cactoblasta

Reply to Dictatorship is LEADERSHIP? in Politics JoeUser Forums

At any rate, cacto, whether we use your definition of leadership or mine, the fact is Perry didn't exercise leadership. He couldn't even sway enough legislators to his side to ensure that his veto would be overridden, let alone a majority...and the legislature is controlled by people of his own party. Sure, but it's not dictatorship to use a power your society freely gives him. That's just following the rules of your particular breed of republic. If Am

Reply to Dictatorship is LEADERSHIP? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Leadership is not dragging someone with you by force of arms, it is convincing others of the superiority, the sanity of your point of view. So you think Hitler's rise to power was predicated entirely on the threat of his brownshirts, or that Stalin's was based entirely on the threat of murder? I think that's overly simplistic. Those tools were available because they were able, through sheer force of leadership, to command others to follow and to convi

Reply to Dictatorship is LEADERSHIP? in Politics JoeUser Forums

By your logic, Saddam, Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin were all great "leaders". No matter how much bleeding hearts might want to deny it Stalin and Hitler were great leaders. They left an indelible stamp on their countries that changed the way the world thought. If that's not a sign of greatness I don't know what is. I think perhaps you're getting great confused with good.

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

History is written by the victors. Perhaps it is time to dig a little deeper? Did you even read that? Normally an abstract is just a rough guide to what the article is going to be about, but this one starts with saying the genocide claims are unproven and then goes on from there. From what the article goes on to say I guess you could argue for cultural genocide and general theft of land, but personally I find that less objectionable than wholes

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

I would have to say that New Zealand is in the running for that title as well. But I think it is less an Aussie thing than an English one as its colonies seem to have the worst track record in their HISTORY. Really? Didn't the white settlers sign a peace treaty with the Maoris which pretty much gave them political rights from the offset?

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

sorry i misunderstood thought you were talking about americans not journals sorry I was talking about intellectual thought, something you are apparently extremely fond of. Journal articles are merely a way of measuring what American policy-makers are being taught to think.

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

tell that to all of those people we help when there is a natural disaster Huh? What does that have to do with the articles published in the American Political Science Review or any of the other journals which push neo-realist, neo-liberal or neo-conservative viewpoints, each of which is predicated on the necessity for self-interested action? I'm talking about thought-worlds, danny, not actions. I would have thought a young gentleman with your

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

I think we'd all be less Anti-Anything if we could just be more open minded to other ways of life...and not take our ways as the end-all, be-all. I dunno. Truly open-minded people tend to be a bit boring. I think it's a human flaw to find interest in conflict. If we got rid of it I think humanity as a whole would waste away.

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

You mean all Australians aren't a bunch of ignorant blokes who catch crocs? I mean, the ones that aren't thieves? If you ask any Australian they'll tell you that no one got sent to Australia for stealing anything other than bread. It's a matter of national pride that we weren't real criminals, honest, guv'. As for the crocs, well, everyone needs a hobby. And you've got to admit it's more manly than prancing around in skintight lycra pants and

Reply to MM Bitches about Joeuser in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Ugh. There are some horrible, horrible images of congalines in this world. I hate you had to find that one. Does anyone really want to associate the word 'suckhole' with any of those decaying old bats?

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

In addition, you (along with the UK) still haven't figured out how to drive on the left side of the road like the rest of the damned world. I think you meant right side of the road - we, in accordance with the fundamental laws of civilisation, drive sinister, unlike those barbaric Americans and Europeans, who follow their baser instincts by driving on the right (as commonly believed the left side of the brain is associated with reason, the right with cre

Reply to MM Bitches about Joeuser in Blogging JoeUser Forums

But if you're going to accuse me of being a sycophant and participating in a conga line of suckholes I'd just like to say that our lord and saviour Mark Latham would be so proud to see this today.

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

Heh, I think you rock, Cacto. I think you're a bit of alright yourself, Tex. Who did you piss off? LOL. Drmiler for sure, but maybe modman too. I doubt it though. I was sort of driven to write this one because Modman on calling me anti-American acted like it was something I might consider an insult. It threw me a bit, I'll admit that. I've never seen any particularly good reason to pretend to be pr

Reply to Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

PS. I'm also anti-the-way-this-site-doesn't-convert-carriage-returns-even-though-it-specifically-says-it-is-going-to-which-is-annoying.

