Politics & Government - 6 October 2006

I don't remember who said it but it was something along the lines of if every black baby would be aborted, the crime rate would go down. How much truth does that statement hold?

2006-10-06 11:22:25 · 11 answers · asked by Enterrador 4 in Politics

2006-10-06 11:21:20 · 13 answers · asked by Tofu Jesus 5 in Politics

I am wondering if our system isn't totally broken and we might just need to scrap the whole damn thing and start over, and DOWNSIZE our governments need to have their nose in every aspect of our (so called) free lives.

2006-10-06 11:19:25 · 16 answers · asked by sosueme534 3 in Civic Participation

2006-10-06 11:17:49 · 6 answers · asked by me 5 in Politics

Last Stand for America being played out right here and now.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/October2006/061006Olbermann.htm

2006-10-06 11:16:53 · 5 answers · asked by chadman 2 in Government

ORIGINS OF MODERN TERRORISM





September 11, 2001 forced Americans to come face to face with terrorism and its devastating consequences. Although 9/11 was not the first terror attack on the United States, it was the most destructive and distressing. Before these tragic events, many of us never took a moments notice to understand terrorism. It just was not a word in the American vocabulary at that point in time. We knew it existed in the far reaches of the world but certainly not on our shores. We were proven wrong. Now in this post 9/11 world, we have come to understand the devastating nature of terrorism, the players involved, its impact on society and to some degree, how to handle it. However, many do not take the time to understand where this form of guerilla warfare originated. This is something that must be remedied in order to better understand the terrorists that threaten us everyday.
Terrorism was a word first by Edmund Burke to describe the exceptionally bloody conflict between the uprising French middle class and the ruling French Nobles. The slaughter of the French nobles and their families by the new, self appointed government became known as the Reign of Terror. In this sense, terrorism is referring to the government’s violent actions against its people. This is a much different definition than the one we know today. From the Reign of Terror we move to a group known as Radical Democrats.
Most European Democrats were interested in creating constitutional monarchies. Some were bent on eliminating the power of the upper class. These individuals were known as Radical Democrats. Known for their violent actions, they were considered by many to be terrorists. Some of these radical democrats came to be known as socialists. Socialism was born from the belief that property was to be commonly held and that “all institutions, as well as ownership and control of industrial production should be democratic”(White, 19). They lacked the ability to combat the police or military in an actual battle so they resorted to car bombs and arson. This type of violence is what terrorism came to be considered.
Radical Democrats evolved into militant socialists, and more peaceful socialists in the 1850’s. They both referred to their respective movements as anarchism. Considered to be the father of modern anarchism, Pierre Joseph Proudhon was known as a man of peace. Unlike Karl Marx, who believed that government was a necessary entity, set in place to protect individual rights of citizens, Proudhon attested that all of government needed to be eliminated. Though Proudhon preached peaceful resistance as a means of political change, many of his followers disagreed. They believed that the only way to accomplish its goals was to destroy the upper class. Assassinations and the use of explosives, such as dynamite, were the usual methods employed. These factions of anarchists became known as terrorists.
Perhaps the most noteworthy anarchist group was Narodnaya Volya, (People’s Will), a group of Russian Revolutionaries whose main tactic was to assassinate Russian Government officials. They were most famous for the assassination of Tsar Alexander ll. According to the last statement, the People’s Will fits the definition of a terrorist group but according to Grob-Fitzgibbon this is not so. Grob-Fitzgibbon states that these anarchists were not terrorists but were merely assassins. This is just another example of how the definition of terrorism was constantly evolving during this time period. Instead, Grob-Fitzgibbon attributes the origin of modern terrorism to two specific philosophies. “Propaganda by the deed” and the “Philosophy of the bomb” were the catalysts for modern terrorism according to Grob-Fitzgibbon. These two concepts were created by Johann Most. “Propaganda by the deed was an anarchist doctrine that promoted the decisive action of individuals to inspire further action by others.” It was thought that a spectacular action, such as a political assassination, would ignite revolutionary fervor among the working classes”(White, 21). As a doctrine-in-practise, its heyday was the period between 1881 and 1901, starting with the assassinations of Russian Tzar Alexander II and ending with that of United States President William McKinley. The philosophy of the bomb was simply the means of spreading this form of propaganda. Shortly after the death of Alexandar II, Alexandar III set out to destroy the People’s Will. He was successful in his attempt.
With Russia entering WWI, the scene had been set for Russian Revolutionaries to rise once again after years of brutal repression. Vexed with Tsar Nicholos II and the economic state of the country, the Russian Army joined the Russian people and ousted the Russian government. The new government made promises to her allies to stay in the war, creating turmoil within the country. At this time Germany was interested in seeing Russia get out of the war. They accomplished this task by putting the wheels in motion to get Vladimir Ilich Lenin in power of the Bolsheviks. Once in power Lenin and the Bolsheviks started another revolution and successfully removed Russia from WWI.
It was believed by Leon Trotsky that terrorism was a progressive way to achieve political goals. He used terrorism to overthrow the government and then, once the new government was in place, used it to keep their enemies at bay. The Red Terror was thus created to carry out such objectives. The goal of the Red Terror was quite simply to find and destroy all potential adversaries, external and internal.
We will now examine the link between anarchism and Nationalist Terrorism. Nationalist Terrorists are generally associated with anarchists because they use the same tactics and justifications for their causes. The main goal of nationalistic forces was to use terrorism to wrestle control of the government from other nationalities or ethnic groups. “If anarchists fought to impose an ideology on government, nationalists fought to govern”(White, 22). The goals of the two groups are obviously different but the outcomes of their actions are identical. Modern nationalistic terrorism has its roots in anarchism.
Modern terrorism also has roots in Ireland. During the latter part of the 12th century English nobles began moving into Catholic Ireland, establishing holds on the area and increasing their prominence in the territory. Roughly 300 years later Protestanism began sweeping through England and ultimatly spilt into Ireland. English nobles wanted Ireland to be like England in that they would both be Protestant. For centuries Protestants moved into Ireland, slowly displacing the Catholic majority one generation at a time. Tensions between the two groups escalated “when the English established a large Protestant colony in the north called the Plantation of Ulster in 1590”(White,23). Violence pretty much became a way of life after that. Constant fighting between the religious groups ravaged the country. “Modern terrorism came to Ireland in 1919 when Michael Collins took command of the IRA and waged a fierce campaign against the British(White,24). They used bombs and other Russain Revolutionary tactics to accomplish their goals. The methods proved effective as the British conceeded Ireland its independence in 1922. However, the British wanted to hold on to the north to protect the Irish loyalists. This enraged Collins who sent his army into the north to wage an unsuccessful terrorism campaign. After Collins was killed in late 1922, the Republic of Ireland outlawed the IRA causing them to have to move underground. About 50 years later violence erupted in Northern Ireland again. Rioting in the north caused the British to send in troops which created a climate for the IRA to rise once again.Once the IRA had its power again it commenced murders and bombings of police and military. Assasinations and kidnapping of government officials became the IRA’s primary tactics. It is noteworthy to say that “many of the bombing tactics terrorists use today have been copied from the IRA”(White,26).
There is no question that terrorism as we know it has its roots in the western world. Though the tactics have slightly changed over time many have stayed the same. One thing that the terrorists all have in common is that they have all learned tactics and styles from eachother. The actions of one group would usually be studied and employed by its successor. Much as we study history, so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past, so do terrorists. It is important to understand that we are not dealing with a stupid buch of people. They are dedicated to their cause and have proven the strength of their resolve through brutal killings and suicide bombings.

