How dumb are the Democrats?

Coach,
I’m pretty sure religion was a major factor in the war in Germany; ask any Jew.  I would agree that many Muslims are being brainwashed and taught to hate others.  This is not unique to Iraq though.  The folks attending Trinity United Church of Christ (Obama’s church) get their share of brainwashing and hate speech too.  GD America?  Whites created AIDS to kill blacks?  To be fair, there are churches on the far right that are just as bad as Trinity.  The major difference I see is that the democrats defended Trinity but McCain called the religious right “Agents of Intolerance” and has been blasted by the likes of Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh ever since. 

The folks on both sides preaching hate here don’t typically see the same responses (daily violence between factions) because of the well established legal system and the checks and balances.  We don’t typically see senior Army officers staging coups here because we also have a Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force to balance the power.  We have local, state, and federal police each helping to govern the others as well.  We have the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, ATF, etc… each helping to ensure the others remain in check and preventing a single individual in any of the areas executing a major conflict against the government.  Our services and law enforcement agencies have personnel from all races, and religions and typically require recurring “Awareness” or “Sensitivity” training.  We need to help the Iraqi’s establish a system where the various religions and ethnic groups share in the power and there are checks and balances to prevent a single group from attempting to forcibly take over.

And while we are on the subject, even with all the checks and balances we have here there are occasional flare ups of hatred leading to riots and mass chaos.  The “Free Speech” that is being exercised at Trinity and defended by the likely democratic presidential nominee is a major contributing factor to the type of violence that took place not so long ago in Los Angeles.  When we teach people that another group is the enemy and teach them distrust and hate each other we will reap what we sow. 

There is no doubt that the United States has a history of racism and hate that has contributed significantly to the current disparity between the races with respect to income, education, etc…  Teaching hate and distrust is no way to fix the problems that exist.  The problems were created by slavery and prejudice but are being perpetuated by hate and distrust.  In order to resolve the problems we need to move away from the hate being spewed by people like Jeramiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan. 

I’m sorry you have become so jaded with politics that you think that “The truth doesn't get you elected in this country.”  I can understand your frustration after listening to Hillary talk about snipers shooting at her.  She’s being lying so long about so many things she doesn’t even remember the truth.  I’m pretty sure McCain is telling you the truth (as he sees is) when he says he plans to leave troops in Iraq until the job is done.  It’s not a popular thing to say but it is the right thing to do.  Maybe it won’t get him elected but it won’t be because he told people what they wanted to here rather than the truth.

There are real threats to America all over the world.  Many are right here in our country.  I view the hate being taught in churches on both the left and the right as a serious threat to our national security.  Hopefully we can keep people like Wright in the minority and the most Americans will work to resolve our problems rather than teach hate and distrust. 

Coach writes... and Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter

Dan writes: "I’m sorry you have become so jaded with politics that you think that “The truth doesn't get you elected in this country.”

Coach writes: "That is not so much a jaded view, but a real one. There would be no reason to cover up the truth i.e. "missing" e-mails at the White House... if there was a philosophy of unity in politics over self-interest.

I agree with most all you said, but the swing goes back and forth to both sides of fence. I certainly have heard the extreme right wing pastors spewing hate not to a countries policies but to people. Hate is hate regardless of the form.

In regard to Germany, the German motivation was not religion. Hitler was atheist. There honor was not dying for their god in a holy war. There is the difference.

Free speech can only contribute to unrest if there is a reality behind it... and I'm talking among the masses here. Free speech can be a match, but without fuel, all you have is a match that will burn itself out. It needs fuel to create a real problem. Both sides are guilty here... and when I say both sides I'm talking about the 20% (10% on each side) that you will never bring to the middle. They are not Patriots or defenders of the principles of liberty.

I could not agree MORE with your last paragraph. Amen to that.

Dan, you are absolutely correct that this country is being divided by hatred. There are those among us that don't want to understand why people with different opinions feel the way they do. For some of us it's all about right (me) and wrong (them).

But the examples you've offered continue to exploit the hatred that exists. You offer examples of the hatred that minority preachers are exploiting but fail to give an example of the hatred of the Muslim/Arab community or the immigrant community that conservatives are exploiting.

The same holds true with honesty in politics. The example you offer exploits hatred of Hillary Clinton but ignores the conservative lies of links between Iraq, WMD & Al Queda and denial of global warming, both in spite of overwhelming contradictory evidence. If you need examples, just google the number of times these issues have been mentioned on Fox News in the last year.

You're trying to have it both ways, but you can't. How can you remove the speck in your neighbors eye and ignore the beam in your own eye?

I agree most people aren't happy with the situation and have lost faith in our government. I hope we can take back control of our government this year and start to turn this situation around.

It's not the racism or the stretching the truth, that I choose not to vote for Obama or Clinton. It's just that the Democrat Party moved two do nothings into a race for the chief executive? What have they done as Senators? They both promise a lot to the poor, but they will turn the middle class poor paying for their promises. Neither is very smart as pulling the troops out will take time, but I guess that is normal for Hillary. She fits the dumb blonde or got caught up in a parker game about truth or bull... And then with Racism... is not Obama half white? Now what has Obama done nothing but than read a speech a few years ago... 

Too bad Government isn't like the Corporate World. Downsize time lets eliminate a senator from each state... At about $25 million per senator (and their staff) per year, that would be a start. But we are stuck with Senators like Obama and Clinton who haven't done much but gather millions in money fromcontributions toward their campaign. Yes the Democrats don't fire their poor achievers, they promote them as they promote their candiacy for President.  

The sadder thing is, The Republicans are not much better...  We have the equivalet of Moe, Larry and Curley running and the political spending for an election where the candidates preach wanting to help the poor? A better thought would be to let the candidates donate their slush-campaign fund to the poor.  

