By nature, Obama does not follow old-line political orthodoxies. Above all, Obama's form of pragmatism is heavily empirical; he wants to know what will work.
Consider his domestic agenda. Favoring aggressive action to control greenhouse-gas emissions, he is open to considering nuclear power and has explicitly credited Republicans for promoting market-oriented approaches to environmental problems (and he has attracted the scorn of some on the left for doing so). A sharp critic of No Child Left Behind, he has spoken favorably about merit pay for teachers. Offering an ambitious health care plan, he would not require adults to purchase health insurance. His goal is to make health care available, not to force people to buy it--a judgment that reflects Obama's commitment to freedom of choice, his pragmatic nature (an enforcement question: Would those without health care be fined or jailed?), and his desire to produce a plan that might actually obtain a consensus. And, while he would raise taxes on the very richest Americans, he is hardly anti-business; indeed, he proposes to eliminate the capital gains tax for start-ups and small companies.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Therein lies the rub. Whether people realize this or not, Obama does take money from big corps, etc., and is really not that much of an outsider who refuses t o follow old-line politics.
Obama has been old dem party line politics from day one - He won his first election in a cold calculated technicality - he has aligned himself with old school democratic machine and its questionable chicago politicians.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
The Alaska Legislature voted last month to investigate allegations that Palin dismissed the state's public safety commissioner after the commissioner resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a contentious divorce from Palin's sister.
The legislature has hired a former district attorney to investigate the case and asked him to issue a report by Oct. 31 - - just before the Nov. 4 general election, state Senator Hollis French said in an interview.
Palin fired the public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, on July 11. Several days later, Monegan said he had been pressured by members of Palin's administration and family to fire state trooper Mike Wooten, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
"A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki's government was in custody Thursday suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, Iraqi authorities said.
The arrest of Ali al-Lami—taken Wednesday as he left a plane arriving from Lebanon—reinforced suspicions about Tehran's influence within the Shiite-led Iraqi government and could open wider probes into Shiite networks, including possible links to Lebanon's Hezbollah. "
Apparently the guy was in cahoots with Iran & his job as:
"A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki's government was in custody Thursday suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, Iraqi authorities said.
The arrest of Ali al-Lami—taken Wednesday as he left a plane arriving from Lebanon—reinforced suspicions about Tehran's influence within the Shiite-led Iraqi government and could open wider probes into Shiite networks, including possible links to Lebanon's Hezbollah...Sunni politicians have long protested that efforts to purge ex-members of Saddam's Sunni-dominated Baath Party from the government and military were used to exclude Sunnis from political life in Iraq and expand Iranian influence."
So the people we're paying billions a month to support are the ones who are in bed with Iran.
Karl Rove is right about one thing, the bush43 Administration just can't catch a break right now. It's getting harder and harder to have their cake & eat it too.
"As has been the case for quite a while, Barack Obama lit into John McCain in his acceptance speech last night, but not in personal terms. It highlighted the key distinction of the two campaign styles -- McCain has gone after Obama on character, integrity, and patriotism, while Obama has gone after McCain on policy, substance, and vision. But this is about more than just competing approaches to character assassination, it's also about laying the groundwork for actually governing....
There's another lesson in George W. Bush's 2004 victory over Kerry by demolishing Kerry's personal reputation: It left Kerry's agenda untouched. As Bush discovered from the day after his 2005 inauguration, he had no mandate for conservative policies such as Social Security privatization because he had not run on them...In 2004, voters agreed with Kerry, but were persuaded to reject him. They disagreed with Bush, but wanted to invite him to their barbecue. But when it came time to govern, Bush did what he wanted to do, Americans grew frustrated because they hated his agenda, and the president's popularity tanked...If a candidate runs a campaign that hides his or her positions on the issues -- as Bush did twice, and McCain is doing now -- it's bound to deeply disappoint the electorate once he or she starts implementing the ideas no one endorsed.
That makes Obama's pitch a gamble -- he's counting on voters to be grown-ups -- but should he win, he'll have the advantage of a mandate."
And occasionally there are some real interesting nuggets on there. Like the comment I just added. (Which I just edited to add the hat tip. I believe that is the way to do it, right?)
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I think the difference, though I'm not positive, is to link back to the original source of anything that you have quoted, and hat tip any other link that directly led you to it.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
She thinks just like Dick Cheney except she thinks the gays are bad. It was a very smooth move. I see Rove in it even though he supposubly wanted Romney.
Now...some of the cheerleading for Palin by the rw talking heads.....to suggest that Palin has more experience than Barack Obama is pretty weak and several are doing that right now. They should instead push her for what she does bring to the party. She's a rock ribbed conservative the type Bill Kristol drools over. Hard right Christian who expects others to live by her code. Sell the real McCoy.
You see when you make up bs & try to pass it off as filet....well then folks are going to kind of question other things you say and well....McCain doesn't want that.
But the announcement was amazingly effective in eliminating Barack Obama's speech from any of the media today. That's were I think it was Rove.
"You see when you make up bs & try to pass it off as filet....well then folks are going to kind of question other things you say and well"
Perfect illustration of the whole Obama campaign!
"Hard right Christian who expects others to live by her code."
Like liberals don't expect everyone else to live by theirs! LOL!
Here is Obama's silly amateurish press release;
"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero
foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v.
Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed
economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of
the same."
Because what they were afraid to say was;
Today, John McCain made American history by asking Governor Sarah Palin to be the Republican VP nominee. Sarah Palin has 13 years of executive experience, and is the only candidate on either ticket with that credential. Gov. Palin has fought big oil, is a solid conservative, and is a genuine grassroots candidate with nearly a 90% approval rating amongst her constituency. She is committed to continue her work on the State level when she gets to Washington of cutting wasteful spending, limiting government to it's constitutional role, and protecting American families. If you really are serious about change in DC, you will love Sarah Palin!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
You're so whacked out you can't even tell the difference between TP's and her resume'.
TP's are "More of the same"... "Bush' 3rd term"... Garbage like that, oh what am I doing, I'm sure you have them post it noted on your computer right in front of you, just like the good little Kool Aid drinker that you are!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
The sewer elves of the Daily Kos—the same "progressives" that wanted to "out" Chief Justice John Roberts' four-year-old son Jack—are back in the slime, trying to claim that new Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's son Trig isn't hers.
They're trying to claim Palin's eldest daughter is actually the mother of Palin's youngest child.
They just can't seem to accept that people unlike themselves might
actually chose to bring a Down's child into this world, instead of
terminating it as an inconvenience... or as Obama might call it, a punishment .
So here's the initial statement from the Obama campaign:
Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies. That's not the change we need, it's just more of the same.
And the joker you link to calls this statement sexist! Tell me, Red_Wing, do you actually fall for this stuff, or do you at least realize that it is complete bulls**t but are willing to swallow it anyway because you just love your Republicans sooo much?
