Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
I've been wondering lately if the American people would rise up and fight for ANYTHING? My personal opinion is that the American people would give up every single right they have (including their property) and become virtual slaves to a socialist/communist/fascist government without any fight whatsoever (or has that ship already sailed).
Is there ANYTHING that YOU would fight for? Anything at all?
Real Estate Broker · Fort Myers, FL · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 323 votes
17y
For full disclosure, I did not read the entire thread..... Politics gets boring. Too many viewpoints, not much in the way of facts
here are some facts
As a young man I served in the USMC. I was an infantryman in Desert Storm. We were ordered to go out and do terriable things to young men just like ourselves, it was our duty. We all took the oath. We all wanted to be there.
In the name of my wife and children, I would do much worse to any involved, with a smile on my face......
I know a Vietnam jarhead, he was with 1/9, the walking dead. Those guys know what a bad day really is.
We spoke about Mrs Neopalatiano and her singleing out of Vet's as a threat.
His comment was. " that is the only person in DC that understands what a threat is", LOL
We are blessd as a country. Go to the Westbank and ask this question.
Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
Sadly, that isn't far from being true. It's unbelievable that people will allow their freedom to be lost for the price of a few hundred handout dollars each month.
Developer · Santa Clarita, CA · Member since 2008 · 15k+ posts · 10k+ votes
17y
The only good fight left I know of Mike is to create enough wealth so that I may protect my family. Money talks and creates options and although the dollar continues to devaluate, so does other currencies.
Since I am not a militant, I can not do what I wish would be done - that is, a revolution and overthrough our corrupt government.
Our country was formed on the basis of freedom and relief from over taxation. I was not alive then of course, but I am willing to bet we are taxed more now than the original settlers were back in England.
Real Estate Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 447 votes
17y
It may not be as bad as you think. It does take a lot for people to see through the political spin machine. But we did see a lot of people up in arms on the day of the Tea Party. It was also encouraging to see what happened in Europe yesterday. The countries with all of these socialist programs saw conservative parties win big. Unfortunately the socialists here won’t pay any attention to that. It will be interesting to see what happens in the mid-term elections in 2010. That’s why Obama is pushing to get his health care reform done this year, he knows there is no chance of it happening next year.
Residential Real Estate Broker · Payson, AZ · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
I'll never forget how patriotic I felt right after 9/11. As many did I watched the news live as it was happening and felt completely helpless. I even called my dad and told him I was taking my kids to Canada b/c I feared for their lives.
For weeks after I would see American flags everywhere, huge flags on poles in the back of pickup trucks, draped over the top of jeeps and huge window stickers galore on every car.
I even said to myself since I really couldn't move to Canada that I was going to enlist and fight for our country. I never did, but have the highest respect for anyone who has, does or will risk their lives to protect our country.
Obviously like most I became angry when it became about Saddam instead of Bin Laden. I wondered what happened? why are giving up on kicking Bin Laden's @ss???
Either way I think it takes some major tragedy for Americans to stand up and fight for something. I think Josh's comment on right on the money, people are more concerned about their big screens and cell phones and believing in the mentality that the government OWES them something.
I regretfully never enlisted but I have taken control over my future and the future of my family and that I think is very American and very much worth fighting for.
Mike, I think the shipped has already sailed, it left the shores along with the last election. The only thing we can do is worry about ourselves now b/c no else will.
Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
Originally posted by Richard Warren:
It may not be as bad as you think. It does take a lot for people to see through the political spin machine. But we did see a lot of people up in arms on the day of the Tea Party. It was also encouraging to see what happened in Europe yesterday. The countries with all of these socialist programs saw conservative parties win big. Unfortunately the socialists here won’t pay any attention to that. It will be interesting to see what happens in the mid-term elections in 2010. That’s why Obama is pushing to get his health care reform done this year, he knows there is no chance of it happening next year.
That plus I had a phone conversation with Shana and found that conservatives are winning over Canada too.
Plus guys...one under(un) reported fact is that EVERY Republican Governor up for re-election won. On the state level, freedom to bear arms is at a level unprecedented for over a century. Nearly every state now has concealed and/or open carry for it's citizens. Only Illinois, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia remain as the backwards areas that haven't caught on to this yet. There is fighting and winning going on at the grass roots level.
