In These Times

CNN = COWARDLY NEWS NETWORK A gift from our American Corporatocracy to the people of this nation. CNN Motto - Mindless, pointless, ignorant infotainment designed to make the most ignorant and sheepish among us feel intelligent, focused and educated. Redesigned to eliminate the independent approach to news gathering separate from the profit-motivated ones of the "corporation." All news that might offend has been summarily banished from the set. In it's place will be the absoulutely essential news re: Paris, Hilton that is, not that backwater town in France.

Posted to Why Does CNN Suck?

Racism is rooted in Economic Class and the Culture associated with it. Barak Obama is an example of just how obvious this is. Skin color have functioned as the blinders that prevent everyone, even black people from seeing this through this. While all groups in the USA, white, black, Hispanic Asian Etc., have segments mired in multi-generational poverty. ONLY BLACKS are defined strictly and solely by that segment. The “Black Individual” man and woman, regardless of his actual economic achievements is always measured by how he measures up to the "Ghetto standard." The traits most people use to describe a culture, …

Posted to Obamas Base: Broader Than Black

BlondeMike b4 you start impuning the learning of others, perhaps you should address your own profound ignorance as to the facts. Anthropology, the branch of study that gave us that particular racial classification long ago abandoned it as nonsense, because ALL PEOPLE ARE MIXED. Those terms ARE NOT scientific. They are common terms that only someone of limited eduation would use as if they are "scientifically valid." They are NOT. Your response is the typically pathetic reply from someone who over his head in a discussion. Rather than make the slightest attempt to understand, and then refute any point, you ridicule …

Posted to Obamas Base: Broader Than Black

BlondeMike: Hey you took the bait, and in doing so you reveal yourself and what you truly are. Roger Pearson: noted revisionist, anti-Semite, another kook who thinks Jews are responsible for all evil in the world, to the degree that they concocted the holocaust to manipulate the West. Uh huh yeah right He is also a big proponent of eugenics. Carleton S. Coon: Noted DISCREDITED anthropological researcher who wasted valuable time fantasizing all sorts of theories re: the races and their origins. Genetic research has resulted in the bulk of all his "speculation on race" to be thrown out like the …

Posted to Obamas Base: Broader Than Black

Ummm, the Repugnicans said they were BETTER, not the same. They PROMISED to bring the country CLEAN, HONEST, FAIR government. So now when the truth is revealed in Foley and other scandals, their cowardly, smug response is well Democrats did it first. Yeah well SO THE HELL WHAT! You promised to be BETTER, NOT THE SAME. Yet not only have Repugnicans proved to be NO better, they have proven to be far worse. They’ve supported this President as he ruthlessly destroyed the strengths in this country, that made us the World’s leader in so many ways. Katrina happened because of the …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

KimberlyAustin: The SPECIFICS of any particular Republican caught up in the raft of scandals Etc. are actually besides the point. Let me repeat one more time . Republicans claimed To be the BETTER, SUPERIOR, ABOVE REPROACH ALL-IN-ONE answer to the horrible Democratic run House and Senate who together with Clinton were destroying all the things ALL Americans hold sacred. They said this with a religious fervor that filled many in this country with fear and loathing. The fact that your neighbor sins does NOT forgive your sins in the eyes of the Lord. Yet this is exactly what the oh so …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

KimberlyAustin: Oh you said something else, that actually I do not agree with at all, and I imagine in 1 or 2 more years, this will be what most people accept as true. IT WAS NOT WORTH almost 3000 American lives, It was NOT worth almost 100,000 Iraqi dead (yes that 1/2 of the high claims and PROVED by the best statistical data available) to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Saddam was a toothless tiger, a tyrant, and cruel to his people, but the truth is President Bush's policies have resulted in MANY TIMES MORE DEAD than anything Saddam ever did or would …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

KimberlyAusten What is the Austin Statesman? Sorry, I thought your name reflected where you live as in Austin, Texas. LOL Y'know sometimes I forget people do actually ask questions. It's hard to tell with so many FRight Wingers on this sight acting as covert agents. LOL I know that going into Iraq was voted on by congress and the majority of both parties voted for it. You know, it's interesting how you phrased this. In doing so you actually destroy the truth in your statement. DETAILS DO MATTER. Details like: The SUPPORT for the war was based on the "Faith" congress …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

KimberlyAusten: (sorry for the super long post.) My dilemma is knowing what the will of the Iraqi people really want. learning what the Iraqis want/think is easy!!! :-) Just read ENGLISH LANGUAGE Iraqi news. Many are printed in English, and printed by Iraqis. These are NOT Anti-American sites, HOWEVER they do NOT omit negative news about the US Military or the war. They print it all. Most Americans NOT used to such brutal honesty will instinctively assume this means they are Anti-American terrorist sympathizers. If you suspect them - you should ask yourself why you expect War News to be so …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

........unfortuante fact of life and although not practiced by all, the practice knows no party lines. Prsonally, it is my opinion that there is a media bias in favor of the Democratic platform. The attack ads and mudslinging however, that we are experiencing now definately comes from both parties though not by all candidates. Wake me up, when November comes. ................ Umm, prior to this election, you're quite wrong. If you see Democrats as similarly culpable, then you are still treating your political affiliation as a "team loyalty" issue, and cannot see that your side is "cheating" and has been "cheating" …

Posted to The Role of the Religious Right in the Foley Affair

I am always fascinated by the stupidity of Lieberman supporters who are trying to paint him as a rebel? He's a rebel, because he's going against the Democratic establishment.... BUT Wait, Lieberman said he's running as an independent because he refuses to bow to the will of a small group of ideological extremists bent on taking control of the party. Hmmmmm Implicitly including himself in the "mainstream." Last I heard being "mainstream" does NOT an "Independent thinker" make. But what can any thinking person expect from Team Bush and its allies. They believe so much in the strategy of the "big …

Posted to How do you think Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman will most affect the November elections?

In regards to the latest polls I think the proper headline should have been. LAMONT GAINS 15 points in a 3 way race with Lieberman and the Repugnican. If we truly had an unbiased media free of domination from any one particular group, that is the headline we would have seen. Instead we saw headlines pumping up Lieberman's lead, even though it is considerably diminished from the lead he held in a similar poll taking early july when. Lamont only received 27% support instead of the current 42%. LIEBERMAN WILL MOST LIKELY LOSE. Here is why. His support among the Independents …

Posted to How do you think Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman will most affect the November elections?

Truthteir: While I agree with a lot of what you said, I wouldn't agree that this is the beginning of the end for the regugnican neocons or as you refer to them the Conservatives. For one thing, broadly there are two distinct types of conservatives. Group A consists of the old-fashioned conservative, who define conservatism this way: [b]minlessly anti-tax anti-government except for military libertarian in terms of civil liberties (don't interfere in private lives) isolationist - while they love a huge military, they hate using it Generally respectful of diplomatic norms[/b] Group B consists of the the New conservatives who are: …

Posted to How do you think Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman will most affect the November elections?

LATEST POLLS!!!! Lieberman 45% Lamont 43% They're tied. Of course the press decided with the last poll that Lieberman was the sure winner and is barely reporting this if at all. [b]Accesslaw[/b]You ask about a "peace candidate." In a broad sense you may be right, but not in any specific sense, especially in terms of degree. Supporting a military solution for the Iranian nuclear issue is NOT so black and white as you try to paint it. Lieberman supports the "military as first option" in all conflicts. He supports the military option whether or not it is viable. Clearly even though …

Posted to How do you think Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman will most affect the November elections?

TruthTelr You kind of hint at something I've suspected for a long tim. Muslims in general know very little about how dramatically "Americans" vary from place to place. In particular Connecticut is right next to and partly composes the NY Metropolitan area. Today in an article about a Jewish Baseball Player [b] the NY Times referred to NYC as : [u]the New York area, a capital of Jewish culture, home to nearly two million Jews,[/b][/u] http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/26/nyregion/26green.html?ex=1156910400&en=ccea9d48117823ba&ei=5070 Read it while you can, I'm sure the article will be duely censored in no time, because any reference to Jewish strength anywhere in this …

Posted to How do you think Ned Lamont's victory over Joe Lieberman will most affect the November elections?

