The question is for you Cicero...did you believe it was clear early in the Iraq war invasion that the war was illegal and believe people were screaming to charge Bush and Dick Cheney as war criminals...then what did you do about it? Did you sit behind your TV and just watch everything, or did you get up out of your chair and put down the game controller and do something productive about it....anything, and I don't mean complain on the forum or tell your neighbors how it should be....I mean actually did something about it?
...Well, you really shouldn't answer a question with a question. But I'll will play. To be honest, during the Iraq war invasion, I was one of those caught up in the war propaganda and truly believed that Iraq was a justifiable war. For a while I defended the actions, and defended what I thought was the leader that shared my values and had my interests and the interests of the nation. I was quite naive at that time. While going on with my daily life, I participated in online forums and participated in the political debates. While researching on the many topics discussed on these forums search through the infinite information on the internet, I began exploring different information, different ideas, and different analysis that is not being discussed in the MSM. It took me a while to research and educate myself to the tactics of the state, and not so much on the specific policies of the state which is what is mostly discussed on the cable news networks and the newspapers. I educated myself on rhetoric, propaganda, public relations, and explored new and different political philosophies that are not discussed by the mass media. Then I began to understand the many techniques used by the state and political parties to persuade and mislead the masses by using rhetoric that appealed to tribalism, along with mass media propaganda. I began to realize how the state purposely divides the country along gender, economic, and racial lines, so that there can never be a populist uprising powerful enough to challenge those controlling the government. It was quite sobering and scary at the same time. But over time, as it became more clear that the Iraq war was a folly and even illegal.
I never said it is easy to decipher fact from fiction when a government is pushing propaganda and leading a nation to war. You see by this discussion how difficult it is to have these conversations with not just complete stranger, but also friends and family without getting people angry. That is why most people keep their mouth shut and just go along to get along, for fear of being an unpatriotic "conspiracy nut".
So when you ask "what did I do"? I began to seek out truth in a sea of lies, and learned how to protect myself from being deceived by a government or any other collectivist organization - be it a church, be it a corporation, or any other collectivist organization that wants me to blindly follow for the purpose of empowering the few that are on top - the 1%.
Didn't answer question with a question...thought from your wording you were addressing it to BOX, not me.
Quoted Text
The question is...And this isn't really for you but more for Box.
Anyway, very interesting reply from you. I find the progression you outlined quite interesting. But I wonder if you had used other sources than the path you chose, what your thought process would have been and actions then. There are different schools of thought, right? Doesn't mean your path was wrong...but doesn't mean it was right (that's the part I think you don't get).
As for me, well I admit failure, becuase even though I was oppossed to Iraq and am opposed to the slow withdrawal from Afghan, I was not able to make a difference. I was however able to at least express myself to the Government, and still do when opportunities arise. I along with several other "Viet Vets" (yes, the blood thirsty baby killers that some ignorants like to spit on) wrote letters of disagreement to Congressional members across the country (thousands in all from last I remember)....but as you know, it was a frutiless effort. But, we (the Blood thirsty ones) believe in the right of free speech and right to express your opinions and views, so we did...at least that is something.....more than the "spitters" can claim, for sure.
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
Anyway, very interesting reply from you. I find the progression you outlined quite interesting. But I wonder if you had used other sources than the path you chose, what your thought process would have been and actions then. There are different schools of thought, right? Doesn't mean your path was wrong...but doesn't mean it was right (that's the part I think you don't get).
That is completely what I get. This forum is for debating and for giving opinions. Whether I think your school of thought is right or wrong, or you think my school of thought is right or wrong really doesn't matter. We have both been given the opinions from different perspectives.
Don't you ever wonder why every single cable and broadcast news network are reporting on all the same stories? Don't you wonder why pundits, and the news analysis shows discuss a select few topics that have been chosen by the corporate media to be elevated to the national debate, and only discussed in the traditional liberal/conservative paradigm? As if in a nation of 300+ million, all the news organizations coincidentally report on the exact same 6 stories and only offer two schools of thought when debating issues - either conservatively or liberally.
We are conditioned what to think, not how to think. You are either conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, with us or against us, Coke or Pepsi, Chevy or Ford, MSNBC or FOX. We are presented with false choices all the time, we have been convinced that these are the only and best options. So when somebody like me says I DON'T WANT ANY OF WHAT YOU'RE SELLING, it sounds crazy because I speak outside the current and widely accepted paradigm of choosing the options placed in front of you.
Let me rephrase.......you don't get that your point of view or evaluation of the world and the underlying consipracies you seem to present are not necessarily right or wrong, but rather your interpretation. Yes, you are free to express them (thanka Veteran someday for preserving that right). To answer your question, NO, I do not wonder those things becuase I can see why they are what they are and don't subscribe to a planned subversive conspiracy. I choose to make my own decisions and interpretations based on my mental capacity, which to date is not in a senile state...yet.
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
Let me rephrase.......you don't get that your point of view or evaluation of the world and the underlying consipracies you seem to present are not necessarily right or wrong, but rather your interpretation.
These aren't conspiracies, I'm not suggesting there is a sercret evil plot. I am just pointing out the techniques used by propagandist, PR firms, and political parties to control masses. Start by researching Edward Bernays and his work with Woodrow Wilson.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
These aren't conspiracies, I'm not suggesting there is a sercret evil plot. I am just pointing out the techniques used by propagandist, PR firms, and political parties to control masses. Start by researching Edward Bernays and his work with Woodrow Wilson.
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conspiracy [kənˈspɪrəsɪ] n pl -cies 1. a secret plan or agreement to carry out an illegal or harmful act, esp with political motivation; plot 2. the act of making such plans in secret
Sure sounds like description fits...at least that's what I think.
JUST BECAUSE SISSY SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO...BUT HE THINKS IT DOES!!!!! JUST BECAUSE MC1 SAYS SO DOESN'T MAKE IT SO!!!!!
Sure sounds like description fits...at least that's what I think.
Well no, it isn't a secret plot. They are proven strategies. Many of the techniques have been around for centuries. Just because you are not aware of them, doesn't make it a secret.
"I emphatically denounce Paul Ryan's use of my song 'We're Not Gonna Take It' as recorded by my band Twisted Sister. There is almost nothing on which I agree with Paul Ryan, except perhaps the use of the P90X."
-- Dee Snider,
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Republican sheriff candidate promises not to murder abortion doctors if elected
Republican Frank Szabo of Goffstown had said he believes elective abortions, while legal, are not lawful and that he would arrest any doctor who performs them.
When asked recently whether he would use deadly force to prevent abortions, he said the sheriff should do "everything in their power" to prevent the abortion from happening.
A New Hampshire businessman running for Hillsborough County sheriff has apologized for his statement that he would not rule out the use of deadly force to prevent an abortion from taking place.
This party... The Republican party used to have REAL VALUES. Now it seems that they are all NUTS! Murder a Doctor preforming an abortion??? Well...OK... That's a little too far. JEzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Vice President For Sale... Price $100,000,000.00! ~ Question: Why would anyone spend $100,000,000.00 to bribe an official for the VP slot? ~ Answer: $700,000,000.00!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Vice President For Sale... Price $100,000,000.00! ~ Question: Why would anyone spend $100,000,000.00 to bribe an official for the VP slot? ~ Answer: $700,000,000.00!
ANSWER: because you can
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
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