Friday Open Thread
Chat away...
Comments (210) «
Happy day after Thanksgiving to everyone, even the dark side.
Obama is a shinning star, he has assembled, the best economic team in history, they will be many great things to come, mark my words.
This is not a prediction, but a promise.
For all non-believers just wait and see what happens, in the next 2 years.
Anybody that don't get in this stock market right now, with on sale prices of all star companies, is going to be kicking there proverbial ass's 2 years from now. This is the best investment time of your life time.
Any one not realizing that don't have good common sense!
I do not need to ask him that question. The answer is the Revolutionary War to break away from England and notably, the church of England.
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BobVADemocratHawk on November 28, 2008 at 04:23 PM
That's a real stretch - never heard that one before.
TomN on November 28, 2008 at 04:02 PM
...Since the decline of our last "enemy", the soviet Union, we have been plunged down the merry and bloody path of creating "enemies" out of terrorists. And I contend it is a distorted and fraudulent path promoted by the MSM.
It is an economic balance of business commerce and military business that we spread around the world. It is an unsustainable model as put forth by Chalmers Johnson's arguments in Sorrows of Empire and Nemesis.
My position is that it is a better sustainable economic plan to put the effort into relieving poverty by some sort of instrument as the peace corp. The military empire base effort is making too many enemies and is bankrupting the US.
I think we agree that ignorance is the root of much of the world's problems. How to fix it?
Make no mistake, terrorists, such as Al-Qaeda and the ones who attacked Bombay\Mumbai, are our enemies. They are our enemies becuase it is their mission, by their own admission, to convert us "infidels" or kill us.
But I agree totally with your assertion about being led by the nose by the MSM if and when they are complicit with the military industrial complex President Eisenhower, the last respectable Republican, railed against. The trick is to keep the sheeple educated. And the way you do that, other than imposing far more stringent education requirements such as twelve month schooling and longer school days, is beyond me.
I'm not going to make any specific suggestions here, but my advice would be to invest in a good ETF emerging market fund, that will be about 10 to 15 percent better then in the USA, in the coming bull market, until at least mid January, then you might need to get out at that time. Keep a watchful eye to what is going on world wide.
Less all be prosperous and peaceful.
Sally-* on November 28, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Of course you have, Sally. One of the main reason this great nation of ours was formed was for its populace to have religious freedom. If memory serves, during that time of British history, it was the Church of England or the highway.
Go ahead and make specific suggestions. DoPeyDoodle has a got a giant book of crossword puzzles to figure out. And then he is gonna barbecue some apple sauce.
Freerdom of religion was one of many reasons to throw the British out. Fighting for freedom of religion is hardly a war fought for religion.
And then he is gonna barbecue some apple sauce.
9Sally-* on November 28, 2008 at 04:41 PM
That sounds awful, is it?
Sally are you making your homemade Maple Syrup yet?
If so could i order some from you?
Sally, I'm not kidding, if you got a credible source to do so, i will order some. Home made Maple, syrup that is.
The Boston tea party was about religion?
Men with shipping fleets gave their money and lives to fight a war about Religion?
That's not the way I was taught in school. They came to this country for freedom of religion, but fought a war over tyranny and unfair tax burdens.
Old England and the modern liberals have a lot in common when it comes to tyranny and unfair tax burdens.
Sally, i am not baiting you, I'm asking you a real question, I'm not a bullshitter, I'm a serious person. If you got syrup for sale let me know O.K. I'll pay the freight.
Sally perhaps, I could swap some gallberry honey, for some maple syrup, what do you think? Gallbberry honey here in South Georgia is very very good!!!!
Its one of the best Honey's there is, other then the 2 legged Honey's that is.
CactusBarrack on November 28, 2008 at 04:57 PM
Guns or butter has been the age old argument.
Guns or butter has been the age old argument.
19BobVADemocratHawk on November 28, 2008 at 05:07 PM
Bob I'll take the butter any time, over the radicals with guns.
We'll i guess Sally has left the building, I've got stuff to do.
BBL.
WASHINGTON (AP)- For years, scientists have held out hope that the rapidly evolving field of genetics could transform medical diagnosis and treatment, moving beyond a trial-and-error approach.
But the vision of individualized treatment based on a patient's genetic makeup and other biological markers has yet to materialize, even if better use of genetic information has led to advances in cancer care and other areas.
Now the pursuit of "personalized medicine" is expected to get a major push from the incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama. As a senator, Obama introduced legislation to coordinate the sometimes conflicting policies of government agencies and provide more support for private research. He remains keen on the idea...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27958434/
Thank God the intelligent people once again have the reins of power in this country. Scientific progress has been retarded by social conservatism. This is probably the most important reason to keep theology out of politics, and vice-versa.
Good night fellow Democrats. Keep the Faith and keep the faith. Yes we can, yes we will, and yes we did!
Here are some amazing cartoons about our American election and politics from a cartoonist in Belgium named Nicholas Vadot. A friend of mine there shared them with me.
A Belgian cartoonist looks at our politics here in the US.
His portrayals of Bush and Sarah Palin are devastating, and his protrayal of Obama is uplifting.
Evening Dems. Sorry I missed you Bob, I want to discuss your'centrist' ideas.
I got a chuckle yesterday, that all the trolls were afraid to come out of lurking, so that they could all pretend that they were invited somewhere and had some friends and family that cared! Old Danny must have been tapping his stiletto heels on the floor, dying to plant some hatred around! hahahahahahaha.
Another busy day here. Heading out to a couple stores tonight. Glad I did not go out shopping early morning-----those Walmart shoppers are a bunch of Idiots! Wonder if Stevie got his daughter's present there ok. Hate to think of him breaking down doors to save $2.00. :)
Chassie, If you want REAL maple syrup, some you know has not been spit in, then you can google the BEST maple syrup in the country in Vermont.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Vermont+Maple+Syrup&fr=yfp-t-809&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8
buy the light amber. It is the best.
Hello,
What say you Butte, apologise for killing the electric car, or hard labor for bad decisions that led to these catastrophic oil wars?
Or do we give them billions and billions of dollars because they can effectively threaten big job losses in a recession? The captains of US gas autos to come begging sans jets next week will get what?
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Nov 20, 2008
Revenge of the Electric Car
While the Big Three U.S. automakers in Detroit cry for a $25-billion dollar bailout, we should keep in mind the documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car." This important documentary released in 2006 investigates the "creation, limited commercialization and subsequent destruction of the battery-powered electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the 1990s."
CAR-ma?
On November 14, 2008, Nate Holden, former California State Senator and L.A. City Councilmember, held a press conference demanding General Motors apologize to the American people for destroying the automaker’s EV1 plug-in electric vehicle. Mr. Holden demanded the EV1’s immediate re-introduction before, or in exchange for, any Government bailout of GM.
GM now has a hybrid-electric car called the Volt due in 2010. It promises to be a great car - it's just far too late.
Chris Paine, director of "Who Killed The Electric Car," is currently working on the sequel titled, "Revenge of the Electric Car."
Simply put, the Big Three don't deserve a bailout - they've had 30 years of bad management and refused to give the American people what they wanted: Fuel-efficient vehicles. Instead, they seemed to be holding hands with the oil companies and other special interest groups, making big gas guzzlers. Because of this obvious conspiracy, they destroyed every one of those EV1 electric vehicles.
http://solargreenenergy.blogspot.com/2008/11/revenge-of-electric-car.html
Some really stupid and bad decisions that highlight the upper levels of corruption that the auto execs engage in at our expense. And it would maybe be OK corruption if they didn't know that their activity would accelerate the looming climate change, and then they did it anyway.
-----------------
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Congress will decide this week whether or not to infuse Detroit automakers with $25 billion in additional loan guarantees. It appears such a bailout is likely to go through, so the question remains: What reasonable conditions should Washington impose on its investment?
If Washington is going to give yet another loan-guarantee bailout to Detroit automakers, then the price should include requiring the car manufacturers to drop their four-year-long legal assault against global warming laws in California and three other states (Vermont, Rhode Island and New Mexico), as well as a requirement to develop and deliver hybrids, clean diesels and other highly fuel-efficient vehicles.
***************
Since the presidential election, it has been reported that President-elect Barack Obama plans to overturn a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency denial of a waiver that California has sought to promulgate its tougher vehicle emission standards. The "Pavley law," a California state law enacted in 2002, authorizes the California Air Resources Board to regulate greenhouse gases from passenger vehicles. Under the federal Clean Air Act, California is entitled to set more stringent pollution regulations on motor vehicles than the federal Environmental Protection Agency so long as California receives a waiver from EPA. Yet the U.S. automobile industry has prevailed upon the Bush EPA to deny California a Clean Air Act waiver in a decision that was contradicted by the analysis of the EPA's own staff.
Under the Pavley law, California and the 14 other states have now adopted a set of identical rules for their states. It is estimated that 45 percent of the U.S. population lives in these 15 states. In 2016, when the regulations are fully phased in, the state regulations will avoid over 22 million metric tons of greenhouse gases per year. A next phase of regulations is already in the works that will increase this savings to more than 36 million metric tons of pollution per year by 2020. These greenhouse gas emissions reductions are over and above the incidental greenhouse gas benefits expected from the fuel-economy law enacted last year requiring 35 mpg by 2020.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/17/EDVF1467NS.DTL
Meanwhile, in the land of the rising voltmeter:
-------------
Nissan, Toyota locked in race to market zero-emission cars
by Richard Read, The Oregonian
Sunday November 23, 2008, 9:15 PM
Sean OnitsukaMasahiko Otsuka, president of Automotive Energy Supply Corp.
ATSUGI, Japan -- While Detroit executives beg for bailouts, Japanese automakers speed through turns in a race whose winner could dominate the next generation of car sales.
From Toyota City to Atsugi -- the site of Nissan's advanced technology center where Gov. Ted Kulongoski drove an electric car Tuesday -- engineers are locked in a white-knuckle competition to produce zero-emission cars. Nissan, which announced a deal last week to launch its electric vehicles in Oregon, is determined to lead the green pack.
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2008/11/nissantoyota_locked_in_race_to.html
chassie on November 28, 2008 at 05:14 PM
I'll send you a quart if I make any this year.
Vermont Maple syrup tastes like kerosene.
Zero emission electric car? I don't think so. Electric cars just transfer the emissions to the power plant.
Zero emission electric car? I don't think so. Electric cars just transfer the emissions to the power plant.
Cold Snap Fails to Cool Protagonists of Global Warming
By John Stapleton, The Australian
Europe is shivering through an extreme cold snap. One of the coldest winters in the US in more than 100 years is toppling meteorological records by the dozen, and the Arctic ice is expanding. Even Australia has been experiencing unseasonable snow. But the stories about global warming have not stopped, not for a second.
In May last year, The Sydney Morning Herald breathlessly reported that climate change had reduced the Southern Ocean’s ability to soak up carbon dioxide, claiming that as a result global warming would accelerate even faster than previously thought. The story was picked up and repeated in a number of different journals around the region. But this week the CSIRO suggested the exact opposite. “The new study suggests that Southern Ocean currents, and therefore the Southern Ocean’s ability to soak up carbon dioxide, have not changed in recent decades,” it said. This time the story got no coverage in the SMH, and was run on the ABC’s website as evidence the Southern Ocean was adapting to climate change.
CSIRO oceanographer Stuart Rintoul, a co-author of the study, said it did not disprove global warming and he did not believe its lack of an alarmist tone was responsible for the poor coverage. But the story is being pointed out as an example of media bias on global warming. Critics argue that the ABC and the Fairfax media are the worst offenders. ABC board member Keith Windschuttle said yesterday the national broadcaster was in breach of its charter to provide a diversity of views. “The ABC and the Fairfax press rarely provide an opportunity for global warming sceptics to put their view,” Mr. Windschuttle said. “The science is not settled. “We are seeing an increasing number of people with impeccable scientific backgrounds questioning part or whole of the story. I don’t believe the ABC has been reflecting the genuine diversity of the debate. Under its own act, the ABC is required to produce a diversity of views.” Bob Carter of James Cook University, one of the world’s best-known climate change sceptics, said there was no doubt Windschuttle was correct. “With very few exceptions, press reporters commenting on global warming are either ignorant of the science matters involved, or wilfully determined to propagate warming hysteria because that fits their personal world view, or are under editorial direction to focus the story around the alarmist headline grab—and often all three,” Professor Carter said.
National Climate Centre former head William Kininmonth said coverage of global warming had been hysterical and was getting worse, with a large public relations effort inundating the media with information from the alarmist side.
good evening, everyone.
http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/11/26/for-obama-white-house-clout-is-now/
For Obama, White House clout is now
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008444499_obamalabor28.html
Unions like Obama jobs plan; trade issue on hold
For U.S. unions, the election of Barack Obama is a matter of win some, lose some.
On the campaign trail, the Democrat pledged to be an advocate for labor. He is delivering by promising a huge infrastructure-spending program to create or preserve 2.5 million jobs and a labor secretary who will give the unions a Cabinet-level voice in his administration. He also assured them of his support for a law making it easier for workers to organize.
it's old news, but still good reading.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/18/environment-barack-obama-schwarzenegger-california
Obama opens new green chapter for US on climate
verse of the day, it's a good one:
Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.
enjoy the evening, everyone.
EV1 plug-in electric vehicle
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TomN on November 28, 2008 at 08:21 PM
Funny you should mention this conspiracy. The last I heard, they were testing the EV-1 and it was apparently very successful. Then I read where they were crushed. WTF. I have always thought this was a criminal conspiracy.
Let's bring this up at the hearings next week and watch the bigwigs squirm and lie through their gold teeth.
Lets T
Evening Essie,
ASCE's 2005 Report Card for America's Infrastructure assessed the condition and capacity of our nation's public works with an overall grade of D. ASCE estimates that $1.6 trillion is needed over a five-year period to bring the nation's infrastructure to good condition.
American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card
Just think how many jobs this would create nationwide. I think the $2 trillion that bush and his co-conspirators have ripped off the American people would have done a lot more good if it had been applied to our infrastructure. This is the ultimate trickle-up economics which is the only trickle crap that will work.
TRICKLE DOWN ECONOMICS IS DEAD! BURY IT!
bush and his gang have committed the largest bank heist in world history. It reminds me of the Nazis who, in their rampage across Europe "acquired" huge numbers of valuable art works. Georing had a cellar full of stolen liquor in his castle in the little burg near Hitler's hideaway.
Good News!
Coleman has picked up about 100 votes during the recount!
TERRORISTS' RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
November 26, 2008
I thought the rest of the world was going to love us if we elected B. Hussein Obama! Somebody better tell the Indian Muslims.
As everyone but President-elect B. Hussein Obama's base knows, many of the Guantanamo detainees cannot be sent to their home countries, cannot be released and cannot be tried. They need to be held in some form of extra-legal limbo the rest of their lives, sort of like Phil Spector.
And now they're Obama's problem.
If Obama wants his detention of Islamic terrorists to be dramatically different from Bush's Guantanamo, my suggestion is that he cut off -- so to speak -- the expensive prosthetic limb procedures now being granted the detained terrorists.
Far from being sodomized and tortured by U.S. forces -- as Obama's base has wailed for the past seven years -- the innocent scholars and philanthropists being held at Guantanamo have been given expensive, high-tech medical procedures at taxpayer expense. If we're not careful, multitudes of Muslims will be going to fight Americans in Afghanistan just so they can go to Guantanamo and get proper treatment for attention deficit disorder and erectile dysfunction.
After being captured fighting with Taliban forces against Americans in 2001, Abdullah Massoud was sent to Guantanamo, where the one-legged terrorist was fitted with a special prosthetic leg, at a cost of $50,000-$75,000 to the U.S. taxpayer. Under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Massoud would now be able to park his car bomb in a handicapped parking space!
No, you didn't read that wrong, because the VA won't pay for your new glasses. I said $75,000. I would have gone with hanging at sunrise, but what do I know?
Upon his release in March 2004, Massoud hippity-hopped back to Afghanistan and quickly resumed his war against the U.S. Aided by his new artificial leg, just months later, in October 2004, Massoud masterminded the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan working on the Gomal Zam Dam project.
This proved, to me at least, that people with disabilities can do anything they put their minds to. Way to go, you plucky extremist!
Massoud said he had nothing against the Chinese but wanted to embarrass Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for cooperating with the Americans. You know, the Americans who had just footed -- you should pardon the expression -- a $75,000 bill for his prosthetic leg.
Pakistani forces stormed Massoud's hideout, killing all the kidnappers, including Massoud. Only one of the Chinese engineers was rescued alive.
As a result of the kidnapping, the Chinese pulled all 100 engineers and dam workers out of Pakistan, and work on the dam ceased. This was bad news for the people of Pakistan -- but good news for the endangered Pakistani snail darter!
In none of the news accounts I read of Massoud's return to jihad after his release from Guantanamo is there any mention of the fact that his prosthetic leg was acquired in Guantanamo, courtesy of American taxpayers after he was captured trying to kill Americans on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
News about the prosthetic leg might interfere with stories of the innocent aid workers being held captive at Guantanamo in George Bush's AmeriKKKa.
To the contrary, although Massoud's swashbuckling reputation as a jihadist with a prosthetic leg appears in many news items, where he got that leg is almost purposely hidden -- even lied about.
"Abdullah Massoud ... had earned both sympathy and reverence for his time in Guantanamo Bay. ... Upon his release, he made it home to Waziristan and resumed his war against the U.S. With his long hair, his prosthetic limb and impassioned speeches, he quickly became a charismatic inspiration to Waziristan's youth." -- The New York Times
He's not a one-legged terrorist -- he's a freedom fighter living with a disability. I think we could all learn something about courage from this man.
"He lost his leg in a landmine explosion a few days before the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in September 1996. It didn't dampen his enthusiasm as a fighter and he got himself an artificial leg later, says Yusufzai."-- The Indo-Asian News Service
Where? At COSTCO?
"The 29-year-old Massoud, who lost his left leg in a landmine explosion while fighting alongside the Taliban, often used to ride a horse or camel because his disability made it painful for him to walk long distances in hilly areas." -- BBC Monitoring South Asia
Side-saddle, I'm guessing. And you just know those caves along the Afghan-Pakistan border aren't wheelchair accessible.
"He was educated in Peshawar and was treated in Karachi after his left leg was blown up in a landmine explosion in the Wreshmin Tangi gorge near Kabul in September 1996. He now walks with an artificial leg specifically made for him in Karachi." -- Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)
Karachi? Hey, how do I get into this guy's HMO?
They can't lick leprosy in Karachi, but the Gulf News tells us Massoud got his artificial leg at one of their specialty hospitals.
Anyone who thinks the Guantanamo detainees can be released without consequence doesn't have a leg to stand on.
COPYRIGHT 2008 ANN COULTER
good morning, everyone.
life is good.
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1856660_1793507,00.html
The World Reacts to Obama's Win
this one is for bobhawk
http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_11096945
Obama must harness team of giants (with giant egos)
...
"The challenge is to have strength in the center," said Paul Begala, the former Clinton aide. "There's always risk that these giant planets go out on their own — but if the sun is strong enough, they'll stay in their orbits."
...
fluff like this cooks the repugs...or should I say bakes? (if they would have won, the price of moose would be sky high)
Des Moines cafe swamped with orders for chocolate chunk cookie that's an Obama family favorite
http://www.nfmpolitico.com/2008/11/28/samantha-power-rejoins-obama/
Samantha Power rejoins Obama
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/28/MN76147PBR.DTL
Obama policy a lift for stem cell researchers
Stem cell research advocates have waited nearly eight years for the policy change President-elect Barack Obama has signaled he'll make in the early days of his administration: lifting the restrictions imposed by President Bush on federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/28/MN76147PBR.DTL
Obama policy a lift for stem cell researchers
Stem cell research advocates have waited nearly eight years for the policy change President-elect Barack Obama has signaled he'll make in the early days of his administration: lifting the restrictions imposed by President Bush on federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells.
The_Evil_Dr*Burd on November 29, 2008 at 03:15 AM
Allow me to clarify. I did not say that religion was the sole reason for the start of the Revolutionary War. I said it was one of the reasons along with taxation without representation and independence from the draconian rule of King George III.
good morning, bob. it doesn't matter what anybody types, the trools will twist it around to suit their purpose.
Esmeralda on November 29, 2008 at 06:23 AM
Thank you, Esme. That's about the way I see it.
bob, I agree with your stances on what it means to be center, with the exception of welfare. recession shouldn't be the only reason for this assistance. jobs are few and far between here in my community. it's either drive 100 miles one way to the city or pull up your roots and move with hopes of a brighter future. welfare (food stamps/health care and utility payment help)should be available to those who have lost their jobs and unemployment has run out/not available, but they should also have to provide community service and pass a drug test.
the insane behavior of shoppers on black friday and the whole way the retail stores hype it up to make sure shoppers are in a frenzy reminds me of those dancers in "they shoot horses don't they"...what a bunch of bullshit!
Christmas time is here!
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
and this one for Jan. 20, 2009
Proverbs 29:14
If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will always be secure.
coffee pot empty, alloted morning blog time over. enjoy the day, everyone.
Sally-* on November 29, 2008 at 04:49 AM
Oh, these are always fun. Let's see where to start today taking apart this intellectual lightweight.
I thought the rest of the world was going to love us if we elected B. Hussein Obama! Somebody better tell the Indian Muslims...
I see Ms. Coulter starts off with the standard non-sequitor approach. In other words, WTF? She is obviously confusing the GOP attack line with reality again.
...many of the Guantanamo detainees cannot be sent to their home countries, cannot be released and cannot be tried. They need to be held in some form of extra-legal limbo the rest of their lives...
Hard to believe that was written by an American citizen, isn't it? We are a nation of law, not men nor snide broads with a bought and paid for sheepskin. They will be tried and either convicted or exonerated. The notion of the constitution not applying to everyone in U.S. custody is the antithesis of what this nation was founded upon.
...Upon his release in March 2004, Massoud hippity-hopped back to Afghanistan and quickly resumed his war against the U.S. Aided by his new artificial leg, just months later, in October 2004, Massoud masterminded the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan working on the Gomal Zam Dam project...
And had your ilk taken the time of forming a proper case against Mr. Massoud and followed juris prudence, this terrorist would be "hippity-hopping" around an 8 X 8. This incident alone proves exactly how incompetent conservatives are.
..."He was educated in Peshawar and was treated in Karachi after his left leg was blown up in a landmine explosion in the Wreshmin Tangi gorge near Kabul in September 1996. He now walks with an artificial leg specifically made for him in Karachi." -- Gulf News (United Arab Emirates)
Karachi? Hey, how do I get into this guy's HMO?...
It's the UAE, what did you expect? This is third rant of Ms. Coulter's article about a terrorist with an artificial leg provided by the U.S. taxpayer. While I have to agree, to a point, that suspected terrorist detainees do not deserve top of the line medical care, they do deserve the same level of care our American citizen prisoners receive. Are conservatives now seeling off bits of their humanity as well? It would appear so.
...Anyone who thinks the Guantanamo detainees can be released without consequence doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Had you conservatives done your job, gathered your evidence, and prosecuted these scumbags in accordance with American law, you wouldn't hear a peep out of the left, well except the far, far left who believes that everyone who commits a crime is not guilty due to some past trauma or some other silly notion of that sort. All we wanted is a fair application of American law.
We're not complaining about catching and detaining suspected terrorists; far from it. We're complaining about the way you conservatives have managed to somehow convince yourselves that the U.S. Constitution applies to some and not all. Because the conservative line, to us, comes across as, "We can lock up who we damn well please and it does not matter if we have evidence or not." If the Constitution does not apply to everyone, it means nothing, just like Ann Coulter's typical opinion pieces.
Esmeralda on November 29, 2008 at 07:17 AM
I understand, Esme. A state by state approach would be in order. It wouldn't be fair to cut off all federal aid when, say, forty states are doing OK and ten are in the financial crapper. Good point.
Vermont Maple syrup tastes like kerosene.
30Sally-* on November 28, 2008 at 08:42 PM
Silly* drinks kerosene.
George W. Bush hopes history will see him as a president who liberated millions of Iraqis and Afghans, who worked towards peace and who never sold his soul for political ends.
"I'd like to be a president (known) as somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace," Bush said in excerpts of a recent interview released by the White House Friday.
"I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process. I came to Washington with a set of values, and I'm leaving with the same set of values."
He also said he wanted to be seen as a president who helped individuals, "that rallied people to serve their neighbor; that led an effort to help relieve HIV/AIDS and malaria on places like the continent of Africa; that helped elderly people get prescription drugs and Medicare as a part of the basic package."
Bush added that every day during his eight-year presidency he had consulted the Bible and drawn comfort from his faith.
"I would advise politicians, however, to be careful about faith in the public arena," the US leader said in the interview with his sister Doro Bush Koch recorded as part of an oral history program known as Storycorps.
As his second term in office draws to an end, Bush joked he would miss some of the trappings that come with the presidency such as trips on Air Force One, never being stuck in a traffic jam, and the president's residence at Camp David.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081128185323.mpq7bsa8&show_article=1
While the POTUS should be commended for his work with African AIDS victims, that is about all any normal person could commend him for. Even Afghanistan has turned into a quagmire now and that was the only justified fight President Bush had.
The Presidency of George W. Bush has been an utter failure. Never before has our Constitution been so disregarded. The economic policies set forth by this administration has weakened us and stregnthened our so-called friends (i.e. the Chinese) and our enemies. The foreign policy of this administration has made more enemies than friends. And the application of domestic policy came straight out of the fire and brimstone sections of the Old Testament (i.e. You do it my way or burn in Hades).
No, Mr. President, you blew it just like your stint with the Texas Rangers, the oil company you had a hand in folding, and the unfair campaign tactics you used against the late, great Gov. Ann Richards (D-TX), Sen. McCain (R-AZ), and Sen. Kerry (D-MA).
Your heart may have been in the right place, and that is debatable, but I'd much rather seen your father get a second term than you. He earned my respect. You, sir, did not. And it would appear that about 75% of the American public agree with me.
ahhhh, Bob. I was hoping to catch up with you.
Saw your list of what it means to be in the center, and am still scratching my head. I guess you are trying to express ways in which you differ from the Left on various issues, and as always, I see more of the Propoganda Framing that the Republicans did on Democrats back in the 60's and 70's , than actual facts.
For instance, you talk about you think the Center (or right) is Strong on Defense. That is false that Democrats are not strong on Defense.
This statement by Ken Melhman, RNC Chair shows what they really think:
"In an email promotion to supporters promoting the RNC's new attack video on Lamont, John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi and other Liberals, Mehlman and the GOP curiously praise loads of Democrats throughout modern history--including FDR, Truman, Kennedy, Humphrey, Moynihan, Nunn and Lieberman--for their ability to bravely defend America, using military force if necessary. Wait a second, Ken. For years you've regurgitated endless reprehensible rhetoric that Democrats don't have the guts, the stomach, the resolve to defend America and keep it safe from enemy attack. Which is it? Are we historically strong or weak? You can't have it both ways, Ken. (Rahm Emanuel, Chuck Schumer and Howard Dean, if you're out there listening, you guys should run like mad with this new praise from Mehlman and show voters just how the Repugs really do believe Democrats are strong on national security and defense).
http://ostroyreport.blogspot.com/2006/08/ken-mehlman-puts-his-foot-in-his-mouth.html
Your feelings on abortion include no third term ones, does that include a woman who newly finds out that the baby is badly deformed and will live a brief painful life? Does it include any woman who finds out that having the baby may endanger her life, and she has 2 other children at home? There has to be exceptions, and these should be rare and few.
No Affirmative Action, yet can you really say that Prejudice towards black candidates for a job is gone, and the Best man for the position will always win? I think not yet, and maybe Obama's win will help towards the day when race, gender, etc will no longer be needed.
You say an assault weapons ban is in the center or right leaning, I guess. You see no other gun control, like any crazy or criminal being able to buy a gun at a Gun Show and walk out with it, too far left? Do you see the sale of armor piercing bullets as something anyone should be able to purchase and use? Ask any policeman what they think about these things.
And no welfare given by Feds? Now personally living in a state where my state gets back .63 cents for every tax dollar sent to them for things like Medicaid, food stamps etc, I think CT could keep our dollars and do it ourselves, but let's face it, you would take us back to the days when the poor went to poor farms? When a couple whose medical bills led them into bankruptcy and loss of home, went out on the street? When Children go to school with no food in their stomachs and no lunch money? When the elderly do indeed climb into dumpsters or eat dog food, because they have a fixed income that does not provide for medicine, food and heat?
I think you have been influenced over the years because you live in what was a Red State, by rumors, propoganda, rhetoric, spin from the Right into thinking that the Left is something bad. Maybe now that VA is Blue, people will start seeing the truth. IMHO, as you like to say! :)
Good morning, all.
Nobody is happy with the War on Terror especially the Afghanis...
Afghan Leader Demands Plan For Foreign Forces' Departure
(By Allauddin Khan -- Associated Press)
KABUL, Nov. 26 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has sharply criticized the United States and NATO, demanding a timeline for the withdrawal of foreign forces.
Karzai's comments came late Tuesday in a speech to a U.N. Security Council delegation visiting Kabul, the capital, this week. He accused the international community of failing "to fight the Taliban properly" since the U.S.-led war in the country began in 2001.
"This war has gone on for seven years. The Afghans don't understand anymore how come a little force like the Taliban can continue to exist, can continue to flourish, can continue to launch attacks with 40 countries in Afghanistan, with entire NATO force in Afghanistan, with the entire international community behind them," Karzai said. "Still we are not able to defeat the Taliban."
Karzai spoke days after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama promised to put greater emphasis on security in Afghanistan next year. The two men talked for the first time by phone last week.
Karzai, whose five-year term ends next year, has become increasingly critical of the international community. He has complained bitterly about mounting civilian casualties caused by U.S.-led airstrikes in Afghanistan and has called for a halt to NATO raids on Afghan villages. In recent weeks, he has become more forceful in his calls for negotiations with the Taliban, saying he would guarantee safe passage to Taliban leader Mohammad Omar if he agreed to talks with the government...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/26/AR2008112603844.html
Our puppet president is up for re-election and sees certain defeat. Will Obama find another one or start negotiating with Mohammad Omar?
We in the West have forgotten history. You need to horse trade with the killers in the Middle East...and make sure you can outwit them. They really don't respect military might (can overcome it with the difficult terrain and tribal loyalties). It's brains they respect...and cunning.
I've always wondered why our military thinkers don't respect the chess board more in the Middle East.
Last update - 17:14 27/11/2008
Pope to make rare visit to Israel in May, following months of Jewish-Catholic tension
By Anshel Pfeffer
Pope Benedict XVI is set to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories in May 2009 after accepting an invitation by President Shimon Peres. The Vatican and Israel are said, thus, to hopefully end the high tension of recent months between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people over the initiative of canonizing Pope Pius XII.
This visit, which would be the third visit of a pope to Israel since the establishment of the state, has not yet been officially confirmed.
Peres met about two weeks ago with Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Franco, the pope's envoy to Israel. Franco told the president that Benedict would respond positively to an invitation from Israel. The president sent the invitation, and a positive response was indeed reportedly received.
Since the visit has not yet been publicly confirmed, no preparations are underway in the Foreign Ministry or the Vatican. However, the Pope's arrival is apparently planned for the second week of May...
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1041322.html
The controversy between Jews and Catholics is much ado about nothing. Pius XII could've done more for the Jews in WW2 however, he would've risked losing his neutral status thus rendering him ineffective in helping who he did. It's the same scenario as Schindler's List. We do what we can when we can. I'm sure if Pius XII had his way, he would've saved everyone.
gregg on November 29, 2008 at 07:28 AM
gregg,
Think of it as a rite of passage for some in our society. The quest to score that big HD TV at a bargain price is like taking down your first buck. We have traded material wealth for the pursuit of happiness.
There are no bargains in life but that doesn't stop some from killing their neighbors to get them. Look who they voted for in the last decade.
A smarter citizen is planning to take down the perfect Xmas tree or bake the best lasagna for their next holiday gathering...speaking of which I think I'm going to make chili mac for dinner. Forecast is for windy snow showers tonight.
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 09:24 AM
pam,
We all have our center and it differs depending on what our needs are. It affects our prejudices and fears. It affects our wants and longings. I believe it's more important to build alliances on those things one can agree to disagree on.
You can't change people; they must change and transform themselves. It's always better for someone to come to the same conclusion as yourself from their own frame of reference. The trick is to get them thinking.
bbl.
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 09:24 AM
Good morning, Pam. Let's take those points one by one.
In regards to the "strong on defense" claim, while we are able to cite great Democratic leaders such as FDR, Truman, and JFK, there are also the Kucinich's and the Sheehan's, among others, who wouldn't fight if someone walked up and smacked them in the mouth. There are those in our own party now who would have us withdraw from Afghanistan because, occasionally, there are innocent people being killed. Thus is the nature of war.
No third term abortions means no third term abortions as a means of birth control. If the life of the mother is threatened, then so be it, however, the child should be saved becuase we know of numerous cases where children have lived after as little as 24 weeks of gestation.
As far as Affirmative Action goes, its time has come and gone. The election of Barack Obama has proven that. There are sufficeint anti-discrimination laws on the books now to combat the idiots in Appalachia and their like-minded ilk. Affirmative Action is the antithesis of what it is supposed to combat. Affiramtive Action is the hiring or granting a position based on race or gender. Each individual needs to stand on their own merit.
You're correct to point out the gun show loophole. To solve that, a centerist position would be that anyone entering a gun show to buy a firearm, and they do sell other things beside firearms, must get a special pass that says they are legally eligible to buy a firearm. VA has an excellent system in place where a gun dealer punches in your SSN and the results come back in less than a minute. Do that as the people come through the door, and that ends the gun show loophole.
And finally, in regards to welfare, where is your entrepeneurial spirit? Even during the Hoover Depression, people sold pencils and fruit on street corners. As I spoke with Esme this morning, she reminded me that while the economy may be good in some states it could very well just plain suck in others. My interpretation of the centerist view on this would be dole out federal funds according to each state's unemployment rate.
And while you can cite all of those justifiable reasons that welfare is needed, and in fact, deserved, I can cite numerous reasons where it is undeserved such as ne'er-do-well mothers who keep cranking out babies just to get increases in benefits. If we redo welfare reform, and there is a case for such, then one of the major components is going to have to be fraud protection. I'd much rather spend a billion or two on fraud protection than to lose tens of billions for people scamming the system.
A centerist has no problem helping those who need it but we do have major issues with people who are too lazy or incompetent to get up off their dead arses and go to work. And the current economic condition, with unemployment at 6.5%, is no excuse especially since during the Carter Administration it was upwards of 12% and during the Hoover Depression it was upwards of 25%. But even at those numbers, the inverse must still apply. During the Carter Administration, there was 88% employment therefore, one must conclude that there were jobs available.
In closing, we're a lot closer on policy than our opinions here would indicate. The trick is distinguish our positions amongst the sheeple. The 15% - 25% of us, on both sides of the aisle, that stay informed have it incumbent upon ourselves to explain what is going on to the sheeple and how proposed policy would affect their lives while countering the misinformation from opposing politicians. Case in point would be how the GOP tried to make President-Elect Obama out to be something between a socialist and a Marxist when, in fact, if his cabinent choices are any indication, he is a centerist. But labels aren't that important as we near the Obama Presidency. The individual policies and bills will be. And as much as we'll detest having to do such, it'll come down as to who can make a better case for support or opposition of a bill as opposed to the actual merits of the case just os the sheeple can have their eight-second soundbites.
Thanks for the debate, Pam. As usual, it's been a pleasure.
You can't change people; they must change and transform themselves. It's always better for someone to come to the same conclusion as yourself from their own frame of reference. The trick is to get them thinking.
How true, Sandy. One of the first lessons that got pounded home to me when I first started blogging here, was my opinions of Politics, people, issues, etc were formed by living in a New England Liberal state, and it I had to start seeing that the same issues took on different meaning when living in a Red State.
But I still feel that the Republican's job on Framing the Democratic Party as Weak on Defense, Tax and Spend, Abortion on Demand, etc. has influenced a lot of people. Right here in CT, Gun Stores are greedily selling guns by announcing that people better buy them before Jan. 20th, and a DEMOCRAT takes office! Now I have done a lot of researching, and NEVER can I find one single Democrat who ever said they wanted to round up all the guns and stop sales of them. Yet you have those people who were taken in by the propoganda.
I pray for the day that our own Democratic Institutes, Think Tanks etc will come out with a way to dispell all of these mistruths.
sally is claiming that there is a problem with vermont maple syrup? seems like sally is running out of material now that all of it's election predictions went amok...
SandyH on November 29, 2008 at 09:33 AM
So the Mayor of Kabul has an issue with us being there? Had the people of Afghanistan not empowered the Taliban, we would not have had to come there and clean up the Afghani mess. Instead, the people of Afghanistan submitted themselves and we get hit with the attacks of 11SEP01. The Afghanis need to step up like the Iraqis.
As troops come out of Iraq, some will be diverted to Afghanistan. There will be a surge in Afghanistan and hopefully, we can put the Taliban out of commission once and for all. President Karzai is correct to point out that we have been there too long. The mismanagement of President Bush is to blame. I have confidence that President-Elect Obama will be able to manage the situation better.
As far as negotiating with Omar goes, not no but hell no! This sorry SOB is in the same category as UBL, IMHO. He should have two choices, unconditional surrender or extermination. To demand anything less demeans the sacrifices of those who ahve fought in Afghanistan as well as those who were killed on 11SEP01. Is that revenge? You bet your arse is it. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
Have a good weekend my fellow Democrats. Keep the Faith and keep the faith. Yes we can, yes we will, and yes we did!
There are no bargains in life but that doesn't stop some from killing their neighbors to get them. Look who they voted for in the last decade.
SandyH
So sandy, what you saying is most, if not all, criminals in our cities are Republicans? Now THAT'S a good one! Hahahaha!!!
Urban Blacks are without a doubt the number one perpetrators of all crimes in our cities. Rape, assault, murder,
An adviser to Barack Obama's presidential campaign who was forced to resign earlier this year after calling Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton a "monster" is now working on the transition team for the agency Clinton is expected to lead.
State Department officials said Friday that Samantha Power is among a group of foreign policy experts that the president-elect's office selected to help the incoming administration prepare for Clinton's anticipated nomination as secretary of state. The Obama transition team's Web site includes Power's name as one of 14 members of the "Agency Review Team" for the State Department.
Urban Blacks are without a doubt the number one perpetrators of all crimes in our cities. Rape, robbery, assault, murder... you name it, it's African Americans at their very best.
So, what you are claiming is these urban troubadours are Republicans?
Put your head down, arms at your sides and run as fast as you can head first into a door frame. Then, maybe then, you might think clearer.
What a dope you are.
82SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Go away nazi!!
One of the first lessons that got pounded home to me when I first started blogging here, was my opinions of Politics,
Why would you capitalize "politics"? Is this in the category of a religious word for you?
Or is this the Cuban method of English as a 2nd language?
84SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 11:44 AM
There are no urban black Republicans? What a racist you are!
There are no urban black Republicans? What a racist you are!
peaceman
Sure there are! But not the criminals.
Criminals are people who want something for nothing. Those would be liberals.
Peaceman, good day,
Just imagine it as a stinking dung pile inside a paper bag that has just been set on fire. You're better off stepping elsewhere.
Unless, of course, there is a Santa Ana wind blowing.
The truth is what it is. Criminal statistics don't lie. You just don't like hearing the truth.
Criminals are people who want something for nothing. Those would be conservitive like the one who went to jail for pay to play
Speculators, gamblers, cheats, all are encouraged by this casino capitalism system by big profits to wreck real businesses and lives because it is legal until shut down. Angles and loopholes are created and exploited just because the system is so eminently gameable.
-------------
Speculators are being armed by banks to hurt Main St
By Mark Sunshine
Published: November 28 2008 02:00 | Last updated: November 28 2008 02:00
Warren Buffett called credit default swaps "financial weapons of mass destruction" and they are about to annihilate Main Street. In a disturbing new trend, international banks are creating syndicated credit facilities that "weaponise" credit default swaps (CDS) by using the trading price of a borrower's CDS to set the interest rate paid by the borrower. Unfortunately, banks don't understand that they are arming speculators to ambush and kill unsuspecting and otherwise healthy companies. Regulators are oblivious to this danger as are the victims.
CDS are unregulated derivative instruments that are essentially a bet on the creditworthiness of a company. CDS are traded in an unregulated, opaque over-the-counter market, where prices have questionable value and can be easily manipulated and misrepresented.
Recently, it was reported that banks have started tying commercial loan interest rates to the price of a borrower's CDS. This seemingly innocuous loan provision allows speculators to bet that a borrower's stock price will go down while insuring that the bet pays off by manipulating the borrower's CDS prices upward.
Higher CDS prices increase the borrower's interest expense and destroy its earnings per share. Dropping earnings per share cause the borrower's stock price to fall, which means that speculators make money on their bet that the borrower's stock price will decline. This new bank interest rate provision is like selling fire insurance to arsonists and then giving them cans of petrol to burn down the neighbourhood.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/46db7d1e-bcec-11dd-af5a-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1
The truth can be manipulated by trolls to say what ever SWIRLYEYEDOBAMABOT want to say so the truth to say is not always the truth
The truth can be manipulated by trolls to say what ever SWIRLYEYEDOBAMABOT want to say so the truth to say is not always the truth
dusty2006
Why dusty, you're rather lucid today.
The truth is what it is. Criminal statistics don't lie. You just don't like hearing the truth.
ahhhh, but you see, WE know what is the truth, Toro Man. How's your boss these days? Looking at your kind of strangely? :)
http://washparkprophet.blogspot.com/2005/11/republican-criminals.html
http://www.armchairsubversive.org/
http://hackenbush.org/hackenblog/blogives/00002689.htm
http://recoveringliberal.com/?p=593
http://www.republicancorruption.com/
http://www.liberalslikechrist.org/gopcorruption.html
http://senate2008guru.blogspot.com/2007/08/republican-culture-of-corruption-2007.html
Whatever happened to that Democrat in Virginia? The one that was President of the Virginia ACLU. He was caught with snuff videos of 5 year old girls. The girls were raped and killed. I guess that is what liberals like.
Definition of a Right wing Moonbat:
According to this research, people who favor authoritarian politics and succumb to reactionary rhetoric exhibit a consistent personality pattern of “antidemocratic tendencies and fascist potential.” In other words, they tend to share common psychological characteristics, including some or all of the following:
An entrenched obsession with safety, security, and order. ( I call it paranoid. Fearful. just plain scared)
Rigidly absolutist “black-and-white” thinking (e.g., us against them). (
An overemphasis on “strength,” power, and control; a “might makes right” orientation. (remind you of the trolls who think they are macho because they like killing innocent people in war?)
Authoritarian submission: a willingness to blindly obey the rules of authorities. (The sheeple)
Authoritarian aggression: an aggressive attitude towards individuals or groups disliked by the authorities; bullying individuals or groups perceived to threaten traditional values. (Just exactly what the trolls do here!)
A belief that negotiation, understanding, empathy, and compromise are weak. (Oh, yeah, here are your Hawks! Sorry Bob, this one includes you and your centrists)
A belief in the need to punish those who do not follow rules to the letter. (uh-huh)
Scornful rejection of the subjective, imaginative, and aesthetic dimensions of life.
Superstition, cliché-mongering, stereotyping, and fatalism.
A belief in fixed, unalterable, and traditional roles for women. (all their wives are subservient little Stepford wives)
Secret insecurity when unable to live up to high standards imposed publicly on others. (we see this in the trolls every day. they KNOW they are small men, and they fight against it.)
Identification with those in power, with excessive emphasis on posturing toughness. (swagger away you little men)
Destructiveness, cynicism, general hostility, and a habit of putting down perceived opponents.
Projection: the tendency to see evil, exploitativeness, and danger in others instead of in oneself. (If only they saw how truly evil their thoughts are.)
An exaggerated concern with other people’s sexual activity. (Mind your own business when it comes to what people do in their bedrooms.)
Stevie, Stevie, for every one Democrat you can try and scrape up, there are probably a dozen perverted, dirty old Republicans. You know it, so drop it before you make a fool out of yourself again.
bbl, Dems.
gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama please listen to this boy's song " TELL ME WHY ".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzLZ32kZT5M
11/29/2008 5:11:59 PM
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gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama are you a reclam or a leir as the BlindBareBush? WHERE iS THE CHANGE THAT YOU PROMISSED ? HOW SOON THAT YOU ARE MISSING YOUR SELF AND YOUR BELIVETY? Why are you keeping Mr. Gate in your cabinate ? I think you are .....
11/29/2008 5:05:01 PM
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gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear Mr. Obama think again twice and twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person in the Democratic party ? What do you mean ? are you crazy or mad ? This choice is looking like the choice of John McCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self.But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .I think that the history is repeating it's self your end will be the same as the end of John F. Kennedy .bey bey Obama if you do that .
11/29/2008 4:45:14 PM
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gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama's administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear obama think again twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person ? this choice is looking like the choice of John MacCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self. But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .
11/29/2008 4:34:35 PM
gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama please listen to this boy's song " TELL ME WHY ".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzLZ32kZT5M
11/29/2008 5:11:59 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama are you a reclam or a leir as the BlindBareBush? WHERE iS THE CHANGE THAT YOU PROMISSED ? HOW SOON THAT YOU ARE MISSING YOUR SELF AND YOUR BELIVETY? Why are you keeping Mr. Gate in your cabinate ? I think you are .....
11/29/2008 5:05:01 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear Mr. Obama think again twice and twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person in the Democratic party ? What do you mean ? are you crazy or mad ? This choice is looking like the choice of John McCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self.But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .I think that the history is repeating it's self your end will be the same as the end of John F. Kennedy .bey bey Obama if you do that .
11/29/2008 4:45:14 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama's administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear obama think again twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person ? this choice is looking like the choice of John MacCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self. But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .
11/29/2008 4:34:35 PM
- Show quoted text -
Good evening, all.
POLITICS-US: The Second Coming of Newt Gingrich
Analysis by Bill Berkowitz*
OAKLAND, California, Nov 24 (IPS) - Ten years ago, Newt Gingrich was forced to resign as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Now, in a desperate search for leadership, Republican National Committee members are debating whether to turn back to the past and tap the ever-ready Gingrich.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gingrich "let it be known that, if Republicans want him...[he] is willing to serve as chairman of the national party and lead it out of the wilderness it's blundered into."
Other reports maintain that while Gingrich will not become the national chairman, he will still play a formidable role in shaping the party's future.
Never accused of being a shrinking violet, Gingrich, a regular commentator with the Fox News Channel, recently appeared on CBS's "Face the Nation" programme to assess the election. He boldly told host Bob Schieffer that he expected his fellow Republicans to "within a short time focus on new ideas and new solutions, and within a very short time come back as a stronger and healthier party." ...
Since leaving Congress, Gingrich has worked with a number of neoconservative and right-wing think tanks, including the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Hoover Institution. In November 2001, he was appointed to the Pentagon's Defence Policy Board (DPB), an advisory body for the Department of Defence...
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=44825
Well, it's pretty obvious what kinds of new "ideas" (wedge issues, urban legends, character assassinations, and dirty tricks) Newt's been developing since being sent off in disgrace. He thinks he's going to use them to ride back into town and into the good graces of decent people?
Not as long as there are more women voters than men in this country. He can't erase the way he treated his first sick wife and then cheated on the second one, too. He doesn't have half the Clinton mystic or BS working for him.
The Clintons have control over Obama. They spell every decision for him. Hillary will be the real boss in the White House.
Ellievel
This could go either way. Hill and Bill could be "advising" The One from behind the curtains while The One takes credit and heat for their decisions or it could go the other way.
The One and Michelle might get fed up with the pair of them and ask them go down to the root cellar to bring up some cans of green beans and potatoes for a state dinner.
Slide, snap - CLICK.
The mass child murderer tim mcveigh was a republican.
Johne
Timmy was a moonbat, just like most of you. Given the right circumstances you nutjobs would likely load up your VW buses and try to level a Republican HQ.
Problems would no doubt arise from improper maintenance and
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Pam,
You are so right. One must pay attention to framing. We haven't done enough of it concerning their candidates or their policies...much less our own. Obama stuck to a clear concise message and it worked.
As for how they frame us and our policies, we go directly to the voters instead of always playing catch up. You have to vigorously lay out your agenda and make our candidates visible. If we have to raise money and buy time in the media to do it, we do it.
We have to be pro-active and ever on the offensive.
The mass child murderer tim mcveigh was a republican.
Johne
Timmy was a moonbat, just like most of you. Given the right circumstances you nutjobs would likely load up your VW buses and try to level a Republican HQ.
Problems would no doubt arise from improper maintenance and before you could get the Love Bus fired up you'd be blown to smithereens.
gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama please listen to this boy's song " TELL ME WHY ".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzLZ32kZT5M
11/29/2008 5:11:59 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
Dear Obama are you a reclam or a leir as the BlindBareBush? WHERE iS THE CHANGE THAT YOU PROMISSED ? HOW SOON THAT YOU ARE MISSING YOUR SELF AND YOUR BELIVETY? Why are you keeping Mr. Gate in your cabinate ? I think you are .....
11/29/2008 5:05:01 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear Mr. Obama think again twice and twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person in the Democratic party ? What do you mean ? are you crazy or mad ? This choice is looking like the choice of John McCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self.But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .I think that the history is repeating it's self your end will be the same as the end of John F. Kennedy .bey bey Obama if you do that .
11/29/2008 4:45:14 PM
Recommend (0) Report Abuse Discussion Policy
gabraeal wrote:
it's a big mistake to see Republicans in the new cabinet of the Obama's administration . it's enough the faults and the crimes that they have done against humanity . For that I am advising President-elected Barack Obama to not keep Robert Gates as defense Secretary. But if he do that he will bite his finger after near time . Sorry it's wrong and fool decision .Dear obama think again twice before you take this bad decision . is there no an other person ? this choice is looking like the choice of John MacCain when he choose Sara Plain.Please don't burn your self. But if you want Mr. Colin Paul in your carbonate let him leave the Republican party to the Democratic .
11/29/2008 4:34:35 PM
Gabraeal = dusty on meth.
Oh, BTW, nice URL link to your name.
You are either a new dope or one of the old dopes with a wig and a rubber nose.
What's going on here?
Did Duhsty change his name to Gabraeal?
"Kirsten Powers"! That's the name of the babe who I think will replace Alan Colmes on Hannity and Colmes!
Sally-* on November 29, 2008 at 06:43 PM
That is a prediction - not a taunt.
Hi Sally.
I think we're both correct on the Gabraeal/dusty correlation. Just hard to believe we've 2 cement heads here on our blog. You think dusty found a stash of his lost pills in the couch cushions and washed them all down with his eggnog and cleaning solvent punch?
gabraeal wrote:
It's hopeless feuture for the US .BeY BeY AMERICA .BEY BEY OBAMA. THE END IS NEAR.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/opinions/cartoonsandvideos/telnaes/telnaes_main.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
My comment in the Washington post in July 29, 2008
"In The 20th century The united States of America was the nation of all nations, the nation of freedom, the nation of the United nations , the nation of democracy , the nation of truth ,the nation of technology , the nation of support and help,the nation of immigration . the nation of refugees , the nation of the international currency ( the DOLLAR ) , the nation of peace and trusting in God.
But what happen in the beginning of the new century . a Bloody Bad boy called Bush ( Benaalle ) the lei er has been the president of the United States .He distroyed all good things of the nation and made them oposite and dirty . He made the US the nation of all war actions.
He is believing that his father took him to the White house not elected by Americans. for that he is working for his father not for the people of the United States nor for the nation of US .
He created enemies while they are his partners.
So if John McCain elected he will work for the Bloody Bad Bushiest than working for America.
Oh Where are You America ? Are you in the way of
THE END
as it's in movies "
gabraeal@gmail.com
Posted by: Gabraeal | July 29, 2008 8:11 PM | Report abuse
11/29/2008 6:21:26 PMgabraeal wrote:
They are saying that the is in Dec.21 , 2012
watch and read . is't true ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11iCmzGnOI8
http://www.google.com/search?hl=ar&q=dec.21%2C2012&btnG=%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB+Google%E2%80%8F&lr=
11/29/2008 6:28:36 PM
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Mr.Obama SO:if you are as you are now you can change nothing , you can do nothing .
the white is Biden .he is hiden
The Afghanis need to step up like the Iraqis.
As troops come out of Iraq, some will be diverted to Afghanistan. There will be a surge in Afghanistan and hopefully, we can put the Taliban out of commission once and for all...
As far as negotiating with Omar goes, not no but hell no! This sorry SOB is in the same category as UBL, IMHO. He should have two choices, unconditional surrender or extermination. To demand anything less demeans the sacrifices of those who ahve fought in Afghanistan as well as those who were killed on 11SEP01. Is that revenge? You bet your arse is it. Revenge is a dish that is best served cold.
BobVADemocratHawk on November 29, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Bob,
I knew you would react this way. You can't see the forest for the trees when it comes to military might. But does it ever solve the underlying problem? No. There is no quick fix for what ails the situation in Afghanistan.
Nobody has ever conquered these people. You think Obama can do it using a short surge of troops? So did the Indians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Turks, the British, the Soviets, etc. Didn't happen.
The only people who have ever been able to get anywhere with the Afghani oddly enough were Americans. Our CIA infiltrated their ranks along with Bin Lauden and scored major brownie points. You have to play ball with the kids in the neighborhood if you want to get them to cooperate.
I hope Obama is smart enough to figure out what kind of ballgame will be necessary to initiate a ceasefire...that's the best you can ever hope for in that part of the world.
And don't talk about nuclear solutions. In the event of a holocaust, a tribal society would do a lot better at picking up the pieces than a complex urban civilization such as ours.
My fondest hope is that the CIA has been operating covertly without the Bushies interference the past seven years and may already have some plans underway at leveraging some accommodation with Omar, or better yet, the guy they have set up to take over when they assassinate him.
And btw, the Iraqis have not stepped up. They are laying low till after we leave. You are entirely misreading the situation in Iraq if you think that country has been secured. There are scores to be settled; and if we stay in any capacity, the score will be settled with us, too.
I respect your anger and thrust for revenge. However, that never fixes anything. Bloodletting in Iraq has just made the situation with the extremists in that part of the world even worse.
SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 06:46 PM
You guys bring out the best.
Nobody has ever conquered these people.
SandyH
Sandy, the US doesn't wish to conquer the Afghani people. They want to assist them is driving the Taliban out of their country. The Taliban helped al-Qaeda train for the attacks on 9/11. They are our enemy as well as the enemy of the Afghanis.
Pull your head out of your ass. Bob is correct.
you cement head this not your blog this for democrats not trolls im not gabraeal im dusty you dumb shits i just got back from going shopping
i just got back from going shopping
dusty2006
That's great duhsty. Did you buy a new hockey helmet, metal Power Rangers lunch box and over-sized shoes?
SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 11:41 AM
Why do you think that blacks are the only people living in urban areas? Why do you think they are the only ones involved in crime? As a self-proclaimed bigot, how come you are such an authority on all things black?
Have you ever interacted with a Catholic or a Jew? How about a black doctor or woman fireman? Served with any blacks in the Service? Can't you appreciate that all these people that you like to look down on make the world a better place?
Of course, not. You are scared of talking to them. That's so juvenile. Why don't you try growing up and meeting people halfway?
Is it really so much easier to watch the world go by than to experience life in the first person? Segregating yourself from others is no life at all. You're missing the whole point of why you exist. You have to open yourself up to the possibilities. And funny enough, some of them are black.
Did you buy a new hockey helmet, metal Power Rangers lunch box and over-sized shoes? why would i need these i fine with what i have but i think you might need these thing when you go to school your self better go to bed early you got school on sunday
sally is retard who where big floppy shoes and where hocky helmet why does he think i need to where what sally wore when he went to school
here is a news flash for the trolls. you lost the election big time. your party is gonna be underwater for many years. the things you most feared from liberals will come to life now. this blog has served it's purpose and really doesn't matter much anymore except for those of us who like to stay in touch a bit for old times sake having gone through the bush horror years together. continue with your annoying nonsense if you must but it means nothing, accomplishes nothing and really seems pathetic given what transpired on 11/4....
POSTED BY SANDYH
Why do you think that blacks are the only people living in urban areas?
No, of course I don't and that wasn't my point. My point was to indicate the fallacy of your stupid statement:
There are no bargains in life but that doesn't stop some from killing their neighbors to get them. Look who they voted for in the last decade.
SandyH on November 29, 2008 at 09:45 AM
You tried to link a stampede at a WalMart by low-income dingbats to Republicans. My point was most urban crime is committed by Blacks, usually Black on Black, and these lovely characters are rarely if ever conservative in their politics (if thry have any politics at all other than voting for a bigger handout from liberal politicians).
Why do you think they are the only ones involved in crime? As a self-proclaimed bigot, how come you are such an authority on all things black?
I don't think that Blacks commit all crimes. I said a majority of urban crime is committed by Blacks although now that we've added Asians in large numbers their doing their best to add to the numbers. I am not an authority on crime and more than you are an authority on Republicans involved in WalMart stampedes. But I read/hears the news and crime statistics and the fact are facts.
you ever interacted with a Catholic or a Jew? How about a black doctor or woman fireman? Served with any blacks in the Service?
Yes on all counts. How does Catholics and Jews factor into high rates of African American urban crime? I know many, many Catholics and Jews and none of them are in saggy pants gangs or drive by shootings from cars with spinners on their wheels.
Can't you appreciate that all these people that you like to look down on make the world a better place?
I appreciate the hard work of people who, regardless of race, color or creed, contribute to society. This is as opposed to scumbag criminal who should be dragged out of town by their heels and shot. I don't like rapists, murderers and other scum. Some people just need killing.
course, not. You are scared of talking to them. That's so juvenile. Why don't you try growing up and meeting people halfway
See above.
Is it really so much easier to watch the world go by than to experience life in the first person? Segregating yourself from others is no life at all. You're missing the whole point of why you exist. You have to open yourself up to the possibilities.
For a truly stupid person you assume too much about me. Because you are truly stupid you always come up short on your theories. Once again, you are consistently in error.
And funny enough, some of them are black.
I have Black friends. Non of them are criminals and they, like me, feel the same way about criminals regardless of race, color or creed. If any of my Black friends, most who are greatly respected professionals in their fields, decide to quit working, turn their hats around, let their pants sag off their asses and carry guns around while committing rape, robbery and murder... well, I wouldn't call them my friends any longer.
But I choose my friends wisely and the chances of them flipping is very slim.
122
SandyH
Police: Lawyer, cop left
man to die
Santa Fe pedestrian killed
Last Edited: Wednesday, 26 Nov 2008, 9:31 PM MST
Created On: Wednesday, 26 Nov 2008, 9:17 PM MST
Reporter: Kim Holland
Web Producer: Bill Diven SANTA FE (KRQE) - A member of the governor's security detail was in the passenger seat when a politically connected and possibly drunk lawyer left an injured pedestrian to die on a Santa Fe street, police are reporting.
William Tenorio, 46, died several hours after being struck on Guadalupe Street as patrons were leaving a downtown blues club early Wednesday morning.
Carlos William Fierro, 36, appeared to be drunk when police stopped his BMW about a mile from the scene, according to Santa Fe police. He was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.
A test of blood drawn from him will determine whether or not there was alcohol in his system and how much.
Fierro, named the 2007 Young Lawyer of the Year by the New Mexico Bar Association, ran for the Democratic nomination for the state Public Regulation Commission in 2004. He also served as legal counsel to Rep. Tom Udall, D-N. M., in Washington.
Police identified Fierro's passenger as New Mexico State Police Sgt. Alfred Lovato, a 17-year veteran of the department who is assigned to Gov. Bill Richardson's security detail.
http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/crime_krqe_santa_fe_lawyer_cop_left_man_to_die_200811262120_rev1
==========================
Look out DC, Richardson and his party crowd are coming back!
They took off so they could drop off Bill before they got caught, more than likely, he is well known to get drunk and party at a bar up the street from where it happened.
sally is retard who where big floppy shoes and where hocky helmet why does he think i need to where what sally wore when he went to school
dusty2006
Exhibit A in the case of dusty's head vs. the sidewalk when he falls off the bus bench without his hockey helmet securely fastened to his misshapen head.
I can only hope that your metal Power Rangers lunch box, clutched firmly to your hollow chest, took most of the blow.
here is a news flash for the trolls...
gregg
... and here's a news flash for you Mr. Greg Gallina, you are a pathetic narcissistic ranting blowhard. We could really give a rat's ass about you, your opinions or warnings.
And as far as us posting annoying nonsense on this blog, we're just trying to fit in with you asshats.
here is a news flash for the trolls...
gregg
Oh, and one other thing. Do yourself a favor. Turn off your computer, pull up your pants and leave the basement of your town home. It's not good for you, as a retired substitute science teacher, to stay indoors in the dark day after day looking at porn and posting here.
Go down to a park or something and annoy the squirrels.
my head fine do you fall alot with your over sized head do you need the hockey helmet more then me i don"t why do you allways tell us about your childhood that you must have needed helmet and lunch box my head fine and dont go to school any more i graduated from hight school and now l live fabuless life
sWIRLYEYEDOBAMABOT why dont you fallow our own direction and go away
They want to assist them is driving the Taliban out of their country...
SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 07:50 PM
Why are we assisting anyone when they can fight for themselves? Besides, I thought we wanted to get Bin Lauden and his henchmen. They reside in Pakistan.
When Bush paid the Afghani tribesmen to take out Bin Lauden at Tora Bora with our Special Forces there and perfectly capable of doing the job, all the Afghani tribesmen lost respect for us.
They knew that we had selected a dumb ass as our leader and figured that they could play both sides for a profit. Boy, were they right. Seven years later and they are still picking up easy money from both al Queada and us.
You have some sort of delusion about the Taliban. They are Afghani not Arabs. It's their country, too. They will be there a lot longer than we will. If the Afghani people are sick of being bullied by these creeps, they need to do something about it themselves. We're protecting the Afghani from getting on with it.
And it sounds to me like Karsai doesn't want to fight any longer...if he ever did. He'd rather cut a deal. It's his country; and just maybe, he doesn't like being occupied by us any more than the Iraqis?
We're spinning our wheels in Afghanistan. We need to go after Bin Lauden and quit fighting civil wars for other people.
sWIRLYEYEDOBAMABOT why dont you fallow our own direction and go away
dusty2006
Wow duhsty, that was almost like something you'd here out of an old movies about an invasion from Mars.
Take me to your leader. No, on second thought, maybe not.
Evening Sandy and Dusty,
We received a little snow last night in the Monzano Mouutains behind us. The snow was above 6,000 feet.
They just announced on CBS News that Barack Obama will announce the appointment of Hillary to his cabinet as Secretary of State.
She is going to have a tough job undoing 8 years of the disastrous foreign policy of the bush administration.
Arnold is really active in environmental concerns and green energy. I think he would make a fantastic choice for Energy Secretary. He has been appearing at international meetings on global warming and his making a name for himself.
His wife Maria Shriver has been quite an influence in his life. He is apparently more of an independent than the vanquished neocons and republicans.
We're spinning our wheels in Afghanistan. We need to go after Bin Lauden and quit fighting civil wars for other people.
SandyH
And just exactly where would we be going after him? Pakistan? Just invade them?
Oh yes, that's right... The One has already said that's an option. How long after we invade would you and the rest of the dopes on here then turn around and blame Bush for being in Pakistan?
Remember sandy, The One won. Now EVERYTHING he and Congress do is YOUR responsibility. No blaming anyone else anymore. You own this tar baby.
WIRLYEYEDOBAMABOT why are you such asshole you must work on aLL day you dont belong here your not democrat your a dumb ass troll with no brains
You tried to link a stampede at a WalMart by low-income dingbats to Republicans...
You make my point perfectly. Who voted for the Bush Crime Family...twice? Low-income dingbats.
I am not an authority on crime and more than you are an authority on "Republicans involved in WalMart stampedes"....
So you admit that they were probably Republicans...a second time in one post. I'm shocked that you agreed so easily.
How does Catholics and Jews factor into high rates of African American urban crime?...
Blacks can't be Catholic or Jewish? Have you ever ventured outside of your own little cabbage patch?
I don't like rapists, murderers and other scum. Some people just need killing...
But you think women who have been raped must have their babies...not abort them? But it's perfectly OK with you to kill those already born.
you assume too much about me...
So you don't like being judged. But it's OK for you to make blanket judgments about whole classes of people...just because they live in high crime areas and their skin is a different color than yours?
But I choose my friends wisely and the chances of them flipping is very slim...
The pertinent question here is whether your black and Asian friends choose their friends wisely. Do they know about your racist views? Would they give you the time of day if they did?
You own this tar baby...
Is that what you call your black friends when they aren't around?
* * * *
I believe in confronting big problems head on. The Pakistani leadership have allowed their own people to harbor al Queada terrorists. They have learned from Bin Lauden and are now venturing out to cause death and destruction on India on a regular basis.
It's time to hold our "ally" accountable...for Bin Lauden and their own home-grown terrorists. You betcha.
Johne on November 29, 2008 at 11:19 PM
Hi, Johne.
I'm not too sure that an Independent Republican who thinks Obama is a girlie man and needs to have his scrawny arms pumped up would fit in too well with the new administration. Does Arnold even play hoops? Can this white man jump...through hoops when necessary?
sally why are you such racist and bigot to any one not as purfected as you think you are im for one lives and love just fine i done need your ashinign coments about people who have disability
when seems you have one that called racism that worst in the world i feel sorry for you i have accepted my own but you havent good night sandy
TomN on November 29, 2008 at 12:47 PM
TomN,
We might as well get rid of the stock exchanges. These ultra rich speculators aren't interested in investing in real capital or companies any longer. It's just too much work having to research and encourage growth. All they want to do is gamble away anything of value that others have worked hard to build.
We might as well shoot them all into space and see how high their bids will go for when they think the air in their spacesuits will run out. I'm all for allowing these speculators to die on their own petard.
Take away their car keys and make them ride public transit or just take away their privilege to travel anywhere.
i like what pelosi is saying here. let's make sure our reps go the mile in reversing every bit of bush damage they can...
from wapo:
"...Once the new rules take the form of law, Democrats can undo them only by three complicated means: through a new regulatory rulemaking that would probably take years; through congressional amendments to underlying laws; or through special, fast-track resolutions of disapproval approved by the House and Senate within a few months after the start of the new congressional session on Jan. 6.
Such a quick congressional rebuke has occurred only once before, in 2001, when a Republican-controlled Congress with President Bush's backing blocked a workplace safety regulation completed in the Clinton administration's final months. But recently, spokesmen for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said Democrats were prepared to use that regulatory reversal power in consultation with Obama.
The leadership "will review what oversight tools are at our disposal regarding last-minute attempts to inflict severe damage to the law in the waning moments of the Bush administration," said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly..."
good night.
Another Catholic pastor labels voting for Obama a sin
Saturday, November 29, 2008
By Sue Nowicki | Modesto Bee
Parishioners of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Modesto have been told they should consider going to confession if they voted for Barack Obama, because of the president-elect's position condoning abortion.
"If you are one of the 54 percent of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position and you knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion. Don't risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously," the Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph's, wrote in a letter dated Nov. 21...
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/politics/story/56697.html
It appears that there is more than one Catholic priest intent on destroying the future of the Church in this country.
It was OK four years ago for their parishioners to vote for a candidate that legalized torture and is one of the most prolific executioners of all time? This incongruity begs for an explanation which I'm sure we will not be given.
It's the stuff that really makes Christians question why one sin is more important than all the rest...and it's not even near the top of the Ten Commandments.
gregg on November 30, 2008 at 12:25 AM
Good night, gregg. I'm calling it a night, too.
149
Ellievel on November 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM
I don't know. Since this blog is dominated by women and fairies it doesn't make much sense to me either.
Homosexuality: The Christian Perspective
By: Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. (Bio)
Q. What is homosexuality?
Homosexuality is the manifestation of sexual desire toward a member of one's own sex or the erotic activity with a member of the same sex. (The Greek word homos means the same). A lesbian is a female homosexual. More recently the term "gay" has come into popular use to refer to both sexes who are homosexuals.
Q. How does one determine if the practice of homosexuality is right or wrong?
That depends upon who is answering the question. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research nor of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour.
Q. What explicitly does the Bible teach about homosexuality?
This question I consider to be basic because, if we accept God's Word on the subject of homosexuality, we benefit from His adequate answer to this problem. I am concerned only with the Christian or biblical view of homosexuality. The Bible has much to say about sex sins in general.
First, there is adultery. Adultery in the natural sense is sexual intercourse of a married person with someone other than his or her own spouse. It is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 20:14; I Cor. 6:9, 10). Christ forbids dwelling upon the thoughts, the free play of one's imagination that leads to adultery (Matthew 5:28).
Second, there is fornication, the illicit sex acts of unmarried persons which is likewise forbidden (I Corinthians 5:1; 6:13, 18; Ephesians 5:3).
Then there is homosexuality which likewise is condemned in Scripture. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declares that homosexuality "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9; 10). Now Paul does not single out the homosexual as a special offender. He includes fornicators, idolators, adulterers, thieves, covetous persons, drunkards, revilers and extortioners. And then he adds the comment that some of the Christians at Corinth had been delivered from these very practices: "And such were some of you: But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the spirit of our God" (I Corinthians 6:11). All of the sins mentioned in this passage are condemned by God, but just as there was hope in Christ for the Corinthians, so is there hope for all of us.
Homosexuality is an illicit lust forbidden by God. He said to His people Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination" (Leviticus 18:22). "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). In these passages homosexuality is condemned as a prime example of sin, a sexual perversion. The Christian can neither alter God's viewpoint nor depart from it.
In the Bible sodomy is a synonym for homosexuality. God spoke plainly on the matter when He said, "There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel" (Deuteronomy 23:17). The whore and the sodomite are in the same category. A sodomite was not an inhabitant of Sodom nor a descendant of an inhabitant of Sodom, but a man who had given himself to homosexuality, the perverted and unnatural vice for which Sodom was known. Let us look at the passages in question:
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house around, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:
And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? Bring them out unto us, that we may know them.
And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly.
Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. (Genesis 19:4-8)
The Hebrew word for "know" in verse 5 is yada`, a sexual term. It is used frequently to denote sexual intercourse (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25; Matthew 1:24, 25). The message in the context of Genesis 19 is clear. Lot pled with the men to "do not so wickedly." Homosexuality is wickedness and must be recognized as such else there is no hope for the homosexual who is asking for help to be extricated from his perverted way of life.
Q. You said that sexua1 intercourse outside of marriage is condemned in the Bible. How do you explain marriage ceremonies in which two persons of the same sex are united by an officiating clergyman or justice of the peace?
There are cases on record where a marriage license was issued to persons of the same sex. I recall one such incident in Phoenix, Arizona. A marriage license was issued in the Maricopa County clerk's office to two men 39 and 21 years old respectively. The two men are reported to have "married" in a private ceremony.
However, to call a union of two persons of the same sex a "marriage" is a misnomer. In the Bible, marriage is a divinely ordered institution designed to form a permanent union between one man and one woman for one purpose (among others) of procreating or propagating the human race. That was God's order in the first of such unions (Genesis 1:27, 28; 2:24; Matthew 19:5). If, in His original creation of humans, God had created two persons of the same sex, there would not be a human race in existence today. The whole idea of two persons of the same sex marrying is absurd, unsound, ridiculously unreasonable, stupid. A clergyman might bless a homosexual marriage but God won't.
Q. A Jesuit Priest, John J. McNeill, reportedly said in a conference (Christianity Today, June 3, 1977), "There is no clear condemnation of homosexual activity to be found anywhere in the Bible." How does a church leader arrive at such a conclusion?
This particular Jesuit priest, like some other supposedly Christian theologians, have totally ignored the Scriptures as the guidelines for Christian behaviour in regard to homosexuality. McNeill does not speak for the Roman Catholic Church, but for a small segment of priests who, having vowed themselves to celibacy, that is, to abstain from marriage and sexual intercourse, have found sexual gratification in homosexual acts.
However, religious sex perverts are plentiful among protestants. Protestant leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have gradually eased away from the Scriptures. In England men like Bishop John Robinson, in his book Honest to God made a play on the term "The New Morality," which in reality was a plea to open the door to immorality making it respectable and thus acceptable. The Bishop went so far as to describe the unscriptural adulterous relationship as "a kind of holy communion." This modern concept of Christian ethics rejects totally the precepts laid down by God in His Word. It is blasphemous and atheistic.
Recently in America ten homosexually oriented religious organizations, comprised of men and women from more than a dozen denominations, and from seventeen states and Canada, met at Kirkbridge, a retreat and study center near Bangor, Pennsylvania. The retreat was entitled, "Gay and Christian." But the two terms, "gay" and "Christian" are mutually exclusive, incompatible, incongruous.
Representing the women at that retreat, Nancy Krody a lesbian, spoke on "The Lesbian Christian Experience." Here again is a misnomer. A practicing Christian, from the biblical viewpoint, will not be a practicing homosexual. Of course, I make the distinction between a professing Christian and a practicing Christian. Calling one's self a Christian does not make one a Christian.
Malcolm Boyd speaks about "The Gay Male Christian Experience." Boyd, a protestant clergyman, says he has been a homosexual secretly for years. Only recently he made a public announcement of his homosexuality. He claims that his public announcement of his homosexuality has brought him back to the church. Boyd does not tell us what he means by the "church"!
Following is one point on which the speakers at Kirkbridge agreed: "A monogamous homosexual relationship characterized by fidelity, honesty and love is possible, desirable, and honoring to God."
Any evil condemned in Scripture cannot be honoring to God. Homosexual religious leaders attempt to smooth over the breaks and rough places with Christian terminology so that a euphoria predominates, but God is not in it. A truly born again person, who loves and understands the Bible as God's revelation to him, will not condone an evil that God condemns. "If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him" (I John 2:29). "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity" (II Timothy 2:19). Practicing homosexuals are engaged in a divinely forbidden evil.
Q. Why do homosexuals refer to themselves as "gay"?
The word "gay" means merry, exuberant, bright, lively. More recently it has been adopted by homosexuals. In its original use it did not have this double meaning. The clever adaptation of the word "gay" by homosexuals has robbed it of its pure meaning, thereby corrupting a once perfectly good word. I never use the word "gay" when referring to homosexuals. There are many bright, exuberant, merry people in this world who are not sexual perverts.
Q. You made reference to First Corinthians 6:9-11. What is the meaning of the word "effeminate" in verse 9?
There are certain words in every language that can be used in a good or bad sense. In the context of this verse the use of "effeminate" is obviously in a bad sense. It is listed among other evils which are condemned. It describes feminine qualities inappropriate to a man. It is normal and natural for a woman to be sexually attracted to a man; it is abnormal and unnatural for a man to be sexually attracted to another man. Many male homosexuals are effeminate, but not all. Nor are all lesbians unduly masculine.
Q. Are there other Scriptures in the New Testament which deal with homosexuality?
Yes. Romans 1:24-27; I Timothy 1:10 and Jude 7. If one takes these Scriptures seriously, homosexuality will be recognized as an evil. The Romans passage is unmistakably clear. Paul attributes the moral depravity of men and women to their rejection of "the truth of God" (1:25). They refused "to retain God in their knowledge" (1:28), thereby dethroning God and deifying themselves. The Old Testament had clearly condemned homosexuality but in Paul's day there were those persons who rejected its teaching. Because of their rejection of God's commands He punished their sin by delivering them over to it.
The philosophy of substituting God's Word with one's own reasoning commenced with Satan. He introduced it at the outset of the human race by suggesting to Eve that she ignore God's orders, assuring her that in so doing she would become like God with the power to discern good and evil (Genesis 3:1-5). That was Satan's big lie. Paul said that when any person rejects God's truth, his mind becomes "reprobate," meaning perverted, void of sound judgment. The perverted mind, having rejected God's truth, is not capable of discerning good and evil.
In Romans 1:26-31 twenty-three punishable sins are listed with homosexuality leading the list. Paul wrote, "For this cause God gave them up into vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet" (Romans 1:26, 27). These verses are telling us that homosexuals suffer in their body and personality the inevitable consequences of their wrong doing. Notice that the behaviour of the homosexual is described as a "vile affection" (1:26). The Greek word translated "vile" (atimia) means filthy, dirty, evil, dishonourable. The word "affection" in Greek is pathos, used by the Greeks of either a good or bad desire. Here in the context of Romans it is used in a bad sense. The "vile affection" is a degrading passion, a shameful lust. Both the desire (lusting after) and the act of homosexuality are condemned in the Bible as sin.
Q. There are those persons who say that homosexuality, even though a perverted form of the normal, God-ordained practice of sex, is a genetic problem, constitutionally inherited. Is there evidence to support this view?
I read in a periodical that in June, 1963 a panel of specialists in medicine, psychiatry, law, sociology and theology participated in a conference on homosexuality called by the Swiss Evangelical Church Union. That group reached the conclusion that homosexuality is not constitutionally inherited, it is not a part of one's genetic makeup. The ill-founded and unverifiable myth that homosexuality results from genetic causes is gradually fading away.
There are possibly a number of different ways in which homosexual practices could begin. When boys and girls reach puberty and the genital organs develop, it is not uncommon for boys to experiment with boys, and girls with girls. In prisons where men and women are denied access to persons of the opposite sex for long periods of time, some are introduced to homosexuality for the first time.
A young Christian woman came to our office in Detroit for counseling. She became involved in lesbianism when her marriage began to fail. She was introduced to her first homosexual experience by a divorcee who was her neighbor. After six months of practicing lesbianism she was convicted of her sin and sought help. We were able to show her from the Bible that she was sinning and that God stood ready and willing to forgive and cleanse her. She confessed and forsook her sin, and continues to this day to live a happy, normal Christian life.
Homosexuality must be accepted for what God says it is-- sin. Some homosexuals will attempt to circumvent the plain teaching of the Bible with the insipid reply that they are the way God made them. There is not the slightest bit of evidence in Scripture to support this false concept. God never created man with a so-called "homosexual need." No baby is born a homosexual. Every baby is born male or female. In every place the Bible refers to homosexuality, the emphasis is upon the perversion of sexuality. The practicing homosexual is guilty of "leaving the natural use of the woman" (Romans 1:27), meaning that his behaviour is "against nature" as in the case of the lesbian (Romans 1:26). Inasmuch as homosexuality is opposed to the regular law and order of nature, the genetic concept must be ruled out completely. If homosexuality were a genetic problem, there would be little hope for the homosexual simply because there is no way that the genes in a person can be changed.
Q. Are there contributing factors to homosexuality for which a homosexual might not be responsible?
Yes, I believe there are. I have not done much research in this area, however, studies made by others showed varied deviations from the average or normal parent-child relationship. For example, clinical cases show that some homosexuals have not had a normal or natural relationship with the parent of the same sex. In some instances there has been a wide gap between father and son. There are those boys who have been neglected by their unaffectionate fathers. The boy who has not had a good and wholesome relationship with his father could have an unfulfilled need for a father relationship with a man. Now that need will not start out as a sexual one, but there are cases on record in which the sexual relationship has developed. I know one case of a homosexual adult who seduced a 13 year old boy whose father had forsaken him. Before the boy's contact with the older man he had no knowledge whatever of homosexuality. The older man seduced the boy.
Lesbianism has been known to follow this same pattern. Some mother-daughter relationships are not conducive to a normal social and sexual development. One young woman came to her pastor seeking help. She had gotten involved with a lesbian in the community where she lived, a woman twenty-one years her senior. The girl's parents had a defective marriage which ended in divorce when the daughter was ten years old. Her mother became bitter and resentful against all men. She convinced her daughter that men were not to be trusted, and that man's one goal was to exploit women sexually. The daughter grew up with a fear of men, a fear totally unwarranted. She was an easy victim of the seductive older lesbian. The good and wise pastor showed the counselee from the Bible that homosexuality was sinful and that God condemned it. She confessed her sin to God and received Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Today she is happily married to a fine Christian man.
Q. Do you believe that the homosexual controversy is causing problems for the churches of America?
Evil in any form is a problem in the church. It always has been. The greater problem, however, is the church's failure to discipline evil when it arises. Karl Menninger's book, Whatever Became of Sin?, deals directly with that point. There are ministers, priests, and rabbis who never talk about sin. There was a time when the minister of God's Word preached the whole counsel of God. Today many pulpits are silent on the sin question. Sin has become fashionable and therefore acceptable. When sin gets its victim into serious difficulty, the psychiatrist and psychologist tell him he is sick. The church must face the fact of sin squarely.
Q. Does the Bible tell us how the church should deal with sexual sins?
In Old Testament times in Israel God dealt severely with homosexuals. He warned His people through Moses, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them" (Leviticus 20:13). Every Jew knew that homosexuality was an abomination, a disgusting practice to be loathed, hated. This was God's attitude toward that evil practice. He hated it to the extent that He considered it worthy of punishment by death. Now God loved His people Israel dearly, and it was from His great heart of love that He chastened them. The Epistle to the Hebrews says, "For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:7). When God issued His law forbidding homosexuality, and the punishment for those persons who violated that law, He did so in order to prevent them from sinning. However, when anyone broke the law, the offender paid the penalty due him. God is a holy God who hates and judges sin. Parents who love their children will not refrain from warning them of prevailing evils, nor will they fail to chasten them when they disobey. The church today not only tolerates sin but in some instances condones it. God does neither.
In the New Testament the principle of discipline was applied with apostolic authority. In the church at Corinth the young man who was committing fornication with his step-mother was excommunicated. Paul instructed the church to take that action "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . and with the power (i.e. the authority) of our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 5:1-8). In Romans 1:21-32 where Paul shows the Gentile world in its downward plunge into sin, including the sin of homosexuality, verse 32 concludes with the words, "who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death . . . " Worthy of death, yes. But today we are not under law but under grace. People used to hear and heed the Gospel-truth, the message that God is holy, man is a sinner, and that through faith in the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, sinful people can be born again and thereby delivered from the guilt and penalty and practice of their sins.
Q. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for the church?
Nothing is more foundationally essential for the church and the world than a return to the truth. Recently I read where someone said we are suffering from a famine of the worst kind, "a truth-famine." Our modern culture is in a degenerating, deteriorating stage caused by a departure from the truth. And I must say unequivocally that truth does not exist independently of God, and His written Word the Bible, and His Son Jesus Christ. Truth is in no sense of man's imagination or contrivance. Man in his fallen state does not know truth, and that is why he continues to go on sinning. A civilization without the truth is doomed to oblivion. Every ancient civilization that ignored God and His laws has crumbled. Our present civilization is well on the road to doom. We cannot survive independently of God and His Word.
The Church must return to the truth, the whole truth, the sum total of truth founded and grounded upon Him Who said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6). In our Lord's high priestly prayer for His own He prayed, "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17). There must be in our churches the clear exposition of the Scriptures and a continuing exaltation of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ if our civilization is to be saved from the disasters that overcame past civilizations. Any civilization with a philosophy or a doctrine which denies the real truth cannot survive.
Q. Do you see any prophetic significance in the recent homosexual upsurge?
Yes, I do. However, I would suggest caution on this point. It is not uncommon for preachers to attach a prophetic meaning to every earthquake, riot, war, moral scandal or political disaster, labeling all such events as "signs of the times."
The modern homosexual upsweep is one phase of a declining trend in morals. When the disciples asked our Lord, "What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the consummation of the age?" He told them that "iniquity shall abound" (Matthew 24:3, 12). There is today a permissiveness and a promiscuity in sexual behaviour unprecedented in the history of America. There is little restraint upon the widespread of material containing pictures and writing depicting erotic behaviour intended to cause sexual excitement. This would be included in our Lord's prophecy about abounding iniquity.
There is also a prophetic statement in Paul's Second Epistle to Timothy which has some bearing upon the subject we are discussing. Paul said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection . . . " (II Timothy 3:1-3). Homosexuality is an unnatural affection, practiced by persons "that defile themselves with mankind" (I Timothy 1:10), translated in the New American Standard Version "homosexuals," and in the New International Version, "perverts." I conclude, in the light of these Scriptures, that the rise of homosexuality is very definitely a trend which indicates the approaching end of the age.
Q. Have you personally counseled with homosexuals?
Yes, in two pastorates over a period of twenty-five years. In each instance the homosexual was a man in his thirties who had seduced teen-aged boys. The seduction of younger persons is a pattern most homosexuals follow. They seem to prefer gratifying their lust with youth. This is a pattern typical of men who marry several wives. Men who do not respect their marriage vows pursue women younger than themselves. One man of wealth was reportedly married and divorced six times. Most of his wives were young enough to be his daughters. The two homosexual men who applied for a marriage license in the Maricopa County Clerk's Office in Arizona were 39 and 21 years old, quite a variation in ages.
Q. Do you attach any significance to the age factor you mentioned?
Yes, I do. I see a potential threat to young people who are exposed to homosexuals. Older practicing homosexuals are a threat to the youth.
Q. Do you care to make any comments on the Anita Bryant crusade in Dade County, Florida?
In my judgment Anita Bryant was justified in the action she pursued. She did not want her children exposed to the influence of a practicing homosexual in the public school classroom. Inasmuch as homosexuality is classified in the Bible as an evil, to insist that children be exposed to homosexual teachers in the public schools would be an infringement upon the rights of parents and their children. Under no condition would I permit my children to be subjected to the influence of a sex pervert. As an American citizen I consider that choice to be my right. Anita Bryant laid her career on the line in the bold and courageous stand she took. She should not have to fight the battle alone. Christians should support her.
Q. What should be the Christian's attitude toward the homosexual?
We must always keep before us the fact that homosexuals, like all of us sinners, are the objects of God's love. The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ "is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (I John 2:2). The Christian who shares God's love for lost sinners will seek to reach the homosexual with the gospel of Christ, which "is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16). As a Christian I should hate all sin but I can find no justification for hating the sinner. The homosexual is a precious soul for whom Christ died. We Christians can show him the best way of life by pointing him to Christ. Our Lord said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). We are obligated to take the gospel to all.
Q. How can we help Christians who get involved in the practice of homosexuality?
We can help them by seeking to draw their attention to what God says in His Word. In a kind and loving spirit we can show them that they are wrong. However, the homosexual must admit to the fact that he is living in sin and that he has the desire to be made free from it. Without a genuine conviction of God's displeasure and a strong desire to do God's will, there is no hope. A truly born again person cannot continue to practice sin without reaping the results of miserable unhappiness brought on by loss of fellowship with God, the fear of retribution and the anxiety produced by guilt. The homosexual must ask himself, "Is the temporary gratification of the flesh worth all the penalty and losses I must suffer?"
Conrad Black: A 'rather successful' president with some serious achievements under his belt
Conrad Black, Full Comment, U.S. Politics
An cataract of sniggering and brickbats may safely be expected as serious analysis of the presidency of George W. Bush begins, but it will not last: The historical standing of departing presidents tends to rise as emotionalism subsides.
The U.S. annual economic growth rate has been 2.2% through this presidency, the highest of any advanced country, and the economy expanded 19% in this time, well ahead of other large economies. The same pattern was replicated in per-capita income and spending, investment of all kinds and unemployment, which ran at half a percent below the average of the Clinton years and three full points below the Eurozone.
Until the last three months of his eight-year presidency, Bush avoided a recession. It is clear now that the Federal Reserve and the Treasury will prevent deflation and maintain the money supply by topping up the monetary base as credit contracts. They are already kick-restarting commercial and personal lending. They will, if necessary, propel the banking system by the scruff of the neck and the small of the back toward its real function, sensible lending, and not being hosed out of their shareholders’ underwear by imaginative, self-
destructing derivative instruments, invented by the now defunct and largely unlamented U.S. investment-banking industry. George W. Bush will not be tagged with a lingering economic depression as Martin Van Buren and Herbert Hoover were.
Bush’s treaty with India, creating an alliance with that country, is one of the most important diplomatic initiatives in the world since Richard Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. But the chief preoccupation of the Bush administration has been the conflict with terrorists and terrorism-promoting states. All who remember 9/11 will recall the very high concern that, as bin Laden promised in his belligerent videos at the time, there would be imminent and frequent sequels. Yet not so much as a firecracker has gone off in the Americas since then, and President Bush deserves much credit that he has not received for this fact. Despite the current outrage in India, international terrorist action has not been a fraction of what had been feared. Terrorist organizations have been severely damaged, by the United States or with American assistance, in many infected countries.
Ironically, the issue that will mainly determine the historical ranking of the Bush presidency, the fate of Iraq, lies largely in the hands of Barack Obama. If Iraq endures as a powerful and effective anti-terrorist ally, a pro-Western regime with some power-sharing, and an alternative government model to the corrupt theocracies and secular despotisms that infest the Arab world now, the geo-strategic impact will be as immensely positive to the West as the Iranian revolution was a severe setback.
As long as the West imports large quantities of oil, it is extremely dangerous to have both major Persian Gulf countries, Iran and Iraq, in hands hostile to the West. Saddam Hussein and the Iranian Khomeinists between them, had the Saudis, Emirates and the other Gulf states quaking in their metaphorical sandals.
Those who opposed Bush’s insertion of 30,000 more soldiers into Iraq in the Surge of January 2007, and have consistently denied that it would succeed, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, are still officially in denial. Some have claimed that Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is effectively an Iranian puppet. This, they allege, is why he overtly supported Obama in the U.S. election, because he wants the United States out in 16 months to facilitate the oppression of the Sunnis and the Kurds, by the Shiites, under the sponsorship of Shiite Iran. The litmus test is the integration into the Iraqi security forces of the Sunni “Awakening,” the militias and para-militaries that under U.S. blandishments, deserted al-Qaeda.
Whatever the president-elect thinks of the Iraqi initiative of his predecessor, he must be too intelligent to throw away the fruits of a military campaign that has made such dramatic progress. This is not a blood-letting impasse with draftee forces like Korea and Vietnam. In any scenario except the complete domination of all Iraq by Iran, the United States will be a long way ahead of where it was in the Middle East on September 12, 2001.
More than this, President Bush has restored the credibility of American conventional deterrence. Bin Laden and other radicals mocked the aversion of the United States to casualties, and said the U.S. would cut and run in Iraq, as it was deemed to have done in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia. Instead, al-Qaeda has been expelled from Iraq and has been driven into caves in Pakistan. No one can contest the staying power and effectiveness of the U.S. military; its professional performance has been extremely high.
Unilateralism has not been an unalloyed success, but the point had to be made that the United States will not wait on anyone else before using force in what it considers to be its national security interest. Particularly, it will not accept that its forces can be deployed only with the prior permission of those historic exemplary upholders of international law, Germany, Russia, China and France.
I believe that something important and useful will come from the Iraqi operation, and that George W. Bush will ultimately be seen as a rather successful president. For the benefit of skeptics, I might add that this thesis — expanded into its current form at the request of my editor — has been my publicly stated view since well before there was any thought of asking this president to redress, in my own case, the failings of the American justice system.
National Post
bush the worst president in history he drag us into two wars and in recesion he will be looked upon as dope drunk
sally brought us another crank religious zealot last night who would like our leaders to govern us from their reading of the good book...sally is such an asshole...
"Bible Prophecy
By: Lehman Strauss , Litt.D., F.R.G.S. (Bio)
The Importance of Bible Prophecy
Does God have a plan which includes the earth and the human race? If so, can man know it? The answer is an emphatic, Yes! God does have a plan, and that plan is clearly outlined in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Man can know God’s plan clearly if only he will come to the Bible and submit his mind and heart to the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
A very striking and strange condition exists at present, namely, the deliberate refusal on the part of religious and political leaders to consult carefully the prophetic Scriptures..."
yup that would fix things just fine having a book of stories guide us into the future....of course we could always read the fortunes on bazooka bubble gum wrappers as well...
Hitler broke our army. More legacy?
Some 15,000 soldiers are heading home to this sprawling base after spending more than a year at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and military health officials are bracing for a surge in brain injuries and psychological problems among those troops.
The three 101st Airborne combat brigades, which have begun arriving home, have gone through at least three tours in Iraq. The 3rd Brigade also served seven months in Afghanistan, early in the war. Next spring, the 4th Brigade will return from a 15-month tour in Afghanistan. So far, roughly 10,000 soldiers have come back; the remainder are expected by the end of January.
What happens with the 101st Airborne, he said, will let the Army help other bases ready for similar homecomings in the next year or two, when multiple brigades from the 4th Infantry Division and the 1st Cavalry Division return.
Noting that some soldiers in the 101st Airborne units have been to war four or five times, Chiarelli said he is most worried the military will not be able to find enough health care providers to deal effectively with the troops needing assistance.
Many of the military bases are near small or remote communities that do not have access to the number of health professionals who might be needed as a great many soldiers return home.
More than 63,600 active duty Army soldiers have done three or more tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. That is a nearly 12 percent of the total number of soldiers who have deployed at least once. Roughly four in 10 soldiers who have gone to war have served more than one deployment -- and that number is growing steadily.
More..............
Bases brace for surge in stress-related disorders
Remember sandy, The One won. Now EVERYTHING he and Congress do is YOUR responsibility. No blaming anyone else anymore. You own this tar baby.
138SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 29, 2008 at 11:20 PM
I have seen a lot of ignorant, ridiculous, bigot statements over the years, this one must rank up there with one of the dullest-witted I have seen!!!
MN Thomasssssss does not understand that His New President is called President Elect, because he will not make decisions nor will our newly elected congress until January 20th, 2009!!!!!!!
Obama cannot order invasions Anywhere !
And the use of the term tar baby is an old redneck racist term that is one of the reasons this country is still in need of some good ole fashioned ass kicking ! May Obama start cracking down on Hate and Hate crimes from the moment he gets in. I would love to see MN Thomass, Stevie Boy, and the AZ idiot all frog marched out of their houses, maybe with nooses around their necks!!!!!!!!!!!
Didn't the chicken hawk veto this? "We chicken-hawks don't need no stinking psychologists." "We are men." "A bottle of gin will take care of it."
Morning Gregg,
Yes Sally boy resorts to other speaking in tongues, rolling-on-the-floor Weirdos like himself, to explain to us that God is a Mean nasty, spiteful God who created Gays, yet hates them! Who will pray for the salvation of Sally's soul, when the final day comes? His rolling mother is gone now, so there will be no one.
POSTED BY THE BLOG HOG
I have seen a lot of ignorant, ridiculous, bigot statements over the years, this one must rank up there with one of the dullest-witted I have seen!!!
Your use of the term bigot, like the term racist, is a common offense among dim bulb liberals. If all else fails, draw a correlation between ANY statement made by our opponent and a racist undertone. AKA a red herring.
Pointing out the FACT that African American are involved in much of the urban crime committed in our cities is NOT racist. It's just plain old fact. I know this kills you to admit so I don't except you to but you're not that stupid to ignore those stories and photos in the newspapers and film clips on the news every night. Sure ain't the Irish they're showing at "work".
MN Thomasssssss does not understand that His New President is called President Elect, because he will not make decisions nor will our newly elected congress until January 20th, 2009!!!!!!!
Obama cannot order invasions Anywhere !
So then, following your logic, as president Obama cannot order an invasion so likewise George W. Bush didn't order the invasion in Iraq. Correct? That's right, he didn't. Congress did which was comprised of both Republicans and Democrats. Save a few detractors, it was a strong majority vote. Look it up you old crow.
>I>And the use of the term tar baby is an old redneck racist term that is one of the reasons this country is still in need of some good ole fashioned ass kicking ! May Obama start cracking down on Hate and Hate crimes from the moment he gets in. I would love to see MN Thomass, Stevie Boy, and the AZ idiot all frog marched out of their houses, maybe with nooses around their necks!!!!!!!!!!!
The term "tar baby" is defined as follows:
Tar-Baby was a doll made of tar and turpentine, used to entrap Br'er Rabbit in the second of the Uncle Remus stories. The more that Br'er Rabbit fought the Tar-Baby, the more entangled he became. In contemporary usage, "tar baby" refers to any "sticky situation" that is only aggravated by additional contact. The only way to solve such a situation is by separation.
A very accurate use of the term as applied to the situation The One finds himself in. He promised you dopes all of these grandiose plans for getting us out of Iraq but those will never happen in the time frame he said. Iraq and Afghanistan are his tar babies. He wrapped his arms around them when he won the election and now he needs to go with them.
You seem to wake up with both your hair and brains all in a frazzle. Run a comb through both.
i see the troll is now claiming to not be a racist. this is very funny. i like the way racists spend a lot of time trying to construct intricate escape hatches for themselves from their own racist beliefs and values. i don't understand why on an anonymous blog they wouldn't be proud to wear their kkk outfits and take full ownership for their hatred of people of color. they are like pre-moral children who always deny having been "bad" even when their fingers have clearly be in the dog poop and gotten quite stinky.
You are full of shit.
Tar Baby
Johne
Johne, the urban Dictionary is hardly a credible source for word definitions. It's a compilation of definitions tailored for the those scummy people who take words from the English language and twist them around to suit their own crappy lifestyles.
It's akin to Ebonics.
Johne, a more accurate and credible source for definitions would be the long recognized expert on the English language Merriam Webster.
I can't quite figure you thinking that you, of all people, would look to a source as scummy as the Urban Dictionary as credible. I mean, how does a fat old fart white guy like yourself figure you have any place in a world like that?
TAR
Text to be displayed ">TAR BABY
Main Entry:
tar baby
Function:
noun
Etymology:
from the tar baby that trapped Brer Rabbit in an Uncle Remus story by Joel Chandler Harris
Date:
circa 1910
: something from which it is nearly impossible to extricate oneself
Try that again:
TAR BABY
I don't want to confuse you Johne.
HE_EVIL_DR*BURD why do we have to listen your flapdoodle, and your not a honest citizens. you have heart of hate
Who's the "Blog Hog"?
PamB on November 28, 2008 at 06:41 PM
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 09:24 AM
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 10:16 AM
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 02:53 PM
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 03:02 PM
PamB on November 29, 2008 at 03:09 PM
PamB on November 30, 2008 at 09:13 AM
PamB on November 30, 2008 at 09:26 AM
PamB on November 30, 2008 at 09:36 AM
---vs---
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 11:41 AM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 11:44 AM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 11:52 AM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 12:25 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 12:42 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 12:55 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 06:17 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 06:19 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 06:20 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 06:34 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 06:46 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 07:50 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 08:04 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 09:57 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 10:02 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 10:08 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 10:13 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 11:16 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 29, 2008 at 11:20 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 30, 2008 at 10:39 AM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 30, 2008 at 12:00 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 30, 2008 at 12:06 PM
SwirlyEyed_Insult Pig on November 30, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Oink.
Gov. Bill Richardson hosted a star-studded dinner party last weekend to thank moviemakers and celebrities, including George Clooney, Kevin Spacey and Paul Sorvino, for shooting films in the state.
Clooney and Spacey have been in New Mexico filming the action-comedy "The Men Who Stare at Goats."
========================
Well Now I see why Greggy is a big Clonney fan.
Now Greggy has a movie he can take his date to and enjoy.
KA-Boom on November 30, 2008 at 01:40 PM
That post looks like a lot of work DoPeyDoodle, don't you have any crossword puzzles to do?
And now Pammy thinks Uncle Remus was a racist for trying to catch Br'er Rabbit with a tar baby.
What a dope.
Nice try to get yourself out of that filthy racist remark, THOMASS, but you said it, and you own it ! I wonder how the boys at TORO will look at it. they have accepted that old Harpo is now swirleyboy, and they will love that one you posted about tar baby.
The expression tar baby is also used occasionally as a derogatory term for black people (in the U.S. it refers to African-Americans; in New Zealand it refers to Maoris), or among blacks as a term for a particularly dark-skinned person. As a result, some people suggest avoiding the use of the term in any context
now you try and tell me you used it as Trapped, and not as a derogatory reference to Blacks! BullCrap!
And go back and read your original post, where you said Obama would invade Pakistan. I was talking about NOW, fruit face !
And Congress may have voted on Iraq, but then you later saw Colin Powell sat with lie after lie in front of UN, there were no WMDs, no 9/11 connection, no nukes, no alQaeda there !!! So this is Bush's Invasion and Occupation----and the blood of those troops and dead Iraqis is all on his and YOUR hands. Can you smell it over the smell of your arrogance?????????? Dip shit?
hi ya, bold. just more gobbity goop from the trools. their posts are nothing but a clanging noise. they are ignorant and lame.
I can't wait until President elect Obama is sworn in as our Commander in Chief. Finally, an ending to the illegal occupation in e rack. it won't be quick and easy, this is one hellova mess w and his henchmen have us in.
all for oil.
Shut your yapper, Stevie. You have turned into a boring, redundent old fool, and no one pays any attention to you any more, now that we beat the Crap out of you at the Election Booth.
Take your predictions and your dopey, stupid remarks and stick them where the sun don't shine! Your day has come and gone.
Well duh Pammy, how can you say no one pays any attention to me when you devote an entire post to me?
And you haven't changed at all. You are still the nasty wrinkled up, dumpy old slug you always were.
Hi Esme, Loved the picture. she is a beauty.
I can't wait for Jan. 20th either !
The trolls get Shriller and Shriller each day, as they watch the end of the Nazi Era end!
Did you get the blog site of the Evil Ellie? What a bunch of losers. Instead of spending their time trying to work for their party, like the trolls, they would rather sit and bitch! Let them! that is how we won in 2006, and again big time in 2008! 2010 is right around the corner, and we shall Really Kick their asses!
About gay marriage.
If they approve it - I think it will be a good time to approve polygamy too. I would be happy to have two husbands. Imagine the sex.
174Ellievel on November 30, 2008 at 02:00 PM
Evil Ellie, ole gal, by the looks of your picture on your site, I would say you would be hard pressed to get even ONE spouse. Even Lesbians have better taste than that !!!
This blog is going to get funnier and funnier as Obama, who has no core values, moves further and further to the right.
Evil Ellie, ole gal, by the looks of your picture on your site, I would say you would be hard pressed to get even ONE spouse. Even Lesbians have better taste than that !!!
185
PamB on November 30, 2008 at 03:40 PM
You are the last person on earth who should be criticizing someones appearance.
Lesbians are not particularly selective. Duh, even Rosey O'donnel has a "wife".
That is Pammy's argument to any issue "Yeah but your ugly"
Evil Ellie, ole gal, by the looks of your picture on your site, I would say you would be hard pressed to get even ONE spouse. Even Lesbians have better taste than that !!!
185PamB on November 30, 2008 at 03:40 PM
Pam, I'm glad that you draw the line somewhere!
And thanks for the link to the Vermont maple syrup, i already ordered some.
Burd, and Swirly, and well Sally is a tick above ignorant.
chassie on November 30, 2008 at 04:59 PM
Why do you have to mail order maple syrup? Don't your local grocery stores stock it? Walmart even has real maple syrup.
Why do you have to mail order maple syrup? Don't your local grocery stores stock it? Walmart even has real maple syrup.
201Sally-* on November 30, 2008 at 05:07 PM
Sally i don't have to, i just wanted to, to see if its any better, i make cane syrup myself, from sugar cane that i grow. I'm just testing. I like the finer things in life, if you don't try you will never know.
That is Pammy's argument to any issue "Yeah but your ugly"
LOL!!! What a stinkin hypocrite ! This from a fool who stalked a private personal blog, stole a joke of a picture where Schubert scared me and took my picture, and then sent it around to his other Cyber criminals ! You make me lmao, ole boy ! How about you send them some of the other pictures you stole off that site. Afraid it will make a liar out of you? But then, we all know you are a liar.
I never saw a man so afraid of homosexuality as you are. You protest way too much. Not even the other holy rollers are as obsessed as you are with everything about them.
I will warn you other trolls----if Stevie starts talking about you meeting up, don't let it be in the bathroom of a public place!!! His tap shoes are just about worn out ! hahahahaha
Pam, why do you keep baiting the Trolls? You know as well as everyone on this blog knows, that Cactus, Burd, And Sally creams their jeans every time you come on the blog. So why do you keep doing it? Its not helping anybody here.
Are you getting off by baiting them? Or do you just enjoy being, a far leftist?
nice try, THOMASS
you think your arrogance and lack of any sense of humor is not recognizable!!??
and I have your personal and toro IPs as proof when I want it! fool!!!!!!!!!
also have a Deutsh one that points right to where the german resides!
You object to a picture of yourself? Well, you don't look good in your picture because you are not good looking. You have squirrel teeth that make you look like a giant squirrel and you are all wrinkled up as well.
why is toro letting such ignorant man as Thomas get on there computer
why don't the web sight have anti troll block on it to keep out these ignorant idiot
My brother is a registered Democrat, that claims that he is an independent, and votes Republican. We grew up in a little town in Western Pennsylvania that was a strong Democratic influence on us and I don't know what happened to him to make him so crazy. Our latest argument was over how many democrats there are vs. republicans. In his opinion the "independents", which he claims to be, are the ones who decide upon who will win the election. Is there anything that says on a national level how many Republicans there are vs. Democrats. He claims that they are about even in number. I have looked for an answer and can't seem to find anything specific on this.
stole a joke of a picture where Schubert scared me and took my picture,
204
PamB on November 30, 2008 at 05:13 PM
===========
OK, now I want to hear more, how did Schubert "scare" you?
Turn on a light?
Turn on a light while yelling to the neighbor, "I found the varmint that killed your chickens"?
Or was there a crowd of angry villagers behind him, when he turned on the light and shouted " here's the monster"?
I am so happy that we are going to have a Democratic President in the White House. I love the fact that Obama and his beautiful wife and children will be there and pray that they will enjoy their time in Washington, D.C. as our first family. God Bless all of them and God Bless our country.
The fact is Pammy, YOU are the biggest Troll on this blog, you regularly post half truths and lies and disrupt this blog with your hate and anger.
You are just a dopey little commie with no place else to go, and with your constant reference to it, you must not have many friends. Your posts are always good for a laugh , please don't stop.
PS, do you even know what an IP is pammy?
If one Googles your name and clicks on images you are the 1st result in the upper LH corner. Not exactly a difficult find are you?
LOL!!!
216
SwirlyEyedObamabot on November 30, 2008 at 07:25 PM
Geez, you're right. Same squirrel teeth but the picture must have been taken 50 years ago.
Go get em Evel Ellie! If you want to see Pammy's picture to see how much room she has to talk then send me an email at farmsteadproducts@netscape.com and I will shoot one right out.
International Court Proposed to Impose Global Warming Farce
This sounds crazy enough to find support among the kooks who have solidified control over our government:
Stephen Hockman QC is proposing a body similar to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to be the supreme legal authority on issues regarding the environment.
The first role of the new body would be to enforce international agreements on cutting greenhouse gas emissions set to be agreed next year.
But the court would also fine countries or companies that fail to protect endangered species or degrade the natural environment and enforce the "right to a healthy environment".
Isn't it reassuring to know that we may soon have an international right, precluding national sovereignty, to have economically productive activity coercively suppressed by Euroweenie moonbats? Next they will uphold our right to be thrown into a cage for failing to swallow the global warming hoax.
British Schoolchildren Shown Video Promoting Abortion
If you want the seeds of moonbattery to sprout into full-blown moral psychosis, you have to plant them early — as British educrats understand only too well:
Schoolgirls in England as young as 14-year-old are being made to watch a new video from a pro-abortion group that promotes abortion as a positive option when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The video says abortion is a good option for girls who can't afford a baby or want to keep their boyfriend.
The Family Planning Association video "Why Abortion?" shows various scenarios where teenagers could consider abortion an option.
The video features teenagers debating abortion amongst themselves and the majority of teens say abortion is a good option for their peers.
And it comes just weeks after the British government said sexual education in schools should be compulsory and an announcement from the National Children's Bureau that sexual health clinics should be present in every school along with birth control and contraception.
Evidence that abortion causes psychological problems and difficulties in future pregnancies is resolutely suppressed.
Fortunately, Britons don't need to reproduce. Pakistanis are doing it for them.
we have four moonbats here steve thomas burd turd and cactus dumbass these four think they know more then college educated scientist about everything
these four our stupid as rock
Russia Tells Obama: If You Don’t Drill, We Will
By MercoPress, 24 November 2008 [Courtesy CCNet and TWTW]
Russian oil companies could soon begin searching for oil in deep Gulf of Mexico waters off Cuba, a top diplomat said just days before Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the island. Russian oil companies have “concrete projects” for drilling in Cuba’s part of the gulf, said Mijail Kamynin, Russia’s ambassador to Cuba, to the state-run business magazine Opciones. Kamynin also said Russian companies would like to help build storage tanks for crude oil and to modernize Cuban pipelines, as well as play a role in Venezuelan efforts to refurbish a Soviet-era refinery in the port city of Cienfuegos, according the article published this weekend.
Medvedev comes to former Cold War ally Cuba on Thursday, part of a tour of Latin America to strengthen his country’s economic and political ties in the region. Kamynin said trade between Russia and the island would top 400 USD million this year. Washington’s nearly 50-year-old trade embargo prohibits US companies from investing on the island. But Cuba’s state-run oil concern has signed joint operating agreements with companies from several countries
to explore waters that Cuban scientists claim could contain reserves of up to 20 billion barrels of oil
234THE_EVIL_DR*BURD your moon bat idot what make you any better then anybody else
moon bat
A mentally unstable conservative who think god on his side and anybody disagrees with him is a commie
as long abandoned fact & logic what is this to you you make up stuff and twist other things to your own logic even if it wrong so your just bad as what you claim these people do being republican doesnt make you right smarter then other people the right has twisted science to fit their notion and that not right
so to you anybody helping the poor or help african american or any nationality to get work is a moon bat but if you help the rich you are normal
Good Morning Dems.
If you see any of those last 20% of Bush approvers who try and make this Mortgage/Bank/financial problem the Democrat's doing, send them this one:
WASHINGTON – The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown, according to an Associated Press review of regulatory documents.
"Expect fallout, expect foreclosures, expect horror stories," California mortgage lender Paris Welch wrote to U.S. regulators in January 2006, about one year before the housing implosion cost her a job.
Bowing to aggressive lobbying — along with assurances from banks that the troubled mortgages were OK — regulators delayed action for nearly one year. By the time new rules were released late in 2006, the toughest of the proposed provisions were gone and the meltdown was under way.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081201/ap_on_bi_ge/meltdown_ignored_warnings
Old England and the modern liberals have a lot in common when it comes to tyranny and unfair tax burdens.
CactusBarrack on November 28, 2008 at 04:57 PM
Really? You equate the taxation without fair representation and the willy nilly way colonial governors abused their power with the liberal desire to give everyone equal opportunity?
What, you think WE don't know the Revolutionary War? Please, Danny boy...your "Mensa" buddy may think we're just a bunch of ignoramuses, but we happen to know quite a bit about history and the founding of this country. See, Danny, you don't really KNOW any of us. WE could be part of the Q Continuum for all you know.
Scientific progress has been retarded by social conservatism.
BobVADemocratHawk on November 28, 2008 at 05:25 PM
And by fiscal conservatism...tired of no research being done because it won't make any money...boo fucking hoo. Science is for improving the lives of everyone, not for filling the pockets of the few.
Good morning, all.
Obama said we were the change. He better understand that WE are. And he must listen to us:
The relationship between Obama and the Progressives – is it a “battle for the President’s soul” or a “natural division of labor?"
The rapidly mushrooming debate about the relationship between the Obama administration and the progressive wing of the Democratic Party suffers from an unnecessary lack of clarity because many of the commentators do not make a clear distinction between two very distinct ways of visualizing the issue...
This same traditional progressive movement view was recently restated in a Nation magazine editorial by Katrina Vanden Heuvel.
…it's worth remembering another template for governing. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was compelled to become a bolder and, yes, more progressive President (if progressive means ensuring that the actual conditions of peoples’ lives improve through government acts) as a result of the strategically placed mobilization and pressure of organized movements.
That history makes me think that this is the moment for progressives to avoid falling into either of two extremes --reflexively defensive or reflexively critical. We'd be wiser and more effective if we followed the advice of one of The Nation's valued editorial board members who shared thoughts with the Board at our meeting last Friday, November 21.
It will take large scale, organized movements to win transformative change. There was no civil rights legislation without the [civil rights] movement, no New Deal without the unions and the unemployed councils, no end to slavery without the abolitionists. In our era, this will need to play out at two levels: district-by-district and state-by-state organizing to get us to the 218 and sixty votes necessary to pass any major legislation; and the movement energy that can create public will, a new narrative and move the elites in DC to shift from orthodoxy. The energy in the country needs to be converted into real organization…
We need to be able to play inside and outside politics at the same time. I think this will be challenging for those of us schooled in the habits of pure opposition and protest. We need to make an effort to engage the new Administration and Congress constructively, even as we push without apology for solutions at a scale necessary...
http://www.thedemocraticstrategist.org/strategist/2008/11/the_relationship_between_obama.php
The way I see it, Obama's agenda centered around four distinct pledges for change: ending the Iraqi incursion, instituting a system of universal health care, getting this nation off fossil fuels and cleaning up the environment, and making it affordable for workers to get the advanced education needed for the new jobs created by new technologies.
If he fails to move quickly on any of these four, his supporters have a responsibility to the nation and posterity to remind him that We are the change...and that he better get his slacker ass in gear on each and every one of them.
There is not going to be any honeymoon. The times and issues are too great. Obama has a large enough majority in Congress to get these things done in the first two years. We must remind him (and the Democratic Congress) from outside the beltway that we expect them to do it.
The issues are more important than any man or political party.
Good news for us. The GOP has decided they are not going to change at all, so it will be like candy from a baby in 2010 getting those voters to come to the Dem Party!!!
"A fish flopping around on the shoreline.
That's my suggestion for a new mascot for the "new" GOP, since it already looks and smells very much like the old GOP.
About the best one can say is that its transition was seamless -- or at least it will be if the party carries out the profoundly unrevolutionary ideas of its leading candidates for party chairmanship, published over the weekend in the Politico.
PamB on December 1, 2008 at 08:30 AM
Pam,
I read this. But we already knew it.
It was obvious that no one in the Bush administration was going to be responsible about anything. They wanted to protect their oil investments and destroy the middle class. That's all they did for eight years...that and allow every gangster in the world to loot our financial markets as long as they profited from their actions, too.
It was government by the corrupt and for the corrupt.
A really interesting view of the GOP!!!
"Ever since the election, partisans within the Republican Party and observers outside it have been speculating wildly about what direction the GOP will take to revive itself from its disaster. Or, more specifically, which wing of the party will prevail in setting the new Republican course -- whether it will be what conservative writer Kathleen Parker has called the "evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy" branch or the more pragmatic, intellectual, centrist branch. To determine the answer, it helps to understand exactly how Republicans arrived at this spot in the first place.
The creation myth of modern conservatism usually begins with Barry Goldwater, the Arizona senator who was the party's presidential standard-bearer in 1964 and who, even though he lost in one of the biggest landslides in American electoral history, nevertheless wrested the party from its Eastern establishment wing. Then, Richard Nixon co-opted conservatism, talking like a conservative while governing like a moderate, and drawing the opprobrium of true believers. But Ronald Reagan embraced it wholeheartedly, becoming the patron saint of conservatism and making it the dominant ideology in the country. George W. Bush picked up Reagan's fallen standard and "conservatized" government even more thoroughly than Reagan had, cheering conservatives until his presidency came crashing down around him. That's how the story goes.
the real father of modern Republicanism is Sen. Joe McCarthy, and the line doesn't run from Goldwater to Reagan to George W. Bush; it runs from McCarthy to Nixon to Bush and possibly now to Sarah Palin. It centralizes what one might call the McCarthy gene, something deep in the DNA of the Republican Party that determines how Republicans run for office, and because it is genetic, it isn't likely to be expunged any time soon.
Today, these former liberals are known as Reagan Democrats, but they were Nixon voters before they were Reagan voters, and they were McCarthy supporters before they were either. A good deal of McCarthy's support came from Catholics and evangelical Protestants who, along with Southerners, would form the basis of the new conservative coalition. Nixon simply mastered what McCarthy had authored. You demonize the opposition and polarize the electorate to win.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-gabler30-2008nov30,0,1009632.story
GregL on December 1, 2008 at 08:32 AM
gregg,
The conservatives like to forget that the beef at the time of the American Revolution was taxation without representation...not taxation.
What a joke. These nitwits think that a complex society with millions of people living in large metropolitan areas can exist without pooling the resources? Maybe that's why Bush's reign looks so much like the Decline and Fall of the the Roman Empire.
Gotta run. later.
To Chassie:
Chassie, you were right. As I look back at the troll's hate filled rants, I was not just baiting, I was chumming ! :) To see how much anger, hatred, they are consumed with, I feel pity for them. That is why they lost. Voters finally saw the party for what it had become. I shall ignore them from now on, despite their attempts to bait ME. Everything they post is lies, so why bother responding. Sorry. (and you will not be disappointed in VT syrup. VT and upper state NY are the best syrup in the world. Their sap is strictly in the trees! :)
It is not too soon to start working for the 2010 elections. Every Representative comes back up for election. Work hard in your state to take any Republican seats there may still be. We finally kicked out the last Republican in New England , Chris Shays this time in my state. Halleluahaaaaa !
See the list of Senate seats up in 2010. Jump on one or two Republican seats and help overturn them. We can do this folks !
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Class=2
They will start campaigning next year, so it is not too early to start. Let's turn the entire Government a nice deep Bllue !
Good morning, all!
I hope y everybody had a pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. I hope the trolls choked on a bone.
WATCH LIVE--OBAMA ANNOUNCES CABINET POSITIONS (Including SoS)
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