->  ...   
   ->    
   ->  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?   
      
   I think the dominance of Rome is usually considered to be 500 years, much   
   longer than America's "dominance" ...   
       
   ->  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.   
      
   The VN "war" was a true national tragedy, not just for the 58,000   
   needlessly killed young men, but for the fact that it has caused a lack of   
   faith in our government -- due mainly to LBJ's constant lies.  Prior to the   
   Lyndon Johnson "war" there was considerable *faith* in our government.  There    
   was no shortage of critics but, in general, when the government said something    
   we tended to believe it.  Compair that attitude with today!!   
       
   ->  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.   
      
   And, unfortunately, Obama hasn't been able to put a dent in it ... [sigh]   
   ... and that dispire his lofty speechifying ...   
       
   ->  BB> Carter and his   
       
   ->  BB> the 2k election, if we can call it that, was the   
   ->  BB> killer for me and I've never voted a name since.   
      
   True, that *was* a close one, but Gore was unable to steal it by preventing   
   overseas voting to count.   
       
   ->  I never voted for any presidential candidate, but I voted   
   ->  against a lot of them. That includes the 2008 race.   
      
   One more anti-Kerry vote, I presume ...   
      
   ->  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.   
   ->    
      
   I'm neither old, grumpy or angry.  I've watched the political scene for far   
   too many decades to be much impressed by it ... [sigh] ..   
   --- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5   
    # Origin: Since 1991 And Were Still Here! DOCSPLACE.TZO.COM (1:123/140)   
    * Origin: Eye Of the Hurricane BBS (eoth.dyndns.org) (1:123/57)