Scrooge McDuck!

neuro!

hi suzanne

hey tex

what do you call that guitar twang noise in this song?

i don’t know what the official term is – i just call it good

Reverb, I believe.

Nice Suzanne, two classics melded together.

thanks busted – i had different one planned but marcy said we gotta hold back on our bad feelings towards harry reid until after the cloture vote. come back monday to see it if he pisses me off.

good night all.

Reverb! That’s it. thanks.

Today I am reminded of this scene from Trading Places:

Billy Ray Valentine: [watches Louis clean his shotgun] You know, you can’t just go around and shoot people in the kneecaps with a double-barreled shotgun ’cause you pissed at ‘em.
Louis Winthorpe III: Why not?
Billy Ray Valentine: ‘Cause it’s called assault with a deadly weapon, you get 20 years for that shit.
Louis Winthorpe III: Listen, do you have any better ideas?
Billy Ray Valentine: Yeah. You know, it occurs to me that the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.
Coleman: You have to admit, sir, you didn’t like it yourself a bit.

You have to admit. Telecom immunity sure has the administration’s attention…

pain free sleep wishes, tex

Do I hear a ,
MWAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!?

Gnite Tex.

Nite Tex

lets just say i’m rubbing my hands together gleefully and not holding my breath that harry forking reid is gonna do the right thang

I love Pink Floyd and have recently started listening to more of David Gilmore’s latest stuff.
The guy is a master.

Harry Reid = milk toast (passive agressive dickhead)

MT Wheeler or not, Harry has disappointed me to the point where he could go back to where he came from and antagonize his captive audience there.

I’m bein’ real nice here, Marcy.

mary, those are mighty fine looking girls you got there (with great goals)

I missed what Marcy said. Wadidshesay?

Thanks Suzanne. I love em.

mary, I think I’m in love…

What Suzanne said, I said the same thing in EPU’ville.

mary, at the beginning of her post downstairs:

Forget any bad feelings you may have towards Harry Reid. We’ve got three days to make sure he beats Mitch McConnell in an important showdown on FISA on Monday.

Well, their dad was a doctor.

She said we gotta be nice to Harry,
for now.

Does Harry read FDL?

They look so happy and healthy – I’d never have guessed.

Their sad secret is safe with me, ma’am.

another one for ya, Suz. I dedicate it to your restraint re Harry. ;)

HOOO!
Good one.

Harry’s underwear would catch on fire if he dropped in here most days.

Magical underwear.

Although, I am positive he has heard from a few Firedogs in his time.
Snicker.

i think harry is worried about something a little more personal than his underoo’s.

good one dosido, thanks :)

Reid prolly beat his boxing opponents to death with a wet noodle. Or they died of boredom.

Here is a little Gilmore mastery.
He amazes me and this is a great piece.
If you have headphones, crank it.

cranked my speakers LOUD and my windows are rattling. thanks busted..tis a good one for sure

Amazing , the sounds he can produce,that doesn’t need words.

Might not hurt if I spelled his name right.
Gilmour.

I can never get the GOP-ers spin down. Are they all a pack of manly men who chomp cigars and spit and fight and kill terrorists or are they gaggle of softies who can’t stand to be mocked and ignored at college?

Read this breathless take of a reportedly terrible mocking assault carried out by Al Franken against a college Republican.

Poor fella.
-G

I didn’t really appreciate Pink Floyd until later in life (ahem). I did however really really like a lunch time parody of The Wall while visiting Boston. BCN played a different lunchtime parody and they were all hilarious and had to do with food.

Hey! Butcher! Leave them cows alone!

All in all it’s just another burger to go.

I missed damn near every bit of the FISA FIASCO today,busy at work.

This is for all Floyd fans – really cool DVD.
The Making of The Dark Side of the Moon

When President Bush came to office on Jan 20,2001 well that was a weekend on Jan 22 though the Dollar was worth 1.06678 a Euro. http://www.x-rates.com/cgi-bin/hlookup.cgi

Today a Dollar is worth .6779 Euros http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=USDEUR=X

The price of Gas is now $3 a gallon in Seattle, but imagine what the price of gas would be if the Euro and Dollar had stayed equal in value.
Imagine that every 67 cents you had became a dollar overnight! $1 /3=.333 or one third, two thirds is 66 cents.
Remember the price of gas is the same in America and Europe they just tax gas more but the price before taxes is the same.
It is the value of the dollar which has dropped by one third under Bush’s Milton Friedman economic plan.

I was at the forking DMV.

Sold.

Ouch.

Well, hmmm. Franken probably doesn’t not do himself any favors by mocking a college kid, even a gooper. The kid was trying to stay out of the picture after all and wanted to be ignored. As much as I like Franken and like slapping stupid goopers around, I say Al was outta line. He could make his points more graciously.

You can not blame 9/11 for the drop in the dollar. You can blame the amount of money we are spending on Iraq though. You can blame not paying for the war and running up debt with interest at a time when we are lowering interests rates.

Me too. I was at the dr in the morning, then work until about a half hour ago. I plan to get up a little early tomorrow so I can make phone calls.

fork

Gilmour sits in the original studio with his strat and, among other things, plays the money solo along with the original master tapes… Heaven.

Let me help you there,
FUCK!

unbelievable moment in debate was when goopers tried to blame it all on Clinton. I kid you not. Just when I was impressed that Russert asked the question…the clinton bashing began. so ferriggin’ typical.

i blame boosh. and his little dick too.

Setting up my account, bastards.
I wish there was one click to fill ALL of that shit in with.

Great song!

I am going to lie on the futon, watch stupid teevee, and cuddle with Wally The Best Dog Ever. Good night all.

another thing. re manly men who don’t fight wars. I scratched my head about this when I was younger, even before iraq…I thank FDL for giving me the term chicken hawk, because I grew up with a couple and just couldn’t figure them out. The real soldiers of the family didn’t beat their chests like baboons. But chicken hawks do.

I learned me some psychology like reaction formation. But chickenhawk is much more to the point.

Nite, Mary! Nite, Wally!

night mary. and yes, you have some lovely daughters!

From the Prudent Investor at Seeking Alpha

“A Fed Funds rate of 3.50% is a most alarming signal and could lead to a stampede out of unbacked Federal Reserve Notes (misleadingly called US dollar.) Why should I lend my money at 3.50% when inflation is already running at 4.1%? Who is so stupid, except asset managers who currently pile everything into rising bond markets? This will not work in the medium or long term either.”

http://seekingalpha.com/articl…..in-the-pan

Proving that it’s all political for Old Lord McCain:

This week, McCain’s entourage is at a pricey Hilton in Deerfield Beach, thank you very much.

But he also knows how tenuous the leading role can be. “Can you imagine my political fortunes today, really, if the surge had failed?” he asked reporters aboard the bus. “We probably wouldn’t be on this bus together. I’d probably be on a Greyhound back to Phoenix.”

Not to mention those on a cargo plane back to the USA, landing at Dover AFB.

Fucker.

happy cuddlin mary (have i mentioned the fundy was named wally)

Gnite.

Newtonsur, you opened a can of worms.

Card in hand.

I meant gnite Mary.

we gotta do what we can to make sure the fucker gets the greyhound, teddy.

Newtonsur, you opened a can of worms.

Ahhh, my work is done here.

Hi All,

I tried to leave this comment on TBogg’s blog, but for some reason it wouldn’t allow me to comment, even though I was logged in.

I am severely disappointed that TBogg chose to use the word “Retards”, when meaning those who may be misguided or not intelligent. As someone who has a genetic disease that generally, but not in my case, includes mental delays and disabilities, that feels like having a knife jabbed into my heart, particularly on just a usually literate blog. And the fact that no one has called TBogg on it makes me very sad. We are supposed to care about how people are treated. How do you think you would feel if you or your family member had mental delays or disabilities? Would you want to be lumped in with those who would vote for these Republican candidates?

Sadly,
Heather

woops … that was supposed to be

“such a literate blog”

apologies,
Heather

hey heather, his blog and marcy’s and this one are all separate, just sharing servers under the fdl umbrella. if you are having trouble posting that, can you email it to him? otherwise, i’m not sure he will see it by you posting it here.

Anyone familiar with Amazon?
WTF, they only ask for my email address.
Do they send me an email asking where to deliver or what?

i am not at all encouraged by Reid’s latest kahbooki move, and i think it is nothing more than that.
it’s hard to accept that, even now only 36 senators are willing to say no to Fuckwad and President Cheney.
it seems, however, undeniably, to be the truth. all we can do is soldier on with our eyes on the prize,
but the long march has only just begun. God help us. the Congress will not. with few exceptions they are, at best, useless and mostly stupid and/or evil.

I feel the same way, Chacounne.

g’nite mary and Wally – good cuddles.

They tried to blame it on Bill? But Bush had control of the White House the Senate the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court until recently they all gave him everything he asked for on the economy.
They swore tax cuts would save us. They said don’t worry about the War Debt it wasn’t important.
But just how then did Bill messup Bush’s economy?
I might not like Hilary much but I do like what Bill did for the economy.
When stocks are adjusted for inflation the DOW was higher under Bill than it is now under Bush despite 7? years of population and I presume job if not wage growth.

Thanks, Suzanne :)

Will do :)

Sorry about that :) I wasn’t sure about the technicalities.

With gratitude,
Heather

Keep going. They will plumb you for the real goods soon enough.

Hello Heather,

I can relate to what you are saying. I know others have been called on this within FDL and usually it’s pretty civil. I don’t know if this helps, but I choose not to be offended at the term (which I have seen more and more of on blogs) because it is really a term of anger and I don’t feel it describes those that I know and love that may have fit that term in the past when it was more commonly used in an educational setting.

IOW, yes, it’s insulting. but it’s not aimed at our loved ones and it is a term no longer in everyday use to describe our loved ones like it was before. I see the anger in the word and it goes no farther in my mind, if that makes sense.

I’m not so sure I like the way that sounded.

I blame the Private schools that gave him a free ride instead of educating him. These Elite schools like to brag that the educate our countries future leaders. Apparently they are diploma mills for anybody with the right breeding as in inbreeding.

if we’re doing multiple choice, might we include the greyhound getting the fucker?

a hound’s gotta eat.

Thanks, Margot :)

With gratitude,
Heather

They were all real tools tonight. Ron Paul was the only one talking sense which was surreal given the company he was keeping.

wicked evil laugh

Amazon will ask what address your stuff should be sent to, but first they have to take the opportunity to sell you on their credit card and whatever deal they have going this week.

You know, I never really cared for Bill Clinton. I mean, everyone was all agog with his charm and crap and I just didn’t see it and I still don’t. But I did think he was quite a competent president and a smart guy. I think he did a good job.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know…

Heather, although I see the term “retard” passing (or returning) into the casual usage dosido describes, nevertheless as a physician I cringe when I see it used.

I appreciate your telling this community of this – and I genuinely admire the constructive and erudite manner in which you did so.

PS: I’m not trying to cast any aspersions on TBogg; I also front-page here from time to time and I too have chosen words others found objectionable.

The scary thing is that Ron has the most on the ball about the economy. It is the other GOPers who seem crazy next to Ron which is a feat all by itself.
Can’t they read the polls there is a reason why voters trust Democrats more than Bush or any of the GOP Presidential Candidates on the economy.
Like after 7? years Bush has so far been wrong about everything.

how ya been heather? haven’t seen ya around much lately

I just finished two new items to my scandals list which I just sent off to selise precisely on the weak dollar and energy prices. They should be up sometime tomorrow.

getting back to harry (rubbing hands together in anticipation) i wonder what the little dick has on harry that gets him to give little dick what little dick wants.

Thanks very much, Dr. Kirk :)

With gratitude,
Heather

excellent hugh. do you think KO refers to your list for his bushed spots?

hi heather

Land deals, casino deals, his son’s land deals and casino deals. The list is endless, really.

Any thoughts on the New York Times’ (that bastion of neocondom endorsement) of Hillary Clinton and John Mccain?

Hi Suzanne :)

I’ve been up to my ears in school, my fourth semester of college after 25 years away, but doing well, thanks.

How have you been ?

With gratitude,
Heather

Hey Teddy :)

excellent hugh. do you think KO refers to your list for his bushed spots?

I don’t have cable so I really don’t know.

still trying to sell the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods and cursing the accursed boosh administration daily.

I too have chosen words others found objectionable.

Jeebus – what institution-speak.

What I meant to say:

“I’ve also used terms that caused offense.”

Apologies for the first construction – which implies when I use offensive terms, the offense is somehow the reader’s idiosyncratic response.

(My psychiatric term for that little trick is “mind-fucking”)

Once again, I’m just looking at my usage, and not casting any aspersions on other “front pagers” here…..I’ve got enough of my blunders to recall as it is…

I hope that the other GOPs will bash McCain over the head with the New York Times endorsement — “liberal media” etc. It seemed like it was working tonite at their snoozefest.

Keep up the good fight :)

I spent many lovely weekends in Eureka and Yreka and Shasta as a child, such a truly beautiful area. I hope someone falls in love with your cottage soon and gives you a great price for it.

With gratitude,
Heather

heather, i’m in the other redwoods, in the santa cruz mountains, near big basin state park.

getting back to harry (rubbing hands together in anticipation) i wonder what the little dick has on harry

Palm d’Or for the mental imagery….

(second prize: depilatory du jour)

Can’t they read the polls

This reminds me that my 25 percenter was always complaining about Clinton using polls because Mr. Twentyfive Percenter didn’t like being in the minority.

Like after 7? years Bush has so far been wrong about everything.

The only thing I can come up with that makes any sense to me is that Bush really is a selfish criminal who doesn’t care to get anything right vis a vis the American people. It’s just not a factor for him. At all. There is no wrong way to govern. He either gets what he wants or he doesn’t. He’s a government raider not an administrator.

Winning the war? Not a factor. Doesn’t matter. Keeping it going is the only thing that matters. It works for him.

Sorry, just my little rant. When I hear stupid GOP candidates talk like all this BS is supposed to make sense, I do catch some of the crazy.

Why is it the nights I have time to chat at the lake as long as I want, I’m too tired to stay awake. This sucks!

Nite, everyone. See you tomorrow. At least it will be Friday.

Woops, sorry about that.

leave it to a shrink to get into the mental imagery (laughing)

g’nite TOW

KO has spots?

I don’t have cable either….

does he switch his tail back and forth before he pounces?

Night, night. The Other WA

G’nite, TOW. Wishing you sweet dreams and easy travels.

I’m toast, going to try and get to bed here before midnight for the first time all week.

Gnite, thanks Newtonusr.

Gnite TOW

nite busted

kirk (tapping foot and giving ya the same look mom gives 3 year old twins who are trying to look innocent)

you can watch it online

g’nite busted

Speaking of head bashing, Boxer was doing her level best with EPA tool johnson this a.m.

If only we could get the MSM press to look at your list to get ideas for questions before the debates.

bye busted. manana.

Well, time for me to call it a night too. Thanks for being so sweet when I come by. Sorry to comment and run. I’ve been up since 5 am and it’s 11:30 here. Have a lovely rest of your evening/early morning.

With gratitude,

Heather

g’nite heather

Good night, folks. Hugh, congrats on your powerful list – and al lthe work you did to create it. And Teddy – I am just dying to hear the dish on Reid, but too tired to stay awake.

[…between now and Monday, I bet a whole lotta folks from all over would read a full-on post about Harry’s dirty magic undies linen….]

g’nite kirk, stay warm and dry as this storm comes in – gonna be a cold and wet one

night kirk.

Replay on C-Span 2 right now.

Oh I wish I had something other than wild-ass guesses and speculation about Dirty Harry. But there must be something.

g’nite all.

g’nite teddy – still time to dig between now and monday

nite teddy

Now this is bipartisanship!

Environmental Protection Agency chief Stephen Johnson faced a blistering critique from lawmakers and governors Thursday for rejecting California’s attempt to set the nation’s most stringent greenhouse gas regulations for cars and trucks.

At his first appearance before Congress since denying California’s request for a waiver to enforce its new rules, Johnson was hit from all sides. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, called the EPA chief’s decision “shameful, outrageous and irresponsible.” Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, a Republican, said the ruling infringes on states’ rights and undercuts state efforts to fight climate change.

Well, dang. Everyone turning in?

not me dosido

oh my

America’s biggest mortgage bond insurers collectively need a $200 billion (£101 billion) capital injection if they are to maintain their key AAA credit ratings, a figure that dwarfs a plan by New York regulators to put together a capital infusion of up to $15 billion, a leading ratings expert said yesterday.

The failure to maintain their AAA ratings will lead to a further round of multibillion-dollar writedowns among the Wall Street banks and other large owners of the bonds, Sean Egan of Egan Jones Ratings Company, said. It would also push some of them into receivership, Mr Egan added.

This guy is a slime-bucket. Overrode the recommendation of his entire staff on this.

you too, Suz – and all the other pups in the bay area. Today was the coldest day (lowest high temp) in Sf in over fifty years. Friday: a few degrees warmer – with a few inches of rain and 40 mph gusts.

[Great day for hypothermia - hope all the homeless find shelter. Hope all the interstate drivers bring enough clothes to keep alive for several hours if need be.]

i got an email from nahant’s sweetie – his surgery went well and he is expected to be discharged tomorrow. she said he was trying to figure out how to get wifi at the hospital.

well, now we know who boosh will help out

Great news, Suz!

good news!

yeap – i’m sure we will hear from him tomorrow night if he is feeling up to it.

I watched a bit of the hearing today when having trouble finding the FISA hearing…I couldn’t believe what I was hearing outta this guy’s mouth. Took a page from Abu’s playbook “I stand by my decision…as I said” (when he hadn’t). The SF Chron writer called it the rope-a-dope strategy. And it was.

Although Boxer is wrong when she says she has never seen such disrespect from an agency before…we’ve seen just tons of it.

Which slimebucket? The EPA administrator?

Just home from work. About 8 inches of new 10 degrees F snow. A lot of wrecks between Anchorage and home. It only takes Republicans two weeks to forget how to drive in the winter around here. Hoping for more snow and less Republicans!

*waving to ET*

Which slimebucket? The EPA administrator?

Stephen Johnson. That’s the one.

Now who benefits from cheap money like the 33% decrease in the Dollar Bush created? People who owe money at the old interest rate and who are paying loans based on what the Dollar used to be worth.
In other words Alan Greenspan, Helicopter Ben, Hedgefunds, Banks, Gamblers and Crazy People who believe in Al Fraken’s Supply Side Jesus.
People who do not believe that the economic bubble will ever end. People who do not believe in economic cycles. People who believe Milton Friedman because he says what they want to hear rather than Maynard Keynes who created the post WW2 economic boom.
I heard that Bush wants as part of the stimulus package for people who took out loans to take “classes”.
But what about Bush, Greenspan, and all the banks who made loans to people they KNEW COULD NEVER REPAY AND THE HEDGES THAT BOUGHT THESE LOANS?
Why should we bailout the *cough* “Economic Elites” who SHOULD KNOW BETTER for their mistakes.
They should take classes! Rounding up uneducated people and giving them loans that you know they can’t afford unless home prices keep going up forever is stupid mean and I hope criminal.
Stop foreclosures on all homes for a year kill the bankruptcy law give the Banks tax credits in exchange for the homes they can’t foreclose on.

I move we send all the republicans to alaska and let them drive in the snow. how long do you think it will take to make less republicans, et?

I think Andrea Mitchell should be barred from the public airwaves as long as the Bobbly Heads are talking about the bubbly economy her stupid husband helped create.

Now, really, goodnite!

g’nite for realsies teddy

Are you wishing harm to someone, Suzanne The Mod?

sounds like alaska wants to host a debate…

Oh drat, so late to the lake and too tired to hang out or I’ll get hooked. For you Edwards fans over at Kos there is an exceptionally informative campaign diary posted by kuvasz link on the front page recommendeds.

Sweet dreams all you amazing late late nite stalwarts and most especially Miz Suz! ;~)

innocent look. no, i was just trying to come up with a place to put the r’s on ice (how’s that for backpeddling and metaphorically speaking)

Hi NPB. did you watch the epa thingie? I think I’m the only one who did. fireworks.

g’nite npb – check your voicemail

Why should we bailout the *cough* “Economic Elites” who SHOULD KNOW BETTER for their mistakes.
They should take classes! Rounding up uneducated people and giving them loans that you know they can’t afford unless home prices keep going up forever is stupid mean and I hope criminal.

Yeah, these are the people who frown upon “absurd social programs”. (I picked that phrase up from a commenter at C&L and am running with it, jerk.)

still trying to sell the little cottage by the creek in the redwoods and cursing the accursed boosh administration daily.

Not even any nibbles, Suz?

…he was trying to figure out how to get wifi at the hospital.

Now that’s the spirit… *g*

Ok left coasters…stay warm and dry tonight! I’m out. toodles.

Good catch Bush’s base needs to keep interest rates low, the Dollar dropping and they need good credit ratings to get those low rates in the first place .
But while Bush with Center Dem help can get the first 2 out of the 3 by srewing us. I doubt foreign banks will go for the third much longer.

no nibbles :(

g’nite dosido

Aloha, dosido and Teddy! And any other sleepers…!

Sadly, I missed the epa thingie and been working 12 hour days all week, well, since Tuesday and no end in sight. Very stressful times for our brave art museum as we prepare a new exhibition & all that jazz and net withdrawal. ;~)

For the little people:

http://www.justworldnews.com/

I love it. God bless them. Uncaged and they go shopping!!!!

“Tear down, the walllllssssss!
You got to, TEAR DOWN the walllssssssss.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM9UpG0drug

Trippin, but it’s my 55 Jan 24., and a Larue gotta do what a Larue gotta do, on a 55. *G*

Grace, Marty, Paul, Jorma, Jack, Spencer.

Bonus Round!

Nicky Hopkins! From QMS Shady Grove project, previe Rolling Stones work, he did, too. Some after QMS, if I recall correctly.

Ah, how I MISS Edward The Magic Shirt Grinder.

Yes, We Could Be Together.

*G*

Doesn’t bode well, Ma Cheri! *g*

what’s the new exhibit or can you not tell us yet npb?

It would be most interesting if the Chinese called in their $13 Trillion chit… May you live in most interesting times… 8-)

If only we had a few Dems with Stones we could get Bush to agree to anything right now even ending the Iraq War in return for saving his hedgefund buddies.
But on the brightside I know the economic stimulus plan is a joke because nobody is demanding to look at the Banks books to see how big this problem really is.
Which is making the problem worse as the economic optimists refuse to look at much less do something about the problem. Optimists think that if you ignore a problem that it will go away. This atitude explains Bush’s business success, er daddy and the Bin Lauden’s bailout of how many of his business?

I’m trying to remember where i saw an article within the past week or so that said that china is faking its great economy. that it is struggling to keep itself afloat until after the summer olympics and then is probably gonna crash and take our economy down with them – because they will not be able to give us our daily bailout anymore. wish i could remember where i saw that at.

Of course, if boosh has his way, china will get the blame for the economic woes.

They will wait until after the Olympics :)

But they have us by the balls in another fashion too, how could we truly clothe ourselves, our manufacturing base is basically 5% of what we once had…

“Jazz Age Java” – Paintings and Sculpture 1928 by Stowitts (American 1892-1953). It will be archived on the museum website following the opening in early February at stowitts.org and truly stunning & inspirational achievement by the late artist. Still holds museum attendance records at several European & American museums ca. 1932-1937.

Yea Suz – just got your phone message, thanks for the head’s up. woo hoo!

sounds wonderful, npb. java as in the region or java as in coffee?

I saw the same article. China companies accounting of profits is well funny from what I hear. Still couldn’t they just spend all the US Treasury bonds they have even at half face value for a few years wreck our economy in the process and then take Taiwan.
Victory in war is a great distraction for a bad economy, I’m sure that that was Bush’ original plan.

I shall bid ya’ll a fond adieu! Aloha Oe!!!

To figure out where we are in the FISA fight, Glenn Greenwald recommends this by Tim Tagaris, recently of the Dodd campaign. I found it most helpful.

Bottom line: Today 36 senators voted unsuccessfully to substitute the Judiciary Committee version of the FISA update. If we could get Obama and Clinton (both of whom didn’t vote) plus three others to join those 36, we’d have the 41 votes needed to block cloture at the 4:30 vote on Monday, i.e., to block a win by BigBrother Bush and his forces of darkness.

Please call the senators that Marcy lists here: http://firedoglake.com/2008/01/24/fisa-update-2/

Marcy includes a list of talking points, to which I’d add:
— The place to try federal crimes is in federal court, not in Congress where corporate fortunes can buy a verdict
— Per Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would trade essential liberties for a bit of safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
— Per William Pitt: “Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.”
— There are important amendments that won’t be considered if cloture is invoked.

g’nite ct

China has tied itself in with mideast oil and gas.

That emergent co-dependency of the past 5 years or more ensures they will be fine.

And ensures they will compete with USA for same.

And, they hold our debt.

No, I’m confident they still hold the upper hand.

Are they havening hard times? Likely, but their trades and export manufacturing have grown HUGELY in the past ten years.

Course, 7 Gorges alone might destroy them with water supplies, pollution issues, and such.

Oddly enuff, one of China’s more recent exports are FINE quality produced resophonic guitars, guitars, mando’s, and such. All of which are overseen by USA based luthiers or companies and held to stringent specs. Said instruments are then set up in USA, and ‘tweaked’ to perfection, for a good end product.

A cheap reso is about $500 or so USA made. An Import is the same price, but, it goes thru USA shop set up and comes out better than it’s american made counterparts.

In the $900 range, the sound is incredible, and these gits compete with $1,200-$3,000 gits US made!

I know, I have one of each of the above. You have to get to the $5,000 range dobro’s to better my tone, volume, and general range and sound on my two gits. *G*

In closing, China needs US to consume, so, they DO have a somewhat INVESTED vestment, in keeping us afloat.

I’ts all about the Yin N Yang, all the time. I’ts a good dance. Only the USA is out of step, methinks.

hey larue, how ya doing dood?

Conservatives claim that Ronald Reagan won the Cold War and destroyed the Soviet Union by forcing it into excessive military. Could it be that Osama Bin Laden be forcing the United States to similar self destruction? Just askin’.

Historic region of Indonesia that has been devastated by effects of global warming recently. Java lost their historic museum of art and its treasures when the building was devastated by fire and floods. Sigh.

thanks, npb. was not sure and both would have worked for me. i did not know that about indonesia museum.

very valid question that i have asked myself many times. sure looks like the same effect on both economies to me.

Conservatives claim that Ronald Reagan won the Cold War and destroyed the Soviet Union by forcing it into excessive military. Could it be that Osama Bin Laden be forcing the United States to similar self destruction? Just askin’.

LOL!

“I don’t want to present myself as some sort of singular figure. I think part of what’s different are the times…I think Osama Bin Laden changed the trajectory of America in a way that Richard Nixon did not and in a way that Bill Clinton did not.”

Hilary and Obama had better see the light on taping the phone calls of Americans because that is one issue that every American understands with no explanation needed and they don’t like the Government taping phone calls.
Heck even the 30%ers don’t like the idea of President Hilary listening to their calls. I think we can get the 30%ers support on this if we can drag it out long enough and get some press coverage.

hey newton – hows your side of the hill?

Hi Suz!
Wet, but not raining…
Cold, but not freezing…
Cloudy, but not socked in…
About 50% of your spot, I guess.

Spew! (But it was only water this time.)

Nah, it was raining tapioca pudding. I need a shampoo about now.

I thought that lower oil prices brought down the USSR. Well that and a stupid war in Afghanistan that caused excessive military spending that they couldn’t afford.
OMG Bush wants to take us down the same way the USSR went!

my temp has risen to 40 so the rain is headed in, newton. we are under a wind advisory and flood watch for all over and a snow advisory for above 1500 feet. wind advisory means gusts of 45 or more – not good for power and/or phone lines when mixed with soggy soil and big trees.

Can someone let Busted know that he should NEVER answer those e-mails from Amazon. They are fake. I have received probably 50 and after the first one, I contacted Amazon to ask why and they told me that they had had many complaints re this and were trying to trace the people who were doing it. It’s not Amazon – it just people trying to get your info.

Will do. Thanks!

hey twain

here is busted’s site – can you let him know over there too?

Bush thinks he can trust Putin because he “looked into his soul”. I normally heard romantic phrases like that from junior high girls…many years ago in their poetry.
Much like a junior high girl with a crush it is easy to pull the wool over Bush’s eyes. I just noticed that with all the talk about invading Iran that Bush has never gotten tough with Russia about them selling Iran the Nuclear Tech beyond a few words. Probably because Bush knows in his heart that Putin would never do that.
We need a foreign policy that is not based on the imaginary personal relationships our leader claims to have with various people, like when Bush tried to give that German Leader a massage.
We need to ask ourselves what do we want and what are we willing to do to get it.

Yep, glad to do. Thanks

I think Bush wants Helicopter Ben to lower rates to juice the market enough so that his friends can sell at a profit the problem is that the last rate cut didn’t boost the markets enough.
We may have seen the end of the Feds ability to juice the market with rate cuts. Now either the next Fed cut at their meeting at the end of January works or we are in trouble.
Because the Banks and Hedges will have no choice but to sell at a loss to cover bad loans. Especially if they think that the Fed has lost control and can’t juice the markets higher.
Then everyone who needs to raise cash to cover bad loans will race to sell before the other guys do and the market drops further.

That is my nightmare scenario but on the plus side it would help Edwards win the Presidency and give him a real Mandate to go Keynesian on the economy.

if it happens before the dems select their nominee

February is a short month I expect a lot of people will find it harder to make loan payments because there are less days to work. That may be the tipping point for a crises.

sounds as if you want it to crash now. me, i would prefer bad times come after my place sells – for purely selfish reasons

I’m thinking February or March is all Edwards needs to hold on for. But if we do collapse economically later on who ever is the Dem nominee will need to steal Edwards position on the issues.
After all after another Fed Rate cut just how much will the Dollar drop in relation to the price of oil?

if a financial meltdown does occur, unfortunately, it will be boosh and the little dick who will be in charge until january 09.

Occupiers in the 21st Century

From the defeats of the U.S. in Vietnam, the Soviets in Afghanistan, the U.S. (almost) in Iraq, and the Israelis in Southern Lebanon, it appears that hostile occupation of a determined and modestly supplied populace has been rendered impossible by the current weaponry/tactics of resistance:
— suicide bombs
— car and truck bombs
— mines and booby traps, e.g., claymores, IEDs, EFPs, etc.
— snipers
— assault rifles
— small surface-to-surface rockets, e.g., katyushas and RPGs
— shoulder-fired anti-aircraft rockets, so far only the use of stingers against the Soviets

Thus far, the Israelis have been able to prevent the Palestinians from receiving the necessary weaponry, but the gap in the Gaza wall might present a problem.

No I already took a hit. I want Bush’s economic ideas discredited as soon as possible so that the market and the Dollar can go up again I do not want to relive the decade of the 70’s economically or politically with a Center Dem getting blamed for the mess Bush caused and raising interest rates which will hurt.
But not be willing to Prime the Pump Keynesian style because if that happens we get another Reagen and lower living standards for regular people.

Great we helped create a new method of war but we never planned to defend ourselves from it if it was ever used against ourselves. If the Surge is working then how come my gas prices are still so high?
Sometimes the best way to win a war is to avoid creating the conditions for war. We need to start thinking in these terms.

Then it will be Bush’s base the “economic elites” and not the Democrats who will turn on him. All they have to do is keep their checkbooks closed.
We already have an edge in fundraising. I’m guessing the Big GOP contributors are going to have a hard time raising money for the GOP to play catch up once they pick a Presidential Nominee even if the market does not get any worse.
Everyone I think has taken a hit on the market now.

I have a favorite quote along that line:

What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins,
but excels in winning with ease. But his victories bring him neither
reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage. For inasmuch as they
are gained over circumstnces that have not come to light, the world at
large knows nothing of them, and he therfore wins no reputation for
wisdom; and inasmuch as the hostile state submits before there has
been any bloodshed, he receives no credit for courage. [Sun Tzu, The
Art of War, 400BC]

Note, for instance, that the original objective of Bush’s invasion of Iraq had already been achieved by Bill Clinton at minimal cost in blood and treasure. Nevertheless, Democrats still have a reputation for being “weak and not strong” militarily.

things, do you think the economic elites will walk into the oval office and tell him the gig is up (similar to the way nixon was visted that lead to his resignation) or do you think they will just take the hit, thinking that they can write it off.

Bush wanted a shock doctrine but the same economy that put Hitler into power gave us Lenin and FDR. I’m pushing for another FDR myself, Bush has discredited the rightwing Hitler option, but if he keeps on making the economy worse then Lenin becomes more likely.
The Center Dems need to stop Bush before that happens.

I think they will try and corrupt the next Dem President. But if things get real bad who knows? Is their a leader in the GOP Senate today who has the stones to tell Bush to leave?
But on the other hand how can they write off an expected decade of a crappy economy? The Elites have people who are telling them the same thing I’m saying about worse case scenarios.
If they let Bush keep doing nothing about a tanking economy they will get hurt more than us. After all we never borrowed at 14 to 1 leverage on our assets to buy subprime loans whose value is tanking.

Sun Tze is a favorite of mine he translates so well into English, much better than Kant. Our Democratic Candidates would be well served if they through in a few quotes from him in their speeches.
I want a Classics Book club reading like Ian did that once on Sun Tze their is still a lot we could learn.

Mod can you fix my comment at 213 I meant to say threw instead of through. Thank You!

I get many of my ideas about a tanking economy by reading economic elites on the blogs who trade their and other people’s money for a living, Bush has his base worried.
Well to be fair not the ones who don’t manage or pay attention to their own money.

I’m 10/4, on the QT, MultiTasking, Singularly Focused, Laid Back, At The Top Of My Game, Behind The Ball, On Spot, Chillin, Networking, Piped In, Planning Ahead, Learning From The Past, Shaking It Up, Laying It Down, Reborn, Rehabbed, Caffeine’d Up, Goal Centered, Flexible, Dedicated, Ready To Move Up And Downsize, Restructured, Reformed, Cheap On The DIme, Ready To Spend For Success, Outsourcing, Inputting, Proactive, And Able To Listen.

I’m not QUITE as good as my hero the hippy dippy weatherman Carlin did in his routine with regards to all the hip cliches du jour, but the above is my version of his great routine, which I haven’t looked to see if Youtube has.

I’m 55 and 2:24 minutes.

All in all, I’m feelin pretty bitchen, thank you, ma’am!!! *G*

Life is good.

If I complained, it would be inappropriate in comparison to others circumstances.

We be fat, happy, employed, sheltered, and I don’t lack for music to play.

What more do I have the right to ask for? *G*

If I get to get more, I ask it for my friends to use.

Red Green-”We’re all in it together.”

Pass the duct tape!

You? *G*

They got slammed by the historic quake and tidal waves, didn’t they?

Global warming or not, it was a singular incident?

Maybe I misconstrued . . . ?

I beg to differ.

Conservatives claim Reagan won the war.

We all know, the USSR overspent itself, and Reagan and the USA and it’s military budgets had LITTLE to do with USSR’s failures militarily and budget wise, in Afghanistan.

There’s NO way Ronnie RayGun gets credit for all that, NO way. Not him, not Kissenger, not anybody.

The conservatives would LOVE it if you keep framing it that way though, cuz they’ll use it and hammer the left, progressives, and centrists on that talking point, day after day.

Yer just feeding their fire. We all need to stop doing that.

It’s a war, them or us.

Who you want to win?

And to the second part of yer posit. Yes, it’s blindingly obvious that’s what’s going down, only for SOME reason the schtoopid AmeriKan Public don’t get it, that’s what’s happening. Yer SPOT on with that, Wigwam.

Capiche? *G*

Now, whether it’s deliberative, or idiocy, I’m don’t know yet.

But where big biz goes, I suspect the former, not the latter. *G*

At some point, hoss, nothing can be juiced.

I thought we had reached that point long ago, but in Sacto, I saw home building plummet quickly, after a peak in ‘04 or so. So I’ll say, ‘04 was the cut, but the predicators were in place LONG ago.

House of cards, built on credit. Individually, and nationally/federally.

There’s no steroids left. Look for hard times, methinks.

Now, in a bad time, there IS lemonade to be had amongst the lemons.

Question for the working man and woman of the middle class, where?

Niche areas. Green maybe, in some places. Property management, rentals.

Manufacturing of essential materials and components for daily usage, consumption, and such, including remodeling of home and commercial property.

Business to business to sales is ALWAYS a live gator in any pond! *G*

G’luck to all.

That was one of the sagest books I’ve ever read. In fact, I read it twice.

Another of my favorites is Strategy by Liddell Hart. Very interesting stuff.

What, Edwards Is a Keynesian? Better n a Greenspanian, I ’spose, but . . . I’m not sure I’m down with Keynesian applications. Not in THIS day and age.

It’s time for a state sponsored and PEOPLE sponsored combo of social services and private endeavor.

And I don’t think any previe economic models will do for our future.

It’s time for a whole new, ball, game. Or we all die, one way or another.

The past theory’s are doomed to funnel money upwards to the 1%. It’s inherent into what they do.

And I think, it’s been sufficiently PROVEN, that’s how it always works out, for thousands of years.

We need really NEW economic paradigms, that will included present circumstances, not a blanket theory for all mankind.

And I. Am NOT. An Economist. So I bow out at THAT point, and challenge someone to follow up!! *G*

Ahem, you refer to Sun TSU, The Art Of War?

Or someone I don’t know about?