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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	12/30/2004 3:24:10 PM
From: Augustus Gloop	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

At a time like this who a person voted for doesn't matter. Stepping up to the plate as people does. Historically speaking Charity, corporations and the American people have made up the initial bulk of money in disaster relief. Our style of government is not speedy regardless of who is in office.

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	12/30/2004 3:30:14 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Yes. Americans are quality people.....including the 50% who voted for GWB. Your inability to accept the election results in a graceful manner is duly noted. J.

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	12/30/2004 3:33:27 PM
From: SOROS	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

Please start offering links or some info and not just a continual barrage on Bush. We all know everything and don't need daily reminders unless there is new information. Thanks. I remain, SOROS

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	12/30/2004 3:33:36 PM
From: redfish	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

There are plenty of republican swine who take great joy in the tsunami as they believe it heralds the end times and their ludicrous belief in the second coming of Jesus The Slayer.

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	12/30/2004 3:55:44 PM
From: fresc	Respond to of 89467

Great post Sly! You the man!

To: sylvester80 who wrote (70062)	1/3/2005 2:22:07 PM
From: sylvester80	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

The End of the World as We Know It ... January 01, 2005 paul.kedrosky.com Jared "Guns, Germs, and Steel" Diamond has an essay/editorial in today's NY Times. While it is essentially a precis of his new book ("Collapse: How Societies Choose or Fail to Succeed"), the thoughts are mind-expanding: Maya Native Americans of the Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent parts of Central America developed the New World's most advanced civilization before Columbus. They were innovators in writing, astronomy, architecture and art. From local origins around 2,500 years ago, Maya societies rose especially after the year A.D. 250, reaching peaks of population and sophistication in the late 8th century. Thereafter, societies in the most densely populated areas of the southern Yucatan underwent a steep political and cultural collapse: between 760 and 910, kings were overthrown, large areas were abandoned, and at least 90 percent of the population disappeared, leaving cities to become overgrown by jungle. The last known date recorded on a Maya monument by their so-called Long Count calendar corresponds to the year 909. What happened? A major factor was environmental degradation by people: deforestation, soil erosion and water management problems, all of which resulted in less food. Those problems were exacerbated by droughts, which may have been partly caused by humans themselves through deforestation. Chronic warfare made matters worse, as more and more people fought over less and less land and resources. Why weren't these problems obvious to the Maya kings, who could surely see their forests vanishing and their hills becoming eroded? Part of the reason was that the kings were able to insulate themselves from problems afflicting the rest of society. By extracting wealth from commoners, they could remain well fed while everyone else was slowly starving. What's more, the kings were preoccupied with their own power struggles. They had to concentrate on fighting one another and keeping up their images through ostentatious displays of wealth. By insulating themselves in the short run from the problems of society, the elite merely bought themselves the privilege of being among the last to starve.