I'm right there with you, and I have no reservations. This is just the next logical step. Play ball, or go home. Everything is cyclical, and when foreign labor is only 50% cheaper than U.S. labor as opposed to 85%, jobs will start coming home..
The same thing is happening to hardware engineers, at an almost-as-astonishing rate. The president of my company says that India and China have more higher-quality engineers, so it is only natural to prefer to do the work overseas.
It doesn't matter how many people voted for it, and for your information, it was not a unanimous passage. Senator Gregg (R - NH) did not vote. It may have been a unanimous vote of the quorum, but to say it passed the senate unanimously is not correct.
You lefties are blaming Bush for everything bad that has happened in the last 3 years, so we have every right to blame Clinton for all of the bad things that happened during his 8 years in office, including the DMCA and the recession. You can't have it both ways.
"Imagine a world where all the seed you have cannot be used again next season because it is someone's IP."
This is already happening. Many agricultural seed products from ADM and others can only be germinated once, and will not reproduce naturally, meaning you have to buy new seed every year.
"I'm a bit surprised not to see that many red blobs above US and the strange one is on the east of Russia"
The reason you don't see more blobs over the US is because we have the most stringent atmospheric pollution laws on the planet. Cars in the US are held to the strictest standards in the world for NOx emissions, as are most newer industrial installations. You see a bunch of crap over the northeast because this is where the industrial revolution started, and there are STILL old plants there that are not covered by the new laws - and it's amazing how far companies will go to keep those plants going to avoid having to comply with the new laws (which are very expensive). In fact, the entire northern half of New Jersey, quite possibly the smelliest, dirtiest place on the planet, is home to some of the oldest industrial plants in the country.
Why are you surprised to see a red blob almost completely covering the populated regions of China? China has no emissions laws, and no environmental policy to speak of (or human rights, or IP rights, or any other rights for that matter), so it shouldn't be surprising to see pollution there.
Go to BJ's, Sams, or Costco, get a membership, and sign up for their small merchant credit card processing. It is cheaper than Paypal and is MUCH more dependable.
If you have a business and you make more than a few charges per day, you have NO EXCUSE for trying to use paypal. Even if you're just an individual and you are very active in online auctions as a seller, you'd be better off with a REAL merchant account rather than paypal's broken crap..
"What's next, campus police stopping people from taking pictures of the library?"
Exactly... see, terrorists often take pictures of buildings that they plan to attack, so if they see you taking pictures of the library, they will just cart you off, deny you due process, lock you up, and throw away the key - well, they'll ship you off to some foreign country where torture is legal, first..
Uhh, wouldn't the scientifically responsible thing to do before publishing this fearmongering tripe have been to go MEASURE the CO2 in the ocean to see if indeed it has absorbed as much as it can?
Here's what is likely causing the increase in CO2:
1) China is consuming oil and burning it as fast as they possibly can. 2) The world economy is picking up, which naturally causes the world to need more energy, which it gets most of from burning fossil fuels 3) Massive wildfires have contributed massive amounts of CO2, albeit temporarily, while at the same time reducing the amount of plant life to absorb it. (this will negate itself when the plants grow back)
All of these have happened in the last two years, especially #1, that could easily explain a quick spike in CO2 levels. Scientists are not supposed to jump to conclusions.
Speaking of reliable measuring points, FTFA:
"Measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere have been continuous for almost 50 years at Mauna Loa Observatory, 12,000ft up a mountain in Hawaii, regarded as far enough away from any carbon dioxide source to be a reliable measuring point. "
Uhhh, isn't a volcano a huge source of CO2? It's there an active volcano somewhere in hawaii? Did they look at any possible shifts in the prevailing winds that might bring in CO2 from another source?
Also FTFA:
"It is possible that this is merely a reflection of natural events like previous peaks in the rate, but it is also possible that it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in the record."
Uhhh, isn't this a completely speculative non-statement? It's also possible that aliens have dropped a CO2 bomb somewhere on the planet in order to suffocate us and take over. It's also possible that monkey are about to fly out of my ass at hypersonic speeds. Of course, part of the scientific process is speculating as to why things happen, but this is just pointed fearmongering.
