Honestly, watch the news. They are what really keep people living in fear, all the Government does is release the statistics and facts. The Government has very very little, if any, control and/or suggestion over what is put on the air by CNN.

 

i was raised in an anti gun house now i buy them every chance i have. its better to have and not need than to need and not have. plus they are just fun to shoot.

 

true, guns are fun.

but man, there is a sense of power that the immature types derive from holding one. Around here it's almost like "why am I waving this around when I can be pulling the trigger instead?"

Currently live on the fringe of the city. A block away from where we use to live 4 teens were playing cards in the garage of one of the boys. Two other youths approached them waved a gun and demanded the keys to the truck parked out front.

Not wanting problems, the truck owner tossed him the keys and as they walked away laughing they shot randomly back at the 4 in the garage - killing the stolen truck owner.

We moved 6 weeks later...

Since then there have been more house invasions, random shootings, car jackings, etc...

I agree it's best to be prepared than otherwise.

 

Hellz to the yeah.

 

just got this in an email and I thought I'd share, not much political BS here just some general thoughts that I agree with


_______________
Who'd have thought David Letterman would say something like this. Shame he does not read it on his show every night !

No matter what your political convictions are, this is an eye opener....What a thankless people we are!!!

David Letterman, on President Bush. (Surprising)

David Letterman wrote this; it's the David we don't often see....

'As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.'
'The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?'

A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state.
F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?
Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an "other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable" discharge after a few days in
the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it
this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New
York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
-David Letterman

 

It was americans who faught hard to earn all those rights and priveleges, and its kind of our duty as americans to constantly challenge ourselfs/government to improve. If we all sat around and said "hey we made it, its time to chill everything is perfect" then we wouldnt be america, we'd be canada. jk i love canada but really i think its important for us to truly appreciate everything we have but at the same time never be satisfied because there is always room for improvement.

 

First off, I very highly doubt Letterman said all that. If we took his advise to turn off the TV, he would be out of a job. But yes, we do have many freedoms that many around the world don't have. Most of us don't know whats its like to have to go days without food. As a matter of fact, we are the fattest people in the world. But I don't think that those are the things people are worried about. People are worried about dept, mortgages, and jobs. Most families in the US are only 2 paychecks away from being homeless. Credit cards are bleeding us dry. Every time I turn around some store is asking if I'd like to put this on their new credit card that comes with 28% interest, just so I can get 10% off their first purchase. I really believe that if we weren't brought up to buy, buy, buy, the mortgage crises wouldn't have been so widespread. And what about the fact that the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical bills? We are the only industrial country without universal health care. Yeah, opponents to this (health care industry) calls it 'Socialized' medicine. So if you are gonna call it that based on the fact that the government provides a free service for the people, the you can call the police and fire departments socialized as well. And the last time I checked, that arrangement is working out for everyone.

And yes, we don't have a draft. Yet. But getting out of the Army isn't quite so easy. A dishonorable discharge is going to stay on your record forever. That might make it awfully difficult to get a job when they get back. I, as you might be able to tell, am against the war. I do, however, support the troops. I have had many friends go over, and I have one friend who is on his 3rd tour. I want every one of our troops to make it back in one piece. But the fact is, Iraq was the wrong war. And I feel many solders have died in vain because of this. People have been criticizing China a lot lately, but the fact is they have given us 25%,Japan another 25%, of the money we have spent on the war. We are spending 10 TRILLION a month on this war, and we can't seem to find the money to bail out Social Security, Medicade, or to fund UNIVERSAL health care.

And what about Sept 11? Our good friend Ralf Nader tried to get the airline industry to install blast proof doors on commercial airlines in the mid to late 80s. But know one listened to him. If they had, maybe Iraq wouldn't be such a disaster. Yes, Sadam was a terrible man. But there are just as bad, if not worse, dictators in Africa, and we aren't doing a damn thing about that. Why? Cause we want Iraq's oil. And we don't even have that, because China is getting alot of the new oil contracts.

 

Hey CAB!

Good points there, all are understandably well and good, but the underlining thing is this: Our American lifestyle is not set in stone. It's built on ideals.

Let me explain:

Back in the 1920's in America they were extending credit to everyone - and America prospered - hence the term "Roaring 20's". But then in 1929 the bills came due and no one was paying (mostly do to an EXTREME inbalance of wealth - think our CEO's are greedy? Back then Henry Ford, yes, the guy behind Ford Motor Co., was making $14 million a year! When the avg Joe made only $750! If you compare that to modern times where the avg Joe makes $21k - CEO's would be making $490 million!)

So, the bills were due and expectations were high on Wall Street. No one could pay, so things began to shut down. People began to fear and committed runs on the banks - that's where we hoard money instead of infusing it back into the economy.

