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food for thought
jonk
Member Posts: 10,121
"If America is ever to triumph in its war against Islamic terrorism, we must get past the idea that we are its root cause. Specifically, we must get past the idea that a suicide bomber is just a peace-loving Muslim who, if we hadn't set him off, would be growing figs and building sandcastles. Strapping explosives to your torso, marching yourself into a crowded marketplace and blowing yourself up in order to slaughter as many civilians, including women and children, as you can is a profoundly demented act, an act which undoes a dozen or so millennia in the moral evolution of the human species. Such an act is not triggered by America's sociopolitical landscape or by its foreign policy. Rather, it is nurtured by an intellectually degenerate culture, sponsored by sleazy kleptocratic regimes and authorized by a once-honorable religious tradition perverted to serve the pipedreams of an apocalyptic death cult. It's Muslim civilization, not America, that must change in order for Islamic terrorism to cease." -Mark Goldblatt
"The object lesson of Foley's inappropriate e-mails to male pages is that when a Republican congressman is caught in a sex scandal, he immediately resigns and crawls off into a hole in abject embarrassment. Democrats get snippy. Foley didn't claim he was the victim of a `witch-hunt.' He didn't whine that he was a put-upon `gay American.' He didn't stay in Congress and haughtily rebuke his critics. He didn't run for re-election. He certainly didn't claim he was `saving the Constitution.' (Although his recent discovery that he has a drinking problem has a certain Democratic ring to it.)... But Democrats are on their high horses because Republicans in the House did not immediately wiretap Foley's phones when they found out he was engaging in e-mail chitchat with a former page about what the kid wanted for his birthday. The Democrats say the Republicans should have done all the things Democrats won't let us do to al-Qaida-solely because Foley was rumored to be gay. Maybe we could get Democrats to support the NSA wiretapping program if we tell them the terrorists are gay." -Ann Coulter
"The object lesson of Foley's inappropriate e-mails to male pages is that when a Republican congressman is caught in a sex scandal, he immediately resigns and crawls off into a hole in abject embarrassment. Democrats get snippy. Foley didn't claim he was the victim of a `witch-hunt.' He didn't whine that he was a put-upon `gay American.' He didn't stay in Congress and haughtily rebuke his critics. He didn't run for re-election. He certainly didn't claim he was `saving the Constitution.' (Although his recent discovery that he has a drinking problem has a certain Democratic ring to it.)... But Democrats are on their high horses because Republicans in the House did not immediately wiretap Foley's phones when they found out he was engaging in e-mail chitchat with a former page about what the kid wanted for his birthday. The Democrats say the Republicans should have done all the things Democrats won't let us do to al-Qaida-solely because Foley was rumored to be gay. Maybe we could get Democrats to support the NSA wiretapping program if we tell them the terrorists are gay." -Ann Coulter
Comments
Rush Limbaugh, March 11, 2002
I think the vast differences in compensation between the victims of the September 11th casualty, and those who die serving the country in uniform, are profound.
No one is really talking about it either because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11th.
Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.
If you lost a family member in the September 11th attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.
Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs.
If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry.
And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.
Keep in mind that some of the people that are getting an
average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough.
We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11th families are getting.
In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in
the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.
You see where this is going, don't you?
Folks, this is part and parcel of over fifty years of entitlement politics in this country.
It's just really sad.
"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."
-Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
Every time when a pay raise comes up for the military they usually receive next to nothing of a raise.
Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low rent housing.
However, our own US Congress just voted themselves a raise, and many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month and most are now equal to being millionaires plus.
They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.
If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7 you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harms way receive a pension of $15,000 per month.
I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.
"When do we finally do something about this ??"
If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can
Food for Thought
In light of the recent shooting in Massachusetts, let's see, I think
it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any
prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... the Bible
that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your
neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK
Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they
misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we
might damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what
he's talking about so we said OK, we won't spank them anymore.
Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our
children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no
faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave
because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be
sued. (There's a big difference between disciplining and touching,
beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.)
And we accepted their reasoning !
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if "they" want to.
They won't even have to tell their parents ! And we said, that's a grand idea !
Then some wise school board member said, since boys, will be boys and
they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so
they can have all the fun they desire,
and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school.
And we said, that's another great idea !
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what
we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we
said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does
in their private lives, as long as I have a job, and the economy is good.
And then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude
women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty
of the female body. And we said we have no problem with that.
And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published
pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them
available on the internet. And we said they're entitled to their free speech.
And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies
that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's record
music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes.
And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and
nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves "why" our children have no conscience, "why"
they don't know right from wrong, and "why" it doesn't bother them to kill
strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think
about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a
great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
Dear God,
Why didn't you save the little girl in Michigan?
Sincerely,
Concerned Student
AND THE REPLY
Dear Concerned Student,
I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely,
God.
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why
the world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the
Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have
to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.
Funny how someone can say, "I believe in God" but still follow Satan
who, by the way, also "believes" in God.
Funny how we are quick to judge but not to "be" judged.
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they
spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the
Lord, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through
Cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the
school and workplace !
Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an
invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Are you laughing?
Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it
to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe,
or what they will think of you for sending it to them
Funny how I can be more worried about what "other" people think of me
than what "God" thinks of me.
