ThinkFast: August 16, 2006
Iraq experts who met with Bush in a private meeting this week said the president was “frustrated with the lack of progress†and “didn’t quite have a sense yet of how effective the government†is. One of the participants said Bush made it clear that “as long as he’s president, we’re in Iraq.” The LAT adds, “The experts said in interviews that Bush signaled that he intended to make no policy changes in Iraq.â€
Twenty-one former generals, diplomats, and national security officials will release an open letter tomorrow arguing that the Bush administration’s “hard line” on Iran has undermined U.S. security. “It’s not a crisis,” Retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard said. “To call the Iranian situation a ‘crisis’ connotes you have to do something right now, like bomb them.”
State ballot measures to increase the minimum wage have qualified for the ballot in Colorado and Arizona.
Seven northeastern states have agreed to form the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, “a model rule that would create the country’s first market for heat-trapping carbon dioxide by curbing emissions at power plants.â€
Monday’s U.N. cease-fire accord called for quick deployment of Lebanese troops to the southern part of the country, but Hezbollah has refused to disarm and withdraw its fighters, threatening to delay the deal. “The army is not going to the south to strip the Hezbollah of its weapons and do the work that Israel did not,” stated Lebanon’s defense minister.
Although the United Nations hopes 3,500 “well-equipped troops” can deploy to Lebanon within two weeks to fortify a U.N. peacekeeping force, no country has yet agreed to send any soldiers.
“Problems with elections in Ohio’s most populous county are so severe that it’s unlikely they can be completely fixed by November, or even by the 2008 presidential election.”
And finally: Rep. Bobby Jindal delivers…his own baby! Jindal (R-LA) “barely had time to call 911 when his wife woke with labor pains Tuesday. Minutes later, he helped deliver his own son. Slade Ryan Jindal arrived before the ambulance did at about 3:25 a.m. Jindal, coached over the phone by a nurse at the doctor’s office, put the baby in the arms of his wife, Supriya, and tied off the umbilical cord with a shoestring.â€
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This is a county which uses the Diebold voting machines. Again, I suggest to the Democrats/Progressives, get out the vote by using absentee ballots!
August 16th, 2006 at 9:12 am“The experts said in interviews that Bush signaled that he intended to make no policy changes in Iraq.â€
I thought they were “winning by adapting”. This smells of “stay the course” to me. Someone should get on the phone with Melman and let him know the real party line.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:15 amA little off topic, sorry…Someone asked in a post where is cheney.?…..Ah….he’s stumping on the west coast this morning in Idaho. And where is his dummy.? Wooden head bush Stumping in PA….I want to know where the evil brain of bush is.? Anyone heard about what the rover is doing.? Can’t be anything good fo our country, someone please turn on the lights so all the roaches will scurry back into the cabinets….I have a new cleaner I can use to scrub up and get rid of roaches…..The econemy. New’s this A.M. says Wal-Mart is the ecanomic indicator and we aren’t doing well…. LOL …….Gee I wonder if our boycotts are working..
Good post BNF…..Now all we need to do is get every one to pass that on and make it work… Blessings
August 16th, 2006 at 9:31 am“We are making progress”.-George W. Bush
August 16th, 2006 at 9:33 amHuffPo and ThinkProgress are missing the scoops.. i refer you to my comments on the latest Seymour Hersh article… Not only does Bush want to be in Iraq for 2 more years he REALLY wants to hit Iran.. Hersh’s latest piece highlights our complicity in the Israeli-Lebanon war, and our plans for Iran.
“We told Israel, ‘Look, if you guys have to go, we’re
behind you all the way. But we think it should be sooner rather than later - the
longer you wait, the less time we have to evaluate and plan for Iran before
Bush gets out of office.’ ” Rest of the article HERE
This is scary stuff. But really something everyone needs to be versed in. It is looking more and more likely that somehow the Bush admin will see it as necesary to strike Iran. NO GOOD will come of it. Even in the best case scenario of hitting all of the targets and destroying Iran’s capabilities, and assuming we don’t have to engage ground forces, we can look to massive assymetrical counter-strikes [aka. counter stikes using terrorism/guerilla tactics]. The baffling part is, there is no way the best case scenario is going to happen, and domestically we will HAVE to activate the slective service [draft] mechanisms. Even without Iran, this is an option that is direly needed to prevent the utter collapse of the Army, and a cascade on the rest of the millitary. They are facing budget shortfalls and cuts in the middle of a war [is anyone home?]. They simply cannot continue this pace without a serious influx of capital, both monetary and warm bodies. Read more and let me know HERE
oh and if this doesn’t ruin your day.. then try this
August 16th, 2006 at 9:34 amhttp://www.uruknet.info/ ?p=m25783&l=i&size=1&hd=0
Thanks..
