ThinkFast: June 26, 2008
ThinkFast: June 26, 2008
75 percent: Americans who “blame President Bush’s economic policies for making the country worse off during the last eight years, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll.”
“The number of Americans who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives, has risen in the past two years to 44 percent, according to a poll.” Still, a majority of Americans think all torture should be banned.
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment denying money for President Bush’s new “program to expand domestic use of Pentagon spy satellites,” citing concerns about possible civil-liberties abuses. Congress will block the program’s funds until the GAO “completes a report examining civil-liberties and privacy issues related to the domestic use of picture-taking spy satellites.”
U.S. forces in Iraq are facing a “spike in deadly violence.” Yesterday, a roadside bomb killed four soldiers, pushing “to at least nine the number of Americans who have died” in Iraq this week. A car bomb in Mosul also killed 18 people today, wounding 60.
The United States “will lift key trade sanctions against North Korea and remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist,” President Bush announced this morning. The move, which is “a remarkable turnaround in policy,” came after North Korea “handed over a long-awaited accounting of its nuclear work to Chinese officials.” “This is the first step. This isn’t the end of the process,” said Bush in a Rose Garden press conference.
On the trail today: Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will visit Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University “for an event that his campaign is billing as a summit to help America create jobs, improve education and compete in the global economy.” Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will kick off a two-day swing through Ohio “with a noon town hall meeting at Xavier University in Cincinnati with undecided voters.”
McCain recently “held a personal meeting with the head of the national gay Republicans organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.” He recently said that he opposed gay marriage; in the past, he has also opposed civil unions.
McCain’s top presidential campaign adviser, Rick Davis, has worked for McCain for nearly eight years and “his relationship with the senator has been a lucrative commodity.” “He and his lobbying firm…have earned handsome fees representing clients who need McCain’s help in the Senate.” He also made money by housing “McCain-related entities” at his firm’s “upscale riverfront office space.”
CQ writes that the Senate may not vote on FISA reform until after the July Fourth recess. “There are two things we have to do before we go home for July Fourth: housing and Medicare,” Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said Tuesday. “We do not have to do, if the Republicans don’t want to do it, we don’t have to do FISA and we don’t have to do the supplemental” spending measure for the wars.
California will introduce a detailed plan today “to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels in 12 years by requiring more energy-efficient appliances and buildings, lowering vehicle emissions and generating 33 percent of its energy from renewable sources.” The plan, which “is the most comprehensive effort in the country,” would also include a cap-and-trade system.
And finally: Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) “held court” at the Cafe Japone karaoke bar in Washington, DC, on Tuesday night. With “a pink lei around his neck,” Honda “raised his arm and hooted in support of a young staffer as she struggled through Fergie’s ‘Fergalicious.’” Honda, however, choose to sing “Moon River” in honor of his wedding anniversary. Politico reports that Honda first tried karaoke in 2001, “in an effort to overcome his fear of public speaking during his first days as a congressman.”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
Dear LAT: That should read, “Der Fuehrer Dick Cheney’s economic policies….” Thank you.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:03 amHundreds nabbed in U.S. child prostitution sting
More than 300 people have been arrested for involvement in child prostitution rings and 21 children rescued in a nationwide sweep, the FBI said on Wednesday. “Operation Cross Country,” a five-day sting that ended on Sunday, spanned 16 cities in 10 states and the District of Columbia and caught 389 people who exploited children through prostitution, the agency said.
Investigations uncovered schemes ranging from prostituting children at truck stops to promoting their services on the Internet, the FBI said. “We together have no higher calling than to protect our children and to safeguard their innocence. Yet, the sex trafficking of children remains one of the most violent and unforgivable crimes in this country,” FBI Director Robert Mueller said at a news conference.
The announcement marked the anniversary of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative project launched in June 2003 as part of an effort to eradicate child prostitution.
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2534887420080626
These vile people should never be allowed back into society. They belong in permanent solitary confinement.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:03 amCheney, “So?”
June 26th, 2008 at 9:05 am“…who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives…”
_____________________________________________________________
Have we ever gotten any evidence of torture actually saving lives? I mean, aside from the television show “24″?
I think if torture really had a track record of saving lives, there might be a bit more support for it. Without that, most of us just see it as part of the same testosterone rush that comes from invading other countries for no valid reason — our leaders think that looking like playground bullies to the rest of the world is a desirable thing.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:06 amYesterday, a roadside bomb killed four soldiers, pushing “to at least nine the number of Americans who have died” in Iraq this week. A car bomb in Mosul also killed 18 people today, wounding 60.
But .. But …… The surge is working, we are in the final final throes, we are winning!
