A Failed Congress

You and your fellow members of Congress are an embarrassment to the citizens of the United States and a joke to the world. You were elected to do job part of which is to work with the Executive Branch to create a budget for the Federal Government and you have failed to do for several years. You all should be fired. Blackmail is illegal, extortion is illegal but you and your fellow members of Congress appear to think it is the way to do you job. "Shit or get off the pot" or "lead, follow or get out of the way."

 

The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Due to your refusing to get involved and do your job, the Democrats went without you. What is known as Obamacare was a Republican idea, Richard Nixon, supported by a Republican President, George43, implemented in Massachusetts by a Republican governor. The only reason Republicans are against it is President Obama is for it. If Obama was against it you would be for it and the Democrats would be against it. You are like children. Obama is President, the citizens have spoken, get over it.

 

You and your fellow members of Congress have approved the spending you are now attempting to blame Obama for but it will not work. You are killing the economy, destroying the savings of your constituents, and ruining our country's reputation around the world.

 

If I had the authority I would demand your resignation to be on my desk first thing tomorrow. The only other thing I can think of is to vote Democratic in the next elections. Maybe if the House and the Senate are controlled by the same party this kind of behavior will stop.

Ideological Amplification

When researchers studied various political blogs looking at patterns of linking they discovered a sharp and unmistakable division between the conservative and liberal camps.  91% of the links originating within either the conservative or liberal community stay within that community. The two groups have different lists of favorite news sources, people and topics to discuss with only occasional overlaps.

 

The blogs researchers found that the vast majority of readers tend to stay within the bounds of either the liberal or the conservative sphere. Liberals listen almost exclusively to other liberals, and conservatives tend almost exclusively to other conservatives.

 

In 2005 a group of researchers assembled sixty-three Coloradans to discuss three controversial issues: same sex marriage, affirmative action, and global warming. About half the participants were conservatives from Colorado Springs and the other half liberals living in Boulder.  After the participants completed, in private, questionnaires about their personal views on the three topics they were split into ten groups---five conservative and five liberal. Each group spent time discussing the issues with the goal of reaching a consensus on each one. After the discussion, the participant again filled out questionnaires.

 

The results showed the deliberations among like-minded people produced what researchers call "ideological amplification." People's views became more extreme and more entrenched.

Putin's Op-Ed

You may not trust him, you may not believe him but what specifically does Putin say in his op-ed that as one of our members of congress says "makes you want to vomit?"

 

Exceptional: not typical; unusual, uncommon, abnormal, atypical, extraordinary, rare, unprecedented, unexpected, surprising.

Exceptionalism: the condition of being different from the norm; a theory expounding the exceptionalism especially of a nation or region; the perception that a country, society, institution, movement, or time period is unusual or extraordinary in some way and thus does not need to conform to normal rules or general principles. ...

What people does not believe in their own exceptionalism?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0 

My guess is you trust Putin as much as the Russian people trust Obama.

Responses from various members of our government are great examples of ideological amplification.

Hurrah!! for Great Britain

Aren't we glad England showed the United States how countries work together? First you get the citizens on your side, second you get the Congress next your friends then your enemies. If Obama and Putin had not talked the United States would be in another unending war with a nothing-country in the Middle East. If the Bushes would have followed that roadmap thousands of American Citizens as well as hundreds of thousands or Iraqis and Afghans would be alive and well today.

Email sent to Roe, Corker, Alexander

As anyone knows who watches the various cable networks broadcasting trials knowing something is different than proving it.  The president may "know" the Syrian government used chemical weapons but can he "prove" it? Do you remember how George Bush 43 "knew" Iraq had WMDs but after causing the deaths of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis it was "proven" that what Bush "knew" was false.  

Syria did not sign the treaty banning chemical weapons which permits them to use them as they like. Otherwise banning something would take the opinion of just one country. The fear of chemical weapons is if they were to be used on the battle field. Do we want another country attacking us because they disagree with our use of the death penalty?

Remember the Tet Offensive in 1968? The enemy had capabilities far beyond our greatest dreams. While Congress looked at the budget the enemy became stronger.

The "rebels" or "Free Syrian Army" have a brigade calling itself "Osama bin Laden", which belongs to the "Hawks of Damascus" Battalion.

Our government has been claiming the FSA is comprised of somewhat "secular" people and that jihadists have only joined the fight but they are not part of the FSA. Well, you cannot get more al-Qaeda'ish than calling a brigade "Osama bin Laden".

VOTE NO!!!!! ON ANY INVOLVEMENT IN SYRIA. THAT IS VOTE NO!!!!!!!

Letter Sent to Alexander, Corker and Roe

Vote "NO!!!" on any action in or to Syria. The guarantee of no boots on the ground in combat capacity means nothing. You will put military in Syria as advisors or as some other euphemism, they will be killed, and we will invade. Another war.

 

Concerning the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction: Iran signed it, Israel and Syria did not. Can we hold a country to a treaty they did not sign? If we do we are taking away the individual sovereignty of all other countries. We are saying if we want it this way you have no choice.

 

On the subject of WMD's the treaty prohibits the stockpiling of such weapons which includes our nuclear arsenal. Since we are violators who are we to judge?

 

With the exception of a couple of Middle East countries we are the primary user of WMDs against civilians. The original concern was voiced in response to our carpet bombing of civilians in Germany. Are we really on the high road?

 

The United States does not become involved in the internal squabbles of every country. Vote NO!!!!! on any action in or to Syria.