Is it just me..........

[Lon Frank]

Now you all know that I usually don?t get political, but it?s raining, and I?m feeling just a little bit peckish today, so these are some random thoughts. I?m kinda playing both sides here, which just illustrates how confused and ignorant I really am. Feel free to put me in my place, just don?t call me any names my mother-in-law hasn?t thought of yet.


IS IT JUST ME........,

or does it seem to anyone else that we?re about to go to war with a country which has a GNP of about $4.68? I saw a picture of a Baghdad street yesterday, and I gotta say, these folks look like they would be hard pressed to afford a good cold, much less all the bioterrorism stockpiles we?re claiming. Could it be that George W. just badly needs to keep this war hero image alive?

or did anyone else wonder at the big deal being made because Iraq told it?s scientists not to cooperate, or else? Let?s see, do we have scientific secrets that are classified? Are our military scientists required to keep their mouths shut, even to friends, much less to nations not particularly fond of us? What is our penalty for treason? Just asking.

or does anyone else remember ole? Sammy Bin Ladin? I personally think he?s been nabbed and is being kept in secret, just to be ?captured? again a month before the next Presidential election. (Hooray for our guy George!) In fact, this whole Afghanistan/Iraq thing has sure provided good media camouflage for this administrations pillaging of our hard-fought environmental protection agencies, and the steady nose dive of our economy.

or does anyone else think, ?Hey, didn?t we already fight this war?? I seem also to remember American GI?s shooting at the North Korena, who are now shooting us the finger right back. How many Vietnams is it gonna take before we lea

[Lon Frank]

(what happened to my post?)

......... How many Vietnams is it gonna take before we learn that war is not a game, and if we have to fight, then by damn, fight to finish it! And what about the attitudes of Iraq?s european neighbors? If Saddam did land a poxy rocket on the Paris headquarters of Hermes, who do you think they gonna call? When he gasses another Kurdish village, will the world be outraged; will they then say the US is ultimately to blame because we had our foot on his neck and just said, ?You play nice, now, and we?ll give you another chance.??

And on another tangent, does anyone else think we may be overreacting a leeeetle bit when we throw people in jail (with a quarter-million fine) for keeping the rubbish which fell on them from the Columbia? I mean no disrespect to the families of the Astronauts, but are we really going to learn a great deal from a burned heat tile, or some scrap of rubber tubing? What happened to the concept that position is 9/10ths of the law? You drop some junk in my yard, it?s mine! Of course, the more important pieces should be identified, but is it necessary to post armed guards around a 2? square of metal, burned beyond all recognition? And just when did it become standard procedure for emergency response to tell the public such outlandish, obvious, and just plain stupid lies - ?You gotta stay away from all debris, or you?ll die a horrible death in 48 hours!!!!!!? Gimme a break; surely a rocket scientist could have come up with a better one than that! After all, this is East Texas, and after some 50 morons showed up at emergency rooms in Lufkin, maybe they should have just told the truth; ?Listen Goober, if you pick it up, it?ll probably burn the crap out of you.?

[the mule]

Lon, freedom is being allowed to yell "theater" in a crowded fire.

Yeah, it's all stupid. They're doing it in our name.

[Lon Frank]

Hey, Helen. I didn't think anyone was going to reply to this at all. I've struck out in my last two threads, so I thought I'd just try to pick a fight, albeit a friendly one.

Actually, I've not been a big fan of the Bush administration, but just today I heard the President on CNN admonishing us to get behind hydrogen technology for automobiles. This is the first time I've heard him say anything I agreed with in concern for the environment. He even used the e-word without licking his lips. Maybe I've misjudged him, just because he replaced many dedicated government environmental decision -makers with former excutives from the oil patch or logging industry.

Anyway, back to the hydrogen car - he says maybe 30 years down the road; I say a decade at most. Honda actually has a few hydrogen vehicles being tested in California already. It occurs to me that if we spent the money on hydrogen technology development that we will spend rebuilding Iraq after we bomb the bejebbers out of it, we could turn off the oil spigot from the mid-east once and for all. Let them go back to hating each other and leave us out of it.

NOW, surely, I've gone far enough to get a discussion out of this. I'm warning you all, I might go back to posting poetry!

[the mule]

The man wants a fight. I always agree with him, except when I disagree with him, so someone else will have to throw a punch. But softly.

[Lon Frank]

Well, Helen ol' girl, it looks like it's just me and you, and it's just too cold outside to be very disagreeable tonight. What say, we call the whole thing off and head over to Aunt Bee's for some hot chok'let and cookies? C'mon, I'll carry your books.

[Carol in Oz]

Hi Lon. I don't quite feel comfortable talking politics on the net, so I'll just say that public opinion over here and in Britain would seem to agree with you. The only ones who are keen on rushing into a conflict are Bush, Blair and Howard. Funnily enough, when there was all the kerfuffle over your last elections, I remember a political commentator predicting this would happen if Bush got in. I guess he knew his stuff. I'm such a sceptic I think that the hydrogen car thing is just a furphy to get the public back on side. Believe it when you see it.

Now that I have publicly displayed my political ignorance, I would much rather visit with you folks at Aunt Bee's (I love marshmallows).

[the mule]

The mule carefully packs his bags for the midnight dash to Bee's house. His rubber duckee and stripey sox go in first, followed by his FRL Freedom Award application which the careless woman had forgotten to mail. His pauses over his last addition ... should he pack his hat or wear it?

[Aunt Bee]

My door is always open-come on over Lon and Helen! Hot chocolate (with homemade marshmallows and sprinkle of cinnamon-if you desire) is always ready for the stove! I also have some wonderful ginger tea, with mesquite and catsclaw raw honey ready for the taking! Cookies, of course! I just pulled out a sheet of white chocolate cherry chip cookies, made with butter of course!

Lon, I have to tell ya, I was just LOL'ing over the "Goober..." line. You crack me up!

And don't get me started on environmentalism-I've been looking at earthships-a la Dennis Weaver-lately. As for our prez, um , not tonight. Pull up a chair, and have a cuppa cocoa...the fireplace is making the room snuggly tonight. [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/coffee.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

[larsguy]

Lon, so you want to fight eh? C'mon put up yer dukes, put em up I say (using my best Bert Lahr voice).