At 10:14 AM 10/30/2008, Fritz Holt wrote:
AMEN
In reference to:
THESE ARE STRONG, POWERFUL AND COURAGEOUS WORDS
COMING FROM A RETIRED COLONEL,
The words are but nominally any of those three.
It takes little or no strength, power, or courage
to state one's silly opinion--at least not in the
USA where what one says and even how one says it
are consider freedoms. Being a Colonel--retired
or otherwise--carries about as much credibility
as a fire chief, an Indian Chief, or KFC. They
are a dime a dozen and each endowed with their
own prejudices tempered by the uncivilized
viewpoints of one dedicated to war-mongering, not
peace as some plasticizing politicians and
self-proclaimed patriots would have us believe. I
was in an Army hospital ward with several of them
who got old and shit themselves just like everybody else. Colonel-Schmernel....
33 Senators Voted Against English as Americas
Official Language on June 6, 2007.
And neither was that courageous; it was good
common sense and showed quite a bit of
understanding that the US is a melting pot of
many different ethnic groups speaking a good many
native languages on their way toward being good
United States Americans and voters in Senatorial
races. Keep in mind that in addition to a
veritable panoply of Native American [sic: they
immigrated too] languages and dialects which most
Americans (North, South, and Central--by way of
pinning it down) don't have a very good handle on
in the current century, a good many more Latin
Americans speak Spanish than do English and the
Brazilian Americans speak Portuguese (We won't
mention the Guianas). That 2 North American
countries speak predominently a version of
imported English offers no obvious reason why the
United States Americans should voluntarily and
arbitrarily limit themselves to that tongue--for
the conduct of business or anything else. We are
living in a very much global society and a very
much global economy and damned well better get
good at it or be left behind. Isolationism is a
wad shot long ago. A multilingual population is a
relative asset within such an environment. It's
also more interesting, educational, and improves one's self-awareness.
On Wed. 6 June 2007, Colonel Harry Riley, USA, Ret. wrote:
Senators:
Your vote against an amendment to the
immigration Bill 1348....to make English
America's official language is astounding.
It truely is. It is astounding that such a silly
amendment was ever offered. To what purpose was
it made? There is not one damned thing that would
be improved by limiting one's access to the
knowledge of the world of the future soley to the
vector of English, and much that could be lost or
hindered. Come on everybody, let's let our
pointless prejudices make us dumb--really dumb.
On D-Day, no less, when we honor those that
sacrificed in order to secure the bedrock,
character and principles of America,
What "bedrock, character and prinicles" are
those? The right to speak the language one is
fluent in? How many of those who sacrificed spoke
Navajo as their first language? How many Spanish?
How many Ebonics? During the Revolutionary War
many spoke German. You don't have to be anything
special to "sacrifice in order to secure," etc;
you don't have to speak any special
language--especially not English. You just gotta
be the poor smuck who got suckered into going off
to war and dying for your country--and generally
middle class or lower. And a war that's not
really doing anything "for your
country"--certainly nothing worth dying for, however patriotic it may be.
I can only surmise your vote reflects a loyalty to illegal aliens.
Why would that be? By joining the US Army and
going off to "sacrifice", almost any illegal
alien--whatever language he or she spoke as a
child or to his or her kids or while having
sex--is eligible to become as US citizen. They
can even take the pledge in a foreign language if
they want. Or if they've had their throats ripped
out by shrapnel they don't have to speak any language at all. Just sign here.
I don't much care where you come from. What
your religion is. Whether you're black, white,
or some other color...male or
female......Democrat, Republican or Independent.......
Well that's good; he's showing a little open-mindedness now. Scarey.
But I do care when you are a United States
Senator representing Citizens of America ...and
Vote against English as the official language of the United States
Ah, did he say "representing the Citizens of
America" (assuming he meant the Citizens of the
United States of America, not ALL Americans)?
Yes, they are representing the citizens--all the
citizens: those who speak English, those who
speak Spanish, those who speak Korean, those who
speak Chinese, those who speak Cheyenne, those
who speak Yidish, those who speak Arabic, all
those who just speak, whatever language it might
be. Those Senators are representing not only all
our US citizens but also the tax paying aliens
that live within their district because that is
the way government is supposed to work. We don't
cull out citizens or aliens (legal or illegal)
from representation just because they can't speak
English or choose not to at home. They still have
and deserve all the basic human needs that all
the rest of the citizens do. The American thing
to do is to make them welcome--North America,
South America, wherever. It's been going on for
about 500 years now so we can't stand too
comfortably on our
narrow-minded-conservative-opposition-to-change-platform
anymore, can we? Most Senators seem to know more
about history--not to mention human rights--than
at least one Colonel, and several letter writers.
