That Bitch Condi Faces Some Truths

That is life, in any case I dont hate Americans. They have such spirt!

I am from Okinawa and many Japanese dont consider us such. We had nothing to do with what the mainland people did. We were drafted as labor and our food was taken from us for the military. Many of us starved to death. We were killed by the thousands but not from the enemy but from those who were suppose to "protect" us. They also insisted that we not surrender and killed. Some were forced to jump off cliffs and others banoneted or blown up with hand grenades.

We have not had to "freedom" to determine our own course. American again gave us back to Japan. We were never asked what our course should be but told.

I hope not! My husband would have a rude shock!

* hums the song 'I'm Afraid of Americans' *

Kendra is right and wrong here. Someone can obviously hold any beliefs they want and be in either political party, so saying someone is not a Democrat or Republican due to their political beliefs or even their actions is innacurate. American political parties function vastly differently from political parties in many other nations, in that the people, rather than the platform, is the most important part of them.

However, Kendra's right in the sense that Bush totally abandoned the long-standing fiscal conservatism of the GOP, as well as the ideal of running a cleaner operation than the last Commander-in-Chief. Unfortunately, those were also the two things that I might have even vaguely liked about the man.

On another point, I don't think the country is in "terrible danger" from the right-wing elements of the GOP any more than the country is in "terrible danger" from the left-wing elements of the Democratic Party. I just think they're both the wrong policies for the party and the nation - if either party wants to be truly successful in the long-term, and wants the nation to be successful with them, they need to move to the political center.

I think who the country is in danger from is people of any political stripe who have inconsistent beliefs, and clearly only are using the political system for their own benefit. Categorizing people into this label is clearly a personal decision, and not an empirical one. That's why there are politicians of every ideology who I like and respect and ones of every ideology who I distrust and dislike.

As much as his opinion may not have been informed, he was qualified to express it. You don't have to pass a test to have freedom of speech.

Yet.

Let me get in power, and things will change.

The ability to make words come out of your mouth should not be sufficient qualification to voice an opinion.

Wow. What is sufficient qualification, pray tell? You can't qualify rights with......um....anything. That's pretty much the definition of "rights". Then again, I suppose if you'd rather have an "everyone agrees with me" regime than real democracy, I guess that's how you'd run things. Yes, the ability to make words come out of your mouth is sufficient qualification to voice an opinion. If it weren't (or rather, the ability to type), these forums sure wouldn't exist.

What would be your test for, say, freedom of religion? Or right to trial by jury? Or right to assemble? Or, heck, the right to vote? Maybe we could do it through SAT scores. If you get a 1000, you can vote, if it's 1100, you can express opinions......

That is just what my American friend thought you would say! You only value free speech as long as it agrees with your point of view. Next you will say that only Americans can speak or did I misunderstand you? If you get in power will you round us up again and put us in camps?



My friend does not like either Bush but does not like the other side more so. He almost voted for the Libertarian but got talked out of it when his coworker kept saying "a vote for the Libertarian is a vote for Bush". So he voted for Bush directly!

Vote for me as Supreme Leader of the Universe, and I'll protect you from terrorists like Kojima, who hate freedom!

Wrong. I value free speach that has thought behind it. I think Kendra's views are insane sometimes, but I don't have any problem with her expressing them. But the problem is, you all to often get what you pay for.



I would call that a radical interperation of the text. In SL, in point of fact, I actually have very few friends from the US. My best friends are a slug of canadians and brits, a couple aussies, a tazmanian, a guatamalan, etc. Try your "racist" card elsewhere, it doesn't play here.



Your friend has no strength of convictions, then.

I wouldn't vote for a libertarian at the moment. I disagree with them rather strongly on a couple of issues, and think they have deliberatly made themselves too "fringe". But I easily *could* vote Libertarian for a canidate, if a good one came along.

There are times when voting for the lesser of two evils is all you can do. But it's not anything to be /proud/ of, for God's sake. It's a last resort, at best.

I'll sign on to that. How about a gin-and-hottubs ticket, Ordinal?

I've never decided on a good test, because I'll never take over.

SAT scores test book knowledge. IQ scores would be a little closer, but even then, just because you *can* think doesn't mean you *do* think.

My current "pipe dream" theory is votes should be cast in essay-format. You can only vote if you can explain WHY you are voting for the canidate, and correctly list at three of the canidates views.

I was writing essays like that in sixth grade. If you can't manage that, I don't want you determining how my life is going to be run for the next four years.

I don't want everyone to agree with me, though. Please stop trying to read between the lines.

Right back atcha, Quemosabe.

You cant if from Canada! It is a American only political party.

He said that he did not want to vote for Bush, could not vote for Kerry but still wanted to vote. He voted for Bush because he co-worker pissed him off. Not a good reason true but he is what he is.

I don't think a facist warmonger and a commie-pinko can ever get along much better than we do, Kendra

It's 'cos we're queer isn't it?

Can I start calling you Queen Wasabi, please?

Uh, what?



You're right. It's not a good reason.

In fact, it's a very bad reason. That's the type of votes I want thrown out, even if it was a vote for the same guy I voted for.

Tell your friend he's an imbecile.

Well, she is firey. But I think if you called her "green and slimey" it would be a personal attack.

Would this be one, too?

Only if she's refering to a man's wang. Then, yes, it's a personal attack. Fighting words where I come from, in fact.

How about you can only vote if you've appeared on Secondcast?