Without critical thinking and trees, our civilization will collapse
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Posted: Saturday, March 31, 2012 12:00 am
|
Updated: 7:23 am, Sat Mar 31, 2012.
Without critical thinking and trees, our civilization will collapse
On Easter Island, they cut down trees in religious ceremonies. When they cut down the last tree, their civilization died. They, like our conservative friends in the Bush administration, said, "We create our own reality." The core of critical thinking is honor.
In 1968, political pull was used to put George Bush in the Air National Guard so he could avoid going to a war he supported. Someone had to go in his place.
In 1968, John Kerry was sitting on a destroyer and volunteered for some of the most hazardous duty in Vietnam. In 2004, he was labeled a coward by Bush campaign associates.
In 2011, Senator Kyl made false remarks about Planned Parenthood. He later said his statement was not meant to be factual.
Republicans claim they are the party of fiscal responsibility when they have not balanced a budget since the 1950s, and two-thirds of the national debt happened under their watch. They claim to be the party of national security when they were in charge when the biggest terrorist attack on American soil happened.
They claim to know how to run an economy when the two greatest financial disasters (1929 and 2008) came after years of them being in power.
To really succeed in any enterprise, honor and respect for critical thinking is a must. If we keep electing conservatives, the time will come when they will cut down the last tree and our civilization will die. It is up to us.
John Lucas
Lodi
Posted in
Letters
on
Saturday, March 31, 2012 12:00 am.
Updated: 7:23 am.
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Patrick W Maple posted at 8:00 am on Mon, Apr 9, 2012.
Wait! Who cheated on their taxes...who's one of the USs number one millionaires? Heinz 57 I suppose.
Patrick W Maple posted at 7:58 am on Mon, Apr 9, 2012.
Mr L: Defined: Critical thinking clarifies goals, examines assumptions, discerns hidden values, evaluates evidence, accomplishes actions, and assesses conclusions.
Where is the "honor" in critical thinking? Did you mean truthfulness or integrity?
With that in mind, your statement about Kerry is wrong...he was proven to be a liar about his service record and several other statements he made. Integrity? Bush...did he try to get out? Probably. How many draft dodgers came home Canada? They were welcomed home as heroes. I was drafted...my bil went into the National Gurad as did many of my friends...so what. Some gave some, some gave all. But they didn't lie about it.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 5:01 am on Sat, Apr 7, 2012.
A particular poster stated...I mean you no harm but I do have one bad character flaw. I do not suffer fools gladly.
In the context to which this poster was speaking, it is very clear why he deserves our sympathy. He obviously is having internal emotional problems and has admitted that his charater flaw is effecting his ability to converse in a rational way. I wish you well sir and hope you can find a way to stop thinking of yourself as a fool. I think misguided is more accurate and that you are being too hard on yourself.
May I suggest reading Dr William Glasser's book, "Reality Therapy. It would be excellent for you under the circumstance.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 4:53 am on Sat, Apr 7, 2012.
A particular poster stated...On the one side you have Limbaugh and Savage and on the other you have Human Beings with consciences... ( which is saying that Mr Limbaugh and Savage are so bad that they cannot be considered human beings nor have a conscience)
This poster then stated... You did not make a counter argument ( To these two respected individuals being psychopaths)
That is because there is no reason to counter anything. If someone said they thought Mars was made of chocolate, I would not counter that statement as well. Obviously, this poster has anger problems and a sense of reality that makes it wise to simply say... what ever you say sir. What ever you say.
Patrick W Maple posted at 3:09 pm on Fri, Apr 6, 2012.
Mr L: Like a rollin' stone...
John Lucas posted at 10:59 am on Fri, Apr 6, 2012.
Brian do what floats your boat
Pat conversations and arguments have life of their own. You go where they take you.
Patrick W Maple posted at 8:11 am on Fri, Apr 6, 2012.
I was going to comment on this thread but I refrained because I thought someone might make a play on my last name...being the subject is about trees.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:45 am on Fri, Apr 6, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
Unless you throttle back on your pompousities I am going to refrain from conversing with you.
John Lucas posted at 1:54 am on Fri, Apr 6, 2012.
Darrell i promised myself I would not waste my time dealing with your nonsense but I will try one last time
You said:
All the personalities Mr Lucas mentioned are hurtful to an audience who strongly disagree with their positions. All have good and bad points. However, according to Mr Lucas, only the ones he approves of are considered Human Beings with consciences.
I replied that I thought they were psychopaths. Psychopaths by definition lack a conscience. I the listed Psychopathic traits that I thought rush and Savaqe had. I made an argument on why I did not think Rush and Savage did not consciences. You may not agree with the argument but it was an argument none the less.
You did not make a counter argument. You could have countered with commenting on the traits I listed and made an argument that it did not apply to Rush and Savage. There are other arguments you could have mad but what did you do? You said:
Good cover Mr Lucas... good one! However, Im still waiting for you to answer thequestion using critical thinking.
You did use any counter argument to the arguments that I made. You did not give any argument or reason why you thought my arguments were not in line with critical thinking.
You remind me of asking a child why they did something and the child says "because". You ask again and the child says "just because". I ignore you because there is nothing there. How does one respond to an argument when there is no argument? It is the same with Mr Musto. What you want is to have a an argument that goes something like this:
your bad.no your bad.no your bad.your mother wears combat boots.your father has boogers in his nose.
How can you stand something so boring?
Then you said:
Brian, I have a question for you... why in your statement above did you use the word "MAY"? I think it is obvious that in reading what Mr Lucas has to say, you could have increased tth accuracy of your statement ten fold by removing that word.
This is just a a try at a person attack. Everything I said above applies here. I am now going to put you back on ignore knowing that you are incapable of understanding what I said to you and I have just wasted time that I could have used constructively. I mean you no harm but I do have one bad character flaw. I do not suffer fools gladly.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 10:56 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Brian stated ( to Mr. Lucas) ... In other words, you may indeed have some issues that are not repairable.
Mr Lucas stated...Having watched and listened to Savage and Rush, I believe they are psychopaths...
