Say Anything Blog

Human-caused global warming is a hoax, so nothing we do will ever “change” it(unless we figure out how to control the Sun).  How much are the taxpayers paying per tree for this big govt boondoggle?
What’s the cost/benefit calculation?

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

Human-caused global warming is a hoax, so nothing we do will ever “change” it(unless we figure out how to control the Sun).  How much are the taxpayers paying per tree for this big govt boondoggle?
What’s the cost/benefit calculation?

I would much rather pay for constructive ventures like planting trees that absorb carbon dioxide and play a crucial role in providing a range of products and services to rural and urban populations, including food, timber, fiber, medicines and energy as well as soil fertility, water and biodiversity conservation than pay for absurd cowboy occupations that are still looking for mythical weapons of mass destruction.

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

Bob Dylan

I would much rather pay for constructive ventures like planting trees that absorb carbon dioxide and play a crucial role in providing a range of products and services to rural and urban populations, including food, timber, fiber, medicines and energy as well as soil fertility, water and biodiversity conservation than pay for absurd cowboy occupations that are still looking for mythical weapons of mass destruction.

A false dichotomy; national defense and conducting foreign policy are Constitutional duties of our govt, while planting trees is not.  As far as practical uses for trees are concerned, the balance in land use is where the cost/benefit calculation needs to be done, and those who make a profit by using those natural resources willingly pay for them to be sustained, thus removing the govt from that transaction.

Saddam had WMD, and he used them; the real question is: what did he do with them before we got there?
I think the Kurds will gladly disagree with you about Saddam’s WMD being “mythical”.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

A false dichotomy; national defense and conducting foreign policy are
Constitutional duties of our govt, while planting trees is not.

It is not a constitutional duty to spend money and waste lives on a ridiculous wars which had nothing to do with 9-11. Our government is suppose to protect the well being of its citizens. Trees are an integral part of our ecological system. Since when have we given to hoots about the Kurds. While Saddam was gassing them, Cheney and Rummy were kissin up to Saddam in Iraq.

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

Bob Dylan

Davinski: The constitution specifically gives congress the power to wag war - silly or not - and assigns the president the resonsibility of Commander In Chief. 

After careful review, I can find no mention of trees in that document.

Cheney and Rumsfeld were encouraging Hussein in his war with Iran on the theory that both sides would be weakened in a prolonged conflict. They believed - rightly or wrongly - that such an outcome would be in our national interest.

DO make some effort to read your history.

"Here lies, in honored glory, an American soldier, known but to God.”

The stakes are high. Whether the issue is the economy, or energy, or the federal courts or national security, the right answers are coming not from the Democrats, but from the Republicans. The surge of operations that began a year ago is succeeding. The only way to lose this fight is to quit. Richard M. Cheney, Vice President, 30 May, 2008

Cheney and Rumsfeld were encouraging Hussein in his war with Iran on the theory that both sides would be weakened in a prolonged conflict

Bullshit.  They were working on the theory that the enemy of enemy is my friend.  They didn’t care if Iraq was weakened.  In fact they hoped that they would be strengthened and indebted to the US. 

They just didn’t realize that the enemy of my enemy may still be my enemy. 

They were just ignorant and stupid.

It is not a constitutional duty to spend money and waste lives on a ridiculous wars which had nothing to do with 9-11.

How wrong can you be, leftie?  Fighting terrorism anywhere in the world is in our national interest, whether you think so or not.  Thank God we fought Nazi Germany, which, as I remember, had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor.  Duh.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

They were just ignorant and stupid.

Oh ignorant and stupid Lestat: Our alliance with Iraq in the Iran/Iraq conflict originated during the Cold War, when Iran allied itself with the Soviets after the ignorant and stupid Carter allowed our ally, the Shah, to be overthrown.  The Iranians held our citizens hostage, remember?  The ignorant and stupid Carter couldn’t do anything about it, and it took Ronald Reagan to free them.  Study real history, not just your ignorant and stupid leftie talking points.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

Oh ignorant and stupid Lestat: Our alliance with Iraq in the Iran/Iraq conflict originated during the Cold War, when Iran allied itself with the Soviets after the ignorant and stupid Carter allowed our ally, the Shah, to be overthrown.  The Iranians held our citizens hostage, remember?  The ignorant and stupid Carter couldn’t do anything about it, and it took Ronald Reagan to free them.  Study real history, not just your ignorant and stupid leftie talking points.

Do you allow third graders to teach you history.  We supported the Shah who was a brutal and ruthless dictator.  Of course his opponents went to our enemies for support.  Where else were they supposed to go?  Did you expect them to support us while their families were being tortured?

Your black and white view of international politics is incredibly ignorant.

We supported the Shah who was a brutal and ruthless dictator.

Only from the point of view of the mullahs, who wanted to take over the country, and you ignorant and stupid lefties, of course.  That was Carter’s justification for his ignorant and stupid actions in the ME.  By doing so, his ignorance and stupidity unleashed radical Islam on the rest of the world.  The blood of millions is on Carter’s hands(and on the hands of the rest of you ignorant and stupid lefties, as well).  Your stupid and ignorant ideology enabled radical Islam to attain the power it has today.

Thanks a lot!

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

Do you allow third graders to teach you history.  We supported the Shah who was a brutal and ruthless dictator.

Lestat,

I’m not sure who...or what… taught you history, but if the brutality and ruthlessness of the former Shah of Iran is sufficient in your mind to justify his removal, then you ought to have cheered lustily at the removal of the even more “brutal and ruthless” Saddam Hussein.  You really can’t have it both ways, regardless of where you learned history… or logic.