Are you thinking?
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it....no
one will ever know what you did, for sure.
Wenn alles richtig ist, dann stimmt 'was nicht. -Nena (When everything is going right, something is bound to be wrong.)
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?
Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?
Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?
What is the speed of darkness?
If it's true that we are here to help others, what are the others doing here?
Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?
Do you cry under water?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
Did you ever stop and wonder......
Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze
these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"
Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat
the next thing that comes outta its bum."
Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to
a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?
Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't
point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?
Why does your Obstetrician, Gynaecologist leave the room when you get
undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?
Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs !
If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests? (This one kills me !!!!)
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables,
then what is baby oil made from?
If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons ?
Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Stop singing and read on . . . . . .. . . .
Do illiterate people get the full effect of eating Alphabet Soup?
Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at
you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?
has discovered that people with insufficient brain and sexual activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.
Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late. [:o)]
Dear God:
Why didn't you save the school children at .. . .
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel, Alaska 2/19/97
Pearl, Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah, Kentucky 12/1/97
Stamps, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro, Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro, Pennsylvania 4/24/98
Fayetteville, Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield, Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond, Virginia 6/15/98
Littleton, Colorado 4/20/99
Taber, Alberta, Canada 5/28/99
Conyers, Georgia 5/20/99
Deming, New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee, California 3/5/01 and
El Cajon, California 3/22/01 ? Sincerely, Concerned Student
Reply:
Dear Concerned Student:
I am not allowed in schools.
Sincerely, God
How did this get started....
Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools. And we said, OK...
Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school, the Bible that says "thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbors as yourself," And we said, OK...
Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem. And we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we won't spank them anymore...
Then someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued. And we accepted their reasoning...
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea...
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, that's another great idea...
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said, it doesn't matter what anybody, including the President, does in private as long as we have jobs and the economy is good...
And someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said, everyone's entitled to free speech....
And the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence and illicit sex... And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes... And we said, it's just entertainment and it has no adverse effect and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead...
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, classmates or even themselves.
Undoubtedly, if we thought about it long and hard enough, we could figure it out. I'm sure it has a great deal to do with... "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW,"
Fight Crime, Shoot First
To all you old law dogs now just lyin' in the shade, current pistoleros and other fervent Second Amendmentbelievers: I would rather be your friend, but if you are not interested in that, I am prepared to be a capable and efficient enemy.
This is the law: The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield and skill is more important than either. The final weapon is the brain. All else is supplemental.
As John Steinbeck once said:
1. Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.
2. If you find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
3. I carry a gun cause a cop is too heavy. (Gotta love this one!!)
4. When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away. (Yep, time is some time, but shoot first, then call 911)
5. A reporter did a human interest piece on theTexasRangers. The reporter recognize the Colt Model 1911 the Ranger was carrying and asked him 'Why do carry a .45?'. The Ranger responded with, 'Because they don't make a .46.'
6. An armed man will kill an unarmed man with monotonous regularity.
7. The old sheriff was attending an awards dinner when a lady commented on his wearing his sidearm. 'Sheriff, I see you have your pistol. Are you expecting trouble?' 'NO Ma'am. If I were expecting trouble, I would have brought my rifle.' ( WinchesterModel 94 30-30Cal.and loaded withWinchesterSilver Tips, no doubt).
8. Beware the man who only has one gun. HE PROBABLY KNOWS HOW TO USE IT!!!
To this I will add my comments. I was once asked by a lady visiting if I had a gun in the house. To which I said I did.
She said 'well I certainly hope it isn't loaded!'
To which I said, 'of course it is loaded, can't work without bullets..'
She then asked, 'Are you that afraid of some one evil coming into your house?'
My reply was,'No not at all. I am not afraid of the house catching afire either, but I have fire extinguishers around, and THEY ARE ALL LOADED.'
33 second vid.
32 second vid
2:31 vid. Self-reflection for some if us.
Mission statement, "We are not leaving until you prove you are a citizen and get signed off by (pick a credible person) ____________________.
Guns are a tool to keep your government in check. Marching for gun rights does not demonstrate responsible use of such rights. Marching to make sure you leader is not violating the rules shows a more responsible use.
Now just see how media and public opinion on both causes differ and then you decide.
March for gun rights, you shall surely lose them, March for government transparancy and you have earned the right.
that Muslim testicles are an aphrodisiac
more potent than Rhino horn...
In ten years, Rhinos would be off the
endangered list and Islam would be extinct.
Just saying
[;)]
Either things already on the aircraft or things you could take with you onto the flight.....No firearms.
What would you use to attack the attackers?
"He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one."
- Jesus Christ in Luke 22:36
it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.
_____________________________________________________________
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course'
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
The Biggest 'C' is Crisis !
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way These are times that cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your * and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope I believe in America . In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America 'S greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'Korean War', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.
If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believe in America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'
Excerpted from 'Where Have All the Leaders Gone?'.
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.
"To meet with ill fortune is to meet with good fortune. To meet with submission is to meet an enemy."
Wenn alles richtig ist, dann stimmt 'was nicht. -Nena (When everything is going right, something is bound to be wrong.)