June 26th, 2008 at 9:07 amThe United States “will lift key trade sanctions against North Korea and remove it from the U.S. terrorism blacklist,”…
Remember how Condi & the WH wouldn’t talk to N Korea? Who got the ball rolling? BILL RICHARDSON.
Now, watch Bush take credit through ‘hard diplomacy’ while giving Rice kudos for her ‘hard work’.
I’m grateful that N Korea is now playing well with others, but do not see any reason to give the WH credit.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:07 amMcCain’s top presidential campaign adviser, Rick Davis, has worked for McCain for nearly eight years and “his relationship with the senator has been a lucrative commodity.”
_____________________________________________________________
Geez — doesn’t McCain have ANYBODY on his campaign staff who hasn’t spent years being a McCain suckup? It’s kind of sad, really.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:09 amBush 41 put our economy in a ditch and should be proud that 43 exceeded him.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:10 amDAMN! I wonder if this will derail the BushCo NeoCon rush to bombing Iran? Who’da thunk you could actually negotiate with a country? Weren’t they part of the ‘axis of evil’?
HMMMMMMM
June 26th, 2008 at 9:10 amCalifornia will introduce a detailed plan today “to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels in 12 years…
____________________________________________________________
Leave it to California to lead the way. And kudos to them for not being afraid of the Bushney-controlled EPA.
I hope the rest of the country will follow their lead.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:11 amMcCain recently “held a personal meeting with the head of the national gay Republicans organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.”
Ken Mehlman reports the meeting included McCain’s National co-chair, Lindsay Graham, along with Larry Craig, Mark Foley. Joe Lieberman, or ‘J-Lie’ was there to ‘just watch’.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:12 amRejuvenating Public Sector Science
Budding young scientists are taught that the nation’s scientific enterprise reflects an unblinkered search for truth, conducted by dispassionate researchers divorced from preconceived bias or monetary gain. Alas, in the real world, far too many scientists have hired themselves out to the highest bidders — corporate interests that use their science-for-hire papers to cast doubt on the facts that our planet is warming, smoking kills, and toxic chemicals can cause birth defects.
In recent years, these ongoing campaigns to stop regulations that would reduce carbon emissions, clean up our food, air and water, or control tobacco have been joined by a war on government-funded science itself, targeted against scientists who work to promote public health and a cleaner environment. Budgets have been slashed. Good scientists have been ignored and their species protection plans shelved. Physician-researchers on industry’s payroll publish papers touting the latest pills or technologies based on flimsy or no evidence, and then write a clinical practice guideline suggesting the new, pricier technology ought to be used. Then some of these very same researchers hide their conflicts of interest when publishing in the medical literature, all to further their and their sponsors’ bottom lines.
Fortunately, the tide is beginning to turn on this corporate-driven war on science. Congressional investigations have exposed administration efforts to silence scientists and uncovered hidden drug industry payments — such as those to the psychiatrists who were responsible for promoting anti-psychotic-drug use in thousands of kids.
This progressive counteroffensive in the war on science will be highlighted at the fourth national Integrity in Science conference on July 11 in Washington. This year’s theme, “Rejuvenating Public Sector Science,” will illuminate a path out of the current morass. Only by bolstering the resources available to government agencies charged with protecting public health and the environment and affirming their authority to do their jobs can industry’s efforts to undermine sound science be defeated.
Link: http://www.Commondreams
The problem I foresee is that even in the private sector Universities, Physicians Research and Laboratories are all indebted to Corporations or Private Endowments to fund research projects. This in effect means that part of them is going to be biased or untrue. What is not clear by this article is if that is going to extend to schools and textbooks. It should because, we are seeing a strong push for Intelligent Design which has no place in science books. Only in the USA do we keep fighting this same battle, Intelligent Design is a Theory and it has No Basis in Facts. So it should be put in its proper place which is a philosophy or theology course in college. These beliefs hinder Science which is to seek the truth.
We have fallen behind in many areas where we use to dominate. That is easily proven by watching C-SPAN; most members of Congress can not put forth a meaningful debate. Hatch is a perfect example, instead of using critical thinking skills, evidence to support his debate or quantitative analysis he called the Democrats delusional and tin hat wearers. This is a great example of the dumbing down of America. We have politicians that resort to name calling; since when is that considered a meaningful debate? When you have to resort to swearing and name calling you have already lost the debate. That requires zero critical thinking skills and further proves you have no analysis to support your argument. But this is what we are subjected to on a daily basis on blogs, in newspapers and TV news. An undereducated society that does not seek the truth by doing research and analyzing politicians will continue as a nation to vote in people like Hatch and most of Congress. By cutting back on college loans leads to an under educated population also, which is easier to mold and manipulate. Mission Accomplished.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:12 am75 percent: Americans who “blame President Bush’s economic policies for making the country worse off during the last eight years, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll.”
