America the Beautiful is dead and gone.

[LynnTheDem]

When Kerry is president, the rightwingnut smear machine will continue on as they have been, only they'll up the level. They'll lie and twist and smear Kerry. They'll block everything Kerry tries to do.

I don't think God Himself could straighten America back out now.

Half this country thinks it's ok to torture and rape innocent men, women and kids. That's just "fraternity pranks".

Half this country thinks it's ok for America to invade & occupy other nations that never did a thing to us. When Germany did it, that was bad and the leaders were hung. When America under bush does it, half this country thinks it's a good thing and rewards bush & his cabal.

Half this country thinks it's ok for corporations to get fat feeding off the dead. That poverty and hunger and homelessness has greatly increased in America under bush, means less than nothing. Starving American children? So what, says half this country.

America has an infant mortality rate comparable to a 3rd world nation; Pakistan has a better rate than we do.

Half this country thinks of our uniformed men, women and teenagers as nothing but expendable machines. "Soldiers die, suck it up" and "They knew what they were signing up for". No, they never knew bush would lie them to an invasion of a sovereign nation who'd never done anything against America, and without enough rifles and ammo and body armor to even protect themselves. No, they never knew bush would do that to them.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International now lists America with crimes bushCartel used as justification against Saddam Hussein; disappearing people without trial, torture & rape, invasions & occupations, violating the Geneva Conventions & International (and US) laws.

America is the world's biggest stockpiler of "WMD". America is the world's biggest arms dealer. There's not a dictator or mass murderer in this world that America hasn't supported at one time or another.

And the world sees America as the biggest threat to world peace; a rogue state. We've lost any and all respect. We're hated and we're despised around the world. Even most Brits despise us. We have no "allies"; we have a handful of other nations' politicians who support bush; none of the citizens of those other nations do.

And we're sure as hell not safer. 19 men with $1.99 box cutters killed 2600 Americans. And the Iraqis, with their "improvised explosive devices" of tin cans and paper bags and donkey carts have managed already to kill almost half that many Americans in Iraq.

America the paper tiger. America is now the defenseless sitting duck.

And half this country doesn't care.

America the Beautiful is dead and gone.

And half this country doesn't care.

[Richard D]

1. true

And all this can change. Keep the hope alive.

[flowomo]

2. I have seen statements similar to this throughout my entire lifetime....

and I'm 55. And I can find you similar statements for a hundred years before that. Nixon, Reagan.... lived through all that. Seemed like the end of the world. But it wasn't. And it isn't now.

[Minimus]

7. My 69 yr old father always says the same thing

Whenever I feel disillusioned, disenfranchised and disgusted I call my Daddy and he always sets it right.

He tells me we have survived bad presidents and administrations before and we will survive this one.

He is one of the smartest, well-read people I know (and no, I am not biased). He is a retired Naval Officer, served for 25 years. He is a man with principles and integrity and I trust him completely.

He is a Democrat.

[flowomo]

9. you're lucky to have him as an anchor (no pun intended!)

he knows what he's talking about

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[melody]

18. Exactly

Now if we can only build a space bridge over the red zone, we can be united again.

[aquart]

4. Cut the crap.

If you're too gutless to live, do what you have to, but spare us this dreck.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. You thought it was a freebie?

[Xenus Sister]

8. If you're too gutless to live, do what you have to ?????????

That's one of the worst things I've ever seen on the net anywhere. That's worse than anything I've ever seen pulled over here from freeperland. That's horrific. That's disgusting.

I'm speechless. I can't tell you what I think of you or else I'd get kicked off. Shame. Shame on you.

To the OP: right on.

[LynnTheDem]

13. Tell ya what

You come on over here and call me "gutless" to my face, dear, and we'll see what it is I "have to do".

Meanwhile, you don't like what I post, what I believe, what I feel and my own opnions, then you're FREE to not read it.

[BillZBubb]

17. Really classy reply there aquart.

The price of freedom, unfortunately, includes listening to cheap shot responses like yours.

[MnFats]

5. I have this sense that within six to eight months of a JFK inauguration,

the right will have a special prosecutor appointed to poke around something -- anything-- looking for some tiny misstep by Kerry, or nothing at all that can be made into something so they can keep him tied up for the duration of his presidency. After all, it worked so well with Clinton. Then after four years they can call Kerry a do-nothing president and run Jeb for prez.
that's in my nightmares.
I want to think that people would pour into the streets to "Out" such a blatant attempt to sodomize democracy and the Constitution....

[amazona]

6. the stupid people will always be with us

You just have to work around it. Al Sharpton had a good speech about it at the convention about the America the Beautiful and Ray Charles. "We haven't always been able to see what is beautiful, but we have to trust that it is there."


