NotBond

Do I still hold that talking "nice nice" to terrorists doesn't work? Absolutely yes: 10/8/85 - Disabled American Leon Klinghoffer is shot in the forehead and thrown overboard, still in his wheelchair, by Pakistan terrorists who boarded the cruise ship Achille Lauro. 12/21/88 - Pan Am flight 103 blown up over Lockerbie, killing 270 people. 9/11/01 - Terrorists hijack planes and fly them into buildings in the US - 2,998 dead 9/1/04 - Terrorists take over Breslan School, holding over 1100 people hostage. Ultimately, 334 were killed. (Islamic) terrorists have carried out more than 12 thousand (12,000) deadly attacks since 9/11. Sura (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah." Sura (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". Sura (8:39) - "And fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah" I could list hundreds more instances like the above, but I don't want writers cramp. You can choose to research other incidents, or the underlying philosophy if you want, or not. If you choose not to, then there is nothing that I can say that will convince you that the people (and I use that word loosely) who whose stated goal is the destruction of this country, are not trustworthy, not nice, and would just as soon slice off your head as look at you. If you continue to think in this way, then you are simply one of the sheep that it is my job to protect from the wolves. The sheep don't believe in the wolves, or the danger therein, and will not believe there is a danger until their neighbors have blown off limbs from the IED placed in the shopping mall, or are dying from the chem/bio agent that was released upwind, or into the food chain, or perhaps sprayed onto the salad bar. And that's fine, I accept that, it's my job. And if there are no sheepdogs (protectors) near you if/when the bad stuff happens, I wish you luck. Doug Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Actually, you may have something there...after all, it was the US that unleashed Windows upon an unsuspecting world. Probably morph into Skynet in a couple years, start a nuclear war, exterminate mankind, and eventually transform into the Borg..... Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Welllll, ok, we'll take Mickey D's with us, but you have to keep Starbucks! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

I get so tired of hearing how America screws up the rest of the world. I would LOVE to shut of ALL foreign aid for one year, to everyone outside of the USA and see how you guys fare. Many of the smaller and poorer countries that pretend to be "freinds" while bashing us in the back rooms, would be huddled around friggin campfires eating rocks inside a couple months. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Whoops, double check. That post was Chuck, #24. I simply quoted it. I have a solution. Dr. Strangeglove is on TCM tonight, let's all watch and see how arguments are supposed to be settled! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Not if your opponent’s goal is for you to change who you are and what you stand for. Not if your opponent’s goal is for you to change who you are and what you stand for. A good point. My question was somewhat retorical, because it's not black and white but varying shades of grey. We've taken some steps in this country that have removed some freedoms. Are we safer for it. Perhaps. Are we more like the enemy because we've removed some freedoms in order to be safe? Yes, in some ways. Kind of a vicious circle. Where does it stop? Who says "Ok, enough freedoms have been removed to guarantee safety"? Or, who says we need to remove more in order to preserve our way of life? Perfect example: I need to comply with the TSA screening in order to enjoy unrestricted commercial air travel. But, in order to enjoy unrestricted air travel, I have to restrict myself at the gate (search, those stupid 3oz containers, etc). Vicious circle. I don't have a pat answer, there is none. Your trade of freedoms for safety may not be mine and vice versa. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

What if, in order to be better than your opponent, you have to become like him? Or, more precisely, do some of the things your opponent does, in order to win? Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

So does slaughtering 3000 innocent men, women and children - civilians. If a rabid pit bull is rushing down the street towards you with hate and intent, you don't offer him a doggie treat! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

As long as we don't go too far in the other direction. Like treating terrorists like speeders and giving them a friggin ticket..... Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

The problem is, a large share of the population has no idea what we face. To those in law enforcement, military, or civilian preparedness, it's pretty clear - we face an enemy who's stated goal is our destruction as a nation, and death our our citizens if we do not "convert" to their way of life. Period. If a gang of thugs, with a history of torture and death moved into my neighborhood and directly threatened my family, I either remove their ability to harm me, or eliminate them. Remove the threat, one way or another. Talking "nice nice" to them doesn't work, it never has. Since we have an "open" nation, with borders made out of swiss cheese, it makes our self protection extremely difficult without going to a dictatorial State. And if we go down that road, they have won. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

playing old Dean Martin records real loud. Sure! "Ain't It a Kick in the Head"! One of my favorites! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

People who are not willing to do what is necessary to win wars will eventually be oppressed by people who are. We DO hold ourselves to a higher standard. That's why our "torture" consists of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and playing old Dean Martin records real loud. Their's consists of rape with splintered broomsticks, daily beatings, genital eletrocution, and a variety of other wonderful things. Get a grip on reality before you are a muslim by force. Idiots. Geez. +1 Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

To paraphrase a scene in Red October: "I said speak your mind, Richard, but Jesus!" Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Thanks for the honesty!

