Who is smarter?

[Brotha]

I read this and found it interesting. I guess this qualifies as something that should be in the current event section:

"Who is Smarter?

The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war rallies, screaming about the Bush Administration, running ads in major newspapers, defaming the President and his Cabinet every chance they get, to anyone and everyone who will listen. They publicly defile them and call them names like "stupid" , "morons", and "idiots". Jessica Lange went so far as to tell a crowd in Spain that she hates President Bush and is embarrassed to be an American.

So, just how ignorant are these people who are running the country? Let's look at the biographies of these "stupid", "ignorant" , "moronic" leaders, and then at the celebrities who are castigating them:

President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986. He was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with
53.5 percent of the vote. In a historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998 winning 68.6 percent of the vote. In 1998 Governor Bush won 49 percent of the Hispanic vote, 27 percent of the African-American vote, 27 percent of Democrats and 65 percent of women. He won more Texas counties, 240 of 254, than any modern Republican other than Richard Nixon in 1972 and is the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to win the heavily Hispanic and Democratic border counties of El Paso, Cameron and Hidalgo. (Someone began circulating a false story about his I.Q. being lower than any other President. If you believed it, you might want to go to URBANLEGENDS.COM and see the truth.)

Vice President Dick Cheney earned a B.A. in 1965 and a M.A. in 1966, both in political science. Two years later, he won an American Political Science Association congressional fellowship. One of Vice President Cheney's primary duties is to share with individuals, members of Congress and foreign leaders, President Bush's vision to strengthen our economy, secure our homeland and win the War on Terrorism. In his official role as President of the Senate, Vice President Cheney regularly goes to Capital Hill to meet with Senators and members of the House of Representatives to work on the Administration's legislative goals. In his travels as Vice President, he has seen first hand the great demands the war on terrorism is placing on the men and women of our military, and he is proud of the tremendous job they are doing for the United States of America.

Secretary of State Colin Powell was educated in the New York City public schools, graduating from the City College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in geology. He also participated in ROTC at CCNY and received a commission as an Army second lieutenant upon graduation in June 1958. His further academic achievements include a Master of Business Administration Degree from George Washington University. Secretary Powell is the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign military awards and decorations. Secretary Powell's civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President's Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal. Several schools and other institutions have been named in his honor and he holds honorary degrees from universities and colleges across the country.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: attended Princeton University on Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval aviator ; Congressional Assistant to Rep. Robert Griffin
(R-MI), 1957-59; U.S. Representative, Illinois, 1962-69; Assistant to the President, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, Director of the Cost of Living Council, 1969-74; U.S. Ambassador to NATO, 1973-74; head of Presidential Transition Team, 1974; Assistant to the President, Director of White House Office of Operations, White House Chief of Staff, 1974-77; Secretary of Defense, 1975-77

Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge was raised in a working class family in veterans' public housing in Erie. He earned a scholarship to Harvard, graduating with honors in 1967. After his first year at The Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor. After returning to Pennsylvania, he earned his Law Degree and was in private practice before becoming Assistant District Attorney in Erie County. He was elected to Congress in 1982. He was the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House, and was overwhelmingly re-elected six times.

National Security Advisor


Condoleezza Rice earned her Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981.

(Note: Rice enrolled at the University of Denver at the age of 15, graduating at 19 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (Cum Laude). She earned a Master's Degree at the University of Notre Dame and a Doctorate from the University of Denver's Graduate School of International Studies. Both of her advanced degrees are also in Political Science.)


She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College in 1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of Notre Dame in 1995. At Stanford, she has been a member of the Center for International Security and Arms Control, a Senior Fellow of the Institute for International Studies, and a Fellow (by courtesy) of the Hoover Institution. Her books include Germany Unified and Europe Transformed (1995) with Philip Zelikow, The Gorbachev Era (1986) with Alexander Dallin, and Uncertain Allegiance: The Soviet Union and the Czechoslovak Army (1984). She also has written numerous articles on Soviet and East European foreign and defense policy, and has addressed audiences in settings ranging from the U.S. Ambassador's Residence in Moscow to the Commonwealth Club to the 1992 and 2000 Republican National Conventions. From 1989 through March 1991, the period of German reunification and the final days of the Soviet Union, she served in the Bush Administration as Director, and then Senior Director, of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National Security Council, and a Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. In 1986, while an international affairs fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, she served as Special Assistant to the Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1997, she served on the Federal Advisory Committee on Gender -- Integrated Training in the Military. She was a member of the boards of directors for the Chevron Corporation, the Charles Schwab Corporation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the University of Notre Dame, the International Advisory Council of J.P. Morgan and the San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors. She was a Founding Board member of the Center for a New Generation, an educational support fund for schools in East Palo Alto and East Menlo Park, California and was Vice President of the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula. In addition, her past board service has encompassed such organizations as Transamerica Corporation, Hewlett Packard, the Carnegie Corporation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The Rand Corporation, the National Council for Soviet and East European Studies, the Mid-Peninsula Urban Coalition and KQED, public broadcasting for San Francisco. Born November 14, 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, she earned her bachelor's degree in political science, cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974; her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975; and her Ph.D. from the Graduate School of International Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Morehouse College in
1991, the University of Alabama in 1994, and the University of Notre Dame in 1995. She resides in Washington, D.C.

