It's interesting that you mention how your generation wanted a better future for all. I think that exist today but some consider that to be the American taboo: socialist. I guess we all want the same things we just see flaws in other generations and have different ideas of getting to the same goal of making the world a better place.

I think Moore will do just fine on his own. 

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Ling, many of the guys who "took off" are now running the Executive branch of the government.

Do they fall under the patriotic or unpatriotic part of the spectrum?

spam code: cplan (commie plan?/Capitalist plan?)

If it wasn't for OUR fathers and Our fathers-fathers--(mothers too)...we would be spending the duech mark and yen, rather than the dollar.....that generation SAVED the world so that we can do what we do today...God Bless them ALL....

I watched a two hour speical last night about the Hippies of the late 60's and early 70's.  I'd forgotten how depressing that time was. 

I was on the fringes of that culture, too scared (smart) to take drugs or do anything that would permanently alter my life.  I had good friends in that culture though; some of them died living that culture.

From my perspective Hippies were the dumbest posers who ever trod the earth (except for 17th Frenchmen)  Their only saving grace is that they grew too old to continue being completely self absorbed.  

I hated that era.  I hope it never returns.

But you are right in many ways...it is time for a fresh way of thinking---and today we must think outside of the box....the good ol boy way of government gotta go.....and we don't have much time to try to put out the fires...America is rapidlly becoming a third-world country....

Heck, we spend more taking care of other nations that could care less about us...time to take care of ourselves....

Depends on who's making the spectrum, jfrancais.  I suspect they think their lapel pins will get them into heaven.

Audrey, I suspect those hippies had a better effect on the country than you knew.

Promiscuity, drugs, lack of commitment, granny glasses and dumb hair styles.  I don't think so.

Peace Corps, antiwar movement, civil-rights movement and tie-dye. 

Peace Corps (1961) and Civil Rights ( Kennedy's foundation Johnson's administration)   predate the hippies.

Hippies did riot and cause the war to come to an abrupt end.  The free for all withdrawal from Saigon can be viewed as good or  bad  depending on whether you were a loyal South Viet Namese.

The explosion of pornography, expecting something for nothing, poor parenting, ugly Volkswagen's - all attributable to Hippies

Plus,  a sympathetic press is to blame for Spiro Agnew saying  "nattering nabobs of negativity".   Unforgivable!

What happened to Spiro?  What happened to his boss?  What happened to the Vietnam War?

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All three ended, because the political climate changed.  Hippies didn't start the Peace Corps but they flocked to it.  Same with the Civil Rights movement.

I don't care if Oscama is black, white or green.  His socialist policies and his voting record is what matters.  It all depends on what road America should follow and his road leads to destruction.

You care about one of those colors.  But Obama is less of a socialist than Shrub is.

The road of supposed free markets and unquestioned faith in the private industry to cure social ills can lead to destruction, too.

Agnew was charged and convicted of racketeering by the same system the Hippies hated.

Hippies  had nothing to do with his conviction, except to take credit.  It predated his term as VP.

Is that what the concern of him winning the election is all about? Reparations? Where did that come from? I don't think I've heard that mentioned once in any debate, stump speach, or campaign by any candidate explicitly or implicitly.

Assuming you mean "reparations to blacks," No. 

Flat no.

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[Expanding here]  Not that someone might not introduce it symbolically.  But it won't get out of committee.

I was one of those ' hippies ' when I enlisted into the Marine Corps.....did my bit--6 yrs.--gotta a whole new outlook on life...

My Dr. at the V.A. clinic here in Bakersfield is the son of one of the S.Vietnamese that was evacuated during the fall of Viet Nam....to this day,he thanks the Marines for going in to the city and getting his parents out....that does my heart good,considering the flack we endured when we came home to our own people during that time...........

Of course,thats just my opinion

Na. Ga.  Ha.  Pen.

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They can also introduce the subject of breathing underwater, but that's na-ga-ha-pen either. 

I'm not being dismissive. I'm actually surprised that it has been brought up. I had never heard of that (I'll have to watch CSPAN) . Is it a concern of yours? I guess it's valid to introduce it so that it can be properly addressed (and dismissed). There are much more important issues in this election that a token gesture like reparations.

Brother Ling -- I actually voted for McGovern. God it hurts to admit that. Of course, as I have said before, I hung out with brother crusty vets and sister  "hippies" and kinda got  "sucked in to it!"

My girl friend at the time was a big anti-war advocate and we both had our ulterior motives I guess -- she using me as an anti-war vet and me using her as a ......... well, good lookin hippy chick  ;=)  ........ OK.... I am weak.......

I rode my dirt bike a lot, let my hair grow, even went to a Jane Fonda rally once (down at BC actually)....... when she started spouting crap that I knew to be just that (about the war and certain tactics) I just couldn't take it anymore. Started reading, got a new girl friend and became increasingly conservative........

We all change.........

Is there anything in BO's past where he even remotely suggest such an idea or we're still in crucifixion by proxy mode? I'm interested in what BO has to say when he eventually addresses this.

$777 trillion dollars is not a token gesture but nor does it ameliorate the past or the institutions of injustice and inequality. Even if it had political teeth who would sign off on such an astronomical figure? I can't see BO or congress doing such a thing. This whole issue just plays on the fears of folks in the anti-BO camp.

He said the other day he has campaigned in all 57 states. I still haven't found out which ones he actually meant. Hamas may run a couple.

If McCain had made a statement like that he'd have already been force-relegated to Flaccid Phallus Manor by the press (and RF) by now.

BTW, some of my favorites for POTUS from Rep side (McCain wasn't even in top 5) are black. Not that that means anything but I've always liked Michael Steele and JC Watts.......... lots.