Brian, I have a question for you... why in your statement above did you use the word "MAY"? I think it is obvious that in reading what Mr Lucas has to say, you could have increased tth accuracy of your statement ten fold by removing that word.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 10:50 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Mr Lucas stated... I have to admit I have put Darrell on ignore for he bores me to tears but I will answer his question...
Good cover Mr Lucas... good one! However, Im still waiting for you to answer thequestion using critical thinking.
John Lucas posted at 8:07 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Brian wrote:
Darrell Wrote:
All the personalities Mr Lucas mentioned are hurtful to an audience who strongly disagree with their positions. All have good and bad points. However, according to Mr Lucas, only the ones he approves of are considered Human Beings with consciences.
-Looks like Darrell is wrong too. Huh John?
I have to admit I have put Darrell on ignore for he bores me to tears but I will answer his question. The statistics say that one out of every hundred persons in the world are
psychopaths. Psychopaths by definition lack a conscience. It is estimated that 25% of people in prison are psychopaths, that 5% of CEO's and preachers are psychopaths. Having watched and listened to Savage and Rush, I believe they are psychopaths.
Her are some traits psychopaths have:
glib and superficial charm
grandiose (exaggeratedly high) estimation of self
cunning and manipulativeness
pathological lying
shallow affect (superficial emotional responsiveness)
callousness and lack of empathy
poor behavioral controls
failure to accept responsibility for own actions
many short-term marital relationships
Sort of fits them to a t does it not? Not all psychopaths end up in jail. It depends on how much impulse control they have.
Brian said:
-First of all, John, SS&M are known to lie about and distort facts
When making statements like this a critical thinker will back it up with at least one example.
Brian said:
. Second of all, I would never say SS&M are completely devoid of character. This it the utmost antithesis of critical thinking. You are displaying this by making this assertion about Rush and Savage.
Not true at all. I came up with examples of what they said and did. After listening to them and watching their actions I naturally came to the conclusion that they were psychopaths, an opinion shared by many others. You are right in one sense though. I said I thought they were men completely devoid of character. I should have said that they were men completely devoid of GOOD character. Thank you for pointing out my mistake.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:11 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Darrell Wrote:
All the personalities Mr Lucas mentioned are hurtful to an audience who strongly disagree with their positions. All have good and bad points. However, according to Mr Lucas, only the ones he approves of are considered Human Beings with consciences.
-Looks like Darrell is wrong too. Huh John?
Brian Dockter posted at 6:51 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Mr. Lucas wrote:
You may not agree with the opinions of Shultz, Stewart and Maher. That is your right. They do not lie about facts. There are some on the right who get their facts straight and I may or may not agree with their opinions. Limbaugh and Savage are not in that group. They are men completely devoid of character.
-First of all, John, SS&M are known to lie about and distort facts. Second of all, I would never say SS&M are completely devoid of character. This it the utmost antithesis of critical thinking. You are displaying this by making this assertion about Rush and Savage.
Brian Dockter posted at 6:38 pm on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
John wrote at 10:44AM on Wed:
To compare Limbaugh and Savage to Stewart,Shultz and Maher is false equivalency. On the one side you Limbaugh and Savage and on the other you have Human Beings with consciences.
-Sure sounds to me you are saying Rush and Savage not only have momentary lapses of conscience, they actually don't have any conscience at all. And Stewart, Schultz, and Maher are quite the contrary.
John Lucas posted at 11:01 am on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Brian said:
Mr. Lucas,
I have to conclude you have now stepped so far away from the ability of critical thinking I can no longer take anything you say with any seriousness. In other words, you may indeed have some issues that are not repairable.
You are getting into Gary Musto land here and for a while there you were doing so well. Notice the difference between your post and my last post. I respond to what you said line by line. I was responding to your ideas. What did you do? You just made a personal attack without saying what I said that brought to your stated opinion. A cornerstone of critical thinking it is all about ideas not personality. It is important to listen to all because a good idea might come from anywhere. When I attacked Rush and Savage I pointed out what they actually said. I am disappointed in your last post not because of what you think of me. I have a thick skin when it comes to that sort of thing. I am disappointed because I was beginning to think you had some critical thinking skills after all and we could have an adult conversation about ideas.. Your last post destroys that thought.
John Lucas posted at 10:39 am on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Gary you are still boring me. I know you can do better.
Brian , lets go over what you said:
It's human nature to have momentary lapses of conscience.
Very true. I have been there myself many times and it is embarrassing. To have to apologize and make amends is a pain so I do my best to avoid doing it in the first place. I am not always successful.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, I'll give Mr. Lucas credit his observations may be true about Limbaugh and Savage.
This observation by you surprises me although there are many on the right who are long been embarrassed by their behavior. Rush certainly has made many enemies in the Republican party and many no doubt are secretly happy about his current troubles.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
However, for him to conclude Schultz, Stewart, and Maher don't have momentary lapses of conscience is an outright lie.
I never came to this conclusion. I said that Rush and Savage do it on a daily basis.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
But Heaven forbid I deny Mr. Lucas the right to conclude even when Schultz, Stewart, and Maher's consciences are in full working order they still cross the line daily with their hate filled rhetoric, personal attacks and outright lies.
This is nonsense of the first order. I am not a big fan of Ed Shultz though I agree with him most of the time. When he called Laura Ingraham a sl-t on his radio program he clearly went over the line. He impressed me by his on air apology. It clearly came from the heart. His calling Ms Ingraham personally to apologize says a great deal about his character. I was also impressed by Don Imus (a Republican) when he apologized for his actions and met with women who he denigrated on his program. We all make mistakes and it is what we do about that counts. Both these men showed character and courage.
I used to listen to Randi Rhodes who is a Liberal talk show host. One day she said something that was clearly a lie. I emailed her and got no reply. I have not listened to her since.
You may not agree with the opinions of Shultz, Stewart and Maher. That is your right. They do not lie about facts. There are some on the right who get their facts straight and I may or may not agree with their opinions. Limbaugh and Savage are not in that group. They are men completely devoid of character.
As to hate filled rhetoric and personal attacks I stand by what I said before when comparing Rush and Savage to Shultz, Stewart and Maher.