____________________________________________________________
And the other 25% are still chanting, “the tax cuts are working, the tax cuts are working, the tax cuts are working…”
June 26th, 2008 at 9:14 amLock_step is accusing the Supreme Court of being liberal?
Next thing you know, he’ll be calling Bush a conservative.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:15 amSen. John McCain (R-AZ) will kick off a two-day swing through Ohio “with a noon town hall meeting at Xavier University in Cincinnati with undecided voters.”
undecided about what?
Whether to get the Patty Melt or the Tuna Platter off the Denny’s EarlyBird menu?
Whether or not to get Robot Insurance from Sam Watterson?
Whether or not to dump their current wife for a bimbo heiress?
Maybe they really aren’t “undecided”, they are “redecided”. They choose McBush, then forget, then choose McBush, then forget,…
June 26th, 2008 at 9:18 amUpbeat news……
Online service lets blind surf the Internet from any computer, anywhere
Visions of future technology don’t involve being chained to a desktop machine. People move from home computers to work computers to mobile devices; public kiosks pop up in libraries, schools and hotels; and people increasingly store everything from e-mail to spreadsheets on the Web. But for the roughly 10 million people in the United States who are blind or visually impaired, using a computer has, so far, required special screen-reading software typically installed only on their own machines.
New software, called WebAnywhere, launched today lets blind and visually impaired people surf the Web on the go. The tool developed at the University of Washington turns screen-reading into an Internet service that reads aloud Web text on any computer with speakers or headphone connections. “This is for situations where someone who’s blind can’t use their own computer but still wants access to the Internet. At a museum, at a library, at a public kiosk, at a friend’s house, at the airport,” said Richard Ladner, a UW professor of computer science and engineering.
http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleID=42563
This is great news!!
June 26th, 2008 at 9:18 amlock_box Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:11 am
No surprise that liberals do not want the death penalty for a child rapist. Its like a bad game of common sense opposite day that never ends with liberals.
____________________________________________________________
Why is it that you wingnuts think that executing somebody is the worst thing you can do to them?
There are a number of us who don’t favor the death penalty at all, regardless of the crime. However, there are some crimes, such as murder or child rape, that are cause to remove the perpetrator from society forever. That’s what life in prison without possibility of parole is for.
Personally, I believe that any man who rapes a child should be incarcerated for the rest of his life, and for the rest of his life be subjected to inmates who really take a dim view to that kind of crime. This, to me, is a punishment far worse than death.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:19 amHey, Lockedbox,
You must be getting desperate when you use the National Post as a source.
It is slightly right of Faux NoNooz and has the credibility somewhere below the National Enquirer.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:20 am“The number of Americans who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives, has risen in the past two years to 44 percent, according to a poll.”
OMG, what have we become? This is beyond belief.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:20 amMcCain recently “held a personal meeting with the head of the national gay Republicans organization, the Log Cabin Republicans.” He recently said that he opposed gay marriage; in the past, he has also opposed civil unions.
I don’t think I will ever understand those Log Cabin Republicans. Talk about voting against your own best interests.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:23 amlockjaw says:
The majority in the 5-4 vote says it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment
No surprise that liberals do not want the death penalty for a child rapist. Its like a bad game of common sense opposite day that never ends with liberals.”
lockjaw thnks the current supreme court is LIBERAL?!?!?!?!?!? It’s too early for the stupidest post of the day lockjaw. you’ve really set the bar low for your troll friends.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:24 am75 percent: Americans who “blame President Bush’s economic policies for making the country worse off during the last eight years, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll.”
Of the 25% who do not blame Bush, 15% blame Bill Clinton, 7% blame Jimmy Carter, and 3% blame Franklin Roosevelt.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:25 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
I don’t think I will ever understand those Log Cabin Republicans. Talk about voting against your own best interests.
They are obviously people who would sell their own mothers to white slavers if they could get a tax break by doing so.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:32 amHey guys, why is my post awaiting moderation? It doesn’t have any words in it that you wouldn’t hear on the CBS evening news.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:32 amThe number of Americans who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives, has risen in the past two years to 44 percent, according to a poll.
It appears that the poll could be misleading. “…in order to save lives.”
June 26th, 2008 at 9:32 amWhat if the poll asked “Do you agree with clubbing seals if it would save lives?”
Or
“Do you agree with slapping senior citizens if it would save lives?”
Of course, most would answer “yes”.
What I find interesting is I wonder what the respondents would answer if the question was
“Do you agree with stem cell research if it would save lives?”
Bobwurst,
June 26th, 2008 at 9:34 amBe careful when using words that contain an*l! I’ve had a few posts “moderated” whilst using an*lytical or an*lysis.
Dumb, I know, but until it’s modified, use another word (or asterick it)
Bilbo Hussein Baggins Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:23 am
I don’t think I will ever understand those Log Cabin Republicans. Talk about voting against your own best interests.
____________________________________________________________
I think if the Dems were pushing to allow gay marriage, I’d agree with you. But right now, politicians of BOTH parties see the endorsement of gay marriage as suicidal to their careers as endorsing the reinstatement of the draft. The LCR knows that in reality, gay marriage isn’t going to be any more likely to be accepted on a federal level under Obama than under McCain.
So what will it take to make gay marriage acceptable to the mainstream? California and Massachusetts will marry gays. New York will recognize gay marriages, resulting in thousands of gay New York residents planning their vacations in CA this year. When you have two of the biggest states in the country on board (not to mention the ENTIRE country of Canada to our north), people will eventually see that gays settling down to a lifetime of commitment to monogamy isn’t going to destroy our society. And then, more politicians will find their backbone and support what’s right.
Allowing gays to be fully functioning members of society with the same rights as everyone else will happen. Someday.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:35 amLock_Step says:
The milky way is under attack from man made hot air.
And this blog is under attack from Troll manufatctured bullshit.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:35 amBobwurst Says:
Hey guys, why is my post awaiting moderation? It doesn’t have any words in it that you wouldn’t hear on the CBS evening news.
Make sure it does not include the word “a n a l y s t” or variant thereof.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:35 amWe have fallen behind in many areas where we use to dominate. That is easily proven by watching C-SPAN; most members of Congress can not put forth a meaningful debate. Hatch is a perfect example, instead of using critical thinking skills, evidence to support his debate or quantitative analysis he called the Democrats delusional and tin hat wearers. This is a great example of the dumbing down of America. We have politicians that resort to name calling; since when is that considered a meaningful debate? When you have to resort to swearing and name calling you have already lost the debate. That requires zero critical thinking skills and further proves you have no analysis to support your argument. But this is what we are subjected to on a daily basis on blogs, in newspapers and TV news. An undereducated society that does not seek the truth by doing research and analyzing politicians will continue as a nation to vote in people like Hatch and most of Congress. By cutting back on college loans perpetuates this on going attack on high learning also. Which leads to a population that can be easily molded and manipulated. Our current government can truly claim “Mission Accomplished” in education.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:37 amlock_box(and throw away the key before the big scary black gay man can getcha) Says:
Court rejects death penalty for raping children
The majority in the 5-4 vote says it violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment
No surprise that liberals do not want the death penalty for a child rapist. Its like a bad game of common sense opposite day that never ends with liberals.
I’m sorry. What parallel universe do you live in, so that if I ever need a break from reality, I can come visit?
June 26th, 2008 at 9:39 amAnd just for the record, there is one “Liberal” who does not agree with the ruling. Oh, and his also running for president, numb nutz!
CQ writes that the Senate may not vote on FISA reform until after the July Fourth recess.
Good, that gives us more time for an extended assault on the people who are saying they will vote for this odious bill. Please send Obama and Harry Reid an e-mail telling them what you think about this bill. Or, call Obama’s campaign office. I did it twice, once to let them know what I thought and once to find out how to cancel my monthly contribution. Both times I was able to talk to someone after hitting zero numerous times.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:42 amMorning lock_box
June 26th, 2008 at 9:42 amSo what do you think about the National Intelligence Assessment relative to global climate that was just made available?
lock box is just another frightened sheep that has to be told what to think by the right-wing media
he can always be depended upon to defend the worst administration in history because he is terrorized by their fear-mongering
ignorant people are easy to frighten, especially if they are as cowardly as modern republicans
June 26th, 2008 at 9:42 amThere is nothing common about sense.
Sense is increasingly UNcommon.
Especially among right-wing cowards like lock box
June 26th, 2008 at 9:48 amlock_box Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:31 am
The Global warming hoax takes another blow, this time from Swedish researchers.
____________________________________________________
And we all know that this group of Swedish researchers with their moose migration study nullifies the entire body of evidence produced by other climatologists (snark). You will grasp at any straw you can to justify the position of the oil companies.
Nice try, but you can do better than this.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:49 amGuess brain_lock didn’t see Obama’s comments expressing disagreement with the chaild rapist decision. Obama was not frothing at the mouth over the 5 – 4 decision (including majority votes from three Republican-appointed justices) so it didn’t make good press. brain_lock also doesn’t seem to understand that seven of the nine justices on the court were appointed by Republican presidents. Kind of makes you wonder what passes for conservative in brain_lock’s little world.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:50 amI did contact Obama expressing my disappointment with his position. I also asked him to consult with his colleagues, Russ Feingold, and the senior Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, on the matter.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:51 amDRxJ Says:
The number of Americans who would condone torture, at least when used on terrorists in order to save lives, has risen in the past two years to 44 percent, according to a poll.
