Yap, this guy is a psychopath. How the hell you put this guy in charge, twice. I have no mercy for any republican. Please don't cross my path, I'll have no mercy for you. Hope the people in Iraq will one day kik the oppresor out.

I still believe that Laura Bush will try to talk George out of starting something else wholly unpredictable at this late date on the grounds of not wishing to leave office in an "undignified" manner.

Not that our comments on CD are a pipeline to Laura Bush, but I wish someone else was talking about this in larger press in a way she would hear it. Of all people on the planet, SHE has the most influence on George.

Daniel David -

Being that Bush associates with evangelicals, listening to a woman is not something he'd ever do.

Bush told the world six years ago who he was going to attack. Iraq. Iran. North Korea. Iraq is now a smoking ruin. North korea has piss pot half operable nukes and is off the list because they might , just MIGHT. be able to really screw up the American economy.

That leaves Iran.

Any bets what W is going to do with all that lovely milspec hardware floating around in the Straights of Hormuz off the coast of Iran?

aldo, what do you do when these republicans are your parents? My aging dad, would look at me with violence in his eyes whenever I challenged a Rush Limbaugh precept. Once he said to me: "you don't really believe there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, do you???" I shrugged, and did not answer the question. We do not talk about politics now.

My mother who also voted for Bush recently complained about the cost of her contacts, apparently starting to feel a financial squeeze for the first time in her life. I said to her, now you know the dilemma millions of Americans go through every day. My comment didn't even register.

Its seems that many republicans are oblivious, or in deep denial about the effects of policies they profess to support. My brother and my wife lost their jobs (actually, my wife lost 3 of her manufacturing jobs to outsourcing, and went back to school twice!) to Chinese outsourcing. Even my profession, IT, is mostly temp and contract work now, and the competition for the full time jobs that are available is cutthroat.

My dad's response? Profit is not a dirty word, and the market sets the wages. Go back to school and retrain, if you don't like it. Outsourcing is great because now we get cheaper goods...

Perhaps I'm wrong, but being a professed republican seems to go hand in hand with a kind of hardened ignorance, and a lack of understanding and compassion.

Daniel David - Would that she could! Do you have any first hand knowledge of what living with a drunk, an abuser, a know-it-all, and all the rest that makes up this man, does to a woman? I do. With all the years she's lived it, I'd be surprised if she talks to him about anything other than what the girls are doing.

I seriously doubt anyone involved in this scheme has had second thoughts on bombing Iran since before 2000. They've got everything sewn up so tight, they've got clear sailing all the way. Come June or July, I think "fun" will begin.

"This man is planning on waging another illegal war, and we need to do all that we can, nonviolently, to stop him."
And just WHAT is that? Write a bobble-head Congressman? That'll work!
How about march in protests? That worked well to stop Afghanistan and Iraq.
The only people capable of stopping him are the soldiers and I doubt they are willing.
I think I'll just get drunk and watch the cities burn on CNN.

That's it! Start another totally unnecessary war that he knows by now he can't win. Because he just doesn't have the resources anymore. He has squandered them in Iraq and Afghanistan. And drag the US further into the gutter of bankruptcy and economic woes. What ever possessed the American people to vote this nut into office twice only speaks to the evil that has taken over this countries thinking. What's even sadder. I really think we are going to have McBush in the White House in 08. I don't think the American people have had a belly full of these freaks yet. The polls show that McCain is tied with Obama. The American people are their own worst enemy! So I look for the worst to happen!

This underscores the need for impeachment. The fact that it would not succeed nor finish is not the point. It would give US military personnel strong reason to refuse orders to do something insane such as attack Iran.

"All military options (with Iran) lead to disaster"
Col. Sam Gardiner

The business of Pax Romana was war. Pax Americana is not different and never was.

Bombing of Iran will most definitely end the American century and may be even American culture of ragged individualism, individually and collectively. I am not going to shed any tears for demise of Nuke-em-all-Empire. Having left New Jersey 7 months ago I was greeted as American only in Albania, one hellish country out of dozen I had crossed so far. Not very nice statistics, my fellow Americans.

The saddest fact is that wide friendly smile of our beloved Bill Clinton was but mask to cover deadly fangs little Bush has shown so openly.

Lamenting about the violation of that 'piece of parchment in National Archives', in Bush's own words, became waste of time. American Empire is beyond point of no return. Only financial collapse of size of Great Depression my stop imperialists.

