Sorry but I don't like partying with disrespectful bigots
Think what you want Benny, your little catch phrases make me laugh. But the bottom line is there was never any substance to your rants. No factual information. Of course I am sure alot of people agree and even share your political leanings on this board and in spirit they might agree with you, but if you are talking about factual historical accuracy. No one could ever say you ever won an argument against me. Believe me there are alot of intelligent people on this forum and there are some who have made me think and bested me in an argument, but you, my friend, are not one of them. You seem like a very bitter ungreatful person that gets his rocks off insulting latin american countries, their electorate and their leaders. I don't know many thoughtful individuals who would ever agree with that behavior. So if you are somehow getting kudos for your borderline rascist remarks from other AP memebrs, then I don't really care much for their opinions. And you can continue to play this whole sarcasm bit for as long as you want, but it has gotten old and tired (kinda like you), though I guess it is much easier than factual debate.
So knock yourself out, you used to upset me, and anger many Argentines in the process, but now I am starting to realize, YOU are the joke, not your comments but you. Because you are the one who feels the need to continue to be stupid. You represent the past and you and your reality are slowly fading away.
Have fun,
Badboy
Nice try but not good enough
For the last time, I was never "trained" by anyone, I have my opinions just like you have yours. We have Big Government in the US and it is getting bigger and Big Brother is all getting more technoligically advanced and more intrusive. And I never said those are good things, you are arguing with yourself I never said those things. I think you have a problem with labels, " isms" are played out, I don't think any one type of government is horrible or great, I think some can be more effective under different circumstances and for different purposes, capitalism is used to accumulate wealth and capital ergo capitalism and it doesn't take into account the social toll, socialism is used to distribute national wealth and resources amouth the society ergo socialism, communism is used to instill a sense of community and togetherness and also a sense of what is good for the collective is better than what is only good for an individual. All these isms have their strong points and their weak points, the weak points being human nature which is easily corrupted. THAT is the biggest problem corruption. In regards to your " mix " comment, if you read my earliest posts you will see that what I advocated was just that (for the near future) a socially conscience capitalism. I think if you had more responsible capitalist leaders, you would see less rejection of that social model. But the more extreme the disparities and greater the capitulation to big business and US sponsored policies, the stronger the socialist model will become.
To answer your questions, Soviet socialism was corrupt, it didn't start off that way and it did alot of good around the world and I would go into all the good and all the ills they actually did, but all that information would fly past your head since you never lived it. But I will say this for every 5 people that speak negatively of Soviet Socialism there will be 5 who will disagree. I have lived it and even though I wasn't alive during it's hay day and it did have it's moment in the Sun, I have seen the good and bad and if anything, it's biggest fault which persipitated its end was it forgot about significant social spending, in a sense it forgot about it's youth, it focused on playing the premacy game with the US, That is why it had the biggest war machine and the largest nuclear arsenal, but they spent their money on the wrong things.
You seem to belittle the choice of millions of latin americans around the world just because you don't agree, you seem to always make wild inuendos about dictatorships fraudulant elections and so on even though the world, OAS, UN, EU and the Opposition itself are stating there was no fraud and they lost. So whatever inaccurate right wing media you are quoting is obviously severely divorced from reality. Again I am sure you will try to salvage those statements somehow, though an honest man would take them back. The world doesn't belong to you or to the US, so if people choose a different path you need to respect them and let them choose their destiny.
And I could go on and on about US presidents and US sponsored dictators who would be considered either terrorists or war criminals in an international court. We can go back and forth about the war crimes of the US, in and out of latin america. For days. But guess what, this forum isn't meant for that. You use this forum to do nothing but speak of your own malcontent with a country and a people who have allowed you to freely live among them and that is not only ungreatful but disrespectful and it denotes a certain level of classic rascism, you seem to think you and your education is the only truth and you are somehow superior to all these people that don't think like you, and because of that belief you seem to think it is your right to go onto a sex forum and rant and rave about how horrible these countries, their governments and their stupid electorate is (I make this last comment, because that is what you are insinuating) This country and this continent is not yours, if you hate it, leave it, if you stay here, please respect it and its people.
I would suggest you go back to school, it's never too late, but it seems whatever it is you learned in school 30 years ago has now become outdated and obsolete. The world is changing and believe it or not it won't change according to your beliefs or mine for that matter. What I can tell you is latin america isn't you fathers latin america, and to the majority it is changing for the better, so who cares what either of us think, if in the end we are both fighting for latin american freedom of choice and self determination. Let them have their cake and eat it too, and lets us get back to talking about pertinent topics on this sex forum, like sex and women and good food the things that would interest and be helpful to the general tourist monger population.
Badboy
We're saucy today, aren't we Papa?
