Rep vs. Dem Differences

In an on-the-air (*) broadcast, a BBC announcer was trying to explain the
difference between the Republicans and the Democrats to his British audience.

"The Republicans are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives.
The Democrats are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives."

(*) "on-the-AIR" makes this on-topic {;-)

Jim


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

On Sun, 29 Aug 2004, Jim Weir wrote:


In an on-the-air (*) broadcast, a BBC announcer was trying to explain the
difference between the Republicans and the Democrats to his British audience.

"The Republicans are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives.
The Democrats are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives."

(*) "on-the-AIR" makes this on-topic {;-)

I was thinking about something similar, watching US Presidential stuff &
recalling our recent Canadian federal election - and, basically, the US
doesn't have a left wing the way Canadians or Europeans would understand
it!

For all the Republican ranting about 'leftist socialists', if Kerry
moved to Canada, even our most rightwing mainstream party, the
Conservatives, wouldn't have him. He'd be way off in right field all by
himself, even with the Conservatives.

And Kerry is the 'left' in the US Presidential race. Imagine where
this leaves W... (goosestepping rapidly over the horizon, possibly...)

It's part of the problem, I think, with international relations - US
politics is skewed so far right that the rest of us just can't relate
anymore.

Brian.

"Brian Burger" wrote in message
ia.tc.ca...

It's part of the problem, I think, with international relations - US
politics is skewed so far right that the rest of us just can't relate
anymore.

Brian.

Of course it never occurs to those on the left that they have swerved to the
far left and that it causes them to see anyone to the right of Joe Stalin as
an extreme conservative. Because the politics of Canada and Europe have
skewed so far left for so long, and they have such parochial views, they are
incapable of tolerating anyone that dares to lightly drag their feet in the
rush toward socialism. Luckily, nobody depends on Canada or Europe for
their security.

--
Scott

"I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he
excites among his opponents." - Sir Winston Churchill

I'll have to confess to being mystified the overwhelming appeal among pilots
of a jet jockey who hid out in the National Guard over a GA pilot like us
who had the conviction to put his ass in the line of fire.

I think it has a lot to do with response to emergencies and, boy, are the
Republicans ever beating that drum. If you watched the convention coverage
without knowing the background, you would think they knocked those towers
down themselves and were proud of it. No wonder many Arabs think that is
what happened.

We train for instinctive reactions to emergencies. If an engine fails on
takeoff, we admire the pilot who, almost without thought, can pull the
throttle, feather the engine, put the proper rudder pedal in, and set the
proper airspeed while chewing gum and telling the tower he needs to come
around for an emergency landing.

Bush projects exactly that kind of smoothness, assurance, and decisive
response. It comforts the voters and makes pilots, especially those who do a
lot of emergency drilling, say, "My kind of guy."

I read a profile of Scott Crossfield recently. It described the thoroughness
of his preparations for flying the X-15 to the edge of space for the first
time, the questions, the double checking, the consideration of possible
failures. Above all, he was aware that things could happen that he would
have to improvise and think his way through instead of producing a drilled
and rehearsed reaction.

If a pilot had approached Crossfield's flights as if they were flying a
commuter twin from A to B, Crossfield and most of the rest of us would have
considered him a fool. If a commuter pilot approached each flight like it
was an X-15, he would be looking for a job after the first one (which he
delayed three days to have the cable tensions checked again).

Let's face it. This election is about handling terrorism. The major
philosophical divide is not liberal vs. conservative but whether dealing
with this new evil in the world is like flying the twin commuter or the
X-15.

It was "Ho, hum, we trained, fighting the last war, We're ready for
anything.", thinking that let 911 happen. The blame there is bi-partisan.

The response however, has been like a commuter twin pilot hopping in the
X-15 saying, "No problem, I spent two weeks at Flight Safety." Right now, it
looks like it's zooming up great and everyone's cheering but the guys on the
ground know that it's way out of it's flight envelop and the problems just
haven't shown up yet. (Did you watch 60 minutes last night?)