"Dr Keeling said since there was no sign of a dramatic increase in the amount of fossil fuels being burnt in 2002 and 2003, the rise "could be a weakening of the Earth's carbon sinks, associated with the world warming, as part of a climate change feedback mechanism. It is a cause for concern'."
This is a blatant LIE. The price of oil would not be twice what it was 3 years ago if demand had not increased dramatically. As with any economic upturn, energy consumption NECESSARILY increases. Ergo, more fossile fuels MUST be consumed to generate that energy.
Tom Burke, visiting professor at Imperial College London, and a former special adviser to the former Tory environment minister John Gummer, warned: "We're watching the clock and the clock is beginning to tick faster, like it seems to before a bomb goes off."
More blatant fearmongering. There is no scientific evidence to support any of the things they are trying to scare you with.
The article FINALLY starts to make some sense after the point which most modern ADHD people would have stopped reading:
Measurements of CO2 levels in Australia and at the south pole were slightly lower, he said, so it looked as though something unusual had occurred in the northern hemisphere.
"My guess is that there were extra forest fires in the northern hemisphere, and particularly a very hot summer in Europe," Dr Cox said. "This led to a die-back in vegetation and an increase in release of carbon from the soil, rather than more growing plants taking carbon out of the atmosphere, which is usually the case in summer."
Finally some speculation that is direct, and could make sense with the proper research, stating some SPECIFIC possible causes rather than just "oh this could be very very bad!"
So, after pages of FUD on "global warming," the article finally closes with a spurt instead of a bang:
"Based on those two years alone I would say it was too soon to say that a new trend has been established, but it warrants close scrutiny."
well DUH... talk about people just trying to get published somewhere...
the LPC2100 series ARM7 micros from Philips have not only internal FLASH and RAM, but are also available with external RAM controllers. I have a devboard here that has one of these... it has two UARTS, two CAN interfaces, lots of GPIO, and tons of other goodies...
Fundamental Data
P/E 22.50 Market Cap. 30.68 Bil
Earnings/Share 1.63 Tot. Shares Out. 859.6 Mil fyi Dividend/Share 0.75 Exchange NYSE
Current Div. Yield 2.00 Stock Alerts | Message Board
Ok, so let's do a little third grade math here. Earnings per share are $1.63. Multiply that by the number of shares outstanding, which is 859.6 million.
What does that give you? I get just a shade over 1.4 BILLION dollars. Hmmm... yeah, the company is certainly dying - making that kind of money I can see how it would be difficult to stay in business.
P/E ratio is only 22.5... certainly better than Amazon's 62.7 or google's ASTRONOMICAL P/E of 334.3.
Also, institutional ownership is 74.7%, which means that large investment firms trust HON for long-term, rock-solid financial performance, which is exactly what they get. HON is in business to create shareholder value consistently and predictably, no matter what condition the financial markets are in.
We even made money during Clinton's recession, except for Q4/04 when we made a voluntary (read: not required) payment to the pension plan of almost a billion in cash - just for the hell of it.
So, HON is committed not only to creating shareholder value, but also to maintaining respect and gratitude for its retirees and employees. I hardly call that a dying company.
This is a terrific argument. Without having read the patent or the details of the case, the Class 1 Slashdot Troll will respond to any news of a Patent lawsuit with the charge that it is just another bullshit submarine patent - even if the suit is perfectly legitimate and meritorious.
Class 2 - "Fucking SCO^H^H^H $COMPANY"
The classic socialist anti-corporation neanderthal response. These trolls would rather go back to living in caves and subsisting on bugs and rainwater that admit that the basic premise of collaborative technological advancement has done good for society as a whole, or that monetary motivators have contributed equally well.
Class 3 - "This technology sucks anyway"
The technological expert. This troll thinks he or she knows something about the technology, and therefore that they can espouse a legitimate argument that the technology sucks anyway. Even though the technology is ubiquitous, which therefore implies that it does not indeed suck. The technological expert is a walking paradox that can only make him/herself look like an ass.
Class 4 - "IANAL"
Here are some random links about law I found using google. Also lumped with the Armchair Lawyer is the "My $FAMILY_MEMBER is a lawyer, and therefore I know something about law" crowd. The clever "IANAL" disclaimer, they feel, gives them carte blanche to spew whatever uninformed legal theories they feel like uttering at the time, and for that they think they deserve +1: Insightful or some other cookie of a reward.
I had never once seen an array of lenses in a flashlight until LED flashlights came out - especially not INSIDE the flashlight. Usually, I find batteries, switches, and various conducting elements inside the flashlight.
I work for Honeywell, too... so unfortunately I must refrain from commenting on the specifics of the case... seeing as how I am not authorized to speak in an official capacity... especially on slashdot...
In fact, these are also not the first two women to have been found immune (more or less) to the HIV Virus. The CCR5 Chemokine co-Receptor Defect has been well documented in the past as preventing HIV from attaching to cells well enough to infect. In fact, this was documented in 1996 or so.
Unfortunately, you can be sued against future earnings, so this theory is shot. If you are a student, then you have higher income potential, and they will sue you for money you haven't made yet.
hahah... this post actually made me laugh out loud.. we are not increasing global terrorism. The terrorists are increasing global terrorism. We are merely responding to it in an appropriate way.
By the way, who brought up any arguments about States' Rights and smaller government? And would you mind pointing out where I stated what party I am affiliated with?
The status quo is fine with me, because we are doing the right thing. 61% of people surveyed think Bush will do the better job with terrorists, so I am afraid you are not in the majority on this issue. Only 42% of poll respondents said that going into Iraq was a mistake.
Bush is also waaaaay ahead an another important poll... one that is hardly ever covered because of what it is saying.. Background...
I feel safer when I fly because the cockpit doors are closed instead of open, and I know nobody can get through those doors no matter what. I feel safer when I am out and about because of my constitutional right to carry a firearm, and to beat the living snot out of someone if they attempt to do me harm. I feel safer because there is a visibly higher police presence around where I live and work. I feel more secure because we, as a nation, are personally much more vigilant in looking out for ourselves and others. 9/11 taught us one thing, if nothing else, and that is to be more aware of our surroundings. You can bet that they will NEVER be able to use planes again because the passengers will no longer cooperate with terrorists. You can bet that if the average joe sees someone meddling around near a water treatment plant or a nuclear reactor, that Joe is going to call the cops instead of walking idly by.
We lost almost 3000 of our citizens on that day, and that is something that nobody in our generation is going to ever forget. I think we all have the attitude, except for a few radical extremists, that we'll be damned if we're going to lose 3000 more to these barbarians.
All the democrats have done is offer up a pessimistic attitude about our future - saying we're NOT safer and NOT more secure, and that we're NOT less vulnerable to further attacks, and that we CANNOT take care of ourselves. These are all simply lies designed at scaring us into voting for him. Kerry has no faith in the spirit of our own humanity, nor that we as a society can adapt and change to deal with events such as 9/11. His idea of dealing with terrorists is to give the UN more control over our country, and to appease the terrorists by trying to change our society to be more submissive to them. The way to avoid terrorism is to not offend the terrorists, I am sure he would say. Fuck that. I am an American, and the terrorists are barbarians. It is not my responsibility to appease them.
Americans have risen to the occasion every time it has been required of them, which is why we are still here. We won our independence at an incredible human cost. We defeated the enemies of freedom in two world wars, again at an incredible human cost. Now we're involved in a different kind of conflict, where the goal is not territory, land, or wealth. The goal is to destory our spirit, our way of life, our society, and all of the principles on which our nation was founded. The goal is to drive us into a life of fear and intimidation, which is exactly what the Democrats are trying to do with Kerry's pessimistic "We can't do it" attitude. Again, fuck that. I don't need some naysayer telling me I can't do something.
