USA owes Iraq $400 trillion dollars

Dang - I do tend to get riled up... it's either the lack of good sleep from being on a bus for 11 hours or the seven cups of coffee I had to compensate! Either way, I apologize for getting so riled. I've been hypocritic in that regard!

Any politician's payment of funds to put something in the minds of the taxpayers through the media is not governmental regulation. Governmental regulation is when the government makes "a law, rule, or other order prescribed by authority and written down as a form of legislation to govern conduct" (Webster's dictionary). So, once again, these two points you have compared in this statement are non-comparable.

I disagree. I believe that a free press is only free when all persons who can have access to it, do have access to it. If I want to print up a newsletter ranting about whatever, I can, and I believe that you should be able to, criminals should be able to, politicians should be able to, groups (such as interest groups) should be able to, and yes, government entities should be able to.

I hope that you do well in that regard then, but until you actually get onto the campuses right now and see what is going on - perhaps sit in on a chapter of the College Republicans/Democrats (depending on your party affiliation), and then you might get a feel for what I am talking about. Until then, though, please keep my education out of this conversation. I am stating an opinion not based on my education but on my opinions. As for campuses being very liberal, most are, but some are not. It depends on the area. Also, just so you don't think I'm just being sarcastic, I do applaud you for wanting to go into teaching. It's a noble profession, and one held by my mom.

~AJ

 

Yes, and this is why I feel it is something of a non-issue to debate who has free speech. We all do, and when we realize that anybody who wants it (or any group who wants it) can and should have it, then we can move away from defending our country from internal factions and move toward defending against outside intrusion by people who would do America harm.

 

If I do go to Gainesville, it will be a pay cut and I do not belong to any political party but I have voted Republican as of late since the Democrats have gone left of left.

I guess you do not see the government regulating the press if they own it and they will own it if people think it is ok to use government funds to push agendas on NPR or just by buying the article a ruling democrat or republican wants to be published under the lie of objective news. Should Bush use a few hundred million tax dollars to bribe enough reporters to print his parties agenda. Is that freedom of the press or is it proganda. Where does it stop. You are young which means you have enough time to work out your ideas as long as you are as open minded as you say you are.

 

I'm with you on this one aj, as my father and grandfather didn't die in vain so these people could leave the countries they were born in to come over and disrespect ours.

 

Andy, here's my problem with your comments: why is it that because I'm not into my late fourties or older that my opinions and ideas cannot possibly be formed already? That makes me angry when people dismiss what I have to say because I'm not old enough to drink alcohol legally. I call that age-ism, and I believe it to be a form of discrimination.

 

Thanks Dan.

 

Andy, here's my problem with your comments: why is it that because I'm not into my late fourties or older that my opinions and ideas cannot possibly be formed already? That makes me angry when people dismiss what I have to say because I'm not old enough to drink alcohol legally. I call that age-ism, and I believe it to be a form of discrimination.

I wonder whether or not some of our older posters view this the same as I do, or if they think that because a person is young, they don't have opinions worth the merit of serious consideration. Please let me know your thoughts on that.

 

Well age CAN bestow a certain wisdom, but the term old fool did not come out of nowhere.
Younger people have a real leg up in these days though due their greater ability and comfort level with tech. Also younger people are MUCH more media savvy. Older people are a pretty easy target (VERY gullible) that is why con men prey on them and they fall for anything (thus the Bush presidency).

You must know that almost all confidence scheme victims are old.

 

I'm not saying that older people are dumber, and they do have the experience and wisdom of their ages, but that doesn't mean a young person's ideas don't deserve the same merits, as Andy is alluding to when he dismisses my posts as misguided.

 

They really do fall for con men way more than any other group

 

Come on guys!!.....Andy never said that your idea was wrong because you are young...I don't think Andy meant that at all.
Young people have good ideas but it is true that the older you get the more you learn and it shows how much you didn't know when you were young.
When an older person wants to tell us something we should listen....not jump up mad...