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
Iran's deputy foreign minister said Friday that almost 4,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges are now operating at the country's Natanz enrichment facility, the national IRNA news agency reported.
[...] The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany -- a group called P5+1 -- offered a package of economic and other incentives to Iran in July if it suspended its nuclear enrichment program.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Is a country allowed to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes? Yes. Is Iran a country? Yes. Is Iran's nuclear program peaceful? I've not seen any evidence to the contrary.
Therefore, as signatories of the NPT, they are allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. The IAEA has said they have no evidence Iran is reneging on its obligations under the treaty. So long as Iran is not in violation of the treaty, I don't see how the Security Council has any basis to complain about Iran's activities.
If Iran is inherently untrustworthy, then the UN ought to just invade the country right now and save us all some time.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
If the US was counting on Russia to police Iran or pressure Iran, the recent dust up in Georgia, and McCain's cowboy response didn't do the US any favors.
Alienating Georgians and Russia at the same time was not the smartest move.
for their heavy water reactor, and they can buy enriched uranium for their LWR. This is a bit out of date but I think the conclusions stand:
if I ran a country and wanted nuclear power but not nuclear weapons, and I wanted to convince the world of my good intentions, I would:
* Contract with a first-world nation to obtain a LWR and fuel * Not build a heavy water reactor * Not pursue uranium enrichment * Provide the IAEA with complete access
This is not what Iran has done.
Iran's method of pursuing "nuclear power" leads to legitimate questions as to its goals. Stuff like this , which we both read earlier this week, doesn't help.
It's all very well to say that the SC hasn't authorized additional sanctions against Iran, but that has little to do with Iran's actions directly and much more to do with Russia (and to a lesser extent China):
No new economic sanctions against Iran have come into effect since the issuance of the ultimatum on Aug. 5, mainly because of differences between Russia and China, on one hand, and the Western powers on the other. Russia, China and the European Union are Iran's most important trade partners. Russia is building Iran's first nuclear power plant in the town of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf.
Western nations will have to resolve the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions without Russia's help if they refuse to cooperate with Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in an interview with CNN on Thursday.
Asked if the conflict with Georgia could hurt U.S.-Russian cooperation on Iran, Putin said: "If nobody wants to talk with us on these issues and cooperation with Russia is not needed, then for God's sake, do it yourself."
The question isn't what Iran can legally do -- if it wanted to, it could withdraw from the NPT and openly build a bomb. The issue is what Iran ought to do in order to create maximum security and prosperity for its citizens.
From my perspective Iran is being deliberately antagonistic, with what I can only hope is a goal of wringing further economic concessions from the West. The US of course is unhelpfully saber rattling, which by itself only entrenches the Iranian hardliners. That's why it looks to me like a game of chicken.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
They should be going about it in a more open and inclusive way than they are, but they have every right to develop nuclear power in any way they see fit (subject to the NPT, of course).
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
Other nations are pursuing nuclear power without any significant objections (Egypt , for example ).
Iran seems to be a special case both because of pre-existing tensions (stemming in the very long-term sense in large part from our own meddling before their revolution) and because of their antagonistic stances.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I still maintain that if we just let nature take its course in Iran, the Ayatollah will be gone by 2020. It would have been gone a lot more quickly without our incursion into Iraq.
Iranian youth, by and large, are turned on to Western art, music, and culture. Give them time and they'll transform Iran into a fully functioning democracy.
Iran is rightly sore with us for our overthrow of their Prime Minister in the early 50s. We are rightly sore with them for taking our people as hostages in the 70s.
Someone on either side needs to have the balls to put their cards on the table and work out an agreement to quit the mutual sabre rattling. The reason why this won't happen is because the other is a useful scapegoat come election season.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
...You're a good ole Kennedy/Truman kind of Democrat! The kind a guy could respect even if you had differences.
Not one of these pathetic new age ultra liberal socialists who just babble nonsense all the time, thanks for being an example of that rare breed now days! If the Democrats were smart, they would move back in that direction and reclaim all those lost voters.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
looking at options for handling Iran, and it seemed to me that there were significant risks to taking a hands-off approach. This case for confronting Iran is probably overstated (I was trying to put together the strongest argument), but I do think a tough stance backed up by a reasonable mix of carrots and sticks is warranted.
I'm probably a bit more hawkish on foreign policy than mainstream Democrats right now. I sometimes catch a little grief for it from the left, glad somebody approves =)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
...look Stiney, what are you willing to take that gamble on a country we know supports terrorism, who openly calls for the destruction of its neighbor, who hates America, and who's Pres. is clearly unstable for?
If they enrich enough Uranium to make a bomb, you think they won't?
And for know let's just say on the surface, preexisting conditions aside, you are right and Iran has a technical "right" to proceed.
What if you made a boo boo, and NYC goes up in a ball of flames? Who do we blame? You? The Iranians?
My dad told me this story when I was a kid;
Seems there was this snake and this fellow was rushing home as a big storm was just closing in, and as the fellow passed the snake caught his attention, "Please sir, I am a snake, pick me up and take me to higher ground, if I get stuck here I'll surely drown" cried out the snake! "Heck no" replied the man, "I'm not coming within 10 feet of you, you'll bite me". "Why would I bite you you for helping me, I promise I won't, in fact I would be in you debt." The man thought it over, and as the rain began to fall he made a decision. "OK, but don't you dare bite me." The man picked up the snake and put him inside his jacket and rushed of to safety, when they finally got to higher ground the man found a warm dry spot to place the snake, he reached in his coat and picked up the snake, and as he set the snake down, the snake struck out and dealt the man a lethal blow! The man was stunned. "How could you, I did everything for you, I believed you when you promised me you would not bite me if I helped you"! As the man collapsed and took his final breaths he heard the snakes reply, "I thank you for your help dear sir, and without it I would have surely perished, but the truth of this story is" - "You knew I was a snake when you met me"...!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
...look Stiney, what are you willing to take that gamble on a country we know supports terrorism, who openly calls for the destruction of its neighbor, who hates America, and who's Pres. is clearly unstable for?
I'm not gambling anything. I clearly stated that if they are developing nuclear technology under the NPT for purely peaceful purposes, then we (the international community) have no place to tell them to suspend their program.
If they enrich enough Uranium to make a bomb, you think they won't?
I don't know. Anyone who claims to know without physical proof is kidding themselves. If they did make a bomb and there was physical evidence, the UN should take swift action to bring them in compliance with the NPT.
What if you made a boo boo, and NYC goes up in a ball of flames? Who do we blame? You? The Iranians?
The Iranians obviously. They're the ones who launched the weapon.
I can see from your post that you will never believe Iran is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes regardless of any facts. I put it to you then that if indeed we can never trust Iran, we should immediately bomb any and all nuclear enrichment facilities immediately. Why wait? That also goes for North Korea (even though they've withdrawn from the NPT).
I'll also ask if we can ever trust Russia. If not, why wait to destroy their nuclear capability as well?