#6, A4L,
I think after Israel’s overrunning of Hezbollah, despite the international community’s chagrin, destabilizing forces in that region and elsewhere were chastined, and won’t push as hard as they’ve been pushing to challenge Israel and the US on critical issues.
Israel and the US forced the UN to engage in Lebanon, and they will push the UN to engage with Iran.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:41 amThe prospect of two more years of Bush is truly frightening. Even if the Democrats gain control of Congress, I expect that Bush will continue to assert his extra-constitutional powers, perhaps even more aggressively than ever. I am afraid that Bush will lash out his critics not with words, but with increasingly deranged military actions. I am waiting for the day that Bush orders the arrest of Congressional Democrats, or that the generals finally confront him and refuse to implement one of his crazy orders. We are already in a constitutional crisis, and I expect it to get worse.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:46 amCurrent global warming theories are bogus. Any increase to the temperatures on Earth are do to releasing chemical energy stored in fossil fuels in mere centuries, that took many eons to store. Only energy that is transferred or transformed from our current environment would create a zero impact - hydro-electric, solar, wind and wave. Fossil fuels pollute as well as add more heat to the environment. Bio-fuels would be too great an environmental impact due to the enormous land areas required for cultivation.
Any other “solutions” offered by “environmentalists” or “climatologists” would be useless. Moreover, the concentration of energy use in cities will still change weather patterns, which also effects overall climate - get over it, since the Earth’s climates have continually changed before man ever set foot on this planet.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:48 am4 Liberty - (#6) Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that it’s a given that Bush wants to attack Iran, and that he will do so even on a manufactured pretext. The logical conclusion from this is that the attack will be timed to have the greatest political impact in America.
Now, taking the assumptions a bit further, that the military lacks the foot soldier capabilities to expand the ground war in the middle east. Re-instating the draft on anything less than a physical invasion of U.S. soil will likely be politically impossible. What does that leave? Tactical Nuclear Weapons. You’ll notice that in the past, this Administration has not ruled out the use of nukes. You’ll also notice many Reich-wing pundits have called for using nukes. (For what it’s worth, I had a disturbing vision recently where they had been used…)
Think Peace. It couldn’t hurt, and it just might help…
August 16th, 2006 at 9:50 amJason, when it comes to global warming you don’t have the slightest clue of what you are talking about. The idea that the globe is heating up because of the heat released by energy production is beyond comical, as is your idea that the concentration of energy use in cities affects overall climate. These ideas are simply idiotic.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:51 am#9 - Jason, so what you’re saying is that anyone who disagrees with you is completely wrong and you’re the only one who’s completely right. Does that about sum up your argument?
August 16th, 2006 at 9:52 amSince this is an open thread:
Someone told me that “there is glory in a great effort, even if it fails”. Using that definition, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot, Mussilni, Stalin, Lenin and countless others who used brutal methods to enforce a singular vision are glorious. Moreover, how “glorious” are the strategists who decided that judicial activism was the way to get gay marriage accepted in the US? Especially since the backlash was to block gay marriage in the constitutions of 20 or more states, and further weakens the prospects of even getting civil unions accepted in this nation. Which strategists are coming forward to take a bow for that heap of glory?
There is no glory in failure. It means that a person who conjured up a vision, had no vision at all. That vision failed regardless of the extreme tactics employed. Only success brings glory, because it reaffirms true vision of what will be.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:53 amHendler once posted as if he was an expert in Constitutional Law, predicting the outcome of the Guantanamo cases. Unfortunately for him, the Supreme Court ruled the other way.
His expertise on Global Warming is likewise unequalled. His entire argument can be summed up thusly: Climate changes occured in the past, before industrialization, therefore it is irrelevent whether current climate changes are attributable to industrialization.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:56 amRep. Bobby Jindal delivers…his own baby!
Hey guess what? Me, too — Both times! THE HARD WAY. I’m whelmed…
August 16th, 2006 at 9:57 am“The experts said in interviews that Bush signaled that he intended to make no policy changes in Iraq.â€
Except possibly hold his breath until his face turns blue…
August 16th, 2006 at 9:59 amAs long as he is President then we stay in Iraq?
