JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Alphaape
Obama and the Dems don't evenwant a challenger from their own party to go against him in the primaries. Are they that afraid of someone in his own party bringing up failures. And having those same failures brougth up by whomever the GOP candidate will be. The silence is telling on the Dem side. At least in 2008, you kind of had a discussion between sides in the party as to what the issues were. I guess now we don't even have an honest bipartisan debate in one's own party.
Obama can't blame all the fault at the GOP not willing to work with him and come to a consensus. You can't even get an honest debate within his own party about the issues and the ways to fix them. This nomination by decree must be the wave of the future.
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style
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Alphaape
@hakuman: Are you referring to my post? If so, please provide me of an example where there has been national debate on the Dem side on going against the current Administration policies, and if those who so oppose have decided that they can do a better job, why haven't they decided to run? So, are the Dem voters going to only get one choice to nominate? Sound a lot like the old USSR.
You may not like the GOP, and whomever they nominate may not be able to beat Obama, but at least they are trying to have a debate on the issues, when they are not name calling each other. I would love to hear a voice in the Dems speak out on what they want to change. I can't believe that they are all in unison on the issues.
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style
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Alphaape
You may not like any of the GOP candidates, but you have to admit at least they allow open discussion. I am sure that whomever they finally decide on based on primary elections results (and not needing any "super delegates") they will get behind and support for the general election in 2012.
I don't see that from the Dems. I am sure that there are those in the Dem party that have a different opinion on how things should be run, but for the party of liberalism, you are not seeing anyone being allowed to challenge the status quo. It's either you will accept the ticket or don't participate. A single vote doesn't matter, as long as they have "super delegates" at the convention to make sure you get the outcome that the partly leaders want. Where's the open discussion from the Dems? They are not all following the party line. If so, a few of the Dem Senators would have voted for the second stimulus bill, yet a some didn't.
The way they spin it in the news is that there weren't enough Dem votes to prevent a GOP filibuster, but the real issue is that some Dems in the Senate voted against it, so why don't we hear from them.
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style
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Alphaape
This conflict has been going on since Spain occupied the PI, and after the Spanish American War, the same conflict with the US. A good book to read is called The Moro War: How America Battled a Muslim Insurgency in the Philippine Jungle, 1902-1913, which goes into some of the background.
Posted in: 10,000 flee fighting in southern Philippines
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Alphaape
Amnesty should also begin drawing up charges to the leaders of NATO countries who were bombing Libya that led to Gadahfi's death. After all, he was killed without a trial, and this was done because the rebels had the support of NATO countries. Seems like a double standard to me.
Posted in: Hundreds protest Bush visit to western Canada
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Alphaape
This from a country that does not have the Death Penalty. I wonder how they can justify his killing, but a person tried by a jury of a heinious crime and evidence is shown to prove their guilt, they will not kill.
I was no fan of Gadhafi, and I think he was behind many a bad deed and been behind some bad things. But he was captured and begged for his life, yet he was killed outright. At least Saddam had a trial but this guy didn't. I hope that the people of Libya made the right choice. Funny, why isn't the US pushing for the ouster of Syria? He is killing his people left and right, and yet no movement of going in after him.
Interesting to note, two leaders of Arab nations who tolerated Israel are out of power. One is dead (Gadhafi) and the other has been thrown from power (Mubarak). I guess Israel is really along now.
Posted in: Pulled from drain pipe, Gadhafi was shown no mercy
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Alphaape
@yabits: It is taken for granted that there will be a GOP challenger, just common sense. You still think that the Dems are not going to put anyone from their party against Obama. Well, you keep saying how smart you and the rest of the non-GOP are, do you actually think that they will risk losing the White House with polling like it is now where just about any GOP candidate can give him a close fight? If they haven't leaned their history from 1980, when they stuck with Carther after Ted Kennedy gave him a good challenge in the primaries to only go down in flames against Reagan, then when they loose in 2012, they have no one to blame but themselves.
If that were to happen, non of the GOP candidates would win.
