We Are All Spaniards

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
...

Now, Steven, I know that. But the popular vote, the one all Bush's
enemies keep harping on, is the one he got a bare minority on.


How does one get a "bare minority" of the popular vote? Gore received a
higher popular vote than Bush, but neither received a majority of the
vote.
Bush won more states and more counties than Gore, something the Democrats
seem to forget.



And more importantly, Bush won the only thing that counts. The Electoral
College.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:


"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
.. .

Now, Steven, I know that. But the popular vote, the one all Bush's
enemies keep harping on, is the one he got a bare minority on.


How does one get a "bare minority" of the popular vote? Gore received a
higher popular vote than Bush, but neither received a majority of the vote.

Ah me. I can't seem to abridge these days.

I voted for Bush and for the Democrat congressional candidate for my
House district. But he didn't get the most popular votes.

Rob, who supports the EC system

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote in message ...
"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...
In article , "Tom Sixkiller"
wrote:

_NOBODY_ EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISTION!!!

*finally*... gosh I was waiting for it...

NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is
surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are
fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are
fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion
to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our
weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

Sorry, I stopped reading this thread after I told Jay he was beyond
rescue. But I *have* to comment on this one, so you know that I am not
against everything american... I am a BIG FAN of Monty Phyton and this
is one of my favorite sketches! I laugh to tears each time I watch
it... Hey, wait a minute! Monty Phyton was not american! Ah, well...

Tom, I can't believe you honestly believe your own comments.

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote
Shell has not once but twice announced
that it has significantly less oil than it thought.

You know, they've had these very complaints ging back over 100 years, that
we're running out. And somehow...

Are you really trying to say that oil is a renewable resource? That
there's no reason to look for alternatives and that we should all just
relax and mindlessly keep burning oil in our cars and industries?

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote
I agree. The more the population grows, the more conflict and violence
will grow with it.

Like the Middle Ages?

And here are you actually proposing that the negative aspects of the
Middle Ages were a result of the size of the world population?

"Jay Honeck" wrote
Personally, our hotel business is up 30% over last year. Now part of that
is the fact that we were brand new -- but do you REALLY think a luxury
suites hotel would be doing so well if the U.S. economy was doing poorly?

Jay, in ANY country you will find quite a lot of people with enough
money to fill the most expensive restaurants, hotels, etc. The tip of
the pyramid, as tiny as it looks on paper, is still a lot of people.

Don't believe everything you read. Anyone who is unemployed right now in
the U.S. probably have a reason to be unemployed.

Yikes! I'm sure you don't know this (you have no reason to), but in a
certain country tens of thouthands of innocent people were killed by
the government. Their neighbors used to say "he must have done
something". This line of thought has been proven extremely
shortsighted and plain wrong. People in this country, although their
democracy is relatively new, have learned a lesson you seem lacking.
My perception is that you are used to such a nice living standard in
such a nice neighborhood, that you simply lost contact with the rest
of the world, who usually suffers unjustly. (By "you" I also mean most
americans, and by "neighborhood" I also mean the world).

Alex wrote:
Tom, I can't believe you honestly believe your own comments.

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote

Shell has not once but twice announced
that it has significantly less oil than it thought.

You know, they've had these very complaints ging back over 100 years, that
we're running out. And somehow...


Are you really trying to say that oil is a renewable resource? That
there's no reason to look for alternatives and that we should all just
relax and mindlessly keep burning oil in our cars and industries?

In the early 1900's either the federal government or maybe it was an
executive from an oil company came out and said we had something like 9
years and 6 months of oil left in the ground. And that was when we
didn't hardly use any oil at all. Now we know of more oil in the ground
than the world has used to date. So yes it is not a renewable resource
but it also is not even remotley scarce. Having said that we already
are developing other means of propelling ourselves around. None make
economic sense yet, but eventually they will.

Doug Carter wrote in message ...
While I have not dug into the numbers yet, I bet that the ratio of people
in the rest of the world that have seen U.S. produced films and listened
to U.S. gangsta rap to those who have actually been to the U.S. and observed
'normal' people is many tens of millions to one.

Well, I don't like rap, but I would belong to the "one" category.

The primary images these people have to produce their perception of the
U.S. is based on the beliefs portrayed by the likes of Michael Moore,
Ludacris and Dan Rather.

