Of course they are afraid of the direction we are headed in. They have seen where it ends.
Most people in this country have the fairy tale belief that everything will come out alright no matter what. It doesn't always work that way, and in blood-soaked Europe few have such delusions.
Nice job.
In one simple, fell swoop, you cut right to the bone on why I feel so much anger towards the Rightist and Dominionists for what they are doing... It's MY country too, and to steal Broders asinine statement, they have trashed it, and it's not their country to trash.
When I look at these people, I think maybe it won't be such a bad thing if America goes the way of other imperialist powers like Britain and Spain.... or Rome.
I really did get a sense that this nice german guy was saying between the lines...
trust us, we have been there and it is worse than hell. please learn from our mistakes.
We don't learn from ANYBODY ELSE'S MISTAKES.
We never have. We never will.
We are SPECIAL and DIFFERENT.
And our shit doesn't stink, either.
By the time our great grandchildren are scratching out their miserable existences in the ruins we will make of of our cities when our Grand Triumphant March of Folly finally collapses altogether, we may have "decided" to change our minds about that one.
But by that time .....
stormcrow, someone forgot to take their happy pills today 
but yes, I sometimes fear the same.
it will be such a tragedy, cause we really have great potential and promise.
tlg:
"Tragic Farce" seems more appropriate to me. Or maybe "Absurdist Tragic Farce".
It's going to take some unholy combination of Gibbon and Ionescu to really do justice to it.
In September I wrote a Diary on Kos on virtually the same topic.
Link.
"...just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable."
Hunter S. Thompson
.
TLG - looks like a nice hotel.
Somewhat fitting that your story came from Nuremburg.
Historically, one can be sure of the German's appreciation of the American and Allied liberation. I've seen it personally.
When I studied in central Germany 11.5 years ago I paid a visit to the farmhouse which my friend's grandmother still lived in. She lost her husband in WW2 as he was conscripted to serve in the Wehrmacht. I was helping set the table for a meal and opened the china cabinet. In pencil - scribbled on the inside of the cabinet door - was the date in 1945 and description when the American Army liberated the area.
I agree with Raulf's musings though. The hagiography of American-styled democracy has been so incessantly seared into the patriotic soul of the US, that it is nearly impossible for many to see the faults and problems it brings. There are other democracies that provide much better representation than "the best democracy money can buy".
And what I'd do for presidents of each branch to be forced to participate in Question Time in the various houses (now that'd require some responsible and adult leadership...no box turtles). That and a responsible fourth estate. (I guess those were too big this year to fit in Santa's sleigh.)
The light on the hill that America is known for has unfortunately been placed under a bushel basket case and a steaming pile of rightwing bullshit. The world awaits to see if you can dig it out and light the way again.
Memo to fellow USAmericans from a white Southern man: This is what happens to a country when you let white Southern men run it. If my people had sense enough to pour piss out of their boots, we might have won that war [you know, THE war].
Growing up in the latter half of the Cold War, I never imagined I would see a day in which Russia was more or less democratic, or at least capitalist, while MY COUNTRY was running a MOTHERFUCKIN' GULAG ARCHIPELAGO just like Russia back in the day, and trying to ram the alleged benefits of Our Way Of Life down Afghan throats, just like Russia back in the day. We're going the Russians one better, or rather worse, by trying to subjugate the Iraqis at the same time.
Perhaps it is more than coincidence that many of the first-generation neocons were disgruntled ex-Communists of the Trotskyite sect?
To quote one of my favorite movies from the Bush Senior years, "Did you ever get the feeling that everything in America is COMPLETELY FUCKED UP?"
[first line of PUMP UP THE VOLUME] 
At its' simplest, american fuckuppedness comes from institutionalizing greed as a philosophy. No longer does the Common Good mean anything to fractured America.
I still believe in the american people, but then I'm an optimist.
They respected us, even though they may have hated us.
Now they fear us, even though they may have hated us.
What comes next?
Hey, folks in the British West Indies are also looking, fearfully, as to what will happen here in 2008. And, when the people of the BWI, one of the most scenic and gorgeous places on earth, are worried, you start to pay attention, because, really, WTF do these folks have to worry about?
