Where Are We?

[Plane]

That doesn't answer the question though, plane.

If a leader steps forward from the ranks, will he be able to lead? In the German Army he couldn't. In our Army he could. It wasn't just who stepped forward. It was the willingness of our military to accept that process. 
...................BSB

Ever hear of this guy?
He had an air of command , he was bold, he was up to no good.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9039865/the_captain_of_koepenick_caper_1906.html?cat=37

[BSB]

Obviously we have checks and balances to stop a strong leader from going too far "in a bad direction". The problem is those checks and balances are now being used to freeze the process that enables change.  You have to trust the whole process, and have the courage to let it work. You can't be so afraid of change that you stop using the process the way it was meant to be used.

That's what's going on now. The country has been overcome by a fear of change.  America no longer has the guts it once had. It's afraid of its own shadow. One side says, look out, they're going to raise your taxes. The other side says, look out, they're going to cut your SS.  The thing is neither side has the guts to do either one. It ALL has to be done. We all have to eat a shit sandwich. But no, it's, "Hey, your not an officer, I'm not following you up that hill. I might get killed."

The T-Party? I haven't seen any changes to medicare, medicade, the tax structure, etc.

The Wall St occupiers? No changes yet. 

 
BSB

[BT]

The T-Party? I haven't seen any changes to medicare, medicade, the tax structure, etc.

The Wall St occupiers? No changes yet.

Patience grasshopper

[BSB]

Never having been on Medicaid I didn't spell it very well.


I'd like for the Tea Party to be something worthy of its name, but so far it hasn't lived up to it.

Grasshopper

[BT]

They took back the House in 2010, and almost got the senate. I don't know how much influence they will have on the executive branch come 2012. I think the Establicans are finessing the primaries, moving the states up, and basically anointing Mitt to go up against Obama. I'd rather they let the contest play out.

But there is important work that can be done downstream, at the state and municipal level. And maybe that will be where you see better results from the Tea Party.

The Owwies need to better define who they are if they expect to be a political movement. Right now they are a "happening". That could change or they could be co-opted.

[Xavier_Onassis]

BTW, for success of communism, I'd look more to China than Cuba - - the Cuban picture is somewhat clouded over by American sabotage and the blockade.

============================
Cuba is NOT any sort of success in any terms that Americans or anyone from a consumer society could understand.

Cuba cannot feed itself. Despite two and even three growing seasons and fertile land, the farms are taken over by weeds. Too few Cubans can be persuaded to farm.

Cuba gets most of its rice and beans from the US: Arkansas and Louisiana. There is a shortage of coffee, which Cuba used to export. Sometimes there is a shortage of sugar. And there is no toothpaste and salt.

There is a lack of organization when a tropical island country surrounded by an ocean has a shortage of salt. The US embargo is definitely not responsible for that.

[Michael Tee]

<<There is a lack of organization when a tropical island country surrounded by an ocean has a shortage of salt. The US embargo is definitely not responsible for that.>>

They're a small island under the threat of constant subversion from the US and its puppet states in the region, as well as having to cope with the embargo.  Central planning has to deal with ALL the needs of the domestic economy as well as deal with subversion and the embargo.  PRIORITIES MUST BE SET.  If salt and desalination plants weren't on the top of the priorities list, BFD - - presumably, for the central planners resonsible, other priorities than salt grabbed the limited resources available to the nation and were met instead.  This in no way indicates a failure of communism, but is a tribute to the abilities of the central planners to set their priorities and survive as long as they have in the face of embargo, subversion and threats from the World's Only Terrorist Superpower.

[BSB]

Historically I don't think it's been indicated that the presence of a movement like the T-Party is a necessary precursor to recapturing one of the houses of congress during a mid-term election. Therefore I couldn't say whether the T-Party got them the House back or not. They might have gotten it back anyway. What does seem apparent, though, is that who was sent to Washington this last time around WAS highly influenced by the T-Party's choices.

Where the party goes from here is above my pay grade.  I have no crystal ball. If I were to hazard a guess? I'd say it slowly dissolves.

BSB

[BT]

Where the party goes from here is above my pay grade.  I have no crystal ball. If I were to hazard a guess? I'd say it slowly dissolves.

From what i gather from self identified tea party believers, the GOP may be the party that dissolves.

[BSB]

The GOP is in tough shape no doubt about it.

[BSB]

"but is a tribute to the abilities of the central planners..."

Ha ha, yeah man, their failure is a tribute.

Wow, where'd you get this stuff?

It must be laced with acid man.

Did you see that snake fly through the window?

Wow, I saw it to. I think it was a King Cobra man.

Heavy.

BSB

[Plane]

BTW, for success of communism, I'd look more to China than Cuba - - the Cuban picture is somewhat clouded over by American sabotage and the blockade.

============================
Cuba is NOT any sort of success in any terms that Americans or anyone from a consumer society could understand.

Cuba cannot feed itself. Despite two and even three growing seasons and fertile land, the farms are taken over by weeds. Too few Cubans can be persuaded to farm.

Cuba gets most of its rice and beans from the US: Arkansas and Louisiana. There is a shortage of coffee, which Cuba used to export. Sometimes there is a shortage of sugar. And there is no toothpaste and salt.

There is a lack of organization when a tropical island country surrounded by an ocean has a shortage of salt. The US embargo is definitely not responsible for that.

   Rice and beans?

   Have we embargoed everything except what they need to keep going?

[Stray Pooch]

Nice thread.  I think you have asked the $64,000.00 question, BSB, but I'm darned if I can answer it.  I consider myself a Republican, but the party is filtering people like me out.  I am not a slave to strict conservativism, and that makes me a RINO in some people's eyes.  I would vote for Romney, but a lot of folks won't just because of his religion.  I would vote for Cain but a lot of people won't just because of his color (and trust me, nobody is saying that, but it's true).  I WON'T vote for Rick Perry because I am having a personal backlash reaction against his supporters trashing my faith.  (Huckabee lost my interest last election for the same reason.)  So ridiculous reasons are dividing our party. 

Last election, we all "settled" for John McCain, even though many in the party didn't like him.  Predictably, a fired-up Democratic base behind a relatively unknown leader took the day.  Obama was a rock star, McCain was the guy we settled for.  Will Romney be our next McCain?

The more we divide ourselves into "strict" conservatives and liberals, the less room there will be for compromise and moderation.  In this regard, I think both the Tea Party and the OWS movement are hurting the country.  As to how to solve that, I haven't got the slightest idea.  We Americans need to be able to compromise, or nothing will ever get accomplished.   Maybe it's time to face the fact that our government is too big to change, and needs to be replaced not by a smaller government.  But by smaller governments.

[BSB]

The more this current crop of "conservatives" opens their mouths, Pooch, the less of a difference I see between Saudi Arabia and us. 


BSB

[Michael Tee]

<<Ha ha, yeah man, their failure is a tribute.>>

Nope, their survival in the face of The World's Only Terrorist Superpower is a tribute.

So is the survival of Fidel a tribute, in the face of the murder of world leaders from Patrice Lumumba to Ghaddafi and the dozens in between, and forcible regime change from Guatemala to Libya. 

A tribute to Cuba and its heroic leaders and a giant Fuck You to those crusaders for world domination whose names we all know.