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Excellent point. But the point can be taken further:

Countries, like companies, tend to talk toughest when they're in decline. The U.S. government has invaded 24 countries since the Second World War, killing people and destroying their property.

If you look around, it is more than a few organizations in decline. We are experiencing a wholesale cultural breakdown.

It is also good to remember that Forbes Magazine is owned by Steve Forbes, and Steve Forbes is a socially backward man with the past you would expect of someone whose father was rich. Here is the second Google link to a search on "Steve Forbes": Steve Forbes' Skeleton Closet

Here is the first Google search result: Steve Forbes. Remember, he ran for president of the United States.

What is written in Forbes Magazine is valuable because it is an example of how rich people think. The only thing that matters to them is their own unbalanced ideas. When I say "rich people", I'm not talking about the condition of having a lot of money. I'm talking about the condition of being psychologically unbalanced by a lot of money.

This particular Forbes article is an example of the stream of consciousness of the kind of people who have almost no inner principles except that money is important, and of the kind of people who work for them and who have adopted their view of life.

The author of the article, Parmy Olson, is "an Assistant News Editor at Forbes.com", it says.

Excellent point. But the point can be taken further:

Countries, like companies, tend to talk toughest when they're in decline. The U.S. government has invaded 24 countries since the Second World War, killing people and destroying their property.

If you look around, it is more than a few organizations in decline. We are experiencing a wholesale cultural breakdown.

It is also good to remember that Forbes Magazine is owned by Steve Forbes, and Steve Forbes is a socially backward man with the past you would expect of someone whose father was rich. Here is the second Google link to a search on "Steve Forbes": Steve Forbes' Skeleton Closet

Here is the first Google search result: Steve Forbes. Remember, he ran for president of the United States.

What is written in Forbes Magazine is valuable because it is an example of how rich people think. The only thing that matters to them is their own unbalanced ideas. When I say "rich people", I'm not talking about the condition of having a lot of money. I'm talking about the condition of being psychologically unbalanced by a lot of money.

This particular Forbes article is an example of the stream of consciousness of the kind of people who have almost no inner principles except that money is important, and of the kind of people who work for them and who have adopted their view of life.

The author of the article, Parmy Olson, is "an Assistant News Editor at Forbes.com", it says.

Senator John Edwards: George W. Bush is the "worst president of our lifetime".

The U.S. government is becoming involved in a culture of all war, all the time, and all surveillance, all the time.

Most people don't realize that former presidents have access to CIA and NSA data. So, if voters in the U.S. elect a president who has family and friends and business associates heavily invested in oil and weapons companies, that president will be able to use the data to spy on competitors. It's not so crude as that; it's much more sneaky, but that's the result.

The main purpose of the Iraq war was to arrange that the Iraq oil profits would go to Americans. Other purposes: 1) Saddam Hussein of Iraq was upsetting the planned artificial scarcity of oil, and oil companies wanted oil prices to go up. (Yes, there is real scarcity, too.) 2) The oil was being sold by Saddam Hussein for euros. If other countries began selling their oil for euros, the dollar, weakened by unprecedented debt, could crash. Instead, the value is going down slowly, making everything more expensive for people in the United States. The weakening of the dollar is equivalent to stealing the value of people's savings. 3) The U.S. government gives perhaps $5 billion each year to Israel; the money is used to kill Arabs. Saddam Hussein had made threatening statements about that, and Paul Wolfowitz arranged that the U.S. would pay for Israel's security, serving his culture against the best interests of his country. (They call it "doctrine" to give it a kind of religious importance.)

There's nothing "conservative" about Republicans. Some Republicans are responsible leaders, but others have formed a kind of crime syndicate to sell the U.S. government to whomever can use influence to make money. See U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party.

U.S. Vice-president Cheney, whose friends and family and business associates are invested in oil and weapons, had a secret meeting with oil executives. A few months later, the price of gas rose enormously. Coincidence?

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Taxpayer Karma: If you give money to kill people, expect your own quality of life to diminish.

Edwards: George W. Bush is the "worst president of our lifetime".

The U.S. government is becoming involved in a culture of all war, all the time, and all surveillance, all the time.

Most people don't realize that former presidents have access to CIA and NSA data. So, if voters in the U.S. elect a president who has family and friends and business associates heavily invested in oil and weapons companies, that president will be able to use the data to spy on competitors. It's not so crude as that; it's much more sneaky, but that's the result.

