My Letter to John Kerry....

Very good letter Brad. Your remark about the bumper sticker hit home. I just put 2 on my 2004 Prius -'do something good for your environment, plant Bush in Texas' and a 'Kerry/Edwards' one. In all of the 37 years I have been driving, I have NEVER put a bumper sticker on any car I've owned but I am so upset with all the bad things that have gone on here with Bushies in power, I just had to do SOMETHING. I am also going to volunteer to drive people to the polls on election day, another thing I have never even considered in the past. This election will either unite our country again or divide us further, and separate us more from the rest of the world.

The reason that the Statue of Liberty is not open to the American public is that you can't get past all the tears she is crying for the victims of 9/11 and the sad and divisive way her great country is being governed. She cries for the freedoms we have lost and the opprotunities we have squandered to show a light to the world. Let's restore her as a symbol of hope and light to the world on Nov. 2.

 

As a non american, I am so please to hear you say that. Unfortunatly, it appears to me theat the USA is no longer "The land of the free" and your much valued freedom of expression, speach and moverment is now little more than a memory.

I really hope that you guys get back on track before Bush screws up the whole world.

 

Politics? Here?

I'm relatively new to these boards, but the amount of off-topic discussion seems to be voluminous. I guess I'm coming here to learn about my new car and don't want to wade through political ramblings or other such issues. While I appreciate that many are not happy with Bush, there are just as many who are afraid of what Kerry and his plaintiff's attorney sidekick will do to this great country. There are many issues in the upcoming election cycle, most of which seem irrelevant here.

 

This discussion should be moved to Fred's House of Pancakes. That is the place to discuss non-Prius topics. Fred's House of Pancakes can be found at http://priuschat.com/forums/viewforum.php?...?selected_id=f3

Thank you.

Jeff

 

I agree, not a Main Forum topic.

 

There was no criticism intended or implied in asking for this discussion to be moved. The majority of the post dealt with politics, and a new member seemed concerned that there was a lot of off-topic discussion on PriusChat and I thought I would point out that there was a place for such topics on PriusChat.

Jeff

 

The topic has been moved.

Bradca21, the Prius General forum is for topics directly relating to the Prius. Your topic is in fact, one better suited for the open forum. Saying that you bought a prius (congrats), in a letter to Kerry, does not in of itself make it appropriate for the Prius forum.

People were not taking offense at your post. However, they were pointing out that it belonged in a more appropriate area of the site. Please try not to be so quick to jump onto the defensive. We have a large and diverse group of great people here. :mrgreen:

 

As an American, I certainly intend to do my part to put Bush out of a job in November. I'll be the first to acknowledge that the USA is not perfect. However, I'm encouraged that while the USA has endured (and emerged from) trying times in the past, we continue to keep W. Europe "on track". Examples include: 1) acting to end episodes of ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, in the face of European inaction; 2) defending W. Germany from Soviet domination, even while the Germans chose to pursue their "leisure economy"; and 3) 60 years ago acting to end Nazi Germany's brutal occupation of the rest of Europe.

 

Sorry, but whats that go to do with anything?

I suggest you re-read what I wrote and you will see I wasnt critisising the USA, only Bush. I was specifically thinking of things like the Patriot act that severly limits your freedom.

As for Germany, I live here, but Im not German. In fact my country was several years into WW2 before the USA agreed to help, which was in turn only prompted by a certain attack against the USA. The USA did not function alone in W Germany after the war. Remember you had south Germany and a part of Berlin. England had the north and part of Berlin and France also had a bit of both. In the end it was the Germans both east and west, who caused the fall of the Berlin wall and reunification, not outsiders.

Whilst there is little doubt (none in fact) that England would have fallen with out the Marshall plan and the intervention of US Troops, I do get a bit annoyed when some people pretend the whole world should be thankful for everything the US does, and that does not mean I dont appreciate the eventual help in WW2 by the way.

If you want to reply, please use PM as this is a car forum, not politics.

 

Sorry, but whats that go to do with anything?

I suggest you re-read what I wrote and you will see I wasnt critisising the USA, only Bush. I was specifically thinking of things like the Patriot act that severly limits your freedom.