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
Pictures and video (especially the latter) are usually linked-to from other websites. Embedding a youtube video doesn't cause the SC server to do anything but relay you the link.
Most of the processor power is being used on database lookups and the like. That will scale with the number of users the site has.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
A Georgia Cabinet minister says the country has pulled out of a 1994 U.N. agreement that ended the war in the separatist region of Abkhazia.
The announcement Saturday by the office of Temur Yakobashvili follows Russia's recognition of Abkhazia as independent.
The U.N. agreement called for a cease-fire after fighting killed thousands of people. It also provided for Russian peacekeeping troops, which Georgia says sided with the separatists.
Russia is now facing isolation over its military offensive in Georgia, and Moscow stands alone in its recognition of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russia, which recognized both regions as independent this week, drove out Georgian forces that had remained in a small portion of Abkhazia.
So why is the option joining Russia in recognizing these independent states a non-starter?
I'd like to know what others think.
We recognized Kosovo. On the grounds of self determination, I see an argument for it.
Which is why we libertarians always say we are at least consistent on many levels.
No argument here. I think the libertarian argument is unworkable, but at least consistent. While a free market (there's that word again) is the best way to start out, government intervention is required in markets that, by their definition aren't free or when markets become unfree. Think roads and infrastructure, natural monopolies, etc.
The biggest flaw in conservative thinking is that conservatives believe that the government is inefficient cumbersome so any domestic policy programs are doomed to failure. On the flip side, government magically knows exactly what it's doing and is to be trusted absolutely in foreign policy dealings. The latter has more to do with neo-conservative influence after 9/11. Lieberman is right that Democrats used to take the interventionist tack in foreign policy. Unfortunately for him, the liberal base no longer thinks in those terms.
The biggest flaw in liberal thinking is that increased regulation and intervention lends itself to people trying to use the regulation to their advantage. Intervention like this only works when the regulators and politicians are saints and are incorruptible. Liberalism works well when everyone agrees on what intervention is necessary and proper, but then again everything works out great when everyone agrees.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
I'm speaking about a general bias toward policies that lean in the libertarian direction. Nothing is pure and perfect but some countries are more libertarian than others in some ways (and the same countries can be less in other ways).
Again, absolutes are for theory. Real life is about relative degrees pro and con.
The consistency I speak of goes like this:
Support for true individual freedom leads to Free-er markets which lead to more choice, differentation and dynamism (good and bad). More of these qualities lead to more desires and different tastes. More desires, choices and tastes enhances individuality and social liberalization. It's harmonious. No regrets or contradictions when taken as a general stance.
OTOH, Conservatism and Modern Liberalism, when you look at the chain of events above, lead to results that run counter to one part of the agenda or inhibit results that are precursors to getting more acceptance and steam for other parts of the agenda.
In short, free-er markets and a more liberalized economy (as opposed to less of these) are symbiotic with social liberalism.
For conservatives, free-er markets threaten social conservatism and tradition and a sense of a unifying purpose or focus for society. IOW, so-cons would have an easier time if markets were more rigid and regulated and less dynamic.
For modern liberals, social liberalism and greater tolerance is enabled by free-er markets and the growth and choices it makes mainstream. IOW, less dynamism in the economy will encourage more rigid social norms and less tolerance for change.
(never wonder why poorer countries are more socially conservative, religious and traditional)
That's what I mean by consistency.
The other consistent group are economically populist social conservatives...my diametric opposite.
1: One best be a good Christian and make babies to fight the Muslim babies.
2: People thought natural resources would run out, they were all wrong, but the Muslims will take over the world and that prediction has legs to stand on.
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
After Mad Cow scares, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef decided they wanted to test all of their cattle for Mad Cow disease independently of the 1% the USDA by government mandate.
The testing kits are only available from the USDA and the USDA refuses to sell Creekstone enough kits to test all of their cattle. The USDA's position is that testing every cow would cause people to think that testing 1% isn't good enough, which would cause uncertainty as to the safety of domestic beef production. Large meat packers oppose Creekstone because they believe if Creekstone tests all their cattle, the rest of the meat packers will have to fall in line lest they lose business. This increased testing would cause them to raise prices, which they'd rather not do.
The case has come back from the appeals court after a preliminary win by Creekstone. The court ruled 2-1 for the USDA.
If the levees don't hold again (they haven't been tested since being rebuilt), I wonder how many people are just going to give up and leave New Orleans for good?
Best wishes for those in Louisiana and the coast. I have a cousin in Biloxi, MS, but he can take care of himself (and has the means to just up and leave if need be). Others are not so lucky.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
APPARENTLY...THE INTERACTION WITH WESTERN CUBA TOOK MORE OF A TOLL ON THE HURRICANE THAN EARLIER ESTIMATED. DATA FROM THE AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER SHOW THAT GUSTAV HAS WEAKENED WITH MAXIMUM FLIGHT-LEVEL WINDS OF 112 KT.
Still likely to be a major hurricane at landfall, but reduced strength is good.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I read awhile back that the gulf is abnormally warm right now (just like it was during Katrina). Hopefully that won't cause the hurricane to intensify too much.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
Don't forget Alaska has newspapers where we can read things.
Sounds like more of the same to me.
Pro-Palin mailer breaks state law
That's the headline of a story in the Juneau newspaper today about an illegal mailer sent on behalf of Palin by the RGA, the DC group that got money from Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed casino clients, and Tom Delay.
The story said, in part: Alaska state elections law bars Outside groups interfering in Alaska elections, and makes campaign efforts such as the RGA's mailer illegal, said Brooke Miles, executive director of the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
"It's a completely prohibited ad," Miles said. The ban on Outside money doesn't apply to advocacy of issues and doesn't apply to ballot measures, but Miles said the RGA mailer was obviously intended to help Palin beat Knowles.
I will grant you that for social conservatives this may seem like the new face of feminism, and I do admire Palin's grit, and her seeming raw political talent, but in the 21st Century do we really advocate reverting to 1940's as social progress?
There are other colorful stories relating to Palin, but I won't bother you with those details now.
Oh and just for the record, living in Alaska doesn't count as foreign policy experience just because it's next to Russia.
...The only problem is that she’s got more experience in executive leadership than Obama does. In fact, she’s got more executive leadership experience than McCain, Obama, and Biden all put together, seeing as how none of them have ever run anything. She may be the most qualified out of the four to be president.
She had 5 years of executive experience when Obama was still a community organizer! LOL!
She's worked in government in an executive capacity for13 years! Since she was 31 yrs old, OK. So get over yourself. She will have plenty of talented people to bring her up to speed on any national issues she needs work on.
Polls show the Rep Ticket up by +2 45/47, and you guys just had 38 million watch your rock concert - I mean closing night of the convention!
And regardless, she has united conservatives and rallied the party, and that my dear is your real problem!
