Out Damn Blot

[Michael Tee]

<<Last i heard soldiers are paid, so what is the distinction again?>>

Mercenaries are paid a lot more and they fight whoever they're paid to fight.  Soldiers fight whoever their Commander-in-Chief tells them to fight and they do it for peanuts.

[kimba1]

I think no BT
the reason is that it actually happen in history
and the over ridding pattern of such unbridle capitalism is some serious harm to the genral population.
ex. note in history I don`t ever recall companies before health and safety laws came into effect ,to ever self regulate themselves to ensure safety of workers or thier customers.
but I`m also noting in those days these supposed captains of industries are not getting the maximun amount of profit possible due to the general population following the buyer beware rule .
it`s strange, greed can actually blind people of other potential profits .
I live in a town where most business is selling thier crap at the highest possible price.
but that doesn`t mean big profits it mean everything else will go up in price and now most people here are struggling


about the soldier topic
soldier are subject to military code of conduct
but people from blackwater at the moment don`t answer to anyone .
meaning these MF`s are a serious risk of getting us into another war.
note that 2 weeks ago thier pulling oversea business when talk of making them answerable to military code of conduct is in the works.

[BT]

So we have established both are whores, and you are just haggling over price.

Compensation doesn't seem to illustrate the distinction.

[BT]

Does it matter if Brad Pitt earns 20 million or 1 million per pic.

and what harm does his compensation do to society?

[Michael Tee]

<<So we have established both are whores, and you are just haggling over price.>>
Well, you've got a point regarding salary, but only partially.  For most folks, the compensation is minimal and not enough to justify the loss of freedom, discipline and danger.  But I guess for the rescued-from-the-chicken-plant Lynndie Englands of the world, the lure was probably the compensation.

I guess the real difference that applies across the board is that the soldier kills on the orders of his Commander in Chief, who happens to be the President of his country and the merc kill whoever his bosses tell him to kill for whatever reason.

[kimba1]

heres an example of the problem with blackwater
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article4560171.ece


I`m not sure I talked about price though

and about brad
he and his wife puts massive amount of money into charities.
new orleans is a ex.
but the thing about charities is I read somewhere the bulk of them are mainly into the arts so it`s very possible that alot of the humanitarian base charities that we think are there &nbsp;could be underfunded.
and don`t forget only a percent of any donate money needs to actually fund the cause.
united way got alot of flake for that from 9-11

[BT]

I guess the real difference that applies across the board is that the soldier kills on the orders of his Commander in Chief, who happens to be the President of his country and the merc kill whoever his bosses tell him to kill for whatever reason.

In the case of the krispy kritters they were hired by the DOD which in turn was directed by the POTUS.

So again what was you distinction?

[BT]

Forget about Brad.

Is it any of my business how much you earn and what you spend your money on?

[Amianthus]

ex. note in history I don`t ever recall companies before health and safety laws came into effect ,to ever self regulate themselves to ensure safety of workers or thier customers.

The National Safety Council was founded by corporations, not the government.

[_JS]

1 more time Js, intention's are always perfect.  Whether the "intent" was pure as written by Marx, the ramifications have mutated to the classwarfare monster, we currently observe, and perpetuated on a daily basis from the hard core libs & socialists, in this country. 

First, intentions are not always perfect. I'm not sure where that notion comes from, but it certainly is not true.

Second, again you speak without any underlying knowledge or basis for your words. Sirs, you're akin to a fry cook at Waffle House trying to claim knowledge of being a professional chef. And it isn't because you don't have the intelligence, but because you are simply unwilling to do the work. I partly wonder if you're not afraid that Marxist writers will challenge you a bit more than you wish. But, who knows?

And here we see the evidence again in your statement: "the ramifications have mutated to the classwarfare monster, we currently observe, and perpetuated on a daily basis from the hard core libs & socialists, in this country."

No, we don't. Quite to the contrary, what passes for the left in the United States is primarily content with the status quo - which is a proletariat blissfully ill-equipped for class struggle. This country is so far from class consciousness and a worker's movement that it would bring a tear to any Fascist's eye.

Class struggle is a fact of history. It is not an emotion as you assert, nor is it the idea of a welfare state as you seem to consistently imply (over and over again like a child with a drum set). It is an underlying movement of history. It does not matter if you like it, or if Bt likes it, or if Hitler hated it. That doesn't nullify the existence of class struggle or of class itself. Moreover, class is not based upon income as you, Plane, and many people seem to keep pounding away at.

