Political Potpourri III - The next round.

Cobra Commander · 2005-03-30 14:31:10

Attempted 1981 assassination: Soviet KGB
*Why would they have wanted to bump off the Pope? I remember that incident quite well.

Because they were evil, godless communists of course.

That, and the Pope was rather critical of the communist governments and because he was the Pope it carried alot of weight. Get him out of the way, hope they install a meeker Pope that'll mind his own business.

It reminds me of a sig I saw on some website several months ago that described the Soviets as well as anything. Something to the effect of "the Soviet Union was a curious blend of evil and incompetence, kind of like the Post Office with tanks."

Palomar · 2005-03-30 14:42:28

Attempted 1981 assassination: Soviet KGB
*Why would they have wanted to bump off the Pope? I remember that incident quite well.
Because they were evil, godless communists of course.

That, and the Pope was rather critical of the communist governments and because he was the Pope

He's also Polish (Commie takeover, etc.). I'm now recalling he was rather out-spokenly anti-Communist.

It reminds me of a sig I saw on some website several months ago that described the Soviets as well as anything. Something to the effect of "the Soviet Union was a curious blend of evil and incompetence, kind of like the Post Office with tanks."

That sounds about right.

I sure remember all the photos of the Soviet Union: Bleak, cold, depressing, steely, formidable...

I'm surprised they were that afraid of PJP II, though. Maybe I've forgotten how charismatic he was, especially in his younger days...but then we weren't Catholic, so I didn't pay much attention. He's looking so very frail and weak lately. We share the same birthday.

Maybe they figured with the combination of PJP II and Ronald Reagan...

--Cindy

RobS · 2005-03-30 18:33:42

Don't forget that the Poles hate the Russians, the Poles were staunchly Catholic--that was the force that sustained Polish nationhood through the stateless years--the Catholics were anti-Communist, and the Pope was both Polish and anti-Catholic. In 1956, the Hungarians tried to revolt against the Russians; in 1968, the Czechs; and in the late 1970s and 1980s, Poland was stirring under Solidarity. In the early 1980s we came within a whisker of a Russian invasion of Poland. Furthermore, the Latin American Catholic Church had a lot of leftists and sympathy with Marxism because of the tyrranical governments and oppression of the poor. An anti-Communist Pope threatened stability in Poland, the strength of Communism in all of Eastern Europe (especially if you believe in a sort of domino theory) and even the strength of marxism in the Third World. Naturally they considered getting rid of him.

-- RobS

Palomar · 2005-03-31 09:23:29

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s … oman]Terri Schiavo passes away

*Rest in peace.

--Cindy

clark · 2005-03-31 09:57:06

Anyone else find it ironic that she died by the same means by which she brought the coma onto herself?

I'm surprised that no one did a hunger strike.

Anyway, it is this kind of situation why I am generally against state laws or federal laws for assisted suicide.

Palomar · 2005-03-31 10:59:25

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u … 6]Grrrrrrr! :down:

*...and we know "disturbingly little" about other nations which DO pose a threat to us.

This is unforgiveable.

and that the United States knows "disturbingly little" about nuclear threats posed by many of its most dangerous adversaries.

Double jeopardy, huh?

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-03-31 11:07:43

Most of why we do not know is due to the path of communications of the data once inside any nation. It is easy to spot something out of the ordinary when it comes to communications especially if it is used to often.

To be caught as a spy usually means death or at least imprisonment for life.

Palomar · 2005-04-01 07:48:12

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u … vo]Michael Schiavo acting out of SPITE

*He had his way. His assertions (speaking on behalf of Terri, with the courts taking his word for it) were believed.

Now he insists on having his way with how she will be buried.

The matter of burying Schiavo, though, is something the two sides have had to settle themselves. The Schindlers, who are devout Catholics, wanted their daughter's remains buried in Florida, where they live. Michael Schiavo, however, has custody of the body and plans to have his wife cremated.

