We the people White House online petition

[Sirisian]

Cool little petition system that the White House created to go paperless (www.whitehouse.gov/wethepeople).

I imagine the top petitioned item will be Marijuana followed by something else. The Internet is fairly predictable, but the concept behind it is a pretty cool.

the problem I see is "Participation in We the People is open to the general public (13yrs+) & requires a valid email address". Sounds more like an International petition system.

[Crator]

That's nice. Bout time something like this saw the Interwebs...

[MrVicchio]

It's silly populism is what it is. We don't live in a Direct Democracy. You have an issue that has you hot and bothered, let your House Representative know, your Senator know.

[Krowe]

It's silly populism is what it is. We don't live in a Direct Democracy. You have an issue that has you hot and bothered, let your House Representative know, your Senator know.

Believe it or not, but there are people out there who don't agree with their elected officials!

Get the stick out of your ass, this country is built on the backs of people who believe in this "silly populism".

[MrVicchio]

Believe it or not, but there are people out there who don't agree with their elected officials!
Yes, I understand this, but you can still let THEM know what you think and want.

Get the stick out of your ass, this country is built on the backs of people who believe in this "silly populism".
This statement of yours has no baring on reality whatsoever.

Washington (CNN) - The White House may have opened Pandora's box on Thursday when it announced it would respond to any petition that over 30 days garners at least 5,000 signatures and is submitted through the upcoming White House website "We the People."
Though the White House said the project is a way for the White House to connect with "individuals," a number of advocacy groups have told CNN they plan to use the website to lobby the White House on issues of all kinds.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/02/advocacy-groups-eager-for-white-house-petition-website/


That's reality.

[Hamma]

Regardless of what you think about their motives, I am pretty happy with what this President has done with getting into the internet era with the White House website among other federal sites.

[Accuser]

Clearly MrVicchio thinks we should petition our State's electoral college members rather than the President, since he isn't directly elected.

Petitioning the government is a Constitutional right for a good reason.

[MrVicchio]

Clearly MrVicchio thinks we should petition our State's electoral college members rather than the President, since he isn't directly elected.

Petitioning the government is a Constitutional right for a good reason.

I never said it was a bad thing, I just think this is a silly political stunt. The PRESIDENT doesn't make laws, Congress does, all he does is sign them. Petitioning him is rather pointless really.

[Vecha]

I never said it was a bad thing, I just think this is a silly political stunt. The PRESIDENT doesn't make laws, Congress does, all he does is sign them. Petitioning him is rather pointless really.

Wish our presidents had the same balls as past presidents... Get in there and start hitting them with a cane...or something.

[Firefly]

Wish our presidents had the same balls as past presidents... Get in there and start hitting them with a cane...or something.
We could use an Andrew Jackson right now. Assassin tries to take you out? Beat him with your cane. Tea Party slings mud? Get in there, beat them with your cane. Iranian president acts up? Get in there, beat him with your cane. Osama Bin Laden found? Get in there, beat him with your cane.

Oh wait.

Our current president sent in the SEALs and a dog with metal fucking teeth. What did Bush do? Let him escape from Tora Bora with his indecisiveness, pull troops from Afghanistan to start a war in Iraq, and generally admit "I don't know where he is. I don't really care."

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/05/02/162774/bush-bin-laden/

[Vecha]

We could use an Andrew Jackson right now. Assassin tries to take you out? Beat him with your cane. Tea Party slings mud? Get in there, beat them with your cane. Iranian president acts up? Get in there, beat him with your cane. Osama Bin Laden found? Get in there, beat him with your cane.

Oh wait.

Our current president sent in the SEALs and a dog with metal fucking teeth. What did Bush do? Let him escape from Tora Bora with his indecisiveness, pull troops from Afghanistan to start a war in Iraq, and generally admit "I don't know where he is. I don't really care."

http://thinkprogress.org/security/2011/05/02/162774/bush-bin-laden/

So...Obama has only used the cane once?

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THAT DAMN CANE! :D

EDIT: and by "past presidents" I was not considering Bush by a longshot...Andrew? Yes. FDR? Yes. :)

[Firefly]

So...Obama has only used the cane once?

I WANT TO SEE MORE OF THAT DAMN CANE! :D

EDIT: and by "past presidents" I was not considering Bush by a longshot...Andrew? Yes. FDR? Yes. :)
Who can say how many times he's used it? Within the military, specifically the special operations community, there is a lot that will never be reported. Public release is all we know. Considering that Obama inherited two wars, he hasn't had to really showcase his willingness to go to war. We agreed to participate in UN action against Libya, I'd say that counts so that's two - *AND* we avoided committing ground troops.