Hewman1 The real irony of the supposedly "most affordable alternative" as Jon "the Shill" seems to believe, is that Oil is "so inexpensive" because of all the laws that have been written to ensure that many of the costs of development can be hidden or passed on or disguised so well people don't realize that's part of the cost of using oil as energy. One tiny example are the "oil leases" companies bid for and explore for new sources.They get them dirt cheap, and pay dirt cheap royalties. The actual value of the oil produced eventually vastly exceeds the initial cost …

Posted to Running on Empty

Here Here OREGONRUSALKA. Living in the heart of Texas, it's truly amazing how many times I run into those types who spout that kind of nonsense. After a bit of conversation, it's almost always the same process behind why they believe this way. They actually have absolutely NO experience with the realities they speak of other than the words of their favorite talking FRight Winger. A telling example was this optomatrist I went to this week. He confessed he was a right winger, I told him I was a liberal. He immediately came down on Hillary, and said how he feared …

Posted to What Was Missing At YearlyKos

The war on drugs is actually a sort of addiction in and of itself to violence, and mindless punishment as a solution to all problems. No matter what the drug may be, proper education on how to use it safely, and easy access under medical supervision (paid for by taxes on those drugs if they were legally available) would solve the problems of drug abuse far better than this extremely destructive war on drugs. The war on drugs has solved nothing, made the problem worse in every way. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GOOD has come from the war on drugs. To say the …

Posted to What do you think about the decriminalization of some illicit drugs?

This has potential, but I am disappointed that the enemy is defined by color only. It's economics that drive the division of various groups of people. Color is just a nice all-encompassing blinder that makes this impossible for people to understand. LOL It shouldn't be the "white shadow" as the enemy, but "Richey Rich" fully grown into a heartless, cold, calculating plutocrat. Who detests any wealth created even INdirectly by physical labor or actual production. Instead his goal is to create wealth soley via speculation on hedge funds, futures markets Etc. In short various forms of legalized gambling. Which can dramatically …

Posted to Pow! Shazaam! Its ғMinoriteam!

It's not opportunistic, it's realizing that winning political office and participating in policy making are structured in this country in a way that makes certain types of behavior manditory. One of the most important is a good amount of pragmatism. Only by being pragmatic can people possessing widely varying views on similar topics, can those possessing completely agendas, but share an set of principals; can interests groups consisting of completely disconnected populations join together in a comprehensive way and acheive as much of all their goals as possible in a reasonable amount of time. The only caveat is each group has …

Posted to Democrats Gear Up on the Ground

Opeluboy: There is no double edge. What you assert "as long as we let the right choose the issues....." Umm, this issue was chosen by the right as well. The struggle to get the right of gays to marry was flying UNDER the radar, getting little press. The right to marriage in mass and similar rights under different names in other states did NOT spring full blown. Instead they were often the result of long litigation, which eventually culminated in those rights being recognized. The right wing recognized that the success of that struggle was a direct result of it happening …

Posted to Democrats Gear Up on the Ground

Opulboy: In regards to Joe Liberman... you don't think the Democratic party will be diminished considerably if one of the most loyal, astute, focused Democrat in the senate loses his seat. . He was the go to guy for all issues where Dems. need a strong voice to help it overcome Republikunt obsticles. Joe, has NO problem making tough decisions, like deciding to give unequivocal support to invading and occupying Iraq to put an end to Saddam's $25,000 payments to families of suicide bombers. Just how right he was that would stop if we did, is very clear. When the payments …

Posted to Democrats Gear Up on the Ground

jeffc, what characterization? That's just my special way of spelling the word. Changing the spelling of the word does not automatically imbue it with any extra meaning, especially when replaces an ending with a "nonsense syllable." To my knowledge that syllable on its own has absolutely NO meaning in the English language, slang or otherwise. There is nothing inherent in the altered spelling that re-characterizes the original word. [b][i] It's just my special, silly way of spelling the word in order to mock it.[/i][/b] There is NO motive behind it. In fact I am at a loss as to what you …

Posted to Democrats Gear Up on the Ground

Jeffc: It's always nice to know that you are here to make sure Republicans are respected first and foremost in our discussions. I'm sure they appreciate it.

Posted to Democrats Gear Up on the Ground

Hijinx22 First let me thank you for including your IQ in your name. It helps me tailor my response to ensure you understand. LOL It is absolutely idiotic that Wyoming's electoral vote reflect only 166,000 voters, and each of California's electorial votes represent 616,000. We know the reasons why the electoral college was created, but not every original idea our founding fathers had was a good one. Several have been modified or completely replaced. The electoral college is one such idea that has outlived its usefulness. Either it should be modified to ensure it is more balanced by making sure each …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

Bootsrey Your response to Tina1our resident posting republikkkunt is perfect. Nothing we could say, no point we could make, no matter how many points of clear reason, no matter how many facts we presented backing our position would sway them in their faithlike "beliefs" supported by "proofs of assertion" ad nauseum. They are not interested in debate or discussion. Their only goal is to take up space here pushing their obnoxious agenda, and occupying the time and energies of progressive and liberals and thus prevent them from using those resources to make the changes we all want to make. . :-D …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

TXJill More and more on our side are coming to the same conclusion finally :-D When FRight wingers with their faux facts and obvious lies supported by their arguments resting on "proofs of assertion" come here, it's no different than if some stranger, full of hate, and venom hellbent on causing some destruction walked into your home and demanded you listen to them while they explain why they have the right to tear down your house. While explaining they purposely disrespect your views, insult and degrade your values and ridicule your agenda. For too long they could count on the extremely …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

tina1 You're an idiot, and a fool. Believe what you want to believe, but be certain of one thing. No one here cares what you have to say about the issues. We all have heard the Republikkkunt point of view repeated ad nauseam by our FRight Wing press for 12 years now. You are only worth replying to in order to insult. Since your comments are an insult to the intelligence of any real progressive/liberal/moderate thinker. Taking your post seriously, and replying respectively as is the normal behavior here entails disrespecting ourselves. So I'll treat it as it was given, with …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

Brian28 Well done, thanks for the links to all those insightful articles. :-D You needn't worry too much about the republikkkunt Tina and her coterie of cracksmoking, FRight Wing buttslugs convincing anyone with their talking points tongued directly out of the source - C. Rove's bunghole. LOL Oh by the way one of your links didn't work. So I took the liberty of finding the story at a new link. http://www.uexpress.com/richardreeves/?uc_full_date=20051202

Posted to Saving Secular Society

Brian28 Here is a better more in-depth article about what you tried to link us up to. http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/article.jsp?content=20060417_125323_125323 Of course its all just liberal claptrap. Everything that critisizes our great commander and creep is just liberal propoganda, and any former conservative who is joining, is obviously a liberal plant revealing their true colors at last. TRUE conservatives will never abandon Bush, for they know as a God-fearing man he will not let them down. Unlike most people, they decide their politics via their religious beliefs, and they believe that Bush is one of them, and thus guided by the invisible hand …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

TXJill Did I tell you your post is a great one. It doesn't need any defending - it's so obviously accurate. Only the worst type of partisan, who sees politics as a team sport and supports "his side" regardless of right or wrong could disagree with you, and be so blind to how right you are and how wrong they are. :-D

Posted to Saving Secular Society

Kuya: Good solid posts :-D

Posted to Saving Secular Society

hygnx You must have missed the point of my only post to you. What you choose to believe, as a matter of faith, rather than reason is of no consiquence to me. I don't care. I did read your post, and decided, the errors in logic and reason make it clear you aren't interested in discussing but only in forcing people to pay attn. to your "view/opinion" which you believe is fact. If something agrees with you, it's true. If it doesn't agree with you it's false. Of course you go to great lengths to "back up" your "feelings" for example …

Posted to Saving Secular Society

To take advantage of this developing story politically, Democrats would have to grow a set of balls quick. As it stands now, they are most likely going to avoid this story as "too unseemly" to use against Repugnicans. Heaven forbid Democratic leadership stoop down to the level of Repugs and sling some of the slop (in terms of lies, accusations, character assassinations that are the standard style of Repugs) that Repugnicans don't hesitate to use against Dems. If any sense of actually taking advantage of this oppty. to further clarify the culture of corruption the Repugs brought to Washington develop, you …

Posted to Hooray for Hookergate!

