State of the Union - Page 2

You're right about the other bad and dangerous regimes, but one has nukes, deterring us from acting, and we haven't had time to get around to the rest. Give Bush time, I'm sure Saddam is just the first step.

I'll wait unitl we hear from Powell.

Borders? Abolishing NAFTA? Anyone? *crickets*

Yeah...I FUCKING THOUGHT SO!

Screw this whole enterprise. California's about to die a financial death and all ya'll can think about is a fucking war on the other side of an uncaring globe!

Not the worst speech ever...but not one truly salient issue was addressed.

Oh well...fuck me then.

I've got a headache.

True and true.

But the fundamental duty of the Federal Government is first and foremost to what? PROTECT IT'S PEOPLE. You do that right at home at the border. Once the border is air-fucking-tight then think about stopping threatening regimes.

Otherwise it's nothing but militarily pandering for votes across the largest demographic. This is -once again, with feeling- not about oil...otherwise we'd be attacking Canada and Venezuela.

Paul, I know it's getting frustrating for you, but you have to keep in mind not all of us are in a state that's on the front line of the border war.

Arkansas is slowly catching up to things, but we don't have masses of illegals making the trek like they do in CA and TX.

It's hard for a lot of folks to sympathize when the concept of porous bordrers is still foreign.

I know you feel the border is the nations number one issue, but realistically it's NOT the number one issue for most. Should a man in Nebraska or Maine believe that a truckload of Mexican nationals sneaking into our country is more of a national threat than the possibility of a chemical or bio weapon being set off in their state capital?

That chemical or bio weapon being brought in ... OVER THE BORDER?

Double posting bitch!

But I'd be remiss if I didn't hold true to my fundamental beliefs and principles and rant them one time or another...and tonight seemed as good a time as any.

Besides, I took most of this out on my family already! See, my dad and I get together on State of the Union night to talk about it. He absolutely loved it. I felt it lacking...then it was on!

Heh...

point for double posting bitch...

Oh Call...I would like to see a future where Arkansas never has to deal with a border/immigration/terrorist problem.

I suppose that's my personal mission regarding this issue.

I like double posting the bitch...oh wait...wrong forum.

I will say that Rath's sudden conversion to radical Bush hater has been quite amusing.

Double postin' slut...

(what the hell happened there?)

Sudden?

Sudden?

Well, maybe not THAT sudden. But his attempts to go along with the crowd were making me giggle.

The border is a MAJOR weakness to national security.

It needs to be dealt with, but how?

A string of out-facing speakers blaring Barry Manilow?

Some would sat vigilante justice is the way.

Some would say the government enforcing it's own laws is the way.

Me? I say laser beams.

With sharks?

Sea bass

The satisfaction polls are dropping for President Bush. He hasn't given the case for war. Powell has said that the case will be presented to the American people next week.

Laser-sharks!

Timing is everything, as David Frum said.

The admin. knows the exact right time to release the info.

Smart in not doing it 6 months ago.

Yet ironically they're still higher than the last administration's were during at least the last four years.

Me? I don't want a case for war...I want a case for security.

Advanced sneak-peak at next weeks State Press Conference:

Powell: "We'd like to share with you the reasons we feel it is imperative for our armed forces to engage against the regime in Iraq. Gentlemen, roll the tape..."

Video-Tape segment begins, showing Sadam in tight close-up. Translator speaks: "...these thousands of cannisters are ready to be released in churches and malls and centers of economic trade, unless you give us ... ONE MILLION DOLLARS!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Mr. Evil Hussein, surely you're joking....

I'm really horribly conflicted over this entire issue. I think, unfortunately, we're in a "damned if you do..." situation.

It's hard to know if this is an immediate, pressing danger, or if this is simply a distraction to make up for the misstep of having declared war on a word. Is this an action for the sake of having a win-able one? Or is there a clear and present danger...

To put something into perspective I heard Glenn Beck talk about something today.

