War! Good God! What is it good for....

Okay, so far we have the "War on Terrorism", Isreal vs. Lebanon/Syria. Now to add to that after just reading todays paper I see that the Top Somali Islamic leader is now ordering a "holy war" against Ethiopia to drive out troops the largely Christian nation sent to protect the internationally backed Somali government." And on top of that the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas (You know, "God Hates Fags... Those people.) is preparing to sue the State of Missouri's funeral picket law because they believe it is a violation of the first amendment. My favorite quote from that article was from Shirely Phelps-Roper (The daughter of the head nut job Fred Phelps) which read, "At this hour, the wrath of God is pouring out on this country." What in the hell is going on with this crazy planet. To me this is very eye opening. Keep in mind I was only 13 when Desert Storm went down and I didn't pay that much attention to the news or the, then, current world events. Hell, I was still naive (sp?) in my young thinking and just viewed the whole situation as good guys (America) vs. the bad guys (Everyone else) and that we would win. Why wouldn't we? We are better then everyone else, right? This war thing is a crazy provence of he said/they said, you did/they did; ah fuck it! Lock and load! and let God separate the bodies later. I have even found myself wondering where my ass would be at right now if I hadn't been medically discharged from the Marines just 6 short years ago. Christ, I signed up for a full-time 8 year ride with the infantry in 2000. Bump up two years later and it's 9-11! Would someone educate the idiot and tell me "1,2,3,4, what are we fighten for?" I'm very new to this concept of living in America in a time of actual war and am looking for some points of view. Are we really fighting another "Vietnam" or are we inching ourselves towards a WWIII? ... I'm just fuckwhistled over the whole thing and the more I read everyday, the more it really concerns me. I know this has absolutely nothing to do with tattooing or the industry and Gabe I apologize. But I know that there are some very educated, common sensed people out there in the inked tribe and I am reaching out for input on a concept that will never be understood.

I think the war(s) are for nothing good. I am afraid that we may be headed for WWIII. I think it is only a matter of time. Think about everything going on out there: Lebanon/Isreal, US/Iraq, North Korea and there missles, to name the most talked about ones right now. I don't think it looks good for the world. It seems all the world leaders just want to fight each other and the citizens have to pay for it. But that is just my opinion.

Please dont apologize for bringing up what is probably the most important thing happening in our world right now. From what I can tell the flow of POWER is going up to the top. POWER is congealing at the top at the expense of the bottom (worldwide). This is happening because POWER is tweaking the rules and system so the population is uneducated and blasted by the media owned by the few(read books on population control). As the POWER rises to the top it inherently loses the mass of the majority, so after the system gets topheavy, the forces of nature will insure that the POWER comes crashing back down (into the hands of the masses). Osmosis or some such, everything always evens out. Kinda like an ocean wave, only the crash is the incredible poor masses revolting and taking the POWER back by force (unless we can rewrite the rules to stop the POWER from becoming topheavy). After the transition the rules are then re-written, sometimes for the good of the many, sometimes for the good of the few that lead the charge to take it back. Its absolutely amazing that we havnt figured out fair rules for everyone yet.

Carrie I share your fear of another world war and firmly believe that we are on the precipice....what can we do?....VOTE... Years ago my voting rights were taken from me because of a felony assault conviction...I have fought for years and spent many thousands of dollars in an attempt to regain those voting rights and just this year they were restored!!! I am elated! We must vote to change our foreign policies....if you are one of those who can vote and don't you should be ashamed of yourself! Although it seems simple..."lets mind our own business" alas it is so much more complicated! That does not mean we should just give up...on the contrary we must all open our eyes and become involved in this world...our leaders have created this situation we find ourselves in ...American government is rife with self aggrandizing buffoons who perpetuate war to reap wars benefit....do you have any idea how much money a war develops?...Do some research! And where do the ridiculously immense profits go? Do your homework people....and VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!...TAz

Gabe...Lets hear your views on this subject!!...T

Taz, I completely agree with you on voting. I am sure to vote time now whether it is the presidental elections or mayor. Everyone should vote. If people need an example just look at the Bush/Gore election. It was so close. Who knows what type of world we would be living in if people had voted for Gore instead of not voting. I am not say the world/country would be any better or worse if he had won but I do believe it would be different. Congrats on getting your voting rights back!!!

