GernBlansten

So a natural monopoly like health care or education is bad because why?

The Nazi Party, officially: National Socialist German Workers' Party But what's in a name?

So some socialism is better than other socialism, as long as you don't call it socialism but a traditional government function or service. I get it.

Police, fire protection, military and transportation infrastructure all are socialized. Are they bad? Would it be better if they were privatized?

Great grand daddy on my pa's side was a bootlegger and changed his name so many times that line is lost. On my ma's side, just boring Norwegian farmers.

Beavah's course correction technique is spot on. In the past two presidential elections, I voted libertarian to send notice to the Republicans they have strayed. It didn't work. Looks like the opposition party needs to get the ball for them to wake up and turn the ship.

I see, Obama is a socialist eh? Well, lets look at another politcal idology and see who it fits... 1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. 2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. 3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. 4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. 5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution. 6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common. 7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. 8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. 9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. 10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed. 11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked. 12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations. 13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. 14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

The term socialism is used to refer to an economic system characterized by state ownership or worker ownership of the means of production and distribution. I haven't seen any position that Obama is promoting that.

I missed being able to vote for Reagan in 1980 by 2 months. But since then, I always voted a strict Republican ticket. Because they were for business and I wanted to be rich, I didn't want to be middle class and really didn't care about the poor. Then in the early 90s, the religious right took over the party. I feared a theocracy more than being poor or middle class. I didn't change parties, hoping they would come to their senses and move back to their roots, so I threw my votes away on libertarian candidates. It didn't work. The republicans became tools of the neo-conservatives who leveraged the religious right to consolidate power. Now we have big government, huge deficits, constitutional decay, our soldiers policing foreign soils, a souring economy and zero energy plan. I'm still a registered republican and vote in the primaries as one. I have hope to return the party to its Goldwater roots, but I think it will take a landslide against them to get them to change.

My biggest problem with Biden is that he's 65. That means after 8 years of Obama, he'll naturally run for office in 2016. He's that kinda guy. That puts him at 73. Way too old to be president. The DemocRATic rein will end.(This message has been edited by gernblansten)

Boy Scouts - 2004 - 2005

Yes, I was specifically refering to Mandrake's contribution to saving the world, or at least trying to.

A Clockwork Orange is a very interesting suggestion. Kinda of a anti-citz movie. Showing the negative side of not being a good citizen. Yes. Except for the rape scene of course. But if you are going Kubrick, Dr. Strangelove would be tops on my list. B/W (not Bob), and very appropriate for today's climate. I've had several scouts ask for suggestions. We don't demand they see "such and such" but give them some examples of appropriate movies that meet the requirements. Most are lazy and just take those suggestions and head down to BlockBusters. So I use the opportunity to only list classic B/W (not Bob) movies that the kids would never even consider watching. There are great old movies that kids will never be exposed to if it weren't for this MB.

GW is right. There's lots of morons out there who pay more than retail for stuff. I guess they get caught up in the auction. However, for the savvy shopper, Ebay can be a treasure trove of good deals. I've bought hundreds of things off it and have never been disappointed. I also have sold many things and am amazed what some people will pay. I bought a radio control helicopter for $200, flew it for a few months (with a few crashes), and sold it back on Ebay for $250, even after fully disclosing the used condition. I was hoping to get just $100 for it.

12 Angry Men (original version with Henry Fonda)

thats good news. I was wondering why they had to evacuate everyone out by helicopter, then read that the pack trail was washed out. I wonder if that means the switchback trail up the side of the canyon near the top.

Not convinced. By your definition, camping is not part of the product because it is not referenced in the Oath or Law. I think most would agree that camping is a central part of scouting.

Can't see how the scout will be able to complete his camping merit badge in 6 weeks. I'd do what many have said, sit down with the scout and his mother and do an inventory of his PORs, merit badges, project. Then explain where his deficiencies are and what ones can be mitigated and what ones can't. Then let the scout decide his course of action. Our troop like others here, have an ASM assigned to keep track of our Life to Eagle candidates. That would be me. Once a month, I try to talk to each one to find out where they are, if they need help, and when their birthday is. I remind each one that the Eagle rank is to earned by them, at their own pace, and nobody will do it for them. As they get close to their birthday, I remind them that they may not make it. Of course that is if they show up. If they don't, they don't get the benefit of me bugging them. So far, we have had several death bed Eagles, but no surprises.

We camped below Supai last spring in the Havasu Falls camping area. I read the dam that broke was some 45 miles upstream from Supai. Yes, there is literally no place to escape a flash flood in may parts. I remember tenting right down by the river and wondering what I would do if it flooded. I'm amazed nobody has been reported dead, although I think several are unaccounted for or not known to be missing. They must have had a lot of warning to get up out of the camping area and back up the two miles to Supai.

I don't advocate changing the product. The product is fine. Its the packaging, distribution, and marketing that is flawed. The Gay and Faith issue is not simply part of the delivered product. There are no program elements that would be affected if those two criteria were dropped from the membership requirements. Especially, if the decision to discriminate where left to the CO, like the female leadership one currently is with LDS units.

I've heard it directly several times when trying to recruit my son's friends parents into scouting. But chances are, you are not hearing it because someone who holds that view, simply won't sign up. A polite no thank you will be your only clue. Those parents who I am good friends with, I'll probe deeper and ask them if its because of BSA policies, and most of them will say yes, they are uncomfortable with them and don't want to be associated with an organization that is so diametrically opposed to their own value system.

I have no idea why Canada scouting is declining. I am not very educated on their history, policies or challenges. However, I do know that many parents won't enroll their children in our program because of our discriminatory membership requirements, not that they don't meet the standards, but that they won't be part of them. And since those exclusions have nothing to do with the program as delivered, I think its self destructive to maintain those restrictions, when the core of society regards them as archaic and unnecessary.

I'm trying to resurrect a near dead Venturing Crew. They typically met only once a month and on a different night than our troop. It has been suggested to me from a few parents that I hold the Venture meeting the same night as the troop but before the troop meeting so the scout only has to commit to one night a week to scouting. That may be a solution to you, meet the same night, but either before or after the troop meeting.

Well, to tell the family secret, my grandmother was Dutch.

I've been very pleased with a material that is fusion of fleece and gore-tex. Super light, keeps the wind out, keeps rain and snow out, yet stylish for apri-ski activities. I've retired my old gore-tex shell and just carry the jacket made of this stuff. North Face and Mountain Hardware make stuff with this. Don't know the name but its really good stuff.