So who are these celebrities? What is their education? What is their experience in affairs of State or in National Security? While I will defend to the death their right to express their opinions, I think that if they are going to call into question the intelligence of our leaders, we should also have all the facts on their educations and background:

Barbra Streisand : Completed high school Career: Singing and acting

Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade. Career: Singing and acting

Martin Sheen Flunked exam to enter University of Dayton. Career: Acting

Jessica Lange Dropped out college mid-freshman year. Career: Acting


Alec Baldwin Dropped out of George Washington U. after scandal Career: Acting

Julia Roberts Completed high school Career: Acting

Sean Penn Completed High school Career: Acting

Susan Sarandon Degree in Drama from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Career: Acting

Ed Asner Completed High school Career: Acting

George Clooney Dropped out of University of Kentucky Career: Acting

Michael Moore Dropped out first year University of Michigan. Career: Movie Director

Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School Career: Acting

Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School Career: Acting

Mike Farrell Completed High school Career: Acting

Janeane Garofelo Dropped out of College. Career: Stand up comedienne

Larry Hagman Attended Bard College for one year. Career: Acting

While comparing the education and experience of these two groups, we should also remember that President Bush and his cabinet are briefed daily, even hourly, on the War on Terror and threats to our security. They are privy to information gathered around the world concerning the Middle East, the threats to America, the intentions of terrorists and terrorist-supporting governments. They are in constant communication with the CIA, the FBI, Interpol, NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and that of our allies around the world. We cannot simply believe that we have full knowledge of the threats because we watch CNN!! We cannot believe that we are in any way as informed as our leaders.

These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country. They only have a deep seated hatred for all things Republican. By nature, and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood elitists detest Conservative views and anything that supports or uplifts the United States of America. The silence was deafening from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical factory outside of Khartoum, or when he attacked the Bosnian Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo, and not a single peace rally was held. When our Rangers were ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has been attacked on its own soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed by freedom-hating terrorists while going about their routine lives, they want to hold rallies against the war. Why the change? Because an honest, God-fearing Republican sits in the White House.

Another irony is that in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was in office, the Hollywood group aligned themselves with disarmament groups like SANE, FREEZE and PEACE ACTION, urging our own government to disarm and freeze the manufacturing of any further nuclear weapons, in order to promote world peace. It is curious that now, even after we have heard all the evidence that Saddam Hussein has chemical, biological and is very close to obtaining nuclear weapons, their is no cry from this group for HIM to disarm. They believe we should leave him alone in his quest for these weapons of mass destruction, even though it is certain that these deadly weapons will eventually be used against us in our own cities.

So why the hype out of Hollywood? Could these celebrities believe that since they draw such astronomical salaries, they are entitled to also determine the course of our Nation? That they can make viable decisions concerning war and peace? Did Michael Moore have the backing of the Nation when he recently thanked France, on our behalf, for being a "good enough friend to tell us we were wrong"? I know for certain he was not speaking for me. Does Sean Penn fancy himself a Diplomat, in going to Iraq when we are just weeks away from war? Does he believe that his High School Diploma gives him the knowledge (and the right) to go to a country that is controlled by a maniacal dictator, and speak on behalf of the American people? Or is it the fact that he pulls in more money per year than the average American worker will see in a lifetime? Does his bank account give him clout?

The ultimate irony is that many of these celebrities have made a shambles of their own lives, with drug abuse, alcoholism, numerous marriages and divorces, scrapes with the law, publicized temper tantrums, etc. How dare they pretend to know what is best for an entire nation! What is even more bizarre is how many people in this country will listen and accept their views, simply because they liked them in a certain movie, or have fond memories of an old television sitcom!

It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to educate ourselves about the world around us. If future generations are going to enjoy the freedoms that our forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace in their own country and their world, to live without fear of terrorism striking in their own cities, we must assure that this nation remains strong. We must make certain that those who would destroy us are made aware of the severe consequences that will befall them.

