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Or say after Iraq was under US control, when very first thing that happened was that Bush´s and Rice´s surrounding loaded some 4 billion $ worth of mineral oil for free ...
Ruphus
So if Bush is a billionaire, why does he live in a smaller house in a less fashionable neighborhood than my cousin, the retired Dallas physician? Why is his "ranch" (in South Texas we would call it a "country place") so small and unproductive, compared to my 92-year old aunt's property in South Texas? Neither of my relatives is a billionaire. Did Bush lose it all to Cheney in some high stakes poker game? Or is the tale of his acquired billions just an outrageous lie?
Perhaps Bush's relatively modest apparent lifestyle is just a cover for a more wild and colorful existence? Do he and Laura travel the globe incognito, visiting famous libraries in disguise? Laura is a librarian you know, and George is notoriously in love with her....
My daughter was Assistant Attorney General of the State of Texas throughout Bush's term as Governor. Her boss was the Attorney General, his boss was George W. Bush. My daughter was no fan of Bush. She worked hard as a volunteer in the campaign of Ann Richards, whom Bush defeated in the election for Governor. If there had been any whiff whatsoever of scandal attached to Bush, she was in a prime position to hear of it. I assure you, she has no tolerance whatsoever for such things.
My father knew George H. W. Bush well. My father used to joke that he tried three times, unsuccessfully to persuade G.H.W. Bush not to run for Congress, since he couldn't win. "I was right twice," my father used to say with a smile.
I would estimate that stories, or actual evidence of financial misdealings circulate in Texas concerning perhaps one in twenty powerful politicians. The Bushes as a family are unusual in that not only was there never a whiff of scandal, but they were known for their honesty and integrity.
I'm certainly no fan of George W. Bush. I don't think he is very smart, and I think he made some terrible decisions. But I don't think he's Satan incarnate.--just a jerk who managed to get elected president.
"Bush lied about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction!! He lied!! He lied!!" some will scream.
I did say he wasn't very smart.
I have considerable personal experience in the intelligence business. Intelligence estimates are among the most carefully guarded secrets of the government, except when they are used to advance a political agenda. The reason? You don't want the enemy to deduce what your sources may be. And you don't want him to know how wrong you are. Intelligence estimates are seriously, importantly wrong a significant amount of the time, due to faulty information, faulty reasoning, and most importantly, due to self-deception.
I have personally seen it happen, time and again, that the received wisdom of the intelligence community, supported by an array of fact and inference, turned out to be totally wrong as events unfolded.
Under considerable pressure from Cheney and Rumsfeld, the intelligence community concluded that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Bush was dumb enough to go for it.
Hell, Colin Powell went for it, and he's pretty smart. Smart enough not to risk getting caught in a gigantic lie. Powell now freely apologizes for being wrong. He says in television interviews, with an air of palpable regret, that his United Nations speech advocating war on Iraq was the biggest mistake of his career.
Yes, I know, I know. It's all a Machiavellian conspiracy of the demonic capitalists. All would be right with the world under the proper social order.
Any day now, someone is going to figure out what that would be.
This is the hopeful interpretation of the stock brokers' legally required disclaimer, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."
For an example: The distortion about Albania ( where I lived for a while in the early seventies ). A country that stood for maybe the most upright trial to socialism in modern history ( though I expect todays situation in Bolivia to be quite sincere as well ). Sincere and incorruptable enough to break first with the SU and later with the Chinese, for their betrayal on the socialist ideal; eventhough the Albanians - boykottet by their neighbours and the west - could well use the big power´s support and trade. I don´t think that there has been another case in modern history where income and property was as evenly distributed among people like there. Lesser even any other example of serious prophylaxis against nepotism and corruption like there. Leading staff there had to be very cautious with misuse of their positions against subordinates. No autocratism in place like everywhere else ( including common circumstances in the west!)
Hello, Ruphus. I have been busy preparing for an assignment to the South Pacific, where I will be from July through September, and, thus, am just now getting around to your post.
The only thing I agree with in your statement about Albania under Envery Hoxha is: "I don't think that there has been another case in modern history where income and property was as evenly distributed among people like there." Enver Hoxha's absolute tyranny practiced equality of oppression. Everyone in Albania was equally oppressed (except for Hoxha's inner circle). Next to Albania, even Bulgaria under Todor Zhivkov appeared relatively more free, and that's not saying much. There was no freedom of travel, no freedom of the press, no freedom to select an occupation, no freedom to start one's own business. and no freedom to change residence without official permission and an internal passport. Nevertheless, you are wrong about Albania being the only case imposing such "equality" (if that is what you call it) in modern history. North Korea's Kim Jong Il would have given Enver Hoxha a run for his money.