Sadder than sad is the fact that people will vote for one of them. We would be best remember what was said at the movie theatre in Brewsters Millions Vote for None of the above... and save your money because after this election, you'll need every dollar you can get.  True if Hillary or Obama win the movies slogan  "I’ll only make things worse, and that’s a promise!" will come true.

So who do I vote for? Maybe I'll vote for None of the above. None is worthy to be called President.  Hopefully congress (since they really run the country) can keep whoever is elected from ruining the country.

Please don't get me going about our congress men and women. 

Yes, I am from Illiniois, home of where our ex-governors retire in prison.

RedSoxBaller:  Nobody forced you to seek out and read a thread with this subject line.  There's room on the server for all the sports you can handle.  Besides, politics is a full contact sport.

Dan writes: "In order to resolve the problems we need to move away from the hate being spewed by people like Jeramiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan."

Coach writes... and Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter

Concur

Coach writes: "That is not so much a jaded view, but a real one. There would be no reason to cover up the truth i.e. "missing" e-mails at the White House... if there was a philosophy of unity in politics over self-interest.

I don’t save my emails forever either.  I’m pretty sure the IT folks at work save them for the prescribed time though.  Go check with the IT Department if you need old emails.  If someone in the administration had emails deleted from the archives outside of the standard operating procedures feel free to prosecute them.  By the way, how long did it take Hillary to find those missing documents that were subpoenaed? 

Coach writes “I agree with most all you said, but the swing goes back and forth to both sides of fence. I certainly have heard the extreme right wing pastors spewing hate not to a countries policies but to people. Hate is hate regardless of the form. “

Concur

Coach writes “In regard to Germany, the German motivation was not religion. Hitler was atheist. There honor was not dying for their god in a holy war. There is the difference.”

The kind of hate that is fueled by religion and driving the fighting in Iraq is the same kind of hate being preached at Trinity and defended by Obama.  While folks on the right also preach hate the likely republican nominee isn’t publicly supporting the hate mongers.   Deep distrust and even hatred doesn’t mean the parties can’t live together in peace.  They need a system where all parties share in power and feel that their interests will be given fair treatment when conflicts arise. 

Coach writes “Free speech can only contribute to unrest if there is a reality behind it... and I'm talking among the masses here. Free speech can be a match, but without fuel, all you have is a match that will burn itself out. It needs fuel to create a real problem. Both sides are guilty here... and when I say both sides I'm talking about the 20% (10% on each “

You can’t be serious.  Where is the fuel that caused the folks to follow Manson?  Where is the fuel that caused people to follow Jonestown?  Where is the fuel that led to the holocaust?  If you say something loud enough and long enough there will always be some people that start to believe it.  Children are the most susceptible to being indoctrinated but nobody is totally immune.  Obama presumably took his children to a church where they were continually told things like America is evil. 

Curtisteff writes “But the examples you've offered continue to exploit the hatred that exists. You offer examples of the hatred that minority preachers are exploiting but fail to give an example of the hatred of the Muslim/Arab community or the immigrant community that conservatives are exploiting.”

I’m not sure I know of the hatred you are referring to here.  I certainly don’t hate Muslims or immigrants.  I don’t completely trust Muslims based on recent attacks against the West.  I find the fact that Muslims have killed over cartoons that portrayed Allah worrisome.  I also find it worrisome that most Muslim countries forbid teaching of other beliefs.  The Muslims in Afganistan also destroyed centuries old carvings because they were non-Muslim religous artifacts.  I would think that liberals would find the censorship very troubling as well. 

As far as the immigrant population in the US, I believe it was Ronald Regan ( a very conservative republican) that granted citizenship to millions of Hispanics that had been here illegally.   As much as the left hates Bush, he has been trying to provide a path to citizenship for those here illegally now.  I don’t think most on the right hate the immigrant community.  I know I don’t.  I just don’t believe the illegal immigrants should be given citizenship without first fixing the borders (both North and South) so that we can maintain positive control of the people and things entering the country. Once we have control of our borders, the folks that broke the law to come here should not be given preference over those that applied to come here following existing laws.  They should be put in line with people that applied to come legally and evaluated when they reach the front of the line.  Putting a few National Guard on the border, granting citizenship, and sending the Guard home isn’t a solution.  It’s an invitation for more illegal immigration. 

Curtisteff writes “The same holds true with honesty in politics. The example you offer exploits hatred of Hillary Clinton but ignores the conservative lies of links between Iraq, WMD & Al Queda and denial of global warming, both in spite of overwhelming contradictory evidence. If you need examples, just google the number of times these issues have been mentioned on Fox News in the last year.”

??  Is there a doubt that both democrats and republicans thought that Iraq was building WMDs before we went in?  Both had the same intelligence reports and both voted for the war.  Is there a doubt that Al Qaeda is now in Iraq?  Maybe they weren’t there in the beginning but Bin Laden has spoken of his warriors in Iraq since the war began. 

Global Warming is an interesting topic.  In the 1970s the talk was all about Global Cooling and how man made emissions were causing the next ice age.  Now it’s Global Warming being caused by man made emissions.  I’m not sure that there is convincing evidence that Global Warming is being caused by man.  I would agree that we need to do a better job of taking care of the environment regardless of the Global Warming debate.  We need to explore alternative energy sources, waste less energy, create less landfill waste, and create less air and water pollution.  Let’s talk about solutions.  I’m all for gradually raising of the gas tax; say 25 cents per year for the next 10 years.  Higher gas prices would cause people to drive less and buy more fuel efficient transportation.  The consumers wanting more fuel efficiency would push automobile designers to design more fuel efficient transportation.  The additional revenue generated from the higher tax could all go to researching alternative fuels.