Yo from Philly, Denny. Addison has done a nice job as he does with every post. What is up here is, the union folks are brainwashed to the piont that they walk in lock step. (When I say lock step, I shit you not.)I'm a CWA member who is hated in Philly.The CWA, like everybody else, says anybody but Bush.When asked why, they give you a blank look that says my rep said to vote this way and thats what I'll do even if I look like an asshole! When I confront people with facts, they plead ignorant. I always say that faith plays a part(I konow you might dispute that)in what happens and all you can do is the best you can do.I feel that liberalism is a curable disease, if given time. I'm not willing to give my tax dollars to the liberals so they can tell me what is best for ME!

Denny,

You may have already seen this but it is too funny (and telling) to pass up. Kerry, $$wife$$, Edwards, and his wife went to Wendy's to have something to eat--and to mark the Edwards' 27th Anniversary.

Kerry sees Marines. Goes over to Marines. Talks to Marines. Marines not happy.

“He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands,” one Marine said, adding, “I’m 100 percent against [him].”

A sergeant with 10 years of service under his belt said, “I speak for all of us. We think that we are doing the right thing in Iraq,” before saying he is to be deployed there in a few weeks and is “eager” to go and serve.
Ouch. Not a good way to come off the DNC convention.

The Wendy's scene was not pretty for the Kerry's. Not only did the marines want to throttle Kerry, his wife Terresa Heinz-Kerry-Kennedy-etc. had to ask what 'chili' was! A true First Lady of the people! lol.

She didn't know what chili was? That's funny, and telling. Sorta reminds you of Bush 41 when he was running and didn't know what a scanner was in the grocery store checkout stand.

I bet if they asked Heinz - (Oh, Heinz-Kerry, since she changed her name 18 months ago for clearly political reasons. Wonder if Rodham had any say in that?) what Tide(s) was she would probably suggest the Foundation, not the detergent. Also telling about her true political beliefs.

The Bush thing isn't true.

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.htm

Leave it to the NY Times to be the culprit. What a shocker. I had never read the NY Times until about a year ago leading up to the Gulf War II. I started reading because I began reading blogs and couldn't believe a newspaper could be so inaccurate, misleading, or partisan with it's articles and editorials. I've read enough brutal fiskings of NY Times work that I no longer desire to read ANY of the print from her pages.

"I'm not willing to give my tax dollars to the liberals so they can tell me what is best for ME!" It's my toy, mummy. I dont wanna share. it's mine! - the politics of an infant.

“He imposed on us and I disagree with him coming over here shaking our hands,” one Marine said, adding, “I’m 100 percent against [him].” - as the old addage goes, soldiers are paid to fight, rather than to think. They go wherever their leaders send them.

no longer desire to read ANY of the print from her pages." - LALALA I'm not listening.

The left is brainwashed? hmm...is it not republicans who insist the pledge of allegence be recited in schools? a plege that ensures kids realise how great america is, and discourages free thought. Isn't it the right who has branded Moore a traitor for daring to suggest that america might not be so great? Those on the righ cling to the myth that americaa is "the land of the free" etc, while iit has one of the higest crime rates on earth, and one of the lowest educational standards. Is it not those on the right who refuse to read anything that contradiccts their views. This, my friends, is being brain washed.

Matthew Matthew..
You want to know why we have a high crime rate.
The dimocrates on the left think capital punishment is baddddd we dont want to hurt those poor criminals. You look at other countries penelties for breaking the law, in tiawan you get cought vandalizing anything you get canned (lashed with a stick alot of times) no vandalizing. In the US you might get probation or a little fine. Get tought.

Purported post-Wendy's story.

If that's true, Addison, then it speaks even MORE volumes about how hypocritical and wasteful the Kerrys are. And people want these beasts to run the NATION?!

*shudder* The thought that those hyenas have made it as far as they have politically, the very idea that Kerry might win the election--however slim that might be--makes the hairs on the back of my neck stant to attention. Ugh...

--TwoDragons

why does the UK, aland which banned execution in the sixties, have a better crime rate than the US? (apparrently. i must admit I cant find the stats right now)

Nice job, Addison.

Matthew? Are the authors of those stats adjusting for the population variance between the two countries? And, are they using real numbers, or are they using the numbers that Labour has doctored to quell objections to their gun ban in the face of rising violent crime?