Investor · Mableton, GA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes
17y
Since we are into labels (Socialists, communists, fascists - which by the way, historically the last one doesn't really mix with the first two)
How about those selfish, heartless, money grabbing, "It's about me and screw you" capitalist republican and so called libertarians, UH?
Did I managed to stir the pot or what? :D
Well, labels do not really work. I think most people want the right thing for their country. The real different is what is that "Right thing". That, off course depends on who you ask.
Should I claim that everyone who bring a child to this world would be responsible for that child? Pay for his/her health, education, etc? Sure. But what if they don't? Should I, as a tax payer pay for this child's education now, or build bigger prisons later? Again, I guess the answer to that depends on your personal view and philosophy.
... And to Nick. The reason no one went up in arms against the reckless war in Iraq, is because we don't have a mandatory draft anymore.
Real Estate Investor · Elgin, IL · Member since 2009 · 135 posts · 9 votes
17y
Originally posted by Eddie Ziv:
... And to Nick. The reason no one went up in arms against the reckless war in Iraq, is because we don't have a mandatory draft anymore.
I have a belief that if congress wants to send troops to war that 1/3 of the eligible children of the politicians (including the president's) should be a part of that group! Won't that make things a little more interesting?
Same thing for Social Security and medicare...if the politicians were not given their own special and exclusive retirement plan and were force to pay into social security like the rest of us and only receive the same benefits we will(in my case probably none)...wouldn't they figure out some real answers real quick? :idea:
Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
I'm afraid that you've got your labels wrong. The Republicans have proven to be almost as socialistic as the Dems. They're both a disgrace.
The "selfish, heartless, money grabbing, It's about me and screw you" capitalists are what has made this country great and made our 'poor' people richer than the vast majority of people in the rest of the world. What other country has 'poor' people that have a big screen tv and a cellphone?
I'd vote for the prisons! If you had any actual experience dealing with these deadbeats, you would know that their children follow in their footsteps. They don't stay in school and they become deadbeats and criminals just like their parents. I see it EVERY DAY!
Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
Originally posted by Eddie Ziv:
The reason no one went up in arms against the reckless war in Iraq, is because we don't have a mandatory draft anymore.
It could be that. Or maybe enough of us didn't forget that presidents since Bill Clinton specifically mentioned Saddam Hussein as a threat to US security. Post 9/11, that meant something entirely different - especially since Hussein had a stockpile of 550 tons of enriched uranium (yellow cake) since 1991, the last of which was removed from Iraq to Canada in July of 2006.
Real Estate Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2008 · 566 posts · 356 votes
17y
Not really. Biden's got a kid in Iraq. One of the current dem candidates running for governor here in VA is touting his Iraqi veteran daughter. I think you'll find a lot of politicians have kids who have either been or are there, and many of them are war veterans themselves. I would even hazard a guess that politicians and their children as a group, have a much larger percentage of military service in their families than the general population as a whole.
Doubt, tho, that they'd accept a couple little girls. :wink:
But, to Mike's question, "the fight" to reverse this course will come with the ballot. Clinton enjoyed one party rule in his first two years, and the squabbling dems squandered their opportunity then. 2010 will be the first opportunity to re-establish some form of two party rule and stem the uncontrolled spending. The Republican leadership still appears to be in shell-shock and disarray, with tail tucked between it's legs, quietly whimpering out warnings against everything Obama wants and is getting via the single party rubber stamp. Somehow the Republicans have to regain a backbone and morph into a cohesive message worth listening to, and get it's ranks into the voting booths.
Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
All good points, but not a single person answered the question (except maybe Will who implied no). Is there ANYTHING that you would be willing to fight (risk your life and liberty for)? Any of our freedoms? If you answer is no, you would be in the company of the vast majority of people in the world. Look at what happened in Nazi Germany. The Germans were able to get people to march right into concentration camps to be exterminated by the millions, with nary a fight. Clearly, they were not even willing to fight for their lives.
Is there ANYTHING you would be willing to fight for? ANYTHING AT ALL?
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
17y
Originally posted by MikeOH:
Is there ANYTHING that you would be willing to FIGHT for? ANYTHING AT ALL?
In terms of fighting without weapons and without putting my life on the line, yes, I fight everyday. I fight with my words, my wallet, and my actions for what I believe in.
In terms of fighting with weapons and risking my life, I would be willing to fight to protect my family from immediate danger.