It appears that the poll could be misleading. “…in order to save lives.”
Good point. This shows how you can skew a poll by how the question is worded. The question was probably “assuming it would save lives, do you think it is ok for the US to torture prisoners” as opposed to “do you think it is ok for the US to torture prisoners”. I’m betting the numbers would be quite different if they hadn’t front loaded the question.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:56 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
Nice try, but you can do better than this.
Actually, no. There is no evidence to support your assertion, misshusseinmolly.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:58 amshoeless Says:
I did contact Obama expressing my disappointment with his position. I also asked him to consult with his colleagues, Russ Feingold, and the senior Senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, on the matter.
I think you mean Chris Dodd. I don’t think that Dick Durbin is threatening to filibuster the bill.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:02 amgummitch Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:58 am
misshusseinmolly Says:
Nice try, but you can do better than this.
Actually, no. There is no evidence to support your assertion, misshusseinmolly.
______________________________________________________________
You’re right, I was probably being overly optimistic. That was most likely locknload’s best effort.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:03 amGood Morning poster’s, looking at the result’s of all my work yesterday made me think of an old saying that goe’s something like this,”If you continue to do the same thing over and over and get diffrent result’s?….Al’s has taken over, can’t remember the rest or maybe just an old brain fart wiped it out..
I wore myself out sending email’s, phoneing and signing patition’s..Ya know what I got, exausted….Nothing more….I have long thought they, most of them are all the same and yesterday was proof posative…
After 40+ year’s of supporting the dem’s which have now become a support group for the reich I canceled every single site that is involved with this huge mess…I kept the few that have remained libral or progressive …
You all do as you please and so will I…..I am not backing these candidate’s that are so self involved they don’t show up for a vote or any that voted to push FISA through…..Game set match….They may think they have won what their reich winged god’s want but in the end they will be as bad off as we the people are..
I going back to cleaning my gun, stocking food, water and minding my own business like all my neighbor’s that don’t vote do with one exception I’m gonna vote for a Nadar or Kucinich or some other person who has shown they realy do go by the constitution….Blessings all
June 26th, 2008 at 10:04 amshoeless Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Of the 25% who do not blame Bush, 15% blame Bill Clinton, 7% blame Jimmy Carter, and 3% blame Franklin Roosevelt.
_____________________________________________________
What? Reagan gets off scot-free?
June 26th, 2008 at 10:07 amBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
I think you mean Chris Dodd. I don’t think that Dick Durbin is threatening to filibuster the bill.
No, but Durbin does oppose it. And, I hope that, as the senior Senator from Obama’s state, he would have some influence.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:09 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
——————————————————————————–
shoeless Says
June 26th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Of the 25% who do not blame Bush, 15% blame Bill Clinton, 7% blame Jimmy Carter, and 3% blame Franklin Roosevelt.
_____________________________________________________
What? Reagan gets off scot-free?
Yes. They blamed Reagan’s recessions on Woodrow Wilson.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:10 amlock_box
“Many are concerned about the effect of climate change on our environment. Many are concerned about the effect of climate change policies on our economy. I share these concerns, and I believe they can be sensibly reconciled.
I have put our nation on a path to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of our greenhouse gas emissions”—George Bush, April 16 2008.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/04/20080416-6.html
So if Bush says that greenhouse gas emissions change the climate and affect the environment, then according to you he’s (a) ignorant. (b) promoting a “hoax”, (c) lying for some reason.
Is the answer:
(a)?
June 26th, 2008 at 10:13 am(b)?
(a) and (b)?
(c)?
(a) and (c)?
U.S. forces in Iraq are facing a “spike in deadly violence.” Yesterday, a roadside bomb killed four soldiers, pushing “to at least nine the number of Americans who have died” in Iraq this week. A car bomb in Mosul also killed 18 people today, wounding 60.
Not to worry. According to the GOP, the spike in violence means the surge is working!
June 26th, 2008 at 10:16 amlock box=good golly?
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 amJust wondering.
I give up, I have been moderated 7 times in two days. But people that post bigotry and hate get through. WOW, that is sad.
You ask what was I trying to post. Yesterday it was about the fact the Pharmacuetical Industry has lobbied $1 billion dollars over the last decade. Today it was over Rejuvenating Public Sector Science. Even my comments which I tried to post today about critical thinking and debate got moderated also. Since when is critical thinking and debate something that needs moderated.