He was talking about his former problem with alcohol. Now, he put forth that he has a 10,000 square foot house now in Philly. He was saying that if he really didn't want his family to know that he had a fifth of Jack Daniels stashed they surely would never find it.

A few liters of the worst toxic nerve agent or biological agent wouldn't be difficult to hide...here...on a truck allowably let through a porous Southern border...coming to a metropolis near you!

If we want a clearly winnable war with no muss, little fuss, we wouldn't pick a guy who has tons of chemical agents.

Saddam knows this is it. This isn't going to end well for him. He'll be much more likely to release NBC weapons now. This will not be an easy win for us.

If we wanted easy (and a way to perpetuate the oil myth) we would go into Venenzuela and restore order.

I knew Brokaw couldn't be trusted!

That speech and this thread both are depressing.

Man, I love this country. I really, honestly do. I usually feel such hope here, such potential. I always have, even when I was drowning in the bowels of the military.

But I'm seriously beginning to wonder if humankind can live up to democracy's demands.

Crap, now I sound like Jabbadonut...

"You MUST zee TV -- THURSDAY!"

No no. Only Jabba can ever really sound like Jabba.

You merely sound like a well meaning guy who disagrees mightily with some things I happen to agree with.
But I love the fact that you care enough about the country to get depressed in the first place...

Merely a ruse. That fuckin' Canadian Jennings has always been the brains of the bunch.

Rather is muscle.

Heh heh...muscle...

Democracy -for better or for worse- does not demand enough.

Well, if it wasn't the country, it'd be the lack of a great Jethro Tull cd in the last decade...

Regardless of our affiliations, we here are all engaged and aware.

Can you say that about the dozens of people just right around you that you see and interact with everyday?

That makes it sound like there was a good Tull CD to begin with.....

Oh you've got that straight!

HEY!

Hell no. And you know what I do for a living. Those mannequins had ME taking notes on the SOTU address. I was, and I swear this is true, the ONLY person in the building watching it. And I'm a freakin' director!

First, to Kronos: No, you're right, the people I'm surrounded with aren't aware of their own driving habits, let alone the State of the Union.

Next, to Call: Don't make me forcibly upload Minstrel in the Gallery to your hard drive...

Why does no one ever call these people on their ignorance? Remember, I'm a layman...

You may be right but that does not seem to be the stance of the current administration. I think Bush will fry if too many of our boys die in a war that MANY (not all of course) consider not necessary.

I honestly am starting to believe (especially from reading others opinion on these boards and reflecting about the last 10 years) that our relationship with Iraq is more than we have seen.

Unlike a lot of left leaning people here I will not directly condemn a war with Iraq. I mean, Saddam is a scumbag, he obviously should be taken out of power. But is this the way to do it? Have we been given a straightforward thorough believable reason as to why we are going in (Im sure most conservatives on these boards would say yes...and that makes me really worry). If it is for noble reasons, thats one thing...but if it for some other reason thats going to really blow. But more than anything else I am scared what this could do in an already fucked up region.

This war could be the one that sets off the people on the fence. The people that already dislike the US but are not ready to put there lives in harms way. I am truly afraid of that happening, because regardless of the size of our military or the defense of our borders they can still get us.

But we've got overwhelming technology on our side. Too many of our boys dying doesn't even appear to be an issue. Look at our last few engagements Worldwide.

It's not like we'd be up against the Soviets in the Yalta Gap or anything(the old WWIII scenario from back in the day).

<img src="http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/19/jethro.tull/story.anderson.jpg" alt="" />

Well, in my station the ignorance is so pervasive from the top to the bottom of the hiring decisions there's nobody to take complaints too!

Producers don't know how to write, anchors don't know how to read (our female anchor pronounced it eCOMony TWICE in the same story tonight), and our News Director doesn't know how to say no.

I'm the guy picking out the best applause lines for our top story SOT tonight! I'd be a producer, but the pay sucks.

Ian's lookin' pretty good!

Frankly, it's the insistance that this upcoming war could be considered somehow "noble" that rankles me the most...