I guess when you put all your eggs into one basket, you’d better defend that basket with your life. Otherwise, if something happens to those eggs, not only are you left with absolutely nothing but your whole time with those eggs has been a complete waste. A waste of time and effort that could have better been spent doing something else.
Bush is the definition of that little warning. Further proving how totally stupid and useless he is, not just as a President, but as a human being too if you ask me. Just one more failure in the long list of G.W. failures.
August 16th, 2006 at 9:59 amCurrent global warming theories are bogus… empirical evidence means nothing… only I knows how fizuks works… and it only tooks me 3 years of schools.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
August 16th, 2006 at 10:01 amState ballot measures to increase the minimum wage have qualified for the ballot in Colorado and Arizona.
Hopefully they will do better than Idaho. The last time I emailed Sen Craig was over this issue. He replied with a bunch of spew, and I told him he was full of shit. I think my emails are blocked now, since they keep coming back. :-)
August 16th, 2006 at 10:02 amJust curious Jason, how old are you?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:03 amOnly success brings glory, because it reaffirms true vision of what will be.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
Jason, are you smoking crack?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:04 amDr.D. No I didn’t leave…..Why.? I am busy reading all the link’s left by American and others on a diffrent site..Me think’s perhaps your other screen name is Sandy….No matter…Have a nice day, unless ofcourse you have other plans……..
August 16th, 2006 at 10:06 amCan anyone name a single benefit of electronic voting machines?
I am sure that there must be some… I just don’t know what they are or how they could ought weigh the cost of potential voter fraud?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:07 am#16, Bris,
You are wrong again. The Supreme Court maintained that is WAS lawful for the US to hold those prisoners in Gitmo, they just asked that Congress address what type of proceedings were required to process the prisoners - military courts, federal courts, civil courts or some new hybrid process for this new type of stateless warfare we are now experiencing.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:07 am#32, GWSC,
Yes, you have unbiased machines counting votes, instead of biased sympathizers calling hanging chads in favor of their candidates.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:08 amI want to amend my statement that Jason knows nothing about global warming. Jason knows nothing about energy conservation, heat transfer, or thermodynamics. Jason doesn’t know enough to even begin to evaluate the situation, much less gain any expertise in it. Jason is a faker, a fraud, a liar, and a propagandist.
Stanford, my ass.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:08 amCan anyone name a single benefit of electronic voting machines?
Comment by G.W.SuperChrist
Well, I guess if you can take them home illegaly days before the election, that could be a benefit
August 16th, 2006 at 10:08 am…Democrats/Progressives, get out the vote by using absentee ballots!
Comment by Briseadh na Faire — August 16, 2006 @ 9:12 am
i heard randi rhodes say that even this is risky - they’ve thrown away lots of absentee basllots… she suggests voting EARLY at clerks office (or wherever designated), on a PAPER BALLOT…
August 16th, 2006 at 10:11 amCan anyone name a single benefit of electronic voting machines?
Comment by G.W.SuperChrist
They’re quite handy when the Repubs steal elections. :(
August 16th, 2006 at 10:15 am#36, RS,
Thanks again for mentioning my credentials from a TOP RANKED university - Stanford, where I earned an MSEE. My undergrad was in Mech Engr, so yes, I have a solid understanding of thermodynamics and heat / mass transfer. As for energy conservation, file that under the previous two topics, and for those less informed, just turn out the lights when you leave a room.
Anyone who consumes fossil fuels is contributing to the issue, so until you swear off using your gasoline / diesel powered vehicles and the electricity coming from your coal burning plant - don’t bother piping up, because you are part of the problem.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:18 amJason is a faker, a fraud, a liar, and a propagandist.
Stanford, my ass.
Comment by RealScientist — August 16, 2006 @ 10:08 am
Realscientist - Jason got his fizuks degree at the same place Mighty Aphrodite got her law degree - BSU (Not Boise State).
August 16th, 2006 at 10:18 amFraud is calling yourself progressive, when your political philosophies are regressive - harkening back to Karl Marx and Lenin (not the former Beatle). Fraud is calling yourself liberal, when you personally attack anyone exercising free speech.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:20 amHey! I live in Cuyahoga County!
August 16th, 2006 at 10:21 amI’m really not refuting anything. I’m just saying I live in Cuyahoga County. It’s normally a great place to live. Just not a great place to vote, lately. It’s solidly liberal in a conservative state.
