Politics & War: when in doubt, follow the money.

[DiscoProJoe]

Here is today's lesson on how the world really works. The lesson is called the Three-Way Triangle of Power.

As a triangle, it has three sides.

Side 1: Foreign dictators give American lobbyists what they want.

An example is the Saudi royal thugs granting exclusive business licensure to certain corporations (such as Exxon and Halliburton), while outlawing all competition against these select-few companies in Saudi Arabia.

Side 2: American lobbyists give U.S. politicians what they want.

An example is Exxon and Halliburton giving millions of dollars in campaign contributions to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Side 3: U.S. politicians give foreign dictators what they want.

An example is Bill Clinton and George W. Bush using the military to prop up the Saudi royal thugs.

These three groups exist inside the Three-Way Triangle of Power, and are the big winners. Everyone else, including the American inhabitants & the Saudi Arabian citizens, are outside the Triangle and are the big losers.

That concludes today's lesson on how the world really works. Now you know!

[DiscoProJoe]

I'll add that Saddam Hussein was definitely a horrible dictator, but the dictators of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Middle-Eastern countries have been worse.

The difference being that Saddam didn't support the economic special interests of politicians in Washington D.C., so the U.S. government wanted to get rid of him, while continuing to prop up the other "compliant" ruling thugs.

[pattbateman]

the world will never be a peacefull place

people in other countries are crazy

we have got to do what we got to do

[DiscoProJoe]

Here's an analogy to ponder: imagine if the U.S. were a Third-World country, and David Duke was a domestic American dictator who was literally ruling over us. Now imagine that the Chinese government had several military bases inside our borders with tens of thousands of their troops stationed here. Next, imagine these Chinese troops propping up David Duke and keeping him in power -- as long as he complies with the economic demands of the Chinese government.

It would then be extremely difficult for Americans to put together a rebel militia to overthrow David Duke because the Chinese military was propping him up.

In this situation, wouldn't you hate the Chinese government far worse than David Duke? Wouldn't you hate them for traveling halfway around the world with their foreign military to keep us oppressed?

This is exactly how the Arabs feel about the U.S. government and what it's doing in the Middle East.

[siceone]

Wow Who is this moron

[optapessimist]

Originally posted by DiscoProJoe

Here's an analogy to ponder: imagine if the U.S. were a Third-World country, and David Duke was a domestic American dictator who was literally ruling over us. Now imagine that the Chinese government had several military bases inside our borders with tens of thousands of their troops stationed here. Next, imagine these Chinese troops propping up David Duke and keeping him in power -- as long as he complies with the economic demands of the Chinese government.

It would then be extremely difficult for Americans to put together a rebel militia to overthrow David Duke because the Chinese military was propping him up.

In this situation, wouldn't you hate the Chinese government far worse than David Duke? Wouldn't you hate them for traveling halfway around the world with their foreign military to keep us oppressed?

This is exactly how the Arabs feel about the U.S. government and what it's doing in the Middle East.

Well said DiscoProJoe.... I'm impressed. Not to mention, I haven't thought about David Duke in years.... blech!!!

[pattbateman]

the arabs hate us for one reason we support the jews who they have hated for years.

second the arabs come to us when they need help ie saudi arabia.

third that is one hell of a hypothetical and is a little to extreme i do not quite understand what you are getting at??what you are comparing this to iraq? cause "david duke" would be gone at this time and we would shortly hand over power to the dumb ass people of iraq.

when did we prop up a leader and keep him in power while we were in their borders and while he was commiting atrocities????

[jamiroguy1]

Originally posted by optapessimist

Well said DiscoProJoe.... I'm impressed. Not to mention, I haven't thought about David Duke in years.... blech!!!

Speaking of David Duke....

David Duke Considering Run for Congress

By CAIN BURDEAU

Associated Press Writer

January 23, 2004, 5:51 PM EST

NEW ORLEANS -- Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, in federal prison after pleading guilty to mail and tax fraud, is considering a run for Congress when he is released this year, his secretary said Friday.

Roy Armstrong said Duke is considering entering the race for the seat of Republican Rep. David Vitter. In 1999, Duke finished third in the primary for that seat.

Armstrong said Duke could be released to a halfway house in mid-April, a year after he began his prison term.

"He was skeptical that he would be able to raise the money to run an effective campaign in time, but he said he would consider his options," Armstrong said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Duke, whose telephone privileges are limited, could not be reached for comment.

The seat probably will be open because Vitter has said he is running for U.S. Senate.

Duke would not be the first convicted felon to run for federal office. For example, James Traficant, a former Ohio congressman convicted of bribery and racketeering charges, unsuccessfully ran for a House seat from prison in 2002.

The plea agreement Duke signed in 2002 did not restrict his right to run for office, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said.