I have never posted anything even mildly offensive, nor do I swear. This kind of censorship is intolerable. I’m done game over. That is not being progressive that is quashing serious debate and undermining the flow of knowledge which leads to critical thinking that expands the mind to other possiblities. That is what progressive means to seek the truth and evolve.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 amFreedom Rebel,
Don’t give up!! Click on my name, and go to the top thread. I’ll post Faiz’s email address there for you.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:23 amSo lock box about that national intelligence assessment. Your thoughts…
June 26th, 2008 at 10:30 ambentley1 Says:
lock box=good golly?
Just wondering.
Who cares?
June 26th, 2008 at 10:32 amIts still dumber than a bag of rocks.
These dishonest trolls change names like sock(puppet)s.
bentley1 Says
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am
lock box=good golly?
Just wondering.
________________________________________________________
I don’t think so. good_golly was a little more intelligent than rocks_box, and he had moments where he was open to other views — he wasn’t always just a sock puppet.
Furthermore, LB appears to be Oklahoman, where GG wasn’t.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:34 ambentley1 Says:
lock box=good golly?
Just wondering.
It’s hard to say. If you’ve seen one incoherent, uneducated, dumbass, propaganda addled, drainage pipe of fascist RNC talking points, you’ve seen ‘em all.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:35 ammisshusseinmolly Says:
bentley1 Says
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am
lock box=good golly?
Just wondering.
________________________________________________________
I don’t think so. good_golly was a little more intelligent than rocks_box…
June 26th, 2008 at 10:37 amJune 26th, 2008 at 10:34 am
shoeless Says:
It’s hard to say. If you’ve seen one incoherent, uneducated, dumbass, propaganda addled, drainage pipe of fascist RNC talking points, you’ve seen ‘em all.
All trolls are Mr. Pee, lol.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:37 amOy….do over.
misshusseinmolly Says:
bentley1 Says
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am
lock box=good golly?
Just wondering.
________________________________________________________
I don’t think so. good_golly was a little more intelligent than rocks_box…
June 26th, 2008 at 10:34 am
lock box is as dumb as snail slime, so that ain’t saying much for gg. :-D
June 26th, 2008 at 10:39 amAll right, lighten up. I don’t want old lock box running away before they get the chance to explain away this intelligence assessment. So really lock box do you think the hoax runs that deep?
June 26th, 2008 at 10:42 amWitch 1..
That’s your prerogative of course.
Unfortunately compromize is inherent in politics. As you are planning to opt out completely.
Don’t forget to adamantly refuse, on priniciple, any federal benefits or commonwealth improvement that might come your way in the future that resulted from the efforts of those who bothered voted for realistic compromises to maintain some ability to effect further change for the common good and who just may be able to restore this nation’s founding principles that you’ve decided are now not worth your effort.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:42 amHa! Bush gets a piece of paper from China that was sent to them by the North Koreans attesting to their accounting of their nuclear business and Bush says…OK! Sounds a little like Neville Chamberlain waving that paper after the Munich Pact.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:51 am# 54 Freedom Rebel…
Being so regular and early to comment may be the issue. If TP has the facility to apply commenter-specific moderation then you should be exempted.
I’ve never understood my own apparently less frenquent ‘moderations’, but I’ve never been denied a comment yet, and I do swear at times.
Get an explanation from Faiz, as suggested, and for what it’
June 26th, 2008 at 10:56 amits worth ref my “all access” argument–I;ms sure the rest of the genuine TP-ers would agree.
lock_box Says:
‘No concrete global warming proof in polar region’
Ahem. From the same article:
You’re welcome.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:38 amTP item: CQ writes that the Senate may not vote on FISA reform until after the July Fourth recess. “There are two things we have to do before we go home for July Fourth: housing and Medicare,” Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said Tuesday. “We do not have to do, if the Republicans don’t want to do it, we don’t have to do FISA and we don’t have to do the supplemental” spending measure for the wars.
This is the first time I’ve seen Harry Reid’s admission that he does what the Republicans want. What’s his payoff for taking his orders from the GOP, and why did Democrats choose him to head the Senate?
June 26th, 2008 at 11:44 am5th estate, intresting post…I have worked my butt off for over 40 year’s for all those so called benefit’s you mentioned…Women’s, civil, constitutional,gay, lesbian enviroment, anti war..Name it and likely I have been in it from the beginning..
Now we come to the really hard part, continue to pick or vote for the buzz word or pretty face yet again…We have what we have because the population has done this time and again..My feeling’s are plain and simple….Now that I know what these people are why should I try to change them or dream they will change when they get into office..Come on…Obama is a civil right’s attorney and look what’s going on now..Day’s of silence and not showing up to vote…Kucinich is now supporting him, but not me….And guess what I am for Kucinich.