Cos I'm just an anti-American foreigner, baby in Politics JoeUser Forums

If recent reports are to be believed (and considering the source it would be remiss to engage in even a [i]moment's[/i] doubt) I am anti-American. It's an interesting idea. I'm certainly anti- a lot of things. It's plausible that I would be against Americans. After all, I'm critical of their foreign policy, their domestic policy - damn near everything about their political system bugs me in some way, whether for incompetence, insanity, bloodymindedness or that oh-so-American obsess

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

Here in America being anti-non-US isn't considered a bad thing. Sure, and here in the great nation of non-US being anti-American isn't considered a bad thing. The US to the world is like a friendly 800kg gorilla in the room. You can't ignore it, and there's nothing you could do to stop it from doing whatever it likes, but when it accidentally or absentmindedly sends your drink flying as often as it punches people you threaten/threaten yo

Reply to The problem with global warming in Politics JoeUser Forums

As I wrote before, drmiler: It's the average temperature that's allegedly rising. Global warming isn't a theory attempting to explain freak weather in Ohio; as the name might have suggested it's about global weather patterns. To go into this further: The world is a big place. The temperature is not constant - weather conditions, distance from the sun, seismic activity, pollution (of the standard kind as well as the heat that radiates from any conglomerate of modern hu

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

Senator Imhof Is not my state senator.. therefore he owes me no explaination. Right... so you want an explanation for why he might act like he did, but when I give you one and then say the only way you'll get a real explanation is by asking Imhof you say "he owes me no explanation." You're a great guy, Modman, but I really don't know why I waste my time answering the questions you ask me. Just as a side n

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

IF all this is as you say why would a United States Senator propose a bill to stop the U.n. from robbing Americans? Political point-scoring? If your opinion is any indication Americans hold some strange beliefs about the power of the UN; why not use that to your fame by legislating against something that won't affect you? But to be honest I don't know. Why don't you ask him/her?

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

the un by the way is the beast. it already has a upc seal for humans and it starts with 666. the mark of the beast will be global positioning device that will be implanted in your skin. this will allow you to do what ever you want and if you get lost in the woods the police will be able to track you. you will never have to worry about being robbed becouse you won't be carring cash anymore. but there is also a bad aspect of all this anyone want to guess what that w

Reply to The problem with global warming in Politics JoeUser Forums

Yes, haven't you? Well one hears rumours of course, but I never thought it was true... You're full of profoundly enlightening revelations today, Dr Guy!

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

Taking phrases out of context negates the debate. Right... I'm assuming you mean I have to mention this from Moderateman: We need to protect ourselves and our military from the anti-American United Nations at all cost, Allowing them to intrude in Americas policies or to propose taxation of Americans must be stopped at all cost. So, let me rephrase - how could the UN be dangerous when the US

Reply to Failure at the United Nations in Politics JoeUser Forums

The UN would be extremely dangerous - if it was even remotely competant. However, as long as they keep clowns like Kofi in power, and America retains the will to resist petty despots and clowns, it wil remain the house of buffoons it has come to be. Who would it be dangerous to, if you don't mind my asking? Three strong and two middling powers hold vetos over anything the UN might like to do. I can't imagine how you think it could do something dangero

Reply to The problem with global warming in Politics JoeUser Forums

When people start talking global warming to me now-a-days, I have but one thing to say to them...."Right, tell that to the people in Ohio that got slammed by that "snow" storm in "MID-APRIL"!" You know what? "None" of them has an answer to that. I'm sure they do. It's the average temperature that's allegedly rising. Global warming isn't a theory attempting to explain freak weather in Ohio; as the name might have suggested it's about global weather pat

Reply to Do You Believe You Should Pay for Other's Retirement or Not? in Politics JoeUser Forums

So you are saying we should squander the moment, as after all SOMEONE OWES US Something. So why worry about the future? Live like the grasshopper. If you want to get all melodramatic, sure. But we are talking about retirement here. I don't think it's out of the question to say that someone who's worked their whole life in service of the country shouldn't get something from their children's generation. But that's off the point I guess. Your social s