I'm pretty sure we are all riding in an X-15 right now. Nothing is certain
but I'd rather switch to a new pilot who at least has the potential and has
declared the policy approaches to conduct the flight Crossfield style than
one who has proven himself a cocky an arrogant cowboy with a propensity to
take the easy way out of every situation.


--

Roger Long

"tscottme" wrote in message
...

Of course it never occurs to those on the left that they have swerved to
the
far left and that it causes them to see anyone to the right of Joe Stalin
as
an extreme conservative. Because the politics of Canada and Europe have
skewed so far left for so long, and they have such parochial views, they
are
incapable of tolerating anyone that dares to lightly drag their feet in
the
rush toward socialism. Luckily, nobody depends on Canada or Europe for
their security.


LOL...

Of course it never occurs to those on the right that they have swerved to
the
far right and that it causes them to see anyone to the left of Rush Limbaugh
as
an extreme liberal.

....etc...


--
*** A great civilization is not conquered from without until it
has destroyed itself from within. ***
- Ariel Durant 1898-1981

"tscottme" wrote in message ...
"Brian Burger" wrote in message
...Luckily, nobody depends on Canada or Europe for
their security.

Well, aside from all the Canadians and the Europeans that is. grin

-Malcolm Teas

Jim Weir wrote in message . ..
In an on-the-air (*) broadcast, a BBC announcer was trying to explain the
difference between the Republicans and the Democrats to his British audience.

"The Republicans are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives.
The Democrats are verry like our ... ahhh ... Conservatives."

It'd be nice for once to see a conservative politician in the US want
to conserve something: the budget, our soldier's lives, the economy,
the environment where we live...

(*) "on-the-AIR" makes this on-topic {;-)

Spoken like a politician...

Malcolm Teas
Fiscal conservative

"Roger Long" wrote in message news:dsFYc.49999

I'll have to confess to being mystified the overwhelming appeal among
pilots
of a jet jockey who hid out in the National Guard over a GA pilot like us
who had the conviction to put his ass in the line of fire.

I'm a little mystified that any appeal should have anything to do with
wings.

If you want to use an aviation analogy, however, it can't be simplistic. A
more apt one might be to say - if we operate these particular flights today
and for the next year or so to these particular destinations, what will be
the impact on all these destination airports, as opposed to others, and what
will be the impact on all the airports we are not flying to? And if we do
operate in this manner, what will be the long term impact on the airline
industry and aircraft manufacturers, versus had we not operated the flights
at all? In short, if we operate the flights in this way as opposed to some
other way, will we, in ten years' time, still have aircraft and airports?
Still have a viable aviation system?

"Brian Burger" wrote in message
ia.tc.ca...

And Kerry is the 'left' in the US Presidential race. Imagine where
this leaves W... (goosestepping rapidly over the horizon, possibly...)


Wow. We start right off with Godwin's law.

Then, too, we wonder what is "right" about Nazis or "left" about communists.
There doesn't seem to be much difference between them and in fact they
historically imitated and admired each other up until Germany invaded the
Soviet Union. Was Saddam Hussein "right" or "left?" He admired Hitler, but
allied with the Soviet Union.

What is "liberal" about a Europe or Canada that is grossly intolerant of
differing political or social views? What is "liberal" about Kerry
supporters that trash storefronts and beat Bush supporters up? How is their
behavior any different from that of thugs in 1935?

Maybe I am jaded, but as far as I can see the only thing people are
interested in these days is in exercising dominion over others. They want
power, and are willing to go to any lengths and use any means to get it.
Ethics, justice, right and left: they are just hollow words signifying
nothing. I truly long for leaders who are genuinely just men, who are honest
and moral, who will not steal or lie. I would vote for such a person no
matter where on the spectrum of "left" or "right" he fell.

"Malcolm Teas" wrote in message
m...
"tscottme" wrote in message
...
"Brian Burger" wrote in message
...Luckily, nobody depends on Canada or Europe for
their security.

Well, aside from all the Canadians and the Europeans that is. grin

Hardly. The Canadians and Europeans depend on the US for their security.
They provide token forces, but nothing anywhere near what they would have to
do if they were fully responsible for their own security.