I won’t vote for someone who show’s me they want to continue the war, back Israel and their war like way’s !00% and won’t even show up to vote on the FISA bill….Excuse me but it seem’s once again the country will be fooled into thinking they can or should try to make a candidate over when in realety said candidate’s are showing you up front they will do what the present fool is doing, what ever the hell they want to…I think voting for someone who think’s like I do end the war, tell Israel to shut the hell up and back’s my constitution is a better choice….But you go right ahead do as you choose…Keep thinking that compromise is the way to go..
.Ah yes compromise is the recent buzz word that people like the madam of the whore house Palosi and spinless reid have been feeding what once was the Dem’s…Compromis away all your right’s as long as it is to win an election, get some more seat’s….BS…They are all in it together..
Ya see there are not many of us old time lefties around any more.How much can you compromise away the constitution? In my book the constitution is supreme there should be no compromise.
I am finelly at the point where there is no more compromise and if it mean’s you loose another election so be it…If my one vote for a good candidate or spoiler as you believe causes one more term of misery for the public to wake up so be it…All the campaign fund’s, hype and mass manipulation’s of media blitz are working with you to attain your goal of yet another (more of the same) But you go ahead and believe what you want…..
In my opinion there are few people (left) like me, something of which I am sure pleases many..If I make it to Nov, and am able to vote it will be for all the reason’s above and some one that will stop the war, end backing war like countries and keep’s their oath to support the constitution…..Blessings
June 26th, 2008 at 11:46 amFreedom Rebel
Right on, TP needs to fix its moderation system. You’re the Today Show of TP.org, so someone in tech needs to understand that glitches like these can mean losing valuable posters.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:48 amWitchyOne, write in Kucinich and feel good about it. Politics is in play and Obama’s moving to the center to make sure he rounds up as many independents as possible.
June 26th, 2008 at 11:49 amI hope you’re feeling well, and even better in Jan 09! Give the bubble butt doggy a hug for Amber and I!
Major League Chutzpah Of The Week
By Lawyers Guns and Money
Mr. Ralph Nader — in a good position to speak on such issues, having earned 0% of the votes of African American women in 2000 while successfully achieving his goal of handing the election to George W. Bush and all — lectures Barack Obama for “talking white.” Uh-huh.
I can’t resist quoting Mike Tomasky:
Third, and most of all, I kept noticing in 2000 that most of the people who lectured me on how corrupt Gore was and how Nader was the courageous choice were people for whom the outcome of the election, on a personal level, didn’t really matter. Some were young people, whose idealism is to be admired but who were by and large demographically insulated from some of the harsher realities of American life. But most were older, white, left bourgeoisie, tenured and cocooned in the carapace of self-righteous satisfaction, whose own lives wouldn’t change much one way or the other no matter which party won. In fact, if anything, Bush’s elevation was good for them personally, because they wouldn’t suffer directly from federal budget cuts and were probably in a bracket that benefited from his tax cuts (as was I, but at least I had the sense to vote against my own interests). Among people who were directly affected by which candidate won, Nader was seen as the ornament of frippery that he was. I promise you, you could not have gone to the corner of Lenox Avenue and 145th Street in October of 2000 and found four Nader voters. And at that intersection and the many others in America like it, by my lights, the moral case for Nader crumbles to dust.
forlinks: http://airamerica.com/blog/2008/jun/25/major-league-chutzpah-week
June 26th, 2008 at 11:51 amBack at ya RUCerious,….Think that is my plan…..Thank’s for the kind thought’s hug’s from Amber and well wishe’s…Health not so good but I keep trying, must make it to Nov..Not so much to vote but see my buddy….Later..Many Blessings
June 26th, 2008 at 11:58 amI’m sure our pal cluck_box has enough special John McCain points now to get hisself a special Repukian Frisbee.
Woohoo.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:00 pmWitch1 – I had a feeling that post might get you slightly riled.
For the most part, I’m with you. It’s gotten to the point that people like me (I consider myself socially left of center/fiscally right of center), who used to be considered moderate, are apparently now considered far left. I think we’ve compromised ourselves into compromising our values to a great extent.
5th Estate – part of the problem as I see it is that with Obama’s drift to the right, while understandable in order to get elected, may contribute to a waning of enthusiasm for him from those of us who thought he might be somewhat different. That loss of enthusiasm may result in not showing up come time to vote.
I guess he and his campaign have done the math and calculated that those they lose will be more than made up with those they hope to snag by moving rightward and avoiding making waves.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:09 pmWitch1 – p.s. I hope your health improves and you are around to speak your mind for a long time!
