Anger is a gift (Happy 3rd Anniversary!)

[The Shadoe]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Um, Puerto Rico. Since the Supreme Court just denied Puerto Ricans the right to vote in U.S. presidential elections, what are they - other than a colony? How is a "territory" with no citizenship rights for its denizens anything other than a colony?

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth.

1. nation or its people: a nation or its people considered as a political entity

2. republic: a nation or state in which the people govern

3. association of states: a group of states that have formed an association for the political and economic benefit of all members

4. people with common interest: a group of people linked by something that they all have in common

Technically, it's not a colony since we pretty much let them do their own thing. We're not trying to impose control over them. Anyhow, they seem to be content with the way things are. In 1998 the House passed a bill calling for elections to decide the island's permanent status. They chose to keep it the way it is.

Puerto Rico is the largest commonwealth of the United States. The rest are small islands, which again, are pretty much left to their own devices. That doesn't qualify as an empire, and certainly doesn't prove that the United States is imperialistic.

Get out of the books for a moment. Empires of the 21st century are not the Empires of antiquity. The United States is an imperial power by every measure of modern sense.

What is the "modern sense"? Please pin down a definition, and how the United States fits into it. If there is a "Modern sense" then maybe we should be looking at a new term instead of trying to apply a term that doesn't fit...

[Gemini Cricket]

The best part about Bush's mess ups is that I get to sit back and say 'Well, I didn't vote for him.'


I've totally wasted my breath talking about Ann Coulter in the past. I think there's a lot of self-hate there.

[MickeyLumbo]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

The best part about Bush's mess ups is that I get to sit back and say 'Well, I didn't vote for him.'


.

well i did, after careful thought and sorting out my priorities and realizing that the nation's security was a top priority for me... everything else that was (and still is) important to me seemed moot if terrorist attacks 9or potential of) continued to bring the country to it's knees.

but, giving the job of security to company's with strong ties to foreign governments, who in turn have ties to terrorism, makes no sense to me.

[SacTown Chronic]

Originally Posted by MickeyLumbo

well i did, after careful thought and sorting out my priorities and realizing that the nation's security was a top priority for me...

Originally Posted by GWB 3/21/06

"You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life."

A man who thought oceans protected us, a man who apparently never heard of Pearl fvcking Harbor, a man who allowed the executions of numerous people when he was governor of Texas despite being unaware that killers can destroy innocent life, a man who was asleep at the switch on 9/11/01, would not be my first, second, or ten billionth choice to protect our country.