It isn't "half" the people anyway. It is a loud but vocal minority. I'd say 30 percent.

[The Wielding Truth]

24. Yes, fight for what is best in America, and accept that it may

take awhile but the best will surface. We will have a very good example to follow. JK is also surrounded by some wonderful people.Look around, there are some wonderful people here. We can't let up either. It will work.
We will have to work with them as if there are two countries. We will keep them safe so they aren't afraid . We will show their pretenses so they are not taken as fact.
We will reassure them there freedoms will be extended, but not by stepping on someone else's. The Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution will be our guide as well as the Golden Rule.
It will work.

[GoBlue]

10. America the Beautiful has always had an ugly side.

For some there is an unquenchable thirst to hate someone. Otherwise they would feel inferior to everyone.

[shraby]

11. Before they can attack Kerry,

Kerry will have his boat pointed into the enemy. They will be on the ropes defending themselves from indictments and trials.

[Nite Owl]

12. It's going to be different this time

None of us are going away and alot more are onto what is really going on with the right now. Kerry isn't going to have personal problems like Clinton did and we now know for certain that the right wing conspiracy that Hilary spoke about is real, very real. We got their names, we got their number. No time for whining or sitting back, our letters, calls and footwork cannot stop on innauguation day. It's going to be a fight but like Kerry said at one of his rally's we have to let him know we are here for him, we got his back this time.

[Abelman]

14. Remember Dylan Thomas

"Do not go gently into that good night"

And Bob Dylan

"The Times they are a changing."

What you say has truth to it, but as we've seen from the news, truth can be spun different ways. We are facing a crossroads in our American history as we have in the past. I will not sit idly by as America is splintered into two factions, I will not quit my fight toward an America where you aren't judged by your sexual orientation, your gender, the color of your skin, the slant of your eyelids, the music in your CD player, the donkey decal on your pickup truck, the veil over your head, the fast food restaurant you prefer, whether you call it pop or soda, and whether or not you think certain movies are good or bad.

I will not quit trying to instill a sense of mutual respect in every human being while at the same time preserving the personal uniqueness of each one's views and travels.

I will not quit fighting apathy everywhere I see it, whether it be someone failing to vote, someone driving two houses down the street, or someone not changing the channel because the remote is next to the TV.

I will battle and I will end complacency, apathy, injustice, unfairness, revenge, hatred, and disrespect.

I will not quit until my generation and all generations before and after realize that we are not a great country anymore, but we Can be one.

Good enough is not good enough. I will fight until tired old cliches regain the fire and effect they once had. I will teach those younger than me the lessons I have learned from thos older than me. And if my efforts fail to reunite this splintered country, I will work harder to ensure true freedom and liberty exists in whatever faction I live in, to allow true democracy to work by inspiring the souls and minds of the countless people I come in contact with.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

15. Hello there Lindsey Lohan!

Drama Queen.

I'm sad now.

Oh, now I'm happy.

Now I am sad.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. No. It isn't if we don't give up on it.

This reminds me very much of what was going on between about 1966-1974. We rose up then against the Vietnam war and the corrupution of the Nixon administration and we will do the same again if we have to. I did it then and I'm not too old to do it again. Don't ever give up, don't let them win.

[progressivebydesign]

19. No it's not!

I don't agree. America is still beautiful. The people are still kind and helpful. Hate radio and tv have definitely put a damper on what makes America so great (tolerance), but we're all still here. America will be around LONG after people like Rupert Murdoch and Rush Limbaugh will be.

[Swede]

20. To people outside the USA it never was.

My friends at DU you guys can understand this. DU Americans shouldn't be painted with the ugly American brush.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Born_A_Truman]

23. I couldn't disagree with you more.

[Gregorian]

22. They had a head start. But we're onto them now.

With years of republican money pouring into think tanks, they had a long term agenda. But WE have the internet. It's OUR thinktank. And we have way way more brainpower than they'll ever have. I hate to paraphrase Bin Laden, but evil has a weak strategy. Americans do care. Human nature hasn't changed. Trust me, I've been more worried than you. I have vigilantly watched since Reagan's terms. I watched in horror and disgust. One thing is for sure- as oil becomes more scarce, people will be forced to change. Our addiction to oil has created a false independence. People can be their own little dictators, in their cars.
It's changing.

[Weembo]

25. Lean on us

I understand if you feel tired, feel despair. I'll make you a deal. In light of the laboring oar your have been pulling through this election, when it is over, and we have won, sit back a bit and let others -- like me, a relative newbie -- take over and start driving home the points made in the campaign. That is the difference in this election -- folks like me, who have been mildly political before, are going to make some changes. Have faith, hop in the wagon, and I'll pull it for awhile.