To say they are same is like saying a hurricane and a light breeze are the same because both are wind
Brian Dockter posted at 9:02 am on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
I have to conclude you have now stepped so far away from the ability of critical thinking I can no longer take anything you say with any seriousness. In other words,
you may indeed have some issues that are not repairable.
Brian Dockter posted at 8:39 am on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
Mr. Lucas wrote:
To compare Limbaugh and Savage to Stewart,Shultz and Maher is false equivalency. On the one side you Limbaugh and Savage and on the other you have Human Beings with consciences. There is such a thing as a line in human relations. Limbaugh and Savage cross that line daily with their hate filled rhetoric, personal attacks and outright lies. To say they are same is like saying a hurricane and a light breeze are the same because both are wind.
-It's human nature to have momentary lapses of conscience. Now, I'll give Mr. Lucas credit his observations may be true about Limbaugh and Savage. However, for him to conclude Schultz, Stewart, and Maher don't have momentary lapses of conscience is an outright lie. But Heaven forbid I deny Mr. Lucas the right to conclude even when Schultz, Stewart, and Maher's consciences are in full working order they still cross the line daily with their hate filled rhetoric, personal attacks and outright lies.
Gary Musto posted at 7:21 am on Thu, Apr 5, 2012.
President Obama's long time supporter and leftist bigot Keith Olbermann has been fired again, this time by that brilliant scientist and failed presidential hopeful Al Gore.
Maybe John could hire Keith as his shower mate, kinda like rub-a-dub-dub two losers in the tub?????
Eric Barrow posted at 8:27 pm on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Brian. I would actually agree with you, a recent article in the N.Y. Times states that the US is now producing more gasoline than it is using and shipping the excess. A big part of this excess is the fact the we are becoming more efficient with energy usage. So why I don't think the US has more oil than the middle east I do think we can produce enough oil to end the need to buy from other nations unfortunately oil is a global commodity and this fact will not necessarily keep the price of gas down but it will stop us from sending money to those who would do us harm.
John Lucas posted at 3:38 pm on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Gary you are starting to bore me. Surely you can do better than that
Darrell Baumbach posted at 3:34 pm on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Mr Lucas stated...To compare Limbaugh and Savage to Stewart,Shultz and Maher is false equivalency. On the one side you Limbaugh and Savage and on the other you have Human Beings with consciences...
The bias and subjective opinion of Mr Lucas is interesting. How humorous that he wrote a letter calling for critical thinking when he himself cannot.
All the personalities Mr Lucas mentioned are hurtful to an audience who strongly disagree with their positions. All have good and bad points. However, according to Mr Lucas, only the ones he approves of are considered Human Beings with consciences.
That someone can take Mr Lucas seriously as an objective balanced person is inexplicable. He is truely a one sided subjective person to the extreme. I might not agree with Maher or his bigoted comments and positions, but I would never say he has no conscious and not a human being.
Gary Musto posted at 2:39 pm on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Well John must be feeling dirty again since he just mentioned Limbaugh and Savage, guess it's time for another shower????
Shultz and Maher are both low grade bottom feeders and hate mongers, the good news is that they represent Obama's base so very well.
John Lucas posted at 10:44 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Gary I see you still cannot man up to your misstatements.
Brian finally something we can agree on. You said when talking about Michael Savage:
If you listened to him on a regular basis you would find he isn't much different than the rest of us.
I agree if you by “us” you mean Conservatives.
To compare Limbaugh and Savage to Stewart,Shultz and Maher is false equivalency. On the one side you Limbaugh and Savage and on the other you have Human Beings with consciences. There is such a thing as a line in human relations. Limbaugh and Savage cross that line daily with their hate filled rhetoric, personal attacks and outright lies. To say they are same is like saying a hurricane and a light breeze are the same because both are wind.
Brian Dockter posted at 8:50 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Eric,
As technology advances, it will become more cost effective to recover the oil that is now not cost effective to recover. Plain and simple, the U.S. has more oil than Saudi Arabia AND much of the Middle East. I'm sorry this is such an inconvenient truth for you.
Brian Dockter posted at 8:47 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Eric,
Technically recoverable oil and what is actually there are two different things.
Based on what is cost effective to recover and what is actually down there are two different things too.
Brian Dockter posted at 8:40 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=829
Eric,
Here's the link. The USGS doesn't actually come out and say the U.S. has more oil than Saudi Arabia. I did some comparisons. Based on what I could find about the amount of oil Saudi Arabia has and the amount of oil we have, we have much more.
Now, perhaps you don't think the USGS is a right wing propaganda site. But I would venture to say you're still sceptical of their findings because this means the case liberals make, we don't have enough oil to satisfy our demands, is complete rubbish.
Brian Dockter posted at 8:29 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
I never praised Rush for calling that woman a S%^t. And Michael Savage's incident on MSBC is called a digression. This was quite a few years ago. Since then he has wriiten several successful political books and has the 3rd largest audience on talk radio. He's very passionate about what he believes. If you listened to him on a regular basis you would find he isn't much different than the rest of us. Ed Schultz, John Stewart, Bill Maher, and the others like them are never held accountable for their digressions by the liberals. And they have numerous more than Savage.
Gary Musto posted at 7:57 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
John, I thought you were going to "take a break from posting for a while" what happened, found a little leftover hate to spew???
Darrell Baumbach posted at 7:31 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Eric stated...maybe if you spent some time listening to a few moderates or even liberals your hysteria might be tempered...
Brian, Eric is right... you might consider listening to a few moderates and liberals like Eric does, that way, you can turn into a hysterical condescending patronizing gentleman like Eric who gives the appearance of just getting an maximum force electroshock treatment for three hours.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 7:21 am on Wed, Apr 4, 2012.
Ms Bobin stated...Still laughing over Mr. Baumbach's call for critical thinking. Poor soul actually thinks he does some.
Yes...I imagine you are still laughing... unfortunately, in an unhealthy way like a mad scientist.
Please pay attention ... I did not write the article, Mr Lucas did. He made the assertion in his letter that without critical thinking, our civilization would die. That was not me Ms Bobin.