Yes, it is a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators and terrorists and join hands, singing Cumbaya and talking of world peace. But it is not real. We did not stop Adolf Hitler from taking over the entire continent of Europe by simply talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, with the strength and determination that this Country is known for, and defeated the Nazi regime. President John F. Kennedy did not stop the Soviet ships from unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962 with mere words. He stopped them with action, and threat of immediate war if the ships did not turn around. We did not end the Cold War with conferences. It ended with the strong belief of President Ronald Reagan... PEACE through STRENGTH."

[Forthe]

Albert Einstein
Bill Gates
Stephen Wozniak
Steve Jobs

Want to call them stupid or compare the IQs to your hero list?

All drop outs.

[Brotha]

Do you think that means Bill Gates knows more about forgein affairs than Colin Powell? Or that George Bush should be calling Bill Gates stupid because he thinks XP sucks?

The point wasn't to say that anyone who doesnt go to college is stupid, the point is that anyone who knows exactly dick about foreign affairs shouldn't be criticising someone who has years of experience and education on the matter. And no, I'm not trying to say that the years of experience means they're always right and you're always wrong, it just means they aren't morons and they DO know what they're talking about.

[Kaldaur]

Your argument is completely invalid. Those same celebrities are preaching an end to Bush, not that they themselves should be running the country. Anyone can point out idiocy, regardless of their personal history. Who cares what their high school dropout rate is? It is their right to protest Bush if they so choose, and it doesn't take an BA from Harvard to have that right.

Edit-Forgot to point out something. I wonder the education level of our soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War. Many had no clue about foreign affairs, or trade embargos, or what exactly the differences between South Africa and China were. They did know that they didn't like what was happening with their lives and liberty, so they took action accordingly. So, too, are people who are supporting or protesting the war. They see something they do/do not like, and they act accordingly. Don't slam them because they didn't go to school for the "required" ten years to become "qualified" to run our country.

[Forthe]

Do you think that means Bill Gates knows more about forgein affairs than Colin Powell? Or that George Bush should be calling Bill Gates stupid because he thinks XP sucks?

The point wasn't to say that anyone who doesnt go to college is stupid, the point is that anyone who knows exactly dick about foreign affairs shouldn't be criticising someone who has years of experience and education on the matter. And no, I'm not trying to say that the years of experience means they're always right and you're always wrong, it just means they aren't morons and they DO know what they're talking about.

I'd say after you listed 16 people's academic histories in order to discredit their opinions that was exactly your point.

George Bush has demonstrated his diplomatic and geographic (sorry had to) weakness many times. It was commonly acknowledged that foreign policy would be his weakness when he took office. He hasn't disappointed.

[Brotha]

I clarified what I thought the point was and how I was taking it, but if you insist that I'm somehow trying to imply that someone's intelligence is based on their level of education, then keep on believing it.

Someone's education level does reflect how much they know on certain issues, however. If you don't see something ironic about a high school dropout with a career of acting behind them calling a harvard grad with decades of experience in political affairs a moron then there's really nothing I can say to make it more obvious.

All of this does not invalidate their opinions by default, it's just information you'd want to know about someone before you listen to what they have say in regards to foreign affairs and national security.

[kyoukan]

Do you want a list of university educated actors and politicians that never made it to college now? Because I can throw together a list fast enough. Or do you just want to concede that this artcicle is a partisan, biased piece of shit without me making you look like a stupid fucking moron again?

[noel]

The article proves nothing. For reasons that have been sited, and also because of the biased nature in the selection of individuals. This thread should probably be retarded.

[Brotha]

Sorry some people didn't find this article article interesting/funny as I did. I wasn't pretending to say that this was from some credibile source of information or that it was some informative article, only that it was entertaining.

And making me like a stupid fucking moron again? When have you ever done that Kyoukan? Your flames are terrible, although by sheer quantity every now and then you're able to make something slightly more entertaining than Searyx's Morons of Norrath threads, and basically all you do is take pot shots at people with one lined quotes that you think somehow make you look superior and seem like an intellectual giant, but unfortunately never seem to quite have that effect. Try muttering something that has the semblance of an intelligent arguement and has more facts and logic to substantiate it than the accusation of Saddam possessing UFOs and maybe, just maybe, you can make a point. Until then, go back to ragging on CT for zerging plane of fear 3 years ago and stay in your little world where Saddam is a benevolant leader and you're the queen of EQ with your 8 man HoT raids, and leave the debating for the sensible people, k?