I am afraid that American people have dillemma on their hands: either continue policy of "let 'em hate us" or risk blow back of enormous proportion. History teaches us that German resistance to the very deadly end was fueled by fear of retribution for all they did in Europe and especially in Russia. I am afraid that as a nation we are in the same predicament as Germans were in 1945.

God help America!

Our president has plans to go into Iran, but ONLY if there is no other way. We'd be pulling out if Iraq if it wern't for Iran and it's evil doings.

Do you people have any compassion for those poor souls in N. Korea? I do, but how could that be, as a run of the mill Rebublican.

I listen to my darling wife's advice and pay heed also, but, as a Christian, how could this be?

Talk about stereotyping people.....My daily driver to work is an old pickup, does that make me stupid? My God, I also enjoy country music; "Am I now the product of incest?"

Your dissent is healthy, but your anger? I've got many more years behind me than in front of me, and only you and the Almighty know if that's true for you, as well.

I'm quite happy and it feels good. Life is definately too short. After being called vermin and pedophilic by some here yesterday, I was the one who was censored. I thought C.D. was above that. I hope THIS post sticks!

Look for the good; the bad will find you without a second wink. Your friend, Banjoman

Every person in this country now owes $30,000. Can anyone here imagine what those people who're spending trillions to get what they want think of that piddling amount of money? It's less than nothing to them. Before this is over, we'll probably all owe a couple of billion; foreign countries will own this country, and we'll be under Red China rule. And those who brought it all about will be setting in their Dubai palaces being waited on by all their slaves, or down in South America watching the whipping of their slaves to get them to work harder at cutting the brush.

chessgames56: I can sympathize with you. My son is a rabid Republican and hasn't spoken to his father or I in three years now. My husband had the audacity to tell him if he would stop listening to Fox News he might learn something. I think Republicanism warps people's minds and makes them unable to feel for other humans around them. It's all part of the Republican philosophy. It's a cancer that's eating away at the moral fabric of this country. If something isn't done to stop it we won't survive.

"You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."

Abraham Lincoln

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

George Bush

Banjoman you can quit the act now. You're no Republican but you sure do a fine stereotypical impersonation of one.

Thanks tumbleweed. I can only imagine how I'd feel if my son turned out to be a hardened republican; it would be much more difficult to accept than my father, given that he was so mean to us growing up. In a way it is sad to think that he will be taking that same lack of compassion to the grave.

The neocons will not give up on their dream of attacking Iran. Both McCain and Clinton are quite capable of doing this.

I have a feeling our wars will come to an end sooner than expected for exactly the Soviets ended their escapade in Afghanistan: the bank will run out of funding. Those politicians talking about increasing military spending and increasing the number of military personnel likely will not be able to follow through on those promises--for the same reasons.

"Do you people have any compassion for those poor souls in N. Korea? I do, but how could that be, as a run of the mill Rebublican."

Banjoman,

I've been wanting to ask someone like you this hypothetical question for a long time. What if, in 1860, England and France has decided that slavery was a crime against humanity, and had given the United States six months to free the slaves before they invaded and did it themselves? Do you think they would have been right, or do you think slavery was a matter best solved by Americans without foreign interference (Because this is a hypethetical question, we'll ignore the fact that both France and England were imperial nations that held their colonial subjects in a state of near-slavery)? Had you been alive at the time, would you have welcomed them and collaborated with them because they did it in the name of "freedom," or would you have resisted? Do you feel that "compassion" for the slaves would have been a legitimate reason for other nations to interfere in our affairs?
Before you answer, I'll warn you: Don't fall back on the canard that "People were different then and believed different things." There were people at the time in this country who were opposed to slavery, not to mention the obvious fact that the slaves themselves weren't too happy with the institution. Other than that I await your reply.

Lord Trigo

chessgames56 and tumbleweed,

Thanks for your insightful posts describing family political differences. These first-hand stories of how tenaciously some hold their conservative beliefs are important reading for those who would try to finally tilt America in another direction.

Some people can be married to a child abuser and pretend it isnt happening. That is Banjoman's defense.

Refuses to believe the US is anything but wonderful and the leaders are perfect. No, the US didnt bomb Japan to test the A bomb and scare Russia(which backfired--just made Russia go after the bomb too), it did it because the Japanese would never surrender.

No, the US didnt test chemicals on unsuspecting US citizens in hospitals from the 40s-70s.

No the US didnt help get rid of the democratically elected leader of Iran because he wanted to nationalize the oil and lean towards Communism.