I agree that voting is necessary, but as we know full well there's plenty of cheating going on. We need to do more, its too easy to relieve your responsibility at voting. We KNOW the elections are rigged and anyone against fair election reform is on the wrong side of the fence. That said, you cant cheat in a knock-out (unless you are really good and they are really good). So, well, I wish it were as easy as voting, Im afraid that the system is set up to make us complacent...

Damn, this one should stir some shit up,huh? I think Gabe's got a pretty good view of the situation and, of course, Taz is right, War is big business in this country and makes a LOT of money for the turds at thevery top who didn't ever fight for this country nor will their sons. WE do the fighting and pay the mass majority of the taxes to pay these self-serving polititans but don't you think for a minute you have any sayso in what they do or that you are told the truth about ANYTHING of real consequence. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I agree with Taz about voting really being the answer and allow me to explain why. Exercising your vote don't mean much when your choices are so limited, we only get to vote for those who make it thru the b.s. process, most often, just the shitheads with the most bucks backing them for the office, usually for the favors that will get them in return for their 'investment' I'm no longer sure ANY honest, patriotic, hard-working, down to earth citizen could ever get into any office or on any ballot anymore. So more often than not, it boils down to 'which one of these lying, two-faced, selfserving assholes do you want to vote for' Do you honestly think the 'powers that be' are going to allow any honest, for the people type to ever get into office and rock the boat? Wake up, people, pay attention to what's going on. Ignoring this shit AIN'T gonna make it go away on it's own...Doc

I still say voting is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT

And I agree, voting IS very important but I still want to stress the point that you should be as careful as possable about who you vote for and do what you can to help the 'underdogs' who, while lacking the huge bucks needed to 'afford' to run, could well be the better choice for those who want to see things change. Voting in the younger, even slicker version of the old ain't gonna change shit for the better of this country or it's citizens...Doc

But when that top heavy power does begin to crash and eventually fall we will still be the ones who paid for it and the ones who pay to bebuild it with lives and pocket books. America's government, not the president alone, has become Caesar, and our own society continues to be the fickle mob. For example the Saint Joseph Newspaper headlines on the front page read as such: "$1 million gift left to beautify South Side" (You thought I was kidding when I said our town was divided, didn't you.) "Ruling affects half of registry. Sex offenders list won't be retroactive." Rain, cool air send heat relief to St. Joseph area." And, " Trail West! tweaking children's activities, method to buy food." But it's the pages following afterwards that you read about Isreal preparing for a ground invasion, Somali officals wanting holy war, Condoleezza Rice rejecting ideas of cease fires, (but don't skip the ads for free paint, summer clearance sale at Leibowitz menswear, and SPECTACULAR SUMMER CLEARNANCE! at Home Style Furniture and flooring, which take up almost 3/4 of the page. "I'll have a #10, a coke, the Acura with leather, just trim the sides but highlight the top, and an ipod... Oh did you see 'America's Next Top Model' last night?" What are Americas true priorites? Competing nations or competing tv ratings? Doc, I'm curious you were in Vietnam. What's the difference between today and 35-40 years ago when it comes to this stuff?

J, I've been doing a LOT of thinking 'bout just that question and I'm not sure I see much real difference, different country, different bs reason for being there, more troops, fancier weapons, better chow-pay but other than the religious overtones, frankly I don't see any significant diff, except perhaps, and very important, the number of bodies being sent home are fewer, but then, it's a different 'kind' of war. Oh,yeah, almost forgot, in this war they aren't taking P.O.W.s, which is on the plus side (if there is one)..Doc

Ya got me wrong though Doc old pal!...Although voting IS important I realialize that its not the fix...its gonna take a lot more than that. And I fully agree with GABE ( imagine THAT! LOL!) that something much more agressive HAS to be done. And while I acknowledge the many and sundry problems inherent in American government and know that sociopolitical reform cannot always be just a "vote the asshole out"I still hold fast to the belief that this is the best damn country in the world PERIOD!!! In a lot of countries just these simple comments made on a public forum would get every one of our heads lopped off!!