Your vote reflects Betrayal. Political
Surrender. Violates Your Pledge of Allegiance.
Dishonors historical principle. Rejects
Patriotism. Borders on traitorous action and, in
my opinion, makes you unfit to serve as a United
States Senator...impeachment... Recall........Or
other appropriate action is warranted, or worse.
Betrayal of what? ...a narrow-minded
principle. I say, "Betray on," my Senator.
Political Surrender? Surrender to what?
...the needs and reality of his constituancy--a
hodge-podge of US society trying to make a life
and a living in this Senator's district in
whatever language they can best get along in. Now
that's the American way, the very core upon which
the United States and much of the rest of the
American Nations were built and thrived. Any
Senator who doesn't surrender to the political
needs of his constituancy isn't very damned much
of a Senator, huh? What better principles are
there? ...those of racial biggots? ...those of
blond haired and blue eyed Arians? ...those of the Ku Klux Klan?
Violates Your Pledge of Allegiance? How
so? To the flag of the United States? ...no
mention of it that I saw. To the country for
which it stands? ...the country of a diverse
population. One Nation? ...yes; from many places.
Under God? ...well, on paper and in the
imagination, at least. Indivisable? ...so long as
we don't go dividing people up by the language
they prefer to speak. With liberty and justice
for all? ...like the liberty to communicate
amongst themselves, for instance; or to get equal
justice under the law even though they just got
here 2 weeks ago and only speak Ukranian. Amen.
Dishonors Historical principle? ...that
would be the principle inaugurated around 300
years ago in Jamestown and Plymouth and several
other places--New Amsterdam and San Augustine
come to mind--whereby people from Europe and
Africa and Asia and elsewhere come to the
Americas and set up governments where people are
free to speak whatever language they
choose--often with a restriction regarding what they say, however.
Rejects Patriotism? ...like beauty,
patriotism is often in the eye of the beholder
but it is seldom confined by the language, most
patriots being left free to speak whatever tongue
they feel like being patriotic in. The Senator
who supports freedom of language and freedom of
speech is well on the way to being recognized as
a patriot as well--a supporter and patriot of humanity itself.
Four of you voting against English as America's
Official Language are Presidential Candidates:
Senator Biden, Senator Clinton, Senator Dodd and Senator Obama.
Maybe we're not in a much trouble as it first seemed.
Four Senators vying to lead America, but won't,
or don't, have the courage to cast a vote in
favor of English as America's Official Language
when 91% of American Citizens want English
officially designated as our language.
Again, what courage does it take to be stupid.
Let's have an official language. Let's have an
official church. Let's have an official political
party. Let's have an official breakfast cereal.
Let's have an official way to comb our hair and
to decorate our faces. Umpa-Lumpas come to mind.
What 91% of American Citizens are we talking
about here? 91% of those who don't have cell phones.
This is the second time in the last several
months this list of Senators have disgraced
themselves as 'political Hacks'..... Unworthy as
Senators and certainly unqualified to serve as President of the United States.
So, from another point of view, we could say that
by being somewhat consistant in their voting
against the same silly issue they are standing up
for their beliefs and the well-being of their
constituancy--that is, they're doing their job.
That's pretty disgraceful now, isn't it? Makes
one wonder who the "Hack" is in this instance.
And whenever you find a person (Senator or
otherwise) who is really and actually qualified
to serve as President of the United States you
can rest comfortably in the knowledge that he or
she will be totally unelectable. There are way
too many citizens (some say 91%) more interested
in a totally foolish and unnecessary "official
Language" and nebulous opinions than in doing
what's really good for the country--like the
elected representatives and government officials
being accountable to the actual population they
serve. Oh, and while we're screwing them to the
wall, let's make sure they scream in English. OK?
If America is as angry as I am, you will realize
a backlash so stunning it will literally 'rock
you out of your socks'......... And preferably
totally out of the United States Senate.
Better had he said "mad". I am, of course,
bracing myself for this coming backlash even as
my fingers fly across the keyboard. I think that
the squall line preceding the backlash is
beginning to ruffle my pants legs even now,
before working it's way down to my socks--little
matter that I am wearing huaraches at the moment.
This guy is so far out of his tree that the only
backlash he's gonna see is the figment of his
imagination slamming up against the monument to
stupidity that should have been awarded him when
he first went mad--or should we say angry?