[Xzion]

Education has nothing at all to do with Intelligence

Not taking sides calling anyone a dumbass, but there are better ways to look at someone...some of the most successfull people in history receved very little or no education

[Spangaloid_PE]

i'm guessing many people won't find anything humerous about war.

war is not fun and should not be the basis for anyones jokes.

when 9/11 happened Comedy Central imediatlly (i suck at spelling) took "that's my bush" off the air. at the time devoting 30 minutes of air time cracking fun at the leader of our country wasn't the right thing to do.

this does not mean we should stop having fun, if you are afforded the oppurtunity, just remember that you are only able to have fun because of the US men and women of our militaries and our allies from the past and present devoting there selfless service for the freedom of our nation.

[Metanis]

These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents, no fact-finding groups, no insight into the minds of those who would destroy our country. They only have a deep seated hatred for all things Republican. By nature, and no one knows quite why, the Hollywood elitists detest Conservative views and anything that supports or uplifts the United States of America. The silence was deafening from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical factory outside of Khartoum, or when he attacked the Bosnian Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo, and not a single peace rally was held. When our Rangers were ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has been attacked on its own soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed by freedom-hating terrorists while going about their routine lives, they want to hold rallies against the war. Why the change? Because an honest, God-fearing Republican sits in the White House.

I think this section deserves some additional scrutiny.

The leftists HATE George W. Bush and everything he stands for.

They can't see how their hate is blinding them. They just don't get it! So sad for them.

It's good to be a Republican with one of the finest President's in history in George W. Bush. It's even better knowing he is supported by such fine patriots as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Connie Rice, and Colin Powell.

I write letters to my crybaby senators here in Wisconsin, Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold and tell them they had better support my President. I don't know how much impact my letters have, but the Senate has been mighty circumspect in being critical of the Administration lately. Except for Mr. Cry Me A River... Tom Daschle. But I think his brain was frozen as a youngster and it's really not his fault.

You can argue all you want... but watch the President at his next news conference. He connects with people and he doesn't bullshit them. (People remember someone else looking them in the collective eye and lying through his serpent teeth, Mr. I Never Had Sex With That Puppy Bill Clinton.)

[kyoukan]

They can't see how their hate is blinding them. They just don't get it! So sad for them.

It's good to be a Republican with one of the finest President's in history in George W. Bush. It's even better knowing he is supported by such fine patriots as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Connie Rice, and Colin Powell.

I write letters to my crybaby senators here in Wisconsin, Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold and tell them they had better support my President. I don't know how much impact my letters have, but the Senate has been mighty circumspect in being critical of the Administration lately. Except for Mr. Cry Me A River... Tom Daschle. But I think his brain was frozen as a youngster and it's really not his fault.

TRIPLE IRONY MEGAPOST

I wish you were smart enough to recognize how stupid you sound.

[Metanis]

TRIPLE IRONY MEGAPOST

I wish you were smart enough to recognize how stupid you sound.

Hey Kooky, I wish you could see how your posts have painted you as a bitter and fearful wannabe. You are obviously intelligent, but you are empty as a person. You have little insight and less wit. You are full of book learning but have no empathy or sympathy. I don't know what happened to you as a child but maybe you should get some expert help?

Meanwhile, I will remain gloriously stupid as a happy Christian, Conservative, Middle-Aged, Republican, Male, Ex-Marine, Workaholic, Taxpaying, Opinionated, Husband, Breadwinner, and Father.

What do you do; besides whine?

[kyoukan]

Heh I am not the one saying "the liberals" are too blind to see reality on one side of my mouth and then gushing all over Bush like a puppy dog and calling my senators crybabies simply because they are democrats.

I think what I said was fairly succinct. I am not a mean person by nature, but when I see stupid, I say stupid. And you are stupid.

[Kelgar]

LOL.

OMFG.

You are going to sit here and spout off his Ivy League credentials? Look up the word "nepotism" sometime. Any fucking chimp could get into Harvard or Yale assuming that its father happened to be head of the CIA.

Trying to infer that he had any true scholastic merit is like trying to paint Richard Simmons as a raging heterosexual.

[Marbus]

While I firmly support the President and his troops lets don't start the Clinton bashing here. While he made mistakes in twisting the truth, the issue should have never been brought it. J.R.Starr was/is an idiot and the whole mess made us the laughing stock of the world. In regards to education Clinton will put all those but Dr. Rice to shame. And while I do NOT believe formal education dictates how intelligent someone is, it does give them a broader base of knowledge and experience to pull from simply due to their exposure to different ideas and topics. Given though that those topics may not always be relevant...