War is good for the economy...it's as simple as that...

Doc I agree with you on some points. We do have very limited choices on who we vote for unfortunately. There are usually 2-3 people on the ballot for each spot. We didn't get to decide who those people were though. In most cases it comes down to who has the most money and the more popular people supporting them. I also believe no normal, hard-working, honest, middle class citizen will ever make it on the ballot. I still think voting is important though. We may not have complete control over who the people are that make it to the final election, but we have more control over which one wins that final election. I usually do not like either person on the ballot so I look at it as who is the lesser of the two evils. Who is least likely to start WWIII? Who has better skills to deal with other countries like North Korea or Iraq? Who doesn't look like a complete idiot everytime they are on TV? I also believe there is a lot of stuff that happens in thw world that we never hear about. There are things happening in Iraq that we will probably never know about. I think we live in one of the best countries in the world. But there are a lot of things that need to be fixed. And the government need to stop thinking that they are bigger and better than every other country before some kicks our butts. Just because we are a good country doesn't give us the right to tell every other country who they should operate.

No Doc, you're right, they are not taking P.O.W's. Instead they take these individuals, put them infront of a camera, have them say some randomized shit and then saw their heads off with a serrated blade. And all you hear after that is the blood curdling screaming until the poor kid begins chocking on his own blood and the finally it stops because the mother fuckers have cut through his vocal chords. My God I can not tell you how much that infuriates me to no fucking end. But at the same time look at the absolutle stupid shit that a few of our own military personel have done! One guy tries to take out his own squad with a grenade because of his religion. Then ther are the photos released to the press depicting some fucked up prisoner torture.... It's like to watching two kids seeing who can do better wheelies on there bicycles. This is the shit that is good for our economy!? Are you kidding me!?

Which was exactly one of my points in my previous post Bou! Isn't it said that a country does so much better economically when it is at war?...Speaks VOLUMES!!!

Taz, no, I don't think I 'got ya wrong', as I think I know where you were going and knew you knew it was ONLY a part of the big picture. And, as you must know, I wholeheartedly agree that dispite a few (well, not so few) bad apples and problems, we do indeed live in the best country on the planet, no doubt about it. But, people need to get there heads out of their asses, video games, self absorbed lives-whatever- and start paying serious attention to what's going down in this country and start making these buttholes more responcible for what they're doing to this country and it's citizens. As a patroit, citizen and dad, this shits starting to worry the shit out of me- it ain't getting better on it's own...Doc

Even with all the ugly and horrendous war actions taking place in this world we must keep one thought very close to our hearts....those are our men and women dying out there ... They are AMERICANS and it is imperative that we provide them with all the support we possibly can....We simply cannot blame them for this mess...SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!!!!!

Got that right, Taz, it's NOT the troops fault, and I know from experience, it's demoralizing as hell if the people 'back home' ain't supporting ya. I think it sucks big time that a few at the top are using our patriotic, brave, honorable men and women and using them as some kinda pawns in their moronic games...Doc

Yes J, you're right, they ain't taking POW, instead these chicken shits snatch non-military personel (who aren't warroirs) and, as you said, slowly cut off their heads while hiding their (terrorist) faces behind a fucking mask, punk m'f ers. If their so fucking brave and proud why do the bitches hide their idendity. As ya may know, awhile back they bombed the chickenshit 'leader' they figure cut off at least 2 of those heads and when I saw the pictures of HIS corpse I was a bit bummed- the cocksucker was in better shape than I'd liked to have seen him but, at least he's dead. But another will/has taken his place and he's a martyr for their fucked up 'cause'.