No the US didnt arm the muhjahadeen fighters including Osama Bin laden.
For some people the truth is just too hard to fathom--its much easier to buy into a fantasy and live a simple, selfish life where you think of no problems but your own.

I really think we are going to have McBush in the White House in 08. I don't think the American people have had a belly full of these freaks yet.

-does that mean a large portion of this country is psychopathic as well?

If so, I am reminded of a quote I once heard from Vernon Howard:

"It's lunacy to attempt to lower the lunatic level of lunatics." :)

Bush (or the next corporate crony in the Whitehouse) WILL attack Iran.

That is a given.

Why else would they have so much milspec hardware floating in the waters of Iran and Syria?

I would be willing to place money that this election year's 'October Surprise' will be a month or so early, and will be a mushroom shaped cloud rising over the powdered ruins of Tehran...

This is how my paranoia sees this play out. GW will attack Iran.Iran will rage. Iran probably won't attack Israel but will stream across the Iraq border, welcomed by many of the population. The US military doesn't have the troop strength do immediatly push back the onslaught and will suffer massive casualties. And there is a distinct possiblity that Bush's actions may inflame the middle east so much that other Arab states join with Iran. The only alternative for US forces would be massive conventional bombing both in Iraq and Iran. Utter chaos ensues and America still cannot win. To top it off; during this epic disaster huge protests all over the US frieghten the current administration so much that suspension of elections happen and possible marshall law. This will be the only way the administration can avoid arrest and imprisonment.

Israel wishes us to attack Iran, and the Likud party/AIPAC own both political parties. So the attack WILL happen. Is it even remotely in our own interest? HELL, NO! But Israel doesn't care a wit about US interests, only it's own. After the Zionists have used up our country, they will discard us to avoid having any responsibility for the wreckage they will create.

Want to avoid another tragic war? Figure out how to get the Zionists and the dual-nationality traitors who are in the highest levels of government out of the US and back to that pathetic little anti-American, socialist, theorcratic black hole that is Israel.

The RepubLikuds will bomb Iran for Cheney's final Act and the Warm-Up for McCain-Lieberman.

The Israeli's crow about how they control the American Congress and more. And they do.

We should just burn our flags and sing Sig Heil to the Star of DAvid, let it fly over DC, AND DRAPE IT OVER THE COFFINS OF DEAD AMERICANS.

Iraq would never have happened w/o the "neocons;' code for Likud, that's a million plus corpses. Cool.

Lord Trigo....good question....My 1st reaction would be to hope they stayed out, as any patriot would, even if I abhorred the situation (slavery) they were trying to remedy. After they were here, and accomplishing a noble cause, I would do my best to try and quell those who would oppose them for the better of my country. Right vs. wrong? Yes, it would be the best for all and get this country on the right track.

I never owned a slave (my wife may lovingly joke about that) and never was one or want to be.

I take some pride in knowing good and evil, right and wrong, etc.

I hope your my response helps all involved in this discussion (it could be a catch 22 question which I will be jumped on by all interested) but I did not take it that way or I may not have even answered; "people like me" here have to have broad shoulders or get eaten alive. I hope you take my reply in the same way, I mean, what good does it do to 'entrap' anyone.

Moreover, alot of this is "preaching to the chior". It is obvious that I am not in the chior, so why have some been so hateful and insultive? Are they not defeating your purpose in trying to "re-educate" and pursuade the outsiders here and bring them into your circle.

Perhaps that what intrigues me most about some of your regulars here. The names I have been called. WOW? To sound like Beaver Cleaver..."Geepers Creepers Wally?

your friend, Banjoman

PS: to that other guy. "I am a card carrying Republican, even considerring to vote for Obama in the fall, until I heard his buddy Rev? Wright spew all that hate. Obama has lost one vote in the Keystone state, that's for sure.

limric, and the rest of my CD brothers and sisters, scary scenarios all.

But if anyone doubts that conservativism isn't a mental disorder, just observe the behaviour of the Republican's in Congress and their tools in the media, and most astonishing, their followers amoung the people.

ANY proposal that goes up for a vote in the Congress that helps working families, is axed by the Republican lawmakers. ONLY legislation that helps their corporate donors gets their approval. Yet they get elected by claiming to represent their constituents. Only the ignorant and lazy who fail to check the FACTS vote against their best interests.

The current world order, built on the myth that only growth and consumption is what makes for success in business - is going to end. But its end will be violent and millions will die, either through war or through acts of nature.

