Just in the past week there have been news reports that the 911 Commission reports were edited to not make the Bushies look bad. We know that the report they handed out is not accurate, but if we question the facts we get labeled as some sort of lunatic conspiracy nut. This happens even if you just say you don’t think all the questions are answered, you don’t have to proclaim the whole thing a staged emergency to be labeled a kook.

Years ago I used to tell my pothead friends that Spiro Agnew and J. Edgar Hoover were killing off rock stars whose names began with J since a “J” short for joint. Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin. The potheads got even more paranoid than they already were, but I was just making that up.

I’m not sure I can make up the absurdities I’ve seen in the US the last 15 years. I’ve seen an impeachment for a blowjob in the privacy of his own home (albeit as a tenant rather than an owner). I’ve seen an entire election hinge upon nonsense like hanging chad in the one state where a clown running for office had his brother in charge of the state. I’ve seen the same clown who didn’t win the popular vote appointed to office by the supreme court members appointed by his father. Now I live in a country where waterboarding (fomerly known as water torture) has persons aguing that it is acceptable. I can’t make stuff like that up.

But this started out as a discussion about elections. I suppose that oblivious Americans who don’t take the time to know who or what they are voting for and listen to about any email smear of swiftboat campign without questioning it deserve just what they get for elected officials. The problem is these oblivious are my neighbors, and I deserve better even if they don’t.

In reply to your’s and Mr. Terwilliger’s replies concerning the “emergency” scenario, considering that I’m not even convinced that “911″ wasn’t a staged event, you may well be right. But let’s hope not.

Anyway, look at all the experience Cheney and Rumsfeld brought to the administration. What a great job they did!

Would he be any better if he were 56, or 66?

I am very much concerned about the future of democracy here. This is a broad statement, but I believe this country has drifted far from its origens. It would seem the experiment is not doing so well. What did Ben Franklin say, something like, “….a Republic if you can keep it.”

Taking on a new job, regardless of the job, is always a challenge. I suppose I was speaking of life experiences, and the ‘measure’ of the man (or woman) that is built/honed over time to allow adaptibility and a ‘can do’ mentality.

This business about experience is a bit of a specious argument, in my opinion. Who has experience of being President before they’re elected? Nobody.

Anyway, you’d have to question what they mean by experience. Does McCain have forty years’ experience or one year’s experience forty times? Nobody knows the answer to that except John McCain.

As far as experience and thinking for yourself, I can only liken it to, say, taking a moderately seasoned intelligent nurse off of a low-acute medical floor, and throwing her into a high acuity/ICU area with a full load of patients, after only a small amount of training. Dangerous and overwhelming. Poor argument, maybe.
I do agree that people need to question things, think for themselves, ie. ‘critical thinking skills’.

“Sadly, most Americans will be complacent as long as they have just enough money to go shopping for stuff they don’t need and have television to entertain them.”
-this is what spooks me.

There is no Constitutional requirement that members of Congress, Senators, even the President or Vice-President be sworn in using any book whatsoever. They may choose or not choose to swear on anything they want, though I would like to see a mandate that they swear upon the Constitution if we can get Habeus Corpus put back into it.

Using the “experience” criteria, no one should ever get to do anything because they’ve never done it before. I suppose that could also mean first time voters too, but the most common example I see is people who refuse to start thinking for themselves because so far they have no experience at it.

I am spooked by the ignorance around me daily.

Members of Congress don’t swear on the Bible, the Koran or any other religious book.

If a person living in Europe can establish this fact, why don’t all Americans know it? That’s a lot spookier.