The main purpose of the Iraq war was to arrange that the Iraq oil profits would go to Americans. Other purposes: 1) Saddam Hussein of Iraq was upsetting the planned artificial scarcity of oil, and oil companies wanted oil prices to go up. (Yes, there is real scarcity, too.) 2) The oil was being sold by Saddam Hussein for euros. If other countries began selling their oil for euros, the dollar, weakened by unprecedented debt, could crash. Instead, the value is going down slowly, making everything more expensive for people in the United States. The weakening of the dollar is equivalent to stealing the value of people's savings. 3) The U.S. government gives perhaps $5 billion each year to Israel; the money is used to kill Arabs. Saddam Hussein had made threatening statements about that, and Paul Wolfowitz arranged that the U.S. would pay for Israel's security, serving his culture against the best interests of his country. (They call it "doctrine" to give it a kind of religious importance.)

There's nothing "conservative" about Republicans. Some Republicans are responsible leaders, but others have formed a kind of crime syndicate to sell the U.S. government to whomever can use influence to make money. See U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party.

U.S. Vice-president Cheney, whose friends and family and business associates are invested in oil and weapons, had a secret meeting with oil executives. A few months later, the price of gas rose enormously. Coincidence?

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Taxpayer Karma: If you give money to kill people, expect your own quality of life to diminish.

Publicity is the public's last defense against the most corrupt government the U.S. has had in modern times, and probably ever.

For an early article about U.S. government conflict of interest, see Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government. The corruption has increased enormously since then.

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Taxpayer Karma: If you give money to kill people, expect your own quality of life to diminsh.

Unfriendly corrupt Republicans steal all they can from government.

I'm sure this will make many moderators unhappy, and they will call it a troll even though the points made are well-documented. However, it needs to be said: The problem is unhappiness. Unhappiness causes obesity and other diseases.

If you kill other people, you should expect that it will make you unhappy. If you are a U.S. taxpayer, you have killed hundreds of thousands of people in the past 10 years. Sure, you didn't kill them yourself, but you paid someone to do it: The U.S. government.

There is so much U.S. government violence that it is not possible for one person to to document it all. However, here is an article that gives a few examples: History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories. The U.S. government has invaded 24 countries since the Second World War!

Other reasons people in the U.S. are unhappy:

The U.S. is the most viciously sexist developed society. Any day on U.S. TV you can see women being violent toward men, in situations in which it is expected you will take it as a joke. Most men in the U.S. don't recognize the adversarial behavior of U.S. women for what it is. Most men in the U.S. think that the anger of U.S. women is "justified"; they aren't really partners with their wives, their relationship is "yes dear". "Yes dear" does not help women be happy; it only gives them further opportunity to act out their anger. Sociologists have done 17 studies, all of which show that women are responsible for slightly more domestic violence than men.

A huge percentage of young men in the U.S. spend a large part of their time playing computer games. That usually means they spend a large part of their time pretending to kill other people. Think about it: That can't be good. The years from 3 to 33 are years when people learn to socialize. For example, that's when people learn to deal with the problems of a sexist society. In the later years, people learn to accept more responsibility and to be managers and other leaders of society. They learn how to know and express their own needs and to think about and satisfy the needs of others at the same time. People who fill many hours playing games don't spend those same hours learning about themselves and others, and the world. How could they expect to be happy?

The state and federal governments in the U.S. have a higher percentage of their citizens in prison than any country in the world. Vice-President Cheney's company is building prisons for the U.S. government.

The U.S. government pays more for secret surveillance than any country in the world, ever. There are the NSA, CIA, FBI, and several other U.S. government agencies who are authorized to operate in any country of the world, and kill people there. U.S. taxpayers are not allowed to know even the names of some of the agencies. They are expected to pay, but they are not allowed to know how the money is spent.

If you consider conflict of interest, the U.S. government is the most corrupt in the developed world. See this article: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government. Is it any wonder that two men whose families and friends and business associates have investments in oil and weapons companies have started a war and raised the price of gasoline?

Those are a few of the reasons why people are unhappy in the United States. People overeat when they are unhappy. Overeating is one of the reasons that people in the U.S. have medical problems.

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... waiting for anrtx.tacoda.net. Why?

I'm sure this will make many moderators unhappy, and they will call it a troll even though the points made are well-documented. However, it needs to be said: The problem is unhappiness. Unhappiness causes obesity and other diseases.

If you kill other people, you should expect that it will make you unhappy. If you are a U.S. taxpayer, you have killed hundreds of thousands of people in the past 10 years. Sure, you didn't kill them yourself, but you paid someone to do it: The U.S. government.

There is so much U.S. government violence that it is not possible for one person to to document it all. However, here is an article that gives a few examples: History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories. The U.S. government has invaded 24 countries since the Second World War!

Other reasons people in the U.S. are unhappy:

The U.S. is the most viciously sexist developed society. Any day on U.S. TV you can see women being violent toward men, in situations in which it is expected you will take it as a joke. Most men in the U.S. don't recognize the adversarial behavior of U.S. women for what it is. Most men in the U.S. think that the anger of U.S. women is "justified"; they aren't really partners with their wives, their relationship is "yes dear". "Yes dear" does not help women be happy; it only gives them further opportunity to act out their anger. Sociologists have done 17 studies, all of which show that women are responsible for slightly more domestic violence than men.