As for Germany, I live here, but Im not German. In fact my country was several years into WW2 before the USA agreed to help, which was in turn only prompted by a certain attack against the USA. The USA did not function alone in W Germany after the war. Remember you had south Germany and a part of Berlin. England had the north and part of Berlin and France also had a bit of both. In the end it was the Germans both east and west, who caused the fall of the Berlin wall and reunification, not outsiders.

Whilst there is little doubt (none in fact) that England would have fallen with out the Marshall plan and the intervention of US Troops, I do get a bit annoyed when some people pretend the whole world should be thankful for everything the US does, and that does not mean I dont appreciate the eventual help in WW2 by the way.

If you want to reply, please use PM as this is a car forum, not politics.[/b][/quote]
Yes, I realize this is supposed to be a car forum. I was merely joining a political discussion that was already in progress. I can certainly understand how you'd get a bit annoyed by pretentions that the whole whole should be thankful for everything the US does. I regret that it came across that way. Further communication will be via PM.

 

What's puzzling is that, if this administration really did keep thinking of new ways to harm our people, there should've been a lot of changes already implemented. Those billions wasted on missile defense that doesn't work would've been spent on upgrading port security, bolstering and modernizing the Coast Guard, and hardening critical structures like nuclear and chemical plants.

Apparently, none (or very little) of this has been done, yet we have several interceptor missile batteries in Alaska now that have little chance of intercepting anything but thin air.

It doesn't matter one bit what (often stupid) words come out of his mouth. His priorities have been consistent with the world circa-1991, not post-9/11.

 

I agree that spending billions on missile defense seems to be counter productive; but I would beg to differ that little is being done. Some significant efforts at improvements have been made; but lots of publicity about any specifics regarding ongoing security improvements simply serve to tell potential terrorists what to expect.

I participated in a containerized cargo project conducted to evaluate the security of the container and its contents through the logistic and transportation system from Europe to the US. The lessons learned have been used to improve security for foreign shippers, ports, border inspection and subsequent delivery in the US.

The biggest hurdle to implementing an comprehensive secure delivery pipeline is of course the cost. The costs ultimately will be paid by the consumer in the form of higher prices and taxes.

More personnel, changes to procedures, and better training often provide additional benefit at much lower cost. For the most part, this is what is occuring now. Much more work and money will be required.

Everyone can contribute to their own personal security by being aware of their surroundings, noticing unusual activities, having a personal and family security plan on what to do if a disaster should occur. Much of this is not significantly different from how to plan for natural disasters but being perpared for the unexpected is what a plan is all about.

 

I once decided to take the scenic route home from Winnipeg, along ND18 instead of the freeway. So instead of the main border station, I crossed at a little place with a house and one of those hoses that ring a bell, like they used to have in gas stations. I didn't realize that's what it was for, so I stopped and knocked at the door and waited a few minutes for the agent to appear.

If I had just driven through, chances are he'd never have known a car had passed. And if he'd seen me and I had wanted to smuggle something in, chances are pretty good I could have gotten away before he could have gotten a highway patrol car on to me.

I imagine anyone willing to hike across the border could do it pretty easily. Probably the main reason it doesn't happen is that essentially everyone who wants to come in from Canada is allowed, so there's not a lot of need to sneak across.

 

The container used for Operation Safe Commerce was shipped from Europe to Montreal, CA; and from there was trucked into the US. There is a lot of shipping destined for the US that lands at Canadian ports.

Every port in the world needs to improve its security. In the past the target was against theft; today the primary threat is terrorism.

 

I was actually thinking of shores as in Canada's northern shore. As I understand it, western Canada is lightly populated. Would it be at all conceivable for someone to land a small, private ship at a remote location (not a port) in western Canada in order to bypass port security? Hop on the highway till you get within 20 miles of the border, then hike/mountain bike your way through the wilderness to the US side, and get back on the highway.

I know its pretty wild and far-fetched, and its tough to bring much more than a person can carry on his back, but it seems virtually impossible to keep any one person out of the country if s/he is determined enough to get in.

Then again, I live right outside of Washington DC, so my vision of the vast American/Canadian wilderness might be way off base. Good thing daniel is here : ) How feasible is it for a dozen men to hike across North Dakota in pairs and 3s and not get noticed by anyone?