I did not know you were so sensitive sir, please accept my apologies. I didn't call you a drunk, but merely suggested that your last post read as if you wrote it drunk. There's no need to go crumudgeon on me, I was merely responding to some of your statements in your last post; I would hardly characterize them as ad hominem. And I get the feeling that you didn't watch the movie, did you?
Now, on to the fun part.
1. Thank you for correcting my error on 200 million, that is indeed what I meant (I wouldn't have had corrected it, but thank you) As for China, I agree with you. I am not a big fan of the country. But you probably don't see today's China as capitalism run amock and what happens without environmental regulation or the stark results of nationalism / patriotism; you probably spin it as communist idiots that don't quite understand capitalism and democracy.
2. Sweden had a 2.7 percent growth rate last year, around the same rate it has had for the last couple of years. Sure, you're going to say that this is in light of privatizations and wage deregulation, and I won't disagree with you there. Sweden, like every other country in the world is trying to find the right balance, it just starts out with a different starting point. (note, I didn't even mention Norway. Yes, I know, oil reserves.
3. Smooth move on your last response. Didn't even mention Cuba, huh? Ok, what I should have said was compare the poor in Cuba to the Dominican Republic / Guatemala / El Salvador / Honduras / Jamaica, or the poor in Venezuela pre-Chavez to the poor today. What then? With your blinders on, I'm sure you're going to say, the poor in Venezuela would be even better off now if it didn't have Chavez, right? Whatever, at least the guy is trying. I think a strong hand should be the last resort, but America (and its puppets) has been trying for the last 50 years to get Latin America on its feet and it hasn't worked. Maybe what countries in Latin America need is someone like S. Korea's Park? Who is John Galt? But surely, you would agree that the world is not as simple as dictator=bad, democracy=good. Or communism=bad, capitalism=good. And that was my intended point in my last post.
I leave you with a quote from one of my favorites:
"The more I read, the more I meditate; and the more I acquire, the more I am enabled to affirm that I know nothing"
--Voltaire.
Humbly,
The Last Don
Ben, The only amateur here is you
I like how you glossed over Don's post. It is very telling of both your character and political analysis. Again, I think Hunt99 said it best, if you want to talk politics go rant on dailykaos. Com, By if you are insinuating something like fraudulent elections in Venezuela, you better have some factual information to back it up or else it is libel. Again, and these are facts, The UN, EU, OAS and many other groups that were observers validated the elections, Not to mention the very opposition, so you and the few miami cubans seem to be the only ones crying foul. In short, you are lying if you say the elections were fruadulent, or do you just have a " gut " feeling? Chavez is in power because he is doing good things that benifit the majority of Venezuelans. Plain and simple, Venezuela could be making twice what it makes now in Oil revenue, BUT and these are two very important butts that you fail to mention, If Chavez would not have renegociated sweetheart deals for the oil industry, Venezuela wouldn't be making anything or very little, this is a fact, one that you would like to gloss over. Second, even with increased oil revenues due in part to high oil prices but mainly renegociated oil contracts, if Chavez and his policies weren't benifiting the majority of Venezuelans, then he would not have been re-elected. Your argument is flawed and it reaks of close mindedness. You are the type of person, that even when you know you are wrong, you will continue to argue for the sake of arguing. Keep it up, however old you really are gramps with your " 50 years in politics ", you seem to still display a certain level of emotional and social and political immaturity that comes out in all your political posts.
Equating Miami cubans to Casto Cuba doesn't make sense. What would be sincere and relavent would be to first, compare Early Castro Cuba with Bautista's Cuba, which anyone that lived in Cuba at the time and wasn't a member of the social elite would tell you was a shit hole. You also fail to mention the FACT, that Catro Cuba didn't start out authoritarian or Communist also Historical FACTS. Castro Cuba's first choice was the U. S, the US snubbed them and so the Cubans were forced into the Soviets hands, this is again all documented historical facts. And with all the Documented facts regarding all the distabalizing tactics by the CIA, Operation Mongoose? CIA trained and funded Luis Posada Carriles? The bombing of Cubana Flight 455, 1976, Operation 40, The Bay of Pigs? I could go on and on, all historical documented facts. Imagine for one moment how the U. S would look if we had endured all the political, economic, military, covert distabalizing agression that Cuba has on it's own soil. The US knows this and that is one reason they continue, with every overt or covert action they take the more authoritarian the cuban government becomes, the US government knows this, yet they don't care, they only care about showing the Cuban government as an authoritarian regime.
