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#411
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I tried to tell you . . . Democrats repel voters, who put faith in freedom Published on: 11/04/04 America's faith in freedom has been reaffirmed. With the re-election of President Bush, America recommitted itself once again to expanding freedom and promoting liberty. Only the 1864 re-election of Abraham Lincoln, the 1944 re-election of Franklin Roosevelt and the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan rival this victory as milestones in the preservation of our security by the advancement of freedom. This election validated not just freedom, but also the faith our Founding Fathers placed in average folks to navigate the course of this great nation. By weighing the greatest issues at the gravest times and choosing our path, ordinary people have again accomplished extraordinary things. With courage and caution, rather than fear and timidity, the voters chose a path to ensure others would enjoy the same freedom to set their own path. This election outcome should have been implausible, if not impossible. With a litany of complaints — bad economy, bad deficit, bad foreign war, bad gas prices — amplified by a national media that discarded any pretense of neutrality, a national opposition party should have won this election. But the Democratic Party is no longer a national party. As difficult as the challenges are — both real and fabricated — Democrats offered no solution that was either believable or acceptable to vast regions of America. Tax increases to grow the economy are not a solution that is believable or acceptable. Democratic promises of fiscal responsibility are unbelievable in the face of massive new spending promises. A foreign policy based on the strength of "allies" such as France is unacceptable. A strong national defense policy is just not believable coming from a candidate who built a career as an anti-war veteran, an anti-military candidate and an anti-action senator. Democratic Party policies haven't sold in large sections of America in decades, and the only success of Democrats in presidential elections for 40 years was when they pitched themselves as pro-growth, low-tax, strong-defense, fiscally responsible, values-oriented candidates. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton hummed the tune but never really sang the song, and that's why Democrat prospects have gone south in the South. In 1980, the South had 20 Democrats and just six Republicans in the Senate. As recently as 1994, the Senate had 17 Democrats and nine Republicans from the South. A decade later, the number had reversed to 17 Republicans and nine Democrats. With this election, it is 22 Republicans and just four Democrats from the South. When will national Democrats sober up and admit that that dog won't hunt? Secular socialism, heavy taxes, big spending, weak defense, limitless lawsuits and heavy regulation — that pack of beagles hasn't caught a rabbit in the South or Midwest in years. The most recent failed nominee for president stands as proof that the national Democratic Party will continue to dwindle. The South has gone from just one-fourth of the Electoral College in 1960 to almost a third today. To put this in perspective, that gain is equal to all the electoral votes in Ohio. Yet there was not a single Southern state where John Kerry had any real chance. Would anyone like to place bets on the electoral strength of the South by 2012? Maybe they should tax stupidity. When you write off centrist and conservative policies that reflect the will of people in the South and Midwest, you write off the South and Midwest. Democrats have never learned from the second or third or fifth kick of a mule. They continue to change only the makeup on, rather than makeup of, the Democrat Party. And so we have a realignment election. For the first time, in an "us vs. them" election and in the toughest of situations, Republicans have been re-elected to the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Confronting an opposition that can win a divided electorate in the worst of times and that has a growing electoral base, the national Democratic Party has a choice: continue down this path toward irrelevance or reverse course. As the last Truman Democrat, I hope my party makes the right choice but know I will not be allowed to be part of it. Such is the price you pay when you love your nation more than your party. And so while I retire with little hope for the near-term viability of the party I've spent my life building, I retire with a quiet satisfaction that after witnessing the struggle of democracy over communism and fascism, the fear I once held that America might not rise to meet this new challenge of terrorism has vanished like a fog under the radiance of a new dawn. While the threat is still real, the shadow looming across a promising future is gone. And the credit for that goes to one man. Like the last lion of England, Winston Churchill, George W. Bush has stood alone and risked all to give the world a new, clearer path to the advancement of freedom. Abraham Lincoln, in his second annual message to Congress, stated: "In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom for the free — honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save or meanly lose the last, best hope of earth." George Bush has injected into a region of enslavement an incurable dose of freedom, and thus nobly saved that "last, best hope of earth" — free men. — Zell Miller is Georgia's Democratic U.S. senator. |