When the world comes crashing down on us, know this - the only thing that matters is how much we have Loved. That is it. And the conditions on this planet right now are a direct response to the loss of Love man feels for his fellow man.

Without Love, there is distrust. Without Love there is hatred. Without Love there is violence.

And without Love - we will perish

When Iran gets whacked, the oil will stop flowing.

Period.

No oil, no industry.

No industry, no economy.

No economy, no food.

No food for you.

Lots of hoarded goodies for Bushco. Lots of guns too.

There it is. A simple equation.

It's up to you to solve it...

Do those cards that Republicans carry say on the reverse "Certified Insane"?

Hoping Banjoman's shoulders are as broad as the Tigris... :D

See what I mean? Insults! And yesterday, I got the stamp of censorship.......open-mindidness? go figure

your friend, banjoman

and yes, they're quite broad; my foxy wife thinks so, too.

"This man is planning on waging another illegal war, and we need to do all that we can, nonviolently, to stop him."

Adm. Fallon to Esquire: "Get serious. They're (75 million Iranians) ants. When the time comes, we'll crush them."

WHEN the time comes - not IF.

A 4000 year old country - nothing but ants to be crushed. If you're a "serious" person, that is.

Tic, tic, tic, tic...

Hang in there banjoman.

If you are a Republican, you've got guts hanging out here at CD.

Your opinions will receive a thorough testing.

Good luck.

No entrapment intended, banjoman. I don't think my question had a "right" answer, in the sense that sincere patriots could probably argue either course of action, i.e, fighting off an invader no matter what their intent, or cooperating with one who appears to be working for the better good of the occupied nation. That was certainly the case during our own revolution. I read somewhere that a third of the colonists supported the revolution, a third opposed it and the rest didn't care. So it certainly wasn't as cut-and-dried as it's portrayed today. In my neck of the world, some people still argue over what was the proper "patriotic" course of action to take during the Civil War.
That being said, I do believe that attempting to dictate the development of another nation culturally or economically, through military means, has far more minuses than pluses, particularly for a democracy.

Lies, lies, lies. Demonization, just like that before our invasion of Iraq. Bush, Cheney, Lieberman, Gates and all his generals, all joining in EXCEPT the IAEA, which continues to inform us all that Iran does not have a nuclear weapons development program. And why do we want to attack? To protect Israel from any possible future nuclear attack by a country that is no danger to them. John McCain's Christian Zionist advisor and link to right-wing evangelical voters, preacher John Hagee, says the US and Israel "must join together to attack Iran" in order to assure the God's plan for Israel and the West may be fulfilled. PLEASE IMPEACH THESE IRRATIONAL PEOPLE NOW.

There will be aggression on Iran like there was on Iraq. The decision to attack Iran has been made by Israel. Israel is the "decider", not Bush. They are the true rulers. If only Americans were aware of these facts!

Admiral William "there will be no attack on Iran on my watch" Fallon has been removed as US chief of Central Command, thus clearing the way for Cheney's planned attack on Iran.

The Iranians don't seem to believe it, despite the dispatch of US nuclear submarines and another aircraft carrier attack group to the Persian Gulf. To counter any Iranian missiles launched in response to an attack, the US is deploying anti-missile defenses to protect US bases and Saudi oil fields.

Two massive failures by the American media, the Democratic Party, and the American people have paved the way for Cheney's long-planned attack on Iran. One failure is the lack of skepticism about the US government's explanation of 9/11. The other failure is the Democrats' refusal to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush for lying to the Congress, the American people, and the world and launching an invasion of Iraq based on deception and fabricated evidence.

If an American president can start a war exactly as Adolf Hitler did with pure lies and not be held accountable, he can get away with anything. And Bush and his evil regime have.

Hitler launched World War II with his invasion of Poland after staging a "Polish attack" on a German radio station. On the night of August 31, 1939, a group of Nazis disguised in Polish uniforms seized a radio station in Germany. Hitler announced that "last night Polish troops crossed the frontier and attacked Germany," a claim no more true than the Bush Regime's claim that "Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction." Hitler's lie failed, because his invasion of Poland, which began the next day allegedly in reprisal for the Polish attack, had obviously been planned for many months.

Iran is a beautiful and developed country. It is an ancient civilization. It has attacked no one. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Iran is permitted by the treaty to have a nuclear energy program. The Bush Regime's case against Iran is based on the Bush Regime's desire to deny Iran its rights under the treaty.

