Why the GOP must be stopped

[simply dave]

I don't believe we should have ever gone there in the first place. Feel free to point out where I have. However, if we are there wasting taxpayer dollars then we need to kill some people.

Oh rest assured, I don't know if you do or not. I am basing my reply on your immediate statement that you favor Obama's "track record" of killing a bunch of Stone Age tribesmen. I'm not sure what you mean by if we're wasting taxpayer dollars then we need to kill people. Could you please clarify who it is that we should be killing? If it's the politicians, then I can get behind that.

But let's get back to Obama's track record of killing Taliban. To what end? If you don't feel we should have gone there initially (which I feel as well), then why get behind a POTUS that is still there...for what?

I'll tell you what...This POTUS is using the American men and women in uniform to protect corporate interests abroad...period. This POTUS, in conjunction with the media and corporate interests, is feeding the populace "propaganda" to make us "believe" we are overseas in the name of national security....right. Meanwhile, we have an open border between us and Mexico.

I said it earlier and I feel it bears repeating; The largest copper mine in the world now resides in Afghanistan. China has exclusive rights to it. China provides the workers (Chinese nationals) while the US military provides the "security". Why? Well let's play it out to "End Game", shall we? The US provides the security for the extraction and processing of the ore. Said ore is shipped off to China for refinement that eventually ends up in the circuit board of our iPhones and iPads. The American consumer wins...at the expense of corporate interests paid in the blood of a few young American men and women.

 

[Mr. dB]

Ah...OK...Then I will cut you no slack. Shame on you for not knowing. You shouldn't be debating politics if you don't even know the differences between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches. IMO you shouldn't even be voting if you don't know such fundamental operations of the Federal government. Let me guess....you went went to public school, yes?

I didn't sleep through jr. high civics class. So "The Administration", i.e. the Executive Branch, has WHAT to do with drug enforcement, as you claimed?

 

[simply dave]

ONE OF Einstein's colleagues asked him for his telephone number one day. Einstein reached for a telephone directory and looked it up. "You don't remember your own number?" the man asked, startled.

"No," Einstein answered. "Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from a book?"

In fact, Einstein claimed never to memorize anything which could be looked up in less than two minutes.

Non sequitur, but I'll respond. IMHO, if one is to engage in political debate, one should have a basic and fundamental understanding as to why and how government operates. Again, IMHO, I believe that if one does not have these "core" understanding(s) then one should not be even voting.

Nothing infuriates me more than when I hear some dumbfuck American say they voted for a politician simply because the "like" said politician. I take my politics seriously. I investigate a candidates track record. I frequent the Congress website(s) and associated sites to find out who voted on pieces of legislation. Why? Because when I cast my vote, my vote is an informed one. If more Americans did this maybe we wouldn't be in the mess we are today.

We can point fingers all we want, but truth be told, we are at fault for the mess we're in. And it's because we Americans can't be bothered to avail ourselves of the facts before casting our votes...Hell...we don't even know how our government operates! But we can always "look it up in a book" I suppose. **grin**

 

[Headholio]

Oh rest assured, I don't know if you do or not. I am basing my reply on your immediate statement that you favor Obama's "track record" of killing a bunch of Stone Age tribesmen. I'm not sure what you mean by if we're wasting taxpayer dollars then we need to kill people. Could you please clarify who it is that we should be killing? If it's the politicians, then I can get behind that.

But let's get back to Obama's track record of killing Taliban. To what end? If you don't feel we should have gone there initially (which I feel as well), then why get behind a POTUS that is still there...for what?

I'll tell you what...This POTUS is using the American men and women in uniform to protect corporate interests abroad...period. This POTUS, in conjunction with the media and corporate interests, is feeding the populace "propaganda" to make us "believe" we are overseas in the name of national security....right. Meanwhile, we have an open border between us and Mexico.

