Recently, I had a distasteful conversation with a Lewiston businessman. This man did a great job at a great price with the task I brought him. Our conversation led him to elaborate on problems this country faces. It was a diatribe against various ethnic and religious groups which I will not repeat. Various slurs were used, including the “n” word.
This person believes that even legal immigration is bad for the L-A area; that the poor are unwilling to work; the wealth of the country is held by one religious group; and he had nothing positive to say about Barack Obama.
Attempts I made to dismiss racism as a topic or to dispute his “facts” were ignored.
I left depressed and disheartened. Such views and his vehemence do not lead to greater understanding among people who disagree. Blaming certain groups, or a monolithic, indefinable concept of “the government,” solves nothing and reveals ignorance and a willful disregard for the truth.
I heard hatred and fear in his voice. Perhaps he is unable to adjust in a rapidly changing world. Since he was willing to have this conversation with someone he doesn't even know, he must have assumed I would feel the same way.
Is that type of thinking more widespread than I believe?
Rich, poor, middle-class, white, black — none of us fits easily into one category to be judged by others. Everyone has a story.
Is it too much to give each other the benefit of a doubt?
Dori L. Burnham, Monmouth
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fear & Loathing in Dori Burnhams Mind
What in the World would Hunter S Thompson Think about such a dilemma suggessted by Dori.
Goodness are we approaching another Episode of 4/20 ?
Pirate and Wilma have it right ,as well as Frank.
America is sinking to lower levels the Longer Barak Obama and his Type Remain in Power. am afraid that I do not have an answere to the many who are so confused.
Perhaps read more Books as I do. Get involved with a Political Campaign as I have done.
efinetly listen to as much Music from Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Crosby stills Nash & Young, also Jefferson Airplane and Jimi the flying Burrito Brothers, Byrds with Clarence White. of course Traffic and the Band. Pete Townsend and Daltry of the Who, finally Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper Elvis needs Boats
If nothing else the Salvation that we seek is right in front of our Nose.
Where do the Dori's of the World come from? and where do they go when they have nothing left to steal from Americia?erhaps some one could tell me
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Dori
What Planet are you living on?
Where exactly is the person's dis regard for the Truth?
Or It is your understanding and belief of what the Truth is.
One really has to Ask the Question ?
Dori did you really talk with someone? It would be Nice to hear his side of the Story?
How about it Dori?????????????????
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In a thread already bursting with stupid comments, the previous two rise right to the top, like big ones in a septic tank. The discussion has nothing to do with Zimmerman or Martin. The only people who believe the Tea Party is rife with racism are those who never hoist their noses out of the liberal sycophant media outlets.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Mike,
Please read the column. It explains why Zimmerman did what he did and why the liberals want to lynch him. Your right, this discussion has nothing to do with Zimmerman, but it does give reasons why there will be a coming race war (in his opinion) and hits the nail on the head. Don't for one moment think Fred is a liberal or that the column is more liberal whining.
Go ahead, I dare you. I double dare you.
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That's what happens when the Orkin guy shows up; they come out of the woodwork.
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Read what Fred Reed has to say about all this at
www.fredoneverything.net/Zimmerman.shtml
There is a lot of truth in what he says.
I tend to agree with him in this instance. Surprise, surprise.
ps. Fred in no way can be called a liberal.
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...strikes again.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Thank God we're not going to get anything we haven't asked for
Thank God we're not going to get anything we haven't asked for.
We haul hundreds of thousands of Africans over here against their will, treat them as 'Sub-Humans' - use them as Slave Labor - and label this "The Cornerstone of the Confederacy." Read the Cornerstone Speech by Confederate State Vice President Alexander H. Stephens given March 21, 1861.
We earlier declared war on Mexico, conquered her, and gained undisputed control over area which is now the established the U.S.-Mexican border of the Rio Grande River, and ceded to the United States the present-day states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming., Another 32,000 sq. miles were purchased through a 'leveraged' buyout of Mexican lands in which are now New Mexico and Arizona.
So now some folks are wondering why the Mexicans are coming back, and many African-Americans might not have got over some attitude-issues?
Get used to it. Both of these cultures have higher birth rates than do Caucasian Americans - who will at some time will no longer be the majority in America.