Yes J, you're right, they ain't taking POW, instead these chicken shits snatch non-military personel (who aren't warroirs) and, as you said, slowly cut off their heads while hiding their (terrorist) faces behind a fucking mask, punk m'f ers. If their so fucking brave and proud why do the bitches hide their idendity. As ya may know, awhile back they bombed the chickenshit 'leader' they figure cut off at least 2 of those heads and when I saw the pictures of HIS corpse I was a bit bummed- the cocksucker was in better shape than I'd liked to have seen him but, at least he's dead. But another will/has taken his place and he's a martyr for their fucked up 'cause'.

I don't want anyone to think that I am not supporting the fighting men and women of this nation. Hello! I volunteered and enlisted to be one of the few and proud. I know that they would rather be home safe a nd sound with there families and I hope that desire unfolds into reality very soon. I still think that the youth of America is still ignorant when it comes to voting. For example, MTV created a huge campaign (I believe it was called 'Choose or Lose.') to encourage the 18-20ish crowd to become more envolved in presidental elections. And I will applaud them for that however, it's kinda hard to get the gist of politics inbetween episodes of Laguna Beach and My Sweet 16. By the way, "Don't miss the all new season of meet The Gauntlet, only on the 10-Spot." (and why are my posts jumping up the thread again? damn it! Doc, look up at my response to the POW issue. Ideas, Brother? Fuck any one for that matter!)

My best friend spent some time in Iraq. While I didn't believe in the war I fully supported her in every possible way I could. Her family on the other hand did not support her. She was not born in this country. She moved her about 10 years ago. Her family hated the idea of her in the American Army. They gave her hell when she was in Iraq. Only a few of her friends were there for her. Even though she has been back for over a year the damage is still done between her and her family. It will never be the same. I have seen the hell that put her through. Even though a lot of people do not support the war in Iraq they should support our troops. What it comes down to is they are over there away from their families fighting for what our government feels is right. It was not there choice to go to Iraq. It was there choice to join the Army and they knew that there could be a war at any time during there service. These people did not join for just the money they get (although it is a plus for many). By the way my friend joined the Army because she loved ROTC in school and loved the Army until Iraq. She was more than happy to go to Afghanistan. She felt we belonged there, but didn't feel we belonged in Iraq. She went though and did her job like any American solider should.

Something else to conseider is that when this all started we targeted one main man, Bin Laden.... But now that dude has up and vanished like a fart in the wind. No we are targeting small pockets of resistance here and there, that bridge, that bunker, that street, that house. Yeah, we got Saddam and some other players in the deck but that was not the reason we went over there. (You didn't see that happen in WWII with Germany and Hitler.) There was no mistaking who we were going after. It still think that there is some fucked up agenda that G-jr had to finish what his daddy started a few years back and never accomplished. Who is calling the shots and what is the target? Don't tell me terrorism! People have been tragically attack for years and America didn't give two fucks at a rolling doughnut until 9-11. So if the president thinks that he is going to single handedly put a stop to it, perhaps we should call this war WW-Oops!

As much as I would like to contribute my opinion to this... I am a bit restricted at the moment. Most of you know my situation, and therefore should be able to understand why I can't really say exactly what I would like. But in 13 more months, I can! I just want to say thank you to those of you that realize that it's not the troops that decided to go to war. That we aren't the ones that people should be mad at and taking their anger about the war out on. We are simply following the orders of our boss. Whether we agree or disagree. The people that truly recognize that are given a special place in my heart. No joke. theval

Well, what can you say Theval without spreading yourself to thin? Are you that restricted, hun?

I am allowed to have opinions, obviously.. but responding the way that I would really like to this topic could get me in a lot of trouble. I just don't like having to tread a fine line when trying to convey my thoughts. I will say this though.. I hate war. I really fucking hate it. I hate that people can't just accept the fact that we are all different and no one is going to agree 100 percent on ANYTHING. I hate that religion and politics seem to be the roots of almost all the evil around the world. I hate that my friends and fellow service members are dying every single day. I hate the fact that after this many years of evolution, people persist in their narrowminded ways and blame others for their troubles. And then kill them for it. I just hate the entire situation as it is today. I actually yearn for my childhood at times, when I didn't have to think about this sort of thing. I mourn for future generations that have to grow up in this type of shit. It just makes me genuinely sad to think about the world today.

