Wednesday & Thursday Open Thread
Wednesday: No time for stories, Dr. Jones! Time to head off to work for your friendly OT poster.
Thursday: Who isn't enjoying this weather? I woke up to -19C temps this morning (-2.2 for you archaic Fahrenheiters) and Franklin county is in a level-1 snow emergency.
However I still have to go to work. And since yesterday it took me an hour to get home, I need to leave extra early today.
Submitted by stinerman on Wed, 2009-01-14 07:22
Tags:
Comments :
Obama's open letter to his daughters
www.parade.com/news/2009/01/barack-obama-letter-to-my-daughters.html
Fans will find it to be inspirational.
Enemies will find it to be cheesy.
I survived the Bush Administration
PURE...
Vieux Boulogne!
If you know
what I mean... ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
It'll be real interesting to see how pissy Specter gets with
Eric Holder tomorrow.
Honestly I don't mind the questions. What sticks in my craw is the attitude he's throwing off after multiple high officials brought before him for the last 8 years that essentially told him to go Cheney himself.
I don't know why I expected more out of him though. I mean, he is pseudo moderate but lately his kvetching seems so ingenuine, so manufactured. And why carry Rove's water anyhow? What's up with that?
Setting the "good liberal" bar...
...just a little high these days, aren't we?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Naaa. Expectations, that's all.
Specter did the same thing with Clinton. Moralized about his adultery & then voted against impeachment. Go figure.
I think Miss L below is right. He likes the sound of his own sound bites.
He always does that
He will sound reasonable and you think he is going to vote one way, and he votes totally the opposite! Strange.
I'm only half stupid
Specter as in Arlen
wants the attention. He wants to be seen as a very important Senator with a lot of clout.
He often sounds fair, but when it comes time to act on his own words, he finds a reason to switch positions.
I'm only half stupid
I like this
After dining with Obama Larry Kudlow offers his first impression.
Kudlow:
"INTERESTING THING. THIS IS JUST GENERALLY SPEAKING, HE IS SO WELL-INFORMED, AND HE LOVES TO DEAL WITH BOTH SIDES OF AN ISSUE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO DIVULGE WHAT WAS SAID THERE AND I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO ANY OF THE SPECIFICS, BUT HE ENJOYS THE BACK AND FORTH, AND HE IS NOT, YOU KNOW, TOUGH, MEAN, INSULTING, SNARLING, NONE OF THAT STUFF, AND WE WEREN'T EITHER.
THIS WAS A GOOD CONSERVATIVE GROUP AND WE JUST HAD A GREAT BACK AND FORTH, AND HE WANTS TO KEEP THE DIALOGUE GOING WITH CONSERVATIVES. I WOULD SAY I AM HONORED TO BE AT THAT DINNER. I WAS HONORED TO MEET HIM.
HE IS A VERY IMPRESSIVE MAN, AND I WISH HIM ALL THE LUCK IN THE WORLD BECAUSE WE'VE GOT SOME ISSUES TO DEAL WITH."
(Did the blockquote thingy disappear?)
I'm only half stupid
Same could of been said of Nixon....
...-5.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Nixon was undeniably smart
unfortunately he was also paranoid and prone to illegal activities to maintain hs personal power and prestige. We'll have to wait and see if Obama has any similar weaknesses. (yes, yes, I know you think it is already established)
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
It is a shame
that Nixon was so paranoid. He was really quite brilliant, and had a lot of good ideas.
I'm only half stupid
You know RW
This is Larry Kudlow, the free market king, at least recognizing that Obama is our President, and showing him some respect, something you seem completely incapable of.
I'm only half stupid
I will cop to that...
...so far I have seen nothing to convince me that Barack Obama is anything more than a double talking BS artist.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I also like this
from Andrew Sullivan who attended the liberal get together the next day.
"Lots of emails from readers asking about the chat with the president-elect this morning. It was totally off the record and I'm a stickler for those rules. I can say, however, the following: it's hard to express the relief I feel that this man will be the president soon. I realize that's what I feel above all else: relief.
I may disagree with him at times, and criticize him at times, but his great gift is showing that he does not expect people to change their convictions in order to find common areas of agreement. That's the challenge he's presenting all of us with, wherever we come from ideologically. The challenge is as real for a Krugman as for a Kristol, for Rick Warren as well as Gene Robinson."
I'm only half stupid
Andrew Sullivan - Liberal get together...no surprise.
n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
You are kidding right.....?
There are a lot of folks on the left who are raking Obama over the coals, cause they don't think he is liberal enough!
I'm only half stupid
Those Obama folks...you have to hand it to them...
Congrats on electing your man...Despite their peculiar obsession with a woman...Sarah Palin
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Oh please
It's not Obama voters that are ignorant and/or uninformed, it's American voters!
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
In fact
in my humble opinion, the GOP strategy has capitalized on the assumption that a large segment of the voters are stupid/ignorant/uninformed. No wonder they have been trying to underfund education! It helps keep them in power. ;=)
I'm only half stupid
I would agree with that...
n/t
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
The makers are video didn't make a good faith effort...
...at finding the most informed voters. They just interviewed literally "dozens" of people in one small area that the producers of that movie handpicked.
From the Youtube channel
One of the "most informed" voters didn't even watch the news media, how can one being trying to examine the "bias" of the media, if they don't pick people that are paying attention to what is going on?
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
In five days you'll have a choice to make, Red_Wing
As we've been told over and over for the past 7 years by people of your political persuasion:
"Criticizing the President during a time of war is anti-patriotic."
You're either with Obama, or you're with the terrorists. Make a choice.
(tee hee)
I survived the Bush Administration
Exactly
We cannot embolden the terrorist by making them think we are a house divided.
Killing kids fathers doesn't produce terrorist.
Criticizing the POTUS does.
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
The terrorists are all Obama supporters/endorsers....
...so I am comfortable opposing them both thank you very much.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Why do you hate America?
Sad.....
;-)
I survived the Bush Administration
How funny you think that...or not.
Let's see, I oppose those whom would love nothing more than to see America come unglued, and those people support Obama, for the very same reasons I oppose him, and somehow in your menial little liberal mind "I" am the one that "hates America"? ...LOL!
So the following is "YOUR" definition of what you think is representitive of America;
The M.A.S.
Castro
Communist Party of USA
G. Soros
C.C.D.S.
The likes of Ayers, Davidson, Hayden, and Klonsky
Farakhan
G. Galloway
HAMAS
Michael Moore
Black Panthers
D.S.A.
Daniel Ortega
M. Qadhafi
Etc., etc., etc.
Well, if so PM...
..then you are 100% correct, and like those Americans before me, I will oppose it with my life if need be.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
You are fun
Obviously these are your convictions, strongly held. It is just a perfect copy of right wing talking points. As if groups with different view points are a threat to our country. Should we do 'group think', to satisfy you? Maybe you could hypnotize everyone to think like you do.
You would seriously oppose George Soros until you were dead?! That's wild.
I'm only half stupid
You shouldn't have to hypnotize the American...
...people to fight against communism, or anti-American radicals Miss L.
That's the "funny" part in this whole thing, that you are the one who doesn't get it.
You think communism it dead, or we should not worry about it anymore, a popular liberal aphorism nowadays, but keep your eye on a little ex KGB henchman named Vlad who has other means in mind to justify a different end for you my mushy minded friend.
So yes, I will fight terrorists both foreign and domestic.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Sheesh
talk about conspiracy theories. Greenspan shared your fear. He the brilliant engineer of unregulated free market wealth creation as an anti-dote to communism. If men pursue $$$ for self interest communism will never exist again. Now all nations that followed his idealogy are being forced to nationalize their banks or go bankrupt. The worst case, was Iceland, touted by free marketeers as a raging success of their philosophy. Ironically, after Icelands economy went totally bust, it was bailed out or bought by Russia.
I think you are being a bit too extreme in your fears and looking to extremes as examples to verify your preconceived ideas.
I'm only half stupid
Everything comes back to the evils of capitalism...
...with you...unbelievable.
The free markets built the world as you know it.
Russian investments in Iceland are a direct result of their participation in the very idea that brought their former ideology to an end.
And just to keep you real - please remember...Greenspan, the Republicans in congress, and the Bush Administration itself - all called for stricter regulation over the GSE's, the very provocateurs of this whole mess, and it was your beloved liberals in congress that killed it...FOR YEARS - TIME AFTER TIME!
The fact that you find my position off the mark, is a pretty good indication to me ...that it is not.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Really........?
The free markets built the world as I know it......???
I thought that the GI Bill provided my Dad with an education that served him well as a provider.
I appreciate the health care he has received through his benefit package, that allowed us to visit the doctor without it becoming an undue monetary burden.
I very much appreciated my public education, that included art, music and PE.
My life was saved by the traffic lights paid for with shared tax dollars.
All of these things are a part of the city I grew up in, and were provided for by taxes, or what you like to call 'communism'.
In your world I would have to pay a fee every time I went through a traffic light, because why should folks who don't use the traffic light have to pay for it.....! The horrors.
I'm only half stupid
Really........?
The free markets built the world as I know it......???
I thought that the GI Bill provided my Dad with an education that served him well as a provider.
I appreciate the health care he has received through his benefit package, that allowed us to visit the doctor without it becoming an undue monetary burden.
I very much appreciated my public education, that included art, music and PE.
My life was saved by the traffic lights paid for with shared tax dollars.
All of these things are a part of the city I grew up in, and were provided for by taxes, or what you like to call 'communism'.
In your world I would have to pay a fee every time I went through a traffic light, because why should folks who don't use the traffic light have to pay for it.....! The horrors.
I'm only half stupid
You are clearly delusional...
I thought that the GI Bill provided my Dad with an education that served him well as a provider.
As a result of maintaining a strong military to defend America and the free market?
I appreciate the health care he has received through his benefit package, that allowed us to visit the doctor without it becoming an undue monetary burden.
You mean the benefit package that was a benefit of that For Profit corporation he worked for that is a mainstay of Capitalism.
I very much appreciated my public education, that included art, music and PE.
Education is a given, I just think in America it should be a local control thing, you like the sugar daddy approach.
My life was saved by the traffic lights paid for with shared tax dollars.
I think that is a great result of capitalism in action, streetlights are a good thing.
All of these things are a part of the city I grew up in, and were provided for by taxes, or what you like to call 'communism'.
No schizoid, I think prudent taxation is a necessary part of maintaining the nation.
In your world I would have to pay a fee every time I went through a traffic light, because why should folks who don't use the traffic light have to pay for it.....! The horrors.
More hyperbole already answered abve.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
What pays for the traffic lights?
Taxes.......!!!! So you are saying taxes = capitalism? Interesting.
Obviously you need to have a sit down with Joe the Plumber so he can straighten you out! ;-)
The hyperbole from the right that drives me nuts...... is the simple minded notion that all taxes are the evil 'spreading the wealth', (code for communism/socialism) It's an easy sell to John No IQ Public.
I'm only half stupid
Your histrionics are amusing...
No, but I am saying tax revenues are a byproduct of capitalism.
Capitalism is the genesis for your beloved tax - it - so - you - can - spend - it pool of dollars.
Nobody I have read, or see here, or anywhere else for that matter is even remotely approaching the level of tax paroxysm you have managed to manifest in your wild liberal imagination.
I simply advocate a small efficient constitutional federal government, which does not include things like the IRS, I would suggest a flat tax as an alternative, because, of course we need fair and reasonable taxation in this country.
So please abandon this voluntary convulsion you conjure up every time the word tax is uttered.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Just a simple question....
pointing out the inconsistencies in your argument. I know that makes you hysterical! :)
If I am not mistaken the countries income was originally derived from tariffs on imports.
Tax revenues are a by product of war, aren't they?
After WWll we needed high taxes to help pay for the college education of those who served.
Spending is investment, when it is done sensibly.
I'm only half stupid
Oh Miss L....You...want to point out ...my...inconsistantcies?
Thats a good one...
If I am not mistaken the countries income was originally derived from tariffs on imports.
Yes, you are, as so often is the case, mistaken.
While the Federal Government was limited to it's lawful and proper role it had modest needs for income, as such it could obtain sufficient revenues by imposing excise taxes, tariffs, and customs duties.
Tax revenues are a by product of war, aren't they?
Um, sorry no.
Because the states bore many of their constitutional rights, they also had a modest need for revenues as well, and they imposed a variety of different strategies to generate them. For instance the southern colonies primarily taxed imports and exports, the middle colonies at times imposed a property tax and a "head" or poll tax, and the New England colonies raised revenue primarily through general real estate taxes, excise taxes, and taxes based on occupation.
After WWll we needed high taxes to help pay for the college education of those who served.
No for the 3rd time.
We needed to pay for the war, and we rebuilt Germany and Japan.
Your darling GI Bill, that you have somehow decided is a classic case of America practicing Socialism, was as I said several times before, a prudent benefit for those service members, and not a significant burden, even the revolutionary volunteers received pensions Miss L.
Spending is investment, when it is done sensibly.
Ah ha.... LOL! The Obama Administration Mantra...
And I just checked you profile for a hoot, and it says you are....a Anarchist/Democrat...LOL! Aren't those two things mutually exclusive of one another...LOL! I mean one wants Big Government, and one wants no Government at all....No wonder you're so flummoxed.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Dang!
From the way you started out, I thought this was going to be a love letter, "Oh Miss L..." (kidding)
I will just take your word for it on the way the baby nation drew revenue. (though I am sure you have some of it wrong)
Spending IS investment. Using credit to spend is investment, to a point.
We passed that point a while back, when banks merged into a supermarket of products for investment.
I don't want big government. I want an effective government. I don't believe we need a thousand petty laws that become so obtuse that they are meaningless.
It is not effective government to pay folks to write papers on how to operate FEMA, but when the rubber hits the road, they hire private contractors to 'save money' that can't even deliver bottled water, because no one is in charge.
I'm only half stupid
We're just in the courting phase...
...the love letters come later, after I bring out the real American that has gotten lost and is buried deep down inside you... ;-)
As far as the history of the country, check here
.
I disagree about your spending = Investment concept. ESPECIALLY when it comes to government spending, which has a fairly abysmal record in that regard.
I understand what you are trying to say, spending can be dollars alloted to an asset that appreciates, or creates growth...but it seems more often than not when you equate the federal government and the word spending, it most often results in a quite different result.
Take this B of A deal
for instance. They bought SL at a fire sale, they determined it to be a wise "investment". Now they are asking for a $20B Federal handout claiming it suffered losses due to the buyout? The Fed will now big the largest shareholder of B of A stock!
I mean WTF! When do we say enough is enough? Why are the taxpayers paying for a private company's red entries on it's balance sheet?
We need to let it sort itself out. Save our money and as such invest in ourselves.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I count 4 Americans
Some of those groups or people I have no idea who they are. They obviously aren't powerful if I haven't heard of them. Who is the MAS or the CCDS? Who is Klonsky? You're totally overestimating the power these people pull. How many people do you think Bill Ayers could get to overthrow the government today if he really wanted to? I'd bet less than 50.
I really wish there was a way for conservatives to be transplanted into a full-on communist system (and for liberals to experience free-market paradise) so they could get some bearings. We are nowhere near even happy-go-lucky Scandanavian socialism, much less the second coming of the USSR. This is still the most liberal (in terms of liberty) western government and it will be for the foreseeable future even if the Democrats run Dennis Kucinich/Pete Stark and win.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
So what kind of reaction is that?
(Take a hit)
Hey man...chill out bro
(take a hit)
those jokers are small fish, they won't hurt anyone
(exhale with satifaction).
Everythings groovy...
?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Just pushing your buttons.... mostly....
The bottom line is... the American people elected Obama. In 3 days, he's our President.
Using right-wing "logic" that has been thrown at us for 7 years, opposing the President during a time of war is unpatriotic.
That's what YOUR side has parroted for 7 years. Are you going to follow that logic now?
Are we still "at war"? Yes, according to your definitions the past 7 years.
Is Obama the President? In three days, the answer is yes.
Therefore, using the logic of the political right, anyone opposing Obama as of 12:01pm on January 20th is unpatriotic.
You either have the courage of your convictions or you're a hypocrit.
If you openly criticize Obama after Tuesday, you're a hypocrit.
Now.. to be clear... I don't agree with the faulty logic that says that opposition to the President during wartime equals treason.
But these are "rules" the right has laid down over the past 7 years. Is it too much to expect those on the right to abide by their own dictums?
By the way... not a single one of those on your list has been endorsed by Obama or is part of his administration in any capacity whatsoever. You can't control who endorses you, only who (and what ideas) you endorse.
Also... please provide evidence of Obama seeking the advice or utilizing those individuals and groups you listed in ANY way at all.
Leaders of al Qaida openly called for McCain's election... that does not mean that McCain supports their world view at all.
You're smart enough to understand that:
Qadhafi endorsing Obama does not equal Obama endorsing Qadhafi.
I survived the Bush Administration
Bah...
1st - You are WAY over playing the criticize the POTUS card, I mean GW has had to of been one of the most heavily criticized POTUS'.
2nd - You are kind of pigeon holing everyone who ever had a conservative thought with those who may have made the above claims, aren't you? I have been very critical of GW, both positively in a general sense, and negatively on any number of topics I found him quite lacking.
3rd - The claim that Obama is politically astute enough to dispose of the kinds of people who endorsed him so they don't matter is not logical, the whole point is that these are the types of people and org's who find solace in his Presidency. So it is at the very least somewhat revealing.
4th - Al Queda's supposed endorsement of McCain was bogus, come on, you are smart enough to realize that. Al Queda - supporting McCain - you have to be pretty gullable to buy into that one. ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Answers
1st - Yes... I was overplaying it using extreme hyperbole. To demonstrate a point. One that is apparently lost on you.
2nd - You have been critical of Bush the last couple of years... but during the run up and initial part of the war... 2002 to 2004.... criticism of Bush was very rare from anyone on the right. It wasn't until Harriet Miers and the Immigration stuff in 2005 that conservatives started to criticize the guy.
3rd - Again... please show evidence where Obama has sought the advice, or hired, anyone like the persons on your list. That's a strawman argument. "Qadhafi endorses Obama... THEREFORE Obama thinks like Qadhafi!" You're smarter than that.
4th - Al Qaida's endorsement of McCain was real... and it was real for one very prominent reason....
80% of the planet came to hate the United States over the past 8 years. When there is that much anti-American sentiment, terrorist recruiting efforts are easy. Bush was the face they put on that hatred, and McCain would have been an easier sell for them.
Al Qaida saw this... they realize that Bush was the best recruiter they ever had.
And you saying "Al Qaida's endorsement of McCain was bogus" is not based on any facts. The FACT of the matter is that prominent Al Qaida leaders publicly endorsed McCain.... their motives were not that they support McCain's positions... but that McCain's election would be good for their business.
...and it would have been.
I survived the Bush Administration
Ahh...you liberals....
1st - Yes... I was overplaying it using extreme hyperbole. To demonstrate a point. One that is apparently lost on you.
Apparently?
2nd - You have been critical of Bush the last couple of years... but during the run up and initial part of the war... 2002 to 2004.... criticism of Bush was very rare from anyone on the right. It wasn't until Harriet Miers and the Immigration stuff in 2005 that conservatives started to criticize the guy.
I supported "the guy" when he responded to the WTC bombing in an aggressive fashion, so aside from his failed domestic policies, in many Americans eyes PM, he had done a reasonably good job as POTUS to that point.
3rd - Again... please show evidence where Obama has sought the advice, or hired, anyone like the persons on your list. That's a strawman argument. "Qadhafi endorses Obama... THEREFORE Obama thinks like Qadhafi!" You're smarter than that.
I believe I explained that as clearly as I could in my previous post, to delve in it any farther would only be an excercise in repitition.
4th - Al Qaida's endorsement of McCain was real... and it was real for one very prominent reason....
80% of the planet came to hate the United States over the past 8 years. When there is that much anti-American sentiment, terrorist recruiting efforts are easy. Bush was the face they put on that hatred, and McCain would have been an easier sell for them.
Al Qaida saw this... they realize that Bush was the best recruiter they ever had.
And you saying "Al Qaida's endorsement of McCain was bogus" is not based on any facts. The FACT of the matter is that prominent Al Qaida leaders publicly endorsed McCain.... their motives were not that they support McCain's positions... but that McCain's election would be good for their business.
...and it would have been.
Naw, what you fail to acknowledge is Al Queda has been desimated, there asses have been beat into the sand, the leaders you attribute status too were newly appointed, because we have killed the great majority of Al Queda leaders before them, and with a McCain Administration they would have likely been virtually extinct. They would have payed a dear price as he would have hunted them down and finished the deal. No Al Queda member on the planet wanted John Sydney McCain, they were the happiest terorrists on earth, and granted all the terrorists were pretty joyess, but Al Queda in particular certainly was when Barack Hussein Obama was elected POTUS.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Only problem is that your starting is a strawman
while some of the criticism of the President during wartime, I'm was considered unpatriotic, ( calling for him to be sent to the hague perhaps.) I doubt hardly anybody argued that all criticizing the president was unpatriotic, as a matter of fact you will find the vocal right was quite critical of Bush itself.
Here is a little food for though from RS....
Will Left Accept That They Were Wrong About Bush?
"We all heard it repeatedly over at least the last 5 years. The moonbat conspiracy theory that Bush would “suspend the Constitution” and declare himself permanent president appeared all over the place; Internet, TV, radio, and newspapers and magazines alike. The slobbering left from Washington to California, Texas to Illinois and in every corner of the Earth was sure the evil Bushhitler would never give up power.
Why, he was at the same time the dumbest man to ever trod the earf and the most evil, machiavellian schemer that concocted the most intricate web of conspiratorial power grabs in the history of mankind. Only the Bushhitler could be both dumb and smart like that the leftists assured us.
Yet, here we are only days from the Inauguration of Barack Obama, a man that couldn’t be farther from the sort of image of a president strong on national defense and interested in rooting out and destroying Islamic terror that were the hallmark traits of George W. Bush. We stand here watching Bush kindly say his goodbyes and we see George W. Bush stepping down like every American president before him (well, except the ones that died in office, of course). Even Darth Cheney is packing up for his last ride into the sunset."
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Repeatedly? Where?
I only ever saw that kind of thing on the most left wing sites and even then usually from the most left wing elements. Can you find me any instances of movers and shakers on the left (even the online left) saying any such thing?
In fact most of the examples I can find are actually *reports* of a wacked out neocon "philosopher" asking Bush to take permanent power through a coup d'etat. Example:
http://stewart-rhodes.blogspot.com/2007/08/neocon-philosopher-wants-bush...
You can't blame the left for that.
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
Well, did you read the whole article?
"Yes, even as late as June
the Moonbats and idiotti of the left were claiming that Bush would suspend the Constitution and steal Barack’s office. Gullible dimwits commenting on the entry in The New York Times’ Caucus Blog 
were just this week claiming that Bush was about to “declare marshall law” in a desperate attempt to stay in the White House. Only nine months ago, nimrods on Yahoo Answers 
had their panties in a twist that Bush would “stay in office by declaring martial law on 1/20/09.” Freaks and geeks on message boards 
were a’twitter over the fear of a Bushhitler coup. Only a year ago, the nutballs at Wired magazine 
were wearing sack cloth and gnashing teeth over the faux possibility. And don’t get me started on the extremists of Newsvine 
, the commies at CommonDreams.org 
, and…. well, you get the picture."
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Let's see
First link is a site called now public and an author called Paschen. Never heard of either.
Second link is to a couple anonymous posters on a blog. One phrased it in an ambiguous way that might or might not have been a joke and the other one I saw said that some people probably think bush will declare martial law even though the poster claimed not to believe it themselves.
Third link... oh well obviously anonymous comments on Yahoo Answers are a very real way to gauge the views of the left. SRSLY!
Direct quote from the main diary of the fourth link: "EDIT: I've read some claims by conspiracy theorists that Bush might use some terrorist act + this executive order to refuse to leave office when he should on January 20, 2009. Sounds extreme to me."
(where the hell is the blockquote function gone to?)
In fact if you read the fourth link you get one guy saying maybe it could happen and four others saying no it wouldn't.
Fifth link: "Despite the president's occasional contempt for the law, THREAT LEVEL doesn't believe that he's going to declare a state of emergency and cancel the 2008 election."
Sixth link is legitimately a whacko but again nobody I've ever heard of writing on a site I've never seen.
The seventh link is the only legitimate one (i.e. actually says what it is claimed to say and comes from people that can be daid to have some influence on the left). So that's one. Which still fails the qualification of "repeatedly."
What happened is WTH wanted to write a story and he wasn't going to let a little thing like its total disconnect from reality get in his way.
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
I don't know, you may be correct....
...but there are a lot of people I don't know on the internet, doesn't make them right or wrong, you seem to discount the fact that it's out there because you haven't "heard" of them?
And it seems as though he didn't have much trouble coming across the topic out in the blogosphere on all sorts of internet mediums... ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
If it's on the internet, it must be true
There were right-wingers worrying about Clinton and martial law
in '99, too. Same old same old. Wash, rinse, repeat.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I am sorry but....
...I hardly think liberal hysteria around Bush, and any concerns about Clinton on behalf of the Right, are equatable.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Ha ha ha
Clinton was impeached for something that had nothing to do with his functioning as President. Bush has quite arguably committed war crimes and he may very well never even be investigated. So, no, they are not at all equatable. I completely agree!
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
WOW! Thats amazing!
Here's a guy who, was at the least guilty of an egregious offense of sexual harassment, (or is sex in the workplace ok if the woman acquiesces?) who rightly or wrongly committed adultery, and who did that in THE OVAL OFFICE, and then he really F'd it all up because he was man enough to cum on her shirt, but not man enough to admit it, and he lied about it under oath...
He should have been impeached.
And if GW ever is found guilty of some wrongdoing, he should suffer the consequenses.
But, just because you don't agree with the war in Iraq...you think you have the right to imply some similarity?
GW has, as far as we know, arose every day and gone to work, and done his duty as POTUS to the best of his ability, whether you like him or not.
Sad, the liberal mind is evidently so viscus.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Bless his heart
The term "best of his ability" and other statements seems to be an implicit indictment on Bush not knowing that techniques used to illicit false confessions are a bad idea to try to illicit the truth.
Clinton very well could have been trying to be a good husband to the best of his ability.
Were you implying that all sexual relations in the workplace is sexual harassment?
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Total nonesense...
...and a general disregard for the objective intent of my post.
WATER BOARDING; I know of 3 cases, all 3 produced significant intelligence in a post 9/11 world, and led to substantial progress on the war on terror.
...How will we go anywhere if the dialogue is reduced to this....
...Furthermore, it would be nice if a conservative and liberal could start and finish a thread w/o having to answer to umpty dumpy numbers of liberal geniuses!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Water boarding
So if it worked (which I do not accept as fact, by the way) it is legal? And let's not just confine this to waterboarding. Many of the other techniques used can and are considered torture by reasonable people
.
This has nothing to do with my feelings on the war in Iraq. And you, as an objective human being, should be able to put aside your feelings on the war in Iraq and look at this as a separate issue: the U.S. has engaged in torture, and the president authorized it. I honestly don't understand how anyone cannot be disgusted by this, let alone defend it. Especially someone like yourself who is all about traditional American values.
And as for the liberal "piling on" issue, that's always going to happen when the topic is something that is of interest to many. I always look on these threads as group discussions, and I most enjoy the ones that involve multiple people and multiple points of view. Yet more reason why a few more conservatives would be a welcome addition. I encourage conservative piling on as well! I think viewing this as a group discussion also tends to keep the tone more civil. I'm not just speaking to you, I'm speaking to you in front of a crowd who can jump in at any moment.
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
I agree SL...
It is a group, and a good group, but when one seeks out some minutia of headway with person A, then person B comes in with a different tack, so person A chimes in with B, then C remembers a case when....
...you know what I mean.
LOL!
Seriously, this is not a major issue, however, there is definately a case or two in particular where I would like to drill down to the root and expose some faulty logic, and it would behoove the group to let them stand on their own merit and own their own pieces, but inevitably it seems - often just when we may be at the precipice of making that happen - other liberals sense the peril and will come in to rescue their endangered comrade. ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Movietone News is back in business?
n/t
In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
If you recall
He was impeached for lying under oath, not adultery (or at least, that's the official line). He shouldn't be having sex in his office, but I don't think that's a high crime or misdemeanor.
I still support his impeachment and would have voted to remove him from office because he did lie under oath. However, this doesn't mean all that much, because I'd have impeached Reagan, Ford, Nixon, and probably Carter and H.W. Bush as well. I'm sure they did something that I'd consider a high crime or misdemeanor.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Heh!
It's incredible that people can be so totally ignorant. It's laughably sad.
Funny how some seemingly otherwise normal individuals...
...are unable to see that... ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!
A Ricardo Montalban tribute.
Montalban mostly made forgettable cheesy TV (Fantasy Island, etc.) but he was also a major force in making hollywood more responsive to latinos. And he played the single best movie villain of all time.
I think he was a man of great talent who was terribly underused due to his race but was decent enoughto do his part to help others avoid the same fate. Vaya con Dios, Montalban.
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
I still remember the Chrysler Volare commercials...
Ahhh...the CORINTHIAN LEATHER...
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I believe it was
Rich Corinthian Leather :)
Actually accoriding to this it is "soft Corinthian leather."
I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
PELOSI PROPOSES $825 BILLION OF STIMULOUS!!!!
Has she lost her F^@k!ng mind
?
Republican Boener - "OMG
"
Let the democratic led constitutional holocaust begin.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Yeah but...
$275B of that is tax cuts - that's supposed to make you guys happy, isn't it? :)
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
'CREATIVE' INVESTMENT CDO's BURNS 58 TRILLION
That is the conservative estimate of the leveraged high risk toxic assets that were spread around the world as creative investment vehicles. So you can see that a mere trillion is nothing by comparison.
If the watchers had been watching and the checkers had been checking, as in the the SEC and the Ratings Agencies we wouldn't be in this gawd awful mess.
I'm only half stupid
I liked this....
...What do you guys think of it
?
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
$825 Billion Stimulus...
Well considering how royally screwed we are either way, they better hope things work out. We can talk about shrinking government and giving out corporate business taxes, but if people don't have any trust then it won't matter how much you try to convince them it will/won't work. You can theorie about how giving business Tax cuts to Bank of America, the Big Three, Citigroup, etc will help pull us out of this, but the smartest business minds got a little too arrogant ignoring this crisis. and now people don't trust them anymore. As for Boehner:
Really?! We've been talking about this package for how long now? Please don't fall for Boehner's Valley Girl "shock." when it was $775 billion, he was talking about being cautious and how we need to proceed carefully, but it gets raised a bit (which he KNEW would happen) and he's shocked. Whatever. Pile on Congress. Let's shoot for an even trillion.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
Oh really...So Charles, where's the ...
...first 350 BILLION we spent?
Un-frick'in-accounted for...thats where.
So ya, I am against spending any more, at least until we know where it is going, with specifics, and without pork!
To say 100BILLION DOLLARS is going to TARP is unacceptable, because so far TARP has just been a giant black money hole!
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
I Can't Believe You!
There's NO reason in the world you and I should be agreeing right now. It's preposterous that I don't disagree with anything you just said! Unbelievable! Right-winger! Ahhhh!
No seriously bruh, we're on the same page here. There needs to be accountablity, as I don't like any of the bailouts we've had. I just think it's weird that suddenly old dude has "gotten shocked." I probably would've gotten angry right around the time when companies started taking the money and telling people that they won't reveal how it was being spent.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
I'm actually far less "right wing" then you may think...
...but I do believe in the constitution, a small federal government, and a return of states rights.
I also believe in preserving the environment, repealing drug laws, and the 16th amendment, as well as closing the Fed, and the DOE just to name a few. ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Honestly, I don't think You're right wing at all..
I don't apply those kinda of labels. It was my apparently poor attempt at humor I guess. From my guesses, though, you probably just play a staunch conservative on the Internet. You'll probably discover that on many of the issues, we're a lot closer ideologically than you think.
* Gives Red Wing a Coca-Cola*
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
LOL...ya I guess...thats pretty close to where it goes usually..
...I am feeling like an old Joe Walsh song around here sometimes...
"My friends have all changed - I'm still the same."
Translation is - I have always had these Moderate Traditional positions, and been a bit of a constitutional adherent, but now days it seems the liberals have gone berserk?
LOL... ;-)
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
And speaking of the money hole..
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/in_the_know_should_the_government
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
Here's a clue.....
The banks don't have liquidity or capital. The Credit Default Swaps on their books are worth $00.00
You can't fix a $58 Trillion hole, by filling it with 350 billion, even if you leverage that 350 billion by a factor of TEN.
That's what the pensioners from Enron who never got their retirement said, "Where is the money?
Oh yeah, and just as a little side note, Moody's Rating Agency gave Enron the Triple AAA rating, just like they did World Com and the Creative Investment Vehicles that blew up the banks. Why or how Moody's is still in business is a bit of a mystery.
I'm only half stupid
More tin - Less gold...
The banks don't have liquidity or capital.
That is a monetary issue
You can't fix a $58 Trillion hole, by filling it with 350 billion, even if you leverage that 350 billion by a factor of TEN.
...R I G H T !
That's what the pensioners from Enron who never got their retirement said, "Where is the money?
Oh yeah, and just as a little side note, Moody's Rating Agency gave Enron the Triple AAA rating, just like they did World Com and the Creative Investment Vehicles that blew up the banks. Why or how Moody's is still in business is a bit of a mystery.
Enron lied.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
In the unlikely event of a water landing...NYC plane crash..
Plane crash in the hudson. Very odd having a plane crash less than a mile or two away from me.
http://wcbstv.com/breakingnewsalerts/us.airways.crash.2.909535.html
Not to mention it's like 20 deg F out today. Everyone will probably survive.
http://wealthweekly.blogspot.com
Wii FC:2805-8311-8040-2678 Brawl: 2277-7051-2186
UAW Rallies Against Mandated Pay Cuts
Was it really just a few weeks ago that the United Auto Workers came to Washington with the Big 3, and promised to work together with management to ensure the companies’ viability — if only Washington would bail them out? Didn’t the UAW ultimately agree (if unhappily) to the requirement in the bailout
that the companies reduce their labor costs to a level comparable to other automakers in the U.S.? Given the desperation to ensure the survival of the automakers (or not 
), mustn’t the UAW take seriously the requirement to reduce compensation?
Apparently not
:
The Rest Of The Story Is Here....
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Heh
They're just taking their cue from the banks. :-)
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Somehow I had a feeling you might defend that...
... ;-)
But really, herein lies the insidious nature of this whole Government involvement in the markets business.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
To be more clear
It doesn't matter who we're talking about, the banks or the UAW. Both need to uphold their ends of the bargain.
It doesn't matter that I opposed the money in the first place. The law is the law and it needs to be respected regardless.
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
What law?
If we followed the law, niether of them would have gotten a dime.
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman
Depends on your interpretation
I assume you're talking about limitations of government with respect to the Constitution. Fair enough. I'd agree.
Reasonable people can debate exactly what the commerce clause means. Reasonable people cannot debate that "unions/banks must take pay cuts or reorganize" means "unions/banks don't have to do squat".
I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
More Spending...No Thanks!
The United States will "look like a banana republic" unless it gains control over its budget deficit and federal debt, economist Allen Sinai
warned Congress on Thursday.
"The deficit and debt prospects under almost any scenario are daunting," Mr. Sinai, chief global economist for Decision Economics Inc., told the Senate Budget Committee. "This territory is uncharted, with no real historical analogue to this kind of financial situation for a major global economic power."
More...
Underlying all arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ~M. Friedman