I seriously suggest reading some Marx or Marxist thinkers before using Marxist terms without any understanding of them.

[sirs]

1 more time Js, intention's are always perfect.  Whether the "intent" was pure as written by Marx, the ramifications have mutated to the classwarfare monster, we currently observe, and perpetuated on a daily basis from the hard core libs & socialists, in this country.  

First, intentions are not always perfect. I'm not sure where that notion comes from, but it certainly is not true.

The point is there are no perfect plans, only perfect intentions.  The point is, just because someone hasn't read your prescious Marx doesn't negate the current observations being made, in the name of Marx or "class-consciousness" (nice buzz word).  It's current manifestation is the class warfare rhetoric, oh so well echoed by the likes of Tee, of Brass, of even Xo, decrying the billions that various folks or corporations make, not "paying their fair share", and how woeful it is that they have so much, when so many have so little.  That is precisely the mindset that advocates envy, anger, hatred, jealously, all emotions, NOT seen by the likes of me, but by the likes of leftists consumed with guilt, and those less fortunate being made to feel it's not their fault their poor, but by "the rich" keeping them poor.

Enter the government.......government to the rescue.  We'll take (tax) those evil rich bastards and corporations' $$$$, even try to squeeze in a wind fall profits tax, so you all can feel better about not being as rich as they are

Heard a lady on the radio the other day, decrying how Big Oil, absolutely needs to have a wind fall profits tax applied to them, but while she went on her emotionally driven rant, couldn't for the life of her answer how such a tax would generate 1 extra gallon of oil...decrease the price of oil by even a dollar.  Nope, it was all about how obscene their profits were, all the while not listening to the $$$'s they did pay in taxes, the $$$ that did go back into the company, the $$$ that did pay their vast amount of employees, the $$$ that did have to go back to the stockholders, the $$$ that did go into futher R&D.  So busy ranting that the point that Wal-Mart makes a greater % profit than Exxon, never touched her ears.

[kimba1]

National Safety Council

I just looked it up
I can`t find much history info on it.
I never even heard of this place before now
I`m sure it does good stuff but wow.
I`m tempted to chaulk it up with the baldridge award as something made to make them look good
but note the time it was formed up to now.
it`s influence it quite small
wiki or it`s own website hasn`t noted anything it has done to stop workplace abuses
at least the FDA can say they shutdown some of the beef plants.

[_JS]

That is not the "intent" of class-consciousness at all.

Should a person be free to earn as much as they are able, with no artificial limitations, no onerous taxation that kicks in at a certain level because they cross an arbitrary threshold?

A simple yes or no will suffice.

I'm not on trial, nor do I speak binary, so I will answer as I see fit.

From an historical view, it depends upon the moment in time. I notice that your question has no moral implications for the individual. He or she is simply earning as much as possible - the how, why, and the impact on others are questions left aside. I find that rather consistent with neoliberalism. The lack of any ethical implication or the egocentric notion of a Randian-esque character who does the most good by being the most selfish are common threads.

I have no problem with that - from an historical view. Capitalism must have its day after all.

From a Christian point of view, I believe that we all have a duty to one another as a community. Moreover, I do believe in the principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" as is written in the Book of Acts as well as Marx's Critique of the Gotha Program. The Epistle of James and Gospel of Luke do not paint a very pretty picture for those who accumulate wealth and though I love my brothers and sisters, I do feel that they are playing with fire by following such a path.

[Plane]

No, we don't. Quite to the contrary, what passes for the left in the United States is primarily content with the status quo - which is a proletariat blissfully ill-equipped for class struggle. This country is so far from class consciousness and a worker's movement that it would bring a tear to any Fascist's eye.

Class struggle is a fact of history. It is not an emotion as you assert, nor is it the idea of a welfare state as you seem to consistently imply (over and over again like a child with a drum set). It is an underlying movement of history. It does not matter if you like it, or if Bt likes it, or if Hitler hated it. That doesn't nullify the existence of class struggle or of class itself. Moreover, class is not based upon income as you, Plane, and many people seem to keep pounding away at.

Ok so what is nullifing the existence of class struggle and  class itself in the United States?

[sirs]

That is not the "intent" of class-consciousness at all.[/quote]

Should a person be free to earn as much as they are able, with no artificial limitations, no onerous taxation that kicks in at a certain level because they cross an arbitrary threshold?  A simple yes or no will suffice.

I'm not on trial, nor do I speak binary, so I will answer as I see fit.  From an historical view, it depends upon the moment in time.

That's all I needed to hear.  Thanks for the honesty, Js