Change is coming... (for sale, apartment, rent)

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by JMPerry

Okay, let me weigh in on the affirmative here, with Blackhillsdreams. Never, in the history of the world has a nation come from so little and amounted to so much in 200 short years. We send billions of dollars in various forms of aid from both the government and the private sector to virtually every corner of the planet, every year. Capitalism, operating out of the Judeo-Christian worldview, upon which this country was founded, (notwithstanding the mealy mouthed historical reconstructionists which would have us believe otherwise, in spite of the readily available facts) has made us the richest country on earth.
Meanwhile, all of the humanistic worldview based political systems ever devised, Marxism, Solialism, Communism, etc., have utterly failed, demoralized whole nations, and left millions starving. The hate other countries feel for us, as they bite the very hand feeding them, defending them, and investing in them, is born of envy. The illogical fanatical hatred of all things American or Israeli is spiritually based. And their ally is the elitist liberals of this country who would have us feel guilty because we have worked hard, and acheived the American Dream, and brave men of every generation have fought and died and oversome evil to preserve our right to work for that dream, and not have our success redistributed to those who won't work for it.
And they are delighted that Obama has won the election because they sense a kindred spirit, that will weaken America as he tries to pacify the mad dog fanatics that raise their little children to strap on bombs to destroy the great Satan.
Obama is a man who should never have come to power. He had so many strikes against him, from the hate-preacher who provided his spiritual guidence for his whole life until he threw him under the bus to get elected, to his radical, subversive, terrorist college associates, that, had he been a white, Anglo-Saxon Protestent, he couldn't have been elected dog-catcher in Spudville, Idaho. Of course they celebrate his election. He is one of them. To paraphrase a certain Freudian slip; "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really afraid for my country".

Interesting comment. Obama is not as extreme in veiws or as a pushover for other contries and what you may indicate. Obama had parents who loved him and his grandmother made great sacrifices for him so he can go to college to pursue his education. In the lame duck session of GWB, Obama is showing a willingness to work with Bush and to help with a smooth transition. Obama may very well impress even the hard right.

The right wing trying to demonize Obama, similar to them demonizing the Clintons, is a demeaning practice to put their grip hold on the middle class and scare the crap out of them. Do not forget the mind games that the right wing try to play on the middle class. That is why I have not been a fan of the Republican party and the right wing.

The middle class is smarter than to subject themselves to the anti-Obama propoganda. Democrats who are Christians are just as Christians as those who are in the far right (where some in that group wear Christianity like jewelry and act like the Pharisees in the Bible in their self-rightous attitudes). Obama is a Christian also and he has a sincere interest to help others, especially those who are less fortunate. Isn't the part of being a Christian a willingness to help other and to love thy neighbor. Yes, we as a nation need to fend off threats from those who wish to destroy us, but we can still show compassion to those in need in our country and those around the world (and can do this by standing up for issues and causes).

Our country has developed into a success story from a fledling nation in its early days. It was not easy. But what help was the entreuneurial spirit and the emergence of a middle class. Our country would not be where it is without a sizable middle class and not giving the opportunities for the poor and wretched to improve themselves and work their way up.

End of my rant for now.

[blackhillsdreams]

Chris,

Without going into any specifics, you are saying that every single possible anti-Obama statement/stance is absolutely 100% false and untrue, with none of it whatsoever based in any fact at all and every good thing ever said about him is 100% True?

I don't mean this as an attack, Pro-Bush/McCain statement, or anything else. It's just a question.

Obama has the capability to do good things and certainly has the position to back it up. I truly, deeply, hope he does. I would love nothing more than to be in a position a year or more from now posting here apologizing to all of you for my mistrust of him. I hope that will be the case.

Me, I still have many major concerns. I hope first that he makes some move, in some direction that has some of the terrorist regimes and criminal dictators saying out loud "Wow, he's not the friend to us we thought he was going to be".

I hope second that he lives up to his promises not to tax us into oblivion.