Lucas begins with an L as in liberal... My name starts with a “B” as in beautiful. Since he made it an essential issue, you would think he himself would use critical thinking which requires one to do one's best to find common ground in opposing points of views. However, When Mr Lucas starts out the point that he is right and conservatives are wrong, no discussion, it is obvious he is a blatant hypocrite.
Please keep laughing, the mad scientist laugh suits you.
John Lucas posted at 11:16 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Brian,You whine because I say you are a member of a cult. You cry because I am not “kind” to you and then you recommend a book to me entitled, “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder”, written by a man who got fired from MSNBC for having this conservation with a caller:
SAVAGE: So you're one of those sodomists. Are you a sodomite?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.
SAVAGE: Oh, you're one of the sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better than to put me down, you piece of garbage. You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it. Get trichinosis.
You have written many times praising Rush Limbaugh who called a woman a sl-t, a prostitute and said she should put tapes of her having sex on the internet because he disagreed with her on an policy issue..
These are the "kind" leaders of the "kind" cult you belong to and you insist that I should be kind to members like you who sing the praises of these sorry excuses for human beings. Do not hold your breath. I will continue speak out against these ugly vicious mean-spirited bunch of losers. An 80 year man from Montana said it best though I do not agree with the Liberal part:
Liberals make me ashamed to be an American but Conservatives make me ashamed to be a human being.
I will now go take a shower even though I just took one a few hours ago. I always feel dirty after thinking about people like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage
Eric Barrow posted at 7:53 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Brian I can assure you that I never claimed that the USGS was right wing propaganda if you have a record of this I would certainly like to see it. I would also like to see where the USGS claim is that states that there is more oil here than in the Saudi Arabia.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:09 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
I have cited things from Stratfor.com, Securefreedom.org, Shoebat.org. These are not right wing propaganda sites. Eric and people like him challenge people like me
when we cite things that don't fit into their agenda. They are so predictable.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:03 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Eric,
On another letter you implied the USGS was a right wing propaganda site because it has numbers proving the U.S. has more oil than the Middle East. Are you still maintaining this position?
Joanne Bobin posted at 3:19 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Still laughing over Mr. Baumbach's call for critical thinking. Poor soul actually thinks he does some.
You would have to lift yourself out of the ghetto of conservative rhetoric in order to achieve "critical thinking," Mr. Baumbach. Critical thinking involves not aligning oneself with any type of bias. Most in this forum have a left or right bias but do the best thinking they can on either side and make valid points from their viewpoints.
Your calling for "critical thinking" is bogus and disingenuous at the very least. Pompous and ill-educated/ill-informed at the worst.
Eric Barrow posted at 12:56 pm on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Brian I'm afraid you are going to have to step way from the right wing propaganda to understand the reality of the the day. You consistently site ultra conservative propaganda to support your ultra conservative views ( although I do appreciate you siting something, some on this site would like to take credit for the work of others) maybe if you spent some time listening to a few moderates or even liberals your hysteria might be tempered.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:57 am on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
http://www.amazon.com/Liberalism-Mental-Disorder-Savage-Solutions/dp/1595550062
Liberalism is a Mental Disorder: Savage Solutions [Hardcover]
Brian Dockter posted at 7:53 am on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Mr Lucas wrote:
I am going to take a break from posting for a while. I now know what a psychologist feels like when dealing with a cult member. Life is to short to do it too much.
-Making such a disparaging remark about conservatives is not very kind. But according to Mr. Lucas, why should he be kind to a cult member.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:46 am on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
I think you can see where we think you don't know what you're talking about.
Brian Dockter posted at 7:45 am on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
We had some disagreements with some your assertions. You got angry because we dared to disagree with you. Now you're backpeddling because some of those assertions you made we disagreed on you are now admitting some were wrong.
Of course you may have never gotten angry had we just agreed and let it be. Critical thinking also involves questioning what a person asserts. That's what was done. But your whole letter implies Conservatives aren't critical thinkers. I think you can see where we think you don't know the you're talking about.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 12:25 am on Tue, Apr 3, 2012.
Mr Lucas stated...The other racist southern Senators and Congressmen simply switched to the Republican party where their views were more in line and obviously tolerated...
Still waiting for that critical thinking to kick in... the only reason democratic senators switched to become a republican was because, as racists, they were more at home with the Republicans.
Of course Bird felt very comfortable and at home with his friends and supporters in the democratic party... but all the others did not ( according to Mr Lucas). A reasonable objective critical thinker would think that if a person would join the KKK and was very comfortable with the democrats that both parties provided a home for people who had practiced racism... as long as it was politically expedient.
John Lucas posted at 9:57 pm on Mon, Apr 2, 2012.
Gary Musto said:
Has anyone seen John Lucas, last I heard he was heading up a tree planting expedition to Easter Island.
Poor John, you just can't keep from lying can you, if you ever used facts to back up your arguments it would be by accident.
OK, lets go over your nonsense
You originally said:
58,000 brave Americans and 1.5 million civilians were killed in Vietnam under the watchful eye of Democrat president LBJ.
This is obviously wrong. I came back with figures that I thought were correct but I was wrong. ( See how is easy that is?) Instead of manning up about your mistake and giving better figures you omitted your original misstatement (admitting a mistake is something a Conservative cannot do) you immediately pointed out my mistake which I thank you for.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These are some of your other statements most of which have nothing to do with what I was talking about:
The Vietnam war was ongoing by the time LBJ took office in 1964, he escalated the fighting by signing the "Gulf of Tonkin" resolution, on Aug. 10, 1964. It was later found out that the whole issue of the attacks on US ship was phony and LBJ needed a reason to start his bombing campaign in the North.
I agree with you on this. After spending 19 months in Vietnam it is my view is that it was a war crime.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as civilian deaths, Robert McNamara estimated them to be around 2.2 million. No body really knows for sure and it is difficult to find true numbers from the same sources.
Again I agree and said so previously
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The quote I posted about LBJ's remarks can be found on page 33, in a book titled, "Inside the White House" by Ronald Kessler. Look it up.
