The Greatest Threat To America

FirefightnRick · July 31, 2008

]*We've already come dangerously close to this with our current occupant of the Speaker of the House.

That's more like it.

Rick

JayDub · July 31, 2008

A close second behind teen loitering would be the threat of constant bear attacks. It's like a country bear jamboroo around here!

I came here for the discussion of the threat of bear attacks...and I am somewhat disappointed.

That's more like it.
Rick

I think they're both a couple of idiots. So, what does that say about average American who voted them in?

So many factors...the 24-hour news cycle, the internet, the information age in general...have dumbed us down to the point that so very few of us think for ourselves. We allow our political party affiliation, our church/mosque/synagouge/etc. (not our actual beliefs, but the collective interpretation of a religion by the leadership of individual places of worship), or whatever our favorite news source may be...make the choices for us instead of thinking for ourselves. Every day, this country starts to look more and more like the movie "Idiocracy"...and that scares the living hell out of me.

The moment we quit thinking for ourselves and aligned ourselves with a sole political party or a sole religious ideolgy and completely closed off our minds to anything that might contradict a simplistic, single line of thinking...was the moment we doomed our country to be no different than the "terrorist states" that use those same tactics to convince their citizens to hate us.

Edited July 31, 2008 by JayDub

FirefightnRick · July 31, 2008

I came here for the discussion of the threat of bear attacks...and I am somewhat disappointed.
That's more like it.
Rick
I think they're both a couple of idiots. So, what does that say about average American who voted them in?
So many factors...the 24-hour news cycle, the internet, the information age in general...have dumbed us down to the point that so very few of us think for ourselves. We allow our political party affiliation, our church/mosque/synagouge/etc. (not our actual beliefs, but the collective interpretation of a religion by the leadership of individual places of worship), or whatever our favorite news source may be...make the choices for us instead of thinking for ourselves. Every day, this country starts to look more and more like the movie "Idiocracy"...and that scares the living hell out of me.
The moment we quit thinking for ourselves and aligned ourselves with a sole political party or a sole religious ideolgy and completely closed off our minds to anything that might contradict a simplistic, single line of thinking...was the moment we doomed our country to be no different than the "terrorist states" that use those same tactics to convince their citizens to hate us.

Good post. And that's why I base many of my oppinions on the real world that I live and work in. Sure, I read the newspapers, the internet and watch tv as well. But I'm also fortunate that I work in the shit that so many others sit in their cubicles and read about. I see the results from the dispair with the poor, the stupidity and carelessness in the homes and within other workplaces and on the highways and city streets. I see the end results often times of the immigration concerns, and the violent crime of those who could care less about themselves or anyone else to the point they are willing to cut someone's throat for a cigarette. It's is also why whenever I meet up with a veteran back from overseas I ask them what they have seen. Whenver I talk to someone who just got back from traveling abroad I ask them what they saw? I didn't know anyone personally that worked in the oil refining business until I rode with twodogs to MTSU a few years back and he pointed out many of the upcoming problems that have been brought up here concerning the gas prices.

And LongJim, I appreciate you simply posting a link to the Snopes.com correcting the misinformation, rather than taking a sarcastic, disrespectful approach. Thank you. Not everyone is a computer internet guru. It's easy to be shocked and caught up in some of those misinformed emails. My parents send them to me all the time and I have to go look it up and often times send them the same notices. Does't mean they are stupid. They just forget to use the sources that are out there to look it up I suppose?

Rick

UNTLifer · July 31, 2008

The Ben Stein eloquence is actually two things cobbled together. Stein's original piece from CBS Sunday Morning (which was entirely centered around Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson) is part of what was quoted and attributed to him. The stuff about Billy Graham's kid, Dr. Spock, and so forth was written by someone else and thrown in later. Thanks, Snopes!
As for the brilliance of Ben Stein...
Ben Stein is an idiot.
Ben Stein's Intensely Silly Market Manipulation Idea.
From Ben Stein Blames You:
The Trouble with Ben Stein.
Ben Stein Must Be Stopped.
Curb Your Enthisiasm, Ben Stein.
I could go on (and on... and on... and on...) but I won't. I won't even get into the intellectual dishonesty and gross misrepresentations and distortions from his documentary. If you're curious, read this. Even Michael Moore would shake his head in disapproval.
This isn't a blanket support of all his critics. Henry Blodgett in particular is a scumbag; look him up yourselves if you're curious. Just saying that if Ben Stein is your voice of wisdom and standard bearer in the culture wars... It may be time to start drafting some new blood.
He was great on that game show with young Jimmy Kimmel, though.
And I love those Clear Eyes commercials.
Bueller? Bueller?

I don't think anyone was "bowing to the greatness" of Ben Stein, just agreeing with one commentary. Agreeing with one is much different with believing everything he says.