The entire immigration bill is a farce... Your
action only confirms this really isn't about
America ... it is about self-serving politics......despicable at best.
It is a farce; it never should have come up in
the first place. Most all of the Americas are
built of immigrants. We are each and every one of
us a product of some immigrant's "self-serving"
desire to become an American--and speak whatever
god damned language he feels like speaking, not
to have an official language rammed bassackwards
down his throat while the ellusive flag of
liberty and freedom are furled around a stick and
used to beat a warped view of "sacrifice" as
visionary patriotism into their reeling
heads--mostly in some feeble adaptation of an 8th-grade-level English grammar.
It has been said: 'Never argue with an
idiot....They'll drag you down to their level!'
Need I say more? ...or better still: Never argue with a mystic.
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN SAID: 'Congressmen who
willfully take actions during wartime that
damages morale and undermine the military are
saboteurs and should be arrested, quickly tried and hanged!!!'
Generally, I think, it would be better not to
have wartime at all and then there will be no
willfull actions to be scrutenized. Huh? Like
remove the cause, dude, and.... But, basically,
what in the dog dukey does this quotation have to
do with the subject at hand, anyhow?
PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING AROUND THE UNITED STATES
UNTIL THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER!
Oh, God, please. And to the Territories and
Protectorates. And all the ships at sea.
I see we've now come to the fully upper-case portion of the program.
IM STILL WAITHING TO SEE OBAMAS BIRTH
CERTIFICATE TO PROVE HE SHOULD EVEN BE PRESIDENT.
It will show, I think, that he is at least half
white. That's plenty for me. The good thing is
that most US of American Citizens are free to
take whichever half they want. Which part would you choose? Be honest, now.
Just as an aside: Any idea how many US Presidents
were not born in the United States of America? This is not a trick question.
OF COURSE, WE SHOULD NO WHERE HE STANDS ANYWAY
BECAUSE HE WANT EVEN PLACE HIS HAND ON HIS HEART DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM!
Well, that's not so unusual. I noticed early on,
my friends and fellow citizens, that in
elementary school a lot of the women teachers
didn't put their hands over their hearts during
the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem;
they put it somewhere up higher--like on their
shoulder, much nearer their collar bone. I
couldn't help but wonder how that could really be
counted. How could it? Sort of a compromise, huh?
Well, if the shoulder could be counted as the
heart (which it QUITE obviously wasn't) then why
not the right front pants pocket? It's a bit
farther away but no less nebulous--practically
none whatsoever. So, as an experiment and to test
the system, I decided not to get too carried away
with the ritual itself, placing a hand of my
choosing, instead, over various body parts as the
mood might strike me, including my heart, even, a
few times when feeling rather anarchistic--to my
own arnachism as it were. There were no deliterious effects noted. Sorry.
Then, let us consider along the same skew: If you
don't actually recite the Pledge aloud or sing
along with the NA (I can't carry a tune in a
bucket so wish not to annoy people) or orally
participate in, say, the Lord's Prayer--just
listen to the words or think about your
girlfriend (or somebody else's girlfriend) as
everyone else parrots them--does it still count?
Are you any less of an American because you don't
follow the script? And who wrote that script,
anyway? Hard to say, huh? Yeah. I think it's what
they call "folkways"--just stuff made up and put
into social motion by regular old
citizens--black, white, red, brown,
yellow--speaking who knows what language at the
time. Pumpkin carving. Broom jumping. Babes in a
manger. Sausage on a stick. Candles on a cake.
Spring forward. Fall back. There are no rules,
just social customs. Nobody has to put their hand
on (or over, under, around, or near) their heart
(or right front pants pocket) while the NA is
digitally blasting out over the echos of the
seething ball park and the bag of popcorn needs
your fulltime attention. It's their right as a US
American Citizen to not do so--to not participate
in social custom although that Citizen be a
dedicated patriot who has fought in 2
International Conflicts and a Police Action, been
a Prisoner of War, has 3 purple hearts, and be a
paraplegic on a respirator. Hey, Nurse, can you
place my hand over my heart? They just don't have
to; it's all voluntary--like speaking English, or
any other language they choose. It won't make
them any less an American. But it will give a few
self-righteous Citizens a reason or two to
elevate their own delusions of superiority
amongst their peers--such as they may be.
I WOULD DIE FOR MY COUNTRY IF NEED BE AND IF YOU
THINK OBAMA WOULD GRAB A RIFLE AND STAND WITH ME ON THE LINE, YOU ARE NUTS.