#41….Very impressive, Jason. I’ll ask again…How old are you?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:21 am#45, DRxJ,
I am this many years old (flashing 39 fingers).
August 16th, 2006 at 10:26 amGood Morning Zooey, haven’t seen Unbelievable’s posts or Madashell…? Are they still posting.?….Blessings
August 16th, 2006 at 10:26 am#48
August 16th, 2006 at 10:27 amThank you
Hi Sharon,
They’re both around. Unbelievable is usually around in the evenings because of her new job. Madashell has been doing great things around here, although I don’t think I saw her yesterday. Welcome back! I was worried you were banned like Clyde the Ripper. Stupid shit going on around here.
I better get moving. Have a great day, my dear!
August 16th, 2006 at 10:29 amHey Jason - I also have pretend degrees!
I got a PhD in Super Smart from MIT, Thinkology from Cal Tech, and Smarter Than You from Harvard… so in the battle of making up credentials to bolster bogus arguments… I win!!!
With my victory I would like set the record strait… global warming is caused by unicorn farts.
There you have it… unicorn farts… with my impressive credentials who could argue against that?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:32 am#52, Sandy,
Sure, let’s talk about whatever you want, since I debunked current global warming theories as to their root causes and ineffective resultant solutions.
Let’s talk about the Democratic Party’s inability to beat any candidates that aren’t already Democrats.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:33 amDamn those farting unicorns and their gay agenda!
August 16th, 2006 at 10:33 amOne of the participants said Bush made it clear that “as long as he’s president, we’re in Iraq.â€
Dude has gone over the edge.
Public melt-down coverage at seven . . . He’ll have the bottle of Jack in one hand
August 16th, 2006 at 10:36 amand the coke spoon in the other while frothing that the mouth trying to read the
tele-prompter.
#55 - Really? When did you do that? Was it before or after you claimed that progressives were really regressives? Before or after you compared liberals to communists and nazis?
Mr. Hendler, I pretty sure that you are suffering from hubris.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:37 am#59, sb,
That’s a reference to Lamont beating Lieberman - I will refrain from using metaphor with you, since you aren’t quite up on current events.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:39 am#61, sb,
Excellent topic! Yes, when it comes down to votes, as opposed to rhetoric, the two parties do act as one, regarding the War On Terror. Even the vote to support Israel was 408 to a handful. Even the media moves in lockstep with the two parties, especially against insurgent candidates like Lamont. It is one big happy family, and it does not like to be perturbed …
August 16th, 2006 at 10:41 am#60, DemSoldier,
Read #9, it’s spelled out right there.
Blaming oil companies for your use of coal and gasoline is like smokers blaming the tobacco companies for their lung cancer. No one is insisting you use the product.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:43 am#55 Jason you debunked them? Sorry I’ll take the side of the thousans of experts in that field, who have written countless papers on the subject, over someone who is obviously in the game as a partisan, and who has no credentials in the field. Afterall EE is a far cry from climatology.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:46 am#6 A4L Thanks for the heads up. I read the article by Hersh. You’re right, it did ruin my day, but then again, I haven’t had many great days since this Administration took office. I wish I could live in such a fairy tale world, as these guys do. I was taught, expect the worse and hope for the best. That way you’ve never get blindsided. This Admin. really should have a Department of Fairy Tales, because I’ve never seen so many people who just can’t deal with reality.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:46 amHi Zooey, Hi Sharon - I was here and there yesterday - I just couldn’t take anymore of the trolls bloviating crap….but I’m back today and ready….
meanwhile, here’s a great editorial from Buzzflash:
At this point in time, there is no rational reason for continuing the Iraq War except that pulling our GIs out would mean an admission of failure and an almost certain catastrophic defeat for the Republicans in the fall election.
Well, maybe there is one rational reason for staying there and watching the death toll mount: oil.
Perhaps it crawled out of his mouth by mistake, or it was that there were no more lies and excuses left. But on “Meet the Press” this past Sunday, Ken Mehlman, the head of the RNC, said: “Imagine a failed state on the second largest oil reserves in the world.”
As our good colleague, Greg Palast, has often said: It’s the oil stupid!
Meanwhile, July was the deadliest month of the entire war for Iraqi civilians, and the American GI death toll surpassed 2600.
What is indeed most frightening, however, is trying to fathom what horrifying surprise Karl Rove is planning to terrorize voters in the fall to vote for an authoritarian “Daddy State” government, right here in America.
That is a truly horrifying thought.
We are just pawns in the great GOP game of failure and fear.
