Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Crimson Ghost who wrote (74802)	3/23/2007 11:59:52 PM
From: TigerPaw	Respond to of 89467

Let Bush Jr. veto the Iraq funding bill. The lack of funds will be on his head. Send only bills with a date-certain withdrawal. Junior George will have nobody but his vice-president to blame for the chaos that will continue, but we all know it would continue with or without us. Now is the time to get out! TP

To: Crimson Ghost who wrote (74802)	3/24/2007 2:49:42 AM
From: LTK007	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 89467

People I’m Sick Of (Part IV): David Sirota Friday, March 23rd, 2007 in News by Justin Raimondo Aren’t you sick of “antiwar” activists who are nothing but shills for the Democratic party? Because I sure the hell am. I’ve written about the Democratic “antiwar” legislation that recently passed the House, slated for a quick veto by the White House, and I note the complete capitulation of the “liberals,” i.e. the Out of Iraq Caucus, made up almost entirely of Democrats, with Rep. Maxine Water, Lynn Woolsey, and Barbara Lee being three of the leading lights. After pressure was exerted by the Pelosi-crats — including threats of cutting off the federal gravy train to their districts — the California trio gave in to the Speaker and pledged to vote for H.R. 1591. Previously, these three had rightly refused to endorse a bill that gives more money for the military than requested by Bush — and which, as Military Families Speak Out avers, makes it very easy for the White House to circumvent those much-vaunted “benchmarks.” None of this matters to David Sirota, the resident “radical” over at the HuffPuffPost. He hails the “principled and shrewd” move by the “progressives” to capitulate to the Pelosi-crats. In a veritable cascade of Orwellian doublespeak, Sirota claims: It is a courageous move because it is never, ever easy to swallow a compromise, even if it is clearly the right thing to do to achieve long-term goals. These Members of Congress played hardball from the beginning, and that hardball made sure this bill included strong, binding legislation to end the war. If this is “strong and binding,” then one can only wonder what would be weak: read it and you ‘ll find that the actual wording of the legislation leaves it up to the White House to “certify” whether “progress” is being made in Iraq - in which case none of the requirements, including a withdrawal of our forces from Iraq, have to be met. It’s true that such a certification would only delay “redeployment” of our troops, but then all the President has to do is assert that forces remaining in Iraq after March 1, 2008 are specifically in pursuit of Al Qaeda, or other terrorist groups with “global reach” — which is the argument he’s been making since Day One – and they can stay — indefinitely. This is “strong” and “binding”? Sirota babbles on: These progressive lawmakers are true heroes because they are displaying a seriousness about ending the war, rather than merely a seriousness about protesting the war. Protest and pressure are critical in the lead up to legislative action - but when it comes time for that action, we hire lawmakers to do just that: make laws. What sophistry: there is nothing in this bill that would seriously end the war, and Sirota knows it. Anyone can see that there are enough loopholes in this “serious” legislation to drive a few tanks through. It is typical, however, of these “pragmatic” types that their “pragmatism” is eminently impractical, and almost never leads to the intended result. The reality is that this “emergency supplemental” funds the continuation of the war: without it, the war could not be fought. By voting for it, and supporting it, “antiwar” Democrats and the party bosses are giving the Iraq war their imprimatur. In another typical “pragmatist” trope, Sirota avers that antiwar opponents of the Pelosi measure are “just blowing off contrarian steam,” and that it is they who are really “selling out,” because, you see, “the contrairians [sic] are selling out - selling out a viable way to end the war in order to grandstand for the cameras.” Look who’s talking! Pelosi and the Dems are the ones grandstanding for the cameras, by loudly declaring that they have passed a “timetable” to end the war — with an easy escape hatch for the President to wriggle out of this “strong” and “binding” legislation. This partisan legislation — larded with pork, in order to make the sellout more lucrative — attracted only a few Republicans, and this was quite intentional: the Democrats would much rather have the war as an issue during the election than actually do anyting meaningful to end it. The result is that Bush’s veto will be sustained, and this “serious” legislation will wind up in the congressional dustbin — where it belongs. The real story of the Pelosi “antiwar” bill is that it pitted the “progressive” leaders against their own supporters — and one can only wonder how long the latter will put up with it.

To: Crimson Ghost who wrote (74802)	3/25/2007 7:44:07 PM
From: Joe S Pack	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Are n't those brave soldiers had "volunteered" to "serve" to defend and protect Amrikan people. I don't think there is anything wrong or bad about them getting screwed. Most of them are idiot, cowards, and outright crooks and of late some criminals. Their occupation is to kill people, including innocent ones. It is part of the deal. War is the best pretext for looting tax payers money, and military is the mother of all welfare. So those peons get what they asked for. Peace. -J6P Getting Screwed by Karen Kwiatkowski Screwed up, screwed over, and just plain screwed. The brutality of this language sadly fails to approximate what is happening to our soldiers and Marines in Iraq, and afterwards. We knew that the invasion of Iraq was conducted without transparent or comprehensive planning. We knew that the fundamental objectives were hidden from the American people – endless occupation, big permanent American military bases, and the destruction, fragmentation and American political and economic subjection of a once politically important Iraq.