I hope third that he does not go on a major, insane gun control mission in an effort to disarm the public (Actually, I sort of hope that first). There are many rumors that he plans to tax ammunition so much that the price will increase by 3 to 500% making it almost impossible to do any recreational shooting or hunting.

Have you read Michelle Obama's Princeton Thesis? It is so completely racially biased, it is WAAAAAY out of the box. If the potential first lady of a white candidate had written anything remotely in the opposite light, that candidate would be branded a KKK member. One pearl from this reads "Elements of Black Culture which make it unique from White culture such as it language, its music, the struggles and a "consciousness" shared by its people may be attributed to the injustices and oppressions suffered by this race of people which are not comparable to the experiences of any other race of people through this country's history"... While I will not sit here and justify what Blacks suffered in slavery and beyond, to say they were the only ones who suffered is just ridiculous. When the Irish first came here they were second class citizens (probably third or fourth), Chinese were building the railroads and in the winter when they could no longer work, rather than feed them through the winter, they'd kill all of them and bury them in a mass grave because they knew there would be another boat full, next spring. Shall I mention the American INDIANS who STILL live on reservations? Yes Michelle, clearly Blacks were the only ones who suffered... How about her statement "For the first time in my life, I'm really proud of my country"... I wonder how deeply she will identify with the black community now that she's in the White House picking out new furniture and touring private schools for her daughters to attend... Think about it, if McCain's wife had made open statements about wanting to identify more deeply with the White community, he'd have been tarred and feathered. That doesn't even sound right to me. I think people are people and nobody deserves special treatment because of their race or the HISTORY of their race. There are two major themes of her thesis, one is that predominantly White universities cater to their predominantly White students. That is not racism, it's business (as well as democratic by catering to the majority). The universities are in the BUSINESS of education. If the majority of their students are White, that is where they have to focus their curriculum. Should there be a fair balance, sure, but capitalism mandates that you cater to the majority in order to run a successful business. The other theme voices her disappointment that Black Alumni identify less with Black Culture as a result of integrating into the "White" professional business world. She doesn't say who's fault that is, but it reads as if she's is both disappointed in the Blacks and Whites in that group...

I have a lot more hopes than that but I'll stop there for the moment.

[Chris19]

Originally Posted by blackhillsdreams

Chris,

Without going into any specifics, you are saying that every single possible anti-Obama statement/stance is absolutely 100% false and untrue, with none of it whatsoever based in any fact at all and every good thing ever said about him is 100% True?

I don't mean this as an attack, Pro-Bush/McCain statement, or anything else. It's just a question.

Obama has the capability to do good things and certainly has the position to back it up. I truly, deeply, hope he does. I would love nothing more than to be in a position a year or more from now posting here apologizing to all of you for my mistrust of him. I hope that will be the case.

Me, I still have many major concerns. I hope first that he makes some move, in some direction that has some of the terrorist regimes and criminal dictators saying out loud "Wow, he's not the friend to us we thought he was going to be".

I hope second that he lives up to his promises not to tax us into oblivion.

I hope third that he does not go on a major, insane gun control mission in an effort to disarm the public (Actually, I sort of hope that first). There are many rumors that he plans to tax ammunition so much that the price will increase by 3 to 500% making it almost impossible to do any recreational shooting or hunting.

I have a lot more hopes than that but I'll stop there for the moment.

I do not belive that all things said postively about Obama is true and all things adversely mentioned about Obama is false. Obama is human and will make a few mistakes as many of our presidents do every now and then, even our greatest presidents. I think that Obama is promising a lot, but we need a spirit of optimism and that is why I voted for him and without much hesitation. During his term, he will certainly need to prioritize his goals and focus on the ones that are of greatest importance (economy and national defense) first.

Are we, and Obama, in the business of pleasing those pitiful and sewer-smelling terrorist regimes? Heck no. We need to stand firm on our ground but not have the standoffish attitude. I think that Obama will strike a better balance.

