George F. Bush - Phooey on him!

[Manuel]

I can't believe that "Jerk-off" George F. Bush is still in office. He REALLY f*cked up when he sent troops into Iraq. I'd like to see him be one of the troops and see if he likes it. He's definitely not my President. I'm glad that I'm not the U.S. Man, another 4 years with him in office would drive me insane. Phooey on him!

P.S. Phooey on anyone who believes in using "politically correct" vocabulary, too!

[madmaxxam]

While I agree with the point that GWB is one of the worst things to ever happen to America, the point is?

[noskich]

While I agree with the point that GWB is one of the worst things to ever happen to America, the point is?

One things is for sure, America is goin down. Like all empires throughout history it has passed the phases of birth, development, dominance and now finally the contemporary phase is DIEING.

[kimonolover]

I agree that america is like Rome in its decline. Culturally, the country is decaying into nothing! The government barely works. And stuff,

However, Like I have sed B-4, Bush isn't soooooo bad. Firsdt off, F isn't his middle initial. 2nd, his policy towards Japan is MUCH nicer than that of Bill Clinton who was a giant turd sandwich if you want my openion. I can tell you with personal experiance that importing kimonos is ALOT easier now with Bush in the white house that before!

I don't care about Iraq or if america SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be there. The real issues is that JApan has been able to exercise alot more autonomy and is working to hopefully become a normal, sovreign country before long with a REAL cosstitution that was written by JAPANESE PPL and a REAL military and not a SDF. That sounds lame. I wish they had a grand sounding military, like "IJN", "IJAF" and "IJA". THe UK has the Royal MArines, Royal ari Force, Royal NAvy. Y not Japan? That's what I care about.

Restore the glory and splendor of JApan! everything else can wait.

[noskich]

I agree that america is like Rome in its decline. Culturally, the country is decaying into nothing! The government barely works. And stuff,

However, Like I have sed B-4, Bush isn't soooooo bad. Firsdt off, F isn't his middle initial. 2nd, his policy towards Japan is MUCH nicer than that of Bill Clinton who was a giant turd sandwich if you want my openion. I can tell you with personal experiance that importing kimonos is ALOT easier now with Bush in the white house that before!

I don't care about Iraq or if america SHOULD or SHOULDN'T be there. The real issues is that JApan has been able to exercise alot more autonomy and is working to hopefully become a normal, sovreign country before long with a REAL cosstitution that was written by JAPANESE PPL and a REAL military and not a SDF. That sounds lame. I wish they had a grand sounding military, like "IJN", "IJAF" and "IJA". THe UK has the Royal MArines, Royal ari Force, Royal NAvy. Y not Japan? That's what I care about.

Restore the glory and splendor of JApan! everything else can wait.

I don t understand why are you so hotheaded about Japan`s national intersts? Are you an extreme Japanese nationalist? Are you a gaijin?
I can t remember clearly from the other posts, but I think you re from US.
There is a saying from Balkans : `better Turk from the Turk itself` meaning other people who wanted to become something different for which they considered it was better- in this case switching from American to Japanese had to prove themselves a lot more and became shovinists, extreme religious fanatics etc. In the Balkans they did genocide against their own people and called themselves `Turks`. If that is what you want to be I feel pitty for you.

[noskich]

No matter how hard you try you can not change what you are, you will just look ridiciolous.
Not saying that it s not OK to change your identity if you feel an authentic need to do so, but if your need contains hate towards your previous identity - the need is not authentic itself.

[kimonolover]

I don't hate the way my face looks. I don't hate all of Western culture, or even all of American culture (I capitolized the 'A' this time). I do hate what america has done in the past century and what it is becoming. There are places in this country that I'd like to live in, liek the mountains. Whether I live in Japan or America, I want to livce in the mountains!

I do want to see Japan dignified. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with JApan having a constitution that was written by Japanese people and for JApanese people? I wish the Japanese would sign their own Declaration of Independance and tell the Galactic Empire to stick it!

Am I insane or dilusional because I want to see that happen and think it's unjust that it isn't happening? I hope some even bigger fish has the Galactic Empire for lunch sometime and the Galactic Empire has to except the same unbearable surrender terms as Japan and except a constitution written by and for a foreign government and a perpetual occupation and perpetual shame and reminders of defeat and guilt for generations to come.