A huge percentage of young men in the U.S. spend a large part of their time playing computer games. That usually means they spend a large part of their time pretending to kill other people. Think about it: That can't be good. The years from 3 to 33 are years when people learn to socialize. For example, that's when people learn to deal with the problems of a sexist society. In the later years, people learn to accept more responsibility and to be managers and other leaders of society. They learn how to know and express their own needs and to think about and satisfy the needs of others at the same time. People who fill many hours playing games don't spend those same hours learning about themselves and others, and the world. How could they expect to be happy?

The state and federal governments in the U.S. have a higher percentage of their citizens in prison than any country in the world. Vice-President Cheney's company is building prisons for the U.S. government.

The U.S. government pays more for secret surveillance than any country in the world, ever. There are the NSA, CIA, FBI, and several other U.S. government agencies who are authorized to operate in any country of the world, and kill people there. U.S. taxpayers are not allowed to know even the names of some of the agencies. They are expected to pay, but they are not allowed to know how the money is spent.

If you consider conflict of interest, the U.S. government is the most corrupt in the developed world. See this article: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government. Is it any wonder that two men whose families and friends and business associates have investments in oil and weapons companies have started a war and raised the price of gasoline?

Those are a few of the reasons why people are unhappy in the United States. People overeat when they are unhappy. Overeating is one of the reasons that people in the U.S. have medical problems.

--
... waiting for anrtx.tacoda.net. Why?

This is my impression of the U.S. government at this time: Any amount of money for war, little for making relationships.

However, violence does not create security. Relationships do.

Over a period of decades, the U.S. government paid to kill Arabs and interfere with their politics. The U.S. government also paid to train Arabs in terrorism to fight in Afghanistan. When the U.S. left, many of those turned to other violence, such as attacking Americans.

Is it surprising that a small percentage of Arabs eventually decided to react to violence with more violence? Is it surprising that Arabs don't like being killed?

Now, those in the U.S. who wanted violence have what they want. They can claim that there is a threat, and can make billions in largely hidden contracts for weapons and contracts for war.

The U.S. government is more corrupt now than ever before. Here are some short reviews of books about the corruption. The article is old and needs revision and additions, but gives a small view of a very extensive subject: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two and former U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a famous speech that we should beware of the "military-industrial complex". Here's a quote:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Another quote:

"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

This is my impression of the U.S. government at this time: Any amount of money for war, little for making relationships.

However, violence does not create security. Relationships do.

Over a period of decades, the U.S. government paid to kill Arabs and interfere with their politics. The U.S. government also paid to train Arabs in terrorism to fight in Afghanistan. When the U.S. left, many of those turned to other violence, such as attacking Americans.

Is it surprising that a small percentage of Arabs eventually decided to react to violence with more violence? Is it surprising that Arabs don't like being killed?

Now, those in the U.S. who wanted violence have what they want. They can claim that there is a threat, and can make billions in largely hidden contracts for weapons and contracts for war.

The U.S. government is more corrupt now than ever before. Here are some short reviews of books about the corruption. The article is old and needs revision and additions, but gives a small view of a very extensive subject: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two and former U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a famous speech that we should beware of the "military-industrial complex". Here's a quote:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Another quote:

"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

The Bush Administration is becoming known for surveillance, torture, destroying confidence in the U.S., and generally showing disrespect.

The Bush Administration is, in my opinion, thoroughly corrupt. Bush seems to have little comprehension of the events around him. Those who are associated with him sell government favors to the highest-bidding corrupter.

The result is unprecedented debt, as money is vacuumed out of government into the pockets of the corrupters, by shutting down government functions.

I wrote a short, imperfect review of a few of the books an movies about the corruption: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

The Bush Administration is becoming known for surveillance, torture, destroying confidence in the U.S., and generally showing disrespect.

The Bush Administration is, in my opinion, thoroughly corrupt. Bush seems to have little comprehension of the events around him. Those who are associated with him sell government favors to the highest-bidding corrupter.

The result is unprecedented debt, as money is vacuumed out of government into the pockets of the corrupters, by shutting down government functions.

I wrote a short, imperfect review of a few of the books an movies about the corruption: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

The Bush Administration is, in my opinion, thoroughly corrupt. Bush seems to have little comprehension of the events around him. Those who are associated with him sell government favors to the highest-bidding corrupter.

The result is unprecedented debt, as money is vacuumed out of government by shutting down government functions into the pockets of the corrupters.

I wrote a short, imperfect review of a few of the books an movies about the corruption: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

The Bush Administration is, in my opinion, thoroughly corrupt. Bush seems to have little comprehension of the events around him. Those who are associated with him sell government favors to the highest-bidding corrupter.