And, once again, the curious (IMO) situation of an in-law speaking up about the matter: Scott, Michael's brother:

Schiavo's ashes will be buried in an undisclosed location near Philadelphia so that her immediate family does not attend and turn the moment into a media spectacle, said Scott Schiavo

Nice, huh? Bar the immediate family. They "are to blame" for the media spectacle. Yeah, that's why members of Michael's family never miss an opportunity to get camera time or quoted in the press. :laugh:

Michael Schiavo must really hate Terri's family. This is pure spite, nothing more.

She's dead now...let her family take her back into their bosom and preside over her funeral arrangements and etc.

--Cindy

Ian Flint · 2005-04-01 11:35:28

This is the first and probably the last time I'll bother to comment on this subject.

Cindy, I gotta disagree with you on this one. I think that once a person is married, their parents and other relatives tend to loose touch, sometimes very quickly. This is assuming that the married couple spends more time together than with the old families, which is not always the case, of course. But if it is true that the couple was close, then the parents probably don't know enough about their daughter anymore to make decisions about life support, cremation, burial, etc.

To take me and my wife for example, in a few short years we have diverged from both of their belief systems more than they will ever know or care to know. She was raised Baptist and I, Mormon. We are now agnostic. I lean toward the atheist side and she leans toward the pagan. We don't like to advertise this fact to our families because we know it will just upset them. So, they are both completely out of touch. Niether of us would want them to have any say over us if we were in Schiavo's position.

Does that make sense?

Palomar · 2005-04-01 12:21:09

This is the first and probably the last time I'll bother to comment on this subject.
Cindy, I gotta disagree with you on this one. I think that once a person is married, their parents and other relatives tend to loose touch, sometimes very quickly. This is assuming that the married couple spends more time together than with the old families, which is not always the case, of course. But if it is true that the couple was close, then the parents probably don't know enough about their daughter anymore to make decisions about life support, cremation, burial, etc.
To take me and my wife for example, in a few short years we have diverged from both of their belief systems more than they will ever know or care to know. She was raised Baptist and I, Mormon. We are now agnostic. I lean toward the atheist side and she leans toward the pagan. We don't like to advertise this fact to our families because we know it will just upset them. So, they are both completely out of touch. Niether of us would want them to have any say over us if we were in Schiavo's position.
Does that make sense?

*Hi Ian: I've been married for 12 years, so I know what it's like.

My main bone of contention with Mr. Sciavo now is his aggressively excluding her family from her burial. Not the funeral (they're holding their own services)...but the actual burial.

That's just not right, IMO. She was their flesh and blood.

Unless Terri and he agreed to that burial site in PA, and that she wanted to be cremated (prior to her tragedy)...but those assertions -haven't- been made by him. And it still wouldn't account for the exclusion of her family from being present, by her grave, when she is lain to rest.

There have been no indications nor assertions that Terri was ever neglected or abused by her parents, nor that she was estranged from them.

Would Terri want her entire family excluded from her burial? Based on what I've read about her family life, etc...probably not.

--Cindy

P.S.: It's also hypocritical of Michael's family members to complain about the Schindlers turning the situation into a media circus when at least 2 of them have seemed more than willing and welcoming of chances to stick their noses in a camera and get into print. They're mere in-laws, doing the same thing damned thing...and they've got a lot of nerve criticizing her flesh and blood in this regard. A curious spectacle indeed, in-laws telling blood relatives of the person in the center of the controversy to back down and shut up while they themselves continue to feed the media frenzy.

::shakes head:: Okay, my blood pressure is going up...

Ian Flint · 2005-04-01 13:06:43

Looks like you need another drink, Cindy.
:laugh:

Palomar · 2005-04-01 13:18:36

Looks like you need another drink, Cindy.
:laugh:

*Another drink? It's been 3 months at least since the last one. :hm:

Let's see, I average 4 to 5 alcoholic beverages per year (if I'm feeling particularly "wild")...maybe 2005 will see a break in that record. :laugh:

(I doubt it).

Enough said (unless someone else picks the topic back up and says something I feel compelled to respond to).