Posted in: Public unsettled on who should challenge Obama
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Alphaape
@SushiSake3: Just looking at the article and reading the poles, evidently, even a not "serious candidate" can give the president a run for his money in 2012. If you say that there is not anyone who is viable, then are you saying that half of the Americans polled are not too bright to elect someone else other than the current Dem candidate.
I can see the groundwork being laid for a new version of BDS (Bush Derrangement Syndrome), with those who will use it if the Dems are not successful in 2012. I just wish that the Dems would put up other candidates to challenge so we can at least hear different sides to their positions. But I guess that is asking too much.
Posted in: Public unsettled on who should challenge Obama
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Alphaape
@yabits: I seem to recall you using words similar to that to describe me when I said that it will be a close fight for the president in the next election. You were telling me that the GOP could not put anyone up that would challenge him. I guess I was right after all reading this article.
The real worry that he has to fear is if the Dems put up another person as a primary challenger. If someone like Webb were to run, who is seen as a moderate Dem, Obama would not get the nomination. Looking at the confidence level that the Dems (and Reps) have in congress now, and looking at the recent loss of Weiner's seat to a Rep, and the losses from 2010, unless the DNC is full of just hard ideologues, they will probably want to cut their losses and back a more moderate nominee in order to be able to come back in 2014, and 2016.
But, I am sure as usual you will only reply with some petty childish remark, so I guess I will be standing by from the name calling from you. But do us all a favor, bring some solid discussion to the forum, and level the kindergarten playground stuff at home,
Posted in: Public unsettled on who should challenge Obama
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Alphaape
@HumanTarget: Not ignoring your post, just haven't looked. Didn't know that you wanted me to see something.
Yes they are in every street, but even in Hollywood, they are protesting Wall Street. Remember, movie studios are traded publicly. So they have just as much interest in getting a higher rating on their stocks as much as those bankers. You say we have entertainment options? Not sure where you live, but I imagine that one cable company provides you service. And they pretty much make you pay for basic services and probably don't give you much of a choice in viewing options. You either take Package A or B. That's why many people are statting to cut off their cable and go to the web. But, those big studios know this, and you get the situation where things get blocked in certain areas. I am actually in Japan, and yet I can't stream some media from the states due to licensing, even though I want to see it. So I don't have a choice.
Hate to say it, but you don't have to put your money in BofA. It is optional. Yes they ran heavy and are putting smaller banks and credit unions out of business, but also look at the same thing that entertainment corporations do. Try starting up a movie studio and see if you don't run into red tape.
I believe we still have a "Pay Czar" that is supposed to regulate how much those guys can make on Wall Street and othe corporations. Not trying to deflect what some of the OWS people are doing, it is within their right. But they also have a choice to not take an expensive student loan, or go to a very high cost school. If they can't afford it, then they should find other ways to do so.
I am curious, they want to change government, what do they want to change?
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
I've noticed, OWS is out in front yelling about the excess of CEO and other pay from people working in banks and on Wall Street. Why aren't they in Hollywood protesting in front of studios the huge disparity in the movie industry. You have actors who can get $20 million per film, yet the sound board operator and cameraman don't get nearly that much. To paraphrase a quote: "They pay more just like Warren Buffet's secretary in taxes than does Warren Buffet" (or words to that effect).
Also, the studios themselves also rip off those other creative writers and persons who work behind the scenes. Movies come out with total box office receipts in the $100's of millions, but somehow they seem to be shown as not showing a profit or a loss on the books, while the big producers get to walk away with millions, and leave us the American consumer with some really crappy films (any of the Rush Hour movies would be a prime example).
Same goes for the television industry, and the music industry. Just take a look at any of those VH1 "Where are they now" series and you will see some musician who was screwed out of royalties by the big record companies, while they go after some teenager who file shares and gets the courts to level thousands of dollars in fines to them.
So, if the OWS are really about "changing the way things are done" they seem to be leaving out a lot of other powerful industries. I guess it is because the heads of those industries probably have ties to some of the organizations who are backing these guys.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
@yabits: That is worse than whatever happened on Wall Street. You have public officials who are supposededly sworn to uphold the public trust, and they squander the public funds giving it away to the people in hopes of staying in office. Also, they showed total incompetence in realizing the trouble that they were in.