While I won't be a brash as Met, I will say that I think Barbra S. needs to STFU along with many others in Hollywood. Let's face it Dick Cheney IS the smokin' man from X-Files For some reason that actually makes me sleep a little better at night

One day I would like to see some moderate democrats again, that is what Powell really is, he had to switch parties because of all the freaks. Maybe Gen. Clark can change that in 2008, what a great ticket that would be "Clark and Powell in 08!" Ah but I'm probaby dreaming and will eventually have to switch parties and become a Republican...

Marb

[Millie]

George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

"Thanks, dad!" Bush got into Yale because his father and grandfather went there. He got into Harvard because of who his father was (a very powerful figure at the time, even before becoming VP, and later, President).

It's pretty much guaranteed that you'll get into Yale if your father went there. I know, because I went there and I saw the kind of idiots they let in on what they call 'legacy.' So merely having attended Yale and Harvard doesn't mean dick in terms of Bush's credentials.

For the record, Bush was failing out of all his classes at Yale, and his dad had to buy off his professors in order to get him straight C's. That's the very pinnacle of "smart," if you ask me! He also scored a 1000 or so on his SATs -- and considering that Yale and Harvard pretty much cap their minimum SAT scores at 1400, it's pretty shady that Bush got in.

He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard.

Bush went AWOL for 4 of the 6 months he was in military service. Why? To snort cocaine and drink himself silly. Same thing he did at Old Blue.

He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986.

Bush Sr. is a wealthy oilman, and his son ends up working in the "oil and gas business." Gee, what a coincidence.

He was elected Governor on November 8, 1994, with
53.5 percent of the vote. In a historic re-election victory, he became the first Texas Governor to be elected to consecutive four-year terms on November 3, 1998 winning 68.6 percent of the vote.

"Thanks, dad!"

Being elected governor of a state like Texas isn't much of an accomplishment. Hell, I could probably go down to much of rural Texas with a flashlight and wow the locals with my "mystical" ability to shoot beams of light out of my "magic wand." In other words, thems folks ain't purty smart-like.

Someone began circulating a false story about his I.Q. being lower than any other President. If you believed it, you might want to go to URBANLEGENDS.COM and see the truth.

Nobody knows which presidents have had the lowest and highest IQs, because IQ can only be measured accurately by test. None of the presidents, with the exception of JFK, ever took an authorized IQ test. Judging someone's IQ by their credentials and 'accomplishments' is an extremely imprecise science.

It's good to be a Republican with one of the finest President's in history in George W. Bush. It's even better knowing he is supported by such fine patriots as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Connie Rice, and Colin Powell.

How many times do I have to tell you, dude? Puff, puff, GIVE.

[Pherr the Dorf]

You also might wanna add a few things about Bush jr's oil companies. In the West Texas energy business, George W. Bush started out researching who owned mineral rights. He later traded mineral and royalty interests and invested in drilling prospects. He had started his own oil and gas company by 1978, taking $17,000 from his education trust fund to set up Arbusto Energy (arbusto means Bush in Spanish). The company fell on hard times when oil prices fell. He made several attempts to revive the business, first by changing the company's name and later by merging with other companies. In 1983, Bush’s company was rescued from failure when Spectrum 7 Energy Corporation, a small oil firm owned by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds, bought it. Bush became chief executive officer. Harken Energy Corporation acquired Spectrum 7 in 1986, after Spectrum had lost $400,000. In the buyout deal, Bush and his partners were given more than $2 million worth of Harken stock for the 180-well operation. Bush became a director and was hired as a "consultant" to Harken. He received another $600,000 of Harken stock, and has been paid between $42,000 and $120,000 a year. By the spring of 1987, Harken was in need of cash. So Bush and his fellow Harken officials met with Jackson Stephens, head of Stephens, Inc., an investment bank in Little Rock, Arkansas (Stephens contributed $100,000 to the Reagan-Bush campaign in 1980 and gave another $100,000 to the Bush dinner committee in 1990.) Stephens arranged for Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) to provide $25 million to Bush’s company in return for a stock interest in Harken. As part of the deal, Sheikh Abdullah Bakhsh, a Saudi real estate tycoon and financier, joined Harken's board as a major investor. Stephens, UBS, and Bakhsh each had ties to the infamous, scandal-ridden Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI). In 1990, Bush sold his remaining stock options and left the oil business. Writer Jack Colhoun revealed some details of that stock sale, referring to Bush by his childhood nickname “Junior”. On June 22, 1990, George Jr. sold two-thirds of his Harken stock for $848,560-a cool 200 percent profit. The move was well timed. One week after Junior sold his stock, Harken announced a $23.2 million loss in quarterly earnings and Harken stock dropped sharply, losing 60 percent of its value over the next six months. "There is substantial evidence to suggest that Bush knew Harken was in dire straits in the weeks before he sold the $848,560 of Harken stock," asserted U.S. News & World Report. The magazine noted Harken appointed Junior to a 'fairness committee' to study possible economic restructuring of the company. Junior worked closely with financial advisers from Smith Barney, Harris Upham & Company, who concluded "only drastic action could save Harken."