--Cindy

dicktice · 2005-04-01 19:40:58

Okay, just how many of these 4 or 5 alcoholic beverages do you put away a year. I pretty much stick to single malt Scotch. I don't advise you to mix your beverages, Cindy, best to stick to only one at a sitting, girl. Cheers.

srmeaney · 2005-04-03 02:33:15

I got an Email from ecrasez_l_infame

She Says Get a life and take your space commonwealth with you.

I suggest you take a good look at the real world. The American Economy is about to crash. They will not be going to Mars. They have pretty much used up their own oil reserves and have pissed so many people off that the only way they will be able to access the resources they need is by destroying other Nations and taking what isn't theirs. (read the rollingstones/politics article: The long Emergency)

Therefore, the Space Commonwealth is the only ethical future and you will sing that national anthem till the day you die or go hungry living in one of the third world civilizations.
What is worse, the longer we wait, the more it will cost the human race.

As I said, no one has the right to more than their share and their share just ran out.

If you take this identification card and hold it up against the nations of the world, you will see that all the have not's who are of the 'take what they want' species are the ones with nuclear weapons.

For western civilization it won't end with cheeseburgers at fifty dollars each, twenty dollars for a litre of generic brand Cola. It will end with grilled rat-on-a-stick, fifty dollars each. Recycled tap water, twenty dollars a litre.

Dook · 2005-04-03 07:08:37

The American economy is booming. The stock market has recovered and The Fed is raising interest rates to slow inflation. We are rich and getting richer.

About 60% of our electricity comes from coal, the rest from imported oil and it is used to fuel our vehicles but fuel cell and bio-diesel engines are replacing gas guzzling engines so in the future as the price of oil continues to rise it will affect the US less and less. The US has substantial oil and natural gas reserves and the Gulf of Mexico may yield even more.

http://www.gravmag.com/oil.html]http:// … m/oil.html

The poor countries of the world are working to support the rich countries and it's going to be that way until the poor countries realize that they need to keep their population growth in check with their economic growth. You, like many others, don't see that the US economy drives the worlds economy. We made this place. The US is one of the youngest countries and through a lot of hard work we built a powerhouse while the scrubs sat back lazily in the shade and criticized and you scrubs continue to criticize. You don't like it? Tough. Get off your rear and get to work, and maybe, if you are lucky, an expanding US company will hire you to sweep the floors at night.

About the nukes, if we wanted to take anything and everything, we could have done it already and there is nothing you or anyone could do about it.

American's will be eating just fine, living it up day in and day out while the rest of the turd world countries sweat all day making our business suits.

dicktice · 2005-04-03 09:35:49

The expression "The Ugly American" came to mind when I read your final paragraph. A day or so late for April Fool, but even so, you can't be serious using such inflammatory language if you have any future foresight at all. The advancements you refer to are being developed and produced by companies to be sold to you, based upon continually updated 20-30 year research plans, which will soon result in your becoming an exclusively consumer economy state. If that's what you aspire to, where's the pride, not to mention the future, in that? Name ten desirable things to look forward to which your companies could conceivably come up with on their on by 2015, say.

Dook · 2005-04-03 13:34:27

Inflamatory language? You think that putting down the United States is acceptable because of your hate for Bush? You placate the thugs of the world and side with murderous dictators seeking nuclear and biological weapons. You complain about our consumer based economy while your whole economy depends on it. You're a dog who bites the hand that feeds him. You think we need you? It's the other way around buddy.

Your not even in the top ten of the worlds most important countries. What in all of history are you noted for?

Hockey...sigh, gee thanks.

I've been to Canada many times and the main thing I've noticed is, it's just like the U.S. but you're a cheap copy, a step-child, an apprentice still afraid to move out from it's master's shadow. You've never had to fight for your own freedom so you've learned to be...cowards. And you're damn good at it. You'd better hope no one ever tries to break into your house at night, an American policeman will have to come save your rear end.