For those of you who REALLY want to delve into something interesting go to www.video.google.com and search for 911 coverup video...this is not that old silly assed one ....check it out but ya gotta watch it all...its an hour and twentyone minutes....it will sure make ya think!!!

theval, I doubt if anyone with sense should have any trouble understanding the fact that you are not in a position to really, fully express your true opinions on this one. But, if it's any comfort, I do not believe most people have anything less than respect for the troops who are only following orders, regardless of how wrong they may feel about the war, I really don't. While more and more people are questioning why we are there I do not think they are blaming the troops nor has anyone I've talked with ever said anything like that (IF they had/do, I'll bust their fucking jaw-minimum, I shit you not) As to what ya say about hating War, I mostly agree, more often than not it's about shit that doesn't really make sense or warrants all the death and destruction it causes to the peasant/citizens due to the fact that their leaders are assholes, essentially and/or religious fanatics. This talk about Jihad-Holy War, what fucking moron thinks there is anything HOLY about ANY war. I served two tours in Viet Nam and I can assure folks, there's not a damn thing HOLY about any war. Personally, I think we should just have an elite 'hit squad' that takes out the assholes when they start to become a serious threat to world peace (like there really is any such thing nowadays) But, as long as we have war-mongers and their power to cause so much shit, I really don't know what the solution will be, I do know we're getting into a very precarious position and I do not see any relief in sight. I too get very depressed at what I'm reading and seeing everyday but I still have faith in mankind and hope someday people will realize that, dispite some differences, we're all basically the same down deep, we want to be happy, live our lives with the minimum amount of hassle, raise our kids, have a nice home, etc., and I'd bet that pretty much the hope of damn near anyone on this planet. It's the leaders who cause the trouble, not the citizens and I'd think anyone with a brain can see that's what the real problem is-the leaders...Doc

Cheers Doc, you dont know how happy I am to hear you talk politics. Er, horrified.

Also, I think i fixed the ordering issue with everyone typeing at once. Let me know if your posts come up out of order again... (They used to be timed when you clicked the reply button, not the submit one...).

That should help immensly Gabe ...thanks!

I agree with everyone that we live in one of the best countries in the world. We are given the ability to express ourselves and we have courageous men and women that put themselves on the line to defend that freedom. I do think that there is a problem with saying that we live in the best country in the world. I know I'll get some shit for that, but let me explain before you jump. One of the reasons that wars happen is because people believe in the extremes, they believe that they are right and everyone else should be the same as them. It's not possible, we're all different. In my mind, to say that we live in the best country is a type of extreme statement. Our country is wonderful and we do a lot of good for our citizens, but it is far from perfect and a lot needs to be changed. I don't think anyone will deny that change is in order. Voting is one way to create change, work within the system. But we also have to work to change the system. We have to teach tolerance so that we aren't living according to extremes and trying to make people fall in line. To say we are the best I think denies that we still need to improve and separates the world into an "us" and "them" mentalitity. If we can't find the similarities between people and countries then how will there ever be peace, or at least an end to war. It's all very scary. I think that it is a very real possibilty that we're headed towards WWIII...I hope I'm wrong. We've pissed off a lot of people and we're pissed off at a lot of people. Anger never amounts to anything but regret. There's so much more to say, but I've ranted enough. Jump! Dana

I'm just speechless and orrified after seen the video 911 coverup(Taz u'r the man!).Gabe u should post it on the homepage!no wait ,they might shut down the website.We gotta do something against these shameless merchants that have taken the globe as a fuckin playground!!And all for what,MORE FUCKIN MONEY??

Dana, The only thing that I can not agree on is the part about "we" have pissed a lot of people off. This may just be me being red on the head like dick on the dog here, but what have "we" as the people of this nation done to piss others off? The way that I have always seen/ interpreted things is that "we" didn't make the decision to go over seas into another country. "We" didn't make the decision to give aide to one particular group and not another. "We" didn't decide that this warlord was more important than the other. Etc, etc, etc,. All we did was vote for a President and let it ride.... Maybe I am naive and have over looked something? I can see 4 years ago how our views were different because of 9-11 towards an organized group of people. But NOT that groups particular race. I do say that the racism that came out of that was bullshit and it only came about because ignorance is the scape goat of the weak.... But since that time objectives and agendas have changed I think for personal reasons. And that is very much debatable depending on what side of the political fence you farm on.

