Baloo, I understood -quite well- what he meant by 'the price of freedom is eternal vigialance' however I just feel that you are being a tad paranoid.

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"Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".

Wise, wise words.

For those unfamiliar with American history, the depression was a crippling economic flux (the product of anarchist capitalist production) which struck America in 1929 (this world wide economic depression racked the western countries, except for the USSR, to the point where demagogic leaders were able to take power, notably in Germany) and brought the country to its knees. Although it was already a poor economy, the 1920s are reffered to as the "Roaring 20s" because of how the elite were living fast, thanks to land speculation and other quick fixes. The stock market crashed in October of '29, and Herbert Hoover decided to let it correct itself. Hoover, himself a "fascist" who was responsible for attacking the Bonus Marchers, and his Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon (who was well versed in destroying the working class) were ardent believers in the laissez-faire principles of economics. Hoover urged "patriotic sacrifice," at least for the poor, never bothering to ask the wealthy to sacrifice. Thus newspapers came to be called "Hoover Blackets" etc. Come the midterm elections the Democrats were swept into Congress, yet Hoover still resisted change. He did, however, initiate some trickle-down policies, helping banks and railroads. Come November 1932, the people (and the elite) were sick of the depression, so they elected Franklin Delano Roosevelt. However, during the time between the election and the inauguration, the state of affairs deteriorated so much that it could only be called a state of emergency.

"I shall ask the Congress for the remaining instrument to meet the crisis - broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency as great as the power that would be given me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe." Franklin D. Roosevelt

That is a quote from his innauguration address on the 4th of March. On the 9th FDR called a special session of Congress in which a four-day banking holidy was declared, and within 7 hours the Emergency Banking Relief Act was passed by Congress. By March 15th, banks controlling 9/10 of the nation's banking resources were once again open. The crisis, my friends, was over. Yet only for the banks. While the capitalist economy was now safe, the people had nothing. Thus, Roosevelt, a tool of the ruling elite, enacted certain legislations which were designed to keep the working people passive. This was known as the New Deal.

Some elements of the New Deal (although it was neither new or a deal) included:

The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA, passed 12/5/33) compensated farmers for voluntary cutbacks in production in an effort to restore farm prices to "parity" (granted, we could've distributed food for free to the people, but...)

The National Recovery Administration (NRA, part of the NIRA passed on 16/6/33) was established for two rather controversial purposes. 1, stabilize business through a code of "fair" competitive practices, 2, to generate more purchasing power by providing jobs, defining labour standards, and raising wages. Committees in each major industry were created - comprised of management, labour, and government - to draw up codes of practice. These includes such communist ideas as the 40 hour work week, and a minimum weekly wage of $13 ($12 in the South where COL was cheaper) as well as an end to child labour. Although the NRA would last only until 1936, those last three ideas were thus engrained.

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA, passed 18/5/33) was created which was a public utility, essentially, that built dams and providing, among other things, cheap electric and jobs to people in the poorest region of the country.

My favourite was the CCC, or the Civilian Conservation Corps, which was designed to give work to unemployed and unmarried young men agaed 18-25. They worked under military like conditions in green causes.

That is about it. As you can see, none of them were at all leftist (the closest thing this country had to a leftist on the main political scene, Huey P. Long, was also FDR's biggest critic) but they were somewhat progressive. The country did not collapse, as was expected, and by the time the war began, America was ready for full scale production.

There is your brief history on FDR and the reason for the state of emergency. As you can tell, if FDR is considered the most left president in American history, this country has a sorry history of a left. That is why I ask you folks not to refer to the democrats as left wing. As one professor mine (hailing originally from Germany) said, there is a true left, and an American left. The American version is a joke. Left is not Al Gore. Al Gore is a right wing politician. Leftwing is Ralph Nader and John LeClair.

And also, I was hoping Omega could clarify for me that little thing known as Watergate. Simon rarely brings anything to a political discussion, but for once, he hit it on the head (by ripping off my Neil Young obsession, of course). Nixon resigned because he was about to be impeached for subverting the democratic process. If he didn't do it then, it ain't gonna happen now.

I now return myself to a life of meditation on top of a hill. Perhaps Daryus will alert me next time I am needed. But as you all know, anytime my skills must be called upon, simply summon me and I will rise for the working man.

Liam - Please don't let them in on me having a social life, I cannot let them find out! My opinions and facts will be discredited. No, that's not a girlfriend I'm shoving under the desk right now. Don't look there.

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"Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".

Wise, wise words.

And now, for the democratic response:

Jay's Amendment XXX: The President, the The Federal government, and the members thereof, have the right to do pretty much whatever they please, any time they please, to whomever they please, as long as they claim legality under the illusory spectres of "national security," "executive privelege," or, to quote Nixon, "if the President does it, that means it isn't illegal." If this includes sending otherwise innocent people to a premature demise, so be it. "Terror must be maintained, or the Empire will fall."

Jay's Amendment XXXI: Anyone disagreeing with the stands that the President or Government takes will be labeled any or all of the following: racist, homophobic, right-wing paranoid, dangerous, selfish, psychotic. They may then be disregarded and dealt with (destroyed) as any other threat.

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Er, being commander-in-chief doesn't really mean you have either the knowledge OR the authority to decide what troops should do, it doesn't give you the ability to declare war, and hence, gives you no real authority to send troops abroad.

Hey, I don't mind if the president has sex (as if that was what they were really investigating him for, and not lying under oath, fraud, obstruction of justice, criminal conspiracy, etc)... but could he at least confine his activities to one wife and one mistress, like the rest of us?

