freshwest
freshwest's JournalIMHO, those who support wars are getting a paycheck of some kind from the MIC.
Because I've never met anyone who supports them ferverently that is not expecting prosperity from the various things that war creates for some people.
An example is this article by the NYT... Think of all that money:
The Pitfalls of Peace
The Lack of Major Wars May Be Hurting Economic Growth
by Tyler Cowen - JUNE 13, 2014
Nikita Khrushchev and East German leaders with a Sputnik 3 replica in 1959. Credit Bettmann/Corbis
The continuing slowness of economic growth in high-income economies has prompted soul-searching among economists. They have looked to weak demand, rising inequality, Chinese competition, over-regulation, inadequate infrastructure and an exhaustion of new technological ideas as possible culprits.
An additional explanation of slow growth is now receiving attention, however. It is the persistence and expectation of peace.
The world just hasn’t had that much warfare lately, at least not by historical standards. Some of the recent headlines about Iraq or South Sudan make our world sound like a very bloody place, but today’s casualties pale in light of the tens of millions of people killed in the two world wars in the first half of the 20th century. Even the Vietnam War had many more deaths than any recent war involving an affluent country.
Counterintuitive though it may sound, the greater peacefulness of the world may make the attainment of higher rates of economic growth less urgent and thus less likely. This view does not claim that fighting wars improves economies, as of course the actual conflict brings death and destruction. The claim is also distinct from the Keynesian argument that preparing for war lifts government spending and puts people to work. Rather, the very possibility of war focuses the attention of governments on getting some basic decisions right — whether investing in science or simply liberalizing the economy. Such focus ends up improving a nation’s longer-run prospects.
More of that reasoning here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/upshot/the-lack-of-major-wars-may-be-hurting-economic-growth.html?_r=1
Not my view, but some may want to chew on that a while. There are a number of hyper charged individuals who live well off the various instruments of war, from the weapon makers and the attending industries. Just like the smaller businesses that are supported by the major car manufacturers.
The armed forces are among the biggest, if not the biggest users of fossil fuels. Also of high technology research and manufacturig, and that precedes the products used by consumers. Their contractors make a lot of things and innovate more than most other industris.
Supporters may disguise their vote by religion and ideology, but it's really about who and what feather their own nests. It's almost subconscious. This is part of human nature, but some are working to live with less and live in peace. Others are not ready to take that risky journey.
Just sayin'
The amendment that has been offered is specific. No amendment in the Constitution after the 10th...
Involved an Article 5 Convention, literally required to ratify the Constitution itself.
The other 23 each went through Congress and the states SINGLY, not as part of an Article 5 Convention which leave open the entire Constitution and the Amendments passed in the hands of those legislatures.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_amendments_to_the_United_States_Constitution
I gathered signatures to get the eighteen year old vote and the ERA. The causes were essential.
The overturning by amendment of Citizens United is as far as it should go. Nothing but an USSC interpretation is in play and here is what the supporters say:
https://movetoamend.org/
They don't call for an Article 5 Convention. It's not necessary to get rid of Citizens United, but Tenthers want this very much, they've been calling for it for years.
This is a Trojan horse.
People must vote out elected officials and not rush into this, it's the best way to do it and the most sure: there is no promise that the Convention would stay on that one issue or even address the problem.
Democrats should think a few steps ahead and not get carried away with the excitement when it's hard to get them to work in the state to begin with.
We see the quality of the state legislatures, the HoR, the media and the organization of the conservatives. They have the money to get enough people bussed in to make the Convention follow their vision.
They will buy and sell this country and its citizens, no reason for them to change their low opinion of most of us. I know the frustration but the American people are being manipulated by big money, even in the anti-corporate, anti-government, anti-whatever groups pretending to be on the other side of things when they are so heavily funded or philosophically tied to the megabucks.
This is what the RW has wanted since Brown v. The Board of Education:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Board_of_Education
That was resolved on the back of the 14th Amendment, which took a war and two more amendments to begin the process of giving blacks the legal standing not given in the original Constitution. The 14th is the bedrock of Roe v. Wade, same sex marriage and almost every other piece of regulation and law since then.