2006-10-06 11:14:59 · 5 answers · asked by quarterback 2 in Other - Politics & Government

Are you excited that it is less horrible than expected? IS this the best we can hope for from the republicans?

2006-10-06 11:14:38 · 4 answers · asked by hichefheidi 6 in Politics

values....lol

2006-10-06 11:14:36 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

person is arrested and there is NO BAIL because there is x1 'hold' on the inmate from the department of corrections. This person was/is on Parole as of the beginning of the year.

2006-10-06 11:14:30 · 9 answers · asked by D 1 in Law Enforcement & Police

What should i be for halloween please help me i am a sinny 16 teen make it hot

2006-10-06 11:14:16 · 13 answers · asked by angelofgod95 2 in Immigration

NO ONE IS ILLEGAL!

Thank you useful liberal idiots for making the point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnn7wTgoE8

2006-10-06 11:13:45 · 4 answers · asked by opitmdotcom 3 in Politics

http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200402270920.asp

2006-10-06 11:13:40 · 7 answers · asked by me 5 in Politics

2006-10-06 11:11:05 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

2006-10-06 11:07:50 · 35 answers · asked by Anonymous in Government

(by fanatical, i mean, just the radical ones) say that the foley incident was fake, and that it is a republican scheme to get the homosexual vote? Some of them are crazy enough to say that, like hilary and Rosie.

2006-10-06 11:07:41 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics

have difinitive proof of his claim that rumsfeld authorized rape of iraqi children?????? please show us difinitive proof.