The next flaw in your argument between Miami and Cuba is this, no country in latin america is Miami, take one look at all the latin american countries in the caribean and central america that have faced and been victims of US interventions, Guatemala? El Salvador? Nicaragua? Haiti? Dominican Rep? I am sure all these capitalist free market economies look just like Miami right? Wrong they are all economic basket cases with a 70-80% poverty rate, where children die by the thousands of curable diseases, the poor have no education and the only freedom the majority seem to have is the freedom to be poor, the freedom to not have adequate food or education or health care. What the hell do these people care about our silly Ivory Tower analysis of their freedoms if all the see is poverty, lack of basic education, health care and food. It is easy for someone like you to speak because you have never lived the way these people have lived, you weren't in El Salvador during their civil war and all the military dictatorships that pacified the unions and the workers so big US corporations could make huge profits exploiting the countries, land, people, and resources. You weren't in Nicaragua during Somoza were you? You didn't lose 60-70 % of your family during the US funded Contra civil war did you? You will not be a poor Venezuelan who will lose his food subsidies or have his children go without education or healthcare if Chavez loses power will you? Your children or grandchildren will not suffer your arrogance, it is easy for you to talk and babble and judge, but you only show your own ignorance, but keep on preaching just don't think for a moment Latin Americans think you are looking out for them, maybe the wealthy Miami Cubans will thank you for your efforts, but the majority who would lose so much if any of you christmas wishes were to come true would suffer and they know better. But you don't seem to care.
You make no sense when you equate Miami to Cuba and I just illustrated that. You can keep saying you are right just because you say so, but upon further analysis, all your arguments are not only flawed, but also factually and historically incorrect and naive.
I wish you luck and I hope you open your mind and you and your family never have to go through what alot of people around the world have had to go through because of American Arrogance and Ignorance. To me and to many other YOU are the ignorant arrogant american who talks because he has a mouth but could never live one day in the world he advocates for others.
Badboy
Your last post was pathetic, it didn't even make sense
I think you should be the one who should hang it up, I would tell you to go back to posting about chicas and such, but it seems the only thing you have added on this forum is your politically Naive commentary. Thanks for ignoring Don's comments, I guess he really shut you up, and thanks for ignoring all the facts I posted. I am sure the average monger is smart enough to understand you use this forum to post you very right wing political views and I guess they also understand that you only post because none of what you say will ever affect you and you don't know the first thing about either living in a Socialist society or a Latin American country as anything other than a US citizen with US money, You have never once had to live under US prescribed military dictatorships or US funded Civil wars. These are all facts, and you, with your narrow and ignorant world view can gloss over them. I am glad you keep posting, you only expose your own ignorance.
Keep it up, and I never once in my post compared you to Somoza, so I don't know where you got that from, though it makes sense that you would deflect the main point (which was that the US was ok with that form of capitalism, so much so that they funded and armed and trained his death squads, something that your very own ivory tower grand pa benny never once lived through) instead you bring up a meaningless lie about me comparing you to dictators. I think mongers are smart enough to read for themselves.
The only one on this forum posting PROPAGANDA is you, you say FRAUD? That without facts or historical and validated research is PROPAGANDA, you say DICTATOR, that without historical evidence is PROPAGANDA, you say alot, but you can prove very little. You are the propagandist and I am sure most on this forum see that. You don't give a rats ass about the 60% of poor in Venezuela, you just hate Chavez and his political views and so you attack him and other latin american leaders who are choosing alternative ways to bring their majority out of poverty, something that capitalism has not been able or willing to do for the past 100 years.
I will continue to post on chicks and restaurants and anything else that is really useful on this forum. And you will continue posting your bullshit propaganda, but don't think for one moment I will let you post your lies without deconstructing them. You aren't doing anything with your cheap talk on a sex forum, but your insults won't ever go unchallenged.
Have fun,
Badboy
And just to indulge you a little, we can debate basic math, though you can always try your best to alter reality to suit your argument. So here goes, 60% of 60 is alot more than 60% of 20, ( but here is where you distort the facts , the reality, and basic math to try to fit your own narrow political views ) 60% of anything is always going to be more than 10-20% of anything. And THAT is the point.
And the significance you fail to see is BEFORE Chavez, that 15-20% never once went to the poor, it went to the wealthy, NOW most of those oil revenues are going towards social programs. You are a right wing hack and not a very good one at that. And your grasp on history is even worse. You have never once even attempted to refute any historical facts that I post, you just try to gloss over them by saying " Past US mistakes ". Well guess what ? Not only did those " past " US mistakes cost millions their lives, but there is nothing " past " about them. Iraq anyone ? Afghanistan anyone ? or maybe you don't listen to what is going on in the world ? You are as divorced from reality as your posts are.
Your ideas are as antequated as you are, and all your politically motivated rants aren't affecting change, maybe that is the only reason you feel the need to come onto a sex forum and rant and rave about how much you hate latin american governments and how horrible they are to let you live under their dictatorial regimes. This is the only place you feel like you have a voice , that is sad, and the more I picture an impotent old man typing away all his percieved demons on his keyboard, the more I think just how sad the rest of your life must really be.
Get help man, you need it.