I don't think the CBS issue is quite the double standard. We were given intelligence from several trusted sources that said Saddam had WMDs. We all know he had WMDs becuase he had used them repeatedly against Kurds in the north of Iraq. I think, and this is just my opinion based on what I believe is most realistically the case, that we just spent way too much time cooperating with the UN and that gave Saddam plenty of time to move the bulk of his stuff out of the country, probably to Syria. We will never know what was in the convoys of trucks that our sattelites photographed crossing into Syria in the weeks before hostilities began, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon or a degree from Harvard to figure it out. Unfortunately that is purely circumstantial evidence.
CBS, on the other hand, has been shown to have colluded with the Kerry campaign to manufacture the documents prior to their airing. Joe Lockhart even admitted on national television that he had contacted the Kerry camp about the memos two weeks before they were first aired on Rather's program. Even the man who admittedly forged the documents has said that he warned CBS that their authenticity could probably not be verified. CBS went with it anyway. Nobody was casting serious doubts on our Intel before we went into Iraq, except for France and Germany, whose financial ties to Iraq alone are enough to discredit their concerns.
Like I said, there are things about the Bush admin that I do not like, like Patriot II, CAPPS, etc... but at the same time I am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face. The things that I am talking about Bush saying over and over again are things like "It was right to go into Iraq" (which I agree with... I think we should have taken him out the first time, but our agreements with the other arab nations before GW1 prevented that), his constant views on tax relief, and so on. He has also admitted mistakes. He admitted that we underestimated the insurgency. He has admitted that we probably do not have enough troops there. He has admitted that it could have been planned better - knowing full well that the media would try to crucify him for it. Gotta admire that..
I am anxiously awaiting the Wednesday debates. I would definitely like to hear what the candidates have to say. I am hoping for straightforward and direct answers to the questions, but expecting a lot of tapdancing. We'll see how it goes.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's see here... one..... two............ FIVE!!
I'm right there with you, and I have no reservations. This is just the next logical step. Play ball, or go home. Everything is cyclical, and when foreign labor is only 50% cheaper than U.S. labor as opposed to 85%, jobs will start coming home..
The same thing is happening to hardware engineers, at an almost-as-astonishing rate. The president of my company says that India and China have more higher-quality engineers, so it is only natural to prefer to do the work overseas.
It doesn't matter how many people voted for it, and for your information, it was not a unanimous passage. Senator Gregg (R - NH) did not vote. It may have been a unanimous vote of the quorum, but to say it passed the senate unanimously is not correct.
You lefties are blaming Bush for everything bad that has happened in the last 3 years, so we have every right to blame Clinton for all of the bad things that happened during his 8 years in office, including the DMCA and the recession. You can't have it both ways.
"Imagine a world where all the seed you have cannot be used again next season because it is someone's IP."
This is already happening. Many agricultural seed products from ADM and others can only be germinated once, and will not reproduce naturally, meaning you have to buy new seed every year.
"I know the slashdot crowd is not very political"
Whatever you're smoking, I want some. Reality is hard to deal with sometimes... hah!
Let's not forget which President executed this law..
"I'm a bit surprised not to see that many red blobs above US and the strange one is on the east of Russia"
The reason you don't see more blobs over the US is because we have the most stringent atmospheric pollution laws on the planet. Cars in the US are held to the strictest standards in the world for NOx emissions, as are most newer industrial installations. You see a bunch of crap over the northeast because this is where the industrial revolution started, and there are STILL old plants there that are not covered by the new laws - and it's amazing how far companies will go to keep those plants going to avoid having to comply with the new laws (which are very expensive). In fact, the entire northern half of New Jersey, quite possibly the smelliest, dirtiest place on the planet, is home to some of the oldest industrial plants in the country.
Why are you surprised to see a red blob almost completely covering the populated regions of China? China has no emissions laws, and no environmental policy to speak of (or human rights, or IP rights, or any other rights for that matter), so it shouldn't be surprising to see pollution there.
Go to BJ's, Sams, or Costco, get a membership, and sign up for their small merchant credit card processing. It is cheaper than Paypal and is MUCH more dependable.
If you have a business and you make more than a few charges per day, you have NO EXCUSE for trying to use paypal. Even if you're just an individual and you are very active in online auctions as a seller, you'd be better off with a REAL merchant account rather than paypal's broken crap..