One issue I may disagree with Obama would be gun control, but more so on the side of the game hunters. But, do we need to sell semi-automatic weapons for consumer purposes? I do not agree with him and the Democrats' lax view on abortion. Yes, I think that a law outlawing abortion is stupid and pointless, but there should be limitations on abortion and education to the women and youth to discourage abortion. Abortion should be strongly discouraged, not banned and not promoted.

There is going to be flaws with any first lady and with the whole package with a ticket. Remember the Clinton-Gore ticket. With Michelle Obama's paper, I may not agree with her comments based on what you mentioned. Depends on how one reads into it. Yes, black people have suffered, so have others such as Native Americans and even some nationalities of whites (Irish in the 1800s in the US). Yes, I am somewhat bitter towards those darned Russians for what they did to my German-Russian ancestors, but there is not much I can do about it nowadays other that move forwards. Bitterness about past events and avenging for that and demanding sprecial treatment will not do groups such as blacks and Native Americans any good and they will need to move forward and follow the MLK jr example. I see the point you are making, but question the extremity of Michelle Obama's viewpoints.

You bring up some valid points. Even though I am a strong supporter of Obama, there are and will be a few issues I may not agree with him on. But I support him for a number of issues that I care about: better international relations, alternative energy, better infrastruction, and the better treatment of the middle class. The middle class and poor almost always get screwed during economic downturns and the rich are sitting on their butts and idiot executives who got fired are getting a pretty hefty sum for a severance package (pretty stupid concept in my opinion).

[blackhillsdreams]

Originally Posted by Chris19

You bring up some valid points. Even though I am a strong supporter of Obama, there are and will be a few issues I may not agree with him on. But I support him for a number of issues that I care about: better international relations, alternative energy, better infrastruction, and the better treatment of the middle class. The middle class and poor almost always get screwed during economic downturns and the rich are sitting on their butts and idiot executives who got fired are getting a pretty hefty sum for a severance package (pretty stupid concept in my opinion).

You and I actually agree for the most part, probably 90% or even more. As for Semi-Auto Weapons, I have one. I see no reason to be denied that. If I want to go to a range and pop off a magazine of rounds into a target, who does that hurt? 99% of gun crime is committed with a pistol. Even a revolver is technically a semi-auto, if it is a double action, you can fire off 6 shots in a row. If you outlaw semi-auto rifles, what's the next step? If you have a .308 Bolt action rifle that holds several rounds for hunting, what makes that rifle any less dangerous than a semi-auto? So you have to cycle the bolt between rounds which might take a second or two depending on your skill? The one bullet will still do the same damage...I'm with you on being optimistic if possible. I choose to remain cautiously (Very Cautiously) optimistic.

[Chris19]

Gun rights is a very touchy subject and it is better not to regulate it too much further than it is now. It (gun control) is only going to hurt the ordinary person and the criminals will find a way to get their weapons, often through black market or through loopholes. I think that a person has a right to defend his or herself, especially if he or she lives in an area with crime problems.

To cut down on gun violence in our cities and societies rests on underlying issues such as drugs, alcoholism, and domestic abuse. We need to first get a handle and tackle our gang and drug problems, both are often intertwined. With a lesser gang and drug problem, our violent crimes such as robberies, drive-bys, and crossfire murders would be cut down. Efforts in limiting alcoholism and domestic abuse through education and better enforcement of existing laws will also help to cut down on gun violence (a side product of those social ills). It would be better to focus our efforts on fighting drugs and gangs instead of imposing new red tape on gun sales, most of which will adversely the law-abiding gun owners.

[blackhillsdreams]

Originally Posted by Chris19

Gun rights is a very touchy subject and it is better not to regulate it too much further than it is now. It (gun control) is only going to hurt the ordinary person and the criminals will find a way to get their weapons, often through black market or through loopholes. I think that a person has a right to defend his or herself, especially if he or she lives in an area with crime problems.

