PSX5Central
Non Gaming Discussions => Off-Topic => Topic started by: clips on August 20, 2007, 06:08:04 AM
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In 1994 that is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9YuD9kYK9I
What happened to that grand wisdom he had back then? They say the older you get, the wiser you get,....except this guy is doing the complete opposite...regardless that this video is pre-911, what he stated in this video still rings true, and saddam had no wmd\'s and wasn\'t connected to 911 in any shape, way or form...
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AFFIRMATIVE.
Cheney did not get dumber. He still knows everything he said in 1994 is true. He and the rest of our leadership just chose to ignore it because the need to increase profits for the energy companies and defense contractors trump all other considerations.
Attn US Citizens: THINK before you vote for our next executive branch.
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like we ever have a good option to vote for
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Yeah indeed
Whats the point of democracy when you dont have good candidates to vote for and the right government officials to rule your country?
People dont have a choice and it is not them that form the leaders and forces that rule the country at the end. They end up only as pawns and masses with no real active part. Its just the powerful leaders and the "guinea pigs" citizens that form the society under the conditions and limits proposed by the first.
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AFFIRMATIVE.
Cheney did not get dumber. He still knows everything he said in 1994 is true. He and the rest of our leadership just chose to ignore it because the need to increase profits for the energy companies and defense contractors trump all other considerations.
Attn US Citizens: THINK before you vote for our next executive branch.
I dont\' think we invaded Iraq to increase profits of energy companies. Thinking that was is just ignorant. Our oil prices haven\'t gotten any better and the US doesn\'t control the oil fields. The big energy companies like Exxon-Mobil were there before and after we invaded. The oil fields are still controlled by Arab companies involved with OPEC. Show me credible sources that prove me otherwise. I see you constantly state this in every Iraq thread and yet you have no credentials.
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Yeah indeed
Whats the point of democracy when you dont have good candidates to vote for and the right government officials to rule your country?
People dont have a choice and it is not them that form the leaders and forces that rule the country at the end. They end up only as pawns and masses with no real active part. Its just the powerful leaders and the "guinea pigs" citizens that form the society under the conditions and limits proposed by the first.
Even when our country was founded, it was still run by the elite. The ideals were a bit different then though. They were all about freedom then. They followed a libertarian philosophy. Now today, privacy and freedoms are being challenged and surveillanced. I say some shit about the government, I\'m gonna be watched like Lennon. The government can listen in on my phone calls if they suspect me of activity. I can\'t smoke a joint on my own property in peace. A cop can come right on my personal property to arrest me for "abusing" my own body. I\'m sorry but my body is my property. I should do what I want to it. I dunno. I still consider myself very patriotic but within the last few years, I started to dislike a lot of things about our government. I feel we need to go back to our roots. Stuff just is getting way to out of hand.
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I dont\' think we invaded Iraq to increase profits of energy companies. Thinking that was is just ignorant. Our oil prices haven\'t gotten any better and the US doesn\'t control the oil fields. The big energy companies like Exxon-Mobil were there before and after we invaded. The oil fields are still controlled by Arab companies involved with OPEC. Show me credible sources that prove me otherwise. I see you constantly state this in every Iraq thread and yet you have no credentials.
Do you ever read the news, Titan? Here, I\'ll help you:
7/21/05: Oil industry awash in record levels of cash
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8646744/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8646744/)
8/11/05: Record Prices Mean Record Profits for Oil Companies
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1029991 (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1029991)
7/29/05: Profit Soars at Exxon Mobil
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802085.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802085.html)
1/30/06: ExxonMobil amasses record $36B 2005 profit
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2006-01-30-exxonmobil_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2006-01-30-exxonmobil_x.htm)
10/28/05: Backlash spreads as oil companies\' profits surge
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05301/596812.stm (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05301/596812.stm)
4/25/06: Oil companies cruise toward record earnings
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BC5FC46A0-20AA-41FF-8E3F-BEEC5D55393E%7D&siteid=mktw (http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BC5FC46A0-20AA-41FF-8E3F-BEEC5D55393E%7D&siteid=mktw)&
7/28/05: Exxon Mobil Profit Surges but Gas, Oil Output Drops
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163935,00.html (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163935,00.html)
Let\'s break this down, to some simple points:
1. George Bush has close ties to the Oil Industry.
2. Dick Cheney has close ties to Defense contractors like Halliburton.
3. The United States invaded Iraq
4. Multinational energy company profits skyrocketed.
5. Defense contractor profits skyrocketed.
6. Profits realized by energy companies are determined by the difference between retail sale price and costs of manufacturing and raw materials (crude oil). High crude oil prices do not automatically create low profits, as you can see from the articles above.