In another book titled, "Lone Star Rising" by Robert Dallek, and LBJ Biographer Robert Cano, they both quote LBJ after appointing Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. "Son, when I appoint a N***er to the Court, I want everyone to know he's a N***er." Look it up.
Just because something is in a book does not mean that LBJ said those things. The fact is that even if did he will be remembered as the President who signed legislation that advanced civil rights more than any other President in history. You are just trying to attack the person as a way to attack what he did
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Arthur C.Brooks, professor at Syracuse University did the study entitled "Who really cares" about conservatives giving more to charity than liberals. ABC 20/20 also aired a show that compared Republicans to Democrats and their charitable givings, look it up, spin it anyway you want.
I do not know this for a fact but I bet he included giving to churches as charity. Whether giving to a church is charity is open to a debate which is a waste of my time
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f you want to talk about filibustering, you forgot to mention the 14 hour filibuster Democrat Robert "Sheets" Byrd, noted racist and KKK member in 1964 when the Johnson Civil Rights bill came up for a vote. Democrat Robert Byrd was still serving in the US Senate until his death.
Robert Byrd latter on repudiated his views. If he did not he would have been kicked out of the Democratic Party. The other racist southern Senators and Congressmen simply switched to the Republican party where their views were more in line and obviously tolerated.
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I am going to take a break from posting for a while. I now know what a psychologist feels like when dealing with a cult member. Life is to short to do it too much.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 9:40 pm on Mon, Apr 2, 2012.
May I ask Ms Bobin... are you saying that Mr Lucas is participating in critical thinking when he starts out with the premise that conservative thinking and perspective is 100% the problem and liberal thinking and perspective is the solution? That position is not constructive and antagonizes people. This results in less cooperation and motivation to develop respect and understanding.
In my view, a better start would be to begin that our problems are complex. That both liberal and conservative thinking has contributed to the mess and a solution would be to work as a team to find a solution.
I thought Gary's position much more flexible and reasonable that Mr Lucas.
I notice you are quick to ad fuel to the fire but add nothing in the way of constructive ideas...
Please tell us exactly your solution and why you agree with Mr Lucas.
Joanne Bobin posted at 4:22 pm on Mon, Apr 2, 2012.
The funniest part of all of these comments is Mr. Baumbach's constant pleas for the use of "crical thinking" on Mr. Lucas's part.
Critical thinking defined: "the mental process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reach an answer or conclusion."
Mr. Baumbach's definition (minus the "thinking" part):
"inclined to find fault or to judge with severity, often too readily."
Gary Musto posted at 6:46 am on Mon, Apr 2, 2012.
Has anyone seen John Lucas, last I heard he was heading up a tree planting expedition to Easter Island.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 10:06 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Gary stated...I would hope that both political parties would start to work together and address these issues before they really get out of hand if they aren't already, but I won't hold my breath.
Unlike Mr Lucus, Gary is a critical thinker who can see beyond the Liberal/conservative blame game and seeks to find mutual solutions. Mr Lucas in contrast says the only way to solve problems is to get rid of the conservatives.... I think there is truth in that there is value in critical thinking, however, its easier to think you are involved in critical thinking than it is in actually doing it.
Gary Musto posted at 8:44 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Steve where did I blame liberals, do you believe there should have been a bounty on a American citizen who has not yet been convicted of any crime???
Those random killings of blacks by mostly other blacks should also be investigated by the so called black leadership I mentioned. I just don't see them getting involved unless it's made into something they can sensationalize to further their own agenda.
I don't need the "far right media" to tell me that there are real problems when teenagers are being gunned down for flashing gang signs or wearing a certain color, who exactly is working on solving these kinds of problems, that's my concern, isn't it yours???
I would hope that both political parties would start to work together and address these issues before they really get out of hand if they aren't already, but I won't hold my breath.
Andrew Liebich posted at 8:30 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Mr. Schmidt,
Is your inability to think critically due to your own intellectual laziness or is it simply your televisions fault?
Steve Schmidt posted at 4:30 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
But Gary, if you listen to the far right media (as you clearly do) you will hear exactly the same thing, that the entire situation is the fault of the liberals.
The problem here is clearly one of partisan news delivery, of people who care nothing about the truth but only about manipulating folks like yourself on the margin to maximize ratings.
The result is a nation that is so fragmented that, on a good day, it is barely functional.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 3:47 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Mr Schidmt stated...Obviously, things have changed over the last 50 years.
Now is your chance to participate in critical thinking Steve... Gary made some very specific observations and provided real examples to counter John's and your statements.
You simply said things changed.... Can you give specific examples of what you are referring to. Can you admit that the problems of our country are more complex than Mr Lucas thinks it is? I am sure that both liberals and conservatives have contributed to what ever problems exist. The letter here that was submitted however, only identified conservatives as the problem. I think Gary did a good job of adding balance and substance to the discussion... now its your turn to contribute balance in a constructive way. Time for critical thinking.
Gary Musto posted at 2:02 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Steve wrote "Obvious, things have changed over the last 50 years."
Well Steve not if you happen to listen to Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Maxine Waters, Rev. Wright, MSNBC or the "New Black Panthers."
The tragic death of an unarmed Black teenager, Trayvon Martin has ignited racial hatred once again. The facts of the case have never been fully revealed but to some on the left, it's all the Republicans fault.
MSNBC has featured a hit piece on everyone from Jeb Bush, Newt, Limbaugh, Romney, and of course President Bush, blaming them for an atmosphere of hate.
My goodness, the "New Black Panthers" offered a $10,000 bounty for capturing Mr. Zimmerman, sounds a lot like a "lynch mop mentality" that was suppose to have ended decades ago.
Spike Lee "Tweeted" what he thought was Mr. Zimmerman's home address only problem was it the wrong house, what would have happened if someone broke down their door and injured them looking for the correct Mr. Zimmerman??
Where is the outrage when young Blacks are being gunned down on our nations streets by the dozens each day???? Where is the so called Black leadership,
why are they choosing to stand mute?? Why hasn't President Obama, who once was elected on the promise of bringing us together not asked for calm and reasoning??
Steve Schmidt posted at 12:46 pm on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Gary, I don't think anyone denies the fact that many Democrats once opposed granting blacks their civil rights just as many Republicans once supported them.