The result is unprecedented debt, as money is vacuumed out of government by shutting down government functions into the pockets of the corrupters.

I wrote a short, imperfect review of a few of the books an movies about the corruption: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

So, you are saying that, because Saddam killed Iraqis, it is okay for the U.S. government to kill Iraqis?

The U.S. government has killed many more Iraqis than Saddam. The U.S. government has increased the violence in Iraq, not diminished it.

Here's some history for you: History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories.

"... an obvious attempt at scoring political points..."

Somehow it was predictable that Republicans would be against Net Neutrality. The contributions come from those who want special favors from government, not those who want to benefit everyone.

Republicans: Borrowing money to kill Iraqis so that weapons and oil interests can profit.

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Support for the parent statement: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party.

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Your sig: "Still voting democrat? You're STUCK on STUPID!"

I've noticed that people who call other people stupid are often being stupid.

Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Do you regard that as an improvement?

The Republican Party is often more of a crime syndicate than a party. A lot of money is borrowed, and the money somehow finds its way into the pockets of the rich.

Relevant articles if you love the United States and want to understand how to reduce the corruption:

U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party

History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories

Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Relevant articles if you love the United States and want to understand how to reduce the corruption:

U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party

History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories

Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Relevant articles if you love the United States and want to understand how to reduce the corruption:

U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party

History surrounding the U.S. wars with Iraq: Four short stories

Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party

Quote from the Slashdot story: "In another blow to the reputation of the agency that just can't seem to get anything right..."

That depends on the definition of "right". CIA employees get more money and promotions if there is more trouble in the world. So, they make trouble. For example, the CIA trained Osama bin Laden and other Arabs in the techniques of terrorism.

U.S. citizens should not expect that ANY U.S. government secret agency actually does what it is supposed to do. The secrecy allows the purpose to drift off course, until it is the employees who determine what happens, not the policy makers.

Government leaders, such as U.S. congressmen and women, are allowed to know only the public relations information about the secret agencies, not what is really happening. In the name of secrecy and covert operation, the secret U.S. government agencies are allowed to lie. They place lies in newspapers and magazines the same way other P.R. is placed.

A government that sometimes acts in secret cannot be said to be a democratic government, because the citizens cannot supervise what they don't know.

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Over a period of decades, the U.S. government paid to kill Arabs and interfere with their politics. The U.S. government also paid to train Arabs in terrorism to fight in Afghanistan.

Is it surprising that a small percentage of Arabs eventually decided to react to violence with more violence? Is it surprising that Arabs don't like being killed?

Now, those who wanted violence have what they want. They can claim that there is a threat, and can make billions in largely hidden contracts for weapons and contracts for war.

The U.S. government is more corrupt now than ever before. Here are some short reviews of books about the corruption. The article is old and needs revision and additions, but gives a small view of a very extensive subject: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two and former U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a famous speech that we should beware of the "military-industrial complex". Here's a quote:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Another quote:

"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Over a period of decades, the U.S. government paid to kill Arabs and interfere with their politics. The U.S. government also paid to train Arabs in terrorism to fight in Afghanistan.

Is it surprising that a small percentage of Arabs eventually decided to react to violence with more violence? Is it surprising that Arabs don't like being killed?

Now, those who wanted violence have what they want. They can claim that there is a threat, and can make billions in largely hidden contracts for weapons and contracts for war.

The U.S. government is more corrupt now than ever before. Here are some short reviews of books about the corruption. The article is old and needs revision and additions, but gives a small view of a very extensive subject: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in World War Two and former U.S. President General Dwight D. Eisenhower said in a famous speech that we should beware of the "military-industrial complex". Here's a quote:

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."

Another quote:

"The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."

--
Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits & paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans share Iraq oil profits, & U.S. citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Some people claim that the US patent system is broken, but that way of expressing the problem is a bit misleading. The word "broken" implies that something undefined caused the patent system to be disfunctional. That's not what happened. The disfunctionality was caused deliberately. Those who want government corruption so that they can make money have caused the patent system to be underfunded. They've done the same to the Internal Revenue Service and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Here are short reviews of books about the corruption: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Don't take what he said so personally; he's not saying everyone is an idiot in the United States. And, he's honest in what he's saying. People outside the U.S. are amazed that Reagan, Bush, and Bush again could get votes.

I got on a bus in Munich, Germany, during Reagan's first administration. Even though I know no German, I needed some information from the bus driver. I pointed to a paper on which was written the name of where I wanted to go. The bus driver was friendly, and obviously got the idea, that he should tell me where to get off the bus. Then somehow he communicated to me that he wanted to know my country. Somehow I communicated to him that I was from the United States.