I don\'t know how I can make this any more clear for you.
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^^^i don\'t think oil was the sole reason for invading(i still agree with everything you stated), but i do believe it was a big part of it...knockin\' off saddam and having a solid foothold on the middle east with a gov\'t to our liking and access to what was at the time the 2nd largest producer of oil? that was just too good to pass up....it\'s still pretty amazing how the media is still keepin\' that billion dollar embassy on the low....if that doesn\'t sound like u.s. is imposing themselves on the iraqi\'s, i don\'t know what is.
The u.s. doesn\'t want to be seen as occupiers but droppin\' somethin\' that massive in there while s**t is still outta control, it seems as if the u.s. is just sayin\' "i don\'t care how crazy it is over here this embassy is going to be built at all costs"..it\'s not a good look for them.....this war is going to go down as one of the biggest u.s. military blunders ever.
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Do you ever read the news, Titan? Here, I\'ll help you:
7/21/05: Oil industry awash in record levels of cash
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8646744/ (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8646744/)
8/11/05: Record Prices Mean Record Profits for Oil Companies
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1029991 (http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=1029991)
7/29/05: Profit Soars at Exxon Mobil
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802085.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/28/AR2005072802085.html)
1/30/06: ExxonMobil amasses record $36B 2005 profit
http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2006-01-30-exxonmobil_x.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/earnings/2006-01-30-exxonmobil_x.htm)
10/28/05: Backlash spreads as oil companies\' profits surge
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05301/596812.stm (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05301/596812.stm)
4/25/06: Oil companies cruise toward record earnings
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BC5FC46A0-20AA-41FF-8E3F-BEEC5D55393E%7D&siteid=mktw (http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BC5FC46A0-20AA-41FF-8E3F-BEEC5D55393E%7D&siteid=mktw)&
7/28/05: Exxon Mobil Profit Surges but Gas, Oil Output Drops
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163935,00.html (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163935,00.html)
Let\'s break this down, to some simple points:
1. George Bush has close ties to the Oil Industry.
2. Dick Cheney has close ties to Defense contractors like Halliburton.
3. The United States invaded Iraq
4. Multinational energy company profits skyrocketed.
5. Defense contractor profits skyrocketed.
6. Profits realized by energy companies are determined by the difference between retail sale price and costs of manufacturing and raw materials (crude oil). High crude oil prices do not automatically create low profits, as you can see from the articles above.
I don\'t know how I can make this any more clear for you.
Yeah, and every article you posted still does not have a link between oil companies and Iraq. Just because they are reporting record prices, doesn\'t mean its all because its coming out of Iraq. Lemme break this down. Just because bush and Cheney HAD ties with oil industries, doesn\'t mean they are profiting from it. Show me sources saying their income is increasing as a result. Secondly, oil demand is even higher, hence why they are making record profits. China? China\'s demand for oil skyrocketed within the past few years, hence why we are paying record prices as well. Its all supply and demand.
I took this right from your article you posted
Last fall, high oil company profits after Hurricane Katrina sparked Senate hearings on alleged price gouging and proposals for a "windfall profits" tax.
Price gouging is another reason why oil companies are making money; Katrina was the perfect example of this. Who knows how much they are actually producing but when they gouge the prices like they\'ve done, record profits happen, just like in all businesses.
Also, no shit defense contractor\'s profits rised. That\'s a given. They are DEFENSE CONTRACTORS. They are paid high prices to do what they do. They are companies who provide the military with trucks, aircraft, bullets, guns, etc. You need stuff like that in war time. Defense contractors profits grew exponentially in WWII, hence why we were out of the depression.