Obviously, things have changed over the last 50 years.
Gary Musto posted at 11:14 am on Sun, Apr 1, 2012.
Poor John, you just can't keep from lying can you, if you ever used facts to back up your arguments it would be by accident.
These causalities are reported by the National Archives, now if you want to dispute these numbers go ahead and name the source you used to rebuke my claims.
The Vietnam war was ongoing by the time LBJ took office in 1964, he escalated the fighting by signing the "Gulf of Tonkin" resolution, on Aug. 10, 1964. It was later found out that the whole issue of the attacks on US ship was phony and LBJ needed a reason to start his bombing campaign in the North.
US military deaths in Vietnam under LBJ was 35,751 when Nixon took over the war in 1969 to the end of his term were 20,041. There were causality counts before LBJ and after Nixon but I didn't add them to the count.
As far as civilian deaths, Robert McNamara estimated them to be around 2.2 million. No body really knows for sure and it is difficult to find true numbers from the same sources.
The quote I posted about LBJ's remarks can be found on page 33, in a book titled, "Inside the White House" by Ronald Kessler. Look it up.
In another book titled, "Lone Star Rising" by Robert Dallek, and LBJ Biographer Robert Cano, they both quote LBJ after appointing Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. "Son, when I appoint a N***er to the Court, I want everyone to know he's a N***er." Look it up.
Arthur C.Brooks, professor at Syracuse University did the study entitled "Who really cares" about conservatives giving more to charity than liberals. ABC 20/20 also aired a show that compared Republicans to Democrats and their charitable givings, look it up, spin it anyway you want.
If you want to talk about filibustering, you forgot to mention the 14 hour filibuster Democrat Robert "Sheets" Byrd, noted racist and KKK member in 1964 when the Johnson Civil Rights bill came up for a vote. Democrat Robert Byrd was still serving in the US Senate until his death.
Those are facts, not opinions. Got the guts and facts to refute those facts put up or shut up.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 7:46 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Brian stated...Mr. Lucas,Regarding your post at 4:27 PM: No facts. Just opinions.
Then Steve stated... So, Brian, which of the facts included in Mr Lucas' 4:08 PM post do you dispute?
Evidently, since Brian does not consider anything that Mr Lucas stated in his post facts, but opinion... It would be difficult for Brian to dispute what he perceives is not there... but Steve, after applying his form of critical thinking ignores Brian's conclusion and insists that Brian see facts...
The comedy Steve provides just gets better as time goes by. Maybe if Steve identified what he “perceives” to be facts and provided evidence that helped him to determine it was “fact”, we might be on the road to getting to the point of critical thinking... unlike what Mr Lucas did in his letter.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 6:36 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Like I said... still waiting for the critical thinking to begin... Had it started, the conclusion that Mr Lucas drew ... " If we keep electing conservatives, the time will come when they will cut down the last tree and our civilization will die." would not have been made. In stead, it would not have said anything about conservatives or liberals in a general sense.
Instead, it would have been much less simplistic... much more complex and offered possibilities and solutions that are observable.
Steve Schmidt posted at 6:35 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
So, Brian, which of the facts included in Mr Lucas' 4:08 PM post do you dispute?
Darrell Baumbach posted at 6:30 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
We are thinking critically when we:
evaluate all reasonable inferences
consider a variety of possible viewpoints or perspectives,
remain open to alternative interpretations
accept a new explanation, model, or paradigm because it explains the evidence better, is simpler, or has fewer inconsistencies or covers more data
accept new priorities in response to a reevaluation of the evidence or reassessment of our real interests, and
do not reject unpopular views out of hand
recognize the relevance and/or merit of alternative assumptions and perspectives
http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm
John Lucas posted at 6:27 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Brian repeated:
Pretty weak John. I think somewhere deep inside you know that I described you perfectly. If that is true t does not matter what I think or what you think. It just is. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
I think not :)
Darrell Baumbach posted at 6:26 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Obviously, no critical thinking has taken place with this letter or its comments on this thread... since the author of this letter made it an important issue to utilize critical thinking... you would think he would have used it himself...
http://www.criticalreading.com/critical_thinking.htm
Passive, non-critical thinkers take a simplistic view of the world.
They see things in black and white, as either-or, rather than recognizing a variety of possible understanding.
They see questions as yes or no with no subtleties.
They fail to see linkages and complexities.
They fail to recognize related elements.
Non-critical thinkers take an egotistical view of the world
They taketheirfacts as the only relevant ones.
They taketheir ownperspective as the only sensible one.
They taketheir goalas the only valid one.
This pretty well articulates Mr Lucas and his thinking which resulted in the conclusions he has written about.
Brian Dockter posted at 6:09 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Pretty weak John. I think somewhere deep inside you know that I described you perfectly. If that is true t does not matter what I think or what you think. It just is. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
John Lucas posted at 6:03 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Brian said
Mr. Lucas,
Regarding you post at 4:27 PM:
No facts. Just opinions.
Pretty weak Brian. I think somewhere deep inside you know that I described you perfectly. If that is true t does not matter what I think or what you think. It just is. Denial is not a river in Egypt.
Brian Dockter posted at 5:58 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
And we shouldn't expect Steve and his ilk to admit there is also an element of Liberal refusal to take reality into their considerations. I would say this is THE primary principle
reason for the partisan divide that has crippled our nation.
Manuel Martinez posted at 5:35 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
"On Easter Island, they cut down trees in religious ceremonies. When they cut down the last tree, their civilization died."
Conclusion - Religions cause civilizations to die. :D
Steve Schmidt posted at 5:26 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
JL, that is well put and true. The conservative refusal to take reality into their considerations is one of the principle reasons for the partisan divide that has crippled our nation.
You can no more reason with a character like Gary than you can reason with a stone.
Brian Dockter posted at 4:39 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
Regarding you post at 4:27 PM:
No facts. Just opinions.
John Lucas posted at 4:27 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Steve said:
Now John, you know facts are notorious for having a liberal bias.