Then, so loudly that everyone on the bus could hear, he shouted "Reagan [something in German] GROSS BANDIT". Clearly he thought that no one on the bus would disagree with him. Unlike most people in the U.S., I know something of the activities of the U.S. government, so I agreed. I sat next to him, and he was very friendly. He stopped the bus and pointed to where I should walk.

The fact is, the reputation of the U.S. is worsening because most U.S. citizens live in a fantasy world and don't want to know that their government is corrupt.

Becoming angry about a reality is not a successful strategy. Almost everyone I've met outside the U.S. realizes that U.S. citizens should be judged personally, and not for the foolishness and ignorance of most of them.

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits and paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans get Iraq oil profits, and American citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

Don't take what he said so personally; he's not saying everyone is an idiot in the United States. And, he's honest in what he's saying. People outside the U.S. are amazed that Reagan, Bush, and Bush again could get votes.

I got on a bus in Munich, Germany, during Reagan's first administration. Even though I know no German, I needed some information from the bus driver. I pointed to a paper on which was written the name of where I wanted to go. The bus driver was friendly, and obviously got the idea, that he should tell me where to get off the bus. Then somehow he communicated to me that he wanted to know my country. Somehow I communicated to him that I was from the United States.

Then, so loudly that everyone on the bus could hear, he shouted "Reagan [something in German] GROSS BANDIT". Clearly he thought that no one on the bus would disagree with him. Unlike most people in the U.S., I know something of the activities of the U.S. government, so I agreed. I sat next to him, and he was very friendly. He stopped the bus and pointed to where I should walk.

The fact is, the reputation of the U.S. is worsening because most U.S. citizens live in a fantasy world and don't want to know that their government is corrupt.

Becoming angry about a reality is not a successful strategy. Almost everyone I've met outside the U.S. realizes that U.S. citizens should be judged personally, and not for the foolishness and ignorance of most of them.

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Before, Saddam got Iraq oil profits and paid part to kill Iraqis. Now a few Americans get Iraq oil profits, and American citizens pay to kill Iraqis. Improvement?

You said you don't live in the United States.

Rebates are not about shopping carefully. Rebates are about crazy, crazy prices. On the day after Thanksgiving, the biggest rebate and sale day of the year in the U.S., I bought 12 Wireless devices (routers, USB wireless, PCMCIA cards and PCI wireless) for $2.99 each after rebate.

Rebates are about standing at a cash register, asking a sales clerk how much are the packages of 100 brand-name CDs, and being told "free after rebate".

The U.S. is a place of crazy extremes. The U.S. government has killed at least 4,000,000 people since the end of the 2nd world war, and yet most Americans consider the U.S. a benevolent country.

My impression is that the Bush family is the most corrupt family every to have political power in the United States. These are people who believe that they are more than 100% right, and that other people don't matter.

It does not surprise me that Jeb Bush's state is involved in voting machine vulnerabilities. Quote from the story "... vendors such as Diebold have too much influence in the administration of elections, a view that resonated with Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, the founder of the Miami-Dade Election Reform Coalition."

The president of Diebold said he would deliver the votes to Bush. And he did.

I wrote short reviews of books and movies about the corruption, but I only barely touched the surface: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government. Note that, although Michael Moore's manner of expression is sloppy, other authors supported his main points in the movie Fahrenheit 9/11. For example, George W. Bush does hold hands with Saudi leaders, his father was at a meeting with a brother of Osama bin Laden on the day before 9/11, and so on.

On topic, since the discussion was started by the Slashdot editor: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party.

"... how exactly do we check your ip address?"

When I read that, I assumed he meant that a Slashdot editor could check his IP address.

I know that Slashdot editors sometimes read the stories they post, because, when I criticize the Bush administration, sometimes I am moderated down multiple points, without the moderation appearing in the karma points summary at the end of the comment. In the middle of the night, while Slashdot editors are presumably sleeping, people in other countries moderate the comment to +5. The comment is then bulk moderated down when it is morning in the United States. Just guessing, but it is plausible.

This comment may seem a little off topic, other than being an answer to an on topic thread, but it is relevant because encryption like that provided by TrueCrypt is more necessary in times of political instability and government corruption.

I agree with what you said.

In my comment, I was talking about a REAL fix: Read the Recent Great Books. See the section "Understanding Your Inner Self" I especially recommend The Primal Scream: Primal Therapy: The Cure for Neurosis.

The U.S. government is VERY corrupt. The roots of the corruption began when the government was allowed to have a Department of Break-the-Laws-Secretly called the CIA. Now there are many U.S. government controlled (and un-controlled) worldwide police forces, such as the FBI, NSA, and others for which we pay even though we are not allowed to know their names.

