopelessly intertwined internationally. I never thought Europe would agree to something like that. (The following is not meant to be offensive) Historically, Europe especially has been very competitive and into tariffs to protect their businesses.

My jaw dropped. Kudos to ALL OF YOU out there. It is a difficult thing to surprise me these days, as I tend to pay close watch. I rarely hand out compliments, but I am impressed with what happened at the G20 summit. Wow. Just wow. Maybe there's some hope for humanity yet!
A great roadshow 08:13am on 30 Mar 2009 Cunard,

Just a quick note. Actually, I have no problem whatsoever with homosexual people. In fact, my sweetie is bi, which puzzles the heck out of me but I accept it.

Sorry, I'm just not that judgmental. If you think about it, there's a reason why separate facilities for homosexual troopers would need to exist. Do you have any idea just how close people get if they are fighting with one another? If you are also attracted to one another, this leads to intimate relationships and all the complications that would engender. Why do you think there are separate facilities for men and women already, hm? Same reasoning.

From what I could see, the US military doesn't want anyone to date, period. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation. It has everything to do with STD's, conflict of interest, rape, pregnancy etc. And when two soldiers are mated, they have to be posted together, obviously. Being in combat also means risking death, so what happens when one of these soldiers gets nailed?

As for why gay men would be vulnerable, think about it. They are wildly outnumbered in an environment that deliberately squishes nonconformity and is primarily composed of heterosexual men trained for violence.

I got no problem with same sex marriage. I do wonder if, given the difficulty of raising psychologically healthy children, if such a pair could provide opposite sex role models. They'd need outside assistance, which is a bit of a disadvantage. Also, a lot of prejudice exists against such pairings, which makes me worry about the mental health of the kid in question.

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

Jeebers76