Then PPL would be saying "We Americans should have a constitution WE wrote and have our own military and not with a sissy name either.

SO why is that too much to ask? Are JApanese people inheranlty untrustworthy? IS The USA inherantly trustworthy and benevelant? Is America divinely imparted with the wisdom and moral authority to rule the earth and others liek the JApanese to live at their mercy and good pleasure?

[aha yes]

One things is for sure, America is goin down. Like all empires throughout history it has passed the phases of birth, development, dominance and now finally the contemporary phase is DIEING.
Astute historical observation my floppy-eared friend, but before you start holding your breath for America to DIE, I suggest you have a look at Tragedy & Hope by Carroll Quigley, a macro-historian at Georgetown U. who makes a pretty good case that the traditional rhythm of the rise and fall of empires is not a constant but can be altered, maybe even extended indefinitely, by new developments in technology, communication, etc., not to mention by the unpredictable interaction of such a diverse populace and everchanging demographics. In other words, the measure you're using may not apply anymore, 'cept as a sign of your own wishful thinking.

[aha yes]

I agree. Phooey on George F. Bush. Phooey phooey phooey!!

[donpaulo]

as an fyi his name is
george herbert walker bush
there is no F

I think he will probably go down in history as the president who rolled back personal liberties for the sake of national security and for starting the 2nd foreign policy fiasco of the post world war in Iraq. Or perhaps if you prefer the first foreign policy fiasco of the 21st century.

Perhpas if Condi Rice becomes the next president of america then HW could also become known for giving her the opportunity to prove her stones.

Honestly I don:t like his religious ethnocentristic tendancies, nor do I think he is very intelligent. Perhaps a nice guy, but not smart.

Clinton for all his faults was sharp and on the ball.

The sooner the US has a non southern president the better IMO.

[Blues]

Bush is an Idiot, but for every dumb ____ president America has had. some good one have come after them. Kimonolover my man, you need to visit a shrink and get your self sorted out. Japan started the war and if they could do it over again they would, so don`t come spouting your dillusional crap here. That`s like the Japanese portraying themselves as victims. There are a lot of people in this country who would love to start crap again.
Silly wabbitt you are dreaming, I myself do not particularly like a lot of what America is doing, but it is not dying, it is just going thru some difficult times. So keep on dreaming your typical European dreams, because it will not happen in your lifetime.

[aha yes]

as an fyi his name is
george herbert walker bush
there is no F
As an FYI, the current president is simply George W. Bush -- H.W. refers to his father.

But I like the F. I usually find myself referring to him as George F-ing Bush anyway.

Once more for the record... Phooey!

[kimonolover]

... make me the next prez. I've never been drunk, never smoked pot, never had wild affairs with white house interns, I am not affiliated with oil companies, I oppose the 'patriot act', i am not related to drug dealers, etc.

That makes me a pretty clean guy. I have never had a speeding ticket either. With me as the Commander in Chief of the US military forces, things couldn't possibly go wrong! Just imagine, really, imagine, how great the world would be. I wouldn't ____ around with Kosovo or Iraq. They're gonna be a problem as long as we're involved anyway. I think there ar emore important issues. We need to protect our own freedom before we proclaim to be giving it to others. laws like the patriot act and federal judges and the EPA are more of a threat than any external force.

[kimonolover]

Oh if you think the Galactic Empire will last forever, that theory, not law or fact, came from a turd sandwich who probably was saying what he and some others wanted to hear. I hope you don't think Rome or any other great historic empire wanted to fall or decline or didn't try to save themselves.
That's like saying "I can speed indefinately and never get a ticket" Maybe, I could get away with it outside of SC for a while, but, eventually, there's gonna be a cop where I didn't plan on one being. I don't have to argue with you, we're wasting our time. ANyway, the Galactic Empire will fall someday. It is the course of nature.

[kimonolover]

What makes you so sure Japan would cause trouble fro the Evil Empire if they could? I have had one person say that to me before.

Waht I sed b-4 wasn't dilusional crap. That's what PPL like you say because you don't agree with it, so you label it and try to isolate me so noone will thnk I am capable of saying something intelligent.

I was raising a legitimate question. If any one besides the US had won WWII and treated another country the way the US did, heads would be rolling and there'd be alot of boo-hooing about atrocities, human rights violations and all that crap.