So very true,Steve (with a tip of the Hat to Steve Colbert). It is also very unfair. Liberals are in chains because their devotion to facts and the scientific method. Have you not envied our Conservative brothers who can believe and spout anything because facts mean nothing to them? I pointed out to Mr Musto where he got his facts completely wrong. Do you think in our lifetime he will man up about any of his misinformation? Not a chance for he is a good example what being a "Conservative" is all about. All spiritual beliefs say that God is truth and love. All Liberals are chained by their devotion to facts and truth which is really the same as devotion to God. Conservative are under no such constraints. Their purpose is not seeking the truth(or God). Their purpose is to convince others of their beliefs, their moral superiority and they never let facts or truth get in their way. Their spiritual brothers were Jesus's accusers who sent him to his death on the cross.
Brian Dockter posted at 4:16 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr Bransom,
Regarding you post at 12:38 PM:
My last post directed to Mr. Lucas also applies to you.
Brian Dockter posted at 4:12 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr. Lucas,
Please stop reminding us you would never give Conservatives the benefit of the doubt. Unlike you, I would never make such a comment about Liberals.
Brian Dockter posted at 4:08 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr Musto proving my point about “Conservtive” critical thinking
58,000 brave Americans and 1.5 million civilians were killed in Vietnam under the watchful eye of Democrat president LBJ. National security.
16000 brave Americans died under Johnson. 34000 brave Americans died under Nixon. There are no reliable figures on civilian deaths. Mr Musto pulled this out of the back part of his being.
“Conservative facts” versus reality
-Chuckle,
There are no reliable facts to back up Mr. Lucas's assertion the LBJ had a gun held to his head by the GOP to make the decisons he made that inadvertantly led to so many deaths during the Vietnam War.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 4:05 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Since the author of the letter graced us with his presence and felt the need to defend the indefensible, I was looking forward to some of that critical thinking he was talking about...
"Still waiting"... Hopefully, something of value will soon appear that we all can learn from . Imagine... someone thinking that the content of this letter was a result of critical thinking. Astounding!
Maybe Andrew was right... not sure...Ill have to think about it. Time to meditate in peace. Awmmmm
Brian Dockter posted at 4:04 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr. Lucas wrote:
What you saying here is that because of your opinion of Barrack Obama that anyone who disagrees with that opinion must be a terrible critical thinker.
-That's right. I would never say Liberals aren't critical thinkers. Your whole letter implies Conservatives aren't critical thinkers.
Steve Schmidt posted at 3:51 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
JL wrote: "16000 brave Americans died under Johnson. 34000 brave Americans died under Nixon. There are no reliable figures on civilian deaths. Mr Musto pulled this out of the back part of his being.
“Conservative facts” versus reality"
Now John, you know facts are notorious for having a liberal bias.
John Lucas posted at 3:20 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr Musto proving my point about “Conservtive” critical thinking
58,000 brave Americans and 1.5 million civilians were killed in Vietnam under the watchful eye of Democrat president LBJ. National security.
16000 brave Americans died under Johnson. 34000 brave Americans died under Nixon. There are no reliable figures on civilian deaths. Mr Musto pulled this out of the back part of his being.
“Conservative facts” versus reality
President LBJ, "I'll have those N***ers voting Democrat for the next 200 years." He was a total racist, Bobbie Kennedy called him a "mean, bitter, vicious animal in many ways." Compassionate.
No facts. Just hearsay and opinion
The quote attributed to LBJ is particularly ugly, just hearsay and it is very doubtful it happened except in your twisted imagination.
Conservatives make 6% less than liberals but donate 30% more to charity and donate more time and blood than liberals. Compassionate.
No statistics or studies to back up your claims. Just trying to twist reality to fit what you think it is or should be.
No facts. Just opinion
Republican President Eisenhower proposed the "Civil Rights Act" of 1957, liberals like Kennedy, Johnson, and assorted other Democrats watered it down., then voted it down.
Partially true. Johnson watered it down to get the votes of his fellow southern Democrats most of whom after later civil rights laws were later passed became Republicans. Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina,(who later became a Republican) an ardent segregationist, sustained the longest one-person filibuster in history in an attempt to keep the bill from becoming law. Kennedy and Johnson both voted for it and not only was it not voted down it was enacted on September 9, 1957.
Now go back to your "conservative" friend and tell him what you learned here today.
I learned that Gary Musto has difficultly telling the difference betwwen fact and opinion.
I learned that Gary Musto is too lazy to do the mot basic research to back up his allegations.
I learned that Gary Musto cannot get his facts straight.
I learned that Gary Musto will attribute the ugliest and most vicious quotes to someone without the least bit of proof.
I learned that Gary Musto gets many of his “facts” from the backside of his being.
Steve Schmidt posted at 1:33 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Chuckle... Jerry, ya gotta love the Dreaded Rear Admiral. He is his own worst enemy.
Jerry Bransom posted at 12:38 pm on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Brian Doktor said:
>>Here's the truth
>>http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx
>>Steve, did you make up Your assertions just to make yourself feel good?
*****************
Well your link confirms that what Steve said is absolutely true.
And your point proves Mr. Lucas' point - critical thinking does not exist in your world (and many others in this forum)!
Hilarious!!
Gary Musto posted at 11:38 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Yes, liberals are far superior in your eyes John, but there are a few facts you seem to have left out.
58,000 brave Americans and 1.5 million civilians were killed in Vietnam under the watchful eye of Democrat president LBJ. National security.
No Opinion. Just Facts.
President LBJ, "I'll have those N***ers voting Democrat for the next 200 years." He was a total racist, Bobbie Kennedy called him a "mean, bitter, vicious animal in many ways." Compassionate.
No Opinion. Just Facts.
Conservatives make 6% less than liberals but donate 30% more to charity and donate more time and blood than liberals. Compassionate.
No Opinion. Just Facts.
Republican President Eisenhower proposed the "Civil Rights Act" of 1957, liberals like Kennedy, Johnson, and assorted other Democrats watered it down.,
then voted it down.
No Opinion. Just Facts.
Now go back to your "conservative" friend and tell him what you learned here today.