This leaves us with, realistically, two present major threats - Iran and North Korea. I'm not going to count China because they're playing nice right now. Both NK and Iran are, or are very close to becoming, nuclear powers. You don't just go pushing around psychotic despots who have their finger on a nuke.

[Vecha]

Who can say how many times he's used it? Within the military, specifically the special operations community, there is a lot that will never be reported. Public release is all we know. Considering that Obama inherited two wars, he hasn't had to really showcase his willingness to go to war. We agreed to participate in UN action against Libya, I'd say that counts so that's two - *AND* we avoided committing ground troops.

This leaves us with, realistically, two present major threats - Iran and North Korea. I'm not going to count China because they're playing nice right now. Both NK and Iran are, or are very close to becoming, nuclear powers. You don't just go pushing around psychotic despots who have their finger on a nuke.


Maybe I should be more specific...I don't want to go to war with the world. I want to solve the issues here.

With that said...I'm somewhat happy with Obama's recent speech.

[Firefly]

Maybe I should be more specific...I don't want to go to war with the world. I want to solve the issues here.
Nobody else who's sane wants to go to war with the world.

[Vecha]

Nobody else who's sane wants to go to war with the world.

Sadly....there are some who wouldn't mind having another world war.

[Firefly]

Sadly....there are some who wouldn't mind having another world war.
Those are probably armchair general REMFs who never fought a day in their life except with their spouse.

[Traak]

The fact is, America has to defend herself from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Yeah, they TRIED leaving power-mad dictators alone, aka Stalin and Hitler, and look where that got them.

Nah. They ain't having that anymore. Instead, they pre-emptively cut off those who they deem to have the most inclination and capability to do them harm, and work on rebuilding their countries in someone's image other than Saddam, or Adolf, or Tojo, or Josef.

America learned. To let the world produce yet another Attila, Adolf, or whoever and letting him take over his part of the world only metastisizes into something global, or, more to their concern, something that has its eyes on the US or its allies.

So, they quit waiting around to see what kind of nut you all can breed and bow down to, who can then come "gallumphing" to our front door like some Islamic/commie/fascist/whatever Jabberwock. The USA now acts more proactively.

If you, meaning the rest of the world don't like it, feel free not to join in. However, don't attack the US; they have no qualms about self-defense, even pre-emptive self-defense, in fact, PREFERABLY pre-emptive self-defense.

[Accuser]

The fact is, America has to defend herself from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Yeah, they TRIED leaving power-mad dictators alone, aka Stalin and Hitler, and look where that got them.

I completely agree about Stalin. His country developed nukes, we didn't invade him, and we didn't lose thousands of American lives for no reason. "We will bury you." was their famous quote, but rather than preemptively killing them all, we held by the system of mutually assured destruction which kept the peace well.

On the other hand, since Iran has a 3-boat navy, a 10-tank army, missiles that can't reach us and the prospect of a small fission device at some point in the future... well, we gotta blow that shit up, regardless of how many of our friends and relatives are mentally and physically maimed in the process. I mean, remember when India and China developed nuclear weapons? They just started tossing them around all of the place. And we certainly can't have THAT happening again.

[CutterJohn]

You don't just go pushing around psychotic despots who have their finger on a nuke.

Which is precisely why they want nukes. All the sudden we become a LOT more respectful around them. Its a ticket to the adult table.

[Firefly]

Which is precisely why they want nukes. All the sudden we become a LOT more respectful around them. Its a ticket to the adult table.
Yeah, but be that as it may... it's not our place to say "No, you little asshole, you can't have any!" If Iran were the 51st state, maybe. But the fact of the matter is, we don't have the right to tell people no. Especially not after we've gone ahead and unleashed them on the world, then used them on people.

When you get to the Nuclear Big Boys Table, all of a sudden shit gets more real, dawg. You start thinking "Hell yeah, boyeee, I got some nukes" but then you realize "Oh snap, so does this guy. And that guy. And those guys."

Iran may eventually get functioning nuclear weapons - but Israel has them, and so do we. And mutually-assured destruction was what kept the USSR in line. Same goes for Iran. And North Korea.

[Accuser]

If one country fires off ONE nuke.... it's going to start a chain of human extinction.

Not necessarily. It seems that most of the nuclear powers are directly matched with one opponent, ex:
Pakistan V India
Israel V Iran (soon)
N. Korea V S. Korea (US nukes)

The only possible extinction level event would have to involve an existential threat to Russia, China or the United States. And really, the only international existential threats to those three countries come from each other.

And breaking out my crystal ball, I get the impression that when China starts feeling its oats in Asia it will bring a lot more conflict to Russia's backyard than to the United States... Assuming we're smart enough to stop playing World Police by then.