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I think it is important to blow your argument out of the water. Prior to 9/11, we had not invaded anywhere we weren't wanted. We did not occupy Afganistan, nor did we occupy the rest of the Mideast, except for the places Billy Clinton wanted us to be: say Bosnia & Somolia.
Revisionist history is not acceptable.
That is right we didnt occupy we just have 700 bases all over the world and in the middle east. Where we supply their dictator governments with weapons so they can do the work of the UN and the united states for oil and shutdown food supplies. Also we can look the other way while they rape murder and kill women and violate every human rights law possible. I'm not one to say we should monitor them but lets be honest lets not support their governments and give them weapons and political assistance. The terrorist see us as people who enable the corruption and a middle east policy setup for oil and putting jews and muslims against each other. We arm them both. Point is why do we have to have a middle east policy we have no reason to be there and that is something those who live there need to decide for themselves.
Since the 1960's we have worried about the effect an NEA eduction would have on America's future. I think I am begining to see the handwriting on the walls. It was simply so clear and I could not see the forest for the trees. An NEA education has failed to teach history. It only taught "me and my." As I have read so many of the words of this forum, it has become obvious that few people understand history and how if we don't understand it, we are doomed to repeat. I guess the most dangerous chapter that I fear is sumed up by Nevil Chamberlain's quote, "peace in our time." Never in history has negotiation with an aggressor ever succeeded.
We're always doomed to repeat history. Even knowing the history of past generations isn't the same as actually experiencing it. Reading every book and seeing every documentary about WWII isn't nearly the same as the experience. The further detached we get from major events and the more generations that pass only increase the chance that history will repeat itself.
I heard a historian define history as a set of lies agreed upon. Interesting.
We're always doomed to repeat history. Even knowing the history of past generations isn't the same as actually experiencing it. Reading every book and seeing every documentary about WWII isn't nearly the same as the experience. The further detached we get from major events and the more generations that pass only increase the chance that history will repeat itself.
I heard a historian define history as a set of lies agreed upon. Interesting.
Protecting the "rights" of our business community, and by extension the rest of the capitalist world, to exploit resources wherever they may be, is the reason for our empire. If we need to use, or just threaten to use (foreign bases) force to do this, which is justified because the right of capital to exploit is sacred. The freedom of our own people and all others is secondary to this right of exploitation. Our foreign policy is, and has been, an extravagant form of GRAND THEFT. We use our military to take what we do not wish to buy. This benefits the few at the expense of the many.
The long problem with this exploitation is that the victims of this theft eventually figure it out and devise ways to protect themselves from us. As the cost of empire exceeds the profits of empire the investors move their money elsewhere and leave us with the costs without the profits. We have past that point and are only keeping our empire at great cost in Liberty and money for the sake of the remaining war profiteers and military-industrial-congressional investors.
It is past time to withdraw from the failing empire and let the rest of the world settle their own affairs. I think that if we provide an example of a successful economy within a free Republic others will follow. If we try to continue the empire the cost will reduce our prosperity and create a tyranny in place of our own Republic. That is too high a price to pay for the profit of a few.
I think it is important to blow your argument out of the water. Prior to 9/11, we had not invaded anywhere we weren't wanted. We did not occupy Afganistan, nor did we occupy the rest of the Mideast, except for the places Billy Clinton wanted us to be: say Bosnia & Somolia.
Revisionist history is not acceptable.
Actually, we made incursions into Latin America in the early 20th century. We tried to conquer Cuba (And the Phillippines) after the Spanish American war, without success. We incited the Panamanians to revolt against colombia so we could build the Panama Canal. (1903) Wilson also sent troops to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (1916?)
Protecting the "rights" of our business community, and by extension the rest of the capitalist world, to exploit resources wherever they may be, is the reason for our empire. If we need to use, or just threaten to use (foreign bases) force to do this, which is justified because the right of capital to exploit is sacred. The freedom of our own people and all others is secondary to this right of exploitation. Our foreign policy is, and has been, an extravagant form of GRAND THEFT. We use our military to take what we do not wish to buy. This benefits the few at the expense of the many.
The long problem with this exploitation is that the victims of this theft eventually figure it out and devise ways to protect themselves from us. As the cost of empire exceeds the profits of empire the investors move their money elsewhere and leave us with the costs without the profits. We have past that point and are only keeping our empire at great cost in Liberty and money for the sake of the remaining war profiteers and military-industrial-congressional investors.