To cut down on gun violence in our cities and societies rests on underlying issues such as drugs, alcoholism, and domestic abuse. We need to first get a handle and tackle our gang and drug problems, both are often intertwined. With a lesser gang and drug problem, our violent crimes such as robberies, drive-bys, and crossfire murders would be cut down. Efforts in limiting alcoholism and domestic abuse through education and better enforcement of existing laws will also help to cut down on gun violence (a side product of those social ills). It would be better to focus our efforts on fighting drugs and gangs instead of imposing new red tape on gun sales, most of which will adversely the law-abiding gun owners.

Absolutely!!!!!

The day after being declared the winner, Obama's website posted the following:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: As president, Barack Obama would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment,
which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give
police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade.
Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of
gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals who shouldn't have them.
They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also
support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent, as such weapons belong on
foreign battlefields and not on our streets.

[Jammie]

Although I always had been one of those Republicans, I agree that the propoganda during this election was just outrageous. I don't know how many times I heard the Repubs say how Obama was raising taxes on the middle class and many other things that just weren't facts.

Before the primaries were over, I went to each candidates website and read what they believed in and what their plans were for the future of our country. Obama definitely stood out in the crowd as far as I was concerned. SO, I didn't pay any attention to all the silly emails or jokes about him because they were done because of the agenda to get a Repub back in the White House. It's unbelieveable that there are actually people who still believe that Obama is a Muslim. I heard it the other day while in a restaurant. Kinda funny cause the coffee clan patted themselves on the back for being the only intelligent ones who knew he was Muslim and what the Bible has in it's predictions for us. They had made the discovery that he is the Anti-Christ. It shocked me that people were still spewing that garbage around and actually believed it themselves. Yea, and they're allowed to vote. It's one thing to have a differing opinion of who would be the better person to lead our country, but to be that ill-informed just made me cringe.

There won't be many people in So. Dak. that will be affected by the tax increase since the increase won't affect any of us making a household income of less then 250,000. That leaves me out.

[blackhillsdreams]

Jammie,

There were street interviews done in Harlem among local Blacks. I don't know what the real ratio was but there were several recorded and played where McCain's policies were read as being Obama's and did they support those policies? The answer was always, "Yes, I support Obama on that issue".

The next question (The big shocker) was "If Obama wins, do you mind Sarah Palin being the VP and do you think she's qualified?" the answer was "yes, she's fine, no problem"...

Now I'm sure there were people who got it right and realized that they were being fed McCain's policies in the questioning and so forth, those were not played. How biased the interviews were compared to the total, who knows. Either way, it was horrifying to hear it playing out.

[Jammie]

BH, I know exactly what you're referring to and also saw that on the news. It was funny, but ridiculous.

You're right~it works both ways. It just bothers me to think that we're still so racist against someone who isn't white that we label them as a "Muslim" or an "Arab", etc.

I still keep thinking of the voter from West Virginia who made the comment that she's voting for Hillary because Hillary is poor to middle class and would understand what they're going through.

Maybe we should have to take some sort of an IQ test before we're allowed to vote?????

[blackhillsdreams]

Originally Posted by Jammie

BH, I know exactly what you're referring to and also saw that on the news. It was funny, but ridiculous.

You're right~it works both ways. It just bothers me to think that we're still so racist against someone who isn't white that we label them as a "Muslim" or an "Arab", etc.

I still keep thinking of the voter from West Virginia who made the comment that she's voting for Hillary because Hillary is poor to middle class and would understand what they're going through.

Maybe we should have to take some sort of an IQ test before we're allowed to vote?????

Not a bad idea. On the opposite side of that, think of this, many prospective employers force applicants to take personality tests, ethics tests, and so forth. I would LOVE to see the candidates for President be compelled to take a mandatory battery of similar tests with the results published in every major newspaper. After all, they are OUR EMPLOYEE aren't they? Shouldn't we the public have a means to measure their personality apart from having to wade through the media mud?