I said it earlier and I feel it bears repeating; The largest copper mine in the world now resides in Afghanistan. China has exclusive rights to it. China provides the workers (Chinese nationals) while the US military provides the "security". Why? Well let's play it out to "End Game", shall we? The US provides the security for the extraction and processing of the ore. Said ore is shipped off to China for refinement that eventually ends up in the circuit board of our iPhones and iPads. The American consumer wins...at the expense of corporate interests paid in the blood of a few young American men and women.

Simply Dave you have some interesting points of view, but if you are anti-war and pro-marijuana, I don't know how you can knock DB or anyone else for favoring the democratic option. Sure the dems are still effed up politicians, but how do you think you would like Mitt Romney making decisions about marijuana and war?

I agree with you that Obama's change in policy on medical marijuana is wrong, but comparing enforcement between Bush and Obama is misleading, because the medical marijuana industry has exploded since Bush left office. There is just a lot more to enforce now. Not that he should. He is fucking with a non-problem, in my opinion.

 

[simply dave]

I agree with you that Obama's change in policy on medical marijuana is wrong, but comparing enforcement between Bush and Obama is misleading, because the medical marijuana industry has exploded since Bush left office. There is just a lot more to enforce now. Not that he should. He is fucking with a non-problem, in my opinion.

Patently incorrect. I assure you that my wife and I are well connected in the MMJ industry. We know suppliers of dispensaries. We know Jorge Cervantes personally. My wife is here as I'm typing this and she wants me to let you know that nothing could be further from the truth. Dispensaries in CA are all but completely shutdown. My wife is the county representative for Collective Patient Resources. I implore you to look them up on FB. There you will find the information of which I speak.

Under Obama's watch, more people have been prosecuted, imprisoned, and their properties seized than under Bush.

 

[simply dave]

I didn't sleep through jr. high civics class. So "The Administration", i.e. the Executive Branch, has WHAT to do with drug enforcement, as you claimed?

I will assume this is a joke, yes? But OK...I'll play along. Let's try this again, shall we?

What Federal agency is responsible for enforcing Federal law? That would be the Department of Justice, would it not? The Department of Justice falls under the pervue of the Executive Branch. The "Top Cop" in the Dept. of Justice is Eric Holder. Who is Holder's boss? None other than President Obama. Now, all we need is one more piece to tie it all together. There is a component of the DoJ called the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) and they are the folks we see in flak jackets and armed to the teeth raiding dispensaries and hauling citizens off to holding cells.

Claim? Hardly...This is fact. The Executive Branch oversees the operations, and has the option to enforce or not, drug policy. All it would take is for Obama to tell Holder to "back off" enforcing Federal drug law(s) regarding MMJ and it would cease. He has not exercised that option and in fact ramped up enforcement of Federal drug policies regarding MMJ. Don't take my word for it. Go to my wife's FB page (Collective Patient Resources) and see for yourself.

Here's but one of the articles you will find...
Feds Raid Oakland's Oaksterdam | NBC Bay Area

 

[wootoom]

Dave knows his shit, why even argue with this intelligent man?

 

[-SD-]

Most daves are smart Ive found

 

[simply dave]

I don't know how you can knock DB or anyone else for favoring the democratic option. Sure the dems are still effed up politicians, but how do you think you would like Mitt Romney making decisions about marijuana and war?

I almost overlooked this question. First off, I can assure you that I will call someone on their ideologies if I feel they are basing their opinion(s) on misinformation/propaganda/partisanship. I will call neocons and liberals alike. I "share the love". Like I said, I take my politics EXTREMELY seriously as does my wife. She is a brilliant woman and we have, almost daily, regular political discussion that will sometimes get quite heated as she is a bit more "left" than I.

As for Romney...In a nutshell, Romney is a piece of shit. I met Romney at a Business Convention a couple of years back in Bakersfield. I listened to his speech and after exhaustive analysis of his talking points, it was all just political rhetoric. But there's no surprise there.