It is railed against by the same voices that use emigrants, gays and abortion as the boogeyman. This will not be a Convention full of liberals.
Thanks for asking my opinion.
Paul Ryan pushed this in 2012 to repeal the 14th Amendment with its clauses of
Birthright Citizenship, Due Process, Equal Protection Under The Law and the rest of it.He and his supporters were filmed in a meeting posted on youtube (since removed) saying that as soon as they turned 38 legislatures 'red,' they'd do it. This is a the Koch brothers wet dream. We know the agenda:
The Koch brothers will write the new Constitution.
Bernie Sanders (VT) and whoever got this going in CA should explain why they won't use this to enact their platform:
BERNIE SANDERS Uncovers 1980 Koch Agenda- "What Do the Koch Brothers Want?"
What else do the Koch brothers want?
In 1980, David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980.
Let’s take a look at the 1980 Libertarian Party platform.
Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”
In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country...
Tomorrow it will be Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, repealing the minimum wage. It seems to me that the Koch brothers will not be content until they get everything they believe they are entitled to.
Our great nation can no longer be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/koch-brothers
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a7980koch
to kpete:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298
The people who drank the Koch-aid are voting in people to do what the Koch brothers want for America. Only an amendment to the Constitution regarding Citizens United is what people think is the beginning and end of this. And we're blindly cheering this?
This is what Paul Ryan promised they'd do in 2012 with enough red state legislatures.
The Koch brothers will write the new Constitution.
Bernie Sanders (VT) should explain why they won't use this to enact their platform:
BERNIE SANDERS Uncovers 1980 Koch Agenda- "What Do the Koch Brothers Want?"
What else do the Koch brothers want?
In 1980, David Koch ran as the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential candidate in 1980.
Let’s take a look at the 1980 Libertarian Party platform.
Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980:
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.”
In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country...
Tomorrow it will be Social Security, ending Medicare as we know it, repealing the minimum wage. It seems to me that the Koch brothers will not be content until they get everything they believe they are entitled to.
Our great nation can no longer be hijacked by right-wing billionaires like the Koch brothers.
For the sake of our children and our grandchildren, for the sake of our economy, we have got to let democracy prevail.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/koch-brothers
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a7980koch
to kpete:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298
The people who drank the Koch-aid are voting in people to do what the Koch brothers want for America. There are no opposing voices as they have been bought or closed down by media owners. We have been swimming against the tide, and to those who have listened to and believe the paid choruses of Alex Jones, Glenn Beck, FNN, RW religionists, television and radio, see us as singing out of tune with their choir. It's been every effective in causing Democrats to stay out of politics.
'the shame of sex abuse should be put back on the shoulders of the perpetrators' YES!
Notice his buddies were into the whole thing too. Like a pack of dogs first step as a bunch of gang rapists.
From the link:
Upon exiting the train, the perpetrator was immediately arrested by transit police. He was later convicted and is now a registered sex offender for life. And he was deported, too.
A video of my confrontation with the sicko was posted to YouTube by an anonymous bystander. It immediately went viral and has now been seen by almost 2 million people all over the world.
I had no idea that someone on that train was taking video of the incident until a couple of months later. It was a strange thing for me to see this image of myself being outed as a crime victim, and being shown verbally but aggressively defending myself...
This is a good use of social media.
Love it: They can't afford California.
'And we're going to drag you with us...'
Kicking and screaming into this century.
And Nixon for trading prisoners for McCain, GWB for releasing 500 for prisoners, etc. PBO's crime:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2012/10/romney-supporters-racist-fashion-statement.html
YES, Obama is... BLACK!
I found some wingnut disclaimers saying he was a Democratic plant because it was too cold to go without a coat, and showing a cropped photo.
But that's the original picture with a wider view. Look at the men standing next to him with no coats. They own this from not only these kinds of pictures, but from the laws they are forcing on people.
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