...   
      
    BK>>>  You got it there. Perpetual war destroys democracies. (Pat   
    BK>>>  Buchanan.)   
      
    BB>> Yeah kinda have to look at Rome for the history.  Armies of   
    BB>> occupation everywhere, but the center started to cave due   
    BB>> to corruption.  By the time they recalled all the overseas   
    BB>> troops back home it was too late.   
      
    BK>>  When you put it that way... it's even scarier.   
      
    BB>> I see a Pattern, not sure how long it will take it to   
    BB>> unfold but the scenerio sure looks familiar.   
      
    BK>>  I suspect not all that long.   
      
    BB>> Rome lasted about 300 years, we're a tad short but maybe   
    BB>> that's the benchmark?   
      
    BK>>  Rome may have lasted, but they were going down a big portion of   
    BK>>  that time. Down bigtime. We can too.   
      
    BB> But isn't that the pattern here?  1776-1976, the point   
    BB> where most agree times did change for us.  I think the   
    BB> great years, at least during my lifetime, were post-war up   
    BB> to about 1976 or so.  The VN war changed a lot of things,   
    BB> faith in the Government being a key one - then it seemed   
    BB> all kinds of things were going wrong.   
      
    Yet they also came back a lot. Bush I's Iraq war was widely   
    applauded and supported. The comeback of the economy under   
    Clinton gave a lot of people hope. The real state of   
    hopelessness is recent. Under Bush II.   
      
    BB> Carter and his   
    BB> failed rescue thing was another black eye for Gov't and   
    BB> Military,   
      
    If you read up on the military website, Carlisle.mil I believe,   
    you find that attempt was the seed, and provided the basis, for   
    the development of the special ops teams we now have doing   
    things like getting OBL.   
      
    BB> the 2k election, if we can call it that, was the   
    BB> killer for me and I've never voted a name since.   
      
    I never voted for any presidential candidate, but I voted   
    against a lot of them. That includes the 2008 race.   
      
    BB> But this just a rant from a grumpy old man - almost glad to   
    BB> see the end coming up. :)   
      
    I'm not as grumpy, but really really angry.   
      
      
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... The only problems you should throw money at are the military's.  R.Reagan   
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