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Bat: You’re making it way too complicated for Lestat; in the leftiespeak of his handlers, Shah=bad, Saddam=good.  It’s all about Party politics with them; the truth is irrelevant to lefties.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

I’m not sure who...or what… taught you history, but if the brutality and ruthlessness of the former Shah of Iran is sufficient in your mind to justify his removal, then you ought to have cheered lustily at the removal of the even more “brutal and ruthless” Saddam Hussein.  You really can’t have it both ways, regardless of where you learned history… or logic.

When did we invade Iran? 

The US should have never supported the Shah and we should have never supported Saddam.

When did we invade Iran?

Actually, because of the self-righteous ineptitude of Jimmy Carter, and his fellow travelers, we may well have to.  That is, unless the next president is sufficiently inexperienced, naive, gullible, delusional, and self-righteous enough to conclude that it is acceptable that the Iranian Mullahs, who have repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel and the US, who have supported both Shi’ite and Sunni terrorists, and have thus far thumbed their nose at all “international” diplomatic overtures, should be allowed to acquire a nuclear arsenal and establish regional hegemony over the Persian Gulf area.

Your sanctimony is touching however, Hawk.  Unrealistic and dangerous, of course.  But touching nonetheless.

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Good discussion on the Iran-Iraq war, but this thread began about the UN’s idiotic idea of forcing people to pay them to plant trees. 
First, trees are a renewable resource.  They grow, the convert CO2 into O2 and they die.  Logging companies replant.  They harvest trees.  They prevent wildfires by controlling overgrowth.  They save lives.
Treehuggers are, in my opinion, part of the problem.
Free enterprise will take care of trees and the environment without the UNs “help” thank you.

Communism is evil

The US should have never supported the Shah and we should have never supported Saddam.

Yeah, that whole “Cold War” thing was just a neocon fantasy.  /sarcasm The Soviets were really our friends, and when Krushchev said “We will bury you.” he was just kidding.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

Hawk,

Perhaps you and the rest of the Carterite Left would be more content if the US was not nearly so successful, politically and economically, and was thus not able to influence the political and economic events elsewhere around the globe?

It used to be that individual liberty and self-determination were considered ideals worthy of export.  At which DNC convention was it decided that those ideals were passe and no longer worth the candle?  Other than appeasement of our enemies and the disincentive of raising taxes to punish success, what exactly do you guys believe in anymore?

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Chief,

Regarding the United Nations and the number of trees planted, it occurs to me that given the UN’s past history of corruption, mismanagement, ineptitude, and gross incompetence, perhaps we should be calling for an outside audit of those trees and all the money spent, before we start celebrating?  Is there any reason to doubt that any number of traders and foreign officials from various countries and NGOs have been lining their pockets and Swiss bank accounts with the ill-gotten proceeds of illicit lumber allotments or future carbon credits?

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

...what exactly do you guys believe in anymore?

Judging from their candidate, racism and Marxism.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

Chief: As I remember, the off-topic distraction began when I asked what it cost us to plant those trees, and what the cost/benefit calculation is.  Still no answers to those questions.

"One must regard his leftist opponent as a parent regards his recalcitrant child. Don’t give an inch in a debate with a leftist, and you’ll soon frustrate him to the point that he falls back to his default position. He’ll gainsay your every point. He’ll even resort to calling you names and accusing you of having suspect parentage.”

R108,

Stop telling him the answers!!!!  He needs to be able to work them out for himself.

“Poverty of goods is easily cured; poverty of the mind is irreparable.”

Free enterprise will take care of trees and the environment without the UNs “help” thank you.

They sure have done a bang-up job so far.

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows

Bob Dylan

robert108, Bat One.  Cost analysis?  Asking a liberal that question?  They are virtually incapable of even thinking economically.  They are all about NGOs, non-profits, etc.  They take OPM (Other People’s Money) and spend it how they want to spend it.  Profit is a dirty word.  Work?  Please.  I have seen these type people in inaction.  What would take me a few minutes takes them years.  Pitiful.

Communism is evil

Bat One.  From engaging in sex with underaged girls to taking the Oil for Food Billions from Sadam to running away from Bosnia, the UN is completely irrelevant.

Is there any reason to doubt that any number of traders and foreign officials from various countries and NGOs have been lining their pockets and Swiss bank accounts with the ill-gotten proceeds of illicit lumber allotments or future carbon credits?

In one word.  No.

Communism is evil

They sure have done a bang-up job so far.

They have todate and will do a much better job than the UN bureaucrats who have trouble finding their asses with either hand.

Anyway what is the alleged net tree loss, if any?  Thousands of trees are planted every year by the private sector with many of these thousand planted in metropolitan areas. i.e. many subdivision that start with treeless agriculture/ranch land become tree numerous by the actions of the developers and residents.  And as others have stated the logging industry has a vested interest of tree replacements.

The Supreme Court is a bunch of black robed tyrants

They sure have done a bang-up job so far.

They have todate and will do a much better job than the UN bureaucrats who have trouble finding their asses with either hand.

Anyway what is the alleged net tree loss, if any?  Thousands of trees are planted every year by the private sector with many of these thousand planted in metropolitan areas. i.e. many subdivision that start with treeless agriculture/ranch land become tree numerous by the actions of the developers and residents.  And as others have stated the logging industry has a vested interest of tree replacements.

The Supreme Court is a bunch of black robed tyrants