It’s the only thing that they have written on their business cards, besides corruption.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:49 am#70, Mark,
How many papers and experiments were tried on communism / socialism, and it never worked, so the volume of paper on a topic doesn’t legitimize it, no matter how popular it is.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:49 amJust read this on the AP.
As the British terror plot was unfolding, the Bush administration quietly tried to take away $6 million that was supposed to be spent this year developing new explosives detection technology.
Yep, now who says Dubya’s administration is “Soft on Terror”?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:50 am71. Fairy tales? I love fairy tales. How about Horror stories?
August 16th, 2006 at 10:51 am#66 - Jason, what you provided was a “theory”, not “proof”. (To be honest, nobody has “proof” of exactly what causes global warming, only theories.)
Please, use your (oh, so, over hyped) degree and re-read what is considered the “scientific method”. You did not disprove the current theory, all you did was provide an alternative on which there is no reliable basis to “prove” anything. Your model discounts the “energy’ released by volcanoes, and you cannot honestly tell me that one volcanic release is less than all the energy released by humans throughout history.
You, sir, are acting on your assumption to assume even more.
Hubris - noun. “exaggerated pride or self-confidence”
Mr. Hendler, you’re suffering from a self-inflicted case of intense hubris.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:51 am#73, madness,
Domestic politics will be dominated by foreign events - economic, strategic, military - from now on. The domestic agenda strengths of the Dems will recede as they take lower priority to even minor skirmishes between Israel and Lebanon. The peace that came with the end of WWII and the prolonged Cold War was the only opportunity that the liberal agenda would ever see, and it failed - causing cycles of poverty, the collapse of our manufacturing sector and the whimper of a gay marriage movement. You should be proud.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:54 amjust to let you know, your supposed degree from Stanford means absolutely NOTHING to me. There are plenty of degreed people out there that still have mush for brains. Your bloviating here only proves my point.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:56 am#79, DemSoldier,
Excellent point on the volcanoes releasing heat, although that might be considered a “regular” event, in that heat inside the Earth is regularly released through vulcanization. I was just addressing the unnatural increase in the rate of heat release through man’s burning of fossil fuels.
At any rate, urban heat masses show greater correlation to temperature increases, which I state to be due to the concentration of the release of energy from fossil fuels (directly - cars - and indirectly - electricity from coal) in a concentrated area.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:59 amGreg Palast: So Osama Walks Into This Bar, See?
(clip)
According to the press office from the Department of Homeland Security, lowered-threat Yellow means that there were no special inspections of passengers or cargo. Isn’t it nice of Mr. Bush to alert Osama when half our security forces are given the day off? Hmm. I asked an Israeli security expert why his nation doesn’t use these pretty color codes.
He asked me if, when I woke up, I checked the day’s terror color.
“I can’t say I ever have. I mean, who would?”
He smiled. “The terrorists.”
August 16th, 2006 at 11:00 am#84, madness,
If you don’t care, why do you keep trying to attract my attention?
August 16th, 2006 at 11:00 amjason -I was merely responding to your post to me.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:02 am#89, Sandy,
My confidence is the result of achievements which resulted from my education, not because of it.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:02 amJason Hendler
August 16th, 2006 at 11:03 amNow you’re back to that arrogant stance that I warned you about previously. No one is going to give you any credibility when you emphatically state that you know more about global warming than all the credentialed climatologists who have written about it. You’re wrong (no disgrace, there) and compound that with stubborn arrogance (big disgrace, there). So, maybe it’s time you backed away from the keyboard, go into the kitchen, and make yourself a nice PB & J sandwhich for lunch.
Blaming oil companies for your use of coal and gasoline is like smokers blaming the tobacco companies for their lung cancer. No one is insisting you use the product.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
So how do you propose that we the people replace all the current cars with better cars? Hold the government, auto industry, and fuel industry at gun point? These people meet amongst themselves on their golf coarses and decide how to help each others $$$ situation out… which means auto makers dont inovate their cars, energy companies dont inovate their energy sources, and government clears the path for both to continue doing as they are…
August 16th, 2006 at 11:04 am#93, PLC,
Actually, I am starting to get hungry, so I will take my leave of you.
Have fun!
August 16th, 2006 at 11:05 amMy name is Jason Hendler… I talk out of my ass… when people call me out on my bullshit I make up fake credentials and change the subject… Cold War, liberal agenda, gay marriage… Blah Blah Blah… you can’t ever win an argument with me because I don’t accept logic, reason, or reality… Cold War, liberal agenda, gay marriage… Hah - take that liberal hippie reality accepters!