Oh, how to put this...? One of the reasons Britain has such a low crime rate is because, well, there are not many disaffected Black youths there (link).

If you take US crime rate and excise from it crime committed only by Black youths, the US's crime rate is right in line with a Canada or Germany, etc.

And you might not want to go around quoting crime statistics from the UK, as since they banned handgun ownership of citizens, the crime rate has skyrotted, particularly in London. Another Leftist folly: They seem incapable of realizing the phrase "When you outlaw gun ownership, only outlaws will own guns" is, in fact, true. But I've digressed from the main point.

See also The Color of Crime study created from FBI and Law Enforcement data.

matthew-
You claim that Republicans are the sole factor in instigating the Pledge of Allegiance, even though an overwhelming majority of Americans support it and its recitation. Furthermore, the Pledge of Allegiance is not mandatory, several students from my previous school made decisions not to participate in it and they did not receive any disciplinary action.
You also claim that the Pledge is a propogated brainwashing tool because it submits unwilling students to stand for a minute everyday in order to pay tribute and respect to a nation that disenfranchises them. In all honesty I pity you. Your mindset coincides with the left-wing loonies that believe in plutocracy and the Framers implementing a government that intentionally disenfranchises those who aren't rich, white men.
If you truly believe this shit, at least pay homage to the millions of people who have given their lives' for people like you and Michael Moore to defamate this country, by taking a minute of your time to recite this brainwashing rhetoric.

I'm not prepared to respond to this right now. as a leftwing loonie, it takes me time to think stuff through. in the meantime, I just want to say that I mean no offense to anyone here, America, nor her troops.

"Those on the righ cling to the myth that americaa is "the land of the free" etc, while iit has one of the higest crime rates on earth, and one of the lowest educational standards."

Oh, matthew, here we go again.

Your point about our educational standards might be correct. Here in Washington state, for example, our education system has been taken hostage by the Washington Education Association labor union. The union has succeeded in creating a huge bureacracy with little accountability. It consumes a tremendous amount of money, which has drained the budgets of the schools themselves. As a result, we have some of the highest paid teachers in the country who can boast some of the lowest student achievement scores. Pity.

All that aside, I would like to remind you that we are the most powerful and richest nation in the history of civilization. We thank our visionary Founding Fathers for establishing the platform that has enabled us to achieve this position in history.

I would also like to remind you that you should look at yourself before condemning others. After all, Ford had to bail out Jaguar. Triumph motorcycles suck. And, the Harrier doesn't have a British designed replacement. We do. Its called the Joint Strike Fighter, and it will be designed and built by Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Honeywell, L3, and other aerospace giants who employ very smart, American educated professionals. We will be honored to update your military and take all your money.

I love Great Britain. I, however, believe that you people have really fucked up. You should grow a set of balls and tell the BBC to shove it up their asses. I mean, c'mon matthew, you have to pay a special tax to own a television? BWAAHAHAHAHAHA! You folks are also pretty stupid for letting the government take away your right to bare arms after WWII. Pity.

International Crime Statistics

Matthew:
"while iit has one of the higest crime rates on earth,"

This is just not true. The crime rate in the U.S. has been dropping precipitously in the last 10 years. Just in the industrialized world, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, England & Wales, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland and New Zealand have higher crime rates according to the above survey.

"It consumes a tremendous amount of money, which has drained the budgets of the schools themselves" - this seems contradictory

"We thank our visionary Founding Fathers for establishing the platform that has enabled us to achieve this position in history." - religious migrandt from england. Malcontents, by and large, some of whom wanted washington to be king. Compared to the colonies in india, apparently the american colonists had it rather comfy.

"Triumph motorcycles suck" come on, they're iconic! mind you, I have to admit harleys are cooler. The coolest, tho, is the quickie F55!

"I mean, c'mon matthew, you have to pay a special tax to own a television? " - decent programmes, no adverts.

Guns. Frankly, they scare me. I think we're far better offf witouht tthem. their very presence invites their use.

matthew, bureacracies, as you may know tend to become very top-heavy and consume tremendous amounts of money to support nice buildings and lucrative salaries. In my case here in Washington, the same amount of work can be accomplished with half the people employed. This hurts school budgets because more and more money is diverted to support the bureacracy, instead of directly supporting school operations. This is not isolated to just Washington State. I'm sure other readers here can attest to public school bullshit here in the US. I know I've heard Denny comment about the Georgia education system.

