I spoke to my brother last night, who is a recently retired Marine after 23 years. He was an electronics repairman for Harrier jets, so the closest he came to combat was to take a hover craft, from a ship, to Iraq, stand on the beach and get his ‘I was there medal’.
I asked him why the Military were still heavily Republican despite the deaths, the wounded and the crazies?
He said that if a Democrat gets into the office they’ll cut the Military budget first.
I then pointed out how many necessary programs in the US that had already been cut to pay for a lost war in Afghanistan, and a losing war in Iraq. His answer was that he was a soldier and not a politician.
My suggestion, and he listened, was to bring every troop home to the US…..all of them.
Keep them employed guarding our borders, which the Republicans have been bitching about Mexicans forever. Have them patrolling and checking our container ship yards and trucks for drugs and bombs. Work the airports doing the same thing as TSA. And generally protect the nation from an outside attack.
We do not need to be the worlds policeman, when we can use the worlds largest military already in place here at home.
Our missiles can hit a target anywhere in the world with pin point accuracy. With the money freed up from fuel and transportation costs alone we can build Reagan’s missile defense shield, that would actually work.
Drug infested neighborhoods could be patrolled by the military, easing the load of the police.
Even he couldn’t argue with that. The hard sell is convincing people to enforce America First.
Want jobs? Tell all industries that outsource that they have 2 years to build plants in the US or their goods will no longer be permitted to be imported.
No more goods will be accepted in 2 years from any other country.
You people who bitch about Chinese goods at Walmart would get your way. The UAW that bitches about imported cars would get their way. The Steel workers would get their way.
And maybe….just maybe that exploratory money the oil companies tell Congress they need from their excessive profits, can be used here.
All matter of jobs would be available and they would pay well, from real competition, not from paying some kid in lower bumfuck 10 cents to sew a beanie baby.
Think about it people. I have been pushing America First for a long time. If these theories have any holes in them, then punch away.
You know I have what some may consider an odd reaction to conversations such as…
…I think my first response would have been, “That’s not what I asked, why can’t you answer the damn question… or is it you don’t want to?” Sounds like he’s avoiding the question and belching out accusations instead. Of course, what else would one expect when most Repugs have been brain drained by the likes of Limbaugh?
No, apparently he’s more slippery than Bill Clinton under Starr’s examination when answering questions in a straight forward manner.
Miracles do happen?
I have no problem with “America First” in most of what you just related. I do have problem with English only and such. I’ve seen what it’s done to Canada via Quebec and the other provinces. It doesn’t work. I’m also of the “if anything is imported that’s made with cheap labor, fine, as long as import tariffs level the field” mind. I know, if we do it they will… of course: they already are anyway. we’re one of the few nations with really light tariffs; if any considering all the different goods that come into this country. Somehow I think: being pretty much the biggest single market in the world, compromise that’s far better than what we have now will happen.
DS, do you really want the streets of America to look like Baghdad, with soldiers in camo on every corner? Our military is trained for a specific task — to fight foreign enemies — and the founders thought it was a bad idea, in a government run by civilians, to mix police work with soldiering. That’s why we have/had the Posse Comitatus Act.
I agree with some ‘America First’ ideas, such as getting our jobs back and producing most of what we need domestically, but what you’re advocating is the same thing that has taken other countries down the path to military juntas and dictatorships run by uniformed tyrants.
Rather than try to enforce draconian drug laws that don’t work, make drugs legal for adults — it should be a free society: let them decide whether to take them or not. If you want to cut down on immigration, just start throwing those who hire undocumented immigrants in jail, instead of the immigrants.
BTW, DS, I know some retired Jarheads who would strongly disagree with your brother. They know what your brother should know: The Bush Administration has been cutting the VA budget and improperly providing for the troops and their families every year since the Scourge of Crawford stole office. (And St. McCain has voted for those VA cuts.) Tell him, contrary to what he thinks, that it’s the Republicans who have been cutting benefits to the military rank-and-file and squandering the money instead on no-bid contracts to Blackwater and Halliburton. Also tell him if he wants to be a soldier instead of a politician, he should remember that oath he took to join the Marines — the one that said he would uphold the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. By that criteria he would never support any current Republican running for national office, especially one like John McCain who wants to get more of his brethren killed for nothing.
