Jonathan Coulton: Today With Your Wife

You should have been there
Music • Views: 27,892

Jonathan Coulton and harpist Park Stickney perform “Today with Your Wife,” one of the great songs on Coulton’s album Artificial Heart.

Youtube Video

Lyrics from the Jonathan Coulton Wiki:

I had a great time today with your wife
Under an awning
We had to stop there, wait for a while
Because it was raining
And we talked about you
Til the storm had passed through

You should have been there
You should have been there

It rained a long time, the kids didn’t mind
Splashed on the sidewalk
And we both agreed that it was too long
Since we had a good talk
Everyone seemed okay
But then she’d never say

You should have been there
You should have been there

Stupid car stuck in the snow
Getting home, too late to go
I’m not saying anything
Just thought you’d want to know

When the rain stopped we checked the sky
Headed for home then
I said I would call, kissed her goodbye
Waved to your children
And the clouds burned away
To a warm sunny day

You should have been there
You should have been there
You should have been there

Jump to bottom

563 comments
1 darthstar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:17:17pm

Damn...he could have had a three way.

2 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:19:26pm

Nice, but somewhat disturbing for some reason.

3 Charles Johnson  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:23:59pm

re: #2 Kragar

Nice, but somewhat disturbing for some reason.

That's what I like about it ... there's something that isn't being said in the lyrics.

4 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:24:33pm

re: #3 Charles Johnson

That's what I like about it ... there's something that isn't being said in the lyrics.

Noticed that.

5 jamesfirecat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:33:07pm

re: #3 Charles Johnson

That's what I like about it ... there's something that isn't being said in the lyrics.

It's the story of a guy who married a woman and became stepfather to some kids after her husband/their father died.

6 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:33:10pm

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

Michigan has suffered great economic hardship for many years due to foreign competition and costs of doing business. We have historically historically been an anti-Semitic state, and hold one of the largest population of Muslims outside of the Middle East. There seems to be an underlying agenda by Islam to have Michigan become the first Islamic state in America.
...
Michigan Primary Prayer Points

Let’s join together in a season of concerted prayer and fasting for a move of God that will advance our nation toward righteous government and the Biblical principles it was founded upon. In praying the following prayer points, please listen for any nuances, which the Holy Spirit may lead you in and agree with Him. These points are meant to be “prayer starters.”

• Declare that Godly men and women will be elected who carry a Biblical worldview and have moral integrity.
• Declare that our elected leaders will stand with Israel.
• Declare that our elected leaders will uphold traditional marriage and the sanctity of life.
• Declare our elected leaders will preserve our God-given Constitution.
• Cry out for the wind of awakening to come into this region.
• Cry out for revelation for the Church to see Michigan’s issues with Kingdom mindsets.
• Decree that Michigan will come into its Kingdom destiny.
• Decree the government of Michigan will shift and begin to make covenant decrees over the people.

How intercessors across the state can become involved:

• Commit to pray and fast as the Holy Spirit leads the week before the Michigan Primary.
• Be careful of your words—speak words of grace and faith. (Eph. 4:29)
• Familiarize your self with the prayer movement in Michigan.

7 Hawaii69  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:36:49pm

Sounds to me like the husband is dead, and the narrator is was a friend of the husband.

8 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:37:57pm

re: #6 Kragar

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

I knew that the first black man to get elected POTUS would cause some people to flip their shit, but really? WTF.

9 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:39:45pm

re: #6 Kragar

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

Look at the rhetoric she uses. It's mostly superstitious filled gobbledegook. Heck she could play the role of a wizard in some fantastical Hollywood movie.

10 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:40:28pm

re: #7 Hawaii69

Sounds to me like the husband is dead, and the narrator is was a friend of the husband.

That was how I took it. The snow being related to the death.

11 Obdicut  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:40:30pm

re: #5 jamesfirecat

It's the story of a guy who married a woman and became stepfather to some kids after her husband/their father died.

I think it's just a friend, not that he married her.

12 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:42:11pm

re: #8 Lidane

I knew that the first black man to get elected POTUS would cause some people to flip their shit, but really? WTF.

Soon they'll be channeling the dead, holding séances, speaking in tongues and performing exorcisms! No wait!

13 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:42:31pm

New York Times, lying again [Link: www.cepr.net...]

14 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:43:41pm

more pigs against health care, of course, as usual

The New York Times badly misled readers by repeatedly referring to a report of the deficit reduction commission led by former Senator Alan Simpson and Morgan Stanley Director Erskine Bowles. There was no report from this commission.

The report discussed in this article was exclusively the report of the co-chairs. It did not receive the necessary support of 14 members of the commission that would have made it an official commission report, a point noted only in passing toward the end of the piece.

This mis-characterization is extremely important in the context of the piece, because the main point of the article is that President Obama ignored the report of a commission he appointed. Since this commission did not approve a report, the premise of the article is wrong.

The piece also misled readers when it asserted that, "benefits for an aging population soon would increase deficits to unsustainable levels." In fact, the main problem is rising private sector health care costs that were projected to make Medicare and Medicaid unaffordable. The increased costs due to aging alone are quite gradual and affordable.

It is also worth noting that much of the projected long-term deficit would disappear if the Affordable Care Act is as successful in containing costs as projected by the Medicare Trustees.

15 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:46:21pm

And it's tax free. Even after these whack jobs claim to be non-partisan. I need a drink.

16 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:47:50pm

i like poems better if i can't quite understand them 100%

unfortunately somebody finally explained to me what one of my favorite poems was about but that's okay i still like it anyway...

Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

Take from the dresser of deal.
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

17 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:50:01pm

re: #6 Kragar

"Kingdoms" belong in video games and fantasy novels


this is who's running the reformation prayer network:

Anderson Cooper was clearly unimpressed with Cindy Jacobs, the woman who has gained attention in recent days for her declaration that the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" law is the cause of the death of thousands of birds in Arkansas, because he mocked her in his nightly "RidicuList" segment on Tuesday.

And really, we all knew a woman like this: Image: CindyJacobs-ReformationRoeWade.jpg

squawking and screeching about world salad jesus nonsense and trying to get books banned at the local PTA meeting

18 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:50:08pm

re: #6 Kragar

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

The Islam part is DERPy, but the rest isn't bad. The prayer points are fairly standard evangelical fare, and are not themselves hateful nor violent (noting in the piece is actually violent).

19 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:51:33pm

re: #18 Dark_Falcon

The Islam part is DERPy, but the rest isn't bad. The prayer points are fairly standard evangelical fare, and are not themselves hateful nor violent (noting in the piece is actually violent).

The reformation prayer Network is hateful, it's anti-gay, and run by a crazy psycho woman who thinks birds die because of the gay in the military

These are scum, this isn't christianity, it's gibberish for idiots

20 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:51:40pm

re: #18 Dark_Falcon

The Islam part is DERPy, but the rest isn't bad. The prayer points are fairly standard evangelical fare, and are not themselves hateful nor violent (noting in the piece is actually violent).

98% of insecticide is inert, but that 2% is toxic.

21 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:52:57pm

re: #19 windupbird is in the gravity well

Why that isn't Christianity?

22 Hawaii69  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:53:37pm

re: #6 Kragar

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

Michigan is up to nearly 1% muslim.

They need to act fast to stop this overwhelming minority....

23 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:54:11pm

re: #18 Dark_Falcon

The Islam part is DERPy, but the rest isn't bad. The prayer points are fairly standard evangelical fare, and are not themselves hateful nor violent (noting in the piece is actually violent).

they're all the same shit, dude

Since we never tire of chronicling how spiritual warfare activists like Jacobs are making inroads and connections to the more "mainstream" Religious Right movement, we felt obligated to highlight this latest USRPN update from Jacobs in which she reveals that she has now started working with Andrea Lafferty and her anti-gay, anti-Islam hate group, the Traditional Values Coalition:

same bigots

same jesus-psycho culture warriors

same people bullying queer teenagers into suicide, same strain of terrible American subhumanity, same plague of hard so-con evangelical shit

24 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:54:29pm

re: #18 Dark_Falcon

The Islam part is DERPy, but the rest isn't bad. The prayer points are fairly standard evangelical fare, and are not themselves hateful nor violent (noting in the piece is actually violent).

Bullshit. That whole laundry list is a bunch of religious gibberish and a bunch of bigoted nonsense. Also, if you call yourself a conservative, this part should set your teeth on edge:

Decree the government of Michigan will shift and begin to make covenant decrees over the people.

Come on, DF. For once try to see that the right wing has gone off the rails.

25 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:54:52pm

Who's watching the Daytona 500? I just walked back in. WTF

26 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:56:06pm

re: #21 Sergey Romanov

Why that isn't Christianity?

It's christianity in the sense that they invoke jesus, yet they consistently do 180 degrees opposite what jesus taught

so to me, it's not really christanity. None of it is, I like what Gore Vidal called them: "Christers"

27 Hawaii69  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:56:18pm

re: #16 engineer cat

i like poems better if i can't quite understand them 100%

unfortunately somebody finally explained to me what one of my favorite poems was about but that's okay i still like it anyway...

Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

Take from the dresser of deal.
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice-cream.

Stephen King, Salems Lot.

28 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:58:02pm

re: #26 windupbird is in the gravity well

Oh, that's Christianity alright. Christianity isn't supposed to be lovey-dovey-hippy-new-agey.

29 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 6:59:18pm

re: #28 Sergey Romanov

Oh, that's Christianity alright. Christianity isn't supposed to be lovey-dovey-hippy-new-agey.

I have too many new agey liberal christian friends, I guess :D

Who would be burned at the stake by Cindy Jacobs and her pearl-clutching sheet-wearin broodlings, naturally

30 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:00:35pm

They ruined the track at the Daytona 500. FIRE!

31 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:02:54pm

re: #29 windupbird is in the gravity well

Liberal Christianity's status is more shaky than that of those guys. Traditional, old Christianity is brutal ;)

32 dragonath  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:03:00pm

re: #6 Kragar

Reformation Prayer Network worries that Michigan will become the 1st Islamic State in the US.

• Declare that our elected leaders will stand with Israel.

The thing that always kind of got me with the fundamentalists is how Automatic Space Robot Jesus is gonna swing into action when the third temple gets built or something. It sounds like a really crappy cartoon.

33 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:03:32pm

re: #6 Kragar

"With a Kingdom mindset, we move into an understanding of the realm of the Spirit in a completely higher realm than we did before. After all, we’re part of a Kingdom that is not earth-bound so we’ve got to stop thinking that way. Kingdom disciples have eternity in their hearts so we’ve got to move into a realm of revelation that moves us far above anything we’ve known before. Kingdom people are supposed to be dangerous everywhere we go – so dangerous that we exemplify the enigma of the Kingdom of God being inside us, coming, having come, yet to come, and near to anyone around us. We become a participator in the shaking that God is doing on the earth. And from deep within we find ourselves crying Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus!"[Link: www.vawtermark.com...]

...
...
....Alrighty then.

34 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:06:25pm

re: #33 jaunte

...
...
...Alrighty then.

We become a participator in the shaking that God is doing on the earth.

Youtube Video
35 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:07:11pm

re: #34 Kragar

"Not the hips! That's of the Debbil!"

36 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:07:25pm

THIS IS MARANATHAAAAAAAAA!

37 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:08:27pm

re: #32 Beware the Green Dragon!

The thing that always kind of got me with the fundamentalists is how Automatic Space Robot Jesus is gonna swing into action when the third temple gets built or something. It sounds like a really crappy cartoon.

Prophecy is so funny, you gotta love humans

38 b_sharp  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:08:40pm

re: #30 College is GOOD you asshat.

They ruined the track at the Daytona 500. FIRE!

Something broke on Montoya's car and he smacked into a jet truck cleaning the marbles off the track.

39 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:08:46pm

we made up a guy that said a thing! Now it'll happen!

40 jamesfirecat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:08:52pm

re: #32 Beware the Green Dragon!

The thing that always kind of got me with the fundamentalists is how Automatic Space Robot Jesus is gonna swing into action when the third temple gets built or something. It sounds like a really crappy cartoon.

Jesus takes on Robo-Satan in a gigantic three part mecha that symbolizes the holy trinity!

41 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:09:02pm

re: #35 jaunte

"Not the hips! That's of the Debbil!"

Youtube Video
42 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:09:27pm

re: #36 Sergey Romanov

THIS IS MARANATHAAAAAAAAA!

The natural goodness of nut butters: [Link: www.maranathafoods.com...]

43 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:09:31pm

re: #35 jaunte

"Not the hips! That's of the Debbil!"

Moozlims and Freemasons!

44 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:10:45pm

re: #42 jaunte

The natural goodness of nut butters: [Link: www.maranathafoods.com...]

They seem happy. It worked! That Church is true!

45 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:11:31pm

Lou Engle. The Call. They're all affiliated. Dominionism being a major part of this. So don't think once that these people are only out to "freely practice" their religion and leave it a that. They're looking for political power.

46 Kragar  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:13:29pm

re: #45 Gus

Lou Engle. The Call. They're all affiliated. Dominionism being a major part of this. So don't think once that these people are only out to "freely practice" their religion and leave it a that. They're looking for political power.

Because if there is one thing an all knowing all powerful creator needs to enact his will, its a bunch of uneducated yahoos telling everyone how to live their lives.

48 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:13:46pm
Today, we got the word from Occupy Homes and NOC in a joint press release that they have succeeded: “On Monday, February 27th at noon, South Minneapolis homeowner Bobby Hull, supporters from Occupy Homes MN and Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC) and will publicly declare victory in their fight to save Hull’s family home from an unfair and avoidable foreclosure. Following a three-month public campaign, Hull’s lender has agreed to renegotiate his mortgage so that he and his family can keep their home!”

[Link: my.firedoglake.com...]
[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

suck it, haters :D occupy is doing real good

49 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:14:09pm

re: #45 Gus

Look, SWAT teams:

Anita is the President of the West Michigan Prayer Center where she has developed spiritual warfare advance training teams (SWAT). These teams have been sent out all over the state of Michigan to pray over the land, repenting where defilement has occurred and releasing declarations according to God’s Word.
[Link: www.facetofacekingdom.com...]

50 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:14:15pm

re: #47 Gus

ahahahahahaha love it

53 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:14:51pm

Repent where defilement has ocurred!

55 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:15:47pm

God...zilla?

56 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:15:50pm

re: #54 Sergey Romanov

[Double dobro slide]

We'll soon have ourselves a dobro symphony!

57 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:15:58pm

One guy's home saved > one hundred thousand bitchy Killgore comments

58 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:16:54pm

re: #53 jaunte

Repent where defilement has ocurred!

DEFILEMENT ALERT IN SECTOR 670

THERE IS A BLACK


I REPEAT, BLACK MAN IN SECTOR 670, SUSPECTED IZLAM

59 Interesting Times  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:17:00pm

re: #51 Sergey Romanov

[Dobro slide]

Is this it?

MP3 Audio
60 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:17:33pm

re: #55 Sergey Romanov

God...zilla?

Frankenjesus!

//

61 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:17:53pm

re: #54 Sergey Romanov

[Double dobro slide]

Pray the asian away! Cluster around them with your prayer warriors until they repent and turn white and dress like pilgrims

62 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:17:57pm

re: #24 Lidane

Bullshit. That whole laundry list is a bunch of religious gibberish and a bunch of bigoted nonsense. Also, if you call yourself a conservative, this part should set your teeth on edge:

Come on, DF. For once try to see that the right wing has gone off the rails.

OK, that 'decree' part I did not notice. That part would be a violation of the 1st Amendment if attempted.

63 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:18:28pm

re: #59 Interesting Times

Is this it?

[Embedded content]

I'm using the 3G card now so I can't give it a listen yet.

64 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:19:38pm

Ford Field, Mich. prayer rally organizers target Freemasons, Muslims

The organizers of Friday’s prayer rally at Ford Field have targeted not only Muslims but also Freemasons, claiming that the group’s practices allow the Biblical false god Baal to control parts of the United States.

Rachel Tabachnick at Talk2Action has been listening to the frequent conference calls that Transformation Michigan, the key local organizing group, has been hosting and reports on a pre-rally planning call from September.

Anita Christopher, a West Michigan apostolic preacher affiliated with the group, and John Benefiel of the International House of Prayer said on the call that they had been going to all 377 Masonic temples in the state to initiate a “divorce” proceeding with Baal, an ancient Semitic god mentioned in the Bible as a false idol. The Detroit prayer rally, he said, would break the spell of Islam over the nation:

I believe this is going to result in the biggest harvest of souls we’ve ever seen. I know because you’ve told me in your state there, in the Dearborn area in particular, that’s probably the biggest stronghold of Islam in our nation. Well, in going to the masonic lodges, I believe that we are earning authority from God. And that’s correct, we do earn authority from God. Just like the parable of the talents and the parable of minas. When you handle what God has given you in the right way, he’ll multiply your authority.

… I believe we’ll earn authority to pull down the spirit of Islam over our nation. And here’s why I say that. When you study it out, you find that freemasonry and Islam are very very tied to the same root.”

65 Interesting Times  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:20:01pm

re: #63 Gus

I'm using the 3G card now so I can't give it a listen yet.

It's 7 sec long. Probably a smaller download than typical obnoxious flash ads ;)

66 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:20:34pm

More from the same link:

Benefiel has published a decree divorcing America from Baal. On this call he implied that while Islam is currently protected by the First Amendment in the U.S. because of the influence of Baal, but that the prayer rally would allow Christians to take over and eliminate such protections:

“Now, I believe that Islam has a legal, spiritual right to be in our nation. I believe that when we worship Baal in the, you might as well say churches of freemasons, because that’s what they are. Freemasonry is a religion and when you have a lot of pastors and lot of deacon boards that are full of freemasons that worship and swear to Baal, then we give a legal right for those that worship Baal to stay in our nation. And I’m talking about Islam in particular.

And when we practice sexual perversion and pornography, which is all under Baal and the Queen of Heaven, we give this legal right. But when we divorce Baal and we declare that we remarry the Lord, we take away the legal right for the Baal worshippers to stay in our land and I’m talking about Islam.

We are not against Moslems – we are for the people. We want them to know the Lord Jesus Christ. And in order to bring down that strongman behind Islam, we have to earn that authority by bringing down that spirit that we’ve allowed in the United States. I believe that God is going to give us the authority to address the spirit behind Islam after we’ve gone to the masonic lodges across our nation. By the way what you’re doing there in Michigan is going on in all the states and we’re coordinating this.”

67 prairiefire  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:20:49pm

re: #54 Sergey Romanov

Ah, a dobro, good. Steve Thorpe:

Youtube Video
68 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:21:04pm

re: #64 Gus

Freemasons?!

69 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:21:13pm

re: #59 Interesting Times

Is this it?

[Embedded content]

Sounds like it.

70 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:21:27pm

ahahahaha dying

to initiate a “divorce” proceeding with Baal

71 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:22:20pm

re: #64 Gus

“Now, I believe that Islam has a legal, spiritual right to be in our nation. I believe that when we worship Baal in the, you might as well say churches of freemasons, because that’s what they are. Freemasonry is a religion and when you have a lot of pastors and lot of deacon boards that are full of freemasons that worship and swear to Baal, then we give a legal right for those that worship Baal to stay in our nation. And I’m talking about Islam in particular.

And when we practice sexual perversion and pornography, which is all under Baal and the Queen of Heaven, we give this legal right. But when we divorce Baal and we declare that we remarry the Lord, we take away the legal right for the Baal worshippers to stay in our land and I’m talking about Islam.

We are not against Moslems – we are for the people. We want them to know the Lord Jesus Christ."

I'm sorry, this man has an Abbie Normal brain.

72 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:22:47pm

re: #65 Interesting Times

It's 7 sec long. Probably a smaller download than typical obnoxious flash ads ;)

That works. It was typically one slide on the TV shows. Doesn't really have to a dobro. :)

73 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:22:49pm

re: #62 Dark_Falcon

OK, that 'decree' part I did not notice. That part would be a violation of the 1st Amendment if attempted.

That's just it -- they don't care. They think that we're all misreading the First Amendment by seeing a separation between church and state at all. They'd tell you that you had accepted the liberal tyrants in black robes creating a wall that isn't really there.

These people are full-blown theocrats. Their only real issue with countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia is that the "wrong" religious law is being followed.

74 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:23:07pm
"We are not against Moslems – we are for the people. We want them to know the Lord Jesus Christ."

We love all the Christian Mozlems.

75 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:23:10pm

re: #71 jaunte

I'm sorry, this man has an Abbie Normal brain.

Pretty much.

76 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:23:14pm

this sounds like word salad to me

Well, in going to the masonic lodges, I believe that we are earning authority from God. And that’s correct, we do earn authority from God. Just like the parable of the talents and the parable of minas. When you handle what God has given you in the right way, he’ll multiply your authority.

This is the ravings of a dude who's waving a gun at you because your wife's skirt doesn't go to her ankles

77 Interesting Times  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:24:18pm
78 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:25:10pm

Also, as long as we're discussing all these RWNJ religious fanatics, I'd like to point out that Rick Santorum sounds exactly like all of them, and he's the GOP front-runner.

These are not fringe ideas if the leading candidate for a major political party would say any or all of those same things.

79 Charles Johnson  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:25:15pm

What it's really like to be trapped in a dog carrier on top of Mitt Romney's car for a 12-hour drive:

Youtube Video

(The dog in the video is artificial.)

80 jamesfirecat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:26:31pm

re: #79 Charles Johnson

What it's really like to be trapped in a dog carrier on top of Mitt Romney's car for a 12-hour drive:

[Embedded content](The dog in the video is artificial.)

Dose it include getting sprayed down with water halfway there?

81 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:26:36pm

re: #78 Lidane

Also, as long as we're discussing all these RWNJ religious fanatics, I'd like to point out that Rick Santorum sounds exactly like all of them, and he's the GOP front-runner.

These are not fringe ideas if the leading candidate for a major political party would say any or all of those same things.

Yep

82 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:27:33pm

re: #79 Charles Johnson

What a cold man.

83 Charles Johnson  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:29:51pm

A new song from Regina Spektor.

84 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:30:17pm

re: #64 Gus

Ford Field, Mich. prayer rally organizers target Freemasons, Muslims

I liked it better when Ford Field was a place I only thought about once a year when the Bears clobbered the Lions there. Now there all this craziness: crazed wingnuts, conspiracy theories, a Lions team with a winning season! Damned unnatural.

85 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:30:26pm

We want them to know the Lord Jesus Christ

in the biblical sense, naturally

86 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:30:54pm

re: #78 Lidane

Also, as long as we're discussing all these RWNJ religious fanatics, I'd like to point out that Rick Santorum sounds exactly like all of them, and he's the GOP front-runner.

These are not fringe ideas if the leading candidate for a major political party would say any or all of those same things.

I thought the 1980s were bad with the televangelist explosion. This? I've never seen anything like it before in my life. How this type of religious extremism has become mainstream in America. And yes I realize there are religious extremists around the globe and many who are far worse. But my concern as my heart lies with this country. As an American this concerns me deeply. I'm just glad I don't have to go through this as a young person again. I would be livid.

87 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:33:00pm

re: #86 Gus

I thought the 1980s were bad with the televangelist explosion. This? I've never seen anything like it before in my life.

9/11 + a black man with an African name becoming POTUS = a lot of batshit crazy.

88 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:33:59pm

PZ Myers:
Holy christ, but the Discovery Institute is full of morons

They’ve jumped on a bandwagon and written an opinion piece so stupid I thought my eyes might bleed. They are just tickled that Richard Dawkins said he was agnostic. Why, I don’t know, except that it illustrates how utterly unaware of atheist thought they are.

89 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:34:03pm

re: #86 Gus

I thought the 1980s were bad with the televangelist explosion. This? I've never seen anything like it before in my life. How this type of religious extremism has become mainstream in America. And yes I realize there are religious extremists around the globe and many who are far worse. But my concern as my heart lies with this country. As an American this concerns me deeply. I'm just glad I don't have to go through this as a young person again. I would be livid.

If I'd grown up in Bachmann's Minnesota, I probably would have either run away or committed murder

90 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:34:54pm

re: #87 Lidane

9/11 + a black man with an African name becoming POTUS = a lot of batshit crazy.

Well, at least now we know


it's like Obama's presidency was that ultraviolet light that shows where blood stains are, now we know our country is way sicker and more cancerous than we thought

91 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:35:43pm

One more quote from PZ Myers, just for fun:

"I have no illusions that posting the facts will sway those batbuggering deranged goons at the Discovery Institute one way or another."

92 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:36:15pm

re: #91 jaunte

One more quote from PZ Myers, just for fun:

"I have no illusions that posting the facts will sway those batbuggering deranged goons at the Discovery Institute one way or another."

they're making money, of course they won't be swayed

93 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:36:40pm
94 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:36:49pm

re: #88 jaunte

They could have, I dunno, read Dawkins' book or something. That something being wikipedia.

95 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:38:05pm

re: #89 windupbird is in the gravity well

If I'd grown up in Bachmann's Minnesota, I probably would have either run away or committed murder

96 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:40:16pm

re: #84 Dark_Falcon

I found out that Saudi Arabia destroys Qurans on a level that is near industrial scale. Elegant, artistic beautiful Qurans.

The Saudi state religion is the primitive and austere Wahhabi version of Islam, which defines many traditional Islamic practices as idolatrous. Notably, the state bans the importation of Korans published elsewhere. When foreign pilgrims arrive at the Saudi border by the millions for the annual journey to Mecca, what happens to the non-Saudi Korans they are carrying? The border guards confiscate them, to be shredded, pulped, or burned. Beautiful bindings and fine paper are viewed as a particular provocation--all are destroyed.

And historically, from the Ottoman records of the Sack of Taif in 1802:

The Wahhabis tore up the copies of the Koran . . . and other Islamic books they took from libraries, mosques and houses, and threw them down on the ground. They made sandals from the gold-gilded leather covers of the Koran and other books and wore them on their filthy feet. There were verses of the Koran and other sacred writings on those leather covers. The pages of those valuable books thrown around were so numerous that there was no space to step in the streets of Taif. . . . The Wahhabi bandits, who were gathered from the deserts for looting and who did not know the Koran, tore up all the copies they found and stamped on them. Only three copies of the Koran were saved from the plunder of a major town, Taif.

This pisses me off more than you can imagine. They are maliciously destroying not just Qurans, but works of art and beauty, and destroying history. The stuff that happens of here is either the result of small scale bigotry and ignorance, or stunning incompetence. What Saudi does is malicious.

I'm going to admit my anger at Saudi has built up over years. It's now getting close to the anger I had after the 7/22 attacks in Norway.

97 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:42:41pm
Chris Moody reports from Dearborn, Michigan that the Republican candidates, aside from Ron Paul, "are not just avoiding Muslim supporters, they seem to be actively distancing themselves with inflammatory rhetoric":

So although there may be disappointment within the community with the Obama administration--which has continued most of the Bush-era policies that drove so many Arabs and Muslims from the Republican Party--the frustration is not enough to translate into Republican support, said James Zogby, the founder and president of the Arab American Institute in Washington, D.C. "One side may be disappointing," Zogby said, "but the other side is scaring the hell out of you."

98 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:43:04pm
And what kind of philosopher is unaware that you can be both agnostic and atheist at the same time?

Right on, Dr. PZ!

99 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:43:13pm

re: #96 ProGunLiberal

I found out that Saudi Arabia destroys Qurans on a level that is near industrial scale. Elegant, artistic beautiful Qurans.

And historically, from the Ottoman records of the Sack of Taif in 1802:

This pisses me off more than you can imagine. They are maliciously destroying not just Qurans, but works of art and beauty, and destroying history. The stuff that happens of here is either the result of small scale bigotry and ignorance, or stunning incompetence. What Saudi does is malicious.

I'm going to admit my anger at Saudi has built up over years. It's now getting close to the anger I had after the 7/22 attacks in Norway.

Vandals (in both senses of the term).

100 austin_blue  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:45:05pm

She Who Must Be Obeyed and I were stuck in Edinburgh in 2010 By the Gigantic Icelandic Pain in the Ash Cloud. Park was stuck with us, and we all got together for some impromptu gigs. As a jazz player, he's unbelievable. The video posted is as easy as pie for him.


Oh, and the harp is an Italian Salvia.

101 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:45:57pm
In an historic visit to the Vatican, Baroness Warsi, Minister without Portfolio warned that British society is under threat from the rising tide of “militant secularisation” reminiscent of “totalitarian regimes”.

Fuck you, "baroness".

102 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:49:57pm

re: #99 Dark_Falcon

It's the reason I am so, so hawkish against Saudi Arabia. I want the Salafists wrecked so badly they don't come back.

Right now, the Shias in the Oil-Rich part of the nation are doing protests. I say, support them.

Here's info about one of the most important dudes in the Shia Saudi community, Nimr al-Nimr.

In August 2008, he said that he sees US citizens as a natural ally of Shia as the thinking of both US citizens and Shia is "based on justice and liberty"

He believes that the Saudi government is "particularly reactionary" and that "agitation" is needed to influence governments in general and the Saudi government in particular.

I think we might be able to get them (The Saudi Shia) onto our side if we decided to break with the Saud family.

103 dragonath  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:54:45pm

Speaking of Anti-Masonry, here's a story about how the Know-Nothings set back the contruction of the Washington Monument by something like 30 years.

104 Interesting Times  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:58:10pm

re: #100 austin_blue

Thought of you when I saw this:

Drought-weary Texans welcome rains, wildflowers

Does that mean you're (temporarily, at least) out of the [burning] woods?

105 freetoken  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:58:13pm

The Heartland Institute gets some love... from none other than the IDiots in Seattle:

A Friendly Letter to the Heartland Institute and Other Advocates of Free Speech on Global Warming

The Heartland Institute and the Discovery Institute - a marriage made in... um, heaven?

106 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 7:59:09pm

re: #103 Beware the Green Dragon!

I heard about that. Those bunch of ignorant bumpkins. Kind of wish the original plan had gone through. With the stuff at the Base.

Will the Memorial reopen anytime in the near future? The Earthquake last year did a number on it.

107 freetoken  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:02:23pm

Mitt Romney getting some love from... John Cena, WWE's main star.

108 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:02:36pm

re: #105 freetoken

The Heartland Institute gets some love... from none other than the IDiots in Seattle:

A Friendly Letter to the Heartland Institute and Other Advocates of Free Speech on Global Warming

The Heartland Institute and the Discovery Institute - a marriage made in... um, heaven?

Speaking of the Know-Nothings. Of course they're now called Republicans.

109 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:02:41pm

Apparently, the National Cathedral is about $18 million short for repairs after the earthquake. I am disappoint. More Fundraising to fix that.

110 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:03:15pm

Weak atheist = I don't believe in god(s)'s existence but at present I can't disprove it completely.

Strong atheist = either I just believe in god(s)'s non-existence or I can disprove god(s)'s existence completely.

Weak agnostic = god(s)'s existence hasn't been proven or disproven completely, but it is possible that at some point it will be proven.

Strong agnostic = god(s)'s existence will never be proven or disproven.

So, any weak atheist is also an agnostic (however vice versa is not true).

111 goddamnedfrank  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:06:25pm

Hitler FInds Out Romney Strapped His Dog to the Car Roof

Youtube Video
112 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:06:32pm

re: #105 freetoken

"its struggle against free speech"

One can stop reading right here.

113 freetoken  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:06:36pm

Both Mitt and Cena were working the NASCAR crowd, trying to sell themselves as just one of the guys.

Mitt is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, made in part by figuring out how to fire blue collar people like NASCAR supposed fans ... Cena makes millions of dollars a year to get that same NASCAR crowd to come to arenas and cheer for him and buy his t-shirts.

114 Shvaughn  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:07:50pm

Officers hurt in Occupy clash across from California Capitol

At least two police officers were injured Monday during a clash between Occupy protesters and pro-white demonstrators that spilled into the streets around the state Capitol.

Authorities said the skirmish erupted about 3 p.m. when about 50 members of the South Africa Project, returning to their cars after a protest on the west steps of the Capitol, were met with rocks and bottles thrown by several other groups, including members of the Occupy movement.

Two officers were injured in the confrontation, said Officer Laura Peck, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department.

The nice "South Africa Project" folks are a bunch of neo-Nazi white supremacists, by the way.

OWS vs. neo-Nazis, I'm rooting for OWS. But I guess they really shouldn't throw things, that just looks bad.

115 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:10:15pm

re: #111 goddamnedfrank

Not funny.

116 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:11:01pm

re: #102 ProGunLiberal

It's the reason I am so, so hawkish against Saudi Arabia. I want the Salafists wrecked so badly they don't come back.

Right now, the Shias in the Oil-Rich part of the nation are doing protests. I say, support them.

Here's info about one of the most important dudes in the Shia Saudi community, Nimr al-Nimr.

I think we might be able to get them (The Saudi Shia) onto our side if we decided to break with the Saud family.

That would more likely draw in Iran, which has tried to insert its agents into the Shia in Saudi Arabia. It might also touch off full scale religious warfare in a place where we cannot afford large-scale disorder.

117 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:13:35pm

re: #116 Dark_Falcon

At some point though, we will have to bite the bullet.

However, I'm now looking at the stuff with the Virginia Earthquake last year.

How extensive do people think the damage is to the top of the Washington Monument? I know they said the damage to the National Cathedral was worth roughly $20 million, but from my understanding, much of it was to ornamental thingys. On the other hand, it looks like the Washington Monument took much worse.

118 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:14:22pm

re: #113 freetoken

Both Mitt and Cena were working the NASCAR crowd, trying to sell themselves as just one of the guys.

Mitt is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, made in part by figuring out how to fire blue collar people like NASCAR supposed fans ... Cena makes millions of dollars a year to get that same NASCAR crowd to come to arenas and cheer for him and buy his t-shirts.

I hope those NASCAR fans like making a nice middle class salary of $19,000/year. I also hope they like the idea of their children not going to college to become "elitists."

119 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:14:25pm

re: #100 austin_blue

Oh, and the harp is an Italian Salvia.

Drool. I took a couple of years of lessons. Never practiced enough and can't play for didly, but it makes me appreciate a good harp & harper.

Not sure why instruments never "took" for me. I love music and love playing but have never been willing/able to stick with one long enough to matter. Piano, viola, bass guitar, electric guitar, recorder & harp over the years. Saw a funky electric guitar the other day built out of a washboard (yes, a real washboard). Only $300 and it actually sounded fairly decent but given my bad tendency to not follow through I left it at the luthiers. I guess my art lies in my cameras as I continue to work with those, learn them & fight to make what I visualize be able to be seen by others like I never did with a musical instrument.

120 freetoken  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:17:17pm

re: #118 Gus

I hope those NASCAR fans like making a nice middle class salary of $19,000/year. I also hope they like the idea of their children not going to college to become "elitists."

Why would good, God-fearing Americans sacrifice their children at those alters of heathenism known as "colleges", since we all know that Obama's promise to send more kids to college is just a master brain-washing scheme by the libruls to turn the children away from the Truth.

121 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:22:10pm

Debts closed in on Egypt man who died hanged in his jail cell
"The wife should be in jail but because of what happened we haven't picked her up yet," he said. "But one day we'll have to if the debts aren't paid."

His mother visited him hours before he twisted the edges of his blanket into a rope.

"You'll be out soon," she told him. "We paid bail."

"There's a problem," he said. "I owe more."

He hadn't been in his village in months, a scrap of a place tucked amid fields that stretch past the canal to the paved road. The boys on this land learn early to sharpen plow blades and make scarecrows out of grain sacks. It's cold when the rain blows and tough to make a living on, even for a man who cuts furrows.

He came home, but in a way no one wanted...

122 Tigger2005  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:23:43pm

"Not Last Night With My Wife" by David Albo.

123 Mostly sane, most of the time.  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:24:15pm

I don't normally like to judge people based on their appearances, but doesn't this man look like someone you wouldn't let near your children?

[Link: dfw.cbslocal.com...]

124 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:25:20pm

re: #114 Shvaughn

Officers hurt in Occupy clash across from California Capitol

The nice "South Africa Project" folks are a bunch of neo-Nazi white supremacists, by the way.

OWS vs. neo-Nazis, I'm rooting for OWS. But I guess they really shouldn't throw things, that just looks bad.

It's fine to protest and denounce racists as the filth that they are, but when you start throwing rocks and bottles you've gone over the line. And when you injure police officers who have stepped in to do their sworn duty and keep the peace, you become filth yourself.

125 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:26:11pm

re: #113 freetoken

Both Mitt and Cena were working the NASCAR crowd, trying to sell themselves as just one of the guys.

NASCAR fans have a lot of patience. Apparently, there was a huge fire tonight that has delayed the Daytona 500 again:

[Link: photoblog.msnbc.msn.com...]

126 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:26:15pm

I see your point.

re: #124 Dark_Falcon


Do we have any structural engineers or something on here?

127 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:27:40pm

re: #123 To hold my temper, most of the time.

I don't normally like to judge people based on their appearances, but doesn't this man look like someone you wouldn't let near your children?

[Link: dfw.cbslocal.com...]

18 years seems rather excessive for his crimes.

128 Mostly sane, most of the time.  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:29:34pm

re: #127 Gus

18 years seems rather excessive for his crimes.

Child porn crimes tend to carry a big sentence.

129 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:32:22pm

re: #125 Lidane

I don't think I have ever seen an accident where a guy during caution crashed into an emergency vehicle.

Last year was weird too. I remember an incident when I was watching when some guy wrecked a dude during Caution or something similar.

My grandparents and dad are fans. So I kinda like it. All of us root for Jeff Gordon.

130 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:32:50pm

re: #114 Shvaughn

Officers hurt in Occupy clash across from California Capitol

The nice "South Africa Project" folks are a bunch of neo-Nazi white supremacists, by the way.

OWS vs. neo-Nazis, I'm rooting for OWS. But I guess they really shouldn't throw things, that just looks bad.

Good intentions and all that.

131 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:33:04pm

Haha:

132 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:33:55pm

re: #131 Lidane

Best. Tweet. Ever.

133 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:33:58pm

re: #128 To hold my temper, most of the time.

Child porn crimes tend to carry a big sentence.

I've never seen anything that high for child porn. 18 years is greater than most of the sentences I've seen for actual sexual assault on a child. Including murder. There could be other priors not reported in this story.

134 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:37:41pm

re: #130 College is GOOD you asshat.

Good intentions and all that.

I don't care about intentions in this case. It doesn't matter what your intentions were if a bottle you threw shatters a lacerates a cop's eye. Regardless of what you intended, you acted unlawfully and someone got hurt because of it. That's crime, and those who threw the bottles should at a minimum get 6 months in jail for having done so.

135 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:38:50pm

Or maybe not. Saw one sentence for 67 years. I have no idea. The prison system creeps me out. Savage and brutal on the inside and on the outside.

136 JAFO  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:39:58pm

re: #135 Gus

Or maybe not. Saw one sentence for 67 years. I have no idea. The prison system creeps me out. Savage and brutal on the inside and on the outside.

I can't watch movies that involve prisons.

137 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:40:07pm

re: #127 Gus

18 years seems rather excessive for his crimes.

It is. But hey, they're protecting "the children".

Want to destroy someone? Here are three ways: claim they are a terrorist, claim they smuggle drugs or claim they molest children. The truth is irrelevant once the accusation is made; society at large presumes guilt in all three cases. If you're lucky you'll only have the drug charges. With those you might survive your sentence...

138 Mostly sane, most of the time.  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:41:02pm

re: #137 William Barnett-Lewis

It is. But hey, they're protecting "the children".

Want to destroy someone? Here are three ways: claim they are a terrorist, claim they smuggle drugs or claim they molest children. The truth is irrelevant once the accusation is made; society at large presumes guilt in all three cases. If you're lucky you'll only have the drug charges. With those you might survive your sentence...

Well, in this case he was alone and the police found the porn on his computer station.

139 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:41:38pm

re: #133 Gus

From the story:

When police ordered Jackson to present some type of identification he told them it could be found in the glove compartment of his car. Officers not only found the ID, the glove box also contained a bag of what appeared to be marijuana.

Jackson apparently learned little from the July arrest since he was taken into custody three months later for standing in his garage, naked as children rode by on their bicycles.

They arrested him on child porn, indecent exposure, and drug charges. Three months later they arrested him again for indecent exposure, since he was naked in the presence of children.

Maybe that subsequent arrest showed more child porn and more drugs? I don't know.

140 Mostly sane, most of the time.  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:43:57pm

I am sad...

[Link: www.cnn.com...]

141 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:45:22pm

re: #125 Lidane

NASCAR fans have a lot of patience. Apparently, there was a huge fire tonight that has delayed the Daytona 500 again:

[Link: photoblog.msnbc.msn.com...]

It's on my tv.

amazing

142 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:46:37pm

re: #139 Lidane

From the story:

They arrested him on child porn, indecent exposure, and drug charges. Three months later they arrested him again for indecent exposure, since he was naked in the presence of children.

Maybe that subsequent arrest showed more child porn and more drugs? I don't know.

That's what I was thinking too. He was released on bail and did it again which means he pissed off a judge. IOW he immediately became a repeat offender and made the judge angry. Had he obeyed the orders he wouldn't have gotten this sentence. Up the river he goes. This will probably cost close to $500,000 all told. That doesn't include his medical care.

143 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:49:16pm

Apparently, Dave Blaney has set a Daytona 500 record:

The longest time (in minutes) that a driver has been in the lead.

144 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:49:49pm

re: #143 ProGunLiberal

Apparently, Dave Blaney has set a Daytona 500 record:

The longest time (in minutes) that a driver has been in the lead.

It shouldn't count if they're not racing. =P

145 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:51:27pm

re: #144 Lidane

I know, still think its funny. At this point, I would just stop the rest of the race. This thing is jinxed.

146 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:52:31pm

DERP.

Image: DREADED.jpg

147 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:53:24pm

re: #141 College is GOOD you asshat.

It's on my tv.

amazing

I only found out about it when the boyfriend went to watch something and it had all been preempted by NASCAR.

Crazy stuff.

148 jaunte  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:54:13pm

Dreaded Iranian she-ninjas haunt Jim Hoft's dreams.

149 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:54:32pm

Ghastly Outdated Party
By MAUREEN DOWD
Published: February 25, 2012

Republicans are getting queasy at the gruesome sight of their party eating itself alive, savaging the brand in ways that will long resonate.

“Republicans being against sex is not good,” the G.O.P. strategist Alex Castellanos told me mournfully. “Sex is popular.”

He said his party is “coming to grips with a weaker field than we’d all want” and going through the five stages of grief. “We’re at No. 4,” he said. (Depression.) “We’ve still got one to go.” (Acceptance.)

The contenders in the Hester Prynne primaries are tripping over one another trying to be the most radical, unreasonable and insane candidate they can be. They pounce on any traces of sanity in the other candidates — be it humanity toward women, compassion toward immigrants or the willingness to make the rich pay a nickel more in taxes — and try to destroy them with it...

150 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:55:16pm

NASCAR was on at the sports bar. Count that with hockey and golf as a sport I cannot get into.

151 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:55:43pm

re: #148 jaunte

Dreaded Iranian she-ninjas haunt Jim Hoft's dreams.

Obvious PressTV propaganda is obvious. Are they seriously going to worry or sit aghast with the idea of "3,500 black ninja women ready to defend the regime!" Seriously?

152 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:55:58pm

re: #147 Lidane

Here is some more fail:

153 Achilles Tang  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:56:05pm

re: #127 Gus

18 years seems rather excessive for his crimes.

It's not so much a matter of punishment as protection of others, IMHO.

I have had experience with finding such materials belonging to a tenant who had been caught in one of those stings; thinking he was meeting a 14 year old, 3 hours drive from where he lived in my property.

The CDs I found, and looked at, and turned over to the police, probably added many years to his sentence, and I think that was appropriate even as I might feel slightly sorry for the dysfunctional little human without morals or self control.

154 prairiefire  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:56:11pm

re: #140 To hold my temper, most of the time.

I am sad...

[Link: www.cnn.com...]

NPR reported on her this afternoon. She had been working on new illustrations.

155 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:56:49pm

re: #153 Blue Spot Vlamingii Tang

It's not so much a matter of punishment as protection of others, IMHO.

I have had experience with finding such materials belonging to a tenant who had been caught in one of those stings; thinking he was meeting a 14 year old, 3 hours drive from where he lived in my property.

The CDs I found, and looked at, and turned over to the police, probably added many years to his sentence, and I think that was appropriate even as I might feel slightly sorry for the dysfunctional little human without morals or self control.

That is true as well.

156 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:57:14pm

re: #150 HappyWarrior

NASCAR was on at the sports bar. Count that with hockey and golf as a sport I cannot get into.

I prefer Formula, but NASCAR is still closer than either of those.

157 prairiefire  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 8:59:39pm

Watching golf is like dying of thirst with a parched throat in a sandy desert. Only a shimmering mirage of the clubhouse in the distance as a light to lead you out of the darkness. I hate golf.

158 Dancing along the light of day  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:00:07pm

re: #148 jaunte

Dreaded Iranian she-ninjas haunt Jim Hoft's dreams.

WOOT!
Good news!

159 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:00:31pm

re: #156 William Barnett-Lewis

I prefer Formula, but NASCAR is still closer than either of those.

I just can't get into it. Baseball, football, and basketball are my games. Speaking of baseball. Today was one of those rare days when I hated being left handed since it was hard as hell finding a good glove at Target, Wal-Mart, and Dick's Sporting Goods. Oh well.

160 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:00:53pm

Maybe I took the Cold War too seriously. I grew up fearing the big boys like the Soviet Union and China. We had to know where the fall-out shelters were. When to "duck and cover." Although most of the time when we realistically thought about it we figured if anything went wrong we'd be dead in a flash of light. Now? I look at Iran and while I'm troubled by what I see, I can laugh when I compare it to the Cold War.

161 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:01:36pm

re: #156 William Barnett-Lewis

I prefer Formula, but NASCAR is still closer than either of those.

it's all about Group B rally (rest its soul), more amazing in one Group B rally driver than all the NASCAR drivers put together

162 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:02:05pm

re: #156 William Barnett-Lewis

I prefer Formula, but NASCAR is still closer than either of those.

wait, how is hockey not a sport

163 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:02:47pm

re: #150 HappyWarrior

NASCAR was on at the sports bar. Count that with hockey and golf as a sport I cannot get into.

Golf bores me to tears. The only thing worse is watching bowling or nine-ball on TV.

Hockey is only interesting if I'm watching the highlight reels of a fight. The rest is just beyond me. Same goes for NASCAR. I'll watch the big crashes and news stories about a race, but watching the whole thing? No thanks.

164 Tigger2005  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:04:26pm

re: #160 Gus

Maybe I took the Cold War too seriously. I grew up fearing the big boys like the Soviet Union and China. We had to know where the fall-out shelters were. When to "duck and cover." Although most of the time when we realistically thought about it we figured if anything went wrong we'd be dead in a flash of light. Now? I look at Iran and while I'm troubled by what I see, I can laugh when I compare it to the Cold War.

During the Cold War things were relatively stable, and Russia and China were rational players. Even so we came damn close plenty of times. Those who believe Iran is a "rational player" are engaging in wishful thinking. In any case, the more countries have the Bomb, the more it doesn't even matter how stable things are or how rational the players are. Too many things can go wrong, and will. We once almost fought WW3 because a Russian early warning station thought a flock of geese was incoming ICBMs.

165 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:04:53pm

re: #163 Lidane

Golf bores me to tears. The only thing worse is watching bowling or nine-ball on TV.

Hockey is only interesting if I'm watching the highlight reels of a fight. The rest is just beyond me. Same goes for NASCAR. I'll watch the big crashes and news stories about a race, but watching the whole thing? No thanks.

I actually dig bowling and pool on TV, but I like the physics of it (and a friend of mine is a freaking amazing bowler, and told me what to look for)

166 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:06:02pm

re: #162 windupbird is in the gravity well

wait, how is hockey not a sport

If I want to watch a fight I'll watch MMA.

167 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:06:07pm

re: #163 Lidane

Golf bores me to tears. The only thing worse is watching bowling or nine-ball on TV.

Hockey is only interesting if I'm watching the highlight reels of a fight. The rest is just beyond me. Same goes for NASCAR. I'll watch the big crashes and news stories about a race, but watching the whole thing? No thanks.

I feel the same way. Anyhow, regarding hockey, I just remember a couple winters back watching the US-Canada gold metal game with my roommate and some friends over some beers and I really wanted to get into it but I could not. People say baseball is boring but I enjoy it. Though a large part of that is probably because I lived and breathed baseball from ages 5-12 and I love the strategy of pitching.

168 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:06:14pm

re: #164 Tigger2005

Those who believe Iran is a "rational player" are engaging in wishful thinking.

True, as much wishful thinking as those who claim to know that it is absolutely certainly an irrational player.

Truth is, we don't know.

169 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:07:16pm

re: #165 windupbird is in the gravity well

Hilariously, I can watch soccer matches without complaint. I can also watch Aussie rules football and rugby despite not knowing what the hell is going on most of the time.

Bowling and pool, though, just feel like watching paint dry for me.

170 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:07:21pm

re: #151 Gus

Obvious PressTV propaganda is obvious. Are they seriously going to worry or sit aghast with the idea of "3,500 black ninja women ready to defend the regime!" Seriously?

No, but it makes the true-believers in Iran feel like the nation's women are loyal. Its main function is internal PR, though the Mullahs might also intend to use such women to brutalize any future female protestors.

171 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:07:43pm

re: #165 windupbird is in the gravity well

I actually dig bowling and pool on TV, but I like the physics of it (and a friend of mine is a freaking amazing bowler, and told me what to look for)

I'll admit to bowling enough to know what to look for :) So, yeah, I can actually enjoy watching it.

172 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:08:07pm

re: #166 William Barnett-Lewis

If I want to watch a fight I'll watch MMA.

And if i want to watch drug addicts run around throwing baseballs I'll go to Felony Flats ;-)

173 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:08:09pm

re: #164 Tigger2005

During the Cold War things were relatively stable, and Russia and China were rational players. Even so we came damn close plenty of times. Those who believe Iran is a "rational player" are engaging in wishful thinking. In any case, the more countries have the Bomb, the more it doesn't even matter how stable things are or how rational the players are. Too many things can go wrong, and will. We once almost fought WW3 because a Russian early warning station thought a flock of geese was incoming ICBMs.

They were not stable at all if you consider the proxy wars. Millions of people died during the Cold War because of these "grass fires" as TAC would call them. Cambodia, the Khemer Rouge, Killing Fields, Los Desaparecidos, Pinochet, Castro, Che Guevara, etc. Even during routine spy vs. spy operations 100s of American died under fire or were taken prisoner. The Middle East. The creation of the Syrian regime, and all the way down to the belligerency against Israel from Arab states many of whom were sponsored by the Soviets. All of this was satellite to the Cold War. It was far from stable.

174 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:09:02pm

re: #169 Lidane

Hilariously, I can watch soccer matches without complaint. I can also watch Aussie rules football and rugby despite not knowing what the hell is going on most of the time.

Bowling and pool, though, just feel like watching paint dry for me.

I watched HELLA curling during the last winter olympics, I'd park my art gear in front of the TV and just leave the curling on

175 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:10:33pm

re: #167 HappyWarrior

People say baseball is boring but I enjoy it. Though a large part of that is probably because I lived and breathed baseball from ages 5-12 and I love the strategy of pitching.

When I was in Houston back in the 90's, there were a couple of years where I was right by the Astrodome, so I'd go to baseball games all the time. At the time, the cheapest center field tickets were $5 on some nights, and they'd also have super cheap beer, too. My friends would come over and with just over $20, we'd go and get tickets, watch the game on the Jumbotron since all the players were about an inch tall from where we were sitting, and we'd get hammered.

Fun times. :D

176 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:11:08pm

Okay, the incident I remembered from last year was during the Richmond Race on September 11th. Brian Vickers wrecked a guy during caution relatively early in the race. I had never seen anything like it before in the Winston/Nextel/Sprint Cup.

177 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:11:12pm

re: #144 Lidane

It shouldn't count if they're not racing. =P

NOW THEY ARE.

178 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:12:19pm

re: #173 Gus

They were not stable at all if you consider the proxy wars. Millions of people died during the Cold War because of these "grass fires" as TAC would call them. Cambodia, the Khemer Rouge, Killing Fields, Los Desaparecidos, Pinochet, Castro, Che Guevara, etc. Even during routine spy vs. spy operations 100s of American died under fire or were taken prisoner. The Middle East. The creation of the Syrian regime, and all the way down to the belligerency against Israel from Arab states many of whom were sponsored by the Soviets. All of this was satellite to the Cold War. It was far from stable.

True that. It was only stable if you though of the Cold War as NATO and the Soviet Bloc glaring at each other across fortified lines in Europe. Elsewhere, it was a pretty hot affair.

179 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:13:15pm

re: #175 Lidane

When I was in Houston back in the 90's, there were a couple of years where I was right by the Astrodome, so I'd go to baseball games all the time. At the time, the cheapest center field tickets were $5 on some nights, and they'd also have super cheap beer, too. My friends would come over and with just over $20, we'd go and get tickets, watch the game on the Jumbotron since all the players were about an inch tall from where we were sitting, and we'd get hammered.

Fun times. :D

That does sound like fun. What I like doing is traveling to stadiums. Saw a game at Yankee Stadium in its final year, went to Pittsburgh last year to see a game and man that is an awesome stadium even if the Pirates haven't been good since the early 90's, and I am going to San Francisco this year to see a game. Baseball's a lot of fun to watch live especially if your seats are near the players. I've engaged in some friendly heckling myself like calling Evan Longoria, Eva as a joke.

180 WINDUPBIRD DISEASE [S.K.U.M.M.]  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:14:00pm

re: #166 William Barnett-Lewis

I will say, that guy who pitched a no-hitter on acid, awesome

Take away their steroids and give them LSD, then I'll watch every baseball game ever

181 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:14:34pm

re: #172 windupbird is in the gravity well

And if i want to watch drug addicts run around throwing baseballs I'll go to Felony Flats ;-)

I despise baseball. It is the sport of cheats, thugs & racists on it's best days and those days were decades ago. There is nothing good about baseball.

The best thing baseball can do for America? That will be the day the last MLB team files for chapter 7 bankruptcy and they foreclose the shrine to cheats in Cooperstown.

182 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:14:51pm

re: #180 windupbird is in the gravity well

I will say, that guy who pitched a no-hitter on acid, awesome

Take away their steroids and give them LSD, then I'll watch every baseball game ever

Dock Ellis, yes, if I could get even a clip of that game, I'd love to see it. It's my favorite baseball story of all lime.

183 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:15:43pm
184 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:17:43pm

re: #176 ProGunLiberal

Here is a video of the incident in question.

Youtube Video
185 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:17:53pm

re: #183 Lidane

It wouldn't surprise me if either won but the fact it's so close I think underscores why Romney's "electability" is a myth.

186 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:22:37pm

re: #178 Dark_Falcon

True that. It was only stable if you though of the Cold War as NATO and the Soviet Bloc glaring at each other across fortified lines in Europe. Elsewhere, it was a pretty hot affair.

Right. And we have to consider the plight of the Russians within that system. The people of East Berlin living behind a wall. Hungary. China.

187 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:23:02pm

This is me being anti-communist. ;)

188 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:23:42pm

re: #185 HappyWarrior

It wouldn't surprise me if either won but the fact it's so close I think underscores why Romney's "electability" is a myth.

It wouldn't have become such had he not devolved into "Me Tooism". Mitt just will not actually take a position and endure the heat for it. He keeps trying to take the most popular position within the Republican party and ends up looking like a phony. Heck, Rick Santorum does a better job of explaining past votes that the base doesn't like than Romney does. Santorum just admits that how he voted and then gives a reason, which keeps it short. Romney takes twice as long, ends up flip-flopping as often as not, and always feels the need to make himself look good.

189 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:24:20pm

Some fine, fine comments about the Jet Dryer Incident from Youtube (Seriously, these are like fine wine):

The chances of hitting the safety truck under caution? A million to Juan.

my name is Juan Montoya, you killed my car, prepare to die.

190 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:24:38pm

Why even Reagan would agree with me. [Drink!]

"Well Gus, you know you're right. Now what were we talking about?"

//

191 William Barnett-Lewis  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:24:51pm

Good night all. Till the morrow.

192 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:25:43pm

re: #189 ProGunLiberal

Here's another:

The salary for driving the jet dryer just went way up!

193 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:25:47pm

re: #188 Dark_Falcon

It wouldn't have become such had he not devolved into "Me Tooism". Mitt just will not actually take a position and endure the heat for it. He keeps trying to take the most popular position within the Republican party and ends up looking like a phony. Heck, Rick Santorum does a better job of explaining past votes that the base doesn't like than Romney does. Santorum just admits that how he voted and then gives a reason, which keeps it short. Romney takes twice as long, ends up flip-flopping as often as not, and always feels the need to make himself look good.

Right, it's his own doing more than anything that has caused this. I think he also hurts his cause when he comes across as a terribly out of touch jerk. I am not talking about his wealth. All candidates are considerably more wealthy than most of us but many of them are able to give off some empathy towards voters. Romney to me still comes across as the distant CEO.

194 HappyWarrior  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:27:19pm

Re: The Cold War, the most interesting Cold War leader for me is Enver Hoxha. The Soviets and later the Chinese weren't true to what he saw as ideal Marxism enough. When I took a class on Eastern European nationalism in the 20th century and had to do a group report on a country, I did Albania. Really interesting nation.

195 Tigger2005  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:30:08pm

re: #173 Gus

They were not stable at all if you consider the proxy wars. Millions of people died during the Cold War because of these "grass fires" as TAC would call them. Cambodia, the Khemer Rouge, Killing Fields, Los Desaparecidos, Pinochet, Castro, Che Guevara, etc. Even during routine spy vs. spy operations 100s of American died under fire or were taken prisoner. The Middle East. The creation of the Syrian regime, and all the way down to the belligerency against Israel from Arab states many of whom were sponsored by the Soviets. All of this was satellite to the Cold War. It was far from stable.

Well, I did say "relatively" stable. Despite all the hot wars going on, the U.S., Russia and China had considerably more influence and control over their proxies than they do today. Now there are many more autonomous players.

196 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:30:25pm

re: #180 windupbird is in the gravity well

I will say, that guy who pitched a no-hitter on acid, awesome

Take away their steroids and give them LSD, then I'll watch every baseball game ever

Remind me. who was that dude

197 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:31:07pm

A bunch of cars are turning left on my TV. WTF. Why do I have this on?

Also, how the hell did they work out these ads? All the commercials are on some weird split screen where the race is showing on the right and the commercial on the left.

198 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:36:33pm
199 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:36:52pm

re: #197 Lidane

A bunch of cars are turning left on my TV. WTF. Why do I have this on?

Also, how the hell did they work out these ads? All the commercials are on some weird split screen where the race is showing on the right and the commercial on the left.

Its on in my house. I used to live in Daytona, never went, but that place is so depressed, this race saves their year.

And I'm enjoying the watch.

200 dragonath  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:37:16pm

re: #196 College is GOOD you asshat.

LSD. Ellis, D.

Dock Ellis.

201 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:40:06pm

re: #198 Lidane

And...another big accident. 7 cars.

202 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:40:34pm

They will be lucky at this rate to finish before 3 in the morning.

203 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:41:31pm

re: #198 Lidane

I think with NASCAR you also have to be there. Then you're looking at the oval track up front and in your face. Then you're looking at massive wall of sound coming from the high horsepower engines. The smell of the burning fuel. Drinking beer and getting together with friends at the track.

204 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:42:27pm

re: #201 ProGunLiberal

205 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:42:42pm

Mongo like F1

Image: ferrari_formula_1.jpg

206 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:43:44pm

re: #204 Lidane

At this point, I assume the race is somehow cursed. Just end the race.

207 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:44:20pm

re: #204 Lidane

Celebrity Tweets...

208 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:45:26pm

re: #207 Dark_Falcon

Celebrity Tweets...

Related to Mark Harmon?

209 Stanghazi  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:46:01pm

re: #201 ProGunLiberal

And...another big accident. 7 cars.

This is actually awesome to watch.

/woosy girl

210 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:47:24pm

re: #208 Gus

Related to Mark Harmon?

Not according to Wikipedia. Someone on my list re-tweeted it so I figured why not? She's apparently a race fan.

And here's another wreck with 4 laps to go. ROFL. Caution flag #10 now.

211 Amory Blaine  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:47:28pm

I stayed up at Flagler Beach campground up the road from Daytona when My wife and drove up the coast for our honeymoon. Slept in the van right on the water, had a fish boil on the beach. Good times.

212 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:47:43pm

Oh my god, not again

ANOTHER CAUTION!!!

213 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:49:00pm

re: #212 ProGunLiberal

And it looks to be the Big One too, so RED FLAG!!!

214 ProMayaLiberal  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:53:15pm

I expect another huge accident during the Green-White-Checkers.

215 Lidane  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 9:57:11pm

re: #205 Gus

Mongo like F1

Image: ferrari_formula_1.jpg

They're building a Formula 1 track here in Austin. They were smart enough to put it out near the airport, where people are used to lots of noise.

216 Dark_Falcon  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:23:38pm

Well, things seem to have gone quiet so I'm going to sign off for the night. Sleep well, all.

217 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:24:01pm

Matt Kenseth wins Daytona 500
By Matt Murschel and Brentley Romine, staff writers - LA Times
February 27, 2012, 10:18 p.m.

DAYTONA BEACH — Matt Kenseth won the Daytona 500 early Tuesday morning.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Greg Biffle third.

The race, which began around 7:15 p.m. Monday, finally ended at approximately 12:56 a.m. Tuesday. It was marred by 10 cautions and a long delay after Juan Pablo Montoya ran into a track drying vehicle during a caution.

But through it all Kenseth ran near the front, ultimately using one of the fastest cars on the track to bring home the trophy...

218 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:25:39pm

They earned their pay tonight.

219 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:29:55pm

Dear god. I found the worst comment about the kissing Marine yet. In the NY Daily News:

Sir_Drinks_Alot 11:21 PM
Feb 27, 2012
Personally, this makes me sick to my stomach, and I hope an IED comes his way.

Dude, if you were near me right now I'd sock you in the freaking jaw. Repulsive creep.

220 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:39:28pm

re: #219 Gus

photo-gay-marine-kissing-boyfriend

what are they, spartans?

221 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:44:33pm

re: #220 engineer cat

what are they, spartans?

I was thinking more like two ordinary people.

222 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:48:27pm

re: #221 Gus

I was thinking more like two ordinary people.

well, besides that...

223 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 10:57:40pm

re: #222 engineer cat

well, besides that...

Well I suppose they could be looked at as Spartan. They're probably just two country boys from middle America. It's odd you know. Thinking. That it's taken us close to 2,000 years to come around to even start accepting people whom are homosexual. People still get shocked it seems and respond like creatures of the wild.

Then again a lot of Americans are very prudish about any PDA even from straight people. Odd thing considering how most of are rather sexualized. From the preacher to the man on the street. Society imposes a great deal of opposing virtues. But the core instincts remain intact and thus practiced.

224 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:05:54pm

re: #223 Gus

Well I suppose they could be looked at as Spartan. They're probably just two country boys from middle America. It's odd you know. Thinking. That it's taken us close to 2,000 years to come around to even start accepting people whom are homosexual. People still get shocked it seems and respond like creatures of the wild.

Then again a lot of Americans are very prudish about any PDA even from straight people. Odd thing considering how most of are rather sexualized. From the preacher to the man on the street. Society imposes a great deal of opposing virtues. But the core instincts remain intact and thus practiced.

actually, i think all the attitudes you're talking about took a turn for the worse in european/american society in the 19th century

ancient and tribal societies, and medieval europe, seem to have been better at these things...

225 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:10:40pm

The biggest cause of male heterosexual homophobes is that when they see image like this they begin to fantasize about being the dominant male figure in the scene. So in this instance many of the Freepers for example see themselves as the man holding up the smaller Marine. This is due in large part for the natural tendency of homosexual behavior in the species. Meaning of course that many homophobes are actually latent homosexuals themselves. But fantasizing oneself in what we see is not normal behavior either which could point to an over-sexualized state to begin with. Which itself could point to bisexuality. Many things to ponder of course. Could be that homophobia is in itself a sort of sexual response. Sort of like the "American Beauty" effect.

226 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:12:30pm

re: #224 engineer cat

actually, i think all the attitudes you're talking about took a turn for the worse in european/american society in the 19th century

ancient and tribal societies, and medieval europe, seem to have been better at these things...

Likely because there weren't any steadfast rules. Or right on the cusp when they became codified. So it was more of a natural response as opposed to Canonical Law.

227 JAFO  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:15:41pm

re: #225 Gus

I need a cigarette, how about you?

228 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:16:31pm

Like when people see someone missing an arm. The response is based on the viewing subject viewing the person with one arm and then seeing themselves as someone with no arm. Sort of like emphatic projection. Like fear of blindness. You see yourself as being blind when you meet a blind person.

229 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:16:49pm

re: #227 I'd rather be sailing

I need a cigarette, how about you?

I've been smoking.

230 Cankles McCellulite  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:19:19pm

re: #224 engineer cat

Very true. It was very common in many Native American societies to view homosexuality as a blessing. They were called 2 spirit because they embodied both male and female essence. They were highly regarded. But then again in many North American societies women were equals in all aspects including sexual and as warriors.
An interesting story having to do with 17th century England was the case of an English guy who got in trouble with the law because he had sex with a male ship mate. The English courts sentenced him not for homosexuality or because the other guy in the matter was East Indian, but because the East Indian Man he had sex with was not a Christian!

231 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:27:27pm

re: #230 VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA

Hello, VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA.

:)

232 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:28:44pm

re: #230 VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA

Very true. It was very common in many Native American societies to view homosexuality as a blessing. They were called 2 spirit because they embodied both male and female essence. They were highly regarded. But then again in many North American societies women were equals in all aspects including sexual and as warriors.
An interesting story having to do with 17th century England was the case of an English guy who got in trouble with the law because he had sex with a male ship mate. The English courts sentenced him not for homosexuality or because the other guy in the matter was East Indian, but because the East Indian Man he had sex with was not a Christian!

What was the sentence?

233 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:29:31pm

re: #231 Sergey Romanov

Hello, VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA.

:)

We're either in Virginia or Wyoming.

234 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:31:05pm

People getting arrested at OWS does not equal the Hungarian Revolution BTW.

235 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:32:02pm

re: #234 Gus

People getting arrested at OWS does not equal the Hungarian Revolution BTW.

It doesn't? *hides the rifle*

236 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:33:09pm

re: #235 Sergey Romanov

It doesn't? *hides the rifle*

I'll wait for them to do 30 years for sneezing.

237 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:34:07pm

Апчхи.

238 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:36:13pm

re: #237 Sergey Romanov

Апчхи.

Gesundheit.

239 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:36:49pm

re: #238 Gus

Gesundheit.

Cпасибо.

240 Gus  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:38:24pm

re: #239 Sergey Romanov

Cпасибо.

Image: 45466385222971.jpg

241 Cankles McCellulite  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:39:48pm

re: #232 Gus

Jail for a very short period of time.

242 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:40:16pm

-пчх-

-ptchkh-

???

what horrible trauma could possibly induce people to pronounce this consonant cluster???

243 JAFO  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:40:37pm

re: #239 Sergey Romanov

that's one of the few Russian words I remember from learning the cyrillic alphabet and a few phrases in HS Russian History 40 years ago.

244 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:40:45pm

re: #242 engineer cat

-пчх-

-ptchkh-

???

what horrible trauma could possibly induce people to pronounce this consonant cluster???

Cold.

245 Sol Berdinowitz  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:42:56pm

Ran across one in German at the local public pool, reminding us that we were required to shower before swimming:

Duschpflicht

*schpfl*

Just stand in front of someone trying to say that and you don't need a shower

246 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:43:29pm

re: #244 Sergey Romanov

Cold.

remind me never to attempt to sneeze in nizhni novgorod

247 Cankles McCellulite  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:45:57pm

re: #244 Sergey Romanov

Sergey, are you Russian?

248 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:46:25pm

re: #246 engineer cat

I don't actually see what's the problem with pchkh.

249 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:46:38pm

re: #247 VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA VAGINA

Sergey, are you Russian?

Yes.

250 Cankles McCellulite  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:47:32pm

re: #249 Sergey Romanov

SEXY!
And that's all i'm gonna say bout that.

251 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:47:33pm

Now, Armenians... they have a surname Mkrtchyan.

252 Sol Berdinowitz  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:48:35pm

re: #248 Sergey Romanov

I don't actually see what's the problem with pchkh.

взбзднуть

253 engineer cat  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:50:07pm

re: #248 Sergey Romanov

I don't actually see what's the problem with pchkh.

es gibt mir vey im tukhas

254 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:51:21pm

re: #252 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

взбзднуть

I was thinking of citing it but decided against.

255 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:54:15pm

re: #253 engineer cat

What about -rdstv- or -ntrpr- or -ntstv-?

256 Sol Berdinowitz  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:56:24pm

Who put the yep in the Dnyepropyetrovsk?

257 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:57:36pm

re: #256 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

?

258 Sol Berdinowitz  Mon, Feb 27, 2012 11:59:43pm

re: #257 Sergey Romanov

Youtube Video
259 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:00:41am

re: #258 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Heh.

260 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:01:46am

Who put the zhdest in the Rozhdestvenskoye?

261 engineer cat  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:03:47am

re: #255 Sergey Romanov

What about -rdstv- or -ntrpr- or -ntstv-?

-ntrpr- => e.g. "interpreter", but i think english speakers would have trouble with -stv-

zdravstvuitye?

262 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:04:19am

re: #260 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Who put Chumley in Cholmondeley and Wooster in Worcestershire?

263 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:04:43am

And the Affleck in Auchlinchek?

264 engineer cat  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:05:17am

re: #258 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

[Embedded content]

ishkabbibly-otendoten-waddaten-choo!

265 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:07:31am

re: #261 engineer cat

-ntrpr- => e.g. "interpreter",

Still broken up by vowels.
But it's not really complex. Kontrprimer - kontr+primer (counterexample).

but i think english speakers would have trouble with -stv-

zdravstvuitye?

Userdstvo, regentstvo.

266 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:08:48am

throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog

just try that one enough times over and over without tripping

267 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:11:01am

re: #266 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Nah. I better read some outstanding poetry.

« Shī Shì shí shī shǐ »
Shíshì shīshì Shī Shì, shì shī, shì shí shí shī.
Shì shíshí shì shì shì shī.
Shí shí, shì shí shī shì shì.
Shì shí, shì Shī Shì shì shì.
Shì shì shì shí shī, shì shǐ shì, shǐ shì shí shī shìshì.
Shì shí shì shí shī shī, shì shíshì.
Shíshì shī, Shì shǐ shì shì shíshì.
Shíshì shì, Shì shǐ shì shí shì shí shī.
Shí shí, shǐ shí shì shí shī shī, shí shí shí shī shī.
Shì shì shì shì.

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

268 Varek Raith  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:14:09am

re: #267 Sergey Romanov

Nah. I better read some outstanding poetry.

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

That made my head hurt.

269 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:15:31am

re: #268 Varek Raith

That made my head hurt.

Mission accomplished.

270 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:20:23am

Subtle.

Homophonic puns are often used to get around various forms of censorship on the internet.

[...]

*Cao ni ma - 草泥馬 cǎonímǎ "a horse made from mud and grass" for 肏你媽 cào nǐ mā "fuck you(r mother)"

Image: 草泥马_Character.png

A common online character for the grass-mud horse containing three elements cǎo (as the grass radical), mǎ as a semantic component, and ní appearing to give the pronunciation.

Awesome.

271 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:22:19am

Image: Naked_ai_weiwei.jpg

The caption（草泥马挡中央, "grass mud horse covering the middle") to Ai Weiwei's self-portrait sounds almost the same in Chinese as 肏你妈党中央, "Fuck your mother, the Communist party central committee".[14]

272 Varek Raith  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:24:12am

*Jots that down*

273 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:28:51am

re: #272 Varek Raith

Could make a nice avatar ;)

274 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:30:11am

So many variations: [Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

275 Varek Raith  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:32:10am

Glad to see memes haven't taken an arrow to the knee.

276 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:33:23am

re: #275 Varek Raith

Glad to see memes haven't taken an arrow to the knee.

Image: %E8%8D%89%E6%B3%A5%E9%A9%AC_Character.png

277 Varek Raith  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:34:49am

re: #276 Sergey Romanov

Image: %E8%8D%89%E6%B3%A5%E9%A9%AC_Character.png

That's got a lot of knees...

279 Varek Raith  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:37:59am

Lol.

280 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:38:23am

re: #279 Varek Raith

Handy, huh.

281 Kragar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 12:54:41am

Obama Gains With Women: Jobs, Social Issues Help

WOW! Who could have predicted that?
/

282 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:19:47am

Morning, all

283 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:21:28am

re: #282 researchok

Приветствую, товарищ.

284 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:27:24am

Show off, tovarisch
/

285 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:40:53am

re: #284 researchok

Show off, tovarisch
/

Да!

286 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:42:17am

Good thing Russians don't like drama!
/

287 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:42:59am

Hope all is well.

Is the end to winter in sight?

288 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:43:16am

re: #286 researchok

Good thing Russians don't like drama!
/

Are you implying comrade No Drama Obama is a Russian?/

289 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:43:48am

re: #288 Sergey Romanov

Are you implying comrade No Drama Obama is a Russian?/

Da!

290 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:44:35am

re: #287 researchok

Hope all is well.

Is the end to winter in sight?

The thaw began, but now I see falling snow again.

291 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:45:32am

re: #290 Sergey Romanov

You guys just can't catch a break this year.

Damn.

292 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:45:36am

re: #289 researchok

Da!

You're mistaken, comrade. He's a bourgeois sellout!

293 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:46:15am

re: #291 researchok

You guys just can't catch a break this year.

Damn.

Seems like we will have 12 more years of winter. If nothing happens.

294 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:46:47am

re: #292 Sergey Romanov

OK, that made me laugh!

Rumorts are rife about fraud in the upcoming election.

Will it be as bad as they are saying?

295 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:47:46am

re: #293 Sergey Romanov

I shall henceforth refer to you as Zhivago.

Or Pasternak. That man knew how to write about winter.

296 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:48:54am

re: #294 researchok

OK, that made me laugh!

Rumorts are rife about fraud in the upcoming election.

Will it be as bad as they are saying?

Even worse. Putin could win fair and square (well, OK, not fair since he's purged the political field), but he wants to win in the first round. So there will be a lot of things.

297 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:49:35am

re: #296 Sergey Romanov

Even worse. Putin could win fair and square (well, OK, not fair since he's purged the political field), but he wants to win in the first round. So there will be a lot of things.

How far will Russia regress?

298 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:49:59am

re: #295 researchok

I shall henceforth refer to you as Zhivago.

Or Pasternak.

Just don't call me Shirley.

299 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:50:17am

re: #297 researchok

How far will Russia regress?

N/I.

300 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:51:40am

re: #299 Sergey Romanov

Another question: Are there more Putins out there, in a post Putin world? Or is he the last of his kind?

I know there are the nationalists, but can they really put together a national party without a Putin type leader?

301 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:52:32am

re: #300 researchok

Another question: Are there more Putins out there, in a post Putin world? Or is he the last of his kind?

I know there are the nationalists, but can they really put together aq national party without a Putin type leader?

Rogozin.

302 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:53:28am

re: #301 Sergey Romanov

Iron fist, velvet glove

303 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:54:02am

re: #302 researchok

Iron fist, velvet glove

I see you read up on things ;)

304 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:54:12am

And Americans believe politics here are rough.

305 freetoken  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:55:11am

Genzmer's Sonata For Flute & Harp:

MP3 Audio
306 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:56:09am

re: #303 Sergey Romanov

Occupational hazard.

Russia and Russians just confound me (and westerners in general).

On the one hand is the ongoing national trahgedy and on the other the mythological Russian heroism.

All coexisting to varying degrees

307 researchok  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:56:41am

re: #305 freetoken

About damn time you showed up!
//

Good morning!

308 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 2:49:10am

Back again. Divorced now.

309 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 2:56:35am

Morning all. I wonder if Santorum will pull it off today. MSNBC says in 2000 dems made up 17% of the voters in the republican primary. According to them Bush won 68% of the republican vote and still lost to McCain.

310 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:09:35am

The ongoing issue of lousy crime lab standards/results in IN. The state supreme court set up their own review:

Court: Indiana toxicology lab results flawed
Legal system prepares to handle appeals of drug convictions involving test results
[Link: www.indystar.com...]

The Indiana Supreme Court confirmed Monday that the state Department of Toxicology provided incorrect test results for use in criminal cases, setting a course for what almost certainly will be legal challenges.

The full extent of testing problems at the lab remains unknown, but a task force headed by two judges from the Indiana Court of Appeals found at least five cases where retested samples "did not reveal any of the substances originally reported."

A report issued by the Supreme Court about the task force's work said about 500 other samples were either inadequate for retesting or showed some presence of drugs or "a successor substance." But the report didn't address one critical issue: whether test results from those samples would meet the scientific and legal standards to stand up in court.
......
...The problems have been downplayed by a three-member panel appointed by the governor to oversee the lab.

Newman said he is still concerned about characterizations that problems auditors found were merely those of "protocol" and didn't affect physical testing.

"You really can't separate protocols from results," Newman said. "They're bound up together."
.....
The most likely approach to challenging testing results is through a legal process called post-conviction relief. It is a way to appeal convictions based on new evidence.

The court's statement said the process "should provide a vehicle for individuals to seek relief from a guilty plea conviction based on a possible State Department of Toxicology Lab test error."

Legal experts said that removes an obstacle that often prevents defendants from even receiving a hearing.

Prominent Indianapolis defense attorney John Tompkins said it is significant that the court stepped in and addressed the post-conviction relief issue.

"There might be trial courts that say, 'That's not an issue,' " Tompkins said. "This makes it clear that what the Supreme Court saw justifies a post-conviction hearing. This says it's legitimate. That's nice to see."

311 Tigger2005  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:18:15am

re: #310 RogueOne

The ongoing issue of lousy crime lab standards/results in IN. The state supreme court set up their own review:

Court: Indiana toxicology lab results flawed
Legal system prepares to handle appeals of drug convictions involving test results
[Link: www.indystar.com...]

How DARE they question CSI! Seriously though, it IS smart to question scientific results--up to a point. Scientists are human too, and crime lab tests are not exactly repeated several dozen times and the methodology for every test performed critiqued in peer-reviewed journals. The problem is that extremists use stuff like this as an excuse for urging us not to trust science at all, no matter how clearly it is demonstrated on a daily basis that it works.

312 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:22:07am

re: #311 Tigger2005

This has been going on in IN for years now. Until recently the most common refrain from legislators/prosecutors was that it really wasn't any big deal. It's nice to see the Supreme Court step in and say the opposite. "The standards are off but the results are good" argument just got slapped upside the head.

313 Tigger2005  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:34:14am

re: #312 RogueOne

This has been going on in IN for years now. Until recently the most common refrain from legislators/prosecutors was that it really wasn't any big deal. It's nice to see the Supreme Court step in and say the opposite. "The standards are off but the results are good" argument just got slapped upside the head.

Yeah, you just hope the sensible reaction will prevail and they will insist on tougher standards (after all the appeals are going to cost them more than if they just did the science right in the first place). Science is still a fantastic tool for helping determine a person's guilt or innocence.

314 Tigger2005  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:34:56am

re: #308 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Back again. Divorced now.

Ummmm....that was quick?

315 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:42:34am

[Link: www.smbc-comics.com...]

316 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:44:15am

re: #313 Tigger2005

Yeah, you just hope the sensible reaction will prevail and they will insist on tougher standards (after all the appeals are going to cost them more than if they just did the science right in the first place).Science is still a fantastic tool for helping determine a person's guilt or innocence.

That would be true if they actually used science. Instead they use BS like "bite marks"..


Crime labs need major overhaul, study finds
[Link: articles.cnn.com...]

In its report published Wednesday, the academy showed there is a serious lack of uniform standards, training and oversight. And, with the exception of DNA technology, the report concludes experts often overstate how much can be determined by forensic techniques running the gamut from fingerprinting to bite mark and hair analysis.
.....
The panel recommends that Congress create an independent National Institute of Forensic Science that could formulate standards for various forensic disciplines, regulate training and accreditation, and lead research. Another recommendation is that crime labs should be autonomous and not controlled by police departments or prosecutors' offices to head off any real or perceived bias toward law enforcement.

The bolded part is the biggest problem, IMO. Crime labs shouldn't be an arm of the prosecution.

317 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:45:22am

re: #316 RogueOne

You should read "The Poisoner's Handbook". It's about the birth of real toxicology and medical examiner forensics in the US, and how hard it is on every level to get right and keep going.

318 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:48:11am

re: #317 Obdicut

You should read "The Poisoner's Handbook". It's about the birth of real toxicology and medical examiner forensics in the US, and how hard it is on every level to get right and keep going.

Thanks for the recommendation. Looks like I'm going to have to find it at the library. Neither Amazon or Google has it in stock.

319 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 3:49:08am

re: #317 Obdicut

I have jury duty tomorrow. That could be a fun book to sit and read while I wait.

320 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 4:00:43am

re: #318 RogueOne

It's also about how fucking stupid prohibition was, and how it made people into harder drinkers.

321 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 4:19:19am

re: #316 RogueOne

We are too used to these cop shows where we see the perpetrator doing the deed and then cynically exploiting every loophole to avoid prosecution.

And the other point is that law and order costs money. Try to do it on the cheap and you wind up with the likes of Arizona's Sherrif Joe Arpaio.

322 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 4:20:01am

re: #319 RogueOne

I have jury duty tomorrow. That could be a fun book to sit and read while I wait.

Especially if you're trying to be dismissed.

323 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:35:01am

re: #266 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog throat frog

just try that one enough times over and over without tripping

"Selfish shellfish."

324 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:38:50am

Morning, all.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Leap Year Day Eve.

325 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:39:06am

the sixth sick shiek's sixth sheep's sick

326 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:40:23am

Morning Lizardim. I'm a bit disappointed - I chose to stay home from work to dodge the snowapalooza, and it's not even going to hit that hard here. Sigh. Why can't we ever get in on the fun.

327 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 5:59:29am

[Link: www.time.com...]

Israel 'Won't Warn' U.S. Before Iran Strike

Yeah, good luck with that.

328 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:02:19am

re: #327 Sergey Romanov

[Link: www.time.com...]

Yeah, good luck with that.

Plausible deniability. Can't blame us, we didn't know crap!

329 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:03:53am

re: #328 RogueOne

But the apparent decision to keep the U.S. in the dark also stems from Israel's frustration with the White House. After a visit by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, they became convinced the Americans would neither take military action, nor go along with unilateral action by Israel against Iran. The Israelis concluded they would have to conduct a strike unilaterally — a point they are likely to hammer home in a series of meetings over the next two weeks in Washington, the official said.

330 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:07:36am

re: #327 Sergey Romanov

[Link: www.time.com...]

Yeah, good luck with that.

We've been warned...for years. If they want their war with Iran, they'll start it, and we'll step in to 'defend' them from the Iranian oppressors. And we'll be fucked for another decade and thousands of American lives will be lost, along with thousands of Israelis and hundreds of thousands of Iranians.

331 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:08:35am

re: #318 RogueOne

Thanks for the recommendation. Looks like I'm going to have to find it at the library. Neither Amazon or Google has it in stock.

Let's try to guess how many surveillance lists Rogue's shopping queries and library visits have put him on.

332 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:09:40am

re: #331 Decatur Deb

Let's try to guess how many surveillance lists Rogue's shopping queries and library visits have put him on.

That's why one should use pirated ebooks! /////////

333 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:09:48am

re: #328 RogueOne

Plausible deniability. Can't blame us, we didn't know crap!

That's kind of tough when the bombs landing in Iran all say "Made in the USA"

And what's Iran's crime? Some inflammatory rhetoric from a figurehead president who has to answer to their religious leaders.

334 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:10:23am

re: #333 darthstar

That's kind of tough when the bombs landing in Iran all say "Made in the USA"

And what's Iran's crime? Some inflammatory rhetoric from a figurehead president who has to answer to their religious leaders.

Rhetoric comes not only from Ahmadinejad.

335 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:11:53am

re: #329 Sergey Romanov

I think they're right, we won't support an attack, but that's not a valid reason for not filling the US in before launching. We're going to have to deal with the fallout regardless of our approval or not. They'll let us know, maybe not much of a warning, but the politically smart move would be to let the US in on it.

I still have doubts they'll go through with it. If they attack and don't completely destroy the Iranian nuke capability they'll be in a worse spot than they would have been without an attack.

336 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:14:24am

Modern art:
Image: 000w7h4y.png

337 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:14:37am

re: #334 Sergey Romanov

Rhetoric comes not only from Ahmadinejad.

Rhetoric is words. It's all just talk.

Youtube Video
338 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:14:41am

re: #333 darthstar

That's kind of tough when the bombs landing in Iran all say "Made in the USA"

And what's Iran's crime? Some inflammatory rhetoric from a figurehead president who has to answer to their religious leaders.

"Some inflammatory rhetoric"? I'm sorry, I'm hardly a hawk, but even I take the Iranians at face value (well, on most days, anyway). When they say they want to wipe Israel off the map, I'm fairly convinced they mean it.

339 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:15:50am

re: #337 darthstar

Rhetoric is words. It's all just talk.

[Embedded content]

You don't know that.

340 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:16:43am

re: #338 thedopefishlives

"Some inflammatory rhetoric"? I'm sorry, I'm hardly a hawk, but even I take the Iranians at face value (well, on most days, anyway). When they say they want to wipe Israel off the map, I'm fairly convinced they mean it.

I'm not sure if they mean it or not. It's pretty easy to say "take the risk they're just talking" when you live in the middle of the US. If Israel ends up attacking, I still won't think it was the right move but I'd understand.

341 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:17:23am

re: #340 RogueOne

I'm not sure if they mean it or not. It's pretty easy to say "take the risk they're just talking" when you live in the middle of the US. If Israel ends up attacking, I still won't think it was the right move but I'd understand.

Yeah, it's a whole different ball game when you have to live on the same continent as these nutjobs and within air strike range.

342 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:17:41am

re: #340 RogueOne

Yep. That's the most frustrating thing - are they just evil clowns or do they mean it? We don't know.

343 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:17:45am

re: #336 Sergey Romanov

Modern art:
[Link: pics.livejournal.com...]

Pretty good. Sex, fear, paternalism, strength, compassion, and animal loathing all wrapped up in a naive style.

344 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:19:53am

re: #341 thedopefishlives

Yeah, it's a whole different ball game when you have to live on the same continent as these nutjobs and within air strike range.

I have, so I realize it's an 'existential' problem. I'm not sure it's about the existence of Israel or the existence of Likud.

345 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:21:45am

re: #342 Sergey Romanov

Yep. That's the most frustrating thing - are they just evil clowns or do they mean it? We don't know.

Judging by their history you would think they're serious. It's not like they've been shy with their meddling in syria/lebanon and their support of Hamas. OTOH, they have to know that launching a Nuke at Israel would mean the end of their reign and possibly the end of their civilization.

346 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:23:11am

re: #345 RogueOne

Judging by their history you would think they're serious.

Actually, going by history, they're not. They've never invaded anywhere or launched an attack outside their own borders.

It's not like they've been shy with their meddling in syria/lebanon and their support of Hamas.

Very different than launching a nuke. By several orders of magnitude.

We, the US, meddle far, far more than they do, we have supported terrorists, death squads, etc. etc. If we're using that as proof of evil, we ought to be considering bombing ourselves into submission.

347 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:23:11am

re: #345 RogueOne

Judging by their history you would think they're serious. It's not like they've been shy with their meddling in syria/lebanon and their support of Hamas. OTOH, they have to know that launching a Nuke at Israel would mean the end of their reign and possibly the end of their civilization.

Well that's the crux of the matter. Are they religious fanatics who believe that nuclear Armageddon is a precursor to better things, or are they religious fanatics who don't.

348 kirkspencer  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:25:33am

re: #347 Sergey Romanov

Well that's the crux of the matter. Are they religious fanatics who believe that nuclear Armageddon is a precursor to better things, or are they religious fanatics who don't.

Or are they religious people having to act like fanatics for various local reasons?

349 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:25:55am

re: #346 Obdicut

Actually, going by history, they're not. They've never invaded anywhere or launched an attack outside their own borders.

Very different than launching a nuke. By several orders of magnitude.

We, the US, meddle far, far more than they do, we have supported terrorists, death squads, etc. etc. If we're using that as proof of evil, we ought to be considering bombing ourselves into submission.

Ayers and Dohrn tried that. Amateur ordnance production sucks.

350 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:26:46am

re: #346 Obdicut

Actually, going by history, they're not. They've never invaded anywhere or launched an attack outside their own borders.

Very different than launching a nuke. By several orders of magnitude.

We, the US, meddle far, far more than they do, we have supported terrorists, death squads, etc. etc. If we're using that as proof of evil, we ought to be considering bombing ourselves into submission.

They haven't launched an actual attack but they've been supplying weapons, technology, and advisors for decades. It was just a couple years ago that Israel had to destroy a syrian nuke facility. I don't think there is any doubt who was supplying the technical expertise for that one.

351 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:26:51am

re: #349 Decatur Deb

There's just too much of America to bomb.

352 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:27:44am

re: #338 thedopefishlives

"Some inflammatory rhetoric"? I'm sorry, I'm hardly a hawk, but even I take the Iranians at face value (well, on most days, anyway). When they say they want to wipe Israel off the map, I'm fairly convinced they mean it.

Ahmadinejad said that when? October 25th, 2005. Seven years ago.

So what did Ahmadinejad actually say? To quote his exact words in Farsi:

"Imam ghoft een rezhim-e ishghalgar-e qods bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad."

Kanye West's "Gold Digger" was the number 1 song (that pisses me off more than one line of inflammatory rhetoric)
Crash won best picture

Bush was still president and the US was waging war in two Islamic countries. Ahmadinejad's comment was as much a posturing in response to that as it was anything else.

Lots of stupid shit happened in 2005. And for the record, I'd support carpet bombing Kanye West's home.

353 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:27:57am

re: #350 RogueOne

They haven't launched an actual attack but they've been supplying weapons, technology, and advisors for decades.

As have we, in lots of places in the globe. And we still are.

It was just a couple years ago that Israel had to destroy a syrian nuke facility. I don't think there is any doubt who was supplying the technical expertise for that one.

The question was, based on their history, if they'll launch an attack, right?

Based on their history, no, they won't.

354 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:28:16am

re: #347 Sergey Romanov

Well that's the crux of the matter. Are they religious fanatics who believe that nuclear Armageddon is a precursor to better things, or are they religious fanatics who don't.

I have serious doubts that they've risen to that level of fanaticism. But, like I said, that's easy to say living in Indianapolis.

355 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:28:20am

re: #351 Obdicut

There's just too much of America to bomb.

Guess we'll just have to find a clean, articulate black guy and elect him president. Twice.

356 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:29:30am

This is a clear case of harm from religion as such. One can't even say "well, USSR were bad guys too", because everybody acknowledges that USSR was a relatively rational actor. Because religion wasn't involved.

357 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:30:45am

re: #352 darthstar

Ahmadinejad said that when? October 25th, 2005. Seven years ago.

Kanye West's "Gold Digger" was the number 1 song (that pisses me off more than one line of inflammatory rhetoric)
Crash won best picture

Bush was still president and the US was waging war in two Islamic countries. Ahmadinejad's comment was as much a posturing in response to that as it was anything else.

Lots of stupid shit happened in 2005. And for the record, I'd support carpet bombing Kanye West's home.

Really? Antiwar? That's BS, BTW. Wait a sec.

358 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:31:10am

re: #356 Sergey Romanov

Well, many in the US portrayed the USSR as not a rational actor, because they played up the fanaticism of USSR-style Communism. Many still don't acknowledge they were rational. The Birchers and their ilk don't.

359 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:31:24am

re: #356 Sergey Romanov

This is a clear case of harm from religion as such. One can't even say "well, USSR were bad guys too", because everybody acknowledges that USSR was a relatively rational actor. Because religion wasn't involved.

We'll just have to hope the Persians love their children, too.

360 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:31:59am

re: #352 darthstar

Read this: [Link: www.jcpa.org...]

361 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:33:07am

re: #345 RogueOne

Judging by their history you would think they're serious.

Just playing devil's advocate here, but who has Iran invaded? Iraq? Saddam Hussein started the war with Iran...and that was 30 years ago. And how is their arming small groups of non-government fighters (aka TERRORISTS) different from the US arming non-government fighters (aka FREEDOM FIGHTERS). I'm not saying they're right...I'm just saying they haven't been known to invade their neighbors...even if they thought (rightly or wrongly) that their neighbors were being dicks.

362 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:34:03am

re: #352 darthstar

Ahmadinejad said that when? October 25th, 2005. Seven years ago.

Lots of stupid shit happened in 2005. And for the record, I'd support carpet bombing Kanye West's home.

Yo Tehran, I'm gonna let you finish, but Hiroshima had one of the best explosions of all time!

363 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:34:27am

re: #360 Sergey Romanov

Absolute eliminationist rhetoric about Israel is the standard among the Muslim Middle Eastern nations, not the exception. Maybe Jordan hasn't said stuff, but as far as I know, prominent people in all the Middle Eastern countries have all clearly called for the absolute elimination of Israel.

It's something that's pretty important to keep in mind. There's no reason to believe that, if there was no constraint, those states would not attack Israel and attempt to destroy it. '67 is not that long ago.

364 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:35:40am

re: #361 darthstar

They don't have the ability to invade anyone but that hasn't stopped them from doing what they can to stick their finger in the eyes of Israel. They've done what they could which gives credence to the Israeli fear that they'll escalate once they get their hands on a bomb.

365 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:36:33am

re: #363 Obdicut

If their were no constraint, San Marino would eventually attack and attempt to destroy Andorra. There's lots of constraint.

366 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:37:16am

Remember the Alamo!

367 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:37:35am

re: #364 RogueOne

What do you mean, they don't have the ability to invade anyone?

368 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:38:25am

re: #366 darthstar

Remember the Alamo!

That's one of those places where a bunch of white guys fought to preserve the right to own slaves, right?

369 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:40:44am

re: #364 RogueOne

They don't have the ability to invade anyone but that hasn't stopped them from doing what they can to stick their finger in the eyes of Israel. They've done what they could which gives credence to the Israeli fear that they'll escalate once they get their hands on a bomb.

It's one big happy dysfunctional family. Everyone has their role to play, and they play it willingly. There's some kicking back and forth under the dinner table which everyone ignores, then Iran goes and sticks a booger into Israel's mashed potatoes and it's up to the US to keep Israel from going nuclear and breaking all the good china.

370 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:40:53am

re: #367 Obdicut

What do you mean, they don't have the ability to invade anyone?

Just what I said, they don't have the ability to invade anyone. They have no way to get troops to Israel, their aircraft are ancient and their armor is worthless. They have a lot of people in uniform but no viable way to get them anywhere.

371 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:41:56am

re: #370 RogueOne

Just what I said, they don't have the ability to invade anyone. They have no way to get troops to Israel, their aircraft are ancient and their armor is worthless. They have a lot of people in uniform but no viable way to get them anywhere.

Have they considered mass transit?

372 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:43:02am

re: #371 darthstar

Have they considered mass transit?

Greyhound, $29.95 one-way tickets.

373 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:44:52am

re: #363 Obdicut

Yep. My point is that Ahmadinejad certainly did "say that", and moreover, various other organizations even said that in English, thus not even requiring a translation - “Israel should be wiped out of the face of the world.”

374 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:45:18am

Every ME country knows that an attack on Israel would be a disaster. Even if they gang up on them they'd still get their asses handed to them....but if one of them has a nuke they might forget. That's Israels worry IMO.

375 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:46:15am

re: #370 RogueOne

Just what I said, they don't have the ability to invade anyone.

Um, yes they do. They could easily take on Turkmenistan.

They have a lot of people in uniform but no viable way to get them anywhere.

They haven't discovered the truck yet?

376 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:46:29am

re: #366 darthstar

Remember the Alamo!

re: #368 Obdicut

That's one of those places where a bunch of white guys fought to preserve the right to own slaves, right?

A story to tie together nukes and the Alamo:

A bunch of us from a Texas A&M seminar were on an evening Margarita hunt and wound up taking one of the carriage rides around the Alamo.

Carriage Driver: "Who you guys?"
Us: "A radiation safety class from A&M."
Drunken Female Us: "We know all about Avogadro's Number".
Guy Who Follows a Horse's Ass All Day: "Ten to the 23rd, huh."

377 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:47:34am

re: #372 RogueOne

Greyhound, $29.95 one-way tickets.

Gotta go round-trip in case you have to retreat...

378 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:50:48am

re: #377 darthstar

Gotta go round-trip in case you have to retreat...

Greyhound doesn't offer much in the way of round-trip discounts.

I'd buy a one-way. If Iran invades Israel, there might be no "there" to go back to.

379 kirkspencer  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:51:13am

re: #370 RogueOne

Just what I said, they don't have the ability to invade anyone. They have no way to get troops to Israel, their aircraft are ancient and their armor is worthless. They have a lot of people in uniform but no viable way to get them anywhere.

They have no way to get enough troops to Israel, and support them, to invade.

Not all their aircraft is ancient. They've only got a handful of combat aircraft designed off the F5, but they're in production. Same for support aircraft.

Going to disagree about their armor. I rate it second tier; not good enough to go toe-to-toe with the Merkava (or the M1Ax) but good enough they can't be ignored. (Favorite point to this argument: US vs German tanks in WWII. It isn't just the toe-to-toe that matters.)

380 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:52:16am

re: #373 Sergey Romanov

Yep. My point is that Ahmadinejad certainly did "say that", and moreover, various other organizations even said that in English, thus not even requiring a translation - “Israel should be wiped out of the face of the world.”

The Republican party, as it now stands (controlled by extremists and freaks) should be wiped off the face of the world. Does that mean I want to exterminate all Republicans (including my family)? No. It means I find their politics disagreeable and would like to see it gone.

381 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:52:25am

re: #378 BongCrodny

Iran definitely can't invade Israel, given that there's a few countries in the way, none of whom like Iran.

382 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:52:32am

re: #378 BongCrodny

Greyhound doesn't offer much in the way of round-trip discounts.

I'd buy a one-way. If Iran invades Israel, there might be no "there" to go back to.

Precisely the concept that makes Iran really, really, want an igloo full of nukes.

383 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:53:38am

re: #380 darthstar

The eliminationist rhetoric against Israel is very explicit. It calls for the destruction of the country of Israel, and the expulsion of the people. It's very common in the Middle Eastern Muslim nations. It is not waffling, it's very straightforward and direct: Israel, the country, should be destroyed.

Whether or not that also means the genocide of the entire Israeli people seems a bit of a moot point. Obviously, it'd result in the death of millions.

384 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:53:59am

re: #380 darthstar

The Republican party, as it now stands (controlled by extremists and freaks) should be wiped off the face of the world. Does that mean I want to exterminate all Republicans (including my family)? No. It means I find their politics disagreeable and would like to see it gone.

That's a false equivalence, however. Saying you want a political party to disappear is not the same as saying you want an entire country to disappear, or more to the point, saying that you want the inhabitants thereof to be "pushed into the sea".

385 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:55:50am

re: #380 darthstar

The Republican party, as it now stands (controlled by extremists and freaks) should be wiped off the face of the world. Does that mean I want to exterminate all Republicans (including my family)? No. It means I find their politics disagreeable and would like to see it gone.

Specious analogy. Not only it ignores a difference between a party and a state, it also completely ignores history.

386 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:56:32am

re: #379 kirkspencer

They have no way to get enough troops to Israel, and support them, to invade.

What advantage would they gain by invading Israel? None. They've got a shitload of oil and the revenues that go with it. The Iranians don't need Israel, and most likely have no intention of ever fighting them (for a number of reasons: one being Israel's unofficial nuclear stockpile which they don't doubt the Israelis would unleash on them without hesitation if they did invade).

I think my booger in the mashed potatoes reference is most accurate to what is going on here. This is all a big shell game. Israel threatens war, gas prices go up, and Iran cashes in. Win win.

387 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 6:59:49am

re: #379 kirkspencer

They have no way to get enough troops to Israel, and support them, to invade.

Not all their aircraft is ancient. They've only got a handful of combat aircraft designed off the F5, but they're in production. Same for support aircraft.

Going to disagree about their armor. I rate it second tier; not good enough to go toe-to-toe with the Merkava (or the M1Ax) but good enough they can't be ignored. (Favorite point to this argument: US vs German tanks in WWII. It isn't just the toe-to-toe that matters.)

Compared to the Israeli forces the Iranians may as well be using bow and arrows. 3/4 of their tanks are using 30-50 year old technology. They might have enough firepower to cause some damage to an invading force but they don't have a real way to project that force outside their borders.

388 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:01:07am

Morning stuff. BBL

389 Political Atheist  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:01:19am

Good morning!
Any web people / Lizards looking for a some work at a fair rate?
I have a task assigned to me. I am to find a person to give a website a desperately needed face lift. It was made too long ago. Just a facelift, not looking to add anything big, just a clean up with a more modern look.

I'm looking for quotes, we have a decent budget and a reasonable deadline. My nic is blue, so drop me a line or a reply if interested. I thought I'd start here before going to the open market. I prefer to "buy local".

I subscribed to the thread so it's easy to let me know.

390 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:02:37am

Darth:

The chants of death to Israel (and death to the US) began well before Ahmadinejad was selected as Iran's president. Those were chants common during the Iranian revolution and are repeated after major policy speeches by Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and others.

It's hardly Ahmadinejad who brought the Little Satan/Death to Israel to the forefront. It's part and parcel of Iranian political rhetoric ever since 1979.

What's worrisome is that Iran's working on the very kinds of technology and infrastructure that could put the means to carry out that rhetoric within their grasp.

That's where intel analysts differ. They don't know how far along they are on the process - we can go by what the Iranians declare as far as enrichment centrifuges and new cascades and all that - but we can only guestimate what that would mean if they're running as efficiently as they say (and that would be the worst case scenario). They may be pulling a misinformation campaign, but that would be real bad for them considering that taking them at their word on nuclear capabilities would give them only a few short years to obtain the means to make nuclear weapons capable of destroying Israel (or at least putting a hurt on the Tel-Aviv/Jerusalem corridor - aim at the middle - say Ben Gurion Airport - and you've cut the country in half and affected most of Israel's population in one shot). The missile tech is within their capabilities - it's at the high end of their range on their long range missiles.

Israel can't afford to be wrong about their analysis - if they wait and Iran does gain the capabilities - they're concerned that Iran may well actually use those weapons. If that happens, as I mention above - a single weapon would cause catastrophic damage to Israel (the country of Israel is little larger than all of New Jersey for comparative sake).

Complicating matters even further is the fact that other Arab countries wouldn't mind if Israel took care of Iran and its nuclear program. They too are worried about Iran's intentions - Saudi Arabia has already gone out and noted that if Iran detonates a nuclear device, they'll be invoking a mutual aid deal with Pakistan to obtain nuclear weapons. They might be egging Israel on - no skin off their backs if Israel takes the brunt or blame for confronting Iran, but benefit nonetheless. It also makes for odd bedfellows considering that these other Arab countries are more than willing to demonize Israel at the drop of the hat, yet they benefited from Israel's prior actions (Iran benefited from Israel's Osirak raid for instance - Iran had tried to take out the reactor but failed to hit the reactor complex before Israel succeeded in its raid).

391 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:03:26am

re: #383 Obdicut

The eliminationist rhetoric against Israel is very explicit. It calls for the destruction of the country of Israel, and the expulsion of the people. It's very common in the Middle Eastern Muslim nations. It is not waffling, it's very straightforward and direct: Israel, the country, should be destroyed.

Whether or not that also means the genocide of the entire Israeli people seems a bit of a moot point. Obviously, it'd result in the death of millions.

Unless the citizens/government "self-deported" and voluntarily left.

"Fuck you" would be the only suitable response.

392 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:03:53am

re: #387 RogueOne

Compared to the Israeli forces the Iranians may as well be using bow and arrows. 3/4 of their tanks are using 30-50 year old technology. They might have enough firepower to cause some damage to an invading force but they don't have a real way to project that force outside their borders.

Except, you know, to their next-door neighbor, Turkmenistan, whose military is a complete joke.

393 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:05:01am

re: #385 Sergey Romanov

Specious analogy. Not only it ignores a difference between a party and a state, it also completely ignores history.

Iran and Israel have never been at war, have they? Or are you equating Iran with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust? If that's the case then the discussion's over and you win.

394 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:10:01am

re: #393 darthstar

Iran and Israel have never been at war, have they? Or are you equating Iran with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust? If that's the case then the discussion's over and you win.

Neither.

395 Lidane  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:12:04am

Cue the RWNJ splodey heads:

Romney: 'I'm Not Willing To Light My Hair On Fire To Try And Get Support'

"It's very easy to excite the base with incendiary comments. We've seen throughout the campaign if you're willing to say really outrageous things that are accusative, attacking of President Obama, that you're going to jump up in the polls. I'm not willing to light my hair on fire to try and get support. I am who I am. I'm a person with extensive experience in the private sector, in the economy."

396 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:12:31am

re: #390 lawhawk

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. My guess is that Iran wants nukes (if they want them...they did sign the non-proliferation treaty after all, unlike Israel) then they want them for the same reason everyone else does...as a deterrent to prevent others from invading them. They've got a shitload of oil to protect after all.

And yes, Israel would be useful to someplace like Saudi Arabia who feels threatened culturally by Iran. Saudi Arabia still lives in the 15th century politically, and their king would like to keep it that way. An Iran-Israel war would make for good entertainment and a boost to their profits.

397 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:13:03am

re: #395 Lidane

Except he is, continually, saying batshit insane right-wing talking points.

398 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:13:28am

re: #395 Lidane

Cue the RWNJ splodey heads:

Romney: 'I'm Not Willing To Light My Hair On Fire To Try And Get Support'

It's a good thing. With all that hair gel he'd go up like a tiki torch.

399 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:14:04am

re: #396 darthstar

That last part is a good point. All the other Middle Eastern nations hate Israel, and they hate Iran. Seeing them fight isn't bad for anyone else in the neighborhood; it's good for them.

400 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:14:14am

re: #395 Lidane

Cue the RWNJ splodey heads:

Romney: 'I'm Not Willing To Light My Hair On Fire To Try And Get Support'

If you lit Romney's hair on fire, Red Adair couldn't put it out.

401 Lidane  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:14:16am

re: #397 Obdicut

Except he is, continually, saying batshit insane right-wing talking points.

Well yes, but somehow they're less batshit than the garbage Santorum says on any given day, so he's suddenly a RINO. WTF.

402 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:15:51am

re: #401 Lidane

Romney's attempted to run to the right of Santorum on a number of issues, which is sadly hilarious.

403 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:16:22am

Well, shoot -- when I started this it looked like the thread had slowed down a bit and I wasn't too afraid I was hijacking it.

Damn.

Producers of "The Walking Dead" have just case the role of "The Governor." Anyone who's read the comic books knows who The Governor is; for anyone who hasn't read the comics: let's just say that any threat posed by Shane is small fucking potatoes compared to the Governor.

While The Governor appeared in *maybe* a dozen issues of the comic book; the character was so memorable he was listed in an IGN piece as being among comics' 100 most memorable villains.

IGN: Comics' Top 100 Villains

Season 3 is going to be a hoot.

405 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:20:46am

re: #403 BongCrodny

David Morrissey? I don't think I've ever heard of him.

406 darthstar  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:22:01am

Time to walk the dogs. Play nice everyone. Keep your fingers crossed that Michigan buries Romney in Santorum.

407 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:22:16am

re: #405 RogueOne

David Morrissey? I don't think I've ever heard of him.

Me either, but he was in "State of Play," which has been highly praised here and at other sites.

Any "State of Play" fans here?

408 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:24:54am

Ron Paul can still pull this off!

//

410 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:28:22am

re: #409 Killgore Trout

No surprise here: Restaurant Calls Photo Of Banker’s 1 Percent Tip, ‘Get A Real Job’ Message A Hoax

America can now breathe a sigh of relief.

411 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:29:36am

re: #409 Killgore Trout

No surprise here: Restaurant Calls Photo Of Banker’s 1 Percent Tip, ‘Get A Real Job’ Message A Hoax

Yes, the 1%'er is vindicated and OWS is still evil. The status quo has been restored.

412 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:31:20am

Must see Santorum cartoon.

413 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:35:17am

re: #409 Killgore Trout

There's no reason it wasn't a credible story. When I was a bartender, I've been tipped 0 and told to get a real job. There's plenty of assholes out there.

414 Lidane  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:37:44am

re: #409 Killgore Trout

No surprise here: Restaurant Calls Photo Of Banker’s 1 Percent Tip, ‘Get A Real Job’ Message A Hoax

Yeah. Because there have never, ever been asshole customers who leave shitty tips and act like jerks to the waitstaff. Ever.

Glad we cleared that up.

415 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:40:53am

re: #396 darthstar

Is it possible that Iran wants a deterrent threat against Israel? Yes.

However, when looking at why Israel went and unofficially got nuclear weapons helps inform as well. Israel's neighbors outmatch it in terms of sheer size of their military forces (capabilities are a separate question - and in a prolonged fight, Israel would be at a disadvantage since it can't absorb significant losses over a period of time the way a larger military could). Nuclear weapons evens out the equation and makes Arab countries think twice about attacking Israel directly. Thus, we get a deterrent level but also regimes looking at using proxies (aka terror groups) to indirectly attack Israel and Israel responds with Mossad operations against such groups.

It's also much more likely that Iran wants deterrence effect against Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Gulf States - countries that have significantly upgraded their military systems over the past 20 years and pose a more direct threat to Iran than Israel (Israel would be minding their own business if these other countries simply let it live in peace). With Iran under sanctions, they're falling behind other countries in upgrading their weapons systems - so they're using missile tech and the specter of nuclear weapons to rebalance the equation.

416 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:42:27am

re: #413 Obdicut

Fake but accurate™

417 Lidane  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:44:50am

re: #413 Obdicut

There's no reason it wasn't a credible story. When I was a bartender, I've been tipped 0 and told to get a real job. There's plenty of assholes out there.

Oh, but didn't you know? The waitress was probably just an attention-seeking OWS rapey stabbey hippie. No reason to ever take anything a waitstaff person says about a shitty tip seriously. Customers never, ever act like jerks, or leave lousy tips, or tell the waitstaff to get a real job.

Move along, nothing to see here. It's all just a hoax.

///

418 Killgore Trout  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:45:06am

re: #413 Obdicut

There's no reason it wasn't a credible story. When I was a bartender, I've been tipped 0 and told to get a real job. There's plenty of assholes out there.

I saw the image posted on reddit about a week or two ago as an example of a lousy customer. It was on the front page. After it circulated around the internet the story about the banker was attached. It's not true.

419 Lidane  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:48:55am

re: #418 Killgore Trout

Please. As if you'd ever have taken it seriously even if the banker was shouting from the rooftops that it was true. You would've just found some reason to blame the waitress instead.

420 Our Precious Bodily Fluids  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:49:17am

re: the "Today With Your Wife" lyrics - seems like the 'protagonist' of the song is talking about himself.

421 Simply Sarah  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:51:55am

re: #418 Killgore Trout

I saw the image posted on reddit about a week or two ago as an example of a lousy customer. It was on the front page. After it circulated around the internet the story about the banker was attached. It's not true.

But what people are saying is that sure, this specific example isn't true, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen all the time without being reported/getting attention. It's too bad people can now just dismiss this as fake, since it means any discussion around the culture reflected in the hoax is dropped and ignored by many people.

422 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:55:01am

≤15%

423 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:57:57am

Really, Israel is our 51st state, they really should be compelled to give us fair warning before they start acting like some sort of sovereign nation

/

424 iossarian  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 7:59:57am

re: #422 Gus

≤15%

Food service industry people, I love you all, but seriously, PUT IT ON THE FUCKING BILL. If it's optional, then guess what, it's optional.

I always tip well, but it's a stupid system.

I know, I know, industry standards yadayadayada.

425 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:03:45am

re: #424 iossarian

Food service industry people, I love you all, but seriously, PUT IT ON THE FUCKING BILL. If it's optional, then guess what, it's optional.

I always tip well, but it's a stupid system.

I know, I know, industry standards yadayadayada.

Don't look at me. You know how old fashioned and derpy Americans can be. It's a subservient system when you think about it.

426 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:04:56am

re: #422 Gus

≤15%

Discussions over tipping practices always bug me because I can honestly see both sides of the issue. Yes, I know that wait staff, etc., are paid far below minimum wage and expect to make it up through tipping. On the other hand, I also understand that the rules and conventions for tipping are absolutely ridiculous. Reading through that link makes me want to slap a whole bunch of people upside the head - stingy bastards and overly demanding service-industry people alike. It's getting as convoluted as the damn federal tax system, and like the tax system, they could both use a complete overhaul.

427 iossarian  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:07:02am

re: #425 Gus

Don't look at me. You know how old fashioned and derpy Americans can be. It's a subservient system when you think about it.

"I am so happy to be in a position to be able to beg for a subsistance wage! See how happy I am! Have a nice day!"

428 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:08:36am

re: #427 iossarian

"I am so happy to be in a position to be able to beg for a subsistance wage! See how happy I am! Have a nice day!"

"I demand that my waiter be happy and provide me with all my needs and requests for which I will gladly pay them 15 percent of the food bill! But it's very important that I like them! They must WORK for my acceptance. Now bow before me!"

//

429 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:11:33am

My business is up slightly over last year but this doesn't look good:

Durable Goods Demand Falls Most in 3 Years; Down 4%
[Link: www.cnbc.com...]

New orders for U.S. manufactured goods fell in January by the most in three years as demand fell across the board from machinery to aircraft, suggesting the economy started the year on weaker footing than expected.

Durable goods orders dropped 4.0 percent,the biggest drop since January 2009 when the country was still mired in a deep recession, according to Commerce Department data on Tuesday.

Economists had forecast orders falling 1.0 percent

430 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:15:52am

OTOH:

Consumer Confidence Rises to One-Year High in February
[Link: www.cnbc.com...]

U.S. consumer confidence scaled a one-year high in February as optimism about the labor market offset concerns over rising gas prices, an independent survey showed on Tuesday.

The Conference Board said its index of consumer attitudes increased to 70.8 this month — the highest reading since February last year — from an upwardly revised 61.5 in January.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the index rising to 63.0 from a previously reported reading of 61.1 in January.

431 Amory Blaine  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:16:37am

Going out to eat is like theater. We all have roles to play and if the customer acts like a douche he fucks up the whole show. Even for himself.

432 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:17:04am

Hilarious. Fox News robot, S.E. Cupp, thinks you can turn Santorum's "satan in colleges is evil" bullshit into an economic argument.

Watch here: Charles Blow Spars With S.E. Cupp Over Rick Santorum’s Electability

433 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:18:31am

re: #432 Gus

Hilarious. Fox News robot, S.E. Cupp, thinks you can turn Santorum's "satan in colleges is evil" bullshit into an economic argument.

What here: Charles Blow Spars With S.E. Cupp Over Rick Santorum’s Electability

Both "Chuck Blow" and " S.E.E. Cupp" would make great porn names.

434 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:18:55am

re: #433 RogueOne

Both "Chuck Blow" and " S.E.E. Cupp" would make great porn names.

Thwack!

435 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:19:33am

re: #423 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Really, Israel is our 51st state, they really should be compelled to give us fair warning before they start acting like some sort of sovereign nation

/

Why? We don't make Texas do it either.
/

436 Amory Blaine  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:19:42am

re: #429 RogueOne

re: #430 RogueOne

So we are ok as long as what we are buying isn't durable.

;)

437 iossarian  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:20:21am

re: #432 Gus

Hilarious. Fox News robot, S.E. Cupp, thinks you can turn Santorum's "satan in colleges is evil" bullshit into an economic argument.

What here: Charles Blow Spars With S.E. Cupp Over Rick Santorum’s Electability

LOL.

“If everyone’s in college, who is in the factories, Charles?” Cupp zinged. “If everyone’s in college, who is bringing back the manufacturing industry?”

"Zinged"? I would say that was "burbled" or possibly "muttered". "Droned" also a possibility.

438 iossarian  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:21:23am

Hey college kids, don't get any fancy ideas about improving the productivity of the American workforce!

YOU FUCKING LIBERAL WASTERS!

439 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:21:52am

re: #437 iossarian

LOL.

"Zinged"? I would say that was "burbled" or possibly "muttered". "Droned" also a possibility.

Amazing isn't it? S.E. Cupp and her ilk is one of the reasons that the GOP is hit bottom. They pay attention to idiots like her and even use them as political consultants. There she is. Policy wonk and we're all laughing at her ineptitude.

440 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:22:09am

re: #438 iossarian

Hey college kids, don't get any fancy ideas about improving the productivity of the American workforce!

YOU FUCKING LIBERAL WASTERS!

Aren't they busy being wait staff in their myriads of free time?

441 Amory Blaine  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:22:53am

Israel should be a state. I think we should offer statehood to Iraq too.

442 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:23:24am

re: #440 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Aren't they busy being wait staff in their myriads of free time?

Don't go to college or vocational school! That's for snobs. Instead you can live the high-life middle class making 19 grand a year. You can even rent a really big duplex with that salary.

//

443 Amory Blaine  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:24:24am

re: #442 Gus

You make it sound so sweet.

444 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:26:08am

re: #441 Amory Blaine

Israel should be a state. I think we should offer statehood to Iraq too.

But I have a suspicion that Israel itself *doesn't* want to be a US state.

Puts them back under sovereignty of a non-Jewish majority.

445 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:26:34am

Morning- What amazed me about Santorum's attitude was the sheer condescending attitude behind it. This is a man with a BA in poli sci from PSU and a MA from Pitt. He knew the benefits of education for himself and sought them. What I was thinking about was how the people in my family who didn't have college degrees were consequently the ones who pushed me most to get mine. Santorum is the real elitist here not Obama.

446 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:26:40am

Mind bending election year. Why are Americans even debating what Santorum is saying? He is not even worthy to be up on the podium. Even for the Republican Party.

447 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:27:23am

Sort of good news for my county:

Keystone Pipeline Construction Could Begin Mid-Year: TransCanada CEO
[Link: www.cnbc.com...]

The Operating Engineers Local that trains their employees (pipe testing using sonar) is located here. I supply them with 3' and 4' pipe sections a couple times a year.

448 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:27:39am

re: #446 Gus

Mind bending election year. Why are Americans even debating what Santorum is saying? He is not even worthy to be up on the podium. Even for the Republican Party.

Because a lot of Americans are idiots like the Michigan Tea Partiers quoted after he said that. They actually think American universities are turning kids into communists.

449 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:27:43am

re: #424 iossarian

Food service industry people, I love you all, but seriously, PUT IT ON THE FUCKING BILL. If it's optional, then guess what, it's optional.

I always tip well, but it's a stupid system.

I know, I know, industry standards yadayadayada.

15% service charge is part of the bill in Europe, tipping consists of just rounding things up to the nearest round figure

And waitstaff is insured and has paid holidays, etc...

and the economy has not collapsed yet.

mystery to me, by all rights, they should have gone belly up decades ago.

450 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:30:12am

re: #435 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Why? We don't make Texas do it either.
/

because Israel is gonna expect us to make up the second wave if they go in first...

451 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:30:46am

re: #448 HappyWarrior

Because a lot of Americans are idiots like the Michigan Tea Partiers quoted after he said that. They actually think American universities are turning kids into communists.

Plus "Obama said it." Obvious points already made including the fact that he included vocational training. He never made a case for having ALL American go to college. It was about access to education. Of course I would argue that having a college degree wouldn't hurt a factory worker either. There are plenty of people in factories already with "some college" in their resumes.

452 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:31:33am

re: #451 Gus

Plus "Obama said it." Obvious points already made including the fact that he included vocational training. He never made a case for having ALL American go to college. It was about access to education. Of course I would argue that having a college degree wouldn't hurt a factory worker either. There are plenty of people in factories already with "some college" in their resumes.

And if Reagan had said the very same thing. Well you know how that would work out.

453 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:32:38am

re: #451 Gus

Plus "Obama said it." Obvious points already made including the fact that he included vocational training. He never made a case for having ALL American go to college. It was about access to education. Of course I would argue that having a college degree wouldn't hurt a factory worker either. There are plenty of people in factories already with "some college" in their resumes.

Yep, it was classic Obama said it so we have to oppose it mentality. I'm still dumb-founded to why this is even an issue.

454 Amory Blaine  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:33:07am

School is for stupid people!!!

455 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:33:47am

re: #432 Gus

Hilarious. Fox News robot, S.E. Cupp, thinks you can turn Santorum's "satan in colleges is evil" bullshit into an economic argument.

Watch here: Charles Blow Spars With S.E. Cupp Over Rick Santorum’s Electability

Christine O'Donnel was not electable, Karl Rove tried to say that and was smacked down. He had to walk it back and announce his unconditional and full support for whichever unelectable wingnut the party chooses to nominate.

C-Cup Cupp is just maintaining the party's talking points.

456 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:34:18am

re: #453 HappyWarrior

Yep, it was classic Obama said it so we have to oppose it mentality. I'm still dumb-founded to why this is even an issue.

Apparently attending a university has become part of the culture war? I think we're dealing with an Archie Bunker mentality here.

457 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:35:19am

re: #451 Gus

Plus "Obama said it." Obvious points already made including the fact that he included vocational training. He never made a case for having ALL American go to college. It was about access to education. Of course I would argue that having a college degree wouldn't hurt a factory worker either. There are plenty of people in factories already with "some college" in their resumes.

I think a lot of hate gets heaped on college due to it being an uninsulated environment*. It's based on opportunity, exchange of ideas, logic (generally), and also in large a place where if you start spouting bullshit there is a decent chance you will be called on it. And simply being exposed to it will change people even if they are there for a limited time. You get to see that a lot of stereotyped or simply labeled groups are composed of *people*.

* - Excepting some schools that build themselves as isolated from the get-go. And the fact that if you want to isolate yourself from everything you pretty much can in any case. Lead a horse to water and all that.

458 Interesting Times  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:35:57am

re: #456 Gus

Apparently attending a university has become part of the culture war? I think we're dealing with an Archie Bunker mentality here.

Modern GOP base = Archie Bunker minus the occasional charm and humanity.

459 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:36:49am

re: #458 Interesting Times

Modern GOP base = Archie Bunker minus the occasional charm and humanity.

They're more like Eric Cartman in personality.
Screw you guys, I'm going home.

460 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:37:49am

The obvious question also being...

What factory?

461 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:38:43am

Do not forget Santorum's assertion that continuing education is not a cost-effective way for helping single mothers with no employment skills...

It is all about knee-jerk reaction of everything Obama chooses to advocate.

462 iossarian  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:38:47am

re: #457 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Of course, the supreme irony in all this is that what most of the centrist policymakers want to promote is precisely the kind of vocational "some college" education which has very little to do with the traditional, mind-expanding, liberalizing experience that you're talking about.

Not saying one is better than the other, mind, just that the broad liberal education that Santorum finds so hateful is not really what's being talked about in terms of "boosting college attendance".

463 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:41:59am

re: #462 iossarian

Of course, the supreme irony in all this is that what most of the centrist policymakers want to promote is precisely the kind of vocational "some college" education which has very little to do with the traditional, mind-expanding, liberalizing experience that you're talking about.

Not saying one is better than the other, mind, just that the broad liberal education that Santorum finds so hateful is not really what's being talked about in terms of "boosting college attendance".

I think even the vocational "some college" is a bit mind-expanding. It's going to mix one with people from beyond their current social circles in most cases. Which is going to involve direct involvement with people with different backgrounds and opinions in a somewhat neutral setting.

464 rwdflynavy  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:42:58am

re: #463 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

I think even the vocational "some college" is a bit mind-expanding. It's going to mix one with people from beyond their current social circles in most cases. Which is going to involve direct involvement with people with different backgrounds and opinions in a somewhat neutral setting.

But that's why I'm on LGF!
//

465 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:43:19am

Another being that Republicans don't want "Americans attending college." Just another spending item they can strike of the list. Another excuse for cutting college funding, scholarship programs, grants, loans. Colleges and universities are also the "breading ground" for everything they oppose like, science.

466 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:43:59am

re: #463 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

It is about taking something that Obama or JKF said, twisting it and then whining about it.

Funny thing is, I don't think it is cynical, he sincerely believes these ridiculous misconceptions.

467 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:44:09am

re: #418 Killgore Trout

I saw the image posted on reddit about a week or two ago as an example of a lousy customer. It was on the front page. After it circulated around the internet the story about the banker was attached. It's not true.

Yes, I get that it's not true. I'm pointing out that the particular story really doesn't matter all that much, given that, all over this great nation, assholes are leaving 0% tips and being dicks about it.

It's a good thing to be reminded of. Shitty jobs are shitty, and we should be empathetic and kind to those who have to work them.

468 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:44:36am

What I get out of this is many social conservatives like Santorum hate the idea of young people being exposed to new ideas and ways of looking at the world and meeting new people.

469 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:45:33am

re: #468 HappyWarrior

And the sex. Don't forget the sex.

470 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:45:58am

re: #469 Obdicut

And the sex. Don't forget the sex.

Booze, dancing and pool halls!

//

471 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:46:14am

re: #469 Obdicut

And the sex. Don't forget the sex.

Oh of course.

472 rwdflynavy  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:47:16am

re: #470 Gus

Booze, dancing and pool halls!

//

Right here in River city!! With a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool!

473 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:48:25am

re: #471 HappyWarrior

Oh of course.

And their biggest concern! Anal sex!

They're always thinking about that.

//

474 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:48:51am

re: #473 Gus

And their biggest concern! Anal sex!

They're always thinking about that.

//

Teh gay!

475 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:49:18am

The Happiest States in the Union

I have to admit, I was very surprised to see a number of Northern states at the top and a number of Southern states at the bottom. But then, that might reflect the fact that the hardcore, racist, sexist, unhappy-about-everything GOP base is mostly among the South.

476 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:49:35am

re: #474 HappyWarrior

Teh gay!

Definitely. I think they have gay alarm clocks. Santorum's has one with a naked gay stud on the face. Wakes up and "there they are!"

//

477 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:51:01am

re: #476 Gus

Definitely. I think they have gay alarm clocks. Santorum's has one with a naked gay stud on the face. Wakes up and "there they are!"

//

Santorum is still afraid of waking up with a gay stud on his face...

478 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:51:11am

re: #475 thedopefishlives

The Happiest States in the Union

I have to admit, I was very surprised to see a number of Northern states at the top and a number of Southern states at the bottom. But then, that might reflect the fact that the hardcore, racist, sexist, unhappy-about-everything GOP base is mostly among the South.

Why I would be happy if I lived near the ocean too Hawaiians.

479 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:51:55am

re: #464 Beatings will continue until morale improves

But that's why I'm on LGF!
//

Where else would you be exposed to ground-pounders?

480 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:52:04am

re: #468 HappyWarrior

What I get out of this is many social conservatives like Santorum hate the idea of young people being exposed to new ideas and ways of looking at the world and meeting new people.

This is what happened to me. I went into college as a naive religious fundamentalist. I emerged a profoundly altered moderate. Obviously, the socons are afraid of the fact that a university's exposure to real life is capable of breaking their brainwashing.

481 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:52:37am

re: #475 thedopefishlives

I totally get Utah being up there in the list. If you're the outdoorsy type, it's a haven. You've got great skiing/snowboarding, hiking, and the amazing national parks all within the state (or a relatively short drive to places like Yellowstone). Fact is, when I eventually retire, UT is up there on the list...

482 rwdflynavy  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:52:43am

re: #479 Decatur Deb

Where else would you be exposed to ground-pounders?

And them to cloud lice like me?

483 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:52:48am

Republican math: talk down higher education to the minions = slash funding for higher education.

484 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:53:20am

re: #481 lawhawk

I totally get Utah being up there in the list. If you're the outdoorsy type, it's a haven. You've got great skiing/snowboarding, hiking, and the amazing national parks all within the state (or a relatively short drive to places like Yellowstone). Fact is, when I eventually retire, UT is up there on the list...

I suppose that is true. And certainly in Minnesota, despite the bitter cold and the short winter days, it's a beautiful state and the quality of life is very high here. I'm certainly not displeased with it.

485 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:53:49am

re: #481 lawhawk

I totally get Utah being up there in the list. If you're the outdoorsy type, it's a haven. You've got great skiing/snowboarding, hiking, and the amazing national parks all within the state (or a relatively short drive to places like Yellowstone). Fact is, when I eventually retire, UT is up there on the list...

Better check out the deli.

486 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:54:36am

re: #484 thedopefishlives

Oh and you've got those walleyes to, y'know, and those fry up real good. Especially if you cook them with a little pop and put them in a hotdish.

487 Flounder  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:55:02am

I am totally not getting any of the jokes on here today
:(

488 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:55:49am

re: #487 Tommy

I am totally not getting any of the jokes on here today
:(

It's the Spring Solipsism.

489 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:56:11am

re: #487 Tommy

It's just Minnesotan humor. Don't you know that then? It's mostly just saying normal things in an earnest and well-scrubbed way far as that goes.

490 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:56:33am

re: #486 Obdicut

Oh and you've got those walleyes to, y'know, and those fry up real good. Especially if you cook them with a little pop and put them in a hotdish.

I had a fascinating discussion with an East Coaster over the difference in our seafood. Here, we have bass, walleye, and the occasional northern pike in great abundance, whereas salmon, trout, and other river or saltwater fish are rather expensive. Closer to the ocean, the situation is entirely reversed.

491 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:57:06am

re: #480 thedopefishlives

This is what happened to me. I went into college as a naive religious fundamentalist. I emerged a profoundly altered moderate. Obviously, the socons are afraid of the fact that a university's exposure to real life is capable of breaking their brainwashing.

Yes, I think you're on to something about that. I think they saw disagreement as being similar to open defiance. My Dad has said of his own parents that he loved that he could disagree with them and it not be a problem.

492 Flounder  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:57:44am

re: #489 Obdicut

oh, well maybe if William Macy said it...

493 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:57:51am

I wonder what the people a Bob Jones, Oral Roberts and Brigham Young Universities have to say about Santorum's statements on higher education

494 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:58:45am

re: #490 thedopefishlives

I had a fascinating discussion with an East Coaster over the difference in our seafood. Here, we have bass, walleye, and the occasional northern pike in great abundance, whereas salmon, trout, and other river or saltwater fish are rather expensive. Closer to the ocean, the situation is entirely reversed.

Which is one reason California is awesome; great Sierra trout, plus the Pacific, plus a ton of variety of shellfish, plus the salmon rivers, plus catfish.

495 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:59:18am

re: #494 Obdicut

Which is one reason California is awesome; great Sierra trout, plus the Pacific, plus a ton of variety of shellfish, plus the salmon rivers, plus catfish.

Yeah, but you haven't lived until you've fought a muskie. (Or he's dragged you into the lake, which is far more likely for the uninitiated.)

496 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 8:59:32am

re: #493 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

I wonder what the people a Bob Jones, Oral Roberts and Brigham Young Universities have to say about Santorum's statements on higher education

Psst. I heard that even Ronald Reagan went to college.

//

497 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:00:16am

re: #495 thedopefishlives

Muskellunge

498 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:00:53am

re: #495 thedopefishlives

I learned to fish with some Finnish dudes. They fished in two ways:

1. Dropping a fish weir in, and coming back a couple of days later to collect the fish.

2. Standing on a rock in the pond and then slamming gigantic clubs down into the water and collecting the stunned fish.

499 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:01:30am

One of the things I pointed out that the 1950's that decade they love so much had its prosperity driven by a higher number of college graduates following the passage of the GI Bill after WWII.

500 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:01:40am

re: #493 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

I wonder what the people a Bob Jones, Oral Roberts and Brigham Young Universities have to say about Santorum's statements on higher education

His kids are headed to Ave Maria. That's Latin for "Bob Jones".

501 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:02:15am

re: #498 Obdicut

My dad is a born and bred Indiana native, but he's acquired the family love of fishing. His last trip up here, he surprised me by indicating that he would like to go out on the ice some time. I never knew he had it in him. My northern exposure must be corrupting my family!

502 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:02:47am

re: #499 HappyWarrior

Also, the military passed out condoms like they were going out of style.

503 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:03:01am

re: #501 thedopefishlives

Have you seen "Fishing with John"?

504 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:03:09am

re: #499 HappyWarrior

One of the things I pointed out that the 1950's that decade they love so much had its prosperity driven by a higher number of college graduates following the passage of the GI Bill after WWII.

Yeah. You know all of those high school grads that helped take us to the moon.

505 Douchecanoe and Ryan Too  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:03:41am

re: #503 Obdicut

Have you seen "Fishing with John"?

I have not. Link me and I'll grab it when I get back from lunch with the Mrs. Fish. Have a great day, all.

506 carlaschluge  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:03:54am

Lousy, stupid, boring song. You've done better.

507 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:04:28am

Oh. Here comes Ms. Happy Face.

//

508 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:04:31am

re: #506 carlaschluge

Oh my god what a crybaby. That's hilarious.

509 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:04:31am

Wonder what Santorum has to say about the GI bill and the military policy of promoting and encouraging higher education among all its members.

510 Eventual Carrion  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:04:41am

re: #372 RogueOne

Greyhound, $29.95 one-way tickets.

Yep. One way ticket, "and why am I wearing this red shirt?"

511 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:05:05am

re: #504 Gus

Yeah. You know all of those high school grads that helped take us to the moon.

And modernized our military. Seriously this shouldn't even be a political issue. It amazes me that Obama can say something non political like this and they still get their chests beating like this. It's just like the first lady's healthy eating initiative. This is something any other first lady could have done but Michelle is Mrs. Obama so ergo she's a food Nazi.

512 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:05:36am

re: #505 thedopefishlives

Oh you're in for a surreal treat.

Youtube Video
513 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:06:00am

re: #508 Obdicut

Oh my god what a crybaby. That's hilarious.

Joad Carla Cressbeckler

514 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:06:02am

re: #509 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

Wonder what Santorum has to say about the GI bill and the military policy of promoting and encouraging higher education among all its members.

I'd love to ask him that but alas I am not a journalist.

515 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:06:04am

re: #409 Killgore Trout

No surprise here:

That's what I said when the US finally conceded that Iraqi WMDs were, ahem, just a big misunderstanding.

516 carlaschluge  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:06:13am

Chalk another one up to our "brilliant" President. Can't even read his teleprompters correctly!

[Link: bcove.me...]

517 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:07:14am

re: #502 Obdicut

Also, the military passed out condoms like they were going out of style.

There was a giant fishbowl full of them on the admissions counter at the famous 121st Evac Hospital. Wife and kids were amused.

The sign on the back (leaving) side of the Camp Red Cloud archway said "Do you have your protection?.

My 9 year-old: "Mommy do we have protection?"
Wife: "The soldier at the front of the bus carries a .45 for us."
Busfull of GI's: "Giggle, giggle, giggle."

518 wrenchwench  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:07:42am

re: #506 carlaschluge

Lousy, stupid, boring song. You've done better.

Lousy, stupid, boring poster. Even you have done better.

519 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:07:50am

re: #507 Gus

Oh. Here comes Ms. Happy Face.

//

Maybe it's Mr. Happy Face. Carl A. Schluge. //

520 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:08:12am

re: #518 wrenchwench

She's like having youtube comments streamed right into the thread.

521 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:11:45am

re: #516 carlaschluge

Chalk another one up to our "brilliant" President. Can't even read his teleprompters correctly!

[Link: bcove.me...]

Oh, you must be perfect. Never flubbed anyone's name. We bow before your greatness.

522 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:12:35am

re: #516 carlaschluge

Chalk another one up to our "brilliant" President. Can't even read his teleprompters correctly!

[Link: bcove.me...]

NEWS ALERT: OUR LIBERAL IDOL HAS FEET OF CLAY!!!

523 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:13:24am

re: #522 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

NEWS ALERT: OUR LIBERAL IDOL HAS FEET OF CLAY!!!

All is lost. Let's all go get haircuts and pipes.

524 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:13:28am

Jim Hoft. Paging Jim Hoft. Please report to the front office.

//

525 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:15:38am

re: #522 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

NEWS ALERT: OUR LIBERAL IDOL HAS FEET OF CLAY!!!

That's it! This is a deal changer. The campaign is over and Obama should probably concede defeat this afternoon. The Republicans have won!

//

526 Lord Baron Viscount Duke Earl Count Planckton  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:16:43am

re: #516 carlaschluge

Chalk another one up to our "brilliant" President. Can't even read his teleprompters correctly!

[Link: bcove.me...]

Here's the thing, your comments in this thread are obviously meant to provoke.

Care to discuss serious issues?

527 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:19:04am

re: #413 Obdicut

There's no reason it wasn't a credible story. When I was a bartender, I've been tipped 0 and told to get a real job. There's plenty of assholes out there.

Couple years back a friend of mine got left a $5 tip on a $195 bill. Of course, it was a ragtag assortment of drunk college students, so one presumes that makes it much, much worse.

528 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:19:43am

re: #527 BongCrodny

Couple years back a friend of mine got left a $5 tip on a $195 bill. Of course, it was a ragtag assortment of drunk college students, so one presumes that makes it much, much worse.

Agh even when I'm drunk, I try to be considerate.

529 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:21:10am

Tea Partiers Against College—For Other People's Kids
by David Frum Feb 28, 2012 9:45 AM EST

Conservatives may have fiercely resented Barack Obama's "bitter clingers" remarks from 2008, but Rick Santorum's presidential campaign increasingly seems to take it for granted that Obama was right.

Ask yourself: For whose ears was Santorum's "snob" remark intended?

Surely not for actual young people facing the actual 2012 job market. They know well what the future holds for people with only high school degrees. Since the recession commenced, young Americans have surged into higher education, and especially into community colleges. According to a report last year by the American Association of Community Colleges...

530 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:21:23am

re: #522 Ministry of Fairness and Balance

NEWS ALERT: OUR LIBERAL IDOL HAS FEET OF CLAY!!!

Unleash the golems!

531 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:22:24am

re: #529 Gus

Tea Partiers Against College—For Other People's Kids
by David Frum Feb 28, 2012 9:45 AM EST

...

Now comes the odd part: Tea Party activists are 50% more likely than the general population to have a college degree themselves.

That 40% level of college education becomes even more impressive when you recall how old Tea Party activists are: 41% of them are over 50, vs 33% for the general population.

The older you go in the population distribution, the fewer degrees you find. So a population that is 50% more likely to be over 50 years old—yet also 50% more likely to have a college degree—that's a pretty elite bunch.

532 Obdicut  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:23:04am

re: #531 Gus

They're the "Fuck you, Jack, I got mine" generation.

533 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:23:54am

"John Galt" went to college...

Something's wrong with these people.

534 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:25:03am
535 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:26:05am

Of course the obvious response would be for the wingnuts to attack David Frum.

SNAFU

536 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:26:30am

re: #530 Feline Emperor of the Conservative Waste

Unleash the golems!

They're on sale down at Loew's.

537 jamesfirecat  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:27:11am

re: #529 Gus

Tea Partiers Against College—For Other People's Kids
by David Frum Feb 28, 2012 9:45 AM EST

Oh David Frum, when will you realize that the shifting of the Overton Window has made you a blue dog democrat?

(I say this as a mark for Respect for Mr. Frum who remains one of the few people affiliated with the GOP who is grounded in reality)

538 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:27:47am

re: #531 Gus

...

Dave brought up a good point. I knew about the TPers being more educated than the country as a whole yet it was them saying that colleges were indoctrination factories in the article and of course Santorum himself with his BA and MA from PSU and Pitt. It is typical fuck you, I got mine. I mentioned this earlier but the people who pushed me the strongest towards my degree like my dad, cousin, and mom's folks are all people without degrees themselves.

539 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:28:08am

re: #506 carlaschluge

Lousy, stupid, boring song. You've done better.

What do you use as bait for your downdings? 'Cause whatever it is, it's sure working.

540 Decatur Deb  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:28:24am

re: #537 jamesfirecat

Oh David Frum, when will you realize that the shifting of the Overton Window has made you a blue dog democrat?

He really wants to be rabid, but he's--you know--Canadian.

541 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:29:07am

re: #540 Decatur Deb

He really wants to be rabid, but he's--you know--Canadian.

That hasn't hurt Mark Steyn.

542 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:29:22am

re: #518 wrenchwench

Lousy, stupid, boring poster. Even you have done better.

When?

543 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:31:42am

re: #528 HappyWarrior

Agh even when I'm drunk, I try to be considerate.

Yeah, it was funny. They basically trashed the table, and she actually chased them out in the street and screamed "don't ever come back here again!"

The pub owner, never one to turn down business unless he *had* to, backed her up on it.

544 b_sharp  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:33:11am

Ah, the sounds of lizards basking in the sun catching flies.

How is everyone this morning/afternoon/evening?

545 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:33:20am

re: #543 BongCrodny

Yeah, it was funny. They basically trashed the table, and she actually chased them out in the street and screamed "don't ever come back here again!"

The pub owner, never one to turn down business unless he *had* to, backed her up on it.

Agh stupid college kids- man sounds weird saying that fresh out of college. But yeah, that's inexcusable behavior.

546 BongCrodny  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:33:36am

re: #531 Gus

...

So in other words, Rick Santorum is saying that Tea Partiers are snobs.

547 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:33:54am

re: #544 Flaming Dumpster

Ah, the sounds of lizards basking in the sun catching flies.

How is everyone this morning/afternoon/evening?

...Slurp...

[Dobro slide.]

//

548 b_sharp  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:34:32am

re: #546 BongCrodny

So in other words, Rick Santorum is saying that Tea Partiers are snobs.

Maybe tea partiers don't know how to party.

549 Gus  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:34:36am

That was supposed to be:

...Slurp...

[Dobro slide.]

//

Fix-Ed.

550 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:34:50am

re: #546 BongCrodny

So in other words, Rick Santorum is saying that Tea Partiers are snobs.

And that he himself is a snob. All four of these candidates not only have BA's but also graduate school educations.

551 Shiplord Kirel  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:35:38am

On the innertube front, Free Republic has been down most of the morning.

While our first impulse may be to cheer, I really have to hope the outage isn't permanent. With nothing to hold their attention online, hordes of frustrated freepers would wallow out onto the public streets, attacking hippies and servicemen, firing random shots into the air, frightening horses and children, and generally creating an eyesore and a public nuisance.

Please then, don't hope for a freeper shutdown: Think of the children and keep the swampers where they can do the least harm.

552 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:36:15am

re: #550 HappyWarrior

Santorum went to Penn State (a public land grant university for undergrad; and an MBA from University of Pittsburgh - another public university).

Yeah, they're very doctrinaire about making sure that you bend to the liberal godless agenda. Worked out splendidly in Santorum's case. /

553 lawhawk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:36:46am

re: #551 Winston Smith, Fox News Moderator

Zombie apocalypse in the wings?

554 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:37:06am

Spain Arrests 4 Suspected Anonymous Hackers
[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

MADRID -- Police say they have arrested four suspected hackers allied to the loose-knit Anonymous movement in connection with attacks on Spanish political party websites.

555 Four More Tears  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:37:09am

re: #551 Winston Smith, Fox News Moderator

On the innertube front, Free Republic has been down most of the morning.

While our first impulse may be to cheer, I really have to hope the outage isn't permanent. With nothing to hold their attention online, hordes of frustrated freepers would wallow out onto the public streets, attacking hippies and servicemen, firing random shots into the air, frightening horses and children, and generally creating an eyesore and a public nuisance.

Please then, don't hope for a freeper shutdown: Think of the children and keep the swampers where they can do the least harm.

Wow. Dozens upon dozens of Freepers, wondering what their Freepathon money is paying for.

556 Killgore Trout  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:39:17am

re: #554 RogueOne

Spain Arrests 4 Suspected Anonymous Hackers
[Link: www.huffingtonpost.com...]

Good news!

557 b_sharp  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:40:03am

re: #551 Winston Smith, Fox News Moderator

On the innertube front, Free Republic has been down most of the morning.

While our first impulse may be to cheer, I really have to hope the outage isn't permanent. With nothing to hold their attention online, hordes of frustrated freepers would wallow out onto the public streets, attacking hippies and servicemen, firing random shots into the air, frightening horses and children, and generally creating an eyesore and a public nuisance.

Please then, don't hope for a freeper shutdown: Think of the children and keep the swampers where they can do the least harm.

If FR shuts down we don't have to worry, the zombies will just waddle around aimlessly looking for giant bags of nachos and kegs of coke to fill the empty holes left by its absence.

558 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:40:41am

re: #552 lawhawk

Santorum went to Penn State (a public land grant university for undergrad; and an MBA from University of Pittsburgh - another public university).

Yeah, they're very doctrinaire about making sure that you bend to the liberal godless agenda. Worked out splendidly in Santorum's case. /

And when Rick was at Pitt the Business School was housed in a building called the "Cathedral of Learning". Which also features a real neat set of classrooms called the Nationality Rooms where the different decors are centered around different ethnic groups that lived and worked in the area.

559 HappyWarrior  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:43:18am

re: #552 lawhawk

Santorum went to Penn State (a public land grant university for undergrad; and an MBA from University of Pittsburgh - another public university).

Yeah, they're very doctrinaire about making sure that you bend to the liberal godless agenda. Worked out splendidly in Santorum's case. /

Yeah I know those are both public schools. My grandfather and great aunt both went to Pitt actually. The latter being the first in her family to do so too.

560 RogueOne  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:43:36am

re: #556 Killgore Trout

Good news!

They didn't do a very good job of staying anonymous.

561 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 9:51:06am

re: #556 Killgore Trout

Good news!

Killgore, curious if you've ever read Marszalek's biography of Sherman.

[Link: www.amazon.com...]

562 BeenHereAwhile  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 11:44:20am

re: #498 Obdicut

I learned to fish with some Finnish dudes. They fished in two ways:

1. Dropping a fish weir in, and coming back a couple of days later to collect the fish.

2. Standing on a rock in the pond and then slamming gigantic clubs down into the water and collecting the stunned fish.

Heh.

Had a neighbor in Miami, who liked to use hand grenades.

Miami is a different place.

563 sffilk  Tue, Feb 28, 2012 1:39:21pm

Nice to know someone appreciates good filk music.


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