[vn_Tanc]

In-fucking-credible.

The silence was deafening from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical factory outside of Khartoum

It may have been quiet in idiot-land but out here in the real world quite a fuss was made.

or when he attacked the Bosnian Serbs in 1995 and 1999

UN operation, I believe.

He bombed Serbia itself to get Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo, and not a single peace rally was held

A NATO operation. The UN didn't oppose it.

When our Rangers were ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from Hollywood

Not many people protest against UN humanitarian missions.

Yet now, after our nation has been attacked on its own soil, after 3,000 Americans were killed by freedom-hating terrorists while going about their routine lives, they want to hold rallies against the war. Why the change? Because an honest, God-fearing Republican sits in the White House

Now it becomes clear where you get your blinkered opinion of "liberals". People want to protest against an illegal war against a country UNINVOLVED in 9/11 and you think it's because a retarded christian fundamentalist is in power. You credit your opponents only with close-minded attitudes and narrow thinking because it is all you understand.
I have wasted my time reading your posts before because I do not shelter myself from opinions that do not agree with mine. I DO however refuse to listen to people who have no respect for other opinions, no interest in the truth beyond their own beliefs and I certainly don't waste my time trying to understand simpletons.

I don't give a shit how old you are, how many medals you have, how many brats you've managed to beget or what colour you are. All I care about is whether or not you're a thinking human being or a retarded piece of TV-educated shit. Brotha and Metanis repeatedly prove themselves to be the latter.

[kyoukan]

When our Rangers were ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from Hollywood

other than that $120 million summer blockbuster movie h'wood made and dedicated to the soldiers you mean?

yeah.. other than that.

[Cartalas]

When our Rangers were ambushed in Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep was heard from Hollywood

other than that $120 million summer blockbuster movie h'wood made and dedicated to the soldiers you mean?

yeah.. other than that.

I wonder how much of that 120 million went to the familes of said soldiers?

Im guessing none, 120 million blockbuster movie my ass the only reason it was made is because it had Action and a story.

[Gurugurumaki]

WE NEED NEW CHOPPERS!!11!!!

[Millie]

I wonder how much of that 120 million went to the familes of said soldiers?

Im guessing none, 120 million blockbuster movie my ass the only reason it was made is because it had Action and a story.

Why don't you find those facts out before you bitch about them? That's the problem with you Bush supporters -- you don't rely on facts; instead, you depend on how vocal you can be, and how far you can stretch assumptions.

If you're going to condemn the makers of Blackhawk Down for not supporting the families of those soldiers, you need to make damned sure that you're right. It's completely unprofessional, not to mention unethical, not to do your homework before you call someone out.

[Gurugurumaki]

I wonder how much of that 120 million went to the familes of said soldiers?

Im guessing none, 120 million blockbuster movie my ass the only reason it was made is because it had Action and a story.

Why don't you find those facts out before you bitch about them? That's the problem with you Bush supporters -- you don't rely on facts; instead, you depend on how vocal you can be, and how far you can stretch assumptions.

If you're going to condemn the makers of Blackhawk Down for not supporting the families of those soldiers, you need to make damned sure that you're right. It's completely unprofessional, not to mention unethical, not to do your homework before you call someone out.

Even more so when done on VV, now go do some work!1

[Cartalas]

I wonder how much of that 120 million went to the familes of said soldiers?

Im guessing none, 120 million blockbuster movie my ass the only reason it was made is because it had Action and a story.

Why don't you find those facts out before you bitch about them? That's the problem with you Bush supporters -- you don't rely on facts; instead, you depend on how vocal you can be, and how far you can stretch assumptions.

If you're going to condemn the makers of Blackhawk Down for not supporting the families of those soldiers, you need to make damned sure that you're right. It's completely unprofessional, not to mention unethical, not to do your homework before you call someone out.

Gee I wonder if the Research was done when the original post was made I doubt it. But if it make you happy Ill jump out and take a look.

[Zamtuk]

Would some paragraphs kill you Pherr?

[Crav]

I'm not going to argue over who's stupid and who isn't as far as celebs and politicians go, however, I am going to address one remark in Millie's post.