Duke spent one term in the Louisiana House in the late 1980s, but lost elections for the U.S. Senate in 1990 and governor in 1991.

In his federal trial, Duke was accused of bilking supporters by representing himself as being in dire financial straits while actually living extravagantly. Duke denied the accusations.

Copyright © 2004, The Associated Press

http://www.drudgereportarchives.com/goto/?getPage=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Enewsday%2Ecom%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Fwire%2Fsns%2Dap%2Dduke%2Dcongress%2C0%2C4663934%2Cprint%2Estory%3Fcoll%3Dsns%2Dap%2Dpolitics%2Dheadlines&return=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edrudgereportarchives%2Ecom%2Fdsp%2Fsearch%2Ehtm%3FsearchFor%3DDavid%2BDuke

[marksimons]

the jewish issue is a sideshow.

the reason arabs hate the west, and at the moment particuarly america, is simple, WE FUCK THEM OVER.

HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT INSTALLING DICTATORS IN COUNTRIES THAT BRUTALISE THEM FOR UP TO A QUARTER OF A CENTURY DOES NOT GO A LONG WAY TO MAKING THEM LIKE YOU.

saudi arabia has a dictatorship at the moment, a brutal repressive one that amputates limbs and represses women.

but America supports it. the 9/11 hijackers came from there. but it has some massive oil reserves...

America still supports it, despite the fact that it is a brutal repressive regime.

PERHAPS THAT'S ONE REASON WHY THE ARABS ARE PISSED OFF

perhaps there are more...

[pattbateman]

they have oil we have choice

wait until other forms of energy arise

think what would happen to our economy if gas was 5 dollars a gallon???

[marksimons]

you're economy is fundamentally flawed.

it is not your god given right to have cheap gas.

there are other forms of energy out there now.

if gas were more expensive perhaps you would have less fat ass people.

perhaps you would, as a nation comprising 4% of the worlds population, stop producing about 25% of the worlds CO2 emmissions, and 32% of all greenhouse emmissions.

you're the world's single biggest pollutor, yet are in denial about this.

http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/pollution.html

[pattbateman]

i dont deny it

stop with the global warming bs too

our country is more spread out we have a further distance to travel for anything we do

i mean europe is as big as US but many different countries and not as smooth terrain as US

im guessing everything in your country is more consentrated then our is what i am getting at

[marksimons]

ah come on...

that's BS...

it's using huge gas guzzling cars over sensible ones...

as well as industrial pollution...

[DiscoProJoe]

think what would happen to our economy if gas was 5 dollars a gallon???

It wouldn't rise that high unless the U.S. dollar crashes!

Why can't we just let the private oil companies hire their own efficient militias to defend their foreign rigs? This would more-than offset the differences in costs. Gas itself might be a bit higher, but we'd pay fewer taxes (including gas taxes). You could also save money by driving less -- unlike today with the huge taxes and monetary inflation required to fund the excessive, wasteful U.S. military operations. The oil companies just wouldn't profit quite as much, because Big Brother wouldn't be giving them a free ride in the Middle East with its military.

As far as global warming is concerned, over 16,000 climatologists, physicists, and other scientists have signed a petition saying that they see no threat to humanity from it. These professionals are not associated with a polluting company of any kind.

In 1976, the Alaskan Augustine Volcano released 570 times as much chlorine into the atmosphere than all the chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and other chlorine emissions in the world in an entire year! Since volcanoes have been erupting for millions of years, banning CFCs would have virtually no impact on ozone levels.

Carbon dioxide is the most significant greenhouse gas. An increase in its levels, along with global warming, would promote an increase in plant growth all over the world. Since plants absorb carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, and since the oceans themselves act as a gigantic sink for CO2, the greenhouse effect probably would be counteracted.

If someday we find irrefutable evidence that global warming is a threat, let's cope with it then. We shouldn't sound the alarm today and therefore take everyone's cars and air conditioners away from them.

Besides, since the geologic record shows that we're due for another Ice Age within the next 1,000 years, global warming could actually help prevent an even greater catastrophe!

[pattbateman]

the one thing i can agree with crazy joe on!

i was gonna post the same thing because for millions of years there was volcanic explositions that produced more polution then anything we can conjur up

and i cannot wait for simons 15 page report on global warming from hippietreehugger.org

[DiscoProJoe]

Originally posted by pattbateman

the one thing i can agree with crazy joe on!

It's good to see that we can finally agree on something!

and i cannot wait for simons 15 page report on global warming from hippietreehugger.org

Since higher levels of CO2 would promote plant growth, why don't "tree huggers" support global warming?

[pattbateman]

im still waiting for simons 20 page expose' on global warming

and im sure he will add some bush + hitler love affair

and of course, last but not least a few pages of his anti-american rhetoric!