2006-10-06 11:07:37 · 5 answers · asked by bushfan88 5 in Other - Politics & Government

I moved into an apartment in January. As soon as I did I noticed I smelled cigarette smoke often. I'd open the doors to see if someone was smoking outside so I could ask them to go somewhere else, but I never saw anyone. I finally came to the conclusion it was seeping in from a neighboring unit. To make my story not so long, lets just say I made much correspondence back and forth with the apartment complex, and the final outcome was that they would not do anything for me. They said I could live with it or move out. Well, of course I had to move out because not only is it dangerous to my and my husbands health, but I had a 5 month old baby that could die from sids because of it. I have plenty of proof to back up how unsafe second-hand smoke is, esspecially to children, my problem is I don't have any physical proof that there actually was second-hand smoke getting into my apartment (how could you?) If I take this to small claims court, can I win? Any advice? Please, serious only

2006-10-06 11:06:28 · 12 answers · asked by Serious Answers 3 in Law & Ethics

Why are most Jewish people Democrats ("liberals") when the Republican Party is the one that does most for your cause - Israel for the Jews?

2006-10-06 11:03:49 · 8 answers · asked by blu moon 2 in Other - Politics & Government

I keep reading answers on here about about "socialists" and "socialist thinking" and "socialist governments". Can we all agree that we live in a country with a mix of capitalism and socialism? If you don't believe me, ask someone who is getting social security or food stamps or federally guaranteed student loans. People keep throwing it around like a curse word. Honestly, we should be glad for socialism because ever since FDR, no more great depressions.

Bonus points for anyone who can accurately identify what fascism is.

2006-10-06 11:03:45 · 9 answers · asked by Derek D 2 in Politics

2006-10-06 11:03:31 · 3 answers · asked by timsbabe 5 in Elections

thaddeus stevens was the leader of radical repubilcans

2006-10-06 11:00:56 · 2 answers · asked by candypopbaby 1 in Other - Politics & Government

2006-10-06 11:00:51 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous in Government

As reported by Andrew Taylor of the AP, the just completed federal budget estimate for the fiscal year dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said , as the economy continues to fuel impressive tax revenues.
This is well below a July White House prediction of $296 billion.
Bush predicted a $423 billion deficit in his February budget. The improving deficit picture has been driven by better-than-expected tax receipts, especially from corporate profits, Congressional Budget Office said.

This is good news!!! Why do I keep hearing from liberals that the economy is in the tank? Bush tax cuts are working. Face the truth liberals.

2006-10-06 11:00:51 · 6 answers · asked by babe 2 in Politics

I am offended and angered when I am called a liberal. I am not a republican, a democrat, or a liberal. My affiliation should be noticed by my avatar. But besides my frustration with this, I want to know conservatives view of liberals. I cannot stand them. Too much talk, no action. Holding a sign that says something clever about GW isn't going to make America a better place.

Be as rude as you like! Have fun with it!

2006-10-06 10:59:11 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Government

2006-10-06 10:57:59 · 3 answers · asked by S 1 in Other - Politics & Government

I'm 16, and I feel like my citizenship in this country does not matter. I'm mature, and care about the world, and so do so many other teens. I understand that there are iresponsible teens, but there are irresponsible adults to! I'd like to know why 16 and 17 year olds cannot vote.

2006-10-06 10:55:10 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Politics & Government

I'm 16, and I feel like my citizenship in this country does not matter. I'm mature, and care about the world, and so do so many other teens. I understand that there are iresponsible teens, but there are irresponsible adults to! I'd like to know why 16 and 17 year olds cannot vote.

2006-10-06 10:54:37 · 28 answers · asked by Anonymous in Other - Politics & Government

And other pedophiles? What does NAMBLA mean to you liberals?

2006-10-06 10:54:09 · 19 answers · asked by Ah Ha 4 in Politics

I was pulled over by a police officer for not obeying traffic signal in Oregon. The officer was exceptionally rude to me. So as I was sitting in my car, I started recording our conversations. He somehow figured it out and got pissed off at me, told me that I don't have the right to record him. It's a violation of Oregon laws. I told him that I was not recording; I was recording my part of the conversation since the device was sitting on the passenger seat. Is he right? Can I use the recording as part of this case? Please remember, I'm in Oregon, I was inside my car and the voice recorder was sitting on the passenger side seat.

2006-10-06 10:51:18 · 12 answers · asked by FORD on FIRE 4 in Law Enforcement & Police

Arnold Swarchenegger or Phil Angelides?

2006-10-06 10:47:17 · 9 answers · asked by Andrew 2 in Elections