"The United States is undergoing the most profound demographic changes in the country's history so that in a few decades, if not sooner, persons identified (and identifying themselves) as white and tracing their ancestry to Europe will have become part of the nation's racial and ethnic plurality, no longer its numerically dominant racial group. This historic development portends others equally historic and transformative, among these the gradual -- possibly even dramatic -- displacement of white people as the dominating group politically, economically, socially, even culturally."
- See - The Browning of America and the Evasion of Social Justice
And...
The changing face of America: Time-lapse map reveals how non-whites will become the majority in U.S. within 30 years
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond."But parrots will always be
"But parrots will always be parrots, right?" said the bird as he looked at his mentor (me) with a tear in his eye.
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Now there's a Pair a' Rotters for ya.....
<
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Nice wrench. The envy of every plumber in L/A.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.If Obama is reelected, within
If Obama is reelected, within 4 years the predominate color in the US will be pink. But you're already used to it, comrade.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.The man you spoke with Ms.
The man you spoke with Ms. Burnham, is reflective of millions of Americans who cannot adjust to the phenomenon of seeing their country flushed down the toilet of prosperity by a regime (dictatorship) who promised when campaigning to fundamentally transform America. He's doing it. He's transforming America into a third world Banana Republic. Give him 4 more years, and he'll finish the job of finishing America off. Brush up on your spanish.
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And here is pirate proving my point.
Americans who cannot adjust to the phenomenon of seeing their country flushed down the toilet of prosperity by a regime (dictatorship)
The Obama administration is not a dictatorship. a dictatorship is :
a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.(Random House)
Obama doesn't have absolute power. He was elected, and as much as you may disagree with what he is doing, he has worked within the office of the President.
He's transforming America into a third world Banana Republic
No. America cannot be third world because third world refers to nations not aligned with united states(1st world) or the Soviet Union(2nd world).
But hey, don't let me rain on your demagoguery. Keep that garbage truck rollin.
However, I do agree with Brush up on your spanish.
Always a good idea to learn something new, and in this multicultural world, knowing more than one language is powerful. Mandarin would also be a good choice.
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The three alignments are capitalism (1st world), communism (2nd world), and everybody else (3rd world). The latter covers Central and South America, most of Africa, the Middle East eastward through southeast Asia and Indonesia.
If the US is fundamentally transformed to disavow capitalism but not to embrace (overtly) communism, we then belong to the third world, by definition. When Obama starts wearing a ribbon of office, and maybe military utility clothes, we'll be just another classic banana republic.
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If the US is fundamentally transformed to disavow capitalism but not to embrace (overtly) communism, we then belong to the third world, by definition. When Obama starts wearing a ribbon of office, and maybe military utility clothes, we'll be just another classic banana republic.
So then, going from this:
to this
We are moving away from being a banana republic?
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Top picture: Bush
Top picture: Bush hot-dogging
Bottom picture: Hot dog being obama.
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What do those photos have to do with anything?
The military loved GWB. If Obama tried the carrier act, he would be boo-ed more than he was at Fenway. BHO is good at erecting a concerned expression on his puss, especially while watching an operation by US military "assets" put in place by his predecessor.
I was referring to the favorite garb worn by "dear leaders" the world over, especially in banana republics like Cuba and North Korea, the ones pretending to be communist states, when they are really hereditary monarchies.
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"I was referring to the favorite garb worn by "dear leaders" the world over, especially in banana republics like Cuba and North Korea, the ones pretending to be communist states, when they are really hereditary monarchies."
You mean like how GHWB handed to torch off to GWB? I was just pointing out that Obama has never worn anyting like that.
"If Obama tried the carrier act, he would be boo-ed more than he was at Fenway"
So you're saying that he doesn't have the unquestioning support of the military? Isn't that kinda required for a dictatorship? Aren't you really saying that it would be impossible for Obama to become a dictator?
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Certain militaries,
Certain militaries, throughout history, have been known to overthrow a dictatorship or two. They don't ALL have the undying support and loyalty of their military.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.But to have a dictatorship
But to have a dictatorship, you must have a way to enforce your rule, meaning you must have the support of the military. I could say I am the dictator of the world, but it doesn't mean jack without an armed force backing me up
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.I suspect all dictatorships,
I suspect all dictatorships, at one time or another, had the support of their military. Those, like many relationships, go sour at some point , and the next thing you know, some country south of the equator has had a military Junta.