Luca...That video just pissed me off!!! I am trying to do a bit of research how much of it is true...its very easy to manipulate facts but in all it has the face appearance of truth and if so is VERY disturbing! Hope to see you at TAzfest my friend!...TAz

Oh and Dana...I am not gonna jump on you at all...just want to address a couple of points...Yes there is always room for change and there will never be a perfect utopian society but just because we can improve ot does not necessarily negate the fact that this country is awesome!!....Yes I agree that we have been involved in way too many things that we should never have been involved in...Somalia etc... trying to do good for people who hate us is wrong!!...I think we should turn all that money and power to our own land...address the shameful public education policies here and instead of giving people money hand over fist train them to make their own living...get rid of the welfare system except for those who really need it...TAz

Unfortunately I'm gonna have to disagree with something J-werk said in responce to Dana's post or at least clarify it-the part about 'we' as a nation. Naturally I understand what J meant but the sad fact is most of the rest of the world and certainly the people not just of Iraq but most of the region and, perhaps more importantly, THEIR leaders DO hold us, the people, responcible for what our leaders are doing/have done. Also you can't seperate the religious implications with this particular war as it IS a big factor. Pay attention to what 'their' leaders are saying, not only to their people but the world and also do not forget that our government backs Israel, the long time 'enemy' of most of these 'other guys' and that most of that feud goes back a very, very long time-long before America was even discovered. Why do you think the government is so worried about Irans nuke capabilities? We are being held accountable for what our leaders are doing, just like they are.....Doc

So who's in the wrong then? We are suppose to be doing a act of heroism to humanity by "putting an end to terrorism." At the same time supporting a nation, Israel, who has done nothing but the same to Syria and Lebanon for years. And THERE is your religious implication right there! I can't tell you how many bumperstickers I have seen that read, "America must not abandon Israel; JerUSAlem." So what's really at stake?

By we I meant several things. Other countries view us by our politics and unfortunately by our media/ television. Although I don't agree with the majority of the things our government does, we, the people, are viewed by the world to agree with our government because we elected them. I know I sure as hell didn't elect Bush, or the current administration, and it pisses me off to no end that when I travel abroad people think I align myself with those beliefs. When I said that we pissed a lot of people off, I was referring to the current administration. It's also hard being the current world power not to piss anyone off...people want power and are always going to have something against those who have it. We, the people, need to teach and live tolerance to change to way the world views us. That's not to say I don't think those who have murdered or done wrong should not be punished, but that we don't group all of a nation in with those who committed those atrocities. Just like I don't want all of the world to view the people of this country as blindly following whatever the government says is ok. That is not a democracy. The most that we, the people, can do is to vote to change the policies we don't want, try to change the parts of the system we don't like in any (legal) way possible, live according to our own beliefs, and teach tolerance within our families and communities. Easier said than done, but it's my plan. Better than doing nothing. Dana

Taz...thanks for not jumping...I do love a good debate though! I would never deny how wonderful America is, just not trying to deny the faults either. I totally agree that we should be putting more effort into our education and into all of the problems in our country. It's a hard balance though. Nothing is simple in life or politics. Dana

No prob Dana!! But I do think that every one of you especially you and Doc need to watch that video!!! Its important...go to www.video.google.com then search for 911 coverup video and watch it ALL...its almost an hour and a half that will make your skin crawl Doc...please watch it...I want your opinion!!!...TAz

Unfortunately guys, it comes down to this. Money, Power and Religeon. Always has, always will. For every single country in this world, Since the beginning of time, every war ever fought has been about money, power and religeon. Unfortunately, I've talked to a lot of folks that live around me that just don't seem to care. Or, they are hiding their heads in the sand. As long as it doesn't directly affect their house, thier morning trip to 7-11 for coffee or their membership to 24 hour fitness, they don't want to know. I hope I am wrong. America, please. Care! Vote! Be active! Don't be spoonfed consumerism and fear. Don't be a victim of Money, Power and religeon! Wake up so that when the time comes to fight, you can do it with a clear concience that what you have to do is actually right!

Al...Do me a favor and watch the video I mentioned above...you will not believe it!!!

Al...Do me a favor and watch the video I mentioned above...you will not believe it!!!

Sure man, I'll be happy to watch it, but actually, unfortunately, i doubt there's anything in it that's all that surprising... unless you're toeing the line.

Taz, I just finished watching the video (hopefully the version you refered to- it was about 1:29 minutes) and frankly, it made a lot of sense and unfortunately, would not suprize me one bit, I'm sorry to say, Actually some of it wasn't any suprize, I already knew the collapse story was bullshit and had from the jump been 'suspicious' about the total lack of plane wreckage at the two mentioned sites. But it did bring things to my attention that I'd not thought of or paid attention to, which make a lot of sense now that I saw that vid and think about it. I think my minds having a bit of problem thinking that therory is true but the evidence makes that hard not to accept, if you understand what I'm trying to express? Fact is, I haven't believed or trusted our goverment for years, knew they were serving their own interest far more than 'ours', but to take it THAT far is a bit hard to deal with. Damn it. I hope others DO watch that vid, actually, I wish every American would. Don't really know what else to say right now....Doc

Doc...GOOD! now I can stop wondering if I am turning into a conspiracy nutjob...In the hour and 21 minutes that it took to watch that video my life was cahnged forever and not for the good.... And YES!!! Everyone in America should watch that video...this is mind shattering stuff!! Tell your friends AND your enemies!! Thanks Doc I appreciate it!...TAz

Daddy Rose "Unfortunately guys, it comes down to this. Money, Power and Religeon. Always has, always will. For every single country in this world, Since the beginning of time, every war ever fought has been about money, power and religeon." I entirley agree with you, not sure how much i fit into this thread as im on British Soil.

Melissa...watch the video!...Please! And the e-mail me and give me your thoughts please!...TAz

Doc..you watche dthe wrong one!...Its the one thas 1 hour21 minutes long...part 1...!

Taz, I will watch the video as soon as I can, I'm having some computer problems right now so I only have it when hubby's home. I'll try to watch it tonight. I agree with pretty much everything being said on here about the state of our country and our world....it brings me a little hope that there are intelligent people out there who do care and who are trying to make a difference, even in their small way. So thanks. Dana

too lazy to quote but here are my answers to some questions. We are the people of the United States of America and we have military bases all over the world to protect big businesses interests. America has been taken over by the philosophy that Military might means strength, and we should use our strength to have a military presence all over the world. Probably has something to do with the industrial military complex and the privatation of war. If you read the history and the news its no wonder they want us out of there and will kill to do it. You know, Al Quieda tells us what they want, our troops out of their countries. We shouldnt do it because Bin Laden wants us too, we should do it because if we have big guns in their backyard we have to expect that they will get big guns in our back yard. Instead of spending $$$ and resources protecting oil interests we should be spending it innovating better cleaner ways to capture and transfer energy back home. When people say that war is good for the economy I think they are burping propaganda. This war is good for the economy of a FEW. In any event, the rules should be set up to outlaw ANY war profiteering. NO ONE SHOULD PROFIT FROM WAR. If this isnt a rule then the marketplace will naturally force war to make money. We are currently in an economy based on war. Check out the Why we fight movie. Its a shame our leaders dont believe in "soft" power, indeed its a lot stronger and longer lasting. While I understand fully that you cant make everyone happy, indeed you can make the majority happy and by definition thats the strongest place to be... While people will always be jeolous of those with power, if that power arises from enabling others then you are both morally sound and strong in your community. That is, if you have your integrity then your detractors have no legs to stand on. Imagine, we figure out a rule set in America so that the tax burden is divided proportionately based on the % of wealth of the a person has vs the nation (both income and property). The people who have the most in the country pay the most back into the system. They have the most, so they pay the most. Its simple and fair. It becomes in the best interest of the uber-rich to make sure the dirt poor are more productive, earning more, and the tax burden shifts to the masses. Now, before you get all crazy and start calling me a radicle anarchist anti-capitalist socialist, our government should be focused on developing our natural resources to their fullest so we can lead the world in business and set a shining example of capitalism and turning hard work into positive power. We're gonna pretend that the governments job is to enable the population to acheive everything they can. Make sure every opportunity for bettering themselves is available to everyone. We are only as strong as our weakest. Pump money and resources and culture into educating our population. There is no doubt the return on investment in teaching our youth to be smart, reliable, responsible, and hard working. Every dollar spent gets a 10% return each year, and if we pumped 1 billion dollars into education then in 30 years we would be getting a 15 billion dollar savings because not only did our population use less resources, but it would be phenomenally more productive. And smart enough to have a transparent government. As far as BEST goes, in any art there is good and bad, shades of grey in between if you will, but no best. Once you cross a threshold its not about best, its about different flavors of incredible. There are many amzing countries and cultures around the world, and while I love mine with all my experience and genetics and dna, it would be a disservice to the world population to consider the US the best. Awesome definitely, best, no. I like to think it comes naturally to me, I think Im a pretty humble person(for a crazed egomaniac... heh). That said, while I dont believe that America is the #1 country in the world, I will do my best to make it the best it can be. And that will be by helping and enabling others. As far as HERE goes, this is a world wide web and HERE is the internet. If anything we will probably move our servers outside America someday because our repressive government doesnt like photos of risque things like penises and breasts and then when you throw tattoos into the mix, well, other large tattoo websites in the US have already moved out of necessity... We might not be welcome here... In any event, these are global issues and just because I happen to live in New England doesnt mean that TattooNOW is. Please, dont think of TattooNOW as an American site, think if it as a Global site that doesnt have enough international artists signed up yet... but when they do they will clean up!

The only section of this post I even slightly disagree with is the staement that war is not good for the economy...allow me a side bar on that please...war does create a huge income for this country however that income creates a FALSE economy....while the business of war creates jobs and adds millions if not billions to our tax base a ridiculous portion of that income goes directly into the pockets of the powers that be ...the big companies that build and maintain the jets and rockets etc etc. Yes ...if only that money or even a small portion of that money could be diverted to GLOBAL education I belive a great change would take place in just a few short years!!

Damn damn damn! Do you always wait till i'm gone to get the really interesting posts going? And now everybody's said what i would have liked to - and better. However, some of my opinion may sound a little different, because i am not american. I have an interest in war etc not only because my entire family lives up there, but because i am an adult human living in the world! Anyway... Start with cheers for TAz on getting his rights back! (Hip-hip...) x 3 It's unfortunate that when a Government does something, the people get blamed; eg. Afghanistan Government protects some Saudi asshole who attacks America, and the Afghan people get bombed. Or, some big-eared cokehead sends American troops and commercial pirates somewhere, and nice American people get kidnapped, hated dissed, robbed etc etc... sometimes i feel like becoming a total anarchist. What purpose does a "country" serve anyway? For more of my head-stuff on this theme, check out my articles on a website called "Trinicenter.com". There's a fair amount of other radical stuff there too, but it's mostly for Caribbeans. My latest was called "Who feels the Earthquake?" and deals with just such a subject. In the modern world, war serves a variety of purposes: it can distract a population from some other problem (forget OUR starving millions, let's go help THOSE ones!), it can unite a divided house (leave your brother alone, let's beat up the neighbour), and, sadly, it can be a way to build an economy... especially an economy built on steel, engines, weapons manufacture... you get the picture? Theval, you and others who do the dirty work, i, the rabid pacifist, salute you with tears in my eyes. I realize that in matters of real protection, you protect me no matter where i live. Damn - these folks will insist on me attending their meetings! Later.

Taz, I've now watched another version, made by Korey Rowe and the other I watched was by Boogieman Products, both full of disturbing shit to be sure. Again, everyone should check this out...Doc