It is past time to withdraw from the failing empire and let the rest of the world settle their own affairs. I think that if we provide an example of a successful economy within a free Republic others will follow. If we try to continue the empire the cost will reduce our prosperity and create a tyranny in place of our own Republic. That is too high a price to pay for the profit of a few.
While anyone with 1/2 of a brain can understand your argument, the fact is that it is 1/2 of the situation.
1st, you are looking at the glass 1/2 empty. Yes, we have invested highly in other countries of the world. Yes, we have placed military bases all around the world to protect our interests, and yes, we have in nearly every case raised the socio-economic level of the countries we have a presence in. Just look at Korea. We stopped the north and communistic forces in the early 1950's. Today, the south is prosperous and wealthy. Japan, defeated in WWII, prosperous and wealthy. Europe, prosperous and wealthy. Canada, prosperous and wealthy. Shall I go on?
I agree that every invading Army of history no matter how gallant will have its bad boys. Heck, down south here, we have Yankees and Yankee bases all over the place. We feel invaded too.
PS: Thank you for helping to make my OP exceptionally clear.
Last edited by tomocox; 07-16-2008 at 06:54 AM..
Reason: PS
Thank Bush for the lack of history being taught in schools today. With his NCLB, all schools do no 24/7 any more is prepare for the endless math and reading "cram and dump" data tests they get year round. It has turned Public Education into a complete joke.
If anyone wants to know if the NEA and our public education works.
Youtube "Stupid in America"
Enjoy.
Private schools. Charter Schools and school choice are the only thing that gets kids to learn and to weed out poor teachers will cost less per student. We spend too much on education and if you watch the video completely you will see what I mean and how you can teach children for less. MONEY is not the problem.
Thank Bush for the lack of history being taught in schools today. With his NCLB, all schools do no 24/7 any more is prepare for the endless math and reading "cram and dump" data tests they get year round. It has turned Public Education into a complete joke.
NCLB was a bipartisan-supported initiative. That said...
There is no reason why public schools should have to resort to 24/7 test prep unless they are hopelessly incompetent at delivering even a very basic-level education.
A rigorous curriculum, not test prep, is the way to raise student achievement.
Study finds ACT cramming counterproductive - UPI.com (http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/news_docs/1022ACT%20cramming-%20UPI.com.htm - broken link)
The goal of NCLB is to hold public schools accountable for providing at least a bare-minimum acceptable-level education. I've said it before, I'll say it again - this is why NCLB is necessary...
NCLB intervention is necessary because student achievement is actually much lower than indicated in public schools' state standards report cards. State education officials commission/construct their own tests and set their own 'passing' scores. This has resulted in manipulations that make it look like public schools are educating our children, when in reality the majority of students in many states are far below acceptable levels of proficiency. In some cases, there's as much as a 70 percentage point difference in proficiency levels between state achievement tests and the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) tests.
Lake Wobegon, U.S.A. -- where all the children are above average
(Pay particular attention to the college prof's comment at the bottom of the above linked article. ) The article has been updated to include the current administration's proposal to require schools to include NAEP results on their school report cards so that parents can see if their states have been manipulating their standards tests and passing scores to deliberately mislead the public into thinking that their children are getting a better education in the public schools than they actually are.
If you want to see your state's reported proficiency level vs. the NAEP proficiency level (to see if your public schools are being honest about providing an adequate education), check here: NAEP Researchcenter - NAEP and State Equivalent Percent Table
For each grade level, the first column lists the percentage of students scoring as proficient (meets or exceeds state standards) on the state test; the second column lists the percentage of students scoring as proficient on the NAEP (National test).
Those who know what's going on (or rather, what's not going on) in our nation's public schools are growing increasingly dissatisfied with how poorly our students are being educated. Without the federal government intervention of NCLB, who knows how much further states will go to dumb down their standards and tests so their tax dollar-siphoning public schools will look good.
Last edited by InformedConsent; 07-17-2008 at 10:09 AM..
One of the most important building blocks of a free society is that they be educated. Without education they can be manipulated and their freedoms taken from them. That is exactly what you are seeing today. I do not know where it is ultimately heading, but it does not look good.
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) The article has been updated to include the current administration's proposal to require schools to include NAEP results on their school report cards so that parents can see if their states have been manipulating their standards tests and passing scores to deliberately mislead the public into thinking that their children are getting a better education in the public schools than they actually are. 