The only dilusional crap here is that america is or was just and righteous.

[kimonolover]

In order for any empire good or evil to last for a long time, it has to think far into the future. The government needs to plan far ahead and be ready for whatever happens. It also needs to unite its PPL. AMericans are more divided than they were during the 1860s. Also, the government can't plan ahead more than 4-8 years. ploiticians have to dangle crap infront of their stupified constituants to get the votes they want and have to plan on the short term and promise all sorts of crap. PPL are stupid and can't think independant of the TV. I am likely the only person here who sez stuff that contradicts the mass media that thinks for the rest of society.

So, here in america and probably in alot of places, it's a bread and circus type of society. THat can't last. PPL are either gonna wake up or they're gonnna have a train wreck with reality.

[madmaxxam]

People seem to all be talking about the decline of the American Empire this and that, etc. I do, however, think that America is more likely in a temporary recession. Here are some points:

1) The European Union is proving to not be too much of a threat to America's power. Yes, they as a group do have a great deal of power, and a healthy economy, but they are having a lot of troubles internally. Many of the differences they have will never fully clear up.

2) The big rising star right now is China, but most people fail to realize that while China has the potential to surpass the US in terms of economic weight, this is only because of the fact that China has about 4 times the number of people as the US. With China approaching 0% growth that number will continue to shrink. In addition, China, with its rapid development, is facing many problems which could cripple it in the future. They all boil down to the fact that China will most likely lack food and water security in the future. One thing that the US has going for it is that it will be one of the last countries to have to import food.

3) The US isn't in the best position in terms of fuels, but in 100 years the only thing that will matter is completely renewable fuel sources, and the US has a lot of arable land for such things as biodiesel production.

4) Diversity. Hopefully the diverse nature of the US will help keep it from ever falling too hard or too fast.

While the US will almost definately fall from sole super power status, I don't think that the might of the US will be completely a thing of the past. It's more likely that there will be a couple more players, brining us more to a 2 or 3 superpower world model, and the U.S. will remain a very important player assuming the evangelical Christians don't take over.

Sorry for the sloppy post, but it was done very hastily, while I'm distracted.

[limitsnot]

Maxxam, that could all be true. A couple of things worry me.
1) The arable land is going to fall ill due to poisoned rain.

2) The Evangelical Christians will take over.

3) Everything will be fine but due to cutbacks in education and the increasing control of Evangelical Christians our young people will be too dumb to know it and go looking for another enemy.

4) One of our current enemies will kill us.

Just getting it out of my system. I liked your post. I am going to go home and see what I can do.

[madmaxxam]

Maxxam, that could all be true. A couple of things worry me.

All valid worries, although for this thought game...

1) The arable land is going to fall ill due to poisoned rain.
If you think that the US will lose arable land quickly, it's happening much more quickly in places like China and India. If the US is screwed because of this, then most likely the entire world is. China has already become a huge grain importer, and has, in the past couple of decades, pushed the limits of their own land, with I believe the world's highest desertification rate, and most rapid lowering of water tables.

Actually, this is probably the biggest problem in the world right now. Forget oil, if you can't drive, big deal, if you can't eat you're quite screwed. I believe world food stocks have been dropping for something like 8 years in a row now, which essentially means that we're eating more than we're growing, and that's with a huge percentage of the world living in poverty and malnutrition. I'd say that within the next 10 years something very interesting will happen in the grain markets, and related markets. This dry weather isn't helping things either (see heat wave in India, with the lack of monsoon rains that should have been there a while ago, and where the hell is the Japanese rainy season?) Anyway, enough of this rant.

2) The Evangelical Christians will take over.
Valid fear, and one that I think many Americans would fight tooth and nail if it actually looked like it would happen. Certain events make it seem like they may lose some teeth in coming elections (Like the Schiavo debacle, extremely low approval ratings for Bush, etc.) Certainly if it did happen I would get the hell out of the US.

3) Everything will be fine but due to cutbacks in education and the increasing control of Evangelical Christians our young people will be too dumb to know it and go looking for another enemy.
Actually, one promising trend is urban vs. rural voting trends, and something that is true in all parts of the country. Urban areas tend to vote more liberal, grow fewer evangelicals, etc. Combine this with the fact that the percentage of people in the US living in urban centers is ever growning and hopefully politically this will be avoidable, as liberals pump money into education...