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
August 16th, 2006 at 11:05 am94. and now they are paying the price - I hear none of the US automakers are doing very well…as Japan and their innovations are number 1. I tell you, capitalism without honor does NOT WORK.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:07 amGood Morning Madashell, good to see your posts this morning….The site is a bit polluted for me today, so am bailing till later…..Lot’s of weird crap, must be the planets are out of alignment and the tides are out. The new moon isn’t untill the 23 so guess we have a lot of crap to put up with untill then….LOL….Full moons make the crazies wild and the declining one does weird stuff to these people also…..Another LOL…….Gotta blame their junk on something might as well be the above………How many people have been banned of late.? Any idea and why.?………Have a great day…..Blessings…….Peace
August 16th, 2006 at 11:10 amI tell you, capitalism without honor does NOT WORK.
Comment by madashell
Nor does capitalism without regulation by government.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:12 amGood to see you back, Sharon. Know what you mean about the planets - with Mars showing at the end of the month, I really feel something brewing…I felt that way yesterday, about the polluted threads, that’s why I was hardly around. As for the banned posters, there was a discussion in a thread a couple of days ago. Clyde, James, and I’m really not sure who else. It amazes me that they will ban these people and allow the trolls to post their lies. I don’t get it.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:14 amPLC - precisely - regulations are supposed to make them HONORABLE!
August 16th, 2006 at 11:15 amIn other news, MSNBC’s Scarborough Country discussed the topic “Is Bush an idiot?” on Tuesday’s show.
http://www.rawstory.com/ news/ 2006/ Scarborough_0815.html
I laughed soo hard watching this clip
August 16th, 2006 at 11:17 amHopefully they will do better than Idaho. The last time I emailed Sen Craig was over this issue. He replied with a bunch of spew, and I told him he was full of shit. I think my emails are blocked now, since they keep coming back. :-)
Comment by Zooey — August 16, 2006 @ 10:02 am
Just a thought, but are you sending him e-mail directly via a program such as Outlook or Outlook Express? I had the same problem last year with an e-mail sent to Sen. Frist. When I sent the first message, it was via a link on his Web site that opened up my mail program. He replied 2 weeks later, and when I tried to reply to it, it kept getting bounced back as undeliverable. For a long time I figured he didn’t like what I had to say to him and thus blocked my address. But I finally discovered that he changed the method of communicating via e-mail — the only way to do so was to send it using a form on his Web site.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:20 amTroll names remind me of the “banana song” (”ana, bana, bobana, fe fi fofana):
August 16th, 2006 at 11:21 ambrandi, randy, sandy, fi fi not so dandy
Madashell, wonder if they went through the same thing I did on the site…..When their vacation is over we need to get ahold of Judd or who ever monitors these sites and get an idea of what’s going on………Someone told me there might be some type of site restictions like spamming going on or viruses. I’m not real savy on all that stuff so I can’t say…….Off to hug trees and pick berries…Blessings all…….Peace is the answer
August 16th, 2006 at 11:22 amthe only way to do so was to send it [e-mail] using a form on his Web site.
Comment by WC
I sent e-mail to my Senators in opposition to the marriage protection amendment and, using their form, checked the appropriate topic box. I got a form letter response weeks later that read like I agreed with their support of the amendment. I’m concerned that, as a result, I am now listed and counted as a supporter! So, IMO, this may not be the best way to communicate with our representatives.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:25 amThere is no glory in failure. It means that a person who conjured up a vision, had no vision at all. That vision failed regardless of the extreme tactics employed. Only success brings glory, because it reaffirms true vision of what will be.
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
August 16th, 2006 at 11:32 am—————
A quote from Timothy McVeigh?
So, IMO, this may not be the best way to communicate with our representatives.
Comment by PLC (PatrioticLiberalChristian) — August 16, 2006 @ 11:25 am
I have to agree with you. And really, the same could go for contact via phone; how do you know that the person on the other end is accurately recording your position? It’s easy for a congressman to say “A majority of my consituents support ____” but unless anyone outside of the staff actually looks at all the info, who is to say?
August 16th, 2006 at 11:37 amSEPTEMBER A BAD MONTH?
Wed. 16th of August 2006
by Jay Randal
I believe this coming September might be the most dangerous time in our nation’s history, but not due to foreign terrorists, but from the evil Bush Regime!