Just returned from there last week, and whilst my hosts initially stayed away from either political or religious conversations, we all finally broke into them after my admission as an atheist and a Bush-hater.
Sad, especially since the limeys are such our staunch allies in this GWOT. But, I took my shoes off at the airport, so we're all safe now, eh?
At least my passport is up to date and I'm debt free. Think I'll start practicing some Spanish and French though.
I speak Spanish and French, read Italian and Portuguese, and of course, I know the Eengleesh.
So I read the international press every day. It's very plain that the US still has some respect around the world but perhaps only because of that Big Stick.
I have been outside the US for 28 years although I am still a citizen.
Already my question about the US in 1979 was WTF, and Reagan hadn't even run for president yet.
My question since late 2000 has been, "Just what is keeping the whole thing afloat?" The ideas and the economy are so hollowed out from rot that what must be happening is what we say here-- "The termites holding hands are what is left and if they ever let go..."
I'm just as angry as anyone on this thread. I've only got one question for ya all....
What the Fuck are you doing about this right this instant.
Did ya send some $$$$ to ActBlue!?
Have ya done anything to help Edwards, or you favorite candidate, win?
The ReichWingers and their stooges in the corporatist press are not going away; not unless we Fight Back!
Channel some of that rage into effective political action. And don't give me that bullshit about 'spineless' Dems, 'hopeless situation...' yadda and Fukin' Yadda! It took the Reich 40 years to get to this point!
Can we who are responsible for the freedom or lack of it for future generations do less?
I'm not prepared to accept that.
Are you?
I really think not.
My slogan for 2006 was 'Drive the Republicans into the Sea.'
This year it's 'Off with their heads!'
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A. Citizen! I am with you. Doing all that you said and more when I can. (not the edwards part I am afraid) in fact, a favor of you all... if you know any americans living overseas- tell them about the Democrats Abroad Global primary. you can read about it here.
I dont really think people in the states realize how afraid we all are about the direction your country is headed.
From New Zealand, what Rauf said. We don't have Rauf's history to underpin his conviction, but we're seeing the same mania.
Because, in the end, if you guys decide to destroy the world, who can stop you? Any half measures - any conventional warfare, military or economic - and a united front can face you down, but if some total fucknut psycho gets hold of The Football, it's game over.
And admit it: there are fucknut psychos in the race.
I am afraid, dear friends, that America is more or less BASED on thievery and murder. America has ALWAYS just taken what it wanted around the world, at whatever cost. I am an American (for now)veteran of 6 years service time. I am over 60 years old now, and planning my next grand adventure - a move of many thousands of miles. I QUIT. God bless ya A Citizen, you and your allies may well pull this country's head out of it's ass, but I aint stayin around to watch. I only hope I get out before the collapse. You will know when it is happing because Bush and his crew will be cozy in Paraguay next door to the Moonies camp.
To a large extent, the USA has always been a myth when it comes to democracy and personal freedom. As a queer, I'm not holding my breath on the feds ever recognizing my NJ Civil Union.
Right now, my partner and I would hold far more civil rights just to the north of the US, or in Spain, etc.
As I repeatedly point out to my non-queer family members, we stay in the USA and fight for change because we are patriots. But if things get a tad more ugly, we may very well relocate. Forty years of being demonized (I'm 44) is a bit much....(And check out the GOP presidential ads on marriage. Yup, the fear of the queer is on full display). Bleh!
stormcrow americans are no different than any other group of people...humans never learn from past mistakes...we are nto all tha special.
humans.
we may surprise us yet.
great post and analysis, tlg
NEWS RELEASE
NEW READING OF MYSTERIOUS OAK ISLAND INSCRIPTION
Theory points to possible connection with nearby Birch Island
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia: Monday March 3rd, 2008 - - For the past two centuries, the tunnels of Nova Scotia
’s Oak Island have piqued the imagination of historians and treasure hunters alike. Now, a new theory by First Nations researcher Keith Ranville may add fresh speculation to the mystery. Based on a unique reading of an inscription once found in the “Money Pit,” Mr. Ranville believes that the answer to the riddle may be found on nearby Birch Island.