I find it funny that more Americans seem to be a lot more up-in-arms over the recent financial decisions of the government than they were when the government started taking away freedoms in the name of "protecting our citizens" for the past 8 years.
While I don't think taxation and ridiculous spending are good for the country/economy, it's not nearly a threat to our way of life (and what the Constitution stands for) as the taking away of our liberties and freedoms, as has been done since 9/11.
Just my $.02...I'm sure others disagree (and that's okay :)...
Residential Real Estate Broker · Conroe, TX · Member since 2008 · 1k+ posts · 43 votes
17y
I sadly hate to admit but I sometimes feel like the frog in the bunsen burner experiment. Unless it directly affects my family, friends, or someone in my small world...I read about, hear about, talk about it and then go on with the gruesome task of living.
There's such a brainwashing going on by the liberal media and the current adminstration. They are totally comfortable peddling outright lies knowing that no one takes the time to check the facts. This last speech in Cairo was in my opinion nothing more than positioning.
And another note.....
I have always believed that nothing is free....whenever someone tells me, "It's Free!" I start looking for the hook hidden in the worm.
So, now....around the corner is June 12th the conversion to this new digital signal, and the puppetmasters are so concerned about dissemnating information to their human resources that they are willing to give convertor boxes away FREE.
Maybe I'm the only one who's apprehensive but one can't help but to wonder about the future uses of this technology.
I think I'll take a bold step: cancel cable, refuse to get a converter box and hold out for a better offer. Maybe, I'll wait til they start coming door to door to bring this new signal into my home. I'll then ask for something of value (flat screen and new tennis shoes), in exchange for the oncoming invasion of privacy.
Investor · Sarasota, FL · Member since 2008 · 18k+ posts · 17k+ votes
17y
Originally posted by Dick Green:
So, now....around the corner is June 12th the conversion to this new digital signal, and the puppetmasters are so concerned about dissemnating information to their human resources that they are willing to give convertor boxes away FREE.
Maybe I'm the only one who's apprehensive but one can't help but to wonder about the future uses of this technology.
I think you're inventing a conspiracy where there is none... :)
First, the government really doesn't care if you switch to digital TV or not...all they care about is that the broadcasters switch to digital TV to free up part of the spectrum (that can then be reclaimed and/or resold).
The only people who really care whether you switch to digital or not are the broadcasters, so they can continue to charge advertising fees for your eyeballs.
As for the free converter boxes, the FCC is happy to provide them, as they'll make much more money off the freeing up of the spectrum frequencies than they'll spend helping people convert.
I think I'll take a bold step: cancel cable, refuse to get a converter box and hold out for a better offer. Maybe, I'll wait til they start coming door to door to bring this new signal into my home. I'll then ask for something of value (flat screen and new tennis shoes), in exchange for the oncoming invasion of privacy.
The new signal is already coming into your home (and has been for a couple years now). It's only a matter of whether you choose to take advantage of the signal for your entertainment or not.
And trust me, the government doesn't really care...it's the broadcasters who care...
Investor · Mableton, GA · Member since 2009 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes
17y
Mike,
The lack of will to fight is rooted in the fact that America didn't experience and existential threat since the civil war. All wars fought by Americans took place on foreign soil in far away countries and did not effect the average American. Even during Vietnam war when bodies of soldiers were brought home in huge numbers, most of the people were not affected. They watched it on TV every night, nodding their heads in sadness and went about their lives. Pearl Harbour and 9/11 shook all of us, but again, it was not an existential threat. Looking back at the Iraq war quagmire and soon to be Afghanistan quagmire, people ask themselves . Is it all really necessary? Was there any way we could achieve the same goals without having so many soldiers die and even more wounded in bodies and spirits?
Attorney · Raleigh, NC · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
17y
Originally posted by MikeOH:
All good points, but not a single person answered the question (except maybe Will who implied no). Is there ANYTHING that you would be willing to fight (risk your life and liberty for)? Any of our freedoms?
When you're talking about actual violence from the perspective of being a civilian fighting against the government I honestly can't answer this from any place of truly knowing. Abraham Lincoln suspended habeus corpus and deported his political opponents and he's lauded as a hero. The person who went up against him with physical violence, history has proven to be a villain.
The closest I've come to answering this was one time my home was invaded back when I was married. I went downstairs with a gun in each hand ready to fight, kill and die to protect loved ones. In the end, what I know is I will fight to protect my family even if that means getting them out of the country and to someplace else.