Three 3rd graders, three adults killed by shooter at Nashville elementary school

[icanthearyou 4,463]

21 hours ago, GoAU said:

I am in support of putting our national interest above that of the rest of the world though..

Our "national interests",,, what exactly are those interests?  To protect the investments of our multinationals while they avoid paying taxes by keeping their profits off shore?  Using our power to collect what is owed to Wall St. via the IMF?  To use the CIA to put governments in place who will promote "America's" financial interests in countries that have resources we need?

 

46 minutes ago, GoAU said:

We were absolutely paying more than other nations, especially with regards to the amount of emissions we are generating.   

Yeah but,,, they are providing us with the consumer goods we use.  Manufacturing requires energy consumption.  They are consuming energy for our benefit.

 

On 4/8/2023 at 12:45 PM, GoAU said:

aren’t you concerned about our complete incompetence in securing the border and allowing our nation to be taken advantage of?  

We are not "taken advantage of".  We are the exploiters.  We have been since the early 20th century.  We do not further human rights, we do not spread democracy.  We protect our capitalists.  We impose our will.  We have been the dominant country in the world for over a century.   We aren't some pitiful nation being "taken advantage of". 

We are not who we believe we are.  Because,,, we refuse to acknowledge, we refuse to even consider our power structures, their goal's, their willingness to do whatever they have to do to obtain more wealth and power.  Sadly, we are grotesquely ignorant to the details and meaning of our own history.

We need to grow up and quit play the Rah Rah, go team role.  That is exactly how we are manipulated.  Love America but,,, don't confuse America with the capital class.  They are not patriotic and,,, they certainly don't care about you and, they are the ones who have destroyed the government of the people.  We are useful idiots.  We are trained to revere and promote the cause.  All while,,, not understanding what the cause really is.  It is what allows us to be political rather than principled.

Are you familiar with Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler? 

[GoAU 1,600]

3 hours ago, icanthearyou said:

Our "national interests",,, what exactly are those interests?  To protect the investments of our multinationals while they avoid paying taxes by keeping their profits off shore?  Using our power to collect what is owed to Wall St. via the IMF?  To use the CIA to put governments in place who will promote "America's" financial interests in countries that have resources we need?

There are many things that can be construed as our national interests.  They can range from security, trade, supporting Allie’s, etc.  Way too much and vague to list out here.  Collecting debts owed and IP certainly falls within that scope.  I am not at all a fan of off-shoring to avoid taxes - but that’s easy enough to fix if Congress (both sides) gets off their butts.  

 

Yeah but,,, they are providing us with the consumer goods we use.  Manufacturing requires energy consumption.  They are consuming energy for our benefit.

Sure, that’s common sense, but HOW they do it is what’s in question.   I’m also not a fan at all of off-shoring manufacturers moving operations / jobs off shore for a whole myriad of reasons, but that’s probably best saved for a separate thread.

 

We are not "taken advantage of".  We are the exploiters.  We have been since the early 20th century.  We do not further human rights, we do not spread democracy.  We protect our capitalists.  We impose our will.  We have been the dominant country in the world for over a century.   We aren't some pitiful nation being "taken advantage of". 

I’m sorry but this is just wrong on so many levels.   There isn’t a single country in the world that does more good than the US.   I am not naive enough to say we do everything perfectly, but the good absolutely outweighs the bad.  We are dominate in many ways, but if we just changed other countries at will, that would be a bigger problem.  How other nations choose to govern themselves and handle human rights is their issue - can we influence, sure but don’t have the ability to mandate.   

We are not who we believe we are.  Because,,, we refuse to acknowledge, we refuse to even consider our power structures, their goal's, their willingness to do whatever they have to do to obtain more wealth and power.  Sadly, we are grotesquely ignorant to the details and meaning of our own history.

We need to grow up and quit play the Rah Rah, go team role.  That is exactly how we are manipulated.  Love America but,,, don't confuse America with the capital class.  They are not patriotic and,,, they certainly don't care about you and, they are the ones who have destroyed the government of the people.  We are useful idiots.  We are trained to revere and promote the cause.  All while,,, not understanding what the cause really is.  It is what allows us to be political rather than principled.

There will always be a “Capital class” - people that succeed and make money, that have the great ideas, take chances and lay it on the line and I don’t have any issues at all with their success.   Would I support ways to eliminate that from creating undue influence in the government?  Sure, I’m willing to listen to ideas, but I think you’ll have a hard time figuring out how to realistically do that .

Let’s be honest, across the entire country, there isn’t a place with a higher standard of living for all three classes (excluding those that make the choice to become addicted to drugs and live in the streets, but that’s another issue too).  Are there some homeless people that aren’t strung out on drugs or mentally ill - sure, but I’ll also say there are a lot of opportunities if they’re willing to go after them.  

Are you familiar with Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler? 

Nope  

 

[icanthearyou 4,463]

3 hours ago, GoAU said:

I’m sorry but this is just wrong on so many levels.   There isn’t a single country in the world that does more good than the US.   I am not naive enough to say we do everything perfectly, but the good absolutely outweighs the bad.  We are dominate in many ways, but if we just changed other countries at will, that would be a bigger problem.  How other nations choose to govern themselves and handle human rights is their issue - can we influence, sure but don’t have the ability to mandate.   

 

3 hours ago, GoAU said:

Let’s be honest, across the entire country, there isn’t a place with a higher standard of living for all three classes (excluding those that make the choice to become addicted to drugs and live in the streets, but that’s another issue too).  Are there some homeless people that aren’t strung out on drugs or mentally ill - sure, but I’ll also say there are a lot of opportunities if they’re willing to go after them.  

There is no discussion, there are no solutions when,,, we are not honest about who we are.

I understand and appreciate the fact that you disagree.  However, Wall St. has been manipulating and exploiting people here and, around the globe without regard to humanity and, with the support of government institutions for a century.  We have been trained, conditioned to revere capitalism and, the capitalists.  We simply aren't who, or what, you believe but,,, I understand.

Society and civility are suffering while,,, the capital class enjoys unprecedented wealth since pre Great Depression.  While it may be fun to believe the reasons and answers are partisan politics,,, the reality is actually about real politics, the interests of capital versus the interests of society.

I truly appreciate your feelings about innovation and capitalism but,,, I have to ask,,, who is more important to the development of the steel industry, Henry Bessemer or, Andrew Carnegie?  Who is more important to the development of the electric system, Nikola Tesla or JP Morgan?  Perhaps we should revere the innovators more and,,, those in a position to monetize the innovations a little less.

The fact is, the power in this country, the decision making, are highly concentrated through Wall St. and their control over the Fed and, the government.

[Mikey 16,614]

11 hours ago, homersapien said:

Got an example?

Obama dumping millions of dollars worth of gold on a tarmac in Iran.

[homersapien 11,385]

13 hours ago, Mikey said:

Obama dumping millions of dollars worth of gold on a tarmac in Iran.

For better or worse, that was a "one off" incident that hardly reveals a U.S. Policy - or practice - of "paying billions of dollars to countries that hate us".

(It also involved money that was legally theirs to start with.)

Investigating the Obama administration’s $400 million payment to Iran | PBS NewsHour 

And $400 million would have been a rounding error in calculating what Bush's Iraqi war cost us.   

Edited April 16, 2023 by homersapien

[autigeremt 6,642]

On 4/15/2023 at 4:56 PM, GoAU said:

 

No use.....We're the "enemy" until we're not. I know you know what I mean......

[homersapien 11,385]

5 hours ago, autigeremt said:

No use.....We're the "enemy" until we're not. I know you know what I mean......

Care to explain that?