OK, you're right that Triumphs are iconic, so I retract that statement. The Brits, however, don't manufacture any decent motorcycles today.

Guns are indeed very scary, but so are knives, cars, power tools, and many other areas of life. matthew, its called responsibility, which is a prerequisite to freedom. Just because you and other weak and powerless liberals are scared doesn't mean that the rest of us can't enjoy firearms. My son and I shoot trap and make our own shotgun shells. It is a very fun sport, and we enjoy the community at the gun club. Remember, guns don't kill people; criminals do. I am a very responsible gun owner and so are the vast, vast majority of gun owners in this country. I don't see a problem here. Unfortunately, liberals do. That's why I am a member of the National Rifle Association. We will not tolerate a liberal assault on firearms. In the words of Charlton Heston, "From my cold, dead hands." Or something like that.

I think someone needs to take Matthew to the range and let him pop off some rounds. He'll change his mind about guns then!

I agree that beurocracies can be cumbersome. Last thursday, I went to a meeting about local schools (namely, the building of more special schools in the local area, which I'm against). They spent about 2 hours just reading and reviewing and frankly bickering about the notes of the prevvious meeting. Aye curumba! There must be a better way. However, If we put schools in the hands of the private sector, I'm worried that they'll be run for maximum profit, minimum cost, so educational standards will fall while students pay for the privelege. Granted, both my brothers went to a fee-paying school, and swiftly became geniouses, but what about those who cannot pay? its not fair.

Guns? Me? hahaha! I suppose that'd be cool, although, in my hands even scosors are dangerous.

Matthew: The problem you have with guns is pretty common. My point of view, however, is a well-armed populace will not be at the mercy of any tin-pot dictator who controls the army. I hazily remember in history that someone asked a Japanese high-ranking officer why they didn't invade America, and he responded that there would be a gun behind every blade of grass.

Every restrictive gun law in the world will not stop criminals from obtaining illegal firearms; look at your country and Australia. It just doesn't work. Education and familiarity is the key.

I own two firearms, a revolver and a shotgun. I use them in practice, and I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that if someone invaded my home, they would leave in a body bag or in worse shape when they came in. And I sleep sound at night.

Elizabeth
Imperial Keeper

I'm movin' in with you Elizabeth.

Yup... Because of our 2nd amendment, our shores are safe from British attack. Seriouslly, citizen guns would be completely USELESS against tanks, planes, artillery and all that consists of modern warfare.
If you got control of the american army and police, you would control america, plain and simple.
My whole problem with guns is that I don't trust people I don't know. A guy came into the place where I work the other day with a gun on his hip. Some sort of pistol. The man wasn't uniformed or anything. He certainly wasn't an officer.
Notheless, it was a man I didn't know who could kill me with one shot. Even if he hadn't, he exerted influence over me... if he asked, "hey guy, go buy me a coffee"... I'd have to think hard about saying no, if I did.

That kinda thing... I don't think should be allowed. I don't give a crap about going to shooting ranges or hunting... that doesn't affect me. What affects me is when regular joes stroll up into barnes and noble with a piece on their hip. It bothers EVERYBODY.

Addison: Go ahead, blame black people. Separate them from "regular americans" and state that America has a decent crime rate. Too bad we really can't "excise" them from the population, right? Jeez, I think i'm gonna be sick. So you think it's not an American problem, but a "black people" problem?

Btw, UK violent crimes with firearms are way less than ours. They also categorigize crimes differently as "violent" and non violent.

And I wonder how much crime is actually "prevented" by someone having a gun. I doubt it is much.

Robin, I could care less about your emotions against guns, but I will say this. DON'T FUCK WITH OUR 2ND AMENDMENT BECAUSE WE WILL FIGHT TO PROTECT IT, AND BLOOD WILL BE SPILLED.