I did a review of a few of the books about the corruption. I found that there is far too much material for one person to know. My review is not perfect. It is somewhat out of date. It is, of course, the responsibility of every citizen to do his or her own review. Here is my review: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government

If Bill Gates sincerely wanted to help the world, he would fix all the problems in Windows XP.

At present, Windows XP, with all its quirkiness and vulnerabilities, wastes the time of some of the most educated and capable people in the world. The $258 million donated is completely and utterly trivial compared to the maintenance cost of Windows XP throughout the world.

Of course, there is a lot of money in not fixing the problems. Big software companies leave problems in their software so that they can fix them in later versions. In the case of Windows, Microsoft will usually be paid the entire cost of buying a new version, not just an upgrade cost.

Foundations are a rich person's distraction, or usually the distraction of a rich person's wife. The main attraction is to spend a lot of time with people who pretend to love you, because you are giving away free money. Another attraction is to spend time with a lot of other wives of rich people.

It is a good thing, of course, that money is being made available for malaria drug research. But it is a public relations smokescreen, like Nancy Reagan and the cause that was designed for her by PR people, "Just Say No". The PR says, "I'm a nice person." It means, "Please let my husband continue to plunder the way he has always done." (Reagan caused the government to borrow money so that he could give it to his friends in the weapons and oil industries.)

From the Slashdot article: "The case numbering suggests that there were at least 153 investigations of misconduct at the FBI in 2003 alone."

What percentage of abuses were discovered? That's the next question.

The U.S. government's FBI, CIA, and NSA agencies, and others too secret to have public names, are the world's most well-funded world-wide secret police and surveillance agencies. When I read the many stories like the one in the Washington Post, I think those agencies are in many cases out of control.

Many of the present problems the U.S. has in the Middle East started in 1953 when the CIA overthrew a democratically elected president of Iran. The CIA calls those problems "blowback".

There is a conflict of interest. CIA employees get raises and promotions if there are more problems. So, the actions of the secret U.S. government agencies tend to favor the creation of blowback.

Weapons makers favor blowback, too. The profits are very high in weapons making, because a lot of negotiations can be secret.

There are two kinds of oil business. One is the normal kind. Another is the kind that involves extremely high profits allowed when there is secrecy, such as when there is a build-up of war-making capacity.

You can read how the problems in the Middle East were created in this short and incomplete article: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories.

This is the real article by Bruce Schneier: Sue Companies, Not Coders

An excerpt at Bruce Schneier's web site is titled Liabilities and Software Vulnerabilities. (Scroll down to see it.)

Bruce Schneier is a very smart guy. This statement from his web log is foolish, and not typical: "Somewhere in the middle there is a reasonable amount of liablity, and that's what I want the courts to figure out."

If Bruce Schneier doesn't have a detailed plan, that shows how difficult it is to resolve the matter. "The courts" have very little knowledge or willingness to think carefully about this. In the U.S., court judges are often backed by those who want a weak judicial system, and other people, like U.S. President George W. Bush, who are corrupt and incompetent. For a list of books discussing the corruption, see: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

If you read about it, the U.S. government is far, far more corrupt than the average person thinks. Huge amounts of money are borrowed and embezzled. Some people say the money is not stolen, but it somehow makes it to the pockets of the rich, making the rich richer.

The U.S. government is very violent: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories. The violent way is preferred because it is more profitable: Ike Was Right About War Machine. ("Ike" is former President of the U.S. and former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces General Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

Here is the same video, but with no transcript, and it requires watching a commercial: Andy Rooney on the Iraq War. Here is an MP3 file of the same broadcast: Andy Rooney on the Iraq War. Here is a transcript from the publisher: Ike Was Right About War Machine.

The U.S. government is for sale to whomever has money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

From reading about the U.S. government, I've found that many agencies operate efficiently and sensibly, but that the corruption caused by the military-industrial connection is more than one person can completely understand, there is so much material.

If you read about it, the U.S. government is far, far more corrupt than the average person thinks. Huge amounts of money are borrowed and embezzled. Some people say the money is not stolen, but it somehow makes it to the pockets of the rich, making the rich richer.

The U.S. government is very violent: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories. The violent way is preferred because it is more profitable: Ike Was Right About War Machine. ("Ike" is former President of the U.S. and former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces General Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

Here is the same video, but with no transcript, and it requires watching a commercial: Andy Rooney on the Iraq War. Here is an MP3 file of the same broadcast: Andy Rooney on the Iraq War. Here is a transcript from the publisher: Ike Was Right About War Machine.

The U.S. government is for sale to whomever has money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

From reading about the U.S. government, I've found that many agencies operate efficiently and sensibly, but that the corruption caused by the military-industrial connection is more than one person can completely understand, there is so much material.

The U.S. government is for sale to whomever has money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government

The U.S. government is for sale to whomever has money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

Sneaky legislation is just one small part of the corruption.