Being elected governor of a state like Texas isn't much of an accomplishment. Hell, I could probably go down to much of rural Texas with a flashlight and wow the locals with my "mystical" ability to shoot beams of light out of my "magic wand." In other words, thems folks ain't purty smart-like

While I must agree that the last two governors of Texas have been pretty weak, saying that they got elected just because "thems folks ain't purty smart-like" is a bit off. Bush and Perry got elected because we were the first introduced to the campaigns of Karl Rove. That man could get a rock elected to any office in this country. While I will say that outside of Austin, the rest of Texas is pretty much conservative to the core and will vote for anyone who is on the Republican ticket, that doesn't mean that the whole state is full of back wood yokels.

[Voronwë]

in the south it is easy to manipulate public opinion.

for instance Sonny Perdue won here in Georgia for a few reasons: 1. Roy Barnes ran an inept campaign. 2. there are a bunch of stupid rednecks in georgia, and 3. those stupid rednecks want their STARS AND BARS on the state flag, and good 'ole Sonny tole' 'em that if'n they 'lected him, well, sure-as-shootin' we'd put it to a vote.

well guess what you stupid crackers: we are going to put it to a vote, except your STARS AND BARS ain't gonna be on the ballot.

but actually Sonny Perdue seems to be an respectable guy =). But its easy for republicans to win in the south these days. the electorate is easy to predict and manipulate.

[Marbus]

Heh, not to change the subject... but I need to clarify Vor's post. Are you saying they are going to remove the Confed. Flag portion from the Georgia State Flag without letting people vote on it?

The company I use to work for has a LOT of small telephone companies in GA. After meeting some of those people I'm not sure I would want to be the person to take their "flag" away. You did see the movie Deliverance right?

Marb

[Voronwë]

they did a couple of years ago Marb.

brief history of the Ga. Flag.

until 1956 it looked like this.


well them brown folks started ta git uppitity so we fixed em good to this:



and a couple years ago it got changed to this:



which is relatively similar to the first ever Georgia Flag:



But no, it was a legislated change (in all instances) not a referendum which led to the flag change.

by the way the only city in georgia with any sort of revenue generation is Atlanta, which depends heavily on conventions and events. Having a confederate flag is bad for business, bad for revenue, which means that money from atlanta doesnt flow to rural counties to subsidize farmers and pay for their high school football stadiums, etc.

[Pherr the Dorf]

Would some paragraphs kill you Pherr?

Heheh I am paragraphaphobic

[Jice Virago]

Best republican president of all time was Nixon, hands down. He was quite possibly the best foriegn policy president ever also. Had he not lost so much face over fucking up and going along with watergate, he would have been the president who got us out of Vietnam with our dignity intact. As it was, the Watergate scandle crippled his credibility and his rivals in foreign diplomacy capitolized on that. Expect more of the same to happen to GW.

Also, Powell aside, none of the current administrations power brokers can hold a candle to Kissenger in terms of long term planning and achievement. The Nixon administration did what it did (for better or worse) out of ideology. The current administration (again Powell excepted) is in it for the money (gratz Chaney company making assloads of cash on rebuilding Iraqi infastructure) and, apparently if Bush is to be believed, some sort of christian crusade. These trends are not even new to the Republican party, but were facets introduced in the Regan era when the fundementalists really took over the party and made it lose its focus.

[Millie]

Nixon actually escalated the conflict in Vietnam for several years before finally phasing our troops out of the region. So whether we pulled out of that war with "dignity intact" is questionable.

His real success in foreign policy was the opening of relations with China. His detante policy was a major turning point in the Cold War -- and, one might argue, one of many events that began the process of unraveling the Soviet Union.

Kissinger deserves most of the credit for the diplomatic coup with China, but Nixon gets some props for having gone through with it. It was a risk that paid off well.

[Spangaloid_PE]

um, the vietnam war only lasted as long as it did because of Nixon. he wanted to get re-elected and without a war he felt he would lose, so he made sure the war lasted untill he was re-elected.

that to me is a shitty president imo.

[Marbus]

Ah that's right, this new Gov. said he would consider adding it back... thanks for the information. Personally I like the new flag, very prestegious.

In regards to income though don't foget Dalton. If I remember correctly it has the highest per % of millionaries per acre in GA. Lot of rednecks there making carpet

.......

Nixon did our country a great service by helping to open up China. I think I'll bow out his other issues....

Marb

[Neost]

If GWB got assistance from Stephens, Inc here in Arkansas there's your link...