Furthermore, I don't think Addison was hinting at any kind of racism or suggesting that we should excise the black population. The facts are the facts, and he was merely pointing that out. The crime rate in the black population is a direct result of racism and discrimination practiced in this country up until the Civil Rights movement, in my opinion. They are angry and bitter, and our country has done a poor job at assimilating them into the free productive society. I am ashamed of our history against the black community. It is, however, time for the black community to wake up and turn their situation around. Rodents like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are part of the problem. Furthermore, affirmative action, the Black Congressional Caucus, and the NAACP only fuel racism in this country. They offer no meaningful solutions, except reparations and benefits based on race, which are unacceptable policies. They continue to convince the black community that they are owed indefinitely, which is nothing more than victim rhetoric. The black community cannot dwell on their history but should instead focus on their future. How the hell to do that? I don't know, but I do support the black community and wish a credible black leader would rise. I would also like to say that I've heard that the ancient Africans actually invented slavory, and the Europeans were among the first slaves. Others here are much more informed than I am about this. My point is, the US black community is not the only population in human history to have gone through slavery. Other societies have suffered and have moved forward. Look at the Jewish communities around the world. So, in defense of Addison, there was no racism in his statement of fact.

Hey Addison - I just love it when people call you a racist. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I never said he was a 'racist'.
I said that he was viewing it as a "black problem" and not a American problem.
It's just seems a little to convienient to say "if you remove the poor black youth from consideration, our crime rate is comparable to Canada or Germany"

I know he's not a rascist or anything, b/c he knows he is stepping on sensitive waters. He states "Oh how to put this"

I'm sure in any country if you can remove a class of poor urban youth, you would also see a dramatic decrease in crime, no matter what the color.
The Irish were a pretty bad cause of alot of Crime in the late 19th century... (hence, "paddy wagon)". Was that because they were Irish, or they were poor immigrants mistreated in America?

I don't see blacks in Barbados shooting each other every day.

In France, muslims apparently make up around half of the prison population, according to some USA today poll I read the other day.

So, it's not about race, it's about poverty.

And Paul, yes ancient Egyptians kept some of the first documented slaves. I wouldn't really consider them as "African" as modern context suggests. They mostly raided Nubia for slaves to the south. Nubians, even by today's standards, would be ethnically black.

And White people were among the first slaves, hence the ethnic group "Slavs".

And Paul, your willingness to "FIGHT TO PROTECT IT, AND BLOOD WILL BE SPILLED"

is exactly why I wouldn't want you to have a gun near me.

Robin, I think you took my statement out of context. The 2nd Amendment is worth fighting for if it came to that.

I would never act irresponsibly with a firearm and don't carry them in public in the first place. I have small children and am also uncomfortable when they are present in a public place. But hey, to each his or her own.

I think you should read your response to Addison over again. It does appear that you are accusing him of racism. You are right about it being an American problem, and I believe I addressed that thouroughly in my previous post.

Though I pretty much disagree with all of your opinions, I wouldn't ever harm a single hair on your gay little head. Toodles.

Robin - Once again I am laying a problem on the liberals whose welfare policies created a black underclass in the inner city. Those policies also destroyed the black family in the inner city. This destruction started occurring in the mid 60's right about the time of the Great Fucking Society. Combine that with our insane War on Drugs that I blame on both parties (Jesus H. Christ! Didn't these fuckers learn anything from Prohibition?)and we have a nice place to breed gang wars and the attendant gun violence that goes along with it.
Yep! It's poverty. But it is the patronizing and condescending attitudes of bleeding heart liberals who think giving people money will get them out of poverty that makes the situation worse. This is yet another reason that I despise the Dimocrat Party.
Taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens will not solve the problem of gun violence. Look at how the violent crime rate went up in both England and Australia when they banned guns. The NRA was right. When you ban guns, only outlaws will have guns.

Denny, something I agree with you on. The war on drugs is stupid. It's costing us tons of money to stop the growing, tons to stop shipping, and tons of police resources to arrest, and tons to imprison them.
All of that money could be used better elsewhere, like education or intelligence agencies, hell even a space flight to mars.

All of that money that comes from growing cannibis and other drugs, which people are going to do REGARDLESS OF THE LAW, could be made by honest american citizens instead of Latin american cartels and crooks here at home.

They say that drugs help fund terrorism... well if people had a different place to buy them they wouldn't.

Best way to fight terrorism, take away how they get money.

It's the capitalist way.

Robin - I blogged on the War on Drugs a long time ago. Drug addiction is not a crime. Like alcoholism is a disease or a dependency and should be treated as such. Legalize most drugs and tax 'em. Use the revenues for treatment centers. The BATF is as bad as the IRS. In some cases worse since the IRS doesn't kick doors down.