There's nothing harder in this country today than to be black and conservative. You can put that on demand deposit with Wells.............

The very idea that reparations are owed to Blacks of today for what Whites did in Slave days is ludicrous at best.  If someone wanted to give me money for some wrong done my family 100-200 years ago I'd say wahooo I'm headed to Walmart... but all the while I'd know it was not "owed" to me.

Audrey, some don't realize you can play devils advocate without the comment necessarily being your stance.  Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar and a question is just a question.

Black and conservative...talk about minority. The bits I know of JC Watts (a conservative, played college football, from OK, to name a few) makes him an interesting figure to me.

I prefer to leave McCain's age (and BO's race) out of it. Sometimes such things are an issue with people. I would like to believe that the eventual president will win on his (what the heck...or hers)  own merits. I'm optimistic (for the first time in my life) this election.

Chico...he just "misspoke."  :-)

I saw a movie back then (at little REMF place called Phu Hiep) called  "Little Faus and Big Halsey" with Robert Redford......

I'm sure it was really stupid (never even heard of it since) but I just had to get me this little Husquavarna dirt bike with a chrome gas tank when I got back to the world.

I dreamed about letting my hair grow, sipping ice cold Oly and Coors (we used to get Carling Black Label at firebases for some reason), getting a girl friend, attending college........... that was the stuff of dreams.

I never realized that the expectation is always greater than the reality. But it got me through..............

I wonder what McCain dreamed of in Hanoi Hilton?

I guess some people don't realize that a response to a question by the devil's advocate is a question to the larger blogosphere (i.e. are people *really* concerned about reparations with bigger issues on the political table?). 

Chico...he just "misspoke."  :-)

I wondered if it was in reference to Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.

or possibly

Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Libya (trip with LF and Rev Wrong), etc....... 

Jf ...sorry if it seemed I was targeting your comment.  I was actually just commenting on Audreys comment that she was playing devils advocate.

Someone once told me on here that his comment wasn't meant for me but if I got in the line of fire, that's just the way it was.  No offense meant.

Racism in its truest form doesn't have a (D) or (R) behind it.

Just as it goes by no particular color or other outward appearance grouping -- ethnic, geographical, other......

This will be made crystal clear in the upcoming months..................

 BTW They're asking for $777 trillion dollars.

And a pony.  Na.  Ga.  Ha.  Pen. 

That would be almost as much money as the national debt after the first McShrub term.

Racism in its truest form begins "I'm not a racist, but..." 

Back in the day,I really didn't care WHO our Commander in Chief was....I signed a contract AND swore an oath..I rather like to think that was my hand shake and word.....

Black/White....man or woman...whom-ever wins the election is going to need the support of ALL AMERICANS...we better think about this very carefully....We have had enough smoke blown up our rears to float us all like balloons by ALL of our politicians....enough talk..it's time for action...time to get us out of our paranoid state of mind and take care of our own....

Some people say that running a country is like running a major corporation...don't corporations FIRE those who do a crappy job---my bad....they reward them with hundreds of millions of dollars and the golden parachute--(Home Depot).....

My vote would be either the CEO of G.E.--(Aerospace Warheads and a bitichin refrigerator) and Kaiser--(Proctalogy)...he/she would know how to give it to the American people.....

We got to think outside the box on this election......Pat Paulson or Charles Manson

I really like Obama....but I see he doesn't have a chance with White America......

I really hope he can bring us together......someone needs to because this is starting to be ridiculous..

Audrey you are racist sweety. You are not playing devils advocate....that is your true self.

Wright never spoke for Obama.  Obama speaks for Obama.  And he apparently spoke against reparations when he trounced the lunatic Alan Keyes for his current Senate seat.

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He's talked about the concept of reparations as being things like more investment in poorer schools.

 Racism in its truest form begins "I'm not a racist, but..." 

No RF, in its truest form it usually commences with: "I'm big Govt (read Liberal  Democrat politician) and I'm here to help you.........."

I don't watch MSNBC at all (but I watch CNN on primary nights). Most of the media I pay attention to is through the the online Yahoo! networks and NPR. I've also followed the Obama campaign more than the other candidates (surprise). Again, I've never even heard the word "reparations" from BO since he's been on the campaign trail. Do you have a link or source as to where he has alluded (or made vague references) to the issue?

Now a new lapel pin is even proffered:

http://latimesblogs.latimes...

Audrey: Fair enough. The sooner it's addressed, the better.

I'm sure Obabma realizes these guys are out there and they are serious.

http://wwwwakeupamericans-s...

It could be an action packed term if he's elected, and hows he going to handle the rest of the world's problems when hes having to deal with this at home. Is he going to drive around in a bullet proof HUMVEE with a machine gun ontop like the one my boy has been in the past 8 months. Difference might be he will have air conditioning in it where our soldiers aren't afforded that luxury. Sometimes it reaches 150 degrees inside dressed in full gear and occassionally some one will loose conciousness from heat exposure. Sorry going off topic   

If I sound like a bigot to you I am okay with that? I can handle the truth ...can you?  Audrey I know you are not very hip but you need to "Keep it real" unlike your preferred candidate. ......if you are a little prejudice it is okay. I am pretty sure Obama will be okay without your vote.....

No, that was not clear enough for me....Audrey you need to read all of your black and white blogs......you sound just like me..... 

I want to know how Obama would react to a Martian invasion. 

That's a more real prospect than $777 trillion in reparations. 

Why not make it $666 trillion to label Obama the second coming of Satan?

Spam code:slkgd (slick God?)

That's the figure McCain's pastor John Hagee is using.

My apologies to all for attempting to ask a legitimate question. 

I gave a legitimate answer, Audrey. 

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Spam code PTL FU--my answer to Jim Bakker.