Speedy

 

You know, it's comments like this that shows the sad state of our youth and their feelings about political issues. The main focus of politics among kids nowdays is 'let's let our country's older generation do it, they know more because they've lived longer.' We as students MUST stand up and start affecting the things that matter in our lives, and curbing this discriminatory notion of ageism is the first step to do that.

 

AJ
I don't feel that way at all....right now I'm am helping in a compaign for Sheriff and have helped in a County Clerk race before that.
But I do think it is silly for us to say that ONLY the younger people are right and the older people are nothing....that is dead wrong---the younger people have a place in the world and the older people do too.....I have learned much for talking to people that live in a Nursing home...
We DO need to listen and learn from the older guys and gals....if we the younger peope have an idea and want to ask what they think...lets do it but when they point out a problem lets not get mad and just write them off as being mean and old.

Speedy

 

Read my posts, Spencer:

I'm writing the people off who are telling me that my ideas have little or no merit. Please re-read the above posts, Speedy, and I think you will get an idea of why I am angry:

This obviously IMPLIES that my ideas are not already "worked out" or well-formed, and I take GREAT offense at that. And so when you say that "Andy never said that your idea was wrong," you are incorrect.

 

Looks like Iraq is starting to "work off" the debt now.

Iraq official defends 'torture' facility

Thursday, November 17, 2005; Posted: 9:12 a.m. EST (14:12 GMT)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's interior minister has defended a government facility that was found to be holding dozens of prisoners, including some showing signs of torture, saying it held "the most criminal terrorists."

"Nobody was beheaded or killed," a defiant Bayan Jabr told a news conference Thursday, saying that only seven of 170 detainees showed marks of torture.

"Those detainees, those criminal killers inside the bunker were not Indians or Pakistanis or Iranians," he said, waving a stack of passports in the air. "Those are your Arab brothers that came here to kill your sons."

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/17/iraq.detainees/index.html

Bone

 

As you get older and have more life experience you will realize like most of us did, including myself, that intelligence is one thing but life experience is everything and you should start reaching that in your mid to late twenties. Of course in less pampered nations that age is reached much sooner.

How does the expression go, "I am the sum of my experience"
The more the experience one has the larger the sum.

Oh, by the way I am not in my late forties yet, I am more in Midas' range but younger of course.

Thanks Speedy for reading the intent of what I posted correctly and for backing it the post before and after this one.

 

I did read the post....but do this....when ever I read a post that I think was meant mean...I go back and read it with a smile and see if it sounds the same way....sometimes we read things the wrong way and get mad over nothing.

Nothing of the kind....
Do you think the guy that made Coke had it right the first time....no....he had to work, and try it, and make sure there wern't any holes, and make sure that it didn't taste bad.
All Andy said was that at your age you would have much more time than most people to work out your ideas and make them better---I think that was nice of him.
When a person is open minded he listens to anything he can....he reads and reads...that is what many young people our (mine and yours) age needs to do

Again....I'm not speaking for Andy...I'm just saying what I read from his post.

Speedy

 

Whatever. I'm done with this. Nobody here wants to listen to a young kid like me with unformed or worked-out opinions anyways.

 

Just remember, "There are other Lumberjacks out there..." I'm one. Stephen F. Austin State University, SFASU Lumberjacks (Forestry, 1982). Strangely we had the same colors too???

Bone Digger

 

AJ anyone who keeps the same opinions on a topic is wrong in the long term for times and events change as do the need to respond to them. Just look at the isolationists movement in this nation. Perhaps they were right about World War I and we should have stayed out of Europes war. But anyone who is objective would say they were dead wrong after Pearl Harbor and World War II and today we all know that our oceans are not big enough to shield us from the rest of the world. As for cameras in the streets, I would have been against that notion until the first Trade bombing and my liberal viewpoint on a matter like that would turn conservative for security reasons.

Now this was a white bread response for I did not want you to take anything to heart on this matter and you should continue to post if for the very least to practice and improve the craft of debate and to fine tune your views.