Pres. George Bush’s approval ratings are falling fast again, as the Iraq occupation goes from bad to worse, so as the election looms closer it causes a lot of tension!
VP Dick Cheney, and his Neocon pals, desire a war on Iran badly, which means September could be their last chance to instigate any aggression against them!
Plus the Senators and Representatives are occupied with campaigning, so the last opportunity to commit an attack is next month, so will the Congress allow it?
( Jay Randal, political activist and writer in Stone Mountain, Georgia.)
PS: To all my friends, and fellow posters on TP, this is my last post until September, since I am taking time off from politics and will be busy doing other things, so keep up the fight against the Bush Regime injustices and do NOT let the Bush lover trolls twist the truth.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:42 am#74 that analogy holds no water as there is no measurable data on communism etc… only theory (or hypothesis if you think in terms of scientific theory, but theory works for lay people even though scientific theory is not what they think it is). Much like the Lafer curve, all he had was theory and bad theory at that, yet millions latched onto it incorrectly assuming it to be valid because it fit their ideological world view. The big difference with Laffer and papers on communism vs. global warming is data and peer review. When the only thing you have going for you is ideology you are invariably going to be wrong. When you have hard facts and peer review there is less chance for error.
I, myself have a degree in geology as well as one in accounting and an MBA (weird combo) so with my back ground I tend to think of climate in terms of thousands and tens of thousands of years for climate cycles to evolve. This view may hold true in the long run, but I will not be alive to find out. However, with my back ground I am able to note that past patterns may not hold true to day as the population of the earth has increased dramatically, I still remember back in 5th grade when my teacher told us that the population had recently passed 4 billion, which was 2.5 billion people ago. The sheer numbers of people using fossil fuels and the number of products base don fossil fuels has increased dramatically since way back them. It does not take a great leap of imagination to associate mankind with a warmer world, in fact intuitively this should be the first thought on everyone’s mind (except of course Christian fundamentalists who are praying for the end of times and dream that warmer temps are due to gods actions). That is my gut intuition, and I will trust the thousands of scientists who have analyzed the data and written critically reviewed papers on the topic. I will not trust political pundits.
I mention that I used to think of climate in terms of thousands of years for cycles, even if this were true, and there is a possibility that that view point is wrong, should we do something today to counteract any threats in the future? The president is all for invading countries based on the theory that they may someday pose a threat, should the same be held today if there is a possibility of a future threat?
The right is agaisnt the notion of global warming, real or not, based on percieved affects on business. They view profits today over the value of quality life tomorrow, which is a very sad view. However that view point is fallicious. They said the same thing in the early 1970’s when pollution controls started becoming stronger, yet the economy has been fairly strong since then. Also what exactly is wrong with conservation? I’m not quite sure why the right considers this to be a bad idea.
#86 volcano’s have been erupting since the dawn of time, what is new to the arena is man’s unfettered consumption of fossil fuels. Also vulcanization has nothing to do with volcanic activity. Vulcanization is related to treating rubber. You would think a guy with an advanced degree from a prestigious university like Stanford, would know this.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:42 amOn my way out just one last response…..Contacting representatives and the white house past administration and present…….When Clinton was in office I sent letters called the white house switch board and toward the end of his term sent emails on lot’s of subjects. Guess what I always got returned answers….Alway’s. It was aids that handled all my queries with speed and dignety….I also recieved letters from Clinton and Gore. Form letters naturely mailed out to many I am sure but good responses……Moving right along…I have attempted to call the white house since bush was installed and been blocked every time, no aid to answer or response, just refere me to the gov. web site…….I have mailed hundreds of emails over the past 5+ years with questions and or statements and never (never recieved) any response. …….The only thing I have ever gotten is an excuse saying ” due to high traffic the white house cannot respond at this time.”…….5 year’s later still no response..Well guess the entire staff is always on vacation……Hell yes, the dummie in charge doesn’t have form letters or form emails he and his crew are constantly on vacation or AWOL………..Peace
August 16th, 2006 at 11:53 amYou would think a guy with an advanced degree from a prestigious university like Stanford, would know this.
Comment by Mark
Careful there Mark. You have now opened a can of worms, and Jason will come back with attacks, name calling, along with the arrogance that surrounds him.
Next time, use the phrase “a prestigious IVY LEAGUE school like Stanford. That really gets the hornets a buzzin’
All in all, a very good, informed post.
August 16th, 2006 at 11:54 amI have a solid understanding of thermodynamics and heat / mass transfer.