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Sorry about the size
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Someone disagreed with me saying "Sorry" about posting a overly large image of Obama??!?
Are you saying you felt that the image was in proportion to the rest of the page, or are you just spamming disagrees?
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Excellent; the Pirate stands in awe and envy of your articulation.
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Thanks for your breakdown and 'insightful' analysis. We can always count on you to provide us with an opposing view on any topic, regardless of the topic. I've finally figured you out. You'll take an opposing viewpoint to anything I write, regardless of what it is, if only for the sake of opposing. It's your schtick. If you can't come up with anything factual, you'll come up with a great metaphorical fabrication. Have fun, cowboy; have fun.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.Not true.
I have agreed with you many times.
Besides, I posted here first. My first post, which I then referenced when I replied to you, was way before you posted here. Hell, the point I made in that first post was that neither side is wrong, and making out either side as the bad guys is stupid.
Thats what I'm trying to point out. If you paint the other side as evil, it will evoke a similar response and make getting anything done impossible. Then you get what we have - two groups foaming at the mouth, getting nothing done.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond."I have agreed with you many
"I have agreed with you many times."
Pirate rule #287....Everything that is said before 'but' is meaningless.
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Jason Rule #2: Read the post thoroughly before replying.
Where or where, my dear Pirate, did I say "but"
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Said 'but' referral was not in reference to the previous post, but rather the genre of your posts in general. We have an understanding, but.....
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As you can see from above, Paul, one of the talking dead has returned with another long-winded copy-and-paste job.
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Amen, Brother; Amen.
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I have to agree with Mr. St. Jean and that don't mean we truly want to feel this way its was caused as we have had immigrants here for a good many years. None of them came looking for a hand-out. They came looking for a better life and was willing to work for it and become part of the community. This is not happening anymore. We are suppose to change religious or any other beliefs we have cause they offend someone. You read up on some of their Laws and see if you want to live under those laws. The ones that are claiming racism are the ones that actually created it. They seem to be able to call others whatever they choose to. When I grew up the "n" word was not a bad word and no one thought it was until now. Why is that? Things must change in November or heaven help this country as we knew it. We need more like Gov. Jan Brewer in New Mexico, Arizona sheriff Arpaio and Lewiston mayor MacDonald. If you were born here 30 ago or more and can't see where this country is headed then you have your head in the sand. If you roll across the border or show up on a boat and give birth to a child that child is automatically an American and entitled to everything that goes with that honor. That is an insane law and has in a large part contributed to the mess we are in now. No one disputes the fact that some countries are in a terrible unsafe mess but we can't bring them all here and support them with half of our own people out of work cause the jobs are leaving as fast as more people arrive. Social Security and Medicare are going down the tubes as you can see right here in the paper but if it wasn't being handed out to everyone who never paid a dime into it, it would be a different story. Of course with people in office that are only worried about lining their own pockets and have a secure retirement aren't gonna do anything except promise "if they are re-elected" We should know by now that is re-election propaganda and nothing more. Time to throw them all out. When someone with the integrity of Olympia Snowe has had enough cause nothing gets down then its time for the voting public to wake up and smell the roses before it does become a Banana Republic.
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Well stated, Wilma. I got a boot out of your reference to the 'n' word. You're right; back then it wasn't such an overworked big deal. Now, no one even dares to say the actual word in any context for fear of being called a racist, a bigot, or getting a call from the U.S. Secret Service. Doesn't sound like a society that has the right to free speech to me, Wilma. Maybe the speech police have already won, and we don't even know it.
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Would you like to respond? Login or create a new account. You'll need to verify your account before you can respond.The problem
The problem is that it is far easier to demonize the other side than to have a rational debate. Especially with the onset of the 24 hours "News" networks who show more "opinion" shows than actual news.
And then there is Confimation Bias.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias
We tend to believe and see information in a way that favors our opinion, beliefs or theories. So people watch shows that already re-enforce their biases, and see little to no stuff that challenges them. Then, a little mocking here and there and you end up with the Polygamist Billionaire Mexican who want to force women back into the kitchen running against the Kenyan Muslim Antichrist who will most likely order troops to kill Ted Nugent and melt his guns down into syringes for homosexuals to teach children how to get high.
It's all stupid.
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