the easy way to understand it

answer the question,, post a year things were 'better/worse'

I can respond with how many things were NOT 'better/worse' at all

kind of making the idea of 'better' or 'worse' times too broad an idea to apply to a whole country that has remained, basically, the same since its inception

affording more privileges and freedoms to some than to others
and, Im betting, those 'better' times will be better only because the subject was part of the group having it 'better' than others during that time

those others who probably would disagree it was a 'better' time

for instance, some feign for the times when there was no 'government' assisting people

when in fact, government has been helping people since the Us colonies, ,problems exist, however, when some people feel like the 'wrong' people are being helped.

It all started when our politicians felt that their position was that of entitlement rather than that of serving the people ..and will continue as long as the oil companies and insurance companies along with big business can continue to legally bribe (campaign contributions) these politicians to enact laws that totally benefit their agenda...

Amen there brother, amen.

Nostalgia is a murky puddle.

But lack of intelligence clouds the vision forever or as a wise man once said...

"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

"The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself."
- Benjamin Franklin

which leads to the point....

"We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid."
-Benjamin Franklin

Isn't it wonderous at how things have naught changed over the centuries.

@alnewman, hey buddy!!

Yet again, none of your facile quote mining is relevant to my point. Why do you always respond to my posts with banal and irrelevant nonsense? Do these quotes mean something special to you?

I glanced at the topic really quick. I had to reread it bc I thought it said something naughty. Face not fence. I just knew the thread was getting shut down ASAP lol a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste but it plays tricks on u carry on

That would be a matter of opinion and obviously not mine as I did what I did.

Now that other topic could be immensely more entertaining but doubt it could be held to PG material.

Agreed

I realized I was in the wrong bar when I saw all the barstools were upside down.

You know I noticed that down in Key West, wonder what's up there. But you know all those guys are so friendly, keep offering to push your stool in.

I lived key west. I'll never complain about Mississippi humidity again! It was awful there. The chickens on the air base were pretty funny

In the classic history of Nazi Germany, They Thought They Were Free, Milton Mayer writes:

"What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it."

"This separation of government from people, this widening of the gap, took place so gradually and so insensibly, each step disguised (perhaps not even intentionally) as a temporary emergency measure or associated with true patriotic allegiance or with real social purposes. And all the crises and reforms (real reforms, too) so occupied the people that they did not see the slow motion underneath, of the whole process of government growing remoter and remoter."

Similarly, America has - little by little - gone from a nation of laws to a nation of powerful men making laws in secret. Indeed, even Congress doesn't know half of what others are doing.

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2013/01/u-s-government-claims-that-the-situation-is-so-complicated-and-dangerous-that-it-must-act-on-secret-information-just-like-the-nazis.html

When was the last war that was truly fought to directly protect freedoms and security of the United States

Afghanistan and Irag i dont think so that was our govt falling into
an economy killing trap set up by a terrorist group supposedly and what freedom did you lose that needed to be protected from that this
needed fought

ww2 maybe the last war that was a truly fought to protect the United
States

this country has been in so many warring conflicts it seems like it is the way of the world to be invaded by the police force called the United States military

and these conflicts are looked at as ok now mostly since the military went volunteer

well a volunteer military most think is a good idea [but and i
hope i am wrong] a volunteer army would be more likely to permit
themselves to be deployed against the American people


but hey what do i know

War of 1812 and even that would be questionable, so let's say the war of Independence, 1775.

I always miss the fire works. Only in America can I work 45 hours at bill paying job. Then have to work 15-20 more at other job so I can enjoy myself. Anyway. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

This thread has some sharp people!

So I really hope someone can clairify this:

The private military company X.E. was founded, owned, and run out of the U.S. In 2010 I believe a group of LA investors bought it and named it Black Water. As of today, B.W. is a global military company complete with fighter jetted and aircraft carriers.
Here's the 2 part question. One, when a country is attacked by B.W what counrty does attackie retaliate against?
And 2, if U.S aloud this group to assemple, and under constitution they can, why did the U.S government murderer people in Waco, TX and call it a suicide?

Sidenote, 2nd amendment. My daughter will be 5 this summer, I am cleaning old. 22 rifle my father gave me to learn how to shoot. My hopes is that my daughter can knock down a soda can from 25 yards before she can substact 12 from 33. Yup! Black Jack!
mind u, my younger sister was behind the 50 Cal that sits atop humvie for her tour in Afghanistan! Women are bad *****