Cheers,
Bill
_____________________________
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white, With the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear, "A fool lies here, Who tried to hustle the East."
It seems your views on Spanish history have been formed in Central America, is that correct?
Incorrect. However, the commonalities of militarism in Latin America come from their Spanish origins and heritage. So, I find it laughable when Kate with Honours conveys shock that there was a coup in Spain. In fact they almost had another coup until Juan Carlos stepped in. Remember?
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Is it just me, or is Alatriste confused between communism, the political left, and totalitarian regimes?
Yes, it is just you. Read what I wrote upthread, and what others have posted since my last post last week.
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socialist and communist get mixed up. Even a 5 year old can understand the difference between minimum wage ,free education, national health, social security......and a totalitarian state
You mean USSR and DDR were not totalitarian states? North Korea, Cuba? Get a grip on reality dude. The further Left, the further totalitarian, the further Right the further totalitarian. The question here is which evil would have been better in the outcome of the Spanish Civil War. I say the better outcome was Franco. Communism in Spain if left unchecked would have have become Bolshevisim-Leninism a la USSR. It is only fashionable to deny this as such today. And I do say the transition to democracy in Spain was engineered in part by Franco, and yes Juan Carlos was groomed by him. Much more orderly than say what was going on next door with Salazar.
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Marx did not invent communism, he invented Marxism. And I was not referring to the communist party, formed in Spain in the 1920's, which is why I said 'communism per se' my reference was to collectivism which had been in existence in Spain as a way of life for centuries.
How moronic. I said "Marxism" Kate. RTFP! Are you sure about the "Honours" part of your English title? No backtracking now on your previous statement. You are obviously Red. Do you admire Kim Philby?
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I've never been called a gringa before, maybe because I live in Spain and not Mexico.
Check the origin of the word.
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One more example that Alatriste lumps "Spanish speaking countries" together. If it happens in Mexico, it no doubt happens in Spain. After all, Spain is a Spanish speaking country.
Now you show your true ignorance of the Spanish-speaking world. There are more commonalities between Spain and the Americas than you think. It's not just language pendejo.
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Flamenco transcends politics and ideology
Correct. You have a brain after all.
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Any half (or quarter) decent educated person will know that communism and the existence of a state contradict each other.
How laughable. Go tell that to some former inmate of the Gulag. Kamerad.
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The sense I get, though, is that people on the Left tend to apologize for and downplay Left-wing regimes/dictatorships while saving all their criticism for Right-wing regimes/dictatorships. Such an approach strikes me as inconsistent and hypocritical.
That has been my main point all along if you read my posts carefully. In fact I would say you have just adopted my stance so that you finally sound rational and intelligent, instead of believing your own previously moronic drivel. Glad I converted you, though you may in fact still be a poser.
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Under considerable pressure from Cheney and Rumsfeld, the intelligence community concluded that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction.
Excuse me. Yellow-cake is not an ingredient of WMD? Check your facts. Or is that under the rug swept? Regardless, WMD was just one of many reasons for going to Iraq. The problem with Iraq and Afghanistan is the poor conceptual strategy. The politicos and brass seem to have forgotten the concept of the good old fashioned punitive expedition. Smash, trash, and then just leave. Just bloody their noses. No reason to try and turn their crap countries into nice places like New Zealand. Their culture is not ready for that nor should we try to impose it on them.
Check the birthdate of Marx. Spanish communism was Marxism
Marx did not invent communism, he invented Marxism. And I was not referring to the communist party, formed in Spain in the 1920's, which is why I said 'communism per se' my reference was to collectivism which had been in existence in Spain as a way of life for centuries.
In fact even the book Alistre recommends, The Black Book of Communism, begins in the introduction:
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what exactly do we mean by ‘communism’? we must make a distinction between the doctrine of communism and its practice. As a political philosophy, communism has existed for centuries, even millenia... ...But the communism that concerns us does not exist in the transcendent sphere of ideas. This communism is altogether real; it has existed at key moments of history and in particular countries, brought to life by its famous leaders Lenin, Stalin, Zedong, Minh, Castro...