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#412
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I would not advocate getting into verbal confrontation with idiots in cars. Yes, we make mistakes on bikes and yes, the same rules apply to us. If people act dangerously on two wheels or four, they deserve to ticking off, but the other person isn't usually on two wheels, can get away easy, and doesn't really care for the law. You're risking your life over human waste basically and chewing the fat with them in such situations, isn't worth it. A couple of years ago on the UK, in a town called Oldbury, I signalled right into a side-road; it was 100% clear, safe to do so. The road when round a sharp bend, with parked cars and virtually no space to overtake. You guessed it..along comes cretin in his red Sierra, giving the horn for me to get# out of the way. he was driving inches from my back tire and there was no way on earth I could stop let alone even look around for a second. These people have issues and it matters not what tips them over the edge; it's got nothing to do with reason, merely their whole president for violence is based on situations whereby they can use any excuse to vent anger. so here I am, maintaining speed and a safe distance from other cars, until round this bend. Then I pull so that the guy can pass, only that's not the end of it. He races ahead against traffic, then stops RIGHT in front of me, forcing me to slow down and almost hit a parked car to my left. OK, I lost my rag and gave him the V sign. He then stops, gets outa his killing machine and heads toward me. I cycle on the pavement for a bit because these types are just not worth a stint in a cell or even stabbing. As I pass I shout that I've got this idiot's number and I'm calling the cops. The screech of tyres meant that for some reason he wasn't going to let this get that far. Once again he races ahead, only this time he stops, gets out and stands in the middle of a busy road, as a rugby player would do. Sod this I though, this guy is crazy. As he leapt for me I put the pedal to the floor and just let rip; at this point my life means more than his. The fat slob couldn't stop me, but managed to rip my bag off my back and almost sent me careering head-on into other cars. This guy was a maniac. Everyone was wondering what was going on, but people do not wish to get involved. One guy slid onto some grass to see what the hell was happening. This maniac then turned into the place where he works..bingo. I made a judgement call at this juncture. Go back, pick up the bag and USE the shackle lock to crack this person's skull, or find a phone box and call the law. I couldn't afford a mobile phone so I locked the bike, walked to a phone box and called the troops. The copper that came out was in fact a part-time cyclist himself, and could tell that I was not BS him or wasting his time. If I am wrong on the roads I always make other people aware of it, and in 10 years' cycling I have learnt how to cycle safely. The sight of the copper walking into this cretin's place of work helped, but part of me was still gunning to crack this asshole; when your life is put at risk over something so daft as someone not willing to wait, you're just out of it for a bit - looking for opportunity to expel that adrenaline. Since then I have seen idiot drivers cut me up, mouth off because they're intimidated by non-car users (yes folks, that's the mentality round here), and I've had so many pedestrians being abusive to me and other cyclists, I've lost count. However the number one priority for me is my safety - it's not worth it folks because you're fighting the impossible war, even if you win there is always, always another mindless creep waiting around the corner and you can't change it. What you can change is how you react. Let them get angry; let them show themselves up but most of all, let them do it in their own time away from you and old give them a kicking if you're in a corner with no choice but to defend yourself. You're dealing with people who's whole purpose in life is to go out and attack other people be it with cars, guns, knives. They are not worth your safety - just get the license plate and get out the way. It's harder to maintain control than loose it..and loosing it could loose your life..not worth it. -- wildcard |
#413
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On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 17:12:57 GMT, "Ken [NY)"
wrote in message : "There is nothing patriotic about hating your country, or pretending that you can love your country but despise your government." The words of someone in government who was subject to a hate campaign. Clearly completely reliable :-) Guy -- May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk 88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University |
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