You wanna emphasize your #1's lack of exp, bring it on. You're better off desperately trying to convince democrats about Obama! LOL!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Not only today did he seem to be fixated on how good looking Governor Palin is, he kept bringing it up in his stump comments today, but some interesting information about his history came up today as well.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden received five student draft deferments during the Vietnam War, and later was disqualified from service because of asthma as a teenager.
Officials with Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's campaign released Biden's Selective Service records. Less detailed records were available from a National Archives facility in Philadelphia.
A month after undergoing a physical exam in April 1968, Biden received a Selective Service classification of 1-Y, meaning he was available for service only in the event of national emergency.
However, no other records of Biden, now 65, ever having had asthma could be located, furthermore in "Promises to Keep," a memoir that was published last year and has now became an instant best-seller after he was tapped as Obama's running mate, Biden never mentions having asthma, even going as far as recounting how active his childhood was, working as a lifeguard and his football exploits in high school.
Hmmmm...?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I have friend from high school that got an honorable discharge from the military because he had asthma. Funny thing is, he never seemed to have any signs of asthma while being a 3x letter winner in football.
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
...And that little district is as bad or worse off than it was before he took the job! NOTHINGS CHANGED, its still a sh*thole! Then he was elected to the US senate when he promised the constituency he would not run for POTUS, and even said he didn't have the experience, and of course he immediately ran for POTUS? He has been in the Senate less than 4 years and has been campaigning most of that time. It doesn't really matter anyway, cause he didn't author any legislation and votes present all the time anyway!
There is a BIG difference between running something, making decisions daily, hourly, and being a law maker sitting around in committees all the time, but again that doesn't matter either because even when he was given a committee, he did nothing, held no oversight, and was a complete failure to the people of the US in that regard especially!
He is completely unqualified to be a POTUS!
And Kindness, everything I said is TRUE, like it or not.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
You have not proven that Obama was the cause of the district continuing to be poor. There is a good chance that the district would still be poor regardless of who was the representative.
There are many Republicans in the Appalachian region who represent poor districts, but no one would seriously claim it is the representative's fault the people are still poor there.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
...he sure sounds like one here. If you had any concerns about how Sarah Palin will stack up against Joe Biden as a campaigner, perhaps this might help answer it.
Watch as Biden slurs his words and struggles to articulate coherent dialog? Then he offers some weird version of his childhood in...all together now... "Scranton" In general he just comes across a like a buffoon?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years. He's been able but undistinguished. I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done ... [Kaine] was mayor of the 105th largest city in America. And again, with all due respect to Richmond, Virginia, it's smaller than Chula Vista, California; Aurora, Colorado; Mesa, or Gilbert, Arizona; North Las Vegas, or Henderson, Nevada. It's not a big town."
Just a few points--Richmond had 200,000 people in it when Kaine was there. Palin presided over a whopping 8,500 and Alaska 600,000. Of course, Rove will provide a great deal of support and reason why Palin is not like Kaine.
Just strangely reminded of 2004 where Democrats got all happy when Edwards joined the ticket. I think Palin will fizzle when the debates move to the national stage--remember how Fred! Thompson was supposed to blow the field away with his conservative pedigree. I just hope there is no over-reaching in the attacks and low-expectation setting during the Veep debate. This is still Obama V. McCain.
I got all excited when Bruce Schneier replied to an email of mine. Being someone who's well-versed in cryptography, this was an exciting event.
I also got a tip of the hat from ballot access law expert Richard Winger a few days ago for bringing to his attention a gentleman from the Cleveland area who did a decent job collecting signatures. I didn't bring it up here because the SC crowd doesn't have the same interest in minor party/independent politics that I do.
I never broke the law; I am the law! -- George W. Bush Judge Dredd I'm listening to...
I was cited on Media Matters for Colorado for my call with a conservative radio host re: the Iraq War.
I have also spoken with David Rufkin (Bush/Cheney lawyer), John Cornyn (R) of Texas, the cheif editor of the Washington Times and Brian Lamb, on the morning call in of CSpan.
I was at my friend's house Friday morning. He is a blue collar worker who had a stroke. This proud man has had to accept being partially disabled which has been very difficult for someone who used to do the work of three men in a day. He is enormously cynical about government to the point that he curses every time he has to buy a stamp. He can't stand John McCain cause his wife sold out the all American Budweiser. He also didn't like Obama whom he called the n-word.
On Friday morning I pulled into his driveway and noticed he had stuck his American flag in his gate outside. Why? He heard Obama's speech! He was so moved that someone had finally articulated his feelings about what America has become, what it used to be, and what it is now and that someone is out there that will stand up for him! This proud man could not stop crying as he declared that's the man I am voting for.
I was frankly speechless! I couldn't believe that Obama's speech had made a convert out of my blue collar friend. So 'Yes We Can', Obama made the connection.
I asked him his opinion on Palin yesterday, and his answer was she's connected to the oil industry and McCain is just using her.
I am sure the cynics will cry foul of my story. But it is true. It is real. It is one man's journey.
All the hoopla McCain has created trying to grab the headlines, isn't going to change the emotional connection that inspired my friend to get his flag and his walker and go out into the night to plant his flag on his gate, because he was so inspired by Obama's speech, just words!
Comments :
Cass Sunstein: Obama as progressive empiricist
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Hmmmm....I don't know, Brendan.
Therein lies the rub. Whether people realize this or not, Obama does take money from big corps, etc., and is really not that much of an outsider who refuses t o follow old-line politics.
Wake up for heavens sake....
Obama has been old dem party line politics from day one - He won his first election in a cold calculated technicality - he has aligned himself with old school democratic machine and its questionable chicago politicians.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Obama Derangement Syndrome cleanup! (n/t)
New book about how we think about "knowledge"
"Reinventing Knowledge: From Alexandria to the Internet
."
by Ian McNeely and Lisa Wolverton.
This seems relevant to the mission of Swords Crossed. Book review at Salon.com:
In my expert opinion, you should do what I tell you to do.
McCain picks Sarah Palin as VP.
Let the campaign begin in ernest.
It's a Harriet Miers Deja Vu Moment
And she brings a brewing scandal along with her.
Link
qui tacet consentire
You're funny, I understand, you all are scared & tripp'in! n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Kos wishes John McCain a happy birthday:
Happy Birthday John!
So he's now 72.
What do you think of the arrest of a deputy of Ahmad Chalabi
in Iraq?
The SJ Mercury notes a connection to Chalabi
but isn't as explicit as a couple other sites. Here's what they said:
"A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki's government was in custody Thursday suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, Iraqi authorities said.
The arrest of Ali al-Lami—taken Wednesday as he left a plane arriving from Lebanon—reinforced suspicions about Tehran's influence within the Shiite-led Iraqi government and could open wider probes into Shiite networks, including possible links to Lebanon's Hezbollah. "
Apparently the guy was in cahoots with Iran & his job as:
"A senior official in Nouri al-Maliki's government was in custody Thursday suspected of ties to Iranian-backed Shiite militias and plotting a June bombing that killed 10 people, including four Americans, Iraqi authorities said.
