RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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I put in close to 80 hours a week between finishing my education, working, and student teaching. I also volunteer my time for several charities and tutor at risk students for free with my own time.
Brent, pop in to this thread to get your apple.
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I don't want a free ride, but a hand to help pull me out of the pit would sure be nice. I've seen who the GOP wants to give a hand to, and it sure as heck isn't people like me.
I don't think anyone here would think you did want a "free ride". I know I wouldn't. I work hard myself, and respect anyone else who does. And I can agree that it would be nice for people to get a helping hand. I just don't think our federal government, or either party, are the ones to do it correctly.
As for who exactly the GOP or Democrats want to help - well, it seems we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one. Personally, I think that both parties have some good points, they've just become to damn stubborn to admit that the other might, or that they should work together to get good things done.
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Where is everyone getting this pie they keep talking about? ;pGiven the current state of things, I'm guessing it's moose turd pie. And there's one man you can ask about where to get it.
Now, who can tell me who recorded something about moose turd pie without googling it?
Can't do it. However it was one of my grandfather's favorite skits and all of us grandkids can recite it by heart. He was a gandydancer before he became a school teacher.
House 212 Democrats 221 Republicans 2 Other (51% Republican Majority so not fillibuster proof)
The House can't be filibustered. A simple majority is sufficient to make someone stop talking in the House. Filibusters only work in the Senate.
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A significant chunk of the population don't trust a thing the major news outlets say. The occasional Obama love-fest I see from people like Matthews or Olbermann is enough to make me nauseous.
Not enough to make me vote for McCain, but for some people who would never vote for a socialist it might help override any reservations they have about psycho McCain.
The press isn't just not to be trusted, they are overwhelmingly in favor of Obama over McCain and so incredibly biased they shouldn't even be considered a news source. This study lays out the particulars, but anyone paying even partial attention will not be at all surprised by the report.
On the American public seeing through this and deciding to vote McCain? Not likely. Don't forget, the general public is comprised of people that vote more for American Idol than the president, and are entertained by the most banal, insipid television programs. Sadly, regardless of which of these two hacks gets elected, Americans will be getting exactly the government they deserve.
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.
Thanks for this link, David. I am a huge Card fan, so the letter was doubly pleasing.
If Americans want to remain blissfully ignorant, I suppose that is fine by me, but I demand a free and impartial press. At least that way, the uninformed will not continue to remain uninformed without consciously choosing to disconnect themselves from the world. Maybe at election time they could turn on the TV and get a fair picture of events. AS it stands, one has to listen to NPR/watch CNN to get the Left view and then listen to Rush to get the Right's view and then try to sort out the facts from the lies on both sides. A fair press would go a long way to eliminating that issue.
Bernard Goldberg, a registered Democrat and highly respected journalist on CBS's Evening News with Dan Rathner for more than 20 years, wrote Bias, a book that admits, from an insider's view, how the news is distorted far to the Left. He was made a news pariah by his going public with his concerns of biased reporting after his internal pleas to balance the news went unheeded. He was eventually forced out of the news business. It is a fascinating read written by a man with unimpeachable credentials and lays bare the hypocrisy inside what is made news, how news stories are slanted by the producers to produce a desired outcome and how the news business (and it *is* a business) is used to make money by capitalizing on sensationalism when honest, hard hitting stories is what American's used to turn to the news for. It's a great read. No matter whether you lean Right or Left, you will never look at the news the same way again.
The House can't be filibustered. A simple majority is sufficient to make someone stop talking in the House. Filibusters only work in the Senate.
Actually, it's the debating rules that do not allow filibuster in the House. With 435 members (compared to 100), anybody on schedule for the floor only has a set amount of time to speak their piece. Others may be able to cede additional time to them, but there are no open-ended debate rules like there are in the Senate.
Can't do it. However it was one of my grandfather's favorite skits and all of us grandkids can recite it by heart. He was a gandydancer before he became a school teacher.Where is everyone getting this pie they keep talking about? ;pGiven the current state of things, I'm guessing it's moose turd pie. And there's one man you can ask about where to get it.
Now, who can tell me who recorded something about moose turd pie without googling it?
"Moose Turd Pie" is a story told by Utah Phillips, folk singer, rail rider, member of the Wobblies, and social activist. I just learned he died earlier this year.
A brilliant tall tale about his days working as a gandydancer. For those of you uninitiated (I happen to have heard the track via Dr. Demento), I will provide a brief summary. While working for the railroad, their employer was so cheap they didn't hire a cook. Whomever complained the most about the food became the chef... and that was our storyteller. So, to get out of the duty, he engaged in the time-honored ritual of finding grossly inedible food to cook up and serve. And his choice was moose turd pie. He got, as he called it, that big meadow-wafer and baked it in a crust and served it up figuring someone was sure to complain. Some burly guy came in, took a big bite, and yelled out, "My God! That's moose turd pie!.... It's good, though."
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.
I dig that on soooooooo many levels.
I get the feeling that half the people simply don't even know what happened.|
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.I dig that on soooooooo many levels.
I get the feeling that half the people simply don't even know what happened.
That is the type of debate ... the level of debate ... that should shape our views instead of the low muckraking that has dominated the discussions (including much of ours).
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That is the type of debate ... the level of debate ... that should shape our views instead of the low muckraking that has dominated the discussions (including much of ours).
American journalists as an aggregate admit they are left of the "average person" in America, and I don't think anyone would deny that half the country leans left itself, so when someone says they are even *more left* it is something to note. Since the media controls the debate, what chance do you think anyone has of actually holding the debate?
It is hard to be objective when you have a dog in the fight.
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.
Very interesting read, and something I've seen before, but in more detail. What Card didn't go into, was the ties that ACORN has to the whole Fannie/Freddie mess. Stanley Kurtz had an excellent article on National Review's website about that.
As an aside, I noticed that Thomas Sowell is referenced by Card. I've read some of Sowell's stuff on National Review - he's kind of a regular there these days, and really is a smart guy and a very good writer.
I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.Very interesting read, and something I've seen before, but in more detail. What Card didn't go into, was the ties that ACORN has to the whole Fannie/Freddie mess. Stanley Kurtz had an excellent article on National Review's website about that.
As an aside, I noticed that Thomas Sowell is referenced by Card. I've read some of Sowell's stuff on National Review - he's kind of a regular there these days, and really is a smart guy and a very good writer.
Can't find a print article to link to yet but there was a story on Fox last night about a CNN interview of Palin, where they used a segment of a National Review article to ambush her. Saying 'even conservative media outlets are attacking you'. Trouble was the NR article segment in question was pointing out how the liberal media was calling Palin dumb, etc. And CNN won't comment on the distortion!
If CNN is in the tank the problem is way out of control. Journalism Ethics has gone the way of the term Military Intelligence, and become a joke.
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Can't find a print article to link to yet but there was a story on Fox last night about a CNN interview of Palin, where they used a segment of a National Review article to ambush her. Saying 'even conservative media outlets are attacking you'. Trouble was the NR article segment in question was pointing out how the liberal media was calling Palin dumb, etc. And CNN won't comment on the distortion!
If CNN is in the tank the problem is way out of control. Journalism Ethics has gone the way of the term Military Intelligence, and become a joke.
I saw the same thing. As a regular National Review reader, I remember reading the article from which CNN pulled the quote it then distorted. I just can't remember the author's name, or when I read it (maybe late September or early October). And, of course, it will likely drive me insane for the next few days. I'm only hoping that whoever actually wrote the article will now write some commentary on this CNN thing - if only to preserve my fragile sanity.
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The author was Byron York. Here is a link to Fox's video archive, which contains the original story and York's response to CNN.
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The author was Byron York. Here is a link to Fox's video archive, which contains the original story and York's response to CNN.
Huzzah! My delicate psyche is saved! Thanks for the info David. I should have figured it would be York. He's a damn good writer, and one of those at NR whom I regularly read. Now I'll have to go back and read the column again.
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Check out this Reuters photo of Obama. Interesting camera angle and pose don't you think?
If I were to attach a joke heading to that it would be:
"Hey God, pull my finger."
Check out this Reuters photo of Obama. Interesting camera angle and pose don't you think?
That's so funny I don't know where to start. Can we conservatives start calling him the Messiah now without being ridiculed?
Check out this Reuters photo of Obama. Interesting camera angle and pose don't you think?If I were to attach a joke heading to that it would be:
"Hey God, pull my finger."
The vatican decides to repaint the Sistine Chapel.
The author was Byron York. Here is a link to Fox's video archive, which contains the original story and York's response to CNN.
Here is also a discussion of it.
But maybe there was no malice, perhaps Drew Griffin just has incredibly poor reading comprehension.
[quote=]Writing in the National Review this week, Byron York said: "Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for vice president, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward, or all of the above. Palin, the governor of Alaska, has faced more criticism than any vice presidential candidate since 1988."
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DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Governor, you've been mocked in the press. The press has been pretty hard on you. The Democrats have been pretty hard on you. But also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well. The National Review had a story saying that, you know, I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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I found an interesting letter from Orson Scott Card, well know author and registered Democrat about the economic crisis. His ire is not directed at Republicans or Democrats, but at a different source. Click on the link to read it.
Registered as a Democrat, but talks like a Republican, and even guest-hosts on right-wing radio. So take it with a grain of salt. And the article does indeed blame the Dems, but just goes on to blame the media for "covering it up".
It was of course completely impossible for the Republicans to do any sort of reform - or even attempt to - in the 6 years they controlled the House, Senate and the Presidency. Poor Republicans, never to blame for anything that goes wrong :)
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That is the type of debate ... the level of debate ... that should shape our views instead of the low muckraking that has dominated the discussions (including much of ours).American journalists as an aggregate admit they are left of the "average person" in America, and I don't think anyone would deny that half the country leans left itself, so when someone says they are even *more left* it is something to note. Since the media controls the debate, what chance do you think anyone has of actually holding the debate?
It is hard to be objective when you have a dog in the fight.
This is incorrect. If half the country is left, and half right, then the average person is directly in the centre. Thus anyone to the let of the average person, falls only into the 50% left bracket. It does not indicate they are far to the left as you claim.
Additionally, America is not 50/50 split. In fact, by international standards Barak Obama is a RIGHT of centre centrist. Sorry, people, but he ain't a socialist. Link to the political compass website that shows this.
Sorry for the slight threadjack.
EDIT: Removed some possibly offensive commentary.
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In fact, by international standards Barak Obama is a RIGHT of centre centrist. Sorry, people, but he ain't a socialist. Link to the political compass website that shows this.1) Who cares about "international standards"?
2) I raise you this Link, which categorizes Obama as "a Hard-Core Liberal".
In American terms he is, I'm sure. It's just that your whole country is so far to the right, that an American 'socialist' wouldn't look out of place in a right-leaning party anywhere else.
As for who cares? People who believe that what words mean is important and that distorting those meanings to score political points should be called for what it is. If you want to go on calling Obama something he's not, you could at least stick to the accepted "secret Muslim" or "terrorist".
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Having read through OSC's article, I acknowledge he is correct that Democrats are at fault for this current financial crisis, although they share that fault with Republicans, they are not the sole cause.
I can try to address that more later, but I first want to point out that OSC is completely wrong in this statement:
"Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11"
You can watch this youtube to hear Cheney do exactly that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJiNtpIpD6k
Listen closely to what he actually says. He says that there was a story out there that the Czech's said that the lead highjacker met with Iraqi intelligence five monthes before the attack. That is a far cry from saying that we have definitive proof that such a meeting occured, only the word of another nation's intelligence service.
In American terms he is, I'm sure.
If you want to go on calling Obama something he's not, ...
But in American terms, as you point out, he is. So if Americans are talking to Americans, then the term is being correctly applied and he is not in that case being called something he is not (in American terms).
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But in American terms, as you point out, he is. So if Americans are talking to Americans, then the term is being correctly applied and he is not in that case being called something he is not (in American terms).In American terms he is, I'm sure.
If you want to go on calling Obama something he's not, ...
Not as long as you use the English language. ;-)
And on that (attempted) comic note, I'm leaving the discussion. I shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place, as I know arguing politics can really get me mad faster than anything else and make me liable to say things I'll regret. So, see you later.
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This is incorrect. If half the country is left, and half right, then the average person is directly in the centre. Thus anyone to the let of the average person, falls only into the 50% left bracket. It does not indicate they are far to the left as you claim.
Nah, I think not. When Election Day comes, the only people in the center are those that don't pull a lever. Once you pull for Left or Right, you are there, the question is only one of degree; if half the poker chips are Black and Half Red, then there are no Green ones.
Additionally, America is not 50/50 split. In fact, by international standards Barak Obama is a RIGHT of centre centrist. Sorry, people, but he ain't a socialist.
I hardly believe we would want to compare our political leanings to the rest of the world. The majority of countries in the world are so Left that any "international scale" is hopelessly biased Left. The vast majority of these countries are economic and physical cesspools due in no small part to their policies. I don't think we would want to be part of their club, even if they would have us and certainly would not want to hold us to their pitiful standards. As screwed up as our system is, we were the first democracy in the world; we set the standard by which peaceful exchange of power is measured. And in our democracy, there really is an almost exactly 50/50 split, with both sides drawing ever farther apart rather than having some large central mass of people that are sitting on the fence (last I looked, only a few states even had enough of a balance not to be one way or the other almost in their entirety).
However, if you insist on us being held to international standards, then I am also certain that you see no need for additional social programs since our poor are actually rich in comparison to the vast majority of the world's population. Our poorest people still live better than a great majority of the world, and therefore since our poor are so well off, I am sure you can see why we should not do anything else for them. We wouldn't want to further imbalance our international standing by artificially inflating our standard of living when we are already so far out of standing with the rest of the world, would we?
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As screwed up as our system is, we were the first democracy in the worldAthens might well take issue with that. There's other examples that predate the US as well, with varying degrees of fitting the term (and the early US did not fit it very well).
This is a great point and very much my bad. I was thinking of the colonial age and beyond rather than the great democracies prior to the Renaissance. Thanks very much for pointing this out.
As far as the early US - well I agree to a degree there, but one can certainly point to the ratification of the Constitution as a point where American democracy was lawfully established. To the best of my knowledge, there were no functioning democracies when that event occurred. Nevertheless, your point is well taken.
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The vast majority of these countries are economic and physical cesspools due in no small part to their policies.
Who's in the minority? Nordic countries have a pretty high standard of living and I hear Switzerland is pretty clean.
I don't think we would want to be part of their club,
I want to be a member of Club Seventeen, but the dues are a bit steep.
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Some of these reports also claim that he'd sell his own mother if it benefited him in any way. Now if all these reports are to be believed of Chaney, it paints a picture of a despicable individual not unlike a James Bond movie villain.
Why would this shock you? Of course he is out to benefit himself! He is in American politics. I have no doubt he is a crook and a liar. The only time I get disturbed at this sort of accusation is when someone believes "their guy" is honest. Of course Bush put his cronies in office and they profited greatly, of course it is a sordid, money-soaked affair! The only thing that surprises me is why this might surprise you!
Neither McCain nor Obama will change this one whit. Obama has some big debts to pay off when he gets into office and McCain is as steeped in Washington "business as usual" as any insider can be. These guys who profess so strongly to be Red or Blue are underneath all one color: Green; the color of money and thus power. If you think Obama isn't a crook that would sell his own mother (wait, scratch that, he already sold his grandmother on national TV) to get a slice of that fat green pie, you are missing the picture.
But don't let it bug you, ok? I am probably wrong about Obama and McCain. They aren't crooks, they're different. They aren't tied into PACs and lobbyists, and illegal voter registration. Nah. Can't be.
It's time for a change, alright. Too bad we don't have a chance of that happening.
However, if you insist on us being held to international standards, then I am also certain that you see no need for additional social programs since our poor are actually rich in comparison to the vast majority of the world's population. Our poorest people still live better than a great majority of the world
I'll grant you that. If I was forced to live in one of those countries that don't provide universal health care and other social ammenities to all of its citizens regardless of income I would definitely choose America.
:)
But it raises an interesting question. If you knew you were going to be poor, but got to choose which country to live in, what country would you pick?
Anybody know what Australia's like? The climate sounds wonderful. Where does it stand up on poverty issues?
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As far as the early US - well I agree to a degree there, but one can certainly point to the ratification of the Constitution as a point where American democracy was lawfully established. To the best of my knowledge, there were no functioning democracies when that event occurred. Nevertheless, your point is well taken.
The United States is a federal republic, not a strict democracy.
There were thirteen functioning democratic republics when the Constitution was signed, as well as a dysfunctional federal republic, in North America at the time the Constitution was signed; the thirteen individual states, and the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
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So Drew Griffin got the particular article wrong. He should have mentioned David Frum's article on the National Review, or Kathleen Parker's article.
So, any comment on the substance of Grffin's point? Heck, even Powell's endorsement (see how I linked this back into the OP?) mentioned how insane McCain was for picking Palin as his running mate.
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So Drew Griffin got the particular article wrong. He should have mentioned David Frum's article on the National Review, or Kathleen Parker's article.
So, any comment on the substance of Grffin's point? Heck, even Powell's endorsement (see how I linked this back into the OP?) mentioned how insane McCain was for picking Palin as his running mate.
From those links it doesn't actually sound like Frum is mocking Palin, or saying that she's "incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, or all of the above." Kathryn Lopez and Mark Levin were to be pointing out that Frum complained that picking her was a mistake, seemingly of the tactical kind. Without a link to the video or transcript of the actual news appearance the mention, I couldn't say.
As for the point Griffin tried to make, sure Palin has been hounded in the press, and she may not have been the best choice, but without the ability to see into alternate timelines in which someone else was picked, what he is doing is ultimately speculation.
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But don't let it bug you, ok? I am probably wrong about Obama and McCain. They aren't crooks, they're different. They aren't tied into PACs and lobbyists, and illegal voter registration. Nah. Can't be.
It's time for a change, alright. Too bad we don't have a chance of that happening.
Unfortunately, I find myself agreeing with you 100% on that score. Each candidate seems to be more of the same-old, cynical, anything-for-a-vote politician.
Unfortunately, I find myself agreeing with you 100% on that score. Each candidate seems to be more of the same-old, cynical, anything-for-a-vote politician.But don't let it bug you, ok? I am probably wrong about Obama and McCain. They aren't crooks, they're different. They aren't tied into PACs and lobbyists, and illegal voter registration. Nah. Can't be.
It's time for a change, alright. Too bad we don't have a chance of that happening.
Anybody hear about Pelosi channeling money to her husband through her PAC? And the best part is it is totally legal. That is what is so great about the system.
Unfortunately, I find myself agreeing with you 100% on that score. Each candidate seems to be more of the same-old, cynical, anything-for-a-vote politician.But don't let it bug you, ok? I am probably wrong about Obama and McCain. They aren't crooks, they're different. They aren't tied into PACs and lobbyists, and illegal voter registration. Nah. Can't be.
It's time for a change, alright. Too bad we don't have a chance of that happening.
Have to say I'm with you two undead on this one ...
Hope, Change , Bleh ...