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"Nobody knows this, but I'm scared all the time... of what I might do, if I ever let go." -- Michael Garibaldi

At any rate, I haven't been called anything close to a reactionary since I was a junior republican in high school. *shudder* But I got over that thank goodness.

And as to the "special" Amendments, please note First, they weren't really mine, rather they were crayoned in on the back of some other people's version of their Constitution. In other words, even though some folks say they are for a strict reading of that profound document, they have basically added these to that reading.

I think you may have mixed up your response regarding Special right-wing Amendment 30 and 31. It was it was Amendment 31 that refered to executive privelage. Regardless of whether Clinton claims belly button lint private under executive privelage, we have a federal court system that will make the final determination. That is the way our system works. And God bless it.

It called checks and balances folks. So I don't particularly care that Nixon claimed privelage and did not turn over the White House tapes to Congress exactly when they asked for them. Welcome to the game of politics. What I care about far more is that he complied ladies and gentlemen when ordered to by a court of law. The White House lost in that round of the executive privelage dating game. Just as Clinton won some and lost some.

It is interesting to keep in mind that the Constitution does not specifically make any reference to a "presidnetial cabinet" and that it was during Andrew Jackson's presidency that the the term was coined and still back further that secretaries of war and treasury ect. were created.

You say fire Reno, well bear in mind that Congress has the power to investigate and fight for the removal of executive appointees and that process is going on even as I type over Waco. So just cause she pissed ya off doesn't mean that you scrap the system when radio personalities say so.

quote:

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Anyone disagreeing with the stands that the President or Government takes will be labeled any or all of the following: racist, homophobic, right-wing paranoid, dangerous, selfish, psychotic.

---

Well, color me tickled pink and a racist dangerous psychotic then Ned cause I disagree with many of the stands taken by our current beloved president. But goodness gracious, we live in a system where I, yes ME, I can vote against him during the next election!!

To paraphrase Sideshow Bob, Republican Senator Les Whinen ought to do more thinking and less whining! Your problems shouldn't be a gut renching hatred of Bill Clinton, rather it should be with the system that gave us Bob Dole and Bill Clinton to vote for. Or George "W for White Line Fever" Bush, or Al "I Invented The Internet" Gore.

And now to your other assertions First; no Clinton isn't going to order Airman Smith at March Airforce Base to tie his shoelaces, but he has the authority to order the armed forces to do something rather big, like oh, stop testing nuclear weapons.

And yeah, it was over-the-top, sometimes it has to be to get a point across.

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Oh, goody, the Sea Monkeys I ordered have arrived. Heh heh heh, look at them cavort and caper.
~C. Montgomery Burns

And be sure to visit The Field Marshal project http://fieldmarshal.virtualave.net/

And if a person can tell me where those political terms come from you'll receive "5" Bryce points!

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"We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men."
-George Orwell

The Jacobins later eliminated the Girondist opposition, executed Louis XVI and then formed the Committee of Public Safety, a cabinet that dominated the convention. This committee was dominated by the likes of Robespierre, Danton, Marat and Carnot.

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Oh, goody, the Sea Monkeys I ordered have arrived. Heh heh heh, look at them cavort and caper.
~C. Montgomery Burns

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Oh, goody, the Sea Monkeys I ordered have arrived. Heh heh heh, look at them cavort and caper.
~C. Montgomery Burns

Like me!

At least I think Brazil was a send-up of 1984. The plotline was rather similar. Animal farm was good, too.

And eternal vigilance applies to driving as well, so it's not paranoia, it's common sense. Whenever dealing with things of great importance (your safety, freedom, how long has the mayo been out of the fridge, etc.) it's a good idea to pay attention.

--Baloo

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"Nice guys finish last? I'll say we do!
(Sometimes we last for hours.)"
-- Me
http://www.geocities.com/cyrano_jones.geo/

Of course, one could spend hours and hours trying to decode all of the movie's various symbols.

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"Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".

Wise, wise words.

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"Remeber, if there is a nuclear explosion, be sure to close your windows as the massive heat could cause objects within your home to catch fire".

Wise, wise words.

Overall it involved several things. Quite a few years poor rule by an elitist king and French nobility culminating in the wrong king (Louis XVI and his dear Marie Antionette) in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Also mixed into the pot was the creation of a constitutional monarchy in England in 1688-89 during the Glorious Revolution bringing about the deposition of James II and the accession of William III and MARY II who accepted the Bill of Rights in 1689 and the by the Act of Settlement in 1701 which placed limits on the authority of the monarchy.

Moreover the extention of some of the of ideas and political philosophy of the Glorious Revolution were brought to the colonies in the America fomenting what was mostly a political and economic revolution followed by the creation of a new nation state.

There were however many social undertones to the American Revolution and several of these ideas were brought to France through the auspices of the rightings of Thomas Paine, the political thought of the American Declaration of Independence, and the presence in France of several great American thinkers like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and the French nobleman the Marquis de Lafayette.

Oh, and what Frank said, the Girondists sat on the right and the Jacobins sat on the left. There was also a group called the Mountain who sat high up in the seats.

You wanted to know how it all came about.

Good history is more than simple trivia.

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Oh, goody, the Sea Monkeys I ordered have arrived. Heh heh heh, look at them cavort and caper.
~C. Montgomery Burns

And be sure to visit The Field Marshal project http://fieldmarshal.virtualave.net/