What is utterly missed, but could be the most important thing this article indirectly brings up and that's how much more expensive it is to rely private business to provide essential services. The article explains the 20% overhead private companies need to do what takes Medicare 2% to do the same. What is neglected is the very likely provision guaranteeing participating insurance companies X% profit, based on their expenditures and gross. The reasoning goes that the companies providing a valuable service, and in doing so experience considerable risk should have some sort of shield against unpredictable economic conditions that could cripple …

Posted to Massachusetts Universal Coverage Bill is No Such Thing

Bitter winter, rotted Chestnut: You are so full of bullshi*t: You wrote: .........And don�t tell me poor people don�t have healthcare. My aunt is a county health worker .. Ah, almost verbatim that right wing nonsense that riles up idiots like you. While you're slamming lazy poor people, they fleece you to finance their trillion $ war in Iraq. Gee, while feeling all high and mighty, did you ever stop to wonder how much money you'd have if they just stuck to spending a few billion on poor people, and never spent the trillion $ in Iraq for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING? Hell, …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

WOLF: Capitalism is in grave danger in this country, and the threat to it does NOT come from the left wing or socialist tendencies. The threat to capitalism comes from the corporate classes and their efforts towards changing our system of Gov't. into a Plutocracy, Gov't. by the wealthy for the wealthy. Only a fool would take comfort in the fact that "capitalism" protects Americans. In a plutocracy, only the corporate class Capitalism exists only in that "private companies and private individuals" own the means of production as opposed to communism. Where Gov't. does. Capitalism can only survive. If competition is …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

THEO: Get Real! If you cannot see the dramatic difference 6yrs of Team Bush has made in regards to our economy, the wholesale rot that has spread like wildfire into the basic underpinnings of what keeps us going, there is no point is discussing anything. Only a person on the extreme lunatic fringe would consider Team Bush, it's agenda and goals no different or worse than Team Clinton's. For such stark and dramatic changes to occur in such a short time is evidence enough for a reasonable person to understand there are fundamental, profound differences between Bush and Clinton. Capitalism does …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

Theo: No this guy is definitely brighter than average for one reason only. He tries to think. I can't say that about you. The mindless drivel that you try to pass off ass "thoughtful reflection" is actually sheer idiocy. Either this idiocy is purposeful, a result of your obvious attempt to reconstruct his words to provide you a straw man to set your argument agains, or you are seriously deficient in reading comprehension. His comments in regards to the homeless lady with kids is "figurative speech." Yet you respond to it "literally" and you do so in a way that makes …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

Wolf: Clearly you are referring to yourself. I know what I'm talking about, and what I believe in.

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

TheoPapathanasis: In one regard you're right, I did mean to reply to knocko, not you. So why did you reply as if I did actually respond to what I said as if I directed it to you? Nothing you said agrees with knocko's nonsense, or for that matter woolph So why make common cause with them? Since you are a lefty, I will do what you could not bring yourself to do in all your high and mighty pretention which is act like an adult. If you had brought it to my Attn. I would have said yeah, I guess I …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

Luminous Beauty: Great post. Those rants are a style I reserve for "right-wing ideologues" on this board who pretends to be interested in discussing, but is actually only to make lefties spin their heels. Like all extremist idiologues, the positions they take and why they do are a result of faith-like thinking which they then try to back up with cherry picked and spun "fact-like" data in order to waste the left's time as we try to refute their nonsense. The group of FRight wingers that visit this board, do not respect anyone's views. They are indulging their desire for Attn. …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

Theo: Your assumptions are very interesting, and leave me confident I responded rightly the first time. So you really think I did NOT get you were anti-capitalist? LOL You actually are totally blind to the breathtaking pretension? You are so full of it.Thanks for the laugh though. I mean no intelligent person could take such post seriously. It's a perfect example of the things that have made the left wing ideologues intolerable to the normal human being. For someone who thinks he knows strategy, you completely miss mine. If you did, you'd understand how stupid is to assume what I said …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

MarkGrissomTX I hear you living in Tx now myself (after spending all my life in CA) I know the mentality you are dealing with. Texan culture has one of the most ass-backwards, hateful attitudes when it comes to the working class and the poor, and the most idealistic fantasy type view of the wealthy. If you're working class and/or struggling in this State, the perception "culturally speaking" is that you are that way because you are too lazy to work hard enough to overcome your situation, or you did something illegal and are paying for it, or you just didn't abide …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

John_Christian: As I recall that bit of trash-logic came from a Hoover institute report written to debunk the notion that poverty exists in this country in any real sense. The only thing it debunked was the notion that anyone who could say that with a straight face is in touch with reality. I've known many poor and working class people with several cars. In fact sometimes they have a WHOLE YARD full of cars. Not only that, but some poor/working class people also have a home with 5 or 6 or more rooms with each room having it's own A/C. Uh …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

John_Christian: I'm on your side, but you "skimmed" my post, and misunderstood. Who I was talking about If you re-read it for real, you will realize, I am slamming the same thing you are, hard, and being very sarcastic to whoever wrote the "trash-logic" you originally responded to. LOL Otherwise you would have realized the "trash-logic" I mentioned had NOTHING to do with you.:-D "Trash logic" in that it is an utterly filthy and corrupt way of thinking that relies on simplistic "logical sounding" analysis of "actual factual data." [b]Here is an example of "trash-logic" [/b](oh and it has nothing to …

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

John_Christian No problem. It's all good :-D

Posted to The Ultimate Fighting Anarchist

Steven: Your inference that African Americans would be smart to check their anti-gay biases in order to get the whole "gay rights" movement on their side is pathetically laughable. Still, I understand, you are still probably a bit groggy from being overwhelmed by your experience with the "anti-gay element in African American culture." So much so that you completely missed the flip side of the coin. "Gay male culture" is rife with racism against African Americans. Maintained even in the face of heavy societal bigotry against gays. It's so rife with racism that it would be unwise for African Americans to …

Posted to CW Network: Back in Black?

Steven: OK, sorry about the misunderstanding. I just probably wouldn't agree that black culture makes being "black and gay" any worse than white culture makes being "white and gay." It's all a matter of perspective. If anything makes being black and gay hard, it's the racism that is firmly rooted in general gay culture and practised without any second thoughts, because it seems so natural. If such shows are not made, it's probably due to a perceived lack of interest in the market that watches such shows more than any real racism.

Posted to CW Network: Back in Black?

Steven: ;-) careful now about assuming what I am or not. While not absolutely a born into member of the group, most often I am seen as a "white gay man" as you are, not just by white men, but also by minorities. It's not strictly a skin color thing either. It's due to several factors most would say benefit me, rather than harm me. From this vantage point, I got to hear how lucky I was from "white gay guys" that I could fit in, along with a host of complaints about how other minorities are just hopeless, because they …

Posted to CW Network: Back in Black?

JOE MUST GO - SEND NED INSTEAD this article highlighted the biggest problem Democrats have, and it's name is Joe Liberman The fact that the REpugnican idiots who troll on this board came out so strongly in support of Joe speaks for itself. They know that Joe is their inside man, ready to cripple the Democrats at any critical juncture. He's like having a wide receiver on a football team who always seems to tip the ball instead of catch it - right into the hands of the other team's hands. Then wails I tried really hard really I did. …

Posted to Why Ned Lamont is a Democrat

JOE MUST GOS! END NED INSTEAD! There is no need to debate this issue with Repugnican trolls who are defending him on this site.

Posted to Why Ned Lamont is a Democrat

JOE MUST GO! SEND NED INSTEAD! There is NO need to debate this issue with Repugnican trolls who are defending him on this site.

Posted to Why Ned Lamont is a Democrat

TINA1: You are an idiot and unable to see the obvious. Statistics can be used all sorts of ways, and you're cherry picking to make statistics fit your own particular view of reality fit. Sometimes "statistical facts" can be disproven using logic and reason and avoiding #'s. IF things were as rosey as you say, then Bush and the Repugs would be enjoying phenomenal #s, and be cruising to a landslide midterm election. They are not. The opposite is taking shape. The great job numbers are proven false indicators when you ask people about job security and job quality, disappearing benefits …

Posted to GOP Trashed in Special Elections

Linguist: I'm with you One way to counter this "cut taxes no matter what the consiquences" is to tie the consiquences to the results. For fear of looking like pro-tax no one ever mentions how much this country's living standards, infrastructure, healthcare, education, trade Etc. depend on a fair and equitable taxes. Fair and equitable does sometimes require the wealthiest who benefit from all sorts of tax breaks should pay more for the wealth they've mined from living here. The whole notion expressed by some FRight Wingers that they earned it and have a right to keep it is nonsense. It …

Posted to GOP Trashed in Special Elections

wileywitch: I am surprised that you liked that article, I mean it's basic thesis is women are just as sucky as men. It goes to great lengths to demean women's strengths, because such strengths assume there are real differences in men and women based in biology not culture. The article's inane reasoning is best expressed when she speaks of her ideal world ...it�s the obliteration of rigid gender categories themselves, not any kind of elevation of the feminine, that is our best hope for an end to gender discrimination.... Inferred is the question will say, gender roles are the problem. How …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

Wileywitch: No problem. I agree with you though, women are not inherently morally superior. That's not part of my position. What I do believe is that the inherent biological differences, like a far lower testosterone level, a differently ordered brain result in a decision making process that is less prone to stupid mistakes like men are. Women are more likely to think 2 or 3x before making a risky move, again not linked to moral superiority but a virtual hard-wiring laid down during our days in the wilderness. No one questions the fact that our diet is unhealthy for us now, …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

rocco Hmmm, well I'd say to your begging question that it going the wrong direction. Inherent in what I wrote is men still have a testosterone level required to compete and survive in primitive non-civilized hunter/gatherer societies. In today's more civilized nations, this level is far in excess of what a man needs to deal with the modern world. Testosterone is relentless driver though, and will not let down just because there is no need to defend, hunt, fight Etc. Lacking the normal activities that justified the high levels of testosteron, modern man created war and violence and sports as a …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