Stephens was involved in the formation and rise of Systematics, Inc who has ties to the CIA. Systematics produces banking software for banks all over the world and put hidden backdoors into their software so the CIA could track money all over the world. They were eventually bought out by ALLTEL Communications, Inc and the CIA had an opportunity to test out what is now know as Carnivore. What most people don't realize is that the CIA can now listen in on your cell calls, telephone calls, read your email, etc. etc. with the NSA as the front.

Also, let's not forget all the CIA connections to Bill Clinton and the black bag ops that were run through the Mena, AR airport.

Maybe both were just CIA lackeys put into power to bring the world to the point it is now and it's ALL A CIA PLOT!!!!!!!

Then again, maybe I shouldn't post while taking 3 kinds of cold medicine.

[Metanis]

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/71842.htm

March 26, 2003 --
It has become painfully obvious that America faces a threat from within.

The threat comes not just from terrorists who have managed to penetrate America's porous borders - the 9/11 terrorists, for example - though that danger is real enough.

It also comes from disgruntled Americans - converts to militarized Islam or to radical anti-Americanism.

In a sense, these folks are more dangerous, because they often enjoy full rights as U.S. citizens: Not only do our laws protect them, but so does our culture.

Take Sgt. Asan Akbar - the alleged turncoat who rolled live grenades into the tents of his sleeping superiors Sunday in Kuwait, killing one and injuring 15.

In nearly every early report of the incident, Akbar's religious persuasion - he was a convert to Islam - was omitted.

Why? Because in America, it's verbotten to even hint that religion or heritage may be a factor in criminal behavior.

Ironically, the taboo against citing religion became stronger in some quarters (including, notably, the press) after the 9/11 attacks.

So, Sunday, journalists played dumb to his background, and even his chosen name, Akbar - an Arabic word that's part of the terrorists' battle cry, "Allahu Akhbar," meaning "God is great."

The motives offered for his attack: He had "an attitude problem." He was upset because his commanders decided to keep him out of the battle.

But a Los Angeles Times report may shed light on Akbar's true loyalties: Upon being caught, he reportedly told his captors, "You guys are coming into our countries, and you're gong to rape our women and kill our children."

You guys?

Our countries?

Wasn't he American, too?

The attack recalls another incident, in 1991, when the Army's 84th Engineering Company was preparing for action in the first war against Saddam Hussein.

According to the Seattle Times last November, someone set off a thermite grenade in a tent with 16 soldiers. Though no formal charges were brought, the Army's Criminal Investigation Division reportedly came up with a lead suspect: John Allen Muhammad.

If that name sounds familiar, it should: He's the adult suspect in last fall's Beltway sniper attacks. No one wanted to talk about his religion, either.

Then there are sympathizers, like Lynne Stewart, the lawyer for Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman, who is serving a life sentence for terroristic plotting.

Stewart faces charges she aided Rahman in issuing instructions to an agent linked to his terrorist organization, the Islamic Group.

She claims she was exercising her free-speech rights. But federal prosecutors liken her verbal distractions to those of an accomplice who distracts security guards in a bank heist.

Meanwhile, the second and third members of the "Lackawanna Six" - a potential sleeper cell based near Buffalo and linked to al Qaeda - pleaded guilty this week, and more such pleas are expected.

At a mosque as close to home as Brooklyn, a Yemeni cleric, Al Hasan al-Moayad, was accused of raising millions that was then funneled to al Qaeda.

Prison imams and military chaplains are said to have been tapped on recommendation from Saudi Arabian Wahhabi groups, some with ties to terrorist or terror-sympathizing organizations.

As researchers like Frank Gaffney, Jr., Steve Emerson and Post columnist Daniel Pipes have suggested, numerous student associations, professors, fund-raising groups and political organizations with similar ties have embedded themselves deep into American culture.

Recently, a Florida professor, Sami Al-Arian, was indicted on 50 counts of racketeering, extortion, money-laundering, perjury and fraud linked to his role as head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in America.

And so on.

Radical Islam is a domestic threat; it's a potentially deadly mistake to pretend otherwise

[kyoukan]

better start rounding them up and putting them into internment camps until they learn to behave.

[Millie]

Maybe internment camps aren't a powerful enough deterrent. Maybe we should round up EVERY Muslim on the continent, and send them to death in gas chambers!

I'll phone up my old buddy, Metanis. Maybe he wants to be my Minister of Propaganda.

[Pherr the Dorf]

Hey it's in the Times... don't fucking question the Times

[Millie]

edit: nm, sick of this thread

[kyoukan]

its just an op-ed piece anyway.

an extremely racist and paranoid one but its still just fluff