Of course, the stock market crashed as we all have learned in school.

I'm over simplifying, of course, there were many factors that contributed, but you get the drift...

Now let's say that happened today. All those luxuries you mentioned would nearly disappear.

That 94.5% employed would drop to the 60's percentile?

How can you run your A/C if you can't afford your electric?

Food becomes scarce because production has dropped due to a lack of liquidity in the markets. Essentially meaning unless you live a stone throw away from a farm - no one's wasting money trying to ship it and sell it to you.

Travel will still be free - walking doesn't cost a thing. My grandmother came from Oklahoma during the Depression walking almost a quarter of the distance at the age of 7.

Only the ultra rich could afford to eat at those fancy restaraunts or stay in those clean comfortable hotels - and most would fold due to that fact.

As for emergency services - forget it. They will be overworked, under staffed and under paid. Good luck there.

Owning a home - only until they evict you because you're one of the 40% of the jobless.

Crime will be rampant in the big cities - people do desperate things during desperate times. Rural areas, not so much. And with a good chunk of the guns out there - if you don't have one, you best hide and partner up with someone who does.

By the way, owning a cellphone, like a car, boat, jetski, flat screen tv are all luxury items, mate.

So what's my point, you may ask?

Essentially this, our economy is a precarious thing. It relies on a belief system - much similar to religion, I guess. If you have a dollar in the bank you can get that dollar back. But that's not necessarily true. That dollar is someone elses for your original dollar was loaned out to another so he could buy his car and so on.

When people lose faith in their economy, then they take money from the banks and then banks collapse - just recently happened to IndyMac here in California.

But the reason we, as American's, are dissatisfied with current leadership is because it seems that the only one's prospering are the big businesses.

And all those great luxuries we take for granted will temporarily cease to exist. It took 10 yrs for the US, and the world, to recover. Hilter got a boost to his ambitions due to our - yes, America's - Great Depression. Back then all banks were tied to the "gold standard" (meaning every dollar, pound, franc, deutsch marc, etc) was worth what that contry held in gold.

Now that standard no longer applies and it's more complicated now, but it's based mostly on perceptions that drive speculations in the market. lol... don;t ask me how to explain that.

But back to my point, CAB, all these great and wonderous things you outlined (by the way David Letterman never wrote that) would cease to exist if we lose confidence in our leadership and fear they'll run it aground.

This administration has failed shortly after 9/11. We never should have gone into Iraq. Since then our budget surplus has flipped to a deficit greater than it was before the first Bush and later Clinton got it down.

And we're spending billions more ($661 billion to date - perspective - in adjusted dollars we spent $700 billion on Vietnam and we were there for 8 yrs and commited hundreds of thousands of more troops than Iraq, but then a vast majority never had to serve more than one tour - not so today) and yet have no end in sight.

So I personally can understand why his approval rating is where it is and I'm far from whining about it - I'm voting to change it!

 

And now that I'm on a roll... lol...

Let's talk about the media.

First off, let me agree that there are some bias in the media - more so in some than others - but when biased commentary turns to extremist rants then they are no longer the media.

Second - you have to make a distinction between reporting and commentary. There has been a blurring between the two and when Ted Turner first created CNN it was what Headline News kinda is now. You got straight up news for exactly 30 mins - twice an hour, 24 hours a day.

Third, talk radio is NOT news reporting - it's straight up commentary - meaning they give you their slant on the news and you either agree or disagree.

But it is all "media" as defined by any dictionary, just different forms.

So with that said - I was driving home yesterday and happened to turn the radio to the Michael Savage show (and extremist conservative, but he's funny at times) and there was some neolithic dipstick speaking in his place. First he was going on about the bailout - I agreed with only one point he made - but then he took a turn so far extreme that it defied any string of logic or grain of good taste.

Some how, some way, he was trying to compare Adolph Hilter to Barak Obama!

He started off that they both started off as "community organizers" and went from there. He was completely shocked that no one saw the similarities that were so obvious any informed mind could see them.

Is the conservative base so bloody dysfunctional that they need this kind of crap to comfort them when they feel like they are losing a presidential race??!?!?

At the beginning, they were trying to tie Obama to the anti-Christ character in the Left Behind book series. Not taking in to account that this is speculative fiction??? Even the writers of that series knew better than try to substantiate those beyond belief claims.

Now Hilter?!?!?

What sort of moral decency does this twit have left?

 

yay, yeah I wa just posting something my mom forwarded to me in an email and I figured that dave didn't write it. I do have to say though I think a good amount of Americans take what we have for granted, I know I do at some times.


and now I take my bow from this thread, I don't like talking politics, same as religion it causes to many heated debates for my liking.


peace biotches