A top ten list? Sure, here is a list of things your country might work on:
1) Go to the moon, even better, go to mars on your own
2) Put up a space vehicle or a space telescope, oh, that's right you guys built the robotic arm. Not a lot of starch in my double breasted please.
3) Invent a vaccine
4) Feed someone other than yourselves
5) Build an efficient jet airliner so even poor people can travel the world
6) Create the internet, oops, guess we beat you to that one too. I'm sure there's something helpful you can do. An American company will probably outsource that something to you real soon.
7) Stop genocide somewhere, anywhere, even the attempt will be appreciated.
8) Get a world leader known for supporting terrorism to denounce nuclear weapons and other WMD's (Libya).
9) Make a movie, not a Sylvester Stallone one, a good one
10) Write something profound and lasting. Try not to copy "We the People..."

At the world conference forums that took place last December The President of Latvia said "The United States stood up to the Soviet Union in support of our human rights while everyone else kept quiet and did nothing."

From you, a thank you is not necessary but I would appreciatte it if you would shut up.

Dook · 2005-04-03 13:36:45

Fans boo the U.S. national anthem and chant "Osama! Osama! Osama!"

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4236314]http:// … id/4236314

Dogs biting the hand that feeds them.

Palomar · 2005-04-03 15:12:25

Fans boo the U.S. national anthem and chant "Osama! Osama! Osama!"
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4236314]http:// … id/4236314
Dogs biting the hand that feeds them.

*This gave me a chill. And especially as it's "right next door."

I can't understand anyone (besides ilk of the same stripe) chanting support for Osama bin Laden. Unless, of course, they are the ignorant knee-jerk type who don't truly know what Osama bin Laden stands for (except that he doesn't like the U.S.).

It's one thing to decry the Iraqi war and to question the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Bin Laden is an entirely different case, though -- IMO.

He has, on camera, called for the murder of American children. The basis of this? Our having dropped bombs on Japan during WWII. Such twisted logic: If it's "okay" for the U.S. to have killed innocent civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then it's "okay" for him to do the same thing...including children.

::shakes head::

Sad world we live in.

--Cindy

dicktice · 2005-04-03 15:13:49

I must've hit a nerve, or something. Not my intention. I repeat: "Name ten desirable things to look forward to which your companies could conceivably come up with on their on by 2015, say." For things, read commercial products, and for "on their own" read independently. It's a wake-up call, not a condemnation. How about it?

Dook · 2005-04-03 19:39:49

Hit a nerve? Yeah, you could say that. You don't like Bush, fine, just keep it accurate. You complain about America in general, you get a fight.

Companies don't advertise their secrets but it's not hard to imagine the following in ten years.

1) More powerful and fuel efficient jet engines for passenger aircraft and fighters.
http://www.ge.com/en/]http://www.ge.com/en/

2) The elimination of Polio worldwide. Led by the U.S. Center for Disease Control, Johnson and Johnson, and the World Health Organization (the US pays for 30% of the WHO).
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/events/polio-vac … .htm#bkgrd

3) Promising new cancer drugs
http://biooncology.com/bioonc/anatct.js … anatct.jsp

4) Faster, better, computer operating system
http://www.microsoft.com/]http://www.microsoft.com/

5) Bio-diesel fuel to reduce our dependance on foreign oil
http://www.pipeline.to/biodiesel/]http: … biodiesel/

6) Terrabyte hard drive
http://www.seagate.com/newsinfo/about/p … index.html

7) Real Life Animation
Disney/Animatronix/Pixar/Dreamworks

8) More fuel efficient and capable construction equipment
http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37840&x … =37840&x=7

9) Faster semi-conductors
http://www.research.ibm.com/]http://www … h.ibm.com/

10) More environmental friendly products
http://www.pg.com/company/index.jhtml]h … ndex.jhtml

In 200 years American's built the United States into a powerhouse economy, world police force, world food aid, world disease control, space exploration leader, technology leader... Sure we outsource some, it helps us concentrate on bigger and better things and it gives those poor souls in need a chance to earn a living.

Palomar · 2005-04-03 21:29:29

*What I still can't figure out is why the near-complete extreme hatred of the U.S. I -can- understand people not liking certain of our policies nor liking Pres. Bush. For as long as I recall, there were always pockets of hatred for the U.S., particularly as Israel-related matters are concerned. Concentrated, localized pockets of hatred. But otherwise it was "que sara sara"...we were welcomed to visit other nations, we were esteemed.

