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Politics : Bush Administration's Media Manipulation--MediaGate? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: geode00 who wrote (2999)	5/19/2005 3:02:05 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9838

American optimism stuns pollsters By Jennifer Harper THE WASHINGTON TIMES The American spirit is alive and well: A landmark study released yesterday from a New Jersey medical school finds that the majority of us are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future, even if catastrophe looms on the horizon. A sampling: 82 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 feel optimistic about their futures; 82 percent of those ages 25 to 44 do so as well; and 75 percent of those ages 45 to 64 and 64 percent of those 65 or older agree. Only 15 percent to 22 percent of the respondents say they have grown more pessimistic over the past five years. The public's response flabbergasted the pollsters. "What amazed us most was their determined optimism, even as they showed great concern about bad things happening in the world," said Dr. Donald Louria of the Department of Preventive Medicine & Community Health at the New Jersey Medical School in Newark, which conducted the study. The study of 2,000 adults in four distinct age groups was conducted for the school by McLaughlin & Associates throughout April. Not all respondents were wearing rose-colored lenses, however: Between two-thirds and three-quarters of those in all the age groups fear the United States will suffer a biological or nuclear attack in the next 20 years. Thirty percent to 40 percent feel the country can solve all or most of its problems, yet it doesn't deter the hopeful feelings. Across the board, 75 percent still insist they are optimistic about their futures, despite the global threats. Greenhouse gases and holes in the ozone layer don't cause much concern. The survey reveals that roughly one-third consider global warming a major problem, though this number increases among the college-educated respondents. "We found this relative lack of concern surprising, given the overwhelming scientific consensus that global warming is occurring now, and that if unchecked, could be disastrous," said Dr. Cheryl Kennedy, a psychiatrist with the school. Respondents who deem religious faith "very important to them were much more optimistic about their own and the world's future compared to those who listed religion as unimportant," the study states. Good feelings don't necessarily extend beyond America's border, though. In the event of an attack, global warming or societal problems, just 36 percent to 40 percent of the respondents feel optimistic about "the future of the world." Dr. Louria, meanwhile, is urging politicians, public officials, teachers and others concerned with public morale to take the reassuring findings seriously. A drop in personal optimism could be "a harbinger" of all sorts of societal ills, from substance abuse to reckless driving, he said. "Those in leadership positions in our society, as well as educators, should pay close attention," Dr. Louria said, adding that all this public positivity should not be taken for granted. "We believe this personal optimism is sort of a last barricade," he said, and could prove "shaky."

To: geode00 who wrote (2999)	5/19/2005 3:31:14 PM
From: Raymond Duray	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9838

Re: If Bush was going to start an illegal war for oil profits, the least he could do was run it COMPETENTLY. One of the skills humans develop as they gain wisdom is to be able to look at a situation from the perspective of many of the participants in any circumstance. Good lawyers have this skill, and I encourage you to consider the following scenario. From the perspective of a Lee Raymond, CEO of Exxon, or a David Lesar, CEO of Halliburton, things could not be going any better in Iraq than they are at the present. As you are well aware, Raymond and Lesar are huge bribers of the GOP and as such, are able to get Junior to do their bidding. Now what do these men want? Most of all, they want profits to satisfy their greed. What has Junior delivered? The perfect situation for both of these CEOs to have absolutely stellar years. Junior is delivering for his chief supporters, and they will continue to support him lavishly for the favor. From the perspective of the officer corps in the U.S. military, Iraq couldn't be better. The opportunities for advancement are always vastly greater in war than in peacetime. So, the officers have a built in incentive to perpetuate the chaos in Iraq as long as possible. How about the CEOs of the military hardware suppliers? War is wonderful for their top and bottom line. They would have no incentive to see the military operations end. Quite simply, there are far too many people getting rich off the suffering of others for there to be the will among the elites to stop the chaos and what to many, many people appears to be madness. But to those who are getting rich, the continuation of the war could not be more logical. Continuing the war is so essential to satisfying their greed that they will engage in vast deception and duplicity in order to keep the good times rolling. So, you may see that Junior isn't running things competently, but I can assure you that the people that Bush is working for see the situation completely differently. They don't see the $300 Billion spent on the war and added to the national debt as a negative. They see it as a profit center.