4)One of our current enemies will kill us.
The destruction of the US from outside has probably just over a 0% chance of happening. What is far more likely is that there would be an attack on the US that would cause some sort of police state to come into effect. Terrorists can cause damage, but even if they were to manage to nuke 1 or 2 cities the US would be far from destroyed. Many countries survived WW2 losing much more than guerilla attacks would take from us. Of course, if martial war were to ensue, that could do a lot damage, depending on who is currently leading the country. Possibility of attack from a major world power, such as China, is also almost 0, for far too many geopolitical reasons. In fact, I'd challenge someone to come up with a scenario in which the US would actually come under attack from a foreign government. I could use the laugh. I'd say that we're much more likely to kill ourselves, as sentiment in the US is probably about as divided now as it was during the civil war. The US is its own worst enemy.

[noskich]

Astute historical observation my floppy-eared friend, but before you start holding your breath for America to DIE, I suggest you have a look at Tragedy & Hope by Carroll Quigley, a macro-historian at Georgetown U. who makes a pretty good case that the traditional rhythm of the rise and fall of empires is not a constant but can be altered, maybe even extended indefinitely, by new developments in technology, communication, etc., not to mention by the unpredictable interaction of such a diverse populace and everchanging demographics. In other words, the measure you're using may not apply anymore, 'cept as a sign of your own wishful thinking.

Ofcourse that it was just a mechanicistic-organistic theory approach and that there are many other valid approaches...
US is economicaly on the surface OK, even latest trends show increase, BUT deep inside it s rotten, it has an economic defficit big as all debts of all undeveloped countries taken together.
Politically the majority of commom Americans are non-voters as they understood they can not change anything by their vote.
Europe is in military terms insignificant and rather diversified, but without it as an ally US would be in deep trouble.
In my first post in this thread I was not implying US is going to fall from power in a few years, rather I was talking about the process that has already began and it is heading towards that maybe in a 30, maybe in 100 years who knows???

[madmaxxam]

US is economicaly on the surface OK, even latest trends show increase, BUT deep inside it s rotten, it has an economic defficit big as all debts of all undeveloped countries taken together.

As much as I disagree with what GWB is doing to the budget, the debt of the US, when compared to GDP (which is probably the best way to look at debt levels), is only in the 70% range. As an interesting comparison it topped out at over 120% during WW2, and we were able to pay it down to well below 40% by the time Reagan took office. Since then the number has been going up steadily, except when Clinton was in office, when he knocked off about 10%. Which is the fiscally conservative party again??? Here's a link to some of the above info:
http://www.cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/usdebt.htm

Now, there is somewhere you can get numbers for most of the major world economies (I forget where, but I have seen the chart), and many of them have a much higher % than the US. I think Japan is over 100%. In fact, the US would probably be in really good shape right now if it weren't for many aspects of the War on Terror, especially Iraq.

[noskich]

As much as I disagree with what GWB is doing to the budget, the debt of the US, when compared to GDP (which is probably the best way to look at debt levels), is only in the 70% range. As an interesting comparison it topped out at over 120% during WW2, and we were able to pay it down to well below 40% by the time Reagan took office. Since then the number has been going up steadily, except when Clinton was in office, when he knocked off about 10%. Which is the fiscally conservative party again??? Here's a link to some of the above info:
http://www.cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/usdebt.htm (http://www.cedarcomm.com/%7Estevelm1/usdebt.htm)

Now, there is somewhere you can get numbers for most of the major world economies (I forget where, but I have seen the chart), and many of them have a much higher % than the US. I think Japan is over 100%. In fact, the US would probably be in really good shape right now if it weren't for many aspects of the War on Terror, especially Iraq.

You can find much info in CIA factbook - www.cia.gov
Download is free. Just don t take all the info without a critical standpoint.

[kimonolover]

If China has to import all its food and their population is actually shrinking, and their economy depend very heavily on Us/JApan trade, Hmmm, this could be really interesting. If the world food supply is on its way back down, we may see wars over food in the near future. It's kinda sad the China is exhausting its land. They have soooo much land. They need to stop being communist.

[noskich]

If China has to import all its food and their population is actually shrinking, and their economy depend very heavily on Us/JApan trade, Hmmm, this could be really interesting. If the world food supply is on its way back down, we may see wars over food in the near future. It's kinda sad the China is exhausting its land. They have soooo much land. They need to stop being communist.

By some analysis the greatest problem in the future will not be the food, but the water. Above and under the surface of planet only 0.5 % of all water can be used for drinking. And while a human can live for about a month without food it will die for only 2-3 days without water.

[noskich]

If China has to import all its food and their population is actually shrinking, and their economy depend very heavily on Us/JApan trade, Hmmm, this could be really interesting. If the world food supply is on its way back down, we may see wars over food in the near future. It's kinda sad the China is exhausting its land. They have soooo much land. They need to stop being communist.

The bigger problem with the food is not the decrease in production (because of less land available for agriculture) but the increase in human population globaly. Read UN predictions about the world natality. I think they said that in 2050. there will be like 10 billions on earth.

[noskich]

As much as I disagree with what GWB is doing to the budget, the debt of the US, when compared to GDP (which is probably the best way to look at debt levels), is only in the 70% range. As an interesting comparison it topped out at over 120% during WW2, and we were able to pay it down to well below 40% by the time Reagan took office. Since then the number has been going up steadily, except when Clinton was in office, when he knocked off about 10%. Which is the fiscally conservative party again??? Here's a link to some of the above info:
http://www.cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/usdebt.htm (http://www.cedarcomm.com/%7Estevelm1/usdebt.htm)

Now, there is somewhere you can get numbers for most of the major world economies (I forget where, but I have seen the chart), and many of them have a much higher % than the US. I think Japan is over 100%. In fact, the US would probably be in really good shape right now if it weren't for many aspects of the War on Terror, especially Iraq.

1. US after the WW2 had lived on returning of credits of West European countries made both during and after the war. Now it does not have those huge capital returns.

2. US could print as much dollars as it wanted until the oil shock in 1973. and the falling down of Bretonwoods system. Since then the confidence in $ has been decreasing and today most countries have their money reserves in euroes (even in North Korea they started to use them). $ is weak and while that is stimulating US export it surely does not give an opportunity to produce as much defficit as it is needed like before 1973...

[madmaxxam]

By some analysis the greatest problem in the future will not be the food, but the water. Above and under the surface of planet only 0.5 % of all water can be used for drinking. And while a human can live for about a month without food it will die for only 2-3 days without water.

The lack of water ties in very well with the lack of food, since without fresh water irrigation food production around the world would be drastically reduced. Whenever fresh water shortages are bad enough that people aren't getting enough to drink, there will also be problems with irrigation and agriculture. So you're kind of screwed two ways.


The bigger problem with the food is not the decrease in production (because of less land available for agriculture) but the increase in human population globaly. Read UN predictions about the world natality. I think they said that in 2050. there will be like 10 billions on earth.

Yes, it is the human population. However, as we start overutilizing our land, production will go up, and then go down, so both will hit us. We're at this point using up dwindling resources to produce at the current level, and we can increase production to a point, but we're also destroying crop land, and depleting water tables. We're probably already above an indefinately sustainable level. At least with current standard of living. We'll see though. Only time will tell with certainty.

[Manuel]

Yes, know that "F" is not really his middle initial; it`s "W," but you guys can get the picture why I say George F. Bush instead of George W. Bush.

Anyway, I am glad I am here instead of in the U.S., since I don`t have to put up with "What`s his face" in D.C. I still like the U.S. and am proud to be an American, but not when he`s still in office.

My point is that again, I`m glad that I`m here while he`s still in office. If I were asked by that "Jerk-off" to go to Iraq, then I would say "You can kiss my big brown one!"

[madmaxxam]

Anyway, I am glad I am here instead of in the U.S., since I don`t have to put up with "What`s his face" in D.C. I still like the U.S. and am proud to be an American, but not when he`s still in office.

I'll be going back to the US in about a month, and truthfully, GWB probably won't have any direct effect on my life. Quite frankly, I have about as much exposure to his idiocy here in Japan. He's still in the news, still does things that really ____ me off, and in actuality, I'm probably likely to be financially helped by some of his policies. Running from your problems doesn't do any good. It's nice to say, I'll get out of America while he's in charge, but I think it's better to stay in the US and actively demonstrate, or try to affect politics on some level, even if it's only locally in a small town. Humans create their world. You can't create if you're running away.