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  Msg # 367 of 463 on FEDGE_76, Thursday 8-24-11, 3:43  
  From: JEFF SNYDER  
  To: ALL  
  Subj: American Patriot Act and American Politi  
  As I have been saying for a number of years now, in my view, the political  
  system in the U.S.A. is in a virtual state of paralysis, and to be quite  
  honest, it is a farce.  
    
  Why?  
    
  Because quite simply, the American people are forced to choose between two  
  parties -- and only two parties -- which never really change. After  
  carefully watching and studying American politics for a while, one can  
  easily guess how each party is going to react to a particular issue with  
  their eyes closed, and they will probably be right. That is how stale the  
  situation has become.  
    
  Sadly, without at least one other major political party involved in the  
  American political process, I seriously doubt that the situation will ever  
  change, at least not by very much. The Republicans and the Democrats will  
  just keep on doing what they have always done, because there is no  
  motivation to change. There is no real threat from a third political party  
  to stir them up. And please don't tell me the Tea Party. We all know that  
  they are just an offshoot of the Republican Party.  
    
  Furthermore, it is my view that American elections, especially presidential  
  elections, aren't really about the issues, or about who is most qualified to  
  run for office, but rather about who can raise the most money. Unless an  
  individual can achieve a particular financial threshold, he or she can  
  forget about running for office. There might be some very talented people  
  who could do a great job as president, but they will never be given a  
  chance, because their financial resources just don't make the grade. What  
  would America's forefathers think of this current situation? Would they  
  approve of it?  
    
  That is why I view democracy in America as a game, and as an illusion.  
  American voters are made to think that they have a choice in the matter, and  
  that their votes count for something, but do they really? I don't think so.  
  I suspect that the endgame is already predetermined by Big Business and  
  other hidden interests. But, in order to maintain the illusion of freedom,  
  democracy and choice, every four years the powers-that-be go through the  
  motions and pretend that the common people have a choice in the matter.  
    
  If you have been an observer of American politics for a long time, and more  
  specifically, if you have been an American voter for a long time, no doubt  
  you will know exactly what I am talking about. Regardless of which party  
  wins an election, do things really change all that much? After voting for so  
  many years, has your personal situation improved all that much? Can you  
  honestly say that elected politicians are performing the will of the people;  
  or do they simply do as they please once they are elected, or perhaps better  
  said, they do as they are ordered to do by the hidden powers who actually  
  put them in office -- the Big Money boys?  
    
  With good reason political apathy is so rampant across the United States.  
  Sadly, it is also that very apathy which makes it easier for a candidate to  
  win a term in office. I can't help but wonder if people are intentionally  
  discouraged from voting, so that the playing field becomes easier for those  
  who are intended to win.  
    
  I think President Obama perfectly illustrates what I am talking about here.  
  Many of you will no doubt remember all of the rhetoric that was used during  
  his presidential campaign. "Yes we can!" and "Change you can believe in".  
  You probably got sick and tired of hearing it so often. Change? Oh really?  
  So where is it?  
    
  Clearly, there are some significant differences between former president  
  George W. Bush and current president Barack Hussein Obama, such as their  
  views regarding gay and lesbian rights, abortion, embryonic stem cell  
  research, etc. However, my problem is that there are some things which are  
  very much the same. Furthermore, the longer that he is in office, the more  
  we see how President Obama isn't really all that different from Bush.  
    
  A case in point is the fact that the United States is STILL involved in two  
  wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even if those wars are supposedly winding  
  down. But what about Libya? That certainly wasn't George W. Bush's doing.  
  Obama got the United States involved in Libya all on his own. And how is  
  Obama eventually going to deal with Syria and Iran? Economic sanctions and  
  embargos are not going to dissuade either one of them.  
    
  But what really motivated me to write this current commentary is the news  
  that a week ago, President Obama extended the controversial provisions of  
  the American Patriot Act for another four years. Amazingly, Obama didn't  
  even approve the four-year extension in person. According to online news  
  reports, he used a so-called "autopen machine" while he was attending the G8  
  meeting in France. In approving the extension, Obama commented "I think it  
  is an important tool for us to continue dealing with an ongoing terrorist  
  threat."  
    
  We all know how much George W. Bush abused the American Patriot Act by  
  outright spying on regular Americans, even without court approval. Without  
  more stringent oversight, how do we know that Obama won't do -- or hasn't  
  already done -- the very same thing? And please notice that, just like  
  George W. Bush, President Obama used the terrorism card as his justification  
  for extending the American Patriot Act.  
    
  So again I ask, where is the difference? Where is the change that we can  
  believe in? When will the United States stop engaging in its foreign wars  
  and live in peace with its neighbors? When will American presidents stop  
  favoring the rich and the elite while the poor are forced to foot the bill?  
  When will the Democrats and the Republicans face a serious challenger?  
    
  It's time for a serious shakeup in American politics. This stagnation needs  
  to end.  
    
    
    
  Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23  
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