Gary Maurer posted at 10:35 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Hey John, great letter! Your last post here is right on. There is just no way you can overcome the ignorance and intransigent beliefs of the "usual suspects."
Andrew Liebich posted at 7:48 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
In searching for answers to why so few people seem concerned about the writing on the wall, it strikes me that the cause may rest in the fact that the ability for critical thinking has been washed out of most people by a numbing shower of government propaganda, state education and media misdirect.
The result of this trifecta of trivialization is that the vast majority of people no longer bother thinking any more deeply about the very real issues confronting them than they might in deciding whether to have sprinkles on their ice cream. Worse than that, they don't even understand the concept of thinking critically, let alone its importance.
For example... The use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress constitutes an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution.
yet so few people seem concerned about the writing on the wall...
John Lucas posted at 7:00 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
I was not going to post anymore but I guess I have to defend my letter. Do not worry I will only post here.
Brian Dockter wrote:
This is quite a bold statement to make given Conservatives outnumber Liberals 2 to 1 in America.
This is a good example of faulty reasoning if you were referring to my letter. A Conservative friend and I had a running argument over the years. He said the truth was what any two persons believed. I said the truth is irrespective of who believed what. It does not matter if everyone in the country believed in the fiscal policies of Conservatism the outcome would be determined by the policies and not by what anyone believes or how many.
Brian Dockter wrote:
Just the fact that Liberals are still standing by their man B.O. forgoes the notion they are the only critical thinkers.
What you saying here is that because of your opinion of Barrack Obama that anyone who disagrees with that opinion must be a terrible critical thinker.
Notice the difference in how you and I think in my letter.
In 1968, political pull was used to put George Bush in the Air National Guard so he could avoid going to a war he supported. Someone had to go in his place.
No opinion. Just facts
In 1968, John Kerry was sitting on a destroyer and volunteered for some of the most hazardous duty in Vietnam. In 2004, he was labeled a coward by Bush campaign associates.
No opinion. Just facts
In 2011, Senator Kyl made false remarks about Planned Parenthood. He later said his statement was not meant to be factual.
No opinion. Just facts
Republicans claim they are the party of fiscal responsibility when they have not balanced a budget since the 1950s, and two-thirds of the national debt happened under their watch.
No opinion. Just facts
They claim to be the party of national security when they were in charge when the biggest terrorist attack on American soil happened.
No opinion. Just facts
They claim to know how to run an economy when the two greatest financial disasters (1929 and 2008) came after years of them being in power.
No opinion. Just facts
I know that you, Darrell, Jerome and the other Conservatives on this blog cannot possibly see what I am talking about here(it is not the politics of it) and I am just wasting my time but I am a proud Liberal and as we all know we Liberals have a little masochism in us.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 5:13 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr Schmidt's post at 3:59 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012....Clearly this post is appropriate and sets a tone befitting the quality of this letter.
I couldn't decide if the letter from Mr Lucas or Steve's post
lacked most in the critical thinking department. It's a toss up.
Brian Dockter posted at 4:08 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Here's the truth
http://www.gallup.com/poll/120857/conservatives-single-largest-ideological-group.aspx
Steve,
Did you make up Your assertions just to make yourself feel good?
Steve Schmidt posted at 3:59 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Actually, that was a paraphrase.
What George W. Bush actually said was the following: "Yeah man, I tell ya what, man. That dang ol' Internet, man. You just go on there and point and click. Talk about W-W-dot-W-com. An' lotsa nekkid chicks on there, man. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. It's real easy, man. Boy, I tell you what, man, that dang ol' CK One, man, just like catnip. Pee ol' dang ol' u man.I tell you what man these ol' president elections waste of time man when all they do is just sit down man and don't do a dang thing about that dog man."
Steve Schmidt posted at 3:56 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
To quote the inestimable George W Bush: "Either you are with us or you are again us"
Steve Schmidt posted at 3:52 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Brian, you are talking about how people self identify. The vast majority of Americans self identify as either moderate or liberal.
Conservatives, however, identify all those who disagree with them as "liberals" so, in the sense that you use the word, "liberals" FAR out number conservatives.
Brian Dockter posted at 3:23 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Mr Lucas wrote:
To really succeed in any enterprise, honor and respect for critical thinking is a must. If we keep electing conservatives, the time will come when they will cut down the last tree and our civilization will die. It is up to us.
-This is quite a bold statement to make given Conservatives outnumber Liberals 2 to 1 in America. Just the fact that Liberals are still standing by their man B.O. forgoes the notion they are the only critical thinkers.
Darrell Baumbach posted at 2:57 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
After reading this article twice... slowly... and carefully observing the critical thinking that Mr Lucas applied which resulted in the letter I read... I would like to offer what I consider an appropriate response to this letter submitted:
" No Comment"
Jerome Kinderman posted at 2:17 am on Sat, Mar 31, 2012.
Yes indeed, it's still "Bush's fault."
After three years of President Barack Hussein Obama at the helm, his minions are still blaming someone else for things that he himself should take ownership. But he doesn't. While he's very good at inserting himself into matters that are truly none of his business, he's not doing or saying anything at all about the economy or the price of gasoline that has reached nearly $4.50 right here in Lodi. Where’s the outrage?
If the president were a Republican with not only the nation in such disarray but with absolutely nothing to claim as a success during the entire first three-plus years of a first term, he/she would be encouraged by the party to reconsider running for another term. I would encourage such a Republican to find another job as well. I would be outraged.
But not Barack Hussein Obama. No, he's relying on the very thing that got him the job in the first place. After all, we knew very little about the man when he won in 2008 (not that we know much more about him today). And the only thing that Americans should judge him on is his performance, the result of which should be an overwhelming vote of "No Confidence." No, that won't happen because too many people are still holding Bush's feet to the fire even when he hasn't had the power to do anything for nearly four years. Where’s the Outrage?
So this time around the campaign posters can't be "Hope and Change;" they can only display "It's Bush's Fault." And in small print underneath should read, "Hang in There; Your ObamaBucks are on the Way!"
And the Republican’s war cry must be, “Where’s The Outrage?!?” But they’ll still be too afraid to go on the offensive – again.