Rocco: There is some mammelian evidence that is far stronger. Certain male mammels undergo a dramatic change in their hormone levels after mating to levels usually seen in females. When their testoserone levels drop, and certain other supposedly "female" hormones rise the males exhibit dramatic changes in behavior and desire. It's almost black and white. In place of aggressiveness, the males become cuddly and nurturing both to his mate and his cubs. In place of competitiveness he becomes cooperative and goes out of his way to provide for his mate. The selfishness that is part of being in survival mode is …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

Maria: It's interesting that those who use Thatcher and Condolezza Rice as examples of women being as ruthless as men are failing utterly to take into account how their personal politics is influencing their perspective. What makes women different "generally speaking" is how women approach things and decide things. It's how they thing things through and have a multi-faceted perspective vs. the typically linear thinking of men. Their processing is not AS friendly to aggression, attacking, violence as a solution. This is NOT the same thing as saying women do not do that. They do, but that's a different subject. This …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

rocco: I think I understand your perspective, but where I diverge is i do NOT agree that men are softening up or becoming more femmy. Men are still the way they have always been, and are quick to show you how manly they are. IF any opportunity presents itself. The issue this article addresses are simply not visible in men outside of urban centers. In the mid-sized cities to rural areas, the roles are almost unchanged. one thing I think you may be doing is assuming testosterone fluctuates in our body like another hormone adrenaline. It does not." Testosterone levels are …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

rocco I think I'm being more specific than you are that's all. All body functions of any type have high periods/low periods and cycle naturally between them. Testosterone is no different. What I was addressing was the seeming perspective you seemed to have this natural cycling of the levels of testosterone had "immediate" effects on a person, like adrenaline does. YOu seemed to assume this cycling inferred that testosterone has the potential to affect behavior like adrenaline does. That article definitely doesn't say that or infer that. It actually backs up what I said about testosterone in every way. Of course …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

aquraishi: I think you are arguing with a straw man, if you were replying to things I supposedly wrote. LOL Firstly I challenge the assumption that we can prove testosterone as being the defining factor in men. Who made that assumption?. I referred to it several ways as a "influencer." The way you describe it is exactly how I feel. I think you were skimming not reading what I wrote, or you would have caught that early on LOL I do believe that it can be proven to be an influencing factor and of having significant influence over our behavior. I …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

wileywitch - i've tried to respond, but my replies keep getting obliterated LOL This is a test to see if this goes through.

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

Maria: of course I disagree. You're hopeless in that you see this issue of male roles from a political perspective. It's not political. Even if politicians try to manipulate the issues that define the situation. Where you go wildly astray is dismissing the effectiveness of "looking the part." Your desire to see everything as political, totally destroys your ability to see why it's so important. Of course for you, dress doesn't matter in any way. That's why you dress up as a clown every day, yeah right. Condolezza Rice understands that "appearance" to the visually obsessed human being counts for a …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

wileywitch My personal mantra is "exceptions don't make the rule." I will never understand the tendency of very intelligent people to point to exceptions in order to disprove what is overwhelmingly true for the rest of the group or country or world. Truth is relative, not absolute. It is decided by the context. Unfortunately so many try to boil complex, multifaceted issues like what makes humans behave as being due to one thing. Testosterone/the interplay of hormones is only one "influencer." I am NOT saying it's in control. I am talking about it in that context alone. All humans produce all …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

WileyWitch I have no alpha female complex. LOL That's hysterical. I do not romanticize them in the least. Believe me I've had plenty of personal experiences with women that I could use to justify feeling women were worse than men. On my trip to SF, both ways I ended up sitting next to vapid college babes. All they talked about was who was cutest, who was fat, who was ugly Etc. My sisters are pure evil. LOL I've suffered a lot of personal harm thanks to some extremely stupid decisions on the part of "individual women" in the workplace. On this …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

wileyWitch Oh you've been very consistant. That's why I said there doesn't seem to be any middle ground between what we thinks are the facts regarding this issue. No harm done. It's not like we're talking about the biggest, singularly most important civil rights issue of this century, marriage rights which will lesson the burden of oppression on ALL the oppressed, especially single mothers and poor children, as well as reinvigorate the struggle to stop overpopulation, kyoto Etc.. ;-) As far as the precarious state of the world. I am a bit more optimistic I guess, considering we survived the cold …

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

wileywitch I don't know if you'd call it optimism for what I'm relying on is the inertia and chaos that is life to make it impossible for the forces of disctruction to reach their goal. The current stumbling of Team Bush the flounderingRepugnican hegomony seem to fit nicely with the eventual outcomes of even the best laid plans to bring about world destruction. LOL Somehow someway, and totally without any effort, our inablity to adhere to organization and follow through eventually spoil the efforts who think they will win because they do exactly that. LOL

Posted to Men Growing Up to be Boys

It's unfortunate that the a-religious on the left succeeded in forcing their psuedo-religious "beliefs" in regards to religion on the whole left side of the spectrum. Religion is neither bad nor good. It's what a person or group does with their religion that makes it so. For all the evil that anti-religious fanatics blame on religion, there has been equal if not more good from it. For most of history, religion was the only source of hope in a thoroughly destitute existance. Our existance our reality is mostly a product of your mind, our thoughts our perceptions. A wonderful life can …

Posted to Organizing the Religious Left

Gay culture and gay rights activists (not lesbians) are more to blame than anyone else for this mess Gay culture and it's leaders are not blameless. It is a culture rife with holes that make even the most twisted with a wholesale acceptance of moral depravity on a scale that few people know exists. No I'm not talking about gay sex, but the various forms of kink that have replaced it. Fisting is glorified in the mainstream gay press. Only after a decade of rot has gay culture started to think twice about its heavy drug use. Monogamy was never an …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

wileywitch: If you think pointing out the flaws of heteros validates and excuses the flaws in homosexual culture - you don't get it. Heteros aren't demanding their rights. They got 'em. They don't need the approval of 5% of the country to keep them either. If you think admitting to rampant hetero hypocracy excuses homosexual culture from having to demonstrate a certain fielty to a generic sense of morals as written by the majority..... well then why homosexual rights is losing so badly is pretty obvious. Heteros are well aware of their flaws. Their reasons for keeping homosexual culture at bay …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Cabdriver: 10% of the population - yeah right. LOL Give a group 10% of the population like Blacks and Hispanics and amazingly as faulty as our system is, somehow, someway this % translate into many elected officials, and very very large communities made up of members of these groups all over the place. They ARE everywhere. This can't be said about Gay men. Umm, step outside of the 10 largest metropolitan areas of the United States and "Gay" utterly and completey disappears, and only in the top 5 or so are there actually defined neighborhoods. Those neigborhoods when looked at are …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Kuya: The questions are as they are because of who is asking who. Homosexuals are asking/demanding (use whatever verb you like) their rights from the Heterosexuals. Heteros hold the power, they define the rights, who deserves them and what they are and who deserves them. It's called power. Thus while is a wonderful ideal, that the question should be "why does the majority have that right" It's pointless idealization of the issue. The question is "why should gays get the rights of heterosexuals." Whether homosexuals feel differently, or feel mistreated by the nature of the question is irrelavant. They are asking …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WILEYWITCH: Something you say gets to the heart of the conflict, even though it may not makes sense that I feel this way. It's your statement "GET A ROOM." That is what hetero culture wants from anyone who feel sexual. Of course they feel it even more strongly for gay people, but they feel it for ALL people. The many str8s who condemn the gay leather festival Folsom St. Fair also condemn str8 Mardi Gras or any hetero festival where sexuality is on blatant display. While at any festival that is hetero, you will see str8 couples kissing and touching, but …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch: You're totally right, most such behavior is courtesy of heteros, but that is because the the overwhelming majority of people are heteros. Where gays predominate, the examples you will find are overwhelmingly gay ones. The problem with what your point is the same one with all the arguments in regards to this matter. "If heteros don't have to abide by the rules, then homos shouldn't either." First off, heteros are supposed to abide by the rules, unfortunately heteros denying heteros rights in a group manner as they do to homosexuals is oxymoronic to say the least. Your point also assumes …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