Jason, no you don’t. You don’t even understand the urban heat island effect, such as it is! It isn’t the heat we release by AC, driving, heating etc. It is the absorption and retention of radiant heat from the sun that causes the effect. You have absolutely no clue whatsoever. The things you have claimed here in the past 24 hours are preposterously stupid, and anyone with a degree in ME should know it.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:09 pmTHE 2008 GOP CONVENTION
August 16th, 2006 at 12:11 pmNo one has mentioned that fact that the ice melting in greenland, antartica, siberia, etc…., makes it so that the sun is not reflected back…which in turns HEATS UP THE PLANET.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:19 pmI debunked current global warming theories as to their root causes
Comment by Jason M. Hendler — August 16, 2006 @ 10:33 am
You are nowhere even close to doing that, Mr. Hendler. You see, to debunk something it needs to have “bunk” first.
All you have done is offer uneducated guesses, wildly speculative arguments, and a plethora of untested hypothesis (if we can call them that).
To support your position you have not offered data or analysis, but the work of a science fiction writer, and a TV show on climate change and temperature measurement.
It seems to me your contentions (each one of them) have been thoroughly debunked.
August 16th, 2006 at 12:39 pmde·lu·sion (d-lzhn)
n.
1.
a. The act or process of deluding.
b. The state of being deluded.
2. A false belief or opinion: labored under the delusion that success was at hand.
3. Psychiatry A false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence, especially as a symptom of mental illness: delusions of persecution.
I’ll take b, c and d for a million.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:31 pmMr Hendler, if the foo sh**s, wear it.
Jason, why so quiet? Is it because of this… in that heat inside the Earth is regularly released through VULCANIZATION.
You mean the heat inside the earth is regularly released through the process of treating rubber or rubberlike materials with sulphur at great heat to improve elasticity and strength or to harden them.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:48 pm[…] Think Progress […]
August 16th, 2006 at 5:24 pmYet all the time you maintained that the prisoners had no rights under the Constitution. How quickly you forget your own wrong arguments. The Supreme Court held that they do have rights under the Constitution, and under the Geneva Convention as well.
Now, your expertise on Constitutional Law is matched, yea perhaps even surpassed, by your expertise on Global Warming.
August 16th, 2006 at 7:24 pmBut I finally discovered that he changed the method of communicating via e-mail — the only way to do so was to send it using a form on his Web site.
Comment by WC
When I call, he’s never there. :)
August 16th, 2006 at 9:49 pm#129, Dr.
Thanks for posting my quote. I stated that I used IVY LEAGUE as a metaphor for TOP RANKED, but it turns out that I used a simile, having inserted the word “like” - my point being that those who meet graduates of TOP RANKED universities typically feel insecure, and do all they can to try to prove they are smarter. I tend not to mention my credentials unless they pertain directly to the discussion, as they did in that particular, or previous, thread.
Vulcinization is the process by which synthetic rubbers solidify. I meant to use the word vulcanism, which can mean any volcanic or geo-thermal process (could be geyser related also).
I do understand urban heat islands. Yes, current theorists state that it is just the retention of solar heat by steel, glass, concrete and higher local concentrations of greenhouse gases in smog. I believe man’s concentrated use of energy in urban areas is a greater contributor than the heat storing capacity of materials. If you don’t accurately identify the main contributors to a problem, you will never identify the correct solution.
August 17th, 2006 at 9:02 amThanks for posting my quote. I stated that I used IVY LEAGUE as a metaphor for TOP RANKED …
vulcanism…
Comment by Jason M. Hendler
Jason, it took you all day to come up with that??? Okay…first : I never quoted you! I was rephrasing Mark’s comment! Follow me here: Mark said You would think a guy with an advanced degree from a prestigious university like Stanford, would know this. I added a prestigious IVY LEAGUE school like Stanford See, not your quote, but an addition to Mark’s quote.
August 17th, 2006 at 9:43 amIf I were to quote you, it would be this “Stanford, an Ivy League school”
Second: It is not vulcanism, it is VOLCANISM. How would an engineer with such expertise in climatology get vulcanization confused with volcanism? Are you a star trek fan? I mean, how would you feel about my credentials (a pharmacist) if I confused anti-pyretic (fever reducing) with pruritus ani (chronic itching of the skin around the anus).
Jason, this is why I, and many others, have a hard time believing you and your credentials. Are you a paid schill just to disrupt this sight?