You will not get me to believe we invaded Iraq for the oil. Your points were not valid and made no sense. I wanna see an article from a reputable source linking Iraq with oil profits. You failed to do that. All you proved was that oil profits went up. The world demand has gone up in the last few years as countries develop. When there\'s more of a market, theres more profits. Easy as that. Besides, if we controlled the oil fields with American interests in mind, my gas prices should have gone down. Let me tell you why we went into Iraq. Bush is an idiot and had no idea what the fuck he was doing. He acted too fast and made the whole thing a mess and still has no idea what he\'s doing.
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You don\'t get the connection between Dick Cheney\'s ties with defense contractors and the war?
You know, it may be one big giant coincidence, but you\'re blind if you don\'t see some disturbing trends.
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You don\'t get the connection between Dick Cheney\'s ties with defense contractors and the war?
You know, it may be one big giant coincidence, but you\'re blind if you don\'t see some disturbing trends.
I know of Cheney\'s ties with Halliburton and I\'m not ignorant to the trends but I\'m not saying that because one thing happened its just because of the other. I don\'t see things black and white. Just because we are still in a war isn\'t because of profits. I think there are many factors that are acting on each other. A happened therefore its because of B, C, D, etc. I will never admit we went to war just to line the pockets of certain companies. I think it is because of many factors that act on each other. And if companies are profiting, then I think its a by-product of everything that has happened, not the sole reason. And you know, if what you say is true then I should have bought stock in Halliburton, Lockheed Martin, etc :)
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Its not a by-product, its incentive
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Its not a by-product, its incentive
I dont\' view it as an incentive. I know what I said. Its something that happened because of all previous events. Hence why I said by-product.
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"By-Product" implies that it\'s an unintended result. I disagree, and I think that huge profits and enrichment of corporate shareholders and holders of stock options was very much an intended result.
Maybe not the ONLY intended result, but I believe it was one of the primary reasons we invaded Iraq. I\'ve wondered about other reasons over the last few years, but few make as much sense as this. For example, I know there is a connection between the Bush family and the Saudi royal family. It\'s possible the invasion was a "favor" for the Saudis and other oil-producing middle eastern countries, but I\'m not sure about that. I\'m not positive how they benefited, unless we assume they had grudges against Saddam and the Baathist party in Iraq.
We will probably never have absolute proof the the true reasons for this invasion. It\'s crazy for you to expect me to produce a signed deposition from Dick Cheney explaining why we invaded Iraq. I\'m just pointing out the smoke to you and suggesting where to look for the fire. I do think my theory about the invasion makes a whole lot more sense than yours ("Bush is an idiot") Bush may be an idiot, but the people around him are not. This invasion happened for a very logical reason, but you can believe what you want to believe.
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They may not be profiting now from oil due to the war in in Iraq but still its indisputable that they had their eyes on Iraq\'s oil and expected to profit in the future.
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Besides, if we controlled the oil fields with American interests in mind, my gas prices should have gone down.
By the way, our control of Iraqi oil fields (such as it is) is not for the betterment of "American interests" as you define them. Energy companies like Exxon Mobil, Shell, and BP are in it for their own profit, not for "American interests."
The question is, which interests do Bush & Cheney represent? Think about who paid for their election in campaign contributions, and who they will be working for before and after serving in the executive branch, and you\'ll begin to piece it together.
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Core, you do bring up some good points for your point of view. I\'ve heard all those things before and reflected on them and I still just don\'t believe them. I think, like anything else, its possible but I just personally don\'t believe them. I think with all the secretive stuff, corruption and other things going on right now, who knows who is right. I really hope you are wrong though because if you\'re right, this just proves the decrepit state this world is in, more so than it already is.
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it\'ll be pretty interesting to see what general petrayis(spel) has to say on his assessment of iraq sometime in september, bush has already stated indirectly that regardless of what the general states, he will not call for the withdrawl of troops,....i don\'t know, some say the situation over there is gettin\' better,and some say otherwise, one thing i do know is that the u.s. cannot maintain this level of fighting and troops at the same time. Somethin\'s gonna have to give sooner or later.
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it\'ll be pretty interesting to see what general petrayis(spel) has to say on his assessment of iraq sometime in september, bush has already stated indirectly that regardless of what the general states, he will not call for the withdrawl of troops,....i don\'t know, some say the situation over there is gettin\' better,and some say otherwise, one thing i do know is that the u.s. cannot maintain this level of fighting and troops at the same time. Somethin\'s gonna have to give sooner or later.