The U.S. government is for sale to whomever has money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.

It's not just the broadcast flag.

I wish all Slashdot comments were as interesting and well-written as yours. You have a good point. However, maybe it is possible to look at military expenditure in another way. Maybe military expenditure is not linearly scaleable in the way you say. Each military plans for the same kinds of expected conflict. So, each country should spend somewhat closer to the same amount of money. Countries which are extremely well isolated like the U.S., which have a large ocean on both sides, and which have friendly neighbors, should spend less. Nebraska is not planning on attacking Kansas, and no one is planning on attacking Nebraska.

The U.S. government spends so much because of government corruption, not need. The major effect of U.S. government involvement in Iraq has not been eliminating weapons or fostering democracy. There is more day-to-day violence in Iraq now that the U.S. is there, not less. The major effect has been to switch oil profits (not oil itself) from Iraqis to Americans. (The oil was always sold on the open market.) There are people who are willing to kill to make money, and the U.S. government is controlled by them.

Other reasons for U.S. government violence in Iraq:

1) Profit in weapons is much higher and easier to make than profit in a legitimate business. Weapons allow businessmen who could not compete in normal businesses to become rich.

2) Saddam Hussein was pricing his oil in Euros. If Venezuela and Iran did that, the value of the U.S. dollar would collapse. The U.S. government is heavily in debt. Billions of dollars a day are being embezzled. The embezzlement depends on being able to borrow money. If the world stops considering the U.S. dollar to be a safe and necessary currency, there would be far less money to steal.

3) Iraq has the second largest reserves of easily extracted oil in the world.

4) Israelis have corrupted the U.S. government. They want the U.S. to provide security for their country, free to Israel.

5) The privatization of the oil in Iraq under U.S. control weakens OPEC. That raises the value of oil held in other countries.

6) Mental illness accounts for most of the problem. Angry people are willing to pay for violence. Acting out anger makes people more angry. Anger feeds on itself.

Notes: See page 154 of the book, "Bush in Babylon" by Tariq Ali for another source of some of these reasons for U.S. government violence.

Not just "abusive marketing practices". Huge numbers of abusive practices of all kinds, so many that it might be impossible for one person to document them. Here is just a hint: Microsoft has never been a trust-based company.

Windows 98 had a memory management scheme which would cause it to crash if too many programs were opened. Resellers are required to disclose the names of their customers. Microsoft invented new protocols for connecting to the internet, which, predictably, were found to have security vulnerabilities. With the introduction of Windows XP, Microsoft began integrating its own computers with those of its customers. Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser is amazingly buggy.

Here was an early attempt of mine to document the problems: Windows XP Shows the Direction Microsoft is Going. I only began to scratch the surface of the abuses.

Questions taken from the Slashdot story: Is your boss a Psychopath?

How do you rate George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? -- Questions for Questions:

Q: When he harms other people, does he feel a lack of remorse or guilt? A: Does killing people qualify as harming them?

Q: Does he lie habitually even though he can easily be found out? A: Does lying to start a war qualify as lying? A2: Does pretending that you have reduced the violence in another country, rather than increased it, qualify as lying?

Q: When he's exposed, does he still act unconcerned because he thinks he can weasel out of it? A: Does saying it's all fine qualify as being unconcerned?

Q: Is he concerned about himself rather than the wreckage he inflicts on others or society at large? A: Does worrying only about election results qualify as being concerned only about oneself?

Q: Does he use his skill at lying to cheat or manipulate other people in his quest for money? A: When both Bush and Cheney have a long history of oil and weapons investments among family and friends, does starting a war in the world's second most oil-rich country qualify as a quest for money?

Q: Does he cruelly mock others? A: Does George W. Bush calling his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, "turd blossom" qualify as cruelly mocking him? A2: Does giving people disrespectful nicknames qualify as mocking them?

Q: Is he callous and lacking in empathy? A: Does taking habitual risks with the lives of other people while driving qualify as lacking in empathy? A2: George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest A3: George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting. A4: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest A5: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.

Questions taken from the Slashdot story: Is your boss a Psychopath?

How do you rate George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? -- Questions for Questions:

Q: When he harms other people, does he feel a lack of remorse or guilt? A: Does killing people qualify as harming them?

Q: Does he lie habitually even though he can easily be found out? A: Does lying to start a war qualify as lying? A2: Does pretending that you have reduced the violence in another country, rather than increased it, qualify as lying?

Q: When he's exposed, does he still act unconcerned because he thinks he can weasel out of it? A: Does saying it's all fine qualify as being unconcerned?

Q: Is he concerned about himself rather than the wreckage he inflicts on others or society at large? A: Does worrying only about election results qualify as being concerned only about oneself?