"What's next, campus police stopping people from taking pictures of the library?"
Exactly... see, terrorists often take pictures of buildings that they plan to attack, so if they see you taking pictures of the library, they will just cart you off, deny you due process, lock you up, and throw away the key - well, they'll ship you off to some foreign country where torture is legal, first..
Uhh, wouldn't the scientifically responsible thing to do before publishing this fearmongering tripe have been to go MEASURE the CO2 in the ocean to see if indeed it has absorbed as much as it can?
Here's what is likely causing the increase in CO2:
1) China is consuming oil and burning it as fast as they possibly can.
2) The world economy is picking up, which naturally causes the world to need more energy, which it gets most of from burning fossil fuels
3) Massive wildfires have contributed massive amounts of CO2, albeit temporarily, while at the same time reducing the amount of plant life to absorb it. (this will negate itself when the plants grow back)
All of these have happened in the last two years, especially #1, that could easily explain a quick spike in CO2 levels. Scientists are not supposed to jump to conclusions.
Speaking of reliable measuring points, FTFA:
"Measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere have been continuous for almost 50 years at Mauna Loa Observatory, 12,000ft up a mountain in Hawaii, regarded as far enough away from any carbon dioxide source to be a reliable measuring point. "
Uhhh, isn't a volcano a huge source of CO2? It's there an active volcano somewhere in hawaii? Did they look at any possible shifts in the prevailing winds that might bring in CO2 from another source?
Also FTFA:
"It is possible that this is merely a reflection of natural events like previous peaks in the rate, but it is also possible that it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in the record."
Uhhh, isn't this a completely speculative non-statement? It's also possible that aliens have dropped a CO2 bomb somewhere on the planet in order to suffocate us and take over. It's also possible that monkey are about to fly out of my ass at hypersonic speeds. Of course, part of the scientific process is speculating as to why things happen, but this is just pointed fearmongering.
"Dr Keeling said since there was no sign of a dramatic increase in the amount of fossil fuels being burnt in 2002 and 2003, the rise "could be a weakening of the Earth's carbon sinks, associated with the world warming, as part of a climate change feedback mechanism. It is a cause for concern'."
This is a blatant LIE. The price of oil would not be twice what it was 3 years ago if demand had not increased dramatically. As with any economic upturn, energy consumption NECESSARILY increases. Ergo, more fossile fuels MUST be consumed to generate that energy.
Tom Burke, visiting professor at Imperial College London, and a former special adviser to the former Tory environment minister John Gummer, warned: "We're watching the clock and the clock is beginning to tick faster, like it seems to before a bomb goes off."
More blatant fearmongering. There is no scientific evidence to support any of the things they are trying to scare you with.
The article FINALLY starts to make some sense after the point which most modern ADHD people would have stopped reading:
Measurements of CO2 levels in Australia and at the south pole were slightly lower, he said, so it looked as though something unusual had occurred in the northern hemisphere.
"My guess is that there were extra forest fires in the northern hemisphere, and particularly a very hot summer in Europe," Dr Cox said. "This led to a die-back in vegetation and an increase in release of carbon from the soil, rather than more growing plants taking carbon out of the atmosphere, which is usually the case in summer."
Finally some speculation that is direct, and could make sense with the proper research, stating some SPECIFIC possible causes rather than just "oh this could be very very bad!"
So, after pages of FUD on "global warming," the article finally closes with a spurt instead of a bang:
"Based on those two years alone I would say it was too soon to say that a new trend has been established, but it warrants close scrutiny."
well DUH... talk about people just trying to get published somewhere...
Jeez...
I'll just uninstall Internet Explorer...
oh wait... fuck...
the LPC2100 series ARM7 micros from Philips have not only internal FLASH and RAM, but are also available with external RAM controllers. I have a devboard here that has one of these... it has two UARTS, two CAN interfaces, lots of GPIO, and tons of other goodies...
"Think Secret is reporting that the new iPod will also have a 2-inch high-resolution LCD display"
Not if they don't license it....
*laugh*
:)
I love it! I supposed I walked right into that one, but it's hilarious nonetheless.
Nice job
Actually, allow me:
Fundamental Data
P/E 22.50 Market Cap. 30.68 Bil
Earnings/Share 1.63 Tot. Shares Out. 859.6 Mil
fyi Dividend/Share 0.75 Exchange NYSE
Current Div. Yield 2.00 Stock Alerts | Message Board
Ok, so let's do a little third grade math here. Earnings per share are $1.63. Multiply that by the number of shares outstanding, which is 859.6 million.
What does that give you? I get just a shade over 1.4 BILLION dollars. Hmmm... yeah, the company is certainly dying - making that kind of money I can see how it would be difficult to stay in business.
P/E ratio is only 22.5... certainly better than Amazon's 62.7 or google's ASTRONOMICAL P/E of 334.3.
Also, institutional ownership is 74.7%, which means that large investment firms trust HON for long-term, rock-solid financial performance, which is exactly what they get. HON is in business to create shareholder value consistently and predictably, no matter what condition the financial markets are in.
We even made money during Clinton's recession, except for Q4/04 when we made a voluntary (read: not required) payment to the pension plan of almost a billion in cash - just for the hell of it.
So, HON is committed not only to creating shareholder value, but also to maintaining respect and gratitude for its retirees and employees. I hardly call that a dying company.
Would you care to cite some data to support your claim that HON is a dying company?
I didn't think so...
Class 1 - "Another Bullshit Patent"
This is a terrific argument. Without having read the patent or the details of the case, the Class 1 Slashdot Troll will respond to any news of a Patent lawsuit with the charge that it is just another bullshit submarine patent - even if the suit is perfectly legitimate and meritorious.
Class 2 - "Fucking SCO^H^H^H $COMPANY"
The classic socialist anti-corporation neanderthal response. These trolls would rather go back to living in caves and subsisting on bugs and rainwater that admit that the basic premise of collaborative technological advancement has done good for society as a whole, or that monetary motivators have contributed equally well.
Class 3 - "This technology sucks anyway"
The technological expert. This troll thinks he or she knows something about the technology, and therefore that they can espouse a legitimate argument that the technology sucks anyway. Even though the technology is ubiquitous, which therefore implies that it does not indeed suck. The technological expert is a walking paradox that can only make him/herself look like an ass.
Class 4 - "IANAL"
Here are some random links about law I found using google. Also lumped with the Armchair Lawyer is the "My $FAMILY_MEMBER is a lawyer, and therefore I know something about law" crowd. The clever "IANAL" disclaimer, they feel, gives them carte blanche to spew whatever uninformed legal theories they feel like uttering at the time, and for that they think they deserve +1: Insightful or some other cookie of a reward.
Did I miss any?
I had never once seen an array of lenses in a flashlight until LED flashlights came out - especially not INSIDE the flashlight. Usually, I find batteries, switches, and various conducting elements inside the flashlight.
I work for Honeywell, too... so unfortunately I must refrain from commenting on the specifics of the case... seeing as how I am not authorized to speak in an official capacity... especially on slashdot...
grrrr...
In fact, these are also not the first two women to have been found immune (more or less) to the HIV Virus. The CCR5 Chemokine co-Receptor Defect has been well documented in the past as preventing HIV from attaching to cells well enough to infect. In fact, this was documented in 1996 or so.
Sun's bank account balance as of 10/3/04: $32.53
Sun is a turnip from whence no blood will be forthcoming.
Unfortunately, you can be sued against future earnings, so this theory is shot. If you are a student, then you have higher income potential, and they will sue you for money you haven't made yet.
hahah... this post actually made me laugh out loud.. we are not increasing global terrorism. The terrorists are increasing global terrorism. We are merely responding to it in an appropriate way.
By the way, who brought up any arguments about States' Rights and smaller government? And would you mind pointing out where I stated what party I am affiliated with?
The status quo is fine with me, because we are doing the right thing. 61% of people surveyed think Bush will do the better job with terrorists, so I am afraid you are not in the majority on this issue. Only 42% of poll respondents said that going into Iraq was a mistake.
Bush is also waaaaay ahead an another important poll... one that is hardly ever covered because of what it is saying.. Background...
I feel safer when I fly because the cockpit doors are closed instead of open, and I know nobody can get through those doors no matter what. I feel safer when I am out and about because of my constitutional right to carry a firearm, and to beat the living snot out of someone if they attempt to do me harm. I feel safer because there is a visibly higher police presence around where I live and work. I feel more secure because we, as a nation, are personally much more vigilant in looking out for ourselves and others. 9/11 taught us one thing, if nothing else, and that is to be more aware of our surroundings. You can bet that they will NEVER be able to use planes again because the passengers will no longer cooperate with terrorists. You can bet that if the average joe sees someone meddling around near a water treatment plant or a nuclear reactor, that Joe is going to call the cops instead of walking idly by.
We lost almost 3000 of our citizens on that day, and that is something that nobody in our generation is going to ever forget. I think we all have the attitude, except for a few radical extremists, that we'll be damned if we're going to lose 3000 more to these barbarians.
All the democrats have done is offer up a pessimistic attitude about our future - saying we're NOT safer and NOT more secure, and that we're NOT less vulnerable to further attacks, and that we CANNOT take care of ourselves. These are all simply lies designed at scaring us into voting for him. Kerry has no faith in the spirit of our own humanity, nor that we as a society can adapt and change to deal with events such as 9/11. His idea of dealing with terrorists is to give the UN more control over our country, and to appease the terrorists by trying to change our society to be more submissive to them. The way to avoid terrorism is to not offend the terrorists, I am sure he would say. Fuck that. I am an American, and the terrorists are barbarians. It is not my responsibility to appease them.
Americans have risen to the occasion every time it has been required of them, which is why we are still here. We won our independence at an incredible human cost. We defeated the enemies of freedom in two world wars, again at an incredible human cost. Now we're involved in a different kind of conflict, where the goal is not territory, land, or wealth. The goal is to destory our spirit, our way of life, our society, and all of the principles on which our nation was founded. The goal is to drive us into a life of fear and intimidation, which is exactly what the Democrats are trying to do with Kerry's pessimistic "We can't do it" attitude. Again, fuck that. I don't need some naysayer telling me I can't do something.
I don't think the CBS issue is quite the double standard. We were given intelligence from several trusted sources that said Saddam had WMDs. We all know he had WMDs becuase he had used them repeatedly against Kurds in the north of Iraq. I think, and this is just my opinion based on what I believe is most realistically the case, that we just spent way too much time cooperating with the UN and that gave Saddam plenty of time to move the bulk of his stuff out of the country, probably to Syria. We will never know what was in the convoys of trucks that our sattelites photographed crossing into Syria in the weeks before hostilities began, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon or a degree from Harvard to figure it out. Unfortunately that is purely circumstantial evidence.
CBS, on the other hand, has been shown to have colluded with the Kerry campaign to manufacture the documents prior to their airing. Joe Lockhart even admitted on national television that he had contacted the Kerry camp about the memos two weeks before they were first aired on Rather's program. Even the man who admittedly forged the documents has said that he warned CBS that their authenticity could probably not be verified. CBS went with it anyway. Nobody was casting serious doubts on our Intel before we went into Iraq, except for France and Germany, whose financial ties to Iraq alone are enough to discredit their concerns.
Like I said, there are things about the Bush admin that I do not like, like Patriot II, CAPPS, etc... but at the same time I am not going to cut off my nose to spite my face. The things that I am talking about Bush saying over and over again are things like "It was right to go into Iraq" (which I agree with... I think we should have taken him out the first time, but our agreements with the other arab nations before GW1 prevented that), his constant views on tax relief, and so on. He has also admitted mistakes. He admitted that we underestimated the insurgency. He has admitted that we probably do not have enough troops there. He has admitted that it could have been planned better - knowing full well that the media would try to crucify him for it. Gotta admire that..
I am anxiously awaiting the Wednesday debates. I would definitely like to hear what the candidates have to say. I am hoping for straightforward and direct answers to the questions, but expecting a lot of tapdancing. We'll see how it goes.