wileywitch: Actually judging from my short time in the reddest red state, I'd say the majority of the FRight wing deal very well with discrete gay couples, living their lives privately among them. I say this because it's widespread here. All the gay men I have met over time here, are heavily involved with their families, often very religious ones. They live in the community. Aside from a two tiny ghettos they don't have a choice. It works out. From this perspective the whole hullaballo about gays needing special rights to adopt or get married seem an extreme reaction to an …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriverinchicago What's absurd and hitlerian is your tactics in attempting to attribute to me the garbage you tried. I never said what you wrote. I won't reply to it. Due Process is and can be met to acheive the removal of individual rights as much as it can be to give them. In fact if a particular faction is smart and stacks the SC with all FRight Wing judges "due process" can be reduced to a SC ruling. Stare Decisis is what Roberts and Alito used to assure the gullable that they would not overturn Roe Vs. Wade. I'm not holding …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriverinchicago What is particularly entertaining is your belief that anyone who feels differently than you must "hate" or be the victim of "religious inculcation." Such stupidity is one of the biggest achilles heels of those who seek rights for gays. How long will it take for gay rights to understand "never insult people just because they disagree." "Never assume that because someone disagrees that they are against you." You do both. Gee I wonder what genius tacticion thought up the strategy you employ. insult, degrade your opponent and his views. Then demand your opponent respect your views and use them as …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver: LOL I always get a chuckle out of the simple minded tactic of assuming anyone who disagrees with you is angry. The smart person asks instead of assumes. The ongoing interpretations of law and the constitution assuming correct and right are already pre-determined as in line with gay rights is what is costing gay rights so much. It makes it impossible to understand why they lose. What you say about the constitution and its significance is your OWN personal opinion. It is not law. It is NOT reason that is superior to the legal reasoning of the FRight Wing. Who …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Kuya: I agree with most of what you said. Are you assuming I would disagree? What I wrote really doesn't disagree with what you wrote. It's one thing to hold true to one's own's values. It's quite another to decide to fight every battle assuming what you think is the actual truth, and anything that is opposite your beliefs is false, a lie, proof of purposeful, practiced hypocracy. In the end assuming your opponents are purposeful hypocrits who know you are right just makes it impossible to create an effective strategy to beat the opposition. Oh and I am not saying …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

wileywitch: I only wish people would answer those questions, but the opposition is way to "wiley" for that. LOL

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver: OK cool, but the constitution does not do what you think. I mean the constitution starts with the phrase "We the people....truths self-evident....are all equal" Yet it denied blacks citizenship. It enshrined their worth as 2/3 of a white man. It didn't even mention women. Clearly the simple "black and white" interpretation of what the constitution says is going to sail wide of the mark of what it really means in the real world. My point is, we can all agree with what we feel it means, but the results in the real world are often dramatically different. Understanding the …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Wileywitch: I just read your second post. Once again I find nothing I disagree with, strange why are you expecting me to LOL HOWEVER, you say: There is no reason why adult people should have to deny their sexual preferences for other adults because heterosexuals are the majority. I don't think anyone, save for the absolute extreme end of the opposition is asking that (Pat Robers and his ilk) They of course ask even more. Denial and pretending to be straight is not an option. A lot of what is asked for is the recognition of the fact that heterosexual culture …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

wileywitch: No actually I don't know if our points overlap enough to truly conflict. The "rules of the game" are mostly dictated by "those who are in power" and the "current state of affairs." The myth you speak of is certainly not real life, but it does form the backbone of the beliefs and hopes of much of the opposition. Nothing is more dangerous than telling someone their fantasy is a fraud. Newcomers to the game do not have the ability, and cannot assume the right to just declare a new set of rules, especially if the rules go against the …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Wileywitch: Oh yes, after reading your posts, I assumed a while ago that your name was not absolutely serious. Believe it or not I write the same way. A lot of the bombast I use makes me laugh at myself. Unfortunately most people interpret it as raging anger. I mean now that's funny. The worst thing anyone can do is take themselves too seriously. I do mean what I say, but the extreme way in which I say it is more campy intellectuallism than anything else. LOL

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

well wileywitch how it must cause your blood to freeze in your veins to come so perilously close to agreeing with someone who expresses himself in such an objectionable way. Far better for you to focus on the 1% we disagree than be happy we agree on 99% of what's before us. ;-) JUST KIDDING What you said in your last post is exactly what I'm talking about. All my posts have been attempts to explain the reasons why your conclusions need to be heeded. This is just to clarify, not disagree. When I say "majority" I'm not being literal in …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver. LOL Who's angry now? Think whatever you want to make yourself feel better. I can say a big "whatever" to what you wrote, because it's clear you never read or understood what I wrote. You skimmed it. Skimming is not reading. It causes people to do exactly what you have done. Assume you read thoroughly and comprehended completely when you actually missed the point entirely. Responding to assumptions like yours is pointless. Since it's not grounded in fact but a construct meant to enable you NOT to think, ah such bliss.

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

wileywitch what you said in your last post is so exactly what I think. To give credit to the FRight Wing (fear right) is to empower them. Recognizing what we do that causes setbacks empowers us. One of the worst things someone can do is go into battle assuming they are right in every regard. If they fail they have nothing to fall back on to explain or change. In the battle between Right and Left, in my view the Left is overwhelmingly correct, but it has been fighting the battle as if "being right" is synonymous with "winning." What you …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Wileywitch: sorry I was referring to your next to last post. You posted again before I finished my last one. LOL (Though I agree with the last one too.)

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver The way you phrase your question is so utterly obnoxious and pretentious. LOL Yet is seems so natural for you. Did you earn a degree in rightous pontification? ;-) It assumes I've been deceptive, when in fact this is the FIRST time you actually asked rather than assume what my view is on the subject. I am curious how you are able to write rather abstract, convoluted, idealistic opinion pieces yet are flummoxed so easily by what I write. I also find it entertaining that this "confusion" doesn't prevent you from passing judgment on my "views" as you assumed them …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver: exactly what "literally" did I say that you deemed offensive, and why do you continue to write as if anyone needs your approval? I guess it's "your style?" LOL Almost all your comments in regards to what I wrote are actually your feelings about your own assumptions. You have a problem with taking things literally. LOL Not all meaning is hidden. Some people actually say exactly what they mean. I think what confuses you is your interpreting or extrapolating way before you understand what someone said. Are you aware of what an "interpretation" is? You have no idea how much …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Kuya: You're very considerate for saying that I appreciate it. Your questions have rather complex answers as you know. The only thing I'd do is caution you against assuming the "majority" is always in the wrong. I doubt if you do this, but that's how what you wrote seems to infer. Quite often the "majority" is in the right. Women are a "majority." That majority has been disenfranchised for much of history. The FRight Wing fundamentalists are a minority. Their strength comes from how well they manipulate news and events to maximize their strength and control the majority. The majority, the …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch Well, I hope your response to being put in your place by our own personal "self-appointed intellectual in charge of telling everyone what they need to do" was a suppressed chuckle. LOL It's best you withdraw before you cause him to collapse from the strain of having to put forth such a "load" of weighty, profound conjecture expressing things that are far beyond the our ken. LOL Even without understanding the patronizing lecture has no doubt invigorated your belief in the struggle, and strengthened your resolve for the fight. You are surely inspired to fight 'til your last breath for …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

cabdriver: Yeah you "conflated" all right. Thanks to your own extremely skewed view, and the strong inherent biases that influence your perceptions you got it totally wrong. The "F" in FRight Wing is short for Fear or Fright. It is a nod to one of their chief tactics, instilling fear in the majority in order to control them. It grew out of Bush's extensive and continued use of fear in order to frighten people especially after 9/11. I started using it, before this article ever mentioned the Free Republic. The only relation to that is in your mind. Evidently you have …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch methinks cabby boy is having a bit of fun himself, and is indulging us by pretending to be utterly daft and pointless. I must say I am impressed, I've never seen anyone go to such lengths and so successfully portray the pretentious, witless, pompous, heavy handed judgmental lefty who drives away potential supporters and believers with his leaden prose to thick with contradiction and abstract rationalizations that it is worthless in understanding or explaining the real world. I personally think his portrayal is so accurate and spot on, that it should be held up as an example of what leftys …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

Kuya: I understand the frustration too, but being frustrated and annoyed and totally fed up is not enough reason to strike out mindlessly from a position of extreme weakness That is the key. It's NOT about knowing your role or place, as much as it is knowing your strengths and weaknesses and what you can succeed at and what you cannot. It's as WileyWitch said. We're talking strategy, not whether or not gays deserve equal rights. Of course they do, but deserving equal rights does NOT mean you have the right to use any tactic no matter how sucky it is. …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch I'd be flattered if you really wanted to use that particular post in your Live Journal :-) (Just curious, what is a "live journal?")

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch; here is an "meant to entertain" thought for the day ;-) It has suddenly become clear that to some we risk being seen as agents of dark evil bent on upsetting their delicately balanced world view of some pure ideologues in the pro-lib world. Who are nestled safely far beyond the reach of real oppression and economic deprivation. We are the hand of darkness sheathed in a white glove moving to and fro among the innocents. Slaying their hope, by merely pointing out that successful pursuit of the ideal world we dream of requires some common sense tactics. How dare …

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

WileyWitch Good comments as always. I have an idea as to a tactic that the pro-libs could use, and I'll tell you later when I have time to write it ;)

Posted to An Anti-Gay Easter

NaderRaider what prompted you pop free from the comfortable pustule on the inside of Carl Rove's anus? I must chuckle, you really think using the ProLib's beliefs, values and slogans will work again. While I do support those issues, I know that you only support them as a way to divide the left and set us against each other as we try to prove ourselves worthy of your santification. ProLibs can and will support those causes, but your leadership is not necessary, and your presense as a player won't be acknowledged, because you are not part of the progressive, liberal movement, …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

that's sanctification ;)

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Hey I like the Greens The Green party is NOT synonomous with Ralph Nader. I has existed way before Nader co-opted the party in the United States, or should I say TRIED TO. As I recall the Green Party made a successful effort to deny Ralph Nader's attempt to BYPASS PARTY rules and be nominated by the convention. As I recall "Nadir" didn't think the Green Party's nomination process was worth spending money on or fighting for. For the Green party, Ralph thought it was fine to disrespect their nascient party machinery, because hey it wasn't like the thought the Green …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

MirMir - You are right. Of course I am talking about the "established" Green party that pre-dated Nader. The "Greens" were a Green Party faction, but they have been totally co-opted by nadirites, and now compete with the Green Party. It's Nader's revenge on the Green Party for their rejection of his offer to be their messiah Often, people seeking an "environmental" party think of the Green Party. However when they seek out the information they get hits from the Green Party and the Greens. They use the same strategy spyware, viruses and trojans use to infect your computer strangely enough. …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

CHRISTO I agree a parliamentary system would be better....... albeit with a condition that to be represented requires a certain minimum % of the vote. In places where that wasn't a condition, constant deadlock was the rule, and small extremist parties had all the power (Israel is a good example.) The German model is best. A party must get at least 5% of the vote to get seats in Gov't. In such a situation, the Greens were able to get seats. THE OTHER PROBLEM - and no one seems to catch it is our FEDERALIST SYSTEM. In the beginning it made …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

MIRMIR: While I understand and respect your ideas. These feel-good, hit 'em where it counts revenge type goals would only make all the problems worse. ............As we have seen in CA, term limits have resulted in a legislatures unable to do their job well. Being a representative is NOT an easy job. It takes experience. Yet for some reason people think it's a learn as you go type thing. It is not. The reasons incumbants stay in power is because PEOPLE LIKE THEM. Also people only seem to dislike incumbants from OTHER PEOPLE'S districts. It's never their incumbant that is the …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Mirmir: you're right I got them confused. Judging from the tone of your posts, I'd say that description doesn't apply to you, but it does fit whattheheck. LOL So why are you pushing them? To you it must seem obvious, but to me it isn't. This is what I've seen. In reality term limits empower lobbiests. Virtually NO new politician comes with experience working the machinery of Gov't - just ideas. . With term limits ONLY the lobbiests are "veterans" of the scene. ONLY the lobbiests understand the arcana that makes government function. As a result when you have term limits, …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

MirMir Well as long as you see the fact that people never blame their own representative as part of the problem - cool! LOL Well, as long as you are clear. LOL I NEVER said or inferred lobbiests were great. I said term limits make them the only people around with detailed knowledge. Knowledge is power, especially with newbies who know very little in comparison. Yes, I've kept up with JA. Was the insult intentional? Do you always assume someone who has a different opinion is ignorant and stupid? LOL Our first congressmen were very experienced relative to the typical candidate …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Mirmir Relative to the "WORLD they lived" I would disagree with your feeling there is no reason why we can't have people in today's congress equal to those in the first. They created the government. That's a huge advantage. They MADE the rules. Exactly how are you defining "far better educated" anyway? We have extremely few men who are as worldy as those guys were. Yes we have many talented, gifted people, but often they are specialists, good at their specialty. The Forefathers were almost all generalists, and good at everything. Ben was a practicing scientist as well as a politician. …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

WileyWitch: I had the same question. Exactly what did the Dems. gain by capitulating? Was it an ass backwards attempt to preserve the right to fillabuster by NOT employing it? LOL This generation of Dem leadership born in the days when Dems were in control needs to leave office FAST. They simply are not able to fight as underdogs/minorities. They use the tactics of a majority power long in power, and that don't work when you're in the Dem. position.

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Wileywitch: I noticed that too. However I can't help but wonder if hoping Alito isn't Scalito isn't the same as hoping that Bush being a closet homosexual will make him push moderate, open, accepting social policies. So far it's been the opposite. Like a typical closet case, he pushes policies of social oppression to ensure his supporters do NOT suspect his true nature. LOL I DO HOPE you are right though. However the one opinion where Roberts sat in judgment on in the SC he signed without comment Scalia's interpretation. YIKES Personally I guess it's a good thing. Women in this …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Wiley: OK "hey why bother becoming active and involved" refers to the everyday ProLib, who feels safe and secure that Bush simply cannot succed because even controlling all branches of Gov't. the Dems have been able to prevent the worst. This small comfort is enough to prevent the mobilization and reaction necessary from ProLibs to force back the FRight wing religious reactionaries. Perhaps the remaining Dem. leadership has realized their efforts to head off ultimate Repug. victory on the Supreme Court has acted like novacaine on their ProLib base. Their efforts to hold off the Repug victory in order to allow …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Major Major: NO I AM NOT SAYING THAT - However you are trying very hard to restate what I DID say or infer. LOL I implied that Roosevelt had "prior knowledge" perhaps only a day, but probably had prior knowledge to expect "some sort of "surprise" attack. Knowing that does NOT mean he knew the extent of the attack, or what the Japanese were capable of doing. I bet anything that Roosevelt underestimated what they'd do, and he was surprised by what they were able to do. That would easily explain why he didn't do more to limit the incredible damage …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Major Major: In regards to Roosevelt and Pearl Harbor and how it relates to Bush and 9/11, I don't see any corrolation. The success of the 9/11 attacks were a result of extreme hubris on the parts of many, particularly Bush, but not only him. He disregarded intelligence that strongly indicated there might be an attack, but it wasn't irrefutable. The world is quite capable of creating and sustaining people with ideas that ARE NOT tied in any way to things going on here, and are NOT planned or dictated by our Gov't. In a way the whole idea that the …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Major Major You need to start reading more carefully. MY FIRST mention of Roosevelt was prefaced with "SUSPECTED." From then on I saw no need to constantly insert this, and spoke from the point of view that it was true. Your "inferring" various meaing from what I wrote, does NOT mean nor is it proof that I actually "implied" what you "inferred. LOL You have the right to interpret what I write in any way you see fit, but I am the ultimate authority when it comes to interpretation. In civilized discourse it's proper and expected that a person does NOT …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

sorry I meant "wrote or implied" LOL

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

Major Major Yeah your right, our system seems to dictate a bipolar party set up in government. Honestly the only real reason why we have a 2-party system is shockingly simple. Voting rules in the house and I think the Senate require the attainment of a majority for a bill to pass, the speaker to be elected Etc. This requirement is mirrored in the states, and throughout our system. Acquiring majority totals is laborious. The only effective way to ensure this is possible regularly is to have two parties. For a multi-party system to come about, the requirements for obtaining a …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

WILEY - you're right. I better figure out how to use those stupid html tags to bold or italisize, i'm usually really good at this stuff, but there is something I'm not getting about this website's use of them. Then again I haven't really tried to hard. LOL

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

PROOF THE RUSSIANS ARE OUR FRIENDS :) courtesy of Pravda A funny joke about Bush A man enters a bar and orders a drink. The bar has a robot bartender. The robot serves him a perfectly prepared cocktail, and then asks him, "What's your IQ?" The man replies "150" and the robot proceeds to make conversation about global warming factors, quantum physics and spirituality, biomimicry, environmental interconnectedness, string theory, nano-technology, and sexual proclivities. The customer is very impressed and thinks, "This is really cool." He decides to test the robot. He walks out of the bar, turns around, and comes back …

Posted to The Republicans Democracy Disorder

The problem with the anti-nuclear environmentalists is they want ABSOLUTE safety. Their standards are basically impossible to achieve. So instead of nuclear power and it's relatively clean energy, we have the filthy carbon based power. WileyWitch you ARE right that it's hard to dispose of plutonium, BUT ONLY if you demand 100% safety. That's just not possible, and unrealistic. The solutions presented do have extremely LOW risk factors, like Yucca mountain, but the uncompromising anti-nuclear lobby (no doubt a front for oil-companies) demands 0% risk. Nothing in life is zero risk, unless you are dead. If we want a decent, clean …

Posted to When Red Goes Green

WileyWitch: You are right in regards to that. But instead of thinking either or, how about doing both? I don't think there is any energy solution that is NOT finite either in terms of supply or amount. A better way to determine whether or not it's a good choice would be to consider the "hidden costs" (something the oil industry never did or does) "environmental impact" "disposal issues" Etc. My personal favorite is wind power. However the environmental extremists are attacking this everywhere. Their main objection is that birds are being killed by the wind generators. Their second is that it …

Posted to When Red Goes Green

WILEYWITCH sure call me Johnny. Satan works too though, and might be more appropriate considering how the FRight wingers have demonized all populist types hahaha. While I totally agree with you, in order to acheive those objectives, a clear path must be laid out. Like you I am amazed at the fools who believe private business can do everything better. Well hey if the Gov't. could cut out it's least profitable or money losing aspects I imagine Gov't. would do fantastic. Then there is also the need to make a profit, which the Gov't. does NOT have. People in Texas are …

Posted to When Red Goes Green

The Democrats problem is its leaders are a bunch of people who learned how to play politics as the majority party, and one that was the majority for decades. Biden, Kerry, Lieberman, Shumar Etc. they do not understand and apparently are unable to learn the role of a minority party. Kennedy seems most adept at it, but is often left fighting solo and easily ridiculed for his past. Boxer of California has been crucified by her own party when she showed the men that she had the balls and said some pretty harsh stuff. Minority parties shake things up. They through …

Posted to Alito Hearings Drowning in Words

OPELUBOY - I almost agree, however "ignore" is the same tactic that Democrats have been using since 1994. You ARE RIGHT, there is no reason to debate the idiots. Just ridicule them, make fun of them. Treat them as the joke they are, and constantly dismiss them. That kind of "active" ignoring is very successful at making trolls go away. Making it impossible for them to get under our skin WILL make them go away. We should all remember, the time we pointlessly spend trying to sway these backwards, butt-sucking morons the LESS time we have to speak to those who …

Posted to Alito Hearings Drowning in Words

GORE spoke the Truth. Go Gore, Go Gore, Go Gore. There is NO POINT OR REASON to dispute your stupid FRight wing thoughts, since you treat politics like a sport and whatever your side does is always right. So that's what I do for my side. I don't care what the FRight wing things or reasons. Listening to them, and fearing them is what made the Democrats such wimps. Their imput and views are worthless and should be treated accordingly. Go Gore. Thanks for saying what a lot of people are too afraid to say.

Posted to Alito Hearings Drowning in Words

In a historical context there are NO INNOCENTS, no matter what your color, your ethnicity, your race, your religion. NONE! To arbitrarily draw a line at a certain date in order to demand someone take blame for that period of the past is beyond stupid. OK it's 1850 folks. Quick NAME a NATION that is NOT was exploiting, oppressing, degrading other nations, other lands AND most of all IT'S OWN PEOPLE? The early days of the industrial revolution was a hellish nightmare for 95% of the people who lived in it, and for those people the word "freedom" was as hollow …

Posted to The Northern Slave Trade

Theloneous: Your comments are fascinating for what it says what you learned in school and in your studies vs. I. The overwhelming majority of immigrants to the USA were VERY POOR. They were refugees, often forced to flee their homelands lest they starve living a life of absolute poverty and misery (can you say Irish Potato Famine?) The "slave" rebellion in earl on in NYC is that "slave" also refers to "white people" who were INDENTURED SERVANTS - which is another name for slave, especially early on. They were penniless in Europe and when offered a chance to come here, if …

Posted to The Northern Slave Trade

Roach: you're numbers are bogus, and anyone who reads that and believes you without question doesn't deserve an explanation. I think it's best to let you and your ilk have all the fools anyway. LOL

Posted to The Northern Slave Trade

Oh so you posted where it came from SO. Just because someone posted it somewhere does NOT mean it's accurate. I take it you are yet another person who believes if he "read it somewhere" it must be true? Your only goal is to tie people up in pointless debates with you. ProLibs are lovers of facts and reason. It's almost an addiction for some. It's nearly impossible for a ProLib to hear inaccurate data without reflexively trying to correct it. We assume that knowing the truth will change minds. Unfortunately with the likes of you, it's an emotional not factual …

Posted to The Northern Slave Trade

One thing the Democrats need to do to defeat the Republican machine is to figure out how to answer the Repugnican charge of Gov't. stealing your money. Don't defend taxes, BUT DO explain them. It's simple *without tax we wouldn't have roads, schools, hospitals, no police, no fireman. No protective regulations that ensure a safe working environment, or that you must be fired with cause. Taxes pay for the maintenence of the infrastructure required to keep this country #1. Not one thing that makes this country great was possible without paying taxes. Even the wealthy owe their wealth to exploitation of …

Posted to The Republican Crack-Up

Please PROVE or GIVE some evidence of the Government being "GROSSLY INEFFICIENT." All I have ever seen put forth is various Defense Dept. purchases, and ironically that is the one part of Gov't. that does NOT get cut. Too often I"ve found the evidence easy to discredit, but because people are so eager to believe that this is true, they don't ask even simple questions. I remember the Defense Dept. hammer that contractors billed the Military over $100. The same hammer could be bought at a hardware store for only a few $$$. No one followed up and this little lie …

Posted to The Republican Crack-Up

Jay: There is a huge difference between "grossly inefficient and "inefficient." If you meant the latter, hey I agree on that point. Where we'd probably disagree is the remedy. Inefficient as he uses it is devoid of the wholesale dismissive judgment your comments entail. His use is not synonymous with incompetent. In fact one simple way to dramatically improve Gov't. efficiency is to eliminate the Federal system and replace it with one central Gov't. Eliminating the multiplicity of Gov'ts striving to achieve the same thing would save billions. If Gov't. were run like a business, this would probably be the first …

Posted to The Republican Crack-Up

So your lack of good roads in Minn. is proof of Gov't. waste? Your answer is to cut Gov't. funding? Wow, Maybe they're a mess because that's all the state can afford. You know I'm not going to argue. I believe you. I'll give you that one. So let's do what the smart money says is the solution. PRIVATISE YOUR ROADS!!!! LET BIG BUSINESS - Bechtel, or Kellog Brown and Root take care of your state's transportation needs. :) You'll finally get your weather roads in no time. You won't complain when they cost 2x as much, because with private companies …

Posted to The Republican Crack-Up

Wiley: Thanks for thinking about me, but conspiracies are not my cup of tea. Let's say EVERYTHING you and Rabbit think is the absolute irrefutable truth. You know what that means? Given the ACTUAL, REALWORLD outcome you, I, Rabbit and Natalies are absolutely and utterly helpless to change or stop anything such "powers that be" do now or in the future. The problem with conspiracies is the enemy is always 5 steps ahead and layered under 5 disguises. Those that seek to oppose the "conspiracists" are always way behind the curve and thus utterly inneffective in stopping anything. OF course IF …

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

Rabbit: Interesting response. It speaks for itself and clearly indicates who is truly "in denial" and "cringing." LOL OF course as is typical, rather than addressing anything I said, you stoop to ad hominim attacks. Well, so what. What you think isn't that important as evidenced by your post. . Oh yeah I'm afraid of facing the truth - exactly what truth is that - the one that goes something like "Rabbit knows all, even the unknowable. What Rabbit suspects "is" - If Rabbit "suspects" then "it is real." Rabbit is a "truthteller" Rabbit right because you have "prescient" and "pre …

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

Rabbit: Yeah right, where r u'r facts. Conspiracy theories are NOT facts, they are circumstancial and assumptive. The fact that you have decided to declare them "facts" does not make it so. You know our society is forever indebted to the young girl (most like a young girl) who coined the ultimate, all-purpose answer when confronted with total bullshit trying "bully" its way past the bullshit detectors. Confronted by such a sichiashun, she was neither intimidated nor swayed. With one simple word she dismissed the attempts to get her to believe or care about what was clearly nonsense and unrelated to …

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

Rabbit: Yeah right, where r u�r facts. Conspiracy theories are NOT facts, they are circumstancial and assumptive. The fact that you have decided to declare them �facts� does not make it so. You know our society is forever indebted to the young girl (most like a young girl) who coined the ultimate, all-purpose word that successfully stops total bullshit from �bullying� its way past the bullshit detectors as truth and facts. Confronted by such a sichiashun, she was neither intimidated nor swayed. With one simple word she dismissed the attempts to get her to believe or care, and made it absolutely …

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

Wiley Witch: I strongly object to how you characterized our "news media." I strongly object because we do NOT have one. LOL To call our "propaganda ministry" that mascarades as an actual news services is to "validate" the "Bush speak" that confuses and befuddles. To refer to those "outlets" with the adjective "news" should be absolutely avoided. Call them anything you want but please don't called them "news" channels. :)

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

Luminous: What are you talking about. I didn't criticise anyone. What did you interpret as critiscism?

Posted to What's the 411 on 9/11?

I am outraged that someone with such a poor sense of hair style could become Supreme Court Justice!!!! Before he is even considered, he should be forced to go to a good hairstylist and get that mess fixed!!! After that he should be taken shopping to get some discount hair care products to maintain the new civilized look. I suggest he hot the French boutique Hair Care store Tar-jete for it's reasonable prices on house hair care products. Anything more expensive will probably make him return to his old ways, which resulted in this disastrous 'do in the first place. The …

Posted to The Three Alitos

WOLF: Give 'em a break. Those that say concentration camps are NOT being literal. They are using the term to dramatize the horrible treatment they have experienced RELATIVE to what the standard was in past for victims of natural disasters. Exxaggeration is a common technique to draw Attn. to a problem. My feeling is you are offended, because you feel it diminishes the true horrers of that those of concentration camps during WWII. Some fear allowing casual comparisons to those hell on earth conditions will render the term meaningless for remembering the evil as it truly was. I beg to differ. …

Posted to Torture in the Homeland

Right On Wileywitch - you hit several nails right on the head. Obviously Wolf is a Repugnican in the process of being enlightened by the abject failure of ideals he once fervently believed in. Unfortunately he still relies on the right-wing media for information, and probably still believes the media has a liberal bias, and auto-corrects accordingly. LOL needs to stray from those sources and investigate other sources not beholden to the Delay's of the world. If he did, he'd realize that potential champions for economic justice do try to rise up, but have been mercilessly attacked the moment they reach …

Posted to Torture in the Homeland

WOLF.................... and WILEY (I'd like your opinion) So you think Nagle was initially negligent? You say he didn't do his job. Just a little thinking would have averted the mess in large part. This nation has had many hurricanes. I canNOT recall a previous major hurricane related disaster where a the mayor's role was portrayed as so pivotal. Does anyone recall Mayors of other cities like Miami or Ft. Lauderdale or any major city in the path of a big storm ever rating a mention in the major press? They do NOT get a mention, because mayors do NOT play a …

Posted to Torture in the Homeland

good comeback LUMINOUS. hahaha it's always nice to see a leftie hit back 2x as hard instead of trying to reason with a FRight wing moron.

Posted to Torture in the Homeland

HIV DOES TOO CAUSE AIDS. All the suspicions and doubts raised so far do NOT RELATE and don't impune the integrity of the science that determined the ultimate cause of HIV is the HIV Virus (I and II). FRENCH SCIENTISTS were the first ones to isolate the virus and determine it was the cause. American researchers quickly confirmed the finding. All those companies you suspect of being part of a cover up had NOTHING TO DO with the FRENCH RESEARCH. French Research other research worldwide all agree with the basic research here, the HIV virus causes AIDS. There are NO EXTREMELY …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

HETEROSEXUAL TRANSMISSION IS a big risk in the West In Europe HIV IS A HETERO DESEASE Only in the USA has HIV stayed a desease of Gay men. The conclusion that it must be a different desease is easy to logically explain away as I will try to do. The reason so much Attn. is focused on it is to find out how to keep it that way. LOL Not to kill gay men, but to protect the larger society. Unfortunately, until because of how each society on Earth has different customs and beliefs which are key to the different characteristics …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

HIV IN AFRICA vs. USA vs. EUROPE. - continued. The French did their studies in Africa however and not Europe, and as a result their studies also had a flaw that went undetected. They assumed an African study could be a decent model for European transmission. They were only testing for the risk associated with being UNcircumsized. While they did prove beyond a doubt being circumcised dramatically lessons the possibility of a man contracting HIV, they didn't get a totally accurate result because like Americans their own bias and cultural assumptions prevented them from factoring in yet another practice in Africa …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

CONCLUSION: What makes all this info so confusing to so many is Researchers NEVER say NEVER unless the risk is absolute zero. Even if the risk were ONLY viable if a man had sex a milion times a year, a researcher would still say "very low risk" rather than no risk. The inability of researchers to use common language to describe risks associated with various sexual practices means a lot of people get stressed and ignore all warnings, but that's another story. More analysis of the data collected over 30yrs. makes this conclusion even more irrefutable. Of the millions who have …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

HIV DOES FULFILL THE Koch's Postulates and a PURE virus isolate has been obtained. HOWEVER, prior attempts were not successful because .TECHNOLOGY had to be developed to do so Why is it you are so fixated on OUTDATED data and techniques that proved not up to the task? Koch says: 1. The microorganism must be found in all cases of the disease. ..............With PCR it is possible to isolate the virus from virtually anyone who has AIDS. 2. It must be isolated from the host and grown in pure culture. ................Tech. improvements in cross culture techniques have finally done that. 3. …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

RETHINKIT - it was inevitable the RACE card would be played. How ironic you did it the most sexist way imaginable. I guess since it is ONLY AFRICAN WOMEN who are demanding this practice stop; since it's only AFRICAN WOMEN across the continent joining together to make it so; since it's only AFRICAN WOMEN who are coming forward and proving it is still happening, I guess IT DOES NOT MATTER TO YOU. NOT IF A MAN, Mbeki says it is not so. What a low, cowardly tactic to try. To think you'd go so far AS DENY the reality of FEMALE …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

Truthseeker - your evil nature shows LOL In your last comment. As is typical of denialists, when they cannot shove their lies down someone's throat, they turn tail and run but not before they wish great harm on you.

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

RETHINKIT: You really go to great lengths to make facts out of the "LACK" of information. Did you bother to check if that site provides that information for healthcare workers for ANY OTHER disease. I did, and doing so shows why your paranoia and suspicion are leading you so astray. The link you point to GIVES what it says it GIVES. - it's a SURVALENCE NOT a MORBIDITY site. Every single # on that page could be dead, and it would NOT be mentioned. Once again your lack of training in understanding how statistical information is parsed in order to make …

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

I'll answer any replies when I'm online again in a few days. LOL

Posted to Beatrice Were: Fighting a Deadly U.S. AIDS Policy in Uganda

Susan J. Douglas is right, but despite that she doesn't quite see the forest when she looks at all the trees. It is NOT the NYTimes which is to blame, but OTHER women. Feminism planted the seeds of it's own failure by deciding early on that attacking another successful woman was verbotin. The NYTimes is merely a platform. The actual perpetrators of the crime, the women who wrote the articles partly backed up by their "me-search." (great on-the-fly term) were NOT forced to write the articles by men NOR directed to write about these topics or push particular viewpoints. It was …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

Jan VanDenBerg just where did I say you should start attacking other women. I said women who actively promote anti-feminist positions should NOT be treated any differently than men who do the same. DOES THAT mean "attack" to you? It does NOT mean that to me. What it means to me is being a woman should NOT inoculate someone from the proper and expected reprobation when one turns traitor to the cause. By your logic, Phyllis Schaffley should be a feminist Icon. Is she a feminist Icon to you? Your completely closed reasoning makes it impossible to exclude Phyllis from the …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

Jan VanDenBerg It sounds like our positions have converged quite a bit. I don't disagree with anything you said really. I just think I should try and clarify a few things. My comments in regards to Odowd are directly linked to the article that started this exchange has to say about Odowd's book and it's treatment of feminism. If her treatment of feminism is so bad, why is she spared any of the criticism directed at the NYTimes? At the very least it should be stated Maureen, you let us down, you let feminism. Instead only blaming the NYTimes effectively absolves …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

Jan V. The fact that women in general are not to blame for what you describe does not mean the feminist movement doesn't have to counter it to win. The only women I hear critisizing other women are the Schaffley and Coulter types ripping apart the feminists, and the feminists response is exactly what you recommend, silence basically. Silence is suicide in any struggle. It allows the enemy to define you, and the anti-feminist forces have had a field day defining the feminist and her ideals. I'm sure you are aware of the absurd stereotypes many women associate with being a …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

Jan V. I believe you, but if the problem is so bad, then the leaders of the feminist movement need to step back and examine their tactics and marketing YES marketing. LOL Nothing, not even the very best idea or ideal gets a free ride in our consumer society. The one thing the media conglomerates in this country care about more than anything is making money. Getting viewers to watch makes them money. Just what are feminists doing today that is attention getting to the NON-feminist? I wish there were a way to get involved in marketing feminism if such opportunities …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

Jan Van The problem you talk about is far too complex for an easy answer. However you do say one thing that is a potential key: You Say - Feminism seems to be as its enemies say it is Which is due to what I have been saying silence is deadly. This reality is in part due to the strategies feminism decided on early in the movement when the whole nation was experiencing self-doubt and re-evaluating it's values right after the Vietnam War. At that time Feminists decided on a course of action based on an idealism at its most extreme. …

Posted to The Times Disses Women

This is just another very sad example of Progressives and Democrats turning into enemies at the precise time that the alliance can least afford it. The primary fight between Brown and Hackett is clearly going to be an all-out, no holds barred affair and super expensive to boot. As a result of the idiocy that thoughtlessly pits two prime Democratic candidates from opposite wings of the party against each other in a primary fight, DeWine WILL BE RE-ELECTED. Surely the powers that be in the Dem. party the progressives and mainstreamers can come together to find a way to avoid this …

Posted to This Is the Race

If there ever was a reason for not voting this is it. A vote for either will be a vote for the eventual LOSER in the general election, because neither Brown nor Hackett will have sufficient resources to fight and win a general election against the incumbint Repugnican DeWine. A vote in this primary election also encourages the idiots who are