Allowing the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban to expire. > -----Original Message----- > From: Jerry Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 12:25 PM > To: CF-Community > Subject: Re: Verizon, WTF > > Kevin, > > Hopefully you know that when people say "Bush", they usually > mean his administration? That certainly was the case here. > > I don't hate Bush. I don't think he is evil. (Cheney, though, > very well could be evil. I think some of the things he > advocates he KNOWS are wrong, but does not care.). I don;t > think his administration is evil. I do think that many of > them are giving away the store to clients and friends, things > that they don't really have the right (or > shouldn't) to give away. I think that some are using this > adminstration to rape and steal all they can from whoever > they can , and are getting away with it. > > Here are a couple of questions for you: > > Do you think that the Bush administration holds the rights of > individual (read poor) citizens as equal to or more important > than those of corporations? > > Do you not see a determined trend during the last 8 years to > give corporations every advantage? > > Not that previous administrations had our collective good in > mind at all times, but there has been a significant trend > over my lifetime, and it has picked up renewed vigor during > this administration, to take rights away from individuals and > cede them to corporations. > > I don't see corporations as evil. I see them as they were > originally envisioned, "corporate" or living beings that have > their own interests and personalities and reasons for doing > things. Unfortunately, these corporations have a lot more > "weight" in the world than an individual. > More money, more political clout, more opportunity to do > great good or great ill. > > The one thing the government is for, in my opinion, is to > keep people playing nice together. To keep the little guy > from being trampled, either accidentally or purposefully. > When one person or group stops playing nice, usually the only > remedy is government and/or courts (since shotguns are > typically frowned upon as mediation tools). > > The shift recently has been to indemnify corporations against > any consequences for their actions, and to remove the ability > for the "common man" to have a say in what the government and > the corporations are doing to us. This has never been more > true than during this administration. From the FCC to the EPA > to the Congress passing laws to the Interior giving rights > away to friends to the lobbyist scandals to the courts being > stacked with pro-business judges to the Justice Department > weighing in on the side of business over individuals time and again. > > Can you give me ONE example in the last 5 years of any Bush > administration official or appointee doing one thing in > support of individual rights over the rights of a corporation? > > Again, I am not against corporations. I am actual against > ridiculous lawsuits, and many class-actions. I am also > against large payments to lawyers for these settlements. That > just encourages them. But I don't believe that all business > is good, that the market should be entirely free (or that it > should be entirely free except for monopolies and anyone > eating at the public trough.) > > > On 1/20/06, Kevin Schmidt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Welcome to the world of dreamland... > > > > Why is everything Bush's fault Jerry? > > > > Here's a good piece from the WSJ describing you to a T! > > > > Many of my friends ask me why I criticize President Bush, when they > > feel he is trying very hard to protect America and stand up for the > > American people," writes one Patricia Bruch of Amherst, > N.Y., in the Buffalo News: > > > > It makes me nervous that the president ignores Congress > so often. > > Everything makes me nervous lately. I dread turning on the news or > > reading the paper. I certainly don't feel safer because of > his war on terror. > > > > I guess my mother says it best. Whenever the president comes on > > TV, she sighs and says, "I just wish he wasn't there." > > > > Me, too. My friends may think he loves America, and he probably > > does, but I will continue to criticize him because my life > under Bush > > has become very stressful, to say the least. > > > > This is not an angry piece; the tone is quite civil, and Bruch > > actually offers some specific criticisms of the Bush administration > > that are at least plausible. It sounds as though one could have a > > reasonable, adult conversation about politics with her. > > > > And yet. The piece does capture, in a milder form, something of the > > psychology of the Angry Left. Bruch doesn't seem to hate the > > president, but her distaste for him is, in her description, > something > > of an unhealthy > > obsession: "Everything makes me feel nervous lately." > > > > We witnessed a far more severe case the other day. An old lady was > > standing at a bus stop, wearing a button that said YES, I > REALLY DO HATE GEORGE W. > > BUSH. Another old lady walked up to her and said, "Right on!" The > > first old lady replied, "Well, at least I still have the > right to wear this button." > > The tone in which she said this suggested not that she > recognized her > > good fortune at living in a free country, even if she > doesn't care for > > its current leadership, but that she fears that her freedom to wear > > obnoxious buttons is in danger. This is a totally irrational fear. > > > > Whatever the merits of the underlying political viewpoints, > people who > > feel nervous about politics all the time or who are > consumed with hate > > are suffering from a certain lack of perspective. There is > no reason > > to think that those on the political left are inherently > more prone to > > this sort of problem. Richard Hofstadter's "The Paranoid Style in > > American Politics" was, after all, largely an essay about > the American > > right circa 1964. As we suggested Tuesday, this seems to be > one of the > > hazards of being out of power politically. > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Jerry Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 9:31 AM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: Verizon, WTF > > > > Michael, welcome to the world of the new republic. > > > > In Bush and his supporters' dreams, citizens have no rights, > > businesses have all the rights, and the courts will be > stacked so that > > any case will be decided for business over government over > people (if > > indeed the law even gives you the right to sue anymore. congress is > > passing more and more laws to make businesses and the government > > immune to any lawsuit whatsever.) > > > > Not that the top Democrats are much better, but at the > moment anything > > is better than the "business is always right" mantra of the current > > administration. > > > > > > > > > >
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