If we invade Iran...we will be invading a bigger problem...Russia won't stand by and say "oh no, look what they did. How sad."

As the Japanese Admiral said...I fear we have awakened a sleeping tiger...

Attacking Iran is WWIII...

Bend over and kiss your a*** goodbye...nuclear war is hell.

Make that...sleeping giant..

Just as the world could not believe Hitler's next horror and thus was always unprepared, the Iranians despite all the evidence cannot believe that even the Great Satan would gratuitously attack Iran based on nothing but lies about non-existent nuclear weapons.

It is important to emphasize that Iran is making no moves toward war. Having tamed, blackmailed, and purchased Congress, the US media, and US allies and puppets, Cheney might delight in the arrogance with which he can now attack Iran free of any restraint or fabricated provocation.

On the other hand, he might cover himself by orchestrating an "Iranian provocation" to justify his attack as a response. But like Hitler's planned attack against Poland, Cheney's attack on Iran has long been in the works.

On March 29 the Associated Press reported that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi "poured contempt on fellow Arab leaders" at the Arab summit that day. Gadhafi told the Arab "leaders," many of whom are on the American payroll, that their American masters would turn on them all, just as America turned on Saddam Hussein after using him to fight a proxy war against Iran.

Saddam had once been an ally of Washington, Gadhafi reminded the Arabs, "but they sold him out." Gadhafi told the American puppets, "Your turn is next."

mr. rothschild, your article speaks of a man - subhuman by most standards - who is arguably the most hated, the most despised, the most ignorant, and the most arrogant leader (that word is used loosely) in the history of the free world. this so-called man is responsible for the displacement of millions of lives, responsible for an unimaginable national debt, responsible for a grossly inaccurate reported loss of life, responsible for trashing this country's constitution, responsible for the cream of our society getting disgustingly rich (even beyond their wildest imaginations), responsible for the unforeseen medical bills (physical, emotional, mental, and biological) once our vets return home, responsible for a major american city still lying in ruins, responsible for skyrocketing property taxes, responsible for too many misdeeds to mention, and you suggest we stop him, nonviolently? there really is only one way to rid oneself of vermin, of rodents, of cockroaches, or of anything else that one chooses to not have in their life.

Galen

Attacking Iran will put into a dark hole so deep, we won't see light for a long time to come...

Our economy will be a disaster...

If you think gas and food prices are high now...just wait...

Attacking Iran will destory our economy...

I hope all those supporting the warmongers enjoy poverty and starvation...we are headed there if this admin is that stupid....

Attacking Iran = bankruptcy of the American society

By the way, Al Qaeda hates Iran, and vise versa....didn't Washington get the memo?

To link them is ridiculous

Samski

I am a conservative Republican...not all of us are brain dead....I passed on the koolaide when they handed it out...

I am a member of the MFSO and support the IVAW...

All Repubs aren't a part of the sheep!!

Samski

Right now, the inmates are running the asylum....

We just have to figure out how to contain them before it is too late....if it isn't already...

chessman

I have the same issues with my mother.

Retrain....for what....the non-existent jobs at the bankrupt companies that are laying people off in droves? Companies that are moving to other countries and bailing on America?

It won't hit home with them until our economy is completely destroyed...and we are in a deep and consuming depression filled with starvation and poverty.

jjpeter...

Well said.

I don't chalk it all up to being conservative, which I am...I attribute it to people just not giving a damn about their fellow man...

Money and power have become the priority...not people...

Caring crosses party lines with the average guy....so does apathy and greed...

Once people realize there is a bigger party to belong to...that of the human race...they will quit arguing Repub/Dem partylines...and realize we are all in this together and better start alligning ourselves against the evil in government and big business....

I want to see Ms Rice stand before the UN with evidence that Iran is providing funding, training and arms to the majority of the Iraqi militant groups.

This just in... more mystery speedboats are 'threatening' US warships.

'Gulf of Tonkin II' warm ups anyone?

WTF

Rice can stand before the UN and lie as well as Bush...

Galen...

Figures....is the paint still fresh where the "USS" used to be on the "USS Speedboat"?

C.G.Jung said that, when things go really bad, look in the mirror for the problem.
It's not a problem with the 'other' and it never was. The Running Total = 4032 and that is entirely our doing. It's the job of Congress to remove an insane Helmsman from the helm of this ship of state but they seem to be awaiting Father Time's grim hand to do it. We are all being sold down the River Styx.