zed

zed??

oh mitch, that’s twice today, you slick bastard.

yes, indeed, quick as a whip, that son of a gun, mitch

Time for me to get some sleep and hope my stomach settles down a bit. Odd to be nervous about something painful and something exciting, both at the same time. But here I sit.

Night all.

BigMitch @ 3

oh mitch, that’s twice today, you slick bastard.

I got one in today and yesterday!
Mahalo, Teddy! She is certainly three times a Lady!!! *g*

The Application and Use of Semiotics as a Means of Political Expression in 21st Century America:

http://freewayblogger.blogspot…..hesis.html

TexB @ 5

Time for me to get some sleep and hope my stomach settles down a bit. Odd to be nervous about something painful and something exciting, both at the same time. But here I sit.

Night all.

Pain free slumber, Ma’am!!! 8-)

Bogart

newtonusr @ 9

Bogart

?

don’t Bogart that zed, man

Nighty nite dear TexB -

bogart

Punaise — good to see you on my way out the door.

My kid is LOVING France. Having the time of his life.

punaise @ 11

don’t Bogart that zed, man

Ah, Pun Meister is in da house!!!

night all

Loo Hoo,

Plastic Jesus.

I’m not taking I-5 home, I’ll be flying home in a couple of weeks. Lots more to do down here before I head home.

TexB – bunch of people here when you get thru mañana

Ohhh, love you Suzanne and Teddy too. Gotta remember the great Lionel, not just his daughter. Hopefully, she will come through all of this and make her dad proud.

TexB @ 14

Punaise — good to see you on my way out the door.

My kid is LOVING France. Having the time of his life.

glad to hear it!

hey CT, just passing through. ‘pooter problems.

Ed*ard Teller @ 17

Loo Hoo,

Plastic Jesus.

I’m not taking I-5 home, I’ll be flying home in a couple of weeks. Lots more to do down here before I head home.

I remember that song! Thanks for the memories, ET!

punaise @ 21

hey CT, just passing through. ‘pooter problems.

Sorry to hear that! Poor Suze has issues too!!! :-(

CTuttle @ 23

punaise @ 21

hey CT, just passing through. ‘pooter problems.

Sorry to hear that! Poor Suze has issues too!!! :-(

missing her own thread?

Yeah, Suzanne’s dialup isn’t behaving. We have a Lurking Mod tonite. All hail Lurking Mod!

punaise @ 24

missing her own thread?

2 nites now. She’s got to be pissed @ somebody.
Evening punaise

a nod to the mod

Ed*ard Teller @ 17

Loo Hoo,

Plastic Jesus.

I’m not taking I-5 home, I’ll be flying home in a couple of weeks. Lots more to do down here before I head home.

I like my Jesus to be a little more ‘Personal’!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzsxEC-psA

Here’s more on Gonzo getting a do-over on his testimony. I do not understand this. I realize that it’s “past practice” or whatever, but it certainly separates the powerful from the citizen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..-gonzales/

TeddySanFran @ 25

Yeah, Suzanne’s dialup isn’t behaving. We have a Lurking Mod tonite. All hail Lurking Mod!

(((((LM)))))

punaise @ 27

a nod to the mod

a nod to an anon mod?

Loo Hoo. @ 29

Here’s more on Gonzo getting a do-over on his testimony. I do not understand this. I realize that it’s “past practice” or whatever, but it certainly separates the powerful from the citizen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..-gonzales/

Throughout Congress’s history it has been the norm, Loo Hoo, Leahy is obliged to follow tradition!

CTuttle @ 28

Ed*ard Teller @ 17

Loo Hoo,

Plastic Jesus.

I’m not taking I-5 home, I’ll be flying home in a couple of weeks. Lots more to do down here before I head home.

I like my Jesus to be a little more ‘Personal’!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzsxEC-psA

Me too. I was thinking about Jesus as all these people were showing up at mom’s this afternoon, and there were only like nine loaves of bread, six cheeses and four smoked salmon fillets. So I started cutting everything in tiny pieces and cubes. We’re talking almost 20 teenagers and even more hungry adults! My mom said that Jesus would make sure there was enough to go around. There was…

But why, CTuttle? If people always get a chance for a do-over, wouldn’t that make them likely to lie the first time around and hope that nobody notices? Especially in a case like this, saving ‘ol Bushwhacked? Seems antiquated to me.

Loo Hoo. @ 29

Here’s more on Gonzo getting a do-over on his testimony. I do not understand this. I realize that it’s “past practice” or whatever, but it certainly separates the powerful from the citizen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..-gonzales/

Could they be simply be putting on pressure to flip Gonzo literally and figuratively – cutting to the chase and saving valuable time?

Suzanne is fit to be tied over missing you guys, we can assure you. We remain you humble moderators until the Chief gets back.

And thanks!

Loo Hoo. @ 34

But why, CTuttle? If people always get a chance for a do-over, wouldn’t that make them likely to lie the first time around and hope that nobody notices? Especially in a case like this, saving ‘ol Bushwhacked? Seems antiquated to me.

Remember Alvin Schlozman lied and recanted. Gets the truth out, but slowly.

NPB, do you think he’d flip? That would be interesting. Keep himself out of jail and possibly put Bush/Cheney in? Somehow I doubt it. I’m thinking he’s got dibs on a spot in Paraguay.

Ed*ard Teller @ 33

CTuttle @ 28

I like my Jesus to be a little more ‘Personal’!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzsxEC-psA

Me too. I was thinking about Jesus as all these people were showing up at mom’s this afternoon, and there were only like nine loaves of bread, six cheeses and four smoked salmon fillets. So I started cutting everything in tiny pieces and cubes. We’re talking almost 20 teenagers and even more hungry adults! My mom said that Jesus would make sure there was enough to go around. There was…

God in all his various guises provides!!! *g*

Loo Hoo,

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I for?
If not now, when?
–The Talmud

Loo Hoo. @ 34

But why, CTuttle? If people always get a chance for a do-over, wouldn’t that make them likely to lie the first time around and hope that nobody notices? Especially in a case like this, saving ‘ol Bushwhacked? Seems antiquated to me.

Just cuz they don’t follow the law doesn’t mean we have to stoop to their level!!! 8-)

BigMitch @ 40

Loo Hoo,

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I for?
If not now, when?
–The Talmud

Mitch, I saw this and wanted to be sure you didn’t miss a lengthy reply.. sorry for any redundancy if you have indeed read it already.

BigMitch @ 40

Loo Hoo,

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I for?
If not now, when?
–The Talmud

… and hear I thought it was A Book of Answers … *g*

Evenin’ all !!!

Ed*ard Teller @ 33

CTuttle @ 28

I like my Jesus to be a little more ‘Personal’!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhzsxEC-psA

Me too. I was thinking about Jesus as all these people were showing up at mom’s this afternoon, and there were only like nine loaves of bread, six cheeses and four smoked salmon fillets. So I started cutting everything in tiny pieces and cubes. We’re talking almost 20 teenagers and even more hungry adults! My mom said that Jesus would make sure there was enough to go around. There was…

East coasters know how you’re driving around and you see “historical markers” that say, “On this spot in 1775, General Washington marshalled his troops to attack the British in Bayonne” or some such thing.

I saw a historical marker that said, “This is the site where Jesus as said to have performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.” [paraphrasing]. Unlike the General Washington one, it was not in New Jersey, but rather in the Holy Land.

Okay, folks, that’s it for me, headed to bed now.

Thanks for the lovely time and all hail the Lurking Mods!

Goodnite, pups.

BigMitch @ 40

Loo Hoo,

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I for?
If not now, when?
–The Talmud

This makes me want to consider studying religion, which is something I haven’t done for many years.

TeddySanFran @ 45

Okay, folks, that’s it for me, headed to bed now.

Thanks for the lovely time and all hail the Lurking Mods!

Goodnite, pups.

Dang it, late to the party because of my pests guests … g’nite TSF …

Petrocelli’s home! Hey, you!!

petro-celli!

Welcome home, Petrocelli!

Petrocelli @ 43

BigMitch @ 40

Loo Hoo,

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am only for myself, who am I for?
If not now, when?
–The Talmud

… and hear I thought it was A Book of Answers … *g*

Evenin’ all !!!

DOOD, ya missed this:

newtonusr says:
July 29th, 2007 at 10:42 pm

CTuttle @ 203

newtonusr @ 202

CTut!
Dude – petro has new amigos, left the lake in his wake.

707!!! Traitor to the US! Oh, wait he’s Canadian!!! *g*

I’m looking for some Canada-Smack, but the stereotypical “hoser”, “ey”, etc…
got.nothing.

TeddySanFran @ 45

Okay, folks, that’s it for me, headed to bed now.

Thanks for the lovely time and all hail the Lurking Mods!

Goodnite, pups.

Nite, Teddy!!!

Narc!

Loo Hoo. @ 38

NPB, do you think he’d flip? That would be interesting. Keep himself out of jail and possibly put Bush/Cheney in? Somehow I doubt it. I’m thinking he’s got dibs on a spot in Paraguay.

Honestly don’t have a clue if he’ll flip but am certain Gonzo is a Bush pet just as Scooter was to Cheney. I do think Gonzo’s greatest loyalty is to Bush who would certainly pardon and reward him. Who the hell knows anymore but intuitively I have no doubt Bush would sell out Cheney before his devoted AG. Papa Bush must be more horrified than ever at the ruinous failure of the family legacy.

newtonusr @ 53

Narc!

Who me??? ;-)

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Thanks Loo Hoo, ES, CT, newt … hey whadya mean by “Canada Smack” …
do ya mean B.C. Bud or should I cross check you into the boards ?!! *g*

Lurking Mod,
Tell Ms. Suzanne that she has some airlifted coffee waiting for her, if the parachute worked.

punaise @ 11

don’t Bogart that zed, man

jist zig zag it ……

Loo Hoo. @ 56

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Doesn’t always work, I left home 10 years ago … and my parents still hate me !!! *g*

Yes, I’m a Dangerfield fan …

Petrocelli @ 57

Thanks Loo Hoo, ES, CT, newt … hey whadya mean by “Canada Smack” …
do ya mean B.C. Bud or should I cross check you into the boards ?!! *g*

Hey, Petro – …”have another donut!”

Margot @ 58

Lurking Mod,
Tell Ms. Suzanne that she has some airlifted coffee waiting for her, if the parachute worked.

And that it has a little Kahlua on the side..

newspaperbrat @ 54

Loo Hoo. @ 38

NPB, do you think he’d flip? That would be interesting. Keep himself out of jail and possibly put Bush/Cheney in? Somehow I doubt it. I’m thinking he’s got dibs on a spot in Paraguay.

Honestly don’t have a clue if he’ll flip but am certain Gonzo is a Bush pet just as Scooter was to Cheney. I do think Gonzo’s greatest loyalty is to Bush who would certainly pardon and reward him. Who the hell knows anymore but intuitively I have no doubt Bush would sell out Cheney before his devoted AG. Papa Bush must be more horrified than ever at the ruinous failure of the family legacy.

Even if Cheney orders Abu’s termination, I believe Shrub would ignore him, much to the consternation of the nation!!!

I’m writing my first swing jazz music in over 30 years. Using quartal Hindemeth-like harmonies and shooting toward a Teo Macero-like set of instrumental groupings to describe a fishing story. Intriguing, to say the least. Over two minutes in the past three days, which is what I’ve gotta produce under the deadlines coming up. I can’t believe I’m so pumped about writing in a style I rejected before I came to Alaska. Thinking today that the ideas wouldn’t have come to me if not jogged out by driving by a couple places I used to play jazz when I lived down here.

newtonusr @ 61

Petrocelli @ 57

Thanks Loo Hoo, ES, CT, newt … hey whadya mean by “Canada Smack” …
do ya mean B.C. Bud or should I cross check you into the boards ?!! *g*

Hey, Petro – …”have another donut!”

Why … er … thanks … I was feeling kinda hungry after that joint Powerbar … *g*

Loo Hoo. @ 56

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

I did rather enjoy the absence part!!! :P

Loo Hoo. @ 56

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Absenthe makes the heart grow fonder, too.

H/T Punaise, the master.

fahrender @ 59

punaise @ 11

don’t Bogart that zed, man

jist zig zag it ……

Guten Abend?!!! ;-)

Margot @ 58

Lurking Mod,
Tell Ms. Suzanne that she has some airlifted coffee waiting for her, if the parachute worked.

“Irish” coffee, no doubt !!! *g*

((((((( Suz )))))))

I’m back. Stomach won’t settle down.

CTuttle @ 66

Loo Hoo. @ 56

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

I did rather enjoy the absence part!!! :P

… oh admit it … you missed me … *g*

Petrocelli @ 69

Margot @ 58

Lurking Mod,
Tell Ms. Suzanne that she has some airlifted coffee waiting for her, if the parachute worked.

“Irish” coffee, no doubt !!! *g*

((((((( Suz )))))))

Ah, Mi Amigo, she is incommunicado!!! 8-(

TexB @ 70

I’m back. Stomach won’t settle down.

That’s what pizza will do, my dear.

Sleep well SFTeddy and happy trails to the great Second City. Hope you find time to visit the incomparable Art Institute…truly among the world’s finest art museums.

Really cool, ET. Hard for me to understand the musical terminology and composers and such, but when you give us a link to your music to accompany your explanation, it’s really magic.

TexB @ 70

I’m back. Stomach won’t settle down.

All that Chicago pizza?

Petrocelli @ 71

CTuttle @ 66

I did rather enjoy the absence part!!! :P

… oh admit it … you missed me … *g*

*Sputter* *Sputter*…Wha???…

CTuttle @ 68

fahrender @ 59

jist zig zag it ……

Guten Abend?!!! ;-)

danke, aber hier es ist morgen …….

speaking of which, i’ve got to head out for morning errands and such, then off to hannover and parts unknown.

you guys rock.

CTuttle @ 77

Petrocelli @ 71

… oh admit it … you missed me … *g*

*Sputter* *Sputter*…Wha???…

You two get a fucking room…

Good to see you Petro!

newspaperbrat @ 74

Sleep well SFTeddy and happy trails to the great Second City. Hope you find time to visit the incomparable Art Institute…truly among the world’s finest art museums.

DO NOT miss it~you won’t be sorry!

Ed*ard Teller @ 64

I’m writing my first swing jazz music in over 30 years. Using quartal Hindemeth-like harmonies and shooting toward a Teo Macero-like set of instrumental groupings to describe a fishing story. Intriguing, to say the least. Over two minutes in the past three days, which is what I’ve gotta produce under the deadlines coming up. I can’t believe I’m so pumped about writing in a style I rejected before I came to Alaska. Thinking today that the ideas wouldn’t have come to me if not jogged out by driving by a couple places I used to play jazz when I lived down here.

ET, Toronto had its second Jazz festival this weekend. This one was a “Street Festival” with bands spaced far enough to not intrude on each other’s sound and there were all sorts of Jazz Fusion – Punk-Jazz, Rock-Jazz, of course Latino Jazz and Andean Jazz … we were there last night and it was amazing.

The Andean Jazz Band had 2 Spanish Guitars, Violin, flute, Pan Flute and in the end, they did an extended Jazz version of Hotel California … it blew our minds …

I hope you manage to come to Toronto to do that CBC performance, I have several Leffes chilling for you …
and you have the ones I was saving for CT … *g*

Loo Hoo. @ 75

Really cool, ET. Hard for me to understand the musical terminology and composers and such, but when you give us a link to your music to accompany your explanation, it’s really magic.

Thanks! We’ll be playing this in Sitka and Juneau at the end of August and beginning of September. Have no idea when I’ll be able to post the performance(s) at my link above…

SShhh, Petro? Quiet here, but CTuttle was the person who remembered you had pests when we started to get worried about you. Don’t tell our friend from Alohasville, K?

fahrender @ 78

CTuttle @ 68

Guten Abend?!!! ;-)

danke, aber hier es ist morgen …….

speaking of which, i’ve got to head out for morning errands and such, then off to hannover and parts unknown.

you guys rock.

Ah, Entschuldigen Sie Bitte! Guten Morgen!!! 8-)

Eureka Springs — thank you for that pointer at 42 above. I read it, and it is bullshit on so many levels that I don’t know where to begin. And since, as far as I know, the poster isn’t here, I won’t.

For his or her benefit or for the benefit of anyone who might have read that dreck, I will repeat what I was said here previously: “Why can’t we just call Lieberman what he is — an asshole — without focussing on his religion?” If that makes me a pro-Lieberman lurker, well, I just don’t get it. I thought a lurker was someone who sat in silence waiting for a moment to spring his rant on others. Sound like me?

As for his calling me a pro-Israel lurker, I make no secret of being pro-Israel, but my description of the Israeli/Palestinean problem in the previous thread was intended to be representative of Joe Lieberman’s, some of which I agree with. It was appropos to a discussion of Lieberman, not me inserting my pro-Israel arguments into someone else’s thread.

TexB @ 80

Good to see you Petro!

Hi Betsy, Bonne Chance tomorrow … let me know how it goes …

newtonusr @ 79

CTuttle @ 77

*Sputter* *Sputter*…Wha???…

You two get a fucking room…

Dang, that brings back memories…!!! *g*

newtonusr @ 79

CTuttle @ 77

*Sputter* *Sputter*…Wha???…

You two get a fucking room…

Dude, we’re hopelessly straight … well as least I know I am … *g*

Loo Hoo. @ 84

SShhh, Petro? Quiet here, but CTuttle was the person who remembered you had pests when we started to get worried about you. Don’t tell our friend from Alohasville, K?

Hey! I resemble that remark!!!

Petro, you have visitors all summer?

Loo Hoo. @ 84

SShhh, Petro? Quiet here, but CTuttle was the person who remembered you had pests when we started to get worried about you. Don’t tell our friend from Alohasville, K?

Oh, you were worried about me ? Toh tweet, Loo Hoo I will be deluged with guests
throughout summer but will try to escape to the lake whenever I can.

TexB —

Glad to see you!
Sorry your stomach kept you from resting,
Glad to have a chance to say,
Sorry you are uptight about tomorrow, but
Glad to let you know you are i my thoughts and prayers. (to the extent I pray.)
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say,
Good night.

Thanks Mitch.

Petrocelli @ 92

Loo Hoo. @ 84

SShhh, Petro? Quiet here, but CTuttle was the person who remembered you had pests when we started to get worried about you. Don’t tell our friend from Alohasville, K?

Oh, you were worried about me ? Toh tweet, Loo Hoo I will be deluged with guests
throughout summer but will try to escape to the lake whenever I can.

Hey, always remember Niagara is downriver from Ya!!! ;-)

TexB @ 91

Petro, you have visitors all summer?

My dear wife can’t say no to people … I love company, but many of our pests behave like non- paying guests … over demanding and if I hear one more story of what a genius “Little Johnny” is … that same genius who sits backwards on the toilet or pees in the sink and drinks from the … never mind … or tries to eat ice cream through his ear or uses my Italian slate competition pool table as a trampoline, when there is a real trampoline right beside it …

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

tonight’s post-snack

Petro, the post-snack might be for you.

Good thing you know that meditation stuff.

OT for greater SF Bay regional late niters – just tuned into PBS San Jose and they are broadcasting a compelling documentary on the NSA with a former ATT SF whistleblower, Mark Kein. Don’t know I could have missed the original broadcast.

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

I am a 6, but I didn’t understand one question. “Do you think the government can solve people’s problems” or something like that. It’s possible, but not this bunch of clowns!

This bunch of clowns couldn’t solve a tic-tac-toe against a 5 yr old.

They run on a platform of “government is the enemy of the people,” and when they are elected, they prove it.

paraphrased and not original with me.

TexB @ 98

tonight’s post-snack

HAHA!

Petro, pests are non-paying guests. Definition.

TexB @ 99

Petro, the post-snack might be for you.

Good thing you know that meditation stuff.

Thanks Betsy, my system goes awry if I even have a Tylenol but yes, meditation does help in trying times.
What’s been interesting is watching my girls handle the influx of brats … they deftly steer them onto having fun without being destructive …
I would say they’re better meditation teachers than me … Lord knows (no disrespect to any atheists present *g*) I’ve learnt more from my girls than all the yogis and scriptures I’ve come across …

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

BigMitch @ 101

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

I am a 6, but I didn’t understand one question. “Do you think the government can solve people’s problems” or something like that. It’s possible, but not this bunch of clowns!

Or do you trust the CIA or IRS more….

BigMitch @ 101

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

I am a 6, but I didn’t understand one question. “Do you think the government can solve people’s problems” or something like that. It’s possible, but not this bunch of clowns!

I didn’t like the phrasing of certain questions! But, damn, who’d a thunk I was Jesse Jackson material??? :~)

TexB @ 102

This bunch of clowns couldn’t solve a tic-tac-toe against a 5 yr old.

But they will contract the job out for a few million dollar studies and then proclaim themselves best qualified to hammer a square peg into a round hole.

Loo Hoo. @ 104

TexB @ 98

tonight’s post-snack

HAHA!

Petro, pests are non-paying guests. Definition.

… and over demanding mostly … Ah well, I’ve grown up with tons of bratty cousins and family members,
so it’s a cinch to turn the kids around … and the parents fall right in line too … ah well, next week my best friend
is coming and his son is pure gold, so am looking forward to that.

Petrocelli @ 110

Loo Hoo. @ 104

HAHA!

Petro, pests are non-paying guests. Definition.

… and over demanding mostly … Ah well, I’ve grown up with tons of bratty cousins and family members,
so it’s a cinch to turn the kids around … and the parents fall right in line too … ah well, next week my best friend
is coming and his son is pure gold, so am looking forward to that.

…there’s hope in dope…!!!

CTuttle @ 108

But, damn, who’d a thunk I was Jesse Jackson material??? :~)

Who’d a thunk Colin Powell is dead center on the scale? He was the one who uttered the lies at the UN to get us into this war, the asshole.

CTuttle @ 95

Petrocelli @ 92

Oh, you were worried about me ? Toh tweet, Loo Hoo I will be deluged with guests
throughout summer but will try to escape to the lake whenever I can.

Hey, always remember Niagara is downriver from Ya!!! ;-)

Thanks buddy, one 5 year old wanted to jump into Niagara River and his dad spent 10 minutes
explaining to him why it was not a good idea … now I know why Tigers eat their young … *g*

TexB @ 102

This bunch of clowns couldn’t solve a tic-tac-toe against a 5 yr old.

Tex, one of the great humiliations of my life was losing a game to tic-tac-toe to a chicken!

Please don’t tell anyone….

SunnyNobility @ 114

TexB @ 102

This bunch of clowns couldn’t solve a tic-tac-toe against a 5 yr old.

Tex, one of the great humiliations of my life was losing a game to tic-tac-toe to a chicken!

Please don’t tell anyone….

Thanks for the laugh.

OK. This bunch of clowns couldn’t finish a word find where the only word left was “a”.

BigMitch @ 112

CTuttle @ 108

But, damn, who’d a thunk I was Jesse Jackson material??? :~)

Who’d a thunk Colin Powell is dead center on the scale? He was the one who uttered the lies at the UN to get us into this war, the asshole.

Ah, but he made sure ‘Slam Dunk’ Tenet was squarely behind him on the floor of the UN General Assembly!!!

CTuttle @ 106

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

What happens if you get “0″ … do you win the Republican nomination ?!! *g*

Hi, folks! I’ve updated the Priming the Pump workspace. Please visit and comment.

Bob in HI

Petrocelli @ 117

CTuttle @ 106

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

What happens if you get “0″ … do you win the Republican nomination ?!! *g*

Always the wiseacre, Eh??? 8-)

CTuttle @ 116

BigMitch @ 112

Who’d a thunk Colin Powell is dead center on the scale? He was the one who uttered the lies at the UN to get us into this war, the asshole.

Ah, but he made sure ‘Slam Dunk’ Tenet was squarely behind him on the floor of the UN General Assembly!!!

As an observer who is geographically above you guys, I would say that Tenet, Powell et al got played by Rove & Chin- ee and I am eagerly awaiting the hearings that drag all this into the open, although they might very well be closed door sessions.

CTuttle @ 106

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

I just scored a 7. Sen. Ted Kennedy scored 4.

Petrocelli @ 120

As an observer who is geographically above you guys, …

Ya sure?

Bob Schacht @ 118

Hi, folks! I’ve updated the Priming the Pump workspace. Please visit and comment.

Bob in HI

Good idea!

Here’s a weird one—

Deceased MySpace members get own Web site
Somewhere deep in cyberspace, where reality blurs into fiction and the living greet the dead, there are ghosts.

They live in a virtual graveyard without tombstones or flowers. They drift among the shadows of the people they used to be, and the pieces they left behind.

Allison Bauer left rainbows: Reds, yellows and blues, festooned across her MySpace profile in a collage of color. Before her corpse was pulled from the depths of an Oregon gorge on May 9, where police say she leapt to her death, she unwittingly wrote her own epitaph.

“I love color, Pure Color in rainbow form, And I love My friends,” the 20-year-old wrote under “Interests” on her profile. “And I love to Love, I care about everyone so much you have no idea.”

Now her page fills a plot on http://www.MyDeathSpace.com, a Web site that archives the pages of deceased MySpace members.

Behold a community spawned from twin American obsessions: Memorializing the dead and peering into strangers’ lives. Anyone with Internet access can submit a death to the site, which currently lists nearly 2,700 deaths and receives more than 100,000 hits per day.

The tales are mostly those of the very young who died prematurely. Here, death roams cyberspace in all its spectral forms: senseless and indiscriminate, sometimes premeditated, often brutally graphic. It’s also a place where the living — those who knew the deceased and those who didn’t — discuss this world and the next.

There’s a boy, 16, who passed out in the shower and drowned. There’s a 20-year-old whose body was discovered burned to death on a hiking trail; and woman, 21, who overdosed on drugs and was found dead in a portable toilet, authorities say.

Their fates have been sealed, but their spirits remain very much alive — frozen in time, for all the world to see.

Scrolling down a dead person’s MySpace profile wall is like journeying into the past. The pages were abandoned hastily, without warning. Most telling is the date of each person’s last log-in.

For 16-year-old Stephanie Wagner, it was Sept. 29, 2006 — a month before she was strangled and stabbed on Halloween night. Her frivolous teenage profile pales against the terrible facts of her murder.

“This site does kind of let you look into the heart of darkness,” says Bob Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. “We see those kinds of things that we try not to think about, which is how we are all dancing on the edge — how quickly mortality can come in and claim us.”

The human bits scattered carelessly across each profile form a vivid clip of life in motion. It’s a final resting place for the various “selves” people project online: the ironic self, the joyful self, the bitter self, the courageous self.

“I do not fear what the future holds for me,” Navy Hospitalman Geovani Padilla-Aleman, 20, blogged months before he was killed in Iraq. “I will stand and fight. I am not afraid to die.”

Weeks before she stood in the path of a commuter train, Cheryl Lynn Duca pondered mortality in a poem: “over my life i’ve watched people die in front of me. wondering why this happens.”

Many families of the deceased leave the profiles up as memorials. Each profile “wall” — a feature MySpace members typically use to post messages to each other — becomes a conduit for one-way communications with the departed. Days are marked by post-mortem birthday wishes or life updates.

“I made that B in Statistics. and I certainly missed you sittin next to me during the final,” a friend wrote to Casey Hastings, 19, a cheerleader who was killed in a traffic accident.

Some profiles are used as digital billboards to publicize a little-known atrocity. One profile is dedicated to a 3-year-old murder victim.

MyDeathSpace grew out of one person’s morbid curiosity in December 2005, when two teenage daughters were slain by their father. Mike Patterson, 26, a paralegal from San Francisco, tracked down their MySpace pages one day when he was bored. His voyeurism grew into a live journal that later became MyDeathSpace.

“I’d come across these stories where teens would be ending up dead or killing themselves, or killing others,” he says. “And more often than not, when I looked them up on MySpace, they had profiles.”

Permission to use the profiles is not requested from MySpace, which is not affiliated with the site and did not respond to requests for comment on it. MySpace said in a statement it handles deceased members’ pages on a “case-by-case basis” and does not “allow anyone to assume control of a deceased user’s profile.” Profiles can be deleted if that’s requested by family members.

MyDeathSpace matter-of-factly catalogs each death in headline format: “Belford Ramirez (19) died after being stabbed in the neck outside of a Burger King.” Click on the link and you’ll find a detailed description of the fatal attack — an element usually pulled from a news article or blog — his photograph, and a link to his MySpace profile.

(more)

Gotta go. John from Cincinnatti is on. Nite all.

BigMitch @ 125

Gotta go. John from Cincinnatti is on. Nite all.

Nite, Mitch!!!

night mitch.

TexB @ 115

SunnyNobility @ 114

Tex, one of the great humiliations of my life was losing a game to tic-tac-toe to a chicken!

Please don’t tell anyone….

Thanks for the laugh.

OK. This bunch of clowns couldn’t finish a word find where the only word left was “a”.

That’s much better, thanks. In my own defense, the chicken was highly trained *and* he got the first move.

Loo Hoo. @ 29

Here’s more on Gonzo getting a do-over on his testimony. I do not understand this. I realize that it’s “past practice” or whatever, but it certainly separates the powerful from the citizen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..-gonzales/

Again, its a difference of purpose. The job of Congress is NOT to prosecute crimes, but to uncover the truth, so that it can write appropriate legislation. Prosecuting crimes is supposed to be the DOJ’s beat.

Bob in HI

nite mitch

BigMitch @ 122

Petrocelli @ 120

As an observer who is geographically above you guys, …

Ya sure?

Ooh, Petro he gotcha! Similar to when Persiflage bite me in my Okole!!! (In the Opposite Direction)

Petrocelli @ 110

Loo Hoo. @ 104

HAHA!

Petro, pests are non-paying guests. Definition.

… and over demanding mostly … Ah well, I’ve grown up with tons of bratty cousins and family members,
so it’s a cinch to turn the kids around … and the parents fall right in line too … ah well, next week my best friend
is coming and his son is pure gold, so am looking forward to that.

How old is the son? And how old are your girls?

Petrocelli @ 120

CTuttle @ 116

Ah, but he made sure ‘Slam Dunk’ Tenet was squarely behind him on the floor of the UN General Assembly!!!

As an observer who is geographically above you guys, I would say that Tenet, Powell et al got played by Rove & Chin- ee and I am eagerly awaiting the hearings that drag all this into the open, although they might very well be closed door sessions.

During that appearance at the U.N., I think that:
– Tenet knew what was going to be said was false.
– Powell “chose to believe,” but at some level knew that he shouldn’t take their word for anything.

Bob Schacht @ 118

Hi, folks! I’ve updated the Priming the Pump workspace. Please visit and comment.

Bob in HI

Great looking, organized site, Bob (back in HI).

Am off to some much needed beauty sleep. Good night all you splendid firepup insomniacs.

nite pups

CTuttle @ 131

BigMitch @ 122

Ya sure?

Ooh, Petro he gotcha! Similar to when Persiflage bite me in my Okole!!! (In the Opposite Direction)

LOL !!!

I keep thinking he’s in La. or some Southern state …

night npb and newton

wigwam @ 133

Petrocelli @ 120

As an observer who is geographically above you guys, I would say that Tenet, Powell et al got played by Rove & Chin- ee and I am eagerly awaiting the hearings that drag all this into the open, although they might very well be closed door sessions.

During that appearance at the U.N., I think that:
– Tenet knew what was going to be said was false.
– Powell “chose to believe,” but at some level knew that he shouldn’t take their word for anything.

I place the bulk of the blame on Tenet! Col. Wilkerson is a credible source, in my eyes!

Loo Hoo. @ 132

Petrocelli @ 110

… and over demanding mostly … Ah well, I’ve grown up with tons of bratty cousins and family members,
so it’s a cinch to turn the kids around … and the parents fall right in line too … ah well, next week my best friend
is coming and his son is pure gold, so am looking forward to that.

How old is the son? And how old are your girls?

Their son is 11, my girls are 9 & 11 and the three of them can play an entire week without having a single disagreement …

Nite, NPB and Newtonusr!!!

CTuttle @ 139

wigwam @ 133

During that appearance at the U.N., I think that:
– Tenet knew what was going to be said was false.
– Powell “chose to believe,” but at some level knew that he shouldn’t take their word for anything.

I place the bulk of the blame on Tenet! Col. Wilkerson is a credible source, in my eyes!

I’ve read that Chin-ee got the docs forged, then sent to the C.I.A. … and I remember Tenet in a (Congressional ?) hearing being asked whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and after checking with some guys sitting behind him, turned and said, “The de- classified answer is yes !“

Petrocelli @ 140

Loo Hoo. @ 132

How old is the son? And how old are your girls?

Their son is 11, my girls are 9 & 11 and the three of them can play an entire week without having a single disagreement …

Dang, with two to choose from I wouldn’t be too disagreeable myself…!!! ;-)

CTuttle @ 141

Nite, NPB and Newtonusr!!!

… waves goodnight to newtonusr & npb …

wave to me this time petro. going to try sleep one more time.

night all

TexB @ 145

wave to me this time petro. going to try sleep one more time.

night all

Hoping for dreamy slumber for ya, Ma’am!!!

CTuttle @ 106

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

Please note the DATE of this quiz! 1994!!!
Hilary was much more “liberal” in those days. Back in that day, I tested as a Jesse Jackson-Hilary Clinton liberal. That category is no longer meaningful, because Hilary has shifted to the right a good bit.

Note also that in 1994 the government of reference was the Clinton presidency. Today, of course, the government of reference is BushCo. This makes a huge difference in the questions.

This “Liberal” test may have been meaningful in 1994, but it is meaningless now.

Bob in HI

CTuttle @ 143

Petrocelli @ 140

Their son is 11, my girls are 9 & 11 and the three of them can play an entire week without having a single disagreement …

Dang, with two to choose from I wouldn’t be too disagreeable myself…!!! ;-)

He is the most innocent boy I’ve seen and he is brilliant, well- mannered, humble and helpful. They are like peas in a pod and there aren’t too many kids who get along with them like he does. What I gained most from having lots of relatives around from an early age, was my ability to deal with their nuances and characteristics without getting ruffled and still have lots of fun … and my girls have aced that test as well.

TexB @ 145

wave to me this time petro. going to try sleep one more time.

night all

Sweet dreams Betsy !!!

Loo Hoo. @ 134

Bob Schacht @ 118

Hi, folks! I’ve updated the Priming the Pump workspace. Please visit and comment.

Bob in HI

Great looking, organized site, Bob (back in HI).

Thanks!
Bob in HI

Petrocelli,

If you think this highly of your friend’s son, it won’t be long before you’re thinking that perhaps one of my daughters ought to hook up with him when they’re older! Not that you can control it, but you can hope…

Bob Schacht @ 147

CTuttle @ 106

Dang, I only got a 4!!! *g*

Please note the DATE of this quiz! 1994!!!
Hilary was much more “liberal” in those days. Back in that day, I tested as a Jesse Jackson-Hilary Clinton liberal. That category is no longer meaningful, because Hilary has shifted to the right a good bit.

Note also that in 1994 the government of reference was the Clinton presidency. Today, of course, the government of reference is BushCo. This makes a huge difference in the questions.

This “Liberal” test may have been meaningful in 1994, but it is meaningless now.

Bob in HI

Color me as a hopeless, romantic Liberal!!! A true lentil-stirrer!!!

I’m out too.

Loo Hoo. @ 153

I’m out too.

Nite, Loo Hoo!!!

Petrocelli @ 142

CTuttle @ 139

I place the bulk of the blame on Tenet! Col. Wilkerson is a credible source, in my eyes!

I’ve read that Chin-ee got the docs forged, then sent to the C.I.A. … and I remember Tenet in a (Congressional ?) hearing being asked whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and after checking with some guys sitting behind him, turned and said, “The de- classified answer is yes !“

I see Powell as something of a tragic figure in all of this. He knew better than to trust those bastards. Yet he went ahead and took their word. I doubt he’ll ever recover his self-respect.

Tenet by contrast is still pitching bullshit, accepting medals, and not telling what he knows.

‘nite, Loo Hoo

Loo Hoo. @ 151

Petrocelli,

If you think this highly of your friend’s son, it won’t be long before you’re thinking that perhaps one of my daughters ought to hook up with him when they’re older! Not that you can control it, but you can hope…

I really don’t think of the future in this way, although I know that most of our friends do.

I’ve known lots of great kids who turned out to be rotten adults and vice versa.

One of the first questions I get asked when people learn that I am a yoga/meditation teacher is … “How do I find my soul mate ?”

My answer is … “First find your soul, then you will find your soul mate!”

And that’s what I teach my girls … find your soul, stay connected to it, then all else will align perfectly.

wigwam @ 155

Petrocelli @ 142

I’ve read that Chin-ee got the docs forged, then sent to the C.I.A. … and I remember Tenet in a (Congressional ?) hearing being asked whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and after checking with some guys sitting behind him, turned and said, “The de- classified answer is yes !“

I see Powell as something of a tragic figure in all of this. He knew better than to trust those bastards. Yet he went ahead and took their word. I doubt he’ll ever recover his self-respect.

Tenet by contrast is still pitching bullshit, accepting medals, and not telling what he knows.

Nice summation! Powell’s Political potential is virtually shot!!!

wigwam @ 155

Petrocelli @ 142

I’ve read that Chin-ee got the docs forged, then sent to the C.I.A. … and I remember Tenet in a (Congressional ?) hearing being asked whether Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and after checking with some guys sitting behind him, turned and said, “The de- classified answer is yes !“

I see Powell as something of a tragic figure in all of this. He knew better than to trust those bastards. Yet he went ahead and took their word. I doubt he’ll ever recover his self-respect.

Tenet by contrast is still pitching bullshit, accepting medals, and not telling what he knows.

I wouldn’t want to speak for Powell, but in the absence of concrete proof to the contrary, what choice did he have but to spout the talking points ?

Petrocelli @ 157

Loo Hoo. @ 151

Petrocelli,

If you think this highly of your friend’s son, it won’t be long before you’re thinking that perhaps one of my daughters ought to hook up with him when they’re older! Not that you can control it, but you can hope…

I really don’t think of the future in this way, although I know that most of our friends do.

I’ve known lots of great kids who turned out to be rotten adults and vice versa.

One of the first questions I get asked when people learn that I am a yoga/meditation teacher is … “How do I find my soul mate ?”

My answer is … “First find your soul, then you will find your soul mate!”

And that’s what I teach my girls … find your soul, stay connected to it, then all else will align perfectly.

Remain true to yourself and others and the inevitable trials and tribulations shall smooth out!!!

CTuttle @ 160

Petrocelli @ 157

I really don’t think of the future in this way, although I know that most of our friends do.

I’ve known lots of great kids who turned out to be rotten adults and vice versa.

One of the first questions I get asked when people learn that I am a yoga/meditation teacher is … “How do I find my soul mate ?”

My answer is … “First find your soul, then you will find your soul mate!”

And that’s what I teach my girls … find your soul, stay connected to it, then all else will align perfectly.

Remain true to yourself and others and the inevitable trials and tribulations shall smooth out!!!

Remaining true depends too heavily on defining truth … you know only too well how that’s worked in these last 6 years
and how that has been manipulated throughout history … finding your soul, your inner guide and only true guru, is the core
of yoga/meditation and according to me, it is the most important purpose in life, although not the only one.

Hey CT … are we the only ones left ?!! *g*

… and then there was one … *g*

G’nite Mod(s) !

Petrocelli @ 159

wigwam @ 155

I see Powell as something of a tragic figure in all of this. He knew better than to trust those bastards. Yet he went ahead and took their word. I doubt he’ll ever recover his self-respect.

Tenet by contrast is still pitching bullshit, accepting medals, and not telling what he knows.

I wouldn’t want to speak for Powell, but in the absence of concrete proof to the contrary, what choice did he have but to spout the talking points ?

He could have and should have demanded proof and put his staff to work checking it out.

Frankly, he should have resigned. He was being by-passed, over-ridden, and generally humiliated every step of the way.

At a gut level he knew what was going on but was too much the good soldier to simply say “enough.”

Goodnight Petrocelli.

Petrocelli @ 163

… and then there was one … *g*

G’nite Mod(s) !

Sorry, Mi Amigo, I’m hosting a last minute sleep-over!

wigwam @ 164

Petrocelli @ 159

I wouldn’t want to speak for Powell, but in the absence of concrete proof to the contrary, what choice did he have but to spout the talking points ?

He could have and should have demanded proof and put his staff to work checking it out.

Frankly, he should have resigned. He was being by-passed, over-ridden, and generally humiliated every step of the way.

At a gut level he knew what was going on but was too much the good soldier to simply say “enough.”

At Foggy Bottom he was effectively ham-strung! He shoulda been SecDef instead of Rummie!!!

CTuttle @ 166

Petrocelli @ 163

… and then there was one … *g*

G’nite Mod(s) !

Sorry, Mi Amigo, I’m hosting a last minute sleep-over!

Nite, Hombre!!!

Petrocelli @ 163

… and then there was one … *g*

G’nite Mod(s) !

Alas, …and then there were none…! I bid thee another fond adieu! Aloha Oe!!! *g*

BigMitch @ 67

Loo Hoo. @ 56

You’ve been missed, Petrocelli. In fact, actually elevated in our souls.

Didn’t someone really smart once say that absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Absenthe makes the heart grow fonder, too.

H/T Punaise, the master.

Abu’s (non)sense makes my head spin yonder!

G’nite Petro
CTuttle @ 167

wigwam @ 164

He could have and should have demanded proof and put his staff to work checking it out.

Frankly, he should have resigned. He was being by-passed, over-ridden, and generally humiliated every step of the way.

At a gut level he knew what was going on but was too much the good soldier to simply say “enough.”

At Foggy Bottom he was effectively ham-strung! He shoulda been SecDef instead of Rummie!!!

Just imagine what would have happened had we adhered to the Powell Doctrine:

The questions posed by the Powell Doctrine, which should be answered affirmatively before military action, are:

1. Is a vital national security interest threatened?
2. Do we have a clear attainable objective?
3. Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
4. Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
5. Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
6. Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
7. Is the action supported by the American people?
8. Do we have genuine broad international support?

anyone up?

Hi, TexB -

Looks like it’s just you and me, babe.

CNN finally getting around to asking the question whether there s/b greater control over TV choppers covering things like high speed car chases. Well, duh. I’d like to see the practice completely outlawed; there’s absolutely no reason to put those in the birds and those on the ground at risk just for the “best” shot of the action.

I agree. No one needs to see all that anyway.

TexB -

Looks like you didn’t get much sleep last nite, darlin’. Has your stomach settled down any?

Nope.

I slept about an hour. And I have a strong feeling that they will cancel my procedure. Worst case of diarrhea I have ever had in my entire life.

I’m here too. Dawn is just faintly lighting the sky.

TexB, I hope you’re feeling better.

a bit. thanks

There’s a diary up on Kos re Ellen Tauscher. As Kagro-X says, she’s an embarrassment to the Democratic party. She’s a CONGRESSWOMAN and can’t seem to read and comprehend the Constitution.

Anybody know who the idjit is who’s standing in for scarhead this morning? Same old republic pap. Ugh.

Lindy @ 179

There’s a diary up on Kos re Ellen Tauscher. As Kagro-X says, she’s an embarrassment to the Democratic party. She’s a CONGRESSWOMAN and can’t seem to read and comprehend the Constitution.

12th grade govt class should be part of congress’s orientation semester, don’t ya think?

I certainly do! I got that in 9th grade civics.

Lindy @ 182

I certainly do! I got that in 9th grade civics.

Here in Texas we wait until half the kids have dropped out of school before we require that.

TexB @ 181

Lindy @ 179

There’s a diary up on Kos re Ellen Tauscher. As Kagro-X says, she’s an embarrassment to the Democratic party. She’s a CONGRESSWOMAN and can’t seem to read and comprehend the Constitution.

12th grade govt class should be part of congress’s orientation semester, don’t ya think?

A good idea for presidents and Supreme Court justices too.

Petrocelli @ 159

I wouldn’t want to speak for Powell, but in the absence of concrete proof to the contrary, what choice did he have but to spout the talking points ?

Resign,resign, resign

Good morning, pups. Today in the NYT Nicholas Kristof discusses the book “The Myth of the Rational Voter” by Bryan Caplan who, he says, does “a remarkably thorough job of insulting the American voter.” Paul Krugman wonders what kind of philosophy says it’s okay to subsidize insurance companies and deny health care to children.

http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/

Coffee and tea are ready, and the biscuits are out of the oven. I just cannot believe that it’s already almost August… Have a good day.

That was beautiful, Teddy.

It doesn’t matter in the cosmic scheme of things that he fathered Nicole (or failed to).

What matters is the song he gave to the rest of us.

radlib1 @ 187

That was beautiful, Teddy.

It doesn’t matter in the cosmic scheme of things that he fathered Nicole (or failed to).

What matters is the song he gave to the rest of us.

Wow…. the things one learns at the LAke. Nicole is Lionel’s daughter, who’d a thunk?

Thanks Marion. I love Krugman.

But denying basic health care to children whose parents lack the means to pay for it, simply because you’re afraid that success in insuring children might put big government in a good light, is just morally wrong.

Good morning!

hey egregious. welcome.

Had to drop out to feed the kitties. Well, and, make the coffee. Good morning :)

Kristof’s article about Caplan’s book is quite intersting:

Mr. Caplan identifies four areas, all related to economics, of “systematic error” — where voters routinely prefer policies that are contrary to their interests.

The first is a suspicion of market outcomes and a desire to control markets. The most efficient way to address climate change would be a carbon tax that would build on the market mechanism, but that’s barely on the national agenda.

The second is an anti-foreign bias, a tendency to underestimate the benefits of interactions with foreigners. That leads to counterproductive curbs on trade.

The third is a neo-Luddite bias against productivity gains that come from downsizing or “creative destruction.”

The fourth is a pessimistic bias, a tendency to exaggerate economic problems.

To those I would add an aversion to taxing the rich on the off chance of becoming rich and having to pay a lot of tax.

Actually, in 1980, I knew a woman who was on welfare and voted for Reagan “because he’ll get the cheaters off welfare and then there’ll be more for people like me who really deserve it.” Even her Marxist mother couldn’t convince her otherwise.

From Washington Journal -

Well, the NYT has an editorial by O’Hanlon & Pollack that is a love note to bushco titled “A War We Just Might Win” that will turn your stomach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07…..llack.html

Someone claims the two writers are Dems and of course all the call-in thugs are just lovin’ it.

In addition, WJ is featuring the Politico later in the program. Can we start calling C-Span faux noise light?

TexB @ 189

Thanks Marion. I love Krugman.

But denying basic health care to children whose parents lack the means to pay for it, simply because you’re afraid that success in insuring children might put big government in a good light, is just morally wrong.

Ain’t it amazing? America, like all other industrialized nations, has and needs a big government. But we turn it over to people who don’t believe that big government can work. They proceed to fuck it up and then say “We warned you that it wouldn’t work.”

And the now considers Saint Ronald Reagan to be the greatest president ever.

from BBC

Third of Iraqis ‘need urgent aid’
Nearly a third of Iraqis are in need of immediate emergency aid, according to a new report by aid agencies.

The report said the government was failing to provide basics such as food and shelter for eight million people.

It warned of a humanitarian crisis that had escalated since the 2003 invasion.

Meanwhile, the US agency overseeing reconstruction in Iraq said economic mismanagement and corruption were equivalent to “a second insurgency”.

Film director Bergman dies at 89
Legendary film-maker Ingmar Bergman dies aged 89, according to a Swedish news agency.

For those who might not have been able to break through the NYT’s wall to read Frank Rich’s column yesterday, it appears on Alternet:

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/58246/

Waccamaw @ 194

From Washington Journal -

Well, the NYT has an editorial by O’Hanlon & Pollack that is a love note to bushco titled “A War We Just Might Win” that will turn your stomach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07…..llack.html

Someone claims the two writers are Dems and of course all the call-in thugs are just lovin’ it.

In addition, WJ is featuring the Politico later in the program. Can we start calling C-Span faux noise light?

Just start calling.

Why are we ceding any front?

Prairie Sunshine -

Is the Heritage Foundation considered right- or left-wing? Can’t remember off the top of my head and that’s where both authors are based. I’m wondering if the two people who called in describing them as Dems might have been lying.

Heritage Foundation: right wing

Waccamaw @ 194

From Washington Journal -

Well, the NYT has an editorial by O’Hanlon & Pollack that is a love note to bushco titled “A War We Just Might Win” that will turn your stomach.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07…..llack.html

Someone claims the two writers are Dems and of course all the call-in thugs are just lovin’ it.

In addition, WJ is featuring the Politico later in the program. Can we start calling C-Span faux noise light?

These guys are idiots. It’s all empty rhetoric with one statistic:

Everywhere, Army and Marine units were focused on securing the Iraqi population, working with Iraqi security units, creating new political and economic arrangements at the local level and providing basic services — electricity, fuel, clean water and sanitation — to the people. Yet in each place, operations had been appropriately tailored to the specific needs of the community. As a result, civilian fatality rates are down roughly a third since the surge began — though they remain very high, underscoring how much more still needs to be done.

Indeed in June 2007, which has 50% more casualties than June 2006, was down a third compared to the high levels every month since November. But note that May was an all-time record high for civilian casualties.

From one data point these guys are seeing a trend. That’s appalling.

egregious @ 201

Heritage Foundation: right wing

Far right wing! They and the American Enterprise Institute are the major Republican think tanks.

wigwam @ 203

egregious @ 201

Heritage Foundation: right wing

Far right wing! They and the American Enterprise Institute are the major Republican think tanks.

I prefer the phrase scheme tank.

egregious @ 201

Heritage Foundation: right wing

Ahhhhhh, sooooooo. Given the fact that almost all the think tanks ARE nut jobs, that would have been my guesstimate. Was watching reruns of some of last week’s hearings over the weekend and the Keane guy made me want to put my fist thru something breakable…..talk about a disgusting piece of work.

Oh, and gagger…………….joe klein coming up on MSNBC. It ain’t bad enough that there’s nothing but this cr*p on Sunday a.m. and now more of the same to start a week wrong. :-(

wigwam -

Yeh, AEI I *do* have down pat. ;-)

Well, given the so-called options on the idiot box today, I’m gonna go check the crab pots.

Catch up with y’all after a bit.

President Bush thinks that he has already won the September debate on wether or not to keep the war in Iraq going. He knows that General Petreus has done studies on fighting insurgencies which suggest it takes years to win one of these wars.
Assuming of course that we can win the hearts and minds of a majority of Iraqis. I wonder what his studies suggest happens if we have really pissed off a majority of Iraqis.
Not that Bush cares about that detail he is only looking at the part that says we can win. However notice that the Iraq government is refusing to take ownership of the crappy rebuilding projects Bechtel has “cough” put together.
How do we win hearts and minds if our attempts to rebuild Iraq are so pitiful that the Bushies refuse to tell us how much electricity a day Bagdad is getting?
Bush thinks that the report from Petreus will box us in. He thinks the Commanders on the ground argument trumps all. We need an estimate on how much money it would take to get Iraq’s infrastructure Power, Water etc up and working to at least a Saddam level of efficiency. We need estimates on how many troops it would take to secure these projects because without them we can’t win hearts and minds and might as well go home.
We need Bush to come up with a proposal on where we would get all this money. We need him to either make a tough decision on how we pay for this or we get out now. Plus Bechtel and Haliburton both really need to be investigated for war profiteering.

Look what could hit the fan at the DoJ:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..62234/0510

things come undone @ 207

We need Bush to come up with a proposal on where we would get all this money. We need him to either make a tough decision on how we pay for this or we get out now. Plus Bechtel and Haliburton both really need to be investigated for war profiteering.

Who would investigate?

wigwam: ooh, indictments for criminal conspiracy! mmmm.

things come undone @ 207

President Bush thinks that he has already won the September debate on wether or not to keep the war in Iraq going. He knows that General Petreus has done studies on fighting insurgencies which suggest it takes years to win one of these wars. [Mod:snip]

Somehow we have to reframe the discussion on him. For example:
– Business metaphors: What’s the return on our investment? What are we getting out of staying the course?
– Gambling metaphors: Why are we continuing to back a losing hand? Continuing to throw good money after bad?
– The Viet Cong didn’t come after us after we admitted defeat in Viet Nam.
– The Mujahadeen didn’t attack the Soviet Union after they cut and ran from Afghanistan.
– It’s not “cutting and running.” It’s “Peace with honor.”

As Al-Maliki complained to Bush, Patraeus is now training and arming the “Sunni tribesmen,” i.e., the fighters formerly known as “the insurgents.” They are our new allies in the war against Al Qaeda-in-Iraq (TM). Not such bad blokes really. We probably should have kept their guy Saddam around too. We got off to a bad start backing that democracy thing, which would have put the Shiite majority in charge of things. But it’s never too late to make things right, we always say.

egregious @ 210

wigwam: ooh, indictments for criminal conspiracy! mmmm.

Love the smell of indictments in the morning …

egregious @ 210

wigwam: ooh, indictments for criminal conspiracy! mmmm.

And get this: “Unlike most conspiracy statutes, Section 241 does not require that one of the conspirators commit an overt act prior to the conspiracy becoming a crime.”

But what about our strategic interest in the region. Fine we do need oil but what would be cheaper and involve less loss of American lives staying in Iraq?
Or paying the American car companies the cost to retool their factories to only make cars that get 45 mpg and trucks, SUVs that get 30 mpg.
We could pay the autoworkers while the big three automakers retool their factories to make fuel efficent cars. If the Big three say they can’t make them then we tell them to licsense the technology from Toyota or Honda. Toyota has already liscsensed the technology to Nissan.
The end result is we chop demand for oil. Plus we can help the big three by making it ilegal to sell any new car, truck or SUV that does not meet the new mpg standards.
If America suddenly does not need that much oil the price of oil will drop. The Arabs will blame Al Quieda for their rapidly impending poverty instead of funding Al Quieda like they do now. The troops coming home will find good paying jobs making cars as not even the Jappenese have that many cars that meet the new standards and it would take them a few years to retool their factories.
Plus with car makers around the world all retooling their factories to meet the new mpg standards for the American market well chances are they will also sell these cars in their markets if they don’t already. This would further drive down oil prices.
Conservatives can’t come up with creative solutions because they oppose change. When Conservative ideas don’t work that is precisely when we need change the most!

Wigwam@211 Yes! we need to reframe this entire debate the Sunday talk shows were filled with “cough” wise old men praising Hilary for being responsible.
I never hear them talk about how we are going to pay for this war. These unimaginative jerks never think about what else we can do to solve our oil problem.
They accept that American troops will keep dying. They never question why Bechtel and Haliburtron never made any of those win hearts and minds construction projects work. Oh the area wasn’t secure so they couldn’t oversee the project.
But why didn’t we send in more troops to make the projects secure. Because that would have cost to much. How much has this war which was supposed to be over after Comander Cod Piece said major hostilites are over cost now years later?
This war is the perfect example of a lowball estimate coming back to bite you in the butt.

TexB @ 209

things come undone @ 207

We need Bush to come up with a proposal on where we would get all this money. We need him to either make a tough decision on how we pay for this or we get out now. Plus Bechtel and Haliburton both really need to be investigated for war profiteering.

Who would investigate?

The Democrats will next election, but thats a good point Gonzo can’t be trusted to enforce the law equally for everyone. The law should apply equally for Republicans and Democrats.

New thread up.

things come undone @ 214

But what about our strategic interest in the region. Fine we do need oil but what would be cheaper and involve less loss of American lives staying in Iraq?
Or paying the American car companies the cost to retool their factories to only make cars that get 45 mpg and trucks, SUVs that get 30 mpg.
We could pay the autoworkers while the big three automakers retool their factories to make fuel efficent cars. If the Big three say they can’t make them then we tell them to licsense the technology from Toyota or Honda. Toyota has already liscsensed the technology to Nissan.
The end result is we chop demand for oil. Plus we can help the big three by making it ilegal to sell any new car, truck or SUV that does not meet the new mpg standards.
If America suddenly does not need that much oil the price of oil will drop. The Arabs will blame Al Quieda for their rapidly impending poverty instead of funding Al Quieda like they do now. The troops coming home will find good paying jobs making cars as not even the Jappenese have that many cars that meet the new standards and it would take them a few years to retool their factories.
Plus with car makers around the world all retooling their factories to meet the new mpg standards for the American market well chances are they will also sell these cars in their markets if they don’t already. This would further drive down oil prices.
Conservatives can’t come up with creative solutions because they oppose change. When Conservative ideas don’t work that is precisely when we need change the most!

that makes too much sense.

CTuttle @ 139

wigwam @ 133

During that appearance at the U.N., I think that:
– Tenet knew what was going to be said was false.
– Powell “chose to believe,” but at some level knew that he shouldn’t take their word for anything.

I place the bulk of the blame on Tenet! Col. Wilkerson is a credible source, in my eyes!

Which is why Tenet received the Medal of Freedom from Bush, I’m sure. He kept his trap shut until well after the invasion had started, and even failed to support Plame by revealing that she was, indeed, covert…and had little to do with the actual approval of her husband being sent to Niger. He also kept his mouth shut about Condi being briefed in July 2001 about the threat of Al Qaida using hijacked aircraft as “bombs” to attack American buildings (”An imminent ~ 10 out of 10!” This silence was amazing as it was clearly relevant to the 9/11 Commission…yet had been held out of the report by Condi’s former co-author, and future #2 at the State Department (another buy-off) Phil Zelikow. But Miss Condi “Nobody Would Have Expected that Al Qaida would fly airplanes into BUILDINGS” Rice…couldn’t be challenged with this evidence by the 9/11 Commission…as they didn’t know about it!

I’m waiting for the film in which George Clooney expands his acting potential and plays a deeply malevolant Tenet in this sordid episode.

Eureka Springs @ 97

Mitch, I just thought it was interesting and know I wouldn’t want to miss someones comment due to the dreaded EPU.. I have thoughts on it all but am to tired to get into it now..)’

BTW, I scored 7 on the liberal test.

I scored 11. But that was likely because I had some problems with the nuances of the questions. For example, I have no problem with having singularly viewed “talk shows”. My problem is that the BROADCASTERS do not have many different programs that are representative and balanced. Let O’Reilly and those of his ilk exist exist…but Fox should have to commit an equal amount of time for folks like Amy Goodman, Christy, and others to serve the public interest on the airwaves. Just putting “token liberals” on programs to be batted about by extremist hosts…who then have other extremist right-wingers on to bolster their views is NOT in the public interest.

Many of the questions similarly set up false dichotomies (like the HIV vs. Cancer question “because it affects younger people more often”).

Waccamaw @ 173

Hi, TexB -

Looks like it’s just you and me, babe.

CNN finally getting around to asking the question whether there s/b greater control over TV choppers covering things like high speed car chases. Well, duh. I’d like to see the practice completely outlawed; there’s absolutely no reason to put those in the birds and those on the ground at risk just for the “best” shot of the action.

But! But!…What about the slow-motion pursuit of OJ’s White Bronco!!!

Morning all. Have many things on my plate the rest of the summer, but do read the posts and comments-
Wigwam @211- excellent examples on rewording the discussion on Iraq.
Yes, Why is defeat not an option? What the heck is the definition of “defeat” when there was no exit strategy? Defeat from a bad plan might not be so bad, and is better than one more troop death. If, in Bushworld, defeat is not an option, Bush needs to sacrifice himself, or a daughter, or a nephew in Iraq.
Possibly Cheney, or one of his offspring for that matter.
We can’t keep on making more dead and injured troops in order to honor already dead and injured troops. The honor would have already come from a good plan.

things come undone @ 207

President Bush thinks that he has already won the September debate …Not that Bush cares about that detail he is only looking at the part that says we can win. However notice that the Iraq government is refusing to take ownership of the crappy rebuilding projects Bechtel has “cough” put together…Bush thinks that the report from Petreus will box us in. He thinks the Commanders on the ground argument trumps all. We need an estimate on how much money it would take to get Iraq’s infrastructure Power, Water etc up and working to at least a Saddam level of efficiency. We need estimates on how many troops it would take to secure these projects because without them we can’t win hearts and minds and might as well go home.
We need Bush to come up with a proposal on where we would get all this money. We need him to either make a tough decision on how we pay for this or we get out now. Plus Bechtel and Haliburton both really need to be investigated for war profiteering.

You seem to be referring to the report of the Inspector General, Stuart Bowen, who has repeatedly demonstrated (and most recently in his July 30, 2007 Report) that the reconstruction effort is in shambles, and this is not solely because the Iraqi’s aren’t meeting goals (that too). But they are being caught up in a morass of bureaucracy from the Bush Administration/Pentagon and being compelled by military contractors like Bechtel to supply money almost “up front”…. It’s an utter mess:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iraq’s government failed to take responsibility for reconstruction projects and is struggling to administer its budget for oil, public works and education, a U.S. special inspector general said on Monday. Looking at how $44 billion in U.S. funds has been spent in Iraq for relief and reconstruction since 2003, the inspector general found “troubling concerns” in the last quarter about the process meant to transfer control of projects to the Iraqi government.

“My auditors found that the asset-transfer process is broken: since June 2006, the GOI (government of Iraq) has not formally accepted a single IRRF (Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund) project,“
Congress created the post of special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction to oversee how U.S. funds were being spent. The U.S. government is unilaterally transferring many projects to Iraq without the Iraqi government’s consent, the report said… “In some cases, the United States has continued to pay for maintaining complete projects that have not been accepted” by Iraq.”

The U.S. funds for Iraq reconstruction have been largely expended…(but) Iraq failed to manage effectively its capital budget in 2006, spending only 22 percent of it, the report said.

The inspector general looked specifically at the largest reconstruction contract in Iraq last quarter, $1.33 billion for various projects to Bechtel National Inc. issued by the U.S. Agency for International Development. “The problems addressed in the Bechtel audit include reduction in scope, cancellations, costs that outstripped planned budgets and significant delays in the completion of projects,” the report said. Auditors also found a contractual provision requiring all Bechtel invoices be paid within 10 days of receipt, which was “troubling” because only two officials were assigned to review invoices, raising concerns “about the reliability of receipt review process.”

In other words…a recipe for embezzlement!

Inspector Generals Quarterly Report July 30, 2007

http://www.sigir.mil/reports/q…..fault.aspx

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200…..V_AxALewgF

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/200…..xLRAis0NUE

As far as where the money is going to come from? Well just tack it on to the Federal Deficit and when the bill comes due (provided there is a Republican President) steal the entitlement money from Social Security, Medicaid, and Federal Pensions (even those vets who fought in Iraq). And privatize Education, sell off Public Lands (National Parks), and make those freeloading little kids start to work earlier!