The Greatest Country On Earth

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Nov 10 2006, 10:19 AM) [snapback]346970[/snapback]</div>

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

-- Thomas Jefferson

 

Freedom is never granted by the oppressors, it must be taken by the oppressed.

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Freedom Isn't Free
Author unknown

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

 

"Freedom is not the power to do what one wants. Freedom is the power to do what is right." Pope John Paul II

 

"Those who would sacrifice essential liberties for a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Nov 10 2006, 12:19 PM) [snapback]346970[/snapback]</div>

What qualifies you as an expert? How many other Countries have you lived in?

 

If this country is so great then why is the working class being systematically destroyed by all our so called elected officials and their scumbag rich friends and corporations? The author of this post should get a copy of Lou Dobb's new book "War On The Middle Class."

I am pretty savvy on who's screwing who in the name of democracy and all the other s**t our lying govt. spews out. BUT, I was taken aback by all the greed and corruption that's taking place behind the scenes. There are many things in Dobb's book that are mind boggling.

Do you really believe any of the slimeballs who just got back in to Washington are going to save us from those evil Republicans? Believe this. The working middle class will get nothing-(As usual) from the lying Dems. They have been tearing this country down since 1964. The Republicans don't try to hide the screwing they're giving working class people. Many people believe things will get better now. It won't happen if you are in the middle working class. If you're rich you'll simply flee the country when the time is right. With China building up its huge submarine fleet- (With much of our money) can't you guess what's in store for us? Not to mention we don't manufacture anything here anymore while China is building everything and buying up T bills to keep our economy afloat. Some people believe Clinton balanced the budget. Well, he paid nothing on the huge interest we owed back then. Bush just piled on a whole lot more.

We need a new party-for the working middle class, not the rich. They have stolen about 90% of the wealth out of this country. Do not believe or trust ANY politician. He/she is just telling you garbage while they line their pockets. Great country? Perhaps around 1790 when it stood for truth and fairness to "We The People." I really wish this country was still great. There's nothing great about any of what's going on.

I'll end this by saying the following. I would NEVER trust a Commie country like China. I would never do any business with them or any other country that will turn on us at will. I was around when we had bomb shelters in every town because of Russia and their nukes.

We have been sold out by our politicians. They will flee when it's time and leave the peasants behind just like Baby Doc did to haiti in the 70's. Enough said.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Display Name @ Nov 10 2006, 12:25 PM) [snapback]346976[/snapback]</div>

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Nov 10 2006, 02:49 PM) [snapback]347083[/snapback]</div>

And we wonder why we're still in Iraq.

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America, and to the Republic created thereby, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

 

Walker1 - yeah, this country has a lot of problems. Fortunately, we're a smart country. Slow, but smart. We just took the first baby step of fixing a lot of those problems this past election.

Despite all this country's problems, I can't think of a better one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Nov 10 2006, 10:38 PM) [snapback]347330[/snapback]</div>

And Washington is sacrificing our liberty for safety! :angry:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jfschultz @ Nov 14 2006, 09:03 AM) [snapback]348667[/snapback]</div>

What are the liberties that you don't have now that you used to have?

Are you talking about that constitutional right to board an airplane without having your shoes scanned?

Your right to enter a NFL sporting event without a bag search?

I'm really curious how your liberties are impacted, please elaborate.



Maybe you're just a whiner who spouts off crap like that with no reason?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Nov 14 2006, 10:11 AM) [snapback]348677[/snapback]</div>

Not on Bush's watch

The right to have a phone conversation without Big Brother listening in on it? The right to check out a library book without Big Brother snooping around seeing what I'm reading?

All three of those are completely flushed down the toilet with Gitmo

In other words, the right of people to marry someone regardless of gender.

That's six of the Big Ten that Bush and company pulled down their pants and crapped on. And they worry about desecration of the flag?!?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Nov 14 2006, 10:23 AM) [snapback]348684[/snapback]</div>

You still have not made one point unless of course you believe in granting terrorists habeus corpus rights and invalidate military tribunals.

And I am unaware of the "right" of homosexual marriage.

And I am unaware of one civil liberty you do not have today that you had 10 years ago.

And a heads up here - there is nothing you do from making a call to watching a movie that is not accessible to some company or organization. You use a charge card - an electronic toll paying device - a cell phone - anything bluetooth - etc. What do you do that is private anymore besides going to the john? You ever walk a street without a security camera recording your every move? Does that mean the government is illegally listening in on everything you say and do?? Dont worry about the Feds - its the private guys you should worry about.

And what do you propose doing with the bad guys that are trying to kill us?? Give them a civil trial :lol: Shoot them dead :lol:

So try that 6 of 10 thing again - i think in reality you are batting ARod stats - well at least ARod did better than someone :lol:

 

NSA wiretapping was ruled unconstitutional.

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACLU_v._NSA

"Judge Taylor ... examined the defendant's claim over state secrets, standing, and the President's war time claim. While she examined the plaintiff's claims that the NSA program not only violated the constitution in regard to the First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, and Separation of powers Doctrine, but also claims that the NSA Program violated statutory law in regard to the FISA."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dbermanmd @ Nov 14 2006, 10:34 AM) [snapback]348697[/snapback]</div>

The only reason you're unaware of "...any civil liberty which we do not have that we did have a decade ago..." is due in large part to the yeoman efforts of the folks who opposed the recent pseudo-Christian neoconservative rampage. Not to the implementation of 'compassionate conservatism' as you'd like us to believe.

Regarding gay marriage: as far as government is concerned, it's simply about allowing everyone who is taxed equally, equal rights to file federal and state income taxes jointly if so desired. It's really that basic; moral arguments or a so called "concern" for the "protection of marriage" are so much hogwash, designed to deny certain citizens equal rights under law.

 

So, after a couple hours of digging, you've lost not one single right or liberty in the last 20 or more years.

There is a campaign underway so that I can marry my farm animals in addition to my wife so that I can claim 15 on my dependant list on my federal income tax. Are you sure this is a liberty or right you are missing?

 

Daron, you seem to be confusing homosexuality and bestiality.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Nov 14 2006, 06:38 PM) [snapback]349139[/snapback]</div>

Are you sure? Maybe the question was a serious one. :blink: