Ironic.

[cornermouse]

Everything that we used to dislike, even loathe, we have become.

We used to despise torture. Now its become a matter of national policy.

Remember the KGB? We looked down on Russia for having a network of spying on their citizens. Now its become a national policy and we're building our own personal KGB.

Remember the Pravda and the propaganda that they were famous for? Another national policy. Our media now takes White House and Pentagon reports and reads them on air as the news. They also pay our journalists to write favorable articles.

Remember the long lines in Russian stores that the media used to point at? We have them too. So far we have more product and diversity, but as Americans adjust to having less money how long before the corporations start taking available products elsewhere and selling less here?

[C_U_L8R]

1. The republican party is like a big fat pimple

and it's about to blow, It just gets nastier before it gets better.

(apologies for the disgusting analogy.... but republicans have proven to be pretty disgusting)

[sweetpotato]

2. I posted this Thursday on another board...

I was born in 1961 in South Carolina. I have lived here all my life. I don't remember the Cuban missile crisis, and I don't really remember JFK's assassination. I do remember RFK's assassination, and I remember MLK's assassination. (just to put it into some perspective)

I remember growing up during the Cold War. I remember being afraid, very afraid, of the big flash and mushroom cloud that would herald the end of the world. Or World War III. Or whatever. I remember being frightened at the Emergency Broadcast System. I remember trying to figure out where my family would go in case we got nuked. I remember watching horrible documentaries on the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the aftermath. I remember seeing video of those poor "survivors" of the atomic bombs and just being sickened that people can be so cruel to each other.

I remember the USSR being the "evil empire." I remember being told that imperialism was a bad thing and that the USSR and the commies had to be stopped, that they were trying to take over the world and force their brand of government on everyone. I remember hearing about Gulags and torture and human rights violations and how appalled I was at learning such things. I remember being told about the KGB and how people in the Soviet Union were spied upon, lied to by the press, fed propaganda by the media, lied to by their government, and many other what I considered to be atrocities. I remember being very saddened by the fact that the people there were not free. They weren't able to criticize their government, they were not able to protest, they were not able to have much control over their lives.

I remember hearing about other Communist countries wherein the people were treated much like cattle, the leaders were the only true beneficiaries of that country's wealth. No birth control or family planning other than to increase the population led to many children in overpopulated orphanages. I remember not too long ago, orphanages being shown that basically kept the children in cages because there were too many of them. I remember hearing that these children are damaged psychologically and have problems even if they have been adopted into loving caring families.

I remember the long USSR-Afghan war. How we backed the Afghanis against the EVIL, EVIL USSR. I remember being outraged that the Soviets could just decide to invade a country and that they thought that was OK.

I remember "THE WALL" coming down. I remember how happy that made me. I remember rejoicing that the Cold war was over and that we didn't have to worry about "the big one" falling out of the sky and raining fire, death, destruction and radiation on everything. The USSR - the EVIL EMPIRE - fell apart. How could it not? It was so corrupt, wasn't it?

Now I am being told that we are not safe. Terrorists have taken over. We must be on guard.

I am hearing that its OK for the President to spy on us without a warrant because its war time and we must be safe. I am told that the President is above the law because it is war time and we must be safe.

I hear that torture is OK these days too, because this is war time and we must be safe. We must use whatever means necessary to stay safe. Even if it means we violate some human rights. Wait - people who are not Americans, people who are not "with us" have no rights, or they shouldn't have rights.

I hear that we have in our arsenal now - Pre-emptive strikes for self defense. Now if that's not an oxymoron, I don't know what is.

I am also hearing that we (the USA) intends to - no is COMPELLED to - export "democracy" to the world. Our form of government. And by the way, if those countries don't know how to elect officials who are friendly to the US administration, then they must hold elections until they get it right or we (the USA) won't recognize them as government.

I understand the US is arranging to test detonate a "conventional weapon" (non-nuke) in Nevada this year. I have heard a rumor that it is a test to determine the scope of damage from a possible "mini-nuke." Is this in preparation for using it a small nuke or is it intended to be a show of force to co-erce someone to do something.

What has happened?

I fear that the USA is the new EVIL EMPIRE.

Please tell me I am wrong.

[newyawker99]

3. Hi aphopkin!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: