Open Thread
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Good Morning to everyone.
Thanks for the New Thread Tracy. Hope you had a great holiday and weekend.
Happy Sunday everybody,hope everyone enjoyed eating turkey and finished up with their shopping.
Good Morning, ALL!!
A recently found videtape shows Saddam preparing for Little Georgie's stab at glory, and shows conclusively that Iraq HAD weapons of Mass Destruction. If you are figuring on 12th Century technology.
In Video, Hussein Uses Slingshots and Bows to Rally Iraqis for War
Good morning Dem's, I hope everybody has a great day today
Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Clinton Administration, said on NBC Nightly News that he thinks the launching of Aljazeera TV Network in English, means a set of journalistic stories with bias and a slant that distorts the truth.
Ggeeeee...
That would be such a departure for us all, from what we are accustomed to, were we allowed Aljazeera with a "slant" in our television sets. The news we get are so accurate and unbiased about the real issues, that it would really be a heresy to allow the viewers to watch Aljazeera.
It should probably be considered a travesty of "serious journalism".
C'mon Mr. Cohen, it's not like we aren't already well trained on the subject of bias.
Give us a break, will you?__ I personally will be tuning in on the Web nonetheless. I do not think a different viewpoint is going to damage me in the least, but it might expand my knowledge of some Middle East facts.
You all watch and be the judge...
One hundred stations with a slant. One hundred and one__what's the diff..?
On the other hand, maybe I should watch the 700 Club for real political news.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm
Dems warn Iraq government:
No rubber-stamp support
Full story:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/25/Dems.radio.ap/index.html
Bomber strikes Afghan restaurant
A suicide bomber has killed at least 15 people and hurt 25 - many of them children - in an attack on a restaurant in Afghanistan.
Full story:
Insurgent Activity Spikes in Afghanistan
5 Years After Taliban's Fall, Report Finds Dramatic Increase In Insurgent Attacks.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/13/terror/main2175266.shtml
New Brutality Seen In Iraq Killings
U.S. Death Toll Rises To 2,873 While Sectarian Violence Increases; 6 Sunnis Burned Alive In Baghdad. Full story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/25/world/main2208439.shtml
Rumsfeld Approved of Torture
Says Former US General
Full story:
Global Warming Said Killing Some Species
By Seth Borenstein
The Associated Press
And on a similar note as DKA's 1:11 post:
Study Sees ‘Global Collapse’ of Fish Species. The Oceans are dying.
OOps, I meant 1:13 post, but whatever, you get the point. I was putting up Christmas lights yesterday (still not done), and the bees that went dormant about a month ago are back and spawning. This mid 60's spell we have been having is nice for me, but I'm not sure what it's doing to the natural cycle of things. We had the 11 year locusts this summer, several years early.
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 08:18 AM he often has to "make change" after he collects the donations
I've noticed that you're becoming more of a Mr. Smarty Pants in your old age. Are you practicing up for a role in the Walter Matthau/Jack Lemon remake "Two Cranky Old Guys and Their Pooch"?
Posted by Barbi on November 26, 2006 at 05:07 AM
Thanks, for the review! {{Barbi & Lizzy}}.
Shuler's win aside, Democrats surge in western NC
RALEIGH -- For Democrats in western North Carolina, there was more to celebrate on election night than Health Shuler's victory against eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor in the state's marquee race.
In county commission votes and races for sheriff, Democrats did well across the ballot in a part of the state where Republicans have historical links dating to the Civil War and an advantage in voter registration. In Ashe County, for example, Democrats now have a majority on the county commission and the sheriff's post for the first time in about 15 years.
Via georgia10
Georgia10 at dkos has a good run down on the collapse of the Iraqi Government and on the fact that now that election is over the White House Tacitly Admits that it's put us in Deep Doo doo.
But I don't hear the president. Not his voice. The one thing that's been a constant over the last three and a half years is the president as the voice of American Iraq policy. Whether he's the author of it is another question entirely. But the voice and pitbull of it, always.
And yet since the election he seems to have disappeared from the conversation entirely. Like he's just checked out. It's not his thing anymore.
Good Morning Democrats,
Please keep an eye on the following scam by Pat Robertson and his x-tian broadcast network. Robertson and his group are soliciting supporter for their x-tian network. Their latest support groups are term life re-insurance sales.
Here is how the scam works!
1) Target 55-60 year old people with whole life policies.
2) Whole life insurance policies include a savings account that have a face value that can be redeemed when the policy holder is over 65.
3) These x-tian re-insurance con-men want these elderly citizens to trade in the entire policy and the face value of the policy for a term life policy.
4) Term life do not have cash face value, these policies are often called debt riders.
Example:
1) Whole life policy purchased by 60 years old in 1980’s
Cash face-value of the insurance policy after 65 years old = $75,000.00
Insurance value if policy holder pass away before 65 years = $150,000.00
Policy monthly payment = $250.00 per month.
If this person lives passed 65, they can cash in the policy and get $75,000.00 from the insurance company. The insurance part of the policy will disappear. The typical 65 year old would have paid off their home and have no mortgage debt. Therefore there is no need to a debt rider to protect the grown adult children.
2) Transfer this into a term life policy with an x-tian re-insurance con-man
Face value = $0.00 (You do not get any money from your previous policy!)
Insurance payout value upon death before 65 = $250,000.00 (Good only until 65 years old.)
Policy monthly payment = $45.00
After 65 years of age.
a) The policy is defunct and have no value
b) The cash value of the previous whole life policy was used by the re-insurance con-artist for his commission (up to 90% of the money is sales commission)
c) If you try to extend the term life policy the monthly payment will grown exponentially and the payout value will decrease.
a. At 66 years of age it will cost $500.00 per month to keep the policy
b. At 69 years of age it will cost $1000.00 per month to keep the policy
c. At 70 years of age it will cost $2500.00 per month to keep the policy with the payout reduced to ½ or $125,000.00!!
The con-men are tapping into the Senior citizens Christian love for their children, grand-children and selling them empty promises. Most people will live past 65 these years. So these policies exchanges are turning into Pat Robertson’s and his buddies cash cow to fund his sales commission.
Please help your elderly parents review the any life insurance policies before allowing these con-men x-tians from steal away their live savings.
Concerned,
Concerned,
Posted by HybridFuel on November 26, 2006 at 04:00 PM
HybridFuel,
Please report all the facts that you have including handout brochures to your own state's Insurance Commission.
I googled "insurance commision" to get this link below.
If you add your state name in the google window too, it will get you to your own state's Insurance Commission website.
Hey guys..
Im trying to find out where national dem politics are meeting... events and things liek that.. Can you please direct me?...
thanks
Posted by animal on November 26, 2006 at 04:29 PM
Does This Help?
You can access this page from anywhere on this site by clicking on the "Action" button on the top of the page, and going to "Create / Find an event" in the drop down menu.
Good afternoon, everyone.
Look what the Indians are going to do with all the money our ruling class is diverting to their economy from outsourcing our jobs and industry. At least they still believe in science.
India mulls unmanned mission to Mars by 2013 Sun Nov 26, 12:50 PM ETNEW DELHI (AFP) - Indian space scientists plan to send an unmanned mission to Mars by 2013 to look for evidence of life, a news report said.
The six-to-eight-month mission, likely to be launched in the next seven years, would cost three billion rupees (67 million dollars), the Hindustan Times reported.
"Mars is emerging on our horizon. The geo-stationary launch vehicle can take a payload to Mars and our Deep Space Network can track it all the way," G. Madhavan Nair, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told the newspaper...
//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061126/sc_afp/indiaspacemarsmission
Posted by HybridFuel on November 26, 2006 at 04:00 PM
Hybrid,
What will the 700 Club be selling next? Aluminum siding?
Just heard the Jordanian King say there could be threecivil wars in the Middle East by 2007. And I don't think he's even considering Afganistan in the mix.
I personally think OPEC is about to convert to the Euro standard for payment of oil. That was probably the real reason Cheney went to Saudi Arabia this holiday weekend...not about the rest of the chaos. There was a sense of desperation to the his mission, which could only mean money/profits are at stake not lives.
I wonder just how high gasoline will go if we have to pay for it in Euros?
Hey ho, afternoon all,
Posted by Olivia on November 26, 2006 at 12:44 PM
Where are we, like in China or North Korea?
Let the people and viewers decide what is free press, not the government. Agenda with something to hide, eh?
Al Jazeera English Falls Short of Expectations
Commentary, Jamal Dajani, Nov 21, 2006
*********
Why would cable operators not want to hear about a part of the world so much in the news? Probably because Al Jazeera has received bad press. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused the network of spreading "vicious lies," and U.S. officials have been upset by Al Jazeera's airing of footage of American military deaths, as well as its unstinting coverage of the war's effect on civilians. A recent poll found that 53 percent of Americans opposed the launch of the channel. Two-thirds of Americans thought the U.S. government should not allow the channel to enter into the U.S. market.
That's unfortunate. I've watched Al Jazeera in Arabic since its debut in 1996. It has revolutionized satellite television in the Middle East and become a vital link between people in the Arab World, where most media is state-controlled. By regularly broadcasting dissent and opposing points of view, Al Jazeera provides the broadest spectrum of argument that many Arab viewers have ever seen. In addition, their world-class field journalists deliver the immediate, hands-on international reporting that U.S. networks abandoned long ago. While Western journalists were practicing roof-top reporting in their coverage of the war on Iraq, Al Jazeera reporters were putting their lives at risk reporting from the "eye of the storm," Baghdad. While American networks were showing the cruise missiles being launched from U.S. destroyers, Al Jazeera was showing them landing and wreaking havoc in the land of the two rivers.
news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=f3d3ade3488a2bca1e957e75
Posted by DPD on November 26, 2006 at 01:43 PM
It certainly is wacko weather in the Midwest. I was chased around the house today by a wasp, and the chipmunks were digging up the flower bulbs faster than I could get them planted. They say the big chill is coming later this week, so I hope you got those Xmas lights up today.
What's with the Cubs? Where are they getting all the money to buy so many class ballplayers? It almost seems like the owners are half serious about the game again. But you do realize that throwing around a lot of money hasn't really helped the Yankees win much in the last decade?
I wonder just how high gasoline will go if we have to pay for it in Euros?
Posted by SandyH on November 26, 2006 at 05:10 PM
I think you are on to something there, SandyH.
Does the Bobby movie cover the bootlegging,the bought election and the affairs or is it a puff piece?
Posted by TomN on November 26, 2006 at 05:15 PM
I think the fact that they are Muslim and look a lot like the natives might have made it easier for them to report from the battlefront.
But I would like to have the choice of seeing what they are airing. With this administration's stranglehold on the media, we don't even know what is going on in this country.
Errors in 2006 election article:
*******
Over the last three weeks, attention has been focused on a few close races affected by voting problems, including those in Florida and Ohio where counting dragged on for days. But because most of this year’s races were not close, election experts say voting problems may actually have been wider than initially estimated, with many malfunctions simply overlooked.
That oversight may not be possible in the presidential election of 2008, when turnout will be higher and every vote will matter in what experts say will probably be a close race.
Voting experts say it is impossible to say how many votes were not counted that should have been. But in Florida alone, the discrepancies reported across Sarasota County and three others amount to more than 60,000 votes. In Colorado, as many as 20,000 people gave up trying to vote, election officials say, as new online systems for verifying voter registrations crashed repeatedly. And in Arkansas, election officials tallied votes three times in one county, and each time the number of ballots cast changed by more than 30,000.
“If the success of an election is to be measured according to whether each voter’s voice is heard, then we would have to conclude that this past election was not entirely a success,” said Doug Chapin, director of Electionline.org, a nonpartisan election group that plans to release a report Wednesday with a state-by-state assessment of voting. “In places where the margin of victory was bigger than the margin of error, we looked away from the problems, but in 2008 we might not have that luxury.”
www.nytimes.com/2006/11/26/us/politics/26vote.html?_r=1&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%
TomN:
You select to use a blog that censors how can anyone take you serious?
Agenda priority list, January is fast approaching for the democratic action team:
Fix Iraq, -people are dying daily.
Fix voting now, before any more election fraud.
Restore the constitution. What were they thinking?
Then, we can begin to tackle hunger, healthcare, jobs, etc.
And in the process, some bums will probably be tossed out, or into the slammer.
Posted by Denimblue on November 26, 2006 at 05:29 PM
Denimblue,
That's an interesting article.
So the first country that tried to convert to the Euro for oil payment was invaded by Bush. You can assume the second country discussing doing it is now going nuclear to protect themselves from the same fate. And the third has been repeatedly attacked internally by Bush in an attempt to destablize the government.
So the Iraqi incursion was always about the oil... and the dollar. Now who came up with this voodoo economics that allows the US to bully the world into giving it a free econiomic ride?
Gee, did you see the protests today in Turkey against the Pope. Wow. There is going to be blood in the streets if he dares to visit a mosque. And just think, Bush is going to be in the vicinity, too. What is the White House thinking?
Posted by Pamurtha on November 26, 2006 at 05:31 PM
I believer the movie is about the political climate at the time not the candidate's bio.
Sandy, "Mission Acomplished" on the lights. (About 2,000 so far, but who's counting?) The Trib is making noise about selling the Cubs, and they are trying to artificially push up the value by loading up on players. Considering that they bought the team, stadium, and all rights to the name for $21 Million in 1981, and it's worth almost $700 Million now, it was a good return on investment.
Also, for the first time in FOREVER the White Sox had a larger TV audience this year. Must have something to do with winning a World Series more than once every Century. (Twice, in the Sox case).
Elections are too important to let people who don't understand what's going on cancel out the votes of the rest of us who do. What a joke.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 05:40 PM
What makes you think speaking the language has anything to do with knowing what's going on? There is still nearly 35% who think the Iraq occupation is a great success. They obviously get their news only from Karen Hughs. I'm not sure what language she's spinning in.
You select to use a blog that has no censor. Can anyone but take you seriously?
Posted by Pamurtha on November 26, 2006 at 05:33 PM
gooday Pam,
I am concerned that people hear what they want to hear, and see what they want to see, and forget to keep an open mind.
Suppose you tell us when and why the first amendment should ever be suspended.
Tort Costs and the Economy
Myths, exaggerations, and propaganda
Another Republican myth bites the dust
Most corporations will not appropriate the money needed to develop safe workplaces and products without the legal deterrence of unsafe workplaces and products.
Elections are too important to let people who don't understand what's going on cancel out the votes of the rest of us who do. What a joke.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 05:40 PM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~EXACTLY!!!! Republicans should NEVER be allowed near a polling place.
Al Gore is talking about getting rid of the Payroll Tax.
DPD,
I love these multi-millionaires who troll around in the sports world for profit. The Cardinal owners forced us into building a new stadium that looks like a retro-slum and bought a radio station that can't be heard in most of the city after sundown....just so they could increase the value before they sell it off.
It's the same ownership group that worked with Bush Jr. to fleece the citizens of Ft. Worth with the Rangers purchase and sale. The only ones who benefited were A Rod and the owners...they all made a killing.
You don't need a lot to win a World Series these days; just have enough to limp into the playoffs and then outlast the competition.
I hate the playoff system. The best teams are worn out before the end and lose to those lucky enough to be on a roll. There is no incentive to excel throughout the season or win the division/pennant. Profit again triumphs over excellence.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 05:56 PM
Greetings MefromMass,
My thinking of an Iraq fix, if you haven't followed it here, is briefly:
Invest 2 billion dollars per week in solar, fuelcell, battery, electric vehicle, efficiency upgrades and conservation, instead of protection oil reserves.
Say we're done occupying Iraq, it wasn't what we really wanted, that we were misled and duped into attacking a country that wasn't really a threat to US.
Encourage, as best we can, Iraq's neighboring countries to help in its transition to stability while the US troops, the major cause of the uprising, remove themselves as early as possible.
Denimblue,
I AM WARNING PEOPLE BECAUSE, "The pug reich makes all these re-insurance rates and commission marks "LEGAL"."
It is legal to re-insure and take the face value of a whole life policy to pay for commissions.
It is legal to use up to 90+% of the first payment as commission for insurance sales.
It is legal not to give any part of the face value of the whole life policy bad to the policy holder for transferring to a lower quality term life policy.
These are all legal practices under pug reich rule.
Please watch out for your elderly parents and loved ones. What has become legal under the pug reich and X-tian con-men may not be beneficial to the senior citizens or their families. The only people to benefit are the x-tian con-men and pug reich. The shrub administration legalized all these insurance practices!!!
I would not be warning you if these were illegal actions because it can be reported to the insurance commissioner. ...but these actions are not illegal; these x-tians and pug reichs are amoral and immoral to con senior citizens.
Concerned,
Tom:
Please quote me correctly, this blog censors, how about the First Amend?
Posted by pee-wee on November 26, 2006 at 06:08 PM
pee-wee,
Now there is a smart strategy. I always thought that if working people were not forced to pay their taxes before they earn them that the conservatives would be in real trouble...only little people pay taxes? This would be a great way to circumvent the GOP tax cut crapola. Why shouldn't we be on the same footing as the rich?
Good for Al. Being away from the Beltway sure seems to have sharpened his senses.
Sandy, the ONLY reason Wrgley gave up the Cubs is because he was going through a NASTY divorce, and his wife at the time wanted EVERYTHING! So, one day he took the elevator to the Lobby of the Wrigley Building, and walked accross the street and asked the suits at the Trib if they would be interested in buying their number 1 television revenue stream. The suits had a contract drawn up in about 30 minutes, and it was a done deal. Without the Cubs, WGN radio and TV would just be a minor player in a big pond. With the Advertising revenue the Cubs bring in, what beter way to ensure the continued broadcast contract than to own the product outright?
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 06:10 PM
There's way too much double speak going on in this country in whatever language.
i was just watching the giants/ tenn game and it appears that vincente fox is coaching the tenn team. who knew.
pamurtha! hi! is you head still up your ass?
Wealthy folks pay income tax.
Not-so-wealthy folks pay payroll tax.
Its time to expose the regressives for who they are.
DPD,
Do you think WGN might want to buy KMOX Radio? It has a wattage large enough to reach 3/4 of the country, but the Cardinal owners thought that broadcasting the teams games on a teeny weeny like FM station that doesn't reach East St. Louis would ensure continued regional success for the team.
How did these idiots think the Cardinal franchise built such a loyal following across the country? I swear the wealthy in this nation have inbred so much they don't have a brain between any of them anymore.
Greggy:
Your use of the english language never ceases to amaze. You are certainly a big boy!
Thanks for quoting me correctly, this blog rocks, how about the First Amend freedom of speech?
Posted by Pamurtha on November 26, 2006 at 06:13 PM
Say what you will. Don't start crying if your genuine thoughts get a little confused here.
SandyH,
Shouldn't be "in any language". Any double speaking here should be done in English!! :)
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 06:27 PM
MefromMass,
Most of it is.
King George has proposed not one payroll tax "cut". All of the regressive republican tax "cuts" were on income taxes (WEALTHY MAN'S TAX).
"Elections are too important to let people who don't understand what's going on cancel out the votes of the rest of us who do. What a joke.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 05:40 PM"
No one cancels another's vote. You could exercize your citizenship rights and recruit more voters of your persuasion to vote along with you.
There are only a few exceptions to english being required. Look on pages 26-30. It is not going to allow zillions of non-english speakers to possess citizenship rights.
A Guide to Naturalization
What Iraq needs is a strongman like Saddam.
They seem to have found a majority Shiite one in al Sadr.
If the Iranians help put him in power, they will live to regret it someday; but who cares. It's going to be their headache not ours. At the moment I don't think there is any other solution.
Besides, Cheney works well with power-hungry, unscrupulous people. I say give al Sadr a chance to to show the Old Man how stabbing people in the back works Islamic-style.
I'm sick of all the chaos. Let the Iraqis forge their own fate. Let's get out of there and let it happen.
Not true.
Income tax cuts benefit the Warren Buffetts and the Rosie Odonnells.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 06:21 PM
I think you underestimate Iran. The countries in the region will probably have more success at stabilizing Iraq without US demands and conditions.
We need energy independence, not a reason to meddle and interfere.
from the lame attempts to duck responsibility department we have:
Yet Rep. Duncan Hunter, the outgoing chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the United States will win the conflict in the long run by supporting a free government in Iraq. Before any decisions are made on reducing U.S. troop levels, he said, more U.S.-trained Iraqi battalions should be moved into the heavy-fighting areas of Baghdad.
"Saddle those guys up," Hunter said. "Move them into the fight."
i'll tell you who to saddle up. saddle up bush, cheney, rummy and all the right wing nuts who dreamed up this abomination and cheer lead it from the sidelines ( sally ) and ride their weak asses into sadr city to fight.
Posted by TomN on November 26, 2006 at 06:45 PM
I so agree. Let's get off the oil standard ASAP. Let Iran deal with its blood thirsty neighbors, if they think they can control it.
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 06:46 PM
gregg,
Why doesn't Hunter march them into the ocean and see if they can float? What an idiot. He wants to take the last of our best troops and sacrifice them?
Posted by DPD on November 26, 2006 at 06:41 PM
Too cute, DPD. :)
TomN:
Another blogger that needs to lie to make a point amazing.
Good evening
Well FL-13 is going into litigation heaven. Now a citizens group is discussing bringing suit against Sarasota County because of the inefficiency of the Supervisor of Election's office. Their premise is that their cherished voted was denied due to the incompetancy of the the Supervisor and her office along with the poll workers that babysat the different sites.
And not to be outdone, of course there has already been requests asking old Jeb to remove Ms. Dent from office because again there are those voters that strongly feel that it was criminally negligent not to pull the machines that were reported giving problems and thereby letting other unsuspecting voters use them.
Sooo...... hmm..... I tell you, no where, but Florida.
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 06:46 PM
"...free government in Iraq".
Free for republicans to plunder its oil?
I'm sick of all the chaos. Let the Iraqis forge their own fate. Let's get out of there and let it happen.
Posted by SandyH on November 26, 2006 at 06:44 PM
You're sounding like Rep. Maxine Waters (D) - CA, there Sandy. Here stand is this - when asked what will happen to the Iraqui people if we make a total and immediate withdrawal, Maxine replies, "They will figure it out, believe me, they will figure it out."
She made this statement over a year and a half ago.
Ronald helps McDonald's head off China backlash
By Geoff Dyer in Shanghai
Reeling from the backlash against fast-food in the US and other countries, McDonald's has entered into an unusual partnership with the Chinese education authorities that involves the US multinational giving nutrition classes in elementary schools.
The group has created a Ronald McDonald clown show for schools in China that combines encouragement to do physical activity with educational material about nutrition. Backed by the health and education ministries, the shows have been put on in thousands of schools.
The initiative by McDonald's comes when obesity rates are beginning to rise sharply in China's cities, especially among children, because of changes in diet and levels of physical activity.
"It is about the McDonald's brand doing something to positively influence the lives of children," said Gary Rosen, McDonald's director of marketing in China. The clowns do not talk about the company's food, he added.
www.ft.com/home/us -subscription article
Like in the 1950's and 60's, we had the meat and dairy industry clowns make up nutritional feeding pyramids and distribute them into schools as if they had any scientific basis. A most effective propaganda sales effort that is still paying dividends at the expense of US health.
no sandy he is saying to put the iraq soldiers we trained into the fight. i think some of them are in the fight but on the opposite side from us. bush has managed to put our soldiers in a situation ( with the ranting home town support of clowns like sally aka pamurtha ) into a situation where no one really knows who is the enemy and who is a friend.
hey i woke up from my football nap a bit cranky but now i remember,
WE WON BACK THE HOUSE AND SENATE THIS MONTH!!!!
The clowns do not talk about the company's food, he added.
Posted by TomN on November 26, 2006 at 07:02 PM
They don't need to talk about the food. Unless one has been living in a cave or at the bottom of an ocean, everyone has heard of MickyD's and just the presence of the clowns will sell food.
Posted by J on November 26, 2006 at 07:02 PM
J,
We women have dealt with reality for centuries. Believe me, Maxine knows that the best thing to do sometime is cut the cord.
gregg,
The Iraqis know who are friends and who aren't. They will never willingly go to Sadr City to fight for Americans interests...and I don't blame them.
Are you sure, Hunter didn't mean our troops? These Republicans seem to think that Christians who die in battle go to Walmart heaven where each gets a cheaply made plasma TV.
Presenting false information is kinda.....
[what's the word]...... damaging.
MfM,
I know what you mean. This is a quagmire. When in quicksand, stop struggling, and yell for help.
The Iranian president is an actor, he is not the main power weilder there.
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 07:04 PM
No, you're still living in an alternate universe till the end of January. We won the coin flip, but we haven't taken possession of the ball yet.
Like in the 1950's and 60's, we had the meat and dairy industry clowns make up nutritional feeding pyramids and distribute them into schools as if they had any scientific basis. A most effective propaganda sales effort that is still paying dividends at the expense of US health.
Posted by TomN on November 26, 2006 at 07:02 PM
And whatever happened to portion sizes? Everything is super-sized. So, if you are not yet super-sized yourself, then just eat the super-duper ten patty stacked high burger and a gallon of fries. Oh, yes, don't forget the bottomless sugar soda 10 gallons or all you can hold.
The marketeers are killing us trying to outsize the competition!
Advertising to our children is unethical.
Are you calling our children morons?
Genuine pam,
I didn't expect you to get the point, or comprehend it. Nothing I say to you is true or untrue because you are false. It is sarcasm. Your words have no weight because your persona here is a lie. You are beneath my contempt, but it amuses me to be false with you.
Posted by pee-wee on November 26, 2006 at 07:26 PM
Children see the menu. The huge portions are what is featured. How many children know the calorie content of the meals featured? It is stupedndous. Don't think so? Then go look at their websites under the title "nutrition"
Parents aren't always around.
It takes a village to raise a child.
apparently the south is red:
QUITO, Ecuador (Reuters) - Ecuador's leftist Rafael Correa, an ally of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, appeared to have clinched Sunday's presidential run-off election after exit polls and one quick count showed he surged past his banana magnate rival to victory.
Denimblue on November 26, 2006 at 07:23 PM,
Trash marketing!! It's all part of the numbers game called profitability. Kill the consumer, kill the employee, hell, kill whomever it takes to maintain increased profitability/production numbers, so the boss gets that nice bonus trip to Aruba and you get that new T-shirt.
mefrom, it takes a parent or parents or guardians and a village. imagine trying to raise a kid with two very committed parents in baghdad where the social fabric ( village ) is gone. be kinda tough wouldn't it?
There was this libertarian. He lived in libertarian-utopia. One day he was robbed and beat up and lay dying in the ditch. You see, he didn't believe in taxes. So there was no money to have hired a policeman to stop the robber, no money to hire the paramedics, no money...no taxes. Just free to do anything he wanted...until a bigger dog showed up.
No. It takes a village.
Someone else has your kid's attention when you are away- whether you like it or not.
On the Mindless Menace of Violence
by Robert F. Kennedy
Maine from Mass,
As a single parent, and probably at least 40% of the population, I take offense to your comment about the two parent necessity. Yes, it may be easier and better for both parents to be responsible adults and active in their children's upbringing. However, that is not always possible.
If your post was in reference to Hillary Clinton's "it takes a community" speech then put it in the proper perspective. She was referant only of a community 40 - 50 years ago that was lead by local police, volunteer fireman, parent teacher organizations, and caring neighbors. The children of this era, like myself, were able to actually play outside after dark without fear they would be abducted. Our neighbors knew us, and our parents, and boy was that ever a deterrent to doing something we knew was wrong then nothing is.
It does not take government control, drug industry control, or police control to raise a child. However, loving caring communities help this process with very little, if any, additional monetary appropriation.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 07:48 PM
Take a look around you. Obese parents tend have obese children. Guess who doesn't know the calorie content of their food intake. So how are the kids to know?
Its not good for our society to leave the children to be damned just because the parent isn't morally responsible.
That is called selfishness.
The children of this era, like myself, were able to actually play outside after dark without fear they would be abducted. Our neighbors knew us, and our parents, and boy was that ever a deterrent to doing something we knew was wrong then nothing is.
It does not take government control, drug industry control, or police control to raise a child. However, loving caring communities help this process with very little, if any, additional monetary appropriation.
Posted by davidual on November 26, 2006 at 07:57 PM
Somewhere along the line we became content with living with the wolves rather than driving them off.
You may not want to believe this; but sometimes the influence of the other force (idea, person, tv show) is stronger.
Me from Ma on November 26, 2006 at 08:00 PM,
Well, I guess your hypothetical child depends on how much the he/she wants to have friends or be popular. Think now if this hypothetical child knows that the owner of this liquor store knows his/her father. I think the outcome would be a no brainer!! That is what Hillary Clinton was referent with "it takes a community."
Wolves
They hid among us, claiming to be liberals...
They hid among us, claiming to be conservatives...
They hid among us, claiming to be holy and religious...
But we know them by what they do!
And not to forget. The scoundrel's last refuge is patriotism.
Involvement? Influence? Health Class? Teachers?
It all sounds like a village to me.
Posted by davidual on November 26, 2006 at 08:11 PM
One of my best buddies was raised by a single parent. Did a fine job too!
; )
bbl
MfM, your theory has so many holes I could use it as a fishing net.
The thing is, it takes responsiblilty, time, love and caring to teach children well, and from many sources and influences. It does indeed take a community. IF values have been instilled in a child, HOPEFULLY that child will grow up to have values. But, the child still has a free will so, in the end result, it is ultimately up to the child when reaching maturity, to decide how to live out their life. Or not.
Sometimes they just turn into mindless menacing trolls.
At least here when we fought our revolution, we had the majority on the separatist side and wanted to persue the same objective. (And the weapons weren't quite so sophisticated.)
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 07:30 PM
That is not the way I was taught. The seaparatists were only a third. The other two thirds were either against the revolution or didn't care.
In Iraq, probably a third have left the country. Those refugees make a big difference. You can't expect those that who wanted to leave but had no way out to stand up to the rest of the radicals on each side by themselves.
I'm afraid we have created an artifical situation by staying so long. Until we leave, who knows what the Iraqis will do. Maybe some will return and then fight for democracy?
MfM,
Nope. It is not ALL on the parent(s). Bad parents can have good kids, and good parents can have bad kids. I've seen it.
mfm, given the frequency of child abuse in all its forms, physical, sexual, psychological, and so on...given the number of kids who live in homes where wives are beaten, drugs and alcohol are abused, loaded weapons are laying about...given all this and more i am sure there are many situations where non-parental figures are more concerned about and able to be supportive of kids than in their families...just what ideal world of dick and jane and dad and mom are you living in?
mfm, what things did your father do that you found repulsive?
I don't believe that anyone is scum. It's that kind of thinking that stops any true progress from being made. Most people make bad decisions because they don't have the support to make good ones. They are not born that way.
I'll cede you that: all learning is not a positive experience. And you cede that it takes a community's influence also.
So, let's call it a draw, and move the conversation to something else.
What else ya got?
NO, it takes 2 parents to raise a child. I have nothing to do with anyone else's decision to bring children into this world. I am not obligated to help raise them. The parents, like mine did, have the control and they should use it. My parents didn't have to be around for me to know just how much trouble I was going to be in for doing what I knew I wasn't supposed to do. It starts and ends with the parents, not the village.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 07:40 PM
It takes 2 parents to raise a child? NO, It is BEST to have 2 parents, BUT that is not always the situation and sometimes just cannot be.
I raised a daughter and son as a single parent and it was not easy by a long shot. At one time I thought I had an eternal lockin to drama and never ending money problems (still do sometimes), BUT both children have been employed with the Federal government, one with the Dept. of Justice the other with the USN. One will graduate next year with a BSN in nursing and the other is studying Engineering and working his own business.
Did they get in trouble? Yep, sure did. Did they create problems? Oh yeah, BUT I learned to say, "If you like it, I love it, just don't bring it back to me when it becomes a problem."
And no I didn't ask for help. I worked, sometimes two jobs, but I worked.
I can't say I did the best, BUT I raised them myself, by myself as a single parent.
As far as the term, "It begins and ends with a village, I thnk maybe you're misunderstanding it. What it really means is that those in a community should have enough human caring about the community and those residing in it to help oversee the youth within it. No parent has 24/7 eyes and if someone sees another neightbor's child participating in something harmful, it is hoped they would inform the parents.
Officer in Bush Motorcade Accident Dies
HONOLULU -- A motorcycle officer injured last week while escorting President Bush in the islands died Sunday, police said.
Steve Favela, 30, and two other officers crashed their cycles as the presidential motorcade was traveling across Hickam Air Force Base to meet troops for breakfast early Tuesday. The other officers were treated at The Queen's Medical Center and released.
Favela, an eight-year veteran of the Honolulu Police Department and father of four, had suffered internal injuries and had been listed in critical condition at the medical center.
Light rain had been falling on the partly cloudy morning, and some roads on the base were slick.
Members of the White House medical team -- including an ambulance -- were cut loose from the motorcade to help. Local ambulance and fire units also responded.
All learning is not a positive experience, don't you agree?
Posted by Me from `Ma on November 26, 2006 at 08:41 PM
No, all experience isn't positive, but all learning has positive outcomes contingent upon the opportunity that develops from the learning.
mefrom is a bit troll like no?
moving right along here is some good news about new hampshire. and what it tells me is that senator sununu is quite vulnerable and should be targeted by the democrats for a major push out. hopefully the good pilgrims of the "live free or die" state are scouring the hills for a viable candidate. this shoot be much easier than taking down chafee:
November 26, 2006
New Hampshire Moves Toward the Middle
By David Shribman
LEBANON, N.H. -- There is a frosty undertow to the winds right now. Earlier this afternoon, walking around the pond, I felt winter's chill breath on the back of my neck.
Right now, at dusk, the temperature at the peak of Mount Washington is 18 degrees, and it won't be long before snow drapes the evergreens here on the lower elevations. But what is also being transformed, even faster than the atmosphere, is the landscape. It is changing, day by day, girding for what will come on the wintry winds.
These days, as New Hampshire's taste turns from cold apple cider to hot, it is clear that the atmosphere and the landscape of politics have been transformed, too.
Only a few weeks ago, when summer still seemed visible in the rear-view mirror, this was a Republican state -- not quite as conservative as it had been a generation ago, when Barry Goldwater felt comfortable enough in New Hampshire to put forward ideas on privatizing Social Security that go even further than President Bush's, but Republican enough to have a certain party purity to it. The congressional delegation was 100 percent Republican, the state House was 100 percent Republican, and the state Senate was 100 percent Republican.
That's gone. New Hampshire's voters elected two Democratic House members for the first time since 1912, and at the same moment, for the first time since 1911, these same voters installed Democrats in both the state Senate and state House. States turn over their political complexions all the time and we hardly notice. When it happens in New Hampshire, we can't afford not to notice.
I don't believe that anyone is scum.
Goodness, with all we've endured these past almost 6 years, don't tempt me like that!!
;-)
so mefm sounds like you were raised by a monster but you think parents are always a kid's best hope?
is it possible you have fallen victim to the phenomenon known as the oppressor within?
As a member of the village, I say that advertising to our children is wrong.
Peewee,
Sorry, but I still don't believe it. As a kid, if someone had told you that it was ok to rob the liquor store, whose influence would have been stronger over you - that person or the parents who taught you that stealing was wrong? My vote goes to the parents. Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 08:00 PM
I'd say it depends on the parent, and it depends on the kid. I've seen kids with good parents turn out bad, and I've seen kids with bad parents turn out good.
Yes, pee-wee, I agree with that. It's a plot, I tell ya... feed that ad crap to the kiddies so they can drive the parents bonkers with that "gimme gimme gimme" routine.
(My "mindless menace" was referring to an earlier post. Just FYI)
And the GOP wants to turn Social Security into a gambling program. That's not gonna fly. In fact it was shot down before it got off the ground less than two years ago.
Posted by Barbi on November 26, 2006 at 08:35 PM
Posted by Domingo on November 26, 2006 at 09:04 PM
;-)
Parents need all of the help that they can get.
Advertising to our kids is just plain immoral.
Hey, Gregg, what flavor ice cream ya got tonight?
I think we should ask Trace to give time-outs to trolls... like Pamurtha; Newbie; GreenMtBoy, etc.
tonite we have vanilla with infused with chunks of oreo cookies or if you prefer peach.
Gregg,
I'll take the vanilla with cookies, with a bunch of hot fudge, please.
MfM,
Riddle me this? What the Hell does the over-commercialization, over-marketing, frenzied buying and over-spending have to do with the reason of the season of Christmas, anyway?
Christmas has evolved...nudged along by the Madison Ave crew
Two mortar rounds hit a U.S. military post in eastern Baghdad, setting it on fire and leaving a dark cloud of smoke above the Baladiyat neighborhood, police and witnesses said. Lt. Col. Scott Bleichwehl, a U.S. military spokesman, confirmed that "indirect fire rounds" hit the area, but declined to provide details. No casualties were reported.
Remember the footage from the last motar hit in Baghdad that was posted on U Tube? This is apparently becoming a regular occurrence.
Armies that have to retreat into forts are sitting ducks for the light arms used in modern warfare. Today a report also said that the Resistance has a ready and steady supply of funds for these arms.
Our troops and mercenaries are never safe. On patrol, on the road, or on post....there is no refuge for the foreign invaders.
We are uninvited guests who have outlived their uninvited stay. We are fighting a war over there that nobody else is fighting. We are in the wrong place doing the wrong things at the wrong time.
We are not necessary. Our presence is irrelevant. We act only as an irritant that makes the locals act in ways they are ashamed of later. We should have the good grace to leave and let them get on with the business of sorting out the mess they find themselves in.
Someone please cut the cord.
What I hate like crazy are junk emails.
Posted by MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 09:21 PM
It's the gift that keeps on taking up space, time, and effort. And you can't regift it.
I was reading yesterday that "Tweens" (kids in age range of 9-12) are becoming teens faster and are therefore requesting the same items such as cell phones and iPods.
It is shameless the way advertising is pitched at kids all in the name of picking the pockets of the parents/grandparents.
WHEN you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains
And the women come out to cut up what remains
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
~ Kipling
MefromMass on November 26, 2006 at 10:08 PM,
Out of necessity, learned experience, or plain and simple frugalness? Also, how often do you choose to use this marketing maligned word of the english language? NO?
J on November 26, 2006 at 10:01 PM,
Tis true! That would be my son, a "tween", and he has a want list that would make a teen envious. He'll be ten in January!
Hello Democrats,
I am hearing more stories of solders coming back from tour with nothing but a get out of camp, your out notice! Families and solders are dumped from the bases and dismissed without any training or any attempt to re-intergrate them back into society.
So please tell me how an poor un-educated color or hispanic drafted by some liar recruiter with promises of training, education benefits, medical benefits and service to your country come out with so little to show?
I guess only the right kind of white boys get the training, education, medical benefits, etc., etc....
It's truely nice to know how the shrub administration treat the volunteer army, especially the grunts.
How can these lying bastards continue to lie to our country, our solders and our people?
It just doesn't stop!
Please start some investigations to put these people away for a long time!!!
Concerned!!
It is time for we the people to recognize ALL native tribes of the USA.
I hope that everybody had a nice Thanksgiving weekend...it's people like this that keep me striving to do better.
Good night everybody.
6 years after founder died, 'Feed the Hungry' thrives
In the six-plus years that Elisabeth Omilami has run Hosea Feed the Hungry & Homeless, she has met with thousands of people.
Many of them had stories to tell about her father, Hosea Williams.
"They seem to all be excited about the fact that they met my dad, and each encounter was memorable," Omilami said of the poor and powerful who have crossed paths with her father. "They say, 'Boy, he was something. He really touched my life.' It is something that lets me know that he had a way of touching lives that really impacted him for the good and the bad..........
The most dangerous time came when he and Lewis attempted to lead a group of marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on March 7, 1965, in what would become known as Bloody Sunday.
Lewis, who was only 25 at the time, said Williams "displayed nothing short of raw courage."
"I was more than lucky and blessed to have an opportunity to work with him and walk across that bridge with him," Lewis said. "I remember him asking me, when we were leaving Selma getting on the bridge, if I could I swim. I told him no."
When the two reached the apex of the bridge, Lewis said, he understood both the levity and the seriousness of Williams' question. There was a sea of blue — Alabama state troopers wearing gas masks — backed up by a deputized militia........
Posted by J on November 26, 2006 at 10:01 PM
J,
These kids are just modeling after their parents and older siblings. They are filling their lives with things instead of meaningful experiences.
They talk on the phone instead of to the people right in front of them. They take pictures instead of entering into the scene around them. They play games in make believe worlds instead of enjoying the world around them.
The desire to create, express, discover, or explore new horizons seems to have faded into escapism and avoidance. I marvel at how the rest of the emerging nations want to go into space and travel to new worlds...just like we once did.
We now have to fight for that privilege. The extremists in our midst want us to retreat into the past and fight wars that were settled long ago over matters that aren’t worth fighting over anyway. We must move forward not stand still watching the world go by.
We are trapped in a consumer society instead of actively seeking to be a producer society; and it's taken all the joy out of life as well as put our economic future in doubt. When the going got tough, we were urged to shop and it’s never stopped.
What the next president needs to do is challenge us to reach for our dreams not worry about past mistakes. We are much better than the world of compliance and complacency that we have been trapped into by those who manipulated our fears.
If we can provide a different, self-assertive model, our kids will emulate it.
This past election campaign was the first step. We did what they said we couldn't do. Americans are good at doing that....we had forgotten we could move mountains.
In America the greatest generation is always the next one. We must never forget that pledge and deliver on it.
Good night.
Iraqis mourn the victims of the violence.
Watch the video:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/video/67000/nb/67364_16x9_nb.ram
good nite you howling wolves. feast ye on these tasty morsels:
A G.O.P. Breed Loses Its Place in New England
By PAM BELLUCK
Published: November 27, 2006
BOSTON, Nov. 26 — It was a species as endemic to New England as craggy seascapes and creamy clam chowder: the moderate Yankee Republican.
Dignified in demeanor, independent in ideology and frequently blue in blood, they were politicians in the mold of Roosevelt and Rockefeller: socially tolerant, environmentally enthusiastic, people who liked government to keep its wallet close to its vest and its hands out of social issues like abortion and, in recent years, same-sex marriage.
But this election dealt the already-fading New England Republican an especially strong blow, one that some fear will increase the divide between the two parties nationally by removing a longstanding bridge between them.
Of 22 members of the newly elected House of Representatives from New England, only one is a Republican: Christopher Shays of Connecticut, who eked out a victory while two other Republicans from his state, Representatives Nancy L. Johnson and Rob Simmons, lost to Democrats.
and to think bush was born in new england
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 11:33 PM,
Yeah, from Connecticut no less!!!:)
Good night, gregg!
America's biggest retailer has become everybody's favourite whipping boy. The left decries the firm's stingy pay and health benefits. Mr Obama last week declared that the “battle” to force the firm to examine its policies towards its workers was “absolutely vital”. The Christian right is appalled at Wal-Mart's godless depravity, in particular its decision to sign up with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in August and (horrors) to stock the totally legal morning-after pill.
Here's one for the troll Walmart shopper, and just two days after black friday!!
Good Early Morning Dems,
I read back the comments from this weekend. Boy Oh Boy, the trolls were really out in full force. (pathetic)
;p
Posted by gregg on November 26, 2006 at 11:33 PM A G.O.P. Breed Loses Its Place in New England
I know. The GOP is at a crossroads now. They will either hold to the same ideological agenda that led to the loss of the House and Senate or they will tack back to middle on issues like energy, education, the environment, and fiscal responsibility.
I think it's interesting that the 2008 GOP national convention is in Minneapolis, MN. There are still Republicans in the state who are socially tolerant, environmentally enthusiastic, people who like government to keep its wallet close to its vest and its hands out of social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage.
It will be interesting to see what influence they have on things.
On November 19th 80,000 enthusiasts gathered in Homestead, Florida. That made the speedway twice as populous as the city itself. Vendors did a brisk trade in beer, burgers and ugly T-shirts. A lonely “international food” stand sold slices of pizza. A car salesman tried to make a new friend. “Do you chew?” he asked. (That is, do you stuff a wad of tobacco inside your lip and then dribble quietly into an empty can?)
Here'e one for the red-neck troll, but God these damn races put me to sleep!
Looks pretty slow tonight.I'm gonna check HuffPo for some dirt on the republicans.
;p
Posted by davidual on November 27, 2006 at 12:17 AM The left decries the firm's stingy pay and health benefits
Hopefully someone will speak for 1000's of family owned businesses in small towns across the nation that they put out of business at least in part with an expense structure based on stingy pay and health benefits.
UNITE HERE Chicago Joint Board Endorses HR 676
Representing 45,000 members in eight states, the Chicago & Midwest Regional Joint Board of UNITE HERE has endorsed HR 676, single payer healthcare legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI).
In announcing the endorsement Noel Beasley, International Vice President of UNITE HERE and Manager of the Joint Board said: "Our Joint Board has been in favor of universal healthcare for over 15 years. Support of HR 676 is the next logical step in the new political geography."
The Joint Board has members in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Minnesota and Kentucky.
HR 676 now has 77 congressional co-sponsors in addition to John Conyers.
Sunni Leader:
Iraq Violence May Spread
Through Middle East
Iraq PM Facing Criticism Over Bush Talks
By Thomas Wagner
The Associated Press
Posted by FreedomOfSpeechForWeThePeople on November 27, 2006 at 12:31 AM Looks pretty slow tonight.I'm gonna check HuffPo for some dirt on the republicans.
Have fun, FOS. :)
cya
Cheney groaned. “Don, we have a problem.”
Rumsfeld thought this over. “Dick, there are problems that have solutions, and once we find those solutions, they cease to be problems. They become ex-problems. They are effectively deproblemized, and their capacity for problemization is sharply degraded. And then there are problems that have no apparent solution. They exhibit maximum problemisticity. They are thorny, they are knotty. They are problematic problems.” He leaned forward. “Is this a problematic problem?”
Cheney nodded. “This is problemacious in the extreme. This is problematastical.”
--THE DICK CHENEY CODE by Henry Beard