Oak Island, located on the scenic Mahone Bay about an hour
’s drive south of the provincial capital of Halifax, has been associated with buried treasure since the late 18th century. Local settlers reportedly found a ship’s tackle block hanging from a tree branch, overhanging a large depression in the ground. Early efforts to dig down failed when the diggers encountered layers of timber every 10 feet. In the ensuing generations, several organized excavation attempts have drilled down nearly 200 feet, en route encountering some artifacts within the staggered layers of logs, clay, putty, charcoal, flagstones and most perplexingly, coconut husks. Among the scores of enthusiastic treasure hunters was a young Franklin Roosevelt, one of the investors in a 1909 excavation attempt. During the earlier diggings of 1800’s, the tunnel had become flooded by seawater – which many believed was the result booby trap being sprung – thus complicating further digging since then. A drilling effort in the mid 1800’s was said to have uncovered fragments of a gold chain. In 1971, a camera was lowered into the pit and reportedly captured images of wooden chests and human remains.
One of the most fascinating artifacts from the pit was said to be a flat stone recovered at the 90 foot depth, carrying a mysterious inscription. A fragment of stone with similar symbols was found nearby in Smith
’s Cove in the 1930’s. The stone tablet itself has gone missing, but a record of its symbols remains. Until now, the consensus is that the symbols are a code translated as “forty feet below two million pounds are buried.” However, Keith Ranville’s theory offers a different interpretation as to the stone’s symbols, which could lead to a new explanation of the Oak Island mystery.
“I believe these symbols have been incorrectly assumed to stand for something else. In the First Nations tradition that I’m a part of, we believe symbols should simply be looked at in and of themselves, rather than thinking of them as codes that have to be cracked,” Mr. Ranville explained. “In the pictograms of Cree Salavics, for example, the images are meant to be descriptive, not abstract.” Using this approach, Mr. Ranville examined the Oak Island symbols and found what may be a set of instructions about a tunnel system involving both Oak Island and nearby Birch Island.
For example, the stone inscription begins with a triangle symbol, which is repeated throughout. Mr. Ranville believes that this represents nearby Birch Island, which has a distinctly triangular clearing on its north shore. Likewise, a symbol showing a circle divided into two hemispheres can be thought of as representing north/south directional markers. A series of dots in singles, pairs and triplets may be quantitative symbols. Examining all the symbols in this way, Mr. Ranville believes that the symbols on the Money Pit
’s stone tablet are actually technical instructions describing the location and layout of a possible underground network involving both Oak Island and Birch Island. “There was a fragment of another stone tablet that was found on Oak Island’s Smith Cove in the 1930’s,” Mr. Ranville explained. “It too has these types of symbols, but one in particular appears to be a Greek symbol designating ‘underwater door’. In conjunction with the other symbols, I believe this points to underwater doors and additional shafts on Birch Island itself.” Smith’s Cove is on the part of Oak Island that is closest to Birch Island, and is said to have yielded several artifacts itself over the years. “Based on the inscribed symbols, I think we should be looking at Oak Island and Birch Island together in order to solve the mystery. If Birch Island proves to have underwater doors and tunnels around its triangular clearing, then it would be a huge step forward in our understanding of what Oak Island is all about.”
There have been many, occasionally bizarre, theories as to what the Oak Island tunnels may contain: a Masonic vault containing the Holy Grail, Viking or Pirate booty, Inca treasure, the French Royal Crown Jewels, payroll for colonial British soldiers or even the secret writings of Francis Bacon. Mr. Ranville prefers not to speculate. “Those are interesting and sometimes funny theories, but I’d rather just look at the evidence that we do have, and go from there.”
Mr. Ranville is a self-taught researcher born in Manitoba. While living in Vancouver, he became acquainted with the Oak Island mystery and began studying it. In October 2005, he relocated to Nova Scotia to further research and advance his theories on the subject.
Both Oak Island and Birch Island are private property, and access must be sought by permission of the landowners.
http://oakislandtreasurenewsarch...ian-
native.html
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