"Conservatism is a type of political group that is aimed at preserving tradition and the old way of life. Central to conservative beliefs are the ideas of authority, tradition, the idea of society as organic (that it evolved into being instead of being created by people) and the notion that political thought is dangerous because humans do not have the intellectual capacity to dream up good ideas about how to construct a new society."

"The original Neocons were liberal intellectuals who grew disenchanted with what they saw as the American left's social excesses and reluctance to spend adequately on defense. By the 1980's, most Neocons had become Republicans, finding in Reagan an avenue for their aggressive approach of confronting the Soviet Union with bold rhetoric and steep hikes in military spending. After the Soviet Union's fall, the Neocons decried what they saw as American complacency. In the 1990's, they warned of the dangers of reducing both America's defense spending and its role in the world.

Unlike their predecessors, most younger Neocons never experienced being left of center. They've always been "Reagan" Republicans."

Why is it "NeoCONSERVATISM" and not something else? Unlike classical Conservatives, these guys are hell bent on imposing their will upon the developing world. They also support police states and the notion of executive privilege. But wait... I thought they wanted to protect Democracy, not take it away from themselves.

Conservatives would like to keep the things the way they are as much as possible. They support lower taxes, free enterprise, and non-interventionist policies. I agree with these ideals, but the Neocons have degraded the Conservative ideals to the point of belligerent jingoism that ultimately hurts our image among the countries that we have liberated or expect to do so in the coming years. Where are our allies? Where is the American Dream? Why are we trying to install puppet democratic governments in hostile territory while we slowly take freedom away here at home?

And what's the deal with all of them idolizing Reagan to the point where he is the next Jesus? If it weren't for the MEDIA and REVISIONIST HISTORIANS, we would have been able to see the Reagan Administration for what it was and not what it seemed to be. Then again, facts are very stupid things and trees cause more pollution than cars.

You can have a free market enterprise as long as you don't have some companies gaining too much power over others to the point where they're almost monopolies. Such was the case with Standard Oil and Carnegie Steel over a hundred years ago, so they had to be taken down. In the 1980's when Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Microsoft, and News Corp were aspiring to such heights, what did the government do about it? Reaganomics just made the situation even worse by letting these corporations know it's okay to lower the standards of quality and service of their respective industries in exchange for one-sided propaganda, fatty foods, digital monopolies, and ridiculously low prices at all costs.

Reaganomics also brought about the unholy alliance between the FDA, Big Pharma, and Big Insurance. Because of their cooperation, we have misleading ads all over the television, unreasonably high healthcare prices, and the notion that everybody in the universe has some deadly disease for which he/she needs to take a pill every day for all eternity or else horrible things are to follow.

$250 million. That's how much Congress gave to rebuild the bridge. It's enough to repair the bridge, but will it prevent such tragedies from happening in the future?

Of course not! This collapse is the perfect example of the politicians and bureaucrats that we elect into power getting things wrong. Again.

This happened before, and as all preceding tragedies, this one, once again, is a tragedy. Eventually people will forget about it and nothing will ever change. Then another tragedy will happen. People will forget that, too. This bridge collapse is just another statistic.

Remember Katrina? We all knew it was coming and how bad it would be, but the powers that be (including Big Brother over in Homeland Security) neglected all these warnings and garnished the levee repair funds in order to indulge themselves the rewards of the millions of civilians for doing such praiseworthy service to the general good. Almost two years later, Bush is still the unimpeachable president due to his so-called "executive privilege," Chertoff is still Homeland Security guru with his "gut feelings" of terrorist attacks that will never happen, and Nagin's sorry ass being re-elected to ensure another four more years of violent crime and lack of accountability.

So what did the big powers do to supplement their "heck of a job?" They just stuck those victims they hurt into toxic tin cans. Trailer trash to the max.

They couldn't help us with Katrina. They couldn't fund defective bridges. They refuse to budge knowing that the melting glaciers could engulf every low-lying coastal area in the world. Who the fuck did we elect to represent in such lofty positions in our social hierarchy?

The politicians deserve plenty of blame, but let's not forget who put them into power. When thousands of young men who were just about to start their independent lives, they were sent off to Vietnam for a seemingly noble cause, only to find them back in America, all dead in vain in a useless war that did more harm than good. The young men who refused to go faced legal penalties. Following this tragedy, there was an enormous public outcry. The politicians had failed and the people courageously fought back. As a result, the young men remaining in Vietnam were pulled out before things got any worse.

Now we have Iraq, the second in a series of unwinnable wars in the name of national security. Like Vietnam, we can't win and all of our soldiers are dying in vain. What has the public done about it? Aside from electing people in Congress who have made little progress and the protests that nobody listens to, nothing. Remember, these politicians only have as much power as the voters who elect them into office.

Our freedom is being taken every moment of our lives because of misnomers like the Patriot Act and the allowing of domestic spies in the name of personal security. If a majority of the people actually cared about any of this, we wouldn't have more votes for the next American Idol than any president ever received in the history of the United States.

And don't give me any of your "you are un-American" crap. If you think you truly are free, and you receive full protection under the law as a United States citizen, think about this: if the government decided to raid your house and put you into a place like Gitmo in the name of national security, and asking for any evidence against you would result in you and your supporters being beaten half to death until you confess to crimes you did not commit, all in the name of national security, what will you do? The Bill of Rights does not exist. The Geneva Convention is optional. Habeus Corpus is a myth.

Wake up, America. You let this happen, so it's about time you wise up and start thinking for yourself. No more flowery scenarios predicted by Clinton and Obama if you elect them into the White House. No more of Giuliani's lies. No more executive privilege. It's long past time for you to speak up and face reality. Start now before the entire world turns into a police state where Eurasia is always at war against Eastasia.

"One death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic."
Think about that for a moment.