Democrats versus Republicans

[hellosailor]

Woof, that's going to require a hardcopy and full caffienation before I can even splice in the blanks from the references and try to read it through.

Landmines and Quagmires: "Public emergencies" is a damning phrase because there are multiple and conflicting definitions of it. For instance, each of the 50 states has been operating under a continuing legal "declaration of emergency" since the Korean War. This was co-ordinated, and has been continued, for the admirable purpose of allowing the National Guard to have their jobs held open for them while they were on duty in Korea--and afterwards.
Try tracking down the number of federal "declarations of emergency" that are still legally in effect today--it ain't pretty, we are legally in multiple states of emergency, so this legislation can literally read "Right now" rather than in the event of major public emergencies.

Also odd that it enumerates the National Guard as part of the "armed forfces" since the NG are the Federal Militia, and militia by definition ARE an armed force. Duh?

The intent of the legislation may be admirable, but wasn't that what the Mad Hatter said about 'the very finest butter' ?

Then again, this is the same White House that sadly actually had a conference with the Attorney General to debate using the Insurrection Act to send forces in to New Orleans--when any idiot with a seventh grade education could have told them, there was no "insurrection" in N.O. so that act simply could not be applied. But, an ordinary militia call-up would have been perfectly legal. (And could have been done on the state level, as well.)

I fell like I'm living in Springfield Nuclear and while Homer's chasing the donut cart, the monkeys have gotten loose in the control room, punching all the buttons.

As to why the SeaBees and other military response weren't sent into N.O.? There's nothing in the Posse Comitatus Act that prevents their domestic use. It only prevents them from being used against the population. They could have run relief, evacuation, etc. with no conflicts at all. The only restraint against them would be using them for enforcing the "domestic tranquility" aka law enforcement. Which is not an Army job anyhow, any where, even in Iraq!

But, apparently neither the White House nor the AG could figure that out.

[PBzeer]

It's too bad that this all can't be laid at Bush's door, then at least there might be some light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately though, it's endemic to both parties, and the only light we will see is that of the onrushing locomotive.

[hellosailor]

John, I think too many "good old boys" on both sides took this as an opportunity to screw the other side. What the military politely call a goatf*** and there's just no polite word that quite rings the same.

Since the first level (city of N.O.) was black and Democratic, and the second level (state of LA) was white and Democratic...One has to wonder just how incompetent the entire Louisiana political system is. Which is not to single them out, because during 9/11 our own Rudy "El Fasciste!" Giuliano also dropped the ball pretty much completely, as did our state governor.

The national Nooze may have given the impression that everything was under control in NYC, but in point of fact? City and State leadership (ahem)ed the pooch on that one as well. The only difference in New Orleans, was that the spectacle was spread out over such a wide area that it was impossible to pretend it was under control--much as some folks tried to play it that way.

This was all part and parcel of the very serious contrarian debate about NOT setting up a democracy when the first US was formed. (Note to aliens: This is the second, not first, US government) There were serious doubts that the people could keep a functioning democracy running, and that's one reason that not everyone was entitled to vote.

[RAGNAR]

The only solution is to reduce governement to the levels I've bored you all with before. There is no limit to how low the particular breed of politician Democracy breeds will sink.

Starve the cancer.

Franklin, right after the Constitutional Convention:

"It's to be a Republic -- if you can keep it."

[RAGNAR]

(This post may offend some % of the religious members of this forum. That is not my intent.)

This thread started with an honest Q, namely, what are the differences between the tow major political parties if the USA.

At present, the Right accepts altruism, duty, self-sacrifice, etc, as ideals -- as does the Left.

The Right, however, wants to leave room for the individual in question to chose these paths -- they do not want to force anyone to act in accordance with these ideals via government. (There is an alarming shift here, partly brought about by the Left’s willingness to act on these matters, but I believe that my summation is still, on the whole, accurate*.)

The Left looks at the "respect" the Right pays to choice in this context, and declares that if altruism, duty, self-sacrifice, etc are the ideals, why wait? Why allow the inherent “limitations” of Man to stand in the way of the Ideal Society? They therefore have no problem using government to force people to behave as if they held these ideals.

Note that both sides, for all their rhetoric, what the same exact thing – only the methods differ.

Both, of course, can never achieve what they want, as their goals have nothing to do with reality. The net result is destruction.

The last politician I could swallow was Goldwater.

*The Right has no problem using other levers to get people to act in accordance with these ideals, going so far as to try to link defining attributes of the Judeo-Christian tradition with freedom. One would think that the Ancient World never happened; that Europe never surrendered Reason to Faith post-Rome, triggering the thousand years of mindlessness known as the Dark Ages; that Arabia never rose to a productive culture by studying the Ancients Greeks as Europe was sinking; that the Islamic world didn’t eventually reject Reason in the name of Faith, sinking into its own millennium-long Dark Ages; that this process didn’t force many of the Arab world’s intellectuals into virtual exile in Andalusia (note how today’s Islamic theocrats refer to Andalusia’s amazing achievements in the same terms today’s Western religionists seek to link religion with the West’s achievements); that Aquinas, armed with Aristotle, Andalusia’s achievements, and the scholarly work being done in Paris in response to Andalusia didn’t undermine the perfect expression of Faith that was Europe’s Dark Ages, taking out the last impediment to the return of the mind in Europe, Re the Renaissance. (I’d bet that even Kant didn’t know that his massive rationalization -- trying to undermine the just rediscovered Mind to make room for religion – would’ve stalled the Enlightenment.)

[PBzeer]

Actually, it's much simpler than that. You've aptly described many of the mechinisms employed, but the only reason they succeed is because people have lost, or perhaps, more aptly, given up a sense of community. Not the community of diversity and "it takes a village" sophistry, but that of doing right by their neighbor. As a culture, we have given up the ideal of helping each other, in exchange for the dubious security of having the "gummit" do it for us. (That in itself, being a long and sordid tale)

Philosophy, not linked to reality, is the refuge of small minds, who seek to justify their actions, without the inconvience of consequences.

[Giulietta]

I got a good one for you...apparentely G.W.Bush is a comedian, also..

They're showing footage of him at a large meeting saying:

A year ago only 30% liked me, My Attorney quit and my Vice President shot a guy...those were the good days....

I don't know...is that for real?? The President of the US?? am I missing something??

[Idiens]

You mean -
President Bush Impersonation - 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner - Google Video

[Giulietta]

No...the one I saw was filmed yesterday at a meeting with old men in red coats...I missed what it was...

[PBzeer]

It's supposed to be like that Giu, a traditional type of thing, Called the Press Club dinner. Go to CNN website and you can read about it.