Chomsky on Socialism, particularly regarding the loss of meaning of this word:
So, I find it laughable when Kate with Honours conveys shock that there was a coup in Spain.
How do you work that out? How did I convey shock ? Likewise in a previous post you claimed I thought all communists were saints and now you have decided that I am a communist. You know nothing about me, apart from that I have a first class honours degree which seems to infuriate you for some reason.
The sense I get, though, is that people on the Left tend to apologize for and downplay Left-wing regimes/dictatorships while saving all their criticism for Right-wing regimes/dictatorships. Such an approach strikes me as inconsistent and hypocritical.
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That has been my main point all along if you read my posts carefully.
I will try one more time to clarify my position. This started with Alatriste maintaining that Franco was good for Spain. Others disagreed, but I have not read anyone stating in this thread, that the Communists would have been a better choice for Spain. I would never agree with that view either.
Personally, I find Alatriste's attitude borderline bullying. If you want to continue with this, stop with the insults, stop mocking people's educational achievements, their interpretation of historical events and their political views when they do not align with your own.
Cut the insulting language, e.g. 'moronic', 'pendejo', 'drivel' etc. Accept that others may disagree with you or don't say anything at all.
With comments from you like...
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...your mate, Hitler
I find your outrage inconsistent with your practice of posting, i.e., stating Hitler is my mate. I might just be Jewish for all you know. I would say the insulting language starts with you Escribano, and then the tempo raises here with follow-on statements from your own "mates" like...
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Der Stürmer
Since you are the board Commander-in-Chief, others will feel free to follow your example of behavior on these politcal threads. When I see civility in the responses to my posts I will react in kind, when I see condescension and arrogance, I will also react in kind. If you want the respect of a leader, then act like one. You don't see me posting like this over at falseta's forum. Go ahead, push the ban button if that is your urge.
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...apart from that I have a first class honours degree which seems to infuriate you for some reason.
Actually it does not infuriate me. It is irrelevant to any opinions that you may state. But mentioning your education appears to be a simple case of braggadocio and arrogance. I was entertained that you would announce it. Hence you are now Kate with Honours, a well earned title for all to see. Is this not what you wanted?
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You know nothing about me...
Yes, and believe it or not, many of us may just like to keep it that way. Comprende? Education can actually be a hindrance at times to forming a "learned" opinion, though it can also be a help. Mentioning one's own bona fides, however, is usually a last resort used when one can't articulate their own reasoning. It's simply tantamount to saying, "Shut-up I went to college and you didn't."
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In fact even the book Alatriste recommends, The Black Book of Communism, begins in the introduction
Did you actually read the book? Practical communism, that means real communism as practiced in the last two centuries, is what concerns us and is what the book is about. It is not about "conceptual" communism which is what today's apologists seem to invoke when defending communism, which tends to dismiss the atrocities of the communist regimes. In the case of Spain, there is zero reason to believe that had communism gone unchecked by the civil war, that communism in Spain would not have gone totalitarian like it did in all the other countries that adopted/practice communism today and in the last century. Name one regime where communism was, uh...benevolent.
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Chomsky on Socialism
Chomsky's political opinions are as bad as anyone's. There are no oracles when it comes to political opinion. There are only opinions.
The issue is that the defense of the side that lost in Spain, is often done simply so that either (1) one can appear as a liberal and enlightened fashionista, or (2) because one is a communist, or (3) possibly both. It's kinda like wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt while strumming a guitar and singing a Mercedes Sosa song, all the while not having ever read Obra Revolucionaria.
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...that the Communists would have been a better choice for Spain. I would never agree with that view either.
Really only two choices in that debate Escribano. Taking sides against one is the same as taking sides for the other. Perhaps if you had experienced real civil war in any given country firsthand, you would know that. There's is no third choice for you, and you can't sit on the fence either. Choose or die right away by not choosing. Choose, and maybe you get to live for a while longer and make it through if your side wins. One has to deal with the reality of the situation, and not the conceptual by looking at the situation from afar in some comfy country (like those who studied the civil war from afar), or by looking back through the comfort of events that have already passed.
Whatever, you clearly have more time for this nonsense than I. This thread is locked because I am not going to apologise for insulting a facist and clearly Alatriste is not, for insulting most everyone else on this thread.
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