The OWS protestors are againse Wall Street and the government on how they were in collusion with them in the past. Some have even been reported as needing to "change the whole system." to offer up new forms of government and entitlement spending. After all they want things like all debt forgiven and college student loans and mortages forgiven.
If they are protesting on how things are run, then they should be pointing out that Greece is a failed state and protesting against that. But I guess not, since the same things that they are demanding that the US does, Greece was doing with masive entitlement spending, and look where that has gotten them.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
Greece has wasted more money than the Wall Street bankers. They have bankrupted a country on over spending and entitlement programs. Far worse than what Wall Street has done, and guess what, it's also the people's fault in Greece too. We keep hearing that the Wall Street greedy don't know when to stop and greed just consumes them, well the same goes for people in a country who elect people who will pass out benefits to them more than they need. That's just as greedy.
What ever happened to the days when JFK said: "Ask not, what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
@yabits: We keep going around in circles on this and you still can't offer any proof. Whether you like them or not, Bretibart and O'Reilly have both offered rewards to anyone who can show them those supposed racist signs and any other evidence. To date, no one has stepped forward to accept the reward. I would imagine any liberal media organization would jump on the chance to have those on the right eat some humble pie, but so far I have not seen anyone do so.
@yabits: You are missing one point. The lady was at an OWS rally in LA. Not some off shoot splinter but among the rest of the protestors. By the way, Patricia McAllister, who works for LA Unified School District (ie. Union member) was quoted as saying: "I’m here representing myself but I do work for the Los Angeles Unified School District. I think that the Zionist Jews who are running these big banks and our Federal Reserve — which is not run by the federal government — they need to be run out of this country.”
Oh, and FYI, she is a Black woman. So those on the left who like to throw charges of racism at Herman Cain, need to check their own ranks for a change.
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evidence which had been edited out to remove the denunciation by the REAL OWS supporters, so that right-winger can make their false claims
Spin it as you may, the woman is on tape
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
@Notthesame: You should slow down before typing. The 19 year old is the one who could have said that they were dating. Obviously the woman is dead. What better way for him to cast doubt as to his guilt or innocence than to say things that she can't contridict since she is dead. That is why good police work will be required for this. They need to pull phone records to see if indeed they have actually known each other for over two years. I am sure that there is other forensic evidence that can be found.
Afterall, look at all of the doubt OJ threw up in his defense and he got off for a double murder. This kid is probably shrewder than you think he may be, and he is probably trying to cling to "I'm not an adult" and therefore had no idea what I was doing was wrong defense as long as he can.
Posted in: 19-year-old man stabs 44-year-old lover in 'mercy killing'
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Alphaape
Funny, that is what the Tea Party was saying and yet they get vilified as racist. I remember all of the ranting about the supposed Tea Party racists and the supposed Black Congressman who said he was spit on, but I saw something today on TV (NPR even) that was interesting. It was a Black lady who is identified as a teacher from LA, who said that the world economic problems was a result of the international Zionist movement, and that it was the Jews who were controlling the banks. Also in various other media outlets, I saw a few ante-Semitc signs.
I am waiting for the Dems to come out and denounce these people just like they kept wanting the GOP and Tea Party to do. They were trying to go on the same old racist card and trying to stir up rhetoric against them without proof, yet we see it visibly here and not a word of condemnation.
One point I have to ask the OWS and those who keep wanting change. If everyone one of the supposed greedy were replaced, who would they be replaced with? What makes you so sure that those who will gain control will actually "share with the people?" After all, in the old USSR, everyone was supposedly "comrades" but there were rich and connect comrades and thos who were not so rich.
I can understand some of the frustration on the huge spending and profits of Wall Street bankers, but if they are protesting them, why aren't they protesting against socialist countries like Greece and others in the EU? After all, Greece got where it is by overspending and giving away other people's money and look where they are now. So why isn't that worthy enough for the OWS to focus on?