Q: Does he use his skill at lying to cheat or manipulate other people in his quest for money? A: When both Bush and Cheney have a long history of oil and weapons investments among family and friends, does starting a war in the world's second most oil-rich country qualify as a quest for money?

Q: Does he cruelly mock others? A: Does George W. Bush calling his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, "turd blossom" qualify as cruelly mocking him? A2: Does giving people disrespectful nicknames qualify as mocking them?

Q: Is he callous and lacking in empathy? A: Does taking habitual risks with the lives of other people while driving qualify as lacking in empathy? A2: George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest A3: George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting. A4: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest A5: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.

Questions taken from the Slashdot story: Is your boss a Psychopath?

How do you rate George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? -- Questions for Questions:

Q: When he harms other people, does he feel a lack of remorse or guilt? A: Does killing people qualify as harming them?

Q: Does he lie habitually even though he can easily be found out? A: Does lying to start a war qualify as lying? A2: Does pretending that you have reduced the violence in another country, rather than increased it, qualify as lying?

Q: When he's exposed, does he still act unconcerned because he thinks he can weasel out of it? A: Does saying it's all fine qualify as being unconcerned?

Q: Is he concerned about himself rather than the wreckage he inflicts on others or society at large? A: Does worrying only about election results qualify as being concerned only about oneself?

Q: Does he use his skill at lying to cheat or manipulate other people in his quest for money? A: When both Bush and Cheney have a long history of oil and weapons investments among family and friends, does starting a war in the world's second most oil-rich country qualify as a quest for money?

Q: Does he cruelly mock others? A: Does George W. Bush calling his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, "turd blossom" qualify as cruelly mocking him? A2: Does giving people disrespectful nicknames qualify as mocking them?

Q: Is he callous and lacking in empathy? A: Does taking habitual risks with the lives of other people while driving qualify as lacking in empathy? A2: George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest A3: George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting. A4: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest A5: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.

Questions taken from the Slashdot story: Is your boss a Psychopath?

How do you rate George W. Bush and Dick Cheney? -- Questions for Questions:

Q: When he harms other people, does he feel a lack of remorse or guilt? A: Does killing people qualify as harming them?

Q: Does he lie habitually even though he can easily be found out? A: Does lying to start a war qualify as lying? A2: Does pretending that you have reduced the violence in another country, rather than increased it, qualify as lying?

Q: When he's exposed, does he still act unconcerned because he thinks he can weasel out of it? A: Does saying it's all fine qualify as being unconcerned?

Q: Is he concerned about himself rather than the wreckage he inflicts on others or society at large? A: Does worrying only about election results qualify as being concerned only about oneself?

Q: Does he use his skill at lying to cheat or manipulate other people in his quest for money? A: When both Bush and Cheney have a long history of oil and weapons investments among family and friends, does starting a war in the world's second most oil-rich country qualify as a quest for money?

Q: Does he cruelly mock others? A: Does George W. Bush calling his deputy chief of staff, Karl Rove, "turd blossom" qualify as cruelly mocking him? A2: Does giving people disrespectful nicknames qualify as mocking them?

Q: Is he callous and lacking in empathy? A: Does taking habitual risks with the lives of other people while driving qualify as lacking in empathy? A2: George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest A3: George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting. A4: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest A5: Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.

I agree with the sense of what you said. However, I think it is not useful to use the terms "liberal" and "conservative". They no longer have significant meaning because those who want government corruption have been pretending that they have a legitimate political view, and calling that view "conservative".

Check out the government debt to see who is conserving the quality of government. The Bush administration is borrowing more money than any entity has borrowed in the history of the world.

Is dishonesty and violence "conservative"?

Is breaking the law "conservative"? Bush and Cheney are the most arrested U.S. president and vice-president in history. George W. Bush was arrested once for the crime of DUI and Dick Cheney twice:

George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest

George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest

George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting.

Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest

Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.

I agree with the sense of what you said. However, I think it is not useful to use the terms "liberal" and "conservative". They no longer have significant meaning because those who want government corruption have been pretending that they have a legitimate political view, and calling that view "conservative".

Check out the government debt to see who is conserving the quality of government. The Bush administration is borrowing more money than any entity has borrowed in the history of the world.

Is dishonesty and violence "conservative"?

Is breaking the law "conservative"? Bush and Cheney are the most arrested U.S. president and vice-president in history. George W. Bush was arrested once for the crime of DUI and Dick Cheney twice:

George W. Bush DUI, 1st record of arrest

George W. Bush DUI, 2nd record of arrest

George W. Bush was arrested 2 other times in his life, also, for stunts that were not something a sober person would find interesting.

Dick Cheney DUI, record of 1st arrest

Dick Cheney DUI, record of 2nd arrest

--
If your government chooses killing as policy, expect others to choose the same.