The arrest of Ali al-Lami—taken Wednesday as he left a plane arriving from Lebanon—reinforced suspicions about Tehran's influence within the Shiite-led Iraqi government and could open wider probes into Shiite networks, including possible links to Lebanon's Hezbollah...Sunni politicians have long protested that efforts to purge ex-members of Saddam's Sunni-dominated Baath Party from the government and military were used to exclude Sunnis from political life in Iraq and expand Iranian influence."
So the people we're paying billions a month to support are the ones who are in bed with Iran.
Karl Rove is right about one thing, the bush43 Administration just can't catch a break right now. It's getting harder and harder to have their cake & eat it too.
Laying the groundwork for a mandate is the title of this post
in Washington Monthly by Steve Benen (old Carpetbagger report) & Hilzoy (OW).
they say:
"As has been the case for quite a while, Barack Obama lit into John McCain in his acceptance speech last night, but not in personal terms. It highlighted the key distinction of the two campaign styles -- McCain has gone after Obama on character, integrity, and patriotism, while Obama has gone after McCain on policy, substance, and vision. But this is about more than just competing approaches to character assassination, it's also about laying the groundwork for actually governing....
There's another lesson in George W. Bush's 2004 victory over Kerry by demolishing Kerry's personal reputation: It left Kerry's agenda untouched. As Bush discovered from the day after his 2005 inauguration, he had no mandate for conservative policies such as Social Security privatization because he had not run on them...In 2004, voters agreed with Kerry, but were persuaded to reject him. They disagreed with Bush, but wanted to invite him to their barbecue. But when it came time to govern, Bush did what he wanted to do, Americans grew frustrated because they hated his agenda, and the president's popularity tanked...If a candidate runs a campaign that hides his or her positions on the issues -- as Bush did twice, and McCain is doing now -- it's bound to deeply disappoint the electorate once he or she starts implementing the ideas no one endorsed.
That makes Obama's pitch a gamble -- he's counting on voters to be grown-ups -- but should he win, he'll have the advantage of a mandate."
Sullivan on McCain's choice
He's always the first website (other than SC, of course) that I check in the morning.
He starts out wondering who she is and what she stands for. And then all hell breaks loose by the end of the day.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/change-over...
Start there and go to the next page and the next, and the next. Sullivan cracks me up.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
It is an enjoyable read, isn't it?
And occasionally there are some real interesting nuggets on there. Like the comment I just added. (Which I just edited to add the hat tip. I believe that is the way to do it, right?)
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I suppose it is
The only good form I try to abide by (and now enforce) is linking back to the article. Call it a hat tip or whatever you like.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Blogging etiquette!
I think the difference, though I'm not positive, is to link back to the original source of anything that you have quoted, and hat tip any other link that directly led you to it.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I can see why many on the right say they like Palin.
She thinks just like Dick Cheney except she thinks the gays are bad. It was a very smooth move. I see Rove in it even though he supposubly wanted Romney.
Now...some of the cheerleading for Palin by the rw talking heads.....to suggest that Palin has more experience than Barack Obama is pretty weak and several are doing that right now. They should instead push her for what she does bring to the party. She's a rock ribbed conservative the type Bill Kristol drools over. Hard right Christian who expects others to live by her code. Sell the real McCoy.
You see when you make up bs & try to pass it off as filet....well then folks are going to kind of question other things you say and well....McCain doesn't want that.
But the announcement was amazingly effective in eliminating Barack Obama's speech from any of the media today. That's were I think it was Rove.
Sarah Palin is a conservatives dream come true!
"You see when you make up bs & try to pass it off as filet....well then folks are going to kind of question other things you say and well"
Perfect illustration of the whole Obama campaign!
"Hard right Christian who expects others to live by her code."
Like liberals don't expect everyone else to live by theirs! LOL!
Here is Obama's silly amateurish press release;
"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero
foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v.
Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed
economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of
the same."
Because what they were afraid to say was;
Today, John McCain made American history by asking Governor Sarah Palin to be the Republican VP nominee. Sarah Palin has 13 years of executive experience, and is the only candidate on either ticket with that credential. Gov. Palin has fought big oil, is a solid conservative, and is a genuine grassroots candidate with nearly a 90% approval rating amongst her constituency. She is committed to continue her work on the State level when she gets to Washington of cutting wasteful spending, limiting government to it's constitutional role, and protecting American families. If you really are serious about change in DC, you will love Sarah Palin!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
You can repeat republican talking points really well.
How many McSame Campaign points have you racked up so far?
What flatulence, dig up some new material - "L" n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Sorry, no points there. You didn't mention POW, Muslim or
angry black people in your post.
Barf all you like, eventually we hope you feel better...?
You're so whacked out you can't even tell the difference between TP's and her resume'.
TP's are "More of the same"... "Bush' 3rd term"... Garbage like that, oh what am I doing, I'm sure you have them post it noted on your computer right in front of you, just like the good little Kool Aid drinker that you are!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
The Elves Over At Kos Are Working Overtime - Shame!
The Class of Kos
The sewer elves of the Daily Kos—the same "progressives" that wanted to "out" Chief Justice John Roberts' four-year-old son
Jack—are back in the slime, trying to claim that new Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin's son Trig isn't hers.
They're trying to claim
Palin's eldest daughter is actually the mother of Palin's youngest child.
They just can't seem to accept that people unlike themselves might
.
actually chose to bring a Down's child into this world, instead of
terminating it as an inconvenience... or as Obama might call it, a punishment
From Here
.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
The Kosites want him/her to take it down
Check the reaction to the DKos diary. People want the author to remove it.
Frankly, I'm surprised. They usually eat stuff like this up over there. You should have picked a better example.
And with respect to your other "source" this
is all I need to know about them.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
As usual, for Barack Obama...
...it takes a second try
to get things right.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Oh, please, not this again!
So here's the initial statement from the Obama campaign:
And the joker you link to calls this statement sexist! Tell me, Red_Wing, do you actually fall for this stuff, or do you at least realize that it is complete bulls**t but are willing to swallow it anyway because you just love your Republicans sooo much?
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
To your credit, Red_Wing
At least you said that the second statement, in which Obama said:
is where he gets things right! :P
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
Iran continues to play a dangerous game
of chicken with the West:
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I see no game of chicken
Is a country allowed to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes? Yes. Is Iran a country? Yes. Is Iran's nuclear program peaceful? I've not seen any evidence to the contrary.
Therefore, as signatories of the NPT, they are allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. The IAEA has said they have no evidence Iran is reneging on its obligations under the treaty. So long as Iran is not in violation of the treaty, I don't see how the Security Council has any basis to complain about Iran's activities.
If Iran is inherently untrustworthy, then the UN ought to just invade the country right now and save us all some time.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Yes, and...