I'll admit to being nuts, but I'm not gonna let
that be justification for pretending that Mr
Obama wouldn't be about as likely (or unlikely)
as you to actually take up the cause of
aggression on the front line. I require more proof of sanity--from both of ya.
I was in Viet Nam, however (yes, during the
unpleasantness). I decided it was better to live
for my country than to die for it. I avoided the
party line and the line of fire and most smart
people would probably do the same thing today.
Given the choice again and knowing what I know
today about dying, I would not volunteer, as you
seem to be doing, to die for my country. I might
even go to some effort to preclude your doing so,
though I'd have to carefully weigh the options as
to whether we might be better off as a country if
you were to make the "sacrifice" so that my WASP
son might be free speak Spanish to his Mexican
girlfriend in study hall--or someone else's
Chinese girlfriend even though she didn't understand a word of it.
WHAT A LACK OF RESPECT FOR OUR COUNTRY, BUT SOME
OF THE MILITARY ARE BLINDED BY HIS POLISHED ACT AND ARE VOTING FOR HIM AS WELL.
Maybe they want to come home. What are they doing
there anyway? The US Army in Iraq is mostly
populated by moderately dedicated but dumb
crackers. A few die every day; others are
blinded. Cheney and McCain and their cronies get
richer every day from war profits. They polish
their act. What a lack of respect for our
country--while they fill their personal coffers.
How much money do they deposit every time
somebody dies? That's what they patriotically die
for--Cheney's enrichment. The "lack of respect"
is for them. Still, despite their dedication,
they want to come home and be normal lower-middle
class American crackers here in one of the free
and bountiful Americas. It's not much but it's
better than dying--or being blinded. Barrack may
hasten their move out of that hell-hole and
lessen the horrendous and unnecessary debt their
children are going to inherit. As one of them, who would you vote for?
WHEN OBAMA TAKES AMERICA FURTHER DOWN THE MUSLIM
TRAIL AWAY FROM GOD AND AMERICA SINKS FURTHER
INTO THE DEPTS OF HELL; AT LEAST I CAN SAY I VOTED THE OTHER WAY.
Yep, at the VERY least. The last time I looked,
my friends, the Jews (and their various cults and
factions), the Muslims (and their various cults
and factions), and the Christians (and their
various cults and factions) were all worshipping
the same God. It's documented--no skirting the
issue on that account. History ain't perfect, but
it's perfect enough that no arguement to the
contrary will be tolerated by those who wish to
pretend it isn't so. It's all the same God. We
all know the truth however much we may not want
it to be thus. And they all (the several
religions, the whole lot of them) seemed to all
be sinking farther (not further) into the depths
of hell--and all on account of their damned
religiosity--not their language, not the way they
mutilate themselves, not the way they squat to
pee. You could vote for either one of the
candidates, or nobody; it wouldn't make any
difference. They both have elements of goodness
and evil that have nothing at all to do with
their (or anyone else's) religious sentiment.
It's not candidates or Presidents, it's the
religion that's destroying us, and not the lack
of it. This is a religious war and you can thank
God for it--whatever guise the old boy might
take. Take it to the bank--it is God's fault. It
is out of your hands and it is out of the
President's hands and there is nothing that
anybody's prayers are gonna do to make it go away
'cause everybody is praying for the other guys to
die. The big question is whose side is God on? As
you might imagine, the betting is a bit biased.
Religion is about hatred; every religion hates
all the others. Individual sects hate the other
sects. It is the work of the Devil. It is the one
great trick that Satan has played on the
faithful: making them "believe" that there is
righteousness in righteousness. It is a Catch 22,
the ultimate pulling of the wool over your own
eyes and all in the name of some hocus-pocus
spirit buried deep within the childish
imagination of an otherwise sensible adult. God
ain't gonna do a damned thing for anybody here no
matter how they vote--other than screw them up, I
mean. That's pretty much what God does. The
evidence is all about us--hurricanes and
tsunamies and earthquakes and civil wars and
email spam and cell-phone telemarketers. There's no end to it.
I GUESS AMERICA HAS TO GET CLOSER TO HELL BEFORE
THEY SEE THE LIGHT AND TURN TO GOD!
But it's only a guess....
IF THIS OFFENDS ANYONE????????? IT SHOULD IF
YOU ARE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF GOD.
Sorry, no offense taken. I can and do forgive
everything except voluntary ignorance. So, again, sorry.
--Ediger
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