Rs, I agree with your feelings about the Marines, but I’m afraid that it goes beyond my brother. As far as the idea of troops guarding the nation, or as you say ‘every street corner’ which would be like military juntas, what do you think we are currently living under? Bloggers being snatched out of their houses or shut down due to their opinions. Bush passing laws that one “state of emergency udderence from him’ can suspend the constitution, legeslative branch and the judicial system.
Over 70,000 people, American citizens, on the ‘No fly list’.
and…thats just the tip of the iceburg.
Rs, there is not enough room in jails, due to draconian religious ideas about ‘Thou shall not kill’. Clean out death row and make some room would work with your jailing idea.
Making drugs legal for adults takes us back to the Opium Dens of the 1800’s. Not onlythat, but CIA planes, that were being used to ferry prisoners from Gitmo to Europe have been spotted ferrying drugs from Columbia, by their tail numbers. One even crashed full and was Id’d by the serial numbers.
It has also said, that during the ocupation of Afganistan, the return to Poppy growing has more than tripled than before the Taliban.
Let the warring little bastards kill each other. Jews killing Palestinians has been going on for years. Arabs killing jews, Muslims fighting each othe since before Mesapotamia,and unrest in Pakistan, India and China.
We have a sufficent numer of weapons and troops to defend our little junta here, without sensesly losing more lives trying to stop wars that are centuries old.
Plus, I don’t see the Pentagon throwing Haliburton or Blackwater out of Iraq.
Perhaps it’s due to our junta leader, der Fuher, George Bush.
The VA cuts have been occuring since Vietnam and are actually better now than they were then. The problem is, National Guardsman, who are a large portion of the troops, are not entitled to the same range of benefits as the regulars, thus poorer treatment.
BTW, sorry for the mis-spellings. DJ’s spell check doesn’t seem to be working today.
I’ve never been for total legalization: especially when it comes to anything more than pot or hash. In many ways it depends on exactly what’s done to change the laws and how it’s handled.
But in regard to to the following quote…
Maybe I’m missing the point, but if the focus is on favoring goods produced locally… or at least nationwide, wouldn’t legalization plus an “America First” policy in this sense actually eliminate most of what you mentioned? I’m only referring to favoring local production. Hence: no “imports.” Of course they can sneak it in, as they already are, but couldn’t the competition from legalization and local sources make it a hell of a lot tougher for them… not easier? Right now the market actually favors: to the extreme, illegal import. Once they’ve got to compete it’s an entirely different ballpark they’d have to play in.
Once again, I’m not sure I’d go as far as R.S. legalization-wise, I’m just pointing to a possible flaw in your logic.
Legalazation of drugs would be a real mixed bag, Ken. For example. would it be a good idea to take a pipe full of crack while driving to work on the freeway? or, how about a hit of LSD before going to the mall?
The argument can be made that this is already happening, but not to the degree that legalization would bring.
Hey, what the hell. Those 14 year olds would really start looking hot to that PT coach after a line or 2 of coke.
Appropriate usage could not be regulated and that’s the problem.
Yes, I think it would. I’m more for decriminalization of what I consider less problematic… pot, hash. Then law enforcement could actually use those they give tickets to… or whatever they do… to go after those who deal in the real dangerous stuff. Basically what we have now is a total underground drug culture. That’s really bad for enforcement when it comes to the real dangerous gunk.
But… I still do believe that if it were legalized the one issue we have less problems with is all the sneaking around of getting it into the country. It wouldn’t go away, but it would improve. Right now we have, basically, a little or now competition rule.
I understand those who think total legalization is the solution, I just think they’re not thinking beyond what is now to what could be when it comes to the real nasty stuff. There is an advantage to having some stigma attached to all this since addiction is a problem. used correctly I think the law can help. Right now with pot and hash being considered worse than morphine and such schedule one-wise, we’re on the wrong path for both law enforcement and drug users.
LSD? You mean someone actually can get some? Lou, are you holding out? I promise I wont get in the car.
Hey Ron, was watching a History Channel show on LSD just the other night. Apparently it was made from moldy rye seeds.
Besides, just reading the daily news is a bad trip in itself.
Uh… that explains a lot :em01:
You were watching TV on acid and the TV was made from moldy rye seeds?
Okay, I know what you meant to say, it just came out totally different.