[Rhodes22-list] WTF?

[Hank]

Saroj,

I have to make a few comments on your post.  First, the rise in gas prices
is not restricted to the US and is not the fault of Bush.  In Europe, gas is
now over $7 dollars a gallon (it was in the 4+ range) so they are suffering
more than us.  I don't know how old you are, but I can't remember a time
when the national debt was zero.  That being said it has increased
significantly since Bush ahas been in office.  Also, a point of technicality
which probably no one cares about, if bush discloses classified info, he is
not doing it illegally, as he has the ultimate authority to decide what is,
or is not, classified, See EO 12958.

If you did some research, you would find that the casualty rate for this
"war" is much lower than any we have ever fought.  While I do not
necessarily disagree with Bush's reasons for going into Iraq, I do feel that
he and his advisers woefully miscalculated the what would happen after
Hussein was removed.  Many say that we shouldn't have gone into Iraq because
we the reasons we went in turned out to be invalid (WMD, etc.).  However, at
the time Bush made the decision, we thought that Iraq did have WMD.  IF
you'll remember, the UN requested many times for Hussein to show that he did
not have them and Hussein stonewalled at every opportunity.  Remember, you
have to evaluate a decision based upon the information known at the
time, not the information that is discovered later.  I have never met anyone
who is prescient, and I don't suspect that Bush and his staff are either.

So what if Bush can or cannot pronounce nuclear, it that a fairly petty
thing whit which to find fault? I used to work at the Embassy in Mexico and
our Ambassador, Ex-Congressman Jim Jones (D-OK), couldn't even read a
sentence written in Spanish, must less speak the language and He was a
Clinton appointee.  Oratorical skills do not relate to intelligence or
leadership. We have all had good leaders who were not good speakers and vice
versa.

I have lived extensively in Mexico and still go there a lot and your story
about the foreigner with the restaurant raises my suspicion.  I suspect that
there are other details to the story of which we are not aware.  If you know
it, I would like to know the source of the story.

All this being said, I am not extremely pleased at how everything has been
handled by the current gov't, however, I don't see anyone who is likely to
step up in '08 who can do a better job, which I find very frightening.  I'm
afraid that the political process has driven all the good men (or women)
away.

Hank


On 5/13/06, Saroj Gilbert <saroj at pathfind.net> wrote:
>
> Rummy, would it be more accurate to say "what this administration has done
> is  <asked the telephone companies to do something> illegal" or am I
> missing
> something in your post?  Maybe the Patriot Act has some provision which
> supercedes any other law against telephone companies giving out our
> personal
> information, calls, etc... (its o.k. to break the law when the president
> decides that law is against protection of national security... I'm not
> joking here... many instances of these)... but seems that would have come
> out in the many expert analyses of this issue.... I listen to political
> reporters and commentators every day and haven't heard this mentioned.
>
> Not to say that this administration hasn't done anything illegal... lying
> about the rationale for going to war would be one.... "outing" a CIA agent
> would be another... more to come no doubt.  (oh, wait.. lying to the
> public
> about both the rationale and the project cost for going to war <"nothing">
> may not be illegal... just immoral... unlike lying to a grand jury about
> whether or not one has sex with someone)... yearning for the "good old
> days"
> when the news was totally consumed by self-righteous "moral" leaders (read
> "adulterers" and "crooks") slamming Clinton for getting a thrill in his
> office... when pension plans were intact... and when my health insurance
> was
> "only" $200 a month instead of $400...and gas was under $2/gallon... and
> the
> national debt was zero... and we hadn't lost 2500 of our military in an
> absurd war... and when we didn't have another 17,000 badly injured... and
> when we had a president who could pronounce "nuclear"... and... and...
>
> BTW... if anyone followed that "what to do if attacked" link to the White
> House web site... note that you can have the pleasure of reading it all in
> Spanish if desired... don't get me started on the illegal immigration
> issue... its no wonder that so many want to come here from Mexico... I
> heard
> last week that a foreigner who owned a restaurant in Mexico was recently
> deported within 5 days for wiping the tables in his own restaurant...
> seems
> that he didn't have a work permit to wipe tables... only a permit to own
> the
> restaurant... no lawyer... no hearing... hauled off to jail then released
> for 3 days to pack his bags and get out of the country... just like
> that...
> do you think we might be a little "soft" on the illegal immigration issue?
> I like the fact that this country is made up of immigrants... it adds
> color
> and spice... but I DON'T like the fact that we allow so many to slip in
> the
> back door while others, equally deserving, are made to go through hoops
> and
> often not allowed to come at all... ever... and I don't like the fact that
> our tax dollars are supporting many, many services for folks that
> shouldn't
> be here in the first place... If the White House docs are in Spanish, why
> not Japanese, Chinese, Polish, German, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, etc.
> etc.  We are NOT yet a bilingual country in spite of impressions to the
> contrary!
>
> Saroj
>
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