But I digress..How do I think I'd like Romney making the same decisions? Romney's stance on MMJ and war is the same as Obama's. Romney is a piece of shit as is Obama. Romney will probably take the election but at least when we go to war with Iran I'll be able to sleep well knowing that there will be no blood on my hands because I voted 3rd party.

I was a "brown shirt", goose stepping Republican for many years. It took me quite sometime to philosophically was that stench from my psyche. Today, I refuse to participate in the murder of sovereign peoples. Today I refuse to participate in the occupation of sovereign nations and the killing of American men/women for the sake of corporate interests under the guise of spreading "Freedom and Democracy" or "National Security". Today, I exercise my 1st Amendment rights and I speak against my government. I speak publicly against local government (in fact, I should dig up my last Letter To The Editor in my local paper. Some of you may like it.). But when I speak, when I vote...I do it from a position of knowledge as best I can.

 

[simply dave]

Here's a perfect example of why I hold politicians accountable. This is a "Letter To The Editor" of our county paper that I sent after listening to a bunch of criminals called the Board of Supervisors try to tell me that I should be "thankful"...

During yesterday's Board of Supervisors meeting, I was shocked to hear some of the statements
made by the supervisors. You see, my wife and I spoke to the board and were very critical of them.
Apparently they took umbrage with our criticisms. Tough. A note to the board...You ran for public
office and got yourself elected. Deal with it. When you're a public official, you are subject to scrutiny.
I , along with my wife, scrutinized you. You as public officials have the audacity to tell me and other
members of the public who were present that you resented what we said? Who the hell do you think
you are? Perhaps you gentlemen have forgotten that you work for us! And if we feel that you are not
doing your job, you will be scrutinized and held accountable!

But let's discuss the whole “you work for us” issue, shall we?

One of the supervisors, in response to our criticisms, went on to say

“If you think we're doing something to your rights and personal liberties, we're LETTING you
come up here and speak....If you think we're violating your rights by LETTING you come to OUR
board meetings, then I'd like to meet with them afterward because maybe they haven't been to many
countries. They need to open their eyes and see what's going on in the world...We, as a board, are
LETTING people come to these meeting.”

Another supervisor made mention that we should be thankful we don't live in another country where
we wouldn't be afforded these rights. Oh really? Quite frankly, I don't care. I'm an American citizen.
I was born here. I live here. It really doesn't matter how other countries conduct their affairs and it
most certainly has no pertinence when it comes to the rule of law within my country. Besides, am I
to suppose that the comment was made to make me aware that I should be thankful that the board is
gracious enough to “grant an audience”?

Let's think about that, shall we? It's nice to know that you gentlemen are “letting” us speak. It's warms
my heart to know that you “let” us attend “your” meetings. What's next? The next time we attend shall
we be required to address you all as “my Lords”? After all, weren't the “lords” of the past owners
of large tracts of land? Did they not have others under their employ? Did their families not go back
generations? Perhaps you gentlemen have lost sight of who you work for. You work for ME....not the
other way around. And furthermore you do not grant me the right to attend public meetings. But don't
take my word for it gentlemen; allow me to quote CAL. GOV. CODE § 54950 : California Code -
Section 54950 of the Brown Act for you:

“In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards
and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people's
business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be
conducted openly.
The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people,
in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the
people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so
that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”

Please take note of the second paragraph in the code...The people in delegating YOUR authority do not
give YOU the right to decide for us what we can and cannot know, and you most certainly do not “let”
us attend. How dare you! You gentlemen have already violated the Act with your “special meeting”

held on 12/27/2011. I was watching the BoS calendar before and after Christmas and your special
meeting was not posted. Had it been posted, you can be assured that my wife and I would have been
present.

The fact that you said what you said and none of your counterparts made mention of the audacious
statements speaks to me. It tells me that perhaps this is the general consensus and mindset of the board
in general. Ruling Class indeed. This county is in dire need of a changing of the guard.