I don't think so. I, for one, get my impressions of the US from a lot
of sources: news (both US and foreign), political analysts (both US
and foreign), having been there, having friends and family there, and
from direct experience of the effects of US intervention in my
country. But I don't just believe everything I hear or read: as
farfetched as this idea may seem (even to me), I do have a mind of my
own. I do my best to process all this information and take what seems
to be true, just like everybody else does. For example, I've seen
"Bowling for Columbine", and I've also read about how Moore distorted
certain facts. I can see shades of gray and I can cope with
conflicting information. And I don't think I am fundamentaly different
from millons over the world. Don't underestimate people just because
they don't live next to you. Doing so is equal to bigotry.

Rob Perkins wrote
Near as I can tell, the U.S. wants other governments to:

1 -- Not kill their own people (usually a conceded point)
2 -- Afford thier own people a certain set of inalienable rights (such
as those afforded the people in, say, Austria)
3 -- Not come over and kill Americans.
4 -- Trade with Americans.

Have I left anything off the list?

Rob

Let's see:

1 -- Not kill their own people (usually a conceded point)

In Southamerica the US supported government killing of innocents in
concentration camps without trials of any kind. They trained the local
military and turned a blind eye to the tortures and killings.

2 -- Afford thier own people a certain set of inalienable rights

Like the right to live? Or to know who you are? Or to vote?

3 -- Not come over and kill Americans.

Southamerican people had no interest, motive or means to do such a
thing.

4 -- Trade with Americans.

Only Chile has a trade agreement with the US, and that's decades after
they defeated the US-puppet Pinochet.

Have I left anything off the list?

Yes: "5 -- None of the above."

Rob, you have watched too many Hollywood movies.

"Newps" wrote in message
news:Mpsac.41867$K91.110288@attbi_s02...


Alex wrote:
Tom, I can't believe you honestly believe your own comments.

"Tom Sixkiller" wrote

Shell has not once but twice announced
that it has significantly less oil than it thought.

You know, they've had these very complaints ging back over 100 years,
that
we're running out. And somehow...


Are you really trying to say that oil is a renewable resource? That
there's no reason to look for alternatives and that we should all just
relax and mindlessly keep burning oil in our cars and industries?

In the early 1900's either the federal government or maybe it was an
executive from an oil company came out and said we had something like 9
years and 6 months of oil left in the ground. And that was when we
didn't hardly use any oil at all.

Try the 1880's or so when the conversion to petroleum was in full swing.
America's first "Oil Crisis" was WHALE oil, not petroleum.

During the Civil War (shortly after the transition from whale oil to
petroleum, oil was selling for $2.50 a barrel, or about $100 a bbl in todays
$$.

Before that, it was the timber crisis...which made coal mining economically
feasible....which led in part to the whale oil crisis, which lead to the
petro-oil crisis, whcihc led to OPEC, which from the start kept collapsing
after a lot of fist waving.

I'd recommend (for simiplicities sake) "The Doomsday Myth": 10,000 Year of
Economic Crisis" by Maurice & Smithson, and then some of the works of Julian
Simon. I could offer long quotes, but I've NEVER found anyone embroiled in
crisis-mongering that it could sink into (Alex, in this case possibly).


Now we know of more oil in the ground
than the world has used to date. So yes it is not a renewable resource
but it also is not even remotley scarce. Having said that we already
are developing other means of propelling ourselves around. None make
economic sense yet, but eventually they will.

Indeed!! (See above)

Alex wrote:
The primary images these people have to produce their perception of the
U.S. is based on the beliefs portrayed by the likes of Michael Moore,
Ludacris and Dan Rather.

I don't think so. I, for one, get my impressions of the US from a lot
of sources: news (both US and foreign), political analysts (both US
and foreign), having been there, having friends and family there, and
from direct experience of the effects of US intervention in my
country.

You disagree, but are exceptional in that you have been to
the U.S. Direct experience is hard to come by and new
analysts are clearly suspect because they most of them are
very biased towards an ideology (pro or con) if not
directly controlled by government. I wish everyone had
more channels like CSPAN and more direct contact so we
could form our own opinion.

I am curious about the "effects of US intervention in my
country." The U.S. has a macro track record of rebuilding
and withdrawing from defeated countries (Marshall Plan)
compared to Russia (Soviet Union). I presume there are
exceptions, but is this a "glass half empty vs. half full"
perception problem?

I do have a mind of my own. I do my best to process all this
information and take what seems to be true,

Clearly. Never said or meant to imply you did not. My
gripe is with the U.S. entertainment/news industry.

And I don't think I am fundamentaly different from millons over the world.

There are billions of people in the world and I think you
are over estimating the fraction of people who have the
access you do.

Don't underestimate people just because they don't live next to you. Doing so is equal to bigotry.

I did not estimate people; rather I estimated peoples
access to direct experience compared to relegated to
depending on the somewhat suspect opinions of others.