Friday Talking Points [360] -- North, To Alaska!
President Obama had some fun this week, and by doing so actually forced the media to tackle a serious subject on his agenda. The fun part was taking the whole press corps up to Alaska, and even filming an episode of Bear Gryll's celebrity survivalist show. I certainly never thought I'd type a sentence linking President Obama and Bear Grylls, but then we certainly do live in strange times. In a more normal political (but no less partisan) atmosphere, Obama might have been roundly criticized for acting almost Putin-like, being photographed as a tough guy in the great outdoors. Who knows, when the episode airs, he still may face such carping from Republicans. But seeing as how the Republican presidential race is currently redefining the term "cult of personality" in a major way, I don't think the charge is going to carry much weight. It's hard to argue that the dignity of the Oval Office means not appearing in a reality television show when the guy leading the pack on your side is a reality-show television star, after all.
Obama's trip did have a serious side, and he used his bully pulpit to good effect, spotlighting Americans who are already being directly affected by climate change. This spawned some stories in the mainstream media, which was precisely the point -- drawing the public's attention to the problem. Obama did undercut his Alaskan visit a bit by giving the green light to more arctic drilling a few weeks earlier, but he's still been the strongest environmentalist American president, on the whole, in modern times.
Obama also officially reverted North America's highest point to its original name. Schoolchildren will hence learn about "Mount Denali" instead of "Mount McKinley." As usual, there was some Republican grumbling about this, mostly from Ohio's congressional delegation (McKinley hailed from Ohio), but countering it were some actual (gasp!) kind words for Obama's action from Alaska Republicans. This interstate squabble has been going on for decades, now, so unless you live in either state, it's probably not that big a deal.
Plenty of squabbling happened out on the campaign trail, most of it Republican-on-Republican violence. Jeb! Bush has finally realized that he can't just ignore Donald Trump in the hopes that he'll somehow magically disappear (perhaps Jeb!'s big donors sat him down and had a little chat with him, or something), and began to directly attack Trump in ads and on the stump. So far, this hasn't been all that impressive. Trump, of course, immediately fired back. The upshot of the squabble so far? Bush to Trump: "You're not a real conservative!" Trump to Bush: "You're a wimp!" Of course, Jeb! has a hundred million bucks to spend on advertising, so this fight looks like it's just getting started. So far it doesn't appear to be doing Jeb! much good, at least not in the polls (Bush has sunk to third place, and is now in single digits). Just today, it was revealed that the Club For Growth is also rounding up some money for an anti-Trump ad blitz, so maybe they'll come up with the magic bullet to defeat The Donald.
The head of the Republican National Committee, Reince Priebus (whose name without vowels, we always hasten to point out, is "RNC PR BS"), traveled up to New York to bend his knee and ask for a boon from his liege (which is so much nicer than calling it "ass-kissing"). Donald Trump, the true leader of the Republican Party right now, condescended to sign a laughably unenforceable "loyalty oath" to the party, pledging not to run as an independent campaign and to eventually support the Republican presidential nominee. What Priebus (and many others in the Republican establishment) haven't realized is that Trump thinks he's going to win that nomination, and agreeing to the loyalty oath means that every other Republican running will also be bound by the same pledge -- to support Donald Trump if he wins. It's Trump's party now, even if many Republicans can't quite admit it yet.
What's going on with the other umpty-gazillion Republicans running for president? Well, Scott Walker is apparently OK not only with a wall on the Mexican border, but also with building another one on the much-longer Canadian border. Um, OK, Scott, sure -- we'll get right on that. John Kasich, on the other hand, is seemingly OK with "reasonable" raises in the minimum wage, which isn't exactly the standard GOP position. No doubt Kasich would be getting pummeled for this by other GOP candidates, if anyone were actually paying any attention to him. Speaking of candidates not getting any traction on the campaign trail, Chris Christie continues to flounder, this time denying he said human activity contributed to climate change because: "We all contribute to it in one way or the other. By breathing we contribute to it." When called on the statement at a town hall, Christie just flat-out denied saying it. Rick Perry seems to be absolutely sinking beneath the waves, as it was revealed he no longer has any paid staff in New Hampshire and only one staffer in Iowa. Oops!
Carly Fiorina convinced CNN to change their debate rules, since she so obviously deserves a spot after rising dramatically in the polls after the first debates. There may well be more than ten candidates on the stage under the new rules, which specify only that a candidate hit a top ten spot during the last month in any poll. This may allow Rand Paul and even Rick Santorum to sneak into the big-kids' debate.
Both Fiorina and Trump are picking a truly moronic battle with Jeb! Bush, one that may get more notice if other candidates pick up on it. Bush committed the sin of criticizing Donald Trump in another language (gasp!). Bush, like his brother Dubya, knows how to speak Spanish. He married a Mexican woman, and is actually fluent. So, unbelievably, both Trump and Fiorina immediately jumped on Bush for speaking another language on the campaign trail.
The monumental stupidity of having this fight should be immediately apparent to all. How quickly will it escalate into Republican candidates signing a pledge never to speak any other language than English during the entire campaign? Who will forswear all advertising in Spanish? You can see how this could easily take on a life of its own, since many Republican voters probably believe that only elitists know more than one language. Fiorina even showed her own ignorance when criticizing Jeb!, wrongly claiming that English is the official language of the United States government. Haven't heard a comment on this idiocy yet from Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz, which ought to be interesting. To put this another way, the Republican minority outreach program has now officially not only gone off the rails, but it has also headed over a cliff and is currently bouncing down a very steep canyon, spewing wreckage along the way. Can't wait to see what they come up with next!
Speaking of being on the wrong side of unwinnable battles, many of the Republican candidates for president are standing firm with Kim Davis, as she rots in jail for disobeying a federal judge's lawful order to do her damn job and uphold her oath of office. Formerly, Republicans have always been "about the rule of law" -- in a big way, at times. This time, not so much. The judge in question was appointed by George W. Bush, by the way, and was backed up by none other than the Supreme Court. Does this mean the days of "law and order" worship by Republicans have come to an end?
Let's take a quick look at the Democratic side of the aisle, and then we'll get on with the rest of the program. Bernie Sanders wrote a great blog post at Huffington Post, titled "High Drug Prices Are Killing Americans." Once again, Bernie is pointing out an issue that is of great concern to tens of millions of Americans (and one on which a huge majority agrees with him), and the media is completely ignoring it. Pretty much par for the course, for the mainstream media.
The Washington Post did, at least, run an amazing article by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, which pointed out the idiocy of equating Bernie Sanders with Donald Trump (which has become a favorite thing among all the false-equivalence-lovers in the media). Truly, it's the best takedown of this nonsense we've yet read, so check it out.
What the media is doing (instead of addressing the substance of the Sanders campaign's wildly-popular issues) is digging through another 7,000 pages of Hillary Clinton emails, in the hopes of (you can't make this stuff up) discovering what her favorite television program is. And what the "gefilte fish" email was all about. [Editorial note: We are purposely not linking to either of those stories, because they never should have been written in the first place.] Clinton continues to grapple with the whole email fracas, and she wasn't exactly helped this week by one of her aides deciding to take advantage of the Fifth Amendment's protections (by not testifying before the House Committee On Taking Down Hillary, One Way Or Another). We've got months and months of this to go, much to Team Clinton's dismay.
The Joe Biden speculation continues apace, and Biden himself seems to be loving it, casually teasing the media and his audiences with the "Will I or won't I?" dance. However, Biden probably knows full well that your best day as a presidential candidate is usually the day before you announce. If Biden jumps in the race, his record will be scrutinized carefully by Democrats, and he's got a few things he'll need to explain. Like that bankruptcy bill he championed, for instance, that Elizabeth Warren was so strongly against. Or his leadership on the Drug War, which led to many policies which are now seen as mistakes. If Biden runs, he'll have to be clear on where he stands now on several issues, to win over enough Democratic primary voters.
Personally, our money's still on Biden gracefully declining to run, but then again we could always be wrong. Biden certainly does seem energized, of late. Maybe the urge to chuck his hat in the ring will be too enticing. We'll know by the end of this month, one way or another.
That's it, except for a shameless plug here at the end -- which should be of particular note to our teen readers, and to any readers who may have politically-interested teenage relatives. The project to build a Museum of Political Corruption in Albany, New York (which this column has long supported) has announced a one-page essay contest for high school students, to answer the question: "What is political corruption and why should we care?" First prize is not only $250, but also having the winning entry being published on my site. I strongly encourage anyone eligible (open to all high school students in the U.S.) to go ahead and enter -- the deadline is the second of November. The Museum of Political Corruption is in the process of getting non-profit status, and it now boasts Zephyr Teachout as an advisor. If this contest goes well, it could easily become an annual event. So be sure to tell any teen friends or relations you have about the contest, and encourage them to participate!
President Obama not only had a good week gallivanting around the far north (and educating the public on climate change's immediacy), he also had a good week back in Washington. For the past month, Washington pundits have been playing an absolutely pointless game, counting the Senate votes in favor of the Iran nuclear deal. This is a pointless game because even if Congress passes a bill disapproving the deal, after Obama vetoes it the first place it would go would be back to the House -- where he's always had the votes to beat a veto-override. Still, it gave all the pundits something to do during all of August (an otherwise slow month), even if it was completely pointless.
Using this measuring stick, this week Obama did indeed secure the votes to beat a veto override in the Senate, when Barbara Mikulski of Maryland became the 34th Democrat to publicly stand with the president. Now that this symbolic milestone has been achieved, the next milestone actually is worth paying attention to, because if Obama gets 41 votes on his side then he won't even have to veto anything at all, since the bill will die of a filibuster in the Senate. As of this writing, Obama's got 38 votes, but there are only a handful of senators remaining in the undecided column, from whom Obama needs three more votes. A third Democrat also came out against the bill, but the momentum seems to now be on the side of approving the deal.
This is a big accomplishment for Obama, and will become a major part of his foreign policy legacy (for better or worse, depending on how the deal actually works out). Obama pretty much assured this victory months ago, when he stacked the deck for how Congress would vote on any deal (I wrote about this yesterday in more detail).
When the votes are actually held (when Congress returns from its month-long holiday), Republican voters are once again going to be astonished that the Republican-led Congress can't seem to stop Obama from furthering his agenda. They're already pretty down on Republicans in Congress in general, and this certainly isn't going to help.
But whenever they hold the vote, this week is when the pundits inside the Beltway finally admitted the reality that has been apparent ever since 150 House Democrats signed a letter backing the deal -- Obama's going to win on this one. The Iran nuclear deal will become reality. This is a huge political victory for the president, and when you add in all the great bully-pulpit-ing he did this week, it's easy to see why President Barack Obama is our Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week.
[Congratulate President Barack Obama via the White House contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
We hate to say it, because his district is fairly local to us and he's generally a nice guy, but Representative Mike Honda might be toast.
Honda's pretty good on progressive issues, but he won a very narrow race against a much more "Blue Dog" type Democrat in the last House election (California has "top two / jungle" primaries, which means the general election can be between two candidates of the same party). His opponent has already said he's going to run again.
But now, Mike Honda will have a House ethics investigation hanging over his head during the campaign. He's being accused of using official staff and resources to raise campaign funds and do other campaign work while on the government's clock.
Honda released a statement downplaying the charges, saying nothing more than "sloppiness" and "missteps" happened. He may be right, and he may even eventually be vindicated. But he's up for re-election next year, and you can bet the issue will be a prominent one in the campaign nonetheless. In fact, it might be enough to shift that small margin Honda won by last time to his opponent.
Whether ultimately justified by the facts or not, having an ethics investigation announced is never a good thing. Mike Honda's been a pretty solid Democratic voice in the House, but the news this weeks makes him our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week.
[Contact Representative Mike Honda on his House contact page, to let him know what you think of his actions.]
Volume 360 (9/4/15)
OK, one of these is unabashedly pro-Bernie Sanders, we fully admit. But it does make a larger point, so it got included. Most of the rest is full-on Republican-bashing, just because. Enjoy, as always, and use responsibly.
Another good jobs report
Obama is very close to a big milestone on unemployment. Point it out!
"The unemployment rate is now officially down to 5.1 percent. What this means is that it has dropped by almost exactly half since the worst of the Great Recession, which happened during President Obama's first year in office. Late in 2009, the official unemployment rate hit 10 percent. Now, it's a hair above five. Mitt Romney promised that if he had been elected in 2012, he'd have gotten the rate down to six percent, by the end of his first term. Obama's bettered that by almost a full point, and he's still got over a year to go. Even the 'U6' unemployment number that got so scary has come down almost to pre-recession levels. It topped 17 percent in 2009, but is now down to 10.3 percent -- and it's dropped a full point since the beginning of this year. Even in the best economic times, that number hovers around eight or nine percent. By every measure, the economy continues to improve. Next month, we could even see the official unemployment dip below five percent."
Americans deserve a vacation
This is a prime example of issues which the mainstream (corporate) media routinely ignores. The issue is wildly popular with the public at large, and one presidential candidate has a bill to fix the problem, but you'll never hear about it on the evening news.
"All full-time workers in European countries are guaranteed from 20 to 30 -- or more -- paid vacation days a year. American workers are guaranteed zero days. Now, nobody's even suggesting we have four to six weeks of paid vacation mandated here, but Bernie Sanders is running on guaranteeing two measly weeks of paid time off to all American full-time workers. Ten days -- less than half of most of Europe. When the general public is polled, not surprisingly, they overwhelmingly support the concept of mandated vacation time. A recent poll found 78 percent support, pretty much the same as the last time the question was asked. Over three-fourths of Americans want this to be the law. A presidential candidate is for it. But have you even heard about it on the airwaves? This is why voters are so disgusted with Washington, because even an idea with such incredible public support is not even allowed to be mentioned by those covering politics. Want guaranteed paid vacation for all? Check out Bernie Sanders -- he's for it too."
GOP is pledging loyalty to Trump
This really needs to be pointed out.
"The head of the Republican National Committee had to travel to Trump Towers on bended knee to get Donald Trump to sign an unenforceable loyalty oath. What Reince Priebus and the rest of the Establishment Republicans don't realize, though, is that it's more likely than not that the pledge is going to work out exactly the opposite from what they expect. If Trump wins the nomination -- which, so far, he's the favorite to do -- then all the other candidates will have pledged to support Trump. No wonder Trump made Priebus crawl before him -- because Trump may be the ultimate beneficiary of the whole stunt. He signed because he doesn't believe he will even need to run a third-party campaign. He's planning on winning the Republican nomination."
Trump's party
Democrats should continue to enjoy rubbing Republicans' faces in this fact.
"I see that the Republican establishment has begun the attempt to take down Donald Trump. The Club For Growth wants to spend millions on anti-Trump ads, and Jeb Bush is already out there making the attempt -- however ineffectually. Ronald Reagan's famed "11th Commandment" is dead and buried, it seems. Meanwhile, Trump continues to rise in the polls and everyone who attacks him sinks like a stone. Like it or not, the Republican Party should just go ahead and throw in the towel and rename itself the Trump Party. Because whether you use a big-P or a little-P, it is definitely Trump's party now."
Certainly not the law-and-order party anymore
This one's also ripe for some extra-vigorous rubbing-in.
"I see many Republicans lining up on the side of a woman who took an oath of office and wants to be able to violate that oath -- in defiance of a federal judge -- and still receive her cushy government paycheck. Whatever happened to Republicans believing in personal responsibility? If she can't do the job for reasons of conscience, then she needs to resign and let someone else do the job properly. Getting paid by the taxpayers to sit in jail for contempt of court is not personal responsibility, folks -- it's the opposite. Whatever happened to Republicans being the party that believed in 'law and order' -- remember those days?"
The Canadian threat
Feel free to get as silly as you want on this one. It deserves it, after all.
"I see that Scott Walker wants to build a giant wall not only on our southern border but also on our northern border as well. Seeing as how the Canadian border is three times as long, I wonder if he's going to magically get them to pay for it, as Trump swears he'll do with Mexico. No matter the cost, Walker will build that northern wall, because you just can't be too careful when dealing with the monstrous Canadian national security threat to the United States. Have we learned nothing since the South Park movie? It's always a good time to 'Blame Canada,' eh?"
Circular firing squad forming!
Once again, any amount of ridicule is almost par for the course with this one.
"Carly Fiorina's wrong, of course -- America has no official language, English or otherwise. But that doesn't mean that Republicans can't try to outdo each other in denouncing the use of Spanish by any presidential candidate. Jeb Bush spoke some Spanish that actually made the news (criticizing Trump), and both Trump and Fiorina immediately staked out the position that Republican candidates should only campaign in English. This may revive the whole 'English as official language' push that Republicans have been making for decades, in fact. First they'll all have to pledge to support a national language, then all the candidates will be expected to swear they'll never use Spanish in public until election day, and then eventually they'll have to promise never even to run any campaign ad in Spanish. Surely Trump and Fiorina will lead this purity contest, but the rest of them will soon be forced to follow. Nothing like watching the continuing Republican minority outreach program in action, folks. Republican candidates, step right up! The circular firing squad is forming even as we speak...."
-- Chris Weigant
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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post
Speaking as an Ohioan, I don't think most of my fellow buckeyes know much, if anything, about either President McKinley or Mount McKinley. Trust me, few people here give the slightest damn about Mt. Denali. It's just Boehner's reflexive against-anything-Obama-does talking. No doubt the conservative-borg-units will jump on the bandwagon if anyone asks or starts some stupid facebook meme but that's just noise. Naturally "states rights" don't apply to this because Obama-nullifies-all, much like Hillary Clinton can't sneeze without republicans deciding there's something nefarious about her choice of tissue-brand, allergy medicine (if any - and if there is, how dare she? and if there isn't, why didn't she?), her putting on make-up to cover a pink nose, or NOT putting on make-up and showing a pink nose.
Went out to lunch today and the restaurant had the Hillary interview running on one of the TVs that now infest practically every public space, but the sound was down. Just lots of head shots and I thought Hillary looked lovely. I really like Bernie and the dream would be for the two of them to join up (not gonna happen, I know. I said it was a dream --) But honestly, the more the media repeats the emailgate and benghazi crap and all the psuedo scandals the more I want to defend her. Michale is convinced some scandal some day will be the end of her -- I don't think so. I don't think there are any true scandals and the endless attempts to fabricate one make repubs look like medieval wtichhunters, throwing some poor woman in a pond and deciding she's innocent only if she drowns.
Good week for the Prez.
Hey CW
Still hoping for a separate column about Bernie Sanders. Lots more to write about, and you do it so well!
The GOP circular firing squad has been impressive. Showing their true colors beats any reality show ever.
I think you downplayed the seriousness of the sentence "Obama did undercut his Alaskan visit a bit by giving the green light to more arctic drilling".
Not only do the climate change factors make this policy indefensible, but the generational effects of a single accident in an environment where the natural degradation of oil occurs far more slowly have been downplayed.
Coupled with Obama's disastrous decision to open up the East Coast to oil drilling, his support for nuclear energy and a massively expensive renewal of our nuclear weapons arsenal and I think the "strongest environmentalist president in modern times" claim is, if not questionable, then just a sad statement of how low the bar has been set.
FYI- the word "live" was omitted in the last sentence of the third paragraph.
"so unless you in either state"
I have two quotes to offer this week.
The first is by Joe Davis, husband of Kim Davis, the County Clerk mentioned in this week's 10th paragraph and 5th talking point.
He really did say this - and without a trace of irony.
The second is from a recent speech given by Joe Biden in Atlanta:
"The judge in question was appointed by George W. Bush"
He's also Senator Jim Bunning's son.
"many of the Republican candidates for president are standing firm with Kim Davis"
Davis herself is the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. Her mother was county clerk before her and she apparently thinks her son will inherit the job. I hope the GOP does pick this hillbilly homophobe in a prairie dress as their latest Cliven Bundy. It's possible to be a bigger hypocrite than her, but at least Josh Duggar resigned. Best of all, she exposes the KKKristian end game. They want the religious freedom to actively persecute gay people as government officials. It's not about cakes, photographs, or pizzas.
Mopshell
Thanks for that quote from KY.
Classic.
Biden sounds like he's laying the groundwork for choosing not to run in that quote. Which I think is the right move (sorry Liz).
Oh, I never expected him to run again ... the American people are not ready for Joe Biden, not now, not back then, never.
It's a real shame.
I still hope I'm wrong about that, though ...
Obama's trip did have a serious side, and he used his bully pulpit to good effect, spotlighting Americans who are already being directly affected by climate change.
OH.... MY.... GOD!!!
The climate is.... CHANGING!!!!
We have to stop it!!!!! IMMEDIATELY!!!
OH MY GOD, THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!
That was sarcasm in case ya'all missed it.. :D
The epitome of human arrogance is to think mere puny humans can actually affect the climate of the entire planet.. :D
Of course, Jeb! has a hundred million bucks to spend on advertising, so this fight looks like it's just getting started.
Yea, Jeb has a hundred million bucks of someone else's money..
Trump has billions of bucks of his OWN money..
Who do ya think is going to win the Ad wars?? :D
Both Fiorina and Trump are picking a truly moronic battle with Jeb! Bush, one that may get more notice if other candidates pick up on it. Bush committed the sin of criticizing Donald Trump in another language (gasp!). Bush, like his brother Dubya, knows how to speak Spanish. He married a Mexican woman, and is actually fluent. So, unbelievably, both Trump and Fiorina immediately jumped on Bush for speaking another language on the campaign trail.
http://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/552773/81222151.jpg
'nuff said...
Speaking of being on the wrong side of unwinnable battles, many of the Republican candidates for president are standing firm with Kim Davis, as she rots in jail for disobeying a federal judge's lawful order to do her damn job and uphold her oath of office.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
The VERY first part of the VERY First Amendment of the United States Constitution..
It's like I have always said... Lefties like to adhere to the US Constitution..
But ONLY when it serves their agenda....
Just like Righties... :D
Clinton continues to grapple with the whole email fracas, and she wasn't exactly helped this week by one of her aides deciding to take advantage of the Fifth Amendment's protections (by not testifying before the House Committee On Taking Down Hillary, One Way Or Another). We've got months and months of this to go, much to Team Clinton's dismay.
No reason to take the 5th unless one believes they have committed a crime..
Hillary is toast... Ya'all just can't admit it yet...
Michale
Michale is convinced some scandal some day will be the end of her --
Oooooo I get a mention...
I am honored.. :D
I don't think so.
Despite ALL the facts to the contrary.. :D
To deny that Hillary is in trouble with Democrats is to deny reality...
Michale
Coupled with Obama's disastrous decision to open up the East Coast to oil drilling, his support for nuclear energy and a massively expensive renewal of our nuclear weapons arsenal and I think the "strongest environmentalist president in modern times" claim is, if not questionable, then just a sad statement of how low the bar has been set.
And yet, you STILL support Obama as POTUS...
When the rubber hits the road, loyalty to Party comes first..
PARTY UBER ALLES
:^/
Michale
Bad enough to alienate women in this way, but there’s even more insidious political crime here: attacking the First Amendment’s protection of a free press by menacing journalists.
Attempting to bully the press to silence criticism of him is anti-American.
-Kareem Abdul Jabbar
BBWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Does Jabbar know how many reporters Obama has jailed?? Investigated?? Harassed?? Does the name Sharyl Attkisson mean anything to this guy???
I guess Obama is "anti-American"...
Mr Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor should stick to basketball and leave issues such as these to those who actually have a clue...
I'm just sayin'.....
Michale
Well, THIS didn't take long.. :D
Speaking of being on the wrong side of unwinnable battles, many of the Republican candidates for president are standing firm with Kim Davis, as she rots in jail for disobeying a federal judge's lawful order to do her damn job and uphold her oath of office.
So, let me understand this..
The Hysterical (and not so hysterical) Left is all in a tizzy because this woman won't issue a marriage license to gay people...
Yet, this SAME Hysterical (and not so hysterical) Left supports a deal with a country that EXECUTES gay people...
Non Sequitur.... Does not compute....
Michale
Not only do the climate change factors make this policy indefensible,
What factors would those be??
The FACT that there has been no warming on the planet in almost 2 decades??
The FACT that *EVERY* global warming model and prediction has been WRONG
Are those the "factors" you are referring to?? :D
Michale
Another good jobs report
Record 94 Million Americans Not In Labor Force...
Participation Rate Lowest Since 1977...
Record 56,253,000 Women Not Working...
Stocks Plunge After Payrolls Report...
You were saying?? :D
Americans deserve a vacation
Really???
Says who???
Here's a thought. Why not let Americans *EARN* it??
Whooaaaa Radical concept...
"All full-time workers in European countries are guaranteed from 20 to 30 -- or more -- paid vacation days a year.
Yea, cuz the US would be SOOO much better off if it was like Europe... Been to GREECE lately??
"I see that the Republican establishment has begun the attempt to take down Donald Trump. The Club For Growth wants to spend millions on anti-Trump ads, and Jeb Bush is already out there making the attempt -- however ineffectually.
And none of it compares to the racist accusations that flew during the 2008 Democrat Party primary...
Am I wrong??
Michale
Al,
Coupled with Obama's disastrous decision to open up the East Coast to oil drilling, his support for nuclear energy and a massively expensive renewal of our nuclear weapons arsenal and I think the "strongest environmentalist president in modern times" claim is, if not questionable, then just a sad statement of how low the bar has been set.
Credit where credit is due...
It's nice to see someone besides myself (Grand Poobah expempted, of course..) actually call out Obama as a bonehead for doing stoopid stuff...
The fact that it's NOT really stoopid, that it's a GOOD thing is irrelevant..
The fact that you can actually call a spade a spade is what is relevant and a point in your favor...
So, kudos....
Michale
This whole thing about gay marriage is the epitome of the hypocrisy of the Left that I am always talking about.
The gay activists will threaten people, attack people and even throw people in jail to force respect of their beliefs on people who don't want to share them..
Yet, the gay activists have absolutely NO RESPECT for anyone else's beliefs..
In short, the gay activists demand respect and tolerance, but they are the most disrespectful intolerant groups around..
The epitome of hypocrisy...
Michale
In other words, respect and tolerance is a two-way street...
If you can't give it, you have absolutely NO CAUSE to expect it...
Michale
Paula,
But honestly, the more the media repeats the emailgate and benghazi crap and all the psuedo scandals the more I want to defend her.
Look up the legal term SPOLIATION
Once this is committed, the person in question is adjudicated as guilty and must prove their innocence...
And Hillary has spoliation up the arse....
I know, I know.. Reality bites, don't it... :D
Michale
This is a big accomplishment for Obama, and will become a major part of his foreign policy legacy
Do you want to see Obama's Foreign Policy legacy??
http://ste.india.com/sites/default/files/styles/zm_700x400/public/2015/09/03/397551-baby.jpg?itok=EhAshGLw
WARNING: Picture is graphic, shocking and disturbing.
THAT is Obama's Foreign Policy at it's "finest"....
Instead of kissing the Mullah's asses, maybe Obama should have done more to prevent this little boy's death...
This little boy's death is a DIRECT RESULT of Obama's Foreign Policy failure in Syria...
So, please forgive me if I don't give any cheers for Obama's Foreign Policy.. I am too busy trying to get the picture of that little boy out of my head...
Michale
"{{Trump's}} great at innuendo and conspiracy theories and really defaming people. That's not what I want to do in my campaign, and that's not how I'm going to conduct myself."
-Hillary Clinton
Except, of course, when it comes to calling Republicans "terrorists"....
The hypocrisy of the Left as epitomized by Hillary Clinton... :^/
Michale
McKinley lost the naming-of-the- mountain battle years ago. Here is the defining factor: you can buy a GMC Denali, it is a big, pricey, top of the line truck. You cannot buy a McKinley. Mountaineers, who are universally, and correctly, regarded as cool, outdoorsy people, invariably call the rock Denali. The truck evokes the rugged, daring image of the mountain and the mountaineer. Mckinley evokes assination, sepsis and the last POTUS to serve in the Civil War. You cannot market a McKinley, and not for lack of trying. Popular culture has spoken.
TS,
Yer like an comprehensible version of JFC... :D
Michale
Michale,
This little boy's death is a DIRECT RESULT of Obama's Foreign Policy failure in Syria...
Really? And, I suppose you think the Iranian regime's support for Assad has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
Really? And, I suppose you think the Iranian regime's support for Assad has nothing whatsoever to do with it.
Absolutely that ALSO has something to do with it..
Which makes Obama DOUBLY culpable because he just gave Iran hundreds of billions of dollars so that Iran can beef up support for Assad's murderous regime..
Chalk up another "win" for Obama's Foreign Policy... :^/
Thanks for pointing that out. I had missed that connection..
Michale
I consider JFC the grand master of brevity plus clarity around these parts. It's like German Engineering:, elegant, functional, fiendishly difficult to do well. Gets you around the circuit very quickly if you understand how it works.
I consider JFC the grand master of brevity plus clarity around these parts. It's like German Engineering:, elegant, functional, fiendishly difficult to do well.
And without a translation matrix, a complete and utter dunsel...
:D
Michale
Liz,
Chalk up another "win" for Obama's Foreign Policy... :^/
Thanks for pointing that out. I had missed that connection..
The word I think you are searching for is 'incorrigible'... :D
"I think the word you are searching for is 'SPACE RANGER'.."
"The word I am searching for I can't say in front of pre-school toys!"
-TOY STORY
:D
Michale
Another epitome of arrogance is is to assume puny humans can't affect the climate of an entire planet. Run that notion by the green mold on an orange.
Another epitome of arrogance is is to assume puny humans can't affect the climate of an entire planet. Run that notion by the green mold on an orange.
Hey, a double tap, seemingly with just one tap!
Comments have gone all funky again!
The translation matrix is a quality high school English program. Ohio used to provide these routinely. Thank you Miss H. You are likely in the celestial teacher's lounge by now, drinking martinis and smoking. You were not paid nearly enough to put up with us.
Another epitome of arrogance is is to assume puny humans can't affect the climate of an entire planet.
Not at all.. It's a rational recognition of our limitations....
We could no more affect the climate of the planet than we can affect the orbit of the planet...
To put it succintly, humans are like a man in a dingy in the middle of the Atlantic... He flops out his wee-wee and takes a pee... Yea, it's probably not the best thing that could happen in the general area of the wizzing....
But the idea that that wizzing could change the composition of the Atlantic and raise the LEVEL of the Atlantic??
Ludicrous.... Ridiculous..
"A whole lot of -usses..."
-Phil, HERCULES
:D
If you have some facts that say otherwise...???
"I'm all ears..."
-Ross Perot, 1992 Presidential Debates
Hey, a double tap, seemingly with just one tap!
You don't know yer own strength!! :D
Michale
The translation matrix is a quality high school English program.
More accurately, lot's of funky coffee and funkyer cigarettes in some Greenwich Village dive where beatniks snap their fingers and marvel how cool and deep they are..... :D
Michale
Before we embark on a long 500+ comment extravaganza, let me lay out the parameters...
We discuss *ALL* the science and scientists, not just the science and scientists that serves a political agenda..
And we agree beforehand that there is NO IMMINENT <100 years catastrophe in the cards...
If we can't agree on those two points, don't even bother suiting up... :D
Michale
Paula wrote:
"I don't think so. I don't think there are any true scandals and the endless attempts to fabricate one make repubs look like medieval witchhunters, throwing some poor woman in a pond and deciding she's innocent only if she drowns."
This has to be one of the best quotes regarding Clinton and the Republicans that I have ever seen. Thanks Paula.
This has to be one of the best quotes regarding Clinton and the Republicans that I have ever seen. Thanks Paula.
You would be right except for the fact that it's DEMOCRATS who are all in a tizzy over Clinton..
Not just Republicans..
I am also constrained to point out that during the Bush years, it was the Democrats who were MUCH more hysterical over something MUCH less of an issue.. Ya'all seem to forget that part of the equation..
But have no fear... I'll be around to drag ya'all back to reality... :D
Michale
Michale wrote:
"OH.... MY.... GOD!!!
The climate is.... CHANGING!!!!
We have to stop it!!!!! IMMEDIATELY!!!"
Again, you have entirely missed the point.
1) The point is not that the climate is changing. The point is that it is changing now so fast, in a direction that is detrimental to the existence of human beings. NEVER in history has the climate changed so much in such a short period of time, as far back as we can look at the records for tens of thousands of years. As your are so fond of saying Michale, this is indisputable FACT.
"The epitome of human arrogance is to think mere puny humans can actually affect the climate of the entire planet.. :D"
2) And the epitome of human stupidity is to think that the first global, technological, industrial species to exist in the entire history of the planet has absolutely no effect upon it. Just think for a moment Michale what a global nuclear war would do. Given that, are you really still going to stick with your contention that puny Man can have no effect on the ability of Earth to support life on a global scale?
1) The point is not that the climate is changing. The point is that it is changing now so fast, in a direction that is detrimental to the existence of human beings.
Yea.. That's the fear-mongering claim..
Too bad the science doesn't back it up...
I'll refer you to comment #35...
Then we can talk... :D
Michale
Michale wrote:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"
And no one is preventing Ms. Davis from practicing her religion as a PRIVATE citizen. But she cannot impose her religion on other people as a government OFFICIAL while acting in the capacity as a REPRESENTATIVE of the government. Why this simple fact of logic continues to elude you and others Michale is beyond me.
"The Hysterical (and not so hysterical) Left is all in a tizzy because this woman won't issue a marriage license to gay people...
Yet, this SAME Hysterical (and not so hysterical) Left supports a deal with a country that EXECUTES gay people..."
And yet, one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. As you say Michale. Non Sequitur.... Does not compute.... Saudi Arabia EXECUTES gay people too. What's your point? Should we not have any good relations with Saudi Arabia either?
NEVER in history has the climate changed so much in such a short period of time, as far back as we can look at the records for tens of thousands of years.
Yea.. That's what they said 30 years ago when Global COOLING was the fear-mongering of choice...
{{{Yaaaaawwwwnnnnnnn}}}
When global leaders and the Left start adjusting their lives as if the emergency was REAL, then we can talk..
But all I see is morons and blowhards telling everyone ELSE what they should do while said morons and blowhards go about dumping hundreds of thousands of tons of carbon in the air..
In other words, come talk to me when ya'all are ready to walk the walk...
I know THAT will never happen...
Michale
Michale wrote:
"The FACT that there has been no warming on the planet in almost 2 decades??"
Yet I notice that you conveniently ignore two facts.
1) The atmosphere has in FACT warmed. You can skew the data to make it see like it hasn't, by depending on which year you choose as your baseline.
2) You don't take into account how MUCH the OCEANS have warmed. Most of global warming has SO FAR, gone into heating the oceans FIRST before the atmosphere. Since oceans do cover 70 percent of the planet, as SPOCK would say " This is only logical." It is why the ocean's PH has become more acidic and coral reefs the world over are subject to bleaching.
And yet, one has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
Really???
Gay people getting married..
Gay people getting executed..
Seems a pretty solid connection to me..
Ya'all support the first but don't care about the latter...
. Saudi Arabia EXECUTES gay people too.
And if Saudi Arabia was part of the Iran/Deal/Equation you would have a point..
But it's not so you don't...
Michale
Yet I notice that you conveniently ignore two facts.
Agree to comment #35 and then we'll talk.. :D
Michale
Michale wrote:
"To put it succintly, humans are like a man in a dingy in the middle of the Atlantic... He flops out his wee-wee and takes a pee... Yea, it's probably not the best thing that could happen in the general area of the wizzing....
But the idea that that wizzing could change the composition of the Atlantic and raise the LEVEL of the Atlantic??"
Again you miss the point. One doesn't have to raise the level of the ocean. All one has to do is to poke enough holes in the boat in order to sink it. Either way, mankind will still DROWN.
John M (36):
Thanks!
Again you miss the point. One doesn't have to raise the level of the ocean. All one has to do is to poke enough holes in the boat in order to sink it. Either way, mankind will still DROWN.
And how does peeing over the side "poke holes" in the boat??
But thank you for epitomizing PERFECTLY the fallacy of the HUMAN CAUSED GLOBAL WARMING (YET THE PLANET AIN'T) fanatics..
They'll throw ANYTHING out there, no matter how irrelevant or ludicrous to further their agenda... :D
Agree to #35 and then we can talk more...
Michale
Micahle wrote:
"And we agree beforehand that there is NO IMMINENT <100 years catastrophe in the cards..."
Oh I see. So the FACT is that as long as it does not affect you, but your grandchildren instead, why should you worry or do anything about it, let them deal with it? ok, I got it now, thanks.
"They'll throw ANYTHING out there, no matter how irrelevant or ludicrous to further their agenda... :D"
Talking about yourself again Michale? Shame on you! We get enough of that already! :-D
Michale wrote"
"And how does peeing over the side "poke holes" in the boat??"
Is that metaphor envy I hear??? Shame when someone outdoes you, isn't it Michale?
Is that metaphor envy I hear??? Shame when someone outdoes you, isn't it Michale?
TRANSLATION: It has nothing to do with anything and I am just using false bravado to cover up that fact.. :D
Michale
Poll: Trump beats Hillary head-to-head
The poll by SurveyUSA finds that matched up directly, Trump garners 45 percent to Clinton’s 40 percent.
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/252825-poll-trump-beats-hillary-head-to-head
Hehehehehehehehehehehe
Ya'all can't see it but I am laughing my ass off!!! :D
Michale
Agree to #35 and then we can talk more...
You require conditions now? Sad...
Can I just copy and paste from last week?
You require conditions now? Sad...
Yea.. I am tired of wasting my time researching and posting all the facts only to have my opponent run away and hide..
You know what I am talking about.. :D
Can I just copy and paste from last week?
Once we agree on the parameters... Knock yerself out.. :D
It will be as effective now as it was back then.. Namely not at all.. :D
Michale
Here's a hint why ya'all CAN'T win the HUMAN CAUSED GLOBAL WARMING (But there hasn't been any warming in decades) debate..
Because, for ya'all to win your argument, you have to PROVE beyond any doubt that Human Caused Global Warming exists..
All I have to do is introduce reasonable doubt...
Because my argument is the science is not settled..
Michale
Michale wrote:
"OH.... MY.... GOD!!!
The climate is.... CHANGING!!!!
We have to stop it!!!!! IMMEDIATELY!!!"
Again, you have entirely missed the point.
Yea, I know.. It was intentional.. :D
I was mocking ya'all when YA'ALL missed the point during last year's massive snow storms... :D
Michale
All I have to do is introduce reasonable doubt...
And the opinions of thousands of peer-reviewed scientists that dispute the Human Caused Global Warming theory is as reasonable as it gets..
Michale
Obama did undercut his Alaskan visit a bit by giving the green light to more arctic drilling a few weeks earlier
That has to change. This system, where decisions like this are made by one individual in a vacuum (except perhaps for the puppet-strings pulled by his corporate overlords) is not a good way to run things. Instead of having a monarch and a power-behind-the-throne, we should have stuff written down in advance to tell a procedure for making the decisions. We should hire people to carry out the specified procedures -- different people from the ones who write the rules. And when there's a dispute over whether the rules were followed, we should have a whole 'nother bunch of people to settle the dispute. The people who write the rules could be organized into a few hundred separate offices, each headed by someone who would be chosen politically, by some kind of popularity contest, and then they could spend all their time communicating with the public (except for the communications needed to keep their offices in line with their goals, plus maybe a few days per year of ceremony to formalize the results). The people who decide the disputes could be appointed for a really long time. And the people who carry out the procedure could be hired according to rules, under the authority of the monarch. Only he (or hypothetically she) wouldn't be a monarch any more, just a sort of head of an executive branch.
I know it's radical, even pie-in-the-sky, but I think it would be nice to have decisions like arctic drilling decided according to law, not by the whim of whoever is in office. (Right now, there's a Democrat in office, with a decent environmental record overall. But there won't always be.)
And we agree beforehand that there is NO IMMINENT <100 years catastrophe in the cards...
That's ridiculous. It's a big world: there's a catastrophe somewhere every few years. Tunguska. Katrina. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Fukushima. Global anything is going to make either more catastrophes or fewer, in whatever categories it affects.
M-34
No, posers do what you are talking about. What I'm referring to is the process of deconstructing literature and the dramatic arts. It also works on jokes. It's just tactics that allow you to read, watch and listen deeply. It's analogous to studying chess book moves. Once you are taught to do this, you begin to understand why classics have endured for centuries and television is mostly crap.
I consider it unsportsmanlike to attach your dunsel to another person's mast. JFC is probably too polite to bring this up, but I'm not. : )
M-55
What other discipline demands absolute certainty to be considered valid? Nice try with ol' heads I win tales you lose proposal. Real risk assessment balances the odds matrix with the payoff matrix.
In general, much, no most, of the science-y evidence you cite around here comes from non-peer reviewed sources. It's basically unverifiable assertions where the underlying data and analysis aren't explained in any detail, aren't referenced and so can't be scrutinized. Second or third or more hand science gossip plus science fiction quotes. A slightly nicer form is the paper or electronic EDITORIAL or OPINION PIECE. By people who have no underlying credibility other than a masthead and just maybe a paycheck. A large amount of it is just re-packaged from public relations firms who are paid well to cast doubt on science outside a refereed peer reviewed process. In other words, by any means, fair or foul, AKA sophistry. Knowing that this sophistry will be endlessly parroted at no additional expense by the internet machine! This is the science equivalent of going bordello to meet your needs on regular basis. Don't try and explain it to mom or put in the Christmas News Letter. The only way you should conduct science in a knocking shop is if you are doing a peer reviewed study of prostitutes with a double blind protocol.
500 entry posting session. Goes nuts.
The Global Cooling Scare: A minor conjecture that went nowhere because it could not be substantiated. The science system worked!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_cooling
Yea.. I am tired of wasting my time researching and posting all the facts only to have my opponent run away and hide..
All that copy and pasting is soooo tiring ;-)
It will be as effective now as it was back then.. Namely not at all.. :D
You pretty much conceded last time. Or is your memory that short?
Because, for ya'all to win your argument, you have to PROVE beyond any doubt that Human Caused Global Warming exists..
Bullshit. That is not how science works, sorry.
All I have to do is introduce reasonable doubt...
In your deluded brain maybe but not in any rational discussion of science. Not to mention you have neither come close to reasonable doubt nor, and this is import, offered an alternate theory that stands the test of science.
If you have to stack the cards in your favor to engage in an argument, you probably have already lost...
Michale,
Thanks for pointing that out. I had missed that connection..
I'm not surprised. :)
And, yes, incorrigible is the word.
Michale,
Looking forward to your explanation of how Obama caused the 2006-2011 drought in Syria that led to their current woes.
dsws,
That's ridiculous. It's a big world: there's a catastrophe somewhere every few years. Tunguska. Katrina. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Fukushima. Global anything is going to make either more catastrophes or fewer, in whatever categories it affects.
I am not talking about a Katrina or a Krakatoa...
I am talking about what the Human Caused Global Warming (Yet The Planet Is Cooling) fanatics are always talking about..
A planet-destroying catastrophe...
Michale
TS,
No, posers do what you are talking about.
Yea... JFC... :D
I consider it unsportsmanlike to attach your dunsel to another person's mast.
Ahhhh But JFC can attach his chat bot to my mast??
Goose... Gander.. :D
JFC is probably too polite to bring this up, but I'm not. : )
There are MANY words that describe JFC... "polite" is not one of them.. :D
Michale
Bashi,
All that copy and pasting is soooo tiring ;-)
You have obviously never done in research.. :D
You pretty much conceded last time. Or is your memory that short?
You mentioned something about being a legend in your own mind?? :D
Bullshit. That is not how science works, sorry.
You have aptly proven you don't have any idea HOW real science works.. :D You got the political part down pat, though..
In your deluded brain maybe but not in any rational discussion of science. Not to mention you have neither come close to reasonable doubt nor, and this is import, offered an alternate theory that stands the test of science.
*I* don't have to offer an alternate theory.. There are thousands and thousands of scientists, REAL scientists, out there that have disputed the Human Caused Global Warming (Yet The Planet Is Cooling) theory who do a bang up job on that.
Ya know, the scientists that ya'all ignore...
Face it, Bashi.. It's a losing battle for you. Until ya'all can look at ALL the science, not just the science that supports your agenda, ya'all will NEVER win this debate...
But I still love it when ya'all try.. :D
Michale
Mopshell,
Looking forward to your explanation of how Obama caused the 2006-2011 drought in Syria that led to their current woes.
The current woes is the Syrian Civil War brought about by Assad's brutality of his own people..
Obama created a red line that would have resulted in the removal of Assad..
Assad gave Obama the finger, crossed the red line and Obama caved..
How is that anyone else's fault???
Why can't you just admit that your guy frak'ed up?? That, when it comes to foreign policy, he's a luser??
Because the facts clearly show that this is the case...
Michale
I am talking about what the Human Caused Global Warming (Yet The Planet Is Cooling) fanatics are always talking about..
A planet-destroying catastrophe...
Ya know..
WE HAVE X YEARS TO SAVE THE PLANET!!!! OH MY GODS, THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!
How many times have we heard THAT from the Human Caused Global Warming fanatics??
And lookey, lookey... The planet is still here... Still spinning round and round...
It's simply gabberflasting that the fanatics can be wrong time after time after time after time...
And yet.. Ya'all STILL by into the hype...
That, more than anything else, proves the political nature of the Human Caused Global Warming theory...
It's not science.. It's politics. It's faith..
Michale
And, yes, incorrigible is the word.
See!?? We agree again!!! :D
Michale
It's simply gabberflasting that the fanatics can be wrong time after time after time after time...
And yet.. Ya'all STILL by into the hype...
I could write a huge commentary on how many times the Human Caused Global Warming fanatics have been wrong. A HUGE commentary on all the failed models and all the failed predictions.
The commentary on how many times the Human Caused Global Warming fanatics have been right??
One character... 0
Now, I don't know about YA'ALL's "Science"...
But with MY science... REAL science.. when a theory has failed over and over and over and over and over and over and over (you see where I am going with this??) and over again....
REAL science demands that the theory be re-thought, altered to fit reality..
But YA'ALL's "science" insist that reality must be altered to fit the theory..
That's not science, people.. That's religion...
Michale
Let me give you a little insight as to how ya'all's so-called "scientists" work...
Up in comment #42, JM responded to the fact that there has been no statistically significant global warming in the last 2 decades.. Allow me to explain how JM's "facts" came about..
Picture a meeting of the Human Caused Global Warming "scientists"..
"Listen up, people!! We're in a real jam!! There has been NO GLOBAL WARMING in almost 20 years and people are beginning to get skeptibal!! WE NEED SOME WARMING!!! We have got to find SOME warming SOMEWHERE or else people will realize it's been one big con all along!! THINK, PEOPLE!!!"
"Uhhh... We can say that BBQ grills at Labor Day picnics are getting warmer!!!"
"Hmmmmm How about we say that the jet exhaust from the F-35 AWTF is getting a LOT warmer!!!!"
"OH!!! OH!!! I know!!! We can say that the upper ZagNutsoSphere is getting warmer!!!
"I GOT A GOOD ONE!!! We can say that the deepest bottoms of the oceans are getting warmer!!!!"
"Oh come on, people!! All of those are irrelevant to our con!!! Er... Cause.... But those last two are less so, so we'll put out that crap... I mean.. Science..."
So, yes... If ya'all tool around you will find things that ARE warmer...
But after hyping the average global temperature (of which there really is no such thing) for years as the mean parameter and then shift to something else when the mythical average global temperature doesn't cooperate???
Well, that simply PROVES how shaky ya'all's "science" really is....
Class Dismissed....
Professor Michale
Michale,
It was five years' of unremitting drought driving millions of Syrians off rural land into the cities that sparked this crisis. It's well documented. I'm surprised you didn't know this. Here's a summary of the events so you can catch up: http://www.upworthy.com/trying-to-follow-what-is-going-on-in-syria-and-why-this-comic-will-get-you-there-in-5-minutes?g=3
t was five years' of unremitting drought driving millions of Syrians off rural land into the cities that sparked this crisis.
Yes and it was Global Warming that sparked the drought.. And if we go back further in time, it was Colonel Mustard in the Library with a rope thereby absolving your guy of ANY responsibility for ANYTHING.. :D
The Syrian Civil War is the DIRECT cause of refugee emergency in the region..
And Obama's mythical "red line" that he caved on is *A* direct cause of the Syrian Civil War...
Of course, ya'all could just fall back on the tried and true, "IT'S ALL BUSH'S FAULT!!!" routine.. :D
But regardless of all that, the President shares a goodly portion of the blame for that dead little by lying face down on the beach...
A fact I am SURE that *everyone* here would agree with if the President had a '-R' after his name...
Michale
And Obama's mythical "red line" that he caved on is *A* direct cause of the Syrian Civil War...
The OTHER direct cause being Iran's meddling and backing of Assad.. Meddling that has been given a HUGE boost by the hundreds of billions of dollars Obama gave Iran.. (thanks, Liz :D)
So, I guess if one looks at it logically, it's *ALL* Obama's fault!! heh
But thass OK... Unlike ya'all with your BDS, I'll only award Obama partial blame... The majority of the blame, logically, lies with Assad...
Michale
Certainly not the law-and-order party anymore
"The county clerk in Kentucky deserves about as much support as you would give her if she were a Muslim woman who insisted on covering her face and refused not only gay marriages licenses, but divorce, accusations of rape and driving a car without your man's approval.
I realize that Davis must follow federal law but why should she when DOJ and other civil authorities don't follow federal law when they choose not to, i.e. Washington State and Colorado come to mind...or the abstract notion of 'sanctuary cities.' I always thought that sanctuary was the province of churches.
Once again, the gay community feels the need to be sore winners. Is it so difficult to allow this women her religion? Or must we destroy her in order for her to betray her faith. No matter how we judge, it's truth. The rights we have all fought for, mean nothing, if we deny her hers."
-Christopher Ciccone
Mr Ciccone raises a VERY valid point..
Ya'all don't seem to mind when the Federal Government picks and chooses which laws it will and will not follow JUST to further an partisan political agenda... Immigration, drugs, guns the list of laws that Obama has ignored is long...
That doesn't bother ya'all one whit..
But this woman who is following the will of her god!???
Well, SHE must be destroyed...
Hypocrisy much???
Michale
I mean, ya'all are saying about Davis...
"If she can't follow the laws, she should just quit!!"
Of course, the same applies to Obama, right??
{{chiiirrrrppppppp}} {chirrrpp} {{{chirrrrrrrppppppppp}}}
Yea... That's what I thought...
Cue hysterical cries of, "That's different!!!".... :^/
The ONLY difference is that, with Obama, it SOLELY serves a partisan Party agenda...
With Davis, it is encroaching on her Constitutional right to free exercise of her religion...
Michale
If anyone is interested (sheeya right.. :^/ ) in Mr Ciccone's full post, here it is in it's entirety...
Incidentially Mr Ciccone is a gay man... And I would be willing to bet that he HATES the fact that Iran executes gay people... :^)
The county clerk in Kentucy deserves about as much support as you would give her if she were a muslim women who insisted on covering her face and refused not only gay marriages licenses, but divorce, accusations of rape and driving a car without ur mans approval.....perspective is everything.....this woman is a civil servant, she is required to follow federal law.....but why should she....when DOJ and other civil authories don't follow federal law when they choose not to.....i.e. Washington State and Colorado (POT) come to mind...or the abstract notion of "sanctuary cities".....i always thought that sanctuary was the province of churches.......these things aside....this is why we have elections.....if the folks of this county in Kentucy don't want her as the county clerk....then don't have to vote for her.....that is how a democracy works....not to mention the courts.
In the mean time.....since when are we the arbiter of other peoples faith?.......can you honestly say that you know how much a person is allowed to have??..if i'm not mistaken, it's in the constitution.....something about religious freedom or something......selective shaming and bullying corrupts a democracy....freedom of press, speech and religion give it strength. Not to mention reason and the god given compassion we as humans have a right and responsibility to practice. Once again, the gay community feels the need to be sore winners. Is it so difficult to allow this women her religion?...or must we destroy her in order for here to betray her faith. No matter how we judge its truth. The rights we have all fought for, mean nothing, if we deny her hers.
Food for thought.. If any on the Left actually THOUGHT about this issue rationally rather than just lash out hysterically and emotionally...
Alas, perchance to dream.... :^/
Michale
Since Trump is going to be president, I decided to cash in. I started a new business. I'm marketing a line of cheap, ugly, Chinese-made, satirical ball caps. They say Make America White Again. Very classy.
Now, you might think that the market would be rather limited, but they're selling like there's no tomorrow. It turns out that Trumplings are fundies and they really don't understand how words work very well. They think it means what it says and that's all that matters to them. Cha-ching!
Trump's campaign is more WWE all the time. After the big purity pledge signing, his Number One Goon went outside and assaulted a peaceful legal protester. Where is the NYPD? They'll strangle you for suspicion of selling loose cigarettes, but hit some guy in the head and knock him down on camera? It seems like the NYPD message is that certain people shouldn't show their faces on public sidewalks.
{snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap}
{snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap}
:D
{snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap}
{snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap} {snap}
http://tinyurl.com/qgf46yd
:D
Michale
Michale [63] - [70]
And let me guess, you are the "arbitrator" of which is science and which is politics? And just who exactly makes your list?
But with MY science... REAL science.. when a theory has failed over and over and over and over and over and over and over (you see where I am going with this??) and over again....
Which theory specifically? Which paper is wrong?
Food for thought.. If any on the Left actually THOUGHT about this issue rationally rather than just lash out hysterically and emotionally...
We will leave the "lash out hysterically and emotionally..." to you as you are so good at it...
"I think we can send a message and say, you want to be in America, A, you'd better be here legally or you're out of here; B, when you're here, let's speak American. I mean that's what's -- let's speak English and that's a kind of a unifying aspect of the nation is the language that is understood by all.” - Palin
I don't really believe that Trump would hire somebody as profoundly stupid as her. I think he's lying about that to pander to the Trumplings.
And let me guess, you are the "arbitrator" of which is science and which is politics? And just who exactly makes your list?
All it takes is a little common sense...
For example.. If one listens to ONLY the "scientists" that fit their partisan agenda??
That's politics...
See how easy that is?? :D
We will leave the "lash out hysterically and emotionally..." to you as you are so good at it...
yea... Ya'all keep saying that. Yet no one has been able to substantiate it..
Funny how that is, eh? :D
Michale
All it takes is a little common sense...
For example.. If one listens to ONLY the "scientists" that fit their partisan agenda??
That's politics...
Nice political non-answer there...
yea... Ya'all keep saying that. Yet no one has been able to substantiate it..
With most the posts in this thread, you already have...
With most the posts in this thread, you already have...
yes.. That's the claim ad nasuem..
Until you have some facts to back it up.. It's just an unsubstantiated claim..
But keep trying.. I love it when ya'all make everything about me.. :D
Michale
Until you have some facts to back it up.. It's just an unsubstantiated claim..
You demand to put conditions on an argument before we start but refuse to define those conditions or seemly follow them yourself.
You demand to put conditions on an argument before we start but refuse to define those conditions or seemly follow them yourself.
L'il ole me???? :D
Michale
M - 64
I take your point about the "chatbot" label, and I have no reason to believe that you are machine intelligence. This is strictly a Turing Test evaluation on my part. Using the same Turing approach, JFC's comments seem intelligent, succinct and memorable - to me. He sets up dialectics, using narratives that are pretty familiar if you are reasonably well read/well educated. That's the whole point of the Dialectic Approach, which goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks. It assumes your audience is genuinely interested in arriving at their own notion of truth, and you are giving some helpful hints. Hints may be offered back, coffee is optional. The "truth" shifts, it's the lies that tend to remain fixed in place. You seem more comfortable with the Sophist Philosophy, also Greek, also ancient. Sophists are all about winning arguments, truth is incidental. It's about salesmanship. Good for a career in business and/or politics. Read anything with "The Case For.." by Lee Strobel for a schooling in modern sophistry.
At the end of the day, if you don't get JFC's shtick, fine, but that doesn't remotely imply there is nothing to get, that JFC is phony or on drugs. The Turning Test suggests to me that the disconnect is at your side of the pipe, not his. Ergo, you own this particular dunsl. I own a a collection myself, but I try not to share for fear of calling attention to it.
A chatbot is basically a device for duplicating and disseminating information on the web. The spawn of sophistry. You claim to educate us with facts, but facts are human constructs, conclusions arrived at by weighing little pieces of evidence. You never actually give any hard evidence, just the conclusions. That is just spreading gossip, hearsay. The very same gossip shows up in my Inbox every day, spread by friends who like to do that kind of thing. I have filters for it. It's easy to source with a few search terms into Google. Editorials, Public Relations Firms, a now usual of suspects. Actual peer reviewed publications... Almost never. Evidence is a lot more interesting than editorial opinion. Volume is not to confused with quality.
A Turning Test again: you resemble a human chatbot. Large chunks of "You" read like the filters in my mailbox. It's a fair cop in my book, at least a 7 on my 10 point reasonableness scale. I've said as much before myself, I just didn't use the term chatbot. Maybe we could compromise on "chatomizer?"
70) Here's another Turing Test by somebody with decades in the Science Biz, theoretical and applied. You know next to nothing about how science gets done. You aren't familiar with experimental design, risk assessment, meta assessment, or statistics in general, Classical or Bayesian. The tools of the trade. Everybody is free to voice their own opinion, but the class clown doesn't get to dismiss the class.
By the way, North, to Alaska! is one of my favourite movies. The rush is on ... :)
FTP 360 North to Alaska 360 degrees is due North. I just noticed that coinkydink. Well done.
That's what you call good presidential timing, TS ...
Ya'all remember a month back or so.. How I was pointing out all the Hillary scandals and such..
Do ya'all remember ya'all's responses??
"Hillary is up in the polls!!"
Flash Forward to today??
DOWN 9 IN NH
POLL: TRUMP BEATS HILLARY HEAD TO HEAD...
Now what say you?? :D
Michale
And TRUMP is not only beating Clinton in this Labor Day poll, he is even drawing in 25% of the black vote!!!
http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=d950cadf-05ce-4148-a125-35c0cdab26c6
Those who live by the polls shall die by the polls..
:D
Yep, sometimes even me... :D
Michale
Both Bush AND Trump beat Clinton in a General Election match-up
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/bernie-sanders-leads-hillary-clinton-9-n-h-gains-iowa-n422111
No matter how the spin spins, the simple fact is that Clinton is in trouble..
This is the reality, like it or not...
Michale
This is *THE* best assessment of the current stage of the 2018 Presidential Election..
Republicans have a problem, while Democrats have a crisis.
:D
Michale
By the way, North, to Alaska! is one of my favourite movies. The rush is on ... :)
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is my favorite movie about Alaska.. :D
My son is up there in Alaska right now. He works on one of the fishing boats up there.. :D
Michale
My son is up there in Alaska right now. He works on one of the fishing boats up there.. :D
I know he does!
I'd like to visit one day but, I'm not done with the southern hemisphere yet. :)
I'd like to visit one day but, I'm not done with the southern hemisphere yet. :)
Yea, I keep trying to talk my wife into moving up there.. They give you $10,000 at the border and you live practically for free!!! :D
hehehehehe
Michale
I dunno ... I think I would still prefer the southern hemisphere.
I'm from sunny southern Ontario, after all ... enough said.
That was a little joke. :)
I'm from sunny southern Ontario, after all ... enough said.
That was a little joke. :)
Ontario, California?? :D
That was a littler joke.. :D
Michale
I wish!!!
Michale,
This is *THE* best assessment of the current stage of the 2018 Presidential Election..Republicans have a problem, while Democrats have a crisis.
And, the really good news is that this crisis will only persist until Vice President Biden enters the race to save the Democrats. Yes he CAN save the Democrats and, yes, they do need saving.
Yes he CAN save the Democrats and, yes, they do need saving.
I whole-heartedly agree with the latter... The former?? Not so sure..
The well has been too thoroughly poisoned...
But it IS funny.. Biden, in a Labor Day speech, says that something is really really wrong with the American Economy..
The funny part comes in with the fact that it' OBAMA'S ECONOMY!!!
Hilarious, eh?? :D
Michale
GOP is pledging loyalty to Trump
So... Ya'all think that loyalty pledges are silly, ridiculous and un-enforcable, eh??
Hillary Clinton Makes Voters Sign Loyalty Pledge Before Entering Event
Attendees at a Hillary Clinton campaign event in Cleveland, Ohio, were asked to sign a pledge promising to vote for the candidate before they were allowed into the venue
http://www.mediaite.com/online/hillary-clinton-makes-voters-sign-loyalty-pledge-before-entering-event/
So, of course, ya'all will be ridiculing Hillary Clinton, right???
:D
Michale
Surveyusa has a good reputation. It will be interesting to see if some other reliable outfit replicates their findings. Given the number of questions examined, I strongly suspect the margin of error on any given issue is much higher than the nominal 3% cited. One thousand respondents is pretty small when you get this fine grained.
Juan Williams: #BlackLivesMatter is playing with fire
http://thehill.com/opinion/juan-williams/252672-juan-williams-blacklivesmatter-is-playing-with-fire
Juan really misses the mark here on some points.
But on others, he is dead on ballz accurate..
What IS it about Left Wing groups that they are their own worst enemies??
Remember the Oowsers (rhymes with Lusers)???
Neither do I....
The problem with the BLM group is that their focus is so narrowed as to defeat their own purpose.. They only exist to address .08% of the black deaths... Ergo, they only have something to bitch and moan about every couple months..
Imagine the rallies they could have if they actually took a look in the mirror and examined their own culpability in black deaths..
THEN they might do some good..
As of now, they are just another racist hate group...
Williams also details many missed opportunities the BLM group misses.. That's because Williams doesn't understand the goal of the BLM group. BLM doesn't want to work with white people to create change. BLM wants to exact change thru violence and revolution..
Once one understands the goal of the BLM group, their actions make perfect sense...
Michale
Given the number of questions examined, I strongly suspect the margin of error on any given issue is much higher than the nominal 3% cited. One thousand respondents is pretty small when you get this fine grained.
I agree... As I have always said, polls usually tell you the biases of the poll TAKERS, not the poll'ees...
I merely point polls out because Weigantians are positively GIDDY about polls.
But only when the polls say what Weigantians agree with.. :D
Michale
Second Review Says Classified Information Was in Hillary Clinton’s Email
WASHINGTON — A special intelligence review of two emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton received as secretary of state on her personal account — including one about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program — has endorsed a finding by the inspector general for the intelligence agencies that the emails contained highly classified information when Mrs. Clinton received them, senior intelligence officials said.
Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign and the State Department disputed the inspector general’s finding last month and questioned whether the emails had been overclassified by an arbitrary process. But the special review — by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency — concluded that the emails were “Top Secret,” the highest classification of government intelligence, when they were sent to Mrs. Clinton in 2009 and 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/us/politics/second-review-says-classified-information-was-in-hillary-clintons-email.html?src=twr
It's all over but the tears....
Hillary has changed her story so many times, SHE probably can't separate the facts from the lies...
Stick a fork in her. She's done...
Michale
LOOK!!! Michale's gone green!!! :D
http://sjfm.us/temp/cw-commentary3.jpg
yuk yuk yuk :D
Obama's trip did have a serious side, and he used his bully pulpit to good effect, spotlighting Americans who are already being directly affected by climate change. This spawned some stories in the mainstream media, which was precisely the point -- drawing the public's attention to the problem.
Wake up, Obama, climate change has been happening forever
President Obama hiked to Exit Glacier in Alaska last week, with photographers in tow, to send the world a message: The glacier is melting.
Obama blames it on the increasing use of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, which he wants to restrict not only in the United States but worldwide. The photo op was designed to build support for an international climate agreement he’s pushing hard to sell, so far with little success.
Trouble is, the president needs to get his facts straight. Exit Glacier has been shrinking for 200 years — since 1815 — long before widespread industrialization and automobiles. As the president ended his trip, he sounded the alarm again: “This state’s climate is changing before our eyes.”
News flash, Mr. President: Alaska has been buffeted by cyclical swings in climate for thousands of years. That’s true for the rest of the world, too. There was a 300-year-long Medieval heat wave, followed by a Little Ice Age that began around 1300, and then the 300-year warming period we’re in now.
http://nypost.com/2015/09/07/wake-up-obama-climate-change-has-been-happening-forever/
There are always 2 sides to every story..
Invariably the side that uses hysterical fear-mongering is the WRONG side..
I mean, honestly.. This is a guy who blamed Human Caused Global Warming for his daughter's asthma...
Of course, it wasn't the parents who smoke like chimney's fault, eh??
OF COURSE NOT!!
It's NEVER his fault for ANYTHING...
His daughter's asthma was caused by Human Caused Global Warming.. :^/
Denial is NOT just a river in Egypt...
Michale
And, in other news..
Tom Brady confirms he has Donald Trump hat, says Trump has done 'amazing things'
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/09/tom-brady-confirms-he-has-donald-trump-hat-say-trump-has-done-amazing-things
Looks like Trump has found his running mate... :D
Michale
Judge orders Ky. clerk who denied gay marriage licenses released from jail
HA!!!!
Take THAT, ya wankers!!!! :D
Michale
On a more pleasant note...
Our city, ST AUGUSTINE turned 450 this past weekend...
Nation's Oldest City... Come visit... :D
http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2015/09/08/st-augustine-how-to-spend-day-in-nations-oldest-city/?intcmp=hphz09
I know, I know.. It's FoxNews... Hold yer noses.. :D
Michale
Rut Roh, Raggey!!!
Two top Senate investigators offered immunity Tuesday to Bryan Pagliano, the staffer who set up the email server in former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s home, in exchange for testimony about her activities.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/8/hillary-clinton-emails-senators-offer-immunity-bry/
To paraphrase Adam Sandler in BILLY MADISON...
"NOW, {Clinton} is in big BIG trouble!!"
I hope this Pagliano douche has a good security team....
Michale
WOOT!!! I just sent my first tweet!!!
https://twitter.com/hashtag/AskHillary?src=hash
Does that make me a twit?? :D
Michale
Yes, it does!
Or, rather, just confirms it. :)
hehehehe Touche'... :D
Michale
Seriously, I just, the other day, opened a twitter account. Don't ask me why.
But, not more than one day afterward, I get a pop up window when I sign in that says my account has been blocked. I haven't done anything with it!
It says that I need to provide my mobile phone number so that they can be sure of my identity. Not sure I want to do that and, already, I'm regretting opening up an account.
Please advise ...
If you don't use it, I would close it...
I don't recall having to input my mobile, but I set it up back in 2011 (I think to "FOLLOW" CW) so it's been a while..
Ron Fournier actually FAVORITED one of my tweets, so I am as giddy as a school boy... :D
Michale
But, I may, possibly, a some time, want desperately to use it.
I guess what I'm worried about is being charged every time twitter texts me about something ... I probably shouldn't be admitting this but ... here goes ... I don't have a smart phone (not yet, anyways) and, to make matters worse, I don't even know HOW to text on the little flip phone I have because I've never been inclined to figure it out. I suppose I am able to figure it out if need be ...
Having one of your tweets favourited by a guy like Fournier must be really, really ... oh, I don't know ... gratifying? Heh.
I guess what I'm worried about is being charged every time twitter texts me about something ... I probably shouldn't be admitting this but ... here goes ... I don't have a smart phone (not yet, anyways) and, to make matters worse, I don't even know HOW to text on the little flip phone I have because I've never been inclined to figure it out. I suppose I am able to figure it out if need be ...
I barely use my smartphone. Phone calls, texts with family and as a camera.. That is the extent of my SmartPhoning... :D So I am almost with ya.. :D
You can probably get around in Twitter w/o having to give them your mobile..
Having one of your tweets favourited by a guy like Fournier must be really, really ... oh, I don't know ... gratifying? Heh.
Yea, well... For a guy with NO FOLLOWERS, it's a kick in the pants to get a FAVORITE from a famous writer.. :D
Not as big of a thrill as trading emails with Walter Koenig, but close.. :D
Michale
Oh, and by the way...
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/end-of-the-world-fears-sparked-by-blood-moon-and-meteor-strike-prophecy-10491339.html
The world is going to end on my birthday, 28 Sep... :D
Michale
You can probably get around in Twitter w/o having to give them your mobile..
I guess ... but, what's the use if I can't follow someone or tweet when the urge cannot be resisted?
Don't worry, be happy ...I'm sure we'll both survive our birthdays this month, somehow or other.
You're not going to get hooked on twitter, are you?
You're not going to get hooked on twitter, are you?
"Ralph, you're not going.... TURBO, are you!??"
-WRECK IT RALPH
:D
Naw, I have WAY too many distractions in my life already... That's why I don't play those online MMPORG whatever games..
I would NEVER get any work done! :D
Don't worry, be happy ...I'm sure we'll both survive our birthdays this month, somehow or other.
Thass right, yer's is this month too!! Come'on! Which day... :D
Michale
I guess ... but, what's the use if I can't follow someone or tweet when the urge cannot be resisted?
That's what yer pooter is for... :D
It's a limiting factor so yer not captured by the nefarious Social Media wankers... :D
Michale
My WHAT!?
Thass right, yer's is this month too!! Come'on! Which day... :D
It's better than that ... have you forgotten that we share the same year, too? But, I'll always be nine days older than you! Ahem.
Yer pooter... Computer :D
Michale
It's better than that ... have you forgotten that we share the same year, too? But, I'll always be nine days older than you! Ahem.
I shall bow to the wisdom of my elder!! :D
Michale
So, you'll have 9 days to enjoy after yer B-Day before the end of the world... Kewl.. :D
Michale
And, I shall spend them ensuring that you bow to my wisdom, through every last minute of it. :)
I'm not worthy!!! I'm not worthy!!!
:D
Michale
Oh, yes you are! Prepare for the onslaught!
Beat me, whip me, make me write bad checks!! :D
heh
Michale
Wow, 140 comments... well, here goes...
altohone [2] -
In case you missed it:
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2015/07/22/feeling-the-bern/
:-)
Good eye on that missing "live" -- it's now been corrected. Mea culpa.
Mopshell [3] -
Nice use of blockquotes within a comment! Just had to say that...
John From Censornati [4] -
Kim Davis is a Democrat? Got evidence?
Michale [8] -
McAuliffe v. Mayor of New Bedford, Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.: "A policeman may have a constitutional right to [speak his mind], but he has no constitutional right to be a policeman."
There ya go...
[12] -
Still waiting for your take on Saudi Arabia, which has the same law. Beheadings in public, and all of that.
TheStig [21] -
Good points, all. Plus, Ohio's high point is called "Campbell Hill" which was just named after a former landowner of the site (it used to be a boy's correctional institution a few years back, and you used to have to jump the fence in the summertime to visit it). So why not rename it "McKinley Hill"??? Problem solved!
TheStig [25] -
So JFC is like the BMW or Audi of the site?
Heh. :-)
TheStig [31] -
Sorry, comment problems last weekend. Hopefully, I've made things better....
[32] -
Reminds me of the bumpersticker: "Can you read this? Thank a teacher!"
John M [36] -
Yeah, I liked that dunking in a pond comment too, but forgot to point it out. Well done, Paula!
Trivia: no witches were ever burned in America. One guy was "pressed to death between stones" but nobody got torched. Doesn't make Salem history any better, just more accurate. Burnings occurred all over Europe, but not here.
Michale [41] -
Global cooling was an issue in the 1970s. That's "40 years ago." Get your own facts straight!
OK, that's it for the first 50 comments. Going to post this so in case my browser crashes I won't lose it all...
More in a moment...
-CW
OK, next 50, here goes...
Michale [82] -
Is that a Lincoln?
"My Pappy said 'Son, you're going to drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop driving that hot rod Lincoln."
Heh. Sorry, couldn't resist...
TheStig [90] -
Damn, I have to say you are certainly elevating the level of discourse around here. Casual discussions of Turing Tests, Dialectic Approach, and Sophism are certainly not exactly par for the course. Well done!
:-)
LizM [91] -
I like Chaplin's "The Gold Rush" too... especially the scene with the cabin on the edge of the abyss...
:-)
TheStig [92] -
OK, here's my favorite geography riddle of all time:
An intrepid explorer was forced by bad weather to make camp for the night, without knowing exactly where he was. He woke up in the morning, and decided to scout the area he had camped at. He walked due south for one mile, due east for one mile, and due north for one mile. However, at the end of this he found himself back at the site he had camped the night before. While he was pondering this problem, a bear attacked him. He immediately shot the bear.
Question: what color was the bear?
Answer: (this may have been obvious by what triggered my own memory of this riddle, I fully admit) -- white. It was a polar bear, because the ONLY spot on Earth this could happen as described is if he camped right on the North Pole (where "three sides of a square" would actually be "two sides of a triangle, and an arc").
:-)
Maybe someone can win a bar bet with that... heh.
Michale [98] -
Ooooh -- good point! I forgot about the Simpsons Movie in Alaska. My favorite line: "Welcome to Alaska, here's some money!" (Socialism on oil revenues to an extent not seen in any other state).
Has your son been on one of those Alaskan fishing reality TV shows yet? Any footage? Inquiring minds want to know!
Michale [100] -
See previous Simpsons quote!
OK, that's the second 50. Posting now, more later...
-CW
LizM [103] -
Be careful what you wish for. Up here in Northern CA, it's been 100 degrees for the past week. Can't imagine what it's like down south...
Michale [106] -
Yeah, I have to admit, Hillary trying to tie down superdelegates at this early date is pretty hilarious...
[108] -
You may not remember the Occupy folks, but EVERYONE now remembers "the one percent" and the "99 percent" -- they did at least change the conversation, you've got to admit.
[113] -
OK, Trump/Brady might pick up a few votes in otherwise-liberal New England, I'll grant you that.
Seriously, though, I have been giving some thought to running mates, but I haven't written about it (on either side of the aisle) because it's just too early....
[115] -
That's pretty cool. But...
My wife remembers when Dublin, Ireland celebrated it's millennial, back in 1988. We've got a commemorative clock from that on our kitchen wall, in fact.
:-)
I grew up on the East Coast, with things that were 300-400 years old, but Europe puts us to shame in this category! "Oh, that? That's a Roman aqueduct, it's over 2000 years old..."
[117] -
You're on Twitter now? Well, you should follow me: @ChrisWeigant
Over 560 followers, and counting!
:-)
LizM [121] -
You too? See above...
:-)
[123] -
I have no smart phone. You are among (Luddite) friends here! I use a flip phone from my wife when absolutely necessary, but resist being connected otherwise....
:-)
[124] -
Hey, Zephyr Teachout just followed me... does that count, over here on the Left?
:-)
OK, that's it... got other comments to address in other columns...
-CW
Still waiting for your take on Saudi Arabia, which has the same law. Beheadings in public, and all of that.
What's the relevance to the Iran deal??
Do I like SA's form of government??
Of course not..
Is that government the NUMBER 1 STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM??
No it is not..
So I am not sure what it has to do with IRAN...
But, since you bring it up.. The Left's well known hatred of Saudi Arabia is...er.... well known...
Yet ya'all don't mind jumping into bed with the Iranian Aytollahs, whose government is 10 times worse..
Why is that??
McAuliffe v. Mayor of New Bedford, Justice Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.: "A policeman may have a constitutional right to [speak his mind], but he has no constitutional right to be a policeman."
There ya go...
Ya lost me...
John From Censornati [4] -
Kim Davis is a Democrat? Got evidence?
Sheeya, right.. When monkees fly outta my butt!! :D
Global cooling was an issue in the 1970s. That's "40 years ago." Get your own facts straight!
Touche'... But it was *THE* big issue and it was all gloom, doom and fear-mongering... And NONE of it came to pass...
How is Global WARMING any different?? Especially since there hasn't BEEN any warming??
OK, that's it for the first 50 comments. Going to post this so in case my browser crashes I won't lose it all...
Don'tcha just HATE when that happens!! :D
Has your son been on one of those Alaskan fishing reality TV shows yet? Any footage? Inquiring minds want to know!
Nope, but that is the exact kinda work he does.. But we do have a home video of him... Remember that part in THE PERFECT STORM when the guy gets his hand snared in a hook and is pulled into the ocean?? That kinda happened to my son, but in reverse.. They were reeling in the line and a hook snared my sons glove... Fortunately he got the glove off before it went into the machine...
So if any of ya'all get a can of fish and it has pieces of rubber glove in it.. You can blame my son.. :D
Yeah, I have to admit, Hillary trying to tie down superdelegates at this early date is pretty hilarious...
Yea.. And desperate.. She is scared sheetless that Biden is going to jump in the race...
You may not remember the Occupy folks, but EVERYONE now remembers "the one percent" and the "99 percent" -- they did at least change the conversation, you've got to admit.
Yea, I concede that.. But then again.. Everyone remembers "PLOP PLOP FIZZ FIZZ" but how many remember what it was from?? :D
Seriously, though, I have been giving some thought to running mates, but I haven't written about it (on either side of the aisle) because it's just too early....
But it's fun to speculate the effect on the race, eh??
I mean, if Biden were to jump in the race with Warren as his pre-chosen running mate, can you imagine the Lefties going ape-shit crazy!?? :D
You're on Twitter now? Well, you should follow me: @ChrisWeigant
Over 560 followers, and counting!
Actually, I have been on Twitter exactly as long as you have.. :D You joining prompted me to join.. :D
Michale
"Kim Davis is a Democrat? Got evidence?"
No, but it has been widely reported and she is an elected official, so it's not a secret.
No, but it has been widely reported and she is an elected official, so it's not a secret.
What's not a secret??
That she is an elected official?? Of course it's not a secret. You just said it was "widely reported"...
Where's the evidence that she is a Democrat??
Michale
You're on Twitter now? Well, you should follow me: @ChrisWeigant
Over 560 followers, and counting!
I don't have a follower.. But I DO have a "FAV" from Ron Fournier!! :D I am swooning.. :D heh
Michale
Dear dummkopf,
"What's not a secret?"
Her party is not a secret to voters or reporters. It has been widely reported that she's a Dem. Work on that reading comprehension.
The tools of the trade. Everybody is free to voice their own opinion, but the class clown doesn't get to dismiss the class.
Nor does the class get to dismiss the class clown...
Once again, it's a two way street, no?? :D
Michale
Re. Facebook and Twitter ...
I won't be following you, Chris, or anyone else by the looks of it. I'm already regretting signing up for an account. I should have known better after my fiasco with facebook.
Question - how does one delete their accounts on FB and Twitter ... like I was never even there!
Sorry, Liz.. Wish I could help.. But that stuff is like voodoo to me...
Michale
JFC,
Her party is not a secret to voters or reporters. It has been widely reported that she's a Dem. Work on that reading comprehension.
I'll echo CW's request..
Where is the evidence??? Do you have a link?? Do you know how to post a link?? Do you know what a link is??
And you call ME a dumkopf?? :D
Ain't it funny that I am the only one who substantiates what I post.. :D
Michale
Dear chatbot,
"you call ME a dumkopf?"
Good point. It's probably inappropriate to call a chatbot a dumkopf.
"Where is the evidence?"
There is something called the public record. If you want "evidence", ask your programmer to go to Morehead and look it up. I'll take the word of the many outlets who have already done that work and published their findings.
"Do you have a link?"
Hilarious. On 8/8/15, you challenged a bizarre Trump quote that I posted and I offered a link to a video of Trump saying exactly what I'd posted. You rejected that evidence and spammed some more idiotic, self-defeating insults and a typical lie about how you apologize when you're wrong.
If CW asks for a link I'll provide one, but I suspect that he'll be satisfied with my response or he'll google.
"Ain't it funny that I am the only one who substantiates what I post"
Actually, that's not funny. It's just a another lie.
If CW asks for a link I'll provide one, but I suspect that he'll be satisfied with my response or he'll google.
John From Censornati [4] -
Kim Davis is a Democrat? Got evidence?
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2015/09/04/ftp360/#comment-64055
Hello!!?? McFly!!???
Comprehension issues, son?? :D
hehehehehehehehehehehe
Michale
Actually, that's not funny. It's just a another lie.
Do you always debate with chatbots??
AND LOSE?? :D
Michale
"Don't cross brains with Spock. He'll cut you to pieces every time."
-Hikaru Sulu
:D
Michale
JFC,
But allow me to help you out since you appear to be comprehension challenged.. :D
Kim Davis is a Democrat. Why does that matter?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/04/kim-davis-is-a-democrat-and-donald-trump-is-a-republican/
There ya go...
No, no... Don't thank me.. It was my pleasure...
heehehehehehehehehehehe
Michale
Dear Chatbot Sheen,
"Comprehension issues"
Yes, that's what you have. CW asked me "Got evidence?" and I plainly replied in English "No". What part of that word do you not understand? All of it apparently.
As TS pointed out about you in comment #90 in this very thread, "You never actually give any hard evidence" and "you resemble a human chatbot" and "Sophists are all about winning arguments, truth is incidental".
I don't care about your demands or your imaginary wins.
OK, now pretend that your inability to understand the word "no" is irrelevant and make another asinine remark about Winning!
Yes, that's what you have. CW asked me "Got evidence?" and I plainly replied in English "No". What part of that word do you not understand? All of it apparently.
So, you spewed out a "fact" without ANY evidence to support it...
Hmmmmmmm Well, at least you admit it.. :D Kudos..
I don't care about your demands or your imaginary wins.
And yet, every time I post about them, here you are... :D
The facts clearly show that you DO care... And care a great deal.. :D
"I like this ship.. It's exciting!!"
-Scotty, STAR TREK 90210
:D
Michale
Dear dummy,
"So, you spewed out a "fact" without ANY evidence to support it."
That's right. I live in KY and I heard it on the news and I spewed out the party affiliation of an elected official here. So what? Maybe you should call the cops. It would be amazing that you are this stupid and insane if I wasn't already familiar with your insane stupidity.
"The facts clearly show that you DO care."
Haha. Maybe in your rabbit hole. In the reality-based world, the facts clearly show that you bitched and whined about a link, I refused to post a link, and you posted a link yourself like a loser because I don't care about your demands. Your misconception may once again have something to do with your catastrophic reading comprehension failure and your complete and total lack of critical thinking and basic logic. Winning!
JFC,
Are you still "not caring"?? :D
Michale
Dear dummy,
TRANSLATION: I have no logical or rational response to your comments so I am just going to resort to childish name-calling and immature personal attacks, thereby conceding the debate to your superior intellect..
I accept your concession.. :D
Michale
There was no other point to your comments other than "where is the link?".
The only logical or rational response to every one of your comments is to point out that you are a talking points chatbot troll with a severe reading comprehension issue. That's what I did. So, as usual, even your victory declarations are idiotic.
Yep. Still not caring "about your demands or your imaginary wins."
Hmm. What was being "debated"? Oh, right. A link. You lost that "debate" before the "debate" started because you were unable to understand the English word "no" and then you compounded your loss when you posted the link that you were demanding me to post. You are a very poor scorekeeper for an entity so obsessed with Winning!
Distorting my comments James O'Keefe style to make it appear (to yourself) as if I said something I haven't is trollish and desperate, but at least you're Winning! the "debate" about Winning!. Congratulations. Have another hit on that crackpipe Charlie. Woohoo! Winning!
Ooo JFC...
TWO consecutive posts about lil ole me to show you don't care... :D
As far as the crack pipe crack?? It's obvious to all who indulges and who does not... :D
By all means, continue to express how much you don't care... It amuses me :D
Michale
Breaking news - - - The troll is amused when people respond to its idiocy - - - Breaking news - - - The troll is acting like a troll - - - Breaking news - - - The sun rises in about an hour - - - Breaking news
TRANSLATION: I have no logical or rational response to your comments so I am just going to resort to childish name-calling and immature personal attacks, thereby conceding the debate to your superior intellect..
I accept your concession.. :D
You can't win, JFC... You only make yourself look foolish by trying.
Michale
"You can't win!! I have god on my side!!"
-Leland Gant, NEEDFUL THINGS
:D
Michale
Dear needful thing,
"You can't win!"
I already congratulated you on Winning! Charlie. You are so right. There is no doubt that, by responding to your gibberish at any time on any comment thread, I am feeding a troll. You are nothing if not obvious and predictable (and illiterate). On the other hand, I'm not losing. It makes no difference at all to me if you pollute this site with your sewerage. That's CW's problem. Knock yourself out with Winning!.
There is no doubt that, by responding to your gibberish at any time on any comment thread, I am feeding a troll.
I thought I was a chatbot..
jeezus, dood.. Put down the joint and try and make some sense..
. On the other hand, I'm not losing. It makes no difference at all to me if you pollute this site with your sewerage.
And yet, you constantly comment about it.. :D
If it made no difference, why do you keep reading EVERY post I make and respond?? :D
Michale