June 26th, 2008 at 12:10 pmSome additional thoughts on our lame-ass, I mean lame duck preznit. http://www.tagg-lines.com
June 26th, 2008 at 12:12 pmWitch1
Well, despite my pontificating on your decision, it is indeed your prerogative as I said. As you have been “at it” for so long small wonder exhaustion has set in.
In counterpoint to your decision, I’ve only been consistently seriously politically engaged for about ten years, so any of my complaints in the prior 12 years was a lot of self-indulgent whining. So much for my high moral tone. :D.
All the best (and sorry for being a bit of a tool).
June 26th, 2008 at 12:14 pmMary @ 75
IMHO Witch didn’t seem to be riled at all in her response, nor condescending to me (which she reasonably could have been).
re Obama, as he began campainging and I began paying serious attention, he struck me as being quite ‘conservative’ and rather typical–NOT the perfect embidiment of pristing wonderfulness some of his most vocal fans seemed to think.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:26 pmI do hope they don’t stay home in disillusionment–he’s still going to get my vote though he wasn’t my preferred candidate.
Thank’s Mary…Only defending my stadfast thought’s….My plan has never been to coerce people into thinking as I do but to look at the constitution and all our law’s and stop compromising them all away for the sake of a few seat’s to what now has become one big party for the reich …The present dem’s are not just enabeler’s they have bacome defender’s and blocker’s for this miserable mess.Only a handfull are worth keeping in my mind..
I to have been fiscaly conservative in may thing’s but so far to the left in other thing’s guess I would be called a socialist….Oh well..I’m at the end of my run to help my country and her people…My only wish now is for the young one’s coming up will work as hard as we did…If they don’t start soon I won’t be around to see it….Indeed there won’t be anything to see…
Thank’s for the well wishe’s…Many Blessing’s to you and please continue to post I enjoy your thought’s as well….
June 26th, 2008 at 12:37 pmI ment no offence nor did I take any from your post 5th estate….Was just on my old libral rant explaining where I came from and how I thought..I cast my first vote for JFK and have seen and heard it all every since..Carry on in what ever manner you choose…..Blessings
June 26th, 2008 at 12:44 pm5th Estate – well perhaps my use of the word riled was not entirely appropriate, but, by now I know how wonderfully feisty Witch1 is and thought she might respond.
I never thought that Obama was Mr. Wonderful. I also, along with Witch1, would prefer Kucinich. I did think that he was a little less centrist than he is already proving to be. His speech at AIPAC was the first thing that removed some of the little bit of enthusiasm I was experiencing for Obama. But I still think he’s the better choice and I hope he wins.
I think, in general, that the Democratic party has moved too far to the right. And I sure wish they would stop giving Bush almost everything he wants.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:01 pmThom Hartmann just announced that only 15 freakin senators voted against ending the filibuster of the FISA bill. The rest are complicit traitors, in my opinion.
June 26th, 2008 at 2:11 pmWe are totally fcuked.
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved an amendment denying money for President Bush’s new “program to expand domestic use of Pentagon spy satellites,” citing concerns about possible civil-liberties abuses. Congress will block the program’s funds until the GAO “completes a report examining civil-liberties and privacy issues related to the domestic use of picture-taking spy satellites.”
So who actually believes this will stop them?
June 26th, 2008 at 2:13 pmmisshusseinmolly Says:
Allowing gays to be fully functioning members of society with the same rights as everyone else will happen. Someday.
I sure hope you’re right. However, I don’t plan to hold my breath :(
June 26th, 2008 at 2:27 pmjohnsom Says:
I think Ann Coulter has it right
lolololololololololololol – that’s funny! Maybe in Bizarro World!
June 26th, 2008 at 3:18 pmAny troll posting alegance to bull shit bush and ann coldergeist is as looney as they are….BTW troll 9/11 happened while bull shit bush was reading my pet goat and then went into a rabett hole while the prince of darkness took care of air traffic and removing the Saudis responsible back to their country….Just go away or hang out with the rest of the traiter’s to our country and constitution..I’m sure cheney could find you a seat on his plane to DUBI when he’s done…
June 26th, 2008 at 3:52 pmMan, I sure wish they would hire some reich winger troll’s with more than 2 brain cell’s to rub together…It is so boring to get the paste and post scripted bunch working out of their mama’s basement….Oh well! only a few month’s to go and like crap in the toilet they will all be flushed…
June 26th, 2008 at 6:29 pmJayzus!
Johnsom actually quoted Mann Coultergeist on here! That is REALLY going to the bottom of the cesspool. Her/his/its credibility is as negative as the National deficit.
Go find a credible source. Comedians don’t count, OK?
June 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pmIf the Coulter tripe is copyrighted, the dumbass troll shouldn’t have posted the whole damn thing here.
It’s copyrighted!
June 26th, 2008 at 10:10 pm