Then 9/11 (and prior to the Iraq war and prior to any real talk about invading Iraq) and most of the world bares its fangs. :hm: All this intense hatred and loathing and anger comes pouring out, even from the most unexpected places. As if a boil finally burst and the pus came oozing out.

Again, I mean *prior to* the Iraqi war and *prior to* Bush openly discussing the possibility of war in Iraq.

Quite a bit of the anti-U.S. anger, loathing and hatred seems too "splenic," vitriolic and just plain hysterical, IMO, to be taken seriously (but given lessons of history past, maybe we'd better take it seriously).

How could the U.S. have been "fine" with most folks a mere 5 years ago, and yet since after 9/11 it's as though we've always been considered evil, rotten, rapacious, worthy of punishment, etc.

Yes, the U.S. has done wrong things, some of them bad...and yes we've make mistakes as well.

But this rabid, virulent hatred which came down like the blade of a guillotine immediately after 9/11 is puzzling and disturbing.

We were "okay" pre-9/11 and immediately after we're The Evil Empire??

We were "okay" when Clinton was in office, but now...

How did THAT happen so fast?

--Cindy

srmeaney · 2005-04-04 01:07:38

Dook, do you somehow assume that America is not of the take what it want's species? The only Australian Prime Minister to oppose the presence of a US Military base on Australian soil soon after walked out of Parliament and went for a swim in his suit with a briefcase full of government documents and Drowned, never to be seen again.
Most are of the "committed suicide because he was being blackmailed into subservience the way the British and Canadian Prime ministers were" view.
Since that individual incident, every Prime Minister since has been of the "thank you for your protection oh mighty warlord" variety.

When you got done demanding a new presidential election in the Ukraine due to the refusal of the US to recognise the Legitimacy of their elected prez, How about addressing discrepencies in the vote count of your own presidential elections? Or is Vote rigging reserved for loyal Party members only? I'm sorry, We refuse to recognise the legitamacy of your government. Talk to the Hand.

In response to what I was saying in a previous post, When the Coal and oil runs out, and no one will sell you theirs, will you take what isn't yours? Will you become like Gengis Khan out of Necessity, or will you expect all the other english speaking nations to Surrender to the US of A?

srmeaney · 2005-04-04 02:07:03

If you want to get down to it, I wasn't insulting the USA, I was expressing my disgust at the decline and fall of the Second Spacefaring Civilization (The first being the Soviets).

Dook · 2005-04-04 06:48:14

Dook, do you somehow assume that America is not of the take what it want's species?

You think we had anything to do with the Australian Prime Minister's drowning? So what he didn't approve of the Iraq war, he was just one of very many at the time. What do we care about Australia? Help or don't help, either way it doesn't matter because your country is not a world player.

You think our CIA is going to risk assassinating the leader of a democratic nation while President Bush was trying to win support for attacking Iraq? That's just crazy. We're not the cause for your problems. Blame someone else or, even better, put it squarely on yourselves then fix them.

There are always going to be discrepancies in a vote involving millions of people in a very close race. The Supreme Court made the call that President Bush won the election. That's the way it works. You don't like it, tough! Mind your own.

Ukraine...sigh. Yeah, we just run everything. Everybody does exactly what we tell them to do.

The world has 200 years worth of coal reserves at the current rate of usage. The US has the most, 25% of the worlds supply.

I believe the world has somewhere around 50 years of oil left. Fuel cell and bio-diesel vehicles are now coming online to replace gasoline powered vehicles. What we are going to do when the oil runs out is not a problem at all. We will be fine. What the rest of the world is going to do is going to be a huge problem. The middle eastern countries do not have the infrastructure for anything else so when the oil runs out they will need a lot of help. The only crop they can grow is palm trees so all of their food will be imported. Their money isn't going to last and they're not known for having a favorable work ethic. Who is going to be asked to help with massive and constant food shipments? Sigh...the US.

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