Actually Wendy, the comparison of actual birth certificates would be great. All we've seen is the Certificate of Live Birth, which can be duplicated over and over.... And Chuck, I have been to the site you mentioned. Didn't care for the "Obama's a total fraud" tone, but the COLB material from Berg was on there. Interesting reading, but it's the same as Polarik's stuff. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

puppy? I'm sure it's not cause I'm soft and cuddly. Must be cause I'm inexperienced and keep coming back for more. That may mean I'm stupid, too. Anyway, I forgot to answer Dave, so I present this: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2136816/posts (Why don't these links automatically link? This is the first forum I've seen where they don't hyperlink) Now, before you guys get out the torches and pitchfoks, let me say that I don't buy the "changed seal" stuff. The pixelation between the letters was very interesting, but I did some experimenting on my BC last night and could NOT come up with the same level of obviousity that is claimed appears on Obama's BC. This, and a few other things, is creating some doubt in my mind, to the point where I can honestly say "I don't know. It doesn't seem as clear anymore, so I can no longer take a stand one way or another at this time." Ok, have at it! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Demean and denigrate? Who ARE you people??? I posted my opinion that I had doubts about his eligibility, based on information available to me. The major part of the OP was lamenting the lack of, what I shall call, proper behavior expressed in public as a whole, and a seeming drift from principles. You are free to disagree or not with my opinion. Instead it became a dogpile, with me being accused of God knows what. I was challenged to provide my birth certificate online - which I did. Sorry I didn't know about the larger resolution rates of line drawings or black and white. I'm not a graphic artist. Excuse me for not being the computer guru. Are you folks this cruel and hateful in person? If it's true that internet forums expose a person's true personality, then this is a scary place. My God, I posted an opinion and I end up defending my very existance and birthright. It's been posted previously on DZ that "skydivers are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet". That sure seems in doubt right now, when you look at the responses to a simple difference of thought. Some of the posts in this thread would make skinheads or Brownshirts proud. I have struggeld to respond in a calm, considerate manner, but I got to tell you, I'm bangin my head on the desk here. I simply cannot believe the venom in some of these responses. If you people act this way in person, I'm not sure I even want to be around you folks. And the moderator is nearly as bad! Just what are you moderating - or are you screening out the death threats against me? Sorry if I offended anyone. I have an opinion, I'm entitled to my opinion, and don't feel I need to defend it anymore. You don't like it - fine with me. I may not like yours either. So what. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

No, you did not. You linked to two opinion pieces! And two quoted explanations on the origin of of the phrase "bread and circuses", a scanned copy of an actual birth certificate from Indiana circa 1960, and a cut and paste of Article II of the US Constitution. My request to you stands - please provide references to the "known reality" that you spoke of. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

I think the term "cowboy diplomacy" summed it up well. Actually the actor portion came in handy, as Reagan was known as "The Great Communicator" - lousy actor, but good public speaker in getting his points across, even if he did stumble over his words sometimes. Not like Bush, who just gets it wrong..... While "Star Wars" didn't really pan out it accomplished two things - developed new space technologies, and forced the Soviets into a fatal spending spree trying to keep up, backrupting them and directly causing the fall of the Soviet Union. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Thanks for kind intro....

"known reality"!? Are you joking? Known to whom? I provided references to substantiate my opinions and claims - would you be so kind as to do the same? Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

[replyFine. But what is your fault is that despite the above you are continuing to claim, against all established facts of the matter, that you have just produced more proof of your citizenship than Obama did. That is a flat out lie. Put the partisan filters down and come and join the rest of us in reality. It's nice here, you'll like it. It has nothing to do with partisanship. I stopped supporting the Republican Party years ago. I consider myself an independant, and didn't vote for either main candidate. I'm also not "continuing to claim". I said it once, based upon my belief that my birth certificate was more "believable" that the one Obama has posted. I may not have as many data points (haven't counted them), but my OPINION is based on 1) mine looks more genuinely old, 48 years to be exact, with fading and wrinkles. It's not fresh as a daisy and pristine, and 2) mine has a Notary Seal in the lower left corner. Where's the one on Obama's? What truly disappoints me is the amount of insulting, nasty, venomous responses posted in response to a simple personal opinion. What happened to repecting a difference of opinion? Even the moderators got into it. I thought they were supposed to be neutral? Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

This is getting tedious. The smaller BC I posted was limited by the upload limits - which are 100kb when I posted. Not my fault, I had to reduce it for posting. Want a screenshot of the red warning lettering saying my attachment exceeds the size limits? The amount of info has nothing to do with anything - I posted a genuine copy of an Indiana BC from 1960 - that's all the info they put on those things from that time. Again, not my fault. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

Then you really, truely, do not have a clue what you are talking about I really must respond to this one: United States Constitution, Article II, Section 1: No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. Which does nothing whatsoever to change the fact that you just don't know what you're talking about. Ok, fine. BTW, I like your sig line - a very good movie. Love Slim Pickins riding the ICBM down to target! Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne

He fucking has provided it, and more than you have. Then you really, truely, do not have a clue what you are talking about I really must respond to this one: United States Constitution, Article II, Section 1: No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyways... - John Wayne