No Watchdog this Weekend...

Thread wise ;)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Ron Rhubarb and his Friday night posts. I was thinking about

the old blog today while I was out driving. We had quite a

few weird characters that used to hang out on the old blog.

We had one lady that called herself Dorothea Dicks Fellows.

I had to laugh every time I saw that nic.

That's all.

the many threads today....

Poll: Al Franken Ahead In Minnesota Senate Race!
By Eric Kleefeld - February 1, 2008, 10:30AM
We're taking a step back from our focus on presidential race coverage to bring this piece of news: For the first time ever, Al Franken is ahead of Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) in an opinion poll.

The survey conducted by the University of Minnesota puts Franken at 43% to Coleman's 40%, hardly a good sign for the incumbent. Previous polls all gave Coleman the lead, initially a wide one when Franken declared, but eventually a much narrower one.

http://tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/02/poll_al_franken_ahead_in_minne.php

Wisconsin Senate Votes to Reimburse Prosecuted Aide
By Paul Kiel - February 1, 2008, 4:21PM
Continued fallout from the U.S. attorneys scandal. From The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

The state Senate on Thursday unanimously approved the payment of legal fees for Georgia Thompson, a state employee whose conviction for mishandling a contract was overturned by a federal appeals court....

Senators voted 32-0 to pay $228,793 for Thompson's legal fees; the bill now goes to the Assembly, where it is expected to pass. There was no debate on the bill, but Sen. Judy Robson (D-Beloit) said it was the "least we can do" for Thompson, who served time in a federal prison before the appeals judges ordered her released.

Of course, the appeals court's decision to immediately overturn the case was remarkable in itself. But here you have a state legislature working to redress the wrongs of a federal prosecutor. Has this ever happened before? It strikes me as a rather unique situation.

And remember that efforts by Congress to investigate the Justice Department's handling of the case -- in addition to other possible cases of selective prosecution -- have been firmly rebuffed (with the exception of the disclosure of one telling email).

http://tpmmuckraker.com/2008/02/_wisconsin_senate_votes_to_rei.php

I'm gonna go read. I haven't even opened two straight

Vanity Fairs. BBL

I wrote this at 6:48. Didn't you bring up sync?
Meet The Press!

Third submarine cable cut. Three cables carrying traffic between Europe and Middle East and India, including Iran, cut. FLAG FALCON, off Dubai in Persian Gulf, latest cut cable. It joins FLAG Europe-Asia and SEA-Me-We cable off Alexandria, Egypt. Three cables off two Arab countries carrying traffic to mostly Muslim nations has intelligence observers suspecting US and/or Israeli covert teams.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/02/01/internet.outage/?iref=hpmostpo...

sync?

Yup. Mary Matalin. I agree. I don't know how they do it. Although, as time has warn on, I think maybe they are more alike than I originally thought. They both are Machiavellian.

I saw that earlier and am wondering how these cables, after all these years are being cut by, get this, it's the excuse, By Ship anchors.

Seems a little far fetched to me that this should happen all at the same time after years.

Now they are suspecting US or Isreali covert teams? Seems feasable, especially since it cuts off the middle east.

Interesting!!

Unemployment rises in US. 17,000 jobs lost while Bush fiddles.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a6RXEUjetyGE&refer=h...

Interesting!!

**

Yes, what intrigue!

Schwarzenegger endorses McCain. Schwarzenegger calls McCain "role model." Schwarzenegger's other role models are Adolf Hitler and Kurt Waldheim.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-goptrail1feb01,1,27...

:)

UN Secretary General joins Kenya talks. Police kill opposition legislator.

http://voanews.com/english/2008-02-01-voa12.cfm

National Guard and Reserves in poor state. Commission assails poor readiness of National Guard and Reserves. Another Bush disaster.

'Appalling Gap' Found in Homeland Defense Readiness
National Guard, Reserve Forces Lack Sufficient Personnel, Training to Respond to Crisis in U.S., Report Says

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR200801...

Bush privately 'upset'
with Romney

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conservative columnist Robert Novak will report in his Chicago Sun-Times column tomorrow that President Bush is privately complaining about former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s "hard-line stance on immigration."

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/01/bush-privately-upset-with-romney/

British ran false flag attacks on Sweden in 1980s and 90s. Raids designed to look like Soviet incursions.

MARGARET THATCHER ordered the Royal Navy to land Special Boat Service (SBS) frogmen on the coast of Sweden from British submarines pretending to be Soviet vessels, a new book has claimed.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3257297.ece

"Protect America Act"
Submitted by Kevin © on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:40pm.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Senate will be finalizing and voting on its
spying bill. The ACLU, its hundreds of thousands of members and
millions of Americans who believe in the rule of law and want their
privacy protected are calling on the Senate to stand up to President
Bush's fear-mongering.

The ACLU will remain unwavering in our demands. Tell the Senate to
stand up to President Bush on telecom immunity and reject massive,
untargeted surveillance without a warrant.

>> Take action: Tell your senators to oppose any bill with
telecomm immunity or warrantless spying on Americans:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=N_nwT9PhRuj5DPheQR2olA..

>> Get the Facts: Debunking Bush's Fear-Mongering:
http://action.aclu.org/site/R?i=2F9J6UIwwnHzkQ6vpvY3_g..

*********************************

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

The Edwards Campaign: What Went Wrong?

I suspect the critical failing in the Edwards campaign was the way they framed their message. In their frame, America was divided into a small elite of winners and a vast populace of losers. Now it was time for the losers to fight back and even the score.

That frame was a huge gamble. It depended on voters seeing themselves not just as ordinary little guys but as losers: insignificant forgotten people, pushed to the margins of society, neglected by the people who really matter.

That’s too bitter a pill for most Americans to swallow. Although most do worry about the future and blame the rich, a majority also tell the pollsters that right now they are not doing too badly financially. They have enough to sustain the time-honored American faith that we are all — at least most of us — middle class. More importantly, they cling to another time-honored faith: Through their hard work, they will raise children who will do even better. To label themselves losers would be to label their children losers, and that’s just going too far.

Most Americans did not want to believe Edwards was speaking about them. So what they heard was a message about reaching out to help somebody else: the real losers, the poor. It would be a grand and glorious nation if candidates could win elections by saying, “Let’s all us middle class folks reach down to pull the poor out of poverty.” Maybe some day we’ll reach that point. But we are nowhere near there yet, as John Edwards found out the hard way.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/01/6774/

John Edwards, a rich white guy, had the misfortune of running against two symbols of the downtrodden; in a party that purports to defend the downtrodden. He couldn't overcome that symbolism, because, despite the reality of his message, he wasn't the right messenger. Now we are left with two canidates who are probably little more than symbols.

gtg
Submitted by Fernando on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:48pm.

:)

its that lawyer thing. you think they actually represent you and find out they're playing golf with your opponent.

as you said, its pure machavellian.

I think this article is crap:

Submitted by ghettodefender on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:53pm.

Submitted by Peter Dragon on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:39pm.
I'm gonna go read. I haven't even opened two straight
Vanity Fairs. BBL
-----------------
Taken from the film My Little Chickadee:

Milton (Twillie's Indian confederate): "Big Chief gottum new squaw?"

W.C.Fields (as Cuthbert J. Twillie): "New is right. She hasn't been unwrapped yet."

it sure is. so is the one that says edwards just couldn't compete against the rock star status of a obama and clinton.

lets face it, edwards scared the shit out of the corporatists and without any laws or regulations to stop it, they shut down any news about his campaign and then instructed their talking heads to say it was all about a $400 haircut.

Submitted by Catharine on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:44pm.
Yup. Mary Matalin. I agree. I don't know how they do it. Although, as time has warn on...
----------
Typo, meet Irony.

trebuchet

no home should be without one (honey, go put a pot of oil on, would ya)

Submitted by Peter Dragon on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:30pm.
I guess I'm the only one around that remembers Ron Rhubarb and his Friday night posts. I was thinking about the old blog today while I was out driving. We had quite a few weird characters that used to hang out on the old blog.

We had one lady that called herself Dorothea Dicks Fellows.

I had to laugh every time I saw that nic.

_________________

B'lieve there's an answer for that.

Registration, like most things, is got its trade-offs. One of the downsides of reg. is it diminishes the off-the-cuff protean whimsy of oddball nicks.

Speakin' for myself (and confidently doing so for Crank 'n others, subject to correx), there've been *many, many* times I wanted to use a joke nick, but couldn't b/c you pick and nick and live w/it unless you wanna go to the trouble of gettin' a buncha email accounts (which I don't), and beside, it's spur-of-the-moment opportunism you wanna satisfy anyways, and it'd be far too late to get a new nick in time to use it.

Now that ever'body's lived w/reg. for awhile, I'd say, take it all around, that it's a plus.

But there's no denyin' it's got its dorothea dicked downsides, fellows.

Larry Abrams

Why We Will Miss John Edwards

John Edwards was a flawed candidate and the media made sure to tell us all about his flaws from the very beginning. He was vain and liked expensive haircuts. He was an opportunistic rich guy, who, even though he talked about poverty and class, was building the biggest house in North Carolina.

He was supposedly a late convert to his class based populism and had voted as a Southern moderate in the Senate. He was ambitious and wanted to run for President from the time he first campaigned for the Senate in North Carolina.

I don't know John Edwards but I can see there's probably some truth in these charges. Personally though, the reason I will miss John Edwards in this race is simply because now I don't have anyone to vote for.

What was different about Edwards was that he was running against the system, whereas Hillary IS the system and Obama would like to be. Edwards took strong stands early that became progressively stronger as the campaign wore on.

Edwards made clear that the Insurance companies were the reason we didn't have Universal Health Care and that they would have to be beaten to get it. He asserted that the system in Washington was rigged by corporate power to protect corporate interests.

Edwards made clear that the interests of Wall Street were not the interests of Main Street; that fairness to the tax code had to be restored; that every trade deal had to put workers and wages first.

Edwards proposed Public Financing of political campaigns. He asserted that the corporate lobbyists would have to be driven from the halls of the Capitol if we were to have a chance at real change, but noted that real change also demanded "corporate power be put at the service of democracy and not the other way around."

Edwards proposed capping greenhouse gases and "ratcheting down the cap every year" if we were to have a chance at stopping global warming. He was honest enough to say upfront that sacrifice was going to be required from all of us if we were stop ecological disaster, but also that the bottom line on Wall Street was going to have to be weighed against a standard of sound environmental practice and policy.

These were pretty radical positions, but the way Hillary and Obama ended up mimicking many of them you wouldn't have known that one candidate was running against the system and the other two were running to be in charge of it.

However this was supposed to be a change election. It was important for Hillary and Obama that Edwards not outflank them on the Left by too much lest he be identified as the REAL candidate of change. So rather than a verb, change became, in this election, first a noun, and then a commodity.

It was so disgusting to watch -- and so effective -- that we should probably count on this kind of Hillary-Obama newspeak becoming a feature of future Democratic primary campaigns from now on.

In fairness to Hillary-Obama, it is also possible that Edwards did not mean to get so far ahead of himself, that he would have preferred to situate himself closer to the political center. It is possible that Edwards was actually forced to the hard populist positions he ended up embracing by the soft center-left focus of the other two campaigns.

It is possible, but nevertheless the fact remains that Edwards went there and the other campaigns were dragged far beyond their consultant driven comfort zone because of it.

More here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-abrams/why-we-will-miss-john-edw_b_8...

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday the use of mentally retarded women as suicide bombers in Baghdad proves al-Qaeda is “the most brutal and bankrupt of movements” and will strengthen Iraqi resolve to reject terrorism.

Google: 'lowering standards us military,' and you get 310,000 hits

Detestable how the GWB administration dissembles the coming collapse.

dr: "Registration, like most things, is got its trade-offs. One of the downsides of reg. is it diminishes the off-the-cuff protean whimsy of oddball nicks."
-----------
I agree.

Crank "Bringing Up The Rear" Bait

Submitted by Fernando on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:12pm.

Detestable how the GWB administration dissembles the coming collapse.

_______________

Here's a perfect gol-durn example of what's I's talkin' 'bout re: joke nicks.

Under other circumstances, I'd wanna use "George W. Bush" as a nick and under this nick I'd sez:

"Some dissembly required."

Dell to cut nearly 900 jobs, close Canada center Thu Jan 31, 3:18 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell Inc said on Thursday it will close its call center in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, and eliminate most of the facility's 900 jobs in the second quarter as it consolidates customer-service operations.

Dell, the world's second-largest personal computer maker, also said it had decided to scrap plans to open a second customer service center in Ottawa.

Dell has about 25 call centers worldwide.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080131/wl_canada_nm/canada_dell_canada_col_...

E. Coli Bacteria: A Future Source Of Energy?
ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2008) — For most people, the name "E. coli" is synonymous with food poisoning and product recalls, but a professor in Texas A&M University's chemical engineering department envisions the bacteria as a future source of energy, helping to power our cars, homes and more.

By genetically modifying the bacteria, Thomas Wood, a professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, has "tweaked" a strain of E. coli so that it produces substantial amounts of hydrogen. Specifically, Wood's strain produces 140 times more hydrogen than is created in a naturally occurring process, according to an article in "Microbial Biotechnology," detailing his research.

Though Wood acknowledges that there is still much work to be done before his research translates into any kind of commercial application, his initial success could prove to be a significant stepping stone on the path to the hydrogen-based economy that many believe is in this country's future.

Renewable, clean and efficient, hydrogen is the key ingredient in fuel-cell technology, which has the potential to power everything from portable electronics to automobiles and even entire power plants. Today, most of the hydrogen produced globally is created by a process known as "cracking water" through which hydrogen is separated from the oxygen. But the process is expensive and requires vast amounts of energy -- one of the chief reasons why the technology has yet to catch on.

Wood's work with E. coli could change that.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080129170709.htm

Submitted by Crank Bait on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:15pm.

Crank "Bringing Up The Rear" Bait

______________

Which brings up anudder bee in my bonnet.

I is often considered makin' anudder nick b/c "dr" ain't in no way conducive to the jokey insert nick.

e.g.: d "What the fuck is this?" r

Michelle Obama tonight. What kind of magic is that? Is there a name?

Fact: Media corporations reap huge rewards from candidates' advertisements during campaign season.

Platform: Edwards opposes the over-weighted corporate influence in governance.

Result: Edwards is swimming upstream.
----------
Fact: Corporations fund lobby efforts to protect their interests.

Platform: Edwards opposes the over-weighted corporate influence in governance.

Result: Edwards is swimming upstream.

see whut I means, dammit!
Submitted by dr on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:15pm.
Aaargh!
Submitted by dr on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:22pm.
---------------
Why does they hate our Freedoms?

Bailout fever continues
by Chris in Paris · 2/01/2008 06:37:00 PM ET · Link
Discuss this post here: Comments (43) · reddit · FARK ·· Digg It!

When will it ever end? Much like the previous attempts by the banks to bail themselves out or have tax payers bail them out for their own stupidity, now the bond insurers who helped prop up the subprime bubble are in talks with the banks (yes, many of the same who bought and sold the junk) to prop up the bond insurers. Sounds easy and straightforward, doesn't it?

When common sense and facts disappear from the business model, there is a problem. This market stopped making sense a few years ago but was clouded by the billions in profits that were being dragged in by everyone. It really would have helped back then to have an SEC who cared or a Fed chief who knew how to speak out. To think McCain actually thinks Greenspan is a genius. Heaven forbid...

http://www.cnbc.com/id/22948246

Just lost power here. Shut down ups's for mac & router in case I want to order pizza later and track it's progress. Shit, right when KO was starting. Guess I'll pass the time reading the blog on the ok' iPhone. Try to write hot msgr in case this outage lasts a while and i need the heat.

___
brr

I cut out before responding to yer reply about the two Dems takin' the high road/not throwin' any sharp elbows.

Don't wanna hunt yer reply up, but I disagree, fwiw.

Yes, it's true that their pollers (or whomever) prolly tolt both candidates that their stridency didn't go over well (Edwards seen as the grown-up by contrast, etc.), which is all akrit so far's it goes.

But don't think none of that matters.

My point were that if Obama warn't (pardon the word) surging, and were trailing by the pre-SC polling numbers (double digits, sometimes as high as 20 points or more), my point is you can bet yer ass Obama woulda been purty disagreeable.

I agree that the candidates were aware of the perception that their mutual pissiness in the previous debate was seen as a neg, but if a candidate trails, badly, his (or her) only hope is to go on the attack.

Obama's surge in the polls/public opinion countervailed (imo) the risk of fucking that up by going on the offensive, which he woulda done if he hadn't a been surging.

Perhaps that's a muddle, but that were my point.

Lakers Get Gasol From Grizzlies

Free Democracy

dr,

At least once in blog bygone days, I injected a street name betwixt "d" and "r".

You're right. It doesn't work.

(By the way, how do you spell "onced"? "Onced" in text doesn't relate the dialect pronunciation. Now that I think about it, "once" doesn't, either.)

Submitted by Crank Bait on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 8:28pm.
Why does they hate our Freedoms?

______________

I tell ya, mon frere, it's enough to make ya a goddamn anarchist.

maggiesboy?

If you need an all night candle:

Take one large tin can with lid.
Fill with cow manure.
add diesel, any of alcohol, sugar, cooking oil - pref all combined.
Light.
Cover with lid. Minor heat source but great candle.

I'm glad I have the 2 dogs. May be a 2 Dog Night.

___
brr

PATRIOTS CHEATED? WTF?

Saw a clip today in which John McCain, Hillary's good friend (they went to Iraq together, for gosh sakes!), stuck her w/a shiv:

(In paraphrase, subject to welcome correx, McMania said sumpin' like this):

Johnny Mac: "Don't recall a major Democratic figure who advocated for surrender."

Will sez this:

I, too, prefer Hillary's (i.e. John Edwards', but let it go) health care plan over Obama's. Strongly so.

But:

Sincerely b'lieve Hillary's negs combined w/her compromised position on all things national security make her a remarkably weak (inna, should be, big Dem year) candidate when matched up w/John "Insane" McCain.

To me, I'd rather put up a Dem candidate that has a much better chance of winning the prez (along w/a very real possibility of delivering a solid to overwhelming mandate), than trying to crawl across the finish line, to survive yet another prez election w/an already horribly compromised candidate.

New Method Converts Organic Matter To Hydrogen Fuel Easily And Efficiently.

ScienceDaily.
Hydrogen as an everyday, environmentally friendly fuel source may be closer than we think, according to Penn State researchers.

"This process produces 288 percent more energy in hydrogen than the electrical energy that is added to the process," says Logan.

Con't

Wave Of The Future

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

dr: "My point were that if Obama warn't (pardon the word) surging, and were trailing by the pre-SC polling numbers (double digits, sometimes as high as 20 points or more), my point is you can bet yer ass Obama woulda been purty disagreeable."
--------
Yep. I agree. But that ain't the case. I view this stuff as pragmatically as the participants do.

The best bet (as seems to be the after-the-fact consensus) was to make nice in the recent debate if not at the whistle stops. Many of the pro-Obama and pro-Clinton faithful are all-atwitter with the teaser of a conjoined ticket. (I agree with them. I also believe that it is an unbeatable combination.)

Further, the contrast between Republican candidates' acrimony and Democratic candidates' conviviality seems to be playing well across the board.

The electorate is shit-full of petty personal attacks. Even though Obama and Clinton are playing the game as much as ever, the electorate (generally) perceives their agreement and agreeableness to be the result of two different camps drawing the same policy conclusions.

The Republican candidates are still all over the map trying to find a way to appeal to the disparate Right one-issue folks (most of whom are "anti" something-or-other instead of "pro" something-or-other...which makes for a negative platform...which foments being pissed-off...which is not a warm and fuzzy feeling...which is exactly what a conciliatory Clinton/Obama demeanor projects).

*

Site thinks I'm a Spammer !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

sorry, but i think its a shotgun wedding at best.

;)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

but its a RE-RUN......DAM

Hillary, Bill, and Obama. A good deal for Obama. Sucks for everyone else.

*

but its NOT a RE-RUN?????
It sounds like I've heard this before....?????

Im getting freaked now>>>

an unbeatable combination
Submitted by dan on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:06pm.
sorry, but i think its a shotgun wedding at best.
----------
If we are in the future and we know that either Obama or Clinton has already become the nomination winner, then a conjoined ticket is a win-win circumstance.

nyquil is the answer

Submitted by Crank Bait on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:04pm.

The best bet (as seems to be the after-the-fact consensus) was to make nice in the recent debate if not at the whistle stops. Many of the pro-Obama and pro-Clinton faithful are all-atwitter with the teaser of a conjoined ticket. (I agree with them. I also believe that it is an unbeatable combination.)

-----------

an unbeatable combination

Submitted by dan on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:06pm.

sorry, but i think its a shotgun wedding at best.

______________________

Sorry, dan, agree w/Crank, fwiw, re: "unbeatable combination". (Tho' I *also* think it'd be a shotgun weddin', under any circumstances, not to sez it won't happen.)

Tho' would echo POTDog's point (to give the stupid fuck his props; stopped clock bein' right twice a day 'n all) that Hillary *desperately* needs Obama if she wins the nomination.

Obama, however, doesn't need Hillary. (There're many, many women from which he could choose as a running mate if he wanted to go that route, imo. I recommend J-Lo.)

its a beautiful baby girl...

you're right. whose convention comes first?

(dr. the other day i posted that it would be obama-sebellus. i wonder out loud if the dream ticket isn't the corporatists trying to save billary before she goes down (in flames))

Im getting freaked now>>>
new
Submitted by dan on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:13pm.

The only reason to take Obama a VP is to bring back the Black Vote that Bill has be driving away. VP is a great deal for Obama. Hillary needs help in the South. Obama can't deliver that.

cramer says cheap scotch on a linoleum floor will bring you back to earth.

(i've heard that nyquil does a damn good job of stopping panic attacks in a pinch)

mistress daphne says you missed your appointment. you're a bad dog.

The electrons are flowing once again.
___
brr

Most people already knew that you were a blatant inhuman racist scum War Dog/Part of the 97 but you don't have to continually troll your racist garbage.

You are going to hell War Dog/Part of the 97

almost endorsed Clinton. I know I heard that.

2. Blast the Right -

Kick right-wing butt! Listen to this podcast for a month and you will be able to kick the butt of any right-winger in a debate. I guarantee it! Subjects will include: wimpy liberals, chickenhawk conservatives, progressives and other left-wing good guys, right-wing Christians doing the opposite of what Jesus said in Matthew 25, Bill OReilly, Sean Hannity, George Bush, Ann Coulter, Alan Colmes, wealth distribution, Republicans, Democrats, Bill Maher. Upcoming will be interviews and, if technology permits (!), listener phone calls. Im Jack Clark. If you like what you hear, check out my website
http://www.therationalradical.com
Let me know what you think at rational@adelphia.net

Recent Episodes for Blast the Right
DATE: Thu, 24 Jan 2008
SIZE: 18.7 MB
DOWNLOAD EPISODE
115 - Blasting The Right Basics: Countering Five Pervasive Right-Wing Falsehoods
Today, a really big change of pace. You'll be treated not to one subject in depth, or even two topics with extended segments.No, today I have 5 QuickBlasts for you, in the areas of foreign policy, taxation, regulation of business and health care. Let's get right into it.Sometimes you don't need long permutations and combinations of an issue, you just need a solid fact or two to whack a right-winger upside the head -- intellectually, not physically of course -- so as to get their attention, and maybe knock some sense into them, penetrate that thick wall of denial and unreality that so many right-wingers have surrounding their brains.Sometimes less is more.This will be like a short, intense 5 round fight. In one corner, progressive truth. In the other corner, right-wing distortions, half-truths and outright lies you currently hear bandied about on the corporate media.Are you ready to rumble?The fight card:Round 1: Right-wing lies about why we went to war in IraqRound 2: The Republican claim that Democrats don't support the troops, and that the military community is behind President BushRound 3: Another campaign lie: Democrats want to raise your taxesRound 4: Nonsensical right-wing policy position: there's too much government regulation of businessRound 5: Another nonsensical right-wing policy claim: we already have the best health care system in the worldIf you want to see the right-wing get knocked silly, if not knocked out completely, just listen to the podcast.(PS: Right-wingers, if you want to write in to me, fine, but at least do me the courtesy of listening to the podcast first. Please don't respond just on the basis of the brief preview above. Thanks!!)Programming note: Until February, there will most likely not be live shows on alternate weeks.

http://podcastalley.com/podcast_details.php?pod_id=8761

no mike, but i get the feeling you're going to tell us

(You are going to hell War Dog/Part of the 97)

what makes you think every day isn't a living hell for someone like wado?

Submitted by Part of the 97 ... on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:10pm.
Hillary, Bill, and Obama. A good deal for Obama. Sucks for everyone else.
--------
You voted for George W. Bush twice. Until another decade or two has passed and memories have faded, your ability to pick a candidate who will provide a successful presidency ain't worth a 24-pack of Charmin.

Submitted by Part of the 97 ... on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:19pm.

The only reason to take Obama a VP is to bring back the Black Vote that Bill has be driving away. VP is a great deal for Obama. Hillary needs help in the South. Obama can't deliver that.

_______________

You are a marvel, POTDog.

Have you been paying attention? At all? For the last forty years or so?

Newsflash, Wado: *No one* -- not Hillary, not Obama -- is going to "deliver" the South for the Democrats. At best, Dems might pick up a state or two in the South.

(Unless, I should mention, Obama is the top of the ticket, in which case I can see many hard-core conservatives and evangelicals sitting home on election day -- b/c of disgust w/the "liberal" (to pants-pissing conservatives) McMania -- and Obama drawing many, many young people and minorities and people who ordinarily don't vote inna massive ass-whuppin'.)

Democrats could run Jefferson-fuckin'-Davis onna ticket w/Robert E. "like Colin Powell, life presented a tough choice 'n I chose wrong" Lee and wouldn't break the ressentiment of the solid fucking South.

Pretending about which Dem needs to "worry" about the South is yet more evidence of either yer stupidity or yer dishonesty.

Tho', in all fairness -- to lean on this caveat once more -- it could easy be both.

And Bush won twice. You voted for Gore, Gore lost. You voted for Kerry, Kerry lost. Case Closed!

you voted for the monkey boy?

Bill Clinton won enough of the south to make victory easy. Gore and Kerry did not. Hillary most likely is not Bill Clinton. Bill is not running. Hillary needs more help because she needs one more state. Gore lost his home state! Then came up one short. Obama delivers nothing in the South.

You voted for George W. Bush twice.

Submitted by Part of the 97 ... on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:46pm.

And Bush won twice. You voted for Gore, Gore lost. You voted for Kerry, Kerry lost. Case Closed!

_________________

A festering testament to party-over-country ressentiment.

'Nuther words: "I'd (much) rather the country go down the toilet than admit I'm wrong."

I can't speak for War Dog, but I do believe he did pick the winner in advance of the election and then voted for that winner as well. I did the same thing.

Don't tell me you voted for Kerry, Hahahahahahahaha.

Did you send Edwards money as well?

Bush and Co stole the elction. Once with the Supremes and election shenanigans an the second time by sheer election shenanigans.

Don't feel so superior. He didn't win it all on his own!1

The only thing going down the toilet are the 3% candidates. Or didn't you notice?

the pats. I'm not sure I want to bet against the dog.

Hahahahahahahahaha. Thank you for the laugh!

That was some really funny funny.

___
brr

country go down the toilet

Submitted by Part of the 97 ... on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:59pm.

The only thing going down the toilet are the 3% candidates. Or didn't you notice?

_______________

When you got a case, pound the facts.

When you ain't gotta case, pound the table.

The fact of the matter is that Al Gore won by over a half million votes nationwide in 2000 over the brain damaged alcoholic bush boy.

And the fact of the matter is that there were so many campaign irregularities in Ohio due to the influence of the corrupt repub secretary of state that John Kerry won the electoral vote over the bush boy.

The fact was that their was only five votes that elected bush boy, those were by a political right wing dominated supreme court.

Your damaged brain is full of dishonest lies war dog -> aka part of the 97.

Case closed

No smcgee43, you're not going crazy.
___
brr

you're always going to be a piece of shit.

Now you can hahahahaha all you want but it won't change the fact that you are a piece of shit.

http://tinyurl.com/3d5qjh
MTSS Episode #8 (Beatin’ It)--
http://midwestteensexshow.com/2007/10/21/mtss-episode-8-beatin-it/

Turn Malloy back on...

Being a midwesterner m'self, I'm damn proud to see some quality funny comin' out of the middle!

___
brr

Bloggers Unite! Rise Up!
Submitted by maggiesboy on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:50pm.

Boycott Trolls

For 48 Hours

(Hear the Sound of One Hand Clapping)

Scroll Past Idiot Trolls

__________________

Too hard to coordinate and/or enforce, thinks I, but whatever. Not sure what you hope to accomplish, but I ain't one to stand in the way 'n wish you luck nonetheless.

Goin' dark for at least 48 hours.

Now that is really odd. I was watchin TV the other night and they had this State of the Union thing on all the cable new channels. So I says, Hey I want to hear what President Kerry has to say to I sit down to watch. Guess what happened.

Reality can be very difficult for some of us.

By the way how did the Little Elfs recount in New Hampshire turn out?

Did you send a check?

an 11 yr old came to my office because he wanted to "show me something on the computer.."....it was a friend of a friend's myspace page...the profile photo was a...umm...I don't know how to write it politely...but let's just say she was on her knees...and he was...umm..done... He said "That is so gross"....

I caught it Just after it started.
Quality TV as usual!

In the Closing Moyers asked veiwers for the name of the book you want the next president brings to the White House.
My pick

The Shock Doctrine,
author
Naomi Klein

C9

in Dallas and cant get a signal. I'm north of them.

Wardog, once a piece of shit
Submitted by toniD on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 10:08pm.
you're always going to be a piece of shit...
-------------------
So...I guess the UPS delivery of home-baked cookies is not a happenin' thing?

..it's a real pisser when you're trying to read and/or participate in a stimulating conversation and a mindless moron comes along and successfully diverts the thread into the gutter. It's the neocon/Republican #1 tactic. If they can't get their way, they make sure nothing gets done.

Sadly it works. The only way to make it stop is to ignore it, stop feeding it until it shrinks so small you can flush it down the toilet.

That's all I'm sayin'. Don't speak it's name and it'll quit coming to ya. Either that or it will do something so bad it'll be banned.

you get over the winter "hump"

and it feels like that the last few days.

can't be sure yet, but theres better jokes here today...

and i always thought once should be spelled "wunse"

Do a guest signup on Sirius and you can listen for free online for the weekend.

You're north of Dallas? I used to live in Ft. Worth. Miss it this time of year for sure.

___
brr

Have you heard anything locally about the UFO thing in Texas lately?

toniD: "I wouldn't send him cookies if he was the last monster on the planet."

Bait [raising hand and waving wildly]: "He's not the last monster on the planet!"

"Si, se puede!"

Submitted by dr on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:14pm.
Submitted by Crank Bait on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:04pm.

The best bet (as seems to be the after-the-fact consensus) was to make nice in the recent debate if not at the whistle stops. Many of the pro-Obama and pro-Clinton faithful are all-atwitter with the teaser of a conjoined ticket. (I agree with them. I also believe that it is an unbeatable combination.)

-----------

an unbeatable combination

Sorry, dan, agree w/Crank, fwiw, re: "unbeatable combination". (Tho' I *also* think it'd be a shotgun weddin', under any circumstances, not to sez it won't happen.)

Tho' would echo POTDog's point (to give the stupid fuck his props; stopped clock bein' right twice a day 'n all) that Hillary *desperately* needs Obama if she wins the nomination.

Obama, however, doesn't need Hillary. (There're many, many women from which he could choose as a running mate if he wanted to go that route, imo. I recommend J-Lo.)

________________________

I think that a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket would win. However, I don't think that either Clinton or Obama absolutely needs the other one on the ticket.

I will say that the "winner" needs to get the endorsement of the other one (and his/her political posse of supporters).

I think that a Clinton/Obama ticket is more likely to happen.

I believe that Obama or Clinton can win now -- based on the number of people voting for the Democrats in the primaries and caucuses (along with the revealing demographics and statistics).

Additionally, I wonder what kind of deal that the Clinton camp might make with John Edwards. Would Edwards accept a position in a Clinton administration? Would Clinton ask Edwards to be on the ticket (if Clinton wins)?

I believe that Clinton or Obama will be the next president.

...has a nice ring to it!

___
brr

... he should ask Geena Davis. She has prior WH experience.

Submitted by Sunshine Jim on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 10:22pm.
...and i always thought once should be spelled "wunse"
----------
This is not a good time to advocate for double-u's.

maggiesboy used to live in Ft. Worth.
I was stationed near Mineral Wells Nov '68.

Your link about JFK Film just goes to opednews.com front page..
And,their search engine is a joke..Can't find article..
I emailed them..Hopefully they will fix problem soon!
Doubt it though..
Thanks for trying ! :)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

is just going on now in my area.

I'll be here but watching Moyers.

That's all I'm sayin'. Don't speak it's name and it'll quit coming to ya. Either that or it will do something so bad it'll be banned.

-------

You must be very new here!

A virgin so to speak.

Or,Martin Sheen.. ;)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

You voted for George W. Bush twice.
new
Submitted by Part of the 97 ... on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 9:46pm.
And Bush won twice. You voted for Gore, Gore lost. You voted for Kerry, Kerry lost. Case Closed!

Bush was put into the White House by the Supreme Court in 2000 - Gore did not lose
Bush and his cronies stole the election in 2004 - voters purged in Florida & Ohio (and Im sure in other states to) - so Kerry did not lose

*****oopps

Personally, I think that was way lame of Obama to use that phrase....patronizing....

Submitted by Star Vox on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 10:25pm.
--------
I note that you have (however briefly?) adopted the Simple Sentence approach.

It is best. It works well. It precludes criticism. Unsubstantiated details invite idiotic conjecture.

A lot of folks here wish I was War Dog. I wish I was too! I used to read all of his posts back in the day. One of his favorite sayings was "I go by Outcomes!"

Now half the 97% are Democrats. I too am a Democrat. Do you think that half the voters in the Unites States would stand by and allow elections to be stolen? Or do you think it is more likely that the 97% understand the rules and want to see them followed, then accept the Outcome?

http://tinyurl.com/32eg8x

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

sick part of the 97 you are war dog of course you lying sack of shit

you appeared just after he dissapeared...

your record betrays you for who you are

A search

New Proof of JFK Film Fakery: "Conclusive Evidence," Experts Claim - Article posted from OpEdNews (http://www.opednews.com/articles...) - A new study of eyewitness reports from published in assassinationresearch.com has revealed a major discrepancy between the actual sequence of events these witnesses observed and the sequence presented in home movies of the assassination known as the Zapruder film and the Nix film. The witnesses reported that a motorcycle patrolman rode forward to advise the Chief of Police that JFK had been shot. Neither film shows it.

live now???
Does anyone know??

You do RULE. Love the photo. Awesome :)

Penny_Lane. Hope all is well with you..

didn't see your boycott trolls post till now..
A Good Idea !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Penny-Tried to Google it too..No go. :(

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

They had techy problems during the first hour due to storms in the area. He's been live since 10 EST, 9 Central and 4:42 in Buffalo.

___
brr

Do you think he is watching the Smurfs?

I'm happy it's Friday, (as are all us wage slaves, I assume).... :) Sooo...HAPPY FRIDAY!

See Jane Run.

Submitted by Crank Bait on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 10:40pm.
________________

I try to be concise.

Does Crank Bait belong to either the Obama or Clinton posse?

For the record, I have not been lassoed by either camp yet.

See Crank Bait Run?

p.s. I am not referring to run-on sentences.

Sri Lanka on brink of all-out war

maggiesboy.

as protesters block Marines' door

inBerkeley?

Are such things allowed?

Dance Hall, mp3

Obama called hypocrite for wife's Wal-Mart link

By Philip Sherwell in New York, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 11:37pm BST 12/05/2007

And the biggest customer for the pickles and peppers produced by Treehouse Foods is the retail giant Wal-Mart, the world's largest corporation and the bête noire of American liberals, including Sen Obama, for its employment practices, most notably its refusal to recognise trade unions.

Con't

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I LOVE that... POT97 take a fucking hint.
You are the one that needs a reality check.

:)

How'r you?

what is YOUR propose on this blog?
To irritate - to BULL SHIT. I just don't get it.
Why don't you go on a site that appreciates your kind of crap?

Sleep, mp3

probably...but it isn't theat big of a deal.

This woman, okay? She's in a car wreck, paramedics removed her son from the drivers seat right *next* to her, they take him to the hospital, and LEAVE her there.

An entire day passes.

After family reported 2 family members missing, not just one, police went to the tow lot and found her in the car. Surprise...she was dead.

This was in California, btw.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-body17dec17,0,3436543.story?coll...

super bowl weekend and all. I'm excited about a computer I'm buying (mailorder computer kit) should be here mondy ar so.

and I picked up a `My book', a 1 terrabyte storage device and have been backing up this system...a time consuming process. And I picked up a flatscreen monitor.

so I'm doing OK.

that story Annette is upsetting.
Were those paramedics in a hurry or what.
Then the car gets towed....Jeebus Crimmany
Poor woman :(

You see that's where some folks just go wrong. This is not a 3% blog. It's not a Liberal Blog. It's not a Democrat Blog. The is a blog for a Radio Show. Sam invited listeners to come here and post. I am a listener.

Sam has invited me to come here and post. Sam is a true Liberal. Sam believes in free speech. Sam has a short set of rules.

If I were you and thought Sam was wrong, I would drop him and email and let him know where he is going wrong with his blog.

That's what I was thinking..
Thanks Chubbs..

Chubbs..How's life going ?Good I hope !

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

cool...

What do you mean computer kit? One you put together yourself it sounds like? My 2nd or 3rd desktop in the 90's I had a clone box with clone parts and it was a very reliable machine for a long time...Is that what it is, a put together kit computer? Was it less than 1,000 or more?

He/she is not my friend.

http://www.samsedershow.com/node/2160#comment-125487

It is the main question for the merchant, as for all of us.
For, truly, the man who does not know when to die, does not know
how to live.

http://www.efm.bris.ac.uk/het/ruskin/ruskin

The Roots of Honour

Among the delusions which at different periods have possessed
themselves of the minds of large masses of the human race,
perhaps the most curious -- certainly the least creditable -- is
the modern soi-disant science of political economy, based on the
idea that an advantageous code of social action may be determined
irrespectively of the influence of social affection.
Of course, as in the instances of alchemy, astrology,
witchcraft, and other such popular creeds, political economy, has
a plausible idea at the root of it. "The social affections," says
the economist, "are accidental and disturbing elements in human
nature; but avarice and the desire of progress are constant
elements. Let us eliminate the inconstants, and, considering the
human being merely as a covetous machine, examine by what laws of
labour, purchase, and sale, the greatest accumulative result in
wealth is obtainable. Those laws once determined, it will be for
each individual afterwards to introduce as much of the disturbing
affectionate element as he chooses, and to determine for himself
the result on the new conditions supposed."
This would be a perfectly logical and successful method of
analysis, if the accidentals afterwards to be introduced were of
the same nature as the powers first examined. Supposing a body in
motion to be influenced by constant and inconstant forces, it is
usually the simplest way of examining its course to trace it
first under the persistent conditions, and afterwards introduce
the causes of variation. But the disturbing elements in the
social problem are not of the same nature as the constant ones:
they alter the essence of the creature under examination the
moment they are added; they operate, not mathematically, but
chemically, introducing conditions which render all our previous
knowledge unavailable. We made learned experiments upon pure
nitrogen, and have convinced ourselves that it is a very
manageable gas: but, behold! the thing which we have practically
to deal with is its chloride; and this, the moment we touch it on
our established principles, sends us and our apparatus through the
ceiling.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2008/02/the_curious_case_of_lurit...

You may have been familiar with the scrutiny of Blackwater¹s mercenary army, or followed the troubles with oversight at the State Department, but chances are you hadn¹t heard of Lurita Doan. She isn¹t exactly a household name. So it might be surprising that, as head of the General Services Administration, Doan oversees $500 billion dollars worth of federal assets.
capitol

On the JOURNAL, Rep.Henry Waxman explains how an investigation that started with leaks about possible favoritism in awarding government contracts eventually uncovered documents and testimony that convinced Waxman that Doan had violated the Hatch Act, a law prohibiting federal employees from using government resources for partisan purposes. Waxman was so shocked by what the Committee found that he took the unusual step of asking Doan to resign at the end of the hearings. The Office of Special Counsel, which conducted a separate investigation of Doan, concluded that Doan should be "disciplined to the fullest extent for her serious violation of the Hatch Act and insensitivity to cooperating fully and honestly in the course of our investigation." Yet today Doan still heads the GSA.

***************

Rep. Waxman calls for Lurita Doan to resign.

Run time: 03:04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upfWugI4hU

...at Canal in Scottsdale, last night.

because there is a person in the seat? Or does it go off even when no one is in the seat?

Observe, I neither impugn nor doubt the conclusion of the
science if its terms are accepted. I am simply uninterested in
them, as I should be in those of a science of gymnastics which
assumed that men had no skeletons. It might be shown, on that
supposition, that it would be advantageous to roll the students
up into pellets, flatten them into cakes, or stretch them into
cables; and that when these results were effected, the
re-insertion of the skeleton would be attended with various
inconveniences to their constitution. The reasoning might be
admirable, the conclusions true, and the science deficient only
in applicability. Modern political economy stands on a precisely
similar basis. Assuming, not that the human being has no
skeleton, but that it is all skeleton, it founds an ossifiant
theory of progress on this negation of a soul; and having shown
the utmost that may be made of bones, and constructed a number of
interesting geometrical figures with death's-head and humeri,
successfully proves the inconvenience of the reappearance of a
soul among these corpuscular structures. I do not deny the truth
of this theory: I simply deny its applicability to the present
phase of the world. - John Ruskin, "Essays from the Cornhill Magazine" 1860, reprinted as "Unto This Last" in 1862

Submitted by Star Vox on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 11:06pm.
Does Crank Bait belong to either the Obama or Clinton posse?
---------
I am giddy with the prospect of either candidate gaining the Oval Office.

The political game is superficial at best. The pre-election promises ignore in-office political reality.

I (and we) have only our intuition and our studious recognitions pf past political actions and words to guide us. I don't care about stray blow jobs and divorces and trophy wives (except as factors in political electability/credibility analyses). In my opinion Larry Flint has fought fights based on morality and ethics, so you can't judge a book by its starred and striped diaper.

I have no idea if President Obama, five years hence, would have expemplary approval ratings. Similarly, I don't know if President Hillary, five years hence, would be the next best thing to vanilla ice cream. There are too many variables, too many people, and too much time between now and then.

what is it about Sam's show that you like??
I never have seen you write about anything Sam has had on any of his shows.
How did you like last Sundays show?? Or Tuesday show???

I think this article is crap:
Submitted by dan on Fri, 02/01/2008 - 7:58pm.
it sure is. so is the one that says edwards just couldn't compete against the rock star status of a obama and clinton.

lets face it, edwards scared the shit out of the corporatists and without any laws or regulations to stop it, they shut down any news about his campaign and then instructed their talking heads to say it was all about a $400 haircut.

...and it didn't take much--they used an open mic on Howard Dean and a running camera on John Edwards, and the American people went merrily along with it.

Or does it go off even when no one is in the seat?

It does go off even when there is no one in the seat.

Hmmm ... kinda weird those two together.

cost about 800 delivered. its got an Athlon 64-bit processor , 2 gigs of ram and a 500 gig hd! I am fighting off temptation of running off to Ryry's to pick up more ram and another hard drive...

this ols machine is a pentium II and is fine for websurfing but it takles forever to do a back up.

I can't wait to see how much faster this new one will be...

I would think someone would think to look, though, you know?

Has once again managed to get me pissed off. Hope everyone of the Bush Cabal is prosecuted when the Dem President is in office.

*

Oh then I can maybe see why they didn't see her if she were hidden under it...I guess...she'd have to be pretty damn small though, no?

I found this picture on the web today. I wasn't even born in the 60's, and seeing this beautiful man and knowing how he died, I feel such a profound loss...

my Mom is pushing 90 and she fits neatly under a cocktail napkin.

Any new music or art to share?

This one, while cute, didn't affect me as much...

The documentary:

Gig Ette Goes Chubby Bubba Wild

I saw that car on the local news after that story came out .... pretty bad crash ... looked like she must have slipped down under the steering wheel and the car was collapsed over her.

The last SEDER v MARON was a sad mess. You should read the blog. I told Sam he should have a production company call 3% Video Productions.

Maron is a mess, how much does it cost to bring out a pro and set up a proper connection? It never ends.

Sam on the other hand is saint to put up with all that he does to keep that side-show afloat.

Sam needs every listener he can get.

HAHAHAHAHA! :)

This one got me. What a loved man when, think about it, people care to know who Caroline would endorse, and she's never been involved in politics. It's purely because of who her father is and how he was cared about by America.

do tell!

I noticed Sir Real dropped by - well, I haven't been in much - too damn busy - but I hadn't seen a SR special open mic in awhile.

Unlike some I am not afraid to make predictions and let the chip fall where they may. I have my own ideas about how the country should be run. I support candidates who's views agree with mine regardless of party.

The Surge - McCain and I said it would work when everyone though we could never be right!

As your beloved War Dog used to say:

Outcomes. I go by outcomes!

See John Edwards - The Great White Dope!

http://www.hearya.com

You caught who the motley crew was last night, eh?

Consisted of Jim Brown, Barry Sanders,
Joey Fatone ('n sync), Reggie Rucker, Willie McGinest,
Bill Belichek, Vince Carter, Mike Haynes, Ronnie Lott & Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (congresswoman).

Jim Brown, Bill Belichek, and Bill Clinton gave speeches.
And there was a special DVD speech given by basketball great, Bill Russell.

Rumors are there may be a bootleg videotape of Clinton.