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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Alphaape
I wonder if they can verify if they did indeed date for the past two years, or is this just some kind of sick twisted plan of his to try to get away with it. Dead people can tell no tales, so why not start lying about a relationship to try to cover your "arse."
But if they were dating, she was a pedolphile, and I guess you could say he was probably in over his head.
Posted in: 19-year-old man stabs 44-year-old lover in 'mercy killing'
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Alphaape
@yabits: I keep hearing from the left that the Tea Party movment is nothing but a bunch of klansmen with their robes off. So are you telling me that is just some of the same old smear of guilt by association? Regardless of the source, they did put it out on their webpage and twitter, so just because you don't like who is telling you the informationdoesn't mean that it is not there.
Funny, how I kept seeing in the news that many of the left wanted GOP and Tea Party leaders to denounce the supposed racist rhetoric and hate filled groups that they say belong to the Tea Party. Can I expect to see the same from the Dems to go out and say thanks but no thanks to those rining endorsements?
Posted in: Rioters hijack Rome Occupy Wall Street protest; police fire tear gas
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Alphaape
@Laguna: Please tell me how it is crazy? The point many people who oppose any type of plan that Cain has presented is that it makes everyone pay taxes. Roughly 50% of Americans pay no taxes. They may file but get refunds. Under a flat tax or Cain plan everyone pays. I can tell you from my own case, if I were to only pay 9% of my income in Federal taxes, I would save at least $6,500, and I am no where near being one of the "rich elites." What these types of plans do is make everyone have some skin in the game. Sure you will loose those tax deductions like child credit, and intrest paid on a home mortage, but the reason those credits are there is because tax rates are too high for the regular people and they were there to help lower their tax rate. So you tell me, in order for me to pay lower taxes than I do know, I need to 1) buy a home and get the mortage interest deduction, 2) have more kids, just to save in taxes, while if they lowered taxes all around I would be better off.
After all, isn't the whole poing of the OWS is to make things fairer and equal. Everyone paying the same tax rate seems pretty even to me.
As for you point on Zuckerman, he himself is the one who I got the quotes for from my post. He even went so far as to say Obama needs to follow the path that Regan and Tip O'Neil used in trying to fix Social Security in the 80's. But Obama doesn't seem to want to do so. That's pretty damning coming from a guy who donates to him and for him to call it out.
Posted in: Obama blasts Republicans for blocking jobs bill
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Alphaape
An article appeared in the WSJ online by James Freeman about his meeting with Dem billionaire Mort Zuckerman. Zuckerman's main point was that Obama is not really concerned about building a consensus but getting his own way. Zuckerman was quoted as saying: "Barack Obama doesn't seem to care for individuals, elaborates Mr. Zuckerman, though the president enjoys addressing millions of them on television."
Zuckerman is a big supporter of Obama and even he realizes that a compromise needs to be made, and that the business community is "pleading for some kind of adult supervision" in Washington and "desperate for strong leadership." Writing soon after the historic downgrade of U.S. Treasury debt by Standard & Poor's, he wrote, "I long for a triple-A president to run a triple-A country."
Mr. Zuckerman supports raising taxes on the rich but says such a proposal cannot be taken seriously unless it's paired with other measures to grow the economy and restrain deficit spending. He also wonders why, if the president wanted to get a plan enacted, he didn't begin with private bipartisan discussions with House and Senate leaders, instead of another address to a joint session of Congress.
The only solution Mr. Zuckerman sees now to juice the economy "is to broaden the tax base and simplify and lower tax rates. To me that will be as close to revenue-neutral as you're going to have so it isn't going to be seen as a budget buster." He views GOP candidate Herman Cain's "9-9-9 plan" as a "little bit simple-minded," but he says that a reform that closes loopholes and reduces compliance costs will stimulate both business and consumer spending.
Things must be getting bad for Obama is a huge supporter like Zuckerman is having doubts on his ability. I really expect sometime next year that the Dems will put another person to run to challenge Obama. They have to or if they don't they may win the presidency, but loose the Senate and a lot more of the state houses around the country.
Posted in: Obama blasts Republicans for blocking jobs bill