I\'ve heard its getting better and worse too. It depends who you ask also. When I ask military personel like my roomie, they say its getting better. When I ask a whiny liberal, they say its getting worse. I take the middle ground and say things are the same :)
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Things are so fucked up now, that even if it gets a little better, that\'s still practically meaningless.
I believe there is no way we can stabilize that country to prepare it for our departure. Like I\'ve said before, no matter how long we stay there, 5 years, or 50 years, the insurgents will always be there one day longer.
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Things are so fucked up now, that even if it gets a little better, that\'s still practically meaningless.
I believe there is no way we can stabilize that country to prepare it for our departure. Like I\'ve said before, no matter how long we stay there, 5 years, or 50 years, the insurgents will always be there one day longer.
Which does make sense for a pullout. Its embarrassing for our country but so is Bush. Every day it seems more and more insurgents spring out of no where. We need to train their military and start pulling out. It seems Iraq is gonna go into a state of civil war.
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Even when our country was founded, it was still run by the elite. The ideals were a bit different then though. They were all about freedom then. They followed a libertarian philosophy. Now today, privacy and freedoms are being challenged and surveillanced. I say some shit about the government, I\'m gonna be watched like Lennon. The government can listen in on my phone calls if they suspect me of activity. I can\'t smoke a joint on my own property in peace. A cop can come right on my personal property to arrest me for "abusing" my own body. I\'m sorry but my body is my property. I should do what I want to it. I dunno. I still consider myself very patriotic but within the last few years, I started to dislike a lot of things about our government. I feel we need to go back to our roots. Stuff just is getting way to out of hand.
I think being patriotic and faith in the government are two different things.
You can be a real patriot and be totally against the government. Why? Because simply you care about a better nation ;)
And unfortunately governments in almost every country care about special interest groups and their selves.
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Even when our country was founded, it was still run by the elite. The ideals were a bit different then though. They were all about freedom then. They followed a libertarian philosophy. Now today, privacy and freedoms are being challenged and surveillanced. I say some shit about the government, I\'m gonna be watched like Lennon. The government can listen in on my phone calls if they suspect me of activity. I can\'t smoke a joint on my own property in peace. A cop can come right on my personal property to arrest me for "abusing" my own body. I\'m sorry but my body is my property. I should do what I want to it. I dunno. I still consider myself very patriotic but within the last few years, I started to dislike a lot of things about our government. I feel we need to go back to our roots. Stuff just is getting way to out of hand.
yea..we should go back to the good ol\' days when there wasnt any technology. the founding fathers even knew we would progress technologically and morally, so they made the constitution open-ended the way it is. There\'s is no such thing as going back to our roots because times are way too different now. that\'s why the middle east is in trouble because they\'re too stubborn/idiotic to adapt to the 21st century.
I have nothing to hide..why would I care if someone\'s tapping my phone. I\'ve made random jokes like \'i bet the CIA is listening...IM GOING TO KILL THE PRESIDENT" and no cia guy has come to my door......yet
and the whole random ass weed comment just seemed out of place.
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I think being patriotic and faith in the government are two different things.
You can be a real patriot and be totally against the government. Why? Because simply you care about a better nation ;)
And unfortunately governments in almost every country care about special interest groups and their selves.
That\'s not what it is. I\'m very patriotic and love my country. That has never changed. I have two American flags in my cars rear side windows. I just don\'t like the state of the country at the moment. Doesn\'t make me unpatriotic. If we went to WWIII and I was drafted, I\'d go. I\'d root for my own team. I still root for my team in Iraq and hope they kick ass. But its starting to get to a point where I question my old beliefs. I\'d like to see what the general says in the coming months before I say if we need to pull out or not. What annoys me the most is some people call me unpatriotic and unAmerican because I don\'t support Bush.
and the whole random ass weed comment just seemed out of place.
It was totally in place. I don\'t believe police officers should be able to come on your private property because they see you smoking a joint. Here in Jersey they can and I think that\'s the same in all the other states. They can come on your property even if you\'re just drinking and start writing tickets. I think for a capital offense like murder, rape and the other really big ones they obviously should. But I\'m not hurting anyone by having a beer on my front lawn with a couple buddies or smoke a joint on my front lawn.