If the US was counting on Russia to police Iran or pressure Iran, the recent dust up in Georgia, and McCain's cowboy response didn't do the US any favors.
Alienating Georgians and Russia at the same time was not the smartest move.
I'm only half stupid
They don't need enriched uranium
for their heavy water reactor, and they can buy enriched uranium for their LWR. This
is a bit out of date but I think the conclusions stand:
Iran's method of pursuing "nuclear power" leads to legitimate questions as to its goals. Stuff like this
, which we both read earlier this week, doesn't help.
It's all very well to say that the SC hasn't authorized additional sanctions against Iran, but that has little to do with Iran's actions directly and much more to do with Russia (and to a lesser extent China):
The question isn't what Iran can legally do -- if it wanted to, it could withdraw from the NPT and openly build a bomb. The issue is what Iran ought to do in order to create maximum security and prosperity for its citizens.
From my perspective Iran is being deliberately antagonistic, with what I can only hope is a goal of wringing further economic concessions from the West. The US of course is unhelpfully saber rattling, which by itself only entrenches the Iranian hardliners. That's why it looks to me like a game of chicken.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Granted
They should be going about it in a more open and inclusive way than they are, but they have every right to develop nuclear power in any way they see fit (subject to the NPT, of course).
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Sure
Other nations are pursuing nuclear power without any significant objections (Egypt
, for example 
).
Iran seems to be a special case both because of pre-existing tensions (stemming in the very long-term sense in large part from our own meddling before their revolution) and because of their antagonistic stances.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Sort of off-topic, but
there was a decent article on Iran's long history in the August National Geo.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Agreed
I still maintain that if we just let nature take its course in Iran, the Ayatollah will be gone by 2020. It would have been gone a lot more quickly without our incursion into Iraq.
Iranian youth, by and large, are turned on to Western art, music, and culture. Give them time and they'll transform Iran into a fully functioning democracy.
Iran is rightly sore with us for our overthrow of their Prime Minister in the early 50s. We are rightly sore with them for taking our people as hostages in the 70s.
Someone on either side needs to have the balls to put their cards on the table and work out an agreement to quit the mutual sabre rattling. The reason why this won't happen is because the other is a useful scapegoat come election season.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Bravo Brendan!
...You're a good ole Kennedy/Truman kind of Democrat! The kind a guy could respect even if you had differences.
Not one of these pathetic new age ultra liberal socialists who just babble nonsense all the time, thanks for being an example of that rare breed now days! If the Democrats were smart, they would move back in that direction and reclaim all those lost voters.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
We did an exercise here a while back
looking at options for handling Iran, and it seemed to me that there were significant risks to taking a hands-off approach. This case for confronting Iran
is probably overstated (I was trying to put together the strongest argument), but I do think a tough stance backed up by a reasonable mix of carrots and sticks is warranted.
I'm probably a bit more hawkish on foreign policy than mainstream Democrats right now. I sometimes catch a little grief for it from the left, glad somebody approves =)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I could just go to town on this, but....
...look Stiney, what are you willing to take that gamble on a country we know supports terrorism, who openly calls for the destruction of its neighbor, who hates America, and who's Pres. is clearly unstable for?
If they enrich enough Uranium to make a bomb, you think they won't?
And for know let's just say on the surface, preexisting conditions aside, you are right and Iran has a technical "right" to proceed.
What if you made a boo boo, and NYC goes up in a ball of flames? Who do we blame? You? The Iranians?
My dad told me this story when I was a kid;
Seems there was this snake and this fellow was rushing home as a big storm was just closing in, and as the fellow passed the snake caught his attention, "Please sir, I am a snake, pick me up and take me to higher ground, if I get stuck here I'll surely drown" cried out the snake! "Heck no" replied the man, "I'm not coming within 10 feet of you, you'll bite me". "Why would I bite you you for helping me, I promise I won't, in fact I would be in you debt." The man thought it over, and as the rain began to fall he made a decision. "OK, but don't you dare bite me." The man picked up the snake and put him inside his jacket and rushed of to safety, when they finally got to higher ground the man found a warm dry spot to place the snake, he reached in his coat and picked up the snake, and as he set the snake down, the snake struck out and dealt the man a lethal blow! The man was stunned. "How could you, I did everything for you, I believed you when you promised me you would not bite me if I helped you"! As the man collapsed and took his final breaths he heard the snakes reply, "I thank you for your help dear sir, and without it I would have surely perished, but the truth of this story is" - "You knew I was a snake when you met me"...!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
One at at time
I'm not gambling anything. I clearly stated that if they are developing nuclear technology under the NPT for purely peaceful purposes, then we (the international community) have no place to tell them to suspend their program.
I don't know. Anyone who claims to know without physical proof is kidding themselves. If they did make a bomb and there was physical evidence, the UN should take swift action to bring them in compliance with the NPT.
The Iranians obviously. They're the ones who launched the weapon.
I can see from your post that you will never believe Iran is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes regardless of any facts. I put it to you then that if indeed we can never trust Iran, we should immediately bomb any and all nuclear enrichment facilities immediately. Why wait? That also goes for North Korea (even though they've withdrawn from the NPT).
I'll also ask if we can ever trust Russia. If not, why wait to destroy their nuclear capability as well?
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
How do you make the blue quote blocks here? n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Read the HTML guide
http://www.swordscrossed.org/htmlguide
<blockquote>A quote</blockquote>
gives
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Gonna need a bigger server now.
Pictures & video take a lot more bandwidth.
Not necessarily
Pictures and video (especially the latter) are usually linked-to from other websites. Embedding a youtube video doesn't cause the SC server to do anything but relay you the link.
Most of the processor power is being used on database lookups and the like. That will scale with the number of users the site has.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Thx. n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
LOL? Sometimes brilliant, sometimes...not.
I mean what can I say
?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
What not recognize break away states?
Georgia ends cease fire agreement
. (Assoc. Press)
So why is the option joining Russia in recognizing these independent states a non-starter?
I'd like to know what others think.
We recognized Kosovo. On the grounds of self determination, I see an argument for it.
All countries are equal
but some countries are more equal than others.
That's the only reason we don't.
I think we should recognize Taiwan, but then what do I know.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Sadly No! has a post about Sarah Palin that's fun to read.
To watch the progression of the post through the three updates is very funny & insightful.
Good final conclusion, even though we won't say those things here.
Whats so funny is, or sad we should say...
...is that is the kind, and quality, of information you absorb. And the source is about as lame as you can get.
Keep doing that though, the fear coming from you and people like that is palpable.
LOL! You made the stupid move, you should have chosen Hillary, you will lose this election! Ha Ha!!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Listen ...I'd appreciate it if you'd stop attacking people here.
It's OK to attack their ideas, their politic or their statements but you continually attack the people.
Cut it out....
Mind your own side of the street. n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Sarah Palin was a preference for a long time for the base...
You can see here
, a lot of conservatives 
were big fans 
of, and wanted JM to choose 
, Sarah Palin 
!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Well...
There is no doubt that Palin signifies a huge departure from previous GOP strategy. Her name isn't "Bush" or "Dole":
1976: Ford/Dole
1980: Reagan/Bush
1984: Reagan/Bush
1988: Bush/Quayle
1992: Bush/Quayle
1996: Dole/Kemp
2000: Bush/Cheney
2004: Bush/Cheney
I was still sure we'd see McCain/Jeb Bush or McCain/Liddy Dole.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
True, we learned not to run Dole...
...When the Bush family have won 5 general elections! ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
That makes for an interesting corollary
Republicans haven't won a Presidential election without a Bush on the ticket since 1972.
This dovetails nicely with the fact that the Democrats have only won the popular vote twice since 1944 (1964, 1976).
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Time will tell....
how well her nomination goes over.
I'm only half stupid
Fascinating article in the WSJ...
... a little lengthy, but worth the read
!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Interesting and quirky.
Some good points, some silly points. Some clarity from good focus, some murkiness from distractions and irrelevant tribalistic thinking.
This line says it all:
Which is why we libertarians always say we are at least consistent on many levels.
Individual freedom does not deserve to be harassed by societal pressures to fulfill someone else's grand vision.
Yes, you're right...
..it's more a stream of consciousness as opposed to a academic argument.
The premise is thought provoking in and of itself however.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
That you are
No argument here. I think the libertarian argument is unworkable, but at least consistent. While a free market (there's that word again) is the best way to start out, government intervention is required in markets that, by their definition aren't free or when markets become unfree. Think roads and infrastructure, natural monopolies, etc.
The biggest flaw in conservative thinking is that conservatives believe that the government is inefficient cumbersome so any domestic policy programs are doomed to failure. On the flip side, government magically knows exactly what it's doing and is to be trusted absolutely in foreign policy dealings. The latter has more to do with neo-conservative influence after 9/11. Lieberman is right that Democrats used to take the interventionist tack in foreign policy. Unfortunately for him, the liberal base no longer thinks in those terms.
The biggest flaw in liberal thinking is that increased regulation and intervention lends itself to people trying to use the regulation to their advantage. Intervention like this only works when the regulators and politicians are saints and are incorruptible. Liberalism works well when everyone agrees on what intervention is necessary and proper, but then again everything works out great when everyone agrees.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Staying away from "absolutes"...there's that word again....
I'm speaking about a general bias toward policies that lean in the libertarian direction. Nothing is pure and perfect but some countries are more libertarian than others in some ways (and the same countries can be less in other ways).
Again, absolutes are for theory. Real life is about relative degrees pro and con.
The consistency I speak of goes like this:
Support for true individual freedom leads to Free-er markets which lead to more choice, differentation and dynamism (good and bad). More of these qualities lead to more desires and different tastes. More desires, choices and tastes enhances individuality and social liberalization. It's harmonious. No regrets or contradictions when taken as a general stance.
OTOH, Conservatism and Modern Liberalism, when you look at the chain of events above, lead to results that run counter to one part of the agenda or inhibit results that are precursors to getting more acceptance and steam for other parts of the agenda.
In short, free-er markets and a more liberalized economy (as opposed to less of these) are symbiotic with social liberalism.
For conservatives, free-er markets threaten social conservatism and tradition and a sense of a unifying purpose or focus for society. IOW, so-cons would have an easier time if markets were more rigid and regulated and less dynamic.
For modern liberals, social liberalism and greater tolerance is enabled by free-er markets and the growth and choices it makes mainstream. IOW, less dynamism in the economy will encourage more rigid social norms and less tolerance for change.
(never wonder why poorer countries are more socially conservative, religious and traditional)
That's what I mean by consistency.
The other consistent group are economically populist social conservatives...my diametric opposite.
Inherent Irony in the article.
1: One best be a good Christian and make babies to fight the Muslim babies.
2: People thought natural resources would run out, they were all wrong, but the Muslims will take over the world and that prediction has legs to stand on.
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Iraq signs $3 billion oil deal with China
I guess that's why we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars and killed 4,150 American GI's
, so we could watch China get the oil.
Everyone hates the free market from time to time
After Mad Cow scares, Creekstone Farms Premium Beef decided they wanted to test all of their cattle for Mad Cow disease independently of the 1% the USDA by government mandate.
The testing kits are only available from the USDA and the USDA refuses to sell Creekstone enough kits to test all of their cattle. The USDA's position is that testing every cow would cause people to think that testing 1% isn't good enough, which would cause uncertainty as to the safety of domestic beef production. Large meat packers oppose Creekstone because they believe if Creekstone tests all their cattle, the rest of the meat packers will have to fall in line lest they lose business. This increased testing would cause them to raise prices, which they'd rather not do.
The case has come back from the appeals court after a preliminary win by Creekstone. The court ruled 2-1 for the USDA.
More here
by way of /. 
.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Gustav a Level 4 as it passes Cuba
Amazing
. Talk about bad luck.
If the levees don't hold again (they haven't been tested since being rebuilt), I wonder how many people are just going to give up and leave New Orleans for good?
Best wishes for those in Louisiana and the coast. I have a cousin in Biloxi, MS, but he can take care of himself (and has the means to just up and leave if need be). Others are not so lucky.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Poor Cuban's - They must be in bad shape...
...Of course I looked all over and the only place I could find good info was....Huffington Post.
I'm sure she just picked up the phone and called her darling old friend Fidel directly?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
A wee bit of good news
From the latest NOAA discussion
:
Still likely to be a major hurricane at landfall, but reduced strength is good.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
Here's to hoping
I read awhile back that the gulf is abnormally warm right now (just like it was during Katrina). Hopefully that won't cause the hurricane to intensify too much.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Uh, uh, and the times, uh, they are a, uh, uh, ...chang'in!
Sarah Palin - The New Face Of American Feminism!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Change......?
Hardly
Don't forget Alaska has newspapers where we can read things.
Sounds like more of the same to me.
I will grant you that for social conservatives this may seem like the new face of feminism, and I do admire Palin's grit, and her seeming raw political talent, but in the 21st Century do we really advocate reverting to 1940's as social progress?
There are other colorful stories relating to Palin, but I won't bother you with those details now.
Oh and just for the record, living in Alaska doesn't count as foreign policy experience just because it's next to Russia.
I'm only half stupid
Except...
...The only problem is that she’s got more experience in executive leadership than Obama does. In fact, she’s got more executive leadership experience than McCain, Obama, and Biden all put together, seeing as how none of them have ever run anything. She may be the most qualified out of the four to be president.
She had 5 years of executive experience when Obama was still a community organizer! LOL!
She's worked in government in an executive capacity for13 years! Since she was 31 yrs old, OK. So get over yourself. She will have plenty of talented people to bring her up to speed on any national issues she needs work on.
Polls show the Rep Ticket up by +2 45/47, and you guys just had 38 million watch your rock concert - I mean closing night of the convention!
And regardless, she has united conservatives and rallied the party, and that my dear is your real problem!
You wanna emphasize your #1's lack of exp, bring it on. You're better off desperately trying to convince democrats about Obama! LOL!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
As the CEO
of his own campaign, I'd say Obama's record on executive experience is excellent.
McCain the maverick bows to pressure from social conservatives.
Palin has scrubbed her hearty support of Ted Stevens from her web page. A reformist...... not.
I'm only half stupid
Miss L, that is lamentable...
...to think all you have to offer is your candidates experience as it relates to the campaign he's currently running?
Anything else falls under this.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
That Biden's turning out to be an interesting fellow...
Not only today did he seem to be fixated on how good looking Governor Palin is, he kept bringing it up in his stump comments today, but some interesting information about his history came up today as well.
Hmmmm...?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I thought of this before reading the football part.
I have friend from high school that got an honorable discharge from the military because he had asthma. Funny thing is, he never seemed to have any signs of asthma while being a 3x letter winner in football.
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Ya...I know..Then some other guys...never got that chance...n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Clearly
...his elitist father, the car salesman, must have called in some favors!
I presume you are equally skeptical of Cheney's deferments?
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
You keep saying that. Doesn't make it true. Palin was mayor
of a town of 8500 for 8 years. City Councilperson for a term before that and Govenor of Alaska for 20 months.
Barack Obama served more people as a state senator and has been a US Senator for 4 years.
Palin.....not as much executive experience as Barck Obama.
Obama served a district in Chicago...
...And that little district is as bad or worse off than it was before he took the job! NOTHINGS CHANGED, its still a sh*thole! Then he was elected to the US senate when he promised the constituency he would not run for POTUS, and even said he didn't have the experience, and of course he immediately ran for POTUS? He has been in the Senate less than 4 years and has been campaigning most of that time. It doesn't really matter anyway, cause he didn't author any legislation and votes present all the time anyway!
There is a BIG difference between running something, making decisions daily, hourly, and being a law maker sitting around in committees all the time, but again that doesn't matter either because even when he was given a committee, he did nothing, held no oversight, and was a complete failure to the people of the US in that regard especially!
He is completely unqualified to be a POTUS!
And Kindness, everything I said is TRUE, like it or not.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I have a rock that stops Tigers from attacking Springfield
Possible Post hoc...
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Huh? n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
post hoc
post hoc
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Please explain why my post is potentially that? n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Certainly
You have not proven that Obama was the cause of the district continuing to be poor. There is a good chance that the district would still be poor regardless of who was the representative.
There are many Republicans in the Appalachian region who represent poor districts, but no one would seriously claim it is the representative's fault the people are still poor there.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Is Biden a drinker? Cause...
...he sure sounds like one here. If you had any concerns about how Sarah Palin will stack up against Joe Biden as a campaigner, perhaps this might help answer it.
Watch as Biden slurs his words and struggles to articulate coherent dialog? Then he offers some weird version of his childhood in...all together now... "Scranton" In general he just comes across a like a buffoon?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Rove on VP Credentials
Classic Rove, on VP finalist Kaine:
Just a few points--Richmond had 200,000 people in it when Kaine was there. Palin presided over a whopping 8,500 and Alaska 600,000. Of course, Rove will provide a great deal of support and reason why Palin is not like Kaine.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
They're not the same, Palin isn't like Kaine at all
Kaine is like a Queen song and Palin is like a completely unique Vanilla Ice song
To quote Vanilla Ice:
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
LOL, everyones so scared of the little lady from Alaska... n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Nah, not scared...
Just strangely reminded of 2004 where Democrats got all happy when Edwards joined the ticket. I think Palin will fizzle when the debates move to the national stage--remember how Fred! Thompson was supposed to blow the field away with his conservative pedigree. I just hope there is no over-reaching in the attacks and low-expectation setting during the Veep debate. This is still Obama V. McCain.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
I am welcoming the debates with open arms! n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Factcheck.org vidcast
For those of you like me who like Factcheck.org
, I thought I might suggest their "vidcast". You can check it out at YouTube 
, via RSS, et al.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
I get a mention
by Tyler Cowen
for a post I made at the liberal Economist's View.
I guess I'm "wiser" than I thought. ;)
How fun!
You're famous!
I'm only half stupid
Congrats, and while we're sharing...
I got all excited when Bruce Schneier
replied to an email of mine. Being someone who's well-versed in cryptography, this was an exciting event.
I also got a tip of the hat
from ballot access law expert Richard Winger a few days ago for bringing to his attention a gentleman from the Cleveland area who did a decent job collecting signatures. I didn't bring it up here because the SC crowd doesn't have the same interest in minor party/independent politics that I do.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
We're all diamonds in the rough
in our little niches.
;)
I have been published in USA today
letters to the editor.
Also the Rocky Mtn. News.
I was cited on Media Matters for Colorado for my call with a conservative radio host re: the Iraq War.
I have also spoken with David Rufkin (Bush/Cheney lawyer), John Cornyn (R) of Texas, the cheif editor of the Washington Times and Brian Lamb, on the morning call in of CSpan.
I'm only half stupid
Someone else watches CSPAN?
Oh if only you weren't married! ;-)
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
I love CSpan
I am pissed that I don't get CSpan 3. They have some great historical biographies.
You Really can get an education by watching the TeeVee!
I'm only half stupid
A True Story
The cynics said it couldn't be done.
Just one man's story.
I was at my friend's house Friday morning. He is a blue collar worker who had a stroke. This proud man has had to accept being partially disabled which has been very difficult for someone who used to do the work of three men in a day. He is enormously cynical about government to the point that he curses every time he has to buy a stamp. He can't stand John McCain cause his wife sold out the all American Budweiser. He also didn't like Obama whom he called the n-word.
On Friday morning I pulled into his driveway and noticed he had stuck his American flag in his gate outside. Why? He heard Obama's speech! He was so moved that someone had finally articulated his feelings about what America has become, what it used to be, and what it is now and that someone is out there that will stand up for him! This proud man could not stop crying as he declared that's the man I am voting for.
I was frankly speechless! I couldn't believe that Obama's speech had made a convert out of my blue collar friend. So 'Yes We Can', Obama made the connection.
I asked him his opinion on Palin yesterday, and his answer was she's connected to the oil industry and McCain is just using her.
I am sure the cynics will cry foul of my story. But it is true. It is real. It is one man's journey.
All the hoopla McCain has created trying to grab the headlines, isn't going to change the emotional connection that inspired my friend to get his flag and his walker and go out into the night to plant his flag on his gate, because he was so inspired by Obama's speech, just words!
I'm only half stupid
The new Jib Jab video
and not a moment too soon.
check it out
.
"It's time for some campaignin'"
FUNNY! n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Give me a 'P', an 'A', a 'L' 'I' 'N' ...PALIN!!!!!!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman