I used to go through Kinshasha, Zaire.

Usually when going to Gabon or down to Angola (luanda and environs)

DUDE...it almost eary that our posts are coinciding with some crazy shit in my personal life, lol. but really i'm tryin' to figure a lot of stuff out personally, politically. Funny you and i are so much a like (mentally - and precisely your last paragraph starting with "i think my goal....")
i have actually used the word assumption 1000 times in the past two days trying to get past some communication barriers with in-laws right, and been really (between my drama, and political concern) lookin' for ways to show people shit...weather i suck at "communicating" remains to be seen lmao...
so with that said, lemme lay out some of my philosoph haha...
i saw a graphic (like 'flash ad' on website). it said "who is to blame"?; pictured bush, obama, pelosi. offered little choice 'bubble' and a blog at the ready...
well in the interest of PRODUCTIVITY, my little word, lets look at this...
offer an option to blame? hmm, not sure how productive...
instead - put up this 'flash ad'...it does NOT matter who's at fault, what matters is forward, change, heal, etc. Blaming is worthless, unity is first right. start a blog, let people blog about this - INSTEAD of blogging on blame. yes? what say you bud...
later on bear

ok here i am lol
1...perhaps it was 2 seperate things, and i'm not going to really try to say barack is NOT smart. that's kind of silly on my part.
2...banks, auto-industry, health-care as a basic socialist principle (yet i don't think anything is currently in mix). several little things, like the regulating of small farms (like i said little, just an example of mass-govt, but still) without digging for specifics/details, i simply refer to some basic beliefs of his, the income-distribution thing is a big prob for me (and i make $7/hr, i'm no rich-guy)...i hold a genuine despisal of rich people (my personal culture clash with politics). regardless, if you watch the news all night long (from msnbc to fox) you just see the guy trying to get his mits in another sector, that's my big thing......
3...let me go into this, at first i just took offense. i didn't say it was an auto-qualifier, nor did i say non-experience should be an auto-disqualifier. what i am trying to express is this...
for decades there has been the debate about the commander-in-chief of U.S. forces (U.S. president) having the "right" to command such forces, with no military experience of his own. (same was attacked/defended about Wbush, he was like national guard for a year or something lol) ok, so introduce mccain.
further more, in these trying times, (and my life experience) i value trust to a higher degree than most people. that's where my discontent with all the blind-faith-bullshit type of mentalities comes from, i need proof...when a man not only goes into the military (sorry, like i did) that's a sacrifice-for-greater-good mentality - assuming some punk kid isn't just going for the free college. in his day, mccain embraced it. he ended up a p.o.w., had the opportunity to be FREED, and he said NO, because loyalty outranked personal freedom. i don't know your background, but if you know just ONE person who has ever gang-banged, you asked him about loyalty. you ask a father (yourself) what you do/sacrifice for your people. THEN, you ask what you would do for a stranger, if they fell under the same nations flag as yourself. if you can honestly tell me "yeah i'd stay in this hellish p.o.w. camp for my brothers, and countrymen who i don't know" i won't say another word on this.
ok, so when you watch mccain campaign. i don't care that he can't be a smooth, pimpish talker. i don't care that the girls don't like him. i don't care that noone will ever vote for him cuz he has "nice eyes". i don't care that this nation is too self-diluted and short-minded to think a little deeper and realize why your making a vote. half my vote reasoning is because mccain can be trusted, and you know he will vigilantly do what he has to do to fight terrorists, fix the economy, whatever.***so as to your comment in #4 about criticizing voting base being "weak"; what your telling me mr. 'bear' is you simply can't think deep enough to realize what your putting stock in. you really wanna' have faith in the 20% of his base that voted for superficial reasons?? seriously, if you do, then you believe in 'blind faith' and 'unicorns', i believe in proof of intent (mccain loyalty) - and voters that fully think through exactly what it is they're doing (not emotional school girls). and we agree to disagree on #3*** sorry, that's the "street" in me combined with the marine in me, plus as you can read my many words lol, i put thought into everthing i convey...ok moving on
#6 unless you can read minds, the only thing you have to formulate an opinion of ones intent are one of (2) things: face to face conversation where you can read body language and gauge the validity of response. (you and i have met neither candidate, so we don't have this option). next is ones experience, past, influence, environment, whatever you wanna call it***if you know a person goes to mcdonalds 3X a week and buys a big mac, it is cuz he likes big macs (or someone he knows likes big macs). if someone reads a comic book everyday, it's cuz they relate to something in it, or just plain like it. if you hang out with your friends on a regular basis, read comics and eat big macs, well, cuz they're your friends and it's what you're into***now back on point.
now how, logically, can you tell me that a man - barack obama -goes to church (where they preach american-hatred); who has a documented past and coming--out party with a former domestic terrorist like bill ayers; has militant orginazations like acorn cheat for him; insert more examples i guess i'd have to dig up for you; and in the end that man is from the south side of chicago...i see you're from texas, and spent a lot of time in a safe college classroom where they "teach" you things. that's very nice, more power to the boatloads of money you must make. i'm sure the trees blossom and the roses bud in your parts; but have you ever been to the south side of chicago? google it. (i'm from the north side of milwaukee, google that sometime) from a socio-economic point of view, both are fascinating...drive through Vice Lord, People, or Folk hood, tell me what you think bro. serious people. they'll eat you inorder to survive. it's chicago, and the south side is filled with street-soldiers and strife, anger, and resentment. toward america (and everyone)
now look, you're a smart dude, i see you use big words. but if you want to dismiss a man's past, and justify it with "your vote", you're not doing barack any favors. he's not one of the 'unicorns' you automatically put stock in. he is a man, with a life history, and his agenda (which we truely can't know yet) based on said history, may be different than what all of us happy go lucky white people want to believe. so with that said, hope for the best yes(i am hoping barack shows to be the greatest patriot ever, and we're all dancing in the streets a year from now), but as you step through each day, respect what you can't possibly understand, 'the hood'. and realize he may just be pissed a little at america (oh, and i wouldn't blame him one bit)
in the meantime, you have a great day, and thank a vet for providing the soil to have that great day upon. good talk bro! laterz on

Just wanted to say it was nice to be able to disagree with an opinion and not get called stupid, blind, ignorant, wing-nut, etc... for a change :o) Thanks! I wish everyone could be as calm and rational